The Challenge: All-Stars – Episode 4 Recap (w/ Turk182)

Narrator: On March 3rd, Madisonkirkpatrick1998 was asked to remove herself from her workplace. That request came from her boss. Deep down, she knew he was right, but she also knew that someday, she’ll find a job that better suited her. With nowhere else to go, she appeared at the office building of Reality TV Guide. Sometime earlier, chief recapper Turk182 was told to fill a vacancy left by a departing staff member. Can these two reality TV writers collaborate on an episode recap without driving each other crazy?

THE UNLIKELY DUO

STARRING MADISONKIRKPATRICK1998

AND TURK182

BASED ON THE BLOG 

REALITY TV GUIDE

FOUNDED BY WARREN MITCHELL

(Turk182 and Madisonkirkpatrick1998 are currently in the lounge area. Madisonkirkpatrick1998 sits back on the couch.)

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: It’s great to be here as the best female Bay Area 22-year-old Challenge podcaster. 

Turk182: When you say Bay Area, what part of the area do you live in?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: It’s a small town near San Jose. Probably the only other podcaster in town is my brother. Small competition pool over here. 

Turk182: Small competition pool? 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Maybe even almost no competition pool. He talks about politics. Now if I was in LA, that would be a different story. 

(Madisonkirkpatrick1998 puts her feet up on the coffee table.)

Turk182: Hey, what is this? What the fuck are you doing?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The best female Bay Area 22-year-old Challenge podcaster does what she wants. 

Turk182: Not when it comes to a nice, expensive coffee table. It ain’t a fucking ottoman!

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Pardon me. I am attracted to nice, expensive coffee tables. Can we just move forward with the recap, please? I didn’t come here to get scolded.

Turk182: I’m just teaching you a little manners around here. Besides, you’re in the Pelican State now!

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I guess I have to take a flight home now. 

Turk182: Oh, I’m sorry. Did that offend you?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Yes. I didn’t realize you were my mother. Also, what kind of name is the Pelican State? I hate to offend Louisiana folks, but I don’t like that. 

Turk182: Well, have fun returning to a part of California that’s so cold, the Golden Gate Bridge should be renamed to Icy Gate Bridge.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Ok, I’ll give you that, but I’d still rather be in California than Louisiana where an alligator could bite my leg off anytime. I don’t trust the swamps out here. 

Turk182: You’re talking about Florida, dumbass!

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: According to my research, Louisiana has twice as many alligators as Florida. You don’t even know your own state. 

Turk182: Okay, now you’ve asked for it!

(Madisonkirkpatrick1998 and Turk182 get ready to fight each other, but it freezes into a tableau.)

(studio audience applause)

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I hope what just happened doesn’t ruin the recap. 

Turk182: Nah. I wasn’t planning on letting it.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Good.

Turk182: Previously on The Challenge: All-Stars….

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The challengers participated in a throwback challenge with chilling results and Teck Money popped off for seemingly no reason. Fan favorite Kendal worried about the lifesaver. To end the episode, Nehemiah and Teck participated in an elimination that heated up quickly and left us with a photo finish that saw Teck leaving the game. It sucks, but that’s what happens when you talk a ton of mess and then offer to go in. 

Turk182: For this week’s episode, we’ll be dealing with another female elimination, and with the unknown mystery of the lifesaver looming over the All-Stars’ heads, get ready to witness the mental aspect of the game hit these competitors so hard that they won’t be able to shit well the next day.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: This episode is appropriately titled “Semi-Charmed Lifesaver.” I like the song “Semi-Charmed Life.” I hope they play it during this episode or else it would really be a missed opportunity. 

Turk182: As long as they don’t include that note at the end of the chorus. Stephan Jenkins can’t hit a high note to save his life.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: This is episode 4 of The Challenge: All-Stars!

Turk182: The episode opens up with everyone returning to the house after Nehemiah’s win. The song that they play in the background is DMX’s “What’s My Name?”. This is now the second time that they’ve used a DMX song on this show (RIP DMX).

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Nehemiah talks about his goals with the $500,000. If he wins, he wants to open up several centers that teach underprivileged communities/children financial freedom. It’s a unique goal to have, and almost ironic that he is using money to help others make money. He wants to make sure it goes to others more than it goes to himself, and I have respect for him wanting to use his resources for the greater good.

