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Post by Bearcata on Apr 30, 2021 0:44:38 GMT
Season 1 Episode 5 - "Nuthin' but an OG Thang" - April 29, 2021
I liked that the Daily Challenge was a mini finale.
Good to see who was in shape, who had heart, who could do puzzles.
What the heck happened with Alton? He looks gassed ... someone on the Aftermath show said Alton was in pain because of too small shoes.
Thought Alton behaved like a baby not wanting to be in elimination.
Surprise Double Eliminations from now on. Last place man and woman automatically into the Arena. Then a man and woman voted in. This will make the season move very quickly.
Thought it would have worked if Beth did the climbing especially if Syrus gave Beth a "foot up" and helped get down on the other side.
Jisela and Alton shared a bed and it is amazing how Jisela didn't want him voted into elimination.
Potential spoiler on the After Show - Derrick made a comment about how diplomatic Jisela became and ruled the season.
Sore player this week: Ruthie. When the other teams managed to finish the second checkpoint puzzle before she did she called them cockroaches. Get off your high horse Ruthie.
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Post by Bearcata on May 8, 2021 18:25:28 GMT
Season 1 Episode 6 - "Precious Cargo" - May 6, 2021
Over all still amazing that folks cannot do puzzles.
Katie was so scared that she didn't even do the puzzle just braced herself for the fall and as a result volunteered for the Arena/elimination. Jemmye voiced over during the voting process stating that folks don't get the point of the game, which is to not volunteer for elimination. Guess that applies to Laterrian.
Aneesa and Laterrian seem very friendly. I think I know why Aneesa does the Challenge so much, it's her Booty Call.
I was impressed with Katie winning the first round of the elimination game and though she would win the game. Mainly, whoever wins the first round of any game usually wins the game.
TJ announces that the next round is the final or there was one more challenge then the finale.
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Post by Bearcata on May 12, 2021 19:54:51 GMT
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Post by Bearcata on May 15, 2021 21:28:04 GMT
Season 1 Episode 7 - "What About Your Friends?" - May 13, 2021
I must admit that Big Easy & Jisela winning the elimination was a surprise.
In last week's Challenge Game and in this week's Arena Game I have heard someone say that Big Easy is a smart guy. This is a surprise to me as I have watched the Challenge for many years and that is not the impression I have. My biggest impression of Big Easy is a partier, a big dude no one wanted to go into elimination against, and absolutely no endurance. Being a puzzle master and thinking quickly in a stress situation is a totally new look for Big Easy and I have never seen.
Jisela either jammed or sprained her knee during the elimination but did end up untangling the chains for Big Easy.
I really, really, didn't like the way she tried to bully everyone into voting the way she wanted them to, and then going after Aneesa later in the bar. I wanted her gone. However in the MTV Aftershow with Devon Symone all that got explained and I am OK with her now.
Everyone left is now in the finale. There are 6 guys and 6 girls left, this should be interesting. I do like that they have a lot of people left it should make it messy and a lot of fun and potentially a lot of twists.
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Post by Bearcata on May 17, 2021 6:00:25 GMT
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Post by Bearcata on May 20, 2021 11:54:35 GMT
Season 1 Episode 8 - "Mo Money Mo People" - May 20, 2021 Season Finale Part 1: TJ announces that it will be a multiple day finale. I am liking the format of the finale where every guy has to run a leg with a different girl partner, it makes it very equal. It is interesting to note that Big Easy has placed last in each of the 3 legs that have been run in part 1. So Aneesa is not the worst player she is just the second worst player. Each leg has a puzzle and activity. Puzzles really are a leveler. Also being a great partner also helps the weaker partner. Leader Board:Name | Points | Yes | 14 | Darrell | 13 | Jonna | 12 | Jemmye | 11 | KellyAnne | 8 | Mark | 8 | Ruthie | 8 | Alton | 7 | Aneesa | 6 | Big Easy | 3 |
The Leader Board table is the result of Checkpoint 1, 2, & 3.
