Un-Beth-Lievable

January 16, 2005...a day that will live in Bunim-Murray Productions infamy. The day when Ruthie Alcaide, one of the strongest and most athletic women on reality television, got her ass handed to her by Beth Stolarczyk, one of the biggest wastes of spaces around. We're in a situation Colts fans experienced yesterday...who do we blame?

Do we blame Montana, who aimed to keep Ruthie from getting an exemption from the mission? If Beth sat out, there's a chance that Robin might have gone against Ruthie. Later, we saw Montana try and act like she could be friends with Beth, but it came off incredibly phony.

Do we blame the Veterans for voting Beth in? It's like she said...she has never been voted out for being in last place. Then again, it does speak volumes that past teams elected to keep a cheery pudgepot (Sharon, Battle of the Seasons) and a pregnant woman (Gladys, Battle of the Sexes) over her. I think the Vets made the right call at the time, and it just backfired.

Do we blame Jisela for bailing two weeks ago? If she didn't have to go home (as per the rumors), Beth would have gotten picked instead of her. And if the wheel had come out "Captain's Choice" for Ruthie, that would have been it for Beth.

Do we blame TJ Lavin? The paranoia creeps deep within our brains, as we see his hand near the wheel as it stops spinning. But what purpose would it serve to keep Beth? Yeah, she brings the drama...but so do Derrick, Brad, Aneesa, Katie, Jodi, Mark, Robin...and I'm still waiting for Julie's seasonal meltdown. It's the same way I convince myself that BMP wasn't out to "get" Julie in BOTS1, because the show would have been better with her and Melissa taking shots at
each other every week.

Do we blame Ruthie? She did agree to sit Montana. The best option would have been to exclude herself. The only real problem would be that she could have won a gift card without doing anything...but it would've kept the peace on the team. As for the Gauntlet? She tried. Man, did she try. Beth probably does minimal workouts and eats bon bons on the couch while watching E!. Her reward? The biggest upset since Trishelle smacked Steve out of The Gauntlet.

As I read the forums, I cannot believe people like the idea of Beth staying in the game. They talk smack about how the Veterans screwed themselves, and they go on about how they never liked Ruthie anyway. Unacceptable. You're not supposed to like Beth in any way, shape or form. She sucks as a human being. The only people who like her are frauds, phonies, and a certain RNO recapper who got all pissy after Tonya baptised her bags in the pool. And just like Beth, this guy bailed out of his stuff because it wasn't working for him. I knew that guy...he would be a Beth-lover. And trust me, you don't want to be in the same class as him.

As for Ruthie...she's a real sympathy case now. She lost her first Challenge when her team failed to disassemble a puzzle. As a result, the guys figured things out by disassembling the girls' puzzle, and they won the final mission. In her second Challenge, she didn't shine as brightly, and Coral and Arissa had to convince Sophia to cut her loose over Tina. And now...this. Is her legacy tarnished? Not as much as you'd think. She is an incredible talent in a teeny package...not unlike Jill Aquilino from The Amazing Race 3. And I'll say this...if Ruthie ever does TAR, she'd do no worse then fifth. Even better, she has a twin sister named Sarah. You don't think the producers love twins? They've cast three sets already!

There is one good thing about Beth becoming captain...the Veterans will probably throw every other mission until she's gone. Wouldn't $10,000 be a worthwhile price to pay to be rid of her? Remember, the current team voting system has them voting for her opponent, as opposed to her targetting Montana right away. Beth is still on the bottom of my list as far as winning a Gauntlet. You don't think Aneesa could kick her butt? Or Robin? If you smack Katie in the face enough times, she'd get mad enough to rip somebody another hole. Julie raises a red flag...she does have skills, but she's lost close contests to scrubs in the past. And I'm pretty sure Montana could wipe out Beth with some effort. Even kinkier is the threat of the double-throw from the Rookies. If one of the girls isn't "feeling it" anymore, the Rookies could force Beth to stay on the team, and then Kina could escort the departing gal out. What's the worst thing that could happen? TJ giving yet another lecture about how the girls don't represent? I'm sure they'll get over that.

Thirteen days and counting. We got through the Telluride threesome, Enily's bloody axe, and Eric and his friggin' jump rope. I'm pretty sure we can endure Osaama Beth Laden for a little longer.