S01.E10: Cruel World

[shantown]

Quote

A power-hungry team sets its sights on removing one of the game's strongest competitors. Two dominant players desperate for power battle it out in the Points Break challenge. A shocking challenge result creates major discord between partners

Available May 3 on Paramount+

[bunnyface]

I just want to shake Tori sometimes.

[lasu]

I see why Sarah and Emily get on so well.

[Lamb18]

Kiki won Australia Challenge because she had Troy for a partner twice in the final challenge. She would not have won with another man.

[Lamima]

I knew K&D were done when math was involved. 

Tori is annoying as hell. And Danny is right, his crew are the strategic ones and playing to win not playing with emotion.

[Lantern7]

I’m ready for the end. Nice that we have non-regulars Theo and Yes still in there, but I’ve been tuning this out. If BMP learns any lessons for a second try at CWC, I doubt they’ll be the right ones.

Is there anyone worth rooting for? I don’t just mean tolerating . . . I mean going “ride or die” with them.

We saw a picture of Danny’s wife and kid, but he didn’t say “Kiki.” This season is like BOTS1, where I kept waiting for James to say “dude.”

[AntFTW]

I liked the daily challenge. I didn't care much for the elimination.

This has been a largely good season I think. This episode dragged out for me and wasn't as exciting. On top of that, I don't anyone that I'm particularly rooting for. I was rooting for Justine but she's gone.

6 hours ago, Lamima said:

Tori is annoying as hell. And Danny is right, his crew are the strategic ones and playing to win not playing with emotion.

That's easy to do when you're playing with people you barely know.

Perhaps that's a signal that The Challenge shouldn't have so many repeat players.

Edited May 4, 2023 by AntFTW

[luckyroll3]

46 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

I didn't car much for the elimination.

I was laughing so hard when Troy, then Kaycee, bounced off the second board after swinging with all their might! it shouldn't have been as funny as it was. I also was howling during the daily challenge when right after Kiki used her inhaler, her and Darrell walked back to the water, but Kiki stopped to look at the teams that were swimming in and Darrell hadn't noticed. So when he jumped into the water to start swimming again, she got pulled in unexpectedly and let out a loud yelp! I rewound it several times!

2 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Is there anyone worth rooting for? I don’t just mean tolerating . . . I mean going “ride or die” with them.

Not really. Given who's left, I guess I'm rooting for Jordan and Kaz. Everyone else just sucks more!

[AntFTW]

6 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I was laughing so hard when Troy, then Kaycee, bounced off the second board after swinging with all their might! it shouldn't have been as funny as it was. I also was howling during the daily challenge when right after Kiki used her inhaler, her and Darrell walked back to the water, but Kiki stopped to look at the teams that were swimming in and Darrell hadn't noticed. So when he jumped into the water to start swimming again, she got pulled in unexpectedly and let out a loud yelp! I rewound it several times!

I forgot about Darrell dragging Kiki into the water! That was hilarious!

Although I didn't care for the elimination game, that was funny. Good job to the editors on that one. They built it up with this intense music, and added a little slow-mo clip... and built him up for a fail when that wall didn't budge at all.

[luckyroll3]

6 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

Good job to the editors on that one. They built it up with this intense music, and added a little slow-mo clip... and built him up for a fail when that wall didn't budge at all.

It totally was the soundtrack!

[AntFTW]

3 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

It totally was the soundtrack!

And Tori was hyping him up so much, and then with the soundtrack... just for it to stop and leave us with a thud as he bounced right off that wall.

I. cracked. up!

[Lamima]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

 

Is there anyone worth rooting for? I don’t just mean tolerating . . . I mean going “ride or die” with them.

Survivor is my jam so I am all in on Danny and Sarah. But, unfortunately, Tori comes along with that. Argh. I kept waiting for them to partner swap or go solo. No such luck. 

[AntFTW]

5 minutes ago, Lamima said:

Survivor is my jam so I am all in on Danny and Sarah.

I rooted for Sarah on Survivor Game Changers, and rooted for Danny on whatever season he was on (41???). Sarah lost me on The Challenge USA.

[Lamima]

10 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I rooted for Sarah on Survivor Game Changers, and rooted for Danny on whatever season he was on (41???). Sarah lost me on The Challenge USA.

Yeah, me too. But I'm back with her on World Champs. She isn't totally cooky thus far.

[Lamb18]

I'm all in for Emily and Yes. I watched Emily on Australia. I just like her and I have a ton of respect for Olympians. So I am also cheering for Danny and Sarah. I think Tori is stupid. She's supposed to support her partner and she's willing to tank their game for Jordan's benefit. And he's ready to cut her loose. Poor Kaz mirrors Danny's frustration. Too bad she and Danny can't be partners.

