Three players (technically four if you are observant) were eliminated in this episode in a series of challenges. The games played were ones we saw before, played in away we haven’t seen before. Spoilers within…if you haven’t seen the episode you can view it on Hulu. Let’s do this…

This episode was definitely made for TV over actual gaming skill and there was a definite “rushing – let’s get this over with” feel to it. The first challenge: play Project Gotham Racing 4 upside down, no practice. Yes, upside down. Fun to watch on TV and it does take a certain amount of skill to maneuver anything upside down but seriously, they all sucked because they were playing upside down. Jamal came in first, Chelsea came in last and was eliminated. It was a shame Chelsea was eliminated because she couldn’t play the game upside down. That is just as bad as being eliminated for picking the wrong ball.

Next up: playing drums and guitar at the same time in Rock Band 2. They were challenged to play an easy song and they were able to practice. Jamal, coming in first from the last challenge, picked Mark as the one to receive the least amount of practice. Swoozie came in first; Amy came in last and was eliminated. I couldn’t end this series without highlighting Amy. I like Amy and I wish her well in her future endeavors.

Last challenge for the episode: Halo 3, free-for-all, playing on pedestals all night. They can stop playing at any time but they are defenseless in game. Swoozie, winning in the last round, had five minutes of playtime giving him an initial lead. There were two teasers for the players. They brought in pizza and the opportunity for $1000 by following the money at the end of a rope (without knowing how long the rope was). Swoozie took a timeout for pizza and cookies, Jamal and Mark took a time out to go after the money (Jamal won). They did not show Robert leaving the pedestal. Robert won the challenge, Swoozie was eliminated and Jamal goes home because they showed him sitting in the audience during the preview and on the Sci Fi site you can clearly see Mark and Robert playing one on one in the preview for next week.

Although we did not see Robert leave or the others leave except for those two instances, I’m assuming they did, if only to go to the bathroom.

On to the business side: what were the most optimal moves to make? Well, in the first two challenges either they could do it or they couldn’t. The third challenge is where the decisions came in.

It was a given that if anyone left their pedestals, unless they could significantly make up the kills they lost if they would have stayed there, they were going home. Let’s be more specific: unless Robert left his pedestal it was suicide for anyone else to leave. Of course, Robert didn’t leave. He knew leaving could cost him the title. Staying there, killing as much as possible was the only way to win.

When Swoozie left the pedestal I put my head down because logically, it meant he was going to be eliminated. He was the weakest of the four in the game. Food can give you a boost to help you play but it can also have the effect of making a person tired and sluggish. It seemed like Swoozie knew his run was coming to an end so why torture himself? It was as if he conceded his impending loss.

When Hannah brought in the rope for $1000 and Jamal quickly left the pedestal I heard (in my mind) him say “I’m not leaving this pedestal” and shook my head. I knew he was going home but it said a lot about his character that he skipped the food, but went for the money. Just like Swoozie, it was as if he conceded his impending loss. He knew Mark was better than him in Halo 3, he knew Robert was going to crush him so to win his goal he’d have to do what he first said: don’t leave the pedestal. He went home with $1000 and to me it seemed like he was thinking he wasn’t going home empty-handed (cash-wise). The episode cliff-hanged but as I said above, anyone paying attention knows Jamal was eliminated. Note Swoozie left the pedestal for food, not money.

We talked about this before: wanting to achieve a goal but not wanting it bad enough to endure what needs to be done to get it. The Halo 3 challenge is an excellent example of that concept. Of the four, Robert was the only one that wanted to win “bad enough” to stay on the pedestal and play. The physical challenges playing on a pedestal cannot be ignored but Robert complained about problems with his back relatively early (not sure if that was editing magic or not) but he endured. If you want a good example of doing what it takes to get the job done, Robert is a good example and that is probably why he is an excellent cross-genre gamer.

This episode is also a good example of the unexpected twists and turns one will go through in life and in business. The players did not know the challenges they would face and were in an environment where they could not prepare for the upcoming storm they knew they was coming. In life and in business many times we are not that disadvantaged. We have the opportunity to “get out of the way” or prepare and are too lazy to take it. We don’t want to get out of the way “bad enough” to do what it takes to avoid the situation or lessen the blow.

Think about it next time you say you want something. Do you really want it or are you fooling yourself?