by Matt Anaya

After last week’s phenomenal hour and a half episode of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins, I was very excited to see what would happen next… except nothing really happened this week. I guess I just wanted to see a fight and all I got was a quality verbal exchange between Wes and Johnny Bananas.

As usual, before this week’s challenge, both teams submitted the players that are up for elimination. The champs picked Derrick, Wes, Bananas, Kate, Susie, and Evelyn and the challengers picked Cohutta, Nick, Danny, Casey, KellyAnne, and Shauvon. Those players are up for elimination after the challenge and the team that wins gets to pick the matchups. 

Since the champions are having such a hard time getting Wes off their team, they now have switched their plans and are going after his girlfriend, KellyAnne, and her best friend, Evelyn. Bananas does not tell Evelyn and she is under the impression if voted in, she will get to pick who she wants to compete against in the elimination.

The champions win the challenge very easily for the second week in a row and after two weeks it looks like the champions will never lose a challenge (unless Wes does something drastic).

During the challenge, my girl Shauvon popped her implant and, after a long drawn out story, she is told to go home. All the challengers are pleased to see her go home but they face a week where they could lose three players.

After the champs win the challenge, they go into the deliberation room to pick the matchups for the elimination challenge. This is where the good stuff starts to happen.

Right away, Wes says he wants to go against Nick. Done deal, Nick vs. Wes. Then, Bananas makes an executive decision for the “betterment” of the team and says Evelyn is going against KellyAnne and not Casey, who Evelyn wants to face.

Evelyn and Wes start to realize that both teams were in on the fix. It turns out the challengers voted KellyAnne in because she does not have many friends besides Wes and the champions voted Evelyn in to upset Wes.

Both Wes and Evelyn are very upset with Bananas and both start getting in his face. Wes scares the crap out of Bananas and Evelyn looks like a baseball manager arguing with an umpire. Good stuff.

After a half hour of arguing, the champs are told to vote who goes in the elimination. Obviously the fix was in and the team votes Evelyn vs. KellyAnne. The champs were actually surprised by Evelyn’s reaction and had no idea she would act this negatively towards them.

What did they expect?! They put her against her BFF and did it behind her back. Bananas is an idiot.

The men’s elimination challenge was a snooze fest as Wes made quick work of Nick. Thanks for playing Nick; you killed it (T.J. Lavin voice).

The women’s elimination was different than usual, as the circumstances pitted two best friends against each other. It seemed Evelyn wanted to win but hated to beat her BFF in the process and hates every one of her teammates. KellyAnne wins by default, as Evelyn would have easily defeated her but quit half way through.

Evelyn is sad she has to go but did not want to compete on the same team as her biggest enemies (Bananas and Kenny).

KellyAnne takes Evelyn’s money that she has won ($2,800), which is a new twist in The Ruins, and, at the end of the episode, Johanna threatens Wes she will sell their house and keep the money if Wes throws the competition. They still have a house together?!

Only two weeks in and I have already developed hatred towards Bananas and Johanna. Actually, I have always hated them.

Power Rankings
1. Evan is a total beast.
2. Kenny will not do anything to beat himself.
3. Bananas is full of crap but people listen to him.
4. Susie is now the strongest female.
5. Derrick never does anything to hurt his status.
6. Dunbar is still a good competitor on a bad team.
7. Wes is a badass and would destroy everyone in a fight except Evan, CT, and The Miz.
8. KellyAnne is apparently a top female competitor.
9. Syrus is boring.
10. Brad is waiting to pounce and make his move!
11. Darrell had a quiet week.
12. Tonya did not get drunk this episode.
13. Katie did not do much this week.
14. Johanna would stab her mother in the back. 
15. Danny has a small chance to win some cash.
16. Sarah will not likely be around at the end but I would make out with her, those tattoos are sexy and I need to get to know more about her.
17. Cohutta’s voice makes me laugh.
18. Ibis will not win any money.
19. Veronica starts to sleep with Evan next week, good strategy.
20. Kimberly has a nice body.
21. Casey is a little girl with fake boobs.
22. Adam is meaningless.
23. Brianna is a former stripper.

Sidenotes
- Susie used the words vacillate and pandering. The two biggest words ever used on a Challenge episode.
- I already miss Shauvon.


The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins airs Wednesday nights at 10pm ET on MTV.

(Image courtesy of MTV)

Follow Matt at twitter.com/shmattshmanaya