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Post by Bearcata on May 21, 2021 12:00:30 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 1 Progress Each LegCheckpoint 1 - Triangle Tangram puzzle (individual) then Partner Canoe RaceTeam | Points Earned | Darrell & Jonna | 5 | Yes & Jemmye | 4 | Mark & Ruthie | 3 | Alton & Aneesa | 2 | Big Easy & KellyAnne | 1 | Derrick & Jisela | 0 |
The team that gets to checkpoint 2 last is eliminated from the finale. Alton and Aneesa finished the tangram puzzle at checkpoint first so they teamed up and where in the canoe first and in fact a a big lead. However their canoe flooded and it flipped and it looks as if the rescue team had to help them back in. Three teams managed to pass them giving them 4th place. I would say this was mostly due to Alton. KellyAnne finished the tangram last for the girls and had to wait for Big Easy to finish his puzzle. Did Big Easy panic? He was having a lot of trouble with the puzzle. They would have been eliminated from the finale except toward the end Derrick and Jisela had trouble maneuvering their canoe, and at one point were going backwards. Big Easy and KellyAnne were able to pass Derrick and Jisela and earned the 5th position in the finale. Over all this gave you a good look how different people worked with their partners. Yes, Darrell, and Mark were all patient and considerate and just being positive. Aneesa was frustrated with Alton's lack of boating skills, but did not yell at him. It does come across Alton does well at skills he enjoys and practices but not so good in other areas and does not seem to adapt well or quickly. Big Easy seems to frustrate his partners. Derrick and Jisela; Derrick is a supremely good athlete with a lot of heart but does not always have the brains to think his way out of a situation. Jisela looked as if she has heart but no boating skills and could not come up with a solution. Derrick and Jisela had a good lead on Big Easy and KellyAnne and totally blew it.
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Post by Bearcata on May 21, 2021 16:36:44 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 1 Progress Each Leg
Checkpoint 2 - Build Bikes & Ride Bikes (partners) Plus Star PuzzleTeam | Points Earned | Yes & Jonna | 5 | Darrell & Jemmye | 4 | Mark & Aneesa | 3 | Alton & KellyAnne | 2 | Big Easy & Ruthie | 1 |
New teams had to be picked. Jonna picked Yes, Darrell picked Jemmye, Mark picked Aneesa, and with only 4 people left Alton got KellyAnne and Big Easy got Ruthie. There were boxes on the beach and each team had to assemble a bicycle and then ride a rutted dirt path while tethered together. There were falls from trying to ride together, and some of the bikes had mechanical issues and the teams had to stop and fix them. Darrell was the only person to take the tool they used to assemble the bikes. Darrell is a smart man. Big Easy and Ruthie seemed to be the only folks who had communication issues and while Big Easy didn't blow up on Ruthie as much as I have seen folks do to their partners in previous challenges Ruthie did not appreciate his tone. At the end of the bike ride there was a math puzzle shaped like a star. Each point had to have the same number in it. There were shaped blocks with numbers on them and two had to fit into each point on the star and add up to 15. Both team members had to finish to get awarded points. Aneesa finished before Mark and helped him. Alton finished before KellyAnne and tried to check in but TJ told him that KellyAnne needed to finish and he had to help her. KellyAnne was a mess and could not add anything and needed the help. Big Easy also finished before Ruthie but Ruthie was completely flummoxed and needed help.
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Post by Bearcata on May 21, 2021 16:51:37 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 1 Progress Each LegCheckpoint 3 - Sprint Tethered Together (partners)
Teams | Points Earned | Yes & KellyAnne | 5 | Darrell & Ruthie | 4 | Alton & Jemmye | 3 | Mark & Jonna | 2 | Big Easy & Aneesa | 1 |
No complaints from Aneesa about Big Easy this leg of the race, they seem well matched. However it was a tad funny that at one point Big Easy is waiting on a hill while Aneesa was taking break. Really Aneesa you should be in better shape then Eric (Big Easy) after all you have been doing regular challenges as your job. Darrell at one point wanted to take the lead and get past a couple of other teams so he puts Ruthie over his back and runs up a hill. That is impressive. Alton is complaining that Jemmye is using him to pull her up the hill. No idea about the distance, I do wish they would post that just to get an idea of the distances involved in each leg of the challenge, to get an idea of how difficult it was and how long each leg took. I do wonder if they are timing each leg for each player just in case there is a tie using the point system.
