The Challenge: Battle of the Eras

[*Wallace]

Just finished watching the latest episode!

 

Ooooh Tori threw Bananas into the elimination this week? Maybe I'm not disliking Tori that much this season. I am enjoying their rivalry, haha. 

While I am not a huge Ryan fan, I was definitely rooting for him to pull the upset to take Bananas down (as was nearly everyone else). It also made sense for a Bananas vs. Ryan elimination due to their rivalry this season. The Mario Kart esque elimination was fun. But UGH Ryan was sooo close to winning that second match and it was so disappointing he couldn't pull that out. He gave it a good effort but just not good enough to win it, sadly. I do always really like his friendship and bond with Derek, so I'll miss that. 

OMG Bananas not being able to choose the winner of the last challenge and his reaction and her reaction - were both absolutely hilarious.   LOL Tori was showing her behind off so much lmao. But wow Bananas calling Michele "Devin's soon to be ex-girlfriend" was really messed up. His choices weren't surprising - hopefully Olivia goes out of those targets.
 

[Alex95]

Oop I kinda like the ladies of leisure . Maybe it's cause they're coming for people like Bananas and Jordan. Maybe it's because they're old school in the way that they care more about drinking by the pool than actually working out. Though with a purge next week, I fear it'll be a short-lived alliance. But I like the little we saw from them! But also shoutout to Jenny not giving a shit about their little meltdown. Unbothered queen . Lol @ Cara & Laurel randomly becoming the most invisible girls left.

 

We're getting drama and allies turning on each other. So I feel like I should be enjoying the season more. But most of my faves leaving has definitely killed my excitement for the season. The season's not bad, but I'm just realizing I don't have much investment anymore. So I'm hoping more relationships continue to be broken

[*Wallace]

Yayy Kyland winning over Bananas in that daily challenge! Omg oh yayyy Jenny winning over Tori in a super close race.

Lol dang it, I had a bad feeling that Nia was going to be automantically last. Ugh I was hoping for it to be Olivia but knew it would be Nia since Olivia managed to get higher on the latter. Michele is growing on me again with her rivalry against Bananas now, so I was rooting for her to stay out of the elimination. But ugh this situation does suck for Kyland having to decide between his close allies.  Although LOL at Jenny not caring at all about what happens with the girls (sans Nia).  

Yikes Bananas came across so desperate targeting and arguing with lots of people that were not apart of his alliance. He somehow knows how to make himself more unlikable. Well he loves causing drama and chaos so good for him, I guess. 

While I get how this elimination choice was hard to make and go about for Kyland/Nia/Michele/Olivia - I was still disappointed that Michele was selected over Olivia.  

LOL Bananas creating that friction between Nia & Jordan certainly was something. And Nia saying she would throw Jordan as a target was something I didn't really expect... but it did make me root for Nia, just to see some drama to erupt and shocking game moves.  

But dangg it was so tough watching Nia in that elimination. She was taking forever in that... it was tough to watch. I wasn't sure about her strategy of how she went about the elimination but it was nice to see her catching up. But I knew it wasn't enough. I had a feeling Michele had the better strategy. Sad to see Nia go here. Hmm Nia & Kyland is interesting but they are one of the better/more likable showmances so if things work out for them on the outside, I'll be happy for them. But I was happy that Michele got to stay. And yayy her naming Bananas as a target! Wasn't expecting Jordan to be a target but I'm ok with it. Hopefully Jordan can beat Bananas next week in the elimination and get Bananas out of here, lmao. 

 

I'm also in agreement with Alex about the season. A lot of my favorites were eliminated so it's killed my excitement for the season. Hence now I'm watching the season on Sundays rather than earlier in the week. I do still got a few faves I'm rooting for. But I am enjoying the drama and people coming for each other and breaking up game relationships.  

[Alex95]

Laurel eliminations are always so funny fdjnakflndasjklf. She never just loses, it's always some sort of epic flameout . "Bye guys I don't wanna be here anymore have fun xoxo ".

 

Nehemiah? I forgot he existed this season. He might as well have lost to CT because he hasn't been relevant since he beat him.

 

Watch out for Kyland. He really is amazing at every single facet of these challenges. Physical, mental, endurance. He's winning The Challenge at some point. Whether it's this season or a future one. It's happening. Pretty surprised to see Josh & Derek still around. They were definitely two of the lower men on the totem pole coming into this season. I mean we haven't seen either of them in elimination yet so that certainly helps. But they survived a purge now!

 

Can't say I was disappointed to see Theo go. He hasn't brought anything to the show since WOTW2. The elimination was fun to watch, but Theo was definitely screwed due to his size. But he also beat Paulie at the start of the season thanks to his size so the challenge gods giveth and the challenge gods taketh.

 

Michele dragging Josh in the middle of the elimination and in the preview . I've really enjoyed her this season oop. A Michele, Rachel, Aviv, Jenny final would kinda eat on the women's side. Rachel is a lock for the final, right? She has a deal with literally every single guy left in the game. She is dominating this game.

