Previously on “The Challenge: Total Madness”: A squad of twenty-eight “Challenge” veterans & rookies from all walks of reality TV life found themselves in an every-person-for-themselves scenario that ended with newbie Jay defeating Asaf in the first Elimination Round – earning his mark needed to potentially qualify for the finale.
The fallout from the first Elimination Round has shaken everyone other than Jay as every person looking to advance to the finale will have to compete in at least one Elimination Round. Strong competitors believe no one will nominate them to ensure they aren’t in the finale while players who avoided the Elimination Round to make it further in the game can’t figure how they’ll overcome. And then there’s Rogan who starts singling out Jenn as a potential romantic partner while his ex from the last season Dee is just lurking & watching while Tori attempts to hold her back from saying something potentially embarrassing.
The next morning arrives for this week’s Challenge: “Airdrop Extraction”. Teams of three will have to transfer military crates between two points separated by a mile; leading to a literal bombing mission where the three teams that finish first attempt to drop said containers on a bull’s-eye while flying in a helicopter. The race begins and everything is rather close until the first completed lap. Jenn is the first to show weakness; relying on teammate Josh to do all the heavy lifting. After several minutes it’s Dee, Cory & Swaggy C coming up with a pretty smart strategy of becoming relay racers by having each person at a particular spot so all three won’t burn themselves out doing the entire mile over & over again. Jordan, Jenny & Wes are the first to finish transferring. Fessy, Kyle & Melissa are the next to complete the moving of their ammo, while Swaggy C, Cory & Dee round out the top three.
Now it time to drop some bombs. Team Jenny, Jordan & Wes are the first up and don’t too well with aiming thanks to Jordan; only completing two of nine drops. Melissa, Kyle & Fessy are up next and on their third try start getting into a nice groove. By the end they hit the mark seven times. The pressure is on for Cory, Dee & Swaggy C and they really step up by doing perfect run – nine for nine!
With the victory, Dee, Cory & Swaggy are now the Tribunal – Cory being in twice in a row. Today is a girl’s day for the Elimination Round. Though Jenn is Dee’s target, it’s Big T who wants in to get her mark as quickly as possible. Jenn goes out of her way to get some advice from Wes, Johnny Bananas, Nelson & Bear about what she should say to stay out of an Elimination Round for now – pretty much admit how weak she is to everyone. When it comes to the non-Tribunal nomination, Jenn reads her speech and the reactions are priceless.
After Jenn’s words, Wes actually votes for her first even though he’s the reason why she said the stupidity that made people believe she’s crazy or dumb (or both). Jenn snaps at Dee when the latter starts explaining why Jenn is going in; leading to Jenn accusing Dee of watching her while she sleeps. But Dee has other problems with Tori & Jordan as the latter believes Dee only won last season because of them and Tori needs to go in over Dee’s friend Jenny. When it’s time for the Tribunal to do their nominations, Dee reveals what happened between herself and Tori; leading to Jenny, Tori & Big T being chosen for potentially challenging Jenn.
When it’s time for everyone to enter Purgatory for the first women’s Elimination Round of the season, host TJ Lavin drops another bombshell that the Tribunal can actually volunteer themselves to battle for the red skull. Dee has the chance of ending Jenn’s time in the house or be loyal to either of her nominees. Dee sticks with voting for Jenny. Jenny gets a unanimous vote for “Flip the Switch”: a simple game of flipping hanging barrels from their side to their opponent’s while the opponent attempts to do the same while restoring their side. Jenny smokes Jenn in record time. Jenny gets her red skull while Dee is now a target.
Episode High(s): Making Moves. Romantic relationships can be hit or miss during a season; usually being a “hit” thanks to the politicking it inspires – this episode had that quality with Dee and Jenn’s problems due to Rogan’s actions being the basis of everything leading into the Elimination Round. Beyond that was the constant jockeying for a position early in the season to potentially be done with Elimination Rounds that spearheaded a fissure between Dee and Jordan & Tori.
Episode Low(s): Stepping Down. It’s not unusual for someone to spout off at the mouth and back down when the rubber should meet the road, but this season of “The Challenge” is unlike any other with Elimination Round victories being a necessity for the finale. Dee had a perfect chance to not only get her red skull, but also end a rivalry in grand fashion – more than likely not upsetting either Tori, Jenny or Jordan in the process as everyone wanted to see Dee and Jenn compete against each other. Now Dee is back in the mercy of others when she had an opportunity to flourish.
Weekly Challenge Winners: Cory, Dee & Swaggy C
Eliminations: Asaf (Episode 1); Jenn (Episode 2)
Most Embarrassing Athletic Display: Jenn. Not a single barrel flipped successfully; not one! I don’t think anyone expected her to beat Jenny, but for her to not complete one flip is shocking and sad.
Competitor of the Week: Jenny. While her team didn’t succeed in the Weekly Challenge when it mattered the most (hitting that mark), she performed exceptionally well during the relay portion before stomping out the competition fast during the first female Elimination Round of the season.
Episode Summary in Five Words or Less: Take the shot.
