User:Fedora Kid/Ridonculous Race Rankings

=Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race=



Character Rankings
NOTE: In regards to the four returning characters, they will be ranked here based on their performance/development IN THIS SERIES alone - separately from my rankings of the overall series.

19th: Ryan and Stephanie - Take Geoff and Bridgette from TDA, obsessed with nothing but making out with each other, and combine it with Lightning for the skin color and brand of ego-centric workout/exercise jokes, and bam: You have these two. That's literally it. A two-note duo thst presemts VERY few opportunities for drama OR humor.

18th: Mary and Ellody - Not the good kind of over-the-top like the Skaters or Bloggers; their ridiculously ostentatious language, combined with two extremely obnoxious voices and a painfully one-note song, all just makes them an overall unlikable/unfunny pair, if not outright forgettable,

17th: Taylor and Kelly - From their looks right off the bat, you'd think they're meant to be a parody of the "equally prissy mother and daughter" stereotype seen ALL over reality TV today (and I mean BAD reality TV, like the Kardashian stuff), and thus would get along more in their own shared villainy, and work together to anger others and be antagonists together. But nope; having them STILL somehow be at odds despite their very similar personalities just DOESN'T make any sense; and again, like Tom and Jenn, isn't over-the-top enough to the point where it's a clear satire of the stereotype, and instead is simply more infuriating rather than funny. They already did the "polar opposite parent and child" stereotype with Dwayne and Junior - why double it with these two when they're MUCH more similar?

16th: Don - The cliche and unnecessarily cruel "detached enough from the contestants and disregardful of their safety," with a small, but not funny enough, amount of vanity to him, ultimately make him a fairly uninteresting and boring host. At the same time, his mannerisms that convey a "pretty boy" mentality ("NOT THE FACE!") is rather jarring considering he was sold to us fans as a "survivalist/tough guy/challenge beast" who's supposedly already done all the risky and lethal challenges that the competitors are about to do. But fortunately, as bad, unfunny, and inconsistent as he is, he's not the focus of this show...for now.

15th: Leonard and Tammy - Two weirdos who think they actually have superpowers and whatnot just because they dress like it. About as cringeworthy as you'd expect. Funny only in the sense that there's laughing, but as we all know, you're not laughing WITH them...

14th: Crimson and Ennui - Their blandness, obviously, is funny enough to play up the stereotype to a tee, but I feel that this is one pair that they have to do something special with in order to make them worthwhile; otherwise their blandness will eventually get...well, bland.

13th: Rock and Spud - These two are gonna have to come up with a lot more than just random air-guitaring and other stereotypical "rocker" humor to get a laugh out of me.

12th: Tom and Jen - By the premiere, they started out as narrowly being my LEAST favorite pair (barely behind Ryan and Stephanie), since they just weren't caricatures enough to be decent parodies and thus simply came across as annoying. But by the Paris episode, they finally crossed that threshold of being delightfully over-the-top, like Jacques and Josee, to the point where they earned my approval.

11th: Chet and Lorenzo - Although the final result of any potential dramatic story from these two is a VERY predictable one, their constant and over-the-top use of slapstick is surprisingly enough to get a handful of laughs out of me every time.

10th: Laurie and Miles - Just what I love from this franchise: A pair of characters based on a stereotype, and MULTIPLIED by 10. These two are obviously a rich satire of the "obnoxious hippie/environmentalist, politically correct and hyper-sensitive liberal" stereotype, which you often don't see done at all due to the general media having a left wing biase: From their EXTREMELY over-the-top environmental concerns and hilariously-dated outfits, to their worries of "cultural insensitivity," to taking out portions of whole words to make it less offensive (taking "meet" out of "meeting" just...because, I guess?)...it's all SO perfectly spot-on in satirizing the stupidity of hyper-sensitivity and liberalism in general, especially in today's youth culture.

9th: Carrie and Devin - I've honestly been waiting for this interaction for SO long from this franchise. The stereotype of "boy and girl who are JUST friends, but BEST friends." In today's world especially, it's become all but impossible for a guy and a girl to become best of friends for years on end WITHOUT one eventually becoming attracted to the other; thus, this pair and their interactions are so REAL and easy to relate to. They bring a fresh wave of realism into a show that generally thrives off of stereotypes, and I can't wait to see how they play out - if done well, they could easily become one of my favorites.

