By DC Cueva
We now know who will be going at it for the cash on the men's side after Knight & Preston met their inevitable demise in the last jungle to a group of rookies who have definitely earned their way into the final. Plus, there was another fight in the house, this involving two of The Challenge's biggest names all ahead of a Rivals rematch from two years ago. And all that's left now before that punishing test known as a final challenge is the last regular mission and the last pre-final jungle, where one of the four remaining ladies teams will be eliminated and not be one of those three going for $350,000.
Back in my previous Rivals II post, I had for my favorite mission the very first one, the long jump. It was succeeded in the last episode, combining elements of the game that's closest to my heart, the physicality that defined my signature moment of this season, the cardio & stamina that will be prevalent very soon in the final, and a few things from where TJ's action sports world. Rampage saw competitors have 3 minutes to score as many baskets as they can while trying to run up a ramp wearing football gear and a crossover field where colliding into competitors is always prevalent. For those who watched the first Rivals two years ago, this was the same exact game that determined the men's final three in the last pre-final jungle, where in a rematch of the famous Cutthroat gulag, Johnny & Tyler beat CT & Adam, and eventually carried that momentum into the winners circle.
In this mission, the strengths and weaknesses of the last eight teams were both shown & exposed. CT & Wes did very well and got the maximum total of 20 balls, while Cooke continued her very good showing as a rookie. On the other side, we saw both Camila & Jemmye and Aneesa/Diem struggle to get up to the platform, while Knight also struggled in the last minute. But the biggest surprise? The last time this very event was contested on the Challenge stage on Rivals I, Johnny got his revenge on CT. What he did in 2011 now just seems like a distant memory. After seeing him struggle and leading Paula to call him "Papa," it looked in all the world that Johnny looked out of shape and very exhausted at the end of that mission that he threw up right afterwards.
While the vets would eventually dominate and his team would ultimately finish last, the one with the most impressive performance of anyone this week was also the one who came into these last two Challenges as the most unlikely newcomer. When we found that Preston was part of Team NOLA last season in Turkey, many of us thought why he was chosen over Eric and Ryan as the 2nd guy to join Knight, Jemmye & McKenzie for their debut Challenge. Well, after underperforming on BOTS and playing 2nd fiddle to his more well-known partner from Wisconsin in Asia, in this challenge Preston really performed well and was able to have the cardio endurance that was JB's undoing. And the guy who sometimes gets mistaken for Rajon Rondo also received a complement from Knight as well.
For the ladies, this week was the one that cemented Paula & Emily as the overwhelming favorites to win this season. With a sixth mission win out of the nine, it will be hard to think that they won't win the final, and this is one of the most dominating teams we've seen on The Challenge. And the men, as my dad would say "now they're cooking", as CT & Wes became the first guys team to win 3 missions and may become slight favorites to win this challenge depending upon what happens tomorrow. But after the fight that they had with Johnny on several things, and the animosity that's been built between Wes & Johnny, this has certainly brought the red head and the Bostonian closer. Not to mention, CT has the continuing storyline of him & Diem that we saw in this episode too, where she made out with him & then passed out.
In the jungle, we saw the same game that saw the heartbreaking early exit by Zach & Trey when Thor had the emotions get the best of him and then, through Trey's camera when he knocked that glass when he wasn't supposed to, had that victory slip away from him. So for this second contesting of Breaking On Through, both Marlon/Jordan and Knight/Preston had to be extra cautious in not reliving the ordeal of that shocking result that took out one of the contenders early. Team Portland were the overwhelming favorites and also had the inspiration of being the team that was voted in to face Team NOLA. And Jordan came with something very cleaver: when they broke the glass going down into the 2nd floor, they decided to be efficient & speedy when it came to cutting that chain. But Knight & Preston cutting that chain slowly but surely proved to be their downfall, while Marlon & Jordan would work well together to win this jungle handily, earn their ticket to the final and assuring themselves of, at worst, a $15,000 paycheck flying home.
For Knight and Preston, another Challenge, another elimination exit, but not before a jungle win and just missing out on the finals. For Knight, he did just about everything I had on the bucket list I had for him: improve on his competitive performance from Turkey, get in a fight or two (with Marlon), and make us laugh (those one-liners). While you might not like how he plays in these shows, he does bring comic relief & a sense of humor to both the house and his interviews. And for Preston, he really came into his own in that mission and proved why he deserved to be that 2nd guy representing NOLA on these two Challenges. Don't be surprised if either or both get called back. Only question: will Preston handle living in the same house as Knight once again?
If you were, like I did, one of those who got to know and watch Jordan & Marlon during Real World Portland this spring and then had them as one of those who could contend to be in the top 3 going into the final, consider yourself amongst the luckiest people on earth now. In a deeply stacked field full of some of the big names & fellow newcomers, Team Rookies have definitely made a name for themselves with what has to be the best rookie performance ever on the Challenge, far exceeding San Diego's easy road last year. Like what we saw with Leroy & Mike on Rivals I, these two first-timers flew to this Challenge (along with Jessica & Anastasia) with their RW having not aired yet and everyone else in the blue of what they have in store competitively. The combination of the All-Big XII experience Marlon had on the gridiron in Lubbock and Jordan being versatile in a number of sports despite having only one full hand has made their rookie campaign all the more impressive. Something the bromance didn't do in Costa Rica was that the Portlanders went into elimination not once, but twice. And not only did they win both, they also took out a contender - Leroy & Ty - in stunning fashion in their very first jungle. And they were also brave enough to handle the politics very well, even sacrificing an alliance they had with Theresa just to keep themselves in the game. They definitely earned their way into the final and deserve all the respect they're receiving.
