Winners were crowned last night on the finale of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines! Picking up from last week, the teams prep for the second part of the Final! In stage two, Job Detail, TJ tells them that they have an important job for them all, which requires a specific dress code!  The teams have to dress up in suits, and have to carry very important briefcases. TJ informs them that they have to take the train to their next location, but first, they have to eat a traditional German meal, with blood soup, bratwurst, blood tongue, etc! For every plate that goes unfinished by each team member, a five-minute penalty will be added to their time at the very end.
Though the meal is sickening to everyone, Jamie and Cara Maria finish in decent time. Jenna, of course, gets tripped up here, because she's such a picky eater! After time expires on this stage, Cory and Mitch end up with a 10 minute penalty, and Jenna and Brianna get a 30 minute penalty. The teams then ride over to the train station, which is super creepy and looks abandoned. They see that in the third stage, Train Delay. there is no real train coming at all! For the rest of the night, each player must stand in their designated spots and hold their briefcases. If one member wants a nap, you have to give up give your briefcase to your partner and lay on the bench, which is old and rickety. For every minute a briefcase touches the ground, there is a time penalty. It's absolutely cold and miserable!

At 7:00 AM, TJ comes in to get the teams, apologizing that the "train was cancelled." At that moment though, an actual transit worker comes over and kicks everybody out! It's revealed that no one got a time penalty for this stage, and the limo drives the teams over to the next stage. In Stage 4, Row Hard, TJ announces that the teams have to row 10 miles up the Spree River in canoes! Cara Maria and Jamie book it down this river, while Brianna and Jenna really struggle.   The two of them even get stuck in a tree for a minute! Looks like that lead from the beginning of the final is pretty much shot.Cara and Jamie finish this stage first, Cory and Mitch second, and Brianna and Jenna eventually brings up the rear in third.

For the fifth and final stage, Coded Entrance, the teams are brought to Berlin's historic Olympic Stadium. They have to solve a puzzle to get into the stadium, with all of the pieces of the puzzle in their briefcases. After they solve the puzzle, they then have to run eight laps around the track, and their times will be stopped. The times from all of the stages will then be added together to determine the winners!

With this puzzle, every row, diagonal, horizontal, and vertical, needs to come to the same number when added up. It's like a little more complicated version of Sudoku! Everyone is exhausted and struggle to think While the other teams struggle to finish, Cory and Mitch figure out their puzzle first, and this is where they can catch up! Cory and Mitch end up finishing their laps before the other teams even get down there! Cara Maria and Jamie eventually finish, and Jenna and Brianna's time ends up just expiring. Each team finishes their laps, but it all comes down to the total time over all five stages! Literally, it's anyone's game right now.

At the end of the episode, TJ reveals the winners! Third place goes to Jenna and Brianna, who take home $25,000. Though they didn't win, it's a redeeming moment for Jenna because she didn't quit this time! Cory and Mitch take home second, winning $75,000, meaning that first place grand prize of $250,000 goes to Cara Maria and Jamie! Though I wasn't rooting for her at first, I do believe that Cara is deserving of the win. She put in work this season, and many before, and has never won before, so it was good to see her take home the money.

This was a GREAT season of The Challenge! I've been watching for a long time, and this is definitely one of my favorite seasons! I hope that MTV brings the Bloodlines format back in the future! The next season of The Challenge begins in May, and it's Rivals 3! Only this time, the Rivals will be boy/girl teams, which is definitely going to be A LOT of drama! I'll definitely be recapping! 

8:12:00 AM

The Final for The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines has  Picking up from last week, three teams plan to battle it out for the Final in Berlin: Cara Maria and Jamie, Cory and Mitch, and Jenna and Brianna! They all head out to party and celebrate before heading out for the toughest challenge of the season. That night, TJ texts the teams a clue: "It's that time of the season. Congratulations to you all! My boy Franz is going to swing by before the race." Who in the world is Franz?!

Franz comes into their room the next day, and it turns out he is a tailor! He gets their measurements, which confuses everyone. (At this point, pictures have come out with the teams in suits for part of the challenge, though we still don't know exactly what's going on!). The teams then go downstairs to get in a limo to the final, which is so weird! Cara Maria makes a true statement that the nicer MTV treats them, the harder and crazier this final will be.  As the teams are brought into the woods, TJ appears to start the Final, which is the first final challenge to take place in a major city! He tells them that there are five extremely diverse stages. Each team will be timed, and whoever has the fastest time at the end will win. The winning team gets to split $250,000! Second place gets $75K, and third $25K, which is still pretty decent. Of course, TJ lets them all know they have to finish in order to get paid, throwing a glance over at Jenna, who quit during the Final last season!


For Stage 1, the teams are at an old CIA complex in Berlin. This stage has four checkpoints for them all to complete. The major catch is that, before each checkpoint, everyone has to run a lap around the complex with a heavy bag (120 pounds for the guys, 60 pounds for the girls). After the teams finish each checkpoint, they get a token. The checkpoints themselves aren't terrible. It's the lap around the complex that kills everyone.They have to walk all along this trail in the woods, and it's terrible. Though they were in the lead at first, Cory and Mitch fall behind when one of the straps on Mitch's weighted bag comes off. They're a strong team, but will they be able to make up lost time?

At the first checkpoint, Barrel Roll, the teams have to roll six barrels up a hill and stack them up. Pretty simple checkpoint, which Cara Maria and Jamie finish. However, another horrible lap with this weighted backpacks take a toll on Jamie. Brianna and Jenna, who only have 60 pounds, manage to pass them, getting the lead!  On the second checkpoint, Flip Flop, the teams have to climb up a flight of stairs into a creepy building. Each person has to catapult a beer stein into a barrel some feet away. Every time you miss, you have to chug a beer, which are nonalcoholic thankfully. The teams won't be drunk, but they will be disgustingly full!  Jenna and Brianna make it happen in decent time, leaving Cara and Jamie behind. Jamie finally makes his shot, but Cara is getting frustrated because she keeps missing and has to chug all of these beers now. She cries and complains, but finally makes her shot as well. Cory and Mitch manage to catch up here, but are still very far behind everyone else, unfortunately.

