AntFTW

Not really, because they had the history of being vets and had more people on their side. Per early season comments, Fessy must appear much more intimidating in person than he does on screen. Bailey and Swaggy also had Wes on their side so not sure how much them staying out of elimination had anything to do with that. Well, in the past seasons, it was open season for rookies. Rookies went in regardless of how intimidating they looked. They would put them in against other rookies. This season, the dynamic is different. There are no power alliances. I'm sure they would have no problem throwing Fessy in countless times if that means they were insulated with an alliance, but there is no insulation this season. Imagine season 34 with Paulie's alliance. That alliance ran the game. That alliance ran both teams. A majority of that alliance got to the final and some of them won (I'm including Dee, CT and Rogan in that alliance). If Fessy was on season 34, they would have no problem throwing him in if he's not in the Paulie alliance. They would throw Fessy in against somebody else who is also not in the alliance... and keep doing that until Fessy goes home or be the one who did their dirty work of sending the "enemies" home. In this season, no one can be entirely sure that they won't be the one to go in an elimination against Fessy.

Bayleigh overall makes no sense. In the hour-long episode there they cut Dee, they get angry because "this [wasn't] a game" for her. She was saying this in one of the scenes they cut. This is a "new life" for her so it would make no sense why Chris would be her master plan (and looks like her only plan). Why would the first plan be her man winning if this means a new life for her? If that's the case, go harder. Bring home the money for her and her man!

I loved seeing Sarah on the Challenge. My first season of the show was Battle of the Seasons (season 23), and I had a good impression of Sarah from that season, so I loved seeing her every time she came back. Trishelle was a bitch for quitting on her in Rivals 2. Let's assume that something else happened... they got in a twitter feud, prank war, Johnny TP'ed Sarah's house, Sarah wasn't there when Johnny's cat died, whatever... anything that would have made them rivals on Rivals 3, I think Johnny would have taken the money regardless of the reason. I don't disagree with anything you said. Johnny played by the rules, but it was a dick move. Sarah and Johnny operated on two different levels of "dickishness." That final would have been much more boring had he split the money. Here's a question for everybody... do you believe Sarah would have taken the money?

I’m thinking there could be a purge challenge as well as an elimination, but obviously I’m not certain of that. They do a purge challenge challenge just about every season so I expect there to be one. As far as the double eliminations are concerned, I’m expecting there to be a guy’s elimination and a women’s elimination... and based a mid-season trailer that we got, I expect Dee to be going in this week. We know she goes into eliminations at least one more time, and that may well be this week.

“Normal hamster” 😂😂😂 I’M DEAD!

She absolutely wanted to fuck Nany. Like 1 or 2 episodes back, Kaycee and Nany were at the bar and looking at each other and I was thinking “uh oh! Kaycee’s getting laid tonight” Also... Kaycee bullshits like a player. She says all the stereotypical shit that a player would say 😂

Just so I’m clear... you’re saying Bayleigh is the stronger competitor out of her and Melissa? I don’t think Bayleigh’s meltdown was strategy at all. I thought that was real raw emotions. Bayleigh was hurt. Kaycee admitted that she had a similar flirtatious and affectionate relationship with Bayleigh. Then, Kaycee made Bayleigh look like an idiot and a liar in the house by telling everyone that Bayleigh was lying. On top of that, Nany saying she had absolutely nothing to do with Kaycee voting for Melissa was absolute bullshit. Bayleigh correctly pointed out that Kaycee voted for Melissa to please Nany, who said she wanted to go against Melissa. To Bayleigh, everyone around her is making her look like she’s lying when she isn’t. That’s maddening! That will make you lose your mind. I think any reasonable person would flip out as a result.

I don't doubt it... only because in the kitchen when Kaycee, Jenny and Bayleigh were talking, Kaycee literally said that the type of relationship she has with Nany this season is the same type of relationship she had with Bayleigh on BB. Apparently, this is Kaycee's version of "friendship."

