S02.E10: It Takes Two

[Lantern7]

I'm online with my phone and my manual dexterity sucks donkeys, so I'll be brief.

Teams get put through usual grueling finale mission. Ayanna gives out near the end, and TJ wisely didn't give her shit about it. In the end, MJ & Jonna win the $500K, TJ does a quick tease of the next season, and there's not going to be a Reunion special.

Just a big pile of meh all over.

[AntFTW]

Jonna, all day!… and sometimes MJ 😁

The trick is that Ayanna had to sleep in her uniform so she was doomed from the beginning.

Also, apparently nobody reads anything. Fuck instructions! They just planned on improvising everything.

[Michichick]

I’m glad Jonna won, too bad that means MJ also won. Ayanna can suck it, I hate quitters on this show unless there’s a medical reason.

[jsm1125]

Having the standing on a rock at night has gotten old.

Thrilled for Jonna, who has now won as many finals and possibly more money than Zach!

[Michichick]

3 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

Having the standing on a rock at night has gotten old.

Thrilled for Jonna, who has now won as many finals and possibly more money than Zach!

Ooh, I hadn’t thought about the Zach angle. Yay, Jonna! She ended up in a much much much much better place without that guy.

[AntFTW]

Everyone that did the two seasons back to back can take a break. Laterrian, Teck, Nehemiah, Darrell, Jonna and whoever else can take a nice welcomed break. They’ve earned it.

[aghst]

I’d like to know how long it took each team to do the mandalas.  Ayanna said they spent 2.5 hours on those bikes and Teck said it was 6 miles each way.

The cave challenge, Jonna seemed to figure it out after one trip.

Then we don’t know how many times each team went for the Memory challenge.  They memorize a few each trip but as long as they kept matching, they got to flip the tiles?

Jonna was thinking of quitting until Ayanna jumped first.

So was she the only one who got the correct numbers?  Yes it was definitely algebra with symbols as variables.  Guess her kids are further ahead in math than the others, or they don’t help their kids with math homework.

Seemed like Darrel and Janelle left well ahead of the others for the safes but then they cut and it’s pitch dark and all 3 teams are at the safes?

You would think Darrell and Janelle tried their safe a couple of times before MJ and Jonna arrived.  Did they have them wait until all 3 teams were there before they tried the combinations?  Because you could still see lightning while Darrel was running and there was still daylight.

Then the editing made it seem like Janelle noticed the sign with the directions and then it cut to Jonna also noticing the sign.

So only she must have had the correct combo.

 

What’s the problem with MJ winning?  I don’t recall his RW season at all.

[Michichick]

30 minutes ago, aghst said:

What’s the problem with MJ winning?  I don’t recall his RW season at all.

I never saw his RW season (or anyone’s RW season). I don’t have good reasoning for my dislike of MJ; I just remember not liking him on previous Challenge seasons but I cannot recall why..

[Lantern7]

23 minutes ago, Michichick said:

I never saw his RW season (or anyone’s RW season). I don’t have good reasoning for my dislike of MJ; I just remember not liking him on previous Challenge seasons but I cannot recall why..

Right now, I think people would refer to him as “NL” . . . as in “Not Landon.”

8 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I always hate quitters in the finals. You just wasted someone's fault. Ayanna can kick rocks.

I’m not supposed to like her, but her body was giving out. Not like she quit before a mission or she “Jayed” on an eating portion. Also, I wouldn’t tell her she sucks for that. I like breathing.

13 hours ago, AntFTW said:

The trick is that Ayanna had to sleep in her uniform so she was doomed from the beginning.

That was beautiful. Simply beautiful. I’m low-key mad at myself for not thinking of that.

[Racj82]

2 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I’m not supposed to like her, but her body was giving out. Not like she quit before a mission or she “Jayed” on an eating portion. Also, I wouldn’t tell her she sucks for that. I like breathing.

She was always going to gas out and her with Teck was always a waste of a spot. So...I said what I said. I like breathing too. That's why I'm never going on the challenge.

[Zima]

Ok...I love Jonna these days, but...

The first (and maybe second) place team(s) in phase 1 should have received some sort of reward, such as getting a head start for the eating portion.  That was SUCH bullshit, that I don't even know if I can be completely happy for Jonna winning for her first challenge. 

Ayanna quit??? Gee, what a surprise! I guess I was fine with TJ not giving her a hard time about it, but wtf was up with the triumphant montage she got? SHE QUIT! "This ends your time here, take care" should have been it.  

I never liked MJ, because he was always someone who talked a big game, but couldn't back it up. I remember him being very mediocre in the past. He was Ok this season, so I'm Ok with his win. 

I was surprised that Melinda did so well, but also very happy for her. Sprained ankles huuuuuurt. 

Poor Darrell. I enjoy his presence on the show, but he's kind of ruining his legacy by losing 2 finals in a row at this point. 

[AncientNewbie]

It's still a work in progress for me to adjust to a Challenge where I don't have strong feelings about who I want to win (or usually, who I want to lose) in no small part because there's so little interpersonal drama on these seasons. Which I'm okay with...I like the fun vibe and the reunion feel of these things so far. 