Turk182: Meanwhile, Jemmye goes into her confessional talking about how she’s living her best life right now thanks to her hookup with Nehemiah. The way that she describes it is mixing business and fun together. That’s not a bad philosophical credo to have, honestly. My stance has always been to find a job that allows you to have fun at the same time.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Beth and Syrus are talking in the bedroom; and Beth mentions that she misses her family. She has a husband and two kids, and I can’t imagine she’s been away from them so long. She seems to be nervous about her stake in the game, so I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she was to leave. For her sake, though, I hope she stays and competes for the $500,000. 

Turk182: Next, we hear a song that I never heard of before. Thanks to Shazam for telling me that it’s “6 Underground” by a band called Sneaker Pimps. After a montage of the All-Stars doing various things, we see… um, Madison, can you explain what the fuck is going on?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The next scene shows Arissa using some incense. She talks about her career as a cannabis chef, which seems actually pretty cool. Imagine smoking weed and then eating weed-infused food. You’re out for hours. Sorry, I don’t know smoking lingo. My parents would KILL me if I did that. 

Turk182: Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with the life she’s living, but how she’s showcasing that on the show is strange as fuck. If you thought that that Jay-Z hand signal she was doing on the last episode was totally weird, this here… will probably explain a lot.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Anyways. Back to the show. Arissa feels some type of way about her loss during Battle of the Sexes 2. This is a great way for her to “put her stake in the game.” Mark talks about his bond with Arissa. He knows that it will be hard as it progresses, and he wants Arissa to do well. 

Next, we see Derrick and Katie having a conversation outside. Katie talks about how her competitive nature has been somewhat toned down due to her parent status. However, she has been incredibly active. Derrick thinks that Katie is pretending to be a layup, and we see some flashback scenes from Katie’s past challenges (Fresh Meat, The Gauntlet 3, so on, so forth). Her teams often wanted her out because she was seen as weak, and in the present day, it seems that she wants people to think she hasn’t changed and that she’s a poor competitor. After all, being underestimated and proving everyone wrong can be pretty fun. 

Turk182: We’ll see how much of that she’ll be backing up today, because it’s time to send our All-Stars out to the site of the next daily challenge, and they meet host TJ Lavin at the lake with a giant rope contraction. Yep, it’s another heights over water challenge. Better luck next time.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Today’s daily challenge is called On The Ropes. The challengers will be split into 4 teams of 5 and will need to select a male and female captain. Two of the four teams will start on opposite sides of a platform. Players will have to traverse a ropes course from one side to the other. Once they successfully cross both sides, they may release an opponents’ rope. The team who releases the most ropes in the fastest amount of time wins. 

Turk182: This week, it’s a female elimination, so the female captain of the losing team will automatically be locked for the Arena. The female captain of the winning team, on the other hand, is safe from the Arena. Also, the male captain of the winning team earns the lifesaver, which he can use to save the female voted in by the house.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The Copper team consists of Alton, Arissa, Big Easy, Jonna and Katie. Black consists of Darrell, Jisela, Laterrian, Kendal and Kellyanne. Gold consists of Mark, Ruthie, Yes, Aneesa and Derrick. Finally, Silver consists of Syrus, Jemmye, Nehemiah, Beth and Darrell. Since there are 19 players, Darrell is randomly selected to go twice. Of course the guy with the biggest fear of heights has to face that fear twice as much as the others. I wouldn’t want to be you, Darrell. 

Turk182: You know, I wish I could ask him what’s the main contributing factor to his fear. Did he have to live in the attic? Did his lunch get dropped from the roof at school? Did he watch Vertigo as a young kid?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Gold selects Mark and Ruthie to be captains, which is somewhat bad for Ruthie if Aneesa, her rival, tries to spite her and not participate. That being said, Ruthie is willing to put their issues in the past for the sake of the game. Next, Arissa wants Jonna to be captain, despite Jonna doing it before. She said that she hasn’t, but I did my research and found out that she was captain of the Black team during the Melt Away challenge. Girl, if you’re not sure, just say that you have been. Don’t put yourself in that position twice. 

