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Announcer: This week on The Challenge After Show!!! Devin: (wanking) Johnny: (wanking while driving his car) Devin: That's not safe. (wanking) Britni: (possibly drunk) Gus: Did I mention I'm an Olympian and I helped save a lot of puppies? (pause) *sigh* All right . . . (serving tea)

I don't think there's anyone to root for. As satisfying as it was to see Devin ask for Johnny, get Johnny, and defeat Johnny . . . he's still a bit of a prick. I call him "AYTO Wes" because Weston would hold himself up so high above the others. I'm not certain Wes still feels like that, but he's not a mainstay, and absence makes the heart hate him a little less. Tonight, Devin got himself two things: a Grenade and a wheelbarrow for his mammoth erection. And Tony plays the game his friend Johnny plays. Problem is, that meant inconveniencing Johnny, who cannot take one move against him even with all the moves he makes every damn season. My opinion on Tony hasn't changed, but he this might be his last Challenge. It's a double-edged sword. Does he come back and have Johnny do to him what he's done to so many people? Or does he retire and keep a close eye on his daughters and break lines for the next few years? Yes, Johnny wold hold a grudge, and Tony being male would not deter him one bit. In short: Fuck off, Johnny. Fuck all the way off. Worse, we get flashbacks from RW: Sydney, where the girls picked on Parisa. I was on a Facebook group, and people friggin' turned on Kailah and Jemmye so hard. Also Britni, but she was already on the sketchy list. I dunno . . . back in Inferno II, I had zero problem with Tonya dumping Beth's stuff into the pool. Here, there's no water, but those two suck hard. Maybe I gave Tonya a little leeway because she was a bit scattered mentally? The worst part? Kailah yelling for Kayleigh to come and fight her, as Kyle and Nicole -- two of the stronger people in the house -- hold Kayleigh back. And then she quits, which . . . I understand, but doesn't that mean her antagonists win? All those brats got was a lecture from Teege. I haven't made any art with MS Paint in ages. I'm thinking Devin's head on Joker's body in The Dark Knight as the hospital blows up in the background. Devin was looking to kneecap Johnny, and the house almost imploded from the resulting fallout. Awesome that Devin got to beat Johnny, but there are so many possible ramifications in upcoming seasons, because -- one again -- Johnny can't take it the way he dishes it out. If The Challenge stops filming, Johnny is under a bridge in two years, selling his hands to the highest bidder.

That was fun, though it emphasizes that Barry isn't the best brain out there. He spends how many relative hours trying to think of a solution, and Iris gives him the answer? I'm not knocking Iris, but it felt contrived. On the other hand, if the episode had five extra minutes, we would have gotten this: Ralph: Let me get this straight . . . you want me to wrap my body around the nuclear explosion?? Barry: (panting) Yeah! I can't run it, Cisco can't breach it, Wells can't outsmart it, and Caitlin can't freeze it. You're the best hope! Ralph: But that might kill me!!! Barry: (stumbling) Well, if this happens, you'll die anyway. Take one for the team, Ralph. Be this year's HR Wells! I like the idea of "Flashtime," with Jesse and Jay unable to keep the pace, and everybody frozen in place. You can feel Barry's pain. Tired Barry = Angry Barry = Scary Barry. I know Grant is so good playing hero-next-door (contrasted to Oliver Queen's troubled brooder), but he can sell the anguish . . . .particularly where he can't bring himself to talk with Joe. Jay is training a new guy? Great, let the speculation begin!! Also, Jesse and Harry make up, and Mystery Girl continues being mysterious. Good episode all around.

“Flash Thordon.” Nice, Honest Trailers. I approve. ??

. . . and speaking of which, here's the cover of the upcoming issue (in England).

@aradia22 . . . wait, so you didn't see or like profiles (which I cannot blame you, given the stories), but the guys think you liked them? Shit . . . either those guys are lying (likely), or OKC is letting them slip through the cracks (also likely). If I get a like, I'd usually thank them and try to get more information.

