inferno 3

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I confess to watching the latest installment of the Real World/Road Rules Challenge. I no longer watch The Real World or Road Rules, and I don't even know who many of the contestants are. Cast members are no longer identified by their season of origin. The veterans are better known for their frequent Challenge appearances, and the newbies are disposable until they develop their own Challenge identity.

Despite my long-standing enjoyment of this program, I cannot bring myself to take it seriously anymore. I no longer mourn the elimination of my favorites because I know they'll be back sooner or later. I can't remember who won Challenges or infernos or gauntlets. I enjoy it, but I don't quote statistics. Clearly Rachel (from The Real World:Austin) who still has her affinity for talking about her time in ironic, does not realize Challenges are a pale imitation of what they once were. After losing in the inferno she whined, "It's just being so ashamed that some chubby civilian girl can beat me." Do you remember Rachel? She was the chubby girl in Austin who got included in the token male magazine shoot but was much more covered than the other girls? She now has bigger boobs, which I suppose helps the proportions, but the girl is chubby. She lost to Jenn, who is an NFL cheerleader. Have you ever seen a chubby NFL cheerleader? Rachel, chubbiness is not a bad thing, and a little more girth might have helped you in a jousting challenge. Still, Rachel left saying, "I'll never be able to live this down." I see her introductory interview for Inferno 9 now, "I'm here to avenge losing the joust to Jenn."

Settle down and get drunk; alcohol makes Challenges so much more fun.

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