SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Caffing Confessionals. My name is Alan, and I'm joined by my podcast co-host Luke. What's up, guys? We are missing our other podcast co-host, Zoe, but we are still here to talk about the challenge cutthroat episode nine. I mean, just like we've gone from three to two this week, the teams have gone from three to two, and the new gray team, which has the members of blue, which were Annalee, Cassidy, no, Anna Lee, Letty, and Cara, are now on gray and they have to pick a captain.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

For me, I felt like Chris should be captain. I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter, and we're gonna talk about rules later, but like if I were one of those women, I would feel bad enough for him. But then again, it's the challenge. So I'd also want to be captain.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Yeah, Chris, you walk in and it's like he already was the captain of great team. So it's like, okay, but if you're joining gray team, then shouldn't he just still be the captain? Um, on top of that, you know, because he's the only man, he's going to go into elimination anyway. He's won a championship, he seems like a fair guy. Why not just make him captain?

SPEAKER_03 1:17

I have no clue. And my question when this episode started, even if so, let's say Chris is captain, it doesn't mean anything. Like, is he gonna have to go in? Is there any way for Chris to be safe? We find this out later, which I think is BS, but I really don't know how they could have made this fair because you don't want to penalize the orange team for like not having two members of their team DQ'd like the other two, but then it really puts Chris in the worst situation ever, where like his back's against the wall anytime there's a men's day from no fault of his own.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Yeah, it's just that DQ just sent this season spiral in so many different ways. And again, the fact that we didn't see it is really annoying, and then the ensuing social media reactions have been very interesting. Um, I actually do think Paramount kind of succeeded in scooting it out of the road because people were upset, but it hasn't been cataclysmic, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

It hasn't, and I think there have been certain cast members from past seasons who have like came out to critique it, but do their critiques has also made people be like, oh, well, they couldn't show because they were playing Uno allegedly, or maybe they didn't have cameras up and it was an off day. And like, I still think it's heinous. And as a fan, I wanted to see it addressed, but also as a fan, I know it happened. So there's really not like the level of they're not telling us the truth. The truth is out there, they're just not the vehicle to bring us the truth.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, there was uproar, but not enough to like flip the tables to where they would have to, you know, proceed to put a disclaimer in the future episode or acknowledge it. And they're just moving along by. Um, it was also interesting watching the little scene between all the players like proclaiming why they should be captain. Um, because you have Chris make his thing, which I think is was the one that made the most sense because he is a good defendable player. But then you have Agent be like, Oh, I was in the final last season, so I was so close, I know what it's like. And then you have Carl Roll Horizon be like, Well, I've been to the most finals, which is like, Carl, why didn't you say this all these weeks ago when you could have been the blue team captain?

SPEAKER_03 3:30

Right. And I probably would have said you've also lost a ton of finals too. I have a question though, before we move past the DQ thing, because I I genuinely am curious about your opinion on this. I think I know your answer, but I'm gonna ask regardless. I know it's episode nine, but we just lost four men. Have we lost value in the alt player, or is it too deep into the season? And before you give your like gut reaction, if they broke the rules of conduct, these three men, the challenge probably did not pay them. They probably said, you're not getting this pay, like you're being fined, whatever the case may be. Like essentially you're tarnishing what the season could be. So we're withholding pay. Could we not have gotten anybody just flown in? And even if it was like, all right, if you want to join this game, this is a cutthroat game, like pick three men, you gotta beat all of them. They're sticking around regardless, but like here you go. And I know people would be so mad about that, but I'm mad that it just seems like half the season got taken away.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

It's so frustrating. And you know what? This is where like the tough part about this is like the appearance fee aspect. Because as people have like figured out, like the more seasons you've done on the challenge, the more expensive it is to bring in. So when you think about the idea of like, oh, wouldn't it have been great if they flew in this person? And was like, well, that person would have cost this much money because they would have had to pay them an appearance fee, and so on and so forth. So the alternates you probably should have brought in were like first slash second season players who we probably saw last season, like someone like Gabe. Or how about Yeremy, who was on last season, and was he an alternate this season? Um but like people like of that elk or someone who was on 39 that we haven't seen in a while. Um, bring in those type of players and then have them duke it out in the way you're kind of saying. How about you throw four of them in and have them compete in a challenge in the top two, then join one team each?

