The Duel 2: Finale - Episode Discussion

[QUOTE=LCbaby;83895]Wow. That's really sad for Aneesa, I am sure she is ashamed. Nobody likes to lose or let down a partner - but she was having trouble in the water a minute outside of the boat! And I do agree Mark had nothing to gain by being a jerk, but he must of felt disappointed. The fact that he did come in third though up to the ring challenge makes me wonder and doubt my opinion based on ability and endurance as a finale competitor; is he as strong and fit as I think he is? It was nice to see him be there for Aneesa as she struggled to even walk. That being said, I would of loved to see the finale with Rachel, Tori, Diem versus Evan, Landon, Brad/Mark. The final challenge looked like an endurance blast. Watching it made me want to go do another triathalon or something, haha.[/QUOTE] Mark is in amazing physical condition, and not just for his age. Having worked with him in the past, however, I think his overall focus may have been on anaerobic rather that aerobic fitness, but I may be very wrong about that.

[quote=LCbaby;83840]Thoughts: 1. The voting process was a joke. Big 3 secret alliance versus Britt-Rach-Aneesa alliance. I must say, the oscar goes to Brad, Mark, and Evan looking all "worried" like they didn't know who they were going to vote in. Amazing acting skills. The second TJ announced a vote in, it was cha-ching in all of their heads. All they had to worry about was who Lando took into the duel. Landon seemed the most honorable, cl***iest cast member. He told Brad ahead of time he was picking him, Brad was able to prepare. Landon handled everything like a champ. 2. Lando vs Brad duel - Are you kidding me? Lando manhandled Brad the entire time. Why was the horn blown and then Brad was able to get the ring and stick it on? Okay..Lando DQ. Fair. Second round, all Landon. Third round, all Landon until Brad, like a sissy ([I]Brad had Landon's hook, why was Brad still holding onto Landon as Landon got up and back pedaled toward his ring? Why was Brad still touching him? It was obvious Landon's ring was closer - and then to slam the ring in the air and run to your own? "Brad go for the ring Brad, go for the ring" says TJ as Brad is still attached to Landon. How is flinging Landon's ring so it becomes a pendilium and then running for your life towards your ring in the rule book? HOW is that okay?)[/I] Got that rant done with. While the rulebook will count this as a Brad victory, we all know different. How was Brad not DQed for the Third Round? It will never cease to amaze me. I am sure only CT will be able to feel Landon's ****** off grief. But happy win for Brad, yet again. Landon injury not even mentioned, sa-weet editing. Also, in before all the anti-Landon people claim to move on, it happened or that Landon played it stupid. I should be able to discuss my thoughts just as everybody else did before me. 3. I am not saying all of these things as a fan of Landon, but rather an avid fan of the show. I think it is hysterical that Brad gets by on these silly "DQs" or technicalities every time. He is clearly outmatched and easily beaten by the "top dogs" of the challenges such as Landon and CT. Why hasn't he won a challenge yet? [I]Because he isn't good enough[/I]. He gets to the end by any way possible (and good for him, have fun collecting the lower amount of money and never calling yourself a challenge winner)- by superior opponent DQs, alliances, being everybody's best friend. It's no coicidence he hasn't won a challenge yet. I can't ever see him winning one in the future, either. He is just not good enough competitively or physically. The only show he might of been matched in skills was Duel I. 4. Diem-Britt duel was enjoyable. I really like Diem, and felt bad for her. She tried...and I hope she wins one of these soon. Britt showed her strength for some who doubt her. This duel was wierd for me. I am a Britt fan, but I felt truly sad for Diem as she was teary and upset. I kind of wish Britt lost it, and I wish Diem was in the finals.. It is a shame Aneesa is so good at the duels. If she lost some, then maybe the final challenges for these things would be closer and more intense. The final is really Britt versus Rachel. *Yawn*. And the final would of been kick *** for Landon and D to play. Just sayin'. For me, it was the worst finale ever. Then again, I am biased. Thanks for letting me rant and get my thoughts out. Hopefully, nobody tears me apart for it. I don't expect anybody to share my opinion, but I see many of you definitely agree in [I]certain areas/people[/I]. It's good that Brad is so darn likeable and is good at portraying this person he wants to be on camera. Otherwise, I would hate him for all of eternity by only knowing his existence on MTV. Instead, I just pity and dislike him. Again, my opinions only. Ah well. Challenge over with...time to wait and get excited for the next one. Edit: Darock, I agree with everything you said. I would of just quoted you but I wanted my own post to rant. ;)[/quote] while we agree, by the way, well written post ................ I think the way you stated point #3 is pretty much unrefutable. No one on this board can imo can pose an argument to dispute that point. Well said. At best, Brad is a middle of the road competitor who relies on his likeability to carry him. I too never see him winning because he just doesn't have it in him.

