The Challenge All Stars 5: Rivals Episode 2 Recap: 11 Biggest Takeaways
The 2nd 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 11 Biggest moments/takeaways from Episode 2.
If you prefer audio/video, my podcast recap can be found above/below:
11 Formal Format Complaints
The fact that there is zero punishment for coming in last place in the daily challenge is a problem, and we saw it immediately in today’s episode. So many teams didn’t even attempt The Challenge because there were no repercussions for not trying. Now, while I skew towards the spectrum that I prefer drama & personality over the sports aspect of the show — there is still a baseline level of competition necessary for this game to have life. What’s the point of watching a daily challenge if more than half the cast isn’t going to try? Not only that, these players who aren’t even trying are getting rewarded with a house vote. Why should someone get power in the game for existing? They have to find an even ground somewhere. Maybe if you aren’t going to force last place to go into elimination automatically, then enforce a rule that if you finish in the Bottom 3/DQ, you don’t get a house vote.
Another format flaw this game has is that the elimination winner should be given the option to steal/move a Star even if they already have a Star. One of the bright spots of All Stars 4 was how players strategically moved the Stars around, where you had Cara give a Star to Jasmine, knowing that people would then want to face Jasmine as an easier opponent in elimination. Likewise, you had Veronica with a Star that nobody touched because people wanted to see her in the Final, and other players (like Cara) were more significant threats. At the very least, the more Star stealing there is, the more conflict and storylines you get.
10 Aneesas Writes Her Haters Checks
First, as I mentioned above, since there’s no penalty for last place, a player like Aneesa not even attempting the daily challenge because they feel safe makes sense. Am I going to chastise Aneesa for it, though? Yes. The reason being is that we have to deal with season after season of Aneesa’s entitlement, where she complains about people taking her for granted and being upset when nobody wants to be her partner. This specific daily challenge was not super strenuous physically. It was an opportunity for Aneesa to show that she’s willing to do whatever it takes to win and could build teammate chemistry with Ashley. Nope, she didn’t even try.
You wanna know why people don’t want to be your partner, Aneesa? It’s because anytime you have a free opportunity to prove people wrong, you don’t. And before anyone brings up Aneesa’s elimination with Jenny, where she performed surprisingly well, that was a scenario where Aneesa’s game was on the line. She HAD to perform if she wanted to stay in the game, and even then, she still lost. This daily challenge was a chance for Aneesa to prove her haters wrong, and once again, she did the opposite. Aneesa’s decision pissed off Ashley and vindicated Ashley’s thoughts that Aneesa is going to be impossible to win with as a partner.
9 Quitterz
Don’t worry; Aneesa is not the only quitter I’m complaining about. Frank quitting pissed me off because his choosing not to compete here gives Sam some leeway when she’ll want to quit in a future daily challenge. To me, this means that if Frank rolls his eyes and throws a tantrum at Sam later on, then he’s essentially a hypocrite. Especially considering that Sam showed him grace in their decision not to compete this week.
I felt terrible for Jonna & KellyAnne, who were gung-ho about wanting to compete and experience this daily challenge only to have two partners, Beth & Sylvia, who weren’t willing to. Considering that Jonna & KellyAnne easily could have been paired up this season following their beef at the World Championships, the fact that both didn’t get to compete here hurts even more. Last week, I went in on Beth a bit as a competitor, and I have zero regrets after this episode. Beth talks a big game only to fold at the first sign of any resistance or difficulty.
And then, to no surprise, Katie quit. What was sad about Katie quitting was that it looked like Veronica solved the math equation faster than anyone. Then again, considering the size of those two women, they likely wouldn’t have been able to grab the flags anyway.
8 Pretty Dumb
Last week, I mentioned that Dario & Ashley could be a dark horse pair to win this season because they are fit and not overtly terrible at any part of the game. Well, I was wrong. Actually, I wasn’t wrong about Dario & Ashley being fit — I mean, when you look at them, your eyes pop. Seriously, Dario & Ashley are so fucking pretty, and as pretty as they are, they’re equally dumb. While almost every other team DQ’d in this challenge from fear of heights, they DQ’d because they couldn’t do the math and weren’t even close. It’s been so long since Dario’s been on this show that I forgot that besides a select few, most of the people who got cast on Are You The One are as dumb as rocks. Dario & Ashley are a threat to conceive a baby together in that house — that is the only sign of life I see from them because, with how puzzle-heavy Finals have become, they have no shot of winning.
