S03.E02: You've Been Sabotaged!

[AntFTW]

Quote

 

An added twist in the game, the sabotage, is in play and the All Stars nervously wonder which players will fall victim to it. The high flying "Out Of Reach'' challenge leaves some players all wet, and other All Stars breaking down. The Authority sets the stage for a pair of legendary rematches in the Arena.

Air Date: May 11, 2022

 

 

[Lantern7]

It's morning, I'm home getting ready to leave for work. I watch the episode, I see another one loading, I wonder what it is . . . and it was Paramount+ throwing in the second episode. Fine time to surprise me.

Anyone else think that if a second-string guy was sent to the Arena, TJ would have broken out the pole? I'm not saying Laterrian is useless when he's not playing Pole Wrestle, but that is his specialty. Nope . . . Mark goes in, and we get an endurance challenge with lots of pulling. It's not as bad as Crawl Brawl (Hall Crawl?), but it wasn't exciting to watch. The ending did show off one of the things thqt bugs me about the series . . . crowd participation. Laterrian trying to reverse course was intriguing, but I don't think he would have thought of that on his own.

Melinda bowing out doesn't bother me, even though I know that I would have welcomed one of the alternates instead of her. Tina getting another star and not sweating for it? THAT bugs me. She wound up screwing up the mission, got the DQ, and she walked away mostly unscathed. I will admit that TJ tearing into her pissed me off. I don't see his ass swinging.

Mission was fun . . . though not as much as the thought of a Wes/Yes feud. They compliment each other well . . . Yes is a nice guy who doesn't stroke his ego, and that's mostly what Wes does.

Wait . . . Mark has a mother? He didn't chisel himself into existence out of marble? Huh. You know something new every day.

[AntFTW]

Considering that we haven’t heard anything about Life Shields this season… I’m guessing the stars are somehow the new version of the Life Shields???

[luckyroll3]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

She wound up screwing up the mission

Correction - her big ass boobs screwed up the mission. 😂  Her center of gravity was waaaaaay off because of those things. 

[ljenkins782]

This episode was much better than the first. Some hilarious moments, like Tina upside down on the swings and Veronica's stumpy little legs just swinging futilely with no chance of getting anywhere near the target, KellyAnne being the world's worst puzzle solver, etc. And I don't know who Jordan is, but I enjoyed him in this episode.

Mark Long freaks me out, he's so excessively red all the time, what is that about? It's so hard to remember what a fun guy he used to be, him and Kit on the first season of RR were delightful and I liked him in his first few challenges, but somewhere around middle age, he seemed to harden into this roided out persona. Even those scenes with his mother, it looked like he was trying to squeeze out tears but wasn't capable of producing the emotion. 

I hate to break it to Wes, but he can run on that treadmill all he wants, it's never gonna improve the situation he's got going on above the neck. I loathe him and his beady-eyed face, which means he'll get every confessional and all the screen time in the world. 

Melinda...eh. She's always been a big void for me and I don't think she's destined to win one of these. She tries very hard and it's important to her, but I don't think she has the fundamental grit to grind out an entire final. I'm glad they put her in anyway after Tina's little outburst, Tina seems to think that whoever talks loudest should get their way and I can't stand that.

Also, I think it's in the best interest of humanity that LT didn't win this one if his plans for the money were to become a single dad, yikes! 

[AntFTW]

16 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

And I don't know who Jordan is, but I enjoyed him in this episode.

Jordan is one of the newer kids. I don't what the fuck he's doing with his hair though.

He's probably one of the biggest assholes in The Challenge, which doesn't make for good politics. Despite all of that, he still won the game 3 times, and probably is one of highest earning winners of the game out of newer kids. He's not anyone definition of an OG but I would say he's an All-Star. He manages to win the game even when the whole house is against him.

16 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

I hate to break it to Wes, but he can run on that treadmill all he wants, it's never gonna improve the situation he's got going on above the neck. I loathe him and his beady-eyed face, which means he'll get every confessional and all the screen time in the world.

