Twenty Questions: "Survivor - Winners at War"

One week after "Survivor" crowned a two-million dollar winner in its landmark 40th season, our expert, two-man panel is here to break everything down. Join the Brothers Christensen as they navigate through 20 hard-hitting questions about "Survivor: Winners at War."

THE SEASON

1. What was your overall opinion of the season and the outcome?

Austin: I thought that it was an overall good season with an ending that you could have predicted at the merge. That said, it helped rekindle my love for "Survivor."

Aaron: Overall, very strong season. Best cast ever, undoubtedly. Unlike many seasons of "Survivor," the right person won, and I don't think there is any question about that.

2. What did you like about "Winners at War"?

Austin: It had an AMAZING cast! The best ever, IMO. I'm not a huge Tony fan, but I also enjoyed sitting back and enjoying greatness.

Aaron: Great, great cast. It was fun to see a lot of really good players coming back, and the fact that they were all winners made it so there was good gameplay from the very first episode. In a lot of seasons, it takes a few episodes to warm up to the cast, and for the players to figure out how to play the game, but Season 40 came out of the gate swinging. The first half of the season was full of terrific episodes.

3. What did you NOT like about "Winners at War"?

Aaron: I still don't love Edge of Extinction, although it was implemented in a way this season where it felt like players on the Edge still influenced the game. I'm also not sure that I love bringing a person back from the Edge right before the finale. It just feels cheap in some ways, and it's an almost-guaranteed asterisk if somebody coming back into the game that late goes on to win. I feel like they should have introduced Fire Tokens in a regular season, not in an all-star season, so the audience and the players both had a better idea of how they needed to be implemented. I don't think that TV viewers truly understood everything that was going on with them, and it ended up being a largely unnecessary layer on top of what should have been a pretty straight-forward season. Too many players were willing to quit the game this season, which was really surprising to me. Sandra actually did quit, Denise mentally quit, and Ben literally told Sarah to vote him out. It's two million dollars, people! What gives??

Austin: The editing was lacking. There were so many twists and turns this season that at times it was difficult for the viewers to keep up with what was happening.

Aaron: After reading Austin's response, I agree about the editing. My wife was constantly asking why Ben and Jeremy hated each other, and I could never explain it because I am not sure that we actually saw it.

4. Where does "Winners at War" rank in the pantheon of "Survivor" seasons?

Aaron: Top Five, probably. There have been so many seasons that they all kind of blur together, and so many of them have either been really good or really bad. I can definitively say, though, that "Winners at War" was not THE BEST season of all time. The second half of the season was too predictable and the fact that nobody, other than Kim, whose plan was a miserable failure, was willing to take a shot at Tony kind of rubbed me the wrong way. But in terms of domination by a single player, this was an all-time performance by Tony. He worked the entire cast, and they were all seasoned enough to have known better and tried harder to prevent it. The high point of the season was the night where we saw Parvati and Sandra voted out in back-to-back Tribals. That was one of the best nights of "Survivor" that I can ever remember.

Austin: I’d say Top 10, for sure. Prior to the merge, it was looking like it would be the best season ever, but prior to the finale I actually predicted EXACTLY how the finale would go. The last half of the season was too predictable for it to be the best.

THE PLAYERS

5. Who, if anyone, exceeded your expectations?

Austin: Tony, obviously, and also Michele. I didn’t expect Tony to play the best game ever, but I certainly didn’t expect Michele to make it all the way to the finale and have a fairly compelling case to receive votes.

Aaron: Tony - an all-time great performance. Truly masterful. Michele - everybody said, going in, that she was an undeserving winner and a major underdog in the game. Look who's laughing now. Natalie - she has overcome her "Twinnie" persona that I hated so much from "The Amazing Race" and the first part of her winning season, and, even though she spent the entire time on Extinction, she was head and shoulders above everybody else that got voted out.

6. Who, if anyone, failed to meet your expectations?

Aaron: Adam - I really liked him in his original season, and even thought he did pretty well for the first episode or two, but after that... Man... I don't even know. Ben - I don't know what my expectations were for Ben, but he just bugged the heck out of me the entire time. The guy can't keep a secret to save his life, and then the way he exited the game was truly pathetic. Denise - I love Denise, I don't really understand her transformation late in the game, and her downward spiral from voting out Sandra to verbally giving up is a bit mind-boggling.

Austin: Ben and Kim. I think Ben was way out of his league in this season and, frankly, I don’t think he belonged. Kim, on the other hand, was so dominant in her first season that I was expecting more from her. The fact that she was voted out because she made one of the most basic mistakes a survivor can make only adds to the disappointment.

7. Who were you rooting for at the beginning of the season? Who were you rooting for at the end of the season?

Aaron: At the beginning, Tyson, Denise, Adam and Wendell. At the end, well... I mean, I understood that Tony deserved to win, but everybody I had a vested interest in had been booted by then. Michele by default, I guess?

Austin: At first I was rooting for Tyson and Denise, who are two of my favorite castaways ever. Heading into the finale, I was rooting for Michelle. I thought she played a great underdog game and I think she’s one of the most underrated Survivors of all time.

8. Have we finally seen the last of Boston Rob and Sandra?

Aaron and Austin: Yes.

