I know I'm thinking what everybody else is thinking: What happened last night?
Let's talk about the course itself. Despite the fact that Baltimore had no finishers like Tacoma, I still think Tacoma had a more difficult course. This is mostly because there was only 1 obstacle that eliminated people (Angry Birds) while Tacoma had 2 or 3 which posed problems. I still think it's absolutely ridiculous that a Qualifying obstacle dominated the Finals course like in Tacoma. It is extremely unfortunate that one obstacle killed people's runs (or seasons), so it's not like this was a particularly exciting course to watch people run, either. I'd say that Tacoma was more challenging overall for the athletes, but Tacoma was also a little more interesting to watch because it would be exciting when some people would pass obstacles. Angry Birds kind of killed the night. I kind of had an issue with the Qualifying half because I wasn't crazy about Dangerous Curves. It didn't seem like a 3rd obstacle type of obstacle when you think about the formula, you know, since it was more grip based instead of swinging, but I think they compensated it fairly well with Crank It Up. Obviously, the problem tonight was Angry Birds' blind grab. It was pointed out to me that the major issue with the grab was the momentum. Grabbing the ledge was something that a lot of people could do, but it was holding on against the momentum going the opposite way and stopping your weight. You could see this happening when people made contact but just couldn't hold on. Matt made a comment about somebody not generating much momentum, but I think that might have helped. If people didn't swing so much maybe the stop wouldn't have been as difficult. They could have just kind of hopped over or reached over. Then again, what do I know? I couldn't do any of this. I also thought that more people would follow Lucas' example. He definitely did not run last, so I do actually find it hard to believe that not one person beside him tried to skip the blind grab. I think his move, although he failed, was pretty smart. Dave really could have tried this move, and he might have had better luck. I might not have expected it from someone like Najee, but Dave probably could have taken the risk, especially with the Speed Pass if he didn't know his exact time. I like that they kind of maintained the theme that L.A., OKC, and Atlanta had going on with their 9th obstacles (ignoring the fact that Angry Birds was 8th). The closest obstacle to Angry Birds was Leaps of Faith in L.A. and only 2 people passed that, so I would definitely have loved to see if Flip and Brian could duplicate their success on this type of obstacle. It genuinely did surprise me that people like Joe and Najee couldn't make it, though. One other issue that could have made Angry Birds difficult was the length. Leaps of Faith had larger leaps so there were only 3 total, but Angry Birds had little hops instead which might have worn down on people more than Leaps of Faith or maybe the momentum from Leaps of Faith had slowed down by the time they reached the ledge? The only way we could really know which one is more difficult is if Flip and Brian attempted Angry Birds, or if others from Baltimore had a chance on Leaps of Faith. To be honest, even if someone did make the blind catch, they might have crashed down on some of the other spots later. The blind faith catch was only the half-way mark, right? Clearly, the blind faith catch is extremely difficult for even the best of the best to do, but it's still surprising that it defeated 22 competitors. Yes, this might make it a good obstacle if you want to drop people, but surely they want someone to pass, right? Isn't it better to have somebody pass, or better yet somebody finish, over having one obstacle that dominated the night? People like myself kept expecting and waiting for that one person who could rise above, and when it didn't happen... I just wonder what that actually does to ratings and such. Tacoma was heart-breaking because people fell in different places, but having everyone down on 1 obstacle gets old. So, I didn't like Tacoma, but I also did not like Baltimore that much, both for different reasons. To be honest, I also believe that those who passed Angry Birds would have fallen on Cane Lane. I remember that obstacle from last year and Stage 3, and it was rare to see someone best it. The last thing about the course was the alteration on Crank It Up: they took away one of the things. (I don't know what they're called.) I'm not sure if this actually made it more difficult. Here's why: it makes the impact onto the handles and the bar harder, so some people might drop on it, but it if you don't have an issue with that, you actually might preserve strength because you don't ave to climb your way to the top of another *thing*. I'm actually not very fond of Crank It Up anyway because if people know how to do it efficiently, it isn't going to be very taxing. So, yeah. wasn't into this city too much, but I don't think it was impossible like Tacoma. It's unfortunate that we never get to see if other people like Drew or Sean or Flip can make these other cities' courses. I know they showed a clip of one of the testers completing it, but we don't know for sure if it was his first try. It probably wasn't, and we also don't know if he had done everything else up to that point. I do think someone out there could complete this course unlike Tacoma; it's just a shame we'll never know who.
