A prevailing refrain of the playoffs in recent years is the importance of versatility. The constant desire to deem one style or team-building approach as the new wave surfed toward success is overwhelmingly incorrect.

Many paths lead to a title, not the most recent one that everyone may suddenly campaign or intend to emulate. Regardless of the philosophy, though, versatility is imperative. Holstering counters and adjustments when opponents reduce the magnitude of one strength or leading scheme can be the lifeblood of a profitable playoff run.

Achieving said versatility stems from rostering personnel who touts a multifaceted skill-set that empowers them to shapeshift across game-plans. You require different players to win in different settings. The Boston Celtics and their fearsome, league-leading defense are versatile.

Their two foremost creators, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, are distinct in their scoring ethos. Their big man rotation of Al Horford, Robert Williams III, and Grant Williams share only a few two-way qualities (though, Horford and Williams crossover somewhat, I suppose) — Robert Williams is especially contrasting among the three.

Yet the guard tandem of Marcus Smart and Derrick White enjoy significant overlap on both sides of the ball. They bring duplicative versatility and it’s helping power Boston toward a championship with particular utility in these Finals.

Smart, of course, is the Defensive Player of the Year, a 6’4 bulldozer who casts his shadow seemingly wherever necessary on defense. Although his offense toggles among maddening, spellbinding, and reliable, he’s an integral secondary and connective ball-handler.

White, meanwhile, is more delicate in his defensive approach, weaving around defenders as though he lets out an “excuse me” before doing so, only to always be fastened at his assignment’s hip. Every rotation is punctually fluid, fitting into Boston’s switch-heavy defense founded on timing.

Like Smart, he’s similarly a mercurial shooter who can get downhill and create for others, even if plagued by indecision at times. But instead, Smart’s bruising, shoulder-in-your-sternum slashing is replaced by methodical probing.

The abundance of their chief skills may be seen as a luxury, yet it’s not. Boston needs this, especially against the Golden State Warriors. Defensively, Smart and White’s most prominent communal ability is their screen navigation. In this series, the Warriors’ most popular form of offense for their top initiators, Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole, has been a high ball-screen, which the Celtics are typically answering with some form of drop coverage.

Ideally, Boston intends to dissuade the pull-up 3s and direct those dudes inside the arc. Curry’s certainly enjoyed some unbothered, off-the-bounce triples and is jiving as a scorer (31.3 points per game on 64.1 percent true shooting).

In general, though, Smart and White’s knack for limiting airspace on and off the ball around picks is contributing to Golden State’s offense failing to replicate its exploits of the first three rounds. Poole’s hesitancy to let it fly around screens stems, in part, from Smart and White’s unnerving auras. Even Curry’s occasionally been deterred by their expertise.

After slapping down a playoff-best 116.1 offensive rating in the lead-up to the Finals, the Warriors’ offensive rating is at 110.5 over the past three outings. At all times, the Celtics keep a premier screen navigator on the floor; sometimes, they maintain two. Aside from playing someone for an entire game, few teams can boast that, especially ones that surround them with other All-Defensive talent. I’m not sure any other club in the league can currently, at least in tenable lineups, which is part of what renders this duo sensationally paramount.

Boston enjoys the flexibility of playing one or both without submarining their lineups. It’s an absolute rarity to pair non-All-Star, exceptional perimeter defenders who aren’t deadeye shooters and see the score trend in your favor. During the regular season, per Cleaning The Glass, the Celtics posted a net rating of plus-2.6 with both of them on the floor (685 possessions). In 484 playoff possessions, they have a plus-4.5 net rating with them. When only Smart is out there, Boston’s net rating has been plus-10.9 (regular season) and plus-3.9 (postseason). With White, those marks are plus-20.2 and plus-9.5, respectively.

Smart and White paper over their roller-coaster jumpers by serving as delightful linking players. Third and fourth options who are entrusted to put the ball on the deck and back up such credence is a necessary windfall for the composition of the Celtics’ roster. However, that sort of dynamic is a scarcity, let alone ones who craft the defensive signature they do.

