10 of the Dumbest Political Moves in Challenge History
It’s Monday, and I decided to break down 10 of the worst political moves in Challenge history. Recently, we saw Cara make a move against two of the strongest players on Team US with Tori/Jordan going into elimination and switching sides to the UK. This might be a good move as it helps team chemistry, or an awful move as it makes Team UK dramatically better.
We will have to wait and see how it plays. However, this list includes moves that have played out and still irritate me to this day.
Honorable Mention: Jordan Flipping the Kill Cards on Free Agents. I don’t think there is anything political about this. Jordan just made an idiotic decision to stroke his own ego.
10 Shane voting in Big Easy and Katie on Fresh Meat 1
I am starting off with a forgotten moment. On Fresh Meat, Shane and Linette were a quietly strong duo. Shane is an all-around beast in daily challenges, and Linette’s core strength was incredible. Their one major weakness was the fact that they weighed a combined 250 lbs, while their luggage weighed 171. They had no chance of winning if they had gone into elimination.
When Shane and Linette had the power to vote a team in, they went with the safe move of voting in Katie and Big Easy. In retrospect, it’s crazy to watch Shane make such a safe move when current Shane would have thrown in Darrell/Aviv or Derrick/Diem. Derrick and Diem making moves against strong teams in back to back weeks really set the tone for what the Challenge would become today. Shane is a great political player who learned what the game has become from his misfire.
9 Theresa and Nany burning Leroy on Rivals 2
I feel like I’ve written about this moment ADnauseam at this point, but man, this is truly one of the more ridiculous moments in Challenge history. Theresa/Jasmine and Nany/Jonna were both trying to float through Rivals 2, not realizing they would be cut off once the rookies would get eliminated. Despite them being on the outside, the teams never truly aligned, and never decided to do the math. If they got on the same page with Cara/Cooke, they could have voted Johnny Bananas and Frank into elimination. Or they could have put in Knight and Preston. Instead, they both decided to play safe by tossing burn votes onto each of their top male allies in Leroy and Ty. In a game where there were only 6 total votes, these two teams burned 2 of them onto their top ally… IDIOTS.
Ironically, Leroy would be the victim of burn votes again years later, except those burn votes resulted in a much more rational game move.
8 The Grey Team Voting in Laurel on Cutthroat
When Laurel was in her athletic prime, there simply was not a female competitor like her. You could throw any daily challenge at her, and she was innately good at the weirdest shit. However, she did not mesh with her Grey Team at all and she clashed quite a bit with Abram. While I understand Abram not wanting to put Cara in elimination, the fact you even consider putting Laurel in is wild. Prime Laurel was LeBron James; and you just don’t risk losing LeBron.
It is crazy to watch Cutthroat in 2019 knowing that they had Laurel, Cara, and Sarah Rice. Three of the top 10 females in Challenge history made up their five woman female squad. Shauvon is probably 11th all-time.
7 Jenna and Brianna not voting Bananas into elimination on Bloodlines
In the late phase of Bloodlines, Jenna and Brianna were a crucial swing-vote in the game. After being voted into eliminations three teams and having been picked on by Bananas’ cousin Vince, Jenna and Brianna had the opportunity to vote them into elimination. Instead, they were strong-armed and simply let the two bullies walk all over them, and voted Jamie/Cara into elimination to face Abram/Mike.
I would have killed to see Mike face Vince in elimination, and would have loved to watch Vince get beaten by CT even more. It’s pretty obvious looking back that Mike threw the elimination to Jamie as he didn’t want to be there, and he definitely knew how to at least stay in for a long time against Zach. Mike and Abram are smart guys, even if they weren’t gonna beat Zach, they were aware of how to hold out as long as possible.
6 Cory announcing he had a Hit List on Dirty 30
If Cory had simply stated that Tony was his #1 alliance from Invasion, then nobody would have found it crazy that he purged Darrell. Had Cory went after Johnny Bananas because everyone hates Bananas, that would not have been crazy. Saying he had a Hit List and naming CT and Derrick, is so fucking dumb. Once you say it in front of everyone, you cannot go back from there. Cory became the #1 enemy for three of the strongest players in the game and made himself an easy vote for any of the floaters.