Anyway, that was pretty long for just the course. Let's talk competitors. I've got to start with Jamie Rahn. This was like Jake Murray all over again. I just can't believe that he won't be in Vegas this year! It sucks that they changed it to the Top 12 instead of 15. If it was 15 like previous years, maybe Jamie would have made it. The way they set it up made it look like he was going to be the first to pass Angry Birds, so it just made it worse. I do like how he responded, though. He sounded very mature and confident with himself. I think this is part of the reason Jamie is so likable. Not only does he have his Captain NBC persona, but he has fun and he runs the course the way he wants to. Some of the fan favorites aren't actually the ones who make it the farthest, but we love them because of who they are. Jamie doesn't always do the best in Vegas, but I still like seeing him there regardless. I've already lost a couple favorites for Vegas, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. It is still so unbelievable when these big names fail to return to Vegas. Jake, Lance, and now Jamie. Maybe this is the year that some no name rises to fame.
Joe was the next surprising name. I am very relieved that he is still returning to Vegas; however, I think he's getting stiffed by the producers. His failure from last year provides a lot of drama, for sure, and it was a huge upset, but in the end, it only lasted for that night's episode. People and producers want the people who are last man standing type athletes which is why Najee was shown last and second to last in Qualifying and Finals, and Joe was placed in the middle of the pack. If Najee botches it in Vegas, we'll have to see how he is treated next year. I was a little surprised to see Joe in the middle yet again since I am so used to waiting for him, so I thought maybe he wasn't going to make it to Vegas. Like Tacoma, after the first guy runs, the next handful are at a decent risk of failing. To be the next 5 or so guys afterwards is like the kiss of death. Anyway, I was very relieved to see him on the list of advancements; however, it was unusual to see him at number 7. For starters, I'm used to seeing him finish, but if not, he's typically within the top 5, I feel. He was also whipping through the first few obstacles, so at first, I thought he was going to fail. He definitely slowed down towards the end, but Joe has been very average lately. He isn't getting a lot of camera time off the course, he was placed in the middle, no bios. It's like he's just another guy and not Joe Moravsky. He's still one of my favorites, but I think he's definitely getting stiffed because of last year. I'm also accustomed to seeing Joe being able to rise above and do what others can't, so seeing him go down was new. It's always possible that Angry Birds was just a terribly difficult obstacle like he said, but I also wonder if he's had less time training. He had a new baby a year or two ago, and he has a real job not ninja related, so being a working family man probably doesn't leave much time for real, in-the-gym and targeted training. He probably manages a couple days a week and does basic workouts like jogs and push-ups, but some people own gyms and work out 5-6 days a week. I would bet that Joe doesn't get that kind of time, and that's okay. I love Joe, but he has priorities, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's better. Joe is a natural, and he's amazing on the show, but he has a real life which is important. Of course, Joe is still at the top of my list of favorites. As much as I love Najee and Sean and others, Joe is probably my favored for last man standing.
All right, speaking of Najee, let's talk about him. He was clearly the favorite of Baltimore, and it's funny because his performance was nearly identical to Joe's, who we just talked about being pushed to the side. Here's the thing about Najee. I did not think he was going to finish. Please don't understand me. Najee has risen to great heights and done really well; I think his attention is well deserved right now, and he did complete the Finals last year. However, I just didn't think he was going to finish. I really didn't expect him to be in the running for the Power Tower. I don't have issues with Lucas and Dave competing, both of whom I will get to in a second, but I think I would have enjoyed seeing Najee up there. In Najee's case, though, similar to Drew, I'm not sure if the pass would do much good for him. Yes, he timed out on Stage 2 last year, but it was from an asthma attack, and he was at the very end. If he had the pass last year, he would have had a second shot, but he would have had to run the whole stage again, and that probably wouldn't be so great for his asthma. Plus, he would be tired from the first run, and since he was so close to the end, he would have already spent so much energy. So, the pass might not have been as useful as we all think. Najee can run Stage 1 and 2 in one go. We've seen that two years ago and almost last year. So, I think Najee is okay without the pass. As a side note about the Power Tower, I hate the prize, as I have mentioned before, but wondering about who will be up there and who will win is kind of exciting. You know, the other thing that surprised me about Najee last night was his time, regardless of the Power Tower. I expect to see Joe in the number 3 slot and Najee in 7th. I won't, but I could look into the past and see where he lands time wise in city courses and Vegas. To me, I never remember Najee being particularly fast. He's never been the speed demon like Drew, Daniel, Joe, The Kid, Lorin Ball, Ethan or even those like Flip and Sean. He's been reliable and quick, but not fast, if that makes sense. So, truly, I didn't think he would be so high on the list. In Qualifying, he was behind Joe, and even if he chose the regular Warped Wall and hit the buzzer, he wouldn't have had the fastest time. We'd have to look back at previous cities and even Vegas. He's never left a ton of time on Stage 1, right? At least not compared to others in Vegas. It was just quite interesting to see, is all. I think this also bodes well for Vegas, too, if he's been working on speed, pacing, and time. He may not have won the Safety Pass, but I'm holding Najee to higher standards, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say he doesn't need it. To be honest, if the Wing Nuts are back, I could still see him falling on them despite having passed them in the past, but I'm going to be positive and say Najee will be fine. We all know he can make it back legitimately.
