Takin' On 'The Challenge: All Stars': True Colors

We love The Challenge, and with The Challenge: All Stars airing on Paramount+ on Wednesdays, we offer our coverage, discussion, and ideas each weekend.

To no surprise, "True Colors" revolved around two camps: Leroy and Kam on one side and Ayanna on the other. With a dash of the alliance of Tina, Rachel, and Veronica, that's the episode. That's is not to say it's a bad one. 

I think the reality of how small Leroy and Kam's baby is at this point sinks in even more for me as viewer: early on Leroy and Kam look at a picture of the lil' baby. And while Kam mentioned last week, the pumping is a Big Deal. Not only does she have to pump at certain intervals, but that means in the middle of the fucking night. You ever ran a 3K after some shit sleep? Can't be easy. (I try never to run; but that's just me.) It also makes her argument with Ayanna that more potent. Ayanna! This woman ain't sleeping none!

The first major event, though, is one I always hate: it's a bummer when a challenger has to leave for a reason not related to elimination, and for the second week in a row, it happens. Tony, whom I would've pinned a win on this season, had personal problems at home. It's been rumored that it could have something to do with an ex, a drinking problem, and taking care of a child involved between the two. Let's hope whatever it is has turned out well for everyone involved. 

Tony's absence allowed for T.J. to bring in Syrus, who is an All Stars staple at this point, and it was just before the daily challenge. The daily had the competitors broken into teams of two and lining up some heavy dominoes in a specific order to lead up to the middle. There was one of those heavy bastards in the batch that was in there only to confuse. While that helped make it more of a game, it wasn't the best daily we've since. It did offer up a stellar confessional from Kefla: "The three brothers at the bottom of the barrel for dominoes. Man! In Africa! I'm not gonna hear the end of this." I'm so glad he's back on the show after all these years. 

The second big moment of the episode was that T.J. tells them that it's a double elimination week. Correct! Both the men and women have to send in a pair to duke it out in the sand. Pretty early in the season for that, T.J., you damn rascal! Since they won, Adam and Averey were safe, and Adam keeps his star for now. Instead, it means that the middle group have to pick from Kefla, Syrus, Brad, Derek, and Leroy on the men's side and Tina, Ayanna, Rachel, Veronica, and Tina from the women. Kam notes that since Leroy is in that losing group, she'll try to pull some strings to keep him around, obviously. 

More importantly, though, is that Brandon overhears Ayanna discussing the notion that it's good for everyone else to get rid of one of the two from this season's power couple. The trouble for Ayanna is that Brandon's microphone also picked up that soundbite. No denying it. But deny it, she does, and in her customary dramatic Ayanna fashion. Kam comes to her to ask, and to Kam's credit, all is calm until Ayanna errupts. ("Show me the people, Kam!") And to Kam's credit, she doesn't reveal her sources. Brandon's lol in confessional says it all anyway. Paired with Leroy's looks of disgust, and I'm here to vote for those two to stay until the end!

With that outburst and last week's prolonged pontification, Ayanna's fate is sealed to go down into the pit. Deservedly so. She a lie. But whom does she face? And what about the men? 

Well, the middle group have the voting for the men figured out: Kefla and Syrus. Poor Syrus! He just got here! He's an All Stars staple! No!

When it comes to the women, there's some debate, particularly between Cara Maria and Kam. Kam gets a bit of her Kam-ness out for really the first time when she gets angry with Cara for not voting for both Ayanna and Rachel. Look, Kam: Cara gave you half -- and the more important -- part of the vote. Let her off the hook! Never the less, it's going to be Kefla versus Syrus and Ayanna versus Rachel. 

And what an elimination! I'm not sure about the consensus, but I loved the new take on Hall Brawl: a large, metal tube; a huge ball in the middle that blocks the path; push the ball and the competitor out of the other side; the tube spins in circles! It's not bad! Do I prefer a classic Hall Brawl? Well, yeah. But this is pretty good!

The men are up first, and Kefla wins the first two, which sends Syrus home. Syrus seems like a decent guy, and he admits it's all on himself in defeat. I like Syrus. I hope he's on many seasons to come. But I have to talk about Kefla's victory, um, dance. Or thrust. Or crawl. Whatever it was, simply hilarious. I need more Kefla in my life. Plus, kudos to production for airing it while paired with Madonna's "Like a Virgin": nice touch for his first elimination win and that bit of hyper sexuality. 

But the women's elimination seems like there would be more as Rachel admits in confessional that Ayanna is pretty strong; however, Rachel is a workout queen and bests Ayanna although Ayanna trying the ol' staying-in-one-place strategy. It doesn't work. Rachel gets the victory. And with that, there are stars to pick. Kefla scoops up Brad's -- and Brad says it's too early for that in his monologue -- but Rachel has a tougher decision because all of the ladies with stars are her pals. She could pick a men's star and give it to another man if she wants. Instead, she takes Tina's merely to give to Veronica, just swapping it between buds in her alliance. Look, I'll say it now: Rachel, you can win this damn thing. Veronica and Tina are going to hold you down. Cut loose, girl! 

Confessionals:

• Adam is the oldest here, right? It's between him and Kefla, and both men either maintain a star or get one this week. Give the the old folks either props, Ryan!
• The fact that Ayanna is a single mom with four boys makes her sympathetic, but not near enough. 
• Once again, I'm down here in confessionals telling Leroy to grab a daily win soon! 
• Not much was made over Laurel and Nichole this week, and that's nice.