Things Are Going to Get Messy on 'The Challenge'

It's the most wonderful time of a reality TV show season. Thursday night's airing of The Challenge: Free Agents will be the seventh episode of the season, which basically means we're in the reality TV sweet spot. Just enough episodes have aired where we've gotten to know all of the players, enough drama has occurred to set the dynamic of the house, and there's still plenty more episodes left so that we don't have to be sad that it's almost over. Ahhh. Just give yourself a moment to take it all in.

You good? OK then. Six episodes left also means that we've got plenty of material to work with to size up the competition. The fights, the hook-ups, and the backstabbing are like the cherry on top of this delicious reality sundae that we can't wait to devour each episode. But at the end of the day, what really matters is who will be able to have the strength, smarts, connections, and a little bit of luck to take home the top prize of $350,000. That's why we've taken on the tough task of speculating which players will rise to the top in the time we've got left and which will walk away from The Challenge empty-handed. Here are our predictions for The Challenge so far. You can thank us later.

Don't Mess With Theresa

It seemed like Theresa was going to be in a whole load of trouble a couple episodes ago when she orchestrated a vote to put up Laurel for elimination and then backed out at the last minute. It actually could've been a smart move if she got away with it, but unfortunately, Devyn was not having this. So when she won the mission last week, Devyn was quick to put up Theresa for elimination for duping her. But Theresa didn't go down that easy and took out Camila, the only woman in the competition to have won a Challenge season. Better watch out, ladies. Theresa is coming for you, and she's proven she has the skill to do so.

Jordan and Laurel Will Fall

Sure, they've proven to be two of the biggest physical threats in the game by winning three missions each so far, which definitely helps to keep them out of the elimination challenge. But that also puts huge targets on their backs. Not to mention, everyone hates Jordan & Laurel. Seriously, don't you just get a chill every time they come on screen? They go around acting like they run the show, and Jordan especially seems incapable of not opening his mouth without offending someone. Yes, alliances don't matter as much this season, but your opponents still have your life in their hands to some extent. On reality TV, the cocky almost always fall.

Watch Out for Preston. Yes, Actually.

Everyone thinks Preston is the weakling of the group, but they're really underestimating him. In the past two missions, Preston has proven that he won't let his scrawniness hold him back. In the Bounce Out mission, he helped his team score a goal, and while some of his stronger teammates couldn't hold on in the Piggy Back mission, he pulled himself through to victory by making it across the ropes to the platform. OK, so he was technically eliminated for not touching every rope with both hands, but he got there in the end, which is more than most of the "stronger" players can say. Preston's underdog status could actually work to his advantage to allow him to slide under the radar right to the finals.

Cara Maria Will Be in Many More Elimination Rounds, Like A Lot

Cara Maria has ended up in two elimination rounds after The Draw, more than any other player this season. Her Challenge career has also been filled with a ton of elimination round appearances. Although she's mostly been successful, proving she's a contender to win, we just have a feeling the elimination round will be her second home this season.

Zach Will Make It To The End

We all know Zach is a beast, and all of the players know that, too. He seems to be the most physically strong out of the bunch. Did you see him take down Brandon in the Oppenheimer elimination challenge a couple of weeks ago? And not only that, but he's got the brains to back up his brawn. He beat the other guys at trivia to win last week's mission by knowing the story of Sleeping Beauty (and also that the princess' name is Aurora, although he didn't want to come off too cocky by saying so. Humble, too!). He's also learned not to ruffle too many feathers in the house. And Zach's surprising disqualification from The Challenge: Rivals II is going to be major motivation for him to win this time around.

Jessica May Surprise Everyone

This former pageant queen sometimes seems too sweet and delicate to take on her more outspoken and aggressive competitors. However, Jessica has been on the winning team four out of six times so far this season, which is a better track record than any other player. As long as she can keep her cool and stay truer to her convictions, we may just see her in the finals.

Images: MTV; Tumblr/mtvchallenges