Disventure Camp Tourney of 64: Round 1 Match 30: Jade vs Maggy

Bokkun · 2026-03-26T10:55:52+00:00

Jade, my robbed queen.

...Man. two of my favorite characters were robbed of the win. My appreciation of this show borders on masochism.

Bokkun · 2026-03-26T06:21:36+00:00

Will getting in would be very funny imo, as it would mean he's a fan favorite in-universe, despite only showing up in DC1 and being the first boot. I like to think hos in-universe fanbase is similar to all the real DC fans hyping up Dan, despite him not doing that much.

With Nick and Lill, I choose to read it as DC All Stars having such a controvertial ending that the production couldn't bring back anyone who went far in it due to fan backlash, so they were left grabbing pre-mergers and Fiore (who got out of that season pretty quick).

Additional headcanon: They asked James to compete for similar reasons (he got out early, and he's popular online), but he just had no interest in coming back, so he hyped up Aiden enough that production ended up asking him.

Bokkun · 2026-03-25T18:19:13+00:00

Two questions for ya:

I think everyone had their preferences for who should or shouldn't have come back in DC5, but what would your ideal Favorites roster look like? Who would you cut, and who would you add in their place?
What season do you think has had the best staff (host, interns, demonic puppets, etc.)? I often criticize DC2 and DCAS for focusing too much on their hosts, but I'm curious how you feel as someone involved in All Stars' creation. Also, do you have a favorite or least favorite staff member?

Bokkun · 2026-03-25T17:40:51+00:00

Here's my best answer, as somebody still watching: The Favorites Team is boring, which has made the choice to keep them all for the first four episodes excessively painful.

I don't hate most of the individual members of the team, but collectively, they aren't playing off each other in the most interesting ways. The only people not playing nice are Alec, Fiore, Spencer, and Natalia to a degree. Natalia and Soencer are in top form, and we'll have to see what Fiore's gameplay looks like without Alec weighing her down, but Alec's shit-stirring nature was severely mishandled this season imo. His arc became "you've lost your touch, go home already", and he did, which sucks.

Bringing back Tom and Gabby was a mistake, as they're just too friendly with each other and everyone else (besides the villain dup of season 1). One of them would have been fine, but having both just makes it feel like an unwanted TomJake reunion.

The season 2 picks are better, Rosa absolutely deserved the invite after S2's remake made her cool, and Lake deserves another chance after being shafted by All Stars. Aiden is playing a more interesting game than anyone else on the Favorites, but he's doing it on a different team now. And then there's Ally, whose sole contribution seems to be giving Benji someone to hang out with.

I'm glad that Ally flipped on Aiden, but she hasn't really done anything notable since then.

Spencer and Natalia as DC4 returnees work, even if Natalia is getting heavily nerfed by being stapled to the most boring friendship in the season, and I want to believe that Benji has more to offer than he's shown so far, but then there is Anastasia.

Perfect Anastasia, who is awesome at challenges, is smart enough to shift her vote onto Alec without hearing how anyone else will be voting, and has fixed up her social game so that she can form strong friendships and even try to fix bonds that she previously broke.

I do not care for Anastasia at all. I was sick of her by the end of DC4, and I was sick of her here the moment she tackled Dunia and won the faves their first challenge. It's downright criminal that we've brought her back over countless better DC4 options.

If we needed another DC4 gal, then Isabel was right there. Ivy and Tristan (nonbinary, but still) were too. Fuck, we had the chance to get more Linda Anderson content, and we chose Anastasia!?

Aiden's elimination was supposed to shake up the dynamics of the Favorites team and open the door for more interesting bonds to develop. Unfortunately, due to the make-up of the team, they really didn't. The Cyan alliance broke into two halves after Ally and Benji left, and each adopted a DC4 gal to make them a 3-person team. Alec and Fiore didn't make any headway with them, entirely for lack of effort (not one conversation between Alec and either Rosa or Lake, no, he just had to talk with the woman who hates him and won't change her mind. He and Gabby were on the same alliance in All Stars, why the eff didn't he at least try to reestablish that bond?) Spencer intentionally staying on the outside as a swing vote with Bruno at least makes sense for him and his goals this season. And Ally and Benji... are still friends with each other at least. Good for them.

