The Challenge: Rivals - Paula Meronek

Haha the Sucker Punch trailer is hilarious. At one point there's a girl in a purple shirt, I'm pretty sure it's Paula, who's getting really pissed at Kenny, I can't wait to find out why.

I love Paula! I think she is hilarious. And she's one of those people who seems shameless about what she does on tv. She'll do anything. She also makes the dailies entertaining. The sucker punch trailer is so funny because it looks like she's choking Kenny. hahahaha!

Are Paula and Mike dating?

I am so happy for Paula so far, I mean she's doing great on the challenges and not because of EV. She did great on the car crusher challenge by crushing the car herself and on the "sync or swim" challenge she reached the finish line before Ev. I think this is the way she should've played the game all along. Go Paula!

[QUOTE=RWRRdude;258721]I am so happy for Paula so far, I mean she's doing great on the challenges and not because of EV. She did great on the car crusher challenge by crushing the car herself and on the "sync or swim" challenge she reached the finish line before Ev. I think this is the way she should've played the game all along. Go Paula![/QUOTE] Ya, Paula has been more than holding her own alongside Ev, and I really think being her teammate has given Paula more confidence in herself to perform well. And I don't know about her and Mike, but that would be cute :heart:

[QUOTE=Challenger6;252205]I'm very unhappy with this character. I loved her on Key West and The Duel. She now is no more relevant than a pack of Newport cigarettes.[/QUOTE] Basically. Although She did step it up in how she played the game last night.

Paula has never really impressed me all that much especially for some one that demands that she must some how win. But I'll say that she didn't need Kenny in I3 or Gauntlet but on the island it was all Kenny/Johnny, she didn't even earn her key, she just made a deal with Jen and Ashlii was injured and was pretty much useless on that face off. On FM2 she went in with Ev for some stupid reason. She can't just expect people to just carry her to the finals and win for her that's just ridiculous.

[QUOTE=Blue123;259166]Paula has never really impressed me all that much especially for some one that demands that she must some how win. But I'll say that she didn't need Kenny in I3 or Gauntlet but on the island it was all Kenny/Johnny, she didn't even earn her key, she just made a deal with Jen and Ashlii was injured and was pretty much useless on that face off. On FM2 she went in with Ev for some stupid reason. She can't just expect people to just carry her to the finals and win for her that's just ridiculous.[/QUOTE] In all fairness, Paula scored the first point fair and square and THEN made the deal with Jenn. Paula still probably would have gotten that key either way. As for FM2, she went in against them because Luke was an idiot and pretty much publicly announced that he was sore and that they'd lose if they went into an Exile.

[QUOTE=Blue123;259166]Paula has never really impressed me all that much especially for some one that demands that she must some how win. But I'll say that she didn't need Kenny in I3 or Gauntlet but on the island it was all Kenny/Johnny, she didn't even earn her key, she just made a deal with Jen and Ashlii was injured and was pretty much useless on that face off. On FM2 she went in with Ev for some stupid reason. [B]She can't just expect people to just carry her to the finals and win for her[/B] that's just ridiculous.[/QUOTE] I could be wrong, but I don't think she was always like this. But either way she just wanted her friends to help her to the end and they often times let her down. Of course in some cases it was her own fault because of dumb decisions she made (like voting for Dunbar in Cutthroat). I think it just looks worse recently because she has been acting so desparately. Edit: Nothing wrong with expecting your friends to have your back, and I don't think she would expect them to win for her in the final, she seems very confident in herself as a long distance runner.

[QUOTE=DomDom7;259170]I could be wrong, but I don't think she was always like this. But either way she just wanted her friends to help her to the end and they often times let her down. Of course in some cases it was her own fault because of dumb decisions she made (like voting for Dunbar in Cutthroat). I think it just looks worse recently because she has been acting so desparately.[/QUOTE] I think people felt like she had a legitimate beef on stuff like The Island, but it was Cutthroat that made people annoyed with her. I mean Paula was the main reason they lost the High Wire mission, yet somehow she was the only one on the team who didn't get a single vote. Then you know the whole "You want me to run the final" stuff when Tori had been noticeably out performing her and went in already.

