The Challenge: Double Agents Season 36 Episode 18 & 19 Finals Recap 🙂
DOUBLE AGENTS, HUNTIS, NOW THAT’S A WRAP! 19 episodes and we FINALLY have our WINNERS. It feels like this season has spanned almost 20 years. But then I remember some Real World seasons had almost THIRTY EPISODES, ZAM. Either way, mama we MADE IT. Let’s dive on IN.
On our “previously on” at the beginning of Episode 18, we get reminded of exactly where everyone stood going into the finals – Amber B. couldn’t do the math problem in the last daily challenge, LOL. Kam & Cory won the challenge making them the Double Agents for the week. Fessy nominated himself to be the house vote via monotone letter reading. In the crater, Kam & Cory voted in Kyle despite Kam & Leroy’s deal with Kyle to vote in Kam’s partner, Cory, which seemed like…a long shot going into it, but ANYWAY. Of course, it’s ANOTHER FUCKING HALL BRAWL, and Fessy literally breaks Kyle’s finger on the first hit and by default wins the elimination since Kyle can’t keep competing. BOOO. Fessy steals Kaycee after his win, leaving Leroy with his OG Real World castmate, Nany, Amber B with CT, and lastly, Kam & Cory.
TJ asks the challengers if they’re ready for the finals. They all ecstatically scream “Yes!!!!!!!” like when a teacher asks a 3rd-grade class if they’re ready for recess. TJ pauses for dramatic effect before replying to their cheers, “Let’s fucking go.” LMAOOOOOO.
The challengers run back into the house still screaming in celebration, and Daddy CT strolls in last, slamming the door emphatically. This mirrors another season (can’t place it off the top of my head but I KNOW THIS HAPPENED) where CT is older than the majority of the cast & strolls into the house a few moments after you see everyone sprinting in, lmaooooo. And I’m pretty sure he still gets a dope bed and room, hahahhahaha. This is some classic CT right here, & I’m here for it so much.
Everyone starts talking about going into the finals in ITMs – Fessy thinks he’s hot shit since this was his second final out of two seasons played. He got 4th out of 5 in the Total Madness final but the 5th person went home the night before the second day in an “elimination” (Rogan). Basically, Fessy gassed out.
Kaycee is his partner which I’m ANNOYED at because she and Leroy dominated all the daily challenges this season. Don’t you think you could do a sort of similar dominating in the finals with Leroy, Kaycee??? Kaycee also is going into her second finals out of two seasons, but unlike Fessy, she almost got that “crown” (lol, drag raceeeee). She got second of the girls and I believe she finished third overall behind the two winners. Kaycee is someone that has mental and physical strength, and someone I can definitely see winning a challenge.
OMG, Cory has had EIGHT PARTNERS THIS GAME…. EIGHT. That is inSANE. An amazing storyline for Cory, again, couldn’t write it better if you tried. It’s a bizarre strategy (not that I think Cory really intended for it to play out this way)… Seeing as Cory got his gold skull in the 14th episode, he went for most of the game skull-less. He really played that transient, no loyalties game, but also never reallllly burned any bridges anyway. All his partners either wanted to go into elimination and lost their gold skulls (Tori & Amber B.), or got targeted (Ashley, Theresa, Gabby, Big T), or had to leave for… natural causes, lmao (Natalie). Finally, his current partner is Kam, who he stole from CT after he won in the elimination against Darrell in the 14th episode.
Kam, the rightful prized woman partner of the season, is growing in the ranks as one of the best woman challengers to play the game, apt in nearly all facets of the game – political/social skills, influence, performance, elimination winnings!!! (similar to beast Laurel, who has won 9 out of 11 eliminations… BEAST, Kam has 8 out of 10 elimination wins).
That night, they go to the clerb to celebrate making it to the finals. They dress up more than typical & the party is .1% more fun than it usually is… which is no fun at all. They all do seem amped to be in the finals, though, and THAT makes me pumppppped.
