@DC408dxtr
Okay, here we are. Back on March 10th, in the middle of the night on an early Monday morning when I couldn't go to sleep somehow, it was yours truly, this super fan and virtual friend of Team MTV, who ignited all the buzz by being the first to post on his Instagram pictures that had just been posted inadvertently on MTV's mobile site. Then exactly a month later on April 10th, we kicked off MTV's The Challenge: Free Agents with 28 people of varying backgrounds all being forced to play this game in teams, pairs, and ultimately, individuals. And I've been fortunate enough to complete the cycle of having interacted in the social media world with every single competitor on this cast.
And now two months later, with the summer solstice having taking place this weekend and 22 competitors having flown home from Uruguay, we have kicked off the final challenge, which will culminate tonight. As always, the final in every Challenge historically produces great drama with endurance, stamina, patience and stirring all kinds of emotions, all determining who will come out on top. But what we saw at the beginning of this final, it may be a done deal with the favorites being up big over the other competitors. But as I say, you never know what could happen, and anything can happen. It could become anyone's game at any time.
The six remaining competitors that have kicked off this final challenge in Chile - all of them assured of $15,000, should they complete the entire 5-stage course - have had varying roads to the final. One is favored to win his 5th Challenge, another is looking for his 2nd title in 3 seasons, a third is odds-on to win her first title, a fourth has finally gotten over the hump into her first final, and two others have rode a wave of good luck to the final without going into elimination, for which half of this super six won at least one of them. And though some people might have an issue over whether competitors should get a free pass or being sent in to prove themselves, what they can't argue is that each of the finalists have won a mission this season.
Now as you probably read in previous posts, we at DCBLOG like to look at ourselves as more of a complementary site for Challenge fans, supplementing the power rankings, recaps and cast interviews by filling in the gap with twitter interaction and stories relating to the show and the cast. Thus, as we did for last season on Rivals II, I don't make predictions on who will win until the final. But I did look at those who could either win, contend or sneak into the final. For the guys I had Bananas and CT as those who could possibly win, while those I had to contend were Zach, Jordan, Frank, Dustin and Leroy. And for the girls, it's certainly a weaker field than that we had last year in Thailand, and I had among those who could win or contend be Laurel, Cara Maria, Camila, Theresa, Nany, Aneesa and Jonna. In the end, I succeeded in getting a couple competitors right, and those who had Devyn & Johnny in the final are certainly celebrating getting that long-shot money.
THE NEXT FOUR
Now, before we look at the Super Six, some perspective on those four who had the unfortunate undoing of losing the last eliminations before the final. And for three of them, I honestly believe that they are destined to eventually win and losing just before the final will eventually fuel them to finally getting the win, which will make the victory even more sweeter.
- Cara Maria: This was Cara Maria's 7th straight Challenge, and Free Agents represented her best shot at finally garnering her first win. But it was an eventul season to say the least for our favorite redhead. Winning all three of her elimination battles, she appeared to become the best shot of taking down Laurel in the final. And then when her bestie was cheering against her in that 3rd battle, she would suffer an injury to her hand that would ultimately hamper her chances. And when Cara faced Laurel in that last draw in Uruguay, the writing was on the wall, plus there was a lot of emotion that she has to endure all throughout the season. So it stings that she went home early that I had her in my top 3, but will certainly make her stronger as she seeks to grab that first finals win.
- Leroy: After winning the last elimination round we saw in regulation - him ending Cohutta's run, we thought that Leroy would have his best shot at finishing in the money, but once again he lost in elimination. Leading up to that Oppenheimer win, we really haven't seen much of him during the season, and we all wondered if Mr. Lean Body can live up to what we expected of him when he went all the way on Rivals and lost early on Exes & Rivals II. It certainly stings to lose this close, but just like his Vegas buddy Brandon, Leroy always exhibits class both in victory & defeat. And we always like when a good guy like him can win these. The training he does on the side should help him get there.
