American Grit - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[flyingpeach]

I thought Chris acted like a real jerk and of course, in reality show world, that would normally mean that he'd be around until the bitter end.  I was surprised when he was out.  Those psych-out tactics he was using during the sandbag-hold did him in.

 

Also, No-Excuses Mom:  Eppy-tome?  Really!?  I had to rewind and listen again!

[rainsmom]

I actually cheered and clapped when Chris went out first. He was a royal dick and totally deserved it.

 

I hope No Excuses Mom goes next. "Oh, did I happen to mention my two magazine covers?" She is the eppy-tome of snotty and elitest. I shudder to think what she's teaching those precious girls.

[TeapotWakeen]

Rarely has there been such a satisfying result for a first episode. Makes me love the show already!

John Cena does a great job hosting. His smackdown to CockyGuy on Tee's qualifications was fantastic. I like seeing the team leaders/military members cheer on their individuals, and really talk them through challenging themselves. I look forward to seeing how this show develops.

[TrixieBelden]

Really enjoyed the first episode, though I fear that though it was very satisfying to see the douchebag lose first, he's got a lot more personality than most of the contestants so it could be a little slow.

 

Also was thrilled to recognize the landscape - Mt. Rainier!  Gorgeous area, but brrr, cold and wet in December when they filmed.

[rainsmom]

What? It's filmed here in Washington state? Cool beans.

 

I also adored Cena's smackdown of the douchebag. I doubt Tee is perfect, but damn, what a record!

 

OT: TrixieBelden! My favorite series growing up. I still have the print series (most of it, anyway), and I've bought the first half dozen they've released as ebooks. 

[TrixieBelden]

Filmed in Eatonville & Pack Forest (I suspect they're staying there considering how few hotels exist up there), where I held a training once until I figured out that it's at the back of freaking beyond.  When I saw Mount Rainier I started googling and found this.

 

OT - I was a huge Trixie Belden fan - I kind of have a fear of picking them up again for fear that they were really terrible and I just have low-brow taste.  I'll find out when I foist them on my niece, I guess!

[piequinn35]

JC is a good host for this. I liked the first episode. 

I don't like no excuses mom too. Byebye Chris.

The next week's endurance challenge is really tough.

[ClareWalks]

Love the military coaches. HATED Chris. Glad to see him go. I cannot imagine that he is good at his job. He's just a typical Gym Douche. I cannot wait for the No Excuse Mom to go. I hated that goddamn "what's your excuse" picture back when I first saw it, and I wasn't even a mom yet then. Now that I am a mom, I'd say "my 'excuse' is that I choose not to prioritize having rippling, manly ab muscles over time with my child." There's a difference between taking the time to take care of yourself and work out,, and taking the time required to achieve a body like that. Clearly genetics are also at play, but that only makes the "what's your excuse" thing even more obnoxious.

[pivot]

Man, that was a satisfying end to the first episode. Chris wasted way too much energy talking trash and showing off. Not surprised he went home.

Next week's ice bath looks awful.

[TeapotWakeen]

oh ClareWalks, just strap the baby on your hip while you walk.. and then use the baby as weight while you're toning your muscles... and then get a baby jogging stroller to push when you're finally able to run (no excuses!!!). And, whatever you do, don't forget that how you look is more important than how you treat your baby and valuing anything other than looks. Your baby is perfect for weight lifting because his or her weight goes up, increasing your stamina and core! It's an object, afterall, not a being with her or his own needs.

 

Interesting that the military coaches are in their team member's ears nice and low and calm. I would much prefer that to someone yelling at me. I hired a fitness trainer (no excuses) and told him if he ever yelled at me, he was fired. More trainers should know how to work with someone who is internally motivated. I like that these military team leaders can do both -- yell AND talk calmly to support their charges.

