Was It Fair to Allow Nicole to Switch Her Opponent?

On episode 6 of All Star 4, Nicole became the first person to win the challenge and use her position to send herself into elimination.

As we saw, Nicole initially saved Jasmine, but Veronica slyly got into Nicole’s head. Then, Nicole changed her mind and saved Veronica, ultimately choosing to compete against Jasmine — a move that would ultimately send Jasmine home.

Regardless of the opponent, it seemed like the odds were in Nicole’s favor. But, her decision to play the “Reverse Uno card” seemed uncharacteristic for the show.

Often, we find TJ rushing cast members to make decisions. When they’re conflicted, he tends to apply more pressure and force them to say a name, and once they’ve said it, there’s no turning back.

For example, think about the time Zach & Amanda couldn’t make a decision on Final Reckoning. They were forced to pick between Ashley & Hunter or Bananas & Tony. When they couldn’t, TJ ran out of patience and sent them into the elimination.

So, why is this season different?

It’s not quite clear, because Nicole’s 11th-hour decision would have never flown during past seasons, not even skull-based seasons like Total Madness or Double Agents.

However, there is one slight difference this time around. TJ has been making a big deal about the winners having the option of volunteering into the Arena after they hear about the elimination. So, there’s no major benefit to rushing a decision. The winning Challenger has all the details about the game before they volunteer.

Still, allowing Nicole to switch her opponent wreaks of inconsistency. And if the Inferno 2 told us anything, Veronica would be quite upset if the switcheroo didn’t benefit her.

At least the standard is now set for this season. If someone else wants to make a very last minute swap, production has no reason to decline it.