7 Two Standout Teams
The daily challenge from this week’s episode was similar to one from Rivals 3. On that season, one player held their teammate up via a rope as their teammate lunged from a ledge for some skulls from a progressively more difficult distance. The team that won the daily challenge that season was Vince & Jenna, and they won in large part because Jenna was decently tall and did not have a ton of weight to hold up for Vince. Now, does that sound familiar from watching this episode?
It should be because Fessy & Amber were the exact blueprint built to destroy this challenge. Fessy got the math done for their team, and with his strength, he could’ve held up two Ambers. Meanwhile, Amber is 5'9 with long limbs and good flexibility, so she was able to grab the skulls with ease. I’m not sure if another pair in Challenge history is more built to kill this daily than these two. Congrats to Amber because this is her first ever solo or pairs daily challenge in which she was an active participant. The only other win she’s ever had was on Double Agents during a trivia challenge, which Darrell won through his own individual performance. Now, winning put a big target on them and forced them to get their hands dirty; then again, had they come up short, they would have been in the position Adam & Steve were.
Shoutout to Adam & Steve for once again crushing another daily challenge. Although these two had a reach advantage for the initial flags, that last flag would’ve been impossible had they not worked as a team and gone for that big leap. That jump was a total team-bonding moment where these two are completely on the same page. These two were also practicing math equations back at the house together as they are seemingly prepping for the Final already. They are locked in and focused on winning this season. It will be an uphill battle as they have massive targets on them; nonetheless, they seem ready to fight and compete.
6 Weather Delay
Due to the weather, three teams did not participate in the daily challenge. TJ offered them the opportunity to go the next day, and instead, they all opted out — some due to fear of heights, some because they felt safe already, and some because they knew they weren’t beating Fessy & Amber anyway. I don’t think Nicole & Melissa would’ve been able to do the math equation considering how scared shitless Melissa was and the fact Nicole is afraid of numbers. Wait, let me correct that: Nicole is afraid of most numbers, except for the phone numbers of women who aren’t her girlfriends.
Devin & Leroy and Turbo & Nany were two pairs that I believe could complete the daily challenge, though I doubt they would have sniffed Fessy & Amber’s time. Even though Leroy is afraid of heights, his track record in heights challenges isn’t bad, and Devin likely would’ve been the one reaching for flags anyway. Nany has done well throughout her career in the more extreme challenges, and she works well with Turbo. Which, we need to discuss how Nany & Turbo filmed a cutesy “Last Week on The Challenge” to open this week’s episode. Let me tell you, after last week’s episode, I was shocked to see these two so buddy-buddy already. We also saw Turbo put down his ego and abide by Nany’s decision not to compete, as he figured she could carry them politically. It’s shocking to see these already be so buddy buddy again. Part of me wishes there was more animosity on a Rivals season; then again, with Turbo, it could happen at any moment. If these two get along, they are a legitimate threat to win this season.
5 Frank Is Already Running The Game
When Frank debuted on Battle of the Seasons, he saw a cast with a ton of rookies, including himself, and he saw it as a golden opportunity to immediately take control of the house. Frank was running that game in a way that typically takes years of experience to do. It’s been over a decade since he’s played on this show, and it’s like riding a bike for Frank because it’s clear he will be trying to control these house votes from here on out. So many people are afraid to make noise and move, and Frank isn’t. He instantly got everyone to go after the biggest threats in Adam & Steve. Almost everyone voted for Adam & Steve.
Frank noted that because Sam is his partner, the political game is now his focus because it’s not like they’re going outrunning people in any physical comps. Hilariously, Sam is an asset to Frank’s politics because she gives him a platform that can appeal to other people who aren’t the strongest in the house. Frank is able to get people on his side because he inherently is not a threat in the Final because of Sam. God, I wish more people had as much passion for playing this game as Frank. He comes on these shows and has a real desire to make an impact. Now, there are two big questions. The first is how Frank will get a Star for himself & Sam, and second, how will he play the game once more people start waking up to him running the game?
4 Amber is an emotional player
On Double Agents, Amber got blessed with a cast & format where she was able to have a strong veteran partner in Darrell; there were a ton of rookies, so she wasn’t targeted immediately as one, and she got to reap the benefits of a Big Brother alliance that was running the game. Amber lucked into a gifted political situation, and ever since then, it’s been clear she is not a great social or political player. She plays the game emotionally in a bad way and constantly misjudges her relationships with people in the house. We saw Amber mention having a close relationship with Veronica, only for us to get a Veronica confessional saying Amber is dumb for thinking their relationship takes priority over a 20+ year friendship.
