Vets & New Threats has given us a fresh crop of Challenge rookies, but are they bringing us fresh game play?
During the first episode, we saw a relatively familiar dynamic in the Challenge house. On one side, we saw the veteran alliance which consisted of people like Bananas, Leroy, Nany, Aviv, Nia, Ashley, and Dee (as a seemingly new inductee). Then, there was the UK alliance that had Rogan, Theo, Adrienne, Izzy, Tay (even though she’s Australian), and Jake. By extension, Theo’s girlfriend Olivia is part of this group.
Episode two saw a third alliance emerge from the rubble: “Janes and the Jungle Man.” This group consists of Yeremi, Sydney, Leka, and Dee.
Based on episode two, it also seems Leka is close to competitors like Will and Jake, so they may be part of this alliance of New Threats.
Generally, rookie alliances don’t really impact the game too severely. Just look at Spies, Lies and Allies — the veterans dominated the first half of that game. But, that season started with a mostly united group of veterans, there’s already a veterans division on Vets & New Threats.
We also know that Sydney and Dee are part of the Janes and the Jungle Man alliance, and they competed on Survivor — Dee won her season. This means they’re familiar with playing strategic games, and it shows based on the group they’ve assembled.
There are a few reasons this group stands out as particularly threatening to the veterans and UK alliances:
- It features Yeremi, the winner of the Day Zero challenge, meaning it immediately has a notably strong competitor in the group.
- There are only rookies in the group, meaning they will always be paired with veterans. This makes it easier for them to control the majority of the votes, even if they have fewer numbers, since teams only have a single vote.
- This season already has two sides opposing each other, meaning the group didn’t form out of necessity or pure desperation.
During episode 2, Leka won with Turbo and she was given full power to nominate one female for elimination. She rejected Adrienne’s suggestion to take a swing at the veterans and she made the simple decision: She sent in Tay, the second-to-last-placing female.
This is showing that the Janes and the Jungle Man alliance could fly under the radar — but could they actually make the final together?
This seems fairly improbable, as rookies are still likely to be targeted before the veterans. However, it does seem all of the alliance members would have a good shot at winning in the Arena, so it’s definitely not impossible that members of the group will reach the final.
More likely, this group will eventually have the opportunity to make a power move. Rather than defeat the veterans alliance and UK alliance, they will be able to pick a side. This will position them to get farther in the game, because they’re now members of the house majority.
The group also has potential to shake up the game, but the New Threats have been doing a good job at that this season. This rookie class has already made some bold moves, and that’s a necessity if you want to become a Challenge champion.
Stop Being Polite 