'Ultimate Tag' Season 1 Episode 5 Highlights: An all-new rivalry pits one of the contestants against Dynamite
'Ultimate Tag' has had a lot of fitness athletes come to the arena, but time and time again, the contestants have proven that it doesn't matter how ripped you are, in the game of tag, it's all about speed and smarts.
Chase tag was a relatively short affair for the men, where not even Thomas's parkour skills could get him those bonus points, even with the win. The women's round was a lot more thrilling, however, as a speedy, sly Seany double-backed at the last second tricked Dynamite to slam into one of the hurdles. All that trickery drains stamina fast, though, and Seany gave up and let Dynamite tag her a little while after getting her bonus points. The two kept their rivalry up outside of the arena, trash-talking each other with vicious venom.
That rivalry extended to Dodge Tag, where Dynamite defended the goals, mocking Seany for her rapidly depleted stamina. Najla, in the meanwhile, managed to slip past the taggers just enough to earn herself the first point of the round. The women were all tied at two points, meaning the one who had been trailing behind, Mercedes, was sent home. The men, however, were nowhere near as even. Thomas's graceful parkour and Gregory's rough and effective determination earned them three points each, bodybuilder Nick was unable to score a single point. A little more cardio might have helped him, but as it stands, this is when Nick's sent home.
Building up on their rivalry, the show pits Seany against Dynamite yet again. Seany, however, decides to take things easy. With Najla having been unable to score a bonus revenge tag point, all Seany needed to do was beat her time to stay in the lead. Despite Dynamite's taunts, Seany kept her distance and avoided losing her breath and the strategem paid off. She just barely beat Najla's time, giving her a three-second lead going into the showdown. That didn't stop her from throwing verbal jabs at the taggers off the arena floor.
It turns out that the 3-second lead wasn't strictly necessary in the Showdown, Najla grew quickly exhausted, getting tagged by both taggers, with her exhaustion visibly slowing her down by the course's end. Seany, the sprinter, was at her best in the showdown course, handily dodging Spitfire, and finishing the course with 30 seconds over Najla's time - one of the more decisive wins in 'Ultimate Tag.'
Speaking of decisive wins, parkour served Thomas well in Dome Tag. Gregory was quickly tagged in the cramped space within the Dome, while Thomas's parkour skills inside, outside and even under the Dome got him an impressive five-point lead for the Showdown. Gregory gave it his all, but two stumbles cost him dearly, in both seconds and a double tag from the Kid and the Viking. Once again, though, he might as well not have tried, because Thomas blew through the course like it was nothing. Not only did Thomas outrun both his taggers, but he also finished his run in the fastest time that the Showdown has ever seen — a mindblowing 27 seconds.
It's a definite win for parkour, both for prestige in the sport and for the $10,000 that Thomas will be investing into the sport in his local community. Seany, however, is out to keep that money for herself, investing in her own future and nobody can say she hasn't earned it.
The next episode of 'Ultimate Tag' airs on June 24 on Fox.