SPEAKER_03 5:32

Yeah, and I could be totally off base with this. I think there are people like Zach Nichols, Polly, Devin's not doing much, like even some of these like vets that you could say, listen, we cannot give you the full rate we typically would because we're nine episodes in. But if you really want that, like you know, yourself thrown back in the ring, like this could be a shot. I know that personally I would have loved it and been like this is a cool, like, like zhuzh to the game. I also can understand the side of like, well, that's not fair. They kind of got a free ride right close to the final, but this just feels lackluster be like, all right, Chris, suffer.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Yeah, and I mean, like, would they have gotten like a free ride to the final? It's like, yeah, but we also had seasons in recent years where we went multiple weeks without anyone being eliminated on season 39. The vacation alliance. I mean, they were chilling. All the vets never even saw elimination on Spies, Lies, and Allies for most of the game. And obviously, that's part of the gameplay aspect, but it's not like they were doing much, it's not like a lot of them weren't winning dailies or going into elimination or bringing entertainment. So who cares about dropping someone in?

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Yeah. Sorry for the uh sidebar, but I've I've been curious about your thoughts on that since I learned about this when they were filming.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

It's good to talk about. Uh, but you know, you don't always have to earn your way in the sand and stuff like that, which was Anna Lee's argument for hey, I don't think someone should be captained if they haven't been in elimination, which is her way of telling herself up. And Adrian in her confessional was just like, that's not my fault that you went into elimination. It's not my fault you're not playing the game well enough.

SPEAKER_03 7:13

Well, and also, like, of course, the person who's been into elimination is going to say that. Like, Adrian could easily be like, all right, well, last season I went in four times. So now what? Like the metric doesn't make sense.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

The actual vote happens. They get to the Daily Challenge, and Cassidy proclaims herself. Adrian proclaims herself, and it's very interesting because two weeks ago, when they were in that sand after Corey left, Chris was back in Cassidy. One week later, or like, you know, one episode later, Leo's gone and Chris leverages Cassidy to get to get a vote to become captain. This week, though, he arrives with Adrian.

SPEAKER_03 8:00

And I don't know if he felt like that would like appease the other team. Well, I mean, he also might just think like Adrian is valuable.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

Yeah, and I think that ever since the twist kind of came out about the money stuff, and everyone was like, oh man, why is everyone so harsh on Cassie right now? I think Chris also believes he doesn't trust Cassie with the money as much as he does Adrian. And on top of that, Chris also said, like, if Cassie is the captain, she's gonna save Anna Lee. Yeah, and that's true. Chris doesn't trust Anna Lee because I don't think Anna Lee's a very trustworthy human at this point.

SPEAKER_03 8:39

Great for TV, but I agree.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Phenomenal TV, but no, not trusting her. Um, and during this whole commotion, Kara is being like literally the orange team is asking Kara, Kara, nominate yourself. And Kara just stays there silent and eventually throws her vote on Adrienne.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

I was confused because there would have been no harm for her to throw her hat in there and just be like, all right, here's where I stand, here's my qualifications. I think I could be honest and unbiased because I think she could be.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

But she's crazy too, because you know, Adrienne and Cassidy have both proclaimed themselves in that moment. If Kara had said herself, well, you got two numbers on blue, and obviously blue has been a clown car this entire season, but in that moment, Letty and Annalie could have been like, hey, how about we just stay blue strong and then just toss the votes on Cara and we'll vote in Adrian and Cassidy for the next falling eliminations and keep ourselves safe. Like that would have made some sort of sense. And instead, she just rides with Adrienne.

SPEAKER_03 9:50

And on the flip side, I do understand like Adrian and Letty don't seem to well, not Adrian, Annalie doesn't seem to like Kara, but I'm with you. Strategize the night before. We're gonna go in tomorrow and say our piece. I'll keep you real safe. We don't have to tell them that, but like, but Kara just can't politically play this game to save her life. I'm sorry, she cannot.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

No, and a lot of people want to say that same thing.

SPEAKER_03 10:15

Yeah, a lot of people want to say that, like, you know, on World of Worlds 2, that like it was Kara's court. Kara was really lucky to have a lot of smart people around her.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

She was, and it benefited her, but she was a figurehead, but it was Polly and Cam putting in the work that season to keep all of those numbers together to wrangle people in. Because if it was actually her trying to run the game, then it wouldn't have never happened. Right. I do want to give her uh I was gonna give her credit for All-Stars 4 because she did some actually really cool like moves in that game.