For the girls, they will have the final say in who the final six overall pairs will be going into the final when the last jungle determines who the three finalists for the girls will be tomorrow. What's certain is that there's no way the guys will vote for Paula & Emily into the jungle should they not win the last mission, and they should be able to either place 1st or 2nd in that. And the streak that started in Prague of players who won the last pre-final elimination and then won the final challenge should come to an end. What's uncertain is who will join them in the final, which should be a bit of a toss-up of three scenario.
Should Diem & Aneesa step up after not doing well last week, setting aside the distraction of CT and be among those two teams joining them in the final, then Paula & Emily's run to the winners circle will be a little bit harder since both of them have the experience. But I believe that while they might not win should they go to the final, they'll be able to push the favorites harder to get the job done.
If Diem & Aneesa aren't in the final and Cooke/Cara Maria & Camila/Jemmye join Paula/Emily, those two teams will just play for $35,000 & $15,000 - it's practically game over and it's gonna be a cakewalk for Paula/Emily. Both those two teams don't have the combination of endurance & CrossFit experience both Paula/Emily have and the super team should easily run away with the cash.
For the guys, it's much more competitive than what could possibly happen in the girls draw. And it's déjà vu all over again: we'll have just about the same scenario that we saw back in Argentina: two teams with veterans in both - with a couple key players from the first Rivals, and a third team of rookies making their debut & earning their finals ticket the hard way in hanging with the vets. We have Johnny on one team with Frank; Wes in another with CT, and team rookies Jordan & Marlon. But going into what's certain to be another epic final and clearly the most competitive of the two fields, what happens in this last mission will determine where these teams will be ranked going to next week.
- Seeing the flaw on full display of Johnny being exhausted & throwing up at the end of Rampage, and also not being entirely fit for this season as he has been in previous challenges, will play a factor in the homestretch. Should he & Frank not do well in this last mission, and finish behind both CT/Wes & Jordan/Marlon, they'll be where the rookies are, underdogs going into the final. So, they must be able to step up in order to have a shot these next two weeks in Johnny's drive for five & a three-peat and Frank's quest for back-to-back challenge wins.
- For CT & Wes, they became the first guys pair to win three missions this season, and after getting some help in that 1st win, they earned two straight mission wins. While it might be impossible for the last jungle winners to win the final this time around, this is a game of momentum and it's all starting to come together for both of them. If they're able to do well in this last mission and then in the final, and both overcome the haunting memories of them struggling & losing the last time they competed in a final (which was featured in flashbacks during that fight with Johnny), then my prediction for CT & Wes to win this season will be realized.
- For Team Portland, as it was for Leroy & Mike two years ago, Marlon & Jordan have nothing to lose, especially knowing they have cashed $15,000. They weren't involved in the veterans' drama (or much drama aside from the Theresa vote & hookups), and they as expected beat Team NOLA to get to the final. Depending upon what happens this week, they will have an outside shot of shocking the veterans in the final, and if they can put up a good performance this week, they'll have a better shot of finishing ahead of one of the veterans & turn $15K into $35K.
So, my predictions for this week are:
> GIRLS - Win: Paula & Emily / Place: Cooke & Cara Maria / Show or Cut: tie - Camila & Jemmye or Diem & Aneesa
> GUYS (order for their mission) - 1st: CT & Wes / 2nd: Marlon & Jordan / 3rd: Johnny & Frank
> JUNGLE: Pick 'em between Camila & Jemmye and Diem & Aneesa
So, lets wait it all out and grab that popcorn, should be a good one tomorrow. And lastly, wanna send much love & respect to the band Northern Son, and fellow Milpitas Trojans OJ & Kyle, whose music was featured on last week's episode. OJ sent me a message on FB to thank me for the shoutout...Juice, you're welcome bud.
My social media platforms, DC Blog & Twitter @dc408dxtr, will follow the quest for the cash from Thailand to its conclusion: from my As DC Sees It live tweets to taking part in cast chats, plus these blogs. I'll write a wrap up of the two halves of this season as well as the season finale in the coming days, which will cover the cast's one-liners & tweets and my analysis. Should any of my followers go to the live reunion, expect me to give them the scoop from Times Square right here. And I'm just starting to begin the buildup to the upcoming Real World taking place right here in my Bay Area backyard. Elsewhere, check out my Instagram for pics from my travels & other things: Instagram.com/dc408dxtr with more to come at www.youtube.com/user/dc408dxtr and www.flickr.com/photos/dccueva.
If you haven't had the chance, check out my previous DC BLOG articles relating to Rivals II:
- More on my HS friends' music as heard in last EP: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/08/rivals-ii-what-big-news.html
- Memories of all of the Rivals II cast: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/08/rivals-ii-memories-memories-memories.html
- SocialPulse of Episode 1 (adult language): http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/07/rivals-ii-countdown-real-world-nola.html
- Who Are These Newbies?: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/07/rivals-ii-who-are-these-newbies.html
- 11:11, Inspired by Trey: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/07/dc-blog-1111.html
- PDX Reunion Revealed: http://dc408dxtr.blogspot.com/2013/07/real-world-portland-as-they-saw-it.html
Until then, thanks for reading, have fun, and enjoy Rivals II. And happy back to football, too.
- DC
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