The third checkpoint, Block Head, is a puzzle! The objective is to arrange these three-dimensional blocks flush against the board with no spaces showing. Jenna and Brianna are still in first place, and knock this checkpoint before the other teams even get there! I really can't believe that they're in the lead and are doing so well! The other teams are still putting in work, doing the best they can, but have a lot of time to make up. During the fourth checkpoint, Don't Get Tired, each team has to stand on two tires to travel across the room. If your feet touch the ground, you have to start all over. It's a very slow and steady checkpoint, and Jenna and Brianna have to start over once, Cara Maria and Jamie manage to get to the checkpoint, and see Jenna and Brianna, but the girls are still pretty far ahead of them. Jenna and Brianna keep working well together, and finish the first stage first! Eventually Cara and Jamie, as well as Cory and Mitch manage to finish, though no one knows at this point what their times are. Unfortunately, the laps around the complex really had an impact. However, this is the Final, so it's supposed to be tough.

This entire episode only went through ONE stage. There are FOUR more, and there's no clue what's going to be next! Because this is a timed event too, this is still anyone's game! The teams are headed to a new location within the city, and I'm excited to see what they have to do next week!

The season finale of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines nairs ext Wednesday at 10 p.m. only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

7:31:00 AM

The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines is winding down! Picking up from last week, four teams head to Berlin for one last challenge before the final: Cara Maria and Jamie, Aneesa and Rianna, Cory and Mitch, and Jenna and Brianna. They are all so excited to pack and head get to the city to get this money! At this point, though, Aneesa is annoyed with Rianna, and wants her to have more heart to get through this competition. Rianna is irritated too, feeling like Aneesa has not taken the time to spend time with her and grow closer. I understand both sides. At the end of the day, in Aneesa's viewpoint, this is a competition and you have to put forth the effort. However, if morale is low because you're not talking to or you don't have a good relationship, that harms the team.

That day, the house says goodbye to Turkey and hello to Berlin! The architecture is absolutely beautiful, and the hotel they're staying at is pretty cool too. Everyone has has a toast to celebrate them all making it this far. The next day, they even go out to see the sights, and it's cool to see even watching from home. Berlin is definitely on my travel bucket list! While they're out, Rianna and Aneesa get into a tiny argument, and Rianna expresses that she's over trying to be Aneesa's friend. Rianna vents later to Cory and Mitch, and they advise both Rianna and Aneesa to speak to each other. Turns out that, even though they're cousins, they didn't really know each other before this apparently, and never hung out. (We find out later in the aftershow that they really just met shortly before the show started taping). So, with that in mind, it's clear now why they didn't have the tight-knit relationship that other bloodlines did. Rianna doesn't appreciate the fact that Aneesa doesn't trust her, after she dropped everything to be here for her. However, it's hard to trust someone fully you're still learning about. Aneesa wants her to check back into the competition mentally, which is understandable.

The next day, the teams go to compete in their last challenge before the Final! TJ announces that the teams will play "Truck Crossing" at a former Soviet Union airfield. The goal is for each team to go from one 18 wheeler to another...having to hop over five cars in between that are going 40 mph the entire time! The team with the fast time will win, and head straight to the Final! The losing team will go straight into The Pit.

The challenge looks fun and scary at the same time! Cory and Mitch choose the order, and pick Cara Maria and Jamie to go first. They manage to make a decent time, as all of it comes down to keeping up momentum and not getting nervous. However, they tell a story about how scary and hard it was to try to intimidate the other teams, but Aneesa sees right through it. During her and Aneesa's heat, Rianna is scared as hell, and it shows. However, Aneesa pushes Rianna the whole time, and they do well, as do Jenna and Brianna. Mitch and Cory go SUPER fast and finish in record time! At the end, T.J. announces that Rianna and Aneesa are the losing team, and will be going into The Pit. Mitch and Cory win again, and snag a spot in the Final! They also have to choose one team to go against Aneesa and Rianna, and TJ tells them to make a decision right on the spot. They make a smart move and choose Cara Maria and Jamie, which sucks for Cara. That also means that Brianna and Jenna are guaranteed their spot in the Final!

That night, the cast goes to party in Berlin, but it's hard for Cara to have fun. She even tells Mitch that she doesn't want to talk to him and Cory. I understand Cara Maria being mad, especially with the competition coming to an end. However, at the end of the day, it's a game, and each player and team has to play smart. Aneesa is over Cara completely, from the girl's attitude to her accent. In fact, Aneesa ends up going off on her on the ride back to the hotel. They both throw low blows at each other, but I think they're both frustrated for a few reasons. One, at this point, they have all been around each other for weeks on end, and that's enough to make anyone crazy. Two, they are both upset and frustrated about The Pit.

The next night, TJ announces the final elimination round in The Pit, which is an all girls round. Aneesa and Cara will play "Mine Not Yours." The game is simple: you have to wrestle a bar out of your opponent's hand, and the best two out of three win. This is a game that Aneesa has played before, so she has a good idea of what to do. However, it's a dirty game! Both girls play dirty by throwing elbows and what not, and it's really all about who wants it more! Surprisingly, Cara Maria is able to win two rounds, and sends Aneesa and Rianna home. Aneesa and Cara end up apologizing to each other for their fight, and Aneesa makes up with Rianna as well. It's obviously emotional because both teams wanted it so bad, probably more than the other two teams if you ask me. It hurts even more too to lose right before the Final.

At the end of the episode, TJ warns the remaining teams to get rest because this final is SERIOUS!
At the hotel, everyone pops champagne to celebrate. I really wonder though how this final is going to be. Every year, TJ says that this will be the toughest Final, so I wonder what the folks at MTV have up their sleeves this go around!

Check out the teams competing in the Final on The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines next Wednesday at 10 p.m. only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

10:59:00 AM

The Challenge of the Bloodlines was definitely eventful last night! Picking up from last week's episode, five team remain and it's a family reunion! As TJ announced last week, everyone is now back with their bloodlines. As everyone relaxes for the night, TJ sends a text saying, "Tomorrow's challenge will show which one of you will weigh your teammate down!" It definitely sounds like this will be a challenge testing endurance, and now that everyone is with their individual bloodlines, who knows what will happen!

