S40.E18: The End of An Era

[AntFTW]

Quote

With all of the eras represented, the eight finalists begin TJ's final and must endure a gauntlet of intense checkpoints, while a big twist hangs over their heads.

Air date: January 1, 2025

[AntFTW]

Sneak peek

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 11:47 PM by AntFTW

[LaurelleJ]

I have officially watched way too many episodes of the challenge because why didn't I remember that Jenny was already a challenge champion. Was that mentioned during the season as to why she could be a threat and why people kept putting her in elimination? I always watch on my phone so can't really see Jenny's label that says 1X champion. This is my first time watching live on TV all season. 

This season was so long, I forgot half the people that were on this season. Nice to see some of them for the karma vote explanations. Audible laugh from me when Bananas said he thinks he saw God, and someone said no that's just TJ. I also peeped the underwater cameraperson at the boat. I love watching on a big TV. 

Jordan is just so good. So freaking good. Poor Kyland. You have to be a better swimmer to be on the challenge. Feel bad for him, but you have to know that you could be swimming, but I can't believe that the final seems to be all swimming. Another audible laugh as Kyland says that it doesn't matter if they finish the puzzles, they have to be aqua man and aqua woman, and then looking right into the camera. 

Looking forward to the finale.  I can't see anyone beating Jordan unless he gets screwed with the karma vote. I would have said Jenny from day 1 for the women, but she seems to be delirious and that may affect her for day 2. 

[AntFTW]

Is Jenny about to become a 2x winner on her 3rd season? 🫢

This final so far is Michele's best case scenario. So far, it caters to the two things Michele is great at, puzzles and swimming. I was imagining a final where there would have been miles of running instead of swimming. Anytime I imagined Michele in a final, it was always one of running 15 miles up a mountain or in a desert or something. I'm happily surprised at the idea of a Michele upset.

Cara would have absolutely bombed at this final, much like Kyland is doing.

1 hour ago, LaurelleJ said:

I have officially watched way too many episodes of the challenge because why didn't I remember that Jenny was already a challenge champion.

It was a forgettable season. She won the least entertaining season that anyone would forget. Her and Johnny were the winners of that season, which is why they bonded and worked together.

1 hour ago, LaurelleJ said:

I can't see anyone beating Jordan unless he gets screwed with the karma vote.

I'm curious at how much they will make an actual difference in the end because they didn't explain how many points you get for placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th.

I'm thinking the same as Jordan, that if he gets 1st place every time the karma points won't make a difference.

Edited Thursday at 04:17 AM by AntFTW

[AntFTW]

17 minutes ago, LaurelleJ said:

Jordan is just so good. So freaking good. Poor Kyland. You have to be a better swimmer to be on the challenge. Feel bad for him, but you have to know that you could be swimming, but I can't believe that the final seems to be all swimming. Another audible laugh as Kyland says that it doesn't matter if they finish the puzzles, they have to be aqua man and aqua woman, and then looking right into the camera. 

I used to say the same thing about Leroy, Nelson and some others.

Also, Tori's face when TJ said there's gonna be an overnight portion was hilarious! She looks like she's so over it.

[bunnyface]

I have a question about the swimming.  I am not a strong swimmer.  I swam in school but that was 40 years ago, half my body weight and innumerable cigarettes ago.  I can still do the basics but they aren't winning me any awards.  I have also never swum in the ocean.  So...how come every time the camera is on them swimming they aren't using their legs?  It appears they are only propelling with their arms, except the frog kick thing some of the girls are doing.  Why don't they appear to be swimming with arms and legs?

[LaurelleJ]

57 minutes ago, AntFTW said:

It was a forgettable season. She won the least entertaining season that anyone would forget. Her and Johnny were the winners of that season, which is why they bonded and worked together.

I have watched every season of the challenge. I did not remember this at all. I went back to wikipedia to remind myself who was on that season and what happened. I vaguely remember it now, what I remember most is CT trying to get a skull and surprisingly losing to Jay. Back to this season, I was even thinking wow, Jenny and Johnny have warmed up to each other very fast, had they met before? Didn't even remember they won together before!

Edited Thursday at 03:43 AM by LaurelleJ

[AntFTW]

35 minutes ago, LaurelleJ said:

I have watched every season of the challenge. I did not remember this at all. I went back to wikipedia to remind myself who was on that season and what happened. I vaguely remember it now, what I remember most is CT trying to get a skull and surprisingly losing to Jay. Back to this season, I was even thinking wow, Jenny and Johnny have warmed up to each other very fast, had they met before? Didn't even remember they won together before!

The biggest thing I remember about that season is how quickly they edited out Dee when she said something stupid on social media. 😂

Dee made up most of the drama that season so they gave us botched episodes to edit her out 😂

[AntFTW]

I want to say I'm shocked that Tori is not doing so well... but at the same time, I feel like she's performing like she always has in finals.

[LaurelleJ]

10 hours ago, AntFTW said:

The biggest thing I remember about that season is how quickly they edited out Dee when she said something stupid on social media. 😂

Dee made up most of the drama that season so they gave us botched episodes to edit her out 😂

That came back to my mind too, lucky for them she eventually got eliminated, otherwise it would have been more difficult. 

