S27.E08: Blood Is Thicker Than Mud

[OnceSane]

CT and Diem's sister pay tribute to Diem and Knight; and Bananas fears his strategy may be backfiring.

[Tatum]

Wow Bananas really picked a winner with Vince, didn't he? The red team is guaranteed to pick either Vince or Johnny next time, depending on which team wins, and I bet Vince is essentially useless in the pit. Johnny would have a pretty good shot in the pit, but since the blue team's two best players are gone, and the blue team can't win even with help from the opposing team, not likely any red team member is ever going to see the pit.

Cara's been annoying me lately, but I did laugh at her interview-so, almost done, just have Johnny and Anthony left...sigh, defeated voice...just Johnny and Anthony.

Were those crocodile tears or was bananas sincerely tearing up over discussing Diem?

[AngryCarrot86]

Well, that was underwhelming. I guess that was to be expected after last week's shenanigans.

Jenna is really growing on me. She's no Rhodes scholar, but she's mild mannered and a decent enough competitor. Some might say that makes her a target, but it seems to be working in her favor. I find myself rooting more for her than anyone else at this point. Why did KellyAnne finish spinning so much faster than her during both rounds? It didn't seem like they had any control over the speed. I'm wondering if their size was a factor. Regardless, Jenna really got lucky at the end. Good for her.

Hello, CT; you sexy man, you. I'm excited to see who He takes out next week. Could the world be lucky enough for Banana backpack 2.0? May the odds be ever in our favor!

I really can't stand Vince. Ugh. He's the epitome of a meathead. I LOL every time he DQs. Clearly I've been laughing a lot this season.

[Rebecca]

CT looked good. I know he was there to represent Diem and was there with her younger sister and it would've been really tacky, etc to do it but, I found myself wanting him to knock Vince out anyway. He's really mellowed though, to be able to just walk away. Plus, he said nice things about John even...don't know whether to be bummed by that or impressed (support for Diem aside). I'm glad CT will be back.

Anthony is a dumbass and he got what he deserved by going home after that bullshit throwing the challenge and listening to John.

I continue to like Abram a bunch. on his last several challenges he's been a great team encourager and helper, like when he was advising everyone on his team this challenge.

I can't wait for shit to hit the fan with John..please, please, please! He sucks. I'm with TJ, throwing challenges sucks. I missed his usual speech of disappointment for them doing so.

[Lantern7]

Throwing challenges is never a good look. I'd call out examples, but I can't be bothered to remember the name of the guy who tried fucking up for Red. Kelly Anne's brother/cousin, right? Whatever . . . Blue is sad enough, they can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Oh, and fuck Johnny, on general principle.

 

I'm hoping this is the last we see of Faith. She seems normal, and normal doesn't fly on this show. Also, I keep flashing back to Frankie's cousin, who went by "Esser" on the TWoP forums back in the day. It's nice to see CT, since he's proof that you can improve from being an asshole on this show. Nice of him not to drop Plantains like a sack of potatoes.

 

Who invited Zach? Also, way to tape Knight's name on the tribute, show.

[NikSac]

My cable's out tonight so thanks all for the recaps and opinions!

[TiffanyNichelle]

Bananas keeps voting in his alliance members, you'd think they'd know not to get into an alliance with him. Jamie's Boston came out real strong when he got heated. It was pretty funny. I don't get Kelly Anne. Was she not in the room when they were coming up with the plan to throw the challenge (btw OMG blue team, get it together!) then she turned around and got all indignant when everyone was rightfully calling Anthony out on throwing the challenge.

 

I miss CT so it was nice to see him again. Vince is lucky CT was chill that night. Diem's sister looked a lot like her.

 

My recording cut off during the last minute so I missed the previews for next week.

[Lantern7]

TiffanyNichelle . ..   all I remember are CT and Zach showing up in the grey t-shirts, and CT ready to cause havoc. Maybe he'll backpack Johnny and Vince.

 

Oh, and did any other old school fans get a load of Abram bitching out Johnny and whatshisface throwing a mission? Not only did he throw Katie under the bus in The Inferno, but he did it in the most obvious and humiliating way possible.