9. What did you think about Natalie having so many advantages from her time on Edge of Extinction?

Aaron: For someone who was voted out at the first Tribal Council, Natalie had WAY too many advantages. I don't disagree that she earned them and she deserved some credit for working so hard, but for her to have three advantages and two idols, compared to Nick, who was the last person sent to Extinction and had NOTHING, that was totally unfair.

Austin: Two things come to mind. First, I think the system is broken. Nick lasted 34 days and had 0 chances to gain an advantage heading into the final challenge. Why should someone who was voted out on Day Two have the opportunity to monopolize advantages like she did? Second, props to her! She cleaned up on Extinction and went out of her way to earn everything that she could.

10. What did you think about Ben giving Sarah permission to vote him out?

Austin: Ben was a weak player this season. I think his logic in Sarah using that move as a resume builder was flawed. Mostly, on this season I really wanted to see all the heavyweights go at it and fight to the finish. I would definitely have rather had someone else in the final five who was willing to fight to the end and try to win.

Aaron: Weak. Pathetic. Completely ridiculous. And for him to insinuate, "What you need in order to win is a big move, so I give you permission to vote me out," totally cheapened the move Sarah made in the first place. How could she possibly claim that and say, "My one big move was that I voted Ben out after he told me to do it"?

11. What did you think about Sarah's "gender bias" speech in the finale? Did it change your opinion of her?

Aaron: First of all, she should have saved that speech for the final Tribal. Second of all, I understand that some viewers believe that the producers have it out for women (especially "women of color," as I read in one particular article), but I don't buy it. I don't think her speech changed my opinion of Sarah, specifically, but I didn't think she made enough significant moves to win the game either way.

Austin: The timing of it was interesting. It felt like she was pandering a bit early to the jury, and why not? You don’t have to save it all to the final Tribal Council. I’m not sure I agreed with everything she said, but I thought she eloquently stated her side of things. My opinion of Sarah remains the same.

12. Did Natalie make the right decisions after re-entering the game?

Austin: I didn’t want her to use her idol on herself; I wanted her to save Michele, but it didn’t matter. After the merge, especially, the individuality of your game increases. I think it was the smart thing to do (BUT SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE TOLD SARAH THAT SHE HAD IT!!). From the fire side of things, had Natalie challenged Tony to fire and won, I think she might have unanimously won the game.

Aaron: I mean, what the jury probably wanted was for her to play her idol for Michelle, then voluntarily give up her individual immunity to make fire against Tony (a move that has already been done, mind you, and led to the crowning of the most controversial winner of all time). Her moves guaranteed her a spot in the finale, and I can't blame her for that. She came in and wiped out Tony's alliance, and that was awesome. The only way she would have won would have been by eliminating Tony, though, and that didn't end up happening.

13. What did you think about the final Tribal Council?

Aaron: Overall, it was fine. I don't love the "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast" format that they adopted a couple seasons back, but it is what it is. The jury wasn't bitter, which is always nice, and it seemed like everyone respected everyone else, and that's good.

Austin: I thought it was good, but certainly different that what we have seen in the past. The jury was laughing with the final three, admiring some moves they made, and it didn’t feel nearly as bitter as other final Tribal Councils that we have seen.

Aaron: I actually thought that each of the final three made solid cases for why they deserved to win. I thought that they each represented the three main aspects of the game, too - Tony was easily the best strategic player, Natalie dominated Extinction from a physical standpoint, and Michele had to play a flawless social game to survive on the bottom for as long as she did.

14. Tony won, 9-4-0. Did Michele deserve any votes?

Austin: I think she deserved at least one. With Michele’s resume from this season, I think you could transplant her to many other "Survivor" seasons and she would have easily won. The problem is that she ran into Tony, who played the greatest individual season of "Survivor" ever.

Aaron: Yes, at least one. Many people online were giving Wendell a hard time for not voting for her, but I don't think you can force a guy to vote for somebody just because they dated. That shouldn't have anything to do with it. But yes, I do think that it was a shame Michele didn't get more votes.

15. Is Tony the greatest "Survivor" player of all time?

Aaron and Austin: Yes.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

16. Should "Survivor" continue to use Fire Tokens?

Aaron: I don't mind if they come back, but they need to iron out a couple things first. As viewers, I don't think we really understood everything that could be done with the tokens. It seemed like, as far as we knew, they were really only used for advantages/disadvantages to be sold to players still in the game or for jars of peanut butter.

Austin: They should. I think there is a lot of intrigue with Fire Tokens, but they weren’t implemented correctly this season. We saw lots of different situations where the tokens caused changes in gameplay, most of which were entertaining, but I think they need to look at how people on the Edge of Extinction can earn/use them. This season’s system was so slanted in favor of the first person to be voted off that it didn’t feel right.

17. Should "Survivor" continue to utilize Edge of Extinction?

Austin: I think that having a second chance eliminates some of the beauty of the game. I think that with hidden immunity idols, among other things, that there are enough ways to prevent being voted off that having a second chance at coming back in the game feels too merciful.

Aaron: No. Get rid of it. Once you're out, you're out.

18. If you could play with anyone from this season, who would it be?

Aaron: Denise seems like she would be a pretty loyal ally, and I think, if you can get on his good side, Tyson would be a blast to play with. He and Gervase remain one of the top duos in the history of the show.

Austin: Tony is entertaining, for sure, but I think I’d go crazy if I played with him. I think I’d want to play with Tyson because I think he’s hilarious, an awesome player and an overall good dude.