[ClareWalks]

oh ClareWalks, just strap the baby on your hip while you walk.. and then use the baby as weight while you're toning your muscles... and then get a baby jogging stroller to push when you're finally able to run (no excuses!!!). And, whatever you do, don't forget that how you look is more important than how you treat your baby and valuing anything other than looks. Your baby is perfect for weight lifting because his or her weight goes up, increasing your stamina and core! It's an object, afterall, not a being with her or his own needs.

 

Interesting that the military coaches are in their team member's ears nice and low and calm. I would much prefer that to someone yelling at me. I hired a fitness trainer (no excuses) and told him if he ever yelled at me, he was fired. More trainers should know how to work with someone who is internally motivated. I like that these military team leaders can do both -- yell AND talk calmly to support their charges.

 

LOL I enjoyed your first paragraph. That is probably this lady's mindset, too. She probably did Baby & Me Bodybuilding 2 weeks postpartum.

 

Agree also with the trainer staying calm thing. When I work with my clients I never yell and scream. I just calmly talk them through it. If I stay calm, they stay calm. You don't need to yell at someone to keep going, particularly with an endurance test like that one. Just keep them breathing steady and let them know they can do it if they put their minds to it.

[Writing Wrongs]

I wasn't expecting that to happen.

 

No Excuses Mom seems to have alot of excuses. I wish she would've gone in the ice bath.

[JapMo]

Another good episode. Really liked the boats and having to get the key from a block of ice. The ending was sad...watching that poor woman just pass out from exhaustion and cold. But you could tell after two rounds of pushups or whatever they called it that she was fading fast. Thought it would be the other woman (the one who came in last on the obstacle course) that would have rang the bell. She didn't look like she was trying very hard at first, but it might have been a good strategy to conserve her strength. Maybe she knew she didn't have a chance against the woman who's father was a Marine.

I like how the people going into the final challenge aren't the "losers" of the bunch like in most reality shows. They are really trying to win for their team and are pumped to be selected. It's a really good show, IMO.

[piequinn35]

It was a Seal challenge and Rorke's team was the last 0_o

I can say Noah's team's is really good, 2 athletes, 1 bodybuilder, 1 fisherwoman

So what if Tee's team loses again, down to 1 

[alexa]

I am not sure I would have liked that combination of ice water and pushups.  Wow, that was rough.  

[simplyme]

As soon as I saw the ice water, I thought, "I bet that's not good for frostbite." Not that it seemed to bother KJoy.

[TeapotWakeen]

I'm enjoying this show. And I am noting that we are still seeing people that we hadn't met last week, which is really nice. I'm actually happy that they didn't do the 'I'm 42, from Cincinnati, and I'm a marketing exec" --- they're here to take care of business. I'm sure they're all getting to know each other off-screen, but it's nice for a show to have enough drama on the topic of the show that they don't have to resort to much "drama for drama's sake."

 

It was interesting that it was 3 women at the end -- because of difference in physiology and body fat composition, I wonder if a man competing would have had an advantage in this challenge?

 

Also, what do you think about being "rung out" because your body gave out? I mean, she clearly fainted... and medical was quick to her side. She literally gave it all she had, and I thought for a minute that they might not eliminate someone this week because of that. Not like you can "mind over matter" with hypothermia.

[JapMo]

Your last paragraph made me think, Teapot...is that what happens in the real Navy Seal training? If they just pass out, is that the death knell for their chances?

[pivot]

In GI Jane, if they passed out or had a medical issue they were considered rung out. And like every Demi Moore movie, I expect it was 100% factual.

There was a similar challenge to this on the MTV Real World Challeges season and all the guys made it longer because they had more fat composition. I am surprised they put women in knowing that it the ice bath.

Edited April 22, 2016 by pivot

[simplyme]

In GI Jane, if they passed out or had a medical issue they were considered rung out. And like every Demi Moore movie, I expect it was 100% factual.

*snrk*

(Translation: That awkward laugh-snort noise you make in snarky amusement)

There was a similar challenge to this on the MTV Real World Challeges season and all the guys made it longer because they had more fat composition. I am surprised they put women in knowing that it the ice bath.

