S02.E04: Double Crossed and Sideswiped

[AntFTW]

Quote

A shocking double elimination leaves the challengers scrambling to win a high-stakes, adrenaline filled semitruck challenge to ensure their survival in the game.

Air date: August 20, 2023

[Lamb18]

Josh goes off on a rant to the red team and they stare back, "Huh?"

 

[Lamb18]

I hope Red nominated Amanda. And it looks like they are.

Why does Josh want to save Amanda? I wonder why Fessy isn't sticking up for her.

[jsm1125]

2 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

I hope Red nominated Amanda. And it looks like they are.

Why does Josh want to save Amanda? I wonder why Fessy isn't sticking up for her.

I think Josh and Amanda are close. 

[DEL901]

3 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

I hope Red nominated Amanda. And it looks like they are.

Why does Josh want to save Amanda? I wonder why Fessy isn't sticking up for her.

Is Fessy in this discussion?

[Lamb18]

Just now, DEL901 said:

Is Fessy in this discussion?

Not at the moment. He'll be involved in the secret vote. But since he and Amanda were in a special relationship, you'd think he'd be chivalrous and speak up for her.

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

I think Josh and Amanda are close. 

They are.

I don't think I've ever loved watching Josh as much as I am watching this winners' vote. He's right when he says they have power now, and they are going to use it on someone as useless as Amanda????? Amanda is a bench warmer. She is of no threat to anyone! ... but she's a safe name to throw in.

Josh trying to stop Chanelle from talking to Dusty was hilarious! LET HIM THINK!!! LMAO!

Edited August 21, 2023 by AntFTW

[Lamb18]

Crap, Josh got his way. Maybe Red will conspire with Blue to get Josh off.

[AntFTW]

JOSH JUST DID WHAT CORY SHOULD HAVE DONE LAST WEEK!!!!!!!! YESSS!!!!!!!!!

LETS GO!!!! JOSH FINALLY LEARNED TO PLAY THE FUCKING GAME!

Edited August 21, 2023 by AntFTW

[jsm1125]

That might have been the best moment for Josh in his entire Challenge career. 

[mojoween]

As if there weren’t already eleventy million reasons to hate Amanda, her parting words added one more.  Gross.

Sad to see Luis go.  But super stoked to see Chris stay.  Luis may be a firefighter, but Chris was just enough bigger.

[Lantern7]

Crap episode. Basically, Josh takes a dump on the table to show dominance, and it worked. The most undeserving Survivor winner beats the Racer that doesn’t worship Johnny. Sadly, Amanda getting the boot doesn’t make up for those other things.

I think Dusty is a lost cause. It’s okay to have heroes, but Johnny? Fuck that.

At least Desi is still in the game. She’s gotta make up for how she got screwed last time.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Lantern7

[AntFTW]

1) To Tori: It's okay. Amanda can be trash and impress you at the same time. You can still say she's trash.

2) Amanda fought hard. Good for her! Amanda's always been pretty scrappy in these eliminations. She doesn't win but she doesn't make it easy for her opponent. I'm glad Desi won.

This is what happens when you reject the social politics of the game. People have no problem throwing you in. Amanda never makes it easy for herself. She will always be the obnoxious person that people have no problem throwing in. NINE VOTES?!?!

3) Desi joins blue! Good for her! Look at that. They make moves, play hard, and things start to look up. Johnny is in a better position this episode than he was in the last. The core vets are in better positions this week than they were in last week. Josh swung for the fences and came out on top! Desi gives herself the best chance at winning the elimination. We'll see if all of this good fortune continues, and I hope it doesn't.

This was the best episode of The Challenge (including flagship and spinoffs) that I've watch in maybe 5 years. I appreciate the gameplay. I appreciate the show.

4) DUSTY NEEDS TO GO! Writing love letters and shit... 😑

Is he from Big Brother? I don't recall ever seeing him on Survivor.

Edited August 21, 2023 by AntFTW

[mojoween]

No Dusty was on The Amazing Race.

Hey Chris got everyone to vote for him to win, so he deserved to win.

