The Challenge Episode 12 Recap And Power Rankings
The cast returns from the elimination, with Melissa furious at Josh and Johnny. Swaggy also makes a statement about he or Bayleigh getting in the Tribunal so they can put themselves in. Kyle also says hew would like to go in, setting up a battle just to get into the elimination. We also get a scene of Cory tearful of his daughter being upset with him for not being home.
We head to the mission for the episode, entitled Tanks-A-Lot. The players will be in five teams of three. The teams have to move piles of rubble to bins on the other side of the yard. The two teams with the heaviest bins will advance to the next round, where they will have to individually pull a piece of thrash across the yard. The team to have all three players cross first wins. The teams are as follows:
Team 1 — Cory Josh Kaycee
Team 2 — Johnny Melissa Rogan
Team 3 — Kyle Jenny Aneesa
Team 4 — Nelson Nany Swaggy C
Team 5 — Dee Bayleigh Fessy
Solid mission, but it took much too long. It was very similar to the Day Of Wreckoning from War Of The Worlds (which Kyle also got injured in). Perhaps they could have added a bit more variety to the mission in terms of how pieces were moved, (in Day Of Wreckoning they moved up a hill where there were some obstacles in the way). The winning teams ended up being Team 3 and Team 5. Great showing from the women on this mission, being able to hold their own in a super physical mission. Team 5 ended up edging out Team 3 in the second stage, setting up a Tribunal of Dee, Bayleigh, and Fessy.
At the house, it quickly emerges into a race between Cory and Kyle to see who will get thrown in. Kyle attempts to make the argument that the Tribunal is favorable to Cory, which is absurd considering Swaggy’s wife and Day One alliance are also in the Tribunal. Josh says he would prefer to be the Tribunal selection instead o the house vote, which seems very pedantic. I honestly would prefer to be the house vote if the Tribunal is favorable, because then I could have some sway in determining who I am going against in the elimination. Josh and Fessy argue for a bit, and don’t seem to reach much resolution.
At nominations, both Kyle and Cory announce they would like to go in. They go down the line and the majority does seem to be siding with Cory. Aneesa is a bit conflicted since she feels she cost Kyle his shot during the mission but votes for Cory. Melissa explodes at Josh for being duplicitous during nominations, but outside of that it is rather uneventful, and Cory is voted in.
At the Tribunal, they discuss who they would like to put up. They quickly resolve to select the three men without Red Skulls: Swaggy C, Kyle, and Josh. Swaggy seems ready to go in as does Kyle. Josh also pushes to go in, but considering he just burned Dee and Bayleigh is Swaggy’s wife I have a hard time seeing that happen.
We head to Purgatory, where we see a wall structure with buttons and lights on both sides. Dee votes for Kyle, while Fessy and Bayleigh vote for Swaggy C. TJ announces the elimination as Launch Button. The competitors have to use a rope to swing back and forth between the buttons and press them to light up their bulbs. The first one to light up all twenty wins.
The elimination starts, and both seem a bit bumbling to begin. This elimination seems incredibly difficult, as propelling oneself using the rope and canister takes an extreme degree of coordination. Swaggy is able to use his length to get out to a slight lead, but still has a lot of trouble keeping his balance. Cory however is able to figure out how to control his body and make a comeback and win the elimination.
Bayleigh tells Swaggy not to get down on himself as TJ dismisses him. Cory is given his Red Skull, and the episode ends.
Eliminated
Swaggy C: Okay season for a rookie from Swaggy. Got into a few Tribunals and was able to be a significant presence on the show in his time.
Power Rankings
14) Josh: Could beat Kyle in a few things but is still the underdog overall.
13) Melissa: Should be able to move her way in against Nany.
12) Bayleigh: Will be interesting to see how it plays out if Nany and Melissa are next episode’s elimination.
11) Kyle: Have him as the favorite over Josh if they end up in elimination.
10) Nany: Should have her pick of the litter next week.
9) Aneesa: Lock to make the final at this point.
8) Cory: His injured leg would seem to be an issue moving forward.
7) Fessy: He may be the best athlete on the show at this point.
6) Kaycee: Her athletic pedigree is immense, but she hasn’t performed as well as one might think in the missions.
5) Rogan: Seems to be clean to the final from here on out.
4) Nelson: Stands out as having the best chance to topple Johnny in a final.
3) Dee: She still has the whole house against her, but with how many women still need to go in it’s hard to see how she gets put in.
2) Jenny: Hard to imagine she is thrown in at any point.
1) Johnny: In the pole position right now.
Extra Notes
o In addition to releasing a new song, Tori and Jordan are also making masks to sell to the public. Please check it out, as each mask bought will also result in a donation of a mask to workers on the frontlines. Always great to see Challengers supporting the community in this trying time.
o Not Challenge related, but if anyone is in need of objective and useful COVID-19 news, check out Nate Duncan and Ben Taylor’s COVID Daily News podcast. Easily the most unbiased news aggregation service I’ve heard and gives much useful information including best practices for the virus and projections on how things are developing.
Fantasy Scoring
o NOTE: I periodically go back and check through the scoring throughout the season, so these are liable to change. If you have specific matter you want to address, email rmcintyre1699@gmail.com.
