I kind of like the opening intro. it's different.
The episode was kind of lame. But I like speedo episodes, it always brings some laughter and comic relief. Ohhh Paula and Evan trying to take control and Ryan getting sent into the Duel... how unpredictable! haha
The best part of the episode was Shavoun asking "where my hugs" hahaha. What a joke.
[QUOTE]With Robin and her so called craziness, it seems like winning a challenge is quite a big thing to her and her always coming up short in them is likely a reason why she gives off this lunatic vibe that every one seems to notice. Her farewell speech looks like it indicates that. Maybe that's building off some other issues she has and just magnifies it.[/QUOTE]
I think there are a lot of reasons that Robin comes off as...less than stable. And wanting badly to win a challenge is probably the least of them at this point. When you fall to the bottom of this particular pack--already a self-selected group in which more than a few people probably have some major psychological issues (Paula, anyone?)--in terms of emotional stability and coherence, it makes one wonder. Not in a good way.
[quote=jem3772;60523]I think Ruthie and Isaac have some sort of alliance s if Ruthie was in that chain of events, I doubt Isaac would have been last.In fact wasn't Isaac in the room with Evan when they were trying to figure out the order? And he was in the chain of events. Didn't Evan ask him who does he think will be last?[/quote]
It depends on how early they were supposed to pick Ruthie, I guess.
About this alliance - obviously Evan and Paula are running the big thing. But I noticed they are telling people who they aren't really aligned with how to vote. Ruthie is an example. They are essentially using some of these people in order to control the game. I just wonder how long it will take some of the cast members to figure this out (within the show, that is). Nehemiah and Davis seem to realize they aren't a solid part of the big alliance. It's easy for Nehemiah to know because he came in later than everyone else (but MJ). Ruthie knows she's not a part of the big alliance - she is not really into this planning and plotting.
Let's try to analyze and figure out the big alliance, and the subdivisions in the big alliance, and the outsiders or "pawn" people. DISCLAIMER: [I][U]This is just for speculation and analysis for fun based on what we have seen so far and from there guessing or making judgments. This is not meant to be considered as a source for a 100% accurate account of what really happened. Not based on spoilers.[/U]
[/I]
Obviously Evan is being looked to as someone who is running things and is at the head of the big alliance. Evan has clearly stated that he is in an alliance with Landon, Mark, and Brad. These guys of course need female competitors to pick them. Brad of course is closest to Tori of anyone there, so she comes along with him (although I don't think he picked her in the first episode? Or the other way around? But clearly they both want each other there). Landon has picked Brittini both times in the "chain." Evan also had Paula along as his partner for running this alliance.
From there it seems Paula has her own alliance going on that is merging with Evan's alliance. She is linked to Evan's alliance it seems through being friends with Evan. Paula has loyalty to Dunbar and had loyalty to Ryan.
On Paula's side, it seems there are a group of people who are rooming together (on the challenge) or are friends who seem loosely joined to the alliance. I think this includes people like Jenn, Davis, Brooke, Issac. Derek might be in this as well. I'm not completely sure who all are in one room, but in a daily clip with I think Evan and Paula talking, they said something about the people in one room. I guess these people could be considered as a secondary group in the big alliance. Maybe they could even been considered a tertiary group, or even a group not in the big alliance, but above the last group of outsiders. Dunbar and Ryan I guess would fall into this group, since they don't seem to be considered major people by Evan's side of the alliance, but they have a stronger tie to Paula than the others listed in this group.
Other people who seemingly fall somewhere into the big alliance group so far are Katie, Diem, Anessa, and Rachel. These people seem to be important enough to the big part of Evan's alliance now, but I don't know how important they may be later on. MJ seemed to have made his way into the alliance, but not as a member as "important" as Landon or Brad or Mark yet. So maybe he could be placed with these people for now. I guess I would kind of consider them as a secondary group as well. I would guess this secondary group may be stronger than the one associated with Paula or her friends because they have been around longer (in the BMP world) and are friends with some of the people in Evan's main group.
Then there are people who don't seem connected to the alliance. The way I see it, some of them are being used by the big alliance so that the big alliance can control who will be picked down to the last person. I would think this group included Robin, Ruthie, Nehemiah, Nick, Kim, Shauvon.
If CT and Adam had not gotten into a fight, my guess is they would have fit somewhere in the bigger alliance.
