Before we enter the premiere, I ask a simple question of whether or not twists like Bloodbath and Purges are good for the show?

Pros:

— Keeps the competitors on their feet.

— Shakes up the game from it’s regular format.

— Takes politics out of the mix.

— Plays to different types of strengths.

— People get penalized for having major weaknesses or gaps in their game.

— Fun to watch, nail-biting.

— Better than last minute 1 v 1 eliminations due to luck

Cons:

— Says screw you to the game already in play.

— Takes away from the work people have laid down for the game.

— Can take out the person who dominated the game in one swoop.

— Game could be very chance-y or luck based.

— Not always executed properly.

Review:

I think Bloodbaths and Purges are actually incredible for the game later in the season. Do you remember on the Duel 2 when Landon went home before the final due to a last minute surprise elimination? Remember when it happened to CT on Free Agents? Theresa on Free Agents? Dario on Rivals 3? They played the whole game to get to the final four, then had to compete in eliminations with “Kill Cards” and “White Skulls”, all while people didn’t work as hard to get there, and chanced their way to the final (Johnny Reilly, Devyn Simone, and Devin Walker). In a Bloodbath, they all have to fight for their spot in the final.

Last season’s Bloodbath on the guy end sucked a bit, as Shane and Hunter, the best two Underdog males all season were eliminated in one swoop. The positive is that Nelson put on his best performance of the season and made the cunning move of double crossing Shane and Cory. The negative is that someone like Cory who would have had to see two eliminations, likely wouldn’t have made the final if he saw Nelson/Hunter in elimination, or if it was Shane in something not overtly physical.

Then on the girls end, we had a great outcome. Amanda who skated through the season politically, actually proved herself. She destroyed the puzzle portion, then held her own in the threeway tug of war, and was one inch away from beating Nicole by two points to zero in what was mostly a physical elimination. The Bloodbath helped her make a name for herself as a competitor.

Hunter, a weak mental competitor was punished for not being able to do a sudoku, same for Jenna. Are they going to cry because they lost on a puzzle? Yes. Whose fault is it? Theirs. If you cannot do a sudoku faster than Nicole, Cory, or Nelson, you deserve to be eliminated.

The only other time that the Challenge has done something like the Bloodbath, is on the Island before the final. All the remaining competitors without keys dove into the water trying to win the final key. Evelyn came out victorious, and the drama of what person’s key that she was going to take was pretty epic.

This purge seems like they are trying to give an edge to the premiere, and I appreciate it. Last season’s premiere was two hours of Underdogs built up for an anti-climatic Tony-Bruno elimination, and a solid Marie-Kailah elimination. From the get-go it feels as if we are going to be seeing the veterans and the rookies playing for their lives. The young ones have something to prove, while the vets are playing to not embarrass themselves by going home first. Forcing everyone to compete from the start is a great way to engage a competitive atmosphere. People like LeRoy, Dario, and Darrell who usually slack off until they are forced to compete will be going hard from day one.

The main scare and excitement that could occur within tonight’s Purge is the possibility of losing a mainstream star. If CT dies tonight, people will revolt. If Derrick K gets eliminated, the internet might shut down. If Camila gets eliminated, that would be pretty cool. What I do enjoy, is that the Purge is in 3 parts, so you have three chances to not fuck up and secure your spot in the game. If you cannot finish at the top in 3 chances after all the best people have dropped off, then it’s your fault.

Tonight is going to be exciting, let’s go!