SPEAKER_03 10:51

But not as a whole comedy.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yeah, but as a whole for her career, it's just a track record of poor political gameplay. Now, Adrian's the captain, and what a big win for her, because she is a one-season player who entered the season without a ton of connections on her team besides Leo. He gets removed, and yet she's always found herself to be in a good spot in the game, always having a finger on the pulse. It's super impressive to see.

SPEAKER_03 11:24

And like even her best friend left the week before, and her hookup, which we know left for bad reasons, but like kind of a rough showing. This would typically tank somebody's game, but like she's now guaranteed the final unless somebody mutinizes against her. And I've said this before, I think like the first week we were recapping the season, but when she was announced for season 41, I guess, I was so upset. Like, I don't need another like UK girl, like I'm not here for like the storyline, I'm not here for any of this. I love her. She's like good television while also not being like a lunatic, and that typically does not register for me, but it does with her. So I'm happy that she got the power.

SPEAKER_00 12:08

She is a bit of a lunatic, and that's why I love her though. Like, let's not underrate the fact that she found herself in wrap with Josh Goldstein, um, was on Married at First Sight, and she can go, she can go off a little bit. And but that's why I love her. She but she is smart and she adapts and she rolls with the punches. She's a fighter.

SPEAKER_03 12:28

Yeah, and I guess my version of like lunatic is insane, and you're right. But she's a lovable lunatic, she's a rational lunatic.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

So fantastic. And I'm glad that we got her back on our TV screen finally, because she has been it has been a subpar season to this point compared to how she started the season and how she was on 41 and how she was such a big character on screen at all times. But like, man, her just taking control of the game, it's very impressive. Yeah. We then find out the new rules for the season, and TJ breaks it down that no matter if you win or lose the daily challenge, you're sending someone on your team into elimination. And back in the day when this would be like the kind of the same thing on the inferno and on, you know, somebody even on the original cutthroat, there was still a prize scoring the daily challenge. Like you were winning $20,000 to put in your team bank account. There's just nothing going on here. And it's like obviously there are some like chess moves you can make on like throwing and winning the daily challenges, but there really is very little incentive to win or lose.

SPEAKER_03 13:32

It's so infuriating because this is clearly just the rule because Chris is the lone man. If the teams had morphed together, it was Chris and two other guys, it would be you go in against people from your team. That that only makes sense. I know that past seasons have done it, but like you said, there was incentive to win. I just think it blows for Chris. Like to have a season set up where he was like running that great team and face no risk of having to go in and then like that.

SPEAKER_00 14:01

This is also where like you could just change it up, too, where like the like, hey, the prize pull for the final now is 250k. We have five daily challenges, 50k every challenge, and that way, however the game ends up, both captains would have the opportunity to steal at least. So you'd walk away from the final, it's like, hey, I just lost the team with these people. I'm stealing the money from these losers right now. Right. Because you'd have some money in your bank account, like theoretically. And if it's like, yeah, I'm gonna steal 50k from all of these people, and it would give the team members more incentive to mutanize and the team members more. So if there was something to play for in these dailies, it would make it more watchable. Instead, it's just gonna be like, okay, let's fast forward 30 minutes to the elimination. Actually, let's just fast forward to the actual elimination itself and how do we even get here?

SPEAKER_02 14:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

And we also find out that, like, you know, the losing team, when a team loses, they have to nominate two people. And Michelle very quickly like calls out the fact, like, hey, because Tori's captain, I'm going in every time, regardless, as well. And it's like, you've now punished Orange for winning. And she kind of, I mean, she she, I think, rightfully lashes out.

