Throughout Double Agents, we’ve heard multiple people sing praises toward Darrell. He’s a 4-time Champion and he’s “never lost a final.” These accolades make him seem like a lethal player, but his Challenge record since 2010 hasn’t been so stellar.
He was the first person eliminated on Fresh Meat 2 and he was purged first on Dirty Thirty. He did eliminate Zach and Bananas on Invasion, but he didn’t make the final. He did win Champs vs. Pro, which is an impressive notch in his legacy, but one that’s often overlooked.
On Double Agents, he flew under the radar. He got a skull by eliminating Devin, but he lost to Cory. While Cory’s a pretty good competitor, he has won 0 of his 7 prior seasons.
If you’re new to The Challenge, you might perceive Darrell as overhyped. As a longtime viewer, I think he’s as good as he’s always been.
His first three Challenge wins were on The Gauntlet, The Inferno, and The Inferno 2. These seasons are significantly less competitive than modern seasons. After all, 40% of the cast of The Inferno won that season. 6.7% of the cast will win Double Agents.
Darrell’s best performance was on Fresh Meat where he beat 11 other teams to win. A lot of credit should be given to his partner Aviv who solved puzzles to advance in the final quickly. He also benefitted from a lot of friendships and being in the majority alliance.
It seemed Darrell was absent from the game early into the season, and that was very reminiscent of old school Darrell. He’s known for avoiding drama and flying under the radar. The Inferno 1 & 2 were perfect for him because he wasn’t the weakest player on his team, but he also wasn’t a captain. Strategically, it wasn’t smart to vote Darrell into The Inferno. So he skated to the end both seasons. He only won two Lifeshields on the Inferno seasons, while other competitors had far higher tallies.
On Double Agents, Darrell only won a single challenge, and it was trivia. This doesn’t demonstrate that he’s a strong competitor, but Double Agents also isn’t a season that rewards strength. Darrell plays the longterm game, and this means he isn’t going to flex when it’s unnecessary.
It also seems Darrell’s Challenge career isn’t over. He’s on All Stars, and he might return on Season 37. Despite his underwhelming performance on Double Agents, he still has a good shot of winning. He’s in good shape, and he’d be a threat in the final.
If I had to guess, Darrell probably anticipated the Snapping Point elimination to be more of a marathon than a sprint. Usually, there’s a point where the competitors are inching forward, and Darrell may have had more strength and endurance than Cory. As a longtime viewer, when I see this type of elimination, I expect more of a Reverse Tug-of-War like we saw when Devin competed against Wes. Either Cory is really fast, or the rope was really long.
Darrell was never an impossible competitor to defeat, but he is certainly a great player. You’re asking for trouble if you send him into elimination, but early seasons rewarded his low-key gameplay. This is why he won’t three seasons without seeing an elimination, and it allowed him to get through three quarters of Fresh Meat without drawing lines in the sand. In modern times, it’s impossible to get to the end without seeing an elimination. Fewer people win, and competitors really need to work for their win. I firmly believe Darrell is capable, but he will be tested in ways he was never tested on Gauntlets and Infernos.
Stop Being Polite 