The Challenge Season 37: Episode 3 "Truce or Dare" Edgic- Character By Character Analysis
Hello all and welcome back to another edition of S37 Edgic analysis! This was a very solid episode; I thoroughly enjoyed the drama, the challenge, the elimination, watching Tori go absurdly drunk with Power, watching Tacha go nuts, Devin somehow running the game? I mean, this is a bizarre world. and I am here for it. As always, i wrote a ton, but there is a hidden Easter egg to spark debate. I had to delete and repost after a typo in the Title.
It took 4 watches a lots of beers to get through this one. As always, please excuse Typos, mismatch ratings, etc. The aforementioned beers are still in play. Since I am the only person (that I know of) doing Challenge Edgic, this is more of a group activity. If you present a solid case, I will be open to changing a rating/contender. We are a team here. Lettuce begin!
I want to start off by pulling a Tori and thanking everyone for the support; I received the most up-votes I ever have on my last writeup! Now, let's fukin get to it.
Edit: My post got all messed up. I have tried reposting it, but a few people may be missing. I really apologize for this. Hopefully it is clean now. please let me know who i am missing!
Themes: (I will write more about these as they develop)
Survivor
R. I. Mfing. P. I mean, death to the Survivor alliance as we know it. Michelle confirms this in confessional. For now, it is Michelle against the world. Tori's episode 1 SPV regarding Survivor players means that for the rest of the game, we cannot count out anyone from survivor. To me, it was that meaningful. Besides Michelle, we have heard very few Survivor ties with players who are left (not since the Global activation episode I believe). So for now, this theme is either: 1. Dead 2. In the hands of Michelle alone 3. It will eventually come up in discussion with the global rookie survivors soon.
Rookies VS Vet Alliiance
Clearly this episode was the first true test of the Veterans truce. Last episode when Fessy was in charge, there was really no doubt to me that he was going to throw a rookie in, especially after the edit he received last season. This episode, it was truly tested, or at least the edit wanted us to believe that. For now, the alliance remains "strong." Based on Kyle's confessional at the end of the episode and how you interpret it, the end of the Vet alliance is coming soon. Logically speaking, that lines up as soon as there are no more rookie-rookie teams as well. The war begins soon! (I hope, this rookie massacre is annoying)
Romance
(Active) Fessy + Amanda, Nelson + Ashley, Nelson + Berna, Michelle + Emmanuel, Kaycee + Nany
(Past) Tori + Kelz
Again, if you are not familiar, I have a "Hookup Theory." You can refer to my previous posts to read it in depth but the general concept is that romantic involved throughout the season is often given when at least 1 of the players makes the finals. It sounds crazy, but check the record. It's just a theory. I am not making ANY predictions for the Finals yet, BUT, the edit's that I would be looking to make the final out these pairs so far (just for now!!) are in bold above. Obviously this can change if they are eliminated. Again, this is just a theory.
Partnership twist is key
Need more data.
End of Episode key confessionals:
One note before I get into partnerships: I am taking the last few confessionals after the elimination very seriously. For the last few seasons, that confessional or two has been very telling.
Premiere episode: Tori notes that Ed is stronger than he looks, and can take out strong competitors. Kelz warns us of his upcoming downfall. Obviously, both of these confessional "predictions" came true.
Episode 2: Kelz wishes Tori to win; Tori reminds us that she is here to WIN. Fessy executes a plan, and most importantly: Esther reminds us that SOCIAL game is KEY; possibly referencing Michelle, Tori, or Amanda positively, and Nelson/Ashley negatively.
Episode three: Esther receives more positive tone for how she sends Tacha off, and most importantly, Kyle says something along the lines up "It's all good for now but we will turn on each other, we are all snakes, etc." To me, this is setting up the end of the Vet truce (again, that makes logical sense given this should be the last week of Rookie-rookie team as housevote). It is coming, and coming soon. Does that mean this week? Perhaps, but the " its all good for now" leads me to believe that episode 5 is when the real war begins.
We should pay attention to all of these late episode key confessionals.
