The rotating partners have come to an end, and the Vets & New Threats cast is on the verge of picking their permanent partners. For the most part, the cast is divided into two camps: those who expect to pick their partners and those who expect to be picked.
The point system has identified many of the front runners this season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those are the best partners to get. Based on the information we have so far, which Challenger from each “stripe” should be the top pick?
Veteran Female: Michaela
Based on the scores from the first eight episodes, there are two obvious front-runners on the women’s side: Michaela and Olivia. Either girl would make an excellent partner, but it seems Olivia has a much bigger target than Michaela.
Compared to her debut season, you can’t overstate Michaela’s improvements. She’s proven herself to be a strong competitor across the board, and she doesn’t have a massive target on her back. Yes, she’s part of the “upstairs” alliance, but she doesn’t appear to be as involved as people like Aviv, Nany, or Ashley.
Michaela is in a position where she can avoid last place (unless she chooses to strategically throw the challenge). She also has allies, but she’s not so connected that she can’t be swayed to make a smart game move that breaks those bonds.
Veteran Male: Turbo
Of all the categories, the veteran men probably have the least compelling options available. Three vet males are gone — and I would have said all three of these veterans had high potential coming into this season.
Despite being a champion, Turbo hasn’t had many shining moments this season. He did figure out the trick to solving the Side By Side puzzle, but beyond that, he’s mostly floated in the middle of the competition. However, he doesn’t have any major red flags when compared to the other four veteran men in the game.
Assuming the partners remain in tact until the end of the season, I think the female veteran/ male new threat pairs have higher potential than the male veteran/ female new threat pairs. But if you had to pick between CT, Derrick K., Leroy, Theo, or Turbo, Turbo is the best choice,
New Threat Female: Sydney
Sydney may stand out for being overly confident, but as the female new threat with the most points, it seems she’s backing it up. There are only four other options in this stripe, and Sydney has done notably better than Dee, Tay, and America.
Ultimately, the top female new threat would either be Sydney or Adrienne (who’s a bit of a dark horse). The two girls are in different alliances, and as it stands, Adrienne’s alliance is in atrophy.
Sydney has emerged as a well-rounded player, but she does have one skill that really stands out: swimming. After the Battle of the Eras final, this seems like a desirable trait to have in a partner, and it’s a major factor pushing her to the top of the pack.
New Threat Male: Will
As far as the stripes go, the new threat men have a lot of potential. Will and Yeremi are tied with the most points (as of episode 8), but Cedric, Justin, and Leo also have high scores on the board.
So far, Yeremi seems to be the standout male of the season — likely because he won the Day Zero competition. As we get closer to the final, this is going to earn him a big target. Competitors will also try to exploit weaknesses in his partner to get him out of the competition. Meanwhile, Will is also fast and strong. He offers many of the qualities that will help his team excel in a final, but his target isn’t as big.
In all honesty, I think Yeremi is the better choice for some people in the game, but Yeremi’s perceived target makes him a bigger risk than Will. Will’s strength and speed will serve him well in the remaining challenges, and based on his size, he could even help compensate if his partner is lacking in those departments.
Stop Being Polite 