Chanelle made an excellent point that was steamrolled, in that Amanda would be easy to beat in a final, but hell on wheels to run the final with.

[AntFTW]

20 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Chanelle made an excellent point that was steamrolled, in that Amanda would be easy to beat in a final, but hell on wheels to run the final with.

Everyone talked in circles around those points. None of them really knows what the final will entail. Most finals have paired legs within them, and some (of the more recent seasons) have had no pairings in any portion of the final (seasons 31, 33, 35 unless I'm mistaken). You never know until you get there.

20 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Hey Chris got everyone to vote for him to win, so he deserved to win.

Agreed! The person that won deserved the win... even if I am immediately salty sometimes after the votes are read.

Edited August 21, 2023 by AntFTW

[bunnyface]

Dusty = D-ball = Douche-ball.

Josh is a D-ball.

Yay Amanda is dead.  Well, not dead, but...ding dong!

[Lantern7]

26 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

4) DUSTY NEEDS TO GO! Writing love letters and shit... 😑

Is he from Big Brother? I don't recall ever seeing him on Survivor.

He’s from TAR. And that was “Mac writing a letter to Chase Utley”-level cringe.

[Artsda]

Josh seems like still the unhinged lunatic. He was on big brother. 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Artsda

[Duke Silver]

Man I am surprised by my equivocation about this game.  On one hand, I kinda sorta agree with the general sentiment 'round these parts that vets being all entitled is a turn-off.  As someone else said, quit bitching about being out-numbered (which is what y'all have done to rookies on the flagship show every damn season) and prove why you deserve to keep winning.

OTOH, as someone who doesn't watch much reality tv, these CBS people (other than those who are past Challengers) are total non-entities to me.  I have zero investment in them.  They don't "deserve" fuck-all in this game.  What have they done to be so smug (sometimes) about the Challenge?  They have their own entitlement issues afaic.  The finger-wagging and tough talking during their talking heads show why I don't care for the sneaky b.s. underlying the game play of BB & Survivor.  I prefer the confrontation.  If I'm gonna spend my time watching "reality" tv, I want action.  Tough talk behind others backs is yawn-inducing for me.

All that said, I am enjoying this season.  Curious to see how the vets try to dig-in.

[Lamima]

9 hours ago, AntFTW said:

Everyone talked in circles around those points. None of them really knows what the final will entail. Most finals have paired legs within them, and some (of the more recent seasons) have had no pairings in any portion of the final (seasons 31, 33, 35 unless I'm mistaken). You never know until you get there.

Agreed! The person that won deserved the win... even if I am immediately salty sometimes after the votes are read.

And, see, I think Michele was the worst winner. Lol. But I am liking her on Challenge. While Chris is irritating me that he came up with plan to help Red over Green.

Can we talk about how Tori and Bananas are Uber safe now...on the same team. So effing rigged by the show it ain't funny. Bet they make finals. Ughhh. 

5 out...2 vets and 3 regulars. Boo. Wanna see more vets go, specifically Tori and Nannas.

[aghst]

Surprised the the elimination was only one round.

Was essentially a variation of Pole Wrestle, which is usually best of 3 rounds.

That "eye" had handles so the weaker player can hang on to it longer.

This was the first time this season where both challengers who got the most ping pong balls were drawn?

I liked the Daily but it was too easy to sabotage a team.  

Seems like after a few rounds of eliminations, the biggest alliance can't really dictate the votes like they did in earlier rounds.

But some of the ones in the red team cited so and so for voting for them previously so they are voting for them now.  Um, with secrete votes, how do they know so and so voted for them?

[lilabennet]

The elimination was 3 rounds.  Luis scored the first point but lost the next two.  Amanda lost 2-0.

[AntFTW]

I like how Chanelle offers a deal to take Wes off the table if they take Desi off the table, and then she offers the same deal to Dusty in order to save Luis.

From the winners' nomination vote, it seems like they thought they could stalemate on a girl, but still have their guy vote stand. Michele says "if we stalemate on a girl, what happens to our girls?" To me, that implies that she thought that they could vote for a guy and stalemate on a girl. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's usually not the way The Challenge works.

