All Stars Rivals is off to a familiar start. Just like All Stars 4, the cast members will need to earn a star to run the final, and the initial batch of four was handed out during the first daily challenge on Episode 1.
The season also has some interesting casting choices. By design, there is an uneven number of males and females. As a result, some teams don’t have a man on them. The cast includes six coed teams, two male/male teams, and five female/female teams: Aneesa & Ashley, Beth & Jonna, Katie & Veronica, Kellyanne & Sylvia, and Melissa & Nicole.
Unsurprisingly, the top two teams in Frenemies were the only two male/male teams on the cast: Adam & Steve came in first and Leroy & Devin came in second. They were followed by teams with men on them: Dario & Ashley came in third and Turbo & Nany came in fourth (we also know Corey & Big T would have finished in fifth place).
Any time a Challenge cast doesn’t distribute the men and women equitably, the concern of fairness arises. Often, there are equalizers put into place, but not this time. Frenemies was a free-for-all, and the girl/girl teams were expected to outperform the men if they wanted to get a star.
Most of the checkpoints were based on coordination, so it seems communication should have been the skill that separated winners and losers. Strength and speed weren’t quite as important, but they were needed to run through the mud, carry buckets of mud, and run between checkpoints. But regardless of the skills that should have been tested at the first challenge, the result seems to tell us that having a male on the team was an important factor.
The girl/girl teams are going to have a very hard time competing with coed teams — never mind the male/male teams. This is especially true considering that the initial stars have already been given out.
The best-case scenario would be getting a bunch of challenges that attempt to provide men and women equal chances for victory. However, this runs the risk of oversaturating the season with puzzles and trivia.
More likely, the women will be forced to compete against the men in games where speed and strength are a factor, and the outcome will be predictable. The men will generally win, and the female/female teams will be forced to work twice as hard just to stand a chance. Most likely, the girl/girl teams will be some of the first ones eliminated.
To be honest, it almost feels like some of these teams were set up to fail. I truly cannot see a scenario where a team like Beth & Jonna will provide any type of competition for a team like Leroy & Devin. That’s not to say All Stars: Rivals won’t have good competition, but if I was betting, I’d bet the teams with men will survive the first few weeks without issue.
Stop Being Polite 