The end is approaching. We’re “danger close” to the final, and someone isn’t going to make it there. Keep in mind, this is just a roundup of the most prominent Challengers, not a full recap. The full episode is up on Paramount+, so you can stream it over there.
10. Chanelle Howell
Chanelle almost beat Michaela in Slippery Business. She didn’t, so she had to work to control Michaela and prevent her from making a “big move” that could result in Tori getting sent into elimination — potentially against her.
9. Desi Williams
This episode, Michaela won, which was good for Desi’s game. She convinced Michaela not to make Tori the direct vote. When Cassidy earned that honor, she rallied her allies (Michele included) to vote for Tori. Then, Michele betrayed the alliance and voted in Chris.
8. Josh Martinez
Josh is in a great spot in the game. He has lots of allies, but he sees Chris as a threat, so he’s working with the vets to stack their votes on Chris to get him into elimination. Chris ended up in The Arena, but he came back into the house, so it wasn’t that successful.
7. Cassidy Clark
Coming into this episode, it’s clear Cassidy is a lone wolf. She put up a good fight in Slippery Business, but she was quickly targeted. Then, she became the direct female vote because it was the easy choice. Obviously, this irritated her and she drunkenly confronted Michaela (after kissing Michele). Luckily, it was a male elimination, so she was safe regardless.
6. Tori Deal
In Slippery Business, it was everyone against Tori, and she was the first girl out of the ring. Then, her supposed “ally” Michaela won, but Michaela is looking to make a big move. Fortunately, Cory proved he still has Tori’s back and kept her safe from being the direct female nominee. However, she learns Michaela was going to betray her, so now it’s game on — looks like the alliance is done. Desi and Chanelle worked to put their votes on Tori at the Hopper, but failed to get her into The Arena.
5. Michele Fitzgerald
Now that numbers are dwindling, Michele’s name is being thrown around. She realized Michele and Cory would potentially nominate her, so she worked to make a plan to force a male elimination. This would allow Michaela to face the backlash without getting a girl out of the game. Plus, she kissed Cassidy (so that’s something) and Desi, Michaela, and Chanelle approached her with a plan to send in Tori. Ultimately, Michele voted for Chris and betrayed the Survivor girls.
4. Tyler Crispen
Coming into the episode, Tyler was excited that he avoided The Arena last week, but he was sad to see Alyssa go. This week, he’s kind of alone, and it was clear he was low on the pecking order when he was quickly targeted at Slippery Business. Then, Michaela made him the direct male nominee, and he ended up in The Arena against Chris. He was speedy during Barrel Tag, and he posted a tough time to beat, but Chris managed to do it. Tyler lost by seconds.
3. Cory Wharton
So far, Cory’s plan has been to work with the strong women (Tori, Michaela, Desi, and Chanelle), while also working with the veterans. This pays off during Slippery Business when he targeted Chris and Tyler first, but in an impressive display, he knocked Faysal out of the ring. At the nomination ceremony, his allegiances were tested when Michaela wanted to send in Tori, and he fought to keep her safe. But, he compromised his semi-alliance with Tyler, who ultimately went home.
2. Michaela Bradshaw
Michaela was one of the people who got really scrappy during Slippery Business, and it paid off. She won her second individual elimination in a row and started toying with the idea of making a “big move” by sending in Tori. However, Cory wouldn’t agree to make the move, so she compromised by making Tyler the direct vote in an effort to extend an olive branch to Chris. The other part of the deal was making Cassidy the direct female vote. This angered Cassidy when Michaela confessed she wasn’t going to work to keep her safe. The two had an argument, and Michaela tried to stage a Cassidy vs. Tori Arena, but the plan failed.
1. Chris Underwood
Once again, Chris is public enemy #1. In Slippery Business, he was immediately jumped by all the other guys to get thrown out of the ring. He expected to be the direct male nominee, but Tyler got that honor. So, he worked with Michaela to try to force a female elimination. In the end, he was betrayed by Michele and got the majority of the Hopper votes, again. This forced him to face Tyler in Barrel Tag. This was the fastest elimination of the season, and Chris managed to tag Tyler faster, winning his fourth elimination.
Stop Being Polite 