I'd be game. Not like Manhattan is that far from me. I typed up a few phrases in Meetup and got next to nothing, but I'm probably not being imaginative enough. I'm not being sarcastic here, and I won't bite. And I'm not going to add "Unless you want me to." Ah. Shit.

Haven't seen the latest episode. I was good with the one before that in terms of showing the world. Also, to firmly establish that the Black Bulls are the Delta House of the Magical Knights, to the point where they'd have to earn thirty stars to get to zero. Seriously, don't be surprised if the Wizard King drops by, announcing that the Bulls are on Double Secret Probation. From the Toonami thread: No, you could hear dang ole Boomhauer. The weird German rock/pop-looking guy is a "low talker." Dunno if that's the right term; I'm just imagining Asta getting "convinced" into wearing a puffy shirt.

Am I a bad person for watching the Damien-on-Damien fight, half-expecting them to stop and start furiously making out? I mean, Damien does love himself so much, and we kinda love him (and Neal McDonough) for that. If you consider Damien to be the Big Bad on account of Mallus not having a physical form yet (I'm not really counting Nora yet), I'd say he would be -- at worst -- the second most entertaining CW/Arrowverse adversary this season. Tobias Whale does more with less, but watching Damien "swipe" in all directions? Hilarious. And if Team Dark had to have an semi-willing accomplice, it would be Ray. And, of course, he would be helpful to his captors. I don't really think that he's sweet on Nora . . . but now that Nate brought it up? Totally going to happen. Wally puts a foot in his mouth inadvertently calling Amaya a "basic bitch" (no way would Nate use that term), but Sara brings him into the fold because ALL of the Legends have made bad first impressions. "Amaya? She snuck onto the ship, knocked up all out before trying to kill Mick. Yes, that includes Professor Stein. Just bonked him unconscious." Bright side: he picked up a "souvenir." Sadly, we don't get to see how Mick swiped Jerry Garcia's glasses. Next week: Elvis' music (literally) drives people crazy. Can't wait! ETA: Really hoping Ava isn't related to Sara. That would be wrong, even if their branches of the family tree are really far apart.

Update: Theo will be appearing on This Is Not Happening on March 16 at midnight on Comedy Central. Just thought you should know if you like him, are curious about it, and/or still remembering the time he was jumping out celebrating Sarah's final Gauntlet win and his shorts weren't that snug. ETA: Speaking of The Gauntlet and shit I wish I could unsee . . . Rachel has her twins on Instagram: here, here and here.

From the Toonami Tumblr: Eyecatches of Stands with statistics. Clockwise from top: Destructive Power, Speed, Range, Vitality, Precision, Development Potential (ability to learn).

In case you missed the Oscars, here are spoilers on two of the bigger categories. (Key & Peele) (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia)

Saw this on DVR. Question: what time does the episode film? Because you'd have to either love John Oliver so much, or not care about films and awards. Only "extras" we got were a spoof on ominous NRATV programming and John laying a hammer on his own show. Damn, NRATV is scary as fuck. Do they have a mascot? Maybe taking the "Moonman" from MTV and giving it a gun? Holy shit . . . if The Inspectors aired there exclusively, it would be in the bottom 20 percent in terms of insanity. In other news: Charlie Daniels? Shut up. If the devil comes a-callin', demanding another shot at your soul, we'll drop a line. Also, nice hat. "OH MY GOD, JERRY!!!! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!!!!!"

For those who don’t watch The Challenge: last week, there was an elimination game which partially involved players bursting out of wicker baskets. Marie (from RW: St. Thomas) was having a lot of trouble, and the editors decided to pop in “Basket Case” by Green Day. I’m certain that got played on RW in the Nineties. Can somebody with a long memory and/or handy links tell us when that happened?

Well, that's my take. I know of Occam's Razor, but I would want a more intricate cause to the origin of Goku Black. On the other hand: do DB fans really watch and/or read the various series for the stories? No, they want people to beat the hell out of each other.