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Character By Character Analysis
INV: Bettina, AmBer
UTR: Amanda, Priscilla, Logan, Jeremiah, Josh, Fessy,
OTT: Hughie, CT, Tommy,
MOR: Emy, Nany, Anessa, ashley, Gabo, Cory, Esther, Emmanuel,, Nelson,
CP: Ed, Tori, Kaycee, Berna, Tacha, Kyle, Devin, Michelle, Corey L,
Reminder: Confessional count can contribute slightly to CP vs MOR and UTR vs INV; however, it is more about overall episode visibility and storyline development. I am looking for a certain level of well roundedness in MOR edit's to distinguish from a UTR rating; and a more higher level of well rounded-ness for a CP rating. If that makes any sense. If you are not familiar with the ratings, please familiarize yourself with them above. It makes reading the below MUCH easier.
Last note: Since we have so many rookies, a lot of my rookie analysis discusses whether or not they are being setup for a return. I think that is part of the fun with rookie edits; comparing them to previous rookie edits, and seeing if they are being setup to return.
INV (Invisible Rating)
Amber
Who?
I mean, she was very invisible this episode. The only content we received from her was finishing the challenge really, and since everyone received that content, I decided to do INV rather than UTR. Open for debates on this one.
I think the only interesting thing about the AmBer silence is that Josh and Fessy were also silent with no confessionals. This actually sort of confirms to me the theory I put into play last week; that the Amber VS Fessy (with Josh in the middle of his top ally and his partner) would ultimately contribute to the downfall of one of these players. Ok, maybe I didn't word it that well last week, but the connection between these players has been very clearly highlighted (and included flashbacks, which are meaningful).
There are a few scenes in the trailers that also point to a downfall or some beef, but nothing that suggests how it happens. For that reason, I cannot make any predictions. However, perhaps the fact that they all received no confessionals this episode means something. Or it means nothing, Idk. We need more data. I keep forgetting this is only episode 3.
Bettina INV
Nothing here besides a decent challenge performance, but not enough to warrant UTR as it was circumstantial (they showed everyone finishing the daily). We need more info, however she has a small edit and a partner who likely wants a more seasoned partner as he hopes to make his 3rd final in a row. I don't expect her to have a ton of longevity in this game compared to someone like Esther, Priscilla, or Berna. There are tons of different types of French Fries out there. Like, so many. Are tater tots considered a type of fries? For this exercise, they will be.
UTR (Under the Radar Rating)
Josh: UTR
**First week analysis for Josh: “**Josh: (holds breathe and prays) Who? Such a small edit. Pls stay that way.”
** Second week analysis for Josh** "Ugh, it did not stay that way. Josh is definitely a CP this episode; and it sadly appears that Josh is actually playing a decent game... LOL. Just kidding, messy as always".
Third week: OMG NO CONFESSIONALS. Thank God. UTR rating for his role in deliberation.
PS: If Josh is actually going to be a real contender this season, I will absolutely take my write-ups for him more seriously. I just need more data on it before I take him seriously. So far I have absolutely 0 reason to believe Josh makes this final.
Fessy UTR
-Interesting episode for Fessy. He receives no explanation confessional regarding his previous move, which i would expect if he was the winner or to make it to the final. He would get to explain this move, why he took out the other Big guy, and why it benefits HIM. In confessional. That is what I would expect at least. He does receive a scene with Big T, but that feels more like it is setting up Big T than for the upcoming episode than anything. Receives an UTR for the Big T conversation, however he was not INV. See AmBer section for more thoughts, considering his edit links with AmBer and Josh.
Logan:
Instantly in the epsiode, we see him displaying qualities of a solid partnership. This is why I believe they have the potential to stay together for a while. Otherwise small edit; do not remember his one confessional besides the Hughie one. For now, I am going with my gut and an UTR rating for Logan. There wasn't anything special about his episode.
Until we receive more data on Logan, he's a small to medium edit on the male rookie size. Against Jeremiah, Hughie, and Gabo? I take Logan. Against Corey L and Emmanuel? I take the other 2.
