Welcome back to another episode of “The Challenge: Vendettas”! After the overwhelming cut shoot edit that was last week, we have a more steadied episode this time around. MTV is gearing us up for a finale and are working hard to make sure we tune in. They are working even harder to promote the latest installment of “The Jersey Shore” and the upcoming season of the “The Challenge: The Reckoning.” It seems MTV will churn out as many seasons of “The Challenge” that they can, and if this season and the previous season, “The Challenge: Dirty Thirty,” are any indicator of the season to come, then lower your expectations. The quality of production is on a decline and has a ridiculously inverse relationship with the budget.

The previous week ended on an uphill battle for our challengers. In a not at all shocking result, Devin and Jemmye proved to be the least athletic male and female competitors, resulting in their elimination. It is disappointing to see such smart, strategic players go out on a challenge that was already done. Given that the original cast of 28 had to race up a mountain, this felt repetitive and unnecessary. After watching various seasons of “The Challenge,” I am very disappointed about the lack of creativity exhibited.

Going from one disappointment to an extreme, TJ Lavin comes back to host another challenge because he needed to thin the herd again. In a bizarre event of physical prowess, the cast had to jump from a moving truck to avoid obstacle towers. Each mistake resulting in additional points and this is one game where you do not want the most points. At this point of the show, there are four women (Cara Maria, Kam, Kailah and Nicole), but six men (Nelson, Zach, Tony, Leroy, Kyle and Brad). As a result, all four women are in the final and the last place male will be going home. Unfortunately that made the latest loser Nelson, he racked up too many points and after a hallmark worthy description of his time, he bid the show a farewell.

Of course that isn’t the end. There’s still five guys left and one has got to go. TJ announced that there will be another Troika of the top three competitors, which encompassed Cara Maria, Kailah and Tony. They had to immediately choose three of the guys for the inquisition, and on the spot they each picked one man. Brad, Leroy and Kyle are up for elimination, with Zach coasting to the final.

In the inquisition Kyle and Brad speil emotions, promises, and maybe even a few tears in true dramatic fashion. Brad emphasizes his two children and his current financial crisis while Kyle appeals to Tony and Cara Maria about how they are his home away from home, whilst layching in the confessional about how he probably has kids out there…somewhere. Leroy really just showed his ass. Instead of kissing the ring or offering reason for him to be safe, he looks at each member of the Troika and tells then that he deserves to not go into the elimination. That they owe it to him. With it being Leroy’s ninth “Challenge,” a lot has changed. He started in the days that vets, especially friends, did not put each other in to the elimination. However, those days have passed and he really rubbed Cara Maria and Tony the wrong way.

With Tony’s betrayal activity at an all time high and Cara Maria shagging Kyle on the regular, it was not a surprise to see Leroy and Brad in the elimination ring. Their excuses were pitiful, but ultimately why did what they thought would be best for themselves. Or in Tony’s case, how to get the best power edit. The elimination was a short one. The male competitors had to break keys out of a wall with weird glove balls, and to the shock of many, Leroy pulled it out. This is the first thing that he has won all season, and he did it sending Brad, a champion, home.

I hope Tony is prepared for vengeance because he is making new vendettas left and right.
Well, that wraps up Episode 13 of “MTV’s The Challenge: Vendettas,” you can tune in every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. and then read my take on the season here at the Niner Times!