One of the biggest moments on Vets & New Threats came on episode 16 when Yeremi decided to stake a claim on Olivia. The successful effort resulted in a teammate switch up where Will became Aviv’s partner and Yeremi started working with Olivia.
But what if that never happened? There’s a very real possibility that Yeremi & Aviv could have been running the final against Olivia & Will. If that happened, which team would have done better?
Aviv & Yeremi
On paper, these two stood out as the team to beat throughout the bulk of Vets & New Threats. This was because Yeremi excelled at the Day Zero challenge, and he wanted to work with Aviv. The duo quickly clicked, and they seemed to complement each other well.
We have an idea of how Yeremi performed in the final, but Aviv hasn’t run one in about two decades. She seems to be In good physical shape, but she’s tiny, so it’s safe to assume Yeremi would still be the pacesetter. However, Aviv is very logical, and she may have done better at the checkpoints than Olivia.
Aviv likely would have made fewer mistakes at the partner trivia checkpoint than Olivia because she was close to Yeremi for the bulk of the season. She also seems like she would have been more methodical when playing Connect Four, and she likely would not have come in last place at this checkpoint.
Aviv is one of those competitors who fits into the well-rounded category, and those are the types that do well in finals. Her only potential downfall could be a struggle with plantar fasciitis. This was an issue on Battle of the Eras (though she survived the mini final), and a gravelly mountain isn’t the environment to nurse a weak part of your body.
Olivia & Will
This team seemed like an unstoppable force on paper, but they never really got their act together during the season. Will seemed to blame Olivia for every mistake, but we know from the first half of the season that Olivia was an above-average competitor. If Will doesn’t have patience for her, he really would have struggled to work with some of the other female veterans.
We’ve never seen will in a final, but he did perform well during the mini final this season (not that it mattered). We know Will served as a US Marine and he’s strong, but he likely would have had a hard time at some of the checkpoints. He and Olivia weren’t super close, so they likely would have had mistakes at the partner trivia checkpoint. It’s also unlikely that they would have performed better at Connect Four than Olivia did with Yeremi.
Olivia’s performance with Yeremi made one thing clear: Checkpoints are irrelevant if you can run fast. Will seems like he’s in good shape to run up a mountain, and we know Olivia can push herself to maintain a good pace. Ultimately, Olivia & Will could have given us a performance nearly identical to Olivia & Yeremi’s. If Aviv can’t maintain Olivia’s pace, Olivia & Will could still win the final as a team.
Who would win?
If I was betting, I would say:
60% Aviv & Yeremi
40% Olivia & Will
Both teams have a good chance at winning, but Aviv & Yeremi edge out Olivia & Will. They’ve shown definite skills that are applicable to a final, like solid communication, levelheadedness, and puzzle-solving abilities. All of those things will help, but Will has muscle. The Vets & New Threats final became more of an uphill footrace than anything else, and Olivia probably has slightly more speed and endurance than Aviv, so there’s a chance Will could force a victory using his muscle to pull Olivia across the finish line.
Stop Being Polite 