The women cheers to running the most diverse final ever. Kam says in an ITM this money would be going to opening her mom another restaurant, to her sisters college funds, and to the Black Lives Matter movement. That is… touching ;,)
At this point, I want Leroy & Nany to win more than ANYTHING for nostalgic purposes, but realistically I think Kam & Cory can win/I want them to win almost equally as much. On the Ringer Dish podcast, Bill Simons & David Jacoby in their Challenge recaps keep pointing out that Leroy moved to Houston and opened a barbershop (ie. why he was giving CT a haircut after the clerb that one night!)… They’re like hmmm where did he get the capital to start a barbershop??? HMMM, MAYBE A CHALLENGE-WIN PRIZE MONEY.
Kaycee & Fessy talk about how they’re going to do in the finals – Kaycee may be the most animated we’ve seen her on the entire series, assuring Fessy she will do anything she has to do to win, “I will die for this shit”…Hmmm smells like a faint taste of FORESHADOWING, ie. when Kaycee’s leg gets fucked up but she keeps going & starts eating the food only for Fessy to be, like, nahhhh, I don’t think Imma eat that… I HATE YOU FESSY. But I’m getting ahead of myself… ANYWAYS.
The next morning, everyone prepares for the final which will be overnight (pack a bag!). They arrive in front of the huge challenge letters, and TJ welcomes them to “the final mission”. They all have interviews before the start & Leroy cries in his saying how bad he wants the win. MY GOD DAMN HEART CAN’T HANDLE THIS, DEAR GOD, LET LEROY WIN.
Without much ~further ado~ the challengers are off!!
They’re all off to a pretty fast start, but let me tell you folks, this looks like some ROCKY terrain. Immediately I’m thinking one of these mofos is about to leave with a sprained ankle, no and, ifs, or buts about it!
All the teams make it to the first checkpoints where they compete in the very first challenge they did of the season – they have to run up this sand hill, grab a canister, try to memorize the order of the colors on it, then plug-in the correctly ordered color-code to win.
TJ blares the horn and the boys’ heat begins. They all get to the mound at seemingly the same time and start to wrestle over the colored canister. Fessy says in an ITM he won this challenge at the beginning of the season, so “he’s feeling pretty confident” and I’m just, like, SHUT UP, FESSY. EVERYTHING YOU SAY ANNOYS ME, JUST SHUT. UP.
The guys continue to run back and forth between their stations and the canisters. Fessy and CT partake in a real wrestling match to get the canister. CT says, “Fessy’s going to see what a lion is” and I’m just like oOOOOOOOOOOOO, CT, GET ‘EM.
At one point Cory kinda lazily pushes Fessy after he’s already leaving and it makes me LOL. It’s a physical manifestation of the “FUCK YOU, FESSY” vibes.
CT wins for the boys!!
Next up is the girls’ heat, and before they can even start, they show a shot with all the girls lined up at their stations shielding their faces because the HURRICANE wind is that STRONG. It’s pelting dust up into their faces.
Kaycee gets to the top first and pulls down the canister with all the other girls jumping on top of her. They all kinda slide down the hill and start to wrestle for the canister, although it’s nowhere near as brutal as the guys heat.
Kaycee calls check first but TJ lets her know it’s not correct – still anyone’s game. Against all odds, Amber B pulls out the win complimenting her partner CT’s win.
Amber is the top agent because she did the whole thing the fastest? HOWWWWWWW? TJ asks her if she wants to switch her partners. OH SHIIIIIIIT. During the commercial break watching this live, my friend and I were like there’s NO WAY she switches from CT… he literally just won!!!! Amber asks CT if he wants to stay together to which CT agrees. So Amber agrees to stay with CT.
After the checkpoint, the challengers are back on the running part of the course. TJ releases the challengers in order of current placement so Amber B and CT get the first start, followed by Kaycee & Fessy, Kam & Cory, and lastly, Nany & Leroy
Fessy is pressuring Kaycee to go faster and faster, vs. on the contrary, we hear Leroy tell Nany he’s proud of her… WOW, THE DIFFERENCE. They all have to grab keys for something & then run back down to complete whatever it is.