Now, let's talk about the Power Tower and its competitors. Dave Cavanagh coming out of left field yet again. I still think that if there are no finishers, there should be no Safety Pass. It's also kind of sucky because Dave didn't make it any farther than anyone else. I know speed is important in this case, but this is just extra unfair. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the Safety Pass is extremely unfair and favors the fast. This shows it very clearly. Some people, like Jamie, can do everything Dave did, but they do it a little slower. Big deal, they have their own methods, so why should the fast be favored? Does speed mean skill or strength? It's not totally crazy because the best like Joe and Drew and Sean are fast, but it doesn't mean people like Jamie aren't good, too. In Tacoma, the runners were above the rest because they were 2 of 3 to pass the 8th obstacle. In this case, all 22 competitors were basically on the same playing grounds, but someone gets a completely unfair advantage just because they were fast? It was also the Speed Pass winner which does make a huge difference. I don't like the fact that a non-finisher can still earn the Safety Pass, but it makes it worse that Dave and Lucas didn't really do more than anyone else. Najee was literally 0.02 seconds behind Lucas, but Lucas gets the shot at a second attempt? Look, maybe none of this matters, and I've voiced my opinions of the Safety Pass and the possible outcomes of those who win and use it, but I just have serious issues with it, I guess. It's kind of like, if it must exist, then I want the little guys to win it, but I hate it nonetheless. This scenario just highlights what's wrong with it. Back to Dave. I'm not sure how he will fare in Vegas. I think they'll show him because he will probably use his pass. I don't remember how he did last year, but I feel like he failed on Stage 1. He has more confidence this year, I think, so he might be okay on Stage 1, but I definitely believe he will be using the pass.
I didn't realize Lucas Reale was only 20, and he only started last year. I remember the name, so I thought he was more of a veteran. He did well in Baltimore, but I could easily see him being passed over in Vegas. To be honest, this should be a betting game: who will be skipped in Vegas? There are always some like Joe and Drew who will never be skipped unless they do horribly for multiple years. Like we've seen, Joe didn't do well last year, and he may be feeling the effect, but he was still shown. Lucas may shine in the City, but he could easily be dwarfed in the big leagues. I did think that he would be okay in the Finals, though. I love seeing these younger guys like him, The Kid, Matthew Day, and these other young rookies. As much as I love Joe and Najee and Jamie, they're all 30 or pushing it. I'm not saying everything is over at 30, but these 20 year olds have an age advantage, for sure. They're the next generation, and I'm hoping we'll see some really great guys to keep the show alive. I also think it's exciting to see people who have a close connection battle it out on the Power Tower. Like The Kid and Daniel Gil, these two had a mentor/mentee relationship, and it adds some tension.
I'm bummed they skipped Chris Wilczewski again. I think there should be some kind of rule for the editors that if they skip someone in Qualifying, they shouldn't be allowed to skip them in Finals. They know who makes it to the City Finals and who doesn't, so if they want to waste time on those who don't pass and their dumb stories, I still won't be happy, but whatever. So, if they wanted to skip Chris in Qualifying, fine, but because of that, they should have taken the time to show his run in Finals. He didn't do anything special, but it seems unfair. They might show him in Vegas, but I would still probably take the bet that they don't. (I'm serious, this could be a serious betting game. For the majority of people, it's pretty much a gamble on whether or not they'll receive any camera time.) Maybe we'll find him on Stage 1, but if he makes it to Stage 2, I doubt we'll see him. He just didn't have a life-changing experience like last year. Now he's just a regular guy.
I do want to mention Anthony DeFranco and Conor Galvin. I had slightly higher hopes for them, but knowing Najee and Joe and Jamie and Chris and even Dave didn't make Angry Birds, I guess I couldn't expect them to...? Actually, in the end, considering no one passed, I still would have guessed that DeFranco or Galvin would have had a chance for time on the Power Tower. DeFranco has been fast in the past, and Galvin was on the Power Tower in Qualifying, so I thought they could be good contenders. They were both faster than Joe and Chris, and that's quite interesting. Joe was making great time for the first half of his run, so he must have slowed down a lot to find himself in 7th place. Both of these guys are question marks for Vegas. DeFranco has a shot because he's been there before, but Galvin might find himself out on Stage 1 just because he's a rookie. That's my prediction for him. As for DeFranco, he wasn't there last year, but I have to believe he's made it to Stage 2. My prediction for him is that he will pass Stage 1, but will probably be skipped, and then fall on Stage 2, and be skipped. He's gone out on the Jumping Spider twice, but I think he's probably learned, and this will be his year.