[Solaris]

Laurel getting purged was not on my bingo card.  I could have sworn it would have been injured Aviv or Chele. For talking such a big game, Laurel really did suck this season. The was actually a really anticlimatic elimination for her.

 

 

Kyland is crushing this season, I think hes probably the most well rounded player left on this cast.  If this means anything be scared to go against him in the final, even against Jordan. Tori has been impressive this season.  Banana's not being able to get her out is funny.

 

Sad Theo is gone, but I didn't love him this season like previously. 

 

A woman leaves next?  Gotta hope its Olivia I think.  Shes been better this season than last, but she's a shell of her Ride or Die self.

[*Wallace]

Oooh the mini-final was intense, especially with the purge twist! I am soooo happy and loved that Kyland pulled off the win there! I reallly hope this is his year and that he can beat out the big powerhouses of the game! He has truly been impressive this season and I'm continuing to root him along into the final!

As for the purges, wow I am beyond shocked that Laurel came in last and gave up. I did not see that coming. Her heart clearly wasn't in that challenge. I was disappointed with her giving up like that. But this was one of my lesser favorite seasons of hers and at least she won All Stars 4. But I can't say I'm as sad as I usually would to see her go as she was unbearable earlier this season. Then I do feel a little bad for Nehemiah going/being last. But I wasn't super invested in him this season so I'm not devastated.

lol Tori winning on the women's side with Bananas and Jordan being the targets, this couldn't be any more obvious what would happen. But even though we all knew what would happen, it was annoying how Bananas went about the discussion in such an attention seeking disrespectful way to Tori - while she was open to hearing what he had to say. This made me root for Theo even more. Speaking of Theo, I feel like his relationship with Olivia has severely made him weaker in this game. He's been flopping badly lately.

Ooh and Cory's confessional about Bananas before the elimination was so accurate.

Oh dear, that elimination definitely looked like it favors Bananas more over Theo. But wow I was impressed with how Theo was slithering through that pole though. But dangg it that 30 second rule change was what screwed him over. So of course Bananas wins yet another elimination and stays in the game. I wasn't huge on Theo soo I'm not overly upset or sad about him going. He did a really impressive job and lasted/did much better in that elimination than I expected. But dang it, I was rooting so hard for him to take out Bananas.

No surprises with Bananas' targets. I guess I'm rooting for Michele to hopefuly make it through. I am back to rooting for her after a rough 2023 The Challenge seasons, lol. But it's interesting how Michele & Olivia both outlasted their men.  

lmao Laurel giving Bananas a 1 for that eliminated contestant score twist was unexpected but hilarious.

[Alex95]

This episode could've been an hour. When the new format was revealed, I was worried there could be a scenario where there would be no decision for elimination if one of the targets won the daily and another lost and here we are. I didn't need to spend that much time on Michele & Olivia's friendship lmao.

 

Glad Michele won though. It's kinda wild she's gone 3-0 this season, that kinda came out of nowhere. She's lucky she never got a headbanger and instead has had to face a dyslexic Olivia and Tina & Nia who suck at math. But a wins a win. It helps that I've been enjoying Michele this season. She's authentic which is something I've appreciated about her since day one of Survivor. She wears her heart on her sleeve, she's a bit messy. Sometimes she'll piss me off. But what I get from her is real.

 

When the sides first split I was kinda leaning Bananas' Angels way, but their self-righteousness is getting on my nerves. Sorry Michele's joke on the bus was funny and wasn't half as bad as anything Bananas has ever said in his life . I could understand Aviv being upset but also...get over it girl it's The Challenge. We want mess!

 

Looking forward to seeing Josh with some heat this episode. Can't believe Cory was willing to make Michele his number one girl and she threw it away. Honestly I can just keep singing Derek's praises for his social game. How he continues to slide by is wild to me. But he is doing the thing! He's also not finishing last in any of the dailies which is very important! Did not have Derek Chavez redemption seasons on my 2024 Challenge bingo card but he is peaking right now.

[QueenKalie]

Everything about Banana's angels is just so cringe. The feet stuff is super weird and the self righteousness and calling themselves the good guys is just annoying and a turn off for me. 

[*Wallace]

Aww I was sad for Michele coming in last and having to go against Olivia for the elimination. I was hoping she could have avoided that.  

OMGG now we have #ToeGate? People argue about the silliest things on these shows. Bananas has said, done and accused people of A LOT worse than what Michele did. But he just can't take the shots being took at him. I did like Cara Maria coming to Michele's defense. However, I did feel bad for Avivi in that situation. I am glad that Michele & Aviv did repair things and Michele feeling bad for stooping to Bananas' level. But I did love the pettiness she did and showed at Bananas'. 

I was rooting for Michele in the elimination. It was off to a not so promising start where it was looking like Olivia was dominating. But thank goodness for the puzzle portion of the game! Michele looked like she did that so far and she absolutely slayed that part. Ugh wow, I guess I am not really rooting for Michele? I did feel bad for Olivia with her dyslexia and about how she does and handle puzzles. And I did feel bad for them having to split up as I do enjoy their friendship. And I've been loving how positive and how much of a rock Olivia has been for Michele. Olivia's final words did make me really feel for her. But lol it's crazy how & Olivia were eliminated back to back. 

