Wes And Jodi Win It All
Real World Road Rules Challenge - The Duel
Final Rankings by Logan Huffman
The season finale of 'The Duel' began with our final four players: Wes, Svetlana, Brad, and Jodi. All four were excited knowing that they were each only one person away from winning the $150,000 grand prize.
Before the final challenge began, TJ told the contestants that they would have an opportunity to gain a two minute head start in the final challenge. Both girls and both guys would take turns defending a soccer goal, and then kicking a soccer ball into it. Whoever scored the most goals against their opponent would gain the two minute head start. Jodi won for the girls, scoring two goals over Svetlana's one goal. For the men, Brad only scored one goal, and Wes, who had much more experience playing soccer, scored his first two goals, earning himself the two minute head start for the guys.
Svetlana and Brad watched helplessly as Jodi and Wes took their two minute head start and ran to the top of the Brazilian mountain for the final challenge. Each player had to carry four different colored blocks, one at a time, up to the top, where they would use them to assemble a puzzle. The catch was the front, back, and both sides of the block could not contain the same color. If the puzzle wasn't completed within thirty minutes, the players were allowed to move on to the next obstacle.
Brad and Svetlana caught up to Wes and Jodi, and Wes completed his puzzle first, with Brad completing his and taking off right on Wes' heels. After some initial frustration, Jodi completed her puzzle, leaving Svetlana in the dust. Svetlana finally got to continue after her thirty minutes had elapsed, despite the fact that she hadn't completed the puzzle.
The players next had to use a crate on a teeter-totter to throw rocks in, until they were able to balance out their weight on the other side for five seconds. Wes completed this challenge first, with Brad only minutes behind. Jodi completed it first for the women, and Svetlana still trailed her in the race to the top of the mountain for the final flag, which would signify the winners of 'The Duel'.
Brad and Wes raced to the flag, but Wes reached the flag first, becoming the male winner of 'The Duel', and claiming the $150,000 grand prize. Jodi claimed the flag for the women before Svetlana, making her the female 'The Duel' winner, and earning herself a $150,000 grand prize as well.
As Svetlana and Brad hugged and walked away as the final losers in 'The Duel', Wes and Jodi hang-glided down to the beach to claim their $150,000 grand prize checks. It has been a great season of 'The Duel', and I'll be back for the next incarnation of the 'Real World Road Rules Challenge'. Until next time, everyone!
Wes
'The Duel' Male Winner
Wes did a great job in the final challenge, going very quickly and managing to stay a few steps ahead of Brad despite how close the outcome was. Wes lucked out that the challenge for the head start involved soccer, which he turned out to be very good at. Since Brad was able to catch up, Wes may not have won if it hadn't been for the two minute head start. Nevertheless, Wes delivered an amazing performance throughout the season, always coming through when his ass was in the most danger. Wes was crowned the male winner of 'The Duel' after defeating Brad in the final challenge, winning himself a $150,000 grand prize.
Jodi
'The Duel' Female Winner
Jodi deserved to win, as she was probably the best female competitor of the entire season. Jodi won challenge after challenge, being the only contestant to never enter a Duel (well, except for Tina, but she punched Beth in the face, so she doesn't count). Jodi may not have needed the head start, but it definitely helped her to secure the prize money. Jodi kicked ass, and she has $150,000 to show for it. Jodi was crowned the female winner of 'The Duel' after defeating Svetlana in the final challenge, winning herself a $150,000 grand prize.
Brad
Male Runner-Up
I feel bad for Brad, as he once again came so close to winning, but lost in the end. He put in a great performance, closing the gap between himself and Wes, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. Brad actually completed the course faster than Wes, but the two minute head start cost him the win. Nevertheless, he did win a BMW motorcycle, an Xbox 360, a T-Mobile 3 Sidekick, and numerous other prizes as well, so he certainly isn't leaving empty handed. Brad became the male runner-up of 'The Duel' after losing by a few minutes to Wes in the final challenge.