The next day, TJ announces that this challenge will be no joke. In fact, this is going to show who will be able to make it through the Final! In the challenge "Weight for Me," the teams will race up a mountain, complete various checkpoints along the way. The major catch is one person will have to carry a heavy bag (40 lbs for the girls, 70 lbs for the guys), and the other person will have to complete the checkpoint. They will switch tasks after every checkpoint. The team to complete all of the checkpoints first will win, and the last team to finish will be automatically going to The Pit. With the game THIS close to the end, every team needs to dig deep to guarantee their spot in the Final!

The checkpoints are relatively simple. The first is crawling under a net military-style, and the second pulling a chain into a circle that you stand in. The third is go over and under a few beams, and then using a rope to swing up onto a huge balance beam and walking across. The fourth is climbing monkey bars, and the fifth is solving a puzzle. However, when you add a strenuous walk up a mountain with a heavy bag on your back, these simple tasks can be a little agonizing afterwards!

Having to carry 70 pounds, the guys quickly get tired, and, surprisingly, Aneesa and Rianna pass everyone! Cory and Mitch especially struggle, since Cory only has one ACL and he seems to be overexerting himself. Like I said, with this hard walk, the simplest tasks are difficult. Vince struggles at the balance beam, which allows Jenna and Brianna as well as Jamie and Cara Maria to get ahead of Johnny and Vince. Rianna and Aneesa manage to keep their lead for a while, but Rianna really struggles with her job of getting across the monkey bars. Just about everyone passes them because her upper body strength is seriously lacking.

Though Cory and Mitch are in last place for the majority of the challenge, everyone manages to catch up at the very last checkpoint: solving a puzzle. It all comes down to this stupid puzzle that no one can seem to figure out! Though most of the teams struggle with this puzzle, after all of their issues, Cory and Mitch manage to win, solving the puzzle in less than a minute! Cara Maria and Jamie unfortunately get last and have to go to The Pit, which sucks because they're a good team. As the winning team, Cory and Mitch get to choose any other team to go against Cara Maria and Jamie. Even though Johnny tries to campaign to stay out of The Pit, Cory and Mitch play smart and throw Johnny and Vince in. It's definitely going to be a show with Cara Maria and Johnny going against each other!

In The Pit, the teams play "Through Thick and Thin," There are two walls and two puzzles. The objective is to take a sledgehammer through the wall, and solve the puzzle behind it. Both teams easily make holes through the wall for each person to climb through. However, this kaleidoscope puzzle is what trips everyone up! It's even more confusing than the puzzle was at the challenge! At one point, Johnny and Vince think they have it, but it ends up being wrong. In a very surprising upset, Cara Maria and Jamie are able to pull through and send Johnny and Vince home! On one hand, I'm upset because I love to see Bananas win, but Cara has never won a Challenge, so I kind of want her to see her make a final and get a win. This is major for her and Jamie, and definitely brings good morale going into the

It's down to four teams: Cara Maria and Jamie, Cory and Mitch, Aneesa and Rianna, and Jenna and Brianna! TJ congratulates them, and reveals that they are headed to Berlin, Germany, for one more challenge before the Final! Can't wait to see how this plays out!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

11:23:00 AM

The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines is always throwing us all for a loop! Picking up from last week, the house has another fun night out. In a confessional, Johnny admits he doesn't want to go against Abram because the guy is crazy. Abram himself still wants to get rid of John still, though impressed by his tactics.

The next day, the cast has their next challenge, "Air Pockets!" There's is a giant boat way out to sea, with a flag 150 feet away from the boat. Each player has to swim to the flag...underwater!  There are six air pockets (small cases where the players can get air really quick), and each one only has enough room for two people. Each person will have to catch their breath to get to the next air pocket, having to keep moving forward to keep making room for other team members. If you come back up for air, you're disqualified. The team who gets the most people across to the flag the fastest will win. And, since this is a guy's elimination day, each team will have to vote in a guy from the losing team for elimination! With the game being so close to the end, you definitely don't want to have to go in now!

These air pockets are probably a good seven feet or so underwater. I don't swim all that well, so this is a scary looking challenge to me!  The Red Team fails one by one. In fact, John and Abram are the only ones to even make it to the first air pocket! The two work together, surprisingly, and make to the end in a decent time. The Blue Team manages to get quite a few players to the first air pocket, but Jenna, Mitch, and Vince both freak out, and end up swimming back to the surface. It comes down to Jamie and Mike who manage to make it to the end.

Since only two players made it from each team, it all comes down to time! Once again, the Red Team wins, so each team has to pick a guy from the Blue Team to go into the Pit. TJ announces though that this is the last challenge as the Red Team and Blue Team. From now on, each player will go back to being a team with his or her bloodline. It's great for some...not so great for others!  At deliberation, there are four guys to pick from: Vince, Mitch, Mike, and Jamie. After no other guy steps up, Vince makes the point that Mike has been volunteering all this time, so basically why stop now? Mike stupidly does! However, others really wants Vince in so that Vince could lose and Johnny goes home. Johnny goes around politicking per usual, telling different people to vote for Jamie so that there is a possibility of Cara going home. It makes perfect sense, since Cara's the strongest girl. However, will Johnny's arguments work?

At voting, Mike votes himself in again, which, again, is STUPID, especially this late in the game. Then again, Mike and Abram seem like the type to do these challenges because they have to prove something to everyone. I'd be there for the money, and I'll be damned if I'm not doing almost anything I need to do to make it to the end, including staying as far away from elimination as possible!  After his great politicking, Johnny gets the majority of the Red Team to vote for Jamie. Abram goes off on everyone with this rant about how everyone is letting this game turn them into bad people and blah blah blah. Okay Pastor Abe. It's a game...people manipulate to win. Calm down. It's interesting though that, by the end of the night, a couple will be torn apart. Either Abram or Cara will go home since their bloodlines are competing!