Tatum and Brown are the ones predominantly tilting defenses. If a shot isn’t available for them once they do, another handler who makes dependable decisions is always present as an outlet. Smart is a bridge of a player whose rise in on-ball prominence was a key part of Boston’s offensive turnaround this season. Another version, albeit to a lesser degree, was something for which the Celtics could seamlessly find a purpose. White’s driving, hasty passing and proclivity to expose ill-equipped assignments as a scorer are all characteristics in line with Smart.

Boston staggers Tatum and Brown to ensure one is constantly playing. It does the same with Smart and White, who are offensive complements and defensive figureheads for the team’s stars. Usually, White replaces Tatum in the first quarter. Throughout this series, that’s diverted Smart off of Curry and into a roamer role, which is better suited for him to coordinate everything for the defense, where he’s masterful. It’s much harder to do so when you’re chasing a historic superstar around the hardwood.

White’s status enables Smart’s defensive malleability to flourish, just as their collective presence does for this Celtics squad. Superstardom isn’t the proper label for these two, but the concept of their coexistence feels about as remarkable as superstars are.

Just two years removed from the shooting death of Chicago rapper FBG Duck, another member of the FBG crew, FBG Cash was shot and killed in their hometown today at the age of 31, according to local news.

Cash, whose real name is Tristian Hamilton, was shot at about 5:30 this morning along with an unidentified woman while sitting in a vehicle in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Another car pulled up alongside them and an unidentified man stepped out and fired multiple times before getting back into the car and speeding away. While Cash was hit several times in the body, the 29-year-old woman was also shot in the left arm and upper back. Cash was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The woman was also admitted to the hospital in serious condition.

Two years ago, another member of the “Fly Boy Gang,” FBG Duck, was also killed in an especially violent shooting in the Gold Coast neighborhood by four masked shooters, who left 38 bullet casings behind. According to Chicago Sun-Times, four members of a street gang faction were charged with his murder. FBG Cash denied involvement in the murder in a YouTube video. Police are still investigating today’s shooting.

LeVar Burton dropped by The View on Thursday where he was greeted with an overwhelming standing ovation by the audience who was palpably thrilled to have the iconic TV personality in the studio. The crowd was so pumped that Ana Navarro couldn’t help but quip that she hopes the “people at Jeopardy!” are watching.

As a beloved fixture in children’s television thanks to his work on Reading Rainbow, which is featured in a new documentary, Burton was asked his thoughts on the recent increase in banned books as conservative groups target “critical race theory” and LGBTQ representation. A fired up Burton called it exactly as he sees it. Via The Wrap:

“Bulls—,” he replied bluntly. “I’ll be absolutely candid and honest, it’s embarrassing that we are banning books in this country, in this culture, in this day and age. We have this aversion in this country to knowing about our past. And anything that is unpleasant, we don’t want to do deal with.”

Burton then added that, just because something’s unpleasant, doesn’t mean it should be ignored. In fact, ignoring it only allows it to persist.

“This is not going away. Nothing goes away, especially if you ignore it,” he added. “So read the books they’re banning. That’s where the good stuff is. If they don’t want you to read it, there’s a reason why.”

Despite The View censors working quickly to bleep the word “bullsh*t” for daytime audiences, Burton quickly started trending on Twitter as some people couldn’t believe his choice of words. However, he stood by his remarks later that evening.

“I said what I meant and I meant what I said!” Burton tweeted along with a clip of the now viral moment.

While others clutched their pearls over Burton saying a “bad word,” others rushed to his defense and said the iconic TV personality was right on the money. Even Wonder Woman jumped in.

We’re with Ana Navarro. Jeopardy! let a real one slip through their fingers here.

(Via The Wrap)

Remember “The Middle,” the classic 2001 Jimmy Eat World single that was top-5 in the US? That was an era-defining song, for sure, but it’s also not completely representative of the band, as since then, they’ve continued to consistently pump out well-received albums. Their latest was 2019’s Surviving and now they’re at the start of a new chapter, opting to self-release new music instead of being tied to a label. (More accurately, new music comes out via their own Exotic Location Recordings, which has co-released their last few albums.)

All of that is to say that today, the band has a new single, “Something Loud,” a straightforward and melodic emo-rocker that sounds both fresh and (this is a compliment) like it could have been made at any time in the past 20 years.