[quote=LCbaby;83869]Yeah. It's like he is the "chosen one", the underdog who should be and is slaughtered in these duels but wins by a rule, or disqualification, etc. Third round, when he wasn't going for ring but holding onto Landon even though he had the hook and then swinging Lando's ring, that should of been a DQ. But it wasn't. Can't blame Brad since he wasn't the rule maker or the all mighty decider in these things, but since the people at fault sit behind the camera, there is no one but Brad to get angry with. Whatever production's fascination with Brad in that coveted role is, I hope I catch the fever. All this hate is doing no good for me.[/quote] Sorry for the double post, but no one hates Brad ........... however, he doesn't get a pass because most like him. I still remember Brad using this imfamous line toward one of the most loathed people on here, who clearly defeated Brad in a prior face off "It isn't in the rules, why are you yelling at me right now". This was after CT had reached the flag in Push Me and Brad let go of the pole while Ct was unhooking the carabiner. No, this isn't about CT - but about how Brad has been allowed to continue on due to an "oversight" by production. I wish him well in The Ruins.

[quote=Rambo;83836]I thought Landon kind of got slighted as well. In the Challenge Daily that they have up of the Landon/Brad duel, Britt says to Landon after "It's like they wanted..." and then you can't hear what she says, but I bet she was saying it's like they wanted Brad to win.[/quote] Brittini said "Its what they wanted, they got what they wanted." She said something along the lines of that.

[quote=Darock1713;83927]while we agree, by the way, well written post ................ I think the way you stated point #3 is pretty much unrefutable. No one on this board can imo can pose an argument to dispute that point. Well said. At best, Brad is a middle of the road competitor who relies on his likeability to carry him. I too never see him winning because he just doesn't have it in him.[/quote] Haven't many people included him in the group of good competitors like Abram and Derrick? Both who have won, yet now, it is said he's isn't good. Although he isn't the best, I have to say he is better then Kenny, Johnny, Nehemiah, and some others who have all won. I think he's unlucky. BotSexes2 he clearly got screwed over, I2 he got pitted against someone who was clearly going to beat him, G2 same thing as I2, Duel he had to into a Duel with CT THEN had to do the finale and lost because he doesn't play soccer, G3 was labled one of the 3 best competitors on the Vets team but lost because of Eric and being a good guy unlike the other guys, and Duel 2 had to do two Duels in a row, then compete against a stronger player (Evan). Like I said, not the best, but definitely not a middle player.

[quote=tjhallow;83931]Brittini said "Its what they wanted, they got what they wanted." She said something along the lines of that.[/quote] That's right, she did say that tj. It would have been more interesting to see Landon vs Evan. After looking at the video, I will say that Evan may have been a little harsh to Brit, even though I don't think he really meant what he said. I just don't see him being that mean w/o offering up some sort of apology to her.

[quote=Darock1713;83935]That's right, she did say that tj. It would have been more interesting to see Landon vs Evan. After looking at the video, I will say that Evan may have been a little harsh to Brit, even though I don't think he really meant what he said. I just don't see him being that mean w/o offering up some sort of apology to her.[/quote] He was harsh but I think he was just saying it in the heat of the moment. After she reached the checkpoint, he was calling her "sweetie" and stuff. I believe he said. "Sweetie, we have a chance to win 100,000 dollars." I liked the clip of Evan screaming, and then they cut to Brittini, and she was screaming.

[quote=Darock1713;83935]That's right, she did say that tj. It would have been more interesting to see Landon vs Evan. After looking at the video, I will say that Evan may have been a little harsh to Brit, even though I don't think he really meant what he said. I just don't see him being that mean w/o offering up some sort of apology to her.[/quote] I don't think he was seriously trying to be mean. And that isn't the worst he's said.

