S36.E10: A Clockwork Amber

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

Two Agents' attraction to one another heats up to a new level, while Lolo and Nam's relationship grows cold and distant. After a major win during "Mission: Black Sand Ops" the Double Agents struggle to get on the same page.

Airs February 17th.

[AntFTW]

1) This was the weirdest hall brawl ever!

2) WHY DIDN'T GABBY GO DOWN???

Dead give-away that it's a women's elimination is that it was a hall brawl. The last hall brawl was a men's hall brawl. The elimination games alternates between sexes.

WTF GABBY!

3) I was so conflicted. I want Nany to get a skull but this would also be doing Josh a favor. I don't want throw Josh any bones.

Edited February 18, 2021 by AntFTW

[Eolivet]

CT's entire "I don't think this is what the Challenge gods had in mind when they designed Hall Brawl" confessional had me dying laughing, as did Amber's perfectly timed look at Cory: "I'm not going with you." Actual best comedy series Challenge 36.

Although the editors almost ruined it with that big honking shot of Devin and Gabby's names at the top of the computerized board in the background while Lolo and Nam were having their catered breakfast tete-a-tete. Completely spoiled who won the daily challenge.

[AntFTW]

Now that Amber M is gone, I'm curious of who Nany thinks she can beat now.

22 minutes ago, Eolivet said:

CT's entire "I don't think this is what the Challenge gods had in mind when they designed Hall Brawl" confessional had me dying laughing, as did Amber's perfectly timed look at Cory: "I'm not going with you." Actual best comedy series Challenge 36.

That and Nam's "I'm rooting for Amber" got a nice chuckle from me.

[angelamh66]

I’m very confused. I feel like in the first few craters they told the people whether it was male or female day. Then they appear to have stopped doing that. But tonight, all the commentary once they were at the crater seemed to indicate the cast knew it was a girls day. I understand Gabby’s decision IF they were unsure whether it was guys or girls day, but there was no discussion at the crater about that reasoning. Just about her being intimidated by hall brawl. Something seems amiss. 

[Lantern7]

This is how bad Devin sucks . . . he takes the fun out of needling Josh. This is something that should be done, NEEDS to be done. But when Devin picks on Josh like an unhealed scab, it's epic cringe. It's so bad, it's enough for me to hope Josh demolishes Devin in Hall Brawl . . . .because I know Devin would probably go to the hospital afterward. And Josh suuuuuuuuuuucks..

The episode? Lots and lots of meh, enough to partially overshadow Devin's quest to go up his own ass. Up front: Lolo being Lolo, and Nam wishing he were anywhere else. Poor guy. You see them fall behind in the mission, you can imagine Lolo trying to figure out how to blame Nam.

Gabby passing on the Crater was so weak. On the bright side, we only have to keep track of one Amber, and Cory gets to take another mission off. Down side: Hall Brawl is wasted on the Ambers. Worse, the format got switched to the one CT went through in Rivals, and the Ambers did not live up to his example.

ETA: I made a “my money’s on Amber” joke on Facebook, and then Nam said something similar. The boy deserves so much better.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Lantern7

[aghst]

Daily Challenge was good.  A bit of luck to find the right ones though the alliances were helping each other.

But Nany and Josh squandered a huge lead not bothering to check the puzzle key.  I don’t know if other teams helped them get all the puzzle pieces first.

Nany talks about how she should win like it’s some birth right.  She should just be grateful MTV keeps inviting her.  She hasn’t been competitive in a long time.  She talked Amber B into throwing in Theresa like there aren’t several other women who’d still be better than her.

Devin would have been stupid to potentially put himself in.  He’s always going to be in danger as he’s one of the smaller guys left.  So when he wins the Daily, going in should be the last thing.  Apparently must have convinced Gabby.

Nany was right that it was a women’s elimination but she didn’t even try to court the votes of the Double Agents.  Yeah she missed out going against one of the few women she could win in elimination but doesn’t matter, there are several better than her who’d be in the Final.

Lolo thinks her “intensity” is a great thing.  Sure it’s focus and work to be an elite athlete.  But “intensity” to others is her nagging, high-maintenance, over dramatic personality.  In this game and also away from world-class athletics, those latter attributes are a huge detriment.  Her plea didn’t convince anyone to vote her in.

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by aghst

[BK1978]

3 hours ago, angelamh66 said:

I’m very confused. I feel like in the first few craters they told the people whether it was male or female day. Then they appear to have stopped doing that. But tonight, all the commentary once they were at the crater seemed to indicate the cast knew it was a girls day. I understand Gabby’s decision IF they were unsure whether it was guys or girls day, but there was no discussion at the crater about that reasoning. Just about her being intimidated by hall brawl. Something seems amiss. 

At the start of the season TJ absolutely told them if it was going to be a male or female day.  So you are correct and are not missing anything.  I think he stopped doing it during the third or fourth week.

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Daily Challenge was good.  A bit of luck to find the right ones though the alliances were helping each other.

Lolo thinks her “intensity” is a great thing.  Sure it’s focus and work to be an elite athlete.  But “intensity” to others is her nagging, high-maintenance, over dramatic personality.  In this game and also away from world-class athletics, those latter attributes are a huge detriment.  Her plea didn’t convince anyone to vote her in.

 

I would love to see that daily challenge as an Individual Challenge on Survivor.  I kept on thinking about that as they were doing that challenge.