I'm pretty sure Cena said in Ep 1 that the cadre wouldn't know what the endurance test would be for each Circus. I don't know if I 100% believe that, but pretty sure he said it.

[Kendall]

I think what I find most interesting about these past two weeks is that the players that talk the most trash go out embarrassingly so. Haze, the blue team/Navy Seal chick looked a little concerned when Tee's girl said that she had done 48 obstacle races that year to Haze's five, but she didn't even go a full ten rounds! From the beginning her burpees were haphazard and incomplete.

 

Chris was the absolute Hare to the other two Tortoises and talked every bit of energy and strength out of his wimpy little arms.

 

And you know, when I think about it, Tee really did go hard in the selection meeting. She was clowning contestants for crying and all sorts of things.

 

Not surprised at all regarding No Excuses mom or Chris, though. I love strength training and totally appreciate what it does for a person mentally and physically, but unless you are a figure athlete or actual bodybuilder, it does nothing in regards to real world competition. It is a singular activity that provides the appearance of physical excellence, but not necessarily the experience of becoming physically excellent.

 

While I think most Crossfitters have and encourage poor form in the gym, the Crossfit Games are amazing to watch and I don't think Chris or No Excuse would be able to even qualify for a regional, they are just that limited athletically and mentally.

 

I wonder if they will eventually have the last member of Tee's team join another or if she'll go out like Nigella Lawson on The Taste. I think they should make Tee join her last member if she loses another one before any other team loses one.

 

I do wonder why they got two Army guys instead of an Air Force man/woman. Are even their elite forces strictly "air"?

[simplyme]

I was pretty sure who was going this third week from the edit.  As someone said above, don't talk trash.  It seems like if you get shown talking trash, you're going home.

Tony has grown on me from the first episode.

If I ever get stuck out in the woods doing military exercise-like things, I want a lumberjack of my own.  (Apparently he's originally from a little over an hour away from me, which was interesting.  It gave me someone to cheer for.)

[Kendall]

Nah, Tony has been an incredible disappointment. He can't seem to do anything! He couldn't row, he can't swim and he was all shaky with those clown feet. Ugh. Tee's team really just stunk! Maybe the last woman was only good pick. Maybe.

Noah's team is almost boring at this point, maybe due to the fact that they really don't show the team doing anything other than celebrating. Even with them winning all the time, they could reveal more about the players, let us get to know them.

I do like Nick as a coach, not his players though. No Excuses seems to have a lot of them! I know the producers have forced Nick to keep her, especially after losing Chris.

Strong is still the favorite between these two shows, but John Cena is making me a serious fan and already liked the dude!

[simplyme]

Yeah, they don't seem to show much of Noah's team.  I don't even remember the lumberjack's name.  I just know he seems very competent and calm and has said a few things I found humorous.  Of course if he does get featured, it could be a sign he's going home.

Tony hasn't performed horribly well, but he hasn't done that poorly either.  (They ALL had big clown feet.  They were big guys!  KJoy the yogi would have clobbered them in that challenge.)  Whether or not you can swim is often determined by your childhood circumstances.  I hope he does learn after this.  I like how he handled The Machine when The Machine got rude to Ivette about her father's death.  That was exactly the way to play it so it got dropped.

[piequinn35]

Why would Rorke put Machine in the circus, big feet...

I would think that endurance challenge was for females.

[rainsmom]

I really hope that smug "No Excuses" ass goes next. I just want to slap that smile off her face, particularly when she's coming up with reasons for everyone for her to go to the Circus.

Loved the moment in the previews for next week when John Cena gets so excited: "Looks like we've got a race!"

I don't envy these people the weather they're in. The dampness here makes it feel soooo much colder than it actually is. I'll take a dry 20 degrees over a wet 45 degrees any day of the week!

[raven]

I wonder why Tee's team didn't win the evolution?  The got one tent up it seemed easily and then floundered on the second - maybe they were different.  Sometimes the editing is off.

Quote

 I like how he handled The Machine when The Machine got rude to Ivette about her father's death.

