The Challenge: Free Agents - Down to the Wire

By DC Cueva

@DC408dxtr

We are into June now and for sports fans, it's a very good stretch we are in right now. The Stanley Cup Final got underway last night with the LA Kings winning 3-2 over the NY Rangers in OT, and of course the NBA Finals tip off tonight w/ the Spurs hosting the Heat in the first Finals rematch since the Jordan era. We also have French Open finals this weekend, U.S. Open golf next week at Pinehurst, and kicking off in a couple weeks, the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

   And with California Chrome being a 1.5-mile stroll at Belmont away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 36 years on Saturday, we are approaching the stretch run of the 25th season of that so-called 5th major sport, otherwise known as The Challenge. A couple months after we saw a grueling opening mission take place in the large skyscraper & ending with a epic elimination battle, tonight we enter the final few furlongs of Free Agents.

   Whenever the number of competitors left in a Challenge season is at 50% or below from when it all began at the beginning, it means the tension will be getting more tense, the nerves starting to chill with every mission, and all sorts of feelings coming knowing they're either one step closer to the cash or to the airport, and don't be surprised if the competitors buckle under the pressure. And the buildup will eventually climax with when those final competitors leave for that final challenge with $350,000 awaiting them.

Before my review and my predictions, to my evaluations on this season, and after being reintroduced to this world a couple years ago, I feel like now I'm more of a Challenge fan than I was at this time last year before entering Thailand. Although The Real World will always take precedent to me, from watching BOTS, Rivals, Rivals II & Free Agents and some of the older seasons, I've gained a great appreciation for this show and for the competitors. It does have that house drama I'm used to on the legacy series, but my great love of sports and the strong rapport with this large community of cast members have made it easier for me to embrace Challenges.

   For this season, it's been very good. With both a fresh new format and this being an individual-based season, Free Agents has been totally different with the twist that makes it hard to predict who stays or goes home, and that's what makes this a very good season for a competitive standpoint. We've seen some very good competitors go by the wayside even before we've reached halfway, and entering tonight we've seen six previous finalists lose in the Draw (Aneesa, Camila, Chet, Dustin, Jemmye & Jordan), and a 7th - Frank - being sent home over being sick. At the same time, we've seen some competitors surprise us by outperforming their expectations and winning us over by making good, respectable runs. For that, Preston, Latoya and Swift went much farther than most of us expected and have gained great respect in the Challenge community.

   For the missions that we've seen up to now, there's been some good ones which have tested how all the competitors can do with a team - large & in fours, with a partner and by themselves, and in various forms which, as it was on BOTS, has been able to identify the competitors & pretenders in the quest to be the best all-around competitor, much like what we see at the U.S. Open. From the grueling opening one 40 stories above, to drag racing, trivia, soccer and beyond, they have all tested the competitors' strength, skill, brains and ability to even handle the funny stuff too. And I've also enjoyed the eliminations too. With Oppenheimer, Balls Out, Wrecking Wall and Tug, we've had a great battle or two in them, including a couple girls proving what they're made of, and a third having to eat his words.

   I can liken what we've seen this season to what we see at a major golf or tennis tournament in that anyone can either win, contend or even get eliminated early. Seeing some of these rookies hold their own with the vets, and some top contenders getting ousted early, much like what we saw with Roger Federer over in Paris last week, has made it more exciting for fans than in past seasons. Obviously, we've been waiting to see an individual Challenge for the last five years and though it's not a Duel III and there's more of those who's done 0-3 Challenges than those who's done 4 or more, it's still a fresh format that's been able to identify the candidates of who's the best when they have just themselves to be accounted for.

   And as I wrote in my preview, this Draw process, plus the premium being placed on winning missions to save winners from immunity, have given the newcomers, especially those who are on their 1st/2nd shows & normally prone to being sent home first, a greater sense of safety and have made the vets more vulnerable than in past seasons. Proof of the ladder has come in two of the favorites being sent to elimination and, of course, some big names losing earlier than expected. It's the unpredictability of all this that has made this season much more exciting than a predictable one where you know someone, especially a veteran or two, would ultimately run things and win.

Now, just as was the case last year on Rivals II, I don't do any predictions or power rankings on the competitors until the halfway point of the season. But the dozen that are left in Uruguay know that while the big names of Bananas, CT, Laurel & Cara Maria are still in the house and likely shoo-ins to get to the final, they have already bested seven previous finalists. Obviously, they can thank, in no small part, the twist of the Draw that has determined who goes in elimination by just a flip of a kill card rather than house politics. For the guys, it's Bananas, Cohutta, CT, Johnny, Leroy and Zach; while for the girls, it's Cara Maria, Devyn, Jessica, Laurel, Nany and Theresa.