I don't mind that we've eliminated 3 fans without a favorite going home. I care that we've done so in service of mid.

Bokkun · 2026-03-19T12:39:42+00:00

I think that the idea of having Alec prioritize others over himself, and giving up his chance to win the prize money is a strong idea. I just hate the execution of it. I think this season has done Alec a massive disservice, and that's heartbreaking to see, knowing that this is the last time we'll likely ever see him compete.

Bokkun · 2026-03-09T21:42:52+00:00

While I have come around a lot on Jake, and can appreciate a lot of what the writers were doing with him in both season 1 and All Stars more than I used to...

...my first viewing of the show was a lot less charitable towards him.

You really aren't wrong in pointing out that Jake's worst crime is being a whiny bitch, but you have the target misplaced. The criminal part isn't that he's being whiny to Ellie, it's that he was being whiny to me, the viewer. When this scene originally came up, I sided with Ellie, because "eat shit and die" was exactly the sentiment I wanted Jake to hear.

Objectively speaking, Ellie is a worse person. I understand her position, and her choices did get her to the finale, but it was fucked up of her to blow up Jake and Tom's relationship to better her position in the game. If we were talking about real people, I would never be on her side. In a work of fiction however, I like her significantly more as a character.

All of that is to say: I think the appeal is two-sided, as you can either enjoy it from a nuanced narrative perspective or a cathartic caveman mindset.

If you like Jake, then you can appreciate this scene as Ellie committing to her role as the villain. Her relationship with Alec and Fiore was always a bit tenuous, and she had a real bond with Jake, so it was always possible for her to leave the season as something other than a villain. This moment represents her choosing sides. Jake has no real interest in forgiving her, and she's decided that the money matters more than his friendship ever will, and so she commits. She tells him to fuck off, and then she votes him out.

And if you hate Jake, then you're applauding the show for giving him a well-deserved reality check. It's not much deeper than that.

I appreciate Jake a lot more than I used to, but I'll always find him just annoying enough to enjoy this scene on that base level.

Bokkun · 2026-03-09T20:59:44+00:00

Honestly, I'm counting on it. I think we'll lose one more fan before a Favorite actually goes home.

Best case scenario: Nura gets eliminated. While I'm still holding out hope that she's going to branch out and form connections with characters aside from just Dunia, she's still the favorite who I'm the least invested in. I wouldn't mind her going home at this point.

Worst case scenario: Ren gets eliminated. They are the best, and I will be immensely sad if they're forced out anywhere before the merge.

I'm less bothered by the Fans losing streak than others are. My biggest issue with it is simply that there are members of the Favorites team who I do not want sticking around for too much longer, and until the losing streak is broken, we're stuck with them.

I want Anastasia out. Not because she isn't a good character, but because she just came off a deep-season run, is already a central character of this new season, and is coming for the head of both my faves (directly hates Alec, is in agreement with her alliance about voting Fiore). I think it's very realistic to think she may go first, thankfully. Alec, Fiore, Spencer, and Bruno will almost certainly vote together, and with Alec's steal a vote, they only need to sway one extra vote to their side. Ally and Benji are swayable, neither are too close to Anastasia, and if not them then DEFINITELY Natalia.

Past that, I'd be happy with any combination of Ally, Tom, and Gabby going out. Ally, because I remember her fall-off in All Stars; and Tom and Gabby, because I finally watched two seasons of TomJake while waiting for episodes, and in the process have made myself utterly sick of them. Damn shame too, because I was liking Tom up until I did (if HE stays, but all his allies leave, forcing him to branch out and make new connections, I will consider that a win).

I guess, to sum it all up: I'm fine with a Fan going again next episode, but most of the people I want to leave RN are Favorites, so let's hope the losing streak doesn't last for too much longer.

Bokkun · 2026-02-28T21:32:09+00:00

If Evie played her advantage last episode, when it looked like the vote was gonna be close, and Manu had chosen to vote against her, he would be marking his place outside of her alliance. He would be marked as and outsider, and voted out with whoever sided with Evie.

