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DRESCHEL IS OUT! DRESCHEL . . . oh, he's got the Safety Pass. He's got another shot. Cut to Najee in the locker room, banging his head against a wall because he messed up on the same obstacle.

I hope you come back next year, Brian Burke. And now, I'm gonna hold my tongue about his mom and that hair. Geez, Sean Bryan got hurt. No Stage Three with a lack of hype for him this year. Shit, man. Whatever happened to the times where ninjas didn't get hurt like that? ETA: Dislocation shoulder, got popped back in. If he comes back, ANW will milk the heck out of that moment.

Jeez, Nick Hanson went out badly on Stage One yet again. Also: Eskimo Ice Cream can't be real,right? Whitefish and bear fat . . . I cannot begin to imagine the taste.

That's a run-on sentence, right? Also, is it annoying that the facade of multiple nights is still there?

@scrb . . .I don't think Teege said how the $1million would be distributed. Maybe the team that wins the final mission splits it. Maybe individuals will be playing for that like last season. Or maybe BMP decides to cut a seven-digit check to Smashley, because she hasn't been lucky so far. 🙄 I'm also thinking "Team US" and "Team UK" will be rendered meaningless, given the Defection Twist. We might as well have "Red vs. Blue," with players potentially jumping ships.

From the AVClub review: I'm starting to feel that way . . . that I'm just looking forward to seeing the ending, as well as whatever WTF moments pop up. This week: a dingo dines on Herr Starr's nuts, because he lied to God about Humperdoo. At least it feels like something from the original source material . . . Starr continuing to be a bastard even when the universe bends him over. No, I don't know how frisky the dingo was. Nice cold open. I'm thinking either God has VHS copies of movies based off the Bible, or folks had thick Brooklyn accents back then. You know that one Weekend Update character? The wife of the boxer? She would've fit in there. Also fun: Cassidy & Tulip faking being hard-boiled American federal agents, complete with Cassidy using his take on what Americans sound like. And Jesse tries to get the drop on SoK. "Tries" being the operative word. Getting the guns was a sweet move, but of course he wouldn't have them loaded. Maybe SoK uses his own anger as ammo? Also: do Aussies and Kiwis not get along in real life?

"Pistol-whipping, Custer? Really?!? I'd expect that from the kid you sent to Hell."

Cassidy's American accent is on point . . . at least in fooling local authorities.

Wait . . . so people had "wise guy" accents in Bible times? Huh. Live and learn.

Apparently, we’ll be getting the four-episode Uzumaki sometime next year.

Picked up Marvel Comics #1000. Gimmick book with interesting hook and the promise of something larger next year. I got the blank cover . . . like DC Comics did with Action Comics and Detective Comics, there's no "regular" cover underneath. I'm wondering what I could get sketched on it. Right now, I'm thinking either Human Torch (original version), Namor or Galactus. I'm open to suggestions. 😊

Remember Johnny's credo: "Do as I say, not as I screw." If Wes launches a preemptive DM strike towards potential players in order to maximize allies, he is a no-good god-damned ginger weasel. If Johnny does it? He's playing the game. Jordan needs to step up his nickname game. "Rat" doesn't really cover Wes that well.

I think that might be a rare chase figure. I'll have to check the website. Anyone want to throw out vague guesses as to how the guys will do their 300th episode?

The Mets still fell short. It's a mixed blessing . . . on the one hand, there's a feeling they're going back to old habits, and that finishing over .500 is a more realistic goal. On the other hand, the sense of hope is there. Down 10-1, and they had the tying run at the plate in the ninth. You would leave Citi Field early at your own risk of missing a comeback.

From Wes' Instagram: Comment from mtvhunter: "I'm going to pretend I didn't read this" DAMN. Not as low as Johnny sucker-punching Sarah, but it's still pretty low.