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Post by Bearcata on May 21, 2021 17:02:32 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 1 Progress Each Leg
Checkpoint 4 - Each team member must consume two Carolina Reaper peppers and solve a puzzle (partners)
New Teams were formed:
Yes & Aneesa Darrell & KellyAnne Alton & Ruthie Mark & Jemmye Big Easy & Jonna
All ate their Carolina Reapers and completed a puzzle then started the next run tethered together.
All of the teams were having issues as a result of the Carolina Reapers with Jemmye falling down twice, and Darrell calling for a medic.
Jonna was also having issues with Big Easy. She wanted to go faster up the mountain but Big Easy wanted to slow down and go at his pace. Jonna was frustrated thinking Big Easy might cost her 5 points. I think I heard Big Easy say this is a marathon and not a sprint. He had said this before but dude you have come in last on 3 legs of the race even if you win the last leg the cumulative number of points of placing higher on previous legs all the other competitors will have beat you.
Big Easy has partner issues on 4 legs of the finale so far. This is not good. Obviously the guy has a good personality, and is strong, can do puzzles, can win eliminations, is not built for endurance, but looks as if he does no training for endurance and does not partner well. Based on past history, he can play the social game, he can win a physical elimination, but he can't do a finale. It has always been that balance for all the players. What are your strengths and what are your weaknesses, and do you work on your weaknesses. It drove me crazy for all the non swimmers do not improve that skill. Lets face it if you want to do well in a challenge you have to be smart and fit and when folks don't try to improve some aspects they really can't complain but they do.
Part 1 ended with teams collapsing from the effects of the Carolina Reapers on their stomachs and Darrell calling for a medic.
To Be Continued...
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Post by Bearcata on May 23, 2021 0:19:38 GMT
I luv how Big Easy is consistently number 1. (insert evil grin here!)
I luv how Big Easy keeps saying this is a marathon not a sprint.
I luv how Big Easy is determined and keeps saying "I will finish this finale".
I absolutely believe Big Easy will finish this marathon and will have earned number 1 for each leg of the race.
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Post by Bearcata on May 23, 2021 13:25:14 GMT
While it is nice to have a huge first place prize I do agree with many of the podcasters and fans that there should be a separate prize for the men and women and that their should be an prize for 2nd and 3rd and even 4th. Lets face it in Double Agents where you have a runaway first place team the real battle was for 2nd or 3rd place. Would there even have been a race at the end of the finale if there had not been money involved and there was a difference of $35,000 or $15,000?
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Post by Bearcata on May 28, 2021 12:45:34 GMT
Season 1 Episode 9 - "You're the Best Around" - May 27, 2021
Part 2 of the Season Finale
Overall very pleased with the finale. I liked the format, and the feel of it. I do wish that for the amount of money involved, that there was a prize for the both genders and that there was prize money for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. I really felt for Jonna who is a hair dresser, and whose husband was furloughed in January and just she had a baby 7 months ago. Jonna said that her family had gone through their savings and the money would have really helped.
I did note that if Darrell had finished first in the last leg (individuals climbing a mountain) and Yes came in second they would have been tied with 30 points each. Would they have split the prize or would there have been a tie breaker perhaps each leg had been timed?
The expectation was that Darrell and Aneesa as the Challengers with the most experience in the game and coming off Double Agents had a bit of an advantage over the other players and should have done very well. In fact with Aneesa's continued presence in the game over for over 20 years she should have been a shoe in for first place. I was a bit shocked to see how badly she had been doing in the cardio portions especially in the last leg, the mountain climb, to the point that Big Easy was going faster then she was, and Big Easy had come in last on 4 of 6 legs. Big Easy was actually stopping and telling Aneesa to take her time, to get her breathe. So sad. It was embarrassing and why no one wants to run a final with her. OK, she was not a total embarrassment for leg one, the canoe paddle and if Alton hadn't helped sink the canoe they would have likely come in first or second. This is why no one takes her seriously as a competitor in a final. Seriously, if nothing else over the last 20 years you should have a serious cardio base and massive endurance, that paired with good puzzle skills, should make you a contender as a finale partner. For someone who comes across as culturally aware, poses as the house therapist and moral police, you would think that person would be a tad bit more self aware of their strengths and weaknesses and of why they are perceived as the weak link.