In The Pit, TJ gives the cast yet another surprise, bringing out vets CT and Zach! Instead of facing each other, Jamie and Mike will compete against Zach and CT in "Hand It Over!" There is a giant wall with three different poles at different levels. It's a basic game of tug-of-war, with each guy trying to pull the pole through a hole to get it on their side.  In the event of a tie, whoever manages to hold on to the poles the longest, between Jamie and Mike, will win. Either way, these guys are screwed. Do you see CT and Zach?!!

This challenge sucks for Mike and Jamie, not only because CT and Zach are super strong, but also because these guys have NO gloves. It means that there really needs to be a strong use of legs on the wall. Jamie doesn't use his legs, relying more on his arms, and he quickly dies out. Mike manages to do a much better job of holding on than Jamie against Zach,  though both guys get crushed. With these guys, it ends up just being about who can hold on for dear life the longest, so it comes down to time. In the end, Jamie manages to pull it out, sending Abram and Mike home! It's great for Johnny of course, since he sent home probably his toughest competition. Cara's a little glad too because now she can focus on just winning instead of worrying about Abram. There's really only one team standing in her way: Vince and Bananas!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

10:58:00 AM

The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines has been going by so quickly...we're already on the eighth episode! Picking up from last week, Bananas confronts KellyAnne about the Red Team planning to throw the next challenge, so that she and her bloodline Anthony aren't nominated for The Pit. In fact, they want to throw in Cara Maria to go up against Brianna or Rianna. KellyAnne doesn't know what she wants to do, on the fence about playing the game dirty, even though Johnny tells her to stop thinking with her emotions. Anthony manages to convince her to do things their way in order to make it to the final. Everyone plays a little dirty on these challenges...it's just the way of the game. However, Jamie peeps KellyAnne and Anthony's alliance with Johnny, and wants to work to send them home.

At the next challenge, T.J. pays tribute to Challenge vets Ryan Knight and Diem Brown, who both passed away last year. He brings out another Challenge vet, CT, who Diem dated for a long while, and Diem's little sister Faith, which is definitely an emotional moment. T.J. lets the cast know that their challenge is over a mud pit, just like Diem's own challenge in The Duel, "Ring Toss," where Diem first took off her wig vulnerably as she was recovering from her first bout of ovarian cancer. It was a beautiful moment to watch again, because she was so open and strong.

C.J. and Faith come back to simply do a demonstration of the day's challenge in honor of Diem. In
"Too Clingy," the teams will have race up a ladder, go across a cargo net and then climb back across underneath the cargo net to come back to the finish line. If you fall, you are disqualified. The team to get the most players across in the fastest amount of will win. Both Faith and CJ fall, but it's fun to watch them try. It proves to be a struggle for a lot of people, since it requires a lot of strengh and the cargo net gives a lot when you put your weight on it. The Blue Team ends up gettting four out of seven people across. During the Red Team's heat, Johnny and Anthony plan to throw it, and hope that at least one girl falls as well. Johnny even pretends to help Rianna across, but she eventually falls. Johnny tries to make his disqualification as convincing as possible, but NO ONE is buying it. Anthony pretends like he's having a hard time too, but no one is convinced by him either, and even yell at him as he seems to reconsider his decision. He dramatically drops, and both sides are so mad at him. KellyAnne, of course, comes to the defense of her cousin, and goes at it with Jamie a little bit as well.

The challenge came down to time, since the teams got the same number of people across. After all of that, the Red Team STILL wins! Now KellyAnne and Anthony are in serious danger of being voted into The Pit! At deliberation, after a close vote, the Blue Team votes in Jenna. The Red Team still votes for KellyAnne, with Johnny even voting for her trying to go along to get along. Of course, KellyAnne calls out Johnny about that vote later, and now Anthony sees that he was just being used as a pawn. This is nothing new from Bananas. I respect him as a competitor, because he plays the game well, both physically and mentally. His tactics aren't always right, but he has managed to do very well.

That night, the house parties, and CT and Faith come out to hang out with them. Faith shares memories of her big sister, and even Johnny gets a little choked up. As the house parties into the night, Vince comes up to CT drunk and gets in his space for no reason. Before CT can act out, he decides to just walk out with Faith. CT has grown up!

On elimination day, Jenna plans to win and come back with a vengeance. No more Miss Nice Girl! Meanwhile, KellyAnne is nervous, but Anthony tells her to just give it her all. At the Pit, Jenna and KellyAnne compete in "Spun Out." The elimination round consists of performing two simple tasks. The catch is they will be spun for a bit right before they have to do them! Starting at the top of a platform, each girl will sit in a swing and be spun all the way down to the ground. In the first heat, they will be spun and then have to stand on one leg on a pole for ten seconds. They will then have to be spun again, and put logs in one vertical column. The girl who finishes in the fastest time will win!

This spinning is very quick and very long!  I don't know why, but KellyAnne's swing always stops before Jenna's, putting Jenna a bit behind, especially in the first heat However, in the second round, Jenna stacks her blocks quicker. KellyAnne's blocks fall over, which puts her behind. Though the game was close, T.J. announces that the winner is Jenna, sending KellyAnne and Anthony home! I have to admit, Jenna has held her own this time around, seeing as though this is her third time being thrown in The Pit! She must have been training beforehand or something! This loss sucks for Johnny, since he lost yet another part of his alliance, and now has a bigger target on his back!

Next week, CT is back...and he's bringing yet another vet: Zach! What is going on?!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

7:15:00 PM

The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines was too psychotic last night! Picking up from last week's back to back episode 5 and episode 6, there are eight teams left in the house. Johnny talks with Vince about breaking up the rookie alliance by revealing the truth about Cara Maria's flirtation with Thomas to Abram! That will absolutely shake things up in the house! It's a diabolical plan, because EVERYONE knows that Abram is straight up crazy and unstable! Vince eventually tells Abram that Cara and Thomas have been spending time together, going beyond flirting, but Abram wants to get the facts first. He doesn't trust Johnny and Vince since they haven't really talked this entire time. However, that seed is planted in Abram's head, and he's the type to let that news sit until he goes off!



