Challenge War of the Worlds 2 Episode 8 Recap : 10 Biggest Takeaways

Episode 8 is in the books and I decided to focus on the 10 Biggest moments/takeaways from the eighth episode. Since you’re Challenge fans reading this, I figure you likely have watched the episode already. These will be integral storylines that the eighth episode focused on. I’ll breakdown why they matter for the season:

10 Zach is Team USA’s MVP

Whenever there is a daily challenge that requires strength, height, or speed, Zach is the guy for Team USA. He carries the hardest burdens and gives Team USA the boost they need to beat the UK team. If you switch Zach onto Team UK, there’s a definite chance they win more challenges. Despite Zach having his foibles as an individual competitor or as a partner, he is an excellent team member. Having Zach on your team is like having an elite goalie. He gives your team the edge and makes up for the team’s weaknesses.

9 Idris is getting used

Idris seems like a cool guy. He has made smart moves since the first elimination by joining the larger alliance, thus saving from automatically going into due to his rookie status. However, his team talks about him as though Idris is a lay-up competitor, and then when they need his vote, they expect him to give in. Which he has! Idris is between a rock and a hard place where shaking the boat could result in him getting put into elimination. Continuing down his current path will only result in him getting cut off when the team needs him no more.

Ironically, Kyle could have made a play for Idris’s vote, had he not suggested Idris for elimination.

8 Is CT playing a bad game?

Does anyone else find it weird how much trust CT has in Rogan? CT knows Georgia, Theo, and Jenny are three of his team’s best players aside from himself, yet he continues to side with the alliance of weaker players.

If there was any week to flip the numbers, it should have been this one. I understand he does not trust Kyle, but at the very least, he could have thrown Rogan in to see whether he is worth saving over and over again. CT has put all his eggs in the Rogan basket.

7 Dee and Natalie’s unbalanced relationship

Since last season, Dee has had Natalie’s back. Dee blindly attacked Turbo last season after Natalie got mad at him. She did not care what the situation was; her number one priority was defending Natalie. This season, Dee was getting attacked from all angles by players of her team and the opposing team, yet, Natalie stood idly by. Is her nickname Ninja because she knows how to hide when things get real?

Also, it is Ninja’s fault that people were mad at Dee in the first place. Dee was completely transparent with Ninja that the best she could do was get Kyle into elimination instead of Idris. Ninja failed at her job, threw her friend under the bus, and then scurried away. Dee is such a loyal friend, and she deserves reciprocity.

6 Cara’s alliance entitlement

It is bonkers that Cara, Paulie, and Ashley could not understand the fact that Team UK was okay with Esther volunteering herself for elimination. Esther was the weakest link on her team, and they cannot let Team USA both beat them in the challenges and then choose who the UK is sending into elimination. For the two sides to have an alliance, there needs to be mutual benefits. You would think they would be happy to see Kyle going into elimination. Ironically, the entire tribunal has had sex with Kyle before.

5 Rogan the Manipulator

Rogan is an incredible manipulator. His eyes have this dark puppy dog feel that you do not want to say no to, even though he gives you no reason to trust him. He has been able to avoid eliminations by playing to the senses of his allies and hitting the swing votes at the right moment. During the nomination ceremony, Rogan threw Joss under the bus by forcing him first to announce his vote for Kyle. Joss said what Rogan wanted and thus severed a relationship between Kyle and Joss, where both players had been friends since Vendettas.

He has managed to avoid eliminations and set himself and his alliance up incredibly well. Rogan is playing an incredible political game. It reminds me a lot of Big Brother.

4 Someone needs to TurnCoat already

The fact nobody on Team UK turn-coated to Team USA already is ridiculous. Team USA is so much better than the UK. For a top player like Theo, you know that the UK is going to be worse without you and Team USA is going to be even better with you. Leaving means, you’re likely never to lose another daily challenge. Likewise, there are already established battle lines within the US team. Theo would never have to worry about going into elimination if his team loses because Jordan and Paulie will be gunning for one another. Maybe your old team has a vendetta against you, but they need first make sure Theo is a more viable option than the opposing alliance side. Someone on Team UK needs to wake up and realize their team as it stands is not winning.

3 Kyle needs to change his playstyle

Kyle has been eliminated five times in three seasons. He has the potential to play one of the most dangerous social and political games if he takes the game by horns and actively plays. His game-style currently is very passive, where he makes handshake deals and relies on his friendships to get him far. At a certain point, you can no longer stay under the radar, but Kyle has not realized it. Kyle does not recognize that Joss and Dee did not want him in elimination. They got forced to because Kyle did not reveal his cards in time. In another world, Kyle is working with them, and they throw Idris into this elimination.

Also, I am going to say that I thought Kyle’s elimination strategy was smart in theory. I know he was unable to lift the biggest weights, but I genuinely believe that in a one on one elimination, the visual of someone lapping you and taking a huge lead is mentally fatiguing. You think you’re farther behind when you see your opponent has made so many trips. Unfortunately, Theo is both faster and stronger than Kyle. Kyle’s strategy failed him, and now he’s going home. Adding Joss and Rogan to his list is a little weird as he is yet to take out Paulie or Cara in two attempts.

2 I love Esther, how dare Georgia best her!

My entire opinion of Esther completely changed this episode. While I enjoyed her confessionals throughout the season, she always seemed like a non-factor as a competitor who would flop once the game got intense. Instead, Esther took it to Georgia in an elimination where it was Esther’s biggest weakness and Georgia’s biggest strength. Not only that, but Esther volunteered for elimination because she thought she needed to prove herself. Esther kicked ass and established herself as a competitor in the elimination. I almost don’t want Esther to come back, mostly due to the fact I would rather have this memory of Esther in my brain. Too often, challengers come back and leave on a bad note. Meanwhile, Esther is currently a hard-working scrappy underdog in my mind.

Georgia is now 4–0 in eliminations. She is a beast in physical competitions. Unfortunately, Georgia proved this episode that she’s not the brightest. Puzzles and upper-level thinking are not her strong suit. She almost lost the elimination because she could not keep her relics organized. Against someone like Dee, Georgia could easily be upset in this same elimination.

1 Team UK was obese, and now they are overweight

The UK team has done a phenomenal job of trimming the fat on their side. While Kyle and Bear are not bad competitors, they are not as good as Jordan, Turbo, Paulie, and Zach. Even more significant, they have gotten rid of all of their females except for Jenny, Georgia, Dee, and Kayleigh. The most considerable discrepancy the two teams have had all seasons is among the females. Ninja has been the worst player for Team USA this season, and yet she was the top female finisher from last season. The talent level difference was huge. There’s still a margin, though it is a lot closer. If Team UK wants to be on a completely equal footing, they need to get rid of Kayleigh next. Kayleigh is better than Zahida, Esther, Big T, and Nicole. She is not better than the remaining three. Kayleigh’s social and political game this season has been flawless, but either she needs to step up as a competitor, or else she will bring her team down in the final.

On the male side, Rogan is still an unknown, and Idris has proved to have weaknesses when it comes to puzzles and swimming. CT, Joss, and Theo need to be big boys and understand that if they’re going to win, the three of them need to link up in some fashion.