Many fans of MTV’s The Challenge seem frustrated by the lack of a rule for the competition series which would ban specific behavior that often puts players at a competitive disadvantage.
That appeared to be the case in Ride or Dies Episode 8, as two of the game’s top players had issues performing a task during an elimination event.
The players’ issues were related to being able to communicate clearly with one another in an event that involved teamwork based on being able to hear instructions from one’s partner.
Viewers took to social media following the episode’s airing on MTV, with many expressing their frustration about what they witnessed.
It wasn’t the first time in the season, or during a previous season, that viewers saw similar circumstances affect a team or player in an elimination.
This report will include spoilers from The Challenge: Ride or Dies season.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies Episode 8 elimination
MTV aired Episode 8 of Ride or Dies on Wednesday, November 30, and featured one of the top teams in the game getting eliminated for the season.
After Aneesa Ferreira and Jordan Wiseley won the daily challenge, they gained the power to choose four elimination teams, one of which they could put into the elimination at The Zone. They chose Jay Starrett and Michele Fitzgerald for one-half of the matchup.
The other half of the matchup was decided at The Draw. After Nelson Thomas drew the “Safe” dagger for himself and his partner, he opted to save friend Faysal Shafaat and his teammate, Nurys Mateo. That put rookies Olivia Kaiser and Horacio Gutierrez into another elimination.
They competed in Spun Out for the elimination event, involving teammates on opposite sides of a large wheel that could roll down a track set up in The Zone.
Michele and Olivia were each strapped to a side of their team’s wheel and had to grab pyramid-shaped puzzle pieces along the way to stack correctly at a puzzle spot.
Their teammate was standing freely on the other side of the wheel. They were responsible for making the wheel move back and forth. However, they had to hear anything their partner was yelling to them, including which direction to go or how much to move.
During the event, many of the cast members watching from the upper level at the elimination venue assisted the rookie team by yelling tips and suggestions to them or cheering them on. All the yelling made it difficult for Jay to hear what Michele was trying to tell him and vice versa.
Jay even voiced his frustrations during the episode, yelling at castmates to “Shut the f**k up” as he competed in the event.
Ultimately, the rookies won the event, ousting the Survivor friends from Ride or Dies just before the midway point of the season. Before that, Jay and Michele had won two daily challenges, receiving power in the game and possibly shaking up others who felt they’d be tough to beat in a final.
Fans react to Ride or Dies elimination event
After The Challenge Twitter shared the above clip, many fans left comments, expressing their disapproval of the elimination situation and how it cost two players their spot in the game.
One individual indicated that Johnny Bananas and Nany Gonzalez “cheated plain and simple,” and it was “completely unfair.”
Another suggested production needs to “stop letting the other Challengers impact elimination results,” while one individual said, “y’all gotta stop letting outside ppl help/sabotage.”
“The Challenge loses all integrity of the game because they allow the players on the sidelines help,” a commenter wrote, adding, “It ruins the integrity of the game being called the Challenge.”
Another individual replied that they wanted to see the elimination take place “without all the extra” politics involved.
In Ride or Dies Episode 2, viewers watched as War of the Worlds winner Turabi “Turbo” Camkiran and his teammate Tamara Alfonso were eliminated in a similar fashion. Cast members yelled helpful comments from the upper level in support of their opponents, Horacio and Olivia, during that event, helping the rookies with a giant memory board puzzle.
There have been other recent seasons with examples where cast members yelled from the upper level to help fans. That included the recent All Stars 3 spinoff on Paramount Plus featuring Beth Stolarczyk against Jonna Mannion.
MTV’s 37th season, Spies, Lies & Allies, featured Tori Deal trying to help out her showmance interest Emanuel Neagu during an elimination against Devin Walker, which involved a number puzzle.
It should be interesting to see if more of these situations pop up as Ride or Dies continues and if production eventually addresses the lack of a rule or penalty about yelling from the sidelines in future seasons.
The Challenge: Ride or Dies airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on MTV.
Episodes of The Challenge are now streaming on Paramount+. Try it FREE!
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