Challenge Vendettas Player Preview: Tony Raines
TONY TWO KIDS IS BACK. Expectations were low for Tony on Dirty 30 after he was eliminated or removed from the game early in three consecutive seasons. It seemed like his fate was going to be the exact same for Dirty 30 if not for the Redemption House. After his elimination loss to Ammo, Tony thought his Challenge career might be over, and that he would have to re-evaluate his life. A few days later he was sending Darrell into the water in order to win his way back into the house where he stayed for the entire duration until the final.
Some people were born to kill the challenges and everything in it. Jordan Wiseley, Wes Bergman, Landon Lueck, and Chris Tamburello are all people who walked onto the show and pissed excellence. Tony isn’t one of those guys; he has stumbled through, ruptured a spleen, couldn’t bang his tuk tuk, and now has begun to finally show flashes of potential. Players who weren’t amazing from the start, but grew into great players often grew in moments. Examples of these players are Cara Maria Sorbello, Tyler Duckworth, and recent example Nelson Thomas. Cara’s elimination win against Nia on Free Agents was her signaling to everyone she’s now an all star player, and later became elite. Tyler beating Derrick in Cutthroat showed he’s not just the gay guy who cried over Ryan Kehoe. And Nelson literally improved by huge jumps after each elimination win he racked up on Invasion. Tony had two of those moments on Dirty 30 — one was his Redemption win, the other being his elimination win against Dario.
After his win against Darrell in Redemption, Tony would later go on to win his first individual daily mission ever. His win against Dario seems insignificant, but after a long history of losing to people that he expected to beat, it seemed like he had gotten over the nerves and over the hump. He played a smart game by aligning with Hunter where they got almost the entire veteran alliance eliminated. Following Jordan and CT’s return from Redemption, they earned two spots in the final in the next challenge. Derrick outlasted Tony in the final purge, leaving Tony at the end with no money. His nerves seemed to get to him again. The good thing is Tony was so close it made him realize what it takes in order to get to the next level. Before he only talked about winning and making it to the final — now it is a reality.
Skills & Physical Strength: In the four or five months between filming of Dirty 30 and Vendettas, it looks like Tony has put on at least ten pounds and as much as twenty-five pounds in an effort to bulk up. Tony said he weighed about 210 during Dirty 30, so him being in the 225–230 area is both scary and fascinating. We have seen players like Darrell, Zach, Bananas, and Jordan slim down in recent years to be more ready for the final. Was bulking up like this a good choice for Tony? He is essentially taking his biggest strength (his size) and doubling down on himself. Instead of trying to become a more well-rounded player, Tony is attempting to become elite at his one strength. It is a smart move because it is hard to teach yourself how to become a great swimmer when you’re thirty, you’re not getting faster when you’re thirty, and you probably aren’t suddenly going to be awesome at Geometry. (Tony is 29.)
Tony is taking his momentum from Dirty 30 and is trying to put it together in order to actually win daily challenges this season. His biggest weakness will always be his clumsiness. You could make a highlight reel of Tony falling on heights and balance related missions. Tony needs to figure out what works for him, and not try to compete like everyone else does. What works for Bananas might not work for Tony.
Social, Mental, & Political Game: He might actually be in one of the best situations in the game from a social perspective. Tony went against the Bananas alliance at the end of Dirty 30 because he was at the bottom of the totem pole. This time around, Bananas needs Tony on his side due to the number of rookies in the game, and the fact he doesn’t have a true alliance besides LeRoy. Similarly, we saw Tony play the game with Hunter last season. The Young Bucs of Cory and Nelson need Tony to align with them in order to get more power against Bananas. He is also friends with Devin, LeRoy, Nicole Z., Kailah, and Britni. Tony also does not have a big target on his back.
The mental game is the hardest part for Tony. Puzzles obviously are not his strong suit, but the mental portion of the game he truly struggles with is keeping sanity and keeping consistency in the house. Tony has addict-like traits when it comes alcohol and sex, and when the two come together he gets in a lot of trouble. If Tony is focused, he is a lovely guy who is quite charming. He might be fun when he is drunk, but he continues to make choices while drunk that harm his game and his life at home.
Eliminations & Winning Potential: A 2–2 elimination record is far from the worst. Tony is 2–0 against heterosexual challengers, which means I like his chances this season. We still have not seen Tony go up against a LeRoy or Nelson type player in elimination. He is now a clear cut above the below average and average players. What we need to learn is if he can beat the best players. With Tony’s increased build and size, he can likely out-muscle most of the guys on the show in a 1 v 1 physical elimination.
Could Tony win this season? A Tony win would involve him taking out or being part of a group that takes out Bananas, and then maybe Zach and Nelson. For Tony to win, he needs the people more prepared to run a final to not be there. Even then it is still a toss-up.
Overall Rating: 82/100