I don't mind Kaycee and Troy. Troy was awesome on Australia. His physique is anti-beefcake so you are surprised when he just wins challenges, especially that one where they had to literally fight each other and he ended up with two black eyes.

[bunnyface]

I think the stalemate "punishment" should be random each time so they don't know what to expect.  When they did it the first time, TJ said not to let it happen again.  But they let it happen again because they knew the consequences already, that the winning team got to choose and the teams were confident they wouldn't be the ones chosen.  For that reason, the consequence should be more random.  Let it go to a stalemate and you never know what happens next.  Maybe both stalemated teams go in.  Maybe the losing team gets to pick anybody.  Maybe they draw rocks.  Maybe spin a wheel with different consequences.  Maybe let CT come in and punch somebody.  Anything. Just something they wouldn't expect so they aren't so comfortable to not work for it.  

[Duke Silver]

There's no one I'm rooting for.  I'm not a Survivor watcher, so don't grasp the appeal of Danny, or especially Sarah.  YMMV, obviously.  I'm normally mehhh at best WRT to Kasey, but I don't dislike Troy, so wouldn't hate if they won.  Not sure what it is about Emily, but just not vibing with her, and Yes I tend to find a bit sanctimonious for reality tv, so hard for me to back that pairing.

[ImpinAintEasy]

I like asshole Jordan more than fake Jordan. There I said it. LOL. The only person I really give a damn about that is left, although I don’t mind Yes and Theo. 
 

 

[Lamima]

Hate all versions of Jordan. Not a fan of Yes. Tori has worn out any warm feelings I had. Theo and Kaz are not bad though not sure Kaz can handle a final. Kaycee just doesn't wow me. She is one note and typically gets dragged along by her crew. Though she did prove herself a bit with all the elinations they had to win lately. And I like Troy. I love Danny and hate/like Sarah. Sometimes she is such a crazy annoying thing and sometimes, though, she's an impressive beast. She has grit, for sure. And she's Survivor. 

 

Want to say I am tired of Jordan, Tori and Kaycee show. Please, show, don't have them 3 back on whatever the next one is. Please. No more.

Edited May 11, 2023 by Lamima

[shantown]

I'm an episode behind because I've been finding it harder and harder to make time for this show. It's funny that the daily in this episode was called "Point Break" because I think I've hit my breaking point with this season. I don't understand why it's called "World Championship" when the teams being sorted by country means nothing. There's no penalty for voting against your own country. There's no reason to Legends to have any allegiance to the country they were randomly assigned. There's typically no benefit to someone from your country winning since you could still get voted in and/or picked to compete anyway. They're not even utilizing the international hosts at all!

This should have just been another season of the regular challenge (which has increasingly featured Challengers from other countries and other shows). Or the Legends should have formed the US team. Or there should have been some sort of gameplay that required competing in actual country-based teams.

Yes, Emily, Sarah, and Danny getting the majority of the screentime is just annoying to me because I don't like any of them. Tori has burnt up all the positive feelings I got after her Ride or Dies win.  The structure of the season is frustrating. I might dip til the final episode (unless everyone left is someone I don't care about).

[millennium]

On 5/4/2023 at 3:26 PM, AntFTW said:

Perhaps that's a signal that The Challenge shouldn't have so many repeat players.

I wouldn't have watched thirtysomething seasons of The Challenge without the repeat players.   It would be just another show full of faces and names not worth the effort of remembering after the finals.

On 5/5/2023 at 4:48 PM, Duke Silver said:

I'm not a Survivor watcher, so don't grasp the appeal of Danny, or especially Sarah.  YMMV, obviously.

I'm a Survivor watcher and my mileage doesn't vary.   Can't stand either of them.

11 hours ago, shantown said:

Yes, Emily, Sarah, and Danny getting the majority of the screentime is just annoying to me because I don't like any of them.

They come off as very entitled, like they deserve to win while everybody else -- especially the "Legends" -- is just in the way.  I laughed a few episodes back when they had that clip of Bananas saying "I hate Sarah more than I've hated anyone my whole life."  I'm also tired of hearing about Emily being an Olympian, like she's a higher life form.

[AntFTW]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

I wouldn't have watched thirtysomething seasons of The Challenge without the repeat players.   It would be just another show full of faces and names not worth the effort of remembering after the finals.

Sure, but not all of them. Some repeat players, they can toss... like Fessy.

Kaycee can skip a season every now and then.

Edited May 15, 2023 by AntFTW

[millennium]

3 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Kaycee can skip a season every now and then.

No argument here, but I suspect they can't find other vets to fill out the roster.    They're all having babies.   Wes too, now.   Others probably have careers that don't allow them to drop off the grid for 2-3 months at a time (Sarah Rice gives this as her reason for not returning).   Still others probably aren't up to it physically.  (In light of the scarcity it seems idiotic that they still have Ashley in the penalty box.)