The final challenge is getting closer, but on episode 14, Josh Martinez missed his opportunity to compete for the title. He’s been very vocal about his goal of making a final, but after seven seasons, he’s yet to make one. He’s come very close — he was the last male eliminated pre-final on War of the Worlds 2 and USA 2 — and it seemed like Battle of the Eras could have been his season. So, what went wrong?
Josh’s Strong and Sloppy Social Game
Battle of the Eras was a good showing for Josh. As soon as the competition started, viewers saw that he was in better shape than prior seasons. Then, once the game started, we noticed another unexpected improvement: He’s become mister popular. He had alliances all over the house ranging from the Vacation Alliance to his former-ally Bananas to his Miami friend Rachel. Socially, he was protected from many angles, and this allowed him to fly under the radar for the bulk of the competition.
His popularity also didn’t go unnoticed, and Josh avoided getting targeted early into the season. When he did self-nominate as a team leader, Era 4 won Cloud Catcher and Josh earned power. He used this to save Bananas, who felt Josh backstabbed him on USA 2. Later, the Vacation Alliance faulted Josh for being unable to sway Rachel from sending Kaycee & Kyland into the episode 9 elimination against Tori & Devin.
Some people — specifically Cory, Michele, and Tori — would view these moves as Josh prioritizing his friendships with Bananas and Rachel, and they weren’t totally wrong. Once Kaycee left, Josh found himself supporting the Bananas’ Angels alliance more and more, to the point where he joined the group (which he dubbed “Rachel’s Angels”) on episode 13.
Working with Bananas’/Rachel’s Angels could have been a good move. After all, it’s a group with some of the strongest women, and they’re only saving one or two men. The problem here: These girls are avoiding elimination, therefore, they don’t pick the targets. Josh’s fatal error may have been breaking Michele’s trust. After winning Stranded, Michele named Josh as a target without hesitation.
Josh’s Improved Competitive Game
We can see Josh has gotten much leaner over the past few years, and he’s doing better on the show. Still, his performance in daily challenges this season was quite unremarkable for the most part.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Until episode 14, Josh wasn’t losing daily challenges. He was just coasting in the middle. He was able to handle endurance runs, lift heavy objects, and solve puzzles, but he was no match for people like Jordan and Kyland. But, Josh also revealed that his physical abilities took a turn for the worse toward the end of his run on the show.
Josh stated in an interview that he split his knee open during one daily challenge and had to get 16 stitches. For a while, he was on bed rest, and he was concerned he’d do more damage to his leg if he competed at full intensity. That didn’t stop him from competing, but this type of injury will hinder any competitor. Josh also said he was worried about competing in Coming From Behind on his wounded knee, especially knowing there’d be physical contact.
What Cost Josh the Game
I think it’s fair to say that Josh’s unaired injury was the biggest factor leading to his loss, but we can’t dismiss his social game. Had Josh been loyal to Michele all season, he likely wouldn’t have been named a target on episode 14. Instead, Derek likely would have been put in that position.
While Josh came in last in the daily challenge, he’s also not known as a competitor that does well under pressure. So, he likely would have been in a better mental state during the ‘Nother Trucker competition.
However, Josh had branded himself as a flip-flopper this season. If he survived episode 14, he likely would have found himself in a situation similar to USA 2. He’s picked a side, ruffled feathers in the process, and hasn’t established dominance in the competition. So, he would have had the biggest target going into the next male elimination. Even his new allies in Bananas’ Angels would have prioritized Bananas over Josh.
Based on his past few seasons, this is the type of outcome we’ve come to expect from Josh. He’s getting stronger, but he’s not the strongest. So, he’ll make it far in the game, but when push comes to shove, the alliances shove Josh to the side to fend for himself.
Stop Being Polite 