19. Is there anyone from this season that you would not want to play with?

Aaron: Tony. The guy drives me nuts. Sandra and Rob, too. I'd want them gone immediately.

Austin: Boston Rob. He’s so bossy that I’d probably lose my temper within the first 24 hours on the island with him.

20. What makes "Survivor" such a great show?

Austin: This might be the hardest question because I think there is a combination of about 1,000 things. I think that the show finds normal people, brings them entirely out of their element, and it shows what people are capable of doing in a game where there are real life consequences and a significant financial reward.

Aaron: The fact that it has been able to successfully reinvent itself so many times over the years is a testament to its greatness. I love the drama of it all. There have been some epic blindsides over the years, and it never gets old watching somebody think they're on top, only to come crashing down half an hour later. And finally, we've got to give some props to the best to ever do it - Jeff Probst, the greatest game show host ever!

What did you think about "Survivor: Winners at War"? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below, on Twitter or on Facebook.

Until next time,

The tribe has spoken!

Underground Fight Club: Apocalypse Showdown - Finals Results

Introduction

About two and a half months ago, we at Signs of the Times: Underground set out to publish an unprecedented blog: an interactive tournament to determine the best apocalypse survival team. We started with eight participants, who chose six random characters from pop culture or American history to pit up against unknown competition. We never revealed the names of the participants, in an effort to keep voting as unbiased as possible. We would like to reveal their names at this time, now that the voting is closed and a winner has been selected. Here are the good sports who played along with us in the first-ever Underground Fight Club:

• Team Indy: Aaron Christensen
• Team Danvers: Dan Mortensen
• Team Deadpool: Josh Eden
• Team Kaladin: Jesse Maxwell
• Team Superman: Austin Christensen
• Team Manhattan: Cody Christensen
• Team Romanoff: Suzzanne Bailey
• Team Rambo: Gayle Christensen

A huge thank you goes out to these folks for playing along and humoring us through this process.

Additionally, we want to thank those individuals who took time to vote - especially those who were thoughtful enough to explain how they came up with their decisions, telling us why and how certain teams or characters performed the way that they did.

Locations, objectives and scenarios were chosen, based on suggestions provided on Facebook, and match-ups were selected at random. Winners of each match-up were determined by the aforementioned survey results, and we did our best to write up the stories in a fictionalized way that would be fun to read, although probably not totally logical 100 percent of the time.

Unfortunately, a real-life apocalypse delayed the tournament longer than we had initially hoped, and some momentum was admittedly taken out of the sails with all the COVID-19 craziness going on, so that's too bad. But this project was too big to let fall by the wayside and, one way or another, we wanted to make sure that we saw this thing through to the end.

With no further ado, let's get it on!! Join us one last time for the final round of our Apocalypse Showdown, featuring Team Superman and Team Danvers, locked in an all-out war in an abandoned amusement park.

Finals Results

 

 

Team Superman vs Team Danvers - All-out War @ Abandoned Amusement Park

• OBJECTIVE: Eliminate the other team.
• STIPULATIONS: One team member on each team must be killed in action. The Action Star is on the brink of exhaustion for the entire battle. The Specialist exposes a flaw in the other team's plan. The Wild Card switches teams. The Idiot causes a catastrophic problem for their team.
• ADVANTAGE: Weapons proficiency
• BONUS POINTS FOR: The new Wild Card being compatible with any of their new team mates AND if anyone on the team seems like they genuinely enjoy theme parks.

It was eerily quiet as the two remaining teams marched into what would soon become the final battleground of the Apocalypse Showdown. A somber reverence came across the faces of our combatants as they remembers those who had fallen on the path to glory. In the solemn stillness, the two Wild Cards (Benedict Arnold of Team Superman and Lanfear of Team Danvers) sneaked away from their respective teams. Ill feelings and bad intentions had been festering inside of them since the minute they joined their squads, and this was the opportune time for them each to do what they do best - betray their allies. And that's how this final round began... with the two least trustworthy teammates switching sides; Lanfear joined Superman and Benedict Arnold aligned with Captain Marvel.

Without another moment's hesitation, MacGyver got to work, honing his handiwork on the various scraps of metal, wood and rubble that lie within the shadows of the abandoned amusement park. Surely, these materials could be molded into something glorious, something dastardly, something dangerous. The legendary craftsman began tinkering away...

Elsewhere, his Specialist counterpart, Bryan Mills (who was never really fond of theme parks) hustled to the top of a tower in his team's end of the park. There were plenty of places he could use as a shooter's nest, and he had just the weapons for the job. He settled in and dusted off his trusty sniper rifle, adjusting the sights as needed, and making himself comfortable.

Meanwhile, the Evil Geniuses began developing a plan of attack while the Action Stars kept watch, floating above the grim wreckage of what once was a land of recreation and enjoyment. Putting his Force skills to good use, Emperor Palpatine started to strip decommissioned thrill rides for parts, telekinetically melding the plastic and metal into an impressive fortress. He referred to it as the Death Star 3.0, and swore in his wrath that it would be better than the two previous models. Ruin also had a bold plan. With his propensity for metal manipulation, he commenced in the creation of an animatronic army - artificially bringing the park's robotic mascots to life, with the will... to kill...

Benedict Arnold felt right at home amongst his newfound friends on Team Danvers. He was appointed the commander of Ruin's animatronic alliance, and the turncoat treasonist immediately got to work, instructing the cyborg crew on attack formations and military strategies.