That is probably why a lot of great players make for terrible coaches/managers.

 

I love how Nany was all ticked off about Gabby not going in.  But Nany chose to keep herself out until now as well.  You can't get all indignant now that your window is closing to get a skull.  I mean she probably could have easily gotten voted in during an earlier challenge with all of the allies she has.  She has been playing the scared game as well.

Lol to Kam saying she would take the time she had in power to smooth over anything beefs she had.  That is obviously not true.

Free Nam! 

[Jess14]

3 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Free Nam! 

I came to post the same thing. Poor guy! Lolo is just exhausting. I can’t imagine that anyone wants her as a partner bc it’s not worth having to deal with her. I think even Fessy would think twice about sticking with Aneesa over her.

What a weak move by Gabby! Amber M was the person who everyone wanted to go against, and she not only turns it down but sends in Amber B, who was clearly going to walk away victorious? Whatever - hopefully, she and Amber B can just make it clear that they’re not working together at this point and stop the frenemies thing. 

I’m also curious as to what would’ve happened had she told TJ that she wants go down in the crater and Devin said “no” or tried to send someone else. Do they both have to agree?

Speaking of Devin, he’s really grating on my nerves this season, and I have found him to be likeable on some seasons (like Rivals III). Is he better than Josh? Sure (who isn’t?). Does he have some self-awareness? Yes. However, that only goes so far. I actually was cheering that his plan fizzled, and I can’t stand Josh.

Darrell also cracked me up this episode talking about how Cory blew Amber’s head up and got her to go into the crater lol! I was thinking the same thing. 

[RedbirdNelly]

I like Darrell's take on things.

I, too, want to know what happens if the double agents don't agree. It's not like last season with 3 people up there voting. If they don't vote the same, does anyone in the game know what happens? if that has not been explained I would have some concern that them voting different triggers some outcome that screws them over--or they have to pick a completely different team? 

Kind of enjoyed Nany not getting to go down since she always dodges going down there and then wants to pick her exact moment. Without doing anything to have actual power in the game.

Lolo is exhausting. I feel badly for Nam. 

[AntFTW]

5 hours ago, BK1978 said:

At the start of the season TJ absolutely told them if it was going to be a male or female day.  So you are correct and are not missing anything.  I think he stopped doing it during the third or fourth week.

I’m almost certain TJ didn’t tell them if it was a guy or girls day until after the “Double Agents” picked a team for elimination. No? 🤔

[RedbirdNelly]

7 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

I’m almost certain TJ didn’t tell them if it was a guy or girls day until after the “Double Agents” picked a team for elimination. No? 🤔

I thought at the beginning he did but not 100% sure. I just know I was surprised the first time he didn't (or I noticed that he didn't). 

[AntFTW]

1 minute ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I thought at the beginning he did but not 100% sure. I just know I was surprised the first time he didn't (or I noticed that he didn't). 

I’m just thinking about the first episode where they put CT and Ashley vs Wes and Natalie, with the main goal of getting the guys out. I feel like they didn’t know it was a guy or girl elimination until after Aneesa and Fessy chose Wes and Natalie at the elimination. The ultimate goal was to get CT or Wes out only to find out it was a girls’ elimination. I feel like I’m remembering that correctly but now I’m having doubts.

[Jillibean]

7 hours ago, BK1978 said:

At the start of the season TJ absolutely told them if it was going to be a male or female day.  So you are correct and are not missing anything.  I think he stopped doing it during the third or fourth week.

 

You’re correct. Anyone who isn’t sure, you can go back and check—TJ has never told them whether it’s going to be a male or female elimination day until they’re already in the crater with players selected. At one point Tori and Devin (I believe) even flat out asked him and he wouldn’t reveal. Part of the game is that it’s a calculated risk every time you go down there, because you don’t know if it will be you or your partner (or both, which I feel is a twist that’s probably coming soon). However, the players can make educated guesses based on the gender of the rogue agent, how many people of that gender have departed for medical or health reasons recently, and the number of skulls that have been given out. For instance, I think the feeling in the house that it would be women this time stemmed from the fact that the women were still behind the men in terms of gold skulls by two, even though they had just had two women’s days in a row. 

Lolo is a disaster. The thing is, you can tell that she’s actually either been to therapy or read self help books because of the language she’s using—you’re not accepting my whole self, if you reject parts of me you don’t respect me, etc. However, she’s completely misapplying all of it. It seems pretty clear that Lolo is unable to see anyone’s perspective other than her own, so she perceives anyone disagreeing with her, or even not completely supporting her every move, as some sort of betrayal that she needs to bring to their attention so they can correct. She’s exhausting, I imagine to herself as well. I have no idea how she competes in high level athletics on a team. She has no people skills whatsoever. Nam is a saint.

I honestly don’t know what Devin’s goal was here. He basically handed someone who has it in for his partner an incredibly easy skull, and I don’t see how it benefited him or his alliance at all. For all his talk about how smart he is and how much he loves power, this might be the most ineffective use of the double agent power so far this season. I have no idea why Gabby went along with it. She basically used the power in such a way that she’s worse off now than when she started, a bit like Jay. She should have forced the tie and seen what happened. She couldn’t have been much worse off regardless. 

That puzzle really didn’t look as hard as these people were making it.