Surprisingly, Jemmye did well coming in either 2nd or 3rd place the first 3 legs. The Carolina Reapers played havoc with her gut during leg four, otherwise she would have done as well. Big Easy as her partner in leg 5 dragged her down, but as it included another eating challenge on an already weak stomach they placed last in that leg. Jemmye did come in 3rd place among the women in leg 6, the mountain leg. So 2 years of doing cross fit does have it's benefits.
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 0:02:25 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 2 Progress Each LegCheckpoint 4 - Each team member must consume two Carolina Reaper peppers and solve a puzzle (partners) - continuedTeam | Points Earned | Darrell & KellyAnne | 5 | Yes & Aneesa | 4 | Big Easy & Jonna | 3 | Alton & Ruthie | 2 | Mark & Jemmye | 1 |
This is one of those legs where heart is very important. The result of eating two Carolina Reapers can play havoc on your body and that is what you have to overcome and it also shows how good of a partner you can be. Darrell completed the eating portion and he and KellyAnne were in the lead but then his stomach rebelled. KellyAnne pulled Darrell through this leg. Yes shows how well he partners as this is Aneesa's highest finish of any leg in the finale. Big Easy had absolutely no problem with the Carolina Reapers, while his partner Jonna threw up a lot during the eating portion. However during the walking portion you could hear and feel Jonna's frustration at Big Easy's slow pace. This was Big Easy's highest placed finish partly due from his not having issues with the Carolina Reaper, it certainly was not due to his speed. Seriously if his cardio was better this team would have placed higher as Big Easy can walk faster than Aneesa. Jonna showed that she has tremendous heart and drive and I would luv to see her be more prepared for a Challenge as she can do well both in team events and finales. Alton & Ruthie, are great examples of folks who do well in the daily challenges, and house politics. Both have tremendous athletic ability but don't necessarily do well in the finale. Both do have good partner skills. Alton while looking gorgeous, and the expectation is that he is a physical beast is really not that good in some of the team endurance events, and properly does not do the functional training to excel in the finale. Jemmye has impressed this finale. She had been doing cross fit the last two years and it shows in her two second place finishes and a third place finish in legs 1, 2, & 3. Unfortunately, her weak stomach caused major problems in this leg. Mark was a good partner to her and did not yell. I do wonder could he have carried her on his back for a bit?
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 0:29:35 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 2 Progress Each LegCheckpoint 5 - Overnight Stage: Each team member must consume a plate of offal to complete the checkpoint. For the overnight stage, teams remain with their partner from Checkpoint #5. One team member may sleep at a time on the end of a large seesaw while their partner stands on the other end to level the apparatus. If the player standing falls or steps off, they must switch places with their partner. Team | Points Earned | Mark & KellyAnne | 5 | Alton & Jonna | 4 | Yes & Ruthie | 3 | Darrell & Aneesa | 2 | Big Easy & Jemmye | 1 |
This leg has two portions, after the new teams are formed each team has a plateful of grilled offal to consume. After consuming the Carolina Reapers during leg 4 of the finale many of the players are not happy to do this and of course there are various shots of folks throwing up. Poor Jemmye almost quits but after talking to TJ she continues although Big Easy does do a Fessy on her and it looks as if he is trying to get her to quit. If Jemmye quits both partners are out of the finale. If Jemmye quits, that means Big Easy is DQ'ed and he is OK with that because he didn't quit his partner DQ'ed. It does look as if he is trying to convince her to quit. Jemmye continues and it takes her and Big Easy over 2 hours to finish their meals. The second potion of this leg is the sleep and stand on teeter totters all night. Mark and KellyAnne are rocking this challenge although Alton is fed up listening to KellyAnne complain about how cold she is. Alton is determined to let Jonna get as much slept as possible. He realizes that he does not have enough points to win but wants Jonna does and he wants her to have the best chance. Alton is irritated by KellyAnne complaining and Yes saying positive things. Jemmye is absolutely disgusted to have Big Easy as a partner and there is a montage of all the times she said he was weak and didn't want to partner with him in a finale. Big Easy sleeps well and snores a lot. All the teams manage to get through the night.