Lanfear, on the other hand, struggled to find the right place on Team Superman - which isn't to say that she was completely useless, but she lived in a newfound sense of paranoia, knowing that distancing herself from Austin Powers could cause... complications. The two had recently formed an unlikely bond, over the course of the team's previous battle. Lanfear had spent a lot of time around the British super-spy, healing him him of the tremendous wounds he sustained in Round 1, and she feared that the easily aroused secret agent had developed a romantic interest in her. With that terrifying theory in mind, Lanfear attempted to pitch in when and where she could, but was constantly on the lookout for Powers' peeping and prying personality.

Traversing across the wacky wasteland, Drax discovered what he believed to be an enemy bunker. He burst through the door and began tearing at his opponents' flesh, stabbing with his knives and biting into them with his jagged teeth. Aware of the ruckus, Superman swooped down to inform the green-skinned goliath that he had simply encountered a shack full of stuffed animals that were completely harmless. Dejected, but not defeated, Drax trudged back to Team Superman's HQ to rest until another threat appeared.

At long last, MacGyver's plan came to fruition. From a heap of trash and scraps, he had created a mini-gun, mounted on top of a broken-down Segway scooter, which he repaired using corn dog sticks, a rusty nail and three and a half bags of popcorn. He crafted shrapnel-like ammunition from the gravel pit located in an under-construction area of the park, and had enough bullets to fill 13 buckets that previously held carnival prizes. The only downside was that whoever mounted the Segway would essentially be on a suicide run; they'd have to do as much damage as possible while they could, but they'd have no way of simultaneously steering and defending themselves. They best they could do would be to hope for enough cover fire from their teammates to prolong the run as long as possible. The only question now was who would be willing to volunteer...

The Death Star 3.0 was nearing completion. The shrill cackle of the Emperor rained down over the amusement park like a thick fog. It was glorious - densely protected, large enough to protect the entire team at once, and with a significant laser cannon perched high and centered. Superman flew around the structure to give it a once-over. It looked good. He used his laser-vision to further strengthen and bond the metal. It looked ready to go.

Captain Marvel returned to her team after an hour of patrolling the perimeter. Ruin and Benedict informed her of their robot army and McGyver introduced his dystopian Segway of doom. The Captain asked where Austin Powers was, and no one had an answer for her. In the hustle and bustle of their battle-planning, he had somehow gone missing.

On the other end of the park, Lanfear's worst fears came true: Austin Powers had tracked her down. She spotted him through a crack in the run-down wooden fence, and could hear him breathing heavily as he watched her. Suddenly, she had an idea. She could put her astonishing beauty to good use one last time. Reluctantly, she knew what she must do. She invited Mr. Powers over for a flirtatious chat. It was a hormone-filled half hour, but when it was over, Lanfear had pried out all of the information that he knew about Team Danvers' plans - particularly about the animatronic army and the modified war-scooter. She discovered the time of the attack, the direction they'd be coming, and every other detail she thought might be important. They say that loose lips sink ships, but in this case, Mr. Powers' inability to keep a secret was about to turn the tide of this final battle. With a kiss to the cheek and a swift knee to the crotch, Lanfear put Austin Powers out of commission indefinitely.

Captain Marvel finished up her reconnaissance flight and returned to her troops. The time had come for their grand attack. She charged MacGyver with loading the mini-gun full of its asphalt-like ammunition and preparing the chariot for departure. Ruin and Benedict Arnold put their robot troops into formation. Ruin would lead the army to battle, with Arnold manning the Segway. MacGyver planned on staying back at camp, ready to repair any animatronics that took excessive damage, and Miss Danvers would keep watch from above. They still didn't know where Austin Powers was, but, quite frankly, at this point, they didn't have time to wait around. After a rousing speech from Captain Marvel, Ruin and his forces rolled out, exactly on schedule.

Ruin's troops marched through the deserted "Cool Zone" and over the defunct splash pad. Around the rusted carousel and past the empty corn dog stall. There, in the distance, was Team Superman's base. Ruin raised a ghoulish arm and commanded the robots to halt. Benedict Arnold rolled to a stop on the armored Segway, his trigger finger itching and ready to go. This was it: the final attack. As Ruin prepared to lead the charge, a piercing noise rent the air and one of the animatronic soldiers fell to the ground, sparks flying from its metal cranium. Four hundred yards away, high atop a ride formerly known as the Tower of Dread, Bryan Mills smiled and reloaded his sniper rifle.

How did Team Superman know about the attack? How could they possibly have been prepared? Without another moment's delay, Ruin lowered his hand, shrieking like a banshee, and urging his battalion to attack with all their might. Like a horde of feral wolves, the park mascots rushed forth. With a gleeful yell, Benedict Arnold unleashed a barrage of bullets from the Segway's makeshift mini-gun. Arnold made effective use of the delightfully accurate firearm, mowing down any semblance of his former team's defenses, plowing a path toward the Death Star 3.0. The soldiers clambered ahead, attempting to dodge the pot shots being taken by Bryan Mills. Occasionally, a robot would fall at the hands of the over-protective father, but nonetheless they pressed onward.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Drax the Destroyer pounced out from a dark alleyway, finally able to dig his daggers into something worthwhile. Furiously, he tore into the steel and wiring of Team Danvers' mini battalion, joyously severing limbs and separating parts. Sniper shots continued to rain down in tandem, much to the terror of Benedict Arnold, whose cybernetic cushion was crumbling.

