The Challenge: Double Agents Season 36 Episode 17 Recap : )
FINALLY, we have come to the last normal episode before the finals – 17 episodes later, folks, and we’re finally here! It’s been a LONGGGGGGGGG season, with a lot of the big-name new rookies not making the cut (Natalie, Lolo, Nam – all left on their “own” accord, not through elimination, alongside Darrell, Nelson, Tori, Nicole). I couldn’t be happier going into the finals with the people we have left (MINUS FESSY, FUCK FESSY). This episode was super thrilling, a good daily challenge, a bunch of political/social shit going down, and arguing! Like The Challenge we’ve come to know and love. 🙂 Not to mention The Real World nostalgia we get at the end which sent me to HEAVEN, but we’ll get there. 🙂
The episode begins with Amber B. having just stolen Fessy as a partner from Nany after she beat Big T in elimination. Nany, now partnerless, chose to rejoin Kyle, making them partners for the third time in this game, & leaving CT as the rogue agent. That leaves Kaycee with Leroy & Kam with Cory. 9 people remain in the game.
Back at the house, Kyle & Nany have a playful interaction where he tells her he’s pissed he’s because he knows it will be a guy’s elimination the next week and he’s likely in hot water. Nany laughs & tells Kyle, “Why can’t you just accept you’re the only guy I want to be with??” “Like a crazy ex-girlfriend,” Kyle replies which sends Nany into a fit of giggles. It’s cute, but there is validity to Kyle’s concerns!
Later that day, Kam and Leroy have a little hot tub time together to reminisce on the season. Leroy talks about how he & Kam ran the game from top to bottom – from politics to dominating the challenges. They really were the engineers of a lot of plays in this game, and attaching themselves to the Big Brother alliance (the biggest alliance in the house) at the beginning was CRUCIAL since together they essentially dominated the game.
Kam’s shocked when Leroy tells her he hasn’t told anyone about it being his last season. Everyone is going to be DEVASTATED, INCLUDING ME. Leroy goes on to say how he’s tried 11 times, played 11 seasons, but each of them was a, “fail, fail, fail”. Kam corrects him, saying they weren’t failures, they were lessons. Lessons you had to learn to be here. OMG, I LOVE THEM.
Kam says it’s an honor running a final that’s so diverse (after Kyle leaves, CT is the only white person left, the other 7 people are people of color). And then I thought this was SO CUTE – she’s run all her finals with him & said he’s her “little good luck charm”, AWWWW!!!
THEY’RE SO CUTE, OMG.MTV, PLEASE GIVE ME A SHOW ALL ABOUT JUST KAM & LEROY.
The day turns into the night when suddenly we see TJ walk into the house, which is an unusual occurrence, and definitely means something is UP. Either someone’s getting kicked out or it’s a final (usually). He goes into all the challengers’ bedrooms calling, “Agents, wake up. Agents… wake up”, and everyone is, like, TJ, what the fuck is THIS??
Once in the living room, TJ tells the challengers one agent in each pair has to go with him now in preparation for the day’s challenge. All the pairs end up deciding to send the guys – Kam saying in an ITM (in-the-moment interview) how she “doesn’t even have her damn wig on, so Cory, you’re gonna have to go” LMAOOO. Fessy’s in an ITM saying how he’s “not putting my fate in Amber B’s hands”, and I’m just, like, Fessy, you are so dumb and ARROGANT. Amber B complains about how their team isn’t a partnership. Fessy just makes the decisions and tells her what to do. Has ANYONE been happy with Fessy as a partner this season?????? Literally, NO. I DO NOT KNOW WHY HE IS SO COVETED OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT HE IS A GIANT.
Later that day, the four girls + CT go out to meet TJ to start the challenge… TJ reveals their partners have been hidden, 500 feet below a volcano… and at first, I’m thinking, will this be a Final Reckoning (S32)-style challenge where they have to physically DIG THEIR PARTNERS OUT???? DEAR GOD, THEY HAVE TO DIG 500 FEET??? But no, they have a little coal miners shaft to get to their partners, thank god.
Essentially, the girls have to run a “5-mile” trail, (which there’s some conjecture if it was 5 miles total or 5 miles each way? I feel like 5 miles total but then again… who KNOWS), stopping to complete puzzles along the way. Whoever gets their partner from the volcano & brings them back to complete the puzzle at the finish line first, wins & becomes the Double Agents… Now, THIS is a CHALLENGE – TJ calling it a “mini final”, which is it really kinda is – long-distance running combined with puzzles = Challenge final.
After TJ’s explanation, the girls are off on the race to their partners. Amber leads the challenge, arriving at the first math-problem checkpoint first, with the rest of the girls trailing shortly behind her. Kam solves the puzzle almost instantly and sprints off leaving the three other girls still fumbling. Nany gets it quickly after Kam, with Kaycee following a ways behind her, leaving Amber at the puzzle where she continues to struggle.
