I didnt see a thread on this like we did for past seasons so I thought I would make one. I finished the first two episodes last night and so far so good! A few random thoughts:

Spoilers*****

- Wow so many random couples and hookups! Nany and Kayce, Nelson and Ashley, Fessi and Amanda. Didnt see any of these coming from previous seasons. WTF are Nelson and Fessi thinking hooking up with those two drama queens lol.

- No Bananas or Wes. Is this the first season ever without either Bananas or Wes? I thought this season would be a little boring without either of them, they bring a lot of excitement and drama to the show. I wonder if the producers purposely didnt bring them back to bring in new blood, or it was Bananas and Wes decision to take a break.

- A lot of new blood this season. I thought this season would suck seeing all of the new blood, but so far theres been a few intriguing storylines and some interesting characters from the rookies.

- Emy and Ed have gotta to be the most likeable team in a long long time. What an elimination from the latest episode, my heart was beating like crazy. Im surprised they didnt stay together after that win, they had great chemistry and worked together really well. LOL at "Mr TJ" and when Emy shouted "Devinnnnnnnnn" when announcing her partner.

- What is with all of the love for Devin haha? Hes been stolen twice in two episodes. I mean hes good and all but I would have gone for CT, Corey, or Fessi.

ea1060 said:

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Spoilers*****

- Wow so many random couples and hookups! Nany and Kayce, Nelson and Ashley, Fessi and Amanda. Didnt see any of these coming from previous seasons. WTF are Nelson and Fessi thinking hooking up with those two drama queens lol.
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Nany was flirting with Kaycee HARD during Total Madness. Kaycee kept trying to resist her, but not really, because she had her girl at home. I'm guessing the girl at home is no longer part of the picture.

Nelson and Fessi dont think. Enough said.

cajunaggie08 said:

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ea1060 said:

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Spoilers*****

- Wow so many random couples and hookups! Nany and Kayce, Nelson and Ashley, Fessi and Amanda. Didnt see any of these coming from previous seasons. WTF are Nelson and Fessi thinking hooking up with those two drama queens lol.
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Nany was flirting with Kaycee HARD during Total Madness. Kaycee kept trying to resist her, but not really, because she had her girl at home. I'm guessing the girl at home is no longer part of the picture.

Nelson and Fessi dont think. Enough said.

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Yea I remember that, so their relationship isnt so random lol. They've been flirting for a while. But the other two wtf!

Good first 2 episodes so far. Much different in that the slims are team oriented and you don't have to have a skull to run the final. Strategy and not pissing off alliances will be huge.

They did a great job of gettig Kels out early. One of the bright moves (of very few to choose from) by Fessi and Josh. He would've been a problem otherwise. My predictions.....this will be a vet dominated season throughl the end. I'm predicting CT in another final with a chance to win it all again......he plays the game so perfectly and lays in the weeds until the right time and then makes a move (and it usually ends up being the right one). I also predict that Fessi & Josh find some way to f up along the way and don't see a final. This is a lot different than previous seasons in that a lot of the vets can coast since they don't have to earn a skull. I'm not feeling some of these new characters so far, but we shall see. They need to fire back up Real World again (to a non Covid restricted city) and get a new crop Americans back on the show.

David_Puddy said:

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Good first 2 episodes so far. Much different in that the slims are team oriented and you don't have to have a skull to run the final. Strategy and not pissing off alliances will be huge.

They did a great job of gettig Kels out early. One of the bright moves (of very few to choose from) by Fessi and Josh. He would've been a problem otherwise. My predictions.....this will be a vet dominated season throughl the end. I'm predicting CT in another final with a chance to win it all again......he plays the game so perfectly and lays in the weeds until the right time and then makes a move (and it usually ends up being the right one). I also predict that Fessi & Josh find some way to f up along the way and don't see a final. This is a lot different than previous seasons in that a lot of the vets can coast since they don't have to earn a skull. I'm not feeling some of these new characters so far, but we shall see. They need to fire back up Real World again (to a non Covid restricted city) and get a new crop Americans back on the show.

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Agreed, not much competition for CT other than Fessi and Corey. He will coast to the finals unless someone tries to pull a power move like Fessi. Maybe this will be the year that Corey wins his first final, especially if he has Fessi in his main alliance? I wonder how much Ramadan will affect Fessi's performance. I remember watching Hakeem during Ramadan and he always showed up, but visibly fatigued.