Turk182: This happened a week ago. Do you have short-term memory issues?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Big Easy loses a Rock Paper Scissors battle to Alton and becomes captain. Beth and Nehemiah are easily selected as captains of the Silver team. Finally, on the Black team, Jisela refuses to be captain because she feels that Kendal will not try hard for her. Kendal has proven in two challenges that she will give up and Jisela will not put her game on the line for Kendal. Kendal and Laterrian become captains; Darrell is not considered because he is the only person forced to go twice. 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The first round is Copper vs Black. Alton and Kendal are the first to go for their teams. Kendal starts off quickly and is praised by lots of the competitors. Alton also gets his fair share of praise, but not without Mark talking about how nervous he is for Alton to win. Alton finishes first and pulls the rope at Kendal’s feet, but she is able to recover quickly, much to the shock of the All-Stars. Jemmye says that Kendal is like the original Barbie Beast. 

Turk182: Sorry, Jenna. You’ll earn your title back from Jemmye when you learn how to better respond to her tweets.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Kendal finishes and pulls Jonna’s rope. Like Kendal, Jonna struggles but is able to regain her footing. She sits on the ropes and tries to shimmy her way over to the other side. Jisela goes for Black and gets about halfway through before she starts struggling. After about 10 seconds of wobbling on the ropes, Jisela falls in the water. Something tells me that she didn’t really care, though. Kendal is the one who is definitely on the line.

Kellyanne goes after Jonna and must get to both sides before Jonna finishes, but it seems that she may be able to do it. Jonna starts struggling again, but still isn’t giving up. “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips plays as Jonna talks about her newfound strength. 

Turk182: I have some vivid memories of the song when it first came out. I remember watching the music video on MTV multiple times. Either at my grandma’s house or at my uncle’s house. Then again, at my uncle’s house, it was “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice on the channel. My grandma would never have let that happen.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Jonna shimmies back over to her side, but Kellyanne pulls her rope and Jonna falls right at the end. Poor thing.

Turk182: Looks like she couldn’t hold on, and baby, KellyAnne just got to release her.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Laterrian and Big Easy are next to go. Big Easy wants to prove himself as a competitor and does not want to come in last place. Darrell says Easy looks like an overgrown leprechaun on the wire. Laterrian finishes quickly and drops Big Easy, almost like a sad turd. No, that was mean. Shame on me. I promise I like Big Easy. 

Turk182: Hey, this is comedy! You don’t have to apologize for making fun of Medium Easy. Is the Bay Area known for feeling ashamed of making jokes?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I’m not like other Bay Area girls. After all, I have a podcast. 

Turk182: Oh, that tells me a lot.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Katie is next to go and is not able to find her confidence. She hates heights over water and always seems to get hurt. She isn’t tall enough and she is terrified to go. After some worrisome conversation with her team, Alton convinces Katie to jump. I mean, she could’ve stayed on the platform, too, but whatever. I’m not the boss. She probably would’ve gotten Kendal-level ridicule if she did that, though. She doesn’t seem to care about not participating. She’d rather go into elimination than participate and get hurt.

Turk182: The most humorous part in this is Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” playing as she falls into the water. It’s an odd song choice, considering the instrumentation. However, it also works in adding in some subtle comedy to that shot.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: By the time Arissa goes against Darrell, she only has two ropes on her side. It doesn’t take much to send her plummeting in the water. Kendal and Alton go again. Jisela finds it incredibly attractive that Alton is carrying his team. Sadly for Alton, Kendal is able to catch up and release Alton’s rope, eliminating him from the challenge and effectively winning for her team. Jonna is upset at her team’s loss and Katie’s quit, but she knows that she may be going in and is ready to face the music if necessary. 

Turk182: After Black defeats Copper, KellyAnne takes notice that this is the second time in a row that she and Kendal have been on a team together and killed it in the daily challenge. She’s nervous that people are going to see them both as a dangerous duo. You can chalk this up as another alliance you never expect to happen but truly does work. Kendal even shouted out to her after last week’s episode. 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The next heat is Silver and Gold. I love that song. Very festive. Reminds me of Rudolph. Okay, back to the game.

Turk182: Yeah, we’re too far away from Christmas right now for you to start thinking about it. We’re even too far away for Christmas in July.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The first to go are Derrick and Nehemiah. Mark wants to get Nehemiah down first and have a major advantage right off the bat. Nehemiah praises Derrick as one of the best challengers to play the game and he knows that he has a lot to do in order to pull this off and give his team a good change to win. Nehemiah does a good job, but Derrick is ultimately quicker and creates a significant gap between him and Nehemiah. 