Ugh, hated when that Machine guy said she didn't know what suffering is.  Probably true but it's a shitty thing to say.   I liked how Tony handled it also.

Quote

Why would Rorke put Machine in the circus, big feet..

They didn't know what the endurance part would be until after they picked their people.  When I saw how tiny those blocks were, I didn't expect any of the guys to last long at all.   I had to laugh at Cena's face when Cam told JC that his dad took him to see Cena.

I'm liking this show better than Strong - there's less drama since Chris rung out in the first espisode YAY (I might have rewound that a couple of times) and I find this cast more memorable.  I'm tired of the excuses that No Excuses mom has, she can go next!

[TeapotWakeen]

I'm still very surprised by how much I am enjoying this show. I think it has a lot to do with how well John Cena does with hosting -- but it also has a really good balance of showing the drama, but not making the drama the star of the show. The competitions are the star of the show, with a great supporting cast of team coaches, and a good balance of asshat contestants and kickass contestants. Pleaaaaaaaaaaaze let NoExcuses Mom go next!! I kinda hope it was foreshadowing that John Cena said there was a bell at the camp for someone to ring out aside from the Circus. She misses her kids more than anyone else does, y'all! It's not an excuse, it's that she just luuuuuuvs them more than anyone else does their kids! Sadly, The Machine will not be there to No-compassion her ass.

[Kendall]

On 4/29/2016 at 6:56 AM, simplyme said:

Tony hasn't performed horribly well, but he hasn't done that poorly either.  (They ALL had big clown feet.  They were big guys!  KJoy the yogi would have clobbered them in that challenge.)  Whether or not you can swim is often determined by your childhood circumstances.  I hope he does learn after this.  I like how he handled The Machine when The Machine got rude to Ivette about her father's death.  That was exactly the way to play it so it got dropped.

Yeah, I know, but I was already disgusted with him for not being able to do anything else! :D And now, you're trying to make me think better of him with reminding me about how he stood up for Ivette. Geesh! Can't I hate in peace? :D

[piequinn35]

On 4/29/2016 at 4:51 PM, raven said:

They didn't know what the endurance part would be until after they picked their people. 

Thanks for that. 

It's thursday once again, 3 shows for me: this, the 100 and alone :)

please put Maria in the circus so she can tap out... :D

[simplyme]

8 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Thanks for that. 

It's thursday once again, 3 shows for me: this, the 100 and alone :)

please put Maria in the circus so she can tap out... :D

Maria certainly has come across as very grating.  I wouldn't mind her leaving.

I've found I'm now trying not to watch the "next week on" parts that they run at the end of each episode because I think they spoil too much for me.  If you look closely, you can usually tell which team will win the challenge, and sometimes who is going into the Circus.  In one case they even spoiled the person going home.  There's a line between building up tension and showing too much and they apparently don't know what it is.

I know a few of us watch both Strong and American Grit.  If you have time sometime later to sneak in Strong as DVR or Internet viewing, I think it's an amusing comparison to this show.  Other people would recommend it for other reasons, I'm sure.  If nothing else, Strong's less-than-subtle product placements should make you laugh. I blame Kendall for the Subway one. ;)

[piequinn35]

^ I like watching challenges (Survivor, TAR, AG etc) so I will take a look on Strong ;)

[simplyme]

I hope The Machine watched that episode from home.  It was nice to see Ivette kick ass on the obstacle course he labored through.  I would have been surprised if he could have lasted as long as any of the women on the posts.  That setup generally favors small feet, less weight and height, and a background in yoga.  Ivette's long legs looked awkward, but she endured.  Part of me wondered if wrapping her legs around the post and using her leg muscles to hold on might have been easier.

I agreed with Maria (and Mario) that Jim's idea of psychological warfare against Team Noah was a bad plan.  Focus on building team unity and stop worrying about them.  Now if you choose to build team unity by working together with your own team to prank Team Noah, I could see that.  But anything else will probably backfire.  I just don't know if Maria disagreed because she thought it was really a bad idea or if she just constantly nitpicks everyone.  If she honestly disagreed, she did a poor job expressing that.