Allyssa Beird is another one to talk about. The women are definitely getting stronger, but those like Allyssa, Jessie, Jesse, and Barclay are actually good bets. They really have risen above the female standard. Allyssa has been quite unexpected. She isn't quite as muscle-y as the others, so it's kind of a shock that she was the second to pass Stage 1. I'd love to see her pass Stage 1 again, but I'm not sure how she would fare on Stage 2. We've seen here there once, but she fell a little early. This is where I think her lack of visible muscle, if you will, is a bit of a challenge. Jessie, Jesse, and Barclay are powerhouses in terms of upper body strength, and I just wonder if Allyssa keep up. I won't say she's been lucky or anything because clearly, she is very strong and capable of doing what she has. I just think those other women might have a better chance on Stage 2 because they are upper body based. It'll still be great to see her again, though. I'm also still sad that James didn't run! They are definitely a power couple.
I also want to mention Dave, Joe, Najee, and Lucas and point out how great they were on Crank It Up. This is why I'm not too crazy about Crank It Up. I truly don't think it's much of a challenge for these people. I've seen people who struggle on it, but that's because they're doing it wrong. In this case, there actually is a correct way to do this obstacle, and these four men really showed it. Dave and Najee I think did it the best, but they were all prime examples. Someone could make it to the top of each crank it 2 moves. Some people just don't use their momentum. I probably mentioned this in my Qualifying post, but I'm going to give it another second. It is also not on par with the Lightning Bolts. Crank It Up is definitely easier. Moving back to discussing courses, even though both cities had no finishers, Baltimore had one obstacle which annihilated, whereas Tacoma's whole course was a challenge. Anyway, I just want to applaud them and point out their technique. I also just don't think this is a good obstacle. Not anymore, at least.
The other thing I want to mention is Mike "The Stallion" Silenzi. His run wasn't particularly exciting or noteworthy, I just wanted to talk about Ethan, Jesse, Chris, and Grant. Grant is kind of everywhere, but Jesse, Chris, and Ethan have become like a tiny little posse, and I actually kind of love it. While we're talking, I am going to make my predictions for these three. Jesse should be safe. Ethan is fast, so as long as he doesn't screw up, he should be fine. My thought is that Chris DiGangi could be in trouble. I'm sure he will make it to the cut-off obstacle, but his time might not be the best. He's done well in the past, but I don't think he's very fast, and with the Top 12 instead of 15, he may be on the bubble. I also doubt he'll pass the cut-off obstacle because he isn't usually the above-and-beyond type of athlete. Anyway, these three together are like the group you are annoyed with on the outside because they are like children when they are together, but you're secretly very jealous of the relationship they have. They appear a little clique-y, but I love that they're such great friends. It was just funny to see them all together with their pony toys and cheering on Mike.
I'm pretty sure everyone understands this by now, but I didn't like this city's course. I hated Tacoma more, but it was unfortunate that no one could pass the Angry Birds, especially those I had faith in. I'm not too worried about the best like Joe and Najee, and I don't think this is too indicative of their time in Vegas, but it makes you think, I guess. I know some people don't care for the city courses that much, but I like watching them, particularly the Finals. I actually might like watching the City Finals more than Stage 1. The Finals do push people to the limits and show off what some people can do. It makes nights like Tacoma and Baltimore a little disappointing I suppose, but for people in the other cities, it tells you who to look out for this year. Anyway, I think this is all I have to say about Baltimore: not into the course, the people were actually a little disappointing despite all the promise and big names, and I still have issues with the Power Tower. This night was particularly bad for it, too.
So, what are your predictions for the final city, Cincinnati? I can never remember off the top of my head who is even in that city, except for those I already made predictions for. I guess, I still have Grant. He's a bit of a wild card, though. He has been withheld from Vegas for two years, and he's not necessarily the best of the best. Akbar is in love with him and he dances which is why he's so popular. My prediction for him this year is that he will finally make it back to Vegas, but he won't finish. I think the 8th obstacle will be the cut-off, as per the usual, and Grant will make it there on a decent time, but won't pass it. I definitely don't think he'll finish. I think the Power Tower's Jackson Twait will be thrown somewhere in the middle of everything. As I've been finding with the other Power Tower unknowns from Qualifying, and in general, we aren't seeing all the same faces (Daniel, Drew, and Dave being the exceptions). Jackson is a rookie, so I'm not sure if he'll have what it takes in the Finals. These returning guys are all vets, so I'm not sure Jackson will be able to replicate the success. We might find Ethan returning, though. I can't place faces and histories with names, so I don't have many predictions. If you have your eye on somebody in Cincinnati, let me know. Who should I be on the lookout for? All right, I think this is all I have, so I'll see you in Cincinnati! Until then...
