Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno, Episode 7: Net Loss

Previously on The Inferno: Some lady has been doing voiceover work for the prologue, but I didn't feel the need to bring her up. What's the first thing she says this week? "Coral's powers of manipulation cause concern on the Real World team." Okay, let's go over this again. If you get drunk, yell at your ex for dancing with somebody else, and threaten to beat up your teammates, then you get what you deserve. Not only did Trishelle not get that, but neither did her new best friend Julie, who thinks Coral will control the meetings unless she puts a stop to it. In the more recent past, RW won Balls Out, pulling even with Road Rules at $30,000 apiece. Mike took out Jeremy in the Inferno, solidifying his title of Parma's Favorite Son.

Nighttime at the Villa. Julie is blabbing to Syrus about Coral running the show. "I don't feel intimated by Coral," she interviews. "I feel she manipulates the team, she has a really negative attitude, and she sucks." She tells Syrus that Coral will eliminate people who stand up to her. Syrus: "You do not want to get into an argument with Coral. It ain't gonna happen." He tells Julie that Coral and a few others might not like Julie. "What are you going to do?" he asks rhetorically. "End up in the Inferno." Cut to Inferno torch. Don't get too close!

Coral: "Many people have said that I'm intimidating. I say what I want to say. People might not like that. Sorry... I mean, big deal." Cut to Coral in the RR area, holding a pair of messed-up women's shoes. Turns out they belong to Julie. For some reason, I imagine Little Miss Avril to be all about the sneakers. Coral insists that she's been nothing but nice to everybody... except Julie. Cut to Coral, removing the sole from Julie's shoe with little difficulty. There's a metaphor in there, I'm sure of it. Coral and Veronica laugh it up, as does Christena, who kids about not wanting to be around anymore. Coral: "Do I not want to see Julie's big ugly face everyday? No, I'd rather not." Yeah, but rooting through her shoes does seem low-rent.

We move on to Christena and Mallory. Immediately, my Recapper Sense starts tingling. I haven't seen these two together all season. What gives? Christena thinks it's hard not to be competitive. Mallory wanted to beat all the girls and most of the guys. Christena interviews that Mallory is sweet and a competitor like herself. Mallory tells her friend that she wants them both to win the money at the end. "Christena is amazing," Mallory interviews. "She's so wonderful and she's such an incredible athlete, and she's one of the closest people that I have in this house."

Night gives way to day, and we go to the mission site. Dave welcomes everybody to Ultimate Saturn Road Trip. Wait... it's the Saturn mission already? Wow. Syrus reminds us that both teams are tied with three wins apiece. Dave lays out the rules: two players from each team work to climb a net. They retrieve bags attached to the net, and bring them down one at a time. If either player falls off, they receive the "slowest, lowest score," plus the standard two minute penalty. Dave still needs to work on his skills. Where does the Saturn come in? Well, the players load their bags into the Saturn, get in, put on seat belts, and slalom their way through a tires course. Oh, and the key is in one of the bags. So basically, the producers are either hellbent on killing their charges (Grope the Rope, Wreck 'n Roll) or just putting them through lame, mushed-together missions (Disco Domino Derby, Balls Out).The team with the best average time wins $10,000 for their bank account.

First match: David & Julie vs. Timmy & Abram. "This is definitely one of those missions," Timmy interviews, "where my team is confident and can overcome obstacles such as nets." Dave blows the airhorn and both duos climb up. David has problems unhooking the bag from the net. Timmy and Abram get down first, pack their bags in the car, and run the slalom. While David and Julie pack, the Roadies finish at 2:43. Timmy, whose shirt reads "Scratch" on the front, interviews that the climbing wasn't tough, but the bag was hard to unhook. David and Julie finish at 3:46. David interviews that it's frustrating to make mistakes.

Mike & Coral vs. Shane & Christena. Airhorn. Mike interviews about flying up the net, only to look down and see Coral struggling. He climbs down and pulls on the net, making it tighter and easier for Coral to climb. While this is going on, the Roadies get their bags. Coral has problems unhooking the bag. On the sideline, Julie is grunting and jumping around, doing her impression of an impatient child at the supermarket checkout counter. Shane drives his way to a time of 3:10. Christena and Shane then proceed to act smug to the camera about how Coral is screwing up. How can you tell when you've become a fan of Coral? When you want her to smack those two. Coral manages to get the bag, but struggles with a loose cord trying to get away. Final time: 6:08. Scary, screechy music plays as Coral takes Julie’s seat. Julie asks what happened with the rope. Coral is pissed that Julie didn't see it, but admits that it's her fault. Mike interviews that RW needs a miracle to win the mission.