Over an hour after the episode airs, and zero replies? That doesn't bode well. [Oops, @RedheadZombie just posted] Basically, it's a simple premise (Americans vs. Brits) with about three dozen twists underneath the surface, ready to jump out at any moment. U.S team wins the first mission? They get first pick of the "Reinforcements" . . . and they pick Turbo over CT, sending our favorite Masshole to the UK team. It had to be a tough decision. Even beyond his peak, CT would be a good man to have on your team . . . but Turbo is a demigod. Or mythical beast. Or something else I can't think of right now. New Tribunal system has Wes joined by returnees Laurel and Jordan to decide who goes into the "Proving Ground" among the Brits . . . and then they are able to send someone from either team in as an opponent. Some schmuck named Sean volunteers to fall upon the sword. He won Shipwrecked back home, but he looks like some random dude from the airport that BMP ambushed and forced into the game. After some drama over sending Bear or Rogan into elimination, Laurel and Jordan vote for the boxer Idris, who winds up pole wrestling Sean out of the game. The big twist revealed by Teege: if you win in the Proving Ground, you can defect to the other side. Sounds promising . . . until you realize that Challengers usually wreck twists like that all the damn time. Oh, and no one can be on back-to-back Tribunals. First mission was brutal, with some contact. Laurel slides back into action by blocking one of the Brit girls (I think it was Georgia) from bringing her flag back to base. It wasn't brutal, but you can see that Laurel hasn't lost her edge. Also, she and Cara Maria are still at odds, which makes Laurel the possible de facto good guy . . . for now, anyway. Lots of hooking up, CT and Josh almost come to blows,and Wes trying to convince everyone he's the smartest guy in the game. Sure, that worked for him last time . . . but under normal circumstances, he usually falls to his doom, while Johnny jerks it in interviews. My line for Johnny courtesy of David Spade from an old Weekend Update: "Oh, look! A falling star! Make a wish!" That's Johnny. He ain't getting younger, the next generation adapts to the game quicker, and all he really has these days are the shitty, shitty things he's done in the past. I'm still rooting for CT, but no one should lose their shit over someone from Big Brother. That's the one reality show that's a bigger garbage fire than The Challenge. Part of me wants to believe CT faked the charge to get into Josh's head . . . maybe even tipping the security guys for holding him back. I don't want to see Berzerk CT. And in the previews, we see three guys holding back Turbo. I really, really, REALLY don't want to turn against him . . . partially because he seemed so pure winning last season, partially because he could probably kill me without making physical contact. ETA: I forgot to mention that Bear is still a wanker. The worst parts of CT and Wes blended together, with a windowless van thrown in. When I watch and post on Facebook, and Bear acts the fool, I post this GIF. You'll have to mentally insert "Sabre Dance."

Mets are down 6-0 to the Cubs. It's the first inning. Maybe the magic is fading away?

Reminder: WotW2 starts tonight. Here’s a write-up I found on The A.V. Club: “Perpetually chill”? Teege?!? Maybe when someone important crosses a line. “Okay, Camila just went on a rant. Racism’s bad. Racism’s bad, mmmkay?” 🙄

Maybe . . . maybe the mammoth had that coming?

Writer pairs Challengers to NFL teams. It seems permanent. In my head, there's a difference between losing use of an eye and growing up with only one fully-formed hand. Also, I reckon depth perception would be vital in competition. If he returns? Great. But I doubt it, and it's a bit painful that he seemed like one of the more normal of the new kids with athletic talent. He would've won WotW if BMP had excluded guys with Minotaur DNA.

I got my badge for New York Comic Con in the mail. Anyone else here going?

I got sketches on blank covers for House of X and Powers of X at Flame Con. I wussed out on X-Men 2099, opting for Moira with a variation of the timeline graphics.

I'm thinking that the mechs' heads aren't vital, in the sense that there wouldn't be a pilot in there . . .which is one of the pluses of gen:Lock. Cammie patching her POV through another person and seeing "herself" decapitated was funny. I like Cammie. Maybe it's the accent. Maybe it's the weird pet she has. Maybe it's because her online VR avatar isn't human. Yeah, she's ten pounds of quirk in a seven-pound bag, but she's relatable to me. For anyone reading . . . Final Space is a lot deeper in its second season. It's like Turner/Time-Warner/Whatever grows cartoons like that all the time (see also: The Venture Bros., Rick and Morty). Tennant isn't really recognizable in that role

Dr. Stone thread is now up. I don't think Senku would immediately remember how one would get liquored up. I'm guessing he seldom went to keggers (or the Japanese equivalent).

Basics: Two high school kids -- one being a brainiac, the other a loveable oaf with unlimited stamnia -- wake from a stone slumber and set about rebooting humanity. Here's the first episode in a nutshell: Yuzuriha: I'm here by this tree, Taiju. What did you want to tell me? Taiju: That I lo- . . . crap, weird lights are turning me into stone. [approximately 3,700 years later] Senku: Hey! Looks like the big oaf is finally up! I've been using my manga-level smarts to keep myself alive! Taiju: How did you know the date?!? Senku: I basically counted seconds while I was stone. What part of "manga-level smarts" did you not understand? Taiju: So we're the only two people alive? Senku: [peeking at the opening credits, stuck at the end] Probably not. But, right now, we're gonna be the Adam & Eve of this new Stone Age! Taiju: Wait, I didn't know you swung that way. Or any way- Senku: I regret saying that out loud. New anime . . . GET EXCITED!!! Taiju: . . . pause? Senku: DAMMIT! I got the first two volumes of the manga from the library. One teeny bit from the first chapter got cut out, and I'm spoiler-texting it.