Priscilla
UTR episode here for Priscilla despite her 1 confessional. This continues her episode 1 massive cool down. Despite strong visibility in the premiere episode, we haven't seen much follow up. This is fine for now, as she hasn't been involved in much. However, based on her confessional about hoping what happened to Kelz doesn't happen to her in episode 2, she is still a candidate for that to happen. We will have to see and wait for more data before predicting anything on Priscilla. Uncharacteristically high CP content early in an episode would lead me to believe she will be in the elimination round that episode, though she does have an edit that could win against other rookie/vet females.
Jeremiah
UTR-- pretty small episode all things considered. It makes sense that we did not hear much from Jeremiah- he wasn't going to be apart of the elimination. I still believe Jeremiah to be one of the smaller rookie edits out there, and now being partnered with Big T, he is in more danger even though she is a vet.
I do not have super high expectations for this edit, or the logic side that him and Big T will win a daily challenge. If they survive this upcoming week as a team, they are a candidate to go in the following week assuming there are no rookie-rookie teams left.
OTT (Over the Top Rating)
Tommy: OTTP
OTT for the incident with Lil tommy; P tone for how he was received after the Challenge + convo w/ Big T. I am bummed we won't see more from Tommy, as I have heard his career may prevent him from coming back.
I was super wrong on Tommy. I feel I have had a good grasp of the edit so far; understanding who has big edits, and who has smaller edits. I actually had even more written on Tommy than I posted in episode 1. I thought his episode 1 performance was setting him up to ride it out with Big T for a while and possibly make the final, and even win. I was obviously super wrong there. That is what I love about Edgic; you can be right about some things, and super wrong about others. My perception of Tommy's edit is a big miss for me so far this season. Do you prefer thick cut french fries, or thin cut? I am def a think cut person. That is why I never loved potato wedges. I am all about the small thin crispy fries.
CT
CT receives an OTT rating here from me, simply for the scene involving his ass. Aside from that, CT was actually still rather quiet this episode. He narrated a bit during Berna's confessional, but nothing that warranted a CP rating. I expect him and Berna to stay together for an episode or two. This team would clearly be a threat in the final however, so it would not surprise me if they were targeted as a team later in the season.
See the Cory section for more thoughts on CT, but until we receive an idea on how he will navigate this game, I can't really consider him as a contender, which I know sounds crazy. Waiting on that midseason breakout or when he gets heavily targeted.
Hughie:
OTT forsure. Hughie received some solid content here! He definitely did. However, it screams circumstantial content. He threw up the Challenge and had Ashley saying she needs a new partner just to have Hughie beat her in the end.
For me to talk about how far Hughie goes in the game, we need more non-circumstantial content to predict. For now, without that, he remains in danger.
MOR (Middle of the Road Rating)
Nany
UTR content for Nany in this episode, 100%. She does receive a confessional about Big T, mentioning that we don't really know her alliances and where she stands. However it was very narrational content, and given that this is literally the only Nany content we receive all episode, she remains a UTR edit for me. You could talk me into MOR. Shit I might talk myself into MOR due to that one confessional.
Edit: Yep, despite only having 1 confessional and no other content, it was a MOR confessional. You earned it Nany.
We are simply waiting on Nany. She hasn't received much focus yet, but they are keeping us engaged with her. I suspect once the numbers dwindle down a bit more she will receive some more focus; that being said, her opening edit is still smaller than her Double Agents one. Just something to note.
Gabo:
MOR due to the depth of his opening confessional. He doesn't understand the game, he admits it. At some point my guess, would be Nany wants a more serious partner, and he gets thrown in as the house vote once all Rookie-Rookie teams are gone, which (seemingly) would be after this upcoming episode no matter who is in elimination, unless Michelle and Ed win the daily.
Emy
MOR- Nothing after Devin confessional. She receives a MOR because her commentary on Devin as a partner was more than would be needed for a UTR edit. Not bad, because she wasn't in danger, but we need more data to make any sort of predictions. Uncharacteristically high focus one episode would have me concerned for her. Let's wait on Emy.
