Is the Orange Team Screwed With CT?

It’s the moment CT fans have been dreading — has the 5-time Champion become the weakest link?

Things don’t look too good for CT this season. Clearly, he’s not in his best shape, but this isn’t the first time “dad bod” CT has shown up to The Challenge. After seasons like War of the Worlds 2 or Double Agents, we know the number on the scale doesn’t determine CT’s abilities; it’s the speed of his runs and how much weight he can carry.

The Perfect Match challenge was essentially the mini-final, forcing competitors to run and carry puzzle pieces while tethered to their teammates in the heat. This was eerily similar to the final Challenge on The Gauntlet 3, and according to Bananas, CT’s difficulties were karmic justice. During The Gauntlet 3 final, Big Easy passed out and had to be medically evacuated from the competition while CT was yelling at him to pick up the pace.

CT was definitely not as bad as Eric. When his teammates slowed to a jog and other competitors carried the planks, CT could continue through the course. It may not have been as fast as some people would have liked, but the Orange Team was making progress with CT as their anchor.

Still, we have to remember that Perfect Match just required five miles of running — only half of that was carrying weight.Modern Challenge finals are often much longer. For example, CT ran 16 miles on the first day of the War of the Worlds 2 final (also in Thailand). And he was carrying weight for nearly the entire race.

While we don’t know the format of the Cutthroat final yet, it’s a safe bet that a lot of running will be involved, so CT’s teammates aren’t wrong to be concerned. 

Though the Orange Team had a lot of frustration working with CT, he didn’t hurt his team too badly. They made it to the puzzle station before another team solved it. This gave his team a chance to pull off a come-from-behind victory, and they did.

This was CT’s moment to shine. After 23 years on The Challenge and 21 prior seasons, he’s no stranger to Challenge checkpoints. CT appeared to be the brains of the operation when his team solved the puzzle, which isn’t super surprising. CT has always been good at puzzles (he has an engineering degree, after all), but his abilities had historically been overshadowed by his physical prowess. 

CT is no longer unbeatable; he’s not even as good as he was when he won War of the Worlds 2. But he’s still great with the checkpoints that can make or break a final. Whether it’s math, a jigsaw puzzle, or eating a plate of bugs, CT can do it fast.

Remember, he was out of shape on Vets & New Threats, but he did really well in that season’s irrelevant mini final. It wasn’t because he was fast; it was because he’s well-rounded.

If CT makes it to the Cutthroat final, he could still be an asset to his team. His ability to speed through checkpoints could save his team a lot of time, but from the looks of it, his lack of endurance still risks costing his team a lot of time.