SPEAKER_03 15:21

I I think that when okay, I agree. I hadn't realized this was the case until like she was talking to Chris, like we're both in a crappy situation. I was like, no, you're not, but no, she is, and it again makes me wonder like, should they just have reset the teams at this part of the season? And maybe not, because that would penalize the orange team, but it just is it sucks for them. But thus is the challenge, so I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Or just like we talked about before, genderless elimination. That's on the table. Um, the elimination today, could a woman had faced a man in that? Probably not, but if they like altered it slightly, it could have, you know. Like if they made it, if they made it weigh like the women had to do if their cases were like the same size but weighed less, maybe. Yeah. I don't know. I think it's I think it could have been for sure. We then have a daily challenge, and it is a game of telephone. Um, players, one player has to memorize these little statues with different little features to them. They then have to relay it to a teammate. That person relays it to another person, so on and so forth. The most interesting part about this daily challenge, though, is that Johnny Bananas goes to Cara Maria and is like, hey Cara, Chris is going into elimination regardless. You guys do not need to win, especially because if we, you know, have to then nominate two people, me and CT are at stake. And Adrian has connections to the season 41 people. And I did a I did an interview with Izzy last week, and I asked Izzy, hey, what's one thing that didn't really get shown on the season? And she's like, Oh, at the beginning of the season, we were so 41 strong. We had a 41 strong alliance that people wouldn't even really get shown on screen. And so the 41 connections are a real thing.

SPEAKER_03 17:22

And I thought they would be, but then it was like the whole Justin Sidney of it all. I don't know. I I think that they would have been so smart to have had that connection and and like rolled with it, but like egos prevail and screen time desire prevails.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Yeah, but Cara gets this news and then and then we get a Kara Confessional where she says, Well, on the totem pole of orange, bananas and CT aren't at the bottom, so why would I throw the Daily Challenge? Which is just a complete misunderstanding of the format and the game, I think. Because Kara did not throw it, but I think she didn't throw it because she didn't understand how the format would go, like and how what was at stake.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

I could understand her not wanting to throw if there was a way for her team to find out. There was no way for her team to find out. Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

It was brutal because not only she one, she didn't throw it, two, as we found out later, she would then get the label of throwing slash thinking of throwing the challenge uh to hurt her team. And then three, now orange is mad at her because she didn't throw it actually. So she somehow pissed everyone off.

SPEAKER_03 18:47

And I hate to say it, and if I'm jumping too far ahead, tell me to be quiet. But I'm thinking of the cara, Tori, and Michelle interaction. Can I discuss that now?

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Yeah, okay. So great team wins. It's not the most exciting daily challenge. Um, we'll just get great team wins. I think Annalee did a really good job. I think Tori and Will kind of fucked this up based on what I was watching. Again, I don't know, but based on whatever. Great wins, move on. Let's talk about them being entitled.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

Yeah, we're at the bar. Well, we're not, but we're watching them at the bar, and I can get their drinking. Have it at it. And I don't even care that they're talking shit about Kara. Have at it. But Kara is an earshot. And Kara comes up, and I think pretty calmly, it's like, ladies, what do you want me to do? Because here's the thing, here's what bugs the shit out of me. I could understand if it was a girl's day and it meant that Tori and Michelle would both like be in. I get that. It was a men's day. You're mad at Kara for not keeping your team safe and not having Tori make a hard decision. Who cares? Y'all are both safe. Like Kara can still want her team to win and think, even if CT, my bestie, goes in, that could benefit my game. Or even if Justin, who's a really good like runner, if like for them to have been so mad at her and like, we're not gonna look out for you anymore. Kara was not in a position to have to look out for Tori or Michelle this go-around. Their team, perhaps, yes. And if anybody, CT could have been upset with her. And I could have been like, okay, I kind of I kind of get it. But Tori Michelle, what?

SPEAKER_00 20:20

It is just total entitlement from Tori and Michelle, where it's like, oh my gosh, you are being forced to make a decision on the challenge, and and you don't like the decision. Oh my god, that that's so terrible. There, you have to do actual gameplay.

SPEAKER_03 20:41

She's just been so used to like being given like alliances and passes and all these things, and that's not to knock her as a competitor, she's a great competitor, but it's like part of why we want to watch these competitors and enjoy them is because they actually have to make moves that are difficult. It's why, on to reference back to World of Worlds 2, I was heavily supporting Tori, uh a little shorter than the American team because Ashley was still there, but like that was a great season for her. Ivan was kind of rooting for Tori on uh Total Madness when she was cocky and like thought she was gonna like take it all and got sent home. Like this whole thing of like they're discussing like Kara and Nelson were entitled because they were like revets, revettes, revettes. Tori's just as worse here. Why should Kara blow up her game? And I know it probably wouldn't have, but like, why are you asking her to possibly blow up her game just to keep one of the men on your team safe and for you not to have to say one additional name?

