S01.E05: Nuthin' but an OG Thang

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

A grueling challenge leaves one All Star blaming another for their poor performance. An unexpected new romance blooms in the house. TJ blindsides everyone with a massive twist in the game.

Airs April 29th.

[jsm1125]

Knew Aneesa and Alton were staying. She had way too quiet an episode for her to have gone home this week. 

[AntFTW]

I love All Stars. Most of these people were on before I started watching The Challenge so this is my first real introduction to most of them.

This season is shaping up to be better than the regular season in every way. Great daily challenges and great elimination games, and good drama. This season of All Stars lets me know that producers are capable of giving us better seasons than they have been producing over the past few years.

I love that there is overall less childish cattiness on All Stars and still delivers good drama.

When TJ said this was the end of the lifesavers, I knew it was a double elimination twist. I thought he was gonna announce that twist at the end of the daily challenge. It made me drop my guard a little waiting on the twist, and then he announces it at the elimination.

When Alton had to call someone down to be his partner, I can imagine that being a hard decision. Who do you pick that will give you a good chance of winning?
 

When Alton picked Aneesa, her mouth said “I’m honored” but her face didn’t 😂

[funnygirl]

Syrus, with having an ankle injury, should've known better than to pick Alton to go against. Big Easy finished second to last right in front of him, that's a good enough reason to call him out and would've bettered Sryus' chances of surviving elimination. Hate to see him and Beth go. 

I'm really enjoying the All Star challenge. I hope they keep RW/RR OGs for future seasons, too - as opposed to including some of the newer non-RW/RR competitors from these latest challenges. 

Keep it fun, keep it old school, keep the good music flowing!

Edited April 29, 2021 by funnygirl

[LadyNebula]

I was so bummed to see Beth and Syrus go!  You don't get much more OG than Beth. Even in her younger, troublemaking days, I've had a soft spot for her.  Now, as an older and wiser, relatively drama-free 50-sonething, I really respect her for coming back and holding her own. And damn, she looks great!  Has she aged at all?

[snarts]

This one saddened me. Both Syrus & Beth are true OGs. To lose them both this early sucks.

Sorry, but Aneesa never took a break. She's is still doing current challenges. Hell, she's been on 15 of them! 

I also don't like the double elimination, it means a way shorter season. 

I also dislike both Alton & Jisella immensely, so there's that. 

Hope to see Syrus & Beth again, it was like catching up with old friends. 

[Lola82]

I’m loving this season but it’s steadily becoming less about the challenge and more about which long-forgotten song will I hear next.

[Lantern7]

Beth is gone . . . and I'm not overjoyed?!?

I mean . . . she is still annoying, and she had a slightly greater shot to win as Arissa. Her only real skill was being a pain in the ass. But I was merely happy to see her and Syrus got eliminated. I think part of it was that Syrus was in a lot of pain, and that a hurt Alton is still a heavy favorite in every elimination.

*sigh* I think it's because that Beth and Syrus have a genuine friendship, and she's loyal to her friends. Remember when Jon got beat in the Inferno, and she had the talking head expressing emotion? That was rare.More importantly, she said "we lost." "WE." I realize that there's probably footage of Fessy that was cut where he doesn't indirectly blame Kaycee for getting hurt . . . but the petty side of me thinks, "BETH IS A BETTER PERSON THAN FESSY."

Of course, this Arena comes after Teege drops the partner twist of the players. As much as I like how this will narrow the field dramatically for the remaining four episodes, it still felt dirty. Worse, Aneesa got pulled in by Alton, and that would have been a bad way to go, even for her. But those two pulled it off, and Aneesa can keep working on that elusive title.

Syrus was crazy to want Alton. I get how Alton was lagging, but that guy looks like he hasn't changed. You could chop off his limbs, and I still wouldn't bet against him in most eliminations.

Jisela/Alton? Jiselalton? Huh. I can't really blame her.

I like to imagine Nehemiah burned his vote on Derrick because he wanted a rematch of the Derrick/Syrus Gauntlet.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Lantern7

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, snarts said:

I also don't like the double elimination, it means a way shorter season. 

I wish they'd do that twist on the regular show, which drags so much and has WAY too many eps.

10 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

As much as I like how this will narrow the field dramatically for the remaining four episodes, it still felt dirty. 

THERE'S ONLY 4 EPS LEFT?! They make me sit through 20 eps of the far inferior regular seasons and cut this 1 down to only 9. Ridiculous! 

[noluvnoluck]

1. Syrus is not too bright which is why he's never succeeds at these challenges. 

2. I thought Kelly Ann said Alton was married?

[peachmangosteen]

Does anyone know why most of the women, and particularly Jisela, hate Kendall so much? I can’t really remember Kendall so I can’t remember if she’s done something heinous or something lol.

[Tipsymcstagger]

Goddamn...I’m old school so I started watching RW and RR from the beginning. I’m around the age of Beth and Cyrus so am rooting for the old farts 😀 That said - if someone told me in 2004 that I’d not only like Beth but find her freaking charming af - I would have said they were crazy. But damn if she didn’t win me over! She was so awesome this Challenge that I might even forgive how annoying she was on her season and on subsequent Challenges. The years have been kind to her and I’m all for it.

