This week, we saw Theo take an early flight home from The Challenge when he decided not to compete in the You’ve Got Balls elimination. Cory won by default, and TJ was disappointed in Theo for not jumping down the zipline.
Theo talked a big game going into elimination. He boasted that he was a real athlete and he wanted to establish a name for himself on The Challenge by eliminating Cory who has been a prominent figure on the past couple of seasons. Had he been successful, he would have certainly shut some people up. Cory has been successful on the past couple of seasons and he is one of the leaders this season. Given the fact that we have a such a fresh cast Cory is on of the top dogs right now.
Then, the cast was given an oddball elimination. Competitors can build strength, increase endurance, and solve puzzles prior to coming onto The Challenge. No one has a zipline over an Asian jungle at their disposal. Some competitors will find this an adrenaline rush, while height will be the biggest fear to others.
Here’s the thing: Theo didn’t decide he was done competing all together. He hesitated during a timed event and refused to jump. In a timed event, hesitation is not an option. Once you’ve hesitated, there’s really no point continuing. In past seasons people have opted not to complete daily missions because of their fears (Tori on Cutthroat or Katie on The Gauntlet 3 for example). Sure, TJ ragged on these people, but they really didn’t have any consequences beyond hurting their team. At least Theo only hurt his own game by not jumping.
Really, the challenge in this elimination was jumping into your fear. This reminds me of Dave quitting The Island because he missed cheeseburgers and his “girlfriend” of 6 hours. Sure, his excused for leaving seemed lame, but part of the challenge of The Island was enduring the conditions while avoiding the comforts of home. This elimination was disguised as a ball-holding competition but it was really designed to make you jump into your fears as quickly as possible. If you go even further back in Challenge history, participating in fear-inducing missions was the Challenge. On The Challenge 2000, the way to win the bungee jumping mission was to have more people participate in the event than the other team.
So go ahead and shit on Theo, I don’t think quitting is noble, but I also think we need to acknowledge that this elimination was designed to psych competitors out.
Stop Being Polite 
This “elimination” was stupid. It felt more like a mission. They couldn’t find one area in to have these elimination rounds go down and of course Theo should come back, didn’t Beth quit like three times and she always kept coming back. The reason this show sucks now is because peope take it way to seriously. It used to be a nice vacation where the cast could compete and have fun, but now it’s more serious than ever.
I’m with Theo, I like my life too much to take a chance like that. I don’t do heights and I definitely don’t do bungee jumping. I wouldn’t trust no cord to hold me up 300 feet over the ground. I’d probably die just from fear alone.
The Challenge does everything from heights, water, strength, endurance etc. It’s pushing people to get out of their comfort zone. Theo should’ve known what he was getting himself into. I would’ve done it and I am afraid of heights, but when there’s money on the line, yes I would do it. And I also feel Dylan from GBOGH was screwed over for chance to actually do well on the show, but no they had to pick the one who saids he’s an athlete. It’s not about athleticism one has but how well you can take the emotion, social, and physical environment that is the challenge.
Scary part if it was based on athleticism, Dylan who actually was a D-1 athlete (Dylan was a track athlete for UNC and Theo for Indiana State who is actually a FCS team for College Football or D-II) should have been there to do the challenge. There’s Exes 3 coming up (I’m hoping).
It’s mixed because let’s face it most of us will never do a challenge. So we won’t know what’s going on in the challenge house day to day. One would have thought he would have fought harder to stay since well he didn’t last in the house granted one could said his cousin should have got home as well. I saw on twitter even Theo knows he screwed himself.
It was just luck of the draw for Theo. A week earlier and he would’ve had a chance to show what he’s made of. D1 athlete or not, he knew what he was walking into. You need physical and mental game to survive, especially to take on the people that he claims he can beat. I think people would not be as hard on him if he didn’t talk all that shit.
Proof-read your articles, man. I’m embarrassed for Google that this story showed up in my feed, full of spelling errors. You’re making all Michaels look bad.