Nelson: MORM
Man, Nelson has an extremely interesting edit this season. I don't really know what to make of it, other than I know for a fact that the Nelly T's bootcamps was part was epic. This is exactly in line with what we are seeing for Nelson this season: More unnecessary focus. He is constantly receiving focus, and the Nelly T bootcamp thing was funny but totally unesseecary. This leads me to believe Nelson has some longevity in the game. This makes perfect sense with how he is being shown so far.
This episode is a MOR edit. Negative tone from the Ashley side, postive from the Berna side. He is mostly narrational, and does not give us any strategic content or alliance talk. So he cannot be CP, but he remains in the spotlight with a MOR episode. He is forsure one of the strongest male edits around, however due to his messy social game I cannot put him as number 1 contender. But he is close.
Ashley
Ahhhh Ashley. I very much worry for the longevity of her game truthfully. Again, Ashley is almost a perfect format fit for this game (assuming the format stays the same); if she can stay out of elimination before the final, she can be picked by a solid partner and have a chance to compete in the final. That is literally all she needs; if she is in the final, Ashley is a BIG threat. We know this.
However, Ashley's edit is start to concern me in multiple ways. Again, it is early, so we have to take this all with a grain of salt. This can change quickly. However, Ashley is starting to show signs of being an unreliable narrator. If you have read my previous posts, you would know how seriously I take SPV (second person visibility) and reliable narration. This is now the 3rd or 4th time that Ashley has proven to be an unreliable narrator. In episode 2, she is quoted as telling Emy not to worry about going into elimination (she went in), she is shown calling Nelson her man (Nelson ends up in bed with Berna), and this episode, She says that she thinks her and Hughie are going to win the daily (they don't even win their heat).
So, what does this mean? It is possibly Ashley just had a great confessional they felt obligated to use. Sure. If this was her first case of unreliable narration this season, i would let it slide. But it isn't. Its 3 or 4 or 5 or 6. There was 0 reason for the edit to have Ashley tell us she thinks they are going to win, and then show Ashley as struggling to keep up with Hughie. That could have been tinkered in so many ways to make Ashley look better if she was ultimately our winner. Unreliable narrators typically do not have the best reputation to win the game. The edit wants us to paint a very specific picture of our winners; and being wrong typically isn't one of them.
For this particular episode, she receives a MORM rating. I can't give her P or N tone, but she definitely had some tone due to the Berna content. Thus we end up with a mixed tone.
Esther
More consistent content from Esther as she continues to impress me with her rookie edit. Esther has been shown in a positive tone this entire season; perhaps that is just who she is, but that is also who the edit is showing her to be. I can't really make any predictions about how she will do yet this season; she is paired with Fessy (who has a lot of edit and logical issues in this game), and we have yet to see her compete in an endurance competition to suggest she can win the final. Thus, all we can do on Esther is wait. The good news? Her edit has some serious strength compared to some of the other females in this game. Not just rookies, vet females too.
If I had to guess on Esther, I would say she is being setup to return in this game 100%. Even if she does not make it to the final or win this season, the edit is giving her enough focus to expect returning seasons from Esther. I will say though; my favorite type of fries may be waffle fries. I think that waffle fries combine the best of both worlds in a sense with all of my favorite fries. They HAVE to be crunchy though.
Cory
Cory is receiving a very interesting edit this season. I am not really sure what to make of it honestly. This particular episode was arguably the most CP version of a MOR edit so far this season, possibly ever, but still MOR due to narrational content. In English: Cory received in depth confessionals on 3 separate occasions this episode, but they were all revolving around someone else. None of the confessionals were enough to warrant a complex personality, even though they were all in depth. He is one of our reliable narrators so far this season and seems to have settled into a MOR edit until "the real war begins." Him and CT have a lot of similarities in their edits.
As with CT, I am waiting for the mid-season raise in content. Cory, however, so far has the superior edit to CT. CT, having won last season, also has a much bigger target. Thus, Cory > CT so far in the ongoing battle of "Under-edited-male-stars-who-are- logical-locks-to-go-far-in-the-game." Until we receive more Cory data, we cannot accurately make any predictions.