Later that night, Abram confronts Cara, but, surprisingly decides to just let it go, while Cara plots revenge on Johnny. She later goes to Abram, and tells him that she's given Thomas massages and egg sandwiches, but that's all. Abram is still offended, and tells her that she's going to vote Thomas in the elimination as if that will prove her loyalty to Abram or something. Cara just wants to smooth things out with him, but he just seems really controlling and possessive.

The next day, Abram confronts Thomas on the bus before the challenge. The twins state, contrary to Cara's belief, that they have made no promises to Cara and Jamie to protect them. Abram shows Cara how Thomas and Stephen truly don't care what happens with them, and is now gunning to get Thomas out of the house. Though everyone is a little on alert because of how insane Abram is, Johnny still gets a kick out of watching everything!

At the Challenge, T.J. announces that the teams will be playing "Hand Me Down." The objective is to use ropes to travel from one beam to the other, while suspended 650 feet in the air! Whichever team gets the most team members across wins. Aneesa quits without even stepping on because of the heights, getting the Blue Team off to a bad start. However, they stay neck and neck with the Red Team for a little bit. It's a really difficult challenge for some, since it involves upper body strength, and a breeze for others. The Red Team ends up winning yet again! It's a difficult challenge, though because it doesn't really matter if you win or not. If your bloodline goes home, you go home, so it's really about being able to form alliances outside of the challenge. No one's truly safe. This day is a guy's elimination, so both teams have to vote someone from the Blue Team to compete in The Pit. IT.J. gives the cast until the next morning to make their decisions.

Mike makes it easy on everyone, volunteering himself again for the Blue Team. This time, they listen and agree to let him go in. Still stupid to me, but he wants to prove himself. Abram wants the Red Team to vote for Stephen to get rid of Thomas. When Thomas calls out Abram for calling them up on the bus, and then decides to vote in Jamie, Cara easily decides to vote for Stephen. At elimination, it's decided that Mike and Stephen will go into The Pit. The Red Team votes for Stephen overall. Johnny, of course, is THRILLED.

That night, the teams walk into The Pit to see two kind of living rooms set up with a sledgehammer, crowbar, and other tools in front, as if the guys will be destroying the rooms! T.J. announces that Stephen and Mike will be playing "Home Wrecker." How ironic. Using the tools provided, they have to smash everything down to fit into a small hole to clear out the room! Mike is KILLING IT, using the tools and even ripping apart stuff. Stephen struggles badly because he's just not as strong. Mike easily wins, sending Thomas and Stephen home, exciting Abram! When they get back to the house, however, Cara vents to Jamie about wanting to break up with Abram's crazy behind! In fact, she had planned to leave him when she got back. She hates that he's here, and doesn't want to be distracted by his antics. I understand her logic, but she chose to stay with him! Instead of being honest, she's playing these games that she's too old for. If you can't do it anymore, then you need to leave!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

9:06:00 PM

Back to back episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines last night, so you all get back to back recaps! Picking up from episode five, Abram's confessional of his hatred for Johnny Bananas is played. He admits that he's never liked him and he doesn't trust him one bit. However, they're on the same team so they have to put their differences aside. Oh, but trust, there is a reason that MTV played this specifically for this episode!

The next day, the teams head to the beach for the next challenge called, "Family Connection." The objective is to carry balls from one side of the beach to other...using only their heads. Obviously, that proves to be quite a challenge for the teams. In the end though, the Red Team, once again, kills the Blue Team. It's a girl's elimination day, so both teams have to vote in a girl from the Blue Team.

Knowing that she would probably get voted in anyway, KellyAnne volunteers to go into The Pit. The Red Team votes in Nany, including Johnny, which shocks the house since they're supposed to be in cahoots! Since he and Nany have hooked up before, Johnny admits in the confessional that he voted for Nany simply because he didn't want to get in trouble with his girlfriend back home! Of course, Nany is hurt that Johnny betrayed her like this, and out of nowhere! Especially because of something so petty! I have an issue with this because Johnny make a big fuss last season when vets Sarah and Jordan sent him into elimination, and he wasn't expecting it because they were "friends." Now It's crazy that Nany would be the one facing KellyAnne in The Pit, right after Nany and Aneesa vowed to send her in.

At the elimination, Nany and KellyAnne play "Ring My Bell." The game consists of running back and forth to swing a mattress to ring a bell fifty times. I would probably keel over...I hate running! Surprisingly, KellyAnne manages to win, sending Nany and Nicole home! I wouldn't have expected that, but this game is filled with twists and surprises. Like next week, when both CT and Zach, Challenge vets, show up again, wearing gray shirts! I don't think they're joining the cast, and, since Zach was bald, they may be doing something in tribute to Diem Brown. Then again, you never know with this game!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

4:00:00 PM

Apparently, last night, while I was having a ball at the Jazmine Sullivan concert, MTV aired TWO new episodes back-to-back of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines. So I'm playing major catch up right now. I'll be posting the other episode in another post, so this one won't be crazy long.

Picking up from last week, after the Red team's win in trivia, everyone heads off to deliberate who will be heading into The Pit. The vets plan to divide the male rookies, knowing that they're gunning for the vets. In a stupid move, Mike (Abram's brother) volunteers himself, but the Blue Team doesn't go along with his plan. Why would you even do that when you JUST got there? Why risk it?! Nany convinces several Blue Team members to throw in Raphy to break up the rookie alliance, and Johnny tries to get the Red Team to vote for Mitch. Perfect idea.

At nominations, the majority of the Blue Team does indeed vote for Raphy, even Aneesa, which pisses Cory off. He figured he could give her a little attention, and she would just go along with everything he said. What does he expect after the way he treated her? As the red team begins voting, Raphy and Dario lash out, with Dario eventually throwing low blows at Nany and Nicole. Nany tells this rookie repeatedly,"Know your role." to which he responds "The only role you know is on Johnny's lap." Disrespectful! The majority of the Red Team does indeed end up voting for Mitch, and the rookies are seriously mad now! Later, Johnny, Dario, Raphy, and Nany all get into a major argument about all this! Honestly, I really want Dario and Raphy to go home. I don't know them, and don't care to know them. They're annoying.