[QUOTE=DomDom7;259170]I could be wrong, but I don't think she was always like this. But either way she just wanted her friends to help her to the end and they often times let her down. Of course in some cases it was her own fault because of dumb decisions she made (like voting for Dunbar in Cutthroat). I think it just looks worse recently because she has been acting so desparately. Edit: Nothing wrong with expecting your friends to have your back, and I don't think she would expect them to win for her in the final, she seems very confident in herself as a long distance runner.[/QUOTE] They can have your back but don't expect them to win for you. Like on the island there were only 4 spots on the boat and she knew the guys wanted each other on the boat, so she wasn't going to win if Ev was eliminated. Then when Ev was able to take a key she automatically assumed that Ev would take Dunbar's key and then she could take Dunbar's spot, yeah right, that deal was made with Ev and Kenny/Johnny and had nothing to do with her, she even told Ev that she wanted the boat to be her, Ev, Kenny and Johnny, you really think they would ditch Derrick? All they promised her was they'd get her a key and nonthing else but she expected more. And on cutthroat she voted for Dunbar then said he betrayed her, and she complained about going in when she's never been in, if that's not expecting a free ride then I don't know what is.

[QUOTE=Nightwolf;259171]I think people felt like she had a legitimate beef on stuff like The Island, but it was Cutthroat that made people annoyed with her. I mean Paula was the main reason they lost the High Wire mission, yet somehow she was the only one on the team who didn't get a single vote. Then you know the whole "You want me to run the final" stuff when Tori had been noticeably out performing her and went in already.[/QUOTE] She was pretty bad on Cutthroat and I see why people would get annoyed. It's too bad she didn't go in when Tori did, she should have known she would have to go in at least once if they lost, as there is no way Tori would agree to going in twice. Paula didn't do well the whole challenge, but I don't remember Tori much either. Also, not that important but with the High Wire mission Tori and Brad didn't even have to go across (smart move by them). Camila was the one on that team that impressed, although I didn't see it that's what many cast members seemed to think. In the end Paula was just outperformed that challenge, and not high enough on the totem pole to get a free ride to the final. If Adam is right that Paula was loyal to Kenny on this Rivals challenge, I'm impressed with Kenny for being in an alliance with Paula and having her back. He could have sided with Camila/Theresa but he didn't. Despite their history it makes it seem that they are pretty good friends no matter what.

[QUOTE=DomDom7;259173] If Adam is right that Paula was loyal to Kenny on this Rivals challenge, I'm impressed with Kenny for being in an alliance with Paula and having her back. He could have sided with Camila/Theresa but he didn't. Despite their history it makes it seem that they are pretty good friends no matter what.[/QUOTE] This challenge is different, as she said "this is the first time I am doing really well on a challenge" gee I wonder why? She has Ev and they're now the strongest team and are guaranteed votes because it's highly unlikely they would get eliminated and Ev is close with Wes so Ev would work with Kenny.

[QUOTE=Blue123;259172]They can have your back but don't expect them to win for you. Like on the island there were only 4 spots on the boat and she knew the guys wanted each other on the boat, so she wasn't going to win if Ev was eliminated. Then when Ev was able to take a key she automatically assumed that Ev would take Dunbar's key and then she could take Dunbar's spot, yeah right, that deal was made with Ev and Kenny/Johnny and had nothing to do with her, she even told Ev that she wanted the boat to be her, Ev, Kenny and Johnny, you really think they would ditch Derrick? All they promised her was they'd get her a key and nonthing else but she expected more. And on cutthroat she voted for Dunbar then said he betrayed her, and she complained about going in when she's never been in, if that's not expecting a free ride then I don't know what is.[/QUOTE] Yes on Cutthroat she expected a free ride, no doubt. And like I said it's her fault that Dunbar voted her in because she did the same to him. [B]I was saying that once in a final she doesn't expect people to win for her[/B] (in my opinion) because she is a good runner. On the Island she was friends with Kenny and Johnny (Idk about Derrick) and Ev was the enemy. Wouldn't you expect to be on the team with your friends given the choice? Johnny just did that to save his own key, and Kenny went along with that. Maybe they didn't promise Paula a spot, I can't remember, but if they are all friends like they were and in an alliance it seems a given that she would be in their boat. If the deal hadn't been made and Ev had taken Dunbar's key, Kenny Derrick Paula and 4th person would likely have beaten Ev's boat. I could be wrong or maybe its just the way it seemed but I thought Paula had a spot in Kenny and Johnny's boat. [B]The way I saw it, she trusted her friends in this situation earned her spot and got left out.[/B] IMO people don't have her back like she thinks they should, although yes it is her own fault for trusting them in the first place. [B]I don't think she wants people winning everything for her, she could more than hold her own in a final[/B], she just wants and maybe needs help getting there. [B]Nobody deserves a free ride to the final, I absolutely believe you need to prove yourself[/B]. I'm defending Paula because I truly believe she has been wronged and now has trust issues on these shows because of it. She could avoid all the drama if she were just a better competitor but she's not at the top like Ev and thus has relied on friends to help her but has been let down. I agree with you that she puts too much trust in friends and should just prove herself in challenges though.

