Welcome to a new season and more 90 minute episodes! We have a lot of familiar faces, and a few people notably absent.
1. Madness in a Barrel
The cast arrives in Prague and are immediately greeted with a challenge (and evidently a bunch of TJ’s voice overs). The challenge is called Battle Lines, and the goal is to pull a barrel using a rope, do a puzzle, pull the barrel again, do some math, pull the barrel again then carry the barrel to your podium. At various points, TJ will drive his tank over barrels being pulled and eliminate people who are too slow. The men go first, and Josh actually gets an early lead, but puzzles are hard. Eventually the big guns pull ahead and CT, Rogan, and Fessy become top three, then Rogan get the first place. For the women, Tori gets the early lead but math crushes her game. It boils down to Dee and Jenny, but Jenny proves she is the strongest girl. Rogan and Jenny get to be in the Tribunal and pick Cory to round out the three.
2. Going Under
The cast goes to their new house, and it’s seriously underwhelming. It’s a bunker with exposed pipes and rusty walls. Everyone is upset, but Jordan discovers the recreation area with a 40 yard turf, a pool, the kitchen, and a pool table. The cast starts politicking and connecting, but some people are making more than just friends.
3. Hooking up A.S.A.F.
Nany’s off to a strong start this season. She has a holy trinity alliance with Kailah and Jenna, and she sees a new boy toy. Asaf, the Israeli reality TV veteran, catches her eye. They quickly move to kissing, which turns to cuddling at night, which probably turns into something more. But beyond Nany, Asaf isn’t making a lot of connections.
4. The Mob is Back
It’s time to get our elimination nominees, and the first nominee is determined by the “mob” AKA everyone who’s not in the Tribunal. CT takes the lead, and throws a vote to Jay. Some people follow, but the votes quickly get split between Jay and Asaf. Once it becomes Asaf’s turn to vote, he votes for Wes. This angers him, even the vote is definitely burn vote. Surprisingly, Bananas comforts Wes, but Asaf gets the first spot in elimination. The Tribunal then nominates three people as potential seconds in elimination. Their votes go to Jay, Kyle, and Wes.
5. Wall to Wall
Eventually, the Tribunal unanimously vote Jay into “Purgatory.” The elimination is called Air Strike, and the two competitors find themselves on the opposite sides of a suspended wall. Their goal is to go whatever they can to make their opponent fall twice. Asaf starts off by making big strides and shaking the wall pretty hard, but Jay is prepared to hold on as long as possible. Asaf wears himself out and falls, then the boys reset. This time, it’s a battle of endurance. Asaf and Jay literally hang out, and Asaf falls again. Jay is the winner of the elimination, and he earns a Red Skull. This means he can get to the final because you need to win an elimination to make it to the end. He’s not immune from going back in, but he isn’t required to win again.
Stop Being Polite 