On another note - what the f*** happened to Alton during the log hike? I don’t get it. Unless he’s all strength and zero cardio. I’m not always an adherent to producer shenanigans and scripts but this seemed out of left field. I guess we’ll see...

[peachmangosteen]

8 minutes ago, Tipsymcstagger said:

On another note - what the f*** happened to Alton during the log hike? I don’t get it. Unless he’s all strength and zero cardio. I’m not always an adherent to producer shenanigans and scripts but this seemed out of left field. I guess we’ll see...

It was said on the after show that Alton claims it was because his shoes were too small lol.

[xfuse]

10 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It was said on the after show that Alton claims it was because his shoes were too small lol.

Sure, it's the reason why I can't hike for crap too. 

Alton can climb but I'm not sure if he can do anything else. I don't remember much of him from the last challenge except he wasn't that impressive that time either. If I was everyone else I would certainly want him in the finals because you know he doesn't have the gas to make it to the end.

[aghst]

This was such a fun episode, from well designed Daily Challenge and Elimination, to the twist, to salty Syrus both before and after the elimination --  "I need my fucking one-on-one!"

You know they're not making it less physically challenging even for the seniors tour.  The coming attractions showed them running up a mountain so it may not be any easier than the Iceland final they just had with Double Agents.

That last puzzle was decisive but the second leg with them carrying the log up was no joke.  I can't believe Alton was trying to sabotage Syrus but I can't believe he was gassing out either.  Suppose to be one of the fittest competitors out there.

Unlike the regular Challenge, here they're asking to go into elimination against the toughest opponents?  Well maybe that's just Syrus.

But he was woofing about wanting Alton while stuffing his face and was he swigging glasses of wine or was that just water in wine glasses?

Even if Syrus hadn't been injured, I think Alton would have gotten up and down those walls much faster, so as long as Aneesa could keep up, Alton and Aneesa were going to win.

Kellyanne seems to think Kendall is her main and only competition, if they make it to the Final and there's a long endurance component.  Though I don't know how they would fare in an elimination, especially if they've taken the Hall Brawl down there.  There are some bigger women still alive.

 

[AntFTW]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Does anyone know why most of the women, and particularly Jisela, hate Kendall so much?

Since the trivia challenge, Jisela has put Kendal on her shit list.

Aneesa thinks Kendal would beat her. I don't recall anyone else making any negative comments toward Kendal.

[AntFTW]

6 hours ago, Tipsymcstagger said:

On another note - what the f*** happened to Alton during the log hike? I don’t get it. Unless he’s all strength and zero cardio.

His cardio can't be all that bad. He did well in the first challenge, that swimming challenge where everyone else was gassing out.

Not that swimming is entirely comparable with hiking.

[AntFTW]

8 hours ago, noluvnoluck said:

1. Syrus is not too bright which is why he's never succeeds at these challenges. 

That's exactly the stubbornness that always got him eliminated before. The primary objective when one goes on a Challenge to win... and Syrus always puts roadblocks in his own way. Put aside the pride and take the path of least resistance. Take the easiest competitor.

I think either way, Syrus was going home. Let's say the house voted in Big E instead. He might have chosen Katie as a partner again (just assuming that since he chose her during the daily challenge). Big E could push Katie to the top of the walls while he punched through the walls. Syrus was gonna be an anchor in that elimination no matter what.

[peachmangosteen]

9 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Since the trivia challenge, Jisela has put Kendal on her shit list.

Aneesa thinks Kendal would beat her. I don't recall anyone else making any negative comments toward Kendal.

It's more of a thing on the After Shows, I guess. Jisela in particular just seems to hate Kendal in a bizarrely OTT way imo. Like it feels like there has to be some history there.

[snarts]

11 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It's more of a thing on the After Shows, I guess. Jisela in particular just seems to hate Kendal in a bizarrely OTT way imo. Like it feels like there has to be some history there.

I agree and no idea why. They have no actual challenge history. I don't like Jisela, never have. In my opinion, she's loud & obnoxious with very little substance and she ruining the aftershow for me. 

[AntFTW]

28 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

It's more of a thing on the After Shows, I guess. Jisela in particular just seems to hate Kendal in a bizarrely OTT way imo. Like it feels like there has to be some history there.

I agree on Jisela. Jisela’s dislike for Kendal is too much. She has conflicting thoughts with regard to maturity. On one hand, she’s like “we’re in our 40s, we should act like it” but she acts like a teenager towards Kendal.

Edited May 1, 2021 by AntFTW

[Fretful]

And just like "that" two of my favorites are gone. If Katie and Yes (who is playing a great strong but UTR game, I think) go soon, I'm going to run out of people to root for.  Do we know how many people in are in the final?

Was Derek always this intense?  I remember him being competitive but nice.  Perhaps he's trying to get "good television"

BTW-Jisela, running zig-zag from an alligator is foolish.  They are faster than we are.

