American Grit - General Discussion

[ClareWalks]

4 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Not a bad episode, but I do think it was pretty obvious that the Navy Seal team was going to fall way behind in the second part of the opening task.  It seemed to be pretty unfair to have a middle-aged woman lugging a 5 gallon container of water back to be purified.  Yes, if they had taken the longer route like their leader wanted them to, they would have been much better off.  Still, watching her lug that water back, next to big outdoorsy guy from the other team really did look unfair.

I was so confused by that. Is there a reason the man on the team couldn't have carried it? 5 gallons of water weighs 40 lb. Men have far more upper-body strength than women. It just seemed insane to me that he'd be like "hey, lady, carry this water."

[piequinn35]

Clare, they agreed and put the names who will do the task on each category: shelter, fire, water.

and Tabatha was unlucky to be the one on the water category :(

and I should pause the damn tv or change the channel when teaser is up coz I saw again who will be in the circus :))

Edited May 13, 2016 by piequinn35

[ClareWalks]

5 minutes ago, piequinn35 said:

Clare, they agreed and put the names who will do the task on each category: shelter, fire, water.

and Tabatha was unlucky to be the one on the water category :(

and I should pause the damn tv or change the channel when teaser is up coz I saw again who will be in the circus :))

Thanks! I totally missed that part. D'oh. Here I thought he was lacking in chivalry ;)

I am confused by the showmance between Cam and Haze. He is 21 and she is 30, right? That is practically insurmountable. 9 years doesn't make as big of a difference if, say, he was 25 and she was 34, but a typical 21-year-old guy is so immature he's practically a baby. (No double standards, I would also find it creepy and weird if the genders/ages were reversed.)

[simplyme]

2 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

He is 21 and she is 30, right? That is practically insurmountable. 9 years doesn't make as big of a difference if, say, he was 25 and she was 34, but a typical 21-year-old guy is so immature he's practically a baby. (No double standards, I would also find it creepy and weird if the genders/ages were reversed.)

What the heck... Let's use the Standard Creepiness Rule's formula to check!

Haze's age/2 + 7 = minimum societally acceptable age of her date

30/2 is 15.  15 + 7 = 22.  So yes, it's currently creepy.  Once Cam has a birthday they'll be fine, though. ;)

I was sad to see Lisa go, though I'm happy Tony is still there.  I'd hate to see Ivette as a team of one.  That endurance part of the Circus definitely got rough once the speeds got up closer to sprinting.

[simplyme]

2 hours ago, piequinn35 said:

and I should pause the damn tv or change the channel when teaser is up coz I saw again who will be in the circus :))

I've sunk to covering my eyes so SimplyMom can watch the teaser.

[raven]

Interesting set of tasks.  I was glad to see that some people were thinking of the long/short and why which way may be better.   That was rough on Goldie plus the longer you carry it the heavier it seems to get.  Blue team leader Rorke was pissed LOL.

Good work from Team Nick; I like Nick as a leader; he's quiet and competent. 

Tony's strong but needs some endurance training.  Ivette yanking him along was kind of funny; he wasn't exactly slacking but he's her only teammate so I get it. I thought for sure he would be the one to go in the endurance challenge, glad I was wrong.  I think Lisa being so much shorter was a disadvantage; the guys being able to take longer strides and stretch their arms a bit more was better for them.

Haze & Cam - OK?  He just looks SO young. 

Quote

Haze's age/2 + 7 = minimum societally acceptable age of her date

Good to know :)

I liked the women coming together to give Lisa the Girls of the Grit pep talk. 

Quote

and I should pause the damn tv or change the channel when teaser is up coz I saw again who will be in the circus :))

ARGHHH I know I keep forgetting and then it's like "oh it's color and color and color" yikes!

Edited May 14, 2016 by raven

[TeapotWakeen]

The "Girls of the Grit" pep talk WAS AMAZING. I love this show.

[Kendall]

Once again, Tony was ... ugh, Tony! I'm so glad that I can hear the disdain that I have for him in Tee's voice. He just fell on his face, oh my gosh, he drives me nuts. I think since they only had two players and didn't know what it would take to do the tasks, they should've gone for the longer distances each time, in my opinion. Less people running and that was known factor of the challenges: them running as fast as they could, not starting fire with two sticks.

Like others, the highlight for me was The Girls of the Grit. I'll just assume they started the chapter AFTER No Excuses left. Total coincidence, I'm sure.

