VR Troopers did not catch on like Power Rangers did way back when. There were plenty of reasons as to why, how, and why VR Troopers did not succeed but for me, one of the main things that really made this series awkward (other than the cheesy acting, the thin and cliched plots, and the fact that it didn't age well) is the fact that they used two completely different Sentai series from Japan and tried to make it work.
It really didn't. Obviously. It truly divided the "team". 95% of the episodes felt like that and Kaitlin's Front Page didn't break away from that idea. But conveniently enough, they managed to give a 'reason' as to why Kaitlin's Trooper counterpart was not in the fight against the snake monster: she's was a little tied up and worried about a bomb.
Truly a damsel in distress episode. Kaitlin spends 3/4 of the episode tied to a barrel with a bomb, unable to do anything but squirm against the ropes and wait for her friends to rescue her. As obvious as the loose the rope work was, Sarah sells the scenes, delivering a good show of distress while she recites her cliched lines. Should have gagged her, honestly; would have been more interesting to recite said cheesy lines while having to pretend that she has a cloth speech impediment!