Edited May 1, 2021 by Fretful
oops

[Racj82]

I've seen someone theorize that Alton may have been suffering from dehydration. Of course, he could have said that but I wouldn't be surprised if in someway,  he just wasn't ready for that hike.

3 hours ago, Fretful said:

Was Derek always this intense?  I remember him being competitive but nice.  Perhaps he's trying to get "good television"

Yes, he has. When it comes to competition and money. Yes. He mellowed out more over the years and he's nowhere near as aggressive as he used to be now.

[Jillibean]

On 4/30/2021 at 9:51 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I wish they'd do that twist on the regular show, which drags so much and has WAY too many eps.

THERE'S ONLY 4 EPS LEFT?! They make me sit through 20 eps of the far inferior regular seasons and cut this 1 down to only 9. Ridiculous! 

Agree! I have wanted that exact twist on the main show for years now--a sort of allies season where you can pick anyone to be your teammate in an elimination, but your fate is tied to theirs. It worked really well here. I know part of the shorter season is because part of the pitch for this was the short filming time for people who couldn't be away for more than a month, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them find a way to get more episodes out of it next run. 

On 4/30/2021 at 4:28 PM, noluvnoluck said:

1. Syrus is not too bright which is why he's never succeeds at these challenges. 

2. I thought Kelly Ann said Alton was married?

Syrus blew his spot also (and Trishelle teased in her press that someone had cheated). Apparently Alton had, at the very least, a serious partner whom he referred to as his "wife," but to whom he may not have been legally married. Regardless, it seems to be the consensus that he did have a significant other at home, though obviously whether his hook-up was cheating depends on the parameters of their relationship. 

On 4/30/2021 at 5:58 PM, peachmangosteen said:

Does anyone know why most of the women, and particularly Jisela, hate Kendall so much? I can’t really remember Kendall so I can’t remember if she’s done something heinous or something lol.

I don't think they really have specific history, as far as I can recall. The only thing I can think of is maybe through Blair? That would have been a VERY long time ago, though. I agree that Jisela seems to really dislike her and I'm not sure why. But I listened to Kendal's full challenge mania interview, and I have to say...I didn't think she came off well. I say that as someone who always liked Kendal, was excited to see her back, and has been enjoying her on the show itself. I just found her somewhat off-putting in the interview. It seemed like she had a lot of excuses for a lot of things she did that people didn't like, but she really believed them. And Derrick kept trying to sort of nicely call her out, which really says something, because Derrick is usually the first person to ramble an excuse for someone. She also stuck to her reasoning for why she didn't fall in the trivia challenge and insisted it wasn't because she was scared of falling. This went on for a long time, maybe 15 or 20 minutes, and then Derrick again asked her to concisely explain it and gave an example of "it was a production malfunction" among other possible explanations. Amazingly enough, only at that precise moment, after fifteen minutes of giving other "reasons" she didn't fall, did Kendal remember that it was, in fact, a production malfunction! And that a producer later apologized to he for it! What a coincidence, you guys! 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Jillibean

[shantown]

On 4/29/2021 at 12:08 PM, funnygirl said:

Keep it fun, keep it old school, keep the good music flowing!

Oh my goodness, that Alanis song at the top ("Uninvited") had me ROLLING! 😂
 

On 4/29/2021 at 9:05 PM, snarts said:

This one saddened me. Both Syrus & Beth are true OGs.

True OGs, and I'd argue true All-Stars too. Beth especially is one of the top 10 names I think of when I think of memorable challengers.
 

On 4/30/2021 at 9:51 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I wish they'd do that twist on the regular show, which drags so much and has WAY too many eps.

THERE'S ONLY 4 EPS LEFT?! They make me sit through 20 eps of the far inferior regular seasons and cut this 1 down to only 9. Ridiculous! 

Yeah this suddenly is going REALLY fast! I'm curious how many people/teams ran the final. It's one winner - so is it every person for themselves in the Final? You'd think they'd narrow down the number of people in the final a little more. Does it seem like more than half the cast is still here or is it just me? I wonder how that changes nominations going forward? Is it the losing male and female automatically go in and they pick their competition? Is it voting still? For a male and a female? This changes the gameplay A LOT if there's no more male day / female day.

[millennium]

On 4/29/2021 at 9:52 AM, AntFTW said:

This season is shaping up to be better than the regular season in every way. Great daily challenges and great elimination games, and good drama. This season of All Stars lets me know that producers are capable of giving us better seasons than they have been producing over the past few years.

ITA.   This is the special sauce that made the Challenge so much fun.   The mother ship is too focused on building an international audience, fancy camera work and visually impressive sets.   They've completely lost sight of what makes the Challenge work.

[aghst]

I think most of the Daily Challenges in Spies, Lies and Allies have been good.

So have a lot of the Lair games.  No Hall Challenge and I don't believe Pole Wrestling either so they didn't give muscle heads that edge.

 

From the scenes of this season, looks like All Star will have some elaborate Daily Challenges.  The trivia contest is simple but rigging up that plunge from the skyscraper is probably not a cheap thing to set up.