Love her or hate her, Nicole Zanatta is one of those competitors who always finds herself in the center of controversy on The Challenge — that was, until she got on All Stars Rivals. So far, she hasn’t done a whole lot this season.
Nicole has yet to win a challenge, get into a major argument, or find herself in a hook-up. It feels like we’ve gotten a sedated version of Nicole, so what’s going on? How can we be eight episodes into the season and her biggest moment was commenting on Beth’s jeans?
For starters, we know Nicole is in a relationship at home — one that started on very precarious terms. Despite her bad track record, Nicole has remained faithful this season; she even seems to be avoiding saying the name “Laurel.” Production knew Nicole was in a relationship before this season, but they likely anticipated she’d stray from it (per usual). While it’s nice to see Nicole mature, from a television standpoint, there’s nothing to watch there.
It seems odder that Nicole’s game hasn’t been discussed much this season. We’ve seen a couple of moments — like the time she was involved in Shane’s ruse to get Frank & Sam thrown into the Jungle — but she hasn’t been a central figure. Nicole & Melissa seem to be playing an under-the-radar game, but we’ve seen some hints that Nicole’s game is more intricate than depicted on screen.
Firstly, we’re left to assume that she’s close with Adam after All Stars 4. We saw her resisting the majority at the house vote, and she only voted for Adam & Steve when it was necessary to protect herself. However, her relationship with Adam really isn’t explained, despite its importance in the house politics.
We also know that she’s working with Shane, which is an unexpected turn of events. On Invasion and Vendettas, these two did not get along. Remember, Shane is a Lavender Lady with Sylvia, and she betrayed Nicole on Invasion to work with the group. Nicole’s newfound friendship with Shane indicates some type of truce, but viewers don’t know how this happened.
Likely, Nicole hasn’t been a prominent figure this season because she hasn’t done a whole lot. She & Melissa haven’t gotten their star, nor have they won a daily challenge. So, there aren’t a lot of reasons to showcase their strategy.
Nicole & Melissa are definitely at a disadvantage being on a girl/girl team, but let’s be honest, if any female could physically compete with the men this season, it’s Nicole. Unfortunately for her, the competitions aren’t really physical. Most games have an equalizer (which almost always means a puzzle). This is Nicole’s weak spot and Melissa isn’t much help, so the girls have been losing all season.
While I do think that Nicole could get to the end, she & Melissa will be considered one of those “weak” teams Veronica and Frank want to work with. It seems the randomness of All Stars doesn’t do Nicole any favors, and she’s probably one of the competitors who are better suited for the flagship series.
Stop Being Polite 