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 0:45:59 GMT
Season 1 Finale Part 2 Progress Each Leg
Checkpoint 6 - The last checkpoint: As individuals, players must race to the top of a mountain where the finish line is located. It was announced that the checkpoint was worth 'double points' where the first player to reach the top receives ten points, the second player receives nine points and so on. TJ starts the leg by riding up on a horse that it can't quite control and the players have a bit of a laugh. This was a brutal slough up a mountain. Each person had a different strategy and this is where the narrative and editing can be golden. I luv'ed it when Yes passed Darrell and was deciding whether or not to be nice or talk smack and he decided to talk smack. This is where the point system also caused problems as several of the ladies had the same amount of points. If there had been more prize money available it would have been interesting to see how it was split. I do wonder how long the others had to wait for Big Easy and Aneesa to finish. While it looked very gallant on Big Easy's part to stay behind and finish with Aneesa there was also the underlying reason that he had plenty of rest while waiting for her to catch up. Team | Points Earned | Yes | 10 | Darrell | 9 | Mark | 8 | Alton | 7 | KellyAnne | 6 | Jonna | 5 | Jemmye | 4 (tie) | Ruthie | 4 (tie) | Big Easy | 2 | Aneesa | 1 |
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 1:15:31 GMT
Final Scoreboard
Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total | Finish | Yes | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 1st | Darrell | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 29 | 2nd | Jonna | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 3rd | KellyAnne | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 3rd | Mark | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 22 | 5th | Alton | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 6th | Jemmye | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 7th | Ruthie | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 7th | Aneesa | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9th | Big Easy | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 10th |
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 1:34:55 GMT
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 1:37:23 GMT
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Post by Bearcata on May 29, 2021 1:41:28 GMT
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Post by Bearcata on Jun 4, 2021 0:35:23 GMT
Season 1 Episode 10 - "Reunion" - June 3, 2021
The Reunion Cast consisted of all the finalists except Aneesa and Alton.
Jisela had a lot to say about her broken friendship with Aneesa. Again I am confused is this to form a feud, because in the Aftermath show Jisela was over it.
Rumor hath it that the contestants all received a $40,000 appearance fee.
Everyone was very positive about Jonna's performance.
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Post by queens on Oct 29, 2021 22:08:48 GMT
What a disappointment for several of the challengers in the first challenge. Some of them didn't even seem like they tried at all. I was surprised that Jisela did well, as she is more out of shape than Aneesa.
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Post by Bearcata on Oct 30, 2021 6:05:44 GMT
What a disappointment for several of the challengers in the first challenge. Some of them didn't even seem like they tried at all. I was surprised that Jisela did well, as she is more out of shape than Aneesa. Listening to Leroy on a podcast they were all paid well to appear on the series and that it became a job because you never knew when they were going to call and you couldn't have a regular 9 to 5 job, you had to be available for the Challenge. Someone also mentioned that some people were there to party and there were folks who were serious about winning.
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Post by queens on Dec 14, 2021 2:40:44 GMT
I haven't finished watching this season, but I didn't expect to hear that Jonna did so well. She wasn't really that good on previous challenges in the past, and tended to use whatever guy she was hooking up with at the time on the challenge seasons to try to get further in the game.
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Post by Bearcata on Dec 14, 2021 22:38:39 GMT
I haven't finished watching this season, but I didn't expect to hear that Jonna did so well. She wasn't really that good on previous challenges in the past, and tended to use whatever guy she was hooking up with at the time on the challenge seasons to try to get further in the game. I had watched Jonna on this kid's reality show that was based on Survivor and she ended up being the female winner so I always knew she could do it. It is just that she had some very messy personal issues to deal with mainly her boyfriends on the show.
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