[QUOTE=Blue123;259174]This challenge is different, as she said "this is the first time I am doing really well on a challenge" gee I wonder why? She has Ev and they're now the strongest team and are guaranteed votes because it's highly unlikely they would get eliminated and Ev is close with Wes so Ev would work with Kenny.[/QUOTE] To be fair, I think she has been doing pretty well this challenge and is getting confidence being partnered with Ev. She beat Ev to the marker in the water on the 2nd girls elimination day and Ev seems very happy with Paula's performance so far.

[QUOTE=DomDom7;259176] On the Island she was friends with Kenny and Johnny (Idk about Derrick) and Ev was the enemy. Wouldn't you expect to be on the team with your friends given the choice? Johnny just did that to save his own key, and Kenny went along with that. Maybe they didn't promise Paula a spot, I can't remember, but if they are all friends like they were and in an alliance it seems a given that she would be in their boat. If the deal hadn't been made and Ev had taken Dunbar's key, Kenny Derrick Paula and 4th person would likely have beaten Ev's boat. I could be wrong or maybe its just the way it seemed but I thought Paula had a spot in Kenny and Johnny's boat. [B]The way I saw it, she trusted her friends in this situation earned her spot and got left out.[/B] though.[/QUOTE] Yes she has been doing well with Ev but I think if she had a different partner she might not be winning as she is now. As for the island **** it, Ev would have went for Johnny or Kenny if she knew they would pick Paula over her. And if Johnny was gone it would be derrick, Kenny, Paula and I guess Dunbar on a boat, or Ev could have tried to sway Derrick and Dunbar to go on her boat I don't know. But Kenny and Johnny only promised to get her a key, they didn't plan on winning with her and she knew that and seemed fine with that through out the whole season because there are only 4 spots and she wasn't 1 of them, she though that Ev being able to steal a key was her opportunity to get on their boat, which is stupid because she was plotting to get rid of Ev the whole time. The way I see it she wasnt winning either way but she was acting like she was going to from the very beginning but got screwed at the very end when in reality she wasn't going to be on their boat from the start, so she isn't justified to get mad when they make a deal to save Johnny who was originally on the boat and replace Dunbar with Ev, the only person who got screwed was Dunbar and he didn't whine about it like she did.

[QUOTE=Blue123;259172] [B]All they promised her was they'd get her a key and nonthing else but she expected more[/B].[/QUOTE] We don't know what they did and didn't promise her, after all, most conversations are edited out. [QUOTE=Blue123;259178][B]Yes she has been doing well with Ev but I think if she had a different partner she might not be winning as she is now.[/B] As for the island **** it, Ev would have went for Johnny or Kenny if she knew they would pick Paula over her. And if Johnny was gone it would be derrick, Kenny, Paula and I guess Dunbar on a boat, or Ev could have tried to sway Derrick and Dunbar to go on her boat I don't know. But [B]Kenny and Johnny only promised to get her a key, they didn't plan on winning with her and she knew that and seemed fine with that through out the whole season because there are only 4 spots and she wasn't 1 of them[/B], she though that Ev being able to steal a key was her opportunity to get on their boat, which is stupid because she was plotting to get rid of Ev the whole time. [/QUOTE] I have to disagree with you there. If CT had a different partner, like Davis or Tyrie, I doubt he'd be doing so well either. Same for Adam. If Cara Maria & Laurel weren't partners, they might be doing better too. This challenge tests your ability to work with a given partner, and so far, she has been doing well for the majority of the time. Really? Seeing the way she reacted on the episode and at the reunion, does it [I]look[/I] like she was fine with not being on their boat? Or that she knew they would ditch her? Hers and her friends' sake was her priority, but it wasn't thee case for them. Kenny & Johnny screwed her over and Kenny knows it, or he wouldn't have felt so bad about winning without her on the boat. Derrick wasn't even 100% in the alliance. I think that if Ev had taken Johnny's key, Paula would have been on Derrick, Dunbar and Kenny's boat, because Johnny is the one who favors guys over girls, even if they are his friends.

