The Challenge: Free Agents - A Walk in the Clouds

[QUOTE=riggins;427803]Yeah, Laurel and Cara's fight didn't seem like a huge deal to me either. In the Grantland Podcast, Jacoby was saying their relationship seemed very Big Dog/Little Dog, which made sense to me. Cara probably finally got sick of that power dynamic but neither one of them were communicating effectively about it(plus Laurel was being pretty rude). And I think both of them being REALLY stubborn didn't help anything.[/QUOTE] cara is not a little dog... she was laurel biggest treat and laurel knew that

[QUOTE=expert101;427827]cara deserved it this year[/QUOTE] Laurel no doubt deserved the win, but CM winning would have been the perfect ending to Free Agents.

By my count i have Bananas having earned $405,800 on challenges so far with; [B][U]Wins[/U][/B] Free Agents- 125k Exes- 75k Rivals- 50k Ruins- 53.3k Island- 75k [B][U]Second Place[/U][/B] Rivals II- 17.5k Inferno III- 10k Is this correct or am i forgetting one?

i think he won some daily challenges that paid some money on exes and rivals 1 if im not mistaken.

By the way does anyone know if there is going to be a $#!% show this year?

Did not care much for that final at all. But congrats to Bananas on his 5th win. Devyn is a terrible competitor and I hope to never have to see her on a challenge again.

I don't understand why people don't realize you need to work with people positively. Some people do like a kick in the butt and those people you can encourage more aggressively or negatively but Johnny played his hand so well. When he got Devon he didn't cry and moan all day and scream at her, he encourged her, worked with her, and in turn got the best out of her he could. It just baffles me how people think belittling the one person who can help you is going to be in both of your best interest. Johnny is the best becase he is good at everything and he also knows how to WORK WITH PEOPLE. Just like Kenny, you know that if you agree to work together he will support you and it does wonders for confidence.

[QUOTE=Emotional;427880]i think he won some daily challenges that paid some money on exes and rivals 1 if im not mistaken.[/QUOTE] Rivals 1 I think he won 2 prize money mission so in total earned 51k

I tought ending of the final was a bit of an anti-climax. Somebody posted that they should have combined all times after stage4, and then gave Bananas a headstart of that difference( aswell with ladies). And whoever reaches the top first wins obv. And i think that's a great idea!

[QUOTE=Cashfl0w;427796]So would it be fair to say that Devyn slowed Johnny from Portland down and he could have won it all[/QUOTE] Someone mentioned it, but I don't think his partnering with Devyn would have meant the difference between winning and losing. I think Johnny R would have lost to Johnny B regardless. Take for instance the fact that Johnny B actually finished the puzzle whereas Johnny R did not. Bananas also finished a good 15 or so minutes ahead of Johnny R in the individual cycling portion too. It might have been more competitive, but Bananas had most of the guys beat for almost every aspect of this final. [QUOTE=PlatosCave;427801][...] Nany seems more into Cohutta, than Cohutta is into her. Her face also seems overwhelmed by too much hair. Perhaps she was wearing a wig or hairpiece? Less is more, Nany, but happy she's happy with Cohutta. He on the other hand looked like he just rolled out of bed, and that tumble towards Nany looked awkward. [...] Johnny Bananas stayed mellow and didn't take anything serious (from Jordan or Nany). He doesn't seem like the same hot-head from the Island and is more likeable now. [...][/QUOTE] Nany and Cohutta are awkward when anyone tries to force them to be anything else but friends. Like another poster said, he's been permanently friendzoned and Nany should just have the balls to say so instead of worrying about "hurting" his feelings. He's a man, he can take it. It's better for him to know the truth rather than to hope for something that just isn't there. Also, I'm a hundred percent sure that Nany had in some extensions or a weave during the reunion. She admits to wearing them during one of those candid moment spots they air during the Challenge. I think she was play fighting with one of the girls and she was like, don't pull out my weave (or something like that). Yah, I thought Bananas was amazingly less obnoxious during this Challenge. I don't think he's changed [too] much, but I do think he's the type that's easily influenced by the people around him. I know I sound like a broken record by now, but he's better when he's not around guys like Kenny and Evan who encourage the worst in him. He's so much more over the top when they're around. Bananas is much better off coming to these challenges with his back against the wall and without all his buddies backing him up. ETA: All and all, I thought this was one of the best final challenges yet. Everyone had to earn their win and I'm so glad there was only one puzzle that didn't make the difference between a loss and a win. It was a final of pure physical merit. Some could argue against the teaming up aspect, but I think there was an attempt to create some balance by having everyone take a turn with one another. I would have loved it had it solely been an individual attempt, but I recognize it wouldn't have been very competitive on the ladies side had it been so.