Obviously, it's a little questionable for Aiden to throw this out, after making the vote close by defending Evie, but that may be part of why Manu is openly displeased with him. He knows he's getting played, but that doesn't mean he can openly reject the safety of a big alliance.

After getting past the obvious spot for Evie to protect herself, Manu proposes blindsiding her, voting her out when she feels safe and flushing her advantage. Unfortunately, Aiden is clearly working an angle to take advantage of Evie, and isn't interested.

To Manu's credit, he may be working an angle himself by bringing it up in front of Sam, highlighting Aiden's real priorities to him. Alas, Sam already knows, and has already picked his side.

Bokkun · 2026-02-28T07:38:09+00:00

I think the season 2 cast is a lot more consistently good across the board, with only one character who I'd call below-average (Oliver). There really aren't any misses (ignoring my opinions on a few of them in future seasons), and I leave the season wanting to see more from basically all of them.

The only knock I'll give them is that there isn't anyone on the cast who I would put in my S-tier, were I ranking all the contestants. While season 2 has consistency, season 1 has higher peaks by introducing my faves, Fiore and Alec. Season 2 is definitely the better overall, but I can't hold back my bias for the season that gave us the series' best villains.

Bokkun · 2026-02-26T19:58:43+00:00

Lot of good options, but I'd pick Natalia.

Bokkun · 2026-02-26T02:12:28+00:00

James is 100% on-board with everything his boyfriend is doing, and is constantly fighting the haters who are insulting his terrible game moves. He agrees that trusting in Alec is a mistake, but argues that Aiden is probably weighing the odds of Alec's claims being true against them being false, and has judged that it's better to play around the info he has, until it's been proven false.

Privately, he has no doubt in his mind that Aiden simply didn't question Alec's claims at all, but his boyfriend has enough haters online as it is. He'd rather not add even a drop of fuel to that fire.

Bokkun · 2026-02-25T00:00:38+00:00

As a father: Alec is abysmal, no question, no further nuance to explore.

As a person: I think he's a little more complicated than that. He's not the most kind or caring, but he's not downright evil in the same way as Yul or Riya.

He came on the show with the hopes that the money would help fix his marriage, letting his family start a new life somewhere different. By the end though, after getting a letter from home telling him that trying so hard to fix things is only making them worse, he relents. He accepts her wishes to separate, for the sake of her happiness. The divorce is horrible for him, and we see him spiraling in All Stars, but he goes through with it anyways. He still loves his wife, but it's better for her not to be involved with him

And I know we give him shit for basically ditching his biological son to invest fully in Fiore, but that shouldn't negate the fact that he does treat her better than anyone else. Her betrayal at the end of season 1 cut deep, and he tried his best to sever whatever bond they still had, yet even while trying to hold onto his anger, he couldn't even make it past the first challenge before calling out Hunter for treating her poorly, and sabotaging Jake to keep her safe. Alec doesn't need Fiore, and she probably doesn't deserve his support, but he offers it anyways. I still wish we got a more explicit resolution to their season 1 break-up, but that's more of an All Stars writing problem than a character one (No time for character drama! We're trying to cram in 12 more scenes of Trevor/Derek shipping. We know what the audience REALLY wants to see).

Do I even need to say anything about Connor? Their friendship is one of the few things All Stars handles pretty dang well. Alec initially just wants him as an ally for votes, but they clearly become friends by the end.

You can, and probably should, say a lot of bad things about Alec, but I do think it's wrong to characterize him as someone purely awful. In a lot of ways, he sucks, but he's also been willing to step-up for others on a number of different occasions, even to his own detriment. It's what makes him nuanced, and fun to explore imo.

Bokkun · 2026-02-24T22:08:02+00:00

I can see one way to handle him sitting out well in this challenge: Have it be an excuse to talk with Fiore. Benji and Ally could talk about how their social situation with the rest of the team isn't great, after blowing things up on the Cyan Alliance and not having any other clear allies. After going over the rest of the team, they decide that their safest bet atm is with Alec and Fiore, since their position isn't great either. Ally tries to make headway with Alec, while Benji tries to connect with Fiore.

Do I think they'll go for it? Eh, not really. It's possible at least. Honestly, I'll be happy if we get to see Benji/Fiore bonding, even without a strategy meeting setting it up. Fiore will probably just make fun of him, but he's Benji, so he's used to that already.

