User blog comment:TheDipDap1234/Stephanie - a Good or a Bad Character?/@comment-31556666-20161126164530

When Stephanie gets complained about by people it's usually for kind of general things; that her plot with Ryan goes on too long, that she has an annoying personality, and that she's repetitive. But all of these complaints are usually said without taking into account the actual things Stephanie really offers. What may come across like some kind of obnoxious and in your face irritant is actually a very vulnerable and insecure girl, at least from my point of view.

The ~Stephanie~ journey is one of the most interesting ones I've went on with a character. You watch RR blind and you watch her team and they really don't stick out too much yet here they are managing to outlast all these very screen consuming teams such ares the Father & Son, Reality TV Pros, and Surfer Dudes. It seems baffling but it adds up if you inspect the aforementioned ~journey~ In it we learn so much about Stephanie gradually.

The first thing we learn about her is that she & Ryan met at the gym 2 months and 6 days ago, and went out ever since that. Right away it's turned out to be the most quickly formed relationship of the entire franchise. This is important later. I can go over their relationship better after I've finoshed with just Stephanie. Back to the woman of the hour.

The thought process of a Stephanie is really nothing that could ever be matched by any human ever again. ~The Stephanie Mindset~ is that you must always get things correct and if not just get angry at someone else for it. The Ice Dancers have this kind of mindset too but with them they go very by the book since they were raised with how gold works. With Stephanie on the other hand this is her actual 100% personality. She's gained this harsh exterior simply from overworking at the gym. She gets so close to getting a recitation right in Bjorken Telephone and fails but her reaction is so over the top and I was a little starstruck if I'm honest. They get this sweet moment about how they share everything but then this short adorable 20 year old woman with short purple hair and long socks threatens that the only thing they don't share is fries and should he ever touch them Kablam! That is just dazzling on so many levels. She rapidly went from this romanticised and loving person to an equally lovable helldemon who hates fries being touched. It's so diverse while keeping consistent since this is a common trait with her, and this is so uncommon to actually see in TD. And I mean this is just a mere example of this beauty. Just imagine what her general personality is like considering I've only said just one example! She's all macho and stuff, it's so snazzy.

Stephanie herself was kind of inspiring. I mean compare the Stephanie you see in the first episode to the one in say, Hawaiian Honeyruin. Stephanie went into RR really not expecting much of a challenge. She's a fitness enthusiast who loves working out so why would this even look too difficult for her. And at first it was all looking peachy for her. But through moments that tested her patience, Stephanie had to overcome a number of obstacles. She gained an inferiority complex, lost her relationship and had her mind torn on what to do about it, and she faced BEANS!' What started as just a fun thing she could do with her boyfriend she went out with after meeting him eventually just turned into her nightmare. But a FUN kind of nightmare. Because after a while Stephanie just starts to adapt to the weird situation she's put herself in. She acts spur of the moment in the many problems she faces in her way.

The obstacles themselves are so deep and effective in their conveying. Apart from her relationship which I'll go into detail with in a second. And she's not a bad person or anything. She's actually just been riled up from competitive spirit and is marginally misunderstood by the community if I'm honest. Also regardless of whether you like her, she really made herself memorable in her run, transitioning from a sweetheart 20-something into an anger filled sore loser.

Then there was Ryphanie or Styan, the Daters. Simply put, one of the best teams in RR. Stephanie and Ryan entered RR thinking it would just be like a fun little date for them. But because of the competitiveness starting to boil with Stephanie, they clashed and eventually just hated each other. But weirdly, it kept itself balanced by showing how they still care for each other. In Darjeel With It especially, this is true, and even though they arguably should've been eliminated a little sooner, this episode shows how it's okay that they made it this far. Ryan supports her through her now weakened endurance and she tries to rectify any hardship she may have started. They have this strange bond I've never and probably will never see in a relationship again in this show. They had passionate love for each other, and then passionate hate, but then weirdly can't resist each other. It's not even completely unhealthy cause they still try being on a mutual level, especially when they try bad actions on each other. It is NOT Duncney 2.0 like some of their haters think. That relationship has two people with nothing in common who are on no mutual level and who will backstab anyone in their way, including each other. The Daters are actually nice people who've just clashed ferociously. Them getting together the day they met each other is also hugely important because it teaches a valuable lesson to kids that they don't need to get in the first relationship they think is suitable.

So when I see the Daters arguing and insulting each other, but then followed by them helping each other out in a challenge, it works perfectly fine for me because I see both of their mindsets numerous times. I get Stephanie's impatience at how things have to always be perfect and not go awry, something anyone can relate to. And I get Ryan trying various tactics around 1-upping such an intense person.

Stephanie is just marginally better than him because she was more focused on and had funnier lines and was just as complex too. Lines like "If he ever touches my french fries, KABLAM! " or "It's not every day you get to slap someone or they thank you for it" Or just really well edited moments like when they pushed Ryan off a cliff just because he ate an apple instead of getting in a boat only to find out she actually needed him for a selfie while falling off the cliff and then she has to yell "Ryaaaan! Say cheee-ese...... :D "

Overall Stephanie was an iconic hilarious mess who still had enough complexity but in a subtle way where it didn't overshadow her. She consistently entertained me every time she got focus and was one of the best RR offered