[joanne3482]

I just listened to the first episode's Challenge podcast with Tori and Aneesa and they said they weren't told, which is why they picked Wes and CT.  Traditionally in past challenges it has always been guys elimination first then girls. They were all shocked when it was a girl elimination. 

[Unclejosh]

I am not a producer conspiracy nut in general but in the case of the first elimination, I have no problem believing it was originally going to be a male elimination UNTIL CT and Wes were the ones going in and they switched it to not lose their 2 highest paid and tenured cast members on the first episode.

Devin said on the aftershow that as soon as they walked in and saw hall brawl, Gabby immediately said there was no way she was going in and when he asked why because he thought she should that she just pointed at her face.  She was scared of getting hurt or messing up her looks.  So she used Devin as an excuse to bail.  I am pretty sure if she insisted to go in, they would have had to go regardless of Devin's vote.  They have said before in past seasons if the pair deciding who goes in cannot decide then the pair must go in themselves. That is how Zach was able to get him and Amanda thrown in.

[Jillibean]

17 minutes ago, Unclejosh said:

Devin said on the aftershow that as soon as they walked in and saw hall brawl, Gabby immediately said there was no way she was going in and when he asked why because he thought she should that she just pointed at her face.  She was scared of getting hurt or messing up her looks.  So she used Devin as an excuse to bail.  I am pretty sure if she insisted to go in, they would have had to go regardless of Devin's vote.  They have said before in past seasons if the pair deciding who goes in cannot decide then the pair must go in themselves. That is how Zach was able to get him and Amanda thrown in.

That actually makes a lot of sense in terms of Gabby’s reasoning. It also explains why Devin nodded at her as though he was going to agree to send her in and then they both ended up voting for someone else. I have no use for Gabby. I hope this will be her only season.

I don’t think the “tiebreak” could be that the double agents have to go in, because in this case that’s what one of them would want. With Zach and Amanda, they couldn’t choose between two other teams so the “punishment” was that they had to go in themselves. In this case it would be one person wanting to go down and the other not. I wouldn’t be surprised if the “punishment” would be that they lose the power to decide and it goes to the team voted in, or a group vote, or something like that. 

[AntFTW]

2 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

That actually makes a lot of sense in terms of Gabby’s reasoning. It also explains why Devin nodded at her as though he was going to agree to send her in and then they both ended up voting for someone else. I have no use for Gabby. I hope this will be her only season.

I don’t think the “tiebreak” could be that the double agents have to go in, because in this case that’s what one of them would want. With Zach and Amanda, they couldn’t choose between two other teams so the “punishment” was that they had to go in themselves. In this case it would be one person wanting to go down and the other not. I wouldn’t be surprised if the “punishment” would be that they lose the power to decide and it goes to the team voted in, or a group vote, or something like that. 

I thought Devin nodding at Gabby meant he was in agreement with her if she chose to go in.

Also, are their any girls in the house that Devin is aligned with? If Gabby wasn’t going in, it would have been throwing a favor to an ally. Everybody thought it was a girls’ elimination. Every girl in the house would have loved to go in against Amber M. It seems like the only option was throwing in an enemy for an easy skull because Devin is seemingly not aligned with any of the girls.

Devin said in the aftershow that he didn’t choose Nany because he didn’t want to give her an easy skull. Why did that not apply to Amber B, who is apart of the BB alliance that he hates?

[luckyroll3]

9 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Free Nam! 

Poor Nam! Lolo keeps saying he doesn't speak up, then when he starts talking, she cuts him off. Lolo says he doesn't support her, but when he won his heat during the mud pit challenge, she couldn't even be bothered to cheer for him. Lolo says he doesn't care about her feelings, but he actively bites his tongue to not call her crazy-ass bitch. And then during the deliberation he openly states that he's the one holding Lolo back from excelling. The man is a goddamn saint! More power to him for really trying to work with Lolo despite her...uniqueness. #FreeNam

Why is Josh always mad when someone says they're thinking of putting him, but then he's still mad when they don't put him in. Shut up Josh!  And Nany, no one owes you anything!

Also, I don't know if anyone else watches Drag Race, but it's been bugging me all season who Kandy Muse kept reminding me of. I finally figured it out....She's Josh in a dress, wig, and heels! Same loudness, same ability to annoy everyone in their path, same over-bloated sense of importance. I wouldn't be surprised if they were distant cousins. 

 

[UniqueHandle]

38 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Poor Nam! Lolo keeps saying he doesn't speak up, then when he starts talking, she cuts him off. Lolo says he doesn't support her, but when he won his heat during the mud pit challenge, she couldn't even be bothered to cheer for him. Lolo says he doesn't care about her feelings, but he actively bites his tongue to not call her crazy-ass bitch. And then during the deliberation he openly states that he's the one holding Lolo back from excelling. The man is a goddamn saint! More power to him for really trying to work with Lolo despite her...uniqueness. #FreeNam

Why is Josh always mad when someone says they're thinking of putting him, but then he's still mad when they don't put him in. Shut up Josh!  And Nany, no one owes you anything!

Also, I don't know if anyone else watches Drag Race, but it's been bugging me all season who Kandy Muse kept reminding me of. I finally figured it out....She's Josh in a dress, wig, and heels! Same loudness, same ability to annoy everyone in their path, same over-bloated sense of importance. I wouldn't be surprised if they were distant cousins. 