So I guess for right now I'm kind of seeing:
Big Alliance:
- Primary group: Evan, Landon, Mark, Brad, Paula, Tori (only by extension of Brad), Brittini (only by extension of Landon so far)
- Secondary group seed one: Katie, Diem, Anessa, Rachel, MJ
- Secondary group seed two (or tertiary): Ryan (gone), Dunbar, Jenn, Brooke, Derek, Issac, Davis
Outsiders: Shauvon (gone), Kim, Nick (gone), Nehemiah, Robin (gone), Ruthie
Some of these people could maybe fall into a group above or below the group they are currently in.
Does anyone have any input (non-spoilered) to add, or any ideas or corrections? I would like to know how everyone else thinks things are going down. Maybe some of you have noticed something I've missed on the show and in my analysis. Or maybe I could be wrong about some things.
Interesting stuff, RW, but it is wrong on several fronts. Unfortunately everything I could write would be a spoiler.
Well, almost everything... There was a pre-challenge alliance plan for how to deal with CT. Only one part of it was the potential that he would assault someone. Another part of the plan dealt with how they intended to ensure his loss while protecting the core of the hidden three alliance.
Originally Posted by [B]Famous.[/B] [URL="http://vevmo.com/f187/the-duel-2-ep-2-discussion-2945-post60500/#post60500"][IMG]http://vevmo.com/images/totallypro/buttons/viewpost.gif[/IMG][/URL]
MJ was not making a big deal out of beating Ryan. He even said himself that "yeah it was a win against Ryan, but... blah blah blah".
[quote=RW561015;60502]
I don't really feel MJ was punking out by picking Ryan. I think he still wasn't secure in this game and he was trying to latch on to the big alliance. Well, even though Paula is best friends with Ryan, I don't necessarily think Ryan would have been as secure in that alliance after a while. Plus he would be seen as more of a chance to win against, so I think MJ was trying to keep himself in the game still early on. Also, though MJ is a tall, strong, muscular guy, I haven't really seen him compete at the level that Landon, Mark, and Evan have. I do think he could have a chance against them in duels, but it is easier to pick someone like Ryan at this point.[/quote]
After MJ beat Ryan it's true he did say "yeah it was a win against Ryan, but I think it set the tone for the rest of the game . . . Don't f**k with me." He also made a point of saying something along the lines of this Duel making it known that he was going to be one of the stronger players in the game.
OK, so if the general consensus (as it appears to be) was that Ryan was considered the weakest guy physically, MJ was probably expected to beat him more likely than not in a game like Pushover. Of course Ryan was the obvious pick for MJ to beat to stay in the game at this point. But at the end of the day I don't think people like Landon, Evan, and Mark are saying to themselves "Oh wow, look at how MJ beat Ryan! I'm really shaking in my boots now."
If it was possibly a person like Dunbar, Nehemiah or Davis that MJ beat in such a fashion, that might rate a sense of worry for the others that MJ truly is not to be f**ked with, to paraphrase him. But pushing around the "weak guy" is kind of to be expected.
All in all, Ryan was the smart and obvious choice to beat someone in the duel. But it's not all that impressive to me, all things considered.
[quote]Obviously Evan is being looked to as someone who is running things and is at the head of the big alliance. Evan has clearly stated that he is in an alliance with Landon, Mark, and Brad. These guys of course need female competitors to pick them. Brad of course is closest to Tori of anyone there, so she comes along with him (although I don't think he picked her in the first episode? Or the other way around? But clearly they both want each other there). Landon has picked Brittini both times in the "chain." Evan also had Paula along as his partner for running this alliance.[/quote]Brad couldn't pick anyone in the first episode; he and Paula had immunity from the duel and were not part of the process. It does seem like the simplest way the "Evan alliance" could work would be for each guy to pick a female counterpart whom he knows will vote for the next member of the alliance, and in one of the dailies today Brad tells Evan that he needs a trustworthy woman. But when are these things ever simple?
I think part of the craziness with the laundry list of names is that everyone was going to everyone else asking for votes, and there are certain people that they probably want to accommodate--just for now--so that it doesn't become an issue. Like MJ. It seemed fairly clear that Evan instructed Paula to pick MJ for the good of the alliance, and so on and so forth. Disclaimer: I could be totally wrong.
