Previously on “The Challenge: Total Madness”: Mattie shot her figurative shot in hopes of getting the red skull, but ended up being sent home courtesy of Dee in the Elimination Round.
Melissa is infuriated with Josh and Johnny Bananas for not keeping their word by voting for anyone other than Dee to put her in the Elimination Round. Bananas reminds Melissa that Dee will cut her throat in this game when the time comes. Melissa promises to keep Josh from getting his red skull this week. On a more emotional note is Cory struggling with being away from his daughter so long. But the talking & crying won’t change the fact when the next day arrives host TJ Lavin comes rolling in on a tank for this week’s Challenge, “Tanks A Lot”: a game where teams of three will have to retrieve, carry & deposit junk in a bin for as long as TJ sees fit. Depending on how much each team’s bin weighs, the second stage will begin with the remaining competitors pulling sleds across the same field in a race to the finish to determine the Tribunal. The teams are: Josh, Cory & Kaycee; Melissa, Rogan & Bananas; Aneesa, Kyle & Jenny; Nelson, Nany & Swaggy; Fessy, Dee & Bayleigh. While certain teams like Team Cory are trying to get the biggest items possible, Bananas & crew really strategize by putting items in barrels and rolling them up the hill (the latter doesn’t work).
While certain teammates aren’t the fastest like Aneesa, others are suffering falls & injuries including Cory who feels a pop in his ankle. At the five minute warning, every team just grabs anything near them with the intent of getting the best weight. The top two teams with the most weight end up being Aneesa, Jenny & Kyle and Dee, Bayleigh & Fessy. The race is on and Fessy just speeds past the competition. Jenny and Kyle are the next to cross the finish line. Bayleigh follows, leaving it down to Dee and Aneesa. Aneesa just can’t make it and Dee ensures her team is now the Tribunal.
Like Mattie last week, Kyle is hoping to get the house vote. Cory, too, wants that house vote and lets Kyle know it. Fessy calls out Josh for not wanting to get the house vote because he wants to control the circumstances. When it’s time for the non-Tribunal vote, Cory and Kyle are the main nominees with the majority going for Cory after Melissa demeans Josh for not trying to get into this nomination conversation considering he too doesn’t have a red skull. Before the Tribunal comes together to deliberate, Bayleigh discovers her man Swaggy is on the fence about going in if it’s something he doesn’t like. Fessy names the other two options of Kyle & Josh. Unfortunately for Cory, his ankle is messed up right now and has him worried if he can overcome anyone including a worried Swaggy.
It’s time for the Elimination Round and after Cory enters Purgatory, the Tribunal gives the vote to Swaggy 2-1. The game is “Launch Button”: Swinging from a harness, the competitors will be hitting buttons on their side of a forty-foot long container with the intent of lighting up all the lights on the container’s top to catapult the winner into the air. Poor Swaggy is having a hard to swinging.
After a few minutes, Swaggy actually gets some momentum. Eventually Cory isn’t far behind & starts hitting button after button while Swaggy, unfortunately starts hitting buttons he already tapped to turn them off. Cory doesn’t forget his buttons and keeps the progression until he wins.
Episode High(s): Shoot Your Shot. After seeing a pretty fun Weekly Challenge that saw the girl who shall not be named obviously edited around (with a further announcement that Dee isn’t invited to the reunion), Cory and Kyle went full-blow political with their hopes of getting into Purgatory. Unlike Mattie, Cory’s campaigning paid off in the end and now has people in mental dire straits thanks to the potential of the unknown.
Episode Low(s): Standing Idly By. On the opposite end of the spectrum of Cory & Kyle was Josh. Josh is obviously lying to himself thinking that waiting until the last minute is for the best in this season. Considering his political game, Josh could’ve had a red skull by now and been sitting pretty. Now he visibly has to contend with the popularity of Kyle if & when another male Elimination Round occurs and it may not pan out for him in the least.
Weekly Challenge Winner(s): Fessy, Dee & Bayleigh
Elimination Round Winner(s): Cory
Eliminations: Asaf (Episode 1); Jenn (Episode 2); CT (Episode 3); Ashley (Episode 4); Jay (Episode 6); Tori (Episode 7); Jordan (Episode 8); Bear (Episode 8); Kailah (Episode 9); Jenna (Episode 9); Wes (Episode 10); Mattie (Episode 11); Swaggy (Episode 12)
Most Embarrassing Athletic Display: Swaggy. It’s hard getting a good balance of something you’re not familiar with, but that doesn’t not make it funny when it happens; in this cast Swaggy swinging across that container like something off a cartoon.
Competitor of the Week: Cory. With Cory coming in hurt, he pulled it together and lived to fight another day with a red skull know in his possession. This is easily Cory’s best season to date and he should be a favorite to win it all even with an injury.
Episode Summary in Five Words or Less: Don’t wait too long.