SPEAKER_00 21:38

It's just so preposterous on so many levels. And then they say, has CT never tried to, you know, put you in a better position? And they which then rolls on to oh, because CT didn't give 150% in the eating challenge that they were going to lose regardless, they then lost Izzy and Because they lost Izzy, now they're gonna be up for elimination. It's like, okay, look at the way you're talking. You're mad that your pawn died and now you have to actually do work.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

I don't know. I I feel disgusted because I hate like taking it up for Kara. But my roots also are in deep hatred for Tori. So I'm like, am I gonna spark that back up? Because she's been she's had some good showings on 40 in this season for with me, but I don't know. It's like you want to be this like goofy, lovable cornball, like ha ha ha hee, but want to be so like nasty when things don't go your way. And that's like your team also could have just won the challenge. You could have given better instructions. Maybe instead of like having somebody throw the challenge, you could win on your own merit.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

And it does suck that your team has been put in a tough position because of three people getting BQ'd that was not in their control, and because that they had to fuse the teams. Like that does genuinely suck. But you can't be upset about having to hurt feelings when you are you're a team of six still, that has been a team of like a six, seven people, and you just have to vote someone in eventually. And you had a blow up the first week when you had when you when you had to do this anyway, when it was between CT and bananas. Like this is just the game you play, and sometimes you just have to make those tough decisions.

SPEAKER_03 23:24

Well, and not to mention, when they were winning, Tori was spearheading the conversation about being concerned about CT not being able to perform. Let's say you do have to throw in Justin and CT, and CT goes in and loses. You are getting what you were just saying weeks ago that you wanted. I don't follow her.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

It's just kind of crazy. Um, let's talk about the fact though, like that now this it then rolls on to CT a bit. Because now everyone's talking about how CT threw the eating challenge, except we watched the eating challenge, and CT very clearly ate the most on orange. Justin and banana, I mean, Justin ate nothing, and banana was giving his all, but not giving 100% either. Like, how how could you accuse CT of throwing a challenge that he did the most for your team on?

SPEAKER_03 24:12

And I really like Justin, but when CT brought that up, Justin's like, why am I in it? It's like, because you are the reason that we probably like lost. I mean, there are other factors as well, but I just wish they could be more direct about like CT, we kind of don't want you here, but instead they have to like make it this thing of like, oh, he's throwing, he did this. You're right. We all watched it, they all watched it, he ate a ton. If they wanted to say that he threw last season with uh Leka, sure, I could believe that. But CT not being able to eat and CT not eating, like we've never seen that, and that's not what happened.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

And there was another confession from Justin where he's like three challenges in a row where you're the one who holds our team back. And I think a lot of challenge fans treat CT with kid gloves. But I'm gonna defend CT and say, like, no, he ate the most in that challenge, and then in this memory challenge, y'all were trying to memorize one figure at a time. And even when I was like listening to the way that their team was like relaying messages compared to how blue was, y'all weren't doing a very good job. Like, also, shout out to Annalee, because like she talked about how, like, oh yeah, I use mnemonics all the time, like all the time in my job as a speech pathologist. And the way she was relaying info from the start to her teammates, very efficient, very effective. Like, she's the reason her team won. But orange is fucking chaos, and it wasn't, I don't think it was CT's fault by any chance.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

I don't either. And if this is ahead of the game, I'm sorry too. But one of the biggest standouts from this episode, which it's no shock that that CT said this, but when his team was like trying to pinpoint on him that like maybe he should go in, he brought up his accolades specifically in Thailand. He's won three seasons in Thailand. Although is it three? Yeah, it's three. Yeah, yeah. And he also, which this is a crazy stat, he's won however many out of his however many last seasons since he's been back since 2020. He's came in big in one seasons, he's came in very trim in one seasons. He also knows Thailand. And I'm sorry, I would take that over Justin, who spoiler, later in the episode, we see like doesn't have the mindset to maybe like persevere Toms. I don't know. CT is just smarter than people give him credit. Yes, Kitty loves it, Tom's for sure, but like at the end of the day, he's still brilliantly intelligent.