I do wonder if this challenge would have gone differently for Robin had Tori not been in the picture, because she definitely filled the role of "Brad's woman alliance partner" in the first duel. But Robin's issues might have been too big a liability for Brad even without the far more stable Tori.
[quote=V1man;60575]Interesting stuff, RW, but it is wrong on several fronts. Unfortunately everything I could write would be a spoiler.
Well, almost everything... There was a pre-challenge alliance plan for how to deal with CT. Only one part of it was the potential that he would assault someone. Another part of the plan dealt with how they intended to ensure his loss while protecting the core of the hidden three alliance.[/quote]
Oh, I'm sure the spoilers spell out something different. It's just how I see things based on what's been shown on the show and dailies so far. I think there will be some shake ups in the lineup in the next episode or two, if Evan's talk in the dailies and from episode two will amount to anything.
Did anyone hear the podcast of bill simmons on espn talking about "the duel"and the ct and adam fight? its quite interesting to hear 2 mens perspective...
[QUOTE=MrsPlumBean;60591]Brad couldn't pick anyone in the first episode; he and Paula had immunity from the duel and were not part of the process. It does seem like the simplest way the "Evan alliance" could work would be for each guy to pick a female counterpart whom he knows will vote for the next member of the alliance, and in one of the dailies today Brad tells Evan that he needs a trustworthy woman. But when are these things ever simple?
I think part of the craziness with the laundry list of names is that everyone was going to everyone else asking for votes, and there are certain people that they probably want to accommodate--just for now--so that it doesn't become an issue. Like MJ. It seemed fairly clear that Evan instructed Paula to pick MJ for the good of the alliance, and so on and so forth. Disclaimer: I could be totally wrong.
I do wonder if this challenge would have gone differently for Robin had Tori not been in the picture, because she definitely filled the role of "Brad's woman alliance partner" in the first duel. But Robin's issues might have been too big a liability for Brad even without the far more stable Tori.[/QUOTE]
Robin was not going to have support on this challenge. Period. Her pre-show phone calls and paranoia turned her best friends against her. They just didn't want to carry her like the did on The Island. It's sad to report this, because I personally really like Robin and hope that she is now in a far better place emotionally.
[quote=V1man;60609]Robin was not going to have support on this challenge. Period. Her pre-show phone calls and paranoia turned her best friends against her. They just didn't want to carry her like the did on The Island. It's sad to report this, because I personally really like Robin and hope that she is now in a far better place emotionally.[/quote]
I don't get how pre-show phone calls and paranoia could turn her friends against her on the challenge. She seemed pretty close to Katie before. I felt so bad for her on this challenge.
[QUOTE=jhl182;60644]I don't get how pre-show phone calls and paranoia could turn her friends against her on the challenge. She seemed pretty close to Katie before. I felt so bad for her on this challenge.[/QUOTE]
Well, if I spelled it out for you, I would be divulging conversations that were not meant to get back to Robin.
[quote=jem3772;60597]Did anyone hear the podcast of bill simmons on espn talking about "the duel"and the ct and adam fight? its quite interesting to hear 2 mens perspective...[/quote]
What day is the podcast from? Can you post a link?
[quote=V1man;60645]Well, if I spelled it out for you, I would be divulging conversations that were not meant to get back to Robin.[/quote]
So there's more to this than you're telling us right?
[QUOTE=Debut Album;60674]So there's more to this than you're telling us right?[/QUOTE]
After 139 posts, I thought you probably would have realized that there is always a more detailed backstory which normally I can't divulge. I try to get you the most complete picture I can without compromising sources and methods.
So, once again, Evelyn has posted her comments about the Duel II. It looks like she's going to be writing something every week. I hope so, I find her blogs amusing.
[url=http://www.myspace.com/evsmyspace]MySpace.com - Evelyn - 22 - Female - San Diego, California - www.myspace.com/evsmyspace[/url]
[QUOTE=Buck05;60744]So, once again, Evelyn has posted her comments about the Duel II. It looks like she's going to be writing something every week. I hope so, I find her blogs amusing.
[url=http://www.myspace.com/evsmyspace]MySpace.com - Evelyn - 22 - Female - San Diego, California - www.myspace.com/evsmyspace[/url][/QUOTE]
Evelyn's challenge learning curve is higher than anyone's in the history of the challenges (in my opinion). By now, the Alpha males on any challenge should be looking at Eve as the one they always want at the end, and unlike the stupidity of The Island, they should act accordingly.