[quote=V1man;83704]Your comments always make me smile.[/quote] You know I do it all for you, V1Man. ;) [QUOTE]Brad "broke" the rules by not going for the opponent's ring, the same violation that Landon was penalized for. However, imo, that is not as relevant as Landon not being to attach his hook to the ring while Brad runs a considerable distance and attach his hook to the ring. So yes, i contend that this duel was "fixed" and perhaps due to Landon's injury.[/QUOTE] I don't think it was the same. Landon already had Brad's hook, but was physically preventing Brad from reaching his ring because it was apparent that Brad would get there first. Brad had just grabbed Landon's hook when he reached out and hit Landon's ring--if it was against the rules (you could probably make a case either way), it wasn't nearly as flagrantly against the rules as what Landon did. Landon was so overt about wrestling Brad rather than going for the ring that it couldn't be ignored, even if they had wanted to--I mean, Landon was tossing Brad around rather than going to his ring. Landon not being able to attach his hook was not Brad or production's fault. Sometimes when people get flustered or nervous, they lose fine motor control, which is what you need in order to, for instance, hook that thing onto the ring. It's the same reason people drop things or have trouble with simple tasks like putting a key in a lock or putting money back into their wallets when they're nervous or upset. It also could have been a problem with his shoulder. There are a couple of explanations as to how it could have happened that don't have to do with it being fixed. I'm all for a good conspiracy theory, but in this case I'm going with the most parsimonious explanation.

It was not fixed. I would have heard about it if it were. Allegations of violations of the Game Show Act find their way to me with regularity. There has nothing received regarding Duel II. [B] Absent any factual evidence, people should exercise caution before charging that BMP committed a Federal crime in fixing the outcome of a "game show" where there is a prize based upon competition.[/B]

[quote=MrsPlumBean;83965] I don't think it was the same. Landon already had Brad's hook, but was physically preventing Brad from reaching his ring because it was apparent that Brad would get there first. [/quote] That exact thing happened in Round Three. Landon had Brad's ring, and Brad had Landon's. As Landon got up, Brad was holding onto Landon for dear life even though he had Landon's hook in his hand. The only possible reasoning for this was because he knew Landon's ring was a few inches away whereas Brad's was farther. He held onto Landon as Landon went to his ring, and then swung Landon's ring in the air like a pendulum while sprinting to his own ring. As this happened, TJ is in the background screaming "Brad, go for your own ring"x2. He should of sprinted to his own ring the second he had the hook, according to the rules. This did not happen. I agree that Landon's DQ in round one was fair. However, round three was the final round, equaling a victory. Far less IMPORTANT to wrestle in round one and get DQed than the final round, in my opinion. Aneesa was able to punch Shauvon in the face, but Landon wrestling Brad is an immediate DQ. Fishy. [quote=MrsPlumBean;83965] Landon not being able to attach his hook was not Brad or production's fault. Sometimes when people get flustered or nervous, they lose fine motor control, which is what you need in order to, for instance, hook that thing onto the ring. It's the same reason people drop things or have trouble with simple tasks like putting a key in a lock or putting money back into their wallets when they're nervous or upset. It also could have been a problem with his shoulder. There are a couple of explanations as to how it could have happened that don't have to do with it being fixed. I'm all for a good conspiracy theory, but in this case I'm going with the most parsimonious explanation.[/quote] Landon not attaching his hook immediately as he is trying to gain control of his swinging hook is Brad's fault because he caused it. The two second fumble with the hook, I do agree with. I think at this point, Landon was injured and hurting - which slowed him down by a few milliseconds to seconds. You aren't the only one who likes conspiracy theories, in the dailies, Britt suggested the same that is mentioned in this thread. I am going to assume you prefer Brad over Landon - thus wanting to believe it was a true, clean victory. I would and believe the same if I had a preference for Brad. I am not suggesting it was intentionally fixed, although the outcome seems to occur a lot with Brad. I have doubts, but I am not implying it was purposely fixed. I do believe there was favoritism to an extreme degree, as with other controversial duels. I guess at this point, we can agree to disagree. I enjoy reading your opinions, your perspectives are thoughtfully worded. And I guess there is one fact, sweet for some, and bitter to the rest that remains for Duel 2: Brad went home with 35,000 dollars and Landon went home and had surgery.

In my opinion, there's a difference between what Brad and Landon did. Landon had his arms around Brad and was trying to throw him to the ground, while Brad was only holding on to Landon's shirt. I really hope this duel is discussed on the reunion.

To the people who believe the Brad/Landon Duel was fixed because Brittini's "it's what they wanted" comment, she probably was not referring to production. She was referring to the other guys (Evan and Mark), because none of them wanted Landon in the final it seemed.

