The Ruins Rundown

Bang-A-Rang! Unlike last week's The Ruins, this week's offered up both good, interesting challenges and all the drama you can handle. And it was all lady drama, which is SO much hotter than dude drama. You know you're in for a quality episode when the main challenge is over and you've still got a half hour left.

We started off with all kinds of drama surrounding Tonya and Katie, though it looks like they were taken from different nights and just edited together for effect. I do have to agree with Katie that a Thailand plunger in the bed is pretty friggin gross (also, that it sounds like a ridiculously creepy sex move).

I've got to say that also I agree with Wes on how ridiculous it is that Evan, Kenny and Johnny Bananas all feel insulted and concerned after SPOILER Tonya gets sent home even though they were the ones pushing her buttons more than anyone. I wonder if those dudes are completely amoral or unable to see how asshole-ish they are. Only time will tell.

Also, I've hated Sarah since her season on the Real World and I wouldn't mind Katie kicking her ass. More on that in a bit.

I'm getting way ahead of myself though. The main challenge was interesting. People had to swim out and put a bridge together one piece (and person) at a time. The Challengers were doing really well until Casey screwed it up. The girl's afraid of heights AND water? Just trick her into punching someone so you can have a chance Challengers. Needless to say, the Champions won.

Like I said, the challenge was over at the halfway mark which meant something big was gonna happen. That something big? Tonya getting drunk (after talking to some of the other contestants and telling them that she drinks too much in what was actually a fairly touching scene) and trying to start some trouble with Veronica. Do you not realize that Veronica is the one that went up against a friggin' witch on Road Rules Semester At Sea? [This isn't the witch scene, but you get the idea]

Anyway, Tonya was so worked up that she smacked Veronica in the head and got sent home for it, which brought about the outpouring of fake emotion from the guys that I mentioned before. Is this the guys potentially turning a new leaf? Heh, don't be silly. Here's a few choice quotes from their interaction before the slap was thrown. Veronica: "You look crazy." Tonya: "You do! You're wet!" [This is after Tonya spilled Veronica's food all over the place.] Veronica: "Are you half my age?" Tonya: "Not now." [After Tonya said she's half Veronica's age...or something, it's hard to keep track of a drunken argument when you're only buzzed.]

The deliberations for who would go in went pretty smoothly. Since the Champions won they got to choose and both Darrell and Katie offered themselves up. Darrell wanted to go up against Danny, one of the four remaining guys from the Challengers team, while Katie at first chose the useless Casey, but the team wasn't having that. They made the argument that Casey was the reason that their team won that challenge and they should keep her around, so Katie went with Sarah. I'm sure there's a ton of unintended game theory in there (I REALLY wish I would have taken that class in college).

The girls were up first in the Ruins and I was torn. See, I hate Sarah and I like Katie (she's a firecracker), but I don't want to see the Challengers loose another player. In the end, Sarah pulled it off. Sorry Katie (she said this is her last challenge because she's engaged and wants to have kids, but we've heard that one before). Then it was up to the guys. Like with the girls, we got down to a tied match, but Darrell pulled out the V for the Champions. Bummer. Now the Challengers are left with three men. I'm guessing that means they will always be on the chopping block every time when it comes to the Ruins. The Challengers team looks so small and paltry afterwards.

But none of this compares to the post-Ruins footage they show. You've got a group of girls talking outside about how Evan and Kenny run the show and use the girls as fodder to get to the end. THEN you've got Kenny explaining how the girls are useless in an interview. But none of that compares to a shot where you hear Evan talking and see a bunk bed with sheets and blankets put up so you can't see who's talking. You assume Evan's discussing strategy in there with a girl, but then we cut to inside the fort and it's Evan and Kenny lying in bed together talking strategy. Hey, I'm not judging, but it makes sense. Really though, I'd like to see someone really challenge those two (and Johnny Bananas) either from their own team or in the Ruins. See, I think Wes is in this game to the end. He's stronger than those guys and there isn't anyone on the Challengers who could take him out of the competition, but Evan, Kenny and Johnny? I'm not so sure about them. Have they gone in at all? I don't think so, but I'm not 100% (anyone remember?).

The commercial for the next episode was an interesting one. They show members from opposite teams all over each other. But in groups. So there's a group of Champions all around KellyAnne for example. Em thinks that that's because the challenge next week will be to physically bring someone from the other team over to your team, perhaps permanently. And, as she also put it, how crazy would it be if the Challengers grabbed one of the "Trinity" of dudes? Pretty friggin crazy right? I'm hoping she's right. Cause otherwise, the Challengers are screwed. Big time.

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