Challenge 1: TEAM ENDURANCE

So this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.

They say the apocalypse began inside an empty parking lot. I'd say it began the second they were all born, these lemmings to the grave. Yet, time can be relative. All that's for certain is what was done with that time on that day.

Dr. Bees was always the first to arrive at every deal; he always told the others, "If you leave the bees out too long, you'll feel the sting." He drove up in his old Cadillac Convertible with a smug smile, as if he already had received his cut of the cash.

Once inside the parking lot, the doctor scouted the area. You can never be too careful, especially in these uncertain days where your closest ally can become your worst enemy if the police are willing to offer him enough. After finishing up his inspection, the roar of a police siren filled the air and with it came a booming voice that yelled, "GET DOWN! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!" 

Dr. Bees dropped his weapon and raised his hands. He was only a kid, and now he was going to spend the rest of his days behind bars. The beekeeper was now the one being kept. Although, the strange thing was, the police officers did not look like average cops. They almost look like...

"You shoulda seen the look on your face!"

Matthias Talifield always dreamed of pulling a prank like this. He was known around the group as the one with the "schemes that went to extremes". Matthias walked over to him There was a peculiar smell after he did this, but he was not one to question.

Behind them walked Penny and Shanerys in tandem, laughing about the shenanigans the others were up to. On missions like this, they always let the guys go in first so they could clean the scraps or leave the scene entirely if necessary. Today seemed like it would be the same old same old, so they let their guard down.

No one was sure where Damon was, but it lost importance once the buyers showed up. Two greasy-looking fellows pulled up in an unmarked vehicle about a minute after the prank on the doctor. The taller one stepped out of the car and seemed to be the one in charge of the exchange of cash.

"Show me your part of the deal."

The entire parking lot went dead silent as Dr. Bees pulled out the briefcase full of the good stuff and opened it for display. The buyer inspected it for a second, but then quickly looked up to the right. A loud banging came from one of the roofs. Suddenly, Damon was seen sprinting across the roof with fear in his eyes.

"THEY FOUND US!"

Everyone in the parking lot shuffled around until they found cover. Damon jumped from the roof, landed on a dumpster, and then rolled behind one of the cars. "Which one of you idiots was messing with a police siren? Someone alerted the SKOOL!"

Dr. Bees and Matthias exchanged glances, and then acted like they had no one what was going on.

"Let's get ready, everyone! We're in for a showdown."

----

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first Skool of Salem challenge post. This week, we have a timed competition that will require quick reactions and teamwork. We have decided to call this challenge "Team Endurance".

HOW IT WORKS:

Cops and Mafia will be separated from each other and will play this challenge with only their teammates (a Cop can only play a Mafia if the top players of each team tie). Starting with one player in a lineup, the first player will be given one word, such as "water" or "color". Each player will need to go down the lineup saying words associated with the previous word said.

Each contestant has 4 seconds to think of a word. If a contestant does not successfully think of a word, they will be removed from the challenge. You can also be removed if you deviate from the previous word said. When a player is removed, the team's streak will end and a brand new word will be given to the next player in the lineup. If a word is deemed to be deviating from the previous word by the hosts, that decision will be final.

Other situations where your word will be considered invalid are: opposites, proper nouns, onomatopoeia, and multiple words. If you make a typo, it will only be accepted if it is legible.

HOW TO WIN:
If a word is matched 15 times by a team, the timer goes down to two seconds per player.

The player that matches the most amount of words during the challenge will be announced the winner and their team will gain immunity. What does the winner get for their victory?

This week's idol: BRIEFCASE

Idols will be awarded to the highest scoring or best performing player of every challenge of the season. Only one idol can be redeemed a week, and their effects will be available the week after they are used. Therefore, if a player is eliminated the week they redeem an idol, the idol will be useless.

A reward from an idol might include immunity, or it might just be a dank meme. You never know what you're gonna get, but its effects might save your team. 

IN THE EVENT OF A TIE:

If there is a tie, the top scoring players will have to do a mini-round of the challenge where they will only get 2 seconds to think of a word to associate with the original word. The first player to fail to associate will be second place.

BOTTOM 2:

The players with the least amount of words associated on the losing team will become the Bottom 2 and will be forced to compete in a mini-challenge that will be different from Team Endurance. 

TIME:

Due to the inability for Andre to be at the challenge at 3 PST, we have moved the challenge time to 2 PST on Friday, June 5th, 2015.

Please let us know if you are unable to be here at that time, or if you are available that day.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope to see you there on game day.

-Matt