- Theresa: To come this close to making a first Challenge final and losing the very last elimination battle before it must be the most depressing feeling you could have on these shows, and it must've been for Theresa. After going through bad luck in the past and being as athletic as any other strong girl on these shows, T.Time wanted an individual Challenge more than ever and regardless of whether she got to the final or not, she already had her best showing yet. She won a couple missions this season - more legit than the thrown one last year - and if what we saw in her b'ball skills in the premiere is any indication, her time to win will be coming sooner than we think.
- CT: It might be a bummer to lose the last pre-final elimination, especially when fans revolt over the rubber match of a rivalry that began with a backpack on Cutthroat followed by a rematch on Rivals leading to a puzzle pyramid rather than a physical showdown. But for someone who came to this for the first time as champion, CT already had nothing much to prove, other than looking to win his 2nd straight Challenge. The statement he made that he will be back, and also the good luck message he gave to Bananas is a good sign that after winning in Thailand last year, is proof he is eager to add more to his resume.
THE SUPER SIX
Now, to DCBlog's look at the Super Six. It might be slightly weaker than the final six we had last year, but when you have four previous finalists represented in it, it's still a very good field, and everyone's won at least one mission this season.
- BANANAS: When you win this many times, you're expected to add more allure to your legend. That's what's happening here with Johnny Bananas. Being a relatively newbie to this, I only saw him for the first time on these Challenges when I binge-watched the entire season of Rivals exactly a year ago this week when he & Tyler won. And when I saw Bananas on Rivals II, everybody gave him and most of the power players the easy way into the final by not even voting him in and not going into the jungle even once. But what happened last year in Thailand wasn't indicative of what his fans expect from him: he was paired w/ someone he never met before, he wasn't at 100% after taking that 1-season break and he gassed out in the last guys challenge which eventually cost him in the final. This season has been much different. And for someone who's not had the company of friends Kenny and Evan since they were in Costa Rica, Bananas has had to compete basically by himself, and he's had to work even harder than ever. More so than in previous seasons, Bananas was voted in, not 1, not 2, but 3 times, which was also, aside from Rivals, this was also my first time seeing him put into elimination. He won over Isaac, then he made a huge statement in winning over Jordan, and finally he beat CT in an elimination rubber match to claim his finals spot, much like what happened in both Argentina and in the Dominican Republic. He also made his point politically too. If he wins this, it's gonna be a Triple Crown that Bananas will have accomplished: he's won a Challenge in a team format - Ruins & Island; he's won a Challenge in a pairs format - with Tyler on Rivals & Camila on Exes; and he looks favored to win a Challenge in an individual game. He's already got the most final appearances and the most prize money. Now he's looking in very good shape to win his 5th Challenge win.
- ZACH: Other than if you're Bananas, CT or a power player who's expected to be there, it's always a great accomplishment for anyone to get to a Challenge final, and if you do it two times in your first few seasons doing this, it's just as cool as winning two challenges. That's the case for Zach, who's into his 2nd final in three seasons, and who came into this season with a lot to prove. As a rookie with a wide receiver background and a great physique, he and Team San Diego cruised to victory in the BOTS final in Namibia, won a few missions and won two arenas including the one that made me a Challenge fan: his win over CJ in a top-10 elimination battle. Then on Rivals II, he began where he left off when he & Trey won the first two missions, but of course Thor was the victim of a gut-wrenching DQ when they lost by default to Leroy & Ty by way of a technicality. There, he was driven to overcome the memories of that jungle, and it has served him well this season. He was the last man standing in the trivia contest, beat Brandon easily in his only elimination trip, and partnered with CT to win the balls mission. Although fans are clamoring for a old-timers comeback & showdown, I believe that among this new crop of competitors, Zach as the strongest guy, and if somehow he recovers from streaming down the river with Devyn, overtakes Bananas and wins, he will eventually become one of the new faces in the next generation of Challengers. He would be the only two-time Challenge winner from a Real World who's still in his 20's, and have more prize money than power players Derrick and Landon.