Desperately, Arnold put the pedal to the metal, as it were, hoping to gain ground on Team Superman. When the Segway was close enough, he swung it wide to the right and cranked his sights toward the sky, focusing his fire to the top of the tower. Within a few seconds, a shot grazed the shoulder of Superman's sniper, taking Bryan Mills to the ground. With one enemy downed for the moment, Arnold rotated the Segway back to the left, hoping to find Drax before he could take down any more robots. But as soon as the revolutionary soldier saw the hulking green mass of his target, it was too late - Drax leapt from several feet away, landing right on top of the scooter. With two slashes of his swords, it was over - one swing cut the mini-gun in half and the other ended Arnold's life, with a stab to the heart.

Sensing that Team Danvers' plan was on the brink of failure, Ruin changed his tactic. He used his metal manipulation to lift all of the robots into the air, and he flung each and every one of them at Drax, burying the Guardian of the Galaxy under a heap of squirming steel.

From high above the action, Superman saw that his ally was in trouble. He also noticed that Ruin's army was all jumbled together in the same spot. He had a decision to make: was it worth potentially sacrificing Drax's life to destroy the bulk of Team Danvers' attacking force? Krypton's Favorite Son impulsively signaled to Emperor Palpatine to fire up the Death Star's laser cannon. Meticulously, the leader of the Sith moved his gun into position, aiming it right at the android army and their ghastly commander, and began to charge the laser.

 

The cannon would take a moment to heat up, as was typically the case with such weapons of dastardly destruction. Palpatine cackled as he imagined the mayhem. Then something caught his eye, high in the air. It streaked across the sky like a meteor, burning bright in the air and gaining ground each second. Palpatine outstretched his arms, prepared to shoot down whatever it was with his Force-lightning, but the object was moving too quickly for the Emperor to get a decent shot. Finally, he knew what it was that was hurtling itself toward the Death Star 3.0 - it was the flaming figure of Captain Marvel!

With the strength of a thousand raging feminists, Carol Danvers thrust her cosmic fist through the glass windows protecting the dark lord, crushing her way through the armored walls and defensive barriers compiled by Team Superman's Evil Genius. It was swift, it was sweet, and it was certain. The Death Star 3.0 collapsed instantaneously. Up flew Captain Marvel, having grabbed Palpatine by his cloaked neck, swooping high into the atmosphere and pummeling the disfigured geriatric repeatedly in the face. With a final left cross that would have made Floyd Mayweather proud, she sent Emperor Palpatine plummeting back down to earth. Thirty seconds later, his elderly body crashed into the planet's crust, completely lifeless.

Furious at the loss of his second-in-command and the failure of another Death Star, Superman took matters into his own hands, zooming down to the mechanical mountain of Ruin's android army. One by one, he peeled them off of Drax, flinging them at Captain Marvel. She was able to dodge or shoot down most of the projectiles, but a few of the robots connected, causing her to spin out of control and frantically float back down to the battleground. Drax, having freed himself, scaled a nearby wall and jumped high into the air. He lurched with his might and threw one of his daggers at Captain Marvel, hitting her in the leg and causing additional distress to the descending diva. Bryan Mills, with his wits finally returning, propped himself up on his good shoulder and took a shot at Captain Marvel. The bullet ripped through the air, grazing her in the neck and causing her to wail in pain as she continued to fall.

Superman grounded himself behind Ruin and used his icy breath to freeze Ruin's ethereal frame, then grabbed Drax by one arm and a leg, spinning him like a cyclone and whipping him into the frozen body of Team Danvers' phantasmic prodigy, smashing the demon into a million fragments.

With a thunder-like thud, Captain Marvel crashed onto the pavement, weak and wounded from her tragic fall. Soon, she found herself surrounded by Superman, Drax and a wounded Bryan Mills. Lanfear was not far behind, a sly smirk on her face - she being an essential part of thwarting her old squad's hopes. It was all over but the crying for Team Danvers, as they say.

Back at Captain Marvel's headquarters on the other side of the park, Angus MacGyver stood all alone. He realized that, at this point, with nobody on his team having returned to the base, things were not looking good. Wisely, he decided to look for a way out. Although he had never piloted one before, MacGyver knew that his team's TARDIS was stationed behind a few damaged buildings. He pried open the door, stepped inside and honestly had no idea what to do next, but he had a stick of gum, a box of 24 toothpicks and a notebook with a few scribbled-out equations in it, and he figured he'd find a way to make things work.

Superman helped Captain Marvel to her feat and extended his hand as a sign of respect. Carol Danvers dejectedly reached out and shook it. Superman squeezed it with his superhuman strength, which made Danvers flinch slightly. She knew that this battle was over. A loud whirring noise radiated through the air. Bryan Mills recognized the sound from a TV program his family once watched. He explained that it was the sound of Doctor Who's TARDIS taking off. It must have meant that someone on Team Danvers was able to escape the battle to safety. Superman smiled, released Captain Marvel's hand, and he and his team watched her limp off into the distance.

Triumphantly, Superman, Bryan Mills, Drax and Lanfear scaled the top of the castle-themed ride in the middle of the park. Once atop the structure, they raised the flag of Krypton to the top of a crooked pole and exhaled deeply as it waved in the wind.Victory was theirs. Tey outlasted seven other teams and could, at long last, claim apocalyptic supremacy for eternities to come.

