American Grit – Season 2/Episode 5 – "Camp Love"
- Aallyhia Cruz
- Jul 14, 2017
- 6 min read
Originally aired: July 9th, 2017
Although the men are out for blood, we can’t leave the women out of the equation. Especially Chloe now that she’s down to two team members but I’ll get to that in a minute. After last week’s double elimination, its a scramble with how the four teams will move forward. What with Team Burk losing their 1st strongest player Will. Then Team Chloe losing yet another player in the form of Shermon. With the tensions this high, some positivity needs to be sent to Camp grit. In American Grit style however, only one team will feel that positive vibe while the others keep a watchful eye out. A lot can happen in one episode.
The episode opens up as it always does; the aftermath of the elimination. The competitors are anxious to see the one contestant that is still in the running for the money. Hours later it is revealed that…Carla didn’t ring out. By the looks of Team Riki, they are pleased to infinity over the result. Of course Grady automatically thinks the win is going to go to her head. He’s had this eye on her since day one. These challenges are anybody’s game at this point. Next, John reveals that this week’s challenge is based on priority. As the cadre described, its going to be very hard. Priorities are like the backbone of your every day being. We all have our different types of priorities. Yet it is up to us as individuals to choose which is more important. What is going to cause that good domino effect? Only your priorities can tell you that. Its however just my general thought on the subject. Lets get back to the nail biter or in Melanie’s case, a light laugh. Melanie heads off to the green team’s cabin to wish them a good night. Let me rephrase that, she went to the green team’s cabin to wish Herman good night. Which is positive due to her growth at the camp. Herman is that staple that Melanie needs in her life. Its a bond that in my eyes seems too good to be true but in a positive manner. You can’t find something like that in society. Its there but it takes a lot of years to find in my opinion. Only time will tell for those two within and beyond the camp.
The next day, the teams gather with their cadre in order to discuss priorities. Which is the key component in the upcoming challenge. So far not that many competitors are exactly honing in on the concept. In the form of a puzzle, the competitors must solve a certain one to their liking and then head back to the finish line. What do the puzzles mean? Well I’ll tell you:
Money: $1,000 for each member of your team
Power: Force two opposing team members to switch teams
Love: A visit from a loved one here at camp grit
Those choices are the most known to human kind. I think in my opinion, I would choose love. Just to see my best friend Erika and my new buds; Philly-based indie pop band, The Burgeoning again. They exist in my life to this very day and I’m very thankful for that. Moving on to the challenge!
The puzzles:
LOVE – Team Chloe
POWER – Team Riki
MONEY – Team Grady
LOVE – Team Burk
I will repeat this until the finale, its ANYONE’S game at this point. The teams are neck and neck. Some stumbling here and there but the results are:
1st place -Team Chloe
2nd place – Team Grady
3rd place – Team Riki
4th place – Team Burk
With that being said, Janessa and Alison are the lucky winners of the challenge. They get to receive their prize for what they have chosen in the form of LOVE. Then, I hinted at the beginning of this post, there’s Chloe. Now she gets the advantage to send 1 person from each of the three other teams to the elimination challenge. Burk lost but then again so did Grady. Which might be good for viewers who don’t favor Grady as much as Burk displays. But lets focus on the fact that #teammom win the day. I’m as eager as Janessa when it comes to getting a glimpse at Ali’s husband. Should be brighteningly interesting for everyone. I like Herman’s thinking because even though his team lost this one, he still manages to have a positive outlook. Now onto Chloe, who has a unique strategy. She won’t pick the strongest person but the person that holds the certain team together. Moving to Richard for a moment. Him saying that if he were to enter elimination, lose and be okay with it…that just doesn’t sit well with me either. You feel like you have found your grit, which is good. Its better however to try and make it to the end of the competition of where maybe, the money is right in front of you. I don’t mean to think it over too much but it honestly just really bothered me. Now the time comes for Chloe’s picks:
Carla – Team Riki
Herman – Team Grady
Melanie – Team Burk
* inserts my internal screaming* I have my bonafide right to panic. This adventure shou—no, it deserves a happy ending for both of them. A bond like that deserves to be saved in elimination. As for Carla, I’m crossed with I hope she pulls through once more and I hope she rings out. Its just that type of elimination style.
The next morning, the theme of priorities is still in effect. Grady and Herman are doing some cadre to contestant bonding by going on a fishing trip. George becomes the camp’s unofficial hairstylist by doing Chris’ hair which is looking good. Except for the fact George didn’t bring lollipops because that should be a priority, just saying. As for Team Chloe, their priorities are heading to the camp. Alison’s priorities are the first to arrive. Her husband Wally and her daughter Hazel. You can’t exactly know how much you missed someone until you actually see them. To put it simply, Ali’s family is beautiful. Next there are Janessa’s priorities. Her mother Sharon, her daughter Haeli and her son Joshua. That #teammom love is in the air and I love that. All of of this just makes the heart grow even more. Then John comes in and like a good host, he greets Alison and Janessa’s families. Then as the audience we take a very heartbreaking turn to Gigi. Although happy for the red team seeing their family members, Gig was reminded of the people that are lacked in her life. She walked in with 16 strangers at the beginning of the competition. It doesn’t matter at this point on when she exits the competition, she’ll leave it with 16 new best friends, family members; that is what is most important. Also the millions that watch the show but that’s just my extra opinion. Now it comes down to Melanie and Herman. Their majestic walk on the camp grounds is cut short when Burk meets up with Melanie to discuss the upcoming elimination. Hopefully since this is a competition, Melanie slightly puts her feelings for Herman aside in order to win the elimination challenge. I think Herman is going to be in my top 5 when it comes to favorite competitors this season. What he said to Melanie is what I think almost all of us need to hear. I needed to hear that too. Everybody’s in our life for a purpose and once that purpose is met its done. I feel like in the past two and a half seasons, I feel like the lesson that the competitors are learning in and out of the challenges, in a way as a viewer, I’m learning something too.
Its elimination day and Grady seems like he wants to turn the rest of the cadre and John into popsicles with changing the thermostat. I can’t handle high heat either but not when its to a certain extent. Move on to the important part, the elimination challenge. Copperhead lake is where its at for elimination. The competitors must keep an hourglass full of sand while in vice versa, the sand is drained from the bottom. Whoever ends up with an empty hourglass must ring out. God speed to the 3 competitors. The challenge begins and its a steady start. So much sand, not enough father time. The challenge ends and…Melanie must ring out. I think during her time at the camp, she has grown the most. I hope that what she has learned at camp grit and from Herman, she will continue to grow with it all for years and years to come. That will do it for me for this episode blog post. Stay weird!
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