Turk182: Eventually, Derrick is the first to complete the back and forth trip. In his confessional, he describes how he channels his inner-Hawkeye and pulls out his imaginary arrow to cut Nehemiah’s rope, and he gets sent to the water, just as he was about to step onto the platform.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Aneesa and Syrus are the next to go. Aneesa recognizes that she is not great at this but will try hard for her team. Syrus, on the other hand, wants to try hard in order to save Beth from elimination. He is moving quickly and Aneesa is preparing to fall. She is able to recover from a rope being dropped and tries to shimmy her way over to the other side. She isn’t able to make it and falls to her demise. 

Turk182: As Beth begins her turn, another song that I needed to Shazam plays in the background. For a guy who’s heard of Winger, but is unfamiliar with their songs, “Easy Come, Easy Go” really slaps. Beth is giving it her all, but she has her work cut out for her, because she’s going up against the Godfather himself, Mark Long. He gets through it fast and releases the rope underneath her feet, which sends her into the water.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Ruthie and Jemmye are the next to go. Ruthie is moving incredibly fast and isn’t afraid of this at all. She easily sends Jemmye into the water. Part of why Ruthie is so great at these challenges is because she has a lot of heart. She talks about growing up in a foster home, which taught her resilience and grit. Yes and Darrell are the next to go. 

Turk182: Yes finishes his turn and releases a rope that sends Darrell into the water. So now, it’s only Syrus left for the Silver Team. Down to one rope and going up against Derrick, he decides to be like “Fuck it” and drops into the water, giving the Gold Team the win in the second heat. 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The Gold Team, who was able to release the most ropes in the fastest amount of time, is announced as the winners. Ruthie is now safe from elimination and Mark has control of the lifesaver. I’m happy that Ruthie is safe. Being captain is a high risk/high reward position, and I like when it works out for the people I like. 

Turk182: The Silver Team ended up losing worse than the Copper Team. Therefore, Beth, Silver’s female captain, is now guaranteed a spot in this week’s elimination. The rest of the house will be dismissed to decide who is going to have a date with her at the Arena.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Back at the house, Beth talks to Syrus, Nehemiah and Jemmye about wanting to go against Katie or Kendal in elimination. Jemmye suggests that Kendal is not a good choice because she can beat anyone in anything. It’s nice to see some Kendal praise; Jemmye has been known to make mean comments about Kendal in the past but has admitted that she likes Kendal a lot. Another factor is the lifesaver. Since Mark, the lifesaver holder, is friends with Katie, he could decide to save her. Another option is Arissa since she is seen as weak and Mark would not use his lifesaver on her. 

Turk182: It’s definitely a tricky factor, because we have no idea how it would go down after a lifesaver gets used, and Mark is flirting with the idea of using it like it was a one-night stand he was trying to keep secret from Robin. Plus, Beth has known Mark since the very beginning of The Challenge. He may want to try to give her an opponent she can beat.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: We then jump into the nomination ceremony. Katie is the first to speak up, and she mentions all of the rope burns. She then volunteers herself to face Beth in elimination, her reasoning being that she did not participate in the challenge and felt more confident not participating and going into elimination than participating in a challenge she could get hurt in. Katie’s decision goes over pretty well. I mean, of course it does. Anyone who volunteers themselves is going to gain respect from people who don’t have to go in themselves. Laterrian says that he has respect for Katie. 

Turk182: The only person who has a problem with this is Jonna. 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: As far as the lifesaver, Katie has little confidence that Mark would save her and is prepared to face Beth. Kendal, however, is not assured. She thinks Mark would save Katie, and if he saves Katie, it is incredibly likely Kendal will take her place. It all depends on the selection process.  

Turk182: The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” starts playing during the nighttime transition. That means one thing. It’s time for the All-Stars to hit their own private bar again. Derrick wastes no time in hyping up Mark’s arrival. Mark, ever the life of the party, relishes in the power he has this week with the lifesaver. And with his customized Godfather crown, he uses the opportunity to do what any Godfather would do: start making offers that you can’t refuse.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Mark’s shenanigans start almost immediately. He decides that he wants to talk to all of the women about the lifesaver. He wants them to convince him that they are good enough to be spared by the lifesaver. This is hilarious to me. When Kendal does it, it’s an issue, but when The Godfather does it, it’s entertaining. Not saying it’s a double standard, but actually I am. 