To be honest, when the show started, I thought Cam was gay, so his relationship with Haze is a total surprise to me. I just knew that his growing relationship with John would be about him mentoring and encouraging a gay, up and coming wrestler.

[Kendall]

I can't stand Tony. And, I think Tee agrees with me. All that flailing around and falling off the wire? Ugh. I need to Google his professional football career because I just don't believe he has even an iota of athletic ability. I'm not seeing it.

I did think that Jim would be the one to go home, though.

I never really cared for how they switched up the teams on The Apprentice, but seeing Green steamroll everyone else has proven to be a bit boring for me.

[JapMo]

 Every week I'm on the edge of my seat during the elimination and last night was no different.  I like this show because there's no real a-holes.  No Pucks or Omarosas in the bunch.  For 3 people to squat like that for over an hour was incredible, but I agree with the above poster that it wasn't my favorite elimination challenge.  To me it served no purpose for anybody to bust their butt to come in first.  Goldie took it easy, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was told to do that.  So what if she goes first.  The only advantage the other two had were an extra minute or two, and both of them looked exhausted while Goldie looked fresh as a daisy.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the very first week's challenge, where Jim, Goldie and that obnoxious dude were competing, the first one to complete the obstacle course got like 5 minutes to refresh themselves.  Now to me that's a real advantage...not a minute. 

At first I was wondering why Cena was lifting weights with Noah's group and issued that challenge.  He lifted Big Show (a wrestler who's over 7 feet tall and weighs almost 450 lbs) over his head in the ring many times.  But I think it was to show Noah's athleticism in spite of his handicap.  That was one great performance by Noah. 

[simplyme]

5 hours ago, Kendall said:

I can't stand Tony. And, I think Tee agrees with me. All that flailing around and falling off the wire? Ugh. I need to Google his professional football career because I just don't believe he has even an iota of athletic ability. I'm not seeing it.

I love Tony.  I really, really do.  Keep in mind that he's older than most of the other competitors (except Clare and Jim, I think?).  He's just SO nice.  When he fell off and took down Tee, his first thought was to help her up.  Yes, it was a dumb thought, but it tells me that people are more important to him than glory, and that's important to me.  Overall I just think he's a really classy guy, even if he's no longer the best athlete out there.

I'll be honest.  I'm somewhat disappointed in Tee's leadership.  Mostly she seems to yell at them to pick it up.  I think she could give more practical advice.  Like "tie the boards together in two places."

Edited May 20, 2016 by simplyme
Argh. It keeps saving mid-typing.

[simplyme]

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

The Cam and Haze intimacy scenes seems manufactured to me.  I could envision them perhaps being friends, but nothing beyond that.

SimplyMom comment: "Well, they're nauseating."

Personally, I'd rather watch a charismatic chicken than their special time together. Sigh.

Edited May 20, 2016 by simplyme
Chicken nostalgia

[realdancemom]

Count me as another person that thought Cam was gay.  He also seems to really like John Cena.

Simplyme, I agree about Tony.  He is an older athlete so he's not in his prime.  I liked when he stuck up for Yvette when the Machine showed no sympathy.  In the first episode, Tee picked him because he also helped the female bodybuilder during their preliminary challenges.  He really is a nice guy.  I also agree about Tee's leadership.

These endurance challenges are tough.  Kudos to all thee of them for holding a low squat for over an hour.

[raven]

Ha, I was coming to say that I like and felt for Tony and am disappointed in Tee's leadership.  I was rooting hard for Ivette in the endurance challenge - though not really rooting against Jim or Goldie, if that makes sense - because Tony & Ivette have come close to winning the evolution a couple of times now.  They were both trying hard and doing pretty well for being down a teammate vs every one else.  It seemed like it took forever for Tee to tell Tony to crawl along the rope rather than teeter (and then Jim followed suit) when I was yelling that from the beginning!! Crawl along the rope dudes!  Tee was a drill sergeant I think so I guess she's not one for encouragement other than "go, go" . She did have that one time she gave them tokens but we haven't seen much other interaction.

Quote

 Every week I'm on the edge of my seat during the elimination and last night was no different. 

Me too!  I was sure it was going to be Goldie - I thought no way, not Ivette - maybe Jim - then it was Ivette.  They all did great.

About time someone figured out that it's maybe not so important to come in first at the circus.  Jim and Ivette were wiped out and Goldie pops over the net fresh as a daisy!

Cam and Haze, whatever.  Not really interested.  Other than that - and team Noah always winning - I really like the show.  I love the challenges they're coming up with and pretty much like everyone.  So glad that obnoxious guy was booted the first week.

