S02.E07: Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Love

[AntFTW]

Quote

A pair of "Challenge" vets play cupid as romance blossoms for a couple of former "Big Brother" houseguests; TJ makes a shocking announcement that impacts the game for the remainder of the season.

Air date: August 31, 2023

[AntFTW]

1) Fessy has been wallpaper for this entire season and then he finally makes a decent appearance when he says, after Wes gives his speech, "Wes has been moping around like somebody died and he just wants it to be a fair game and I'm like I know people aren't about to buy this shit." 😂🤣😂

2) Tiffany is HILARIOUS!!!! I want to keep her around just for her talking heads.

3) I need Wes to have one of these conversations with Cassidy if they're going to show her in every episode talking about how Wes is targeting her.

4) A lot of Michaela in the beginning, makes me think she's going into elimination. A lot of Tiffany in the middle of the episode, so it may be her also.

One thing I liked about Michaela is that she didn't scramble or squirm as far as we're shown once she saw she had been nominated for elimination.

5) Desi's facial expressions during that deliberation... HILARIOUS!!! She is wearing all of her emotions on her face. I believe this is the first time she has found herself without power in a deliberation.

6) I made a comment on the last episode about Tori mentioning on the podcast that Michele was working closely with Wes. However, Michele voted for Dusty in that episode, which is a vote to put Wes into elimination. We see in all the episodes that she is working with the Survivor girls. Then they actually show that some people notice in this episode realize that Michele is playing in the middle. Interesting.

7) There goes Josh opening his mouth when he doesn't need to. 🙄

8) The way they replayed the one shot Tiffany made like it was an NBA highlight 😂🤣😂

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by AntFTW

[jsm1125]

Oh Tiffany, I know she doesn’t stand a chance in hell at ever winning a season of The Challenge, but I so enjoy her.

Was this the first time Cory and Josh received any balls from the hopper all season?

 

[AntFTW]

6 minutes ago, jsm1125 said:

Was this the first time Cory and Josh received any balls from the hopper all season?

No. Cory has gotten votes before but it's been a while, and Josh has as well.

Remember Josh ranting and acting crazy at the Red Team deliberation about Desi and Luis voting for him a couple episodes back?

[aghst]

The Daily really favored blue, with the extra players to collect the tires, though their wrecking ball finished knocking out all the tires first, though it's not clear by how much time.

Maybe should have adjusted the number of tires based on team size to level the playing field.

In any event, the vets are all on the blue team with Josh and Fessy cooperating.

In the elimination easy for Michaela and what timing to switch to individual games.

Tori confident she will dominate individual challenges or just safe with the numbers she's working with?

 

[mojoween]

I don’t generally root for Tiffany, and was happy to see Michaela win, but if Tiffany could just stay around to annoy Josh, that would be a-ok.

I swear Josh is SO JEALOUS he was not part of The Cookout.  He didn’t need to open his mouth there, but it was obviously a confession.

[DEL901]

4 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I don’t generally root for Tiffany, and was happy to see Michaela win, but if Tiffany could just stay around to annoy Josh, that would be a-ok.

I swear Josh is SO JEALOUS he was not part of The Cookout.  He didn’t need to open his mouth there, but it was obviously a confession.

But Josh wasn’t on BB during the cookout season….

[mojoween]

Oh I know that.  But Josh has to be a. still so salty about the chatter that he didn’t win BB, Paul lost and b. it just feels like he wants to be part of what Tiffany, Xavier etc. did.

[DEL901]

I was glad to see the end of Tiffany.  For all her talk, she couldn’t even figure out how to get the momentum going and kept throwing underhanded which was harder to control. 

[erikaelvis]

2 hours ago, DEL901 said:

I was glad to see the end of Tiffany.  For all her talk, she couldn’t even figure out how to get the momentum going and kept throwing underhanded which was harder to control. 

Agreed.  They couldn't even edit that one to have any suspense.  Tiffany is like Aneesa, a big talker but will never win.  I know a lot of people say a big part of the challenge is social (which it is) but when it boils down to it, you have to have physical capabilities as well.  Or you can't win.

