Much of "The Challenge"'s entertainment value is the drama that erupts off the field, but "Rivals II" includes some incredible competitors whose moves keep us on the edge of our seats, too. Each week, we're pointing out the highs and lows of every mission, so you can watch every triumph, and every COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE, on a loop forever and ever. You win some, you lose some...
For the most part, "Rivals II" has played out according to the house's vet-centric alliance, but last night, the whole game was turned on its head. Outcasts Cooke and Cara Maria evaded the final Jungle -- which they would have certainly been voted into -- by earning their first mission win when it mattered most, and secured their spot in the final. Unfortunately for the folks who had been controlling the game, Cooke and Cara's triumph meant they were left scrambling to avoid elimination. Take a look at the night of unexpected wins and losses in a couple of telling GIFs!
WIN SOME: Finally, the underdogs come out on top! Cooke and Cara Maria, considered to be the game's most expendable female team, completed "Color Correction" with a ticket to the final, forcing the other three female teams to beg, borrow and steal to avoid elimination. The elated squeals they let fly when TJ blew the horn were a long time coming, and there's no doubt they earned them.
LOSE SOME: Paula and Emily, who have won six out of the game's nine missions, finally found themselves vulnerable to Jungle-sentencing when they lost to Cooke and Cara Maria in the winners' round of "Color Correction." They ultimately managed to weasel their way out of it with some last-minute pleas, but the panic that set in immediately after the challenge was something we hadn't seen from them yet.
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