This episode was completely nuts! Multiple injuries, two joust and an eliminated jouster gets a second chance.
Episode 6: ‘Ready to Rock’
This episode doesn’t open in the locker rooms, instead we see Shane standing atop the jousting match-up platform. The teams arrive and the first joust is arranged. With Rope’s win last week the Black Team is in control and Coach Rod picks Tom Conant for the Black Team. On the Red Team Coach Rod chooses Paul Suda. Coach Ripper thinks that Paul can be a bit of a Prima Donna but at times can be a great jouster.
Red Team Practice
Paul explains that all his jousting experience is in theatrical jousting. At practice Paul takes a hard shot and is unhorsed. When they remove the face shield he is covered in blood and sand. It appears to be a minor cut that won’t keep him out of the joust. Paul admits that he is very nervous for his first real joust and is worried about getting hurt.
Black Team Practice
Tom is riding well and breaking lances on every pass. Then it happens. During a pass with Matt, Tom breaks his lance and Matt begins to scream in pain. The coaches get him off the horse and the EMTs take a look. When the lance broke it speared Matt in the groin! I’ve watched the replay a few times to see how the lance ended up in his groin. It appears that Tom hits the grand guard, then Matt’s lance hits Tom’s pushing it down and into the groin area. It would have been nice to see it on the high speed camera to know exactly how it happened. I imagine HISTORY channel decided not to use the high speed camera because of the injury location, but it certainly would have helped.
Tom is shaken up after sending a teammate to the hospital but continues to joust. His next opponent is Josh K. Then it happens…again! And this time there is no mistaking what happened. Tom lowered his lance and it was way to low. Tom broke his Lance right in Josh’s crotch! As bad as Tom is feeling I imagine the other two feel much, much worse. The practice ends with Josh heading to the hospital.
Josh and Matt return from the hospital. Josh has a few stitches in his, um, well it’s to painful to write, but you get the idea. Matt is much worse off. Matt shows the wound to the house mates and all of them are completely disgusted by it.
The First Joust
Black Team (3-2) Tom Conant riding Gulliver
vs.
Red Team (2-3) Paul Suda riding Jefferson
Shane describes the elimination joust. The joust will be officiated by four judges. There will be 8 passes. During the first 4 passes the lances will be an 1.25 inches thick. For the last 4 passes the lances will be 1.5 inches thick.
View the scoring rules
Pass 1:
Black Team, Tom: Strike +1
Red Team, Paul: Miss
Pass 2:
Black Team, Tom: Miss
Red Team, Paul: Broken Lance +5
Pass 3:
Black Team, Tom: Miss
Red Team, Paul: Miss
Pass 4:
Black Team, Tom: Miss
Red Team, Paul: Miss
Pass 5:
Black Team, Tom: Miss
Red Team, Paul: Broken Lance +5
Pass 6:
Black Team, Tom: Broken Lance +5
Red Team, Paul: Strike +!
Pass 7:
Black Team, Tom: Miss
Red Team, Paul: Strike +1
Pass 8:
Black Team, Tom: Strike +1
Red Team, Paul: Strike +1
Final:
Black Team, Tom: 7
Red Team, Paul: 13
Paul Suda wins and moves on to the next round.
Jousting Match-Up
The next day we move right in to another joust match-up. With Paul’s win the Red Team is in control and Coach Ripper picks Nathan Kalssen. Brian Tulk is picked from the Black Team. Coach Ripper explains that his only strategy was to pit cowboy against cowboy.
Red Team Practice
Shane wants to see the drive and passion in Nathan, which up to this point he hasn’t shown. Coach Ripper says that Nathan’s practice is the worst he has had all season.
Red Team Practice
Another day of practice for the Black Team and another injury. While Brian is jousting he feels a pop in his groin. Shane doubts the severity of the injury as Brian is still able to walk. Brain calls it quits for the day and goes to visit the doctor.
He talks with Shane and Rod about the injury. Shane says that he would joust no matter what, a broken leg, a missing leg, it didn’t matter. Brian withdraws from the competition to avoid any serious injury to his body and jeopardize his regular career.
