WELL, LOOKY HERE!

What a fancy day this is!

First of all, it's lovely outside.  Second of all, my inbox is filled with nice emails from well-wishers, who watched that total trainwreck the first episode of the show.  The episode was totally cheesy, of course, but a little fluff now and then never hurt anybody.  About half the people responding are thoroughly confused by the overly-complex rules of the competition, so allow me to take this time to explain the way the Challenge works:

Each team starts with 10 players.  We have a competition one day, in which everyone competes, so we have a chance to check each other's abilities out; the winning team gets $10,000.  Then that night, we group together as teams, and each team votes one member of the opposing team into "The Inferno," which is a gladiator-style arena where the two "voted-in" people will have some sort of a fight.  The actual Inferno competition is unveiled only once we walk into the arena, so everyone votes with no solid idea of whether the competitors voted in will actually be any good at whatever the Inferno is.  We can only make decisions based on everyone's general performances.  The winner of the Inferno battle gets to stay in the game, the loser goes home.  And you want to stay, because you only get a share of your team's banked money if you survive until the final round.

BUT WAIT--it's not that simple.

After we all vote, and before the Inferno, there is another all-team competition.  The winning team again banks $10,000; but this time, the top performer on EACH team gets a "life shield," which can be used to prevent that "voted-in" person from going into the Inferno and trade another of his/her own team members instead.  So, if the winner of the life shield is the person actually voted in, then that person must choose someone else from his/her own team to go in.  But if someone else from the team is the top performer and gets the life shield, s/he can go into the Inferno in the place of the "voted-in" person, in an act to save that teammate.  But who is going to put themselves into the Inferno on purpose?  No one, of course.  So unless the life shield goes to the already "voted-in" person, it's basically a lost cause.

At the end of the competition, there is one big final Challenge, where the winning team wins an additional $150,000, to be split up amongst whomever is left.  So it is in your own team's best interest to eliminate the "better" performers of the opposing team, so the opposing team is at a disadvantage during the final competition.  If you eliminate their "weaker" players, you're really doing them a favor by getting rid of people who may slow them down.  But on the flip side, every time you vote, you are potentially voting for your own competitor, because they may be voting in YOU.  So it's a tough call, because it would suck if you voted for someone, and then you were sent into the Inferno against him/her, and you ended up LOSING.

Yes, it's complicated.  It took us a few days to understand the rules, and we were the ones actually playing the game.  Plus there were alliances and all that crap.  Blah blah blah.  Nevertheless, I had fun.

THIRD on my list of reasons why it's a fancy day:

I won a blog competition, apparently. :) http://sighclub.typepad.com/sighclub/2005/03/and_the_winner_.html

So take that, Hot Toddy, and your dumb Bloggie nomination! :) Thanks to all who voted.  And thanks to the person who called me a "really big queen."  Your knack for stating the obvious is awe-inspiring.  After that dumb Madonna comment I made on the show last night, I certainly didn't do anything to break down those stereotypes.

Comments

[Luke]

poor Beth is sooo misunderstood

[kristen]

Dan, it's time to pick the photo of Iceland that you would like...

[Amber]

sheesh complicated. i missed the first episode.

[AyEnDeeAreEeAyAitch]

I also loved your witty madonna comment. Tell me about Karamo though. Please tell me he isn't the angry gay black man that he is portrayed to be.

OOooh but if he is, I wanna know that too!

[hot toddy]

I love when you taunt me. It's hot.

[April]

I love love loved the Madonna comment! It was hysterical.

[Robert]

I loved the Madonna comment too! I was laughing because it's true! Put me in a competition with ANYBODY and the game is "Sing a medley of Madonna songs" and I'm SURE to win!

[jen]

Hi Dan,
Love you, love your hair. Loved the 'Madonna song' comment.
Kisses,
Jen
P.S. I never thought of you as a badass.

[Jaime]

Dan, man, I wish you weren't going home so soon. And although you WOULD win if the Inferno involved singing Madonna songs, you're right that comment didn't help any queen stereotypes at all. But I still loved it. :)

[Beth]

great first episode! i'm so hoping that you don't get voted off first! also, HAD to let you know that i really appreciated your madonna reference! it got a little instant replay action on my tivo. i hope that the first inferno does involve the material girl! :)

[Susann]

I missed Top Model tonight! Synopsis please??

[orbicon]

Wow. That is so confusing. Can't y'all just play Yahtzee for money or something?

[Tom]

Hey Dan, I'd like to know if the cast decided to alternate between girl/guy infernos like last season. They didn't really clarify that on the premiere, but the good guys sent you into the inferno over a presumably weaker female..so I was just wondering. :D

[Joe]

Justin, I think you are right...

I Tivo'd the promo and watched it over and over again. Mike enters the arena wearing an off blue shirt. they only show Dan on the wire and someone from behind, who is clearly wearing a dark blue shirt. Also the other "man" hanging has lanky small arms, not like Mike's. I also saw in the promo that cowboy Jon had a dark blue shirt on. Damn those helmets and covering their hair, but I do think you are right, at least we can hope.....

[Justin]

People always make comments about things they see on TV - that is what producers are hoping for - people who comment & high ratings

Joe - I hope you are wrong - I don't want Dan to leave after the first mission - I need first hand accounts of each episode - my fingers are crossed

[Angel]

OK, a few points:
1) Anyone who is unclear on the rules of the game must not have seen the first Inferno, for they are EXACTLY THE SAME.
2) If the lifesaver doesn't go to who is nominated, it isn't necessarily a "lost cause." After all, if I'm not mistaken, both Kendall (RR: Campus Crawl) and CT (RW: Paris) sacrificed THEMSELVES when they won the lifesaver in Inferno I.
3) Who knew that coloring your hair would be such an international incident?
4) I met Jamie from RW: San Diego today and she said that she loves you and that you are one of her most favorite people EVER....and I would tend to agree.
Keep up the ggod work boo.

[Jeremy]

I love Dan Renzi. I want to have his baby.

[Steve]

uggh i hope you don't get off the show so soon, you make it so watchable. and the comments about your hair,...brown, blonde, red, whatever...you look damn good. best wishes.

[Joey]

Hi Dan! HUGE fan of you. I watched you on RW Miami and have thoroughly enjoyed you on every challenge/assignment you've done for MTV. There are days I read your blog and I'm crying because I'm laughing so hard. So don't take this as a slam because I think you're just wonderful. But what on EARTH with the blond hair???? You are just usually fabulous and well versed on everything that is hip and trendy so I was a little confused. I hope your hair is dark again. For the love of GOD don't dye your hair blond again. Either way though, you still rock!

[Michael]

But didn't Chris from RR12 see Jon at an airport about 2 days after the show started filming?