Fessy continues to yell at Kaycee after they grab their key on the way down. All of a sudden, we see Kaycee take a tumble and yell out in pain. Everyone is asking her if she’s okay as they pass her but Fessy’s just motionless, like…. get up. I’m, like, can someone help this woman???!!! The way she calls out his name, she does noooooot sound good. She sounds desperately in pain.
Nany says in an ITM she can see Fessy sitting next to Kaycee with the medic thinking, “Ugh, she lost this for me. Fessy, it’s not about you for once.” THANK YOU NANY. He’s not being supportive, offering any comfort or a hand or even encouraging words!!! He’s just sitting there visibly annoyed and I’m, like, FESSY, YOU SUCK SO MUCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Amber B & CT and Nany & Leroy arrive at the second checkpoint within seconds of each other, using the key to unlock a large box/desk-sized thing. They open it up to see smorgasbord of NASTINESS, full of liters of blood, bull testicles, lamb FACE (WHICH WOULD FUCK ME UP). CT’s, like aight, what you got the face or the balls?
Kam yells at Cory to “START EATING” then apologizes when he’s like… I am, LMAOOOOOO.
Nany & Leroy arrive at the eating challenge third, Leroy says he’s good at eating so I’m PRAYING they have a chance to make up lost time at this point.
Cut back to Kaycee & Fessy still sitting with the medic on the mountain. Kaycee is visibly extremely upset, silently sobbing with a contorted face saying, “this can not be happening”. Fessy says, “you’re good” and I’m, like, wow, the world’s most comforting comforter, thanks Fessy!!!
Then we get a lovely montage of them all puking this nasty blood and other shit up & I’m, like… beautiful. What are the rules around puking cuz they all just puke it right up??? I watched this YouTube reality TV show (The Reality House, low budget, but lots of fun, LMAO) and it really is almost The Challenge. They have to do this eating challenge but you have to eat everything including anything you puke back up and I’m, like, OMFG, THAT’S BRUTALLLLL. (Also… I’m sparing you the visual… y’all saw it).
We finally see Kaycee stand up with her wrapped leg & she is not giving up. They hobble the last way down to the second checkpoint & open their box. Kaycee, despite the injured leg, start digging in. Fessy stands there doing NOTHING. NOT ONE THING.
Fessy finally asks, “How’s your knee feel?” looking for an out from Kaycee’s leg. Kaycee says “Good” with blood coming down the side of her mouth. This is code for WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? OBVIOUSLY IT FEELS BAD BUT I’M STILL DOING THIS SHIT AREN’T I??? PICK IT UP.
Fessy still doesn’t touch the food and he’s in an ITM saying it’s essentially a lose/lose for him – if he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t win and if he does eat it, they still can’t win because “Kaycee can’t walk”. Kaycee is started to get pissed and you can see she’s trying super hard to keep her composure. She’s the one with a fucked up knee who just hobbled a half mile just for Fessy to be, like, ehhhhhh no thanks, WTF. Kaycee is now begging Fessy to eat at this point.
CT & Amber B win the second checkpoint and Amber immediately pukes up a NASTY BLOOD COMBO. TJ tells them they get to punish one pair with a “dessert” plate. The episode ends with the other partner pairs begging CT & Amber not to give them the punishment. Kaycee says she’s already disadvantaged with one leg, Nany argues they’re already in last place.
We pick up episode 19 right where we left off! Amber & CT have won the second checkpoint, eating nasty shit, & get to penalize any of the remaining teams with a “dessert” ie. more nasty shit to eat, LMAO. Hindsight 2020, but I’m thinking at this point… CT & Amber are winning this final, it’s all but a given now.
Kam says, “Throw it on Kaycee, she only has one leg.” SAVAGE, KAM. CT & Amber decide to give the “dessert” to Kam & Cory. Realistically, that’s who I would have given mine to, too. They’re in second at that point!!!
Also I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention… This is the beginning of Amber’s face being blood-stained the rest of the game. I’m just, like, oh my Jesus, did you just rub it around your face? Do a little blood-exfoliating??