The band’s Jim Adkins says of how the song was inspired by the feverishly anticipated When We Were Young festival, “While I thought I made the most of the early band days, I realize now I missed some stuff. You’re in such a hurry to grow out of the formidable years. Like sh*t-togetherness is going to magically arrive when you hit some age you thought ‘grownups’ were. Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. But maybe the thing age and experience do reveal is that pivotal moments are hard to grasp when you are in them.”

Listen to “Something Loud” above and find the band’s upcoming tour dates below (all of which are with Charly Bliss). Also revisit our ranking of the group’s best songs here.

09/08 — Cleveland, OH @ Rock Hall Live
09/09 — Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
09/10 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Four Chord Music Festival
09/11 — Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall
09/13 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
09/14 — Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
09/16 — St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
09/18 — Chicago, IL @ RiotFest
09/20 — Richmond, VA @ The National
09/21 — Wantagh, NY @ Mulcahy’s Pub and Concert Hall
09/23 — Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
09/24 — Providence, RI @ The Strand Theatre
09/25 — New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
09/26 — Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
09/28 — Albany, NY @ Empire Live
09/29 — Toronto, ON @ History
10/01 — Ocean City, MD @ Oceans Calling
10/22 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young
10/23 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young
10/29 — Las Vegas, NV @ When We Were Young

In a recent interview with The Guardian, I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu opened up about the appalling racism he experienced while taking a class at the prestigious drama school, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Essiedu’s co-star Michaela Coel, who also went to Guildhall, has been open about her experience in the past.

Essiedu described an incident where an improv teacher shouted the N-word during a class, and also said he didn’t enunciate clearly. The actor said the comment was “loaded.” He added, “It so clearly shows a lack of respect and understanding of what the experience is of someone who is in that position, in that skin, in that institution.” Essiedu graduated from the university in 2012 and noted that the syllabus was focused entirely on white actors.

After the incident, the actors didn’t know how to respond. “That was a real ‘time stops’ moment,” Essiedu said. “It was like, surely this can’t be happening. We were so shocked we just stayed in the improvisation, so we were like: ‘No we haven’t got anything behind us.’ We were shellshocked by what had happened and shocked that it had come out of the mouth of a teacher.”

After the telling interview, the school sent a statement to The Guardian, apologizing to the Emmy-nominated actors:

Guildhall School apologises unreservedly for the racism experienced by Paapa Essiedu, Michaela Coel and other alumni whilst they were studying at the school. The experiences he shares were appalling and unacceptable.We have since undertaken a sustained programme of action to address and dismantle longstanding systemic racism within the acting programme, including commissioning an external report into historic racism and a comprehensive and ongoing process of staff training and reflection

We have also undertaken a significant redevelopment of our acting curriculum, including a departmental staff restructure, so that our teaching and learning culture prioritises inclusivity, representation and wellbeing. We understand that this work is long-term and will require sustained commitment to build a culture that is inclusive and equitable for everyone.

Coel had previously opened up about her similar experience at the acting school, where she also experienced blatant racism. “I was called a [N-word] twice in drama school. The first was by a teacher during a ‘walk in the space’ improvisation that had nothing to do with race. ‘Oi, [N-word], what you got for me?’ We students continued walking in the space, the two Black boys and I glancing at each other whenever we passed.”

Hopefully, this will actually inspire schools to take responsibility for their offensive actions.

(Via The Guardian)

Ah, June. The month of graduations, weddings and summer break. Definitely one of the top three months of the year for joy.

It’s also a month to celebrate liberation, as Juneteenth and Pride remind us that all humans deserve to be free from oppression and that the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness belong to each and every one of us.

June means outdoor fun as well. Barbecues. Picnics. The weather in June is usually delightful as the days get longer and stretch well into the evening. By summer solstice, we’ll still see the sun’s rays at 9:30 p.m. where I live. All of that light makes bedtime a little tricky for the kids, but who cares. Long summer evenings are the stuff childhood memories are made of.

Yes, June is good.

This week’s roundup reflects a bit of June’s joy. We have heartwarming graduation stories, some delightful dancing, some cute doggos (of course) and some humans being hilarious. So whether you’re heading out for a weekend of fun or holed up in COVID isolation (yes, we’re still spreading that stuff around), take a few minutes and enjoy these snippets of delight.