[simplyme]

I actually cried when Ivette left.  Yeah.  I'm a softie like that.  Jim occasionally annoys me (his idea to play dirty), but he's ok.  I really like both Goldie and Ivette.  I also liked the moment where Jim and Goldie hugged and Jim said to Goldie, "We did it again, hon."

Crouching for over an hour? Ouch.  And whoever mentioned that the one minute advantages were lame was right.  I don't think they expected that challenge to last anywhere near as long as it did.

[TeapotWakeen]

Another great episode, although I was wishing that Jim would be the one to go. How cute was John Cena's wink in the final weightlighting round he did? ::swoon::

[Hiacios]

I hate the green team so much and I'm sick tired of watching them win every freaking time!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kendall]

I actually like Noah, but I can't say that I've seen enough of his team to decide whether I hate them or not. I might hate what feels like an abundance of inadequate competitors more. Most of the people on this show just seem ... useless physically.

This show makes me happy that they ended the draft because if someone gave these people guns ...

[LocimusPrime]

Out of all the team leaders I'd follow the navy seal, then the army, then the sniper, and then Tee.  

[piequinn35]

So what happens now Tee's team is down to one

and I  couldn't stop watching the teaser and they didn't show the circus!! haha

[Kendall]

Oh look, Tony fell ... AGAIN! And, how does one not only lose, but come in third place, when four of the people he needed to run past were carrying large trunks??? Whatever, dude.

I knew KJoy was going home as soon as she was nodding her head and agreeing that Tony was on the edge of giving up and all she needed to do was get in his head. That's been the consistent giveaway of this show: once the smack is spoken, the speaker has to choke on their words.

[pivot]

This season just isn't all that fun to watch with one team so far ahead of the others. Plus, the team contests are starting to get pretty repetitive. 

[simplyme]

I enjoyed this episode.  Once I saw the compasses, I knew someone was getting lost in the woods!

I'm now back to vaguely disliking the red team.  It's like they can't figure out not to make it about trying to screw with other teams (Follow the green team!  Drive them! or trying to play mind games with Tony) but rather to focus on themselves and working together.  Green team does so well because they're practical people with a lot of practical life skills who communicate and work well together.  If you want to beat them, work on communicating and working together better, and maybe ask your team leader to teach you useful, basic things that might show up in multiple evolutions, like tying knots.

From what was said during the endurance part of the circus ("And all three of these people were stuck carrying the packs") and based on the fact that both green and blue teams gave the packs to their big guys to carry, I suspect that the backpacks were significantly heavier to carry than the trunks, if less awkward.

Sorry, Kendall, but I've started cheering for Tony.  :)

I laughed hysterically at Cam's hair, but part of that was the realization of how much product he must use to deliberately style it into its normal stupid style.

[raven]

Tony, as a former pro football player, isn't built to run at speed for long distances.  Sure it would be great to miss the circus (he's probably done it more than anyone else left) but realistically he probably wasn't going to get ahead of red and green - better to pace himself and his body to prepare for the inevitable.  Again, where was Tee after the competition?  We see Rorke, Nick & Noah talking to their teams but not Tee.

Tony's not the fastest in the circus but has proved himself in the endurance portion, so shouldn't be completely counted out there. As long as he keeps pushing, I'll root for him. I didn't like red's little mental games either, though they are generally pretty mild compared to other shows. 

I did like that he was being cheered by some members of Rorke's team and that they included him in the group hug. 

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

If Haze would spend less time playing footsie with Cam and more time concentrating on the tasks at hand, I think team Rorke would perform much better. 

I laughed when Rorke said he would leave them out in the woods, then commercial cut and they are back relaxing at the lodge.  Shoot!  But yeah, wasting time with romance.  There's not much team building going on, I think everyone's sort of resigned to Noah's team coming in first, which isn't super compelling to watch.  The circus and endurance portion is always tense for me, though again in next week's promos you can see the colors.

5 hours ago, simplyme said:

I laughed hysterically at Cam's hair, but part of that was the realization of how much product he must use to deliberately style it into its normal stupid style.

LOL, that was so funny; Cena telling him he looked like modern art and Cam didn't want to upset him by taking time to do his hair. 

Does anyone remember how does the show ends?  A last evolution and then everyone to the circus?  I don't know how many episodes are left.

Edited May 27, 2016 by raven

[JapMo]

It was surprising to me that K-Joy just announced "I quit" to end the competition, because everyone else either passed out or slipped or physically you could see just could not do another second.  Not to say K-Joy was exhausted...I'm sure she was. 