So after they give away their desert, CT & Amber take off for the third leg of the final. Nany & Leroy follow behind them semi-closely in second, followed by Kam & Cory in third once they finish their dessert. I thought it was beautifully cinematic when TJ confirms they’re clear to go to the next stage, and not but 2 seconds later does Cory PROJECTILE HURL, like, he was just holding that all in his mouth until TJ gave him the okay, HAHHAHAHAHA. (I’m surprised they don’t to say “Ah” & stick out their tongues?)
The next phase of the final is canoeing – The partners have to canoe out to these puzzle pieces, bring them back, and assemble the puzzle on the land. Let’s not forget this was in a “hurricane”, so it’s still extremely windy.
CT gets angry with Amber RIGHT QUICK. Leroy gets frustrated really fast as it seems like he and Nany can’t make a turn they need to because of the wind. In a building montage, the music gets louder, Leroy & Nany struggle more & more until finally we see the body-cam go into the water as the boat tips. The camera pans out to a wide shot with the empty canoe in the water. OUR PATRON REAL WORLDERS HAVE FALLEN IN AND CAN’T GET UP!!! GET UP, LEROY & NANY!!!!
Back at the food, Fessy is literally just SITTING THERE. SITTING DOWN. ON THE ROCKS. TJ’s, like… Fessy are you quitting????? Fessy’s like… no. TJ’s like…. Well then GET UP, TINA, YOU FAT LARD, GO GET YOUR DINNER IE THE FOOD CHALLENGE WITH YOUR PARTNER WHO HAS A BUM LEG AND LITERALLY JUST HOBBLED DOWN HERE!!!!
They start playing “Boys Don’t Cry” by The Cure and I’m just like oh my f-ing god, FESSY GET UP, WHAT U DOIN’, JUST TAKING A NICE LIL BREAK IN THE FINALS??? LIKE WTFFFFFFF. And then it switches to “Karma Chameleon” and I’m just like… LMFAOOOOOOO, y’all are SCORCHING FESSY RIGHT NOW. It feels good to have someone to root against, I’ll admit it.
GOD DAMN FESSY IS SO DUMB – He asks Kaycee, “So do you just swallow it?” LMFAOOOO, KAYCEE’S LIKE …. YEAH, DUDE. Then he asks her if she wants him to kill it (the pint of blood). Kaycee says “yes” & instead of Fessy chugging it like what usually one is referring to when you say “kill it”, he takes one sip & puts it back down, LMFAOOOOOOOOOO. YOU ARE A LITTLE BABY HOE, FESSY.
TJ tells them they are disqualified after they finish their eating and I’m just like OMGGGGGGGG. That is BRUTAL.
Kaycee cries talking about how much she wanted it and it’s just like…. HEART-BREAKING. Kaycee is apologies to FESSY. TO FESSY. AS IF SHE HASN’T PERMANENTLY FUCKED UP HER BODY FOR HIM & ATE THE MAJORITY OF THE FOOD. I’M SO SICK OF HIS ASS.
Back at Checkpoint 3, Kam & Cory are on the water at this point. Shortly after, Amber & CT finish their canoeing portion first (obvi), with Leroy & Nany following behind them in second. And AGAIN, CT & Amber are the first to finish the checkpoint… These mofos OBVIOUSLY are winning this whole thing at this point.
CT & Amber race to the fourth checkpoint which is a puzzle in this cave & once the challengers finish, they get to call it a night… There’s some speculation that they changed the rules because that they each their own individual puzzle but TJ blared the horn after only CT was done (Amber still working)????? TJ also says, “Okay, that’s good enough” and I’m, like, what do you mean that’s good enough???? Is it right or not???? WTFFF. It is a little sketchy, I won’t lie, but the point is CT is the first to finish the puzzle which means their whole team is done. Nany & Leroy finish second, putting Cory & Kam in third.
TJ tells the challengers they’re the remaining three teams – obviously, Kaycee & Fessy were eliminated after Fessy’s bitch-ass refused to eat.