I'm good with the winners. Jonna really is compelling for me as someone who seems to have really matured into her role as a former RW/Challenge person. 

I do reserve the right to randomly sing "Safety Palace" when that stupid earworm hits me, though. 

[peachmangosteen]

Is there not going to be a reunion this season?

[aghst]

Feel like the All Stars Challenge is too short at 10 weeks and the regular Challenge is too long at almost 20 episodes.

It's mostly driven by streaming vs. TV business models.

For streaming, it's mostly subscription and the convention length is 10 episodes.  For TV, they want to maximize ad sales so they need programming for 5 months.

Seems like 12 episodes would be better.

[LaurelleJ]

10 hours ago, Zima said:

The first (and maybe second) place team(s) in phase 1 should have received some sort of reward, such as getting a head start for the eating portion.  That was SUCH bullshit, that I don't even know if I can be completely happy for Jonna winning for her first challenge. 

I came here to say exactly this. I don't have a problem with MJ or Jonna, but they got a lucky break because Ayanna and Teck quit. That actually does have an effect on the second phase of the game. Not cool.

I hate that Ayanna quit, after talking all that trash all season. I feel so bad for Teck. I bet Brad and Jodi are fuming after seeing that. This is one of the reasons I hate partner challenges. You are at the mercy of your partner. If you will have one team split 500K, why not have one male and one female winner, and let everyone run for themselves? Not cool. 

It has been nice watching the allstar seasons of the challenge spoiler free. I like talking about the show with people but everyone I know, and everyone online, is so eager to know what happens before it even airs. I like being surprised. 

[AntFTW]

20 hours ago, Zima said:

The first (and maybe second) place team(s) in phase 1 should have received some sort of reward, such as getting a head start for the eating portion. 

I would have loved a good sabotage. Like the first place winner on phase 1 gets to add more food to a team during the eating portion.

20 hours ago, Zima said:

I was surprised that Melinda did so well, but also very happy for her. Sprained ankles huuuuuurt. 

When she hurt her ankle, I thought she was done and that it would be a wrap for them. I know I wouldn’t do any running after a sprained ankle. I couldn’t take the pain of running on a sprained ankle.

Edited January 15, 2022 by AntFTW

[AntFTW]

16 minutes ago, LaurelleJ said:

I hate that Ayanna quit, after talking all that trash all season.

At the risk of this being an unpopular opinion, I wouldn’t mind if Ayanna came back next season. The Greek salad monologue still makes me chuckle.

10 hours ago, Zima said:

Poor Darrell. I enjoy his presence on the show, but he's kind of ruining his legacy by losing 2 finals in a row at this point. 

Maybe it’s editing magic but I’m stumped on how Darrell and Janelle lost. They were smashing it until the very last second.

Edited January 14, 2022 by AntFTW

[LaurelleJ]

2 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

At the risk of this being an unpopular opinion, I wouldn’t mind if Ayanna came back next season. The Greek salad monologue still makes me chuckle.

I was here for Ayanna the first episode during that elimination, but then she totally lost me the very next episode when she got into it with Sophia. If she comes back, I wouldn't be opposed to them throwing her into elimination every time. 

[AntFTW]

11 minutes ago, LaurelleJ said:

I was here for Ayanna the first episode during that elimination, but then she totally lost me the very next episode when she got into it with Sophia. If she comes back, I wouldn't be opposed to them throwing her into elimination every time. 

Me either 🤣

[ljenkins782]

17 hours ago, Michichick said:

 

 

Quote

What’s the problem with MJ winning?  I don’t recall his RW season at all.

I never saw his RW season (or anyone’s RW season). I don’t have good reasoning for my dislike of MJ; I just remember not liking him on previous Challenge seasons but I cannot recall why..

RW Philadelphia is available on Paramount, trust me that you wouldn't have to watch very long to get a good sense of why people aren't high on MJ. His arrogance always exceeded his positive qualities by quite a bit and he had some questionable ideas about women.

He was fine this season, if I hadn't seen him in anything before, he wouldn't have stood out. I'm happy for Jonna, I did not watch her RW season or any of her earlier challenges, so my only exposure to her is All Stars 1 & 2, where she came across as very level headed and a great competitor.

These finals look awful, I'm not sure my mind will ever fully erase the image of MJ's bright red face with twin smears of blood running down both sides of his mouth as he spews vomit all over his shoes.

Frankly, that food didn't look bad at all except the blood. Regular Mexican food with a couple of critters included is way better than the bull's balls and brains they usually serve.

This season was a bit of a dud. Wake me when they score some REAL OGs, give me Emily Bailey, Veronica, or even Rachel, who I could never stand, but at least she's from the bygone days of the challenge.

[snarts]

I was happy to see Jonna & MJ win but agree that they lucked out in that there was no advantage given to the teams who finished phase 1 the fastest.  It didn't make sense why there even was a phase 2, given that it started the same day.  Logistics?  Maybe they had to bus them to the airport hanger/runway. 