[Spencer Hastings]

It was nice to see CT again. I love that man. He was really chill and mellow--both during the demonstration and at the club. He even sounded different. Most of it was probably for Diem's sister and the rest was because he didn't have to compete or follow a storyline. It's nice to see a glimpse of how these people probably are in real life, but I'm also glad to see the look of crazy back in his eyes next week. Now that Faith is gone, maybe he'll drop Vince with one hit.

The challenge was so ridiculous. None of these geniuses can even throw a challenge properly? I knew Kelly Anne had to be doomed when they started to put their tiny brains together.

How was Kelly Anne already running and balancing while Jenna was still spinning? Was it because Jenna kept her eyes closed and didn't see that it was time to move? Did

Kelly Anne stop herself early? I got a good laugh out of watching her gleefully spin while Kelly was hustling!

Finally, anyone who trusts Johnny Bananas is stupid. Just like Cory grew up watching CT on these things (awwww), most of these people should have watched enough episodes to know that you don't get in bed with Johnny without expecting to be screwed.

[bren70]

I didn't understand how Jenna was spinning so much longer than Kelly Anne either.  It didn't seem like they had any control over the spinning, so I don't think Kelly Anne did something to make hers stop sooner...the only thing I could think of was that their difference in height/weight determined how long it took to finish spinning?  Which seems way unfair to me.  But no one on the show seemed to comment on the difference in how long their spinning lasted, so maybe Kelly Anne did have some strategy to make hers stop spinning before Jenna's.  But I didn't see anything and I even rewound it to look more closely.  

 

I can't believe I'm rooting for Jenna, but I am.  I was happy for her.  Of course I don't like Kelly Anne so that played a part.  But I used to not like Jenna either.  She's growing on me this season.   

 

Marry me CT. 

[lilabennet]

Abram has thrown plenty of missions in his day and Cara Maria colluded to throw the first challenge of this very season to Cohutta, so they both can take several seats.

[scrb]

That was a good pit as it didn't favor the bigger player like most of them do.

But maybe the heavier girl spins slowed on that rig?

In that case, she reaches the ground later but maybe isn't as dizzy?

[shelley1234]

It's always nice to see CT on my television screen.  I was hoping he was going to be able to get in there and get dirty and mess with the challengers, but maybe we will get that next week.  Faith seemed to be a little overwhelmed by it all, but that's understandable.  She and Diem sure do look like sisters too...no question that they are related.  

 

It's also nice to see how Diem affected so many people.  And yep, Johnny as well.  Sure, he plays a part and is often a jerk in the challenges, but his friendship with Diem was very real.  Johnny has made a point to keep her memory alive and has raised a good chunk of change for her charity since her passing.  

 

The Blue Team is quite pathetic...even when they are handed a win, they can't win.  Part of me wants Blue to win next week so that Bananas gets voted in....and has to battle to stay here, but then again...I want Red to keep winning so that Vince has to go in since I think we have seen that he's not the bestest competitor.  

 

I am rooting for Jenna as well.  She is a tough kid and just keeps going.  Also, I think Kelly Anne is quite the bitch, so I was glad to see her sent packing.  I think Kelly Anne is one of those girls who likes to pretend that she's super nice and sweet, but she is really a mean girl in the depths of her soul.  

 

Next week, more CT.  Can we have CT every week???  Pretty pretty please.  

[Tatum]

One thing that's not "storyline" is that Johnny was Diem's closest Challenge friend. So shockingly yes, those tears were very real. =)

Okay I get that Johnny is the villain, but how many people are expecting him to have their back and to what extent? He threw that challenge in the dumbest way possible to try to save KellyAnne. Well, Anthony really. Her team was still so awful that they lost so what else is he supposed to do at that point? He was never going to say Aneesa's name, not even to protect Nany. I know KellyAnne and Jenna are not always "there" but they do have at least one hand and should be able to count the number of women left in his alliance.