[QUOTE=PlatosCave;427801]Some quick reunion thoughts: CT was light years different from last year's reunion. Not only was he sober, but he was relaxed, glowing and happy (even though last year he won the whole thing). He seemed to have no chips on his shoulder or bitterness or issues with anybody. He just seemed to be having a great time, even though he was not asked any questions. Whatever is going on in his personal life, is really working for him. He's matured. Theresa looked stunning. Nany seems more into Cohutta, than Cohutta is into her. Her face also seems overwhelmed by too much hair. Perhaps she was wearing a wig or hairpiece? Less is more, Nany, but happy she's happy with Cohutta. He on the other hand looked like he just rolled out of bed, and that tumble towards Nany looked awkward. The set looked like a torture chamber. Jessica seemed irrelevant so I'm surprised she was invited. She had no conflicts with anyone and wasn't in or near the final. Laurel owned the reunion. She and Cara seemed to be getting over things, but now on twitter they are being aggressive (Laurel) or passive-aggressive (Cara) to each other. I'm a straight man and don't really understand all their issues (had to ask my wife why they were making such a mountain out of a molehill). To me it seemed like a lot of hurt feelings over communication issues that could easily be cleared up. Weird that this was the central conflict of the season. Johnny Bananas stayed mellow and didn't take anything serious (from Jordan or Nany). He doesn't seem like the same hot-head from the Island and is more likeable now. The whole reunion was like the final was like the season: anticlimactic.[/QUOTE] I assume that wasn't CT, but Chris, a once hard partying boisterous Boston Boy who is moving into his mid thirties and just wants to settle down and start a family with the love of his life... Theresa did look great too! All bitter and beautiful. That is the first time I have ever found her to be attractive, the haircut works for her. The reunion set was frightening and chaotic. It's funny how low the budgets were back in the day when they had high ratings. Does everyone remember the middle school band chairs they sat in for The Duel? Laurel was incredible and Jessica was...Jessica. I am kind of surprised that they picked her over Aneesa. I would have liked to see my queen shut Aneesa down one more time.

Sadly I don't think we'll have a **** they should've shown for this one :( Those were always one of my favorite episodes of each season

[QUOTE=Rockstar;427983]I assume that wasn't CT, but Chris, a once hard partying boisterous Boston Boy who is moving into his mid thirties and just wants to settle down and start a family with the love of his life.../QUOTE] What a great observation! I believe that to be the case myself. I don't think this was his last at bat but I do think he looks the happiest he's looked since...the Duel.

Did anyone find it kind of funny how once they got to the top they had to walk back down after?

