The Challenge Ride or Dies Episode 3 Recap: 10 Biggest Takeaways
The 3rd Episode of The Challenge Ride or Dies 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 the third episode.
If you prefer audio/video, my podcast recap can be found above/below.
10 Jordan & Aneesa — Ride or Dies, Heavy on the Die
Pairing Jordan & Aneesa together as Ride or Dies is so comical it hurts. They couldn’t even find a casual photo of these two being friends outside the show, so they had to crop an image of them standing next to each other during a press/fan meet-and-greet. Considering we’ve had Rivals partners who were friends and Exes partners who were together, it’s only fitting we get an allies pair who hates each other’s guts.
Jordan’s return is definitely a play for Tori’s attention (good or bad) because you don’t come on The Challenge with intent to win when Aneesa is your partner.
9 New Name, Same Mess
A lot of respect goes out to Faysal. When he first debuted on Reality TV, he was cool being known as Fessy as it would be an easier name for most to pronounce and for him to blend him. Four seasons in, Faysal is aware he’s now a mainstay/power player and will be in people’s mouths regardless, so he might as well have people say his real name.
We don’t get much Muslim representation on The Challenge or TV as a whole, and Faysal is a major character; thus, he knows he carries a lot of weight by just being on TV.
Faysal also loves to fuck. The montage of him with Michele and Laurel in his bed while he actively pursues Analyse and Colleen was great editing. Faysal understands his role in The Challenge ecosystem and is readily available for community use. From rookies to legends, from tall women to short women, from Latinas to Germans, Faysal is all-encompassing. I will say, the decisionmaker needs to let someone else pick out his clothes because his confessional looks have been a mess this season.
8 Straight Forward Daily Challenge
The daily challenge was nice and straightforward, as it was just a battle of cardio and strength. Fessy & Moriah were a powerhouse duo; they had endurance, strength, and speed. You watched Moriah run in the opening, and she was outpacing everyone except Fessy & Nelson. Moriah is a legitimate fitness freak similar to Jenny West, whose body is her entire life, and the work she’s put in translates well onto The Challenge. As impressive as Moriah is physically, you realize why she’s never been on Reality TV before this once she opens her mouth because there is little substance. And I hate to say it because she was so excited and seemed like such a nice person!
Nelson & Nurys performed well in their heat as the daily was Nelson’s wet dream: no thinking, only carrying objects and running. Olivia & Horacio and Johnny & Ravyn continued to impress, going back and forth. It’s fucking awesome that these two random rookie duos are absolute powerhouses. Meanwhile, you had Tommy & Analyse, who probably could have fit in one of the barrels together, struggling. I have to say, most of the onus is on Tommy, who keeps trying to be chipper, and he calls themselves “Team Munchkin.” Even though Analyse is thin, she is about 5’5–5’6 and is a former collegiate athlete with a good build; she’s not Natalie Negrotti tiny. Analyse would look like a physical force if she were with anyone else.
7 The Decisionmaker’s Nominations
Ultimately, Fessy did a fine job with his nominations. He knew he had to nominate the powerhouse rookie pairs or else people would be mad at him, and he didn’t let his dick get in the way of the game where he was able to nominate Analyse & Colleen, knowing it would have the least backlash against him in the long-run.
6 Ravyn is not here for to be Johnny’s Friend
The validity of some of these Ride or Dies has always been questionable. None was more intriguing than Johnny & Ravyn, two people who were entirely new to The Challenge universe. The assumption was that they were long-time friends. In reality, they were two people who hooked up off the show, and Ravyn thought they would become a romantic couple on the show together. Then Johnny saw Nurys, and plans changed. Except Ravyn wasn’t ready for plans to change. Thus, we got an utter mess of a partnership.
Ravyn is a real person because any other fame-hungry person would have just tried to hook up with Nelson or Horatio; instead, she’s calling out Johnny and leaving it all on the table. The funniest part about it all is they are a strong pair! Imagine how good they would be if they got along.
5 Tori & Jordan’s Real Moment
The moment between Tori & Jordan at the bar was visceral and authentic. From start to finish, you could tell from Jordan’s body language that he wasn’t expecting her to unload so openly in the moment.
There’s pain and love and healing going on there. It hit hard. The way Tori was apologizing for putting Jordan through pain during her mental health struggles was way too relatable.
4 Bananas is Jealous of Fessy and Fessy is Jealous of Horacio
When Bananas was talking about Faysal’s escapades, I couldn’t help feeling a tinge of jealousy. Even at Bananas apex, the only women who were ever down to hook up with him were Rookies who weren’t completely disgusted by him yet or were chasing clout/relevancy. Faysal has never placed higher than 3rd on a season, yet he has enough “Challenge exes” to field a soccer team and an incredibly diverse group to boot.
Then you had Fessy calling Horacio, the girl’s “second boyfriend,” for when he’s unavailable. In reality, he’s the sidepiece, and Horacio is the guy they want to marry. Faysal just doesn’t want to look in the mirror. This again, proves my point that Faysal needs someone to dress him.
3 Big Brother Vermin
I understand why Analyse & Tommy tried to make deals with both Kim & Colleen and Horacio & Olivia; the fact they did so blatantly is what I found ridiculous.
Analyse & Tommy saving Kim & Colleen was also a terrible move. Yes, they were guaranteed to get a strong team out in either Horacio/Olivia or Johnny/Ravyn. Still, those two teams provide shields for them, whereas, now that one is out of the game, it’s much easier for future winners to toss in Analayse/Tommy by default. Not to mention, nobody can trust them now, either. They call themselves munchkins when in reality, they played like rats.
2 All-Time Elimination
Honest to God, the more I think about this elimination, it was an exhilarating battle where one team (Horacio & Olivia) now feels established.
The fact they played had to push a pole rather than the traditional format was a real game-changer. The traditional tackling element got thrown out the window. What’s funny is that Olivia didn’t even get her 1-second advantage in the first round. She stopped like a deer in headlights when the door opened for her to run. Olivia was still able to pull it out because she’s a beast.
Johnny’s comeback in Round 2 was incredible; he was inches away from defeat and fought back to pull it out. I noticed in Round 2 that Johnny began taking a wide stance where he began using the walls for leverage to push himself. That Round 3 was a true exhibition where Horacio showed heart, and then Olivia came like a bat out of hell and literally flung Ravyn.
I genuinely feel that Johnny & Ravyn would have beaten half the teams in this house; they just ran into two machines.
1 Horacio & Olivia are America’s Team
Put them on a billboard.
Also, Veronica & Darrell come in next week. Road Rules for life.
