Work Text:
SEASON 3 of Everything to Win has burst onto our shores, and it’s time to meet the players. The US hit is experimenting with simultaneous streams of the hit reality show, so you can watch new episodes every Tuesday at 2am here. For those of you who don’t want to mess up your sleep schedule, you can also catch it every Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 4, starting January 22nd.
GARY WISBELL, 67
Gary is a retired teacher from Indiana, who now volunteers at his local church. The oldest of this year’s crop, he’s adamant he’ll best the rest in everything but physical challenges.
“I’m going to do what I always do,” he told US magazine Hollywood Spot. “Work hard and play hard - and spot the people trying to profit from our efforts.”
JASMINE GREEN, 26
Jasmine, who works in retail in New Jersey, was approached to be on the series after producers spotted her Instagram. The small biz owner developed a bit of a cult following last year when she and her young nieces started to recreate red carpet dresses through household items.
“I’m a little nervous about joining the show,” she admitted in her Hollywood Spot interview. “I told everyone I don’t want to be the Snitch. But my nieces are cheering me on and I want to do them proud!”
ALEX DIAZ, 27
Alex, who’s just finished his postgraduate degree, has applied to the show every season. Third time lucky, some might say! But the rest of the cast will have to watch out, because he was the only one to say in his interview that he’d love to be the Snitch.
“What makes it interesting is that there’s only one against the rest of them,” he said. “And if the Snitch gets eliminated, another one gets chosen. Do you put in the work early on, stealing more but with a higher chance of getting discovered? Or is that handing money to someone else?”
The rest of the cast bios can be found on the Hollywood Spot website, and we’ll see you back for our weekly liveblog.
1m: Good evening Winners! Those of you who work odd hours will have already seen the first episode, but for the rest of us: let’s dive into the murky world of Everything to Win season 3.
2m: Good old Becca. Has she got more fake tanned since last season?
4m: I love the explanation of the rules while she’s standing between flaming torches. I wish more people explained things to me this way. Background: everyone’s trying to win money, but there’s a Snitch. Every morning, the Snitch is given a list of things they have to get people to do to steal a percentage of the money the team won that day. The more they manage to do, the more money they win. But it gets harder as episodes go by! An episode 5 task might be ‘make Reuben drink from Violetta’s cup’, but an episode 11 task might be ‘make sure Lana, Abigail and Brayden vote against Jasmine’. Everyone else is trying to vote the Snitch out and keep the money, but beware. Another Snitch will be chosen.
5m: A commenter has pointed out that Becca had jaundice last year and the fake tan may in fact be after effects. Oops. Sorry Becca.
6m: We’re introducing the contestants! God, you can tell this is US telly, can’t you? Takes ages. Anyway, we’ve got REUBEN, 33, a mild-mannered musician. VIOLETTA, a 50-something mortician from Seattle, GARY, an ex-teacher in his 60s, JASMINE, 27, retail worker, ABIGAIL, 30, ex-army officer - and that’s all we get, time for some shots of the McMansion they’re staying in.
8m: ALEX has been introduced! Anyone who follows me on Twitter know I’m excited about Alex. He’s 26, just finished his Masters in political science at Yale, and the social media handles he’s set up hint he’s going to be the Snitch. We’ve also got the impressively named JETHRO, 20, BRAYDEN, 18, LANA, 19, AHE, 41, and two interchangeable blondes whose names seem to be ALICE and ALLY. I think they might be kicked off first.
9m: They’re all settling down for a cosy night in the Mansion before the Snitch is picked - but what’s this? A knock at the door? Becca intones that it’s lucky number 13 has come to join them. In walks DIANA, 59. She has a wide-brimmed black hat and a cane decorated with a gold bird’s skull as a handle. She tells us in her talking head that she made it herself. I am a little in love with Diana.
11m: You know who isn’t? GARY. He says he was already uncomfortable with Violetta, but Diana’s arrival makes him worry that ‘she’s a devil-worshipper’. Interesting take.
15m: Drinks, meals, everyone’s settling in. Diana mentions her wife and Gary mishears. Alex is instantly on the attack. Ooh, dial it back, Alex! Not a good idea to make enemies so early in the competition. Violetta looks embarrassed and stirs her gumbo. The blondes giggle.
20m: The power in the McMansion mysteriously goes off. Becca appears at the top of the stairs and tells them to grab a candle and follow her… because it’s time to choose a snitch.
24m: Becca is telling them the rules again. Who do you want the Snitch to be? Alex may be a foregone conclusion, but I think Reuben would be a good pick.
