Sorry not sorry this is late u/SocialJusticeGSW, but Gamer started his cast speculation thread for season 37 so I’ve been busy making this megathread on reddit. And that’s more exciting to me than writing about a damn TBC episode where they teased the same thing — the Security Breach — two weeks in a row.
I’m trying this on Medium this week, bc it’s easier to add some photos, so we’ll see how this goes. Lemme know yo’ thoughts about it below. Let’s get 2 it.
Player of the Week
- Big T — 228
2) CT — 33
3) Kam — 4
4) tie with Kyle & Devin — 3
6) tie with Nam & Josh — 2
8) tie with Amber & Nany — 1
leaving zéro votes for Aneesa, Fessy, Kaycee, Darrell, Lolo, Cory, & Gabby. tant triste 😥
Not a surprise at ALL that Big T won this week. Since all we had to go off was an underwhelming daily, Lolo’s leaving the game, and an overfocus on Darrell’s (sensible) vote… Of course one of the mission winners got the votes for PotW.
Add on top the glowing edit she received, a “You killed it” from TJ, everyone clapping when she got back to shore, CT acting like a proud father whose kid just cured COVID — and it’s a no brainer she would win this category.
I will say that she impressed during the mission. I didn’t know she was on swim team — I guess she left WotW2 before the swimming daily, and the other aquatic ones she competed in didn’t show us her capacity in the water. Couple that with pole dancing, to help hold the rope between your legs, and it makes sense how she excelled this mission. Beating CT in a swim is a shock though, even if it’s because she dropped from the helicopter later (and maybe outside of the permitted zone, as Lolo alluded to?). So good job, Tula, on your second PotW this season so far! Besides Devin (who is at 3), you’re the only other person to achieve this!
CT got votes because he also won the mission, was supportive of his partner, and was prominently featured in the edit. Did he get his wish, though? Nope, his ally Devin was voted into the Crater, not “The Goof.” So fewer votes tracks.
Then a bunch of seemingly random votes so no need to analyze. Like, people thinking Devin deserved PotW when he DQed in the mission and was voted into the Crater? K.
Best Social/Political Game this episode
- Josh — 93
- Kam — 30
- Big T — 29
- Darrell — 28
- CT — 24
- Leroy — 23
FINALLY Josh is getting credit for his great social-political positioning this season! Thank you to all of you sensible voters! Brings a tear to my eye.
Yes, people laughed when he fumbled the mission, but he had the numbers and cachet to avoid being voted into elimination this episode, despite CT’s best political efforts to get an “easy” opponent. (How well did that work out for you on Total Madness, Chris?)
And I also think the edit was dishonest by depicting Darrell as the swing vote. Didn’t Kam and Leroy burn their votes? Someone who watched “The Votes Declassified” explain if this actually happened.
Kam and Big T always get votes here, which is facile, but I do think this episode illustrated their social/political games a bit. Everyone was happy for Big T after the mission, giving a standing ovation, so that shows us people love her — so good social game. And then we saw CT go to Kam and Leroy to try to get Josh voted into the Crater. This proves that Kamroy are the power players at this point — so good political game.
Darrell opted to side with the Big Brother alliance instead of a false allegiance to a decades-long acquaintanceship with CT, who also was conspiring against him, with Toxic T, a couple episodes ago. That’s the right political decision, so votes here.
Then we have CT with votes, which makes zero sense. He couldn’t flip Darrell, Kam, Leroy, or anybody else he tried. And now, if he throws himself into elimination like he spent all episode talking about — it’ll be against Devin, one of his few allies, and not Josh, who he perceives as an easier opponent (which I don’t even think is the case). A swing and a miss, big guy.
But stans gonna stan I guess.
Best Edit this episode
- Big T — 154
- CT — 76
- Devin — 16
- Lolo — 9
- Kyle — 5
Again, no surprises here. This episode was all about Big CT. Big T got glowing praise from the host, the cast, and her partner. OTTP5. They showed a lot of CT and his campaigning. Not even sure what his edgic would be, CP5?