They heard the call, they were ready to roll, and they had finished the job once and for all.

RESULT: TEAM SUPERMAN DEFEATS TEAM DANVERS

 

 

THE END

Underground Fight Club: Apocalypse Showdown - Round 2 Results

Our Apocalypse Showdown was rolling until a real-life apocalypse struck! For weeks, people around the world ransacked grocery stores to hoard all the toilet paper they could get their grubby little hands on. Panic and uncertainty abounded and actual things that were really happening delayed the production of our Round 2 results. Please forgive us. Somehow, we think you'll understand the struggle. Anyway, now that things have relatively settled down and Walmart shelves are beginning to look normal again, we've got a couple more stories for you to enjoy. Let's get to it.

As always, remember that a full breakdown of teams, characters, strengths and weaknesses can be found here.

Round 2 Results:

When last we left our intrepid teams,Team Manhattan and Team Superman had ventured into the mysterious depths of Sherwood Forest, and Team Indy prepared for a triple-threat match against the wounded-yet-determined Team Romanoff and  Team Danvers. It's time to find out what happened next.

Match-up A: Team Manhattan vs Team Superman - Strategic Warfare @ Sherwood Forest

• OBJECTIVE: Build a tree house fortress and launch a successful assault on the other team.
• STIPULATIONS: The Specialist must provide the blueprint for the structure. The Evil Genius doesn't like the plan. The Sacrificial Lamb must die.
• ADVANTAGE: Military experience, Construction
• BONUS POINTS FOR: Easily providing or producing fire.

Through the heavy mists of the fabled forest, Team Manhattan and Team Superman picked out their ideal locations for construction - just hidden enough for safety, but just close enough for combat. Immediately, Daryl Dixon began piecing together a plan for his team's hideout; his years of makeshift construction during a zombie apocalypse had served him very well. The structure provided plenty of areas for snipers to take out the opposition, and it was heavily fortified near all the entrances. He smiled to himself, pleased with his work. But then, protruding out of the shadows, arose another building - the handiwork of Bryan Mills, who had a particular set of skill saws that tremendously aided his efforts. Quickly and efficiently, Team Superman's Specialist put together an impressive edifice, high atop the trees, under the watchful eye of Emperor Palpatine, who was used to overseeing these types of complex construction sites. Determined, however, Daryl and his partner, Lex Luthor, continued hammering, sawing and strengthening their tree house until it stood exactly equal to Team Manhattan's. It was a sight to behold, surely.

From a military perspective, Team Superman had a major advantage, with Benedict Arnold, Palpatine and Drax the Destroyer, who had all seen many a fight in their day. The same could not be said, unfortunately, for the likes of Nacho Libre and Nancy Pelosi, on the other side of the battlefield. The aspiring pro wrestler and the Speaker of the House were, quite simply, liabilities from the onset. With a guitar in hand, Nacho attempted to sing away his fears, while Pelosi scrambled to come up with a passive aggressive tweet to send in her final moments, but it was too late. They looked to the sky and saw an incoming missile, launched by Team Superman's Total Tank, and... well... that was the last thing they saw at all.

The tank continued to blast a barrage of ballistics toward Doctor Manhattan and his squad, but not every shot was accurate. One errant attempt helped Team Manhattan obtain fire, which Daryl Dixon put immediately to use, igniting his crossbow arrows and zipping them into the lofty tree branches of his opponents, ultimately catching Team Superman's fort ablaze. Dixon and his crew began to whoop and holler. Their cries of exultation carried across the forest and frightened poor Mrs. Peacock. Unsure of what to do, she dropped her drink, threw her hands in the air and began to run about, screaming at the top of her lungs. The timing of this was incredibly poor; she ran out to the front gate of the tree house just as a flaming crossbow arrow reached the doorway. The entry lit on fire rapidly, and the ignited straw and brush spread fast. Mrs. Peacock was trapped - fatally so - but the was war, Peacock! Casualties were inevitable. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. Every good cook will tell you that.

The playing field had been narrowed, with deaths on each side. Benedict Arnold continued to blast away in the Total Tank, causing massive destruction to Team Manhattan's fortress. On the other side, Loki joined in with Daryl Dixon, launching flaming projectiles at their opponents. Lex Luthor joined in, too, donning his armored suit and loading up his laser cannons. The terrifying trio burned much of the area surrounding Team Superman's headquarters to the ground. Palpatine shot lightning from his fingertips as Drax ran, knives out, toward No Man's Land. Bryan Mills provided tactical support from behind a barricade.

With all of their teammates occupied, Superman and Doctor Manhattan floated high above the battle ground, meeting in the air half-way between the bases. Ultimately, it would come down to this. Which leader would reign supreme in a hand-to-hand battle of brawn and strength? A fist fight commenced, with each Action Star landing massive blows. Slowly, but surely, however, Superman gained the upper hand, using his superhuman strength, along with well-timed uses of his heat vision, to beat down the blue-skinned brainiac. One punch at a time, Kal-El pummeled his counterpart. As Manhattan lost strength, Superman was able to heave his deteriorating body into the surrounding treetops, scratching, whipping and tearing at his aqua-toned flesh. After several minutes of mayhem, Superman grabbed Doctor Manhattan by the shoulders and commanded him to submit. Reluctantly, aware of his impending defeat, Manhattan cried "uncle," knowing that it was the only way to spare his life and protect his remaining teammates. Superman unclenched his fist and slowly drifted back down to the ground. The gunfire ceased and the wounded soldiers that remained realized that the fight was over.