 

100%! I said this to my daughter the week Drag Race started!! I also believe they could be related. They have the same temper tantrums, too. 

I dislike them both equally the same. 

Is anyone team Josh? Does anyone actually watch the show and root for him?

[Jess14]

3 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Devin said in the aftershow that he didn’t choose Nany because he didn’t want to give her an easy skull. Why did that not apply to Amber B, who is apart of the BB alliance that he hates?

Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense. Also, she isn’t part of the alliance, but wasn’t Gabby on Big Brother UK? 

I also thought Devin’s suggestion to throw in Kam/Kyle should’ve made a light go off in Gabby’s head. Devin is aligned with Kyle, so if he’s talking about throwing in Kyle, then he clearly doesn’t think it’s a men’s elimination. She should’ve stood her ground and went in. I have no clue why she thought Amber M was going to injure her. Please! 

[AryasMum]

I know Hall Brawl is a fan favorite, but all I can think about is spinal cord injury and brain trauma. 

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

Also, I don't know if anyone else watches Drag Race, but it's been bugging me all season who Kandy Muse kept reminding me of. I finally figured it out....She's Josh in a dress, wig, and heels! Same loudness, same ability to annoy everyone in their path, same over-bloated sense of importance. I wouldn't be surprised if they were distant cousins. 

 

3 hours ago, UniqueHandle said:

100%! I said this to my daughter the week Drag Race started!! I also believe they could be related. They have the same temper tantrums, too. 

Thank you! I have been thinking this since I first saw Kandy. I really believe they could have been twins separated at birth lol.

1 hour ago, Jess14 said:

Also, she isn’t part of the alliance, but wasn’t Gabby on Big Brother UK? 

She was on Celebrity Big Brother UK. I assume she's not on team BB since she's from the UK and therefore has never had any interaction with the US BBers.

As for why Devin wanted to send in Amber B/why Gabby agreed, when Gabby was acting upset at him over the decision after Amber B. won, Devin said, "It was your idea!" so unless he's lying, which is possible but based on Gabbi's reaction I think unlikely, I took that to mean she decided on Amber B for some unknown reason. Although maybe he was just referring to her deciding not to go down herself. I find it annoying though that he's now claiming that he thought she should have gone down since he spent the ep trying to convince her not to.

[AntFTW]

12 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

 

Thank you! I have been thinking this since I first saw Kandy. I really believe they could have been twins separated at birth lol.

She was on Celebrity Big Brother UK. I assume she's not on team BB since she's from the UK and therefore has never had any interaction with the US BBers.

As for why Devin wanted to send in Amber B/why Gabby agreed, when Gabby was acting upset at him over the decision after Amber B. won, Devin said, "It was your idea!" so unless he's lying, which is possible but based on Gabbi's reaction I think unlikely, I took that to mean she decided on Amber B for some unknown reason. Although maybe he was just referring to her deciding not to go down herself. I find it annoying though that he's now claiming that he thought she should have gone down since he spent the ep trying to convince her not to.

I don’t know but I’m thinking that may have started to change once Devin saw that the house vote was Amber M and Cory.

He was trying to convince her not to go down when he was trying to get the house to vote in Josh (I think it was Josh he was targeting). I can imagine once him and Gabby found out the house voted in Cory and Amber M, the possibility of Gabby going down started to become a not-so-bad option.

I think they can make educated guesses once they get to the Crater as to whether it’s a guy or girls day. If they haven’t figured out the pattern of elimination at this point, bless their hearts.

[aghst]

48 minutes ago, AryasMum said:

I know Hall Brawl is a fan favorite, but all I can think about is spinal cord injury and brain trauma. 

They always seem to have mismatches in size and weight when they pull it out.

For all we know, they wait to see who's going to be in elimination and then decide to put it up as the elimination for that day.

Not much setup, since they just need to put up some walls forming a hall.

 

 

[snarts]

2 hours ago, Jess14 said:

Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense. Also, she isn’t part of the alliance, but wasn’t Gabby on Big Brother UK? 

 

56 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

She was on Celebrity Big Brother UK. I assume she's not on team BB since she's from the UK and therefore has never had any interaction with the US BBers.

I didn't know about Celebrity Big Brother, but Gabby was originally on S3 of Love Island.

I must be a glutton for punishment because I find myself rooting for the biggest idiots.  None of them know how to win this game and they're making to far too easy for the BB alliance and Kam to coast.  It's almost as bad as watching Johnny Bananas...

[LaurelleJ]

7 hours ago, Unclejosh said:

I am not a producer conspiracy nut in general but in the case of the first elimination, I have no problem believing it was originally going to be a male elimination UNTIL CT and Wes were the ones going in and they switched it to not lose their 2 highest paid and tenured cast members on the first episode.

I agree, I think that they made a call after the two teams were selected. Since they are the producers and have access to a lot of conversations, they heard that the challengers were assuming that it would be men first and that they wanted to go big, and they probably said ok if two heavy hitters go in, then we will switch to women elimination. I think they also didn't believe that Ashley would lose to Natalie, and that she would come back angry and that would be great for the show. They decided that in the grand scheme of things, it was better to lose Ashley over CT or Wes in the first elimination. 

[Jobiska]

2 hours ago, AryasMum said:

I know Hall Brawl is a fan favorite, but all I can think about is spinal cord injury and brain trauma. 