People love Devin this season, and he was ragging on everyone’s favourite punching bag, Josh, and his washed up partner Nany, so of course he’ll get votes. Were they deserved? After Devin’s performance in the mission and the deliberation? Not at all. At least he’s self-aware. CPN5.
People love Kyle too, and he always has funny confessionals, so I guess that’s the 5 votes here? Idk. OTTP3?
I’m personally surprised by the 9 votes for Lolo, but I do agree with it. Like Lio, she got a very respectful edit for what was depicted as a quit. Very unlike most quits on the show (with exceptions being Kayleigh on Vendettas and Evelyn on The Ruins), but I’m glad about it. CPM4.
Nobody knows the 100% truth for what transpired with Lolo . Did she quit? Did production force her to leave? Was it a mental health concern? Did other competitors run to the producers to make her removal happen? Etc.
What I do know is that it was the right decision for her. She was miserable in the house, underperforming in every mission (the responsibility for which is shared with Nam), and had bigger things going on back in the States. She left Iceland, made the bobsled team, and then won first in the World Championships. She’s literally the best bobsledder in the world right now. Much better than kicking around the Cligloo hoping something changes. Good for you, Lolo. Most of the fans don’t love you, but I do, and I’m so glad you were on the show. Best of luck in the future!
Biggest Misplay
- Devin — 96
- Josh — 57
- Lolo — 55
- Darrell — 49
- Gabby — 6
Similarly, I’m gobsmacked that Lolo is only third here. I think it was 100% the right decision for her, and her world championship is all she needs to know she chose well. Gold Medal >>>>>>> Gold Skull all day.
Obviously the fans are annoyed about what happened with Lolo this episode/season. I also expected her to slay the game, since she’s a dual sport Olympian and fiery personality, and she never reached her full potential. Whatever. She looked phenomenal, did bring the drama, and wasn’t complete wallpaper (like Lio and Nany up to this point), so it could’ve been worse.
Josh and Devin both flubbed the mission this episode, which explains some of their votes. However, one of them managed to miss the rope after watching someone else do the same thing (and mocking him mercilessly), so you tell me what’s worse.
Oh, and also, one of them got voted into the Crater and will have a hard fight to protect his Skull, if CT does throw himself down into elimination. All this to say… Why did Josh get so many votes when Devin deserved them? Oh right, bias.
The edit told us Darrell was the swing vote, and he chose his loyal partner and her powerful Big Brother alliance over giving the 3x Champ his choice of opponent in elimination. Not a misplay in my view, but it was to 49 people.
And then 6 for Gabby? Why? Who knows.
Fave Moments
- Big T & CT’s big win, their second this szn
- Devin DQing as immediate karma after chirping Nany & Josh about it
- Nam saying “I love you” in his goodbye confessional to Lolo 💖
- “Gavin & Debby” 👫
- Nany falling off the boat
- Big T & CT’s leather outfit at the Cligloo after their mission win!
- Josh having 😍 for Nany
- CT trying to make “The Goof” a thing
Also this made me LOL: “I was playing Sudoku on my phone, so I missed whatever Devin and Gabby were arguing about — which was nice.”
Also this bc SAME: “When they couldn’t fit the elimination into a 90 min episode and left it as a cliffhanger”
Episode Rating
Y’all voted this episode 7.34, which confuses me more than anything yet this week. It’s somehow higher than the past two episodes despite being an “incomplete” episode, without an elimination. I figured this unnecessary cliffhanger — and especially how MTV thinks they’re cute by teasing the same thing (the Security Breach) two weeks in a row — would sink the avg rating down to the 5-range.
But apparently not! I guess that’s the power of fan faves Big CT winning the mission and Devin clowning on Josh again! (Also NB that it’s the third lowest episode rating this season)
That about wraps it up. Check out the nerdtastic Google sheet with the results here. Keep your eyes on the spoiler-safe S37 casting megathread, and I’ll catch y’all next week!
Ciao for now,
Nova 🤭