That night, as they go out, you can see that the house is clearly divided, with the rookies on one side of the bar and the vets on the other. Nany and Aneesa plan to get KellyAnne eliminated so they can make it to the final. They think she's just flirting with the rookies to get a free pass through the challenge! After seeing Aneesa glaring at her for a while, KellyAnne gets into it with her and KellyAnne get into it, with Aneesa throwing a drink in her face! They walk a way for a bit, but eventually get into it again. When Aneesa criticizes KellyAnne's looks, KellyAnne talks about Aneesa's "black skin," even touching her face! Aneesa pushes her, calling her a "racist anorexic." HOW DARE YOU KELLYANNE! Back at the house, even the rookies call her out for her comment! She's definitely not living that down. Shameful.

At The Pit, T.J. announces that Raphy and Mitch will be playing "My Way or the Highway," with the first contestant to pull an opponent's chain past their mark wins. Basically a huge game of tug of war but with chains attached to each guy's chest. It's definitely very physical and challenging. Raphy seems like he has it at first, but is using mostly his arms instead of his entire weight, which people pick up on. Mitch struggles, and even falls in the middle of the challenge himself though, causing Dario to think his brother won. He goes to celebrate with him, but the challenge wasn't over, dummy! That moment of distraction allowed Mitch to pull Raphy's chain and win the elimination, sending Dario and Raphy home. Pride goes before a fall, guys. Good riddance!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

1:46:00 PM

Three teams got knocked out in ONE episode of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines last night. Yes, THREE. Picking up from last week, Tony is taken to the hospital after passing out, as the cast continues to walk towards The Pit. T.J. announces that, because Candice broke her toe, she and Leroy have to go home! The two emotionally say their goodbyes, and T.J. announces that they will still be having the elimination anyway!

As the elimination continues, T.J. states that Larissa and Jenna will be playing Door Slammer. There is a giant door in the middle of The Pit. The two girls will try to slam the door on each other, and the best two out of three wins. Unfortunately, Jenna's just bigger and stronger, and she easily wins, sending Larissa and Camila home. It sucks because, to me, Jenna shouldn't have even been there in the first place, and now a true competitor is going home. What's worse, is that Camila was on the winning team of the previous challenge, and still had absolutely no hand in her fate. This game has one of the craziest formats in Challenge history, and I've been watching for quite a long time now.

That night, production wakes up Shane to tell him that Tony wants him at the hospital, causing eyebrows to raise. Production doesn't really get involved unless it's something serious! Meanwhile during the day, there's flirting and hookups galore going on in the house. Cara and Thomas continue to flirt, even though they BOTH have people back at home. KellyAnne and Dario spend some time making out, and Aneesa and Cory have a little hook up too. While Aneesa has become really smitten with this boy, apparently, Cory has a girl he's been hanging out with at home! Cory states upfront to the guys that he's not stressing about her, pissing Aneesa off after she overhears him. She goes off on him, telling him that he's not safe not only in this game, but in real life. Jerk. What can you expect in this game, though? Very rarely do couples in these challenges make it for long. At least Aneesa saw the truth before she got too involved.

At the fourth challenge, T.J. announces that Tony and Shane have been disqualified due to Tony's injury. In the Aftershow, we find out that Tony actually had a ruptured spleen and had to have emergency surgery that same night! In another twist, T.J. brings in Abram and his brother Mike to compete! This makes things kind of awkward since he's dating Cara, and Cara's been flirting with Thomas! Of course, Thomas is a little scared, because, if you've ever watched this man, Abram is bonafide crazy. The folks at MTV knew exactly what they were doing with this decision. Abram is on the Red Team with Cara, while Mike is with the Blue Team.

T.J. announces his favorite challenge (and mine!), which is trivia, entitled Heir to the Throne. The cast pairs up, with one person answering questions and the other sitting in an inner tube hoisted over water. If the person answering gets two questions wrong, T.J. is blowing up the inner tube to send their partner into the water! After a bunch of ridiculous answers, the Red Team wins yet again! Both teams have to nominate a guy from the Blue Team, but, of course, if that guy goes home, their bloodline goes home too. At the end, we see the rookies trying to break up the remaining veteran alliance. Johnny Bananas is a little nervous, and understandably so, because the vets are dwindling because of this new game format!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

7:49:00 AM

Things are already really intense on The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines and it's only the third episode! Last week was a turning point, as T.J. announced that the bloodlines would now be going AGAINST each other. The cast is in shock as he announces that they will split up into two teams, the Red Team and the Blue Team. Cara Maria and Jamie (as the winners of the last challenge) pick the two teams. Cara has to choose a veteran (someone that was on a show) and the bloodline will automatically go to the other team, then Jamie will do the same until everyone has been chosen. Both teams will have a mix of vets and family members. After everyone is placed on their teams, it looks like the Red Team is filled with a good deal of the weaker players. T.J. reminds them as well that each player's fate is still tied to their bloodlines, though! It's so crazy how this game is unfolding!


At the next day's challenge, T.J. tells them they'll be playing "Meet Me Halfway." There are two platforms suspended 30 feet over water separated by a narrow, unstable bridge that will swing from side to side based on the wind and momentum from the players' jumps.. Each team will have to use that bridge to jump from to the next platform to platform to transfer 30 flags to the other side. The team who transfers the 30 flags in the least amount of time wins, and, of course, anyone who falls is disqualified.

Surprisingly, even with some proven weaker players, the Red Team does pretty well, snagging 27 out of the 30 flags! In fact, Candice  even smacks her face hard on one go-round, blood dripping from her face and everything, but she keeps going! Even Bananas was impressed! The team's not so weak after all. The Blue Team starts out strong, but the momentum gets lost on that middle platform, making it hard for several people to cross! The Red Team wins when four of the Blue Team people DQ since the Red team had 27 flags. This proves to be a rough, physical challenge though, as Candice has to get stitches for her face, and Tony has to go to the hospital because of his back.

After the challenge, T.J. announces that each team will have to deliberate and vote in a girl from the losing team to go to The Pit since it's a girls' elimination day. However, if that girl goes home, so does their bloodline! The girls on the Red Team aren't even completely safe, even though they won! These twists and turns are going to make for an UGLY game.