[aghst]

Tiffany has a son who looks to be in his mid teens, about as tall as she is.

She probably doesn't have much opportunity to train like the other women.

[AntFTW]

Tiffany was on The Challenge podcast for this episode. Tori says on the podcast that the green team forgot one of their tires during the daily challenge. They couldn’t solve their puzzle if they wanted to because they forgot a tire.

Also, it seems that Tiffany is afraid of heights so this elimination was not a good one for her. Not saying that she would’ve won anyway. Tiffany almost quit the elimination before it started because she was terrified.

Separately, watching this season thus far, there has been an overhaul from the first season to the second season. The Challenge USA seemed like it had its own lane and it felt distinct from the MTV show during its first season. This second season feels like the MTV show. They could have very well called this the season 39 of the MTV show, and it would fit right in. The daily challenges seemed much simpler on season one of USA. They didn’t show much of the politics on season one. Even though it was a version of “The Challenge”, it didn’t feel like The Challenge. Season two of USA feels like the MTV show in every way imaginable.

[KeithJ]

Now that it’s going to be an individual game, maybe BB and Survivor will actually team up and vote the vets into the challenge.  Nah, I don’t think they’re that smart.

[AntFTW]

I think episode shows why Survivor is not the game for Michaela. She can't hide her feelings and seemingly has no filter, and she can't help it.

Michaela does not mask how she feels. Michaela doesn't seem to have a poker face. If she's not on the same page as you or doesn't vibe with you, she doesn't have to verbally tell you. You can see it on her face. However, she will still tell you verbally.

Michaela didn't need to tell Josh that she thinks he had something to do with her being nominated into elimination because it makes no difference to her but she did it anyway. She didn't need to give Wes a flippant comment in the beginning of the episode, but she did it anyway. That's why I like watching Michaela. 😂

She did the same thing on her two seasons of Survivor, and that doesn't get you to the end on Survivor.

[choclatechip45]

Tiffany won a physical comp on Big Brother the swinging one I think which is pretty physical. A bit surprised she had some issues with the comps.

[Lantern7]

Not much that I can add. When Michaela said, "Josh, don't come at me with your foolishness," I like to think she was speaking for everyone. Also: do you think Josh and Chris could start a friendship based on them being reality show winners that few people respect?

BB-based romance? Zzzzzzzzzzzz. I don't care. I really don't.

Meh episode. I was more upset the Spectrum/Disney bullshit prevented me from watching the last few episodes of What We Do In The Shadows.

We're going to an individuals-based game. Cool. Can't wait to see how BMP screws that up.

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Lantern7

[Jobiska]

I keep meaning to comment about Tiffany's loungewear attire--a set of pale gray fleecy sweatpant-style bottoms and a leisure bra-shaped top out of the same pale fleece.  Wear what you want, of course, and I'm sure the house is kept cold due to the filming lights etc., but it is such an illogical outfit!  If you run cold, why is your midriff bare, and if you run hot, bluh!  I am sweating just thinking about it.  Oh wait, that's just bc it's in the 90s in Philly, and my window ACs, though trying valiantly, do not compensate for when I leave the cooled rooms.  

Anyway, Sorry to see Tiffany go just bc of her commentaries, but I like Michaela too.

 

[millennium]

On 9/1/2023 at 3:04 PM, AntFTW said:

Season two of USA feels like the MTV show in every way imaginable.

Not that there's anything wrong with that ...

[AntFTW]

8 hours ago, millennium said:

Not that there's anything wrong with that ...

Not at all, that's the best thing about this season. That's why it is so much better than season 1. It actually feels like The Challenge. Season 1 didn't feel that way at all.

[millennium]

On 9/1/2023 at 3:04 PM, AntFTW said:

Season two of USA feels like the MTV show in every way imaginable.

Having an actual Challenge House and the scenery of Croatia is a vast improvement.  Ditto for the absence of players like Tyson, Angela, Afghanimal Leo, Sarah and Enzo.   They had no charisma and zero personality, and unfortunately they still managed to overshadow most of the other players.