OMG – The first time writing this before rewatching to make sure I didn’t forget anything (lol) I MISSED THIS – I COMPLETELY FORGOT TJ ASKS CT IF HE WANTS TO STAY WITH AMBER FOR THE REST OF THE FINAL. It’s supposed to be this big ole moment (same with when Amber can choose if she wants to switch partners after winning the canister code challenge) but, like… Obvi, CT’s gonna stay with Amber…. Maybe not always obvi… but this far into the finals with them winning literally every single checkpoint??? This man ain’t no fool like Fessy!!!
Amber still has a blood-stained face literally all day and night this woman is wearing blood, and I’m just, like, LMFAOOOO, CAN SOMEONE GET THIS WOMAN A DAMN NAPKIN, LIKE, ARE YOU SERIOUS???
Now it comes to the night portion of the finals challenge – TJ tells the challengers there will be three sleeping options: the first-place team, CT & Amber B, will get a geothermal sleeping bag. The second-place team, Nany & Leroy, will get a waterproof duvet cover??? Lmaoooo, like… is it just the duvet or does it have a comforter in it??? I’m so CONFUSED. Lastly the third-place team, Kam & Cory will get… a blanket. I’m like WTF!!!!!!! POOR KAM AND CORY, OMFGGGGGG. (And yet they still take second;,) What heroes;,) )
They have to take turns standing watching something??? Oh, they have to stand and HOLD A CAPSULE, oh Jesus, this is literally TORTURE. And then every time they have to switch with their partners, the awake partner has to put their face ice water for ten seconds???????? CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING LESS CALMING, LIKE, WTFFFFFFF. They don’t call it a Challenge final for NOTHING.
OMG, THIS IS SO FUCKING PRECIOUS. At one point, Leroy tries to wake up Nany to switch off with her & she replies something “unintelligible”. Leroy seems like he’s about to just let her continue sleeping, and I’m, like, OMG, LITERALLY LEROY IS THE NICEST MOST PRECIOUS PERSON TO EVER BE ON THIS SHOW. But then Kam’s, like, uh-huh, my man’s getting his sleep, Nany, get your ass up!!!
At what seems like the end of the night, Leroy tells everyone it’s his last season. CT comes alive from his sleeping bag to poke out & say, “I knew it!” (emphatically), whereas Cory seems completely shocked, saying, “Damn, Lee.” It was so innocent and cute. I’m absolutely devastated as EVER THAT IT’S LEROY’S LAST SEASON (And semi-spoilers… not even cuz I won’t say… BUT I’ve seen the cast list for season 37/who is quarantining to be on the season & let me tell you… I am disappointed… to say… the LEAST. LEROY, ROY LEE, COME BACK)
What probably feels like centuries to the challengers shivering & standing & dunking their face in ICE WATER finally concludes when TJ relieves them of the torture in the morning. He lets them know they’re on their last day of the final!
TJ explains for the next portion of the final the challengers have to race up the glacier, find a pickaxe for each of them, & then run back down and bust open their ice chunk which has a capsule in it… The capsule will become relevant somehow later in the game.
The teams leave the cave in the order of placement – CT & Amber are first with a 5-minute head start, followed by Nany & Leroy with a 2-minute head start, then lastly, Cory & Kam… And I’m, like… does that mean Nany & Leroy are 3 minutes behind CT & Amber? And then Cory & Kam are the full five minutes behind CT & Amber? Or did everyone have to wait 5 minutes, then Leroy & Nany get two minutes, then Kam & Cory get to go??? Minute details but I feel like even those two minutes could make a difference.
This thing looks AWK AS HELL TO RUN UP, omg, literally just, like… hardened-molten-lava-looking-rock that’s extremely slippery & wet. This looks insane. The wind is blowing, Amber B says in an ITM ice chips are getting in her face as she runs.
CT & Amber are the first to get their capsule free from their ice block. Nany & Leroy get their block second, with Cory & Kam following up behind them. The challengers get to another puzzle checkpoint (dropping off their capsule on the way where indicated) where they have to decode a word based on their canister code & try to guess who got there first…. Yup! CT & Amber, lmfao.
They have to run back to look at their capsule once & Amber says she will have to go back, but so far they’ve uncoded the letters “infil” & CT immediately knows it “infiltrates”. They complete the checkpoint there & then! Y’all these folks clearly have this in the bag the whole time.
