The Challenge All Stars 5: Rivals Episode 12 Finale Recap: 5 Biggest Takeaways
The 12th episode of The Challenge All Stars 5 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 5 Biggest moments/takeaways from Episode 12.
If you prefer audio/video, my podcast recap can be found above/below:
5 It’s Over
Finales are sometimes difficult to recap because it’s not fun to summarize people running back & forth. Amongst all-time Challenge Finals, this one was decently enjoyable as the competitors all had moments they could hang their hats on, and it ended up being super close between the two teams. Was this the best Final ever? Definitely not. On the other hand, I’ve watched a couple dozen terrible Finals, and this one was not terrible by any stretch. For this recap, I’m reviewing each pair and breaking down my thoughts on their season/the Final.
4 Historically Bad
This duo was the worst team in the daily challenges all season and the worst team in the Final. Being a dual-female comes with disadvantages, but these two weren’t even doing well in the portions where physicality did not matter and even when their sizes were an advantage. They sucked; plain & simple. Additionally, this duo didn’t bring much entertainment to the season other than Nicole cheating on her girlfriend and lying about it.
There was an Instagram Live last week where Nicole talked shit to Sam, saying the daily challenges don’t matter and that it’s about how you perform in the Final. Well, not only did Sam beat her, but now Nicole has been to four Finals, and she’s been the last place in female in every single one she’s competed in. It is crazy that through five seasons, Nicole has never been traditionally eliminated, yet she’s also never been close to winning. She & Nam Vo are the same in that way, except he actually knows English.
I don’t feel like we need either Melissa or Nicole on Season 41/42 or All-Stars 6 or 7. While they’ve brought something to the table in past seasons, I feel like we’re getting diminishing returns from then. Put them on hold and maybe bring back Melissa down the line.
3 Better Than Expected
A lot of fans are going to be critical of both Frank & Sam’s performances & behavior during this Final. In all honesty, I’m super proud of both of them. People will criticize Frank for being harsh towards Sam during the physical/cardio portion of this Final and the fact that he was accusing her of lying about being hurt. I’m not going to because I think Frank was right that Sam had more in her than what she was producing, especially considering the stakes & circumstances. It’s the Final — there’s no competition (at least for many months) after this day. Leave it all out on the field. That’s why Frank was pushing her and got frustrated because they might not ever have another chance to compete in a Final like this again. It took more than a dozen years for Sam to get back on this show. Now, I also believe that in Sam’s mind, she thought she was at her limit, and I’m sure the pain she was feeling at the moment was real. Two people can be right, and two people can be wrong. Frank & Sam were both right & wrong multiple times throughout this Final.
As a whole, these two were pretty damn good this Final, specifically after the first two portions on Day 1. At the beginning, it looked like they were going to have the worst Final performance ever. Instead, they cleanly beat Melissa & Nicole for third and impressively won the row boat portion, where they took down Adam & Steve in a photo finish. I haven’t seen that close of a boat race since the Winklevoss twins lost in The Social Network.
Frank & Sam were such an interesting addition to this season. We all knew they weren’t Final threats, yet they were a core part of the show. Whereas I have no interest in seeing Nicole & Melissa any time soon — my stock in Frank Sweeney is higher than ever. Walking away from this season, I genuinely believe Frank is one of the best characters and one of the most natural Stars this franchise has ever had. Frank carries himself like a Mega Star, and he has the ability as a competitor both physically and mentally to back up that persona. Frank is legitimately on the tier of Wes, Jordan, and CT, where he walks into a room, and you know he’s the one to watch. We will walk away knowing that All-Stars 5 was THE FRANK SWEENEY SEASON.
I also wouldn’t mind seeing Sam on another season solely so we can see how she does on a season without Frank as a partner.