8th: Emma and Kitty - Despite looking somewhat identical, these two are drastically different without being cartoonishly polar opposites, like Amy and Samey. And with their differences, although Emma is clearly a bit more mentally dominant and unintentionally hurtful to Kitty, she's still not necessarily presented as a villain - there's decent arguments to be made supporting both sides, thus making this not such a typically one-sided relationship like, again, Amy and Samey.

7th: Gerry and Pete - By the premiere, they were seriously my absolute favorite simply for being the funniest, in names, stereotype, banter, interactions, designs, the whole nine yards. However, even then I acknowledged that they had little potential for serious drama and development, and would likely be nothing more than comic relief and cannon fodder that would not make it past the first six boots (and that was being generous). So was I shocked to see them go so early? No. Was I disappointed? A bit, although their humor did get pretty old by the episode of their boot, so I was OK with it. I still rate them highly, though, for the uniqueness of their overall character and type of humor - definitely symbolic of the diversity (particularly in age) that this series brings to the table.

6th: Jay and Mickey - What can I say? The "geeky little misfit, totally-unprepared-to-handle-this-adversity" stereotype of underdogs is one that I just never get enough of, and these two do it well for me because they're nnot EXACTLY the same, per se. Mickey wears a helmet, Jay doesn't; Jay is a little bit more eager to charge head-on into the competition and win, while Mickey is more concerned over safety. If they were BOTH just two equally wimpy nerds, it would be kinda redundant, but there's just enough differences here to keep them entertaining enough.

5th: Geoff and Brody - Double the surfer dude, double the likability, coupled with the occasional presence of stupidity or failure in the actual competition for additional laughs,

4th: Owen and Noah - These two are a perfect example of the "opposites attract" pair in terms of best guy friends. Noah's deep, monotone voice and dry, sardonic humor contrasts PERFECTLY with Owen's light-heartedness, booming presence, squeaky voice, and over-the-top sense of humor to create a VERY enjoyable pair, and one of the FEW examples in this overall cast of a pair of two opposites rather than two people who are almost identical.

3rd: Dwayne and Junior - These two present such a realistic relationship that is SO common and easy to relate to, even though it's used a lot more in other media: The older, lamer father tries to interact with/bond with/impress his "cool" young son, who regularly scoffs him but starts to appreciate his dad's talents and devotion, while the father similarly begins to understand his son. This is a relationship that is ripe for both laughs and emotional moments.

2nd: Jacques and Josee - These two are PERFECT parodies of the "overachiever, perfectionist skater" stereotype. Seriously, their ridiculously insane brand of over-the-top behavior and one-liners is played up to a TEE, and ultimately create two caricatures that I don't think will EVER get old. And that's actually really rare/hard to achieve, even in an animated show; characters that are TOO over-the-too such as Leonard and Tammy don't work, and characters that aren't over-the-top enough like the Geniuses also don't work...but these two pull it off perfectly - from the way they ALWAYS wear their obviously fake, sh**-eating grins when not talking, to Josee's obsessiom with winning and subsequent angry twitches when they don't...it's all so perfect. And I can also appreciate these two for the fact that, just as Ezekiel in the original series was the sole stereotypical Western Canadian in a Canadian show (with his clothes, accent, and "Eh's"), these two are thopposite stereotype representing Eastern Canada, with their French accents, names, and melodramatic behavior. Priceless. And even THEN, beyond their mannerisms in dealing with other teams, the dynamic between them is also really solid - tiny little Josee clearly wears the pants in this partnership, constantly throwing shade Jacques's way about his shortcomings while refusing to acknowledge her own, coupled with her hilarious aforementioned rage fits. These two are probably the closest thing to a villainous pair in this season, in terms of their ruthless competitive nature and willingness, if not eagerness, to step on as many toes or trip as many rivals as necessary in order to win.