Turk182: While all these talks are happening, Arissa sits at a table all by herself. She says that she likes to have her peace and alone time, but some people are already questioning what’s going on with her. Alton is especially concerned. For someone that’s known her as hardcore during their Real World season they’ve done together, he’s seeing that she prefers to be a loner, and knowing that they’re in a really tight competition, he’s scared that this is going to put a flag on her.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The next day, though, Mark and Arissa start talking about the lifesaver. Mark says that he wants Arissa to be safe, and he is considering using the lifesaver to save Katie and put Kendal in the arena in Katie’s place. Tell us how you really feel, Mark. I can’t say I’m surprised. Kendal is strong as fudge and could excel at most competitions. She could even take Mark’s $500,000. I’m sure he doesn’t want that. He was the one who came up with the damn show. It would be nice to make some cash off his creativity. 

Turk182: Mark’s even said in an interview that despite his executive producer credit, he removes that hat the moment he steps on to the field, so he’s out of the loop with all the twists and turns that may come their way. That shows he’s put a lot of energy and care, and he also trusts the other producers to respect his position as a player as well. The worst he could’ve done is leave it in the hands of Lauren Zins in the midst of a sexual assault coverup and a shutdown due to a violation of COVID-19 protocols.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Back at the house, Beth gets on a video chat with her family. She seems very excited to see her husband and two kids. As mentioned before, she misses them a lot but her goal is to bring home some money. She can’t bring home money if she leaves the game. Doesn’t take a clown to figure that out. 

Turk182: She’s already quit The Challenge before. Twice. If she does it again here, we may have to contact hospice care.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: As with most episodes, we end with the elimination. TJ welcomes Beth down to the arena and then asks for her competitor. Katie joins her in the sand. TJ then asks for Mark to give the decision about the lifesaver. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Mark hinted at using it but things can change on a dime in this game. What comes next is definitely a game changer. Mark speaks up and says that he will “not let Katie compete tonight.” He gives her the lifesaver, saving her from elimination. Miss Katie is lucky. She didn’t have to participate in the daily or the elimination. To be fair, neither do I, but I’m sitting at home shoving Harvest Snaps in my mouth watching The Challenge. 

Turk182: Mark’s a real go-getter, and he’s very enthusiastic about getting something dramatic to happen, so let it be him to open Pandora’s Box in this case and use the lifesaver.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: The All-Stars are now wondering how the replacement will be chosen, and this is a perfect opportunity for TJ to drop a bomb. TJ reveals that the competitors will have to vote on Katie’s replacement.

Turk182: This part was something I definitely wasn’t expecting, but it’s totally fair. If you left it up to the lifesaver holder, it would be too much power at once. If it was left up to the person that just got saved, it would’ve caused a lot of unhappy people. So now, everyone except the winners (Mark & Ruthie), the person that still has to go into elimination (Beth), and the person that just got saved (Katie) has to vote for the new competitor on the spot. Aneesa’s pissed, Mark’s mad that he’s going to look like an asshole, and KellyAnne… she’s just glad that she took her vitamins before coming here. Darrell has to kick it off first, and he struggles for a good bit. Eventually, he asks Beth who she’d prefer. She tells him that she wants to go up against Arissa, so Darrell honors her request. Jemmye, who was also on Beth’s team, goes that same route and votes for Arissa. At this point, Arissa is heated. She goes on an expletive-filled rant in her confessional about why you don’t want to see her down in the Arena. Aneesa was not on Beth’s team, and thus, she goes with her own interests and votes for Kendal. Kendal returns the favor and votes for Aneesa. Jisela takes that shoutout to Aneesa personally and votes for Kendal. Arissa, who’s currently tied with Kendal at 2 a piece, votes for KellyAnne. Jonna votes for Arissa. Alton looks out for her Real World castmate and casts his vote for Kendal. Medium Easy, not in the mood to betray someone who was on his team this week, casts a burn vote for Aneesa. Syrus, who’s made it clear on multiple occasions this week that Beth’s his number one, honors her wishes and votes for Arissa. Everyone else follows along with that trend, and Arissa is officially going into the Arena against Beth.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Arissa is incredibly upset to be voted in. She does not let anyone touch her as she walks down to the arena. Mark feels terrible because he feels like he set her up. Arissa asks T.J. and Beth if they will be boxing tonight, but T.J. says no. Arissa calls the house “snakes” and makes her disgust obvious. Beth, however, is prepared for this elimination. Nothing will stand in her way of winning.