Usually, if they stalemate on one, then they stalemate on both. They wouldn't have any guy vote or girl vote, and usually lose any immunity from elimination that they have.

[AntFTW]

58 minutes ago, aghst said:

But some of the ones in the red team cited so and so for voting for them previously so they are voting for them now.  Um, with secrete votes, how do they know so and so voted for them?

I don't imagine these to be the most secretive people. It wasn't difficult for Michele to deduce that Amanda voted for her. It wasn't hard for her to deduce that Jonna voted for her.

They have team meetings and whatnot to talk about who they're voting for. People talk. There is no privacy in that house.

[AntFTW]

8 hours ago, lilabennet said:

The elimination was 3 rounds.  Luis scored the first point but lost the next two.  Amanda lost 2-0.

I saw this earlier from Amanda, and then I saw an interview from Luis. He mentioned it.

[Maverick]

 Who the hell in Amanda?  She obviously came along after I stopped watching which was around the time they started bringing in people from other MTV shows.  She seems like she came from Jersey Shore.  

 Dusty's letter to Johnny was Uber cringy.  Like worse than that letter in Survivor Heroes vs Villains.   I'd almost feel bad for Dusty at the way Johnny mockingly read it except a) he wrote the damn thing and b) it was a little stalkery. 

 Who was it that said Luis was a firefighter while Chris looked like a couch potato...right after Chris mentioned he played college football.  Say what you will about Chris's Survivor win but he doesn't look like a slacker.  

[Blueboxes]

Agree, I think Chris will be one to watch. He figured out their best move in the daily was to give blue the win - playing the real game. He's obviously physically strong as well. He put a target on his back with that move in the daily but he seems generally likeable so he may be able to recover politically. 

Josh is awful and I cannot believe that BS worked. The red girls are idiots. Seemed like a no brainer to just talk to Dusty BEFORE the vote and keep Luis safe in exchange for Desi (write him a note - he loves that!)

[mojoween]

I am shocked - shocked! I tell you - that they edited the elimination down to one round.  But I can see how Chris’s size would wear Luis down.

I already liked Luis, and he came off uber charming in his EW exit interview.  Except for sorta liking Josh, tighten that shit up, Luis.

[Racj82]

11 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Who the hell in Amanda?  She obviously came along after I stopped watching which was around the time they started bringing in people from other MTV shows.  She seems like she came from Jersey Shore.  
 

She came from Are You the One just like Tori and Devin among others while that show was going strong on MTV.

[luckyroll3]

On 8/20/2023 at 9:36 PM, AntFTW said:

I don't think I've ever loved watching Josh as much as I am watching this winners' vote. He's right when he says they have power now, and they are going to use it on someone as useless as Amanda????? Amanda is a bench warmer. She is of no threat to anyone! ... but she's a safe name to throw in.

I've been saying for a while that the world is ending, but now I know it must be true because I actually agreed with Josh about them wasting their vote on Amanda!!! What dummies. Also, they should have kept voting in Johnny and Tori, instead of changing their strategy. I can't even believe they let JOSH change their votes. Tiffany was quick to come out of the deliberation saying that none of them said Desi's name. But girl, by wasting your vote instead of tying, you guaranteed that Desi would get thrown in!  This secret garden alliance is going to lose the upper hand they had in the voting because they're not even sticking to their own strategy. 

20 hours ago, lilabennet said:

The elimination was 3 rounds.  Luis scored the first point but lost the next two.  Amanda lost 2-0.

I thought it was weird when they declared the winners after "1st" round. And sucks that they made Luis look like a chump by not showing the round he won. Cause I was certainly screaming at the TV that he was an awful firefighter! :-D 

Loved watching Wes as he figured out that his own team played him. Looking forward to seeing whether he handles it smartly or goes the Wile E. Coyote route and blows his own game up in the process. 

[AntFTW]

47 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I've been saying for a while that the world is ending, but now I know it must be true because I actually agreed with Josh about them wasting their vote on Amanda!!! What dummies.

It was hilarious, though! Josh was so over the top.