I wasn't on the edge of my seat this week during the circus.  I think it's because the challenge was so similar to the one a few weeks ago where that women from the green team lost.  For next year, I think the show needs to change the layout of the obstacle course every week like they do the challenges.  Yeah, I know it's based on Navy Seal training, but the Navy didn't plan the circus around audience interest.  A TV show must provide entertainment, and seeing them run this same course is boring.  Most of them, just by watching the others, have figured out how to shave seconds off their time by cannonballing down the ropes. 

I don't really mind Cam and Haze's flirtation, but what was up with her taking him to another room and just kissing?  She's said many times she's horny (not in those words, of course) and you know he's horny...he's a 21 year old man.  They've kissed many times right out in the open where everyone could see them.  I thought they were going to take a shower together or do the nasty, and then she announces they're finished.  Yeah, whatever. 

[piequinn35]

I think AG has 10 episodes so 3 more to go, 7 on the finale

Maybe Cam and Haze did something else already but wasn't shown on tv :))

[simplyme]

5 hours ago, raven said:

Again, where was Tee after the competition?  We see Rorke, Nick & Noah talking to their teams but not Tee.

They may very well just not have shown that because we knew Tony was going to the circus and at this point Tony and Tee are two of the people we've seen the most.  Rorke and Nick had to make decisions about who to send in, and we're still just getting to know Team Noah.

I think Tee and Tony have a good relationship.  Tee is just competitive and doesn't like to lose, and it comes out during evolutions. :)

Edited May 27, 2016 by simplyme

[jhlipton]

On 5/20/2016 at 4:26 PM, simplyme said:

I actually cried when Ivette left. 

I came into this show late -- about the 4th episode and the first thing I saw Ivette do was put on make-up.  I thought "OMG, one of them! More interested in appearance than performance.  Then I saw her on the Evolution and was seriously impressed.  She was my favorite competitor and I was sad when she rang out.

On 5/27/2016 at 3:41 AM, icemiser69 said:

Cam looked like a total wimp, trying to avoid the circus.  The guy is built and young, and he was still pushing for the much older yoga instructor to take on the circus.

I agree.  If I was his Cadre, I'd have made him go just for that.

[Kendall]

I always wonder about various contestants on reality TV shows. Do they feel like total idiots when they get home, watch the show and see how badly they got played? I still don't believe that Cam is straight, but he's a nice boy that fell for a not so nice woman.

I couldn't believe how Haze went on and on after losing that evolution. Like she was the only one that wanted to see her family? Like Cam wasn't trying to win for his team.

And, just when I was warming my cold, black heart towards Tony, he rewards Haze with a visit from her father. I can't trust him for anything!!! He did do a good job tonight, though and there is no way that he would've known how despicable Haze was acting, so I'll try to focus on his win.

Man, if looks could kill, Cam wouldn't have even made it to the Circus because both Nick and John had him surrounded!

So, did Team Noah have "I'm a winning genius" signs on them that no one else could read but Noah? More often than not, they know just what to do and how to do it and I can't believe that big dude was able to hold on that challenge.

[raven]

Ok so that was me yelling "Tony!!!" both during and after the evolution. Go Tony Go!!  Sooo glad he got a rest.  He's a nice man, giving up his family visit (his sister I think he said?).  I believe him that he was just happy to avoid the Circus, he's been going it alone for a while now, guess he didn't feel like he needed a family visit.  He probably would have appreciated last week's massage instead.

It was annoying how Haze was going on and on about seeing her dad.  We get it already.  Lucky for you Tony's a nice guy.

I wonder if Cam would have done better if Nick was on the platform instead of Jim.  They were up there a long time and Mark the lumberjack was getting shaky.  Loved his cannonball into the net.  NO ONE was moving Goldie, she looked rock solid.   I don't know how much Haze & Goldie's plan played into Cam falling.  He said his ankle was starting to hurt I think.  At least we're spared more romance, even though next week is the finale.  Smart strategy from Goldie again to not bother trying to outrace the two guys in the obstacle course.

10 minutes ago, Kendall said:

So, did Team Noah have "I'm a winning genius" signs on them that no one else could read but Noah?

He picked them pretty well.  I just wonder about the setup and how much winning all of the challenges will ultimately matter.  You avoid the Circus and elimination and get a rest and some other reward, that's good.  Yet Tony is still there and even won this Evolution.  Both Goldie and Haze are small women but have proved they have staying power in the Endurance portion.  Jim has looked solid when he's done the Endurance piece.  So I can't decide what the most important traits are heading into the finale.  Looking forward to it a lot, though I'll miss the show!