Tonight’s elimination is Wall Ball. There are four walls for each girl. They will pull the walls towards them, separating the walls. They must throw a ball over the wall and punch through the wall. They will continue the process until the ball has gone past each wall and each wall is punched through thrice. They will complete this process with three balls. The first woman to finish will stay in the game. 

Turk182: Arissa does get a change of clothes, so at least she can dress for the occasion. However, they end up showing us a shot of Arissa removing her helmet, right before the elimination starts. This is where things get real fucking nuts. Here’s how she responds when TJ asks her why she’s taking off her helmet: “No, TJ. I don’t need a helmet. I’d actually like to address my house right now. So, the way y’all pulled this shit was some flagrant, snake-ass shit, and while I respect the way that this game is played, what I don’t respect is how y’all are living, which is pretty motherfucking foul. And if I can’t box her, I don’t want any part of it, because the reality is when I did win, there’s no fucking way I could come back and be under the same roof as y’all motherfuckers. So fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you’re cool, and fuck you! I’m out! P.S. Y’all can kiss my motherfucking ass, and that’s the motherfucking game. Fuck y’all motherfuckers!”

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I won’t lie, I didn’t understand why she was so upset. It seemed like she just didn’t want to go in and face Beth. However, after knowing the backstory, I can understand why she left. It takes extra context to understand, but I can respect why she was upset. It seemed that people were ignorant of her gluten intolerance issues and she was lacking energy. I’d probably leave too. My life is worth more than $500,000, thank you. 

Turk182: TJ revealed in an interview that while he doesn’t usually watch what’s going on in the house, he will get a note from producers that goes over what’s going on in the house, and if someone’s about to quit and has a reason he can understand, he’ll likely go easy on them for that decision just a little (see Lio’s withdrawal from Double Agents, for example). TJ definitely did not get a heads up about this, so that’s why he taps into the criticism mode he used for Brandon’s quit in Rivals III and tells her “Don’t take care! Hope to see you never!” Jonna’s confused and suggests that if Arissa wants to punch Beth, she should just punch the walls and vent out all her anger in her performance. Maybe they should’ve printed out Beth’s face on large paper and plastered it on the walls where those dots are. Derrick, on the other hand, says, “Arissa, if you think we’re all snakes, sssssssss-see ya!” A perfect example of not missing the opportunity for an appropriate pun.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I love puns. I used to not understand them. That was a dark time. I was, like, five, but it still haunts me. 

Turk182: As TJ dismisses the All-Stars, Darrell says that people are going to be deceitful and betray one another for money. In his words, this show ain’t The Brady Bunch. I’m not too sure about that. The Brady Bunch did have a girl get a football thrown at her face that one time. 

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: Darrell’s words are a pretty good summary of The Challenge. It would be naïve to assume that you would not get backstabbed or lied to. It sucks but it’s part of the game and not everybody is cut out for that. I’m not saying that I disagree with Arissa quitting (I understand it), but ultimately her head was not in the right place and I think it was best for her to leave. 

Turk182: So that was episode 4 of The Challenge: All-Stars! Care to share your overall thoughts with us?

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: No, I don’t. Lol, just kidding. This episode was pretty jam-packed. The challenge gave us some pretty iconic battles, and the results were actually somewhat unexpected. I bet Mark is happy he is doing so well on the show he created. 

I wasn’t expecting Arissa to quit. I thought T.J.‘s comments might be directed at someone else. My original opinion was Beth. Sorry, girl. I’m happy that Arissa will be in a better place. She sounds like a lovely person and I know she is doing great things. Some people don’t need The Challenge to make them successful, and I applaud them. 

Turk182: Everything we like to expect entertainmentwise from the show has once again met our expectations and then some. We’re currently at the halfway point of this season (already?), and at this point, who knows how the rest of it is going to play out.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: I can’t wait for what’s to come. It’s only going to get better from here. Not for me, though. I’m stuck in the Pelican State.

Turk182: Let’s just close this recap out, Bay Area lady.

Madisonkirkpatrick1998: This is Madisonkirkpatrick1998 and Turk182 for Reality TV Guide, where we came to make everyone feel better about themselves.