@mlp . . . apologies if I came off as "ninjsplaining." Thirty-six teams means a first round lasting nine weeks. At worst, we'd get overlap with ANW10.

"This week on Stardust Crusaders . . . everybody involved in the anime takes drugs. A lot of drugs. ALL OF THE DRUGS." As Avdol and Kakoyin recover from N'Doul's attacks, the rest of the gang is beset by a a pair of brother Stand users: Oingo Zenyatta & Boingo Mondatta. Yes, legal issues, but the younger kid's prophecy book/Tohth Stand is labeled "Oingo Boingo Brother Adventures," so it looks like Viz didn't want to at least erase that. Anyway, the brothers try to murder our heroes, but shit keeps going sideways, mostly due to Iggy's antics. Then Zenytta uses his Stand -- Khnum -- to squeeze out of a tight spot, shape-shifting into Jotaro. Well, he alters his faces and styles his hair to pass for Jotaro's cap, while the rest of his clothes remains the same (ike Bon Clay from One Piece). In my head, Joseph knew what was up halfway through the deception at the very worst. Polnareff? He has no clue, because he's that fucking stupid. Also, he's smoking. My theory: Joseph got him into that to try and give him lung cancer right away. Seriously, Polnareff picks a cafe by spitting out his cigarette and following the lit end . . . .but he doesn't stomp that out, and it winds up burning the garbage of another cafe. On the other hand, the smoking comes in handy as Polnareff gets "Jotaro" to do his trick of flipping five lit cigarettes into his mouth, and that's funny. Anyway . . . Zenyatta manages to escape, but he ends up getting blown up by the bomb-in-the-orange he tried to set up. Then he and Mondatta get stomped on by guys because Mondatta punched one of them in the face because the book said he would. Seriously, this was a fucked-up episode, especially with the pictures in Tohth. And then, for the hell of it, the brothers hijack the end credits for pure horror fuel . . . at least if you're on acid. Apologies for not finding a clip with English subtitles. ETA: Nice touch with Jotaro’s VA doing Zenyyta’s lines, throwing in few “good griefs” along the way. I’m guess that happened in the original dub.

Only working theory of mine: time works differently in each universe. Goku whups Zamasu. Zamasu harbors a grudge. Zamasu somehow gains abilities and Goku's looks and invades Earth-DB (Universe 7) only it's the future, and he can only whup on Trunks. In other news, Mai is still hot for Future Trunks, which is weird. Then Trunks finds out Krillin and Eighteen are married, and I think that freaks him the hell out worse than Papa Gohan with Father-In-Law Satan. Kinda wish the franchise was opened up more. Does Eighteen still have her abilities? Does Maron have the same possibilities as Pan, Trunks and Goten? Also, I'm thinking a lady team-up arc: Chi Chi, Eighteen, Launch, Videl and Bulma in a power suit

Wait, so Kite is alive? Or his body is intact? What, did Crazy Slots turn into a head? I'm confused. Also, I think the new Queen's Guard is a butterfly guy named Shialepoof. I'll have to watch on DVR. Seriously, Kite living doesn't seem likely after last week's episode. Only one character could pull that. Neffy: Wow, that was great! (looking down in her lap) Thanks for the workout! Hisoka: MMmmmmmmm . . . don't mention it. Neffy: AAAAAAAHHH!!!!!! RAPE JESTER!!!! Hisoka: And that wasn't my favorite place to be, but everybody assumes I like guys. And by "guys," I mean "boys."

Yeah, when you have 72 ninja guys, those without the stats and/or gimmicks will blur. Ditto with the women . . . without Jessie, it's basically those ranked #2-37, and I might remember eight names, even after recalling Kacy retired. As for the teams? I don't know if you've watched the prior seasons, @mlp, but a lot of them are close-knit. Seeing Team Ronin, I was surprised Tiana Webberly wasn't with them, because she got started working with Flip and JJ. Brian Arnold and Jake Murray are on Party Time for a third season. The Wolf Pack have an official team this year: Ian Dory, Dan Yager and Jeri D'Aurelio. And the Wilczewski brothers team up with Michelle Warnky to form Lab Rats once again. I kinda like the informal teaming, as opposed to having an unofficial draft. @Fukui San: Thirty-six teams, 108 ninjas total. I reckon ANW is a great joining of the worlds of Parkour, climbing, gymnastics, and whatever else you can think up.