26m: Nope, it’s Alex. Thank God everyone has their blindfolds on, because the smirk he just threw out there was a) totally obvious and b) had my sister moving closer to the screen asking ‘Who is that?’ I’m beginning to understand why there are so many edits flying around TikTok.
Little Red @redmoonrising
No because gary looked like my old sax teacher and watching Alex yell at him made me want to beat him to death with my music stand
JJ @thirdplacethirdgrader
It is clear to me that Alex is hotter when evil. this puts him in the same space as Zuko, Spike, Loki and Bucky Barnes.
|
ducky @ayupmeduck
get some help
TV’s Own Maya Bach @ramblerfo
blurt @prentisss
VIOLETTA AND DIANA. mommy? sorry. mommies? sorry
1m: Welcome to episode 3! I hope everyone had a chance to recover from the vote last week. I didn’t think Alex was going to able to convince Diana to vote against Brayden. Remember that confessional where Diana said Brayden reminded her of her grandson? But he managed it, and poor Brayden was officially the first one out.
3m: Alex is first into the challenge room today. His confessional is interesting, as he says he doesn’t understand why people were crying over Brayden last night; it was very early in the competition. Of course they’re not going to vote the Snitch out so easily. He does the smirk that everyone loves, and says he hit 100% of his objectives yesterday and intends to do the same again. Don’t get too cocky, Alex; I think Gary’s onto you.
7m: So as a reminder, Alex’s tasks today are: win $10,000 for the team in today’s challenge, get Ally to wear red to the vote tonight, and the bonus task is to sneak a glass from the bar into Violetta’s bag. If he does all that, he steals $5k for the Snitch’s personal prize pot.
15m: You could not PAY me ten grand to do this task. I have never been a fan of heights, and I lost the upper body strength to use monkeybars when I was five. Jethro offers to be the first to go, and Alex clips the $4000 bag to his belt. Young Jethro seems to be on the show purely for fun and for impressing the girls, and honestly good on him.
17m: Gary says he can do it. Alex looks doubtful. He only clips the $500 bag to Gary’s belt, and then predictably Gary falls from the first monkeybar to the pool below. Now there’s no way Alex can win the top prize for the Snitch; will he sabotage the rest of the task out of anger?
22m: The team win $8k, which isn’t too shabby; Abigail made it over with just five seconds to spare. Alex has to get Ally to wear red tonight. How’s he going to do it?
26m: Flirting. He’s going to try flirting. Alex looks good draped against the door frame, but I can’t help but wonder how Ally is going to feel when she watches this back.
27m: HA. Ally says that her girlfriend likes her in red too. TAKE THAT, ALEX.
28m: Ooh, Gary’s overheard the conversation and is looking over. Will the Snitch go this early?
29m: Frustratingly, Alex has spun it to say his sister is a fashion blogger and has said he should stay away from red, and he was asking for tips. I can’t believe Ally is buying this, but she tells him to go with bright white shirts and slim-cut suits. And maybe burgundy. He says he’ll wear a burgundy top tonight and she can give him marks out of ten. Dude, she JUST said she had a girlfriend!
32m: Confessional with Gary. ‘Something isn’t right about that Alex’. I don’t know what to tell you, Gary.
46m: UNBELIEVABLE, Ally has come down wearing a red dress! I’m finding it hard to believe that Alex’s compliment actually meant anything. He’s literally just tucked a shotglass into Violetta’s bag when she was distracted playing pool.
59m: It was a tough one. Gary seems to have his sights set on Alex, but Alex has so much charm he can just sidestep it. But I think Gary knows. He said something to Violetta about Alex ‘seducing’ Ally, and it wasn’t just me, was it? Violetta looked like she was thinking about it.
Alex Diaz @TheRealAlexDiaz
NEW MERCH DROP: buy my Classic Burgundy Tee for $19 with the code ‘FashionAdvice’. Comes with a hand-signed card.
|
JJ @thirdplacethirdgrader
Does it come in a bright red option?
|
Alex Diaz @TheRealAlexDiaz
Nah. Not my color ;)
THE SNITCH’S SUCCESS: WHAT ALEX DIAZ CAN TELL US ABOUT HUMAN NATURE
by Taramasalata Mirepoix for The Telegraph
portions of article reproduced
How do you get someone to do something for you? Well, if you’re good-looking, chances are you’ll try flirting. The phenomenon recently played out on our screens again as Alex Diaz, designated ‘bad guy’ on Everything to Win, had a task to convince a fellow player to do something. The fellow player was a young woman in her early twenties. (This matters).
