The game continues (slowly), and the dust from the KellyAnne drama might now be settling.
This is not a full summary. If you want to know what happened, just stream the show on Paramount+.
MVPs
5. Danny: It’s hard to say whether or not Danny has shot himself in the foot or will establish dominance in the game. He’s trying to get some of the stronger people out of the competition, but the majority of Team USA won’t make that type of move yet. While Bananas is insisting that they’re not trying to exclude the newer competitors in their decisions, Danny claims he’s not content following the veterans if they won’t listen to him.
4. KellyAnne: While things aren’t going her way this season, KellyAnne’s game did improve from last week. She made it into the second gate on round 2 of Hell’s Gates (Tristan is the reason the team was eliminated), and she avoided elimination. Maybe with some patience and silence, her drama can be swept under the rug for the sake of Team UK.
3. Grant: When it comes to the Aussie players, Grant seems to have a stronghold on the alliance. It’s clear they can work as a cohesive unit, and when the time comes, Grant will rally his troops and make a big move. So, despite losing for the first time this season, he’s still in a good spot.
2. Wes: Love it or hate it, Wes is asserting his dominance in the game. He’s the reason his team won Hells Gates, and apparently, he has a lot of fans among the new people playing the game. He was also able to keep KellyAnne safe, but he did have to strain his relationship with fellow-Duel winner Jodi.
1. Zara: TJ called Zara the best runner, which is quite an accomplishment, and she won the Hells Gates challenge with Wes. Then, she was able to keep her UK ally, Tristan, safe. So, clearly she’s not afraid to take charge when needed.
LVPs
5. Jodi: It’s going to be hard to see Jodi in a position where she doesn’t have a big target on her back simply because she was picked to have an Argentinian partner. But, she did win an elimination this week and she made a boss move by voting for Jordan at the nomination ceremony just to spite Tori.
4. Benja: Though he won in elimination, the cast seems to have no issues saying his name over and over at the nomination ceremony. While the same can be said for KellyAnne and Tristan, Benja no longer has Argentinian allies who will vouch for him.
3. Tristan: While Tristan got lucky, again, by avoiding elimination, he also sees that he’s in a tough position. He knows that KellyAnne isn’t going to keep him safe, so he has to learn the ropes on his own without his partner. Plus, he’s the reason his team lost the Hell’s Gates challenge.
2. Rodrigo: Apparently, Rodrigo hurt his leg during the challenge, and that made it hard for him during Oiled Up, but he also made a lot of mistakes. He spilled oil buckets and struggled to fill them to the top, so no one was really surprised to see him lose. But, at least he got to salsa dance with Tori.
1. Nia: Since returning to The Challenge, Nia has been much more vulnerable, and she opened up about her health scare stemming from vaping. But, in Hell’s Gates, her performance put her team in last place and in elimination. While she did OK during Oiled Up, her partner wasn’t the fastest and she was outpaced by Jodi.
Stop Being Polite 