The All Stars Rivals cast performed really poorly during the Edge of Glory challenge, and it started with Aneesa & Ashley. They were the first team to voluntarily disqualify themselves, but this wasn’t a mutual decision.
Ashley wanted to compete. She was trying to pull Aneesa across the platform and was willing to be suspended over the edge to grab flags, but her partner wanted nothing to do with it. During this challenge, teams were tethered together, so if one person fell, the other would have to bungee too.
It got to the point where Ashley was running toward the edge and Aneesa just refused to move. TJ interjected, but it didn’t change Aneesa’s mind, and the “team” quit.
As a viewer, seeing people give up on challenges is annoying. But, it’s less frustrating when teams are on the same page (like Katie & Veronica). Ashley wanted to try, but Aneesa felt like she could float through to the next week based on her friendships.
To be fair, Aneesa wasn’t wrong; it’s not like anyone tried to get her thrown into the Arena. But it doesn’t seem like this will be an isolated incident. In the preview for episode 3, Aneesa seemed to be unwilling to climb a cargo net because she injured her shoulder climbing one on Spies, Lies and Allies.
At this point, it seems really unfair to have Ashley paired with Aneesa. It’s no secret that these two aren’t rivals — at least they weren’t before this season — so there’s no reason to waste Ashley’s return to the show by pairing her with Aneesa.
On previous Rivals seasons, we’ve seen some fake pairings: Take Bananas & Frank for example. At least these two could somewhat match each other’s competitive level, and it seemed like an investment in making Frank a bigger figure in the Challenge world. We’ve also seen teams on other seasons like Thomas & Simone. They weren’t really rivals, but they were probably just cast to fill up the season’s roster and get out early.
Neither mold fits the Ashley & Aneesa pairing — they’re both established players that MTV seemed invested in. That is, until Ashley was ejected from Spies, Lies, and Allies for an “unknown” rule violation.
To be honest, it seems like The Challenge is testing the waters with Ashley’s return by putting her on All Stars, kind of like they did with Jordan and Nia on All Stars 3.
It also feels like production thought Ashley would help Aneesa this season, just like Jordan helped her on Ride or Dies. This could be true, but when Aneesa flat-out refuses to compete, she’s beyond being helped.
If you’re an Ashley fan, this will likely be a disappointing season for you. The same can be said for Aneesa’s fans, but it seems Aneesa is making her own misfortune and dragging Ashley down in the process.
Stop Being Polite 