1. High school grads showed up at their kindergarten teacher’s house to surprise her.

@kimhamilton15

#kindergartentograduation

They were the last class she taught before she retired. She was so proud. We don’t deserve teachers. Read the story here.

2. Speaking of pride, check out this sweet mama doggo and her new pups.

u201cThis dog just gave birth to 2 puppies , this is her proud face u2764ud83eudd70u201d

— Happy Dog (@Happy Dog)
1654203556

That wink, though.

3. And speaking of PRIDE … and doggos … introducing Riley the accidental ally.

u201cThis is Riley. He fell asleep on some chalk and woke up an LGBTQ+ icon. Not washing it off all month. 14/10u201d

— WeRateDogsu00ae (@WeRateDogsu00ae)
1654532959

“This is Riley. He fell asleep on some chalk and woke up an LGBTQ+ icon. Not washing it off all month. 14/10.”

We Rate Dogs is nothing but joy, BTW. And speaking of joy…

4. These gentlemen each doing their own two-step can just be played on repeat all day long.

@ceceredqueen01

Everyone don’t 2 Step the same ya dig 👑 #gala #mendance🕺😁🤣 #2022 #footwork #fyp

The suits. The hats. The smooth, expressive enjoyment of it all. All day, all day.

5. And in a whole other dance genre, these text tone dance moves are just tight.

See on Instagram

Clever and well-executed. (Popcorn and Anticipate are my faves.)

6. Apparently, it’s possible to use Instagram only as an ice cream flavor checker.

u201cwhen he found out I had been making tiktoks he opened tiktok profile and watched each of my tiktoks one by one, said, “these are really great babe” and then went back to never looking at or thinking about tiktoku201d

— Rachel Feltman (@Rachel Feltman)
1654194253

While we all struggle to not constantly get sucked into social media, Rachel’s husband is out here living a whole life, only checking ice cream flavors on Instagram once a month.

How, Rachel’s husband? How???

7. Try not to smile while watching babies smile at Borzah’s smile.

“White Smile Borzah” making babies smile

​Nah, don’t try. Just go with it. No sense in resisting. He even got one kid to go from crying to smiling in 10 seconds! (Read the full story here.)

8. Master storyteller Elyse Myers shares a hilarious tale about “edible” wedding plates.

@elysemyers

Turns out, it was as weird as I thought it was. 🍮 #coffeetalk #ecofriendly

No one tells a story like Elyse Myers, but this one is particularly hilarious. How did she not just die? Read more about her here.

9. Dad drove halfway across the country to surprise his son for his fifth grade graduation.

See on Instagram

Oof. This one’s a doozy. So much love.

10. Let’s all pocket a bit of whatever this tee-baller’s got.

See on Instagram

Is that his jam or what? I love that they basically had to turn it off to get him to pick up the bat. And then he went straight back to ballin.’ Total icon.

Hope that brought some happiness to your heart. Come back next Friday for another roundup of smileworthy finds from around the internet!

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Hit-Boy, Sada Baby, Rubi Rose and more.

We know some big albums are coming over the next few weeks, so it seems the major acts took a beat this week. Still, there’s plenty of gems to dig into. Hit-Boy dazzles lyrically, Sada Baby brings the energy, and Big Jade and Kali hold it down for the women.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending June 10, 2022.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

YGTUT — In My Head

YGTUT’s In My Head combines a lot of different sounds. “Dolla Sign$” featuring Michael Da Vinci is a flex, “Conceited / Ego Talk” is moody, and “Smile” is a ballad loaded with hearty, soulful vocals and uplifting bars. Whatever doubts you have may very well just be in your head.

Sada Baby — Skuba Sada 2.5

Sada Baby has a special charm, which makes Skuba Sada 2.5 an easy choice to listen to. He always has something funny to say, and a myriad of fun guest stars add to the experience: Snoop Dogg, Hit-Boy, Big Sean, and Nicki Minaj for the popular “Whole Lotta Choppas” Remix.

Since99 — Punch-Ins & Parlays

The title alone captured me here. As a creator, I can relate to doing what I love to do but trying to make some extra bucks through FanDuel. Since99 opts to use no features here, rapping with aggression on “Mine 2” and even paying homage to former NBA Champion Norris Cole. If you can get past the funny voice, there’s some quality here.