I was impressed with Team Noah and Team Tee again.  Team Nick is a mess, and as far as I'm concerned they can all go home except for KJoy.  Team Rorke doesn't seem to be gelling either, but I can't say I've been shown enough of any of them to find them annoying or great.

It's not a good sign when your teammates and mentor are happy to see you go.  But hey, at least Maria will get back to those kids she loves soooo much.

[piequinn35]

Yes Maria's gone :D, this kind of endurance challenge was like in survivor and they can hold on for hours, but with the crowd cheering and shouting in AG of course that is a different story...

[rainsmom]

Am I a bad person for yelling "Yes!" and shooting a victory fist into the air when Maria fell?

Very glad she's gone.

Team Noah is damned impressive. I really like Team Tee too, though.

Awwww, a little in-show romance....

[piequinn35]

the teaser for each week is really a spoiler coz you will see the color of the team that will be in the circus lol...

Edited May 6, 2016 by piequinn35

[raven]

3 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

the teaser for each week is really a spoiler coz you will see the color of the team that will be in the circus lol...

Yeah, they're really bad, you can totally see it when they're climbing the rope ladder.. 

I like Team Tee - no way they win I think - but they keep plugging and have beaten two other teams with more people a couple of times now.  I had to laugh at Ivette putting makeup on before going outdoors to do the challenge.  She did great on the endurance, loved that coming down to the wire.  Haze is going to be tough to beat in anything, she looked like she could hang there forever.   I thought it was smart of Rorke to put her in when he saw the competition and save his other team member in case they go next week.

Team Noah - they're reminding me of the winning team on a show from a few years ago, Expedition Impossible, who kept coming in first because they were so much better than the other teams except for one. 

I hate to say it but Maria had a point with Jim going out about psyching out Team Noah without any plan.  Just concentrate on your own team, do something to bond, talk about each others strengths/weaknesses.  None of that psyching stuff, please thanks!!  I'm still glad Maria's gone though. 

[simplyme]

1 hour ago, raven said:

I hate to say it but Maria had a point with Jim going out about psyching out Team Noah without any plan.  Just concentrate on your own team, do something to bond, talk about each others strengths/weaknesses.  None of that psyching stuff, please thanks!!  I'm still glad Maria's gone though. 

Amen.  Had Maria been at all capable of sounding like a team player when she tried to point this out (or had she ever said anything that didn't come across as witchy, whining, selfserving, or bragging), it might have been better received.  As it was, we never saw her actually articulate this very well, and at this point I think even if she had most of her team would still have been thinking, "STFU, Maria."  Heck, I'm glad she's gone and I only had to watch her a few minutes every week, not work with her.

[ClareWalks]

Maria had about as much "grit" as a bottle of Astroglide. Good riddance!

[guilfoyleatpp]

For someone who advocates "no excuses," she sure did have a lot of excuses...

wah wah wah, I'm not used to sleeping in the same room with someone with negative energy. 

[Kromm]

On 5/8/2016 at 0:23 PM, guilfoyleatpp said:

For someone who advocates "no excuses," she sure did have a lot of excuses...

wah wah wah, I'm not used to sleeping in the same room with someone with negative energy. 

The show didn't even have to try very hard to show the irony of her nickname. She did that all by herself.  Every. Single. Time.

No doubt any presence she's had on social media has resulted in her taking a pummeling for being such a whiny so and so. Admittedly her whole red team is filled with idiots, but she was a hypocrite on top of simply being annoying (like the rest of the red team seem to be). 

[Kromm]

Just realized a big weakness of this final course, this Circus.

The person coming in third KNOWS they have to start the endurance the moment they finish. And that the others are getting set rest periods before they go. All they have to do to mitigate at least SOME of that is once they know for sure they're going to be third (if it's not even close) is slow themselves down and mosey on in. While it's true that the others are getting even a bit more rest while they do that, that little breathing time they can generate themselves might make the biggest difference.