Yeah, though when I saw AmberM putting her helmet on with a nose ring still in, I also spared a thought about a ripped nostril.  Yeah, they have helmets....IIRC I've seen helmets come off on this thing.  And wasn't Fessy grabbing Nelson's helmet back in their elim?  

No matter what a grandstanding, bloviating fellow Devin is, I'll always prefer him to Josh.  Josh uses the word "pussy" way too much...and inappropriately (I mean, it's *always* inappropriate, but what was cowardly about Devin, who has a skull, refusing to go in, just because Josh wanted him to?)  

[RedbirdNelly]

I continue to hope Devin hangs around--(a) chaos is better TV though he failed to accomplish anything this episode; and (b) Devin is better than Josh and it annoys Josh; and (c) Devin is good sarcastic commentary. 

[AntFTW]

18 hours ago, BK1978 said:

At the start of the season TJ absolutely told them if it was going to be a male or female day.  So you are correct and are not missing anything.  I think he stopped doing it during the third or fourth week.

I would love to see that daily challenge as an Individual Challenge on Survivor.  I kept on thinking about that as they were doing that challenge.

That is probably why a lot of great players make for terrible coaches/managers.

 

I love how Nany was all ticked off about Gabby not going in.  But Nany chose to keep herself out until now as well.  You can't get all indignant now that your window is closing to get a skull.  I mean she probably could have easily gotten voted in during an earlier challenge with all of the allies she has.  She has been playing the scared game as well.

Lol to Kam saying she would take the time she had in power to smooth over anything beefs she had.  That is obviously not true.

Free Nam! 

Nany saw Amber M as her easy red skull. That’s why she’s all butt-hurt. She didn’t get the lay up. She didn’t wanna go in until she saw that it was likely to be Amber M as the house vote.

She saw Amber M being the house vote and got excited that Devin was thinking of throwing them in.

I love Nany and I want her to go into elimination and win but she’s attached to Josh and my dislike for him is infinite.

[BK1978]

12 hours ago, Jillibean said:

You’re correct. Anyone who isn’t sure, you can go back and check—TJ has never told them whether it’s going to be a male or female elimination day until they’re already in the crater with players selected. At one point Tori and Devin (I believe) even flat out asked him and he wouldn’t reveal. Part of the game is that it’s a calculated risk every time you go down there, because you don’t know if it will be you or your partner (or both, which I feel is a twist that’s probably coming soon). However, the players can make educated guesses based on the gender of the rogue agent, how many people of that gender have departed for medical or health reasons recently, and the number of skulls that have been given out. For instance, I think the feeling in the house that it would be women this time stemmed from the fact that the women were still behind the men in terms of gold skulls by two, even though they had just had two women’s days in a row. 

Lolo is a disaster. The thing is, you can tell that she’s actually either been to therapy or read self help books because of the language she’s using—you’re not accepting my whole self, if you reject parts of me you don’t respect me, etc. However, she’s completely misapplying all of it. It seems pretty clear that Lolo is unable to see anyone’s perspective other than her own, so she perceives anyone disagreeing with her, or even not completely supporting her every move, as some sort of betrayal that she needs to bring to their attention so they can correct. She’s exhausting, I imagine to herself as well. I have no idea how she competes in high level athletics on a team. She has no people skills whatsoever. Nam is a saint.

I honestly don’t know what Devin’s goal was here. He basically handed someone who has it in for his partner an incredibly easy skull, and I don’t see how it benefited him or his alliance at all. For all his talk about how smart he is and how much he loves power, this might be the most ineffective use of the double agent power so far this season. I have no idea why Gabby went along with it. She basically used the power in such a way that she’s worse off now than when she started, a bit like Jay. She should have forced the tie and seen what happened. She couldn’t have been much worse off regardless. 

That puzzle really didn’t look as hard as these people were making it.

Actually I am wrong, because I thought for sure TJ told them.  I would love to chalk it up to me getting the seasons confused or something like that, but I was flat out wrong.😄  By what you just said and by what Joanne says in the next quoted post below. 

12 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

I just listened to the first episode's Challenge podcast with Tori and Aneesa and they said they weren't told, which is why they picked Wes and CT.  Traditionally in past challenges it has always been guys elimination first then girls. They were all shocked when it was a girl elimination. 

 

9 hours ago, UniqueHandle said:

100%! I said this to my daughter the week Drag Race started!! I also believe they could be related. They have the same temper tantrums, too. 

I dislike them both equally the same. 

Is anyone team Josh? Does anyone actually watch the show and root for him?

The only time I was ever team Josh was when he was on Big Brother.  And that was only during the first and last episodes of the season he won.  I was team Josh during the first episode as he was targeted for early elimination and I thought he was slow (I am not trying to be mean here or not PC, I just cannot think of a better term to call him without being an asshole).  I wanted to see him get a chance.  Then I over the course of the season I came to realize what an asshole he was.  During the final episode I was team Josh because he was, if you can believe this, in a final three with two people who were even more odious than him. 

One was a woman with mental problems who tried to/actually did (?) try to run someone over with a car.  The other person was a hateful troll.  So yeah Josh was the best out of the worst.

5 hours ago, AryasMum said:

I know Hall Brawl is a fan favorite, but all I can think about is spinal cord injury and brain trauma. 