It is baffling. Cory needs to learn that if you want to be this brash, you need to be as good as someone like Wes or CT to do so. CT and Wes aren’t good because they take on the entire house, they’re good because they are well-rounded competitors, athletes, and then they take on everyone.
5 Wes not volunteering for elimination on Fresh Meat 2
Remember when I was complimenting Wes? Well now I’m doing the opposite. Good lord, Wes is so good when playing from behind and scheming his way to the top. But he obviously is someone who never invested in rear view mirrors because once this guy is in the lead, he has no understanding of how to maintain it.
When Katelynn got injured on Fresh Meat 2, Wes offered up CJ as an elimination representative to Kenny as he knew that CJ would beat an injured Brandon/Katelynn and that they would be able to give insight to their alliance on what exile looks like. This is a dumb move, because if you want to run a strong alliance, then you offer yourself or Evelyn up to Kenny for elimination. You have to display loyalty to your alliance to keep the facade of trust intact. By allowing CJ/Sydney in, your alliance can no longer trust you.
4 Evan calling CT into the Duel 1
Evan and Wes made a deal on the Duel 1 where Wes agreed to take out Brad and Derrick if Evan were to take out CT. When Evan was forced to call someone out, he picked CT as his opponent and then got mad because he believed Wes snaked him. Evan, the move was right in front of you. Take Brad into elimination and try to win the final daily challenge.
I don’t think I need to say anymore. Evan played himself.
3 The Challenger Team not putting Casey in elimination on the Ruins
The Challenger team won one daily challenge all season and put Briana from Real World Hollywood in elimination. Casey would go on to be an anchor on the challenger team for the rest of the season. She was the most valuable player for the Champion team. The fact that the men on Ruins caved to Susie’s demand of putting Casey into the final elimination is wild in retrospect.
It kinda feels as though I’m phoning it in here, but the dumbest moves don’t really need as much explaining at times.
2 Zach and Amanda throwing themselves into elimination on Final Reckoning
The entire point of attempting to win a daily challenge is to guarantee safety from elimination. Zach and Amanda did so on Final Reckoning and were in the driver’s seat. However, neither player wanted to vote their friends into elimination and their stubbornness led to Zach stepping off the platform of safety and throwing himself into elimination, rather than vote in Tony/Bananas or Hunter/Ashley. Considering Zach has double crossed Johnny Bananas multiple times over the years, the fact that he would not budge this time is even more incredulous.
To make matters worse, they were not dressed for elimination, so Amanda had to compete in pants, and then Zach fractured his face during the elimination. They were the top team in the game and threw it all away for nothing.
1 Diem and CT not taking a shot at Johnny and Camila twice on Exes 1
Diem and CT went on an all-time hot streak at the end of Exes 1. With the power to vote in any team to face Emily and Ty in the final 5 elimination, they picked Paula and Dunbar as they figured that Paula and Dunbar are better runners. Which I guess is true, but both players are also idiots, have no chemistry as partners, and Dunbar is a can of Chef of Boyardee as a human being. With the speed and size advantage, Ty and Emily would have likely beat Bananas and Camila.
If Diem and CT make this mistake once, it is fine. Making it a second time though? That is what gets this move to the #1 spot. After winning the final daily challenge, they had to choose eitherMark/Robin or Ty/Emily in the final elimination against Bananas and Camila. The concept of Robin beating Diem in any final is bonkers. The move does not add up at all. Ty and Emily would have beat Bananas and Camila in Pole Wrestle. Instead, Mark Long cut a deal with Bananas, and then Bananas/Camila were able to beat Diem/CT in the final.
Diem and CT have nobody but themselves to blame for their Exes 1 loss. They had the gun in their hands and didn’t take the shot.