 

Yeah, I remember reading that Diem and Johnny were close off camera, but I was still surprised to see real tears. Part of me thought he was continuing her charity as a way to keep his own name out there so I am impressed that it was sincere. They must have gotten close offscreen because I don't recall them overlapping very much on the challenges and when they were on together, it seemed like one of them left right away and they didn't have many scenes together.

 

KA was dumb to get so upset. She admitted herself that she knew the vote wouldn't have gone her way with or without Bananas. There were two people that would have voted for Aneesa (KA's cousin and Corey), and three that would have voted for KA (CM, Abe, and Aneesa's cousin), leaving Brianna and Johnny the swing votes. Since Brianna and Jenna don't like Johnny, that would leave KA going in and Johnny would be stupid to piss off Aneesa just to save face with KA, and Anthony. Had Brianna chosen Aneesa though- now that would have been interesting to see which way his vote would go.

 

While I wouldn't call her smart, exactly, I am starting to wonder if Jenna intentionally tries to make herself sound dumber than she is. She is definitely good under pressure, and is not a bad athlete. I think her most recent DQ was the first time she's had a poor performance (yes, she had the lowest score during the water challenge in the beginning, but that was because of her dumb cousin, who Bananas said was running up the hill without her bucket).

[luckyroll3]

I didn't understand how Jenna was spinning so much longer than Kelly Anne either.  It didn't seem like they had any control over the spinning, so I don't think Kelly Anne did something to make hers stop sooner...the only thing I could think of was that their difference in height/weight determined how long it took to finish spinning?  Which seems way unfair to me.  But no one on the show seemed to comment on the difference in how long their spinning lasted, so maybe Kelly Anne did have some strategy to make hers stop spinning before Jenna's.  But I didn't see anything and I even rewound it to look more closely.  

I think what happened was that during the spins, Jenna crossed her feet at her ankles and pulled her legs up straight, whereas KellyAnne kept her knees bent and her feet dangling.  So when the chair got low enough to jump out, KellyAnne's feet immediately felt the floor, but the other challengers had to yell at Jenna to lower her legs to help stop the chair.  

 

I loved this elimination challenge because they both looked like drunk toddlers trying to play with their toys.  Lol!  Also, I would not have been able to do that at all....I puke on the carousels!

 

I just have to wonder why KellyAnne's cousin thought it was such a good plan to 1) side with Johhny and 2) to throw the challenge, especially when Johnny has shown he has no loyalty to anyone.  It's rich how he expects everyone to be loyal to him but he doesn't need to do so in return.  If they don't manage to get him out next week, now that most, if not all, of his alliance is gone and it's a male elimination week, then the rest of the cast deserve to lose all their money to him.

 

I was about to get really upset that they brought CT out for only one episode.  Glad he'll be back next week, but I can do without Zach.

[Tatum]

 

I just have to wonder why KellyAnne's cousin thought it was such a good plan to 1) side with Johhny and 2) to throw the challenge, especially when Johnny has shown he has no loyalty to anyone.

 

In all fairness to Anthony, with the blue team cannibalizing itself due to losing every challenge, KA had a 2/3 chance of going in to the elimination this week, and a 100% chance of going in the next time, since there would only be two girls left. She is the smallest of the three girls (by far) and most eliminations on most of these shows do favor the larger competitors. That's the main reason Aneesa has done as well as she has on elimination rounds in the past. The best way to guarantee her to stay in the competition is to keep her out of the pit, and that means a red team loss on a girl elimination day. It was actually smarter of Anthony to pair with Johnny than it was of Johnny to pair with Anthony.

 

I did laugh at KA's interview about Jamie's ridiculous rage. KA: So, Jamie's mad that Cara Maria might have to go in to the pit against Brianna or Rianna? Really? And she has a point. CM taking out either of these girls would probably be helpful to the red team in the long run.

 

ETA: just realized that for every person the blue team loses, the red team loses one as well.  Duh.  However, this will be a shift in team dynamics because this is the first elimination since the red/blue divide that included an opposite sex team. The blue team now has more guys and less girls. Bananas must have been shitting his pants upon this realization. You know he hates being on a team with girls.