SPEAKER_00 26:37

Yeah, and CT is like, oh, I solved every puzzle for us throughout the season. And I just wanted to just note back, because like the reason I said the last episode, three episodes ago, they edited to make CT do the puzzle, and then Michelle came out and they're like, No, actually, I solved the puzzle for our team.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

Right. CT figured out the pattern and put the last piece in. I saw that clip just the other day.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Uh but no, it's it's kind of crazy, and I'm glad that he did lay it out. But it was back when they were at the house, and then CT was just getting loud and aggressive, and he just kind of tries to intimidate people. And you can tell it's kind of not working the way it used to. Because before he would throw those tire raisins and he would be able to keep himself out of elimination. Instead, even Tori was like, hey, Tori Michelle, like, this is not the way you want to be coming at us right now. Because if anything, it's making us want to vote you in more. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

And it did kill me that, like, during that whole house moment, he's like, Kara, stop defending me. Because you're one, you're not good at social politics. And then two, every time you say something, it just digs me in deeper.

SPEAKER_03 27:40

And I'm fine with their friendship because like I get it, Boston Trong, whatever. I would want to be tied to Kara in a game, especially not a game that like deals on social dynamics.

SPEAKER_00 27:49

Well, people always say, like, we need a ride or die season and like CT and Car together. And I want that just so I could see fans absolutely blow up once CT starts yelling at her for not being able to do some of the simplest things.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

And she cries and says, Oh, we were both and strong. And he cusses her out and she cries.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

Yeah. That would just be the ultimate root awakening. It's like, why aren't they why aren't they doing well in the daily challenges? It's like, well, he's he's not running, she doesn't know, she's not swimming. It's like it's it's a whole thing.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

Yeah, there's a puzzle that she has to complete. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

Uh the most preposterous thing about all this, like the most like just like the dumb thing about all this, is that then they get to a vote, and Justin gets voted in because that's who Chris wants to see in elimination, and there's been deals been made between you know, each side, basically handshake stuff. And the second Justin gets voted in, and then it becomes like a whole argument with CT listing out his accolades, and Justin's like, none of this matters because I'm getting voted in. Why are we pretending like any of this actually matters?

SPEAKER_03 28:55

It doesn't.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

So even all this we've been talking about, none of it mattered because Chris wants to face Justin's elimination, and he his argument is CT is a 250-pound man, bananas is bananas, and Will is an absolute workhorse.

SPEAKER_03 29:12

It's true.

SPEAKER_00 29:14

We then also get a scene where it's Chris then kind of strong arming Michelle, uh saying it's not a threat, but also kind of threatening her. Hey, if you don't give me Justin in this elimination and I come back, we're gonna toss the Letty at you next week.

SPEAKER_03 29:33

So Michelle had every right to be pissed off about this because this is not like they just made this alliance here. They they've been friends. And like sometimes it can be annoying. I do think people that like come from your original show, like there is just like a connection there. It's like, how dare you? I'm not even in the position to give you who you want. Like, I can put my one vote on Justin. Tori's probably like putting him in, anyways. And wasn't it Adrian who decided who eventually went up against Chris?

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Yeah. Um, Tori took this news that's gone from like Chris and Michelle, and she goes to Adrian to be like, hey, I've heard this is going on. You know, he wants Justin, and that you're willing to throw that you might be throwing Letty back in retaliation. And she does that to like kind of stir the paw, but also like throw a strong arm back. And Adrian, the woman that she is, is like, yeah, what about it? Like that that's just how we're gonna play the game. And that's because and then Tori then confession is like, oh my god. Adrian says something and she actually means it. She's she's willing to play the game. Adrian is willing to make the tough decisions Tori's terrified of.

SPEAKER_03 30:45

Well, and I think what's really cool about Adrian and just like the dynamics of what the challenge is right now, she's not feeding for a callback. Like, she knows that this show might have an end to it. She just wants some money.

SPEAKER_00 30:59

Yeah, she wants money, but also, like, hey, she has a presence on screen regardless of storyline. Like, you could just put a confessional camera on her and she could talk about anything. And she's inherently more seeing the people with storylines at times.