I think Paula started out thinking that if she worked hard to prove herself, she could win. But come on...almost every single team that's won these things lately has played the game at least somewhat shady (the one big exception being Landon and Carley in FM 2, and even they had some funny business going on). I think she's come to the point where she feels that she needs to rely on her friends to keep out of eliminations in order to get to the end. As far as CutThroat goes--yes, it was seriously annoying that she thought she should not have to go in at all when Tori already went in. However, it was my impression (through aftershows and whatnot) that Tori had been planning to go home towards the end. She didn't think she would do well in a final, and Paula has really good endurance. For whatever reason, she changed her mind, so it's understandable that Paula would feel upset about it. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 and if she had gone in first against Theresa/Tina, she very well may have won (or at least stood a better chance against them than against Emily).

[QUOTE=Moonpaw;259205]As far as CutThroat goes--yes, it was seriously annoying that she thought she should not have to go in at all when Tori already went in. However, it was my impression (through aftershows and whatnot) that Tori had been planning to go home towards the end. She didn't think she would do well in a final, and Paula has really good endurance. For whatever reason, she changed her mind, so it's understandable that Paula would feel upset about it. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 and if she had gone in first against Theresa/Tina, she very well may have won (or at least stood a better chance against them than against Emily).[/QUOTE] Brad explained this when he did his podcast with Derrick. That whole "I'm afraid of blowing the final" thing was made up for the cameras. Tori was given a month off from her job and had to call them after the month to let them know if she'd be staying, but production refused to let her call. They didn't like this story though so they had to make something up. I don't know if it was productions idea or Brad/Tori's idea, but it wasn't true. They let her call the day of the gulag since they realized she was legitimately going home if she couldn't call her job and then everything was back to normal. Paula even knew about this but still played it off as if Tori didn't want to be there.

[QUOTE=Nightwolf;259208]Brad explained this when he did his podcast with Derrick. That whole "I'm afraid of blowing the final" thing was made up for the cameras. Tori was given a month off from her job and had to call them after the month to let them know if she'd be staying, but production refused to let her call. They didn't like this story though so they had to make something up. I don't know if it was productions idea or Brad/Tori's idea, but it wasn't true. They let her call the day of the gulag since they realized she was legitimately going home if she couldn't call her job and then everything was back to normal. Paula even knew about this but still played it off as if Tori didn't want to be there.[/QUOTE] We should be clear that it is the executive producer (EP) who makes the call on things like denying the phone call to someone's job. Those decisions can affect game play and the cast's feeling toward their prison masters. It's probably also worth noting that this is the same EP who molds13 has reported will not be returning to produce an future challenges.

[QUOTE=Nightwolf;259208]Brad explained this when he did his podcast with Derrick. That whole "I'm afraid of blowing the final" thing was made up for the cameras. Tori was given a month off from her job and had to call them after the month to let them know if she'd be staying, but production refused to let her call. They didn't like this story though so they had to make something up. I don't know if it was productions idea or Brad/Tori's idea, but it wasn't true. They let her call the day of the gulag since they realized she was legitimately going home if she couldn't call her job and then everything was back to normal. Paula even knew about this but still played it off as if Tori didn't want to be there.[/QUOTE] What? I feel so cheated.