Edited January 14, 2016 by Tatum

[yogi2014L]

Love me some CT.

I thought he handled himself very well when stupid ass Vince was antagonizing him. John's interview about it was annoying ( he was asked what happened between Vince and CT) and Hes goes " Nothing, next question" 

 

Sit down John, you are not being questioned about Benghazi and you are not too good to answer a question on this D list reality show you are on LOL. You look like a major douchebag along with your cousin. How hard is it to say " Yeah my cousin was a drunk asshole"??

The whole Diem thing did make me smile, it was a nice move by MTV. 

Totally rooting for Jenna. She isn't an asshole, I think she is funny and a good athlete. Her cousin isn't a bad athlete either.

 

I think CT and Jenna (who is now single from Zac) would make a beautiful challenge couple. 

[Primetimer]

CT and Diem’s sister Faith make a cameo to demo this week’s challenge, because falling in a mud pit is the sixth stage of grief.

Read the story

[Racj82]

 

While I wouldn't call her smart, exactly, I am starting to wonder if Jenna intentionally tries to make herself sound dumber than she is. She is definitely good under pressure, and is not a bad athlete. I think her most recent DQ was the first time she's had a poor performance (yes, she had the lowest score during the water challenge in the beginning, but that was because of her dumb cousin, who Bananas said was running up the hill without her bucket).

She could not be very bright and be very good at missions. Most of these missions don't take much smarts. She was on for half a season of real world where she didn't seem very bright their either and she had no reason to pretend otherwise.

[KerleyQ]

I think that part of the issue with the spinning speeds, too, was that sticking your legs out like that, it makes you spin a bit slower than if you bent your knees and pulled your legs into your body. I could swear I remember hearing someone telling Jenna to stick her legs out to spin slower.  Apparently, it didn't occur to any of them that the slower you spin, the slower you drop.  Of course, it should have occurred to them after the first time she was noticeably slower down to the ground.  

 

I think what John's downfall is this season is that, usually, he has all kinds of people around him to do his dirty work.  This season, he hasn't had that luxury.  So then he finds himself in a place where he has to say both Nany's and KA's names.  In past seasons, he's usually managed to, for the most part, keep from saying the name of an alliance member, even while he watches others say those names after he did some behind the scenes manipulation.  If he had numbers, he would have likely kept his hands clean in throwing the mission, too, probably pulling some "they'll suspect something is up if I don't do well" BS on his minions to get them to do his dirty work.  He's really been down to no one, though. All he has left is Aneesa (which is the real reason he didn't throw a useless vote her way to placate KA/Anthony).  I hope the producers realize that it's more entertaining watching him flail about trying to save his behind than it is watching him just get his way all through a season.  

 

Who would have ever thought we'd see a season where Cara Maria is sitting in the power position?  But she really is now.  It was win/win for her with whoever came back from the Pit, because both teams were now pissed off at Johnny/Vince.  And Abe is still, at this point, clearly in her corner.  So, if Jenna and her cousin stick with being pissed at Johnny/Vince, they have a three team alliance.  Johnny has Aneesa.  Cory is clearly not going to side with Aneesa, so they're out as a potential ally, unless Johnny gets really persuasive.  But, given how everyone has had a ringside seat for watching him screw over Nany and KA, I can't imagine anyone is going to trust him.  Cory (and his family member, whose name escapes me right now) would be wisest to sit back and watch the other two sides go at each other rather than claiming some allegiance to either side.  You know that Johnny/Vince will go after CM/Jamie, and vice versa.  Sit back and watch that play out, because, even if you take sides, the odds are you'll be the expendable one to either side when it comes down to it.  

 

I appreciate that CT has grown, and he was there with Diem's little sister, but it would have been awfully satisfying to watch him (or anyone) lay out Vince.  Who knew Johnny wasn't the most obnoxious member of his gene pool? 

 

Oh, and who was the ass who said, of voting Jenna in, "she's been in already, so she knows it's not personal."  Um, really?  Sending someone in for the third freaking time isn't personal?  I bet it feels damn personal to her, asshat.  