SPEAKER_03 31:15

To the day this franchise dies, Abby Pomp, agent coming back, as long as she doesn't get married or have children. And that sounds horrible, but I just mean like at that point, like, enjoy your life, like, don't hurt yourself, whatever. But like, she's brought something different both seasons, and it's been enjoyable both times.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

100%. I I mean, I even enjoy just watching her on the stump in the final, just rattle off random facts she knows. Like, that's that's how enamored I am by Adrienne. Uh, I also like that she had a comment like, why are they acting like throwing Letty in is a big deal? Like, we actually haven't seen Leti do much this season. I mean, she can swim, but other than that, we don't know what Letty can actually do.

SPEAKER_03 31:54

Right. Fake like bananas, like that's not a skill that's gonna help him to find if you're not on his team.

SPEAKER_00 32:00

And I'm not saying that Letty can't be a great competitor, but it's like, oh, people are attaching like the like the next Laurel label to her when it's like, okay, but we haven't seen her do the things that Laurel actually does on the show. Right. Elimination time? We get to the arena. It's Justin versus Chris, and it is an elimination that makes both physicality, cardio, and puzzles. They have to push these boxes uh underneath a metal grate.

SPEAKER_02 32:35

I guess it's like I guess like a chain grate thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Yeah. Like a net, like a uh a netted floor. Um the boxes seem heavy. The the chain net seems heavy. Um, and then after that, they have to then find a way to fix put these six boxes in a puzzle box, essentially. A very like the piece has to fit in a very, very specific way because it's a tight box, and there are edges around it to where you have to drop them in certain points. Chris absolutely smoked Justin in the physical part of this elimination, and it's like a six to four to six to three box advantage by the time Chris is done. I mean, given that like Justin had good cardio and like obviously he's not as physically strong as Chris, but he's you know, can hold his own. I was shocked to see how poorly he was doing, and also he just seemed defeated the entire time.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

He did. No mental stamina. I was like, what's what's happening here?

SPEAKER_00 33:33

To me, it felt like uh so Justin made his name originally on the show, like like episode one by beating Rogan in elimination, but then he lost the last elimination to Cedric right before the final, where Cedric and Michaela really just whooped him and Nani completely. And I think he kind of got transported back to that moment of like his last memory of the arena, where it's like you just you watching the money go away from you. Also, like given that Chris is the last guy on Gray, the thought is if you beat this guy, you go to the final.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

Yeah, it's true.

SPEAKER_00 34:12

They're pushing through, they're pushing through, they're pushing through. Eventually, Justin catches up. But what's crazy is that neither man at any point decides, hey, there's six boxes here, and there's like a very specific shape. Maybe I should try to put the six boxes in that shape before I put the puzzle pieces in.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Right. And I and I know that people are like, but there's a hole, but still you need to see how it fits. And I couldn't help but thinking, Chris, this would have been a great time for you to still have Nerese on your team. Because this is the this is the elimination that like Nerese beat Mariah, just a smaller scale that uh Nerese did it, but she knows the puzzle. She said that she was like playing the game on her phone beforehand, and that's how she beat Mariah.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yeah, and Chris had so much time to like actually think about it, but then kind of just seemed to be tossing his puzzle pieces in. And Chris is awesome at puzzles, he's good. Chris is good at everything, yeah. So I thought this was going to be an absolute easy win for him. Um, but both players just keep getting stuck at different points. And man, this was like watching, like, this is like when you have to move furniture, and you're trying to get a couch through or like a cabinet through a door, and it's just almost there, but not quite there, and you're just trying every single angle. And I was feeling for their fingers because I was like, man, they might break a finger or toe at any point here with how heavy those boxes are and how they were having to like maneuver their bodies.

SPEAKER_03 35:44

Yeah, I was disappointed with Justin. And listen, I get it, being frustrated, but like when that one box got stuck and he just like pretty much given up. I'm done. I would be trying anything. Like, and I'm sure he did, like, it's the magic of editing, like we see a condensed version. But for him just to have his hands on his hips looking up to seem like there's not much I can do.

SPEAKER_00 36:05

Well, his team even came up with the idea of like, hey, take off your jersey and use it to like um use it as a fulcrum to like leverage the box at certain points. And that was really outside the box thinking, and that I think it helped. I mean, yeah, I guess it did help because suddenly out of nowhere, Justin was just done.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

And we talked about that beforehand. It like the episode I had to hit like rewind because I was like, Well, wait a second. Chris is like, his piece isn't gonna fit. And Justin's like, what's not gonna fit? And then it's done.