- JOHNNY: I'll suspect only a handful of you reading this actually watched Real World Portland, and this summer break will likely give those who haven't the time to sample the original season of a group who I've followed since just after filming ended in Oregon. This is the 2nd straight season that PDX has made it to the end, and if you're very lucky having anyone from PDX in your final 3, it's just about the same if you're Johnny. This is a fella who came to this after breaking up with PDX girlfriend Averey. Then he came here and we thought that he might go in since he's a rookie. But he's performed reasonably well this season, and won a couple missions along the way. And of course, the thing that brought him to the final is that Johnny dodged all these bullets to avoid going into every draw he was eligible for, enough to even garner his own lucky coin from the Show Blog. If he overcomes the odds and Bananas & Zach to win, it'll be one of the most improbable wins ever, especially with the stacked field he's been in. But from hearing Cara on her SC with Murtz Jeffer last week, JR is actually someone who's focused more on the game than making noise in the house, and other than for being part of the Nany/Cohutta triangle or seeing him compete, hasn't been featured much this season. This makes him a sleeper pick to perhaps finish in 2nd, and he currently holds 2nd position at the beginning stages of the first part of the final. We always like it when good guys win, and for those might harbor bad feelings toward a few in this final group, Johnny will be the one those can root on to pull off the impossible.
Now for the ladies...
- LAUREL: When we first found out about this Challenge XXV cast, everyone pretty much had Laurel as the one to beat among the girls this season, especially when you don't have the presence of CrossFit queen Emily or the newlywed mom Paula to deal with among the female powe players. As is the case with Bananas, I only saw Laurel for the first time on Rivals, where she finished 2nd just as she did in her two previous starts. But I've already established a very good rapport with her thanks to her being among the first from Team MTV to follow me on twitter and her making good YouTube covers. This season she has made her mark as if she never left after Rivals, and she proved she was on appear the strongest girl on this season by winning the 2nd mission with Cohutta, the 5th one w/ the food and a few other ones too. She's also impressed me so much this season in being sent into elimination multile times, much like Bananas, but with an additional trip to there. She beat Jasmine in Balls In, then took down Aneesa in Oppenheimer, beat out Cara Maria at the wall, and defeated Theresa to earn her finals berth. So when you win four eliminations and a few missions, it's no dispute why Laurel was the betting favorite to win. And as she is in the lead at the 1st stage, consider these facts: she has won the most eliminations while maintaining a clean sheet of not losing, having the most appearances without being sent home earlier, and if this stays as is, she'll surpass Evelyn to become the winningest female in terms of prize money, and the local girl - Carley - will finally company among those from the FM2 class in winning the top prize.
- NANY: Nany might not have gone into elimination once this season via vote or the draw, but when you win half of the missions contested in Uruguay, including the last two, there's not much you can dispute on why she deserves to be in the top three. For the fourth time in five seasons, someone from a standout Real World season and cast in Back to Las Vegas will be represented in a Challenge final. And with the strongest girls already being eliminated, Nany now represents 2nd choice in cashing in on the $125K prize. After coming up short of the final in her two previous starts - losing in BOTS arena w/ Alton to Team STT and then on Rivals 2 w/ Jonna to Cooke/CM, she finally finishes in the money in going to her first final. There was some doubt about what she's able to do physically coming into Uruguay, but in winning Dugout with Theresa and then teaming with Bananas to conquer the endurance/puzzle Crossover, and narrowly escaping elimination in that last vote, plus winning other missions too, she's finally come into her own here on her third try. Nany is already one of my favorite people on these shows, having interacted with her many times since she gave me a twitter follow before she appeared on her first Challenge, and if she takes down Laurel & win, it will be a game changer for her. She would become the first from her XXV cast to win, and would be the first RW female to win an individual Challenge, which is also the case with...
- DEVYN: Okay, like it or not, if you had Devyn in your Top 3, two things will happen to you: you'll be jumping for joy nailing that long-shot money to picking an underdog to show in the final 3, and you'll probably be made fun of on twitter for picking someone who you'd rather spot shopping for shoes on 5th Avenue than see her in the gym, and her going to her 2nd straight final in as many appearances. Whether or not you like how she got into this final without ever going to elimination (and for which her only elimination was the infamous Big Easy/Camila meltdown, which she won by default), Dev proved this season that playing a good political game could get you into the money, and she's done exactly that in being the only one from Team Brooklyn represented here for most of this time. On paper, you would think that she has absolutely no shot at winning and might have a good shot of not even completing a final and cashing in on at least $15,000. But when you're someone who has been to the final in your first two tries and has only been to elimination only once & won, it's hard to think why Devyn should have her place in Challenge lore, and not just for entertainment value in providing great commentary & laughs. If she wins, it'll be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, and will overtake my memory of her being dressed up as Nicki Minaj for Halloween as my fave moment of her.
