Let’s Compare: Old(ish) to New(ish) School Competitors; Ashley Mitchell/Tori Hall Edition

This (not exactly weekly, mostly just inconsistently timed) edition of Let’s Compare follows the careers of two consistently underrated GOATs. Seriously, I cannot state enough how much I love these two. While Ashley has recently been getting more love and support for her particular style of game play, Tori Hall remains one of the most hated previous cast members. But, as much as people want to, nobody can take away their wins. Which, of course, leads us to our first shared attribute…

Attribute 1 — Winning

The most obvious comparison between these two competitors is that they both know how to win. Sure, some people will discount Tori’s Gauntlet III win, or either of Ashley’s wins, but these girls care more about the destination than the journey. They are not afraid of becoming the villain, if it lands them on the top of the pyramid.

Tori Hall has appeared on 3 seasons and won 2/2 finals. While she didn’t make it to the final on the Duel II, she made it far, and kept Brad in check so at least he could make the final.

Ashley’s journey has been a bit more of a roller coaster, considering unlike Tori, when she doesn’t make the final, she is an early out. For Ashley’s five completed seasons, she has only won two. However, she quit one of them, and her finals record is 2/3, so I still happily include her in the knowing how to win boat. Not to mention, she has won the most money in the show’s history.

Attribute 2 — Emotional

Ugh… The E word… As a disclaimer, I’d like to say that I, an emotional female, do not think all females are emotional. Just as some men are emotional, and that is okay. However, both Tori and Ashley are known for their meltdowns.

Tori Hall’s meltdowns always included screaming, whether it be at Brad or in defense of him. Her blow up at Camilla for saying Brad’s name in Cutthroat is a good example of this. While there was still no chance of him going into elimination, she was livid at the fact that his name was mentioned.

Ashley is a bit of an enigma. I wouldn’t say she is mentally weak, but then she quits because her bag got lost in the airport. She is all over the place and seems to be a completely different person season to season.

Attribute 3 — Manipulative

For Tori Hall, being emotional and being manipulative go hand in hand. She uses her anger as a weapon, and controls situations. Part of this was made easier by the fact that after her first season, she no longer cared much about winning. Her goal was to get Brad his win, as she already had hers. However with running both their games, she needed to manipulate Brad a lot too. His gameplay was a lot more honest than hers. The biggest example of this was when she gave him back her engagement ring when he wanted to go against their alliance.

Ashley is a manipulative chameleon. She is a lot more subtle in how she controls a game, and it is harder to pinpoint exactly how she does it. One big example of it this season is how she went to Turbo and told him Jordan was saying he was weak. While it blew up to a point she wasn’t trying for, she knew exactly what she was doing in that situation.

Attribute 4 — Underestimated

Both competitors have solid records, and yet are generally placed low on people’s lists of greatest females. While they may not have the greatest elimination records, they both know how to make finals, and that is often more important.

Tori Hall has won 66% of the seasons she has been on, but people often discredit her wins. The rookies on the Gauntlet III were way worse than the vets, but they played the game correctly. By keeping Big Easy in the game, they sunk the other team. A win is a win, and Tori got the W.

Ashley is discredited for both her wins, as they came partially because of the format of the finals. Sure she lucked out on partners for Invasion, but if she wasn’t strong, she wouldn’t have won. She is a finals beast, and I’m glad competitors like Tori and Jordan are starting to take note.