In this episode, Connie begins her book about Odyssey by sharing a story about a summer camp experience from her childhood. She describes how at camp one summer she was involved in an elaborate "prank war" between the boys and girls. The boys came up with many clever tricks under the direction of a boy called "Goggles." Connie and the girls made several attempts to pull pranks against the boys, but Goggles foiled them all. While at camp, Connie learned that her parents had made their separation official by signing divorce papers. Connie was then told that anyone who played another prank would be sent home. Connie had already created a trap for Goggles, and she told him about it. Because of Connie's recent news about her parents, Goggles felt sorry for her and took the blame for her prank. Goggles was sent home for Connie's actions. Connie learns while writing this book that Goggles was really Eugene.
When I was small, I loved the camp episodes of AIO more than any others. I enjoyed going to summer camp very much as a young child, and I enjoyed hearing AIO dramatize visits to camp. Strangely enough, "The Champ of the Camp" is similar to a homemade AIO episode I produced when I was little. In my little story, a boy took the blame for his friends' tricks against their camp counselors and was sent home from camp. "The Champ of the Camp" caused me to relive these memories, which made it more enjoyable.
Not only did I enjoy this episode because of memories it brought back, but also because of the storyline itself. It was humorous to hear Connie describe the pranks that took place at camp. I was also pleased to hear a rare peek into Connie's life before her move to Odyssey. Her past isn't often explored, and the idea was a fresh one.
While I did enjoy the story, I found certain elements to be a bit unbelievable. I don't mean to be skeptical, but I think it would be very unlikely for Connie and Eugene to have met at camp and not realized it until now. It made for a fun story, but it did not seem very realistic to me. I suppose I should remind myself that AIO is a fictional program, and there are times when events occur on it that wouldn't necessarily make sense in real life.
Not to be on a negative streak, but there were a few other minor elements I was unhappy with. For one thing, while the theme ("winning isn't as important as doing what's right") was a fine lesson to teach, I was disappointed that there was not Scriptural application. I know this has been pointed out in several of my reviews in the past, but as a Christian program, I believe AIO should focus more on teaching Biblical lessons than on creating interesting stories. Hopefully, future AIO episodes will include more Bible references.
Now that I've finished ranting, I'll get back to positive elements of the episode! The majority of the acting parts in this show were played by guest kid actors/actresses. In my opinion, they performed very well. The acting was very believable to me, and the kids that were chosen fit their parts well.
Speaking of kids, it was interesting to hear further details about Eugene's and Connie's childhoods. For example, Eugene mentioned his foster parents for the first time. I wonder if this new information will be expanded upon in later episodes.
I give this episode a 4 out of 5 star rating. Despite a few nitpicky complaints, I was pleased with the show and enjoyed hearing the story, as well as the intriguing details about Connie's and Eugene's lives. I am anxious to hear what will happen next!