We've reached the season finale of Free Agents, and I'm sobbing uncontrollably on the inside. It's no secret that I'm so much more into the interactions on The Challenge as opposed to the seven/eight/fourteen strangers/exes on The Real World. [CENTER][ATTACH]5641[/ATTACH] [SIZE=2]*sniff*[/SIZE][/CENTER][B] The Opening That Summarizes Everything Even If You Didn't Watch For The Past 12 Weeks[/B] Back in the day before the season finale, MTV would dedicate a weekday or entire weekend to recapping the entire series in a marathon. Now we can barely get replays for this show on television, but they did a great job replacing the opening with a profile of the remaining challengers. [B] Zach Lives[/B] MTV decided to end the last episode with a shot of Zach dying beneath the waves, having us believe that it may have been over for the team of Devyn/Zach. This week, apparently Zach lives. Joining the NPCs of the season like The Challenge Doctor is The Challenge Rescue Boat, which saves Zach and then proceeds to send them back into the boat to finish off the leg. At this point, how far do you think The Challenge Rescue Boat get them down the river? [B] Dumb puzzles are dumb[/B] Puzzles are always coming on a a final, that's a fact. ****, in the last few episodes they've been preparing The Challengers with tangrams and weird sudokus to get their puzzle skills top notch. So I'm not sure who in the ****** decided to think it was a good idea, or good tv, to test these guys on geography. Luckily, Bananas is resourceful enough from his 8 final appearances to rebuild a tree. Here's something fun, I'll rank the puzzles on the last few seasons from easiest to hardests. 06. Rivals 2 - Pythagorean Theorem 05. Battle of the Seasons - 15 Ft Crossword Puzzle 04. Battle of the Exes - Totem Pole Rubiks Cube 03. Free Agents - Geography Tree (or Geogratree) 02. Rivals (Memory Tent) 01. Cut Throat (Memory Czech Language) [B]The Assassination of Thor / Birth of Big B***h Zach[/B] Zach is certainly one of the more fearsome competitors in the game, by far. He's huge. He's strong. He's fast. By all means, he should be killing this final. But man, did this final kick his *** or what? I have two sisters and I don't think any of them complained about cramps as much as he has during this final. Everything from the childish outbursts to the incredibly feminine screams. Zach, you've got one Challenge to redeem yourself after this performance. Let's see what the other viewers on MTV.com are saying: [ATTACH]5643[/ATTACH] [CENTER][ATTACH]5642[/ATTACH][/CENTER] [B]SPIDERS[/B] Can you believe that it's been 10 years since Coral's been bit by a spider and cost her team the finals on the original Gauntlet? Thank you Bunim Murray for bringing the Spider back for it's first appearance in years. You could've ended up like this Nany. [B] This week's "****** Being Army Strong" Moment of the Week[/B] You know what? Part of me respects Nany getting off her bike and saying "****** this" producers, I'm not riding your bike anymore. I'm not playing by YOUR RULES. I don't think anyone has ever done that before, ever -- except if they were quitting. I love her. [B] Johnny makes the mountain his b***h.[/B] Up there with Svetlana, Brittany, and Sarah -- Johnny might have the greatest rookie performance in a Challenge ever. While the luck of the irish has been on his side the entire time, he's proved to be a solid competitor all around and he actually makes it up the mountain first. When you think about it, if the Challenge wasn't a timed competition (and if Bananas wasn't aware it was timed) he would've just won the final. Unfortunately, with the advantage lost in several legs (especially the biking overnight), chances are Bananas paced himself into a solid victory. [B] Devyn's inspiring moment of battling human limits[/B] For a long time now I've subscribed to the thought that the human body can adapt to any limits we place on it, once you mentally step over the hurdles. Not to get too grim, but in my Jewish Studies class we focused on the Holocaust and those who survived the years of torture had no clue their bodies could be taken to such extremes. Devyn by no means is an athlete, nor does she pretend to be or attempt to be for these Challenges. In a Challenge that is so athletically-geared, she represents almost a cilvian just like us -- one of these people who don't spend six-eight weeks training intensely for this show. But, she's proved to be one of the smartest players in the game because mentally, she's got it together. Last week, I defended Devyn from being plaed in a class filled with Shauvons, Caseys, and Big Easys by saying she never quits. Despite the Challenge put in front of her, whether it's clawing through a desert, rolling through the sand, kayaking down a rapid - at no point does she mentally check out. She instead finds the strength within herself and pushes forward. She almost broke, and perhaps did, but her mental resolve is so strong that she was able to piece herself back together and finish the final. You never know the limits that the human body can reach unless you're put in the most extreme situations, and I think everyone would be surprised with the results quite frankly. As much as The Challenges have become this atheltic conquest, I appreciated them telling a story with the underdog Devyn. [B] Laurel finally wins[/B] Laurel debuted on this Challenge four years ago, and it was during a bit of a change in terms of the eras. The JEK alliance was being phased out, and the group Challenges like Gauntlet, Inferno, The Ruins where multiple people could be crowned champion by making it to the end. In this latest era, winners have been mainly decided in duo formats or solo formats - decreasing the amount of Champions that have emerged in the last few years of this series and essentially making it much harder of a task to become one. I'm glad to see Laurel finally win one, because it's the perfect way to solidify her status in the game. The worst thing might be being one of the best with nothing to show for it, and that's what CT faced before his win on Rivals 2. Now Laurel can rightfully be called one of the best to ever do it. Congratulations Laurel. [B]Bananas's inevitable record-breaking win.[/B] As someone who's been in both aforementioned eras of the Challenge, with groups and duos/singles, Bananas gets his first solo win, third since Fresh Meat 2 began, and fifth overall -- ushering him into a league of his own when it comes to Challenges. He surpasses a record set by Darrell and himself for the most Challenge wins, and I think proves that he is the best. Hands down. Johnny Bananas is THE BEST Challenger to ever step foot on a Challenge. It'll be interesting to see if he wants to go for No. 6 after this seasons or hang it up, considering he understands he only has a few more left in him. I really hate that this is over. Not sure where I'll post it, but I'll do a full summary pros/cons of the entire seasons as a whole and see where I rank it now that it's over.