Team Superman regrouped, thankful that their teamwork had paid off, at long last. Dejected, defeated and dismayed, Doctor Manhattan, Lex Luthor, Loki and Daryl Dixon limped off into the shadows, enveloped by the fog, never to be seen again. After taking a moment to heal, Superman rallied his troops, for he knew that somewhere, on the other side of the proverbial bracket, there was one team left standing in their way of ultimate apocalypse supremacy. They'd just have to wait and see who it would end up being...

RESULT: TEAM SUPERMAN DEFEATS TEAM MANHATTAN

 

Match-up B: Team Romanoff vs Team Indy vs Team Danvers - The Escape Plan @ Airport

• OBJECTIVE: Be the first team to repair a decommissioned airplane and escape the location.
• STIPULATIONS: Only two members of the team can work on the plane. The Idiot does not understand what's going; one team member must spend the entire battle explaining it to them. The Sacrificial Lamb must die.
• COLLATERAL DAMAGE: C-3PO and every member of Team Romanoff and Team Danvers were injured in Round 1.
• ADVANTAGE: Mechanical, Vehicle expertise
• BONUS POINTS FOR: Hijacking another team's plane.

When last we left Team Romanoff and Team Danvers, they were crawling from the wreckage of a decimated food truck lot, with each of their members gravely injured. They were met but a victorious Team Indy, hot on the heels of their Round 1 victory at the Frozen Lake. All three teams knew that there was only one plan now - to escape the area via a nearby airport - but it was going to take a fight to get there.

Team Indy rushed to the asphalt arena with a frenzied fervor, hoping to capitalize on the near-exhaustion of their opponents. The sudden violence confused Luis, who had a plethora of questions that he demanded be answered before he could join in. With all other members of Team Indy focused on the action, Catwoman was forced to stay back with Luis and the salvaged scrap heap once known as "C-3PO," taking her out of the picture for the beginning of the brawl. Indiana Jones turned to encourage his team on to battle, but to his surprise, he couldn't find Joker anywhere. He must have taken off at some point. Nevertheless, the fight was heating up, and Indy and Ethan Hunt (both skilled hand-to-hand combatants) were ready to get down to business.

Team Danvers was forced to formulate a strategy on-the-go. Thankfully, Lanfear was able to put her healing powers to good use, slowly but surely restoring energy to her squad. Quickly, she replenished the health of her strongest teammates - Captain Marvel, Ruin and MacGyver. Those three joined in the fracas while Lanfear reluctantly stayed back, tending to the "owwies" sustained by Austin Powers. In what would later be seen as a major mistake, Lanfear attempted to sustain her healing of the International Man of Mystery while simultaneously trying to disguise herself as a protection. However, this caused an unpredictable surge of power to spark from her body over to Boromir, who sat nearby. The unexpected adrenaline that coursed through Boromir's veins was too much for him to handle. He stumbled forward, into the center of the parking lot, dazed, confused and unable to control his mortal frame. Knowing that there was not much else that he could do, the once-great warrior fell to his knees, light emanating from his eyes and mouth, his arms outstretched, and his body exploded into skeletal shrapnel, blasting out towards the competition. Boromir was gone, and it was a bit of a dramatic sight, but after all one does not simply die in the Underground Fight Club. He sacrificed himself for the greater good of his team.

Meanwhile, in the far corner of the parking lot - and searching for a temporary shelter - was Team Romanoff, which collectively scrambled for a way to recover from its Round 1 battle. Knowing that they were physically outmatched here, Black Widow knew that her number one recourse at this point would be to find a way out of there. She scanned the horizon for available aircraft carriers. Far in the distance, she she spotted three ships: a private jet, an aircraft carrier and her team's vehicle of choice - the Serenity. She needed a way to get her team over to their spaceship, and quickly. Jonathan Pine plotted out the quickest path to the runway as Natasha took potshots at members of Team Indy and Team Danvers. He thought he was onto something, and he called for his team to get moving. Rocket Raccoon pulled out his biggest guns and hopped up on top of an overturned food truck. The "trash panda" yelled at his team to get moving. He'd gladly provide cover. Olivia Octavius used her artificial appendages to her advantage, covering lots of ground in very little time. She was the first to reach the Serenity, and she put her genius-level intellect to good use, preparing the ship for take-off as quickly as possible. With Jar Jar Binks having sustained grave injuries in the previous round, he was lagging considerably behind. Romanoff called for her muscle, Jayne Cobb, to assist the Gungan across the parking lot and tarmac. Extremely disgruntled, Jayne slung one of Jar Jar's elastic arms around his neck and the unlikely duo limped their way to the ship.