Amanda
A rather quiet episode for Amanda; but that is OK, she wasn't really involved in anything besides her funny confessional during the challenge. She was UTR during this episode though it could be MOR depending on your opinion. We do however receive a reminder that she is a Mom, and that is ALWAYS good content to recieve. Check Cory's record since becoming "I'm doing this for my daughters" (spoiler alert: back to back finals).
So, lets talk contenders. Tori's edit took some massive damage this week. Michelle, while she had a great episode, I don't feel I can make her number 1 yet. We just need more to confirm she isn't being setup to be eliminated. Thus, by some crazy miracle, Amanda has catapulted into my top female edit. She continues to display a strong social game; something she isn't known for. That is crucial. She continues to receive content about being a mom. She continues to receive romantic focus over the first 2 episodes. She always reminds us that her head is IN the game. She is focused. And most importantly, she does not have the flaws that Tori put on her resume this week. Let's pray her edit stays this way.
Emanuel
Emanuel. Oh boy. Emanuel is checking a lot of boxes for me early in the season. SPV is important. It is what helps break the 4th wall and connect us to the players as an audience. So, Emanuel receiving constant SPV early in the season is excellent. Let's look at what circumstantial, and what was not circumstantial. The focus with Michelle early in the episode? Non-circumstantial. Neither of them went into elimination. It was not a scene they had to show. But they choose to show them by the pool, having a strategic conversation. This aligns with what Devin said that Emanuel understands much better than he is leading on. How about the first SPV we hear from Devin? You could argue that is circumstantial. Devin brought his name up in the Tori/Anessa convo, so they showed it. I wouldn't call it circumstantial, because he didn't go into elimination, but I would understand your argument if you said that.
However, what was not circumstantial, was Devin's confessional AFTER the convo with Tori. Not only does Devin say he is the best rookie here, he also says "he understands this game much more than he's leading on." Again, this comes immediately off the back of Devin calling him big threat last episode.
Despite this, he is kept out of focus from a confessional standpoint. This episode is a MORP, with the tone from Devin and Michelle. He is MOR because of the SPV and romantic focus, which gives him more than a UTR level of well roundedness. It is like the edit wants us to know who he is, and how strong he is, but they do not want to throw him in our face. Her is not a vet, so he can't receive TOO much early focus. You know who that is similar to? Like, extremely similar? Turbo. Qualities of his edit dramatically remind me of Turbo. They are not the same, but they have extremely similar aspects of their edit, mainly the SPV.
Emanuel is currently my number 1 contender until Kyle receives some follow through or Nelson cleans up his social game.
CP (Complex Personality rating)
Kaycee (CP)
Wow, okay so Kaycee. I would like to call back to my first episode prediction that Kaycee will follow her historic path and lose another final. This was actually a really solid episode for Kaycee, though I am not sure she can overcome her opening 2 episode edit without a string of CP edits. In her 3 confessionals this season for Kaycee, she has checked a lot of key boxes. She establishes a romantic connection, she provides a narrational confessional explaining things to viewers, and she has a CP confessional explaining how Tori needs to shut her mouth sometimes (and also possibly foreshadowing).
I mean, the downside? Besides those 3 confessionals, she has been invisible. This, to me, would align with the edit of a finals loser. Again, I am not making that prediction yet. We need more data of course. But, I could see the edit setting that up. That isn't really a bold prediction given her history, but it is what I have to say for now. Otherwise, we need more data on Kaycee. She did certainly begin to redeem her small edit in this episode, however.
Corey L: CPM
Whiny vibes. Similar to Jay in TM, which is where him and Ed differ. This is also why I prefer Ed to Corey L. The edit appears to be setting him up to continue to go into elimination until proven otherwise (shocker). CP content due to first confessional, and even subsequent ones. He also displays a bit of overconfidence when he says "Sorry Tacha and Jeremiah, It's your time". Uh, Bruh. It's also your time. I love you, but you are a rookie with a 1 elimination win. You are going to get called back in. You watch the show, what do you expect? When a rookie gets thrown in once, they get thrown in again and again. Use that to your advantage; Wes made himself a Challenge legend for 15 years and it was all started the same way.