[quote=V1man;60717]After 139 posts, I thought you probably would have realized that there is always a more detailed backstory which normally I can't divulge. I try to get you the most complete picture I can without compromising sources and methods.[/quote]
I didn't read all of 139 posts in this thread.
But still I know what you're doing just being sure that's all.
[quote=V1man;60762]Evelyn's challenge learning curve is higher than anyone's in the history of the challenges (in my opinion). By now, the Alpha males on any challenge should be looking at Eve as the one they always want at the end, and unlike the stupidity of The Island, they should act accordingly.[/quote]
Yeah, and Evelyn managed to win The Island despite all the **** she had to put up with. That's how amazing of a competitor she is. God, I love her, I hope she's on the next challenge.
[QUOTE=Debut Album;60787]I didn't read all of 139 posts in this thread.
But still I know what you're doing just being sure that's all.[/QUOTE]
I actually meant all of your then 139 previous comments.
[quote=MLCB53;60660]What day is the podcast from? Can you post a link?[/quote]
[url=http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?id=4059639]ESPN Radio - SuperStream Player[/url]
The opening looks like a special ed class playing a crazy version of simon says, and failing miserably. lol
I don't understand why Aneesa, or anyone would be ****** about being called out to the duel. Its a part of the game, calm down. Ryan complained at the end of this episode, and I assume every week when someone gets called down, similar reactions will ensue. I really don't care for Kim, but at least she had a good attitude about it when Robin picked her. Grrrr, to think I just paid Kim a compliment...
And can someone let me know who died and made Evan captain of New Zealand? I loved Ruthie sayin she wasn't down with being told what to do. Atta girl Ruthie. She looks amazing btw. I haven't seen her since the Hawaii train wreck, and it looks like she's really taking care of herself now.
Hopefully there will be a counter alliance formed soon, cuz I don't think I can take another episode of this meet-head-alliance spouting out a list of names for 20 minutes. Seriously, my ears almost started bleeding during that whole sequence.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before, but what was with Robin pushing Tori away at the end of the duel when she was hugging Katie? I was so weirded out by that.
Did you notice that Anessa seems to still dislike Robin?In the ice challenge there is a part that Robin touches Anessa and she takes Robin hand off her like if she was angry.Anyone notice that?
I think I saw a friendly moment between Robin and Anessa in the first episode or a daily, so I don't think she is at the very least as affected by what Robin said in the past. It could still bother her some, but I don't know. I think Anessa tends gets over past conflicts after a while on challenges. In the ice challenge, I remember Robin asking Anessa help her to get into the circle, but Anessa said she was too far away to really pull her in (it didn't look like it would help to me). Maybe Anessa was worried about being pulled off the ice block.
JB mentioned Robin pushing Tori away. I didn't pay enough attention to see it. I don't know why she did it. I don't know if they are friends or have had issues in the past (that were unaired) or what. I can't really remember interaction between them ever, though this is their second challenge together.
[quote=tjhallow;60999]I clearly remember Robin pushing Tori away, it wasn't even a little push, it looked like she shoved her.[/quote]
Yeah I noticed it too. Robin is just an odd person it seems. But maybe it wasn't meant to be unfriendly. I guess the only one who could tell us would be Robin herself.
[quote=V1man;60762]Evelyn's challenge learning curve is higher than anyone's in the history of the challenges (in my opinion). By now, the Alpha males on any challenge should be looking at Eve as the one they always want at the end, and unlike the stupidity of The Island, they should act accordingly.[/quote]
I wholeheartly agree with that opinion. Ev is a 3 headed beast of the challenge, she has mental toughness, physical prowless (more than 1/2 of all males ever on MTV Reality), and patience (something a lot of these kids do not have imo). As an outcast, The Island was by far the most difficult social game since the inception of a "face off" elimination to win.
I believe that the Duel is the easiest of all the Challenges thus far to survive w/o an alliance because as an outcast, you have some control of your opponent in a face off, and since there are literally stakes for everyone during the daily challenges, there will be no lay downs.
With that said, my admiration for people like Kim increase every week. I do think Evan has learned from both the mistakes and pros of the Bananas/Santucci axis of the Island in regards to his alliances' pecking order as well as disposing confusion and dead weight.
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