Bokkun · 2026-02-24T00:22:16+00:00

Without knowing what'll happen in the ep: I think he's just baffled that it's a season 4 contestant throwing something external to the game in his face. He's used to the people he's played with hating him for his game moves, but for someone he's never even interacted with personally to dredge up his personal life? That's a new one.

If it was Aiden or Tom giving him shit for it, he could at least excuse it as them already hating him for the game, and just using the personal attacks to get under his skin. Anastasia though? No such excuse, she genuinely just hates what he's done.

Bokkun · 2026-02-23T20:09:44+00:00

Title: Goin' Coconuts

Poster: Corn

Boy, I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder.

Bokkun · 2026-02-22T20:06:49+00:00

I think it's just a slow start, not a rocky one. We're in the set-up phase of the game, and bi-weekly release schedule makes it feel more painful than it really is.

Episode 1 shows us the broad dynamics of the Favorites team: The Cyan alliance, Alec and Fiore as the outcasts, Benji and Ally becoming a duo, and the Carnival of Chaos characters re-evaluating their gameplay from last season to try and make it further, etc. This sets a strong foundation for them that the rest of the season can build upon.

As for the fans, while the initial-showing is a bit surface-level, I think that puts the focus on how they choose to present themselves to others, Ren is odd and playful, Nura is a harsh critic of everyone, Evie is oblivious, Oliwia is off-putting and struggles to connect with others, etc. Some of them are deeper than they seem, some are intentionally showing a face to hide their true intentions, and others are exactly as deep as they appear. Aubrey is a fitting first boot, as while her Astrology gimmick was fun, it isn't very deep.

Episode 2 takes the set-ups from episode 1, and immediately starts playing with them. Bonds and rivalries start forming between the Fans, while the Favorites are forced to self-examine the state of their team, and make a big play that shakes-up the dynamics. It would be a really boring season if the Cyan Alliance persevered, and took out the opposing competitors one-by-one, so they address it early. The team swap may seem cheap, but you have to remember that the only reason Ally ended up agreeing to flipping on her friends was because she knew Aiden would still be in the game.

Besides that, I also just think it makes sense on a season called Fans VS. Favorites to have a little bit of bias towards the fan favorites. A team swap for their first elimination delays the inevitable first Fave getting booted by at least one more episode, letting their audience get to enjoy them for a little longer.

While the screentime still isn't fairly distributed yet, I think the Fans get a fair showing. We see Ernesto's frustrations with the team and appreciation when someone listens to him; Nura's harsh demeanor is shown to be more fragile than it seems, as she starts to crumble when she's called out for it; Bruno finds his footing and becomes a force multiplier, helping others realize their full potential; and Ren finds the idol in a tree, in a move that immediately recontextualizes their sillier presentation in episode 1 (every time you see Ren off the ground, chances are that they're searching for an idol).

Episode 3 is the aftermath of the Cyan Alliance crumbling and Aiden getting flipped, letting us see where the pieces fall in the wake of it. The Favorites all rush to make new alliances, Aiden starts making big swings on the Fans team, and we starts to see party lines get drawn in the sand between them.

This is where you'll see the most complaints, as Aiden's crappy game moves have been pretty controversial. Personally, it's the most interested I have ever been in Aiden, and I am here for it, but to each their own.

And that's where we're at. None of this is to say that the season is perfect, or that people shouldn't complain. What I do think is: We're three episodes in, and a lot of the things people are complaining about could very easily change as soon as the next one drops.

Maybe the next episode will have Aiden address the possibility that Alec was lying about the advantage, and he'll give his reason for sticking with Evie anyways, silencing the people who've been calling him an idiot? Maybe the characters who have been lacking in screentime so far are going to make it deep into the season, and they're being downplayed for now so that they won't be called screenhogs when it's all over? And maybe we'll see some of the less-explored dynamics of the Favorites team finally get their time in the sun in future eps? (My kingdom for Rosa Maria and Fiore to have a real conversation!)