Let's talk about the course itself. Despite the fact that Baltimore had no finishers like Tacoma, I still think Tacoma had a more difficult course. This is mostly because there was only 1 obstacle that eliminated people (Angry Birds) while Tacoma had 2 or 3 which posed problems. I still think it's absolutely ridiculous that a Qualifying obstacle dominated the Finals course like in Tacoma. It is extremely unfortunate that one obstacle killed people's runs (or seasons), so it's not like this was a particularly exciting course to watch people run, either. I'd say that Tacoma was more challenging overall for the athletes, but Tacoma was also a little more interesting to watch because it would be exciting when some people would pass obstacles. Angry Birds kind of killed the night. I kind of had an issue with the Qualifying half because I wasn't crazy about Dangerous Curves. It didn't seem like a 3rd obstacle type of obstacle when you think about the formula, you know, since it was more grip based instead of swinging, but I think they compensated it fairly well with Crank It Up. Obviously, the problem tonight was Angry Birds' blind grab. It was pointed out to me that the major issue with the grab was the momentum. Grabbing the ledge was something that a lot of people could do, but it was holding on against the momentum going the opposite way and stopping your weight. You could see this happening when people made contact but just couldn't hold on. Matt made a comment about somebody not generating much momentum, but I think that might have helped. If people didn't swing so much maybe the stop wouldn't have been as difficult. They could have just kind of hopped over or reached over. Then again, what do I know? I couldn't do any of this. I also thought that more people would follow Lucas' example. He definitely did not run last, so I do actually find it hard to believe that not one person beside him tried to skip the blind grab. I think his move, although he failed, was pretty smart. Dave really could have tried this move, and he might have had better luck. I might not have expected it from someone like Najee, but Dave probably could have taken the risk, especially with the Speed Pass if he didn't know his exact time. I like that they kind of maintained the theme that L.A., OKC, and Atlanta had going on with their 9th obstacles (ignoring the fact that Angry Birds was 8th). The closest obstacle to Angry Birds was Leaps of Faith in L.A. and only 2 people passed that, so I would definitely have loved to see if Flip and Brian could duplicate their success on this type of obstacle. It genuinely did surprise me that people like Joe and Najee couldn't make it, though. One other issue that could have made Angry Birds difficult was the length. Leaps of Faith had larger leaps so there were only 3 total, but Angry Birds had little hops instead which might have worn down on people more than Leaps of Faith or maybe the momentum from Leaps of Faith had slowed down by the time they reached the ledge? The only way we could really know which one is more difficult is if Flip and Brian attempted Angry Birds, or if others from Baltimore had a chance on Leaps of Faith. To be honest, even if someone did make the blind catch, they might have crashed down on some of the other spots later. The blind faith catch was only the half-way mark, right? Clearly, the blind faith catch is extremely difficult for even the best of the best to do, but it's still surprising that it defeated 22 competitors. Yes, this might make it a good obstacle if you want to drop people, but surely they want someone to pass, right? Isn't it better to have somebody pass, or better yet somebody finish, over having one obstacle that dominated the night? People like myself kept expecting and waiting for that one person who could rise above, and when it didn't happen... I just wonder what that actually does to ratings and such. Tacoma was heart-breaking because people fell in different places, but having everyone down on 1 obstacle gets old. So, I didn't like Tacoma, but I also did not like Baltimore that much, both for different reasons. To be honest, I also believe that those who passed Angry Birds would have fallen on Cane Lane. I remember that obstacle from last year and Stage 3, and it was rare to see someone best it. The last thing about the course was the alteration on Crank It Up: they took away one of the things. (I don't know what they're called.) I'm not sure if this actually made it more difficult. Here's why: it makes the impact onto the handles and the bar harder, so some people might drop on it, but it if you don't have an issue with that, you actually might preserve strength because you don't ave to climb your way to the top of another *thing*. I'm actually not very fond of Crank It Up anyway because if people know how to do it efficiently, it isn't going to be very taxing. So, yeah. wasn't into this city too much, but I don't think it was impossible like Tacoma. It's unfortunate that we never get to see if other people like Drew or Sean or Flip can make these other cities' courses. I know they showed a clip of one of the testers completing it, but we don't know for sure if it was his first try. It probably wasn't, and we also don't know if he had done everything else up to that point. I do think someone out there could complete this course unlike Tacoma; it's just a shame we'll never know who.