Lil Darkie — The Small Dark One

Lil Darkie keeps things short on The Small Dark One but captures the ears right from the beginning with “Go!” If you have ever sought out a different type of rap than what is popular today, here are some screamo bars for you. “Bam!” is especially jarring.

Singles/Videos

Hit-Boy x Dom Kennedy — “Corsa”

Hit-Boy has been on the run of a lifetime, and certainly, his hotline continues to bling for beat requests. However, the multi-talented producer has also been trying to further his own rap endeavors. “Corsa” finds Hit returning to a familiar place, joining forces with Dom Kennedy to flex their jewels, eat a fancy dinner, and enjoy the company of beautiful women. Doing the most isn’t so bad when you’ve got it like them.

B-Lovee ft. Coi Leray — “Demon”

Coi Leray wants a man from New York and admits to being a demon while B-Lovee is chained up. Yep, the song is aptly named. However, B-Lovee can’t stay tied down for long. He gets his moments of freedom to spit his verse and inform people that he is, in fact, a sav age.

Rubi Rose — “Wifey”

Rubi Rose’s “Wifey” video opens with two women hating on her OnlyFans content only to be starstruck and request a selfie when the artist ends up on the same block as them. As if being a woman of the people isn’t enough, the rest of the visual is Rubi washing a car with a few twerk breaks spaced throughout the activity. People get married for less, she can claim “Wifey.”

Mike Dimes ft. JID — “Home” Remix

Mike Dimes and JID are the perfect storm on “Home.” Dimes takes a more laid back approach to the triumphant beat, while JID picks up the pace in the middle of his verse with a myriad of fun rhyme schemes. You’ll come for a calm flex, and stay for the lyrical gymnastics. You can’t lose.

27Delly ft. Cash Cobain — “Super Bizzy”

27 Delly has a knack for fun music videos and reinventing himself. In “Super Bizzy,” he plays a successful businessman attending the stock exchange. He raps about shots of D’usse and Ace Of Spades, displaying the duality within the New York rapper. Cash Cobain adds in a confident verse as well.

Ron Suno ft. Rowdy Rebel — “What They Gon Say”

It sounds like Ron Suno and Rowdy Rebel were watching Spongebob and challenged themselves to rap over a random sound from the show. In “What They Gon Say” the disjointed violin behind their rapid fire bars create a chaotic yet fun experience. This is genuinely some of the best rapping from Suno and Rebel.

Cochise — “Turn It Up”

In case it is unclear, Cochise wants you to “Turn It Up” here. A hair-raising drum pattern and extension of his vocals with the autotune backing makes this something perfect for the car ride to a pregame. Not to mention, Cochise has some shape-shifting flows here. Pretty impressive. The traffic light that appears here and there showing the walk sign is a nice touch.

Yung Gravy — “Betty”

Yung Gravy samples “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley for this bright track. “Betty” has a tinge of soul to it, but is also a bit humorous just due to how well the sample is executed. Those in the know are aware he has a knack for this, but “Betty” in particular of as fluid is Yung Gravy’s name.

Ease The Don ft. Steelz and Nikeboy — “Gotta Rep”

This week’s West Coast offering comes from Ease The Done, Steelz, and Nikeboy. “Gotta Rep” is anthemic, with the guys denouncing broke women, rejecting emotional attachment, and avoiding drama. There are bigger things to focus on for the trio.

Big Jade ft. Peso Peso — “Pesos”

You can’t have too many get money anthems. Big Jade and Peso Peso flaunt their earnings inside and outside of the trap. Their haters don’t matter as long as the dollar signs keep multiplying on this upbeat bop.

Kali — “FNF Freestyle”

It’s an FNF (F*ck N**** Free) Summer according to Glorilla and Hitkidd and many are joining the movement. We have seen Erica Banks and Renni Rucci take on the frantic beat, and this week it’s Kali’s turn. The video opens with a man being lambasted for women contacting his partner about what he’s been doing, and then the ladies form like voltron to live their best lives. Fellas, be smart and be safe.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

It’s easy to forget that Chris Evans is from Boston, Massachusetts, probably because he doesn’t talk about it every other sentence like most people (Mark Wahlberg) from (Ben Affleck) Boston (all the other Wahlbergs). But the internet got a “hot as hell” reminder of Captain America’s Beantown roots at the Lightyear premiere this week.