As Alex leaned in to turn on the charm, I couldn’t help but remember my life as a freshman at college. I’d moved out of my parent’s protective embrace and had new mint bedsheets, plus my braces were fully off. My life became party after party and in almost all of them, an older guy would loom over me and tell me I was pretty. I can’t help but think how much of that dynamic hadn’t changed…
…older contestants, though, are less likely to fall under Alex’s spell. Men in general are also going to be protected. Gary, a contestant on the show in his sixties, seems to have Alex’s number. If he can convince his fellow male contestants to vote Alex off, maybe the sinister hold Alex seems to have over the glut of young woman in the contest will be broken.
r/EverythingToWin
Did Alex go too far against Gary tonight? [97 comments]
Gary reminds me of my Pop-pop [06 comments]
I want to be Violetta when I grow up [3 comments]
Jethro and Ahe are catching on about Alex! [45 comments]
Is this really Alex’s Twitter account? [30 comments]
Comments under the Everything to Win liveblog, episode 4:
murphyK: absolutely cannot stand Alex, he’s got them all dnaicng to his tune and it;s sickening
Merlin_Hat: disagree! He said he didn’t want to sabotage the mission, and it was Gary’s failing
murphyK: Um, did you even WACTH the show? Gayr said it was a test in the conessional!
Happylittletrees: Lana’s vote was what cinched Diana going, and she was never going to vote against Alex. He’s encouraged her crush
Merlin_Hat: Encouraged her crush or listened to her when she talks? Alex didn’t pipe in that romantic music, the producers did
H_D_Fox: Alex knows exactly what he’s doing. I think he’s going to get rid of Gary next. Did you see his look when Gary said he ‘couldn’t support’ Diana? I don’t want him to win though, I hate it when the Snitch wins
Merlin_Hat: Alex is playing a blinder
H_D_Fox: Alex is just trying to get famous. I really don’t like him.
1m: Episode 5 of Everything to Win left off with Gary losing his cool and telling Ahe and Reuben there ‘was just something off’ about Alex. Let’s see how it plays out. I think he’s an entertaining villain, personally - but it’ll be good to see him go.
3m: Alex’s tasks today are to get Jasmine and Reuben to vote against Gary. Oooh, that’ll be difficult. He’s also got to make sure Ahe takes at least $3000 across the line and as a bonus task, get Violetta to mention Diana’s cane. Who the hell comes up with these tasks?
5m: Does that count? Violetta mentioned Diana’s cane of her own volition. Alex wasn’t even in the room.
10m: It’s a boardgame tournament, but not as we know it. Contestants are in oversized mascot suits. Alex tries to get out of putting the racecar outfit on and offers to roll the huge die instead, but Jasmine isn’t having any of it. Will this be the first episode where Alex makes no money at all?
17m: If Ahe rolls a five, he’s home with the 3k. Alex causes the world’s worst distraction as the die is about to roll onto a one… by falling over. It’s so fake, I can feel my eyes rolling. But it distracts people, and improbably the shift Alex caused by falling makes the die rock back onto a five. Clever gameplay. Gary’s definitely spotted it though.
33m: Alex seems to have spotted Gary shaking off any help from Jasmine. He swoops in and does his usual lean that characterises all his discussions with the younger women on the show. It’s fascinating; it’s like he’s the antithesis of pick-up artists. He stares deep into her soul, and goes ‘Gary?’ and she just nods and repeats ‘Gary’. What the hell kind of magic does he have??
36m: One thing this show does that frustrates me is that we see Jasmine asking Reuben to speak to her, and then it doesn’t show us what she said. This might be par for the course with US TV, but I personally loathe it.
39m: Gary goes straight in on Alex. The way he’s swaying other people to his cause. His easy smile. The fact that nobody else seems to have as much of an easy time as him. You can tell this man used to be a teacher.
41m: And Alex just takes it! Blinking at him! And then says ‘Maybe I try and get on with more people, Gary.’ !!!
43m: REUBEN HAS JOINED THE FRAY! Saying that Gary hasn’t been that helpful, and there have been a few sabotaged missions and how do they know it wasn’t Gary messing up on purpose?
44m: Oh Violetta, not you too! She’s backing them up!
47m: Leave it to Jethro to pointlessly come in and try and suggest Abigail. Gary looks like he’s about to cry.