1st: Sanders and MacArthur - Not gonna lie, these two are HILARIOUS. Think two female Brick's, with slight elements of Jo/Brick to their interactions but with not nearly as much of a conflict. Their athleticism makes sense, but isn't over-the-top in a godplayer style, and their antics are pretty funny enough without trying too hard. Plus, I can TOTALLY see the way in which they're meant to be a parody of the 2013 film The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy: Sanders (Sandra?), the skinny one, strictly adheres to the rules and is more uptight, while MacArthur (McCarthy?), the fat one, is cruder and more willing to break the rules. But see, unlike something that, say, the Scary Movies might do where they strictly parody something that's recent in an over-the-top manner that will undoubtedly become dated in a year's time or less, this succeeds in parodying something recent (as recent as two years gets, at least) in a manner that's JUST subtle enough that this pair of characters will stand the test of time in their own right, and thus are hilarious enough without depending solely on people understanding the source material they're parodying. Plus, their (mostly MacArthur-driven) rivalry with the Skaters is comedy GOLD.

Character Opinion Rankings
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Episode Rankings
8th: Bjorken Telephone - This episode was truly the first that felt a bit more like a cluster-you-know-what, in that some teams hardly got any focus, while others got a bit more, but still not a lot. This episode mostly belonged to the two Parent/Child teams, and the Hippies - while the former two were both perfectly predictable, the Hippies were at their absolute best, IMO, especially towards the end. But overall, just an OK episode. 7/10

7th: Mediterranean Homesick Blues - Unlike the first three episodes, this was the first one that felt like it didn't succeed in giving adequate focus to all teams. On the contrary, this episode definitely belonged to MacArthur (not even the Cadets, just MacArthur), Dwayne/Junior, and, towards the end, Brody/Geoff. A good batch of people to take the spotlight? Absolutely. Plus, this episode continued the trend of genuinely keeping it a mystery as to who would be eliminated, between said Surfers, the Best Friends, and the Geniuses. In addition, this episode reslly seemed to prove that Don will definitely NOT be like the host of the original series, and WILL enforce any and all competition rules without showing favorites. However, a brief hit to the episode (that, strangely, never came up again), was the hinting at the attraction of Junior towards Carrie (just...no). 8/10

6th: Brazilian Pain Forest - This episode was spot-on with the nonstop physical comedy and giving an adequate focus to just about every pair. I also enjoyed the increased development and focus in regards to Taylor and Kelly, as well as the interactions between the Twins and the Sisters. Also, the episode featured yet more mentions of the possibility of alliances and other gameplay aspects. Although said alliance between the Twins and the Sisters was ultimately just a one-episode gag, I feel that there will definitely be more possible alliances to come, since this wasn't their first attempt at an alliance, and as the number of contestants continues to drop, the need for an alliance will only become even more necessary. In addition, several other pairs got even more focus and development, such as the Hippies and the Rockers, both of whom were at their best yet in this episode; especially the enjoyable little dilemma of Laurie discovering that she actually likes meat. Lastly, this episode finally proved that the time delay penalty won't necessarily always be just a build up to those with the delay still crossing the finish line, and that anything can happen. Also: Additional bonuses for several clever references to surprisingly modern memes, such as "ratchet" and "nailed it!" 9/10

5th: A Tisket, a Casket, I'm Gonna Blow a Gasket - Non-existence of the Mother/Daughter and Best Friends aside, the highlights of this episode were the increased focus on the Bloggers, the Stepbrothers, the Rockers, and the Goths, as well as Geoff and Brody's interactions with both the Sisters and the Stepbrothers. Plus, a brief but glorious comeback in the Skaters vs. Cadets rivalry, and MAJOR bonus points for the COMPLETELY unexpected curveball of...of...Noah and Emma. The one downside was the continued shoving down our throats of the Daters and their now Stepbrother-esque behavior. 9/10

4th: Hawaiian Honeyruin - Although the episode started off slow, in that it was just more average like "Mediterranean," it significantly improved in the second half. To me, this episode marked a clear turning point of the season, moving the focus away from the challenges and physical comedy to the storylines and interactions, with the stories of Kelly and Taylor, Ryan and Stephanie, and Carrie and Devin all coming to a head in this one. Although I was, as usual, thoroughly tired of Ryan and Stephanie's repetitive antics, I surprisingly enjoyed Kelly's revelation to Taylor at the end, and how Carrie and Devin's almost dramatic moment left the door wide open with a classic "To be continued." Even beyond these stories though, this episode truly felt like the first where different contestants actually had conversations with each other, and the golden thread here was Kitty, at her absolute best talking to Carrie, Owen, and Noah. The continuation of the curveball story of Noah's crush on Emma was fairly disappointing, with more dumb stares rather than what I expected (Noah and Emma sharing snide remarks, as is their usual brand of humor, thus highlighting their similarities), although Noah's confessional was a nice taste of what I was expecting, and can hopefully expect in the future. I also thought Don was at his best yet in this episode, with him FINALLY displaying his so-called "tough man" bit by walking on the hot coals (something the previous host would NEVER do), and also his quite hilarious line towards the end ("International, actually - we're huge in Croatia"). 9/10