As @aghst said, Hall Brawl is often mismatched which makes me not want to see it.  I watch MMA and I would not bat an eye at the violence that happens in a fight, but there are weight classes there and they are trained athletes.  On this show you have people like shorter Amber going in against Amber B. and Amber B. saying, "Yeah I play rugby."  I thought it was a mismatch before that talking head, but once I heard that I was like, "Good god short Amber is going to be destroyed."  That to me is not interesting to watch.  

Just like if they were to put Devin against CT.  I would not want to see that happen.

[Lantern7]

4 hours ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I continue to hope Devin hangs around--(a) chaos is better TV though he failed to accomplish anything this episode; and (b) Devin is better than Josh and it annoys Josh; and (c) Devin is good sarcastic commentary. 

I can't say that I agree. It's hard for me to articulate my problems with Devin in few words. To me, he's Johnny without the charisma. He's a bargain store version of Wes. He's the boy that clipped wings off butterflies, sadistically whispering to them as they writhed in pain. Josh is a dummy that's probably exhausting to be around, but Devin doesn't make it fun to watch. He's having a good time, and that's all that matters. And as much grief as people would give Josh for puffing his chest out, Devin is as big a phony. Look at the Reunion with Johnny from Final Reckoning . ..  there was no way he would wreck Johnny. Standing in front of the Banana, Devin was probably hoping he'd be restrained, because giving Johnny the beating he deserved wasn't guaranteed.

I forgot to mention that all four BB alumni have Skulls. That might change when Josh and Amber get targeted, but they have tickets for the final mission. Minimum, Kaycee will be safe. With Natalie and Nicole gone and Lolo going nuts, she's more or less the alpha female.

1 hour ago, BK1978 said:

Just like if they were to put Devin against CT.  I would not want to see that happen.

Three words: Get the popcorn.

[RedbirdNelly]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I can't say that I agree. It's hard for me to articulate my problems with Devin in few words. To me, he's Johnny without the charisma. He's a bargain store version of Wes. He's the boy that clipped wings off butterflies, sadistically whispering to them as they writhed in pain. Josh is a dummy that's probably exhausting to be around, but Devin doesn't make it fun to watch. He's having a good time, and that's all that matters. And as much grief as people would give Josh for puffing his chest out, Devin is as big a phony. Look at the Reunion with Johnny from Final Reckoning . ..  there was no way he would wreck Johnny. Standing in front of the Banana, Devin was probably hoping he'd be restrained, because giving Johnny the beating he deserved wasn't guaranteed.

 

I should add I have only watched Devin on this season so no past history on my part. I just like some snark--but I can tell from comments on here that if I watched longer I'd dislike the guy. He reminds me of guys you hung out with in college who  were great at giving a sarcastic running commentary on stuff.

[MaggieG]

I actually like Gabby but was disappointed with her decision not to go in. She could have easily won. When Devin was throwing out all the names, she kept saying "they'll come back". Well yeah, all of them could easily beat short Amber. As soon as she saw that it was Cory and Amber, she should have said "I'm going in." She and many others in the house were convinced it was a girls day. Now she'll have to go in against someone who won't be easy to beat, if she even gets a chance to go on at all. Maybe if Devin and her win the next daily. 

Nam seems like the most easygoing guy so I feel bad for him that he's stuck with Lolo. 

I loved Darrell's commentary

[Jess14]

I think Devin is great tv when he’s providing a running commentary on everything in the house. He is funny, has self-awareness, and has a decent read on things. He starts to lose me when he gets power and is on screen too much.

Also, part of my issue with him this season is that I feel like he’s part of the reason why Josh is on screen so much. I would rather just be rid of them both at this point. I also hate the “I’m going to pick at someone just for the sake of it” thing. I’ve had to work with people like that before, and it’s so exhausting (even when someone else is the target) that I can’t even find it entertaining on reality tv.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Jess14
Typo

[AntFTW]

16 minutes ago, MaggieG said:

I loved Darrell's commentary

Darrell is hilarious.

One of my favorite moments from the episode...

Lolo: I wanna go into elimination. Please take us into consideration.

(cut to Darrell’s interview)

Darrell: That ain’t my problem!

[lasu]

I'm not sure I like him, but I think Devin is smart and even smarter than he lets on.  I truly believe every bit of all that nonsense, names being thrown out right and left, yelling VENGEANCE IS MINE, putting up all these different scenarios - all smoke and mirrors.  I don't think Devin cared about a single thing - not stepping down into the crater and making sure Gabby didn't drag him down into a men's elimination.  And...it worked.  And the fact that he is now even turning it all around on Gabby? Hilarious.  I think the thing I like the least about Devin is that he made me take John's side when he started dragging dead dads into it, and it takes a LOT to get me to take the Dead Dad Dragging side.

LOLO.  This woman PETRIFIES me.  Not because she could run me down and kick my ass, I know she could and I can live with that idea.  But it makes me go fetal when I see people this completely and solidly lacking self-awareness.  Because she 100% thinks she is fully self-actualized and that she is truly seeing what time it is when she is talking to Nam.  But the things she is saying to him?  WEEP.  Absolutely no self-awareness.  Poor Nam, just sitting there trying to placate her and probably thinking "does 'stubborn' mean something different in english than I think it does??"  He's like, I think it might be best if we get new teammmates.  Lolo:  You aren't listening to me! You need to accept me for who I am and stop being so stubborn or I don't think we can be teammates!"  Nam: Ok, I think it might be best if we get new teammates.  Lolo:  You're not listening to me and how are we going to be teammates if you don't listen to me, maybe we should get new teammates!

