Challenge Invasion Preview: Anthony Bartolotte
AYTO has been a show loved by some and hated by others. I keep the Real World and AYTO separate as shows, and the way people compete also on the Challenge separately. There have been people I loved on the Real World, but hated on the Challenge — Preston, Jemmye, Danny, Jasmine. Then there are the people who I hated on the Real World who are amazing on the Challenge — Jordan, Frank, Dustin, Marie. I really enjoy AYTO, but one of the differences between AYTO and the Real World is that the Real World produces more “stars”. Not stars in the normal sense, but in the way the Real World is filmed is that you only get to see 7 people, and they are put under the microscope. From there on it feels like most season we get a star or somebody we get incredibly attached or who stirs reactions and emotionals at a very high level, in recent years: Las Vegas 2(LeRoy and Nany), San Diego(Frank), Portland(Nia and Jordan), Explosion(Cory and Jenny), and Skeletons(Tony).
The main issue for AYTO merging into the Challenge, is that there is not those same natural stars to transfer over to make people want to watch both shows. Viewers do not care much for the AYTO people going in, so if they do anything poorly they are quick to get mad at them, while accepting the poor behaviour of the Real Worlders they’re accustomed to. It does not help that Bunim-Murray made some poor casting decisions the past few seasons: Nate, Brandon, Cheyenne, Simone. I know some people might not like Dario, but he’s not a sheep. People loved JJ and Christina in the house, and JJ was great comic relief. Adam K and Brittany had an incredible rookie season, winning almost 4 eliminations. Adam seemed like a future Challenge star, but has yet to make his return(he will be on the AYTO spinoff though). We have had one true star be on both AYTO and the Challenge, and that was Devin last season. Devin is a smart dude, a good drinker, and is an excellent manipulator, he’s just a polarizing guy to put on reality television; Devin goes against the grain and can outsmart most of his opponents, he’s deceptively athletic though his biggest weakness is that he is a low tier athlete in a group that focuses heavily on fitness. Season 4 of AYTO has some potential in it with stars, it just needs to be figured out whether or not they are athletes ready to compete and stir drama in the house. Until then, I believe the Challenge is getting it’s first true star from AYTO, season two’s Anthony Bartolotte.
Anthony is a player, plain and simple. He stated that he hooked up with 9 out of the 11 girls in the house, which if you watched the show, is completely true. From sleeping with a girl on the first night and not caring for her the next day, or swooping on Jenni from Layton, this guy is a bonafide player. He is tall, has appealing muscles, a smile to die for, dimples, and more than anything a confidence in his voice and tone that made girls fall into the trap of his fake honesty. Anthony is the guy that every guy wishes they could be, he says he is going to go sleep with a girl, and just gets the job done. The main problem with him is that he sometimes will be Mr. Steal Your Girl, and that created problems within the AYTO house. It was staggering how well Anthony was able to play his own game in trying to hook up with as many girls as possible while using game motives as his reasoning, when in reality he just wanted to have sex. Even better is the week when the parents of the girls visited the house and interviewed all the guys, the parents ended up being smitten with Anthony and fell in love with him too. This guy could be a major douche, but he just traps you every single time. Does he have the potential to be the new Mr. Beautiful? Maybe. I am excited for Anthony to make his debut on the Challenge, I just hope it is long enough for him to make an impact.
Now here’s my review of Anthony as a competitor:
Skills/Physical Strength: If Anthony is lacking somewhere, I would say it would be his pure raw strength. He has great muscles, a good looking back and shoulders, but he lacks the size and body that some of his fellow competitors do. On the upside, his core looks a lot more defined and shredded than he did on AYTO, so in portions of the competition where lifting your body mass over a surface or someone else he should be more ready than before. I am not saying he isn’t in super shape, but most off his opponents are in incredible shape. It may take a couple Challenges before Anthony gets to that level. He seems to do a lot of fishing and be around the water, so he should be a good swimmer in a game where it matters more than running. He played football in high school and has the instincts to compete in short distances for agility. As an athlete he should not disappoint with his good height and reach, his struggles will be against the heavyweights though, as he does not match up with them well at all.
Mental Game/Politics: He just straight up sucks at puzzles and mind games. Anthony did very poorly on many of those common sense games on AYTO, but it is okay as he is good looking. Anthony’s main focus is to play the CT game, flirt with as many girls to get their votes and create a strong allegiance within the house. Be the life of the party and helps some guys in getting laid, and just keep up with the smiles in order to win. Having four other strong AYTO people will help his game, and getting in the pants of as many other people could get Anthony very far in the game as long as he avoids the rookie bias.
Eliminations: Eliminations are sometimes geared to vastly different skill-sets. Anthony is tall and we have seen it help so many people in different eliminations — Robb, Dustin, Laurel, and Jenna. His quickness and ability to cover more ground will suit him well for all endurance based eliminations. However, I do not like his chance in leverage or pure strength games like Duel Pole Dance or Hall Brawl. His experience with women has made him great under pressure, and I think he could get an elimination win or two this season.
Final Potential/Endurance: Based on the assumptions I am already making, I would say that Anthony has great potential to finish the final and do well in endurance competitions. He has good size and is nowhere near bulky enough to do get exhausted too quickly in cold weather or high altitudes. However, I do not think he has the mental fortitude to do well on a final on his first attempt, I think he will need to make a final before he can finish second or first on one. Finals are very tough, and I really hope he does well in this competition.
Final Score: 83/100