Back at the house, the majority of the Blue Team announce that they plan to vote in Larissa. When Camila catches wind of it, she GOES OFF! The girl even goes around campaigning for her sister, trying to save Larissa from The Pit (and ultimately, herself from potentially being eliminated). The Blue Team is trying to get rid of Larissa, a weaker player, but mostly want to eliminate Camila, who's one of the strongest players in the game period. Camila sees through it, and is pissed!

At deliberation, by majority vote, the Blue Team votes in Larissa, and the Red Team votes in Jenna. These deliberations are so twisted because if you vote in one person, there's a potential to send them AND their bloodline home. It's making for a lot of drama and emotions really early in the game! Camila is, of course, upset because people used Larissa to get to her. She refuses to stand by those who turned on her this time around.

At the end of the episode, we see Tony is released from the hospital the next day, and is doing good for a while. However, he starts feeling some cramps in his stomach and looks deathly ill later in the day. Production even steps in and tells him that he should go back to the hospital, but he declines medical attention to keep competing. As the cast walks to down to the The Pit, Tony passes out! CLIFFHANGER!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Images via MTV

11:05:00 AM

The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines was really crazy last night! Picking up from last week, 13 teams remain.! The cast parties during the day on the beach, and it looks like a lot of fun! Bananas has a GoPro camera on the bus, and records Cara Maria and Thomas getting kind of close! Cara apparently is still seeing Abram (who appeared on Road Rules: South Pacific and a number of these challenges). They even live together in Montana, so I can only imagine what he'll have to say about Cara cozying up to another cast member! That night, T.J. sends a clue to the house for the next challenge: "Things are going to get a bit CREEPY tomorrow. Be ready to leave in the morning."

Creepy indeed! At the next day's challenge, T.J. announces that the teams will be playing "Family Dinner." One person on each team will have to eat live bugs, and then spit the dead bugs through a tube into a glass! Meanwhile, the other team member will have their head in a glass box with a "terrifying surprise," T.J. says. The team that has the most amount of bugs at the end of 10 minutes wins, and the team with the fewest will be heading straight to The Pit. T.J. also reveals that they don't even to chose who will doing what. He holds a bag with both a red rock and blue rock in it. If you choose a red rock, you'll be eating those bugs!

Turns out that the people in the glass boxes are cuddling up with snakes right by their heads! However, after seeing how calm the snakes were, I would've preferred that to eating these live grasshoppers, cockroaches, and whatever else was flying around in there! This was disgusting to see! Some of the teams decide to smash the bugs with their heads to stun or kill them, but it's just gross whichever way you kill them. Nany especially freaks out, getting quite a few bugs in her hair (I don't why she didn't think to tie it up!). Brianna also struggles, and doesn't end up eating any of them, while Jenna watches, irritated. Not that Jenna can be mad, seeing as though she made it ALL the way to the finals in Battle of the Exes II, and had to quit because she wouldn't eat the gross stuff in one of their checkpoints.

Cara Maria and Jamie end up winning the challenge, and, of course, Jenna and Brianna end up being . However, T.J. reveals that it's a guys' elimination day, so they're safe! The last place team with a guy on it, was Cohutta and Jill, so they will have to face elimination. Cara Marie and Jamie will have to pick the other team to face Cohutta in The Pit.

Later, Cara Maria decides to let Cohutta pick the team he wants, since they're good friends. Cohutta picks Dario and Raphy, and Cara Maria tells them, trying to be honest. Dario and Raphy get mad, of course, with Dario planning to win and come for Cara Maria as the game continues. However, later, Cohutta changes his mind, picking Thomas and Stephen, and now Cara's confused on what to do, especially since she and Stephen have been getting kind of close. At deliberation though, Cara chooses Thomas and Stephen. It's a shock to them, and Cara feels terrible, but, at the end of the day, it's a game. Thomas even comes to her, and says that he understands so they're cool.

That night, they all go to party, but Brianna doesn't even want to be there. Anessa talks to Jenna, and Jenna is going crazy dealing with Brianna being stuck up and homesick. When they all get home, Brianna starts crying, stating that she wants to go home to be with her real family. Jenna goes off on her, stating in the confessional that if Brianna goes home, Jenna will never speak to her again. Jenna and Brianna argue back and forth, throwing low blows at each other about their personal lives. The next morning, however, Brianna apologizes, and plans to try to stick it out for Jenna.

In The Pit the next night, T.J. brings in Cohutta & Jill and Thomas & Stephen. Stephen decides to go against Cohutta in "Squaring Off." The goal is to go inside these hallways, find and grab a ball, and get through to the other side. The best two out of three wins. There will definitely be contact, which is hard for Cohutta since he's so small. However, Cohutta doesn't go out without a fight. He wrestles with Stephen and gives him trouble, but Stephen was still able to make it towards his goal line twice. Thomas and Stephen wins, sending Cohutta and Jill home.

After Cohutta and Jill leave, T.J. announces yet another twist in the game, stating that he wants to see how the teams would do if they're pitted against each other. The teams will switch up next week, and the family members will now have to play against each other! WHAT?! There is way too much happening too early in the game!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

Image via MTV

10:32:00 AM

MTV is back with a new season of The Challenge, and, this time, it's family business! The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines brings together past cast members of The Real World, The Challenge, and Are You The One, along with their family members in Turkey. Definitely great idea to shake things up a little bit for the show. I could tell from this season's trailer, there is going to be A LOT of drama and emotions, and I'll be watching and recapping it all season!

The show's esteemed host, T.J. Lavin, is back as well, and, at the beginning of the episode, he gathers the cast together to discuss the game.  The cast match-ups, by the way, are as follows: Nicole and Nany (cousins), Raphy and Dario (twin brothers), Jenna and Brianna (cousins), Cory and Mitch (cousins), Camila and Larissa (sisters), Cara Maria and Jamie (cousins), Johnny Bananas and Vince (cousins), Leroy and Candice (cousins), KellyAnne and Anthony (cousins), Cohutta and Jill (cousins), Aneesa and Rianna (cousins), Christina and Emily (sisters), Thomas and Stephen (twin brothers), and Tony and Shane (brothers).