Anyway, that was pretty long for just the course. Let's talk competitors. I've got to start with Jamie Rahn. This was like Jake Murray all over again. I just can't believe that he won't be in Vegas this year! It sucks that they changed it to the Top 12 instead of 15. If it was 15 like previous years, maybe Jamie would have made it. The way they set it up made it look like he was going to be the first to pass Angry Birds, so it just made it worse. I do like how he responded, though. He sounded very mature and confident with himself. I think this is part of the reason Jamie is so likable. Not only does he have his Captain NBC persona, but he has fun and he runs the course the way he wants to. Some of the fan favorites aren't actually the ones who make it the farthest, but we love them because of who they are. Jamie doesn't always do the best in Vegas, but I still like seeing him there regardless. I've already lost a couple favorites for Vegas, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. It is still so unbelievable when these big names fail to return to Vegas. Jake, Lance, and now Jamie. Maybe this is the year that some no name rises to fame.
Joe was the next surprising name. I am very relieved that he is still returning to Vegas; however, I think he's getting stiffed by the producers. His failure from last year provides a lot of drama, for sure, and it was a huge upset, but in the end, it only lasted for that night's episode. People and producers want the people who are last man standing type athletes which is why Najee was shown last and second to last in Qualifying and Finals, and Joe was placed in the middle of the pack. If Najee botches it in Vegas, we'll have to see how he is treated next year. I was a little surprised to see Joe in the middle yet again since I am so used to waiting for him, so I thought maybe he wasn't going to make it to Vegas. Like Tacoma, after the first guy runs, the next handful are at a decent risk of failing. To be the next 5 or so guys afterwards is like the kiss of death. Anyway, I was very relieved to see him on the list of advancements; however, it was unusual to see him at number 7. For starters, I'm used to seeing him finish, but if not, he's typically within the top 5, I feel. He was also whipping through the first few obstacles, so at first, I thought he was going to fail. He definitely slowed down towards the end, but Joe has been very average lately. He isn't getting a lot of camera time off the course, he was placed in the middle, no bios. It's like he's just another guy and not Joe Moravsky. He's still one of my favorites, but I think he's definitely getting stiffed because of last year. I'm also accustomed to seeing Joe being able to rise above and do what others can't, so seeing him go down was new. It's always possible that Angry Birds was just a terribly difficult obstacle like he said, but I also wonder if he's had less time training. He had a new baby a year or two ago, and he has a real job not ninja related, so being a working family man probably doesn't leave much time for real, in-the-gym and targeted training. He probably manages a couple days a week and does basic workouts like jogs and push-ups, but some people own gyms and work out 5-6 days a week. I would bet that Joe doesn't get that kind of time, and that's okay. I love Joe, but he has priorities, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's better. Joe is a natural, and he's amazing on the show, but he has a real life which is important. Of course, Joe is still at the top of my list of favorites. As much as I love Najee and Sean and others, Joe is probably my favored for last man standing.
All right, speaking of Najee, let's talk about him. He was clearly the favorite of Baltimore, and it's funny because his performance was nearly identical to Joe's, who we just talked about being pushed to the side. Here's the thing about Najee. I did not think he was going to finish. Please don't understand me. Najee has risen to great heights and done really well; I think his attention is well deserved right now, and he did complete the Finals last year. However, I just didn't think he was going to finish. I really didn't expect him to be in the running for the Power Tower. I don't have issues with Lucas and Dave competing, both of whom I will get to in a second, but I think I would have enjoyed seeing Najee up there. In Najee's case, though, similar to Drew, I'm not sure if the pass would do much good for him. Yes, he timed out on Stage 2 last year, but it was from an asthma attack, and he was at the very end. If he had the pass last year, he would have had a second shot, but he would have had to run the whole stage again, and that probably wouldn't be so great for his asthma. Plus, he would be tired from the first run, and since he was so close to the end, he would have already spent so much energy. So, the pass might not have been as useful as we all think. Najee can run Stage 1 and 2 in one go. We've seen that two years ago and almost last year. So, I think Najee is okay without the pass. As a side note about the Power Tower, I hate the prize, as I have mentioned before, but wondering about who will be up there and who will win is kind of exciting. You know, the other thing that surprised me about Najee last night was his time, regardless of the Power Tower. I expect to see Joe in the number 3 slot and Najee in 7th. I won't, but I could look into the past and see where he lands time wise in city courses and Vegas. To me, I never remember Najee being particularly fast. He's never been the speed demon like Drew, Daniel, Joe, The Kid, Lorin Ball, Ethan or even those like Flip and Sean. He's been reliable and quick, but not fast, if that makes sense. So, truly, I didn't think he would be so high on the list. In Qualifying, he was behind Joe, and even if he chose the regular Warped Wall and hit the buzzer, he wouldn't have had the fastest time. We'd have to look back at previous cities and even Vegas. He's never left a ton of time on Stage 1, right? At least not compared to others in Vegas. It was just quite interesting to see, is all. I think this also bodes well for Vegas, too, if he's been working on speed, pacing, and time. He may not have won the Safety Pass, but I'm holding Najee to higher standards, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say he doesn't need it. To be honest, if the Wing Nuts are back, I could still see him falling on them despite having passed them in the past, but I'm going to be positive and say Najee will be fine. We all know he can make it back legitimately.