Anyways, rant over, CPM rating for Corey L, with the M tone coming from deliberation. My thoughts remain the same. If he faces Emmanuel in elimination, Emmanuel wins to me. If he faces Jeremiah/Hughie/Gabo, I am taking Corey L all day.
Ed CPP
A solid episode for Ed; he receives solid CP content, even though his strategy is to let Tori run the show. He also recieves a P tone for the SPV from Tori in multiple scenes. Ed is a tough one to judge; because I kind of doubt that we will ever receive much in depth strategic alliance talk from Ed. He just doesn't seem to be a strategic guy. He doesn't have alliances, he is just playing in the moment. He continues to tell us that. Let's look back at the last 5 Challenge winners and their alliance talk (this less about Ed and more in general. It will come into play in my contenders category too).
DA: In depth from CT and AmBer.
TM: In depth from Bananas, small but clear alliance understanding for Jenny too.
WOTW2: This is obvious.
WOTW1: Extremely subtle, however a Superman who rewatched this season 15+ times would know that Turbo is referenced to be in an Alliance with Paulie and Cara multiple times.
FR: Lavender Ladies + TYB
Vendettas: Entire season was so Cara heavy
So, yes. Alliance talk is extremely important to me; especially if you are a vet. Ed, would be following the Turbo path more than anyone so it is OK that he hasn't received this yet. Although I still heavily lean towards Ed having the Jay from TM edit where he will ultimately fall short in an elimination. We need more non-circumstantial content for him to be a contender.
Big T
Big T is one of the people who i wrote for, than that got accidentally deleted in my post's mishap. Basically, I think Big T is in a lot of trouble. The edit has not been kind to her so far and now she is paired with a rookie. We need more data, but it isn't looking great for Big T.
Michelle
Wow, a very strong episode for Michelle. I thought the heavy focus and SPV was setting her up to go into elimination against Tacha. I was convinced of that. However, you have to know how seriously I take SPV, and how important I believe it to be when the player does NOT get eliminated after being called a threat. Michelle had an excellent, excellent, episode and to me, this catapults her into the top 3 female contenders.
Instantly, we see her displaying game awareness in the opening conversation with Emmanuel; we hear strategic talk from her right away along with Romantic focus. During the Challenge, she displays excellent game awareness during her confessional. She receives significant SPV in this episode from both Ed and Tori. Now, that could just be circumstantial to her finishing with a bloody nose; but Hughie had the same type of mini-journey edit during the challenge, and he received very limited SPV. Only a small confessional from Logan. No one else. Tori's confessional was like 3 parts. She explained in 3 different ways that Michelle is a threat; shes gotta go, shes a threat, shes the real deal, fiercest rookie ever (debatable). But, Michelle is here to stay for a while, or she is being setup as an obstacle for finalist to overcome. This high focus could be setting up her upcoming downfall, but I lean towards her making it far in this game. I am shocked you made it this far. What is your favorite type of french fry? Thin, thick, waffle, crinkle, tater tot??
Devin
Extremely strong episode for Devin. He is showing game awareness, strategic content, high focus, all while keeping the actual spotlight in the game off his back and on Josh's back. I wrote about this in a post earlier last week about how "If not you, then you?" is lowkey running the deliberations in this game, or at least this episode. By connecting himself to Josh, and having his number 1 Ally as Kyle, he is literally linking two separate factions of the house, and is seemingly safe on both sides. Actually, not even low-key. He is in a great spot in this game.
Devin continues to be reliable narrator, as Tori listens to his advice and throws in Berna and Corey L (Devin's confessional was about Emmanuel, but he also suggested Corey L). Again, we need Devin to show us how he will perform in an endurance challenge to truly predict his outcome in this game. However, for now, from both an editing and logic perspective, he is setup to go deep in this game.