[simplyme]

Yeah.  That occurred to me, but the person in third is still having to move and do obstacles (even if moseying) while the other two would just be standing there, recovering faster by essentially exerting no effort.  I mean, I definitely would be moseying if I were in third, but coming in third even at a mosey still means they have to begin first and the other two will be a bit better rested unless they absolutely killed themselves on the course. 

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, simplyme said:

Yeah.  That occurred to me, but the person in third is still having to move and do obstacles (even if moseying) while the other two would just be standing there, recovering faster by essentially exerting no effort.  I mean, I definitely would be moseying if I were in third, but coming in third even at a mosey still means they have to begin first and the other two will be a bit better rested unless they absolutely killed themselves on the course. 

Right, but there's a sliding scale on "rest". Beyond a certain point there's diminishing (and eventually totally vanishing) returns on a resting state--it stops being a benefit as soon as you get your wind back, basically.

The part that stays isn't the rest, it's the time they aren't in the middle of the endurance task. But that's ALWAYS based on 5 minute increments from what we've been show. The second place person always has to do the endurance task 5 minutes less than the third place person. And the first place person always has to do the endurance task 5 minutes less than the second place person (and so 10 minutes less than the third place person). That differential doesn't change, no matter how much extra time they stand there waiting for the third place person to show up--the 5 and 10 minute clocks start exactly at that point no matter what.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Kromm

[Kendall]

Man! Did I miss you guys! Anyway, I was actually slightly impressed by No Excuses. The slip anyone could've had, but she did prove to be a bit of a better competitor on her own than with her team. She was in total Zen mode on that pole, but as others have said, there was no point in her staying as her team is just ... blah.

I think Nick is a good enough Cadre, but there does seem to be a bit of a disconnect with his motivational skills. He would've done better with Noah's team as they are more self sufficient and Nick just doesn't seem to understand the hand holding that is needed with some of these people.

And, I've forgotten some of the things that stood out to me after the show, it was a crazy week and I couldn't get on here. Bah! See you tomorrow.

[Kendall]

Man! Did I miss you guys! Anyway, I was actually slightly impressed by No Excuses. The slip anyone could've had, but she did prove to be a bit of a better competitor on her own than with her team. She was in total Zen mode on that pole, but as others have said, there was no point in her staying as her team is just ... blah.

I think Nick is a good enough Cadre, but there does seem to be a bit of a disconnect with his motivational skills. He would've done better with Noah's team as they are more self sufficient and Nick just doesn't seem to understand the hand holding that is needed with some of these people.

And, I've forgotten some of the things that stood out to me after the show, it was a crazy week and I couldn't get on here. Bah! See you tomorrow.

[Kendall]

Man! Did I miss you guys! Anyway, I was actually slightly impressed by No Excuses. The slip anyone could've had, but she did prove to be a bit of a better competitor on her own than with her team. She was in total Zen mode on that pole, but as others have said, there was no point in her staying as her team is just ... blah.

I think Nick is a good enough Cadre, but there does seem to be a bit of a disconnect with his motivational skills. He would've done better with Noah's team as they are more self sufficient and Nick just doesn't seem to understand the hand holding that is needed with some of these people.

And, I've forgotten some of the things that stood out to me after the show, it was a crazy week and I couldn't get on here. Bah! See you tomorrow.

[Kendall]

Man! Did I miss you guys! Anyway, I was actually slightly impressed by No Excuses. The slip anyone could've had, but she did prove to be a bit of a better competitor on her own than with her team. She was in total Zen mode on that pole, but as others have said, there was no point in her staying as her team is just ... blah.

I think Nick is a good enough Cadre, but there does seem to be a bit of a disconnect with his motivational skills. He would've done better with Noah's team as they are more self sufficient and Nick just doesn't seem to understand the hand holding that is needed with some of these people.

And, I've forgotten some of the things that stood out to me after the show, it was a crazy week and I couldn't get on here. Bah! See you tomorrow.