T. Green
Rivals II:
It’s the week of the final guys’ elimination, so the anxiety is at an all-time high. CT talks to Diem about how he’s surprisingly getting along with Wes. At the nightclub, we get more CT/Diem madness as they kiss there. CT is prepared to go even further back at the house, but Diem passes out before anything else happens.
In other house developments, Preston mentions how he and Knight are not hitting it off so much. Also, Jordan and Marlon acknowledge that the veterans are still out to get them, making this next challenge crucial.
Challenge day commences, and the game is called Rampage. Teams start on top of a ramp and have three minutes to deposit up to 20 balls into a basket on the other side. Two teams go at a time, meaning things can get physical if necessary. It’s reminiscent of the epic Johnny/Tyler vs. CT/Adam endgame from the first edition of Rivals.
First up is Jordan/Marlon vs. Johnny/Frank. Both teams start out fast, perhaps too fast, as everyone slows down a ton towards the end. Johnny, in particular, is practically half-dead and throws up afterwards.
Cooke/Cara Maria vs. Emily/Paula is next. Cara Maria unfortunately struggles again, accidentally colliding with her partner. She also has trouble with her arm and knee pads falling off, and keeps stopping dead in her tracks to adjust them. Cooke is pissed at Cara’s performance afterwards.
With Aneesa/Diem vs. Jemmye/Camilla, everyone keeps fumbling and stumbling all over the place, especially the latter team. Paula and Emily end up returning to the winner’s circle for the girl’s, getting the usual prize of $1,000 and the chance to set the order for the next challenge. This time, it’s even more important as the final girls’ elimination week is coming up.
Preston and Knight are surprisingly game in this physical challenge, but CT and Wes still make short work of them and become the only guys team to get all the balls in their basket. CT and Wes are safe from elimination and, therefore, earn a spot in the Final Challenge. The winners are quite proud of themselves afterwards, which annoys Johnny and Frank to no end.
Marlon concedes his team is going into the Jungle and doesn’t even bother with politicking. Johnny and Frank are assuredly going to get a free ride into the Final, but Johnny is disappointed that he didn’t get to fight for his spot. Not sure about the sincerity of that statement, but oh well. In any event, he needs to get it together for the Final, as his partner Frank is concerned about him gassing out.
The vote is a formality and we get Preston/Knight pitted against Jordan/Marlon. Never mind that part; the real drama comes in with the two safe teams finally throwing the gloves off and acting like the true rivals they are. Wes starts by taking potshots at Johnny gassing out in the previous mission. Johnny barks back that Kenny literally had to carry Wes in the Rivals I final. CT steps to Johnny, and the flexing and dick-measuring escalates.
Johnny references Battle of the Exes when Diem had to help out CT during the final because he crapped out. Wes flaunts his fancy cars and successful business ventures at Johnny and rips him for cheating on every girl he’s been with. The Jungle teams hope someone throws a punch during all this so they can get a walk into the Final, but nothing overly physical ends up happening.
The Breaking On Through Jungle makes another appearance here. Teams have to break each trap door and take turns each time (you may recall Zach and Trey getting DQ’ed because they didn’t follow directions last time).
Both teams stomp through the top door quickly. Knight has a hard time cutting through the chain link door on the next level though, and Jordan and Marlon gain the lead. After getting to the ground floor, it’s up to Jordan to get through the last door. He bounces back hard at first like it’s a brick wall, but his team has such a large lead that it doesn’t matter. Jordan and Marlon finally ring the bell and win the last spot in the guys’ Final.
Preston and Knight made it further in the game than anyone would’ve thought, but it still sucks to lose just one step away from the Final. They aren’t exactly blood rivals, but they are two very different people who agreed to not contact each other again after they lost the match.
Back at another bar, Diem is finding it difficult to resist CT’s advances. Others are questioning Diem’s decisions, particularly Johnny, who says he’s lost respect for her. He says she’s going down a “dark, lonely road” that’ll eventually lead to more “tragedy and heartbreak”. CT simply quips that “haters gonna hate”.