Oh, the looks on the faces when Cam did his C.A.M. clown act were priceless, if a bit overdone. Crack a smile someone!  He really does seem very young.  I don't think Haze's interest will last back in the world.

[simplyme]

Mark's a big (okay, frikking huge) guy, but I've noticed in the evolutions that he has good balance and much better endurance and speed than I expected from a guy that size.  I suppose if you spent a lot of time climbing trees, you'd want good balance.

I like that they mix the endurance portions up so you don't know what to expect.  It's pretty much luck whether or not your skills and size help you.  Guys tend to have longer legs, so the extended running might go in their favor.  Women tend to have smaller feet, so the "balance on this stupidly small area" challenges might go in their favor.  That said, everyone has done really well, so I figure they should all be proud.  Since at least two of the endurance challenges have lasted over an hour, I can say that these people are WAY more intense than I would be.

Also...  Wasn't the advantage longer in the first circus if you came in first or second, or did I make that up?  If not, I completely revise my opinion on whether or not it's worth trying to hurry through the obstacle portion.  A one minute advantage?  Screw that.

Go, Tony. :) 

[mertensia]

Oh  I hate it when people like Haze make it seem like they are the only ones with family. I bet she does this to co-workers all the time, explaining that she can't work late or weekends or holidays because, unlike them, she has family. Tony was beyond nice to her.

[simplyme]

Haze is just kind of annoying in general.

[ClareWalks]

By the end of the episode Haze had bags under her eyes and she just looked like Cam's mom at that point. I didn't buy their chemistry very much, but I loved how she was just like "yeah, we got him!" with Goldie, LOLZ

[TeapotWakeen]

I hope the series comes back, because (though flawed) I have enjoyed it a lot. More importantly,. I hope it gets John Cena a consistent hosting gig on a show, because I have LOVED how he has hosted.

[JapMo]

I love John Cena too.  Think he's been great as a host.  I've also enjoyed this show tremendously, and again was on the edge of my seat during the circus.  Even though Cam said his ankle was hurting, somehow I thought the big guy was going down.  It is absolutely AMAZING how Goldie goes into a Zen-like state and can endure so much.  I almost think she's going to be the surprise winner next week.

Always liked Haze, but thought that was a dirty trick to play on Cam.  And at least she had the good grace to look ashamed when he said he would miss her and hoped they saw each other again.  I don't think Cam is as naïve as he was portrayed, but I do disagree with the poster above that people were trying not to laugh at his Cam Clown thing.  I think they were embarrassed for him.  Totally inappropriate when you are trying to intimidate your competition.  Oh well.

Don't know what the ratings are for this show, but I think the premise is good. 

[raven]

Great points about John Cena - I really like him here too.  I hope the show comes back with more of a level playing field - though honestly, everyone not on Team Noah seems about the same strength/weakness wise.  They should change up the Circus every few eps, but maybe the budget didn't support that this season.

I'm sorta embarrassed that I looked up Tony and there's a note (or a cross-tweet, whatever it is) on his Twitter feed from Haze that she & Cam are still are thing, shows what I know!

[simplyme]

Finally got a chance to watch the whole episode (only caught the last half last night), and I was impressed with Tony's bunker-fortifying skills.  I had to snortlaugh and agree with Haze that it looked ready for the zombie apocalypse.  Poor Clare had no luck on that draw.

So, @Kendall, if the zombie apocalypse ever comes, you totally want to be with Tony.  He can fortify the hell out of your abode, and if one does manage to get in, you can possibly outrun him so it will go for him first!  Heck, he might defend you while you run for it. 

[Neeners]

I really love this show. I was cheering, pretty loudly, when Tony won. It was a happy surprise. He and Goldie are my favorites.

[Kendall]

2 hours ago, simplyme said:

So, @Kendall, if the zombie apocalypse ever comes, you totally want to be with Tony.  He can fortify the hell out of your abode, and if one does manage to get in, you can possibly outrun him so it will go for him first!  Heck, he might defend you while you run for it. 

I don't want to believe that he's worthless, he just insists on doing things like helping Haze that makes me pull my hair out! :D

No, really, whatever "Chicago Style" is, they need to open up a security business because that was the best the both of them ever worked together during an evolution. Though, I'm not completely surprised, as the Cavaliers proved in Game 1 versus last year when LeBron almost won a championship by himself: when you have to consider others' "strengths" sometimes you defer and take a step back when you're the one that should always be out in front and on top.