Maybe I was resisting writing this recap bc ultimately the finals are some of the most boring episodes of the season, lmfaoooooo. It’s like… the finals are a culmination of everything that’s happened over the season. It’s kinda like Miley Cyrus’ 2009 hit “The Climb”. It’s about the journey to the finals – the backstabs, the blindsides, the hook-ups, the friendships (or broken ones) & then who finally wins. The actual finals is like the summit… It’s good but you realize the rest of the season is what creates the context of the win. IDK. That’s just me.
Leroy & Nany and Cory & Kam work on the puzzle side by side, and Cory says he knows they can pull into second here. Both teams finish the puzzle at about the same time & are essentially running together.
Amber says “I better get an ass after this. My booty better be looking tight”, lmaooooo, Amber, why is this the best, most interesting thing you’ve said all game.
CT & Amber get to the very last puzzle and what is it… A TANGRAM. I TOLD Y’ALL THEY’D PUT THAT IN THERE TO THROW CT A BONE. Everyone knows CT is a beast/loves tangrams, so he obviously gets it done. They go their merry way & Amber tells CT to “just keep up with my pace. That’s it” CT responds, “I can’t. You’re too fucking good. You’re really fucking good. You are. You can run, girl.” Amber laughs & says “thank you” and I’m, like, okay this is a really sweet interaction. And if it’s coming from CT’s MOUTH this girl is a beast??? This girl is a beast. We’ll give her that much.
Again, Nany & Leroy and Kam & Cory arrive almost at the same time & complete their tangram right behind each other, this time though, Kam & Cory finishing with a slight edge, officially putting Nany & Leroy in third place. DANG, IT. But go, Kam, of course.
Back over to CT & Amber, they put in this montage where it makes it seem like they get lost… And while I’m watching it the first time I’m like oH SHIT, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT LEROY NEEDED. But now that I’m watching knowing they win… They definitely were just trying to toss in some red herrings cuz like… I feel like they win this thing by a LOT.
And sure enough, right around the next corner, Amber & CT see TJ and they know the final is THEIRS. TJ tells them they’ve been rogue, they’ve been double agents, but now they’re champions!! CT runs immediately to TJ and gives him a hug, ahhahahahah, I love this kinda shit. TJ tells them, “You are the elite agents. You’re the best in the world.” TJ, THE BEST IN THE WORLD. THE BEST IN THE WORLD?????????????????? Bitch, these were 40 semi-athletic reality TV stars, they ain’t no best in the world lmfaooooooooo.
Cue the celebratory music & ITM’s of CT & Amber being, like, damn, I can’t believe we won, LOL. Hurray! CT says everything he does is for his son, he’s saved his life more times than he can say & the money will be going towards him. Sweet;,)
The last two teams are now in sight, they can see Amber & CT celebrating so they know they won, and now it’s just a race for second. Leroy sees this immediately & starts sprinting up the hill, passing Kam & Cory, but mf NANY IS STILL WALKING AND I’M, LIKE, NANY, PLEASE!!! I KNOW YOU’RE TIRED BUT THIS IS THE END. THIS IS THE END, OMFG, WOULD YOU PLEASE RUN FOR MY BOY LEROY, GOOD GOD!!!!!!!
Leroy finishes before Cory, but Kam finishes before Nany so that gives Kam & Cory the second-place finish.
Leroy says in an ITM you would think he’d be upset because he lost again, but he says he’s happy with himself and how he put it all out there, and that he couldn’t have done any better. That’s a beautiful attitude to have.
Kam is an ITM saying that she is sad for Leroy that he’s leaving with no money. She says they’ve worked so hard all season & that they knew what they were fighting for. They were fighting for more than themselves, they were fighting for people who looked like them. She says with everything going on socially, she wanted to come & make a change “here” (The Challenge). Kam, hunni, let me tell you, you did!!!!! Most diverse Challenge cast of all time, & really, one of the most diverse reality TV (mainstream-ish) casts I’ve ever seen. The most diverse group of people in the finals the show has ever seen. And the first black champion (Amber) since Nehemiah in The Gauntlet III (SEASON FIFTEEN), and the first black female champion since Janelle on Inferno III (Season 14). THAT IS AMAZING. KAM, YOU WERE A PART OF THAT.