[MitaJo]

Love me some CT!! I agree that there was something very different about him last night, his voice DID sound different. Anyway, my eyes were leaking the whole damn time he was on. Well, up until Vince the douche started bothering him. Like man, move along. You can't compare yourself to him even on his worst days, on these shows. He would have worn your ass on his back just like he did your cousin.

 

I was so confused about why CT and Diem's sister were there. I seem to remember TJ saying that the competition that day was in honor of Diem and her Ring Toss challenge she won all those years back. But this challenge had nothing to do with Ring Toss and didn't really have any similarities to that challenge. Maybe I missed something, but what was the significance, other than recognizing Diem?

 

Can't wait to see my boo again next week, because I was also disappointed that he was only on for a brief moment last night. I thought they were going to be joining the cast as competitors.

[rho]

I honestly don't understand why everyone is still underestimating Jenna. She made it to the final in her first challenge and I can't recall anyone else doing that since Fresh Meat. And it wasn't because her dipshit boyfriend (where tf is he now?) strung her along either. She held her own and she kills it in the elimination every time. I don't think the dumb blonde routine is an act, but I also believe she has enough common sense to know that this is a competition with a lot of easy money on the line. And she's obviously smart enough to get a leg up on KA with the log stacking challenge. I'm gunning for her!

 

I'm also really hoping for an ancestry.com plug when they tell us CT and Zac are distantly related bloodlines, filling in late in the game. But that's just wishful thinking. I'll settle for a Bananas Fanny Pack.

[Girl in a Cardigan]

I was so confused about why CT and Diem's sister were there. I seem to remember TJ saying that the competition that day was in honor of Diem and her Ring Toss challenge she won all those years back. But this challenge had nothing to do with Ring Toss and didn't really have any similarities to that challenge. Maybe I missed something, but what was the significance, other than recognizing Diem?

Same! I mean, I LOVED seeing CT and just seeing CT and Faith together brought a tear to my eye. But having them "demo" the challenge seemed kinda lame. And why this particular challenge? It happens over water (which you aren't supposed touch if you're doing it right)? I really hoped there'd be a twist, like for every person who gets across, MTV would donate to Diem's charity or something. Because what a shitty tribute to Diem, to be the challenge that John and his Red team are planning to throw.

 

But I loved seeing CT at the club with Faith and just being the *gasp* mature adult in the conversation. I'm not sure what Vince's damage is (is he trying to imply something about Diem with his weird "back in the day" comments? Did I miss something? Am I just dumb?), but I was happy to see CT just tell him to back up and walk away, then get Faith the hell out of the way. More of this CT please! I need SOMEONE to root for :)

[MitaJo]

I'm not sure what Vince's damage is (is he trying to imply something about Diem with his weird "back in the day" comments? Did I miss something?

I believe Vince was saying that back in the day, people were telling him (or he was telling himself) that he and CT would have been head to head in competitions. Or they were saying (again, he was saying this to himself) that the Vince today, is the same as the CT from back in the day. Either way that he meant it, it was still a bit of a insult to CT because it sounded to me like he was saying that CT didn't have the same skills as he had before. And CT was, rightfully, annoyed and said that back in the day, he would have knocked Vince's ass out by now.

Edited January 14, 2016 by MitaJo

[laurakaye]

CT walking away from Vince was gold and made Vince look like even more of a moron.  What was the point of approaching CT at all, when he was there on basically a goodwill visit to remember Diem, and had no stake in anything at that time?  I would've liked CT to take a quick stutter-step towards Vince to watch Vince flinch before walking away from him.

 

CT and Faith's interactions were so sweet, especially when he told her not to be nervous because he had her back.

 

Every time Abram calls Bananas "JOHN" in that condescending voice, I love Abram a little more, even though he scares the crap outta me.

[RedheadZombie]

It was interesting to see CT with Diem's sister.  It seemed like there was a little bad blood between CT and Diem's loved ones at the end of her life.  I sort of remember someone in Diem's camp implying that CT was exaggerating his feelings/relationship with Diem and his place in her life at the end (or something along those lines).  I only follow this site, so I must have read it here.

