Another episode, another cliffhanger. At least a lot happened.
This is not a full summary. If you want to know what happened, just stream the show on Paramount+.
MVPs
5. Justine: We haven’t seen a lot from Justine so far, but she’s working with the right people and she was a contender to win Flying Around. It’s good to see she has potential.
4. Sarah: Despite being quite stubborn in the game, it’s apparent that Sarah won’t let the Legends control her moves. Now, her alliance is strong enough to force a stalemate and she’s getting more numbers thanks to the Aussies.
3. Danny: You gotta love when people find ways to get people, and when Danny saw the chance to force a stalemate, he did. This changed the trajectory of the episode’s vote. Now he could change the power dynamic in the house, and he established himself as someone who will make big moves.
2. Darrell: It’s nice to see Darrell still has a lot of potential in the game after two decades, and this season, he finally has power. He can give a lot of credit to Kiki, but thanks to the stalemate he got unprecedented power that allowed him to put his alliance in a stronger position.
1. Kiki: It’s becoming quite clear that Kiki is an underestimated player in the game. Despite the fact that the Aussies are kind of cutting her out of their clique, Kiki saved her own ass by excelling in Flying Around. So, she got all the power (with Darrell). Then, she was given the power to make a big move, because she could send in any team she wants thanks to the stalemate.
LVPs
5. Amber: It really stinks that Amber got double penalty points for throwing up and not finishing her smoothie. Plus, she’s been really sick recently. What could it be?
4. Tori: It’s clear Tori thought she had a rock-solid alliance and her numbers would grow thanks to being paired with a Challenge: USA player. Evidently not, because her relationship with Jordan meant nothing to Danny. Then, Sarah just made a mockery of it.
3. Zara: While Wes made a really dumb decision, Zara’s bad decision was a result of following Wes’s lead. She kind of laid low after the challenge, but she’s in elimination, and she could get a really tough opponent.
2. Ben: Some people suck at politics, but for a Survivor winner, his skills certainly did not translate onto The Challenge. Ben found himself at the bottom of the Team USA alliance so he started to work with the Legends. This made him and Kaycee look sketchy — especially to the Aussies. And guess what, an Australian team has all the power.
1. Wes: Talk about a rookie move. Wes and Zara thought it would be smart not to drink the smoothie and just rely on getting points in Flying Around. This secured their spot in last place, and now he’s in The Arena with Zara and Darrell & Kiki could send anyone in.
Stop Being Polite 