Fessi tries to take credit for getting Kels out of there but was that really his intention? He threw in Emy who, before that elimination, hadn't done much in the challenges and wasnt seen as one of the stronger female competitors. Plus add in her mental breakdown from the chopper challenge. Then he throws in Ed who was new and half the size of Kels. I guess there isn't much to choose from out of the rookies, but I dont know if those two would have been my first choice to go against Kels if Im trying to get him out of there. Maybe he tried to work with kels and throw him a softball?

Can you imagine if Kels and Tori had stuck together as a team? Unstoppable.

Definitely more hookups already than the past few seasons combined.

I'm not crazy about the new cast members so far. The show is feeling the effects of no new Real Worlders for a decade and all of the Brits from 5-6 years ago washing out (besides Kyle).

Josh's pitch to get Kelz in was terrible, no surprise, but the vets were united enough for it to not matter. Did Kelz really not throw another name out there? Bad move, rookie.

100% disagree with whoever said Emy is great. She's terribly annoying and I really wish she had gone home. She's gotta be close to having the most interviews so far and I can't stand her:

Quinn said:

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Definitely more hookups already than the past few seasons combined.

I'm not crazy about the new cast members so far. The show is feeling the effects of no new Real Worlders for a decade and all of the Brits from 5-6 years ago washing out (besides Kyle).

Josh's pitch to get Kelz in was terrible, no surprise, but the vets were united enough for it to not matter. Did Kelz really not throw another name out there? Bad move, rookie.

100% disagree with whoever said Emy is great. She's terribly annoying and I really wish she had gone home. She's gotta be close to having the most interviews so far and I can't stand her:

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What happened to Bear, Georgia , Theo etc and everyone else from that season. They were good characters but haven't seen them on a Challenge in a while.

Theo lost an eye (or at least vision in one eye) from a champagne cork accident (really).

Bear is going to jail for revenge pron on Georgia, I'm pretty sure.

Not sure about Rogan, Joss, Kayleigh, etc.

Quinn said:

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Theo lost an eye (or at least vision in one eye) from a champagne cork accident (really).

Bear is going to jail for revenge pron on Georgia, I'm pretty sure.

Not sure about Rogan, Joss, Kayleigh, etc.

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I read that about Bear last night but didnt realize it was involving Georgia, wow what a scumbag.

Rogan was a good competitor and entertaining on tv. Not sure why they stopped inviting him back on.

Just caught up. I love the new blood. I remember being annoyed about new cast members way back when they introduced Nany, etc., but eventually they grew on me, so now I'm more open minded. I especially like bringing in Survivor contestants, it is interesting to see people who competed on such a political and physical show like that translate over to the Challenge.

*CT not getting much screen time? Kind of interesting.
*Nelly T gonna regret his choices when Milionaire goes nuclear on his ass.. which is inevitable.
*Emy annoys me already...and I have little patience for people who are sooooooo afraid and make a huge scene about their phobias which then causes everyone to praise them, soothe them, and kiss their ass. Annoying.
*Loved Amber's entrance. I think she's gorgeous and she was such a good player on her first season but they'll be gunning for her.

Looking forward to this season!

I do think the Survivor characters are the best adds, which makes sense to me because they probably went through a more intense casting process for a good personality, whereas the dating show people are just if they're hot & crazy.

Also forgot to mention that I love that guy (British if I recall) who straight up and unashamedly admitted he has popcorn muscles and said he grew up watching Jersey Shore and wanted to be on American television one day

LisaMarie said:

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Just caught up. I love the new blood. I remember being annoyed about new cast members way back when they introduced Nany, etc., but eventually they grew on me, so now I'm more open minded. I especially like bringing in Survivor contestants, it is interesting to see people who competed on such a political and physical show like that translate over to the Challenge.

*CT not getting much screen time? Kind of interesting.
*Nelly T gonna regret his choices when Milionaire goes nuclear on his ass.. which is inevitable.
*Emy annoys me already...and I have little patience for people who are sooooooo afraid and make a huge scene about their phobias which then causes everyone to praise them, soothe them, and kiss their ass. Annoying.
*Loved Amber's entrance. I think she's gorgeous and she was such a good player on her first season but they'll be gunning for her.

Looking forward to this season!

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Looking forward to your thoughts this season.

At this point CT is who he is. Older, boring, not much drama (unless drinking and provoked lol), flies under the radar etc. Hes not out there getting drunk and hooking up with other castmates like some of the others.

Agree about Amber's entrance. I hope her and CT can scheme to become partners again.

If you're a vet who usually gets a lot of confessional clips not getting airtime in the first 2 eps (CT, Kyle, Cory) it is probably an indication you make it a while.

