Suh.
I watched the ep on Sunday so maybe I’ll actually remember everything that happened as I write this!
Player of the Week
- Kyle — 72
- Kaycee & Ed — 17
4) Devin — 13
5) Cory — 11
Kyle fucked up the mission and was the sole reason his team lost — which also made him vulnerable to go into elimination, which he did. But he had a great performance in the Lair, was hailed as the “Pole Wrestle King,” and swapped from Ruby to Sapphire. Whether or not that was a good decision remains to be seen, but kudos to him for seizing the opportunity to better his spot in the game.
He also called home, talked to his partner, and learned about the joys of pregnancy from Amanda, all while being his hilarious self. A sensible option for PotW, disregarding his performance in the daily.
Kaycee was the only woman to reach the end of the mission and pull a plug, so great job to her. Ed volunteered for elimination to save his buddy Logan, and while he lost, he put up an impressive fight against Kyle. I’m certain he’ll be on next season.
Devin… Just won the mission again, thanks to his team? And made good points during his team deliberation? Hardly PotW worthy — but for political game, below, yes.
So HMMM maybe I am missing something. What did Dev do that was noteworthy this episode? A bunch of people in my fantasy league also picked him for some reason, but I can’t discern why. Enlighten me?
I totally get votes for Cory though. He’s become the leader of his team, striving to boost morale through a group workout and going first during the mission — and doing a great job, reaching the end and pulling a plug! He also avoided elimination and generally is looking like a great, capable player.
Best Political Game
- Devin — 66
- Logan — 43
- CT — 13
- Cory — 7
- Kyle — 5
The Devin votes make sense here. He laid out clearly for his team the pros and cons of voting each person into elimination, also considering how likely they would be to infiltrate Emerald after their victory. Great analysis, good politics.
Logan didn’t do anything to get votes here 😂😂 I guess he made good on a deal episodes ago, which paid dividends today, but I 100% think it was his social game that inspired Ed to jump on the grenade for him, not politics. But I digress.
CT avoided getting voted into the Lair when he is a huge threat and just won last season. Again, don’t think this is politics (but being tight with Devin, on Emerald, helps a lot), but rather the continuing Veteran Truce. Hopefully that ends soon and the less powerful players (like Josh, Devin, Cory, Nelson) smarten up and toss CT into elimination every chance they get. No WAY do they want to run against him in the final.
Cory avoided being picked by Ed for elimination, Kyle didn’t, but either way — what political moves did they showcase this ep? We saw Kyle say to Ed that if he didn’t choose him, he’d never vote him in — but Ed did go with Kyle in the end. And we didn’t see anything Cory did to keep himself safe. So these votes are puzzling.
Best Social Game
- Logan — 81
- Emanuel — 18
- Devin — 10
- CT & Ed — 9
This makes more sense. Logan stayed safe this episode, despite being injured and therefore an easy target, because he is well-liked. Emerald respected Ed’s decision to go into elim, when it might’ve been a better option to vote in Logan, since the latter is a strong competitor who will be a threat down the line. It’s wise to strike while he’s down, but alas, that didn’t happen. And who knows? Maybe Logan’s hammy won’t heal up and will serve as a detriment to him and his team going forward? So maybe keeping him in the game is a good strategic decision.
Emanuel did baby drag this ep and had everyone laughing. He also started his showmance in earnest with Tori, arguably the strongest or second strongest veteran woman there all-around (toss-up with Kaycee). And he is the only rookie left who hasn’t yet been down into the Lair, despite being an obvious threat. Great job to him for his social game.
Devin stays popular. Ed also showcased great social game by protecting his friend and voluntarily going into elim. And then CT… Was followed to Sapphire? But also was shit talking Big T? How is that good social game? 🤔
Best Edit
- Kyle — 54
- Ed — 51
- Cory — 11
- CT — 7
- Emanuel — 6
The call home, the convos about pregnancy and being a dad, all the jokes, and being lauded as the “Pole Wrestle King” when LITERALLY nobody else was saying that before this week — Yeah, Kyle had a great edit this ep, and that is despite DQing during the mission.
Same with Ed. He went out on his on terms and with amazing class. Got sterling SPV the whole time, and even TJ said, “I really, really hope we see you in the future.” Ed shows huge promise as a Challenge mainstay. I do hope he becomes a regular. Oh, and he got a phone call home with Mama and Circle Teammate Tammy!
Cory got the whole boot camp segment AND continues being recognized as the Ruby team leader and great motivator. Plus, there was that scene of him looking lovingly at his daughters’ photos. Totally a positive edit.
Emanuel got great SPV from Tori throughout, had the hilarious drag segment, and is always depicted favorably, as a silly, likable, competent guy.
And then we have CT… Yeah.
Biggest Misplay
- Ed — 93
- Kyle — 46
- Nelson — 4
- Big T, Devin, Kaycee, Logan, & Tori — 1
Ed chose Kyle for the elimination, which proved to be the wrong decision, as he lost 0–2. However, the pole wasn’t in the sand when he was picking his partner, so he had no idea what the game would be. Hindsight is 20/20, and it’s not like Cory would’ve been a cakewalk either. So I don’t really think that’s a misplay. Despite losing, he put up a great performance in the Lair against someone who significantly outsizes him.
Kyle lost concentration during the mission and jumped to the last beam instead of taking a leap of faith, thereby securing the L for Ruby. When you’re 45 feet above the water on a slippery platform and are getting a fire hose blasted on you, yeah, I’m guessing it’s easy to forget details about the game rules. You can’t really fault him that much — and at least he did make it to the end instead of failing/falling into the water.
And then the rest here seem like throwaway votes. Does Nelson have 4 because Kyle took his place on Sapphire? If so, how does that count as Nelson misplay? It was totally out of his power.
Besides Ed and Kyle, I’d’ve tossed a vote on Ashley, who quit the mission without really getting anywhere. Big yikes for a 9x challenger, 3x finalist, and 2x champ — but I guess Kaycee and Logan, who completed the mission, misplayed more than that? Lol k.
Back or Buh-Bye?
90.5% voted YES to Ed back on season 38, with only 14 votes for no. And I ask those latter voters — who hurt you? Ed is everything we need in a new regular. Fit, funny, goofy, charismatic, and YOUNG! He was born in 1996.
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That’s that y’all.
🖤 from Daddy Nova