Aisha doesn't have nipples. Okay . . . ? Heads up: "Cowboy Funk" airs from Cowboy Bebop tonight. I reckon this is the last of the truly goofy episodes . . . an out-and-out farce where Spike has to deal with somebody as obnoxious as he is. Also: a mad bomber with teddy bears.

I'm going to have a period where I would hit three comic shows in three weeks. It's only over five days, but I figured that I might be too burnt out to try and hit East Coast Comicon. What might win me over? Guests Sylvester McCoy (whom I've briefly met) and Sophie Aldred (whom I have not met). Problem is that their prices for autographs and/or pictures might drain my wallet like my sketch-getting habits. I know that I am way too poor to afford their Meet-and-Greet. ETA: Bad news for anybody wanting to attend Long Island Who . . . they're taking a hiatus for 2018.

@ClareWalks: I think there's more of an emphasis on confrontations like that, to make things more exciting. Here's my concern: there were a lot of injuries last season. You don't see those often on "regular" ANW. I'd hate to see one of the power players have to miss a season for a little glory. Probably explains why I didn't see Joe Moravsky and Jessie Graff on any teams in this link. I am amused that Sean Bryan -- "Papal Ninja" -- was a substitute last year, and he wound up making it to Stage Three. Looking at the link . . . how is Jon Alexis the captain of Labreckfast Club? I don't remember him being hot last year. Didn't he hold Jesse back from advancing?

I want to become more Ninja-aware. Do any of you belong to ANW groups on Facebook?

Did not know this was airing now. Got caught up today. The format has been tweaked. We have two three-person teams facing off, but things are different. There are only three matches. Teams that win face each other in the end. No "losers of this bracket face winners from the other" anymore. Each ninja-on-ninja showdown is one point. No more two-pointers. First team to three points wins. If they wind up with a 2-1 score, the teams face off in a relay. If things are tied after that? Another relay. The extended parts of the courses are opened for the final round of an episode, including the one-on-one matches. Beasts of the East (James McGrath, Erica Cook, Dave Cavanagh) vs. Hashtag Ninjas (Nick Coolridge, Larissa Cottle, Jesse Laflair) Hashtag takes the lead when Nicolas beats James (who is without BFF Drew Dreschel; the "Real Life Ninja" isn't doing the show this time). Larissa wins her heat, completing the course after Erica wipes out. Dave forces a relay as Jesse wipes out, but Hashtag takes the relay to win 3-1 Team Ronin (Flip Rodriguez, JJ Woods, Meagan Martin) vs, West Coast Warriors (Alan Connealy, Lindsey Eskildsen, JB Douglas) To review; Tiana Webberly was the rising star of Team Ronin . . . and now she's on another squad, and Meagan takes her place. Definite overkill. JJ completes the course beating JB, and Meagan and Flip win as their respective opponents wipe out. Meagan bangs her head on a platform as she transitions to another, but she's okay. I had to rewind to see it . . . and then I heard it. Not a good sound. Oh, and Alan has an unbearably sweet Bernese Mountain Dog/Poodle mix named Kenobi. I have to find a picture, because he is so cute. Final: Hashtag Ninjas vs. Team Ronin Nicholas gets the surprise win as JJ wipes out. Nothing again Nicholas, but JJ had been quite aflame last year. Meagan evens things up as Larissa wipes out. Flip wipes out to give West Coast Warriors the lead, 2-1. But the Ronin take the Relays (with JJ running anchor both times) to advance. Next week: Lance Pekus! Tyler Yamauchi! Jon Alexis, Jr.! And another guy who's name I didn't get. Please let me not be the only one watching. ETA: Here's a Kenobi highlight reel. Holy shit, he looks so weird and so cute!