15 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

The ending did show off one of the things thqt bugs me about the series . . . crowd participation. Laterrian trying to reverse course was intriguing, but I don't think he would have thought of that on his own.

Before they actually threw out the suggestion, I thought Laterrian should take the chance and go in the opposition direction. It would be risky but he has be quick enough to do it before Mark realizes what's happening and responds to that. It was Laterrian's best shot because Mark had advanced so much.

I'm also don't think Laterrian would have thought of that on his own. 🤣

Edited May 12, 2022 by AntFTW

[luckyroll3]

11 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

Jordan is one of the newer kids. I don't what the fuck he's doing with his hair though.

He's probably one of the biggest assholes in The Challenge, which doesn't make for good politics. Despite all of that, he still won the game 3 times, and probably is one of highest earning winners of the game out of newer kids. He's not anyone definition of an OG but I would say he's an All-Star. He manages to win the game even when the whole house is against him.

He's also one of the most athletic and smarter people on The Challenge. Folks tend to underestimate him a bit because of his shit politics and his hand. I always want to love Jordan because he's such a fierce competitor, but every time I start to champion him, he shows his ass and reminds us all of how much of dick/shit person he is. 

That being said, I love Wes and his ego! He's also grown a lot over the years compared to some other Challenge vets.  Plus, as much as I always want Wes to win, I also really enjoy his fails after he gets too smug. He really is the embodiment of Wile E. Coyote!

[AntFTW]

32 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

He's also one of the most athletic and smarter people on The Challenge. Folks tend to underestimate him a bit because of his shit politics and his hand.

If anybody underestimates Jordan, they must have slept on a few seasons of the show. He's one of the best to play the game.

32 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I always want to love Jordan because he's such a fierce competitor, but every time I start to champion him, he shows his ass and reminds us all of how much of dick/shit person he is. 

It's kinda funny sometimes... especially when he's a dick to people I also dislike (e.g. Paulie).

32 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

That being said, I love Wes and his ego! He's also grown a lot over the years compared to some other Challenge vets.  Plus, as much as I always want Wes to win, I also really enjoy his fails after he gets too smug.

So do I! 🤣

He had my favorite from the first episode, "shut the fuck up. I'll say all the names. I love saying names." 🤣

Edited May 12, 2022 by AntFTW

[Racj82]

7 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

This episode was much better than the first. Some hilarious moments, like Tina upside down on the swings and Veronica's stumpy little legs just swinging futilely with no chance of getting anywhere near the target, KellyAnne being the world's worst puzzle solver, etc. And I don't know who Jordan is, but I enjoyed him in this episode.

Mark Long freaks me out, he's so excessively red all the time, what is that about? It's so hard to remember what a fun guy he used to be, him and Kit on the first season of RR were delightful and I liked him in his first few challenges, but somewhere around middle age, he seemed to harden into this roided out persona. Even those scenes with his mother, it looked like he was trying to squeeze out tears but wasn't capable of producing the emotion. 

I hate to break it to Wes, but he can run on that treadmill all he wants, it's never gonna improve the situation he's got going on above the neck. I loathe him and his beady-eyed face, which means he'll get every confessional and all the screen time in the world. 

Melinda...eh. She's always been a big void for me and I don't think she's destined to win one of these. She tries very hard and it's important to her, but I don't think she has the fundamental grit to grind out an entire final. I'm glad they put her in anyway after Tina's little outburst, Tina seems to think that whoever talks loudest should get their way and I can't stand that.

Also, I think it's in the best interest of humanity that LT didn't win this one if his plans for the money were to become a single dad, yikes! 

Melinda and Neh could have easily won last season without a few missteps. I don't see how one would rule her out for a win. I'm sure she will be back regardless.

[ljenkins782]

20 hours ago, Racj82 said:

Melinda and Neh could have easily won last season without a few missteps. I don't see how one would rule her out for a win. I'm sure she will be back regardless.

I'm sure she will be back, my personal opinion is that she'll never win. I've never been a fan of hers, so I just don't care when she's on the screen and I'd rather see someone else come back instead, but I'm sure she'll continue to come back over and over.

