We all know that a tweak here and there is necessary to make any challenge into good TV.  No problem; we get it.   When we go too far, though, we open ourselves to criticism as some fans have noted around the Internet since last night's episode.  We would be smart to heed their wisdom because we want them to keep watching week after week...

But first, a brief time out for this commercial message brought to you by "How to get camera time 101." 

-       Do you need camera time to extend your reality 15 minutes?  It's easy; follow Rule 1… make some negative comment about Beth.   No need to worry if anywhere else it would be ageist, sexist or racist… on a challenge it's all fair game.

-       Don't worry about the price.  Just charge it.  Your integrity bank account is kind of low anyway. 

And now back to our blog:

Let's start with tonight's second mission: 

I'm confused; does this seem fair?  We have 15 players (not counting Coral) and the rookies have 11 (not counting Johanna).   During the earlier "Screw Me" mission, Derek, as an example, had to go twice.  TJ stated that it was required to even out the teams – to ensure the teams competed fairly and ensuring equality in numbers between the teams.  Yet, while that made sense before, and gave the rookies hope, that ball is thrown out the window for tonight's second team mission. 

TJ said the rookies had an advantage.  Duh…  Really?   Thanks for that observation TJ. That was obvious to the rookies, veterans, crew... and Pedro walking down the beach with his beer . Let's do the math.  Just assuming that the average time per person is 2 minutes, then the veterans must make up 8 minutes just catch up with the rookies' numerical advantage.  Does this seem possible to anyone?  Eight minutes?  No, of course it doesn't.  We all knew it –cast and crew alike -- and it appears to have been to many viewers did also, given their overnight comments.  Nobody quit or loafed through it, even though winning simply was not a realistic possibility.  We needed eight people to halve an average time of two minutes just to catch the rookies.  Still, the veterans to win, the rookies would have had to invent a way to screw up to lose their time advantage.

Get out your calculators (or ask 4.0 GPA Evelyn) and do the math for the probability analysis that the rookies would lose.  Even with unrealistic assumptions, the probability is nearly zero.  I think the rookies would really have preferred to go against us one-on-one with a few rookies going twice or even by picking four veterans to sit out to force equal sized teams.

Don't get me wrong.  No sour grapes from my corner.  I'm not entirely unhappy that the veterans lost.  At this point, sending any veteran guy leaving is OK by me; but, pardon me if I would like it all to seem a little more honest.  I know what the guy's plan is for us; we all know.     

Was there some overall worry that there wouldn't be much of a show if the veterans won every mission?  What would happen at the final mission, would they just give the veterans their check and then show highlights for an hour?  It's a tough call. The show needs to be entertaining, but also it needs to be consistent.  I don't think we were.  

The "slider" puzzle –

Sorry, but whose idea was this and where is he/she working now?  If anyone can make a credible argument as to how this gauntlet could possibly be good TV, I'll send you one of our reality calendars free – (without me in it, if you prefer).  Just maybe the puzzle stuff works on Survivor, but they surround it with some other physical element of competition to give it some sense of action.  It's been done before, too, with success.  The puzzle idea was incorporated in Fresh Meat and again during The Duel.  I wish we had done a little better for G3.

This wasn't just a good idea gone bad.  It looks like a bad idea from the beginning, and impossible to execute in any way that doesn't make fans wonder what has gone wrong.   

Was this really a team dynamic gauntlet where the focus was to be on close-ups of the veterans fighting to help their favorite guy finish his puzzle?  I just don't get it.

Now for a couple of other things from tonight.  

As for Johnny going home on, some might say it was Karma for the "Tyler" comments the week before…  But in Evelyn's blog last night, she wrote that we were wrong to put Johnny in.  I agree completely—our bad; but, when Johnny and CT are arguing not to win but to see who can shout the loudest and for the longest time, it's not like anyone with another idea wants to speak up.  The fact is that Evan did say he wanted to face Johnny.  He was two-faced in his comments last night and it raises a question about his honestly in other challenge things.  Just man up Evan; you got exactly who you wanted.  May it bite you in the ass later!

Coral, roomie, I love ya, but helping Evan with the puzzle?  WHY?  You know Evan's been playing you!  The "stale meat" boys will do you no good.  We could have sent one of them home tonight.  We dropped the ball.  

At the beginning of the show tonight you see, Katie, Robin, Coral and me talking.  I think we all were seeing our going into the gauntlet the same way.  We each wanted our destiny to be in our own hands.  Making the selection any other way goes hand in hand with team members deciding to throw missions—you see that coming from Evan in the preview for next week.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out in future weeks.    

Remember the earlier commercial?  Well, it's always interesting to see the cast interviews that are done after an event is over.  Production gets us to talk about people – that is there job -- and they match that up with video from the events.  Danny talks trash about everyone and tonight it's my turn: "Beth is going to go blind in 20 years, so she might as well get used to it."  Wow, that takes wit...for a 5th grader!  

Danny, I like you-- and like you and Melinda together even more, but if you are going to trash talk, please at least be funny!  Successful humor contains an essential element of truth.  This one falls flat on its face.   Does anyone ever see one in 10,000 people that age being blind?

A few years ago, it was "Evil Beth," then it became "Fat Beth" (I weight the same now as I did then, and my dress size is a 6), and now Danny thinks I'm apparently ready for a rocking chair and social security.  Evan and Kenny do a little show and compare me to a dog.  As if some of these guys should be trashing anyone's looks? Aren't we going to run out of stereotypes soon?  What I see emerging is the same thing Nehemiah did last week – using me as the cause-celeb for their camera time.  Just once, I'd love for the shots that some guys take to have a little credibility.   I find myself laughing at how shallow they are.  If I have to keep repairing all their 15-minute clocks, I want union membership.  The pay is better!  

At least when I trash talk, I can say it to everyone's face...  Such cowards some of these people seem to be.  At the same time I find it necessary to CACKLE because I've been called every name in the book.  Make fun of me because I'm "old," Danny; the truth is that if this were a duel format, I might be picking to go home someone you know over a decade younger than me.  Shall we laugh about that? 

My Bottom Lines this week: 

-       Last week Gauntlet 3 was the 3 rated cable show. Great.  I just hope we don't see the puzzle again! 

-       If the game is going to be tinkered with, then can we at least find a way to keep Johnny Bananas around so viewers can watch Casey run around naked?  We can always use more male fans watching the show.

-       If you are going to trash talk, please make sense and be funny!  Take lessons from Coral!