Now, let's talk about the Power Tower and its competitors. Dave Cavanagh coming out of left field yet again. I still think that if there are no finishers, there should be no Safety Pass. It's also kind of sucky because Dave didn't make it any farther than anyone else. I know speed is important in this case, but this is just extra unfair. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the Safety Pass is extremely unfair and favors the fast. This shows it very clearly. Some people, like Jamie, can do everything Dave did, but they do it a little slower. Big deal, they have their own methods, so why should the fast be favored? Does speed mean skill or strength? It's not totally crazy because the best like Joe and Drew and Sean are fast, but it doesn't mean people like Jamie aren't good, too. In Tacoma, the runners were above the rest because they were 2 of 3 to pass the 8th obstacle. In this case, all 22 competitors were basically on the same playing grounds, but someone gets a completely unfair advantage just because they were fast? It was also the Speed Pass winner which does make a huge difference. I don't like the fact that a non-finisher can still earn the Safety Pass, but it makes it worse that Dave and Lucas didn't really do more than anyone else. Najee was literally 0.02 seconds behind Lucas, but Lucas gets the shot at a second attempt? Look, maybe none of this matters, and I've voiced my opinions of the Safety Pass and the possible outcomes of those who win and use it, but I just have serious issues with it, I guess. It's kind of like, if it must exist, then I want the little guys to win it, but I hate it nonetheless. This scenario just highlights what's wrong with it. Back to Dave. I'm not sure how he will fare in Vegas. I think they'll show him because he will probably use his pass. I don't remember how he did last year, but I feel like he failed on Stage 1. He has more confidence this year, I think, so he might be okay on Stage 1, but I definitely believe he will be using the pass.
I didn't realize Lucas Reale was only 20, and he only started last year. I remember the name, so I thought he was more of a veteran. He did well in Baltimore, but I could easily see him being passed over in Vegas. To be honest, this should be a betting game: who will be skipped in Vegas? There are always some like Joe and Drew who will never be skipped unless they do horribly for multiple years. Like we've seen, Joe didn't do well last year, and he may be feeling the effect, but he was still shown. Lucas may shine in the City, but he could easily be dwarfed in the big leagues. I did think that he would be okay in the Finals, though. I love seeing these younger guys like him, The Kid, Matthew Day, and these other young rookies. As much as I love Joe and Najee and Jamie, they're all 30 or pushing it. I'm not saying everything is over at 30, but these 20 year olds have an age advantage, for sure. They're the next generation, and I'm hoping we'll see some really great guys to keep the show alive. I also think it's exciting to see people who have a close connection battle it out on the Power Tower. Like The Kid and Daniel Gil, these two had a mentor/mentee relationship, and it adds some tension.
I'm bummed they skipped Chris Wilczewski again. I think there should be some kind of rule for the editors that if they skip someone in Qualifying, they shouldn't be allowed to skip them in Finals. They know who makes it to the City Finals and who doesn't, so if they want to waste time on those who don't pass and their dumb stories, I still won't be happy, but whatever. So, if they wanted to skip Chris in Qualifying, fine, but because of that, they should have taken the time to show his run in Finals. He didn't do anything special, but it seems unfair. They might show him in Vegas, but I would still probably take the bet that they don't. (I'm serious, this could be a serious betting game. For the majority of people, it's pretty much a gamble on whether or not they'll receive any camera time.) Maybe we'll find him on Stage 1, but if he makes it to Stage 2, I doubt we'll see him. He just didn't have a life-changing experience like last year. Now he's just a regular guy.
I do want to mention Anthony DeFranco and Conor Galvin. I had slightly higher hopes for them, but knowing Najee and Joe and Jamie and Chris and even Dave didn't make Angry Birds, I guess I couldn't expect them to...? Actually, in the end, considering no one passed, I still would have guessed that DeFranco or Galvin would have had a chance for time on the Power Tower. DeFranco has been fast in the past, and Galvin was on the Power Tower in Qualifying, so I thought they could be good contenders. They were both faster than Joe and Chris, and that's quite interesting. Joe was making great time for the first half of his run, so he must have slowed down a lot to find himself in 7th place. Both of these guys are question marks for Vegas. DeFranco has a shot because he's been there before, but Galvin might find himself out on Stage 1 just because he's a rookie. That's my prediction for him. As for DeFranco, he wasn't there last year, but I have to believe he's made it to Stage 2. My prediction for him is that he will pass Stage 1, but will probably be skipped, and then fall on Stage 2, and be skipped. He's gone out on the Jumping Spider twice, but I think he's probably learned, and this will be his year.