3rd: None Down, Eighteen to Go - Part 1 - Very quickly, this episode set the tone for the season: All work, no play. VERY little focus on interactions between different teams, and no real focus on any strategic element (other than Mickey and Jay's BRIEF mention of possible alliances), while the physical aspect completely dominates the scene (understandably so). Thus, the episode relied solely on those inter-team interactions as the sole source of any possible humor, and that was always either a hit or a miss. Hopefully there WILL be more time to focus on such ignored aspects as intra-team interactions and the few characters who didn't speak, since this IS only the premiere, and the sheer amount of characters can only go down from here. 9/10

2nd: French is an Eiffel Language - Pretty much all the same perfect beats as the previous two episodes. Plus, two more perks to take away from the episode. One, the Goths' blankness finally beginning to work in their favor. Second, the Fashiin Bloggers finally starting to become the obviously over-the-top parody caricatures that I wanted them to be, bumping them up in my rankings. Although my (then) favorite pair was eliminated, they were starting to (pardon the pun) get old very quickly, and it was either them or the Reality Pros (another favorite of mine), so it was definitely their time to go. 10/10

1st: None Down, Eighteen to Go - Part 2 - This episode was pretty much the first time in the series where a "Part 2" episode was not only a solid follow-up to the premiere that came before, but actually even better. All of the characters who were good before were just as good, or even better, here; while the few characters who were bad were still the same, but rarely had as much focus. A handful of pairs got even better and developed further, like the Father/Son and the Sisters, and the meat of the overall episode was improving upon what made the first episode so great: The interactions between OTHER teams, in addition to inter-team interactions, and said different teams bouncing off each other perfectly. Also, two more things to take home from the episode: First, that HILARIOUS sound effect when Dwayne first reacts to the soup; Second (and more long-term), the birth of the Cadets vs. Skaters rivalry. 10/10

Episode Opinion Rankings
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=Season Rankings=

TBA: Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race - Just like the preceding season in the original series - Pahkitew Island - this debut season of a brand new series did the seemingly impossible, and breathed a whole new round of fresh life into a franchise that seemed to be getting tired of itself. Obviously, with a ton of new characters (a whopping 36 in total), this seemed like a pretty daunting task for the same team of creators that had just done three consecutive mini-seasons of 13 episodes, with no more than 14 characters a pop. But this season managed to balance it out perfectly - with more than enough inter- and intra-team interactions to balance out the comedy between slapstick, bickering, and wildly opposite personalities bouncing off each other for nonstop fun.

The series also brought Total Drama back to its roots - again, just as Pahkitew did - with a ton of characters who were delightfully over-the-top parodies of various stereotypes - both in reality TV and life in general - to the point where it perfectly captured the very essence of satire that the original series' very first season set out to do - from the Ice Skaters, to the Fashion Bloggers, to the Hippies....the list goes on and on. This subsequently resulted in the series also, in those first handful of episodes with the sheer ton of initial characters, focusing primarily on comedy rather than drama, just as it was supposed to do, thus maintaining a light-hearted feel rather than heavy and unnecessary melodrama.

In addition, one way in which this series was a true departure from the original, for the better, was that the creators finally put a TON more effort into coming up with new designs by the truckload - and not just for all the new characters, but the locals in the various locations as well. Finally, this series improved upon the glaring mistakes of World Tour in that it finally acknowledged the obvious need to have a presence of locals in the various locations they went to, in order to diversify the overall field of designs and to make the show feel that much more real, by reminding us that people exist outside of the cast - from the venders in Morocco to the taxi drivers and artist in Paris, the abundance of new and interesting designs was yet another well-needed breath of fresh air.

Season Opinion Rankings
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