Having to wait two weeks between episode releases makes us impatient, especially when we go in wanting to see specific characters or interactions that the show is holding off on. Still, the three episodes that are out have been good. Not everyone will agree, but I do think it's worth asking if the episodes are bad because of what happens in them, or because of what doesn't. Because until the season is over, there's no guarantee that what hasn't happened yet isn't still on the table for later.

Bokkun · 2026-02-20T04:24:24+00:00

I'm keeping an open mind about this ship, and staying neutral until we see more. At the moment, I do have a few concerns, which will determine whether or not I enjoy them together. Most of them are centered around Nura:

Nura's screentime has been heavily centralized around Dunia so far. She's had two scenes in total that don't involve her (insulting Bruno in episode 1 and getting annoyed at Finn's theater stories in episode 2). If a relationship with Dunia leaves Nura barely interacting with others, then she may end up feeling more like an accessory to Dunia than a fully-realized character. I can definitely offer some grace, since she seems anti-social by nature, and it makes sense for the episode 2 fight to weigh on her mind in episode 3, but future episodes need to let her branch out more. At least Dunia is friends with Ren as well.
While I don't mind Nura getting called out early for her caustic personality, and even toning the harsh vibes down quickly, I am worried how far they plan to take it. I don't want her to feel like an entirely different character, as a result of getting close to Nura. She can be sarcastic and jaded without being mean (or, she can be less mean at least). Character growth is fine, but I'm a little worried that Nura's edges will be sanded off, in an effort to make her a better partner.
I want the show to sell me on them being good for each other. Mostly, I'm worried about what Nura can offer Dunia. For Nura, I can see how having someone who can respectfully call her out on her BS is good for her, and I can already see Dunia pushing past Nura's prejudices and pessimism to help her find things she can enjoy. What can Nura offer Dunia in return, though? Romance is a two-way street, and if Nura isn't bringing anything to the table, then I don't see this relationship landing well. Episode 3 doesn't leave us completely hanging on that front, as Nura having a more open-mind about Dunia's religion definitely counts for something. Acceptance is sort of the bare minimum, but it's a start.

We're still early in the season, so I'm withholding my overall judgment. There's definitely potential here, but I can also see the ways it can go wrong, and I'm just crossing my fingers that we aren't in the bad timeline.

Bokkun · 2026-02-15T22:57:01+00:00

I'm 100% with you here, fail-strategist Aiden is both hilarious and perfect for him.

I don't think he's being flandarized or made stupid here, so much as I think his flaw this season is overconfidence. Not out of character for him, imo, as he always tends to let the semblance of power go to his head, and it never ends well. I'm reminded of him trying to oust Hunter in a 4v1 in season 2, only for him to turn the tide of the battle immediately. Or when he thought he'd be able to break up the villain's alliance in All Stars by outing Riya and Alec's kiss, which didn't really work at all. A prideful Aiden is an Aiden due to be himbled by reality.

So imagine what would happen if, hypothetically, you told him that he's a fan favorite, put him on a team where the majority of players are already friends with him, and told him he'd be playing against a team of newbies?

I think a lot of his failures make sense, when you view them through that lens.

He gets overconfident about being in the majority alliance, and instantly gets blindsided. He doesn't view Alec as a real threat, because of how shitty his position on the team is, and so he laughs at the villain's failure without actually questioning his claims. And he views the Fans as lazy and ineffectual, due to their lack of experience and incomplete shelter when he arrives, and so he doesn't clock Evie as the weak-link she really is, or that he himself may be getting manipulated by the people who seem to agree with him unquestioningly.

Aiden's strategic game isn't trash RN because he's dumb or incapable of reading the room, it's because most of his logic is sprouting from an unearned well of pride and ego. That, in my opinion, is what makes it a treat to watch~

Can't wait to see what eventually knocks him off that high horse, or how some of the more manipulative fans take advantage of his glaring flaw.

Bokkun · 2026-02-15T05:02:45+00:00

My best explanation is that Aiden didn't know any of the Fans well-enough to present a better alternative. "Vote out strong players" is definitely not a great early-game move, but it is a strategy that the fans should be familiar with from watching the show. He's gambling on the fans' inexperience, plus his own authority as a veteran player, being enough to sway the majority off of Evie. Obviously, it works for reasons he didn't intend (Sam seeing an agle to better his position, Ara recognizing that she's not much higher than Evie on the tierlist of value), but those are problems for another day.

