Is ‘Staking a Claim’ a Good Idea?

Now that we have the permanent pairs, TJ introduced a new twist: staking a claim. This is a one-time chance for a competitor to make a risky move and attempt to snag a new teammate.

On paper, the process seems a bit complex, but it’ll likely be easy to understand once it’s been implemented the first time. Here’s the protocol:

• Challenger 1 wants to abandon their partner (Partner 1) and work with another competitor of the opposite stripe (Partner 2).
• Then, Challenger 1 will face Challenger 2 (Partner 2’s original teammate) in a one-on-one battle.
• If Challenger 1 wins, Challenger 1 & Partner 2 will become a new team and Challenger 2 & Partner 1 will default to teammates.
• If Challenger 1 loses, Challenger 2 & Partner 2 will remain a team. As a punishment, Challenger 1 & Partner 1 will face the last-place team in The Arena.

TJ also said each person only has one opportunity to stake a claim, and no one took that chance on episode 10. Based on the length of the season we probably only have about seven eliminations left. Even with TJ’s limitation, we’re bound to see this twist come into play sooner or later.

The real question: Who should try to stake a claim?

As it stands, most of the people who had early picks when selecting partners are unlikely to take advantage of the twist. Teams like Yeremi & Aviv, Sydney & Turbo, and Michaela & Cedric seem quite content with their partnerships. They’re likely to do whatever it takes to keep things unchanged.

Meanwhile, there are teams that are in a bad spot — like Gabe & Jonna. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before Gabe tries to leave Jonna for a partner he views as a better match for his skills. You can’t blame him for taking advantage of the opportunity, but if he’s successful, this twist does suck for his new partner.

It feels like staking a claim undermines the whole purpose of the point system, and it’s a last-ditch effort to infuse a wildcard twist into this season. Some of the most memorable teams in Challenge history were born out of unexpected pairings.

There have also been times when competitors realized the grass wasn’t greener with a new partner. Think of CT & Kam on Double Agents. After CT abandoned Big T, he found out his game style clashed with Kam’s and Big T was an asset to his game.

It will be more interesting to see the people who try to stake a claim, lose, and are forced to face the Arena. That punishment could be a death sentence, but it could also be a team building activity that makes the pair stronger. But, this is The Challenge. There’s no doubt people will try to work the system, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone agrees to throw the one-on-one battle in a mutually agreed upon partner trade.