I think Lolo, who is truly an athlete in the truest sense of the word, probably needs a coach like a therapist.  She sees Nam as either her equal, or more likely, her less than.  So she can't take instruction  or criticism from him - she knows more than him.  But I do bet that she has had good coaches who know how to talk to her and she is used to seeing Coach as Boss.  She probably is floundering without that direction and moderation because she HAS NO SELF-AWARENESS, and this scares me so, so much, because how does one know if one has no self-awareness?? Lolo clearly has NO IDEA, so do I have NO IDEA?  Absolutely petrifying.

CT: Oh excuse me, pardon me, I'm going to go get my ball, can I get you anything?

Dead.

[AryasMum]

12 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Actually I am wrong, because I thought for sure TJ told them.  I would love to chalk it up to me getting the seasons confused or something like that, but I was flat out wrong.😄  By what you just said and by what Joanne says in the next quoted post below. 

 

The only time I was ever team Josh was when he was on Big Brother.  And that was only during the first and last episodes of the season he won.  I was team Josh during the first episode as he was targeted for early elimination and I thought he was slow (I am not trying to be mean here or not PC, I just cannot think of a better term to call him without being an asshole).  I wanted to see him get a chance.  Then I over the course of the season I came to realize what an asshole he was.  During the final episode I was team Josh because he was, if you can believe this, in a final three with two people who were even more odious than him. 

One was a woman with mental problems who tried to/actually did (?) try to run someone over with a car.  The other person was a hateful troll.  So yeah Josh was the best out of the worst.

As @aghst said, Hall Brawl is often mismatched which makes me not want to see it.  I watch MMA and I would not bat an eye at the violence that happens in a fight, but there are weight classes there and they are trained athletes.  On this show you have people like shorter Amber going in against Amber B. and Amber B. saying, "Yeah I play rugby."  I thought it was a mismatch before that talking head, but once I heard that I was like, "Good god short Amber is going to be destroyed."  That to me is not interesting to watch.  

Just like if they were to put Devin against CT.  I would not want to see that happen.

Like you, I despise Christmas and tiny troll Paul, but I have one correction.  Eight months pregnant Christmas repeatedly slammed her car into her baby daddy’s mistress’s empty car - which is still a crazy thing to do. 

[Inga]

Lolo  is the absolute worst! I’ve hated her ever since she was on that Challenge special and told everyone that she should win because her charity was more important than their charities. Poor Nam! I bet he would be having any problems with any other partner. I hope she doesn’t get in the final. 

[angelamh66]

13 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Actually I am wrong, because I thought for sure TJ told them.  I would love to chalk it up to me getting the seasons confused or something like that, but I was flat out wrong.😄  By what you just said and by what Joanne says in the next quoted post below. 

 

The only time I was ever team Josh was when he was on Big Brother.  And that was only during the first and last episodes of the season he won.  I was team Josh during the first episode as he was targeted for early elimination and I thought he was slow (I am not trying to be mean here or not PC, I just cannot think of a better term to call him without being an asshole).  I wanted to see him get a chance.  Then I over the course of the season I came to realize what an asshole he was.  During the final episode I was team Josh because he was, if you can believe this, in a final three with two people who were even more odious than him. 

One was a woman with mental problems who tried to/actually did (?) try to run someone over with a car.  The other person was a hateful troll.  So yeah Josh was the best out of the worst.

As @aghst said, Hall Brawl is often mismatched which makes me not want to see it.  I watch MMA and I would not bat an eye at the violence that happens in a fight, but there are weight classes there and they are trained athletes.  On this show you have people like shorter Amber going in against Amber B. and Amber B. saying, "Yeah I play rugby."  I thought it was a mismatch before that talking head, but once I heard that I was like, "Good god short Amber is going to be destroyed."  That to me is not interesting to watch.  

Just like if they were to put Devin against CT.  I would not want to see that happen.

Yes... after reading all the comments I realize why I was confused. Once the first elimination was female, then there appeared to be an order to things you could count on as far as alternating male and female eliminations. Then all of the unexpected departures threw a wrench into things and it’s all a bit more uncertain since they aren’t straight up alternating. Thanks all for setting me straight. 

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, angelamh66 said:

Yes... after reading all the comments I realize why I was confused. Once the first elimination was female, then there appeared to be an order to things you could count on as far as alternating male and female eliminations. Then all of the unexpected departures threw a wrench into things and it’s all a bit more uncertain since they aren’t straight up alternating. Thanks all for setting me straight. 

Originally, I didn't like the repetition of the elimination games but it's the only thing that has gone right as far as a pattern for eliminations given the unforeseen departures of the several women.