Svetlana
Female Runner-Up
Despite her loss, Svetlana really impressed me this season. She was destined to be one of the first players eliminated, as she was a Key West cast member, and all of the veterans had it out for them. However, Svetlana surprised everyone, winning Duel after Duel, despite some stiff competition. Everyone underestimated her, and she proved them wrong, making it into the finals. Unfortunately, our underdog came up a little short, losing to Jodi in the end. She may have won if she had earned the two-minute head start, but we'll never know. However, like Brad, Svetlana won a BMW motorcycle, a Seiko watch, an Xbox 360, and many other prizes as well, so she definitely isn't going home with nothing. Svetlana became the female runner-up of 'The Duel' after her inability to catch up to Jodi in the final challenge.
CT
Fifteenth Elimination
I'm also surprised to see CT go home, as he has been one of the strongest and fiercest male competitors of the season. He really kicked Brad's ass in the Duel, but rules are rules, and accidentally ripping the flag off of the carabineer cost him the game. I know CT was angry, but I really like him, and hated to see him go out in a tirade like that. But CT's true downfall was that he was too fast in challenges, which caused him to screw up more often, and his screw-up in the Duel finally cost him the game. Nevertheless, he hopefully found something better than the money in Diem, and he was an amazing competitor to watch throughout the season. In the end, CT did defeat himself, becoming the fifteenth contestant to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after accidentally tearing the flag from the carabineer in the 'Push Me' Duel, disqualifying himself from the game, and narrowly missing out at a spot in the finals.
Aneesa
Sixteenth Elimination
I'm sad, and a little surprised, to see Aneesa go. She was an extremely fierce competitor, going into four Duels, and winning three of them. It was a good strategy of her to try and convince Svetlana to choose 'Ascender' as their Duel, as she would have had an advantage in that Duel, but it didn't work in the end. I thought that Aneesa would be able to lift the logs, but in the end, seventy-three logs became her undoing, and Aneesa became the sixteenth player to be eliminated from 'The Duel', narrowly missing a spot in 'The Duel' finals, but at least she ended up with a T-Mobile 3 Sidekick (and TJ's jacket), not to mention the other prizes she won for successfully winning the other Duels.
Diem
Fourteenth Elimination
I was sad to see Diem go. She was a tough competitor, and a tough woman in general. She and CT make a great couple, and hopefully, they will stick together even after the competition. I'm glad he was able to boost her self-confidence and was able to get Diem to come out of her shell (and wig). I had a feeling this was coming. Diem was the weakest girl remaining, and made it this far based on her strong allies more than anything else. She was gutsy to try and lift 150 coffee bags, but in the end, Aneesa didn't fall for Diem's mind tricks, and Diem became the fourteenth player to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after she was unable to lift 150 coffee bags in the 'I Can' Duel.
Evan
Thirteenth Elimination
I'm actually a little surprised to be writing this. Like Jodi, Evan had been winning challenge after challenge, always gaining immunity from the Duels. But this week, he cracked under the pressure. He may have performed a little better in the sunken treasure challenge if he had remained calm. He obviously doubted his abilities for the Duel, trying to get away with drawing the cheat sheet on his hand for the puzzle. Although he was neck-and-neck with CT, he cracked again while assembling the puzzle. The pressure overwhelmed Evan, as he became the thirteenth player to be eliminated from the Duel after coming up short to CT in the 'Ascender' Duel.
Kina
Twelfth Elimination
I am absolutely thrilled that Kina was finally eliminated. As you all know, I was not a fan of Kina. However, she did perform decently in the challenges throughout the season, and she held her own against Svetlana for quite a while. She put a good effort into the Duel, but Kina became the twelfth player to be eliminated after falling to Svetlana in the 'Push Me' Duel.