T.J. announces that they are standing in The Pit, which is where the eliminations will be held. The losing team from each challenge will automatically be sent in to face elimination. He also announces that there will be a huge prize of $350,000 for those who make it to the end. Sounds good, but here's yet another twist: they're not announcing how the money will be broken down until before the final challenge! WHAT?! What if you make it to the end, and the first place team gets all the money, or they decide to split it up evenly, or some craziness?! I could see them giving everything to the first place team, which would definitely piss me off if I made it to the end. However, I guess that would be more motivation for the final teams to fight harder to win. Another issue: gender. There are same-sex teams (both girls and boys), and boy/girl teams, which could work in the favor of, in my opinion, some of the stronger guy teams in more physical challenges.

Back at the house, everyone drinks, gets to know each other a little more, and talk about the game. These relatives, of course, have watched their brothers, sisters, or cousins go through these challenges, but I can tell already many of them really have no idea what they're in store for.

Of course, hook ups and relationships are a part of the drama with these challenges. We find that Cohutta and Nany, who made things official after their stint on The Challenge: Free Agents, didn't make it. Cohutta broke up with her, which broke Nany's heart. Aww! I liked them together, but they also have two polar opposite personalities, so maybe that's why it didn't work. Tony, who has a girlfriend, may or may not have hooked up with fellow rookie Christina during the first full day, even after declaring that he was serious about his girlfriend. Christina says they did hook up, but Tony says they didn't. Her sister Emily gets upset, knowing that there is already a target on their backs since they're rookies. They need to be focused on the game, especially in the beginning.

Later, Larissa mentions to her sister Camila that Tony told her that she will be the first one to leave because she's so tiny. Larissa claps back at Tony, proving to have the same hothead personality as Camila, and Camila gets emotional because he was talking about her sister. I understand it. Tony, of course, denies it, which pisses off not only the sisters, but Nicole, who heard him say it too. When Tony starts arguing with Nicole, her sister Nany hops into it, in defense of her blood. You see how this game is going to be really emotional?! It's one thing to speak up for a teammate you got paired up with by chance, but when it's your blood?! It's a whole other story.

Tony's own brother, Shane, eventually pulls Tony to the side, calling him out for the way he approached the women. He goes OFF, telling Tony to own what he did. Tony is a rookie, and he's not making a great first impression. Everyone knows that the rookies get tossed in for elimination first anyway by the vets, so why would you want to put an even bigger target on your back. Shane and Tony, who keep arguing, get close to fighting, as Tony shows his violent side. All of this is going on, and the actual challenges haven't even started! My question is, can you get sent home for fighting your own relative? I mean, I know MTV doesn't condone violence, but family should get to have some love taps every now and then. The guys quickly calm down and make up, but is Tony going to be able to make amends with everyone else?

The next day at the first challenge, T.J. calls Tony and Shane. Violence isn't condoned, even if they are family, but he gives them a warning, letting it be a fair warning to everyone really. Even if you're related, you can't fight. Aww boo! T,J. presents the first challenge of the season, "Water Battle." There are two giant piles of dirt, with a hose at the very top. The objective is to climb up the hill, and fill up buckets with water for 10 minutes, to deposit in their team barrels. The team with the least amount of water will go straight to The Pit.  The team with the most water will be the champions, and get to choose the other team to face elimination. The guys will compete together, and the girls witll compete together, regardless of teams.

This challenge is slippery and dirty, with the water coming down really hard and heavy, as everyone tries to fill up their buckets. Several of the girls do well, but a few really struggle, including Candice, which pisses off her cousin Leroy (though he tries to be as calm as possible since this is his family).

The guys' heat is even more intense, with all of the guys trying to throw their body weight around. While the guys compete, Cara and Jill come up with the idea to have some of the guys pour their water into Cohutta's container so that he and Jill can win. It was a smart move, potentially setting up an alliance and saving Cara Maria and her cousin Jamie.

T.J announces that Nany & Nicole and Jenna & Brianna were the bottom two teams. Jenna and Brianna had a little less water, though, so they are heading to the Pit. Of course, Cohutta and Jill win, and now they have to send another team to face elimination. T.J. states that, since the team chosen will be facing a girl team, the team picked must have at least one female, So the all-boy teams are automatically safe! Back at the house, Cohutta and Jill debate who Jenna can beat, and come back, since she's not that strong of a competitor anyway. Though they bring up Candice, the two vote Christina and Emily in, since they're rookies.

At the club that night, Vince tells people that Cory slept with Nany, after they spend a few moments cuddled in bed earlier. Of course, Cory gets mad, and the two have an argument at the club. Nany gets pissed off too, because she's always in the center of drama when it comes to guys, and didn't even do anything...most of the time, anyway. Of course, partying and drinking is conducive to hooking up, and Rianna kisses and cuddles up with Mitch.

At elimination in The Pit, T.J. announces that each nominated team has to choose one player to go in. If that person loses, she and her teammate both go home. Jenna and Christina go in, playing "End of My Rope." There are two ropes wrapped around rows of poles, and there is a clip at the end of each rope. The object is to unravel the ropes from around the posts, and clip the rope to a ring at the end of The Pit.  The ropes will not stretch to that ring unless you unravel it from around all of the posts, so it will be long enough to clip on their ring. Christina kills it until towards the end, where she struggles to get her rope over the last two poles. Jenna eventually passes her, winning the elimination, and sending Christina and Emily home. It wasn't for lack of effort though. I was very impressed. Always sucks to be the first team to go home, but Christina fought hard.

I can already tell that this challenge is going to be super duper emotional and dramatic! Like I said, these are blood relatives fighting for this money! People are going to get into fights, and their family members will, of course, jump in and defend them. To me, this is kind of a dangerous challenge, because these challenges are known to bring out the worst in people and start beefs. Are these family ties strong enough to survive The Challenge? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Check out all new episodes of The Challenge: Battle of the Bloodlines on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET only on MTV! 

12:36:00 PM