If MTV set out to portray Millennials in the WORST POSSIBLE light, they have totally achieved their goal with Stranded with a Million Dollars.
But let’s talk about what led up to Alex burning the money before we evaluate his sanity.
After 28 days in jungle, Team Makody is finally in control of the game.
“We should have thought more about getting the machete and their tent, too,” Makani is showing no mercy.
“They’re going to get dehydrated really fast,” Cody says.
“Alex and Gina have done much worse things, so I’m just giving them a taste of their own medicine,” Makani says.
I’ve been watching, and I agree.
Alex and Gina still don’t seem to understand that anything they buy with the group’s money belongs to the group.
“I definitely regret getting Cody and Makani food in the past,” Gina says.
They get their map for the journey to their 8th camp – and they have one hour and 45 minutes to get there.
Cody and Makani are carrying almost all of the weight so that Gina and Alex don’t get their hands on the supplies.
Alex says Team Makody hasn’t been carrying their weight in previous journeys, but that’s not true.
We all saw the amount of weight they each carried. Cody has carried the most on every single journey.
“I don’t know many girls I’ve crossed paths with in my life who can do what Makani is doing,” Cody says. #TeamMakody
“This trail’s not so bad,” Alex says.
And then Gina falls in a hole. Bahaha! #LoveIt
The group has $493,250 in the cash pile once they arrive at the new camp.
“I think we can see this camp push one of them out,” Cody says, feeling optimistic.
But he counted his chickens too soon.
Gina and Alex are plotting.
“We still have a lot of cards,” Gina says.
“They’re so evil for doing that,” Gina says “You need us…”
Nobody needs them. They’re useless.
“I’m not going to be bullied out of this game,” Alex says.
That’s rich. Alex has been a bully since right after the first group buy. He’s not a nice guy.
He’s also a wimp.
#TeamAlgina has been pigging out on pizza and burgers for weeks, and now that they’re cut off, they’re psycho in 48 hours.
Alex knows he can’t make it to 40 days at this rate – so in the most disgusting display of poor sportsmanship I’ve seen since Michigan lost to Ohio State, he starts threatening Cody and Makani.
“I will sit here and rip up every last dollar unless we buy some food and the smallest pot, delivered today,” he says.
Alex comes across as a really horrible, selfish, entitled little s**t.
“You’ve got to stand up for what’s right,” Alex said.
Who is he kidding? He hasn’t demonstrated that he knows right from wrong.
I feel so sorry for his parents. They must be mortified that they spawned him. #SorryNotSorry
“We have pretty much all of the money. You can take that, or we will start ripping up the money,” Alex says.
“And you called me kamikaze,” Makani says.
“This is so unfortunate,” Alex says, and starts tearing up bills.
“This is not my choice, this is their choice,” Alex says.
Alex obviously expected a reaction from Cody and Alex, but he was disappointed. They kept their cool.
“It’s quite a little temper tantrum they’re throwing,” Makani says. Excellent description.
“They only went 24 hours without a pot,” Cody says. Yeah, it’s ridiculous.
Cody and Makani rationed their peanut butter and have enough to get to Day 40 so no matter what, they’re not buying food for them now.
“We bought them a tent. We bought them food four, five times,” Alex says.
He’s such an idiot.
Everything purchased was bought with group money, and then Alex and his cronies didn’t share the vast majority of it.
Let him starve.
They tear up money til they get tired, and then they start to burn it. WTF?
They’ve destroyed $65,580 before they’re finished.
“You called me the crazy one but I think you have me beat,” Makani says.
She is sooo right.
Alex just looks so bitter and angry.
I just realized he’s the only man I know who has Resting B***h Face.
There’s a new challenge for them to tackle, and the winning team gets a big basket of fruit.
After they build a pole and get the basket out of a tree, without dropping it in the water.
Makani asks #TeamAlgina if they have a preferred team name. Alex won’t answer.
“How about #TheLosers since you haven’t won a challenge yet,” Cody suggests.
“One basket of fruit could be the meal that keeps us in this game,” Alex says.
Yeah, Alex. Good luck with that.
It’s a hard challenge, and Team Makody knocks some of their fruit into the water.
But they get their basket.
Predictably, Alex doesn’t handle the loss well.
“Alex being a bad sport makes winning that much more fun,” Makani says.
“Who cares if they won? You can just see how dysfunctional their relationship is,” says Gina.
“I’m so miserable… is the money worth another day of misery?” Alex says.
OMG the whining!
This guy whines and cries about going home every episode. Send him home so we don’t have to listen to it anymore.
“I cannot stand to see them. I can’t stand to think about the game anymore,” Alex says.
“Do I stay and surround myself with people like Cody and Makani?” Alex says.
Bahahahaha! Dude is trying to turn it into a character thing. #GlassHouses
He’s just about to quit.
“You can’t leave me Alex,” Gina says.
So of course, production sends them a Hail Mary.
Suspiciously, EVERY time these two are ready to flare out, they get a save in the form of a Temptation from production.
This time it’s a pizza party for Gina. Seriously???
They get to pig out – fulfilling their junk food quotient – and live to fight another day.
Defeated #TeamAlgina got a reprieve, Cody tries to talk to Gina about the money burning.
“This kinda feels good, in a weird way,” Gina says.
“What would you rather have? A scoop of peanut butter or $75,000?” Cody asks.
“A scoop of peanut butter,” she says quickly. Then she rethinks that.
“If Alex leaves me, what am I supposed to do on my own?” Gina asks.
They get alerted for the next journey. It’s tricky so they’re getting special rock climbing equipment.
There’s another split in the trail, and they don’t have to stay together – one is harder, one is longer.
“I’m not carrying anything on this journey except our tent and the machete. You don’t want to buy me food, I’m not carrying anything,” Gina says.
Alex sees Cody talking to Gina about carrying the flare case, and Alex interrupts her.
Cody says her owner is calling her.
“We said we weren’t carrying anything on these journeys and meant it,” Alex says.
Did he stamp his foot like an angry little kid?
A drone drops climbing harnesses for the four of them.
“I don’t know who is worse, Alex or Gina,” Cody says.
“I guess we’re not going on the journey,” Gina says.
Again, just because she CAN’T do it, she wants to ruin it for everybody else.
Next week, teasers appear to show Cody taking a dump in the middle of #TeamAlgina’s water source.
I’m guessing this is the dastardly deed executive producer Kevin Lee was referring to when I interviewed him after the first episode.
“Cody pulls the most diabolical d**k move that I’ve ever seen on a reality show. He uses something as a weapon that you would never think could be a weapon. There’s a hint in the trailer…,” Lee says.
Gross. But brilliant.
Check out this exclusive video clip of Cody talking about this week’s episode, and his Go Fund Me campaign to recoup the money burnt for a baby’s cancer treatment!
Things we’re left wondering
Alex reminds me of every negative stereotype of a fraternity boy, anybody else see that? No offense to nice frat boys.
Alex is drinking out of a shell or rock – what happened to his peanut butter jars? Was he too lazy to carry one to drink out of? How could he be that stupid?
Is he really planning to stay out there with less money to win, and no chance of food or water? I think there’s something shady going on behind the scenes.
Stranded with a Million Dollars airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on MTV.