The couple to win Elim (Ed from the Circle, Marge Simpson) both smartly grabbed vets because any all rookie team is an immediate target. The cast came in like 16 vets, 18 newbies so vets have almost no choice but unite until you can swing numbers.

Also, the weird laugh from the cute girl from Sweeden is horrible and amazing and I need it at least once per episode.

mic suede said:

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If you're a vet who usually gets a lot of confessional clips not getting airtime in the first 2 eps (CT, Kyle, Cory) it is probably an indication you make it a while.

The couple to win Elim (Ed from the Circle, Marge Simpson) both smartly grabbed vets because any all rookie team is an immediate target. The cast came in like 16 vets, 18 newbies so vets have almost no choice but unite until you can swing numbers.

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Ah very true regarding Ed and Marge lol. I overlooked the rookie-rookie team conundrum. Makes sense to mix up the teams.

The rookies as a whole seem pretty helpless this season. A few seem like good competitors, but there's no strategy there to have any say in the game.

That was dumb of Tori to throw out Big Ts name. She broke the seal on the Vet alliance just by talking about another Vet; now everyone else is going to start scheming rather than sticking together until most of the rookies are gone.

Quinn said:

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The rookies as a whole seem pretty helpless this season. A few seem like good competitors, but there's no strategy there to have any say in the game.

That was dumb of Tori to throw out Big Ts name. She broke the seal on the Vet alliance just by talking about another Vet; now everyone else is going to start scheming rather than sticking together until most of the rookies are gone.

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Agree, the vets are just controlling the game right now and the rookies are hopeless. It kind of makes for a boring game, but Im sure things will get more interesting once the rookies are gone. They dont have a true leader (or leaders).

Nelson had me cracking up yesterday when he was talking about Berna lol. He is definitely a character. Loved seeing Ashley's face go from happy to sour after watching Berna in the elimination.

I understand why Tori threw out Big T's name, but she should have waited until later in the game to do that. She would have had another chance. She is playing with her emotions and not her brain.

Ed is one of the most endearing Challengers in some time. Seems like everyone likes him and he got none of the smoke from Tacha.

I think for future seasons, so far Kelz, Ed, and Michelle have the best shot at returning. They have good confessionals and good screen presence from these first three episodes.

Bananas has a recap podcast with The Ringer. Very enjoyable stuff and he just had Wes on and it was just fun hearing them break down what they would have done.

Overall, enjoying this season. Excited to see the Vets start killing each other soon.

TajMaballer said:

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Ed is one of the most endearing Challengers in some time. Seems like everyone likes him and he got none of the smoke from Tacha.

I think for future seasons, so far Kelz, Ed, and Michelle have the best shot at returning. They have good confessionals and good screen presence from these first three episodes.

Bananas has a recap podcast with The Ringer. Very enjoyable stuff and he just had Wes on and it was just fun hearing them break down what they would have done.

Overall, enjoying this season. Excited to see the Vets start killing each other soon.

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Yea Ed could be a problem in these challenges. Hes strong, smart (puzzles), and easy to get along with. The challenge trifecta lol. He also ran track at Cornell so Im going to assume he will do great in the running/endurance challenges. He doesnt seem to have a weakness to his game. As long as he stays out of the drama then he will do just fine.

Did Bananas and Wes mention why they weren't in this seasons challenge? I bet they are salivating at the mouth seeing the challengers this season. It would have been an easy path to the final for either of them.

Most surprising thing from bananas was that Josh is totally nice and a great guy.
Most interesting thing to me was the breakdown of how filming works.
He also said that a typical challenge is 8 weeks and a week is typically:
Mon - daily challenge during day, noms at night
Tue - Elim challenge
Wed - off day/film confessional interviews
Thu - repeat Mon
Fri - repeat Tue
Sat - true off day
Sun - repeat Wed

In regards to why Bananas and Wes aren't on this season. They both have other projects they are working on.

TajMaballer said:

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In regards to why Bananas and Wes aren't on this season. They both have other projects they are working on.

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Gotcha, I was hoping MTV isn't trying to phase them out and get new blood on the show.

I read that the veteran cast members can make up to $80k per season depending on how many seasons theyve been on. $80k for 8 weeks and the potential to win half a million dollars sounds like a good deal to me lol. Plus free advertising for your "personal brand."

It's much closer to 1k per week than 10k per week for all but 1 or 2 of the cast.

mic suede said:

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It's much closer to 1k per week than 10k per week for all but 1 or 2 of the cast.

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This is what I found online.

