The Challenge Battle of the Eras: Top Moments from Episode 2

Sixteen competitors are about to face the Era Invitational, and the cast will shrink by one-fifth at the end of the night.

The Invitational Stage is Set

The cast arrives at The Arena, and TJ announces there will be four eliminations, one from each era. They are: Balls In (from Era 1, The Inferno 2), Pole Wrestle (Era 2, The Duel), Hall Brawl (Era 3, Battle of the Seasons), and Take Shelter (Era 4, Total Madness). Then, the winners announce the elimination matchups:
Katie vs. Aneesa
Mark vs. Derrick
Kellyanne vs. Cara Maria
Ryan vs. Brandon
Nia vs. Amanda
Leroy vs. Tony
Nurys vs. Olivia
Theo vs. Paulie

One representative from each era randomly selects their elimination game, the competitors will face off in the order that the elimination game debuted on The Challenge.

Nia vs. Amanda

Leroy randomly selects Balls In, meaning all Gen 3 competitors will play this game. Amanda is mad heading into the Arena, not just at Tori (who she mocks when her nomination is announced), but also with Cory. Apparently, Cory stated Amanda was her No. 1 in the game, and the two bonded over their friendship with Nelson. When TJ sounds the horn, Amanda proves she’s nimble and gets her first ball in the basket. This surprises people, but Nia also scores her first ball with ease, even though she initially misses the basket. This gives Nia confidence, and she blocks Amanda from scoring her second ball. Finally, Nia sinks her second basket and knocks Amanda out of the game.

Nia’s victory gets her noticed, particularly from Kyland and Josh who seem smitten on the elimination champ.

Leroy vs. Tony

Leroy starts the heat, but Tony is out for blood. He tackles Leroy, and quickly, Leroy’s ball becomes a “dead ball.” Leroy then plays defense and tackles Tony, but Tony pushes through and sinks the basket. Tony keeps his momentum, and he gets Leroy to drop his second ball. Then he plows through Leroy and wins the game by scoring his second basket.

Mark vs. Derrick

After volunteering last week, it seems Derrick has good karma because he gets his game of choice: Pole Wrestle. But, he’s sharing the pole with a big opponent, and the battle starts off with a lot of energy. Derrick and Mark literally flip in the sand, then the two players are on their knees. Then, Derrick stands up, and this motion is enough for him to yank the first pole away from Mark. Heat two starts with less intensity, and Derrick immediately curls into a ball and keeps the pole close. We don’t see a lot of movement, but Derrick is slowly working the pole out of Mark’s hand, one finger at a time. Then, Derrick stands up again. He has the pole, and he’s taken Mark out of the game.

Katie vs. Aneesa

Before this elimination, Aneesa felt very hurt by Rachel’s decision. She feels betrayed by her friend, but her luck changes when she gets to compete in Pole Wrestle. Aneesa — who was part of the first-ever female Pole Wrestle — feels confident, but when TJ sounds the horn, Katie refuses to let go of the pole. A lot of people watch in shock of Katie’s grit, but in the end, Aneesa secures the first pole. Heat two isn’t as drawn out. The girls fight for the pole a few moments, then Aneesa falls on Katie and gets her second pole, sending Katie home.

Halftime: Paulie vs. Bananas

Our halftime show is a flashback clips, and we hear the story of how Cara found herself in elimination. After The Chamber, Laurel tells Cara Maria that she’s been selected as the nominee, continuing the same cycle of distrust. While Cara Maria is irritated, she’s not too confrontational. Paulie, on the other hand, takes the opportunity to address Bananas. The two argue through a castle window, but Bananas says he rejected Cara Maria’s alliance because the pact was only presented in The Chamber. It could have been a different story if Cara Maria offered to work with him prior to the first challenge, but in this case “timing is everything.” After this, Laurel seems upset by the decision, but she made the choice based on who she wants to see in the final. Then, the sad story concludes when Michele tells Paulie he’s been selected for elimination.

Theo vs. Paulie

The Era 4 competitors have been blessed with Hall Brawl, and Theo is thrilled. The horn blows for the first round, and Theo hits Paulie so hard that it flips Paulie over. While Paulie tries to latch onto Theo and pull him back, TJ tells Paulie he has to go for the button, allowing Theo to win round one. In round two, Paulie tries to use leverage, but Theo knocks him over and claims the victory, sending Paulie home.

Nurys vs. Olivia

Horacio pushed to get Nurys the matchup she wanted, but Nurys claims she doesn’t have hate in her heart for Olivia — she just doesn’t want to leave Horacio in the game. When the horn sounds, the two girls clash in the middle of the hall, but it’s not a huge blowout. Olivia squeezes by Nurys and hits her button first, winning the first heat. Then, we get more action in the second heat. The two girls run into each other, and Olivia pushes Nurys to the end of the hall — until she falls over. Now, Nurys is on her feet and Olivia is trying to pull Nurys back. Nurys successfully drags Olivia halfway across the hall, but Olivia gains her footing, knocks Nurys over, and speeds toward her button. Olivia returns to the game and Nurys has been separated from Horacio.

Ryan vs. Brandon

For some reason, all four Gen 2 competitors play Take Shelter at the same time. Ryan’s strategy is to make a compact mess by the door, not a huge display, but Brandon has used some heavier and bulkier items. When the two men switch shelters, Ryan quickly discards all the sandbags and cinderblocks Brandon placed by the door, and he’s moving very quickly. But Brandon doesn’t have to move much, because his knots are all in one place. Ryan feels motivated being in Vietnam, where his father fought in the Vietnam War, and uses that energy to untangle his ropes and chains and win his heat, sending Brandon home.

Kellyanne vs. Cara Maria

Immediately, when the girls are barricading their cages, they both put chains through the door. Cara Maria seems to struggle tying her knots, because (according to Paulie), she doesn’t do the tying in the relationship. She also weaves her ropes and chains into a big pirate wheel (for the aesthetic, of course). Kellyanne, on the other hand, just has ropes and chains. Once the girls switch shelters, Kellyanne seems to be making bigger moves and removing obstacles quickly. Meanwhile, Cara’s making progress but part of her mind is focused on Paulie. It’s clear that this is the main event, as the Era 1 team is helping Cara Maria and the Era 2 team is helping Kellyanne. Then, Cara seems to pull the right thread because she gets the door open. Cara Maria returns to the game while Paulie is headed home.

All eight eliminated competitors stay behind, and they’re part of a twist. They get to give “karma points” to people in the game.