Cut to the cave, the guys are taking bets on who they think the first girl to arrive will be – they predict the order will be Kaycee, Kam, Amber B, and then lastly, Nany. But MUCH to their surprise, Kam arrives first and unlocks Cory, warning the guys that last she saw, Nany & Kaycee closely followed her, but that Amber B. was stuck on the math problem. Cue Fessy bitching and moaning about his partners this season, blaming THEM for his own failures.
Kyle is ecstatic when Nany arrives, mockingly throwing it in Leroy & Fessy’s faces who underestimated his partner. Kaycee arrives third to unlock Leroy, and as she’s in her coal mine shaft on her way down to Leroy, Fessy’s complaints heighten (at the sight of his friend??) saying, “I haven’t been able to compete this season”, implying all his partners were terrible. He blames Aneesa for not being able to hold onto a rope, Nany for the swim-under-water challenge where he literally KICKED HER OXYGEN MASK OFF HER FACE LIKE A BAFOON, like, FESSY! You are pointing fingers when you need to be examining the 3 fingers pointing back at you, bruv! Cliche but TRUE.
Kyle laughs in response to Fessy’s complaints saying he’s been protected the whole season. Fessy says “protected by an anchor”. YEAH, YOU. YOURSELF. YOU ARE A BIG BUMBLING FOOL. YOU JUST DON’T CRY AS MUCH AS JOSH BUT Y’ALL ARE THE SAME DAMN SPECIES.
Kaycee arrives & unlocks Leroy third, leaving Fessy as the last one standing in the volcano cave. Welp, I’d hate to find myself there all alone! Sucks 2 SUCK, Fessy!
Kam and Cory are still in the lead on the way back from the volcano coal mine, with Kam even telling Cory to hurry up, lmaooo. YES, KAM. I was listening to the Official MTV Challenge podcast with Tori & Aneesa and they talked about how Kam didn’t even play sports or anything in high school, she is just a BEAST. Needless to say, Cory & Kam are the first to get back and start the final puzzle to win the challenge. The edit tries to trick you into thinking they were struggling and wouldn’t get it, but just as Nany & Kyle come into sight running down the last part of the trail, TJ blares the horn and Kam & Cory officially win the challenge. WHOOOOOOOOO! Personally, I’m PSYCHED because this means Kam will be in the final 🙂
Kyle’s in an interview post-challenge talking about how he’s fucked. He apologizes to Nany for being so negative, but she’s, like, no it’s okay… you are fooked.
Back at the house, everyone discusses how the votes will fall – Obvi, with the Double Agents power lying in Kam’s hands, she’s not putting in Leroy, so it would be either Kyle or Fessy. Leroy could still go into the elimination, though, as the house vote. Kyle, Fessy, and Kaycee decide it will likely be Kyle & Fessy in the elimination unless Kaycee will vote with them to put in Leroy as the house vote. Fessy’s like you have to CHOOSE. Is it HIM or ME???
That night at the blow-up clerb (which is turning into people just sitting around at tables, talking to each other cuz they ain’t tryna party with the same 7 people every night, lol), Leroy sits down with Kaycee at the club, and he’s, like, PLEASE, Kaycee. We’ve been partners almost all season… Please do not say my name for the house vote. Kaycee’s, like, oh fuuuuuuu…
Kaycee is obviously an amazing physical competitor, but I think that overshadows how good she is politically/socially too. Ultimately, that’s how she won her Big Brother (S20) season, because it’s a jury-style vote. Although the other guy was favored to win, she won because he had burned too many bridges on the jury whereas she had maintained good relations with everyone.
In an ITM, she says that although she really likes her partner, Leroy, her loyalties lie with Fessy. I’m, like, Kaycee, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY??? Fessy has been nothing but a FOOL IN THIS GAME, meanwhile, you and Leroy have a PROVEN TRACK RECORD. If ain’t broke, don’t fix it!!!!
Kaycee goes to sit down with Fessy & suggests he go into the elimination “if he’s confident in himself” (always appeal to the ego when it comes to Fessy), and then once he wins, he should steal her as a partner & together they can win the finals. She says in an ITM she’s kinda doing this so she doesn’t have to get “blood on her hands” (Leroy’s blood from stabbing him in the BACK), but I’m just like KAYCEE, do you REALLY THINK YOU’LL BE BETTER OFF WITH FESSY IN THE FINALS????
They get back to the house after the blow-up clerb and Leroy is giving CT a haircut??????? LMAOOOO, WTF!
All the guys are arguing back and forth across the girls about their partnerships, and how Fessy & Kyle should go into elimination because they’ve both been complaining about their partners. That way, whoever wins can pick their partner for the final! A great little idea except for the fact that you have a 50% chance of not seeing the final at ALL if you go.