Allyssa Beird is another one to talk about. The women are definitely getting stronger, but those like Allyssa, Jessie, Jesse, and Barclay are actually good bets. They really have risen above the female standard. Allyssa has been quite unexpected. She isn't quite as muscle-y as the others, so it's kind of a shock that she was the second to pass Stage 1. I'd love to see her pass Stage 1 again, but I'm not sure how she would fare on Stage 2. We've seen here there once, but she fell a little early. This is where I think her lack of visible muscle, if you will, is a bit of a challenge. Jessie, Jesse, and Barclay are powerhouses in terms of upper body strength, and I just wonder if Allyssa keep up. I won't say she's been lucky or anything because clearly, she is very strong and capable of doing what she has. I just think those other women might have a better chance on Stage 2 because they are upper body based. It'll still be great to see her again, though. I'm also still sad that James didn't run! They are definitely a power couple.
I also want to mention Dave, Joe, Najee, and Lucas and point out how great they were on Crank It Up. This is why I'm not too crazy about Crank It Up. I truly don't think it's much of a challenge for these people. I've seen people who struggle on it, but that's because they're doing it wrong. In this case, there actually is a correct way to do this obstacle, and these four men really showed it. Dave and Najee I think did it the best, but they were all prime examples. Someone could make it to the top of each crank it 2 moves. Some people just don't use their momentum. I probably mentioned this in my Qualifying post, but I'm going to give it another second. It is also not on par with the Lightning Bolts. Crank It Up is definitely easier. Moving back to discussing courses, even though both cities had no finishers, Baltimore had one obstacle which annihilated, whereas Tacoma's whole course was a challenge. Anyway, I just want to applaud them and point out their technique. I also just don't think this is a good obstacle. Not anymore, at least.
The other thing I want to mention is Mike "The Stallion" Silenzi. His run wasn't particularly exciting or noteworthy, I just wanted to talk about Ethan, Jesse, Chris, and Grant. Grant is kind of everywhere, but Jesse, Chris, and Ethan have become like a tiny little posse, and I actually kind of love it. While we're talking, I am going to make my predictions for these three. Jesse should be safe. Ethan is fast, so as long as he doesn't screw up, he should be fine. My thought is that Chris DiGangi could be in trouble. I'm sure he will make it to the cut-off obstacle, but his time might not be the best. He's done well in the past, but I don't think he's very fast, and with the Top 12 instead of 15, he may be on the bubble. I also doubt he'll pass the cut-off obstacle because he isn't usually the above-and-beyond type of athlete. Anyway, these three together are like the group you are annoyed with on the outside because they are like children when they are together, but you're secretly very jealous of the relationship they have. They appear a little clique-y, but I love that they're such great friends. It was just funny to see them all together with their pony toys and cheering on Mike.
I'm pretty sure everyone understands this by now, but I didn't like this city's course. I hated Tacoma more, but it was unfortunate that no one could pass the Angry Birds, especially those I had faith in. I'm not too worried about the best like Joe and Najee, and I don't think this is too indicative of their time in Vegas, but it makes you think, I guess. I know some people don't care for the city courses that much, but I like watching them, particularly the Finals. I actually might like watching the City Finals more than Stage 1. The Finals do push people to the limits and show off what some people can do. It makes nights like Tacoma and Baltimore a little disappointing I suppose, but for people in the other cities, it tells you who to look out for this year. Anyway, I think this is all I have to say about Baltimore: not into the course, the people were actually a little disappointing despite all the promise and big names, and I still have issues with the Power Tower. This night was particularly bad for it, too.
So, what are your predictions for the final city, Cincinnati? I can never remember off the top of my head who is even in that city, except for those I already made predictions for. I guess, I still have Grant. He's a bit of a wild card, though. He has been withheld from Vegas for two years, and he's not necessarily the best of the best. Akbar is in love with him and he dances which is why he's so popular. My prediction for him this year is that he will finally make it back to Vegas, but he won't finish. I think the 8th obstacle will be the cut-off, as per the usual, and Grant will make it there on a decent time, but won't pass it. I definitely don't think he'll finish. I think the Power Tower's Jackson Twait will be thrown somewhere in the middle of everything. As I've been finding with the other Power Tower unknowns from Qualifying, and in general, we aren't seeing all the same faces (Daniel, Drew, and Dave being the exceptions). Jackson is a rookie, so I'm not sure if he'll have what it takes in the Finals. These returning guys are all vets, so I'm not sure Jackson will be able to replicate the success. We might find Ethan returning, though. I can't place faces and histories with names, so I don't have many predictions. If you have your eye on somebody in Cincinnati, let me know. Who should I be on the lookout for? All right, I think this is all I have, so I'll see you in Cincinnati! Until then...
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