   Just as it was last year, I believe that the veterans should and will win. But this season, there are competitors who, while not as strong or experienced as others, have surprised me & everyone else with making a deep run or exceeding our initial expectations. Of the twelve who enter week 9, two of them stand out.

- For the guys, Cohutta has proved that he is someone to be reckoned with, even if a 5-year absence  hasn't hurt him a bit. What he's done from him is obviously a great accomplishment: he was the only guy to clear the log in the opener, he won week 2 w/ Laurel, having a great relationship with Nany, a night on the town just for him on his birthday, and acing his interviews too with great one-liners especially during the trivia. And last week, he added some further cred to his comeback by winning over Preston comfortably in the Oppenheimer. I, along with some other fans, believe he is the dark horse who's been underrated and has a great chance to sneak into the three.

- For the girls, it's Jessica. Last year, she got the usual rookie treatment when she & Ana were sent in and lost in their very first elimination on Rivals II. That led her to adopt a rigorous fitness routine that has seen its dividends pay off this season. Of course, who can forget her clutch performance under pressure at the beginning of this as she bravely crossed that log and conquered her fear of heights. She then followed that up with a number of other great performances too, and was the only one who didn't go into the Draw until a couple weeks ago. If she can stay out of the bottom tier of in these next 3 missions and perform very well, then Portland will be in the final again.

I'm not gonna make a judgement on who wins or who goes home until we get to the elite eight, but I will make a couple points...it's very clear: Bananas, CT, Laurel and Cara Maria should be able to make it to the final, barring if any of them get voted into elimination or draw the kill card. But there's very good competition among the rest of the competitors that any one could play their way into the final six. But, I believe it will be a long shot for Devyn to make it to her 2nd final in as many starts and it would be a miracle if she does pull it off, but as we've seen, anything is possible. So don't count her out.

   For the guys, they're so deeply stacked and all have won a mission that any one of the four among Cohutta, Leroy, Johnny and Zach could make it in, and if either Bananas or CT struggle in any of these last three missions, then that door will be swung wide open for two of them to be in the money. Four of the last six among the guys have been to a final & three have won, a fifth is a returnee who's impressed us greatly this year and a sixth is a rookie who's already outperformed two fellow Portlanders.

   For the girls, it's almost the same thing. Theresa, Nany and Jessica all have reasonable to very good shots to join Team Black at the final starting line. Having seen them perform well to get here, both Latinas and Princess Hulk can make very good points at why they should be in their first final. It might be weaker than last season's female cast, but we know one thing: the lady who emerges victorious will win her first Challenge final and will have a target on their back when they go on the next one.

   So, I will leave the rankings to everyone else, and watch with anticipation who takes the next step. If one of the top names wins tonight's mission, they should be a shoo-in to go into the last week or two with some momentum right to the final. If a newcomer takes down the win, it's gonna be a game changer & anyone will be prone to taking that next flight home. Should be a fun last few weeks.

With the usual reminder to follow me @DC408Dxtr on Twitter, tonight should be the busiest night that I'll have on DCNOW since I launched my 2nd twitter hub a couple months ago. And there's two events going on, and because I live out here, I'll be able to watch both & not pick one or the other. First, Game 1 of the NBA Finals comes up at 9pm ET/6pm PT as the Spurs host the Heat in the first Finals rematch since the Bulls/Jazz sequel in 1998. Afterwards, or at least an hour after the final buzzer, it'll be Free Agents, at least here out west. And this is a good time for me to remind you to follow me @DC408Dxtr for live tweets of both events tonight and so much more coming up there.

   After the episode wraps up here tonight, I plan on signing onto Beamly to do a mini-chat session with west coast fans (and anyone who's on Team No Sleep) on the Free Agents page to get your view, that's at BEAMLY.com and search "DC Cueva." And of course, I'll be staying up and burning the midnight oil to compile every single tweet for DCBLOG's SocialPulse diary and write up on tonight's episode, which I'll have it up over the weekend. Also there, I'll have info on how I can involve you in my Fan's View post for the Reunion which was taped over the weekend and will post just after the finale.

   Now until I talk to you on Twitter for hoops and challenge, thanks for reading and see you then.

- DC