Tony has no choice but to perform and short of outrunning anyone, *ahem* he did last night and kinda sorta last week.

[jhlipton]

On 6/3/2016 at 7:25 PM, Neeners said:

I really love this show. I was cheering, pretty loudly, when Tony won. It was a happy surprise. He and Goldie are my favorites.

Ivette was also a favorite, but Tony and Goldie are magic.

[realdancemom]

I was cheering for Tony too.  I'm glad he got a break.  This is also where I liked Tee's instructions.  I also like John Cena as a host.  It also helps that he's really good looking.

[raven]

Nooooooooooo I woke up the dog again when Tony dropped.  Ah BOO to Team Noah.  They seem like nice enough people but I was rooting for Tony, who lasted so long on his own.  His hands really looked to be hurting.  I was bummed no last words from him.

I felt for Mario in the first endurance forgetting to ring the bell.  He was so obviously exhausted and out of it.  They all climbed that thing something like 90 times!

I liked having family and team members cheering them on at the end.

Hopefully the show comes back.  I've been on the edge of seat every week and really enjoyed it, would have preferred the upset win today but overall a fun show. 

[Neeners]

I loved it. I would have liked an upset at the end, but I still loved it.

[simplyme]

Wow.  I loved the finale.  SimplyMom and I were yelling at the tv.

I felt bad for Mario.  He seemed like a great guy.  That said, I was glad David made it through.

I was cheering for Tony, Goldie (not Haze), and Mark and Clare at the end, so I wasn't quite sure whether to be happy or sad.  I'm a huge Tony fan, but Mark and Clare have worked their butts off, so I'm really happy for them, especially since Mark has a little lumberjack or jill on the way and Clare is 47, female, and tougher than nails.

[raven]

It really has been a good run for Tony (Tony fan here!) He did win the evolution in the first half by solving the rope puzzle first.  I liked when everyone came back from Circus and he's just chilling on the couch.

It was really easy to root for Goldie too.  Great attitude and seems like a lot of fun to be around.  Glad she was at least the last of team Rorke to ring out.

Clare was impressive and Mark can probably withstand anything and seems like a good guy; very cute how he's so excited about fatherhood.

Everyone who rung out at the end hung on until their bodies gave out; no quitters in the bunch.  The droppers were so obviously heartbroken.

John Cena yelling at them not to let go of that damn rope will never not be fun to watch.  He really seemed to care and be invested.

Yay show :)

Edited June 10, 2016 by raven

[TeapotWakeen]

I'm so sad the season is over!! I also was rooting for Tony, who seemed to find a burst of willpower after he became a team of one. Honestly, this show is everything I used to like about Survivor and Amazing Race....

• Enough competition to be tense,
• enough drama to be interesting, but not just for drama's sake,
• enough eye candy to keep me interested,
• a host who adds to the show instead of detracts from it (I'm looking at you, Probst!!),
• people I would want to know/work with in real life (any of the cadre leaders, TBH),
• people with different strategies but who basically are all rooting for one another instead of ostracizing those who are different
• some damn good competition
• editing that wasn't so spoiler-ish that I knew who was out
• John Cena, John Cena, the cadre, John Cena and the cadre.
• a positive attitude among the contestants that they all knew they were pushing themselves as hard as could be instead of snarking at one another.

Yay, AmericanGrit, I'll miss you!!

[ClareWalks]

Clare (represent!) and Mark were true badasses. Loved how Tony redeemed himself the last few weeks, though. 

I want John Cena yelling "don't let go of that rope, you son of a bitch" as my ringtone :)

[piequinn35]

I was rooting & yelling for Tony, too bad he didn't win. :(

[Jenkins]

I was rooting for Tony (he is my age) and Goldie (that is one tough woman) in the end, but I was perfectly happy to see Team Noah win.

They kicked ass all season long and did it without drama and without trying to play "mind games" like a certain other player wanted to do. Noah also seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Really fun show and enjoyed the entire season. Lets hope if there is a season two, they continue to cast character over "characters".

Usually these types of shows try to cast a bunch of people for drama and I end up only having a couple people to root for, but I honestly liked just about everyone (except obviously the first dbag that went home and "no excuses" mom that made a lot of excuses). And hopefully no more forced romances that make me cringe...

I haven't watched wrestling in over 20 years (I did grow up watching it), but I knew who Cena was. I was fully expecting him to be more over the top, but he was honestly the perfect host for this show.