Amber also noted that she’s not a fan of how Nicole plays the game. If Amber wanted to make a big move, she’d pit Nicole & Melissa against Adam & Steve — especially since we already saw her say Nicole is in their pockets as allies. Except later Amber said she didn’t want to vote in Melissa (Nicole’s partner) because Melissa is a mom like her. That’s nice of Amber, but maybe she should get some mutual assurance & an actual deal from Melissa before not throwing them in. From what we already know, Melissa’s #1 is Big T, and Nicole has Adam/Steve and others she’s aligned with. So why save a person who will likely not have your back? Amber’s a good human, but her gameplay is off.
3 An Actual Blindside
With Adam & Steve going into elimination as the house vote, the most powerful move that Fessy & Amber could do is to vote in Leroy & Devin or Turbo & Nany to ensure that one of the strongest teams gets knocked out. At the same time, had Fessy & Amber done that, it would’ve set a precedent where they’d be next on the chopping block if they did not win the next week. At the very least, Fessy & Amber are hoping if they’re in elimination next week, someone will pay it forward by giving them an easier opponent, as they did for Adam & Steve by giving them Jonna & Beht. Since Jonna & Beth are one of the least connected teams in the house and one of the weakest, voting them in leads to the least repercussions, and even if they win the elimination, they likely aren’t winning a daily challenge to where they can retaliate.
I absolutely love that we got a vote that genuinely stunned everyone. On Season 40, almost every vote felt like a drawn out conclusion, and here we’re getting a move from even beyond left field. Hopefully, we get more!
2 Adam & Steve vs. Beth & Jonna
I’m gonna be upfront and say that I didn’t fully understand the elimination rules until it was over. We watched Johnny Bananas & Theo compete in a similar elimination on Season 40, and maybe that’s why I was confused because I assumed players had to get through the pole maze within a certain allotted time until they were DQ’d. Nope, they just had to do five rounds, and whoever finished faster won. And I guess there were some fucking dice. Jonna & Beth did have an actual advantage as being smaller allowed them to navigate the course easier — unfortunately, they both moved slower and seemed to work less efficiently as a team. Adam & Steve played the elimination to the best of their abilities and got the win, and I’m happy that they got the win because they have an actual shot to win this season. It feels like the season will be them or Fessy & Amber in elimination every week from here on out.
The cast & format of this season have put Steve & Adam in a fascination. They have a distinct advantage as a guy-guy yet have the most difficult path to the Final as it is win or go in from here on out. With how janky eliminations can be, anyone could take them out. Hell, had Nicole & Melissa been thrown into this elimination, they probably would have had a good shot of upsetting Steve & Adam, as those two ladies are thinner than Beth & Jonna, and both are much quicker than Beth.
1 Incredibly Loud Exits
When everyone showed up to the elimination arena in their Challenge jerseys, I wondered whether everyone in that house packed their bags. In modern seasons, it’s typical for players to pack their bags when they anticipate going into elimination, and if they get blindsided, players/production will pack their bags for them. This season, though, the eliminated players are getting the grace of returning to the house to pack up and say their goodbyes. That’s something that used to be the standard during the OG Era of the show. The famous threesome between Veronica, Rachel, and Abram was a post-elimination goodbye.
We got to see Jonna & Beth bid adieu to everyone, and hilariously enough, we saw Beth say she & Jonna might be friends now; all the while, Jonna has come out of this experience loathing Beth even more. If Frank or Ashley gets eliminated, their house exits will be hilariously messy, knowing them. There’s no way they’re leaving the house quietly AFTER losing an elimination.
Talking about loud teams — let’s discuss KellyAnne & Sylvia. In a world of fake rivalries, these two have a genuine animosity for one another. Today’s daily challenge added fuel to the fire. Sylvia wimped out, and in response, KellyAnne was rightfully pissed because she wanted to compete. Now, KellyAnne’s tirade that she has shit to do at home was definitely extra. Sylvia calling her princess afterward was stupid, considering Sylvia was the princess/coward in that scenario. And then their fight at the house got dirty fast. KellyAnne once again brought up the fact that she has stuff to do at home, which Sylvia took great offense considering that she gave birth three months ago. Sylvia’s bite back that she has a family and KellyAnne has dogs was a cut that would hurt most people deeply. Although, I think KellyAnne is built differently. These are two strong women that I believe reciprocate the energies they’re given, and right now, they’re in a toxicity cycle that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Can they break it? Probably not, but it’s good TV even if they don’t.