Eric
Eleventh Elimination
Eric had been on the chopping block for a while, and it seemed inevitable that he would be challenged to another Duel. I'm not so sure Brad was the right choice to challenge, as he probably would have had better luck against Wes (although he may have feared Wes after watching Wes's Pole Wrestle Duel with Derrick). Pole Wrestle seemed like it would be a good Duel for Eric; but apparently, he didn't know how to use his size to his advantage, opting to just lie on the pole instead. I'm honestly surprised Eric made it this far. After battling Brad in the Pole Wrestle Duel and coming up short, Eric was the eleventh player to be eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Robin
Tenth Elimination
Robin dug her own grave. After her drunken assault on Aneesa, she was practically begging Aneesa to challenge her to a Duel. She picked the wrong girl to attack, as Aneesa is a fierce competitor. Oh, and Robin, you know that silver hook attached to the puzzle piece bag? Pull it to make the puzzle pieces fall to the ground, dumbass! I will credit Robin for hugging Aneesa and at least making a small effort to make amends for her words. Robin created her own demise, as she became the tenth player to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after being challenged by Aneesa and losing to her in the 'Ascender' Duel challenge. All I have to say is "Good Riddance!"
Derrick
Ninth Elimination
Derrick has been on many of these challenges, and despite his fierceness, he always comes up short. If another Duel besides 'Pole Wrestle' had been chosen, he may have beaten Wes, but his smaller size hindered him in 'Pole Wrestle'. Nevertheless, he did put up quite a fight. Despite being an amazing competitor time after time, Derrick came up short once again, becoming the ninth person to be eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Beth
Eigth Elimination
How could this happen to my Beth? How? I'm crushed. Oh wait, she'll surely be back next season, as she always provides extreme drama. Alright, I'm OK now. I hated to see Beth go out like that, as she totally overpowered Svetlana, but as the rules said, the flag had to be unclipped. It looked pretty easy to rip off, and I suspect her mistake could have happened to anyone. I wish they had gotten 'Pole Wrestle' as the Duel, and Beth would have won hands down. Despite all of her efforts and brilliant alliances and scheming, Beth became the eighth person to be eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Nehemiah
Seventh Elimination
Nehemiah got extremely unlucky. If nearly any other Duel challenge had been selected other than "I Can", Nehemiah probably would have won. Eric has probably 100 extra pounds on Nehemiah, and that was just too much for Nehemiah to overcome, especially in a challenge involving lifting. Beth's "Tenderoni" is no more, as Nehemiah became the seventh player to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after Eric successfully lifted all 165 of the logs for five seconds.
Casey
Sixth Elimination
While I really wanted to see Casey kick Robin's ass, we all knew what was going to happen, especially after Pole Wrestle was revealed to be 'The Duel' game. Although Casey did hold on, she looked like a little toy being dragged around by a dog. I know she was terrified of heights, but being that she didn't really have anyone to keep her safe, she should have at least attempted a jump in the platform challenge. Casey was probably the weakest girl, and despite all of her heart, she was the sixth contestant eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Kenny
Fifth Elimination
Kenny had a rough time. Although he is athletic, his strength paled in comparison to many of the other guys'. For whatever reason, Nehemiah decided that Kenny was the person he wanted to take to a duel, and even though I thought Kenny would surely win, Nehemiah proved me wrong, quickly stomping Kenny in the Ascender. Kenny was the fifth player to be eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Paula
Fourth Elimination
Even though Paula fell short in 'The Duel', she really impressed me with her toughness against Aneesa, one of the strongest and fiercest girls on the show. She held off Aneesa for an amazing eight minutes, which was something I didn't think Paula possessed the ability to do. If she hadn't been a Key West cast member, she may have made it much further into the competition. Despite her best efforts, Paula was the fourth player to be eliminated from 'The Duel'.
Tyler
Third Elimination
Even though Tyler tried his hardest, there is only so much you can do when everyone is against you. Tyler was the third person to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after challenging Derrick to a duel, and losing to Derrick in the ascension duel challenge.
Tina
Expelled
Tina was expelled from 'The Duel' after she lost her cool and punched Beth in the face. She was stupid for doing it, as she basically let Beth win the battle, and she just looked immature in the process. Tina's actions destroyed her chances at $150,000, making her the second person eliminated from 'The Duel'.
John
Eliminated: Episode 1
John was the first contestant to be eliminated from 'The Duel' after Tyler challenged him, and John unsuccessfully doubted Tyler's ability to lift thirty-one watermelons in 'The Duel' challenge.
Logan is a North Carolina native whose hobbies include a passion for reality shows, hiking, and Mocha Frappucinos. He can be contacted at Logan@RealityTVCalendar.com
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