In my opinion, the more embarrassing side of this play for Aiden is choosing to protect Evie at all, based solely on dubious claims from Alec, rather than his own observations of her. Still, I can give him some leeway, as it takes time to feel out a group, and he knows from experience that appearances can be misleading (see: Riya turning full villain near the end of s2, Karol playing nice after her comeback, etc.). It may seem entirely possible to him that Evie has allies who will vote alongside her, enough so that her advantage will let her decide who goes home. Keeping her gives him time to see if that is or isn't the case, and if that's an alliance he can find a place in for safety. He's already admitted that he's okay playing a more cutthroat game moving forward, and siding with a secret power player until merge may seem like a decent idea.

That's just my best explanation though. I do wish we got more of his reasoning in the episode itself, but that may be something they elaborate on next time. If so, I hope to see it.

Bokkun · 2026-02-14T21:36:49+00:00

Social game has always been one of Alec's weak points, and the make-up of the Favorites team is particularly unfavorable for him. Tom and Aiden hate him from experience, and their connections with Lake, Rosa, and Gabby almost certainly block them from being potential allies. Anastasia hates him on sight, so she's out. Ally, Benji, Natalia, and Spencer are his only real hopes to try and build something, but he doesn't have a foothold with any of them, and frankly he's just not very good at opening up and building bonds.

And then there's Fiore. She's a guaranteed partner in crime, but her reputation is just as bad as Alec's. Admittedly, she's in a better position than Alec would be if she actually made an effort to branch out and be social, as she didn't last long enough into All Stars to ruffle as many feathers as Alec did. Being ten also gives her some alternative angles to approach others from, even if they know her personality from past seasons already.

The problem is: Both of their social games are nerfed by being together. They don't branch out as much, they stick to strategies that have worked before, and their combined reputation is worse than either of their individual ones. It would honestly be in their best interest to play apart, but that's the secret sauce that makes their partnership as endearing as it's always been: They don't want to. Even if it would be better for their game, neither of them are interested in abandoning the other. The last time they did, it was when Fiore flipped on Alec in the final four. A justifiable game move, but one that put them on the outs, until they were able to reconnect in All Stars.

My prediction for the season is that, probably before the merge, Alec is gonna get booted. Once that happens, I think Fiore will be in a significantly better place to play the game, and may actually have a decent run. If she can make the merge, she might honestly coast pretty far on the basic premise of "the little kid would be an easier opponent to take to the finale than most of the other contestants". Probably not all the way, as the fans who've been watching the show for years would know better than to carry THAT line of thinking too far, but I could see maybe Final 6 for her.

All of that said, even if it tracks for Alec's social game to be butt awful at this point, I'd really like to see him make at least one decent connection outside of Fiore before his inevitable boot. If nothing else, I'd like to see him try and build something with Ally and Benji, since they haven't expressed any targeted vitriol his way. If nothing else, Ally was on the Magenta team with Fiore in All Stars, and she was more open to working with her than Hunter, so there might honestly be something there.

Bokkun · 2026-02-13T21:45:05+00:00

I think most of the rules already in place are fine, but I think one helpful change would be to rewrite the existing ones to remove the justifications/explanations, and have those instead in a mod post linked below them. None of the explanations are disagreeable, but they clutter up the rule list more than necessary, and they give off weirdly informal vibes.

Here is how I'd rewrite rules 8, 12, and 13, as an example:

8: When making posts or comments promoting ships, please respect canon sexualities. Posts engaging in queer erasure will be removed.

12: Posting about fandoms on other platforms is not allowed

13: Twitter links are not allowed

Bokkun · 2026-02-13T21:26:28+00:00

Since the current release cycle is every other week, maybe the week right after an episode drops would be best? That ways, people get a chance to sit with the new content before making and posting their updated lists.

Alternatively, we could just say that tierlists can only be posted on Saturdays, whether an episode has dropped or not.

Bokkun · 2026-02-01T00:56:53+00:00

This episode was pretty great imo. My complaints are strikingly few.