Fessy is being drunk and arrogant and starts talking nasty out of his ass & the good ole Nany we know and love says it’s time to come OUT. Fessy says something about how he doesn’t want to be the house vote, but if it’s an elimination he wants, Kam & Cory can throw him into elimination and he can get a new partner. So Nany’s like, okay, you do want to be the house vote??? Fessy’s like NANY, NOOOO. Nany’s like FESSY.
Amber B. gets upset after the argument since the guys were just shitting on her & Nany, implying Kam & Kaycee are the best girl partners. Kam goes to comfort her, but tells the audience in an ITM her motives are game-related – she’s trying to buy Leroy some votes to save his ass from being the house vote.
At the very end of the drunken night, Cory appeals to Fessy’s ego senses, convincing him “legends do legendary shit”, ie. go into elimination, win, and choose their partner right before the final. AGAIN, some MAGNIFICENT voodoo game shit on Cory’s part, but mostly, just KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE. If your audience speaks fame whore, you speak famewhore right back! Right here & now, I think we can credit Cory with saving Leroy from the house vote.
The next day before the deliberation/vote, Leroy sits down with CT & Nany to try to convince Kyle that if he votes for Fessy in the house vote, Kam will vote herself & Cory into elimination, saving Kyle from the elimination completely. Hindsight 2020… obviously a SCAM, I mean, Kam isn’t there at first!!! But during the first time watching this episode, I was like hmmmmm, is this really gonna happen?… And for some reason, the fact that Kyle’s sitting there, shirtless, with a blanket around him & sleep still in his eyes… it PAINS me. I’m, like, Kyle, Noooooo! NOOOOOOO. DON’T GO INTO THE CHALLENGE EQUIVALENT OF A BASEMENT IN A HORROR MOVIE BASEMENT … DON’T GO INTO A DEAL WITHOUT THE POSITION OF POWER, YOU’RE ONLY GONNA GET BURNED. But then again… he doesn’t really have anything to lose? He’ll go into elimination either way… Just one way, your friends don’t stab you in the back. And also, he loses the gift of foresight, likely resulting in him being less prepared.
Right before the elimination, Leroy explains the deal he & Kyle made to Kam, wanting her to give her handshake of approval/agreement, but she looks completely unsure of it all the whole time. Kyle’s, like, so yeah, you’re going to throw in your partner and save me & I won’t vote Leroy, that cool? Kam’s, like uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, sure. I thought it was ironic Kyle gets up to leave & Kam calls out as he leaves, “You better not be lying to us, Kyle”, and I’m, like, Kam, you SAVAGE cuz u LYING to HIM.
Fessy comes into the deliberation announcing he wrote something he wants to read so if they’ll just give him “a minute”. He then reads this handwritten letter in the most boring, inflection-less voice I’ve ever heard, with the cameras panning around to everyone else’s faces of exasperation at his reading, LMFAOOOOOOOOO.
He finishes his letter & says, “with all this being said, I’d like to be the house vote”, and Leroy suddenly snaps into reality & he’s, like, WAIT, you just said you wanted to go in???? Fessy’s, like, yeah… Leroy says, “Hell yeah, say LESS” and everyone’s, like, LMAOOO.
Amber tears up after Fessy’s speech. She says she understands why people don’t want her as a partner since she’s a rookie & they don’t know what she’s capable of. Nonetheless, it’s hard to be constantly shit on. Fair point, Amber! That sounds prettií shittií.
Goddamn applesauce for a brain, Fessy’s in an ITM saying, Amber, this literally isn’t about you. I don’t know why you’re getting so upset. I’m, like, TOUCHÉ FESSY, TOU-FUCKING-CHÉ. LITERALLY, NOT ONE THING HAS BEEN ABOUT YOU THIS WHOLE SEASON YET YOU CONTINUE TO WREAK HAVOC TO YOUR FRIENDS AND TREAT YOUR PARTNERS LIKE SHIT EVERYWHERE YOU GO. In an ITM Amber says she misses Darrell as a partner because he was so patient. That’s really sweet, I miss Darrell too.
Kam & Cory go into the secret Double Agents chamber to discover who the house voted into elimination, Cory for the first time this season. He talks about how he convinced Fessy to nominate himself for the house vote & how much he stuck up for Leroy to save him from elimination. Kam’s, like, dammmmm, Cory really went hard in the paint for my boy, am I really gonna betray him like that??