The Fire Escape game that Leroy won against Jay was the first elimination game played by Ashley and Natalie. I'm guessing but I think my guess is right is that the original intent was to alternate between men and women, with women's elimination first and men second and women third and so on. They had to switch it up because of the unexpected injuries and pregnancy of the cast members. They alternate the games according to gender (I'm not sure if that sentence makes sense lol). The first Fire Escape game was played by women (Ashley, Natalie) and therefore the next Fire Escape game will be played by men (Leroy, Jay). The first Hall Brawl was played by men (Nelson, Fessy) and next Hall Brawl will be played by women (small Amber, tall Amber). The first "tug of war" game (forgot the name of the game) was played by men (Wes, Devin) and the next one will be played by women (Theresa, Kaycee).... and so on. That seems to be the pattern. Once the cast members (specifically, the "Double Agents") see the game, they should be able to make a good guess as to whether it's a guys day or girls day, and decide whether they want to go on.

I listened to Devin on the Challenge podcast and he said they still didn't know whether it was a guys day or girls day.

Edited February 19, 2021 by AntFTW

[Jillibean]

I couldn’t stand Devin during Final Reckoning, but I’ve been enjoying his commentary this season. I do still think he’s trying a bit too hard to be Wes, but since Wes isn’t there, I guess that’s permissible. I also think he’s showing the producers that when Wes does decide to take a break again (which he has been hinting at), he would be a good choice to cast instead for the same archetype. I do think he’s the smartest person of the group, by a lot. I give him credit for finally owning that while what Johnny said to him during FR was not okay, he had a big role in what happened. I appreciate that he can look back and reflect and take accountability because at the time I was very frustrated by his refusal do so.

16 hours ago, BK1978 said:

Actually I am wrong, because I thought for sure TJ told them.  I would love to chalk it up to me getting the seasons confused or something like that, but I was flat out wrong.😄  By what you just said and by what Joanne says in the next quoted post below. 

Haha I think I was trying to say @AntFTW was correct and misquoted. AntFTW, you were correct!

Josh is not someone I enjoy but there must be something about him we’re missing, because his friends are very devoted to him. Part of me wonders if it has to do with his toddler-like temperament, like they see him as a sweet, misguided child to condescend to. 

[lasu]

3 minutes ago, Jillibean said:

I give him credit for finally owning that while what Johnny said to him during FR was not okay, he had a big role in what happened. I appreciate that he can look back and reflect and take accountability because at the time I was very frustrated by his refusal do so.

I hated that I had to defend John over that.  But considering Devin's goal was physical assault, I'm hard pressed to say John was wrong for delivering a verbal assault.   It was a foul thing to say, don't get me wrong.  And I also appreciate that Devin wasn't his best self at that moment either.  It wasn't a good look for either of them, but I just can't blame John for delivering the verbal punch he did.

[AntFTW]

2 minutes ago, lasu said:

I hated that I had to defend John over that.  But considering Devin's goal was physical assault, I'm hard pressed to say John was wrong for delivering a verbal assault.   It was a foul thing to say, don't get me wrong.  And I also appreciate that Devin wasn't his best self at that moment either.  It wasn't a good look for either of them, but I just can't blame John for delivering the verbal punch he did.

Same! I think I probably would have reacted just as harshly, especially if I'm trying to exit myself from the situation by walking away and other person is just not letting me escape.

Edited February 19, 2021 by AntFTW

[Craphole Island]

Oh man I actually like Gabby but that was soooo dumb to not go down.

Also agree with the others: Free Nam!! His “I’m rooting for...Amber” followed by his little smirk was the moment of the night for me. 
 

And I kind of have to laugh at Kam saying that if she were in power, she would try to make peace with her enemies. The last 3 weeks of complaining and targeting Theresa tell a different story lol.

[Racj82]

On 2/18/2021 at 7:28 PM, LaurelleJ said:

I agree, I think that they made a call after the two teams were selected. Since they are the producers and have access to a lot of conversations, they heard that the challengers were assuming that it would be men first and that they wanted to go big, and they probably said ok if two heavy hitters go in, then we will switch to women elimination. I think they also didn't believe that Ashley would lose to Natalie, and that she would come back angry and that would be great for the show. They decided that in the grand scheme of things, it was better to lose Ashley over CT or Wes in the first elimination. 

You don't think they thought Ashley would lose to Natalie?

I don't get down for production conspiracy theories. Mostly because I don't really care. Where does it end? Anything that seems a little bit off these days is blamed on producers for reality shows. I'm not saying it never happens. Just not as much as done make it out to be.

Nat was always going to beat that ass and everyone knew it unless maybe it was strictly puzzle based. Ashley sucks at eliminations anyway.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Racj82

[jsm1125]

Did the title of this thread change?

[AntFTW]

49 minutes ago, jsm1125 said:

Did the title of this thread change?

I guess they changed the name of the episode. It was “Amber Alert” before, which I think is a much catchier episode title.

[Jobiska]

3 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

I guess they changed the name of the episode. It was “Amber Alert” before, which I think is a much catchier episode title.

I was wondering too!  Maybe people complained because of the real meaning of Amber Alert being for a child abduction, which indeed is much more serious than....this show.

I did mean to say earlier that no matter what, their titles, which are not as clever as they think they are, often basically give away who's going in and sometimes who's going home.  I find it annoying.

[AntFTW]

5 minutes ago, Jobiska said:

I was wondering too!  Maybe people complained because of the real meaning of Amber Alert being for a child abduction, which indeed is much more serious than....this show.

I did mean to say earlier that no matter what, their titles, which are not as clever as they think they are, often basically give away who's going in and sometimes who's going home.  I find it annoying.

Agreed! Like “Die Another Jay”

Couldnt have possibly guessed with that one who was going into elimination lol