Where the final tends to end on a high point, the reunion is a show that consistently makes things a lot less inconsistent considering moods have changed since the 7-8 months that they've filmed the show. I also think it's a bit much to show it DIRECTLY after the final, but I get it - chances are they'll lose more viewers with another week. [CENTER] [ATTACH]5644[/ATTACH] [SIZE=2]God, she's fine.[/SIZE][/CENTER] [B]CT - Just Boston Chillin'.[/B] With filming ending about 7-8 months ago, CT has had time to relax, cut his beard, and really enjoy the reunion show. Usually he's at the center of controversy because of one thing or another, but given his under-the-radar game play, he seems the most at ease that we've ever seen him. [ATTACH]5645[/ATTACH] [URL="http://mtvchallenges.tumblr.com/post/85853411861"][SIZE=2]via MTV Challenges Tumblr[/SIZE][/URL] [B]LOL Jasmine[/B] I think at every reunion everyone throws shots at Jasmine being a less than ideal competitor. It's funny because it's true. [B]Theresa's ***** Envy[/B] One of the stories this season was the rivalry between Theresa and Laurel, but upon watching the reunion - I don't know how much of a rivarly it actually was. For a rivalry, they have to mutually see each other as competition and I don't know for a second that Laurel believed that Theresa was competition. And I'm beginning to thing, at least from her disposition on the reunion, that Theresa feels she's competition for Laurel as well. She's fighting from the bottom up, and she's unable to really make a dent in Laurel yet. She admits that Laurel is an amazing competitor, but each time she says it, it doesn't feel like it's endearing. Theresa comes off like she's just saying it because it's a known fact. The whole thing comes down to ***** envy, as crazy as it sounds. If she really hated Laurel, she would've said/done something. [B]You can say 'Puss Out' on television?[/B] Go Jessica. I thought they would've bleeped it out or something. [B]Nany & Cohutta - Prom King & Queen[/B] We wonder why every time Cohutta scores the babes on each season we are on? Look no further. The way he's able to read, talk, approach, defuse and insert himself into a situation, and doing it all while being humble. I said this since the season began, Cohutta's the man. [B] So, Cara Maria & Laurel's beef is stupid?[/B] So this feud occured because Laurel was in a *****y mood and Cara Maria got the blunt of it? You mean it wasn't a struggle over power? WHAT?! I'll admit though, that was a thoughtful gift that Laurel gave to Cara Maria -- I'm sure she'll be able to use it with all of the shade she's been throwing on Twitter. [ATTACH]5646[/ATTACH] [B]Smells Like Hate[/B] You could create an interesting, yet probably unsuccessful, rivalry from this. Cara Maria and Devyn have seemingly formed a rivalry built on two different perspectives on how to play the game. Cara Maria thinks that Devyn doesn't deserve to make it to the end because she wasn't sent into the elimination 4 times and is one of the least athletically-inclined girls on the show. Devyn doesn't sweat it because she made it to the end and Cara didn't. Boy, the shade. If you want to hear more about their beef, last week's episode of AfterBuzz TV with both Devyn & Cara.