It finally comes time for elimination, the challengers (correctly) presuming this to be the last elimination before the final. TJ reveals Fessy as the house vote, no surprise to anyone there. Kam and Cory send down Kyle and Nany despite Leroy & Kam’s deal with Kyle to keep him safe. Kyle says he got played, but I’m just, like, KYLE, you HAD to have known it would likely be you!!!! ; (
I’m so PISSED that IT’S A HALL BRAWL, AGAIN… I guess I could have predicted it would be since the girls did it for their final elimination before the finals??? But still, WTFFF. AND AGAIN ITS FESSY IN IT AND OF COURSE HE’S GONNA WINNNNNN & I am honestly just so ANNOYED WITH THIS MANS. Could it have not been a puzzle that knocked his pretty little ego down a few notches making him leave right before the final???? Of course, NOT.
So Fessy obviously wins, but it’s not even FAIR because he literally just bREAKS KYLE’S FINGER IN THE FIRST ROUND, DQ-ING HIM FROM THE BEST OF 3 ELIMINATION. I don’t think Kyle could have pulled out the win anyway based on how bruuuuuuutal that first round was, but STILL.
This is now Fessy’s 2nd injury caused in an elimination out of 2 seasons (the first being Jordan Wisely on Total Madness (S35), which was coincidentally the same shoulder type injury (separating the collarbone from the A.C. joint) that caused the end of his (Fessy’s) football career). You could probably throw Nelson in there, too, because Fessy FUCKED him UP. I need you to have some common human COURTESY, and a sense of self-awareness, GEESH. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think Fessy might annoy me more than both Josh & Wes at this point (this is biased, as those two are no longer on the seasons/in my weekly viewing, but still). He makes me so MAD.
Kyle leaves with his fucked up finger and I do have to say, despite his exit, he really made a great showing for himself in this episode. Playing up the finger injury (not to diminish that it probably hurt like hell, but this man is simply an ACTOR), amazing interviews, great one-liners improv-ed during the challenges… This man was made for reality TV.
This leaves Fessy with the option to stay with Amber B. or choose a new partner, which he obviously chooses Kaycee like was being discussed throughout this entire episode. Kaycee handles this with “grace”, telling Leroy it’s been a good run & giving him a hug. Kam says in an ITM these two (Fessy & Kaycee) “deserve each other”, and I’m, like, KAYCEE!!! Why you associate with Fessy and Josh geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh. Mom, you’re embarrassing me!!!!
Going into this episode, the idea of Kaycee leaving Leroy for Fessy had never even crossed my MIND. I was absolutely screaming at my TV when they first started throwing the idea around in the blow-up club. Kaycee & Leroy were my picks to win, but since they are now SEPARATE, I’m, like, now what the FUCK.
But everything happens for a reason ❤ ❤ ❤ or everything just happens and it becomes the reason (holy shit, am I the modern Buddha????). Fessy stealing Kaycee leaves Leroy partnerless, with the choice of either Amber B. or Nany. I start getting HYPEEEEEEE, CUZ I KNOW HE’S GONNA CHOOSE HIS OG REAL WORLD HOMIE, NANY, AND BY GOLLY, HE DOES. He says the SWEETEST shit about her too, saying “I’ve been rocking with this girl for over 10 years since our Real World Las Vegas season, & I’ve seen her grow into the beautiful woman she is today. I could not be happier to choose my girl Nany” and I’m, like, THE CROWD GOES WILDDDDDDD. Leroy comes down to join Nany, greeting her with a sustained hug. This means SOOOO MUCH TO ME.
This lastly leaves CT to partner with Amber B., and I’m like… okay, whatever. Do I think they’ll win? No! But I’m also not counting them completely out. CT is a BEAST and can do puzzles (specifically tangrams so if we see any of those we’ll know it’s rigged for CT, jk, kinda), and Amber may be able to do the long-distance running? It’ll be interesting to see how these two perform together.
My number one seed I WANT to win is Leroy and Nany, for sentimental reasons, of course. Leroy on his 12th & final season, Nany on her 10th season, and neither have ever been able to get the win. I NEED Leroy to win this & go out with a bang. And who better to end his reality TV (or at least The Challenge) journey with than someone he started it with? It’s all just very sentimental and makes a great story, and I really just want it to happen.
Who do I think will win??? I know everyone likely thinks Kaycee & Fessy will win… while I think that’s of course possible, I really feel like Kayee & Fessy are going to fuck up a mental challenge/puzzle and falter in the final. So for this reason, my picks to win are Kam & Cory. They have the physicality, the smarts, the experience competing in the finals (Cory with 3 final finishes, Kam with 2), and they just overall… they have IT.
I irrationally love Kaycee, but Fessy just generates so much anger and hate in me… I would feel so wronged if he won this season after coming across so self-absorbed, arrogant, and just crude at points.
It’s the FINALS EPISODE, THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, YOU ONLY GOT ONE SHOT, DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO BLOW, ALL THAT HYPED UP SHIT, LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOO. Thanks for reading. 🙂
The Reality Web 