In an interview post-win with Cory & Kam, Kam says this is her first challenge in 5 seasons where she’s leaving with some prize money so it feels good. Cory says he does it all for his family, and takes out a picture of his two girls starting to choke up. It’s so sweet. ;,) Maybe the reason he never shuts the fuck up about his daughters is because…he… loves them. Wow… How beautiful is that? This sounds sarcastic but it’s really a blatant realization, WOW.
OMFGGGGGGGGG, CT tells Cory & Kam that they got more money for second place than he did on his first win, lmfaOOOOOOOOOOOOO. These people used to really be out here fighting for like $10K. CT’s first win was season 24, Rivals II, with Wes (boo) Bergmann (His first season being The Inferno (S8), so it took him NINE TRIES before securing that win… ) with his 3 recent wins being Invasion of the Champions (S29), War of the Worlds II (S34), and now Double Agents (S36)).
Now let’s dive more into CT… By securing this win, CT now holds 4 Challenge titles, tied with Darrell Taylor, the second-highest guy challenge winner of all time (Of course, our dear Johnny Bananas is first with 7 season wins). And like I already mentioned… it took this man a LONG time for him to finally become a champ. And I was just watching Invasion of The Champions (as one does for the literally 30th time when you’re depressed) and CT during a party one night talks about how he thought that would be his last season but now he doesn’t know, he feels like he’s just getting started. Imagine if he retired!!! He wouldn’t be sitting on the fat stacks like he is now!! CT, you age like fine wine, you only get better with age, like statistically, seriously.
CT winning this season is huge. He now has two season wins in the last 3 years. No one else is on that level. He’s one of the biggest names in Challenge history, one of the most memorable and notorious cast members to ever be on the game. This is HUGEEEEEE for the game.
In the same way CT winning the game seems to validate the game… Amber winning… does the exact opposite, lmfao. Not only is it not the best for the show in terms of storyline, as she was literally the most boring person to ever come on this show, but it does also seem to invalidate the game since she wasn’t one of the top women anticipated to win. I feel bad because I don’t mean to diminish Amber’s accomplishments and that’s still a huge deal that she won, but it just feels like cheap or something that she won. She wasn’t a big player for most of the game. She didn’t make any particular crazy moves or plays. She just consistently performed, which I guess is a lot of what you want in this game.
SOOO I have mixed feelings. I’m happy CT won. Devastated Leroy lost. Confused Amber won?
Overall this season??? A pretty good one, and let’s just be grateful we got one at all. 🙂 But the party scenes… oh my god did they SUFFERRRRRRRRR. Bill Simmons & David Jacoby talked about this like every week of their Challenge recaps on the podcast Ringer Dish, but all the typical debauchery and drunkenness & fighting & hooking up was replaced by a group of adults sitting around mostly calmly talking strategy … It’s still interesting I guess but I definitely long for some old days of The Challenge. I like the twist of this season… I think. I don’t think it was as killer as they anticipated because when the partnership is based upon a real relationship, whether it be their enemy or ex or whatever, that really helps develop and drive a lot of the storylines. Moreso than just having a partner format in general does in the game.
Also… I GET why TJ did the gold skull thing… I GUESS. But I reallllllly don’t want them to bring that back. I want there to be more blindsides, I want the incentives to fall back in line to where you DON’T want to go into elimination because that means you have a 50% chance of not coming back… Whereas with the gold skull, or whatever it is where you have to win an elimination to make it to the finals, people are actually trying to go into elimination so it wipes out this whole sneaky politicking aspect of the game.
And that’s all I got y’all. 🙂 Sorry for being tardy, life is WILD, but here it is nonetheless. 🙂 Thank you so much for reading!!! Click “Follow” to enter your email & receive my blogs to your inbox every time I publish them. 🙂 TTYL & HAVE A GOOD DAY. 🙂
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