Just because you don't know the locations of random cities from around the world does NOT automatically mean that you are an idiot. If your only criteria for determining intelligence is book knowledge, then that clearly shows a lack of critical thinking skills; it shows that you yourself are not the brightest bulb on the chandelier...

[QUOTE=toenails;428111]Just because you don't know the locations of random cities from around the world does NOT automatically mean that you are an idiot. If your only criteria for determining intelligence is book knowledge, then that clearly shows a lack of critical thinking skills; it shows that you yourself are not the brightest bulb on the chandelier...[/QUOTE] Not knowing basic geography speaks volumes about either the American education system or one's intelligence. If you don't comprehend that...

[QUOTE=kvm1977;428115]Not knowing basic geography speaks volumes about either the American education system or one's intelligence. If you don't comprehend that...[/QUOTE] Those cities weren't basic... Yeah, a couple of them were (San Diego, La Paz, Santiago, Lima are the ones I remember) but Oaxaco? Pucon? Rosarita? Manzanillo? Puerto Vallarta?

Lol isn't pucon the city they were in ?

[QUOTE=kvm1977;428115]Not knowing basic geography speaks volumes about either the American education system or one's intelligence. If you don't comprehend that...[/QUOTE] Once again, intelligence is not all about book knowledge. You seem to have a lot of difficulty comprehending this concept...

[QUOTE=Challenge 17;428118]Lol isn't pucon the city they were in ?[/QUOTE] Lol, wait actually yes. Okay they should have known that one. Lol. Maybe not in relation to the others though.

[QUOTE=toenails;428119]Once again, intelligence is not all about book knowledge. You seem to have a lot of difficulty comprehending this concept...[/QUOTE] "all about"...never said it was.

[QUOTE=kvm1977;428115]Not knowing basic geography speaks volumes about either the American education system or one's intelligence. If you don't comprehend that...[/QUOTE] So if you had to do it, you could do it in like 10 minutes with complete ease? Right on the first try?

[QUOTE=Youssarian;428120]Lol, wait actually yes. Okay they should have known that one. Lol. Maybe not in relation to the others though.[/QUOTE] Well Chile is far south so they should have known it was at least the second to last one. I'm assuming its above Santiago

[QUOTE=kvm1977;428121]"all about"...never said it was.[/QUOTE] Your argument is that people are idiots if they don't remember a few cities from middle school geography class. Speaks volumes about your own intelligence...

I don't feel like sifting through the last 24 hours of this thread, has anyone gone back and added up all the times yet?

These comments are ******* me off. This final is ridiculous. Nany saying this is BS is the truth. What the **** were these producers putting these people through?! I remember when the final for The Gauntlet 1 was 3 miles long and the cast were in shock. Castmember's body's were shutting down yet people on this board are calling them wimpy? These aren't olympic athletes or people in the Marines.

[QUOTE=jhl182;428165]These comments are ******* me off. This final is ridiculous. Nany saying this is BS is the truth. What the **** were these producers putting these people through?! I remember when the final for The Gauntlet 1 was 3 miles long and the cast were in shock. Castmember's body's were shutting down yet people on this board are calling them wimpy? These aren't olympic athletes or people in the Marines.[/QUOTE] Amen. This final was over the top and rediculous. I really feel like they need to scale back a bit on The final challenges(and daily challenges too).