Charlie & Adam Email About The Challenge: Free Agents

For those who do not know, The Challenge came out with a new trailer and cast on BuzzFeed. It looks like it has the makings of being a good season, and this means Adam Hatlak and Charlie Tritschler need to talk about it as we are only three weeks away.  

Tritschler, Charlie 2:05 pm. 

 Here are my first rapid thoughts on the season... This is built for CT to raise all sorts of hell. I completely love the format. We have seen all of the team stuff and they need to add something fresh. Johnny from Portland looks like Johnny Manziel's Boston brother and I cannot move past that. At first glance, I do not really like the women's group besides Laurel and Nia where a fight is bound to happen.

What were your first thoughts? 

Hatlak, Adam 2:10 pm
I'm guessing you didn't catch Camilla on the first go through the trailer, or have you soured on her over the years?

I think the format could be great. It appears like people won't be 100% immune from the elimination rounds, unless they win challenges, and that's how it should be. While politics is part of the game, the fact that so many people are able to avoid going into an elimination round season after season is ridiculous. Nobody should be that protected. 

There's a few people on both sides I can go without seeing, such as Preston. What role does he serve on the challenge? No drama, not a huge competitor, not a huge in on any of the main alliances.

Is CT going to be super motivated, now that he has a win?

I'm hoping there is a longer trailer coming out sometime soon, seems like this trailer is not as exciting as previous years.

Tritschler, Charlie 2:17 pm.
1.) Nope, Camila is still my girl. I have a thing for Laurel too, I might have some issues with how I choose women. I don't know if you do Vanderpump Rules, an awful yet awesome reality show on BRAVO, but I am a huge Stassi fan which fits right in here. 

1a. - Looking at the women again, I am changing my course a bit. Sneaky good.

2.) My assumption ould be the winner gets to choose who they want to send versus the last person goes in? If that's the case, I am not liking CT's chances along with others who do not make many friends.

3.) You and I both know about Jalen Rose's NBA philosophy about 'Cashing Them Checks'... Preston is a Hall of Fame member. Brandon belongs there and maybe Jessica too from Portland.

Best add? Issac. People forget how good Issac has been on these seasons before. Johnny from Portland is another one who will really make some noise. Definitely a drama-filled cast top to bottom.

Hatlak, Adam 2:20 pm
I'm not a Vanderpump watcher, what's it like? Worth it?

1) I'm a big Laurel fan as well, BUT, here's the dream scenario for me for the girl's side. Someone like Aneesa loses the first challenge, and Laurel get's randomly drawn for a reverse tug of war. Aneesa is the only one able to knock her off of dominance, and takes her down. I'd miss Laurel, but there would be two HUGE positives. 1) Laurel would come back crazy motivated the next season (perhaps with Emily around) 2) The women's field would be WIDE OPEN. I feel like there are season where the female side is all but a given, due to one or two dominant females. It could be a game changer.

2) I saw a write up describing the season, might have been from MTV, or some TV Channel. Looks like the winner gets to pick someone to go in, and the rest is blind luck. A drawing of cards.

3) Haha, that's a good call on Preston. I'd compare Brandon to Brian Scalabrine. The last guy on your bench, who might give you more reliable minutes (make it a few weeks in the game) than a player who gets more time (the promising player who always goes home early) but has an extremely low upside.

Johnny is a fight waiting to happen. Especially with Jordan there.

Issac and Cohutta are essential to a season like this. They are there to play the LeRoy role, (even though he's there) of a dude that doesn't seem as nuts as everyone else, but seem like genuine fun dudes. I like the old vet adds a lot.

Charlie Tritschler 2:25 pm 

As I have explained over Twitter countless times, I am a huge fan of anything MTV/Bravo/E! related for gym television and Vanderpump is my number one. Show could not more drama, about a restaurant owned by one of the housewives of Beverly Hills and it is tremendous.

I do like the idea of having Laurel getting knocked off somewhere early to the middle rounds. Guys, it is pretty open but I do think the oddsmakers like Laurel right now. We do need a Laurel v. Emily matchup to really decide who has the belt for the females. How about Paula getting the ax? Hopefully, she's done. I had my fill of Paula.

What about Johnny and Nia? Let's run it back from Portland and just start all over again.

Can we officially agree too that Evan and Kenny did something wrong to get ousted from ever appearing on this again? You would figure this is the ideal setting for those two and they screwed up along the way meaning never again. I could be looking into it because Kenny and Evan are both deeply involved in things where they wouldn't need paychecks, Evan still calls himself an MTV personality. But something had to happen, right? 

Hatlak, Adam 2:34 pm
I'll try to catch up on Vanderpump sometimes.

You ever listen to Jacoby's Reality Pod? A while ago, they plugged a site that had tons of inside knowledge on Challenge stuff. I got caught in a wormhole there .

I avoided spoilers, but I did get some background on Paula/Kenny/Evan.Don't know how reliable it is, but the whole site accepts it as truth. There were some big time rumors that would obviously keep them off the show. Don't know how credible it all is though.

I think Paula is pregnant, which generally means retirement unless your name is Robin.

Who knows how true any of this is, but that could explain it a little better. 

Tritschler, Charlie 2:37 pm
I believe it, I mean sometimes getting worked up over the people that are not there versus whose there can dilute the excitement of The Challenge.

Last question, if you were do Challenge Power Rankings for men and women... who is your preseason top three. I will include picks in the process of figuring out who will get the top spots early on.

Hatlak, Adam 2:45 pm 

It's crazy to think back Johnny Kenny, and Evan's first few challenges, who would have thought Bananas would be the best of the three, most wins, and last longest. He was clearly expendable to them early.

I'm going with Tiers for my rankings.

Early Favorite:
Guys:CT
Girls: Laurel

Main Contenders:
Guys: Zach, Jordan, Leroy
Girls: Camila, Cara Maria, Theresa (Yikes that gets weak fast)

Sleepers
Guys:Frank (I think he was better than Johnny last season, his game gets underrated because he's not fun on TV) Dustin, Portland Johnny, Cohutta (did well on The Island)
Girls: Nany, Jonna

Old Vets That Will Underperform
Guys: Bananas (The new format diminishes his greatest strength, the politics, he wasn't great last year, and generally is afraid of eliminations)
Girls: Aneesa

Glad they're on for entertainment, not a threat to win:
Guys: Isaac
Girls: Jemmye, Nia, Devyn,

Would have cast someone else
Guys: Swift, Chet, Preston, Brandon
Girls: LaToya, Emilee, Jessica, Jasmine

As you can see, this should be another fantastic season of The Challenge. I do not see why this would not be great and a way to save Real World's dreadful season. 

Charlie & Adam.