A six-second video of Evans talking about mustaches went viral, because… obviously.

The clip is taken from a longer interview between Access and Evans, who was asked what it’s like to replace Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear. “It is intimidating, it is a little daunting. You want to make sure you pay homage to Tim because he did such a good job, but you want to try to find a way to give to give it your own interpretation, but you know I put my trust in Pixar,” he said. The Boston accent pops out a little with his pronunciation of “Pixar,” but you really hear it once the mustache chat begins.

Somewhere, Tim Allen is fuming that Twitter isn’t thirsting for him — and somewhere else are “four major drug dealers” who are in prison because The Tool Man snitched on them. Anyway, enjoy!

Lightyear comes out on June 17, while The Gray Man, his most mustachioed role yet, hits Netflix on July 22.

The NBA Draft is less than two weeks away, and unlike past years, there hasn’t been a ton of clarity about what is going to happen. The case can be made that as many as four players deserve to go No. 1 overall to the Orlando Magic, while the trade winds have yet to start blowing in the lead-up to June 23.

In his most recent newsletter, Marc Stein indicated that a pair of teams sitting in the top-10 of the Draft have their sights set on turning their picks into someone a little more established. Stein mentioned that the Sacramento Kings, which sit at No. 4, and the Portland Trail Blazers, which have the No. 7 selection, would be open to moves if a player who could help them win right away became available.

A rare NBA Draft rumble from your infamously draft-shy correspondent: Both Sacramento and Portland are widely expected to give serious consideration to trading the No. 4 and No. 7 overall picks, respectively, if they can concoct appealing win-now swaps. And now I’m told Washington is another top-10 team (drafting 10th overall) said to be weighing the same possibility.

It makes a ton of sense why the Blazers would want to turn this into a more established player, as the team has its sights set on a bounce-back year following a tumultuous 2021-22 campaign. Sacramento, meanwhile, has the league’s longest playoff drought and acquired Domantas Sabonis at the trade deadline, both of which would appear to factor into whatever sense of urgency they feel.

If you like your cooking competitions served with a helping of cutthroat chaos, you need to catch Foodbeast’s Kitchen League: Challengers Vs Champs, which returns for its second season today on Amazon’s Crown Channel on Twitch. Challenges Vs Champs is the only cooking competition that uses live audience participation to create sabotages and protections against your favorite creators and chefs as they duke it out in the kitchen, which adds a layer of excitement and chaos that other cooking competitions just can’t provide.

It’s a bit sadistic to make anyone do anything in a kitchen while blindfolded or with a hand-tied behind their back but… it’s also a lot of fun. So, yeah, we’re all for Kitchen League.

The new season will feature eight challengers assembled from the Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube universe clashing in a seven-week long single-elimination tournament which will see one challenger emerge with the title belt for the CVC, and a contract to enter Kitchen League to battle a previous Kitchen League champ of their choosing in the eighth and final week of the season.

In addition to some surprise special guests, this season will also include Hyper RPG Production CEO Malika Lim Eubank, Chef Leon C. Brunson, streamers Stanz, BBJess, Oxillery, and Jalon, Twitch chefs BBBubbz and AudreyEnjoys, Kharrii (aka Square Head Guy), and Uproxx’s very own Steve Bramucci. We’re obviously a bit biased towards Bramucci crushing the competition, so if you think that means he deserves some sabotage thrown his way when he competes, by all means, do that! I mean, he’s already out trash-talking.

This season promises to be even more unhinged than the lastm, with brand new game modes and unexpected surprises introduced with every episode — which is saying something, as every moment of the competition is pretty unexpected. One of the newest game modes will be called “Double Trouble,” a 2v2 challenge that includes swapping between gaming and cooking whenever the audience deems fit, which we’re sure will disorient the challengers in the best possible way.

Catch the first match of the second season of Challengers VS Champs today on Twitch.TV/Crown at 4pm PT and every Friday for the next seven weeks.