[millennium]

On 5/12/2022 at 2:58 PM, luckyroll3 said:

That being said, I love Wes and his ego! He's also grown a lot over the years compared to some other Challenge vets.  Plus, as much as I always want Wes to win, I also really enjoy his fails after he gets too smug. He really is the embodiment of Wile E. Coyote!

Sign me up for the Wes fan club, too.   I don't for a second believe he takes himself seriously.   The braggadocio and all the mustache-twirling is pure showmanship.   He always makes me laugh.   He was a shit in his early seasons, especially to Casey, but he has grown up a lot.

On 5/12/2022 at 2:22 PM, ljenkins782 said:

And I don't know who Jordan is, but I enjoyed him in this episode.

Do yourself a huge favor and go watch Jordan's seasons on the original show.   He is one of the best, if not the best, Challenge competitors.   His tug-of-war elimination with Josh was something to behold.   And his psychological take-down of Turbo was one of my top 10 favorite Challenge moments ever.

What I want to know is, what's going on with Kendall's skin?  She came out of the water challenge looking like she'd just taken a dip in an  acid bath.

[ljenkins782]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

What I want to know is, what's going on with Kendall's skin?  She came out of the water challenge looking like she'd just taken a dip in an  acid bath.

Kendal has a skin condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS). She probably wears a lot of makeup usually and the water washed it off.

This series seems to have a real fixation with water challenges that involve violently hitting the water from a significant height. It seems unnecessarily dangerous, especially when they fall unexpectedly and don’t have time to brace themselves for the impact.

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

He was a shit in his early seasons, especially to Casey

...and to Cara.

[millennium]

54 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

Kendal has a skin condition called Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS). She probably wears a lot of makeup usually and the water washed it off.

🙁

[millennium]

On 5/11/2022 at 11:25 PM, Lantern7 said:

Wait . . . Mark has a mother? He didn't chisel himself into existence out of marble? Huh. You know something new every day.

Mark's mom is stage 4.  Steep odds.   But more worrisome, her son is on a Bunim/Murray production.   In recent weeks I've completed three Real World seasons: San Francisco, Austin and Key West.  Real World San Francisco (Exes)-- Jay loses his ailing mom during filming.  Real World Austin -- Danny loses his ailing mom during filming.  Real World Key West -- Svetlana's boyfriend's ailing father dies during filming.   I also watched The Challenge Champs vs. Stars 1 -- Ashley's grandfather passes away during filming.   And it seems to happen shortly after the cast member Skypes with them.

Edited May 16, 2022 by millennium

[Zima]

I used to hate Tina, and I still think she's a loud, entitled shit, but I'm finding her hilariously entertaining lately. I'm glad she got to stay over Melinda, who is about as fun to watch as drying paint. 

I love Jonna. She's gotten so good at this game, and she is not afraid of anybody. 

I think I have a crush on Yes.

Jordan's hair is freaking horrendous, and I cackle every time he's on screen.  I admire his skills, even though I don't particularly like him as a person, and was kind of happy for him when he got 1st place in spite of Wes throwing him that time penalty. 

Poor Kelly Anne struggling with that puzzle. I could see something like that happening to me, and I would be soooo embarrassed. 

[millennium]

4 hours ago, Zima said:

Jordan's hair is freaking horrendous, and I cackle every time he's on screen.  I admire his skills, even though I don't particularly like him as a person, and was kind of happy for him when he got 1st place in spite of Wes throwing him that time penalty. 

Jordan's the Pete Mitchell of the Challenge -- arrogant and cocky, but he's got the skills to back it up.  Plus all of his achievements were in spite of his disability (he is missing most of one hand).   I give him credit for going to Ukraine to volunteer in giving aid to the army (he drove supplies into areas under siege) ... but then he apparently came back to the US to attend Zach and Jenna's wedding, lol.   Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum.

The hair?  I have no explanation for that.

Edited May 19, 2022 by millennium