54m: They’re voting. Alex puts Gary, obviously. And then he smiles sweetly at him, which makes me want to punch the screen and I’m not a violent person. He’s going to get away with it!
57m: Gary. Gary. Garry (one of the joys of this show is that nobody can spell). Everyone except Ahe and Jethro go for Gary.
59m: Gary is revealed not to be the Snitch. There are heads in hands, but Ally looks… relieved. Maybe the early season crush on Alex hasn’t entirely gone?
ducky @ayupmeduck
|
TV’s Own Maya Bach @ramblerfo
elder abuse lmao
STREAM ON YR OWN @goldensunny
I hate him i hate him i hate him
I didn’t say his name, but he popped into your head, didn’t he?
Dazza @razzledarren
@thehuntsman lmao is this where you fucked up?
|
Hunter @thehuntsman
@razzledarren dude shut up
1m: Welcome to Episode 9 of the liveblog of Everything to Win! Things are hotting up; we’ve only got Ahe, Violetta, Jasmine, Alex (boo), Reuben and Abigail left. And I’m sorry, it is well past time for Alex to go. He’s done the longest ever run as the Snitch without being discovered and he has fifty grand in his prize pot. If he makes it to the final, he wins it all. And there are only five episodes to go.
2m: Alex’s tasks may as well be ‘push Violetta off the roof and blame Ahe’, for all the notice they’re taking of him. Jasmine still thinks the sun shines out of his arse, and even Reuben seems to have mellowed on him a bit after voting for him twice in the past three episodes.
7m: But instead, they’re ‘persuade Ahe to let Jasmine run the mission’ and ‘Get everyone to try and steal the immunity pin from the chest’. That’ll be tough. Almost impossible. Bonus task: get Abigail to take you through a press-up drill, which would actually be quite funny.
13m: Wait, why is Jasmine sneaking Alex away for a chat before the mission?
14m: We can’t hear a lot of it, but I think Jasmine is having a little bit of a cry in Alex’s arms. The camera focuses in on Alex’s face. He looks like my dad when one of his children says they’re going to therapy; pained and unhappy.
15m: I was surprised Alex didn’t try and convince Ahe, elected mission leader last night, to let Jasmine have a go. But probably for the best, if Jasmine was crying just moments before. Maybe he does have a heart?
20m: So far Alex has convinced Violetta and Reuben to try for the immunity pin, but how’s he going to convince Ahe when he and Jasmine are on the other side of the forest? First episode where Alex doesn’t get any money? Please please please!
35m: Bit of a damp squib of a mission, really. Alex didn’t do any of his tasks, and everyone just seemed to try their best. Maybe Alex is scaling it back now he’s got so much, and is just focused on getting to the final.
47m: Nobody expected this. The discussions opened and Alex was the first one to start talking. Did he go for Reuben, who accused Jethro without any evidence last week? No. He focuses on what he guesses must be the easiest nut to crack - Jasmine.
49m: Oh, this is horrible. He’s laying out how she’s no help in missions, about getting Violetta to sing last night - and the worst part of it is that everyone else is doing that awful thing where they fall under his spell.
51m: Becca steps in! This is unprecedented. She lets Jasmine get up from the table to get a tissue, and waits for her to come back. Then she tells everyone to vote.
53m: Am I on glue? Jasmine’s voted for Abigail.
55m: What is this???
57m: How can Alex have only 2 votes and Jasmine have 3?
58m: Jasmine’s gone. Alex confessional to camera: ‘She couldn’t handle the pressure’. Ice-cold. This is a villain for the history books. If he doesn’t go I’m writing to complain.
TV’s Own Maya Bach @ramblerfo
blurt @prentisss
almost unwatchable now imho. dick move after dick move.
JJ @thirdplacethirdgrader
you know i love a villain, that was just good gameplay! jasmine clearly wanted to go home
Little Red @redmoonrising
Can anyone tell me if Jasmine is okay???????
Alex Diaz @TheRealAlexDiaz
Reality TV is messy. Jasmine is alright and we are on good terms now.
|
Buzz @fourarmy
LIAR, she still hasn"t opened her insta comments
r/EverythingToWin
Alex is the worst, right? [104 comments]
Second thoughts about my Alex Diaz merch now [23 comments]
It’s a REALITY SHOW people, it’s not real [02 comments]
my alex/gary fanfic [post removed]
1m: Good evening all my Alex-haters. Can you believe he has a cologne line now? Ugh. Onto episode 10 of Alex Can’t Be Allowed to Win.