I'm just glad that Bananas' didn't win the daily challenge so that Michele could list him as a target. Aww I do feel bad for Cory being a target but the numbers are low. He did work really hard to not be a target and I feel sad for him there. But wow this really shows how impeccable Derek's social game really is! I'm impressed how he's never had to go into the elimination at this point (while also not dominating the dailys). 
 

[Alex95]

Not a particularly entertaining episode, but luckily we got two good challenges. I enjoyed the daily, and I thought this was a really cool elimination. One of my favorites of the season, if not my favorite. I thought it was a good, less dangerous variation of the hall brawl.

 

Derek winning that daily was such an exciting moment. I think Cara's completely right that he's been underestimated just because he's a gay man. He's still a track star, he's good at puzzles, and he proved today he can figure out these challenges well enough.

 

On the other hand, lol Josh. He's been begging for a physical elimination and he finally got one. And he got his shit WRECKED by Cory. A dominant performance by Cory, and another embarrassing display from Josh. And I hope Cory remembers Josh giving him one karma point a day after Josh told Cory he's like family to him

 

Hoping Bananas loses an angel next week. I wanted to like the alliance because I have liked all these girls leading up to this season. But they're just not giving. They're so firmly planted up Bananas ass. Also Michele might be the girl I'm rooting for the most at this point? I did not need to see this Rachel and Bananas reconciliation. I needed to see Rachel get her revenge on Bananas for how he treated her. She should've taken notes from KellyAnne on World Championship getting her revenge on Bananas for The Island.

[BestIdol474]

Need to watch Wednesday's episode still but - rooting for Rachel, Michele, and Kyland 

[Zoey]

A great showing from Derek this week. Has he been underestimated or has he just never been good enough to run a final? I don’t know.

 

Glad Banana’s was safe this week. I’m done with Michele on this show. Tori is unbearable. Aviv is completely useless at this stage. Cory remains the sexiest man the show has ever given us.

 

I’d be happy with any of Cara, Banana’s, Rachel or Cory winning.

[*Wallace]

Oooh the daily was fun this episode! I was nervous and unpleased with Bananas getting 11. But then I was happy Jordan got all 12 and beat him! And then, Derek also got all 12! I wish Kyland could have gotten 12 but 11 was still great. Oooh dear, poor Josh flopping hard here but it was what I needed/wanted so I'm fine with it.  

The Derek vs. Jordan showdown was a lot of fun. And it was even more fun seeing Derek pull off the win. He's definitely a dark horse and I'm really happy for him pulling out the win!  

Rachel is still the woman I am most rooting for but dang it, I did not want her to win this challenge as I knew she would save Bananas and this would screw Cory over, ugh. I was actually rooting for Cara Maria here - something I thought I would never say.  

Rachel & Derek bonding over their win and the LGBTQ connection and then the montage of past LGBTQ contestants was a really nice moment.  

Aww I loved the Cory/Nelson moment as I always loved their friendship and it's always felt and been so genuine where you know they always had each other's backs. I do feel sad for Cory not having Nelson here but I understand how Nelson can't participate here. Ahh I knew Nelson went through a bad accident but I forgot/didn't know he lost his right leg. But I love how in high spirits he is with getting a prosthetic leg and being able to walk again. 

The Josh vs. Cory elimination, I was definitely rooting for Cory. Wish Bananas could have been down there but it wasn't meant to be sadly. I do appreciate what Josh stands for regarding doing the show and wanting to help out his family. I do think he's genuine about that but he can be so exhausting to watch on these shows. Oh and yeah with Josh and Cory having beef, with Josh doing Cory dirty this season, it makes sense for them to face off in the elimination. I also feel like Cory has a lot riding on him and to play for so I was hopeful for him here. Phew, I'm so glad that Cory pulled out the win. Not only that but he smoked Josh here. OMGG Josh flopping hard and not being over to jump over the hay was.... rather embarrassing, yikes. Everyone's reactions to that was hilarious. Josh did well to last this long... and I would like to see him make a final at some point in his Challenge career but it's just never seems meant to be. 

Oooh lol Michele. She made a massive mistake in putting Cory into the Bottom 3 last week. As soon as Cory won, I knew he would put her down as a target and understandably so. Of this Bottom 3, I do like Aviv but I'm fine with her going at this point. 
 

[Alex95]

By far the most boring episode of the season. Almost put me to sleep. Bananas melting down at the puzzle was kinda funny? I enjoyed seeing Kyland & Cory bonding over wanting to see another black man win? But this episode could’ve been like twenty minutes.

 

Not too sorry to see Aviv go. It was cool seeing her back after all these years out of the blue but I think she showed why she wasn’t getting these callbacks. She lost me when she got sucked into the angels.

Edited December 5 by Alex95

[QueenKalie]

Wasn't the most exciting episode ever watching Bananas suck at the puzzle and Aviv get lost was funny since Bananas Angels are lame so one of them going home was good. I'm glad Kyland won so she was safe from being a target.