Now, my predictions. It's both predictable and unpredictable, however you put it. You've got someone who's won this four previous times & favored to not only win but also garner a unique triple crown on this show. Another has already bounced back from last year in Thailand to get to his 2nd final in 3 seasons, and could become a new power player on here should he take out the win. And a third, a fella with Irish descent in his family, has rode a wave of luck to get here in his 1st try. But in the end, it should be experience that will rule this, and seniority will prevail.
- GUYS > 1st: BANANAS > 2nd: ZACH > 3rd: JOHNNY
For the ladies, it's the same thing, but a bit weaker than what we've seen in the past. We've got someone who earned her way here by winning several missions and by the hard way of winning four eliminations. We have someone who finally has 3rd times the charm in going to her first final. And we've got a lady who got here by just pure luck but by also playing very well politically. In the end though, the one who started this as the favorite should come away victorious in the end.
- GIRLS > 1st: LAUREL > 2nd: NANY > 3rd: DEVYN
So, after all that, nothing much more to say than, get that popcorn ready. Should be a barn burner.
Now, if you haven't had the chance, and with the courteous reminder to bookmark this very site, check out all of my previous DC SocialPulse diaries & wraps covering every episode & tweet from this Free Agents season. If you missed a tweet or two from other episodes or want to get caught up on the twitter interaction, then you know why I present this as a public service to Challenge fans. This is perhaps the most renowned aspect of DCBLOG and I & my friends have put in long hours in our spare time every week since January to piece together the play-by-play of every episode in this Free Agents season, RW Ex-Plosion and season 1 of Are You The One?, 34 episodes in all - running on 35, and it makes my hobby of blogging such a great one. (caution: all these posts contain adult language):
Also, with RW Back to Vegas being represented in its fourth Challenge final in five seasons, and with sort of an awkward transition having to link Nany with the guy she had to endure at the Hard Rock, check out my post on how a technical gadget could give bad boy Adam some positive credibility.
And if you'd like a backgrounder on who Devyn, Johnny and Laurel, and other newbies from this season, check our my Who Are These Newbies? post.
With the finals in full swing, the entire DC Social Net will follow the quest for the cash from Chile. Tonight, DCNOW at @DC408DXNow will be doing live tweeting of the finale and reunion for West Coast viewers, customized to also include cast & fans tweets in real time. As I will have today & tomorrow off, this is not the only event that I'll be live tweeting on this busy Thursday. In addition to today's USA soccer match earlier I'll also be live tweeting the NBA Draft before the finale with the picks as they are announced on stage by Commissioner Adam Silver and any activity that takes place inside & outside the draft floor, especially all the free agency frenzy.
After the finale & reunion wraps up out west, or if you're on Team No Sleep and is still up at about 3AM ET, join me on Beamly at Beamly.com search "DC Cueva" where I will be conducting a chat on the Free Agents page to discuss all that will transpire in the finale, whether the players you wanted to win deserve that title and all the reunion scoop too. And of course since I'm off on Friday, I'll be burning the midnight oil to compile the final edition of SocialPulse until at least the fall, giving fans the full tweet by tweet of the finale & reunion. And I'll be reaching out to one or two from the reunion as well.
Finally, follow my primary account @DC408Dxtr for the usual tweets, chats with fans & followers and Team MTV, and alerts to MTV-related material & DCBLOG posts; along with my Instagram, also at @DC408dxtr. Until I talk to you on twitter tonight, & back here at the 'Blog in the days after, for now thanks for reading, stay cool and see you then. And to Bananas, Laurel, Nany, Johnny, Zach and Devyn, good luck. May the best competitor win.
- DC
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