I's also like to see individual male/female winners. Some of them would still be out there trying to to do the basic algebra.

Always been a bit meh on Janelle. Watching her cry sour grapes over the results certainly doesn't endear her to me and I still think her supposed back injury was bullshit. 

 

[ljenkins782]

2 minutes ago, snarts said:

I was happy to see Jonna & MJ win but agree that they lucked out in that there was no advantage given to the teams who finished phase 1 the fastest.  It didn't make sense why there even was a phase 2, given that it started the same day.  Logistics?  Maybe they had to bus them to the airport hanger/runway. 

I's also like to see individual male/female winners. Some of them would still be out there trying to to do the basic algebra.

Always been a bit meh on Janelle. Watching her cry sour grapes over the results certainly doesn't endear her to me and I still think her supposed back injury was bullshit. 

 

Hmmm, I'm not a Janelle fan either, since back in the Key West days, but it says that MJ and Jonna also experienced difficulties with the safe not opening despite a correct combination and following the instructions. So if I lost $500k due to a technical failure, I'd be upset too. But then Jonna's account says they had already won before anyone else got to the safes and the editing was quite confusing with the smash cut from daylight to complete darkness. Obviously there was a chunk of time in between.

And honestly, technical difficulties have played a major role in previous challenges. I'm thinking specifically of the first Battle of the Seasons where Road Rules was so far ahead of RW, but their carabiners wouldn't unclip, Emily finally chewed through the ropes. That seems unfair to me, if there's a failure in the equipment, that shouldn't count against a team, IMO.

Re: Janelle's back injury, it did seem a bit fishy to me as well. It seemed to become more severe every time she was in danger of elimination and then miraculously diminish when her chances to win improved. If the injury was as severe as she made it out to be, I just don't see how she could complete some of those tasks. Even the standing on a rock for hours at a time should have been too much.

[aghst]

Yeah how would they have gotten to the safe before the others?

Darrel and Janelle left first and it showed at least Darrel running by himself.

Only way CJ and Jonna get to the safes first is if they run by them.  They might run by Janelle if she was struggling with her back but I don't see either of them outrunning Darrel, unless Janelle stopped and Darrel was forced to stop with her.

Janelle said that she had the right combination numbers and that she followed the directions.

Unfortunately they cut out any footage showing them following the directions and still being unable to open.

Editing is suspicious.

[aghst]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

RW Philadelphia is available on Paramount, trust me that you wouldn't have to watch very long to get a good sense of why people aren't high on MJ. His arrogance always exceeded his positive qualities by quite a bit and he had some questionable ideas about women.

He was fine this season, if I hadn't seen him in anything before, he wouldn't have stood out. I'm happy for Jonna, I did not watch her RW season or any of her earlier challenges, so my only exposure to her is All Stars 1 & 2, where she came across as very level headed and a great competitor.

That aired 17 years ago.  He would have filmed it around the time he was 23?

He's from Tennessee.  

Maybe youth and cultural background.

Question is, is he better now, especially as a father?

He probably doesn't have the most progressive views but one would hope he's gotten some bit of wisdom over the years.

 

[Zima]

2 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

 

Frankly, that food didn't look bad at all except the blood. Regular Mexican food with a couple of critters included is way better than the bull's balls and brains they usually serve.

 

I totally agree about the food! It actually looked pretty good to me, unlike the nastiness they're usually forced to shove down. 

[millennium]

Glad to see Jonna win.   The girl immortalized by the episode title "Honey, I'm Homeless," who wanted to stay in the Challenge all those seasons ago because she had no home to return to.   The girl who was ruthlessly abused verbally and emotionally by Zach on national TV.   I'm very happy to see something good happen for her.

And MJ, the guy who ... well, MJ.

 

[Racj82]

10 hours ago, Zima said:

I totally agree about the food! It actually looked pretty good to me, unlike the nastiness they're usually forced to shove down. 

Yeah, I think the biggest issue was that they are exhausted, possibly dehydrated and just the sheer amount of it.

[millennium]

On 1/14/2022 at 5:45 PM, ljenkins782 said:

But then Jonna's account says they had already won before anyone else got to the safes and the editing was quite confusing with the smash cut from daylight to complete darkness. Obviously there was a chunk of time in between.

And honestly, technical difficulties have played a major role in previous challenges. I'm thinking specifically of the first Battle of the Seasons where Road Rules was so far ahead of RW, but their carabiners wouldn't unclip, Emily finally chewed through the ropes. That seems unfair to me, if there's a failure in the equipment, that shouldn't count against a team, IMO.

I immediately noticed the abrupt transition from day to night on the runway.   I wondered what the heck had happened.

I think there may have been technical difficulties just a few episodes ago in the "Break Stuff" daily where some players, most notably Brad, had trouble with the locks on the boxes.   Whether it was bad equipment or user error, I'm not sure.  But the players seemed stymied by it.

[Racj82]

https://heavy.com/entertainment/mtv-the-challenge/janelle-casanave-4th-step-checkpoint/

 

There is a whole bunch of drama over the final. Way more going on when we saw.