The Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet 2, Episode 4 - Chip On Your Shoulders

Previously on The Gauntlet 2: Cameran quit. That’s basically the gist of it.

Danny is talking to someone and says, “She’s f***ing insecure and she f***ing seeks that s**t in f***ing guys.” What a way to start the show. Between shots of her with Adam and Ibis telling us, we learn this supposed insecure woman is Jodi. Ibis goes on to tell us that Danny still has some animosity with her because of their season, X-Treme, where he was the first person voted off. He felt that Jodi was a weaker competitor. Danny says that she made him look like the weaker player so that she could use it to her advantage so she could stay in the game.

Now, if I remember correctly the two missions they lost was because of Jodi and Danny. The difference was Danny didn’t have the will to eat strange Chilean cow parts and Jodi couldn’t drive a go-kart blindfolded. Everyone else voted Danny out, and rightly so. Jeremy tells Jodi that Danny has been rubbing him the wrong way. Jodi explains that he still feels bad because of X-Treme. She tells us you can’t have that on a team.

Adam loves being here. Ace doesn’t want to go home early again. Derrick explains that it’s the second men’s Gauntlet, and if they lose he’s going in the Gauntlet again.

At the challenge site, T.J. says that their challenge is called “Moving Pyramid.” In this challenge they will have to construct themselves into several human pyramids. The formations are three on the bottom, two on the middle, and one on top. A pyramid, we got it. They have to crawl in pyramid formation to a flagpole. The person on the top will have to retrieve the flag on top and hook it onto their belt. When the pyramid comes back, the second pyramid will go to a flagpole that is farther than the first. There are 16 flagpoles. If they fall, they must start where their pyramid fell. Each person has to be on top of the pyramid at one point or another. It will be timed at an hour and if there is a tie after the hour, it’s an all-out race to the finish line. It is a male Gauntlet day, so the winning male (Alton for the Rookies, Derrick for the Veterans) gets a Best Buy gift certificate along with ten grand for the team bank account.

Randy explains the Rookie strategy is putting the girls on top at first and getting a lead as quickly as possible. Derrick tells his team that since his ass is on the line, he will go in the middle until he dies. Montana says the men believe that they will run out of time before they have to put the men on any of their backs, so they should do the lightest women first. Ace says that when people start writing names down, he doesn’t want people to think of him at all.

The teams start with Jillian and Aneesa on the top. I guess the 20 pounds Aneesa lost is going to good use. There is a shot of Katie falling for no good reason, it seems.

Randy sees that they will be getting a lot more flags than they thought. In a pyramid with Jodi and Danny in the middle, Jodi has to scream to Danny to move his knee over because he isn’t doing anything when she talks in a normal tone. Can Danny get more annoying? Oh, yes. He tells us, “This bitch is turning around and telling me stupid s**t to do.” Alton screams for Danny to have his knees like Jodi’s and Landon tells us that Danny’s knees are digging into his back.

Derrick is in the middle of the bottom row of a pyramid with David and Julie at his sides. Unfortunately, he has a big load with Brad, Robin, and Syrus on his back. He tells us he is willing to sacrifice his body for the sake of not being in the Gauntlet. Ace says Derrick is probably the strongest player on the team.

The Rookies (but mostly Jodi) are yelling at Danny, who is in the middle row with Adam, to get down to more of a crouching position like everyone else does. He screams he gets more support this way. Yeah, but Jamie, who is on top of him, has to do a balancing act. Jodi explains that Danny cannot take constructive criticism and that even if you tell him something nicely, he won’t do it and that that doesn’t work in a team situation. Danny tells us that Jodi’s screaming is making him even angrier and that he is going to flip his lid.

The teams have about four minutes left and are tied 15-15. The Rookies strategy is to sit there and conserve energy for the final tie-breaking race. The Veterans, on the other hand, are going to fight and go for the 16th flag. Ace is in the center of the bottom row and is probably dying there. Ace: “I’m about to die.” See, I was right. The Veterans are cheering Ace on, and with four seconds left on the clock, the Veterans make it and win their second challenge in a row. Mark says Ace is the MVP.