3m: THANK YOU VIOLETTA saying how nasty Alex was and how you ‘didn’t expect that’ from him. If I look at my Twitter I’m fairly sure everyone in the comments has had it out for him since week 3.
5m: Commenters on the live chat are saying they’ve not liked him since week 1, I stand corrected.
7m: Becca tells Alex his tasks. Get two votes tonight - interesting, can’t see him going for that even if it does put an extra ten grand in the pot - and make Ahe reveal his suspicions. Interestingly, Alex won’t know if Ahe is being truthful or not til the end of the night. If he makes it that far.
10m: Reuben’s confessional says he’s looking at everyone. Can we go back to looking at Alex, please?
13m: Today’s mission has, improbably, Alex himself doing the leading, as selected by Becca. She gives him the sash that marks him out. Careful - he might strangle someone with it.
17m: He’s in charge of 15k, a huge amount, and they have to row the boat across the sound to punt the bags through flaming hoops. What a show. The hoops are being set up by Violetta and Abigail, which means Alex is in a boat with people who’ve voted for him twice in a row. Maybe they’ll drown him?
22m: Reuben can at least row. Ahe has a confessional about being a surfer usually instead. It’s cute.
33m: Abigail is a dab hand at setting the hoops up, and Violetta seems extremely happy to be in charge of the fire. Now all the boys have to do is wang the 3 $5k bags through the flames.
35m: Reuben fails. Alex… jumps out of the boat?
37m: Oh, he’s swimming to retrieve the bag. Maybe in an attempt to prove how not-a-Snitch he is. While he’s gone, Ahe flings the other two bags through the hoops with ease.
39m: As the timer hits less than one minute to go, Alex plops the soaking bag on the floor of the boat. Ahe takes it (without a thank you, I noticed) and throws it at the flames.
41m: The bag falls short again. But we do get to see Evil Alex climb about the boat in what looks to be a see-through white t-shirt, so. You know.
42m: We’re right back to the McMansion, and everyone’s in their vote clothes. I guess this means Alex didn’t achieve either of his tasks? He approaches the table like a man condemned.
44m: Violetta starts. Asking how Alex could do that to Jasmine.
45m: ‘You voted for her too’. Eh. Weak excuse, Alex.
46m: Next up is Ahe, who says although Alex did well today on the task, he’s been thinking on some of the stuff Alex has done. Like nominating unsuitable people for missions.
47m: REUBEN YOU BEAUTY.
48m: ‘Remember the monkey bars task? Gary lost us money there. What if Alex had to sabotage that one?’
49m: Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. I remember that was one of the missions Alex didn’t sabotage, but hey, if it gets him out!
51m: All the fight has gone out of Alex. This is amazing. Maybe three ghosts visited him last night.
55m: HE’S GONE. Ding dong the witch is dead, and you can buy some of his merch or cologne if you so desire.
58m: Becca’s selecting the new Snitch. Oh, I’m too tense to watch.
59m: I think that was Violetta opening the door! God, they know how to do a cliffhanger, don’t they?
Comments under ‘Everything To Win Liveblog - Episode 10’
murphyK: FINLALY
H_D_Fox: I can’t deny I was looking forward to this moment :-)
bb.cc: He just looked so sad at the end :(
Merlin_Hat: Yeah. I just hope everyone is okay.
Skellybones: It’s reality TV! They’re all acting! Diana has been in an episode of Percy Jackson!
bb.cc: she played a homeless woman who had 4 seconds of screentime, be so fucking fr
BAD BOY FOR LIFE
by Katie Egan for Tee&Vee
Our reporter, KATIE EGAN, sat down with Alex Diaz to discuss life after reality TV.
The first question, of course, is what was that thing with Jasmine about? But Alex (who arrived only ten minutes late, hair falling over his sunglasses) isn’t telling. His NDA, he says, is ironclad. But he and Jasmine are friends, he says - despite the fact that Jasmine hasn’t had her Instagram comments turned on since the show began.
KE: Did you expect the reaction to the show?
AD: It’s a huge show. I was so glad to be on it. And being the Snitch, you kind of expect to have a lot of focus on you.
KE: Was it galling to go out when you did?
AD: It was my time. Of course I would have loved to win the money, but I’m glad Violetta did. She definitely appreciated all the work I did for her!
KE: And what about life after the show? How have people been?
AD: You know, people will see what they want to see, and editing makes one hour out 24. Most people have been great.
KE: So what’s next for you?
AD: Great question, Katie. [he grins and puts his shades on] I guess you’ll have to watch me.