“The Superstars” Recap: Week 2

By Mike

superstars_week-2 Before we get started recapping the action for Week 2, there is some injury news to report. Jennifer Capriati has aggravated a past injury and has dropped out of the competition. Tough luck for her partner, David Charvet, who gets sent home through no fault of his own. The news is good for the last team eliminated, though, because according to rules of the game, they’re back in. That means at least another week of the Terrell Owens and Joanna Krupa tandem. Woo hoo.

The first event this week is the Sand Dash, in which each team runs 100 yards in the sand. The relay format means that each competitor runs approximately 40-70 yards. It’s an elimination style event, with the last-place team being axed each time, which means the ultimate winner will have to run the race six times. Unsurprisingly, T.O. dominates the event, even when Joanna offers little to no help. Wonder what she thinks of her teammate now. The results after the Sand Dash look like this:

1. T.O. & Joanna – 100 points

2. Kristi Leskinen & Maks Chmerkovskiy – 80

3. Bode Miller & Paige Hemmis – 70

4. Lisa Leslie & Dan Cortese – 60

5. Brandi Chastain & Julio Iglesias Jr. – 50

6. Jeff Kent & Ali Landry – 40

7. Robert Horry & Estella Warren – 30

After the Sand Dash, it’s revealed that Dan Cortese has suffered a severe hamstring injury that’s going to force him from the competition, leaving Lisa Leslie without a partner. David Charvet to the rescue — slow-motion Baywatch style! So, one DC replaces another and we move on to the second event, the Water Leap.

The Water Leap is sort of like the long jump, but with water. Each contestants runs, jumps off a pier and tries to clear a bar set at a distance that they have chosen. The event features a ton of trash talk by Robert Horry and Terrell Owens, neither of whom actually clears the bar during the competition (despite T.O.’s impressive 20-foot jump in practice. They’re not alone, though, as many of the athletes have trouble adjusting to a rising tide and overestimate their abilities. The standings after two events are as follows:

1. Kristi & Maks – 180 points (100 in the Water Leap)

2. T.O. & Joanna – 150 (50)

3. Brandi & Julio – 130 (80)

4. Lisa & David – 120 (60)

T5. Bode & Paige – 110 (40)

T5. Jeff & Ali – 110 (70)

7. Robert & Estella – 60 (30)

The bottom three teams are headed for the Obstacle Course and possible elimination. Lisa & David and Brandi & Julio battle it out in The Water Leap to see who will join them. Lisa & David prevail, which is bad news for the losers, since Brandi could have used some rest as she battles a leg injury of her own. Instead, she and Julio head to the Obstacle Course, where they face off against — and defeat — Robert & Estella in the first heat. Bode & Paige take down Jeff & Ali in Heat 2, setting up a Robert & Estella vs. Jeff & Ali matchup. After watching the first two heats, it’s no surprise to see Robert & Estella bow out of the competition, although they make a better showing than expected and Estella shows a lot of guts finishing the race. It’s a little sad, because they were a very likable pairing, but who knows — with the way players are getting hurt, maybe they’ll be back next week …