2 Seconds Away From Victory
Shane & Da’Vonne completely blew any expectations of them out of the water during this Final, yet all I can think about is all the moments where one different placement could’ve led to them winning the Final. If Shane & Da’Vonne had properly allocated their sabotages in the eating portion to Frank & Sam, or if Shane had tried to knock down Adam & Steve’s tower during the cup stacking portion on Day 1, then maybe we would end up in a tie/they win. There are so many little moments that you could pinpoint where they win if one thing goes differently. At the same time, I get reminded of Charlie Conway’s conversation with Gordon Bombay in The Mighty Ducks. As much as we can talk about all the moments where Shane & Da’Vonne could’ve pulled ahead, there are likely as many moments that could’ve made them fall further behind. If Sam and Frank hadn’t pulled ahead of Adam & Steve in the Row Boat portion, Adam & Steve would’ve won by a bigger margin. So on and so forth.
Ultimately, Shane & Da’Vonne should be proud of how they performed. After more than 20 years, Shane finally got to compete, and he proved that he had the skills to thrive in one. Da’Vonne had never been to a Final either and didn’t have expectations, and yet, she found herself keeping & succeeding alongside Shane. Had they won, it likely would’ve been a much more entertaining outcome considering the split-or-steal-the-money twist. That said, they should both hold their heads high.
Da’Vonne said this was her last Challenge season. She’s “retired” from Reality TV, Big Brother, and The Challenge multiple times, so I will take any retirement with a grain of salt. Retirement is a fun thing to say, and then one day, Da’Vonne will want to buy a car for her daughter, so a 4-week Challenge vacation could end up paying for that. If this truly is Da’Vonne’s last season, she is exiting this franchise on a high note. She had War of the Worlds, where she won a bunch of eliminations, and now has All-Stars 5, where she can legitimately say she was seconds from winning and can also claim that she was the top female on the season. The door is always open for Da’Vonne, and it’s just a question of whether she wants to walk through it.
Regarding Shane , his return this season was a bit of a let-down in the first half. In the second half, we saw Shane’s emotional and competitive side flare up, and even though he wasn’t quite on the level of Invasion/Final Reckoning, he’s still such a massive asset to this show. Shane knows how to stir the pot, he knows how to get under people’s skin, and he’s a great competitor who gives his all to this show. It pains me that Shane was made an alternate for Season 41. While production does not love Shane as much as they love Da’Vonne , I would love to see him in any season or format because he adapts to the game around him.
1 Winner Winner Hooters Chicken Wing Dinner
Let me get the negative out of the way first. Adam & Steve’s win was slightly underwhelming, considering we all assumed it would be a blowout. If this Final were a college basketball game, the betting spread would’ve been for Adam & Steve to win by 20 points, so the fact that it came down to a buzzer-beater was stunning. That shouldn’t diminish their win, though, especially when Shane & Da’Vonne performed. Adam & Steve earned their win, and they fought this entire season. They won 5 eliminations, 3 daily challenges, and were the top team in the game from Day 1 to now.
After Steve’s close loss on All-Stars 4, you can tell he’s been consumed by the idea of winning a Challenge Championship. His growth as a competitor from All-Stars 2 to now has been crazy to watch. I know he dealt with some setbacks professionally as a hand model, so the winnings from this season will be a help. Congrats to Steve on his win. I will say, though, that I am not interested in seeing Steve on The Challenge again unless he throws himself back into the show aspect. He brought zero entertainment to the table this season despite being in a prime position for camera time the entire season.
His partner, Adam, understood the assignment because he was both a great competitor & a notable personality. I’m happy Adam got the win because he’s thrown himself back into the challenge universe. On top of being a strong competitor, he interacts with fans and doesn’t take for granted the opportunities that this show offers. Also, he and Averey are likely engaged now, so congrats to them! I’ve seen many people say that Adam is faking being nice because we’ve also seen a vicious side of him on the show. I don’t think Adam’s fake nice at all. I believe Adam is genuinely nice and that he also has a messy side to him because, guess what? Humans can have layers! Among all the OG’s, Adam is someone who I would love to see on the main show because his messy side going at it with a 25-year-old would be fun to watch. Additionally, it would be great to see if Adam can compete at the same level against younger players.
All in all, All-Stars 5 was a solid 8/10 season. It had some major format flaws, but overall, it was an enjoyable 12-episode experience.