[quote=Buck05;84000]To the people who believe the Brad/Landon Duel was fixed because Brittini's "it's what they wanted" comment, she probably was not referring to production. [B]She was referring to the other guys (Evan and Mark), [/B]because none of them wanted Landon in the final it seemed.[/quote] It could, but we can only speculate as to what she meant unless she addresses the comment herself. Unless you found some sort of interview where she stated that. If not, maybe come reunion the Landon/Brad duel will be addressed and Britt might speak of it? I hope so! ;) I cannot speak for "the people" who feel the outcome of the duel was controversial (lets not used the word fixed because nobody has proof of such), but I can say that I, myself, feel so because of what I viewed on the finale, the dailies, past Back Off duels, the rules of the game, spoilers, etc. I do not think the duel was handled fair by any means, but this isn't the first time something like this happened. It has happened in the past and will continue to happen. Each time, an uproar like this occurs where people take sides. I do not pretend to have any insider information and I am just a lowly viewer and fan who has nothing but an opinion to share. ;) I am sure the general consensus, though, to most people whose fan favorite was neither Brad nor Landon is that this blows over soon because it truly is tit for tat when the end result is unchangeable. Landon fans are in mourning, Brad fans are smiling, and Evan fans...well, all three in a half of them are doing the happy dance. (Just kidding).

There needs to be a Brad vs. Landon part 2.

[QUOTE=LCbaby;84007] I am sure the general consensus, though, to most people whose fan favorite was neither Brad nor Landon is that this blows over soon because it truly is tit for tat when the end result is unchangeable. Landon fans are in mourning, Brad fans are smiling, and Evan fans...well, all three in a half of them are doing the happy dance. (Just kidding).[/QUOTE] Brad and Landon are both favorites of mine, and I still want it to blow over as soon as possible. I think the cows are coming...

[quote=Bacchus;83437]Right...but the boys did have to wait for the girls after the road leg. If there was not a team dynamic, I'm not so sure she could have beaten Evan head to head. Still, she gets kudos for finishing first with the circumstance in place.[/quote] You're probably right that she wouldn't beat Evan, [I]but[/I] I also don't think Rachel went the absolutest fastest she could have gone. She had a huge lead over the other girls and wasn't under pressure to push her absolute hardest. If it was a race against the girls and boys, she probably wouldn't have beat Evan, but I bet she would have finished faster than she did. She kicked *** in that final though.

It was a great show...I mean we saw two duels, good final mission, and some good drama...And as much I like Brad, Landon really should've been in the final mission and win it...He was best male on the show period...Hopefully we see Landon do another challenge soon...As for the final mission it looked tiring as ****, and I can't believe Rachael beat out three tough dudes...Just goes to show you that she is the best female challenger of all time... One thing I have to say though is that the "Duel" clearly states it's every man for themselves, and I hate how most of the challenges had to do with a partner

[QUOTE=RoadRuler;84095]It was a great show...I mean we saw two duels, good final mission, and some good drama...And as much I like Brad, Landon really should've been in the final mission and win it...[B]He was best male on the show period[/B]...Hopefully we see Landon do another challenge soon...As for the final mission it looked tiring as ****, and I can't believe Rachael beat out three tough dudes...Just goes to show you that she is the best female challenger of all time... [/QUOTE] If the "best" person won every challenge, it'd get a little boring and repetitive, don't you think? And who's to decide who the "best" person is? Do they judge on personal life? Competition? Social strategy? I think it's hard to define who the "best" person is. In terms of social strategy, Landon was not the best.

Evan was the best when it came to social strategy

[QUOTE=RoadRuler;84098]Evan was the best when it came to social strategy[/QUOTE] Right, my point exactly. Was he the best physically? That's debatable. Obviously, everyone has their own opinions as to who the best is. In an all-around game, I didn't find Landon to be the best. As much as it would be nice for the person who has worked the hardest/won the most challenges/sent the most people home to win the game, that's what makes it a show...it's unpredictable. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your opinion, I just think that it's hard for any one person to define who the "best" is without thinking about all of the various factors that go into calling one specific person the best (as well as how difficult it is to agree on a decision).

I get your points... Also I find it real funny that only 3 males and 4 females won challenges...Evan, Landon, and Mark were the males, and Robin, Ruthie, Rachael, and Britt were the females...That has to be the smallest amount of people to win challenges since the show expanded to 25-30 castmembers no?...You think it would be a widespeard of people, but nope

[quote=V1man;83830]I don't think the outcome would have been different in any other scenario Evan, Brad and Mark would still have aligned themselves together against Landon.[/quote] That shows just how little intergrity Mark and Brad have - they are Vets in these Challenges - why would they align themselves with a shady FM player when they could have aligned with a fellow Vet who "supposedly" was a friend of theirs??