Nia is a... piece of work. She's a lot. She's terrible. Speaking of that, they booted her from the show. I was very conflicted about what should happen as a result of Nia's stupidity. I thought it wasn't fair to boot Leroy because of Nia but I also thought it was unfair to bring Theresa back, because she had lost. She was eliminated. I thought she should have not been given the opportunity to come back and win the season. I thought that was unfair to the other eliminated contestants so I was so conflicted over what was the right call.

Johnny taking the money was more a shock value than the Johnny/CT elimination on Cutthroat. I remember watching Rivals 3, and watching Johnny take all the money. My jaw dropped! I could not believe Johnny actually took the money after the other 2 teams split the money. I thought that was so grimy, but it was great TV!

I just rewatched Exes 2 recently also, specifically, because I couldn't remember how Johnny and Nany got back in the game. I forgot there was a redemption house concept in play during that season that they only showed bits and pieces of. However, I think Sarah's decision in Exes 2 was justified because I genuinely believe that Johnny would have done the same thing to her had he been in that position considering that Jordan and Sarah were the strongest team.

Before this episode, I had no real opinion of Kaycee. Cory takes the words right out of my mouth. Kaycee has the makings of a player. She uses the words “friends” to lighten what really happens. We cuddle but we’re just really good friends. We flirt but we’re friends. I wanna kiss you because we’re such amazing friends. We sleep in the same bed cuddled up because we have a really deep friendship. Kaycee’s trifling and she knows it 😂

I don't get the whole "trust" thing that Kaycee spit out during the house vote. That rubs me the wrong way. Dee said the same thing about Ashley after working with Ashley all last season, and that's what got me on the "Fuck Dee" bandwagon. What has Bayleigh done for Kaycee to say "I can't trust you"?

But Leroy didn't lead. Leroy stepped up and went under Paulie's umbrella. Leroy had no clout. Leroy made major decisions that got Leroy to the end. He couldn't do much to save Nany. The whole team was against Nany. Leroy couldn't lead the charge away from Nany no matter how bad he wanted to. Paulie led. Paulie got a good chunk of his alliance (which now included Leroy) to the end. Leroy got Leroy (and Leroy alone) to the end. Leroy made no decisions that really changed the direction of the game, like Paulie did. Dang it! I'm sounding like a Paulie fan 🤢🤮

I thought Leroy was a backseat driver last season. He did what was necessary to get to the end. He went from the team where Johnny’s the quarterback to a team where Paulie was the quarterback. He had no real choice because Paulie had the numbers so he had to get on Paulie’s bus. However, I’m not saying that it’s 100% politics that gets you to the end but it’s a majority of what gets you to the end. I don’t disagree that sometimes people are just unlucky. They get tossed into eliminations for others reasons like being last in a challenge, and then lose the elimination... or get purged out. We watch the show and we know that the best strategy to get to the end is to keep yourself out of eliminations, even if you’re generally good at eliminations. My ultimate point is that good politics is generally what keeps people out of eliminations... not counting some function of the game that gets people automatically tossed in or purged out.

All those people have terrible political games, and that’s why they lose. Nany has the potential to have a good political game, but she refuses to be the driver. She’s always a passenger on someone else’s bus. Leroy, same as Nany. Leroy’s likeable. No one dislikes him and people are willing to take him to the end. But that’s the problem, people always have to take him. He’s a backseat driver. Aneesa has no political game. She has the relationships to win but refuses to use them... and she’s stubborn. That doesn’t make for good politics. Her stubbornness is what gets her thrown into eliminations every time. Kyle, in my opinion, has the greatest political potential of all the people listed. Kyle’s politics could be AMAZING, but he’s a floater. Nobody has any loyalty to a floater. Floaters don’t win. Jenna doesn’t know how to politic. She’s the only person I can think of that can get by WITHOUT ANY POLITICKING! Jenna doesn’t ask for favors. She doesn’t ask for anything in return. Jenna isn’t having any secret conversations. Jenna isn’t plotting. Shane is a shitty person IMO. He’s an explicit, in your face, shit starter that will always put a massive target on his own back. Shane makes himself an easy name to vote into eliminations. Tony is a terrible politician and a shit starter. Like Shane, Tony makes it easy to say his name.