11 hours ago, Blueboxes said:

The red girls are idiots. Seemed like a no brainer to just talk to Dusty BEFORE the vote and keep Luis safe in exchange for Desi (write him a note - he loves that!)

47 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Also, they should have kept voting in Johnny and Tori, instead of changing their strategy.

They had agreed to keep blue safe though so they were off the table.

If the 3 girls voted for Johnny, they would have stalemated because Dusty was not going to vote for Johnny, even if that meant saving Luis. I saw Tiffany's podcast on YouTube, and she said that she was not willing to deadlock the vote and give up her safety. If they wanted Johnny, they would've had to vote for him in the house vote like they did for Amanda, and hoped his name out came out.

47 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Tiffany was quick to come out of the deliberation saying that none of them said Desi's name. But girl, by wasting your vote instead of tying, you guaranteed that Desi would get thrown in!

Right!!!!!!! Like be for real! You may not have said her name but you effectively voted her in!

47 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

This secret garden alliance is going to lose the upper hand they had in the voting because they're not even sticking to their own strategy. 

And they are an extremely effective alliance. The way they got 9 votes on Amanda, I applaud their organization.

The CBS boys are just going along for the ride as long as they're not the target. Anytime someone lists who is in this alliance, no one ever includes them.

47 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

Loved watching Wes as he figured out that his own team played him. Looking forward to seeing whether he handles it smartly or goes the Wile E. Coyote route and blows his own game up in the process. 

Wes is playing such a low-profile game. I caught the subtleness of shifting the focus to Chris and off of Johnny.

Edited August 22, 2023 by AntFTW

[AntFTW]

Edited August 22, 2023 by AntFTW

[AntFTW]

[Jobiska]

On 8/20/2023 at 10:41 PM, Lantern7 said:

He’s from TAR. And that was “Mac writing a letter to Chase Utley”-level cringe.

Ha!  I was at Chase Utley's "retire as a Phillie" ceremony.  Chase threw out the first pitch to Mac!--and I got a bobblehead modeled after Chase the day he said "World bleeping Champions."  I hope never to see a Bananas bobblehead.  (Chase is my fave player of all time, but I have not written him a letter, heh).

Memory is blurred, but IIRC Dusty kind of held back his more compelling co-racer, Ryan, who had been wrongly imprisoned for years.  I'd rather see Ryan again than Dusty, but he probably has better things to do, heh.  Not including writing a letter to Bananas.

[bunnyface]

Yes, Ryan was definitely the better part of that pair.  But he's probably too chill for this show.  "Bananas and Wes are plotting against me?  Oh well, at least I'm not in prison any more.  It's okay."  Not exactly the Challenge vibe.

[AntFTW]

I forgot about this! This probably made me laugh more now than it did when it aired. Now, Josh is saving Wes.

 

[luckyroll3]

On 8/24/2023 at 6:49 PM, AntFTW said:

I forgot about this! This probably made me laugh more now than it did when it aired. Now, Josh is saving Wes.

 

Josh trying to make himself feel important.

Wes: 

[millennium]

On 8/24/2023 at 11:06 AM, Jobiska said:

I hope never to see a Bananas bobblehead. 

Maybe you prefer the Topps Johnny Bananas trading card?

Or Johnny Bananas greeting cards to send to family and friends?

(although this one is my personal favorite)

Not sorry in the LEAST that Luis was sent packing.   Hated him and his constant mugging on the Amazing Race, great to see him go home in the early rounds.   He didn't even get a "hope to see you in the future" as a consolation prize.

How did the abysmal Challenge USA become the closest we've had to a classic Challenge season in years?

Dusty's letter to Bananas was hilarious, more so because he was apparently 100% sincere and 110% unashamed.   If only somehow he could have been convinced to read it aloud to the assembled group at nominations.

Wes' beard is bothering me.   It looks like a brush. 

Amanda keeps saying she's playing for her son.   Then play, dammit.  Don't just sit there waiting for your inevitable ticket home.   Am I remembering correctly that she has never run a final? 

[DEL901]

I think she actually won one

 

[AntFTW]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

Am I remembering correctly that she has never run a final? 

Yes, you are remembering correctly. She has never made it to a final.