Rise of the Underdogs

**Runner-Up** | iYBF

***Rise of the Underdogs*** is the fortieth season of the RSF Franchise, and is the third Original RSF Series Format. It is based on original rules with a basic premise taken from the early parts of the Invasion of the Champions format of the reality television series The Challenge (formerly known as the Real World/Road Rules Challenge). It is also the tenth season of Generation 3. The season followed Solitary 2.0.

This was the 2nd invite-only RSF Season. This season took 25 RSF Underdogs, 25 players who have never won an RSF Championship and had them participate in a brand new format in which one of them would finally achieve the title that alluded them in previous seasons, RSF Champion. The competitors participated in 5 Phases with each phase having competitors participate as individuals, teams, pairs and trios in order to earn Key Cards into the next phase. The only way to earn a Key Card was to win one in a challenge or win one in an elimination known as the Fortress. Once a player earned a Key Card to the next phase they were safe from elimination until that Phase started.

In addition, players would be fighting to earn points for the Leader Board based on their performance in a challenge or winning in the Fortress. The points would come into play late in the game, including in the last 2 Phases (the Semi-Final and the Final). In addition, the points would act as the tiebreaker if a tie occurred in a vote.

All 12 Fortress games were revealed at the beginning of the season allowing the players to strategize when games would occur. Throughout the phases, players could choose what games would be played and the randomizer would select which game would be played.

Phase 1 had all 25 players compete as individuals and lasted for 5 rounds. Each challenge had the player who did the best without a Key Card declared as the challenge winner. The person who finished the challenge in last would automatically be in the Fortress. The challenge winner would then vote 1 more person in while the group chose the other 2 people in the Fortress via majority vote. The player with more points on the Leader Board would get the choice of Fortress opponent or having a 50% chance at choosing the Fortress game while the person with the next most points received the other prize. The challenge winner also had 50% chance at choosing the Fortress game. The winners of the Fortress would each earn a Key Card into Phase 2.

Phase 2 had 15 players divided into 3 teams of 5 which competed together for 3 rounds. The teams were drafted via a snake draft with the 3 players with the most Leader Board points at the end of Phase 1 being team captains. The team that won the challenge would earn ONE Key Card which the team would vote which of their members would receive it. The other 2 teams would then vote 2 members of their own team into the Fortress at which point teammates would compete against each other in the Fortress for a Key Card.

Before Phase 3, the Top 9 faced the Path of Temptation where they chose one person to walk along a path to take one temptation, having to choose the item before moving onto the next and only one item allowed per person. The first person was chosen by majority vote and the person who most recently finished would be given the opportunity to choose who went next and the ability to reveal as much or as little information as they wanted to the player following them.

Phase 3 had 9 players compete in 3 rounds within different groups. The initial round had the 9 divided into three trios with the winning trio earning ONE Key Card which would be earned by the person they chose to receive it. The losing trios then voted one member each into the Fortress to earn a Key Card. The second round divided the players into four pairs with the winning pair earning ONE Key Card given to the player the group chooses. The group also voted for which pair would face the Fortress for the Key Card. The last round of Phase 3 had players participate as individuals with the last 2 Key Cards earned by either winning the challenge or winning in the Fortress.

Before Phase 4: The Semi-Finals, players faced The Auction where they would have the opportunity to purchase a Key Card to the Final Phase by bidding their Leader Board points earned up to that point. All points bid, win or lose, would be deducted and only the highest bid would earn the Key Card.

Phase 4 had players participate as individuals for one round where the challenge winner would earn a Key Card to the Final Phase. The remaining 4 would participate in the Final Fortress in order to win 1 of the last 2 Key Cards to the Final Phase.

In the Final Phase, obscurity defeated iYBF, rawr121 and amf7410 in the Final Challenge in order to finally earn the title of RSF Champion.

## Production

This season had no applications but had all former RSF players who had never won the title of RSF Champion notified of the season meant to gauge interest in wanting to participate. The initial field was narrowed to 99 players, with only players who had participated in at least 1 previous RSF Season, had not quit/been DQ'd from a majority of their seasons and had been on Tengaged within at least a month or two before the season began being considered. From those who expressed interest, the cast of 25 were chosen.

The season occurred from early May 2017 to late June 2017.

### Notable Snubs

The following players were sent an invitation but were never online during the week the invitation was open to accept:

The following players were sent an invitation but did not respond to it within the given time frame to accept:

The following players were sent an invitation but chose to decline the invitation:

The following players were sent an invitation and accepted but were eventually not cast:

## Jury Vote

Each previous RSF Champion was given the ability to RANK the 4 players in how they felt the finalists deserved to win, order of MOST to LEAST deserving to win.

The player they ranked as most deserving to win (in 1st) will receive 5 points, 2nd earns 3 points, 3rd earns 1 points, 4th earns 0 points for the Final Phase.

Only the player each Champion listed as their first choice to win is listed below.