Captain Marvel flew high above the action, blasting her photon-cannon arms down at the parking lot, sending vehicles sky high. The flying feminist was wreaking havoc with her superpowers. Knowing that he wasn't doing much good in his current, junky state, C-3PO came up with a plan. He pulled Catwoman and Luis close to him and whispered his final words: "Throw me." Catwoman and Luis paused for a moment, unsure what their droid companion meant, but then nodded in unison, knowing what needed to be done. They grabbed the robot by his metallic arms and legs, and heaved him with all their might at Miss Danvers. Of course, Captain Marvel saw this coming, and she blew him to bits way before the astromech reached his target. However, it provided enough of a distraction that Catwoman was able to whip Carol's ankle and yank her back down to the ground. Catwoman lunged up and began to claw Captain Marvel in a literal "catfight." Ruin saw the scuffle and rushed to aid his team leader. Indiana Jones and Agent Hunt were hot on his heals, fist flying. Luis watched in horror as the fight began to move north, toward the airport. Cautiously, he followed, as did Lanfear and Austin Powers, who healed as they moved.

The progress of that mini-battle stalled, though, when Rocket Raccoon broke out his biggest machine gun. He laughed maniacally as he fired at the brawling members of Team Indy and Team Danvers. When the two teams realized that they now had a common enemy, they quickly braced for cover behind scraps of concrete and metal, pausing their fight and creating a temporary alliance. Realizing what was about to happen, Rocket nervously glanced over his shoulder to ensure that the rest of his team had safely reached the Serenity. RAT-TAT-TAT! RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT! The raccoon continued to fire away, knowing that these could very well be his final moments of life. As he watched Jayne and Jar Jar stumble their way onto the ship, Rocket got a crazy look in his eye - the look of a mammal possessed. He reloaded his gun one final time and screamed with primal rage. He leapt high into the air, down into the rubble below, his gun blazing in the humid air. Instantaneously, Team Indy and Team Danvers joined forces to take out the Guardian of the Galaxy in a fit of violence that would have made Thanos proud. Within a few seconds, Rocket's gunfire had gone silent and an eerie silence fell across the land.

Suddenly, a noise gradually filled the air: the sound of whirring jet engines. Slowly, the surviving members of Team Indy and Team Danvers peered over the wreckage to see something neither team thought possible - Team Romanoff was escaping in their spaceship. Majestically, the Serenity lifted off into the air above the battlefield. But then something happened - the engines sputtered. The ship began to spin in an unnatural circle... and then the ship exploded! It fell from the sky with a horror unseen since the Hindenburg of days gone by. The teams watched in terror and awe as they realized that Team Romanoff had just been eliminated. A hideous, chill-inducing cackle rent the air. Doctor Jones pulled up his trusty binoculars to see what was happening. On the ground next to the flaming heap that was the Serenity was a shadowy figure, leaping in the air with joy, howling with pleasure. It was Joker! Unbeknownst to the rest of his team, Joker had sabotaged the Serenity with explosives while everyone else was busy fighting. For good measure, Gotham's Biggest Problem took a rocket launcher and blew up the private jet. Only one plane remained.

Indiana and Captain Marvel glanced at each other, stunned. Then, after a momentary pause, Team Indy and Team Danvers broke out into a mad dash toward the airport. There was no more time for fighting. This had purely evolved into a struggle for survival. Ethan Hunt sprinted ahead of the competition (he was very good at running), shoved Joker out of the way and began to work on the cargo plane, making sure it was in working order. He figured his team had a good chance of escaping. He knew that Indy could fly a plane, at least, although he was unsure whether the team leader knew how to land. After a brief inspection and a few minor fixes, it looked like the plane was ready to take off.

As the rest of the combatants arrived at the runway, Joker run up to Indy, asking whether the Action Star saw the explosive mayhem. Indy insisted that this was no time for conversation and hurried his way toward the cargo plane. One by one, the remaining fighters arrived at the plane. A few hasty punches were thrown as the teams attempted to gain the upper hand. Catwoman hurried onto the plane, making three members of Team Indy safe and sound. Captain Marvel and MacGyver were there, too, Ruin and Lanfear scuffled on board, and, finally, Austin Powers was on board. More shoving, lots of shouting. Things were getting tense. Confounded, but not entirely surprised, Indy put his head in his hands and grumbled, "Where's Luis?!"

Indy and Ethan dejectedly looked outside the plane to see Luis and Joker sitting in the A-Team Van, chatting about the day's crazy adventures. Indy turned back around to see Captain Marvel charging a photon blast, right in his face. Unwilling to have his face melted off like so many Nazi henchmen before him, Indy knew that this would be an appropriate time to cut his losses and accept an unfortunate defeat. With their hands in the air, Indy, Ethan and Catwoman backed slowly off of the plane, conceding the victory to Team Danvers. Once the way was clear, MacGyver closed the hatch in the back of the plane and flew the plane off to safety, setting up an Apocalypse Showdown with Team Superman.

RESULT: TEAM DANVERS DEFEATS TEAM INDY AND TEAM ROMANOFF

Updated Playoff Brackets:

Finals Match-up:

Team Superman vs Team Danvers - All-out War @ Abandoned Amusement Park

• OBJECTIVE: Eliminate the other team.

• STIPULATIONS: One team member on each team must be killed in action. The Action Star is on the brink of exhaustion for the entire battle. The Specialist exposes a flaw in the other team's plan. The Wild Card switches teams. The Idiot causes a catastrophic problem for their team.

• ADVANTAGE: Weapons proficiency

• BONUS POINTS FOR: The new Wild Card being compatible with any of their new team mates AND if anyone on the team seems like they genuinely enjoy theme parks.

***

Team Overview/Guide:

 https://sottunderground.blogspot.com/2020/02/underground-fight-club-apocalypse.html