[KerleyQ]

Love me some CT!! I agree that there was something very different about him last night, his voice DID sound different. Anyway, my eyes were leaking the whole damn time he was on. Well, up until Vince the douche started bothering him. Like man, move along. You can't compare yourself to him even on his worst days, on these shows. He would have worn your ass on his back just like he did your cousin.

 

I was so confused about why CT and Diem's sister were there. I seem to remember TJ saying that the competition that day was in honor of Diem and her Ring Toss challenge she won all those years back. But this challenge had nothing to do with Ring Toss and didn't really have any similarities to that challenge. Maybe I missed something, but what was the significance, other than recognizing Diem?

 

I think that was supposed to be a mud pit they were over, and the original Ring Toss one had them trudging through a mud pit.  

[kat165]

It was great to see CT. I didn't really care for Diem but all the references to her had me tearing up. Her sister is so cute. I loved how CT was so protective of her. And I enjoyed the flashbacks to when Diem took off her wig. CT looked so young and it was great to see him sporting his old Heatmeister hair. Was the Duel really that long ago?

 

CT has really come a long way since Real World Paris. He also didn't look as bulked up as he did on his last challenge. He seems to

be doing really well & hope his "real" life is satisfying. Him and Faith being there was kind of dumb, but kind of sweet. It was also a good way for CT to ease back into the challenges if he chooses to do so.

[shelley1234]

It was interesting to see CT with Diem's sister.  It seemed like there was a little bad blood between CT and Diem's loved ones at the end of her life.  I sort of remember someone in Diem's camp implying that CT was exaggerating his feelings/relationship with Diem and his place in her life at the end (or something along those lines).  I only follow this site, so I must have read it here.

 

I do remember there being some talk about that....someone in Diem's family was saying that they were not together and not as close when she passed away as CT was stating.  I respected CT not reacting to it and I think I remember reading somewhere that he respected family being protective of her and her memory.  

 

CT and Diem's relationship....when it was good, it was good...and when it was bad, it was really bad.  I could see how some members of her family might not think the world of CT, no matter how Diem felt about him when she passed away.  

Edited January 14, 2016 by shelley1005

[WhosThatGirl]

Abe may be my new favorite challenger! I love how his facial and interview reactions when Bananas totally messes up his alliances. Its just amazing. I'm always glad for these reaction shots. 

 

CT! Hi! Still sad he isn't going to be on this show, but nice to see him and Diem's sister.

 

 I believe that outside of this show, "John" is maybe a better person as I do know him and Diem were really good friends, but there are still parts of his personality that are probably terrible. 

[sabretooth]

It was great to see CT. I didn't really care for Diem but all the references to her had me tearing up. Her sister is so cute. I loved how CT was so protective of her. And I enjoyed the flashbacks to when Diem took off her wig. CT looked so young and it was great to see him sporting his old Heatmeister hair. Was the Duel really that long ago?

 

CT has really come a long way since Real World Paris. He also didn't look as bulked up as he did on his last challenge. He seems to be doing really well & hope his "real" life is satisfying. Him and Faith being there was kind of dumb, but kind of sweet. It was also a good way for CT to ease back into the challenges if he chooses to do so.

 

RW Paris was almost 13 years ago and The Duel was 10 (thanks, Google). Looking that up officially makes me feel old because I remember watching both of them live. I swear, the whole "Diem removes her wig" thing felt like it just happened a few seasons ago. Not 10 years! 

 

CT did seem to be at peace/much mellower than he has in the past. Maybe the competition amps him up? Maybe its the fact that he's in his mid-30s and may have had the realization that there's more to life outside of MTV? Who knows. Whatever it is, I wish him well. 

[kat165]

Thanks for the info, Sabretooth. To me, also, it also seems like only a
few years ago. Him looking so much younger in those clips startled me
into realizing that if he looks so much older now then so do I!

 

I wish him well too. And I liked that he didn't look as bulked up which
I kind of connotate with steroid usuage and excessive weight lifting
and unhealthy obsessions.