[quote=rwny4ever;84127]That shows just how little intergrity Mark and Brad have - they are Vets in these Challenges - why would they align themselves with a shady FM player when they could have aligned with a fellow Vet who "supposedly" was a friend of theirs??[/quote] What does it have to do with their integrity? Just because YOU think Evan is shady just mean Mark and Brad do. And I do believe Mark and Evan are friends outside of this. Sorry, just because they know how to play the game doesn't make them have less integrity. I didn't see Brad or Mark put people down, or make fun people of people, or bully anyone. Just because you don't like Evan doesn't mean other cast members don't. If I were to ever go on a challenge, I would have aligned myself with people who could get me far. If someone wanted to switch it up, they should have did what Paula did (not call who she was "supposed" to on the list), or won a challenge.

[quote=rwny4ever;84127]That shows just how little intergrity Mark and Brad have - they are Vets in these Challenges - why would they align themselves with a shady FM player when they could have aligned with a fellow Vet who "supposedly" was a friend of theirs??[/quote] What makes Evan so shady? Because he was smart enough to align himself with guys strong enough to help him get to the end? It's strategy, and as much as some people don't like that dynamic of the game, it works in a lot of cases, when executed correctly. He may not be my absolute favorite person, but based on what I've seen of him, I wouldn't call him shady. Annoying to me at times, yes, but not shady.

[quote]That shows just how little intergrity Mark and Brad have - they are Vets in these Challenges - why would they align themselves with a shady FM player when they could have aligned with a fellow Vet who "supposedly" was a friend of theirs?? [/quote] How does this prove that Mark and Brad have little integrity? We're judging them based on strategy they used to win a GAME? Mark and Brad did what they needed to do, period. There is no villainy involved in winning Monopoly, because it's a game. Same as these Challenges. You can have your cheaters (Julie) and assy loudmouths (Johnny), sure, but scheming fairly (within the rules of the game) to get ahead does not make you a bad person. Johnny is a misogynist jerk based on his personal behavior, not because of his gameplay. Mark and Brad neither cheated nor were assy loudmouths, so I really can't see their success being tainted because they chose to align themselves with the right people for this particular game. Also, why would they just automatically align with Vets? Because there has to be some kind of blind loyalty to Vets? Even those like poor Robin and psychotic CT? You'd really just align yourself with one of them instead of someone like Evan, who despite his diarrhea of the mouth has shown himself to be more mentally stable and clever? If someone wants to play this game using strategy other than alliances, such as performance-only, "honesty", loyalty to fellow vets, giving the money to babydaddies/babymommas, who was at their last sleepover, good for them. And if someone comes into the game already prepared with alliances and schemes? Good for them. May the better player win. I like Landon, but Landon being more "derserving" of the game is absurd to me. How? Why? Just because Landon, Ruthie, etc. wanted to play the game based on performance doesn't change the rules. The rules did not specify that the game must be played 100% honestly and strictly performance based. Honestly I find it foolish to go on these Challenges still expecting everyone to follow your own moral plan. It's fine if you want to play that way, but don't expect everyone else to just be on board with you. And it amazes me that people still expect this to be the case. Additionally, Lando was all aboard the alliance boat until he suddenly found himself off it. THEN it became an issue, which is usually the case. Robin had no issues with alliances until she found herself on the outside these past few Challenges. Then it became dirty gameplay and backstabbing. And then there's Nehemiah, Mr. Zen and good vs evil. This guy had no problem ganging up on Beth and trying to humiliate her when he was part of an alliance on G3. But when he was on the outside, he was judging people for behavior that was no where near as nasty as what he did to her. Sorry for the long post. I could on and on about this, as it's become a huge pet peeve of mine regarding reality gameshows like the Challenges, Survivor, etc. If the winner(s) played the game and followed the rules, he or she is no less deserving than anyone else of that win. It doesn't matter how many times you win team or individual challenges in these types of games. It's how you play throughout the course and when you win that counts. Landon was outplayed by Mark, Brad, and Evan, and Evan won when it mattered most.