 

5 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I want to say I'm shocked that Tori is not doing so well... but at the same time, I feel like she's performing like she always has in finals.

Me too! Head scratcher. It's like Cara won the last elimination and is in the final. This is how I figured Cara would do on this leg of the final if she were there. 

[ImpinAintEasy]

This final would be more interesting if it was Jordan vs Wes. I just can't envision a way that Jordan loses. Karma can't compensate for winning every leg. I could see it maybe catapulting Derek over Johnny for 2nd place or Michelle over Jenny for 1st place in the women's portion(would somewhat mirror her 'Survivor' win, as her general social popularity won over the better gameplay of Aubrey), though I sincerely hope it doesn't effect who wins 1st place. 

Edited Thursday at 06:42 PM by ImpinAintEasy

[aghst]

Finals have almost always taxed the endurance of the competitors.  But they designed it in a way that the puzzles and game elements have kind of leveled the physical/endurance aspects.

In other words, the most fit or in this case the best swimmers didn't win just on swimming.

In the first half of this Final, it seems its far more weighted towards the most fit, best swimmers.  The puzzles could trip up the challengers as it did with Rachel and then Tori but it's more than outweighed by the distance they've had to swim.

Derek overcame the 3 minute penalty pretty easily to place second in the first station.  However, looks like he was spent and wasn't swimming as fast in the next station or the one after that.

The standing in the spot between stations instead of being allowed to lie down, even for like 30 minutes seemed to weigh on some competitors more than others.

Then this final straw, instead of being allowed to get some sleep, they have to count coins and sing several times?  Jenny has the big lead but this particular phase is going to make her lose it?

So they don't get much sleep, not even those who did the best in the first day gets rewarded with sleep and since they're on a boat, there will be more swimming the next day, after less sleep than the night before the first part of the Final.

In any event, it seems like they could have just awarded the prize money based on who the best distance swimmers are without doing any of the competition.

The balance between the physical and mental aspects is way off compared to previous Finals.

Maybe they got excited at being able to put them on that old boat and then set up courses in that area of of the Philippines and didn't think that what they designed was more of an Iron Man competition than The Challenge.  And the only reason it's not a triathlon is that they don't have the best terrain for doing long bike rides.

 

 

 

[Jobiska]

I'm a little confused about the coins--they kept saying they had to count the coins, not total their value up, but then why did at least some of the challengers have coins laid out on top of their chests?

I don't dislike Kyland, and I liked how he thanked the puzzle checkers frequently, but I didn't need him to pee on the sign and then helpfully explain that he peed on the sign.  Yes, I kind of figure that's what you were doing.  But still better than seeing John's pasty butt.  He is so fond of mooning everyone.  

I think I heard Derek thank the station checker too, and maybe one of the women.

I did laugh at Derek at the end, counting down the ways Jenny seemed to be losing it, and ending with "and why is your hair like that?" 

 

[bunnyface]

10 hours ago, Jobiska said:

I'm a little confused about the coins--they kept saying they had to count the coins, not total their value up, but then why did at least some of the challengers have coins laid out on top of their chests?

 

I don't know but I thought maybe they were laying out the coins in order to count in groups, like 5, 10, 15, 20.  Instead of one by one.  I think I would have tried something like that.  Groups of 10 or 50, if you can remember that long.

 

[Jobiska]

4 minutes ago, bunnyface said:

I don't know but I thought maybe they were laying out the coins in order to count in groups, like 5, 10, 15, 20.  Instead of one by one.  I think I would have tried something like that.  Groups of 10 or 50, if you can remember that long.

One person did have them stacked, which is what I would do, but laying them out in tidy rows of individual coins seemed too time-consuming.

[joanne3482]

On 1/1/2025 at 9:21 PM, bunnyface said:

I have a question about the swimming.  I am not a strong swimmer.  I swam in school but that was 40 years ago, half my body weight and innumerable cigarettes ago.  I can still do the basics but they aren't winning me any awards.  I have also never swum in the ocean.  So...how come every time the camera is on them swimming they aren't using their legs?  It appears they are only propelling with their arms, except the frog kick thing some of the girls are doing.  Why don't they appear to be swimming with arms and legs?

Some appear not to be trained swimmers. Several were doing a variation of the breast stroke, which allows them to keep their faces out of the waterish (technically they should be putting their face in the water but they don't), hence the arms and the frog kick. I think dragging the buoy was also a bit of a hindrance for the kicking for some of them. 

[aghst]

2 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

Some appear not to be trained swimmers. Several were doing a variation of the breast stroke, which allows them to keep their faces out of the waterish (technically they should be putting their face in the water but they don't), hence the arms and the frog kick. I think dragging the buoy was also a bit of a hindrance for the kicking for some of them. 

One or more of them complained about swallowing water and the currents.

So instead of going for speed which would be the freestyle with the face under water, they seemed to have chosen to take a more leisurely but steady pace, which they were more comfortable with.

Derek pushed on the first station to make up for his time penalty and passed two guys and looked like he was going to push Jordan for first place but not sure he kept the same pace as in the first swim out to the island when he swam the return leg to the boat.

Maybe Jordan pushed to make sure he got a big enough lead and then took it easy, since it's not timed.