Whenever people discussed before this show premiered that the Champs would get immediately trounced by the Pros, I was a bit hesitant. Not because I thought the Champs were athletes anywhere near the realm of the pros. Maybe Darrell, CT, and Wes were when they were 23, but not as much these days. Jordan is the only male you can argue is still in their prime, physically and age wise. What I did know is that the Pros would struggle with all of the stupid stuff that the Champs are accustomed to: balancing on a rotating beam 100 ft in the air, eating pickled fish juice, and rolling around in plastic wrap.

First Heat: Lindsey-Lolo-Ashley K-Camila

Lindsey absolutely killed this Challenge, she finished first and was blocking Camila at the finishing line, to the point where Camila yelled and cried that is was unfair (what a surprise). Ashley K finished 3rd, congrats on not getting last.

Second Heat: Kamerion-CM Punk-Wes-Bananas-CT

CT and Bananas did this mission on Free Agents, where they finished near the middle of the pack. In this round, Bananas took a big lead early, but got caught in the grill. Kamerion was able to pass him up and finish first. While going through the grill, CT is having trouble, where he asks Wes to give him a push to the finish line. Wes does so, leading to their 3rd and 4th place finishes. CM Punk struggles mightily, finishes in last.

Third Heat: Louise-Tia-Cara Maria-Ashley M

Tia has incredible core strength and is a small girl, so she was able to roll down the path and beat the rest of the girls by a mile. Louise and Cara also performed strongly, finishing 2nd and 3rd. Ashley M struggled, finishing in 4th.

Fourth Heat: Shawn-Louie-Gus-Jordan-Darrell

The group was neck and neck in the very beginning. In the second third of the race, Shawn passed over everyone until getting completely caught on the grill. From there Jordan and Darrell were able to pass him, both finishing in the top 2. Louie finished 3rd, Gus finished 4th, and Shawn seemed to be stuck for a good long time. There was an added bonus that some of the team members had to keep a “bag of chips” in their mouth, Shawn dropped his bag of chips, leading to a 2 minute penalty for his team, sealing the deal of a Champs win.

Aftermath: They may not win another mission this season, but they got a win regardless. I feel proud of the Champs, they showed that the Challenge is something that occasionally takes experience and not everyone can transition seamlessly.

Nominations: CM Punk is nominated as he is the team captain who lost, while Shawn Merriman gets voted in for his poor performance in the daily challenge. For the Champs, Jordan as captain picks Wes, which makes sense as Wes is out of shape, and currently the worst athlete in the group. What I don’t agree with is Jordan’s statement that Wes’s record isn’t very good. The two seasons that Jordan did with Wes, Wes won one of them, and had possibly his best season ever on Exes 2. After getting picked for his 20th elimination ever, Wes says he wants to face his arch nemesis, Bananas. Out of spite, Cara and Ashley M vote Johnny in, CT and Darrell also toss votes his way to save themselves.

Elimination: They play Snapper, the blind fencing game from Rivals 2. While not a physical elimination, it’s a game of skill and luck, fun to watch. For Snapper each person gets to pick a “seer” to be their eyes for them from afar. CM Punk chooses Louise Hazel as she has the most distinct voice, while Shawn Merriman picks Darrell. Wes picks CT, to which CT responds, “yeah, sure buddy”, almost like he knows that Wes is his friend and that they won Rivals 2 together, but keeping Johnny is better for the team. Bananas picks Darrell, where Darrell looks shocked to be picked twice.

Pros Round: CM Punk opens the game with a stupid flip, leading to him getting hit straight in the face by Merriman. For the second heat, CM Punk swings around the side to get a good swipe on Merriman to tie the game. Before the third round, Louise gives CM Punk the insight that Shawn is left handed, so when he lunges in that he can come from the other side. This knowledge wins him the match, and sends Shawn home.

In the following match, Wes gets hit in the first round as he keeps himself to close to the middle as he gets smacked by a diagonal cross from Bananas. Down 1–0, Wes wins the second round by doing a dramatic diving lunge where he swings up, hitting Bananas in the torso. Round three was almost a carbon copy. As Bananas drove in to hit Wes, he dove under barely escaping a flurry of swings where Wes was able to take him out and get the win.

It might not have been the physical game that we wanted, but a win is a win. If you count this, it is Wes’s 14th elimination win, double than any other male competitor in the show’s history: LeRoy (7–3), Derrick K(7–4), Bananas (7–8).

Champs vs Pros has been an awesome show so far, and it comes with no surprise. Hall of fame Challenge competitors are our favorites for a reason, add in some freak athletes, and you’re bound to get a spectacular showing.