Tacha:
Wow, what a way to go out. She is absolutely a CP edit here, and if you re watch the episode you will see that they are setting her up to go into elimination pretty early.
Eliminations like these are the reason I love the Challenge. Often times, I have a good idea of who will win the elimination based on the overall edit of the charecter. However in this case, it was dead even. Berna had a slight edge with romantic focus, but Tacha received more strategic focus. Until CT had a confessional about Berna flipping a switch and being calm, I had no idea who was going to win. It wasn't untill a rewatch that I saw Berna actually had a pretty big lead. Regardless, this was a game that it could have gone wrong at any moment. It was truly a great elimination to watch.
Tacha received unusually High focus for a rookie who loses elimination during this episode. I wish we heard more from her overall on the season, and I love that she had the balls to call out Tori in the elimination round. More on that in Tori's section. I hope this high of an elimination episode focus means she will be receiving a callback next season (and that she will accept, though this episode suggests she would). Just get your Tacha fans to not attack people on social media and we want you forever.
Berna
Berna receives CP content here and in hindsight, the early episode focus was absolutely setting her up to go into elimination. It kind of came out of nowhere? Like all the sudden Berna is a fierce competitor and a threat. That was all established this episode. That doesn't hurt her or anything, but it is important to note nonetheless. She performs great in the elimination, and more important than anything, she performs well under pressure. That is a solid sign of a good competitor.
I honestly have nothing else to say about Berna for now though. She appears straightforward- what she says in the confessionals, is what she means. I suspect she will be around for a little bit unless Ashley targets her again early. Otherwise, I would imagine she survives a few episodes.
Tori
"Crunched some numbers" aka counted. She counted rookies and vets. That is not crunching numbers. Ohhhhhh, Tori. You really took a hit during this episode. Tori was absolutely CP content-- she was in heavy focus for the 3rd episode in row, which does help her chances to make the final and have longevity in this game. But let's talk about why this hurts her early season winner chances.
Thank you for making it to the end BTW. It truly does mean a lot to me. My answer for favorite type of fry would ultimately be thin cut McDonalds style fries.
Tori displayed some qualities that you do not typically want to see in Winners. She was drunk with power-- not an edit that winners typically receive. She showed a lack of game awareness, both with the Big T situation AND the Tacha situation. I mean, I think it is a pretty big deal that they showed the Tacha post elimination blow up. Last season, I remember reading on reddit that there were quite a few post-elimination blowups that were not shown. I don't remember who, but if those were not shown, you have to ask why this one was shown. Like, why this one? If Tori was our winner, would the editors really want to include multiple confessionals about her weak social game AND a blow up from Tacha? I don't know. Maybe. Obviously we cannot rule her out, and obviously Tori has one of the strongest, if not the strongest, edits of the season of BOTH male and female players.
Due to the strength of her overall edit, I do not want to read to much into this week's downside. For now, she is bumped down to number 2 overall behind Amanda. Amanda does have a much quieter edit, but it is much cleaner after this episode. I need to hear Tori explain how she will repair the damage before putting her back number 1.
Ok, WOW. I told myself I would write less this episode, and Nope. I did not. Nonetheless, when we have an episode that does not have so much to read into, I won't write as much. But i found this episode to be very important.
I really hope you all enjoyed this. If you have not listened yet, I was on the Redditors React Challenge podcast with Levi and George last week to discuss the episode. You can find all of their links on thier instagram. Huge shoutout to them for having me. You can expect these write-ups posted typically on Mondays at 10 AM EST, or Friday at 10 AM EST. As always, all upvotes are extremely appreciated as I am trying to grow Challenge Edgic. Thank you a ton for the support!
Soon, I will be starting a podcast to breakdown the writeups for those who prefer to listen, rather than read is something that is high up on my list as well. I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS write them up though as well, and always post them on reddit. Since so many other people do full episode recaps, instead I will focus on essentially doing this same breakdown ^^ just on a podcast.
Posted Aug 30, 2021, 2:24 PM UTC · edited