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[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for<\/b> The Challenge<\/a><\/i><\/b> Season 41 Episode 17, \u201cTen Toes Down.\u201d]<\/b><\/p>\n The Challenge<\/i> started this season of Vets and New Threats<\/i> with a bevy of the series\u2019 long-timers in the mix, but after Wednesday\u2019s (November 19) new episode, none of the old guard remains in the game\u2026 with yet another<\/i> almost-winner getting nixed right before the final. Sigh.<\/p>\n This time, it was Nany Gonzales, whose social game (and showmance with Will Gagnon) started to fall apart in the last few episodes, and her partner Justin Hinsley getting the ax from the Top 5 teams.<\/p>\n The episode began on a sour note for Nany and Justin. While Yeremi Hykel got a nice note from his former partner Aviv Melmed<\/a>, cheering him on even after he staked a claim for Olivia Kaiser<\/a> and left her to get eliminated alongside Will; meanwhile, Justin also got a note from Will, reading him for filth for not standing up to Nany to vote in his favor and accusing him of conspiring against him.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t true that their vote against Will and Aviv was planned, of course, so Nany took that very, very personally and aired her grievances against Michael Bradshaw and Cedric Hodges, who she claimed were the actual architects of that decision, for everyone to hear. Needless to say, this didn\u2019t ingratiate her team to any of the remaining vets, even those she\u2019d been aligned with the whole time.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After the daily challenge, \u201cGlobal Exchange,\u201d put Michael and Cedric into the elimination automatically since they apparently did not know world geography at all, Nany and Justin were sent in with a vote so lopsided that even they voted for themselves. They were ready, they reasoned, and they weren\u2019t scared.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, what they weren\u2019t<\/i> ready for was the strength of their opponents. They faced Michaela and Cedric in what host T.J. Lavin<\/a> called \u201cthe original headbanger,\u201d which was \u201cBalls In 2.0\u201d and saw both pairs of players facing off in the classic arena at the same time. It wasn\u2019t even close.<\/p>\n \u201cI am still holding onto that vision of me at the top of a mountain at the finish line, and T.J. telling me that I won. One day, it will happen. I still have more work to do,\u201d Nany said after her ouster. After so many times as the bridesmaid, so to speak, we have to wonder if we\u2019ll ever see Nany finish it out on top.<\/p>\n Next week\u2019s episode begins the finale, which will see the players scaling the Andes mountains, doing some kind of canoeing challenge, and engaging in an overnight with a surprise option to stake a new claim.\u00a0 And from the look ahead, it seems like there\u2019ll be some surprising slackers in the game\u2019s final moments.<\/p>\n The Challenge<\/i><\/b>, Wednesdays, 8\/7c, MTV<\/b><\/p>\n