So far, we’ve seen four of the checkpoints in the season 40 final, and the first three heavily relied on swimming. For someone like Jordan, this has been a blessing. He’s a great swimmer, and this is an opportunity for him to get an early lead. But for someone like Kyland, this is a nightmare. The final found his biggest weakness, highlighted it, and will determine the outcome based on it.
At the end of the first day, it kind of feels like Kyland’s shot at winning is gone, but he’s not the only one struggling. Tori also seems frustrated by the constant swimming, and Bananas and Derek know that Jordan is significantly better at swimming than they are.
To be fair, Challengers should expect to see swimming in the final. It’s one of the predictable obstacles, along with running, puzzles, math, and eating. But it’s not like Kyland can’t swim, it’s just not his strongest skill.
Before the final, it felt like Kyland was a real contender to win. He won a few daily challenges and he seemed to be the one person that Jordan was worried about. By the end of day one, all of that potential was gone, and it felt like Jordan had no real competition.
As a viewer, the lack of variety in the final can get quite repetitive, but for the competitors, it’s downright exhausting. We’ve seen this before on the first day of the final — think of the bike rides on the War of the Worlds final or the sandbag laps on the Battle of the Bloodlines final. The goal is to wear down the competitors. Swimming is just a different way of doing it.
Some people complain that this favors Jordan, but you’d really have to try to find a skill that Jordan doesn’t excel in. Fans also complain that the final is boring, and that’s the real problem. The constant swimming isn’t atypical for a Challenge final, but it’s not going to make the Battle of the Eras final stand out in the way a milestone season’s final should.
Stop Being Polite 