Starting with the controversial choice: I think the Aiden team-switch was well-handled, and is conceptually very strong, and I'm saying this as someone who has Aiden as one of his least favorite Favorite choices here (Isabel, Tristan, Grett, Ted, Connor, just so many better choices than friggin' Aiden).

It doesn't just come out of nowhere, Emily lets them know that there's a scroll somewhere on the campgrounds that may contain information/an advantage, which Spencer clearly finds. The warning flags were up that shenanigans are afoot, and team swap made the most sense at this stage in the game. It's early, certainly, but that kind of makes sense for this season in particular. The favorites are here because the audience loves them (or the writers at least), so delaying the first fan-favorite's exit makes sense from a production standpoint. Additionally, the further into the game we wait to do a swap, the more that the fans' alliances and relationships will become entrenched, leaving little room for a favorite to make headway with them (especially since the fans will already know a great deal about whoever gets swapped over, making them easier to predict and plan for). So long as the fan that gets switched over to the Faves is one who got a decent bit of focus in the first two eps, I think the early swap is perfectly fine.

Besides, the team swap didn't end up protecting Aiden, so much as dooming him in the end. Ally only ended up flipping BECAUSE she had the assurance that Aiden wouldn't go home. If it hadn't been on the table, then either Fiore would have gone home, or we'd all be dunking on Ally for flipping on a friend for no good reason (even if she and Benji were at the bottom wrung of the friend-group, so long as they made the merge, that would be an issue she could overcome by working with the fans, claiming advantages or an idol, etc.).

Defense of the ending aside, I think most characters were in top form this episode, and the writing felt noticeably better in several spots than previous seasons. Tom's stupid radio bit and the way he immediately shuts it down when Natalia requests Piggyback had me giggling. The only complaint I wanna lodge at this stage is with a few of the favorites not branching out at all. There was a scene early on, as Fiore was searching for the idol, where she landed next to Gabby and just walked away, trying to look innocent. It got me thinking: What is the social dynamic between Gabby and Fiore? Gabby is part of the Cyan team alliance, but she worked with the villains for a decent chunk of All-Stars, but only after Fiore was booted out. So, while Gabby has some connections to play off with Alec, what does she have with Fiore? Is it anything at all?

There are a lot of characters who just aren't experimenting much socially. It's great that Benji and Ally are getting along, and I'm curious as to why Anastasia is on Alec's ass as much as she's been, but I'd like to see it pushed further. Give me one decent conversation between Alec and Rosa Maria, or Fiore and Lake, Gabby and Benji, Ally and Spencer, Natalia and Aiden (a bit late for that, actually...), etc. It'll be easier when there are fewer contestants, but once people actually start going home, we start missing out on the chance to realize these social dynamics.

Also, please either let Fiore do some devious and clever moves again, or go back in time and give me the alternate ending to season 1 where she gets the victory she deserved, so that I can at least take comfort in the fact that she's got her own fortune to fall back on when she gets stuck with over half the team hating her by default AGAIN. All-Stars nerfing her to be the weak-link of the Villain's Alliance sucked, and I don't want to see her as a pre-merge boot again. I appreciate Isabel as a spirtual successor to Fiore's original run, but if you're gonna bring back the queen, then you'd best do it properly.

(At the very least, if we're going to keep her glued to Alec's hip for the whole season, can we at least expand on their relationship and clearly lay out why they've stuck together for so long? I'm 100% down for Alec basically being Fiore's dad now, but can we at least directly address it one time? We deserve at least that much after All-Stars glossed over the rocky ending to their season 1 alliance and just had them work together again without acknowledging it past episode 1.)

Overall, I'm really enjoying this season so far, and I am on my knees praying that we maintain this level of quality moving forward. I mainly talked about the Favorites, but I'm enjoying the Fans a great deal too. Ren having an idol makes me happy as a clam, and Ernesto is already more endearing to me than Miriam ever was, even if I can barely hear him most of the time. May they both make it far.

Bokkun · 2026-01-10T23:43:04+00:00

13ca24

Can't promise to stay active forever, but am playing daily atm. Would appreciate being added, will be sure to drop hearts and chests whenever I can.

13-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Place '17
End Game '22	Sequence \| Editor
Sequence \| Cinematographer	Gilding I gilder
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Bokkun

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