While the stars of MTV's competition series have kept relatively quiet about their pay, a source confirmed to US Weekly, that rookies make $1,000 stipend a week and returning players who aren't top vets make between $3,000 and $5,000. "Elite" players like Cara Maria, CT, and Johnny Bananas can make around $80,000 simply for arriving on day 1.

Really good episode tonight.

Damn what was Kyle thinking throwing the bomb on Devin like that. What an idiot. He just can't stay loyal to anybody. I think he just subconsciously screws people over without even intending to lol.

Fessi throwing in Amber, I didn't hate the move, but I would've gone with one of the rookies instead. He should've waited until later in the challenge to make that move. Now he has a target on his back.

Laughed so hard at the 2 gay guys fighting at the end and then the immediate make up hug right after. That Irish dude is a character, glad he's staying.

LOL at when TJ gave his morality speech about how winners are supposed to act. He is such a good host, only TJ can pull off some saying something like that. Love his quitters shame speeches whenever someone decides to quit.

Ive always wondered if TJ is good friends with all of the veterans cast and hang outside of the show.

The Big Brother Alliance crumbling before our eyes was incredible to witness! TJ pulling out his phone during the fight was perfect.

I'm hopeful that Michele and Corey L come back since they actually added to the show.

TajMaballer said:

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The Big Brother Alliance crumbling before our eyes was incredible to witness! TJ pulling out his phone during the fight was perfect.

I'm hopeful that Michele and Corey L come back since they actually added to the show.

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That Josh-Fessi "fight" was hilarious. Josh is so darn emotional and just blows up for no reason. Hes got to learn to control his emotions better or else he will never go far in these challenges. Although, he is playing a pretty good social game this season and seems to get along with everyone in the house. He has alliances/ties with all the groups of vets: big brother, Nani, Devin, Corey/Nelson.

Pretty boring episode last night. I think the show is going to pick up next episode since theres only one more rookie-rookie team. Vets will be forced to throw each other in and turn on one another.

Sucks for Aneesa, it feels like she gets a little better each challenge. Im sure she will be back.

I was rooting for Gabo, hes a likeable guy. But damn he has zero brains lol.

The scene where Kyle, Devin, and CT are laughing at the club because the rookies wanted to throw themselves in had me cracking up. Like some mob bosses laughing because their competition is too stupid to figure out how to win lol. That was a pretty dumb move by the rookies, but then again they had no choice. They were going to get voted in anyway.

Random but I saw Leroy from the challenge at a cvs in Houston today. Didn't think it was him because he doesn't look as built in person as he does on the show. Looked up his Instagram and saw he lives in Houston.

Pretty random for him to live in Houston but looks like he's a barber now.

ea1060 said:

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Random but I saw Leroy from the challenge at a cvs in Houston today. Didn't think it was him because he doesn't look as built in person as he does on the show. Looked up his Instagram and saw he lives in Houston.

Pretty random for him to live in Houston but looks like he's a barber now.

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Royleethebarber.com

His shop is in midtown area on Smith St. dude gives a pretty good cut. Him and Kam both live here but he mentioned he's trying to get back out to Vegas.

Sucks for Fessy. He barely laid a hand on Josh, but the rules are rules.

Emmy is so funny. She is definitely a character. On paper she should've lost that elimination but she is stronger and has more heart than most give her credit for. Her and CT can do some damage.

Fessy got no heart or strategy.
Still maybe the dumbest BB player ever (and that's saying a lot).

Glad that Fessy went home. There's no gray area on that like there was 10 years ago.

It's interesting that so many on the cast hate Amber and think she's so fake. I don't think they've done a great job of showing that side of her in the edit. She mainly comes off as nice and naive to me.

I find Emy pretty annoying, so I'm not super excited that she's with CT, but I think she'll do whatever he wants in the game, so it should work out okay.

Quinn said:

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Glad that Fessy went home. There's no gray area on that like there was 10 years ago.

It's interesting that so many on the cast hate Amber and think she's so fake. I don't think they've done a great job of showing that side of her in the edit. She mainly comes off as nice and naive to me.

I find Emy pretty annoying, so I'm not super excited that she's with CT, but I think she'll do whatever he wants in the game, so it should work out okay.

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I think she must be kinda boring. I think also she isnt super well known among the cast (she was on BB like 7 yrs ago and is in her early 30s whereas josh/fessy/caycee were all on BB in the last 3yrs and are all like 25.
I've also heard some of the cast were surprised how well she did in the final with CT last season - supposedly she is a pretty great distance runner so I think there might also be some intimidation factor.