[jmonkey]

Just like everyone else, I loved seeing CT again! With all due respect to Bananas, Eric Nies, and Mark Long, CT is the granddaddy of The Challenge. Watching him evolve from a punk early in his MTV career to a seemingly mature, mellow, solid dude has been a joy to watch. The old CT would've knocked Vince out. I would've loved to have seen that, but I guess it would've been inappropriate to do that since he was there to honor Diem. CT wasn't going to dignify that chump with his fist. Vince comparing himself to CT was laughable. That meathead sucks at The Challenge, and I bet John regrets picking him for a partner.

 

It was great seeing Diem's sister and old footage of Diem too. I just wish they would've better integrated the challenge into something Diem actually did or at least give a shout out to Diem's charity, MedGift, or something.

 

I love Abe's "John" stuff and I'm glad he's on here to save the season. He's always entertaining. It was really nice to have a break from the Abe-CM storyline. Getting Bananas out needs to be the singular focus. He's such a snake and it's nice to watch him squirm as the others are calling him on throwing challenges and turning on his allies to try to further himself in the game. Now that they recognize what he's doing, maybe they can get him out of the game ASAP. This season if you play John's game, you're going to get eliminated. And if you let John hang around, it's win number 6 and the insufferable Bananas really needs to get a new job. Hopefully CT obliges next week and backpacks him out of this game again. One thing is for sure. If Vince is in the pit, Bananas is doomed. Vince is very much in the Zach mold. He's physically strong, but he'll do something stupid and get himself disqualified.

 

Zach is coming back? NOOOO!!!! I don't want to see that misogynistic douche ever again. I can't like Jenna for dating that asshole even though she has proven to be a tough competitor. I hope Zach doesn't degrade Jenna during THs like he did with Jonna, but it will probably happen.

 

Aneesa seems to be protected in this game. Are they keeping her around because she'll be easier to defeat in the end? I know she can be a tough competitor, but I don't think she's any better than KA or Jenna who have both already seen a pit prior to this week. Is she not getting votes due to the "respect the vets" unwritten rule that this show adheres to or is she just that well-liked by everyone except Cory? I guess getting Anthony and KA out was more important this week. Maybe Aneesa will be targeted next female elimination since they're dismantling John's alliance piece by piece. That might not be necessary if John leaves next week.

 

That would be a trip if Zach and CT were brothers the entire time.

Edited January 15, 2016 by jmonkey

[laurakaye]

I'm no Jenna fan, but I would love to see her and Abe get together to mastermind the downfall of the Banana.

[gunderda]

The way they set up this season makes it so that throwing a comp is PERFECT strategy for those that are male/female teams.  So TJ probably can't say much because it's an actual legit strategy this season to save yourself and your partner.

 

And the thing with Jenna... she is probably so dim that it helps her so much in these comps.  She doesn't think too hard about stuff and just does it, whatever that may be.  She does it without having a care in the world - where I think other people over think it.  So that's why I think Jenna's personality is a big help to her game.

And this is exactly what happened to her last season! They kept throwing her in and she kept coming back!  Maybe they will learn next season.  Although I think the point of this one was for Jenna to get rid of KellyAnne. 

[Rebecca]

I honestly don't understand why everyone is still underestimating Jenna. She made it to the final in her first challenge and I can't recall anyone else doing that since Fresh Meat. And it wasn't because her dipshit boyfriend (where tf is he now?) strung her along either. She held her own and she kills it in the elimination every time. I don't think the dumb blonde routine is an act, but I also believe she has enough common sense to know that this is a competition with a lot of easy money on the line. And she's obviously smart enough to get a leg up on KA with the log stacking challenge. I'm gunning for her!

I'm also really hoping for an ancestry.com plug when they tell us CT and Zac are distantly related bloodlines, filling in late in the game. But that's just wishful thinking. I'll settle for a Bananas Fanny Pack.

I agree with all of this. Jenna clearly does not suck at this show. Your last paragraph would be amazing...especially the look on JOHN's face when their bloodline was revealed...

