This week's episode has been commissioned by Brad, who commissioned this very special edition of GymCastic as a surprise gift for his girlfriend Tricia. We present...Shawn and Nastia: From Feud to Friendship.
- All the makings of a classic rivalry—the preordained champion with OLYMPIC DNA LEGACY OMG, versus the little upstart from Iowa corn-fed-doo-dee-doo who just bounced along bouncily
- The context of the new open-ended code and the BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SPORT
- Who ultimately won that battle?
- The narrative of Nastia as "form" and Shawn as "power"—the aspects in which that holds up, and the aspects in which it definitely doesn't. Enough time has passed that we can get real about some of these skills.
- "Nastia won the 2008 all-around because the Olympic judges loved her international look." We dive into that garbage barge and burn it from the inside.
- The fan feud: Team Nastia or Team Shawn. You must pick a side.
- The culture war imposed on Shawn and Nastia. The "all-American girl next door" versus "the foreigner" and how that influenced THE FEUD.
- And then Jessica officially pops off about the constant adjudication of whether prominent women are "best friends" or in a "catfight." (Psychology Today)
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