SPEAKER_00 36:43

This was one of the most poorly edited eliminations I've ever seen. Because there was no buildup of moment of like, oh hey, Justin is starting to get a groove. Hey, he's starting to figure things out, or oh, Chris was so close, but then he did this. No, it just suddenly, oh, Justin's done, elimination over.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

And you also said this before, but I am curious, like, did it happen that quickly where it was like, wait, it's over? Because that's kind of cool in itself. It doesn't make for great TV, but like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 37:12

I'm interviewing Chris Underwood tomorrow, and I will drop this on the channel for like we're gonna we're gonna find a figure out what we can about this nation. But in one moment, Chris Underwood, who was obviously only done one other season, but undefeated in that arena, won four aluminations on his rookie season, all different formats against good competitors, proved to be undefeatable. Now is out.

unknown 37:34

Right.

SPEAKER_03 37:35

And I like Chris. I think it is fun to see someone be so confident throw me against this person because I'm gonna beat them, and then they lose. I I love whatever type of like karma that is.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

The crazy the crazy part is too is that like Justin got it done with Orange's support on on the on with Orange's support, I don't know if he would have beat anyone. He probably would have stopped and just been done. Yeah. Like oh, yeah, Justin, but I mean, I don't know if Chris would have beat Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah, I don't know if I don't know if Chris would have beat Will or C T or Bananas in this elimination, given the support Orange. Because I feel like Orange was way more helpful than gray. And I also don't think Chris is someone who will actually listen to others, not in a bad way, but he just usually knows what he's doing.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

Yeah, and I mean, and to that effect, the orange team should be thanking Justin so much because Chris is a huge threat in the final.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

Yeah, I mean, this is such a huge win for Justin's challenge career to like take down a guy who I think if this was an individual format, we would say is the best player in the game. Yeah. I I like that Chris also like said, like, yeah, you never know what happens in the arena. And I think that is like one of the true things about the challenge is that statistically, every time you go in, there's a 50% chance you lose. So any anytime someone can win four or five eliminations in a row, it's like super impressive because they are a crapshoot. You could be one of the best commanders the show's ever seen, and you just get thrown the most random thing ever, and then suddenly you're out. Yeah, it's true. But now Gray has no more men. So does that mean all the orange men are in the final?

SPEAKER_03 39:25

Well, I know the answer to that because there are no spoilers. What I will say, I think it's kind of cool to have a team who all win. I want to see how they equalize this because it's gonna have to be. But I think by force we're gonna have to get some mixed gendered eliminations.

SPEAKER_00 39:46

It's the only thing that makes sense, unless, like, you mean we have an elimination next episode, and then hey, episode 11, here's our four-part final.

SPEAKER_03 39:55

It's possible, but I also thought watching, I was like, you know, even if they did two female eliminations back to back, that could result in Michelle and Tori leaving. Are we gonna have a four-man team against a five-woman team? Like, I don't know how many people will be in the final. I have no clue.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

I mean, I do, but what's crazy is that like we were gonna see it and they all have to carry like some gigantic like tank, you know, or something with the on their shoulders. And the easy fix just giving them all like camelbacks with various weights, um, based on how much they weigh. Um, like that would be the easiest possible fix, but they're probably not gonna do that because that that's the stuff they do on Survivor where like they do the like the you hold up half your body weight challenge of when you started, which I love.

SPEAKER_02 40:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Ooh. What else is there to talk about?

SPEAKER_03 40:55

Not sure. I I, even as someone who knows spoilers, I'm thinking, what is next episode? And I have to admit, I hate there's not a preview for next episode, but it does have me itching to watch this episode when it comes out. So time will tell. Because I really don't know what's next.

SPEAKER_00 41:12

I hope the season gets better because it's been so strong, and I it's just fair to say, like, I'm like, I apologize to all the fans. If you love this episode, this was the weakest episode of the season.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

Yeah. With some merit, which is great, but I agree that like it is pretty predictable and steadfast, and just like, here's what's happening entitlement, elimination, boom. It seems like the next couple weeks will just be like we have to get through this process to get to the final or whatever's the ultimate thing that's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 41:45

Yeah. Well, thank you everyone for listening. Make sure to subscribe to us on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, wherever you get the podcast. Have a great weekend, everyone.