The elimination challenge was interesting. I thought the idea of them getting a skull while being in bounds was not thought out well because what if they both got 5 skulls. I thought they should made the winner of each round the person that rips the skull off the other first or whoever gets their skull to the pedestal first. They showed more of Dee this week than they have in the previous 2 weeks. 😂 I thought they were gonna stick to the back of her head like they were doing in the challenge but no... you actually got to see her face and you got to see her name being slid into the window at Tribunal nominations 😂

FOREWORD: Fuck Nelson! Chapter 1: He actually seemed like a decent human this episode Chapter 2: ... but that's only because someone else out shined him in the stupid department this episode.

I have to say that I thought this was the best episode out of the last 2 or 3 that we got. I liked the daily challenge, it was some good drama, and I liked the elimination challenge. Nany is just... never gonna win one of these things. She'll win when she stops playing a scared game (...and when it's not required that she goes into an elimination to get to a final). The people that play scared games don't win these things.

Here's the thing about Bayleigh losing her shit... Remember when the house voted in Jenna because they thought she wasn't mentally in the game anymore? How did that same logic not apply to Bayleigh? Bayleigh's been losing her shit damn-near the entire episode... and before the house vote. Why target Melissa who wants to go in and is mentally prepared to go in? Melissa was itching to go in. When they're itching to go in, keep them on edge. Make them anxious. Even though Bayleigh wanted to go in, she's has been off her rocker since Chris left. She also wanted to go and be with her man. This would have been the best time to strike. Kick her while she's down.

I remember the monkey thing. He did the monkey thing.

100% agreed! I would pay to see that fallout after Dee got back from that tunnel digging elimination. That could have wrapped up the Dee saga perfectly. After that, edit her out for the rest of the season. Watching that transition from that half assed (albeit, short notice) 1 hour episode we got to that nicely edited smooth episode from last week MADE ME CACKLE! To know that they are purposefully avoiding her face IS HILARIOUS! What made me really laugh... was during the tribunal voting during Purgatory. She’s heard but not seen. You don’t hear her boo or cheer anyone. They don’t show anyone looking at her while she’s voting. It’s a swift “my votes for Kyle” and she shuts up.

They let them have access to something like a house phone, but no personal cell phones. Thee cast basically sees nothing from the outside world; no TV; no phones; no printed media. On the more recent seasons of Real World, they've let them have cell phones.

I imagine that since Cory isn't new to the Challenge house, he knows he won't have access to a phone and limited access to web calls, therefore, he should bring physical photos. Kailah had physical photos of her and her current ex-boyfriend. I assume he's shacked up with the new baby mama. I would pay to watch I Love Money 3... TO THIS DAY! I loved that trash back in the day.

I know we're only seeing a part of what's going on. From what we see, it seems like Johnny doesn't give as much attention to Melissa that Josh does. Josh, overall, seems to talk more than Johnny. Johnny doesn't seem give as much material or ammunition for Melissa to comment on. Josh goes in for a hug and Melissa's like get the fuck away from me, you fucking liar. Josh coming into a room saying he wants a red skull. That entices Melissa to say I'm glad you don't have a red skull or any other flippant comment about not having a red skull. Whereas Johnny just sits back and listens. During the house vote, Johnny just says "My vote is for Kyle." There's not much room for comment there. Josh SWEARS ON HIS FAMILY'S LIFE THAT HE LOVES KYLE BUT WILL VOTE FOR CORY... and Melissa's like swearing on your family doesn't mean shit, you liar. Josh brings more material to the table for comment.