Shane meets with the competitors and one of the eliminated jousters gets a second chance. Shane expalins that it was not a unanamious decision but the eliminated jouster returning is Mike Edwards. Mike is excited, but Jack Mathis is very upset, thinking he would have been a better choice. Shane says the pick was based on how many points were scored in the losing jousts. Mike scored more than Jack, so he was picked. The condition of Mike returning to joust Nathan, his teammate, is that Mike must agree to become a Black Team member. Mike agrees.
Switching teams doesn’t help Mike’s popularity in the house. The Black Team doesn’t want him and the Red Team won’t/can’t root for him.
When Mike is introduced for the joust everyone is quite. He is truly an outsider.
The First Joust
Black Team (3-3) Mike Edwards riding Crispin
vs.
Red Team (3-3) Nathan Klassen riding Gulliver
Shane describes the elimination joust. The joust will be officiated by four judges. There will be 8 passes. During the first 4 passes the lances will be an 1.25 inches thick. For the last 4 passes the lances will be 1.5 inches thick.
View the scoring rules
Pass 1:
Black Team, Mike: Reins Penalty -5
Red Team, Nathan: Strike +1
Pass 2:
Black Team, Mike: Miss
Red Team, Nathan: Miss
Pass 3:
Black Team, Mike: Miss
Red Team, Nathan: Strike +1
Pass 4:
Black Team, Mike: Strike +1
Red Team, Nathan: Unhorsing +10
Pass 5:
Black Team, Mike: Miss
Red Team, Nathan: Miss
Pass 6:
Black Team, Mike: Strike +1
Red Team, Nathan: Broken Lance +5
Pass 7:
Black Team, Mike: Broken Lance +5
Red Team, Nathan: Miss
Pass 8:
Black Team, Mike: Strike +1
Red Team, Nathan: Miss
Final:
Black Team, Mike: 3
Red Team, Nathan: 17
Nathan Klassen wins and moves on to the next round.
Jack is still upset that he was passed over and thinks he would have won the joust. Mike improved throughout the joust but was unable to make up the big deficit. The reins penalty on the first pass didn’t help anything. And it was a bad call by the judges. Looking at the pass again it is clear that Mike let go of the reins.
Next week we get the final prelimanry joust, James vs. Joe. Then the quarterfinal match-ups are announced. Plus we get two more jousts in one episodes.
What’d you think? Tell us in the comments below.
Want to win a set of armour from the HISTORY Channel? Check out the sweepstakes on their Facebook page.
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Comments 6
Jack seems like a very nice man but is not a good rider, like the rest of the midevil times crew. I think that the brackets were unfairly stacked with the good riders who were professional riders being forced to reride over and over instead of allowing them to take on the midevil times riders who would have had their clocks cleaned by the better riders. This is another point about which I am frustrated with this season and hope that next time these kinks can be addressed: Along with a real need for instant replay since you are touting 100K purse and all horse events with such a purse carries instant replay abilities.
A friend shared what a ‘too;’ that other wussy Jack was tonight. I originally wrote that he seemed nice when I actually was not impressed but felt sorry for him. He is a terrible rider and a big asshole too. Gosh, hope he is never trotted back out on national tv… he is so gross!!!!!
A friend shared what a ‘tool’ that other wussy Jack was tonight. I originally wrote that he seemed nice when I actually was not impressed but felt sorry for him. He is a terrible rider and a big asshole too. Gosh, hope he is never trotted back out on national tv… he is so gross!!!!!
Charlie Andrews and Shane Adams @knightsofmayhem are total studs! Don’t stop but only bring along deserving people!!!! We won’t watch otherwise.
I stopped watching this show when they kicked Landon out.
I fully support what Landon did.
It’s very simple: the safety of a man should Always come before the safety of the horse.
Anyone trying to claim some sort of PC morally superior position should kill themselves to give the rest of nature leave of their oppressive stupidity.
JoeUSA11 Landon crossed the line. There is no reason to hit a horse in the head. I ride horses and naturally have been stepped on a few times, it hurts and sucks and you should move the animal off your foot immediately. However hitting in the head of an animal was not necessary especially when other options were available. Pulling or jerking back on the reins to back them up is often effective as well as pushing or slapping on the chest or shoulder to get them to move. These are not wild animals and would probably have listened to those more appropriate responses. Hitting any animal on the head is never appropriate unless it is a last resort and in this case it was not. The horse did nothing threatening to Landon such as going to charge, bite, kick or whatever. It was a gross overreaction on his part and not necessary or justified.