On another note, it was kinda rude to even mention Knight at all in passing and then just focus on Diem basically, in my opinion. I was never a Diem fan or a very big Knight fan, but why is Diem more important? I was happy to see CT but it was also odd. I wonder if Zach will be coming to honor Knight somehow? They were good friends. It sucks that Diem died, don't get me wrong, but in thinking about it the tribute was a little off. Even though Knight had a more "active role" in his own death I don't see his passing as any less tragic than Diem's.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Rebecca

[KerleyQ]

I wonder if Zach will be coming to honor Knight somehow? They were good friends.

 

 

That was my thought - that Zach was showing up to honor Knight, since they seemed close.  

[Adultosaurus]

I think they're probably downplaying Knight's death because of the circumstance.  Pretty hard to really behind an accidental OD.

[dangwoodchucks]

I too was not a fan of Diem on challenges. But I did admire how physically strong she was, especially on the challenge (Rivals II?) she did after having recently completed chemo.

 

Has Kellyanne done something to her face? Botox maybe? When she started crying in her TH her face reminded me of an overbotoxed real housewife trying to cry.

Anyway, bye Kellyanne.

 

I'm really liking Jenna. She performs on challenges and in the pits, and she's not cozying up to any guys to help her stay in the game.

[KerleyQ]

Has Kellyanne done something to her face? Botox maybe? When she started crying in her TH her face reminded me of an overbotoxed real housewife trying to cry.

Anyway, bye Kellyanne.

 

Every time she shows up, she seems to look slightly different to me.  I think she's had something done more than once, but, yeah she definitely looked like she's had some recent work done on this season.  

[atlanticslide]

Yeah, I keep thinking the same (especially as I recently rewatched some clips from the Sydney RW season). Something just looks odd - she doesn't just look older, she looks a bit off. I keep thinking it's that she's SO so so skinny. I also think a lot of what she does - her facial expressions, the way she carries herself, the way she speaks to the camera - is done with a lot of affectation, like she's overly aware of how she might appear on camera, so much so that it makes her appear odd and off.

[yogi2014L]

Yeah KA is incredibly thin. And her big boobs kind of exaggerate it. If she had smaller breasts that matched her frame I don't think it would be so jarring...

 

ITA about the Knight vs Diem thing. Any young person dying is horrible but Diem had a much longer run on the show and very public battles with Cancer

[Steph619]

You have to be really naive to think that Johnny will be loyal to you on these Challenges. He uses people in order to get himself to the final, not to help his so-called allies get to the final. I can't even feel bad for Anthony trusting Johnny and eventually getting eliminated along with Kelly Anne.

Who takes Vince seriously as a competitor? That guy just sucks at these challenges.

It was nice to see CT again. I'm glad he's doing ok after Diem's unfortunate passing. I would like to see him doing another Challenge.

Edited January 18, 2016 by Steph619

[Indy]

You have to be really naive to think that Johnny will be loyal to you on these Challenges. He uses people in order to get himself to the final, not to help his so-called allies get to the final. I can't even feel bad for Anthony trusting Johnny and eventually getting eliminated along with Kelly Anne.

 

Right?!? I mean, I know Anthony hasn't been on a Challenge before but you'd think he'd at least have watched one.  How new are you?  Johnny is loyal to himself and only himself - if he has to throw Vince under the bus to get to the final himself, he'll do it.  Yeah, it was a dick move for Johnny to vote for Kelly Anne, but dick moves are how Johnny plays the game.  

[choclatechip45]

I saw on Instagram that Kelly-Anne posted that the edit was weird and Johnny was one of the last ones to vote and that his vote would not have made a difference so she felt he didn't really screw them over.

[KerleyQ]

I saw on Instagram that Kelly-Anne posted that the edit was weird and Johnny was one of the last ones to vote and that his vote would not have made a difference so she felt he didn't really screw them over.

 

Then what were she and Vince so pissed off about?  

[choclatechip45]

Then what were she and Vince so pissed off about?

Not sure I saw the comment and thought it was interesting.