[quote=rwny4ever;84127]That shows just how little intergrity Mark and Brad have - they are Vets in these Challenges - why would they align themselves with a shady FM player when they could have aligned with a fellow Vet who "supposedly" was a friend of theirs??[/quote] Indeed, it is all a matter of opinion though. I think what you are trying to say is that you would like to think Mark and Brad, who were veterans to these shows before Fresh Meat even aired, would of aligned themselves with Landon over Evan. Landon has only done two other challenges (winning them both) prior to The Duel II, though. When I saw the cast list I was more than ecstastic, because he has not done a challenge since winning Gauntlet II. Duel II was also Evan's third challenge since Fresh Meat, he did the first Duel and Gauntlet III. I do think Mark and Brad are friends with Landon, however, this is a game. Plain and simple. It wasn't going to be a team challenge at the end for the final. Knowing this, and watching Duel I, you can only assume the last finale is going to be an endurance race with wit tossed in to match. Knowing this, one can only assume that if Mark and Brad were to align themselves with Landon over Evan then Landon would be in a finale where he completely shines. As said multiple times in the show, he is an endurance monster. Essentially, Mark and Brad aligning with Landon would basically be giving Landon the 100,000 and both males were scared of such a possibility in the final. In terms of physical endurance, strength, and wit mixed together in a long race up and down a mountain (much like Duel I) - Landon, in my opinion and apparently those of Mark and Brad,[I] is the better competitor[/I]. Aligning with Evan over Landon would be a make for a more fair finale and chance at winning the cash. Mark and Brad would have a fighting chance against Evan in an endurance race, one in which Landon would blow themselves out of the water. I guess they definitely underestimated Evan a bit though, so at this point in the game, either alliance made Mark and Brad on the receiving end of the lower cash amount and deleting the chance of calling themselves the Duel 2 Winner. These are all my thoughts and assumptions based on strategy and watching the game. And in terms of the best competitor overall, there is no cookie cutter explanation. Physical strength and endurance aren't the only prerequisites nowadays to deserve the word. Unless they got every male in challenge existence to go do a triathalon or arm wrestling contest or something. That would be cool, and delete the social monsters from the pool being able to identify the "best". Dramatic and television worthy, however, I think not.

[quote=dplayer18;84012]There needs to be a Brad vs. Landon part 2.[/quote] I'd be interested merely to see what loophole, DQ, or rule oversight they would inject to assure Brad the victory. Of all the Duels, Infernos, Gauntlets, Exiles, and Face Offs I have witnessed in my years of watching these challenges, I do not believe Brad can beat Landon in anything. I'm glad Evan beat him and I'm glad Brad was tasting victory only to have it snatched away from him in the last seconds. He didn't deserve to be there. I would have prefered a 1-armed Landon anyday. I do not loathe Brad either, but any man that has no discard and honor in competition doesn't deserve to win imo.

[QUOTE=Darock1713;84216]I'd be interested merely to see what loophole, DQ, or rule oversight they would inject to assure Brad the victory. Of all the Duels, Infernos, Gauntlets, Exiles, and Face Offs I have witnessed in my years of watching these challenges, I do not believe Brad can beat Landon in anything. I'm glad Evan beat him and I'm glad Brad was tasting victory only to have it snatched away from him in the last seconds. He didn't deserve to be there. I would have prefered a 1-armed Landon anyday. I do not loathe Brad either, but any man that has no discard and honor in competition doesn't deserve to win imo.[/QUOTE] "discard and honor" You lost me with that one.

[quote]'d be interested merely to see what loophole, DQ, or rule oversight they would inject to assure Brad the victory. Of all the Duels, Infernos, Gauntlets, Exiles, and Face Offs I have witnessed in my years of watching these challenges, I do not believe Brad can beat Landon in anything.[/quote]Okay, but here's the thing--why? Why would production want Brad to win over Landon? I just don't see a reason compelling enough to take on the enormous legal risk of interfering with a gameshow. Sure, Brad's a fan favorite, but so is Landon. If production had really wanted Brad in the finals, it would have been much easier to simply make the person who won the second-to-last duel immune for the last one. If they were caught tampering with an elimination game and it could be proved, they would be done. It just doesn't make sense. No matter how much people might personally want a cast member to win (though there is no real reason to believe this is the case), they're not going to want it so badly that they would risk their careers over it! I think Brad beat Landon the same way Kim beat Ruthie--he outsmarted him in a crucial moment, which allowed him to take the third round. And while I rewatched it and did note that Brad sort of clung to Landon in the third round after Landon got his hook, I think if Landon had done the same thing to Brad in round one, that would have been let go. What Landon actually did was pick Brad physically up off the ground and move him away from the ring, backwards from where he had been standing. I think there's a difference between hindering someone's motion towards their ring and grabbing them once they've reached their ring and trying to throw them backwards. I'm not sure what word she were going for, but I don't think you meant "discard." Discard means to throw something away.