[QUOTE=CherryPie;259193]We don't know what they did and didn't promise her, after all, most conversations are edited out. I have to disagree with you there. This challenge tests your ability to work with a given partner, and so far, [b]she has been doing well for the majority of the time.[/b] Really? Seeing the way she reacted on the episode and at the reunion, does it [I]look[/I] like she was fine with not being on their boat? Or that she knew they would ditch her?[b] Hers and her friends' sake was her priority, but it wasn't thee case for them. Kenny & Johnny screwed her over and Kenny knows it, or he wouldn't have felt so bad about winning without her on the boat[/b]. Derrick wasn't even 100% in the alliance. I think that if Ev had taken Johnny's key, Paula would have been on Derrick, Dunbar and Kenny's boat, because Johnny is the one who favors guys over girls, even if they are his friends.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Moonpaw;259205][b]I think Paula started out thinking that if she worked hard to prove herself, she could win[/b]. But come on...almost every single team that's won these things lately has played the game at least somewhat shady (the one big exception being Landon and Carley in FM 2, and even they had some funny business going on). [b] I think she's come to the point where she feels that she needs to rely on her friends to keep out of eliminations in order to get to the end. [/b] As far as CutThroat goes--yes, it was seriously annoying that she thought she should not have to go in at all when Tori already went in. However, it was my impression (through aftershows and whatnot) that Tori had been planning to go home towards the end. She didn't think she would do well in a final, and Paula has really good endurance. For whatever reason, she changed her mind, so it's understandable that Paula would feel upset about it. Obviously hindsight is 20/20 and if she had gone in first against Theresa/Tina, she very well may have won (or at least stood a better chance against them than against Emily).[/QUOTE] I agree completely with both of these posters.

[QUOTE=DomDom7;259177]To be fair, I think she has been doing pretty well this challenge and is getting confidence being partnered with Ev. She beat Ev to the marker in the water on the 2nd girls elimination day and Ev seems very happy with Paula's performance so far.[/QUOTE] Agreed. Paula has actually been performing a bit better than Ev. Paula 51% Ev 49% Challenge 1- Ev DQ'ed way worse than Paula. Challenge 2- Paula smashed those cars perfectly flat. Challenge 3- Paula beat Evelyn to the finish line. Challenge 4- Ok. Ok. Paula fell on this one. Challenge 5- Both did a great job. Lost to first place by 2 seconds!

Go Paula!

[QUOTE=RWRRdude;262454]Agreed. Paula has actually been performing a bit better than Ev. Paula 51% Ev 49% Challenge 1- Ev DQ'ed way worse than Paula. Challenge 2- Paula smashed those cars perfectly flat. Challenge 3- Paula beat Evelyn to the finish line. Challenge 4- Ok. Ok. Paula fell on this one. Challenge 5- Both did a great job. Lost to first place by 2 seconds![/QUOTE] I'm not really sure you can attribute that one to Paula--I think driving took more time, and really that was more about teamwork than each person doing their own thing. But I still think Paula has been doing great, and I really hope she keeps it up!

[QUOTE=RWRRdude;262454]Agreed. Paula has actually been performing a bit better than Ev. Paula 51% Ev 49% Challenge 1- Ev DQ'ed way worse than Paula. Challenge 2- Paula smashed those cars perfectly flat. Challenge 3- Paula beat Evelyn to the finish line. Challenge 4- Ok. Ok. Paula fell on this one. Challenge 5- Both did a great job. Lost to first place by 2 seconds![/QUOTE] Well I suppose the edge might go to Paula because of the 3rd challenge, because 2 and 5 then 1 and 4 even things out, but they are still both doing a very good job so far and I hope they both keep it up!! [QUOTE=Lionqueen11;262459]Go Paula![/QUOTE] Wooh!!!! Go Paula!!!!!! [QUOTE=Moonpaw;262472]I'm not really sure you can attribute that one to Paula--I think driving took more time, and really that was more about teamwork than each person doing their own thing. But I still think Paula has been doing great, and I really hope she keeps it up![/QUOTE] She has been and I hope so too!!!! Go Ev/Paula!!!

I don't like people like Paula. But on this Challenge she looks pretty cool. I loved how she jumped to the pool (thank you CT) and I think dark hair looks awesome. So... Ok, GO PAULA...

I'm really only rooting for Paula because I want her to win a challenge so she will GET OFF OF MY SCREEN FOR GOOD! But, this is looking like the final challenge anyway so I probably won't have to see her again anyway.

[QUOTE=Lamb Chop!!!;262614]I'm really only rooting for Paula because I want her to win a challenge so she will GET OFF OF MY SCREEN FOR GOOD! But, this is looking like the final challenge anyway so I probably won't have to see her again anyway.[/QUOTE] You might want to check out the Rival ratings thread for updated info on the challenge future from cast member sources.

I love Paula and I hope this isnt her last challenge, it makes me sad. Long Live the Challenge Legend Paula [url=http://vevmo.com/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=11299][img]http://vevmo.com/imagehosting/49684e406f730e11d.jpg[/img][/url]