The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras Episode 18 Recap: 10 Biggest Takeaways
The 18th episode of The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras is in the books. You probably have some thoughts, so let’s compare. Instead of giving a simple summary, I decided to focus on the 10 Biggest moments/takeaways from Episode 18.
If you prefer audio/video, my podcast recap can be found above/below:
10 Karmageddon
I’ve said it since the beginning; Karma Points are some sketchy bullshit that could possibly upend the season. As a fan, it was great to see every cast member from this season pop up on screen, and I thought KellyAnne’s confessional in particular was hysterical. That said, it’s driving me a bit crazy that some people I completely forgot were on this season now influence who might win. Looking back, Karma Votes should only have been given to players who went farther into the game, as they’re the ones who actually played it. Additionally, it’s annoying that we still haven’t gotten a full spreadsheet detailing every eliminated player’s Karma Vote distribution. Until we see that, everything will be so fishy.
9 Water World
I won’t be breaking down every checkpoint of the Final from this day, as it was all very repetitive. All the players did was swim, run, and solve puzzles over and over again.
Is this shaping up for the worst Final I’ve ever seen? Nope. Definitely not, because I’ve covered this show for a long time, and I’ve seen so many terrible Finals. I don’t love this Final so far, but it’s for sure not the worst. We are going to be remembering this Final as the Water Final. Some people might complain that it caters to/punishes too many players who are good/bad in the water. Well, sorry, that’s the game. We’ve had cold weather ice Finals where we’ve seen big guys like Zach, Fessy, and CT struggle because of the environment. There was a desert Final on War of the Worlds 1 where Georgia got dehydrated and knocked out instantly, and Turbo (who won) almost got medically removed. With this format, the women’s Final has become super duper interesting where especially with the Karma Points, you can envision any of them winning. Meanwhile, we got a historic blowout taking shape on the men’s side.
Also, I didn’t know where to put it in the recap, but I enjoyed the overnight portion. It was fun, silly, and really put the competitors through hell.
8 Rachel Is Fitting Herself Into 4th
I want to open this portion by saying that Rachel Robinson is one of the most fit women on the planet and has no quit. It’s why she was able to dominate The Duel 2 Final over a decade ago. Except that was a decade ago, and while Rachel might be in better shape now than in 2009, the level of competition she’s facing is much more fierce. Tori & Jenny are as fit as her, they have no quit in them either, and while Rachel’s a good swimmer, it’s clear Michele’s better in the water. On top of all that, Rachel might be the 4th best puzzle player among this group of women. Rachel is giving her all and still in last among these ladies, and it’s been a hard pill to swallow for her. It’s not an indictment of Rachel; it’s more of a testament to the strength of the women on The Challenge. Let’s see if she can pull through in Day 2.
7 Kyland Complains About Water
This season’s Final has been a brutal experience for Kyland. What pains me about Kyland’s performance is that it’s not like he’s last because he’s gassing out like Zach or dying like Big Easy. Kyland is giving 200% at all times — it’s just that he sucks at swimming, and it’s not something he can change in an instant. While swimming has always been part of the competition , we haven’t had a final before this swimming intensive. Now, knowing Kyland, he probably will be practicing a ton in the offseason following this traumatic experience. The fact he’s entirely out of the fold when it comes to winning now feels like a total bummer when for most of the season, it’s felt like he’s been like the only possible threat to beating Jordan. Instead, Kyland will come in dead last, and people will probably make fun of him.
It was perfectly on brand with Kyland’s sense of humor that not only did he piss on the instructions sign during checkpoint — he made sure to let use to know after we clearly saw him do it.
6 Derek Is Finally Living His Dream
I feel like we finally got to see the version of Derek that people have been hyping up all season. His cardio and swimming prowess were displayed in this episode, where he kept up with 7x Champion Johnny Bananas. Now, neither of them is on the level of Jordan; however, if Derek can finish 2nd among this stacked cast, that would be something to be incredibly proud of.
5 Tori’s Underwhelmingly In Third…
It’s crucial to note that Tori went directly from her elimination to the boat for the Final. She didn’t get a good night’s sleep to rest and recover, nope, cold water, cold boat, and back in the water. I’m not trying to make any excuses for Tori, but it can’t be easy to do any endurance elimination and then go directly into the Final. Although Tori has been clearly behind Jenny & Michele throughout this Final, she’s at least had a positive mindset where she hasn’t seemed deterred from winning.
4 Slow and Steady Gets You Second
Bananas is going with the strategy of not going too hard and waiting for others to gas out. This strategy has worked for him in so many Finals, especially in Finals where his opponents are not the most well-rounded. Unfortunately, Bananas is facing Jordan, and Jordan will never gas out. Genuinely, the only way Bananas is walking out of this Final a winner is if Jordan DQ’s. That said, Bananas is in 2nd Place currently and he’s performing well — just not near the level of Jordan.
3 A Historic Blowout Performance In The Making
I joked in my last recap that Jordan could get bit by a shark, and I’d still put money on him to win, and at this point — I’m willing to say Jordan could get bit by two sharks and still win. Nobody in this competition is touching Jordan, and he doesn’t even seem exhausted. We are witnessing what will likely be the biggest blowout solo win ever, and if you don’t think Jordan is the greatest competitor in Challenge history, then I don’t know what to say.
2 A Potential Major Underdog Upset?
Going into this Final, the question is whether Michele could survive and cross the finish line. Now, the question is, can Michele pull off the upset of the century? Michele is thriving in this Final, where she’s crushing the swims and doing adequately in both the physical & mental aspects of the game. In these rough conditions, Michele feels more at home, almost like when she was on Survivor, whereas Jenny is beginning to lose it, and Rachel & Tori are a bit frazzled by their slow starts. If Jenny does fly off the handle, then maybe Michele can sneak a win if this Final continues to be so water-heavy.
1 Can Jenny’s Lungs Hold Up?
Jenny is simultaneously dominating this Final and is also on the verge of a total meltdown/quitting because she’s going through nicotine withdrawals. We’re watching Jenny complain about hurting and being sore, but everyone is sore. Jenny is more mad that she’s been without her vape for 36 hours, so it’s making her more sensitive to all her ailments. If Jenny loses this Final because she can’t handle not being able to smoke, then…well…she deserves to lose because smoking/vaping isn’t healthy!
