It’s a double feature: two episodes and the game (and drama) heats up.
A US Betrayal
After last week’s elimination, the US alliance has shifted a target onto Ravyn. Apparently, she found out Chauncey was going to vote in an international player, so she told members of the international alliance. Then, she voted for Hughie when the majority of people were voting for Chauncey. As a result, the US alliance is super suspicious of Ravyn, but Jay’s cool with it because it might ensure the next elimination is a girl’s Arena.
Bullied Out of Bullying
The cast gets to unwind, and after Chef Big T grills steaks, they party in their indoor hot tub. During the festivities, Berna is dancing, and apparently Melissa is giving her funny looks. Berna confronts Melissa and says she felt “bullied” — bad move. Melissa takes that term very seriously, and screams at Melissa not to call her a bully ever. Berna says that’s how she felt, and a screaming match ensues. Eventually, Berna gets in Melissa’s face and other cast members separate the two. Berna breaks a lamp, and Emanuel comforts her, because the two are allegedly close allies.
The $50,000 Equation
The challenge is called Control Tower, and 16 cast members are drivers and passengers in buggies that have numbers attached to the roof. Some people are equation solvers, and other people are “callers” who yell out commands from a tower so the passengers can move pieces and their buggies to recreate the equation. There are four puzzles, each are worth $10,000, and the cast will get an extra $10,000 if all four are complete in under 30 minutes. Ed and Kyland solve the equations, until the third one. They struggle, and switch Kyland for Jay. Meanwhile, Michele organizes all the buggies as a caller while the other callers mostly echo her. In the end, they manage to solve all four equations and get $50,000.
The Power of the Burn
At deliberation, two people have targets: Ravyn and Berna. Ravyn apologizes for causing drama, and Berna apologizes for being a part of drama. The girls are conflicted, so they all draw names from a hat and burn their votes on different men. In the end, all of the men vote for Ravyn, so she’s going into The Arena and she decides to call out Jujuy as her opponent.
Digging for the Win
The elimination is called Dirty Deeds, and competitors have to dig for three Xs in the sand. Once they find them, they need to run to deposit them in their basket. The catch: They can tackle their opponent to try to steal an X, essentially making this a Pole Wrestle. There are three heats, and competitors win a heat by scoring two Xs. Jujuy wins the first heat, and there’s no tackling. Ravyn learns she needs to stay closer to her opponent, in case she needs to tackle Jujuy. However, she manages to win the second heat without much of a battle. This makes the third heat the game point. The two girls wrestle, and Ravyn manages to drag Jujuy out of bounds, so she wins the heat and sends Jujuy home.
The Semi-Deep Dive
The next challenge is called Under Control, and the cast must swim out to buoys, dive down, and grab puzzle pieces. There are a total of 25 pieces, meaning at least four people must dive twice. Then, they must bring the pieces to five color-coded platforms and use them to solve five puzzles. Each is worth $5,000, but if they complete them all in 15 minutes, the money will be doubled. Some people find this quite easy, but a few people are struggling. Melissa and Nurys are the last two people trying to get their pieces, but Melissa’s motherly instincts kick in. She gets hers, leaving Nurys alone. Ed is able to go back and help Nurys, This allows them to get all of their pieces, and put another $50,000 in the bag.
Big T’s Coming Out
The cast comes back from a big win, and they decide to throw a party to celebrate Big T coming out of the closet. They dress up, there’s flirting and games, and people are asking “most likely to” questions. Hughie throws off the vibe buy asking some divisive questions, such as “most likely to go into the next Arena” or “most likely to cheat on their partner,” and that makes Callum nervous. He admits he’s falling for Michele, but in his confessionals, it’s quite clear he has someone else at home.
The Bananas Split
Meanwhile, there’s a new couple emerging: Moriah and James. On one side, James is single and open to a relationship, but Moriah might have someone back at home named Johnny Bananas. Apparently, the two aren’t “official,” but they’ve been going on dates for about a year. Then, the lights go off and Moriah and James “cuddle” under the covers. She feels bad because she hate hurting people’s feelings, but it’s clear to her that being with James is more effortless than being with Bananas.
The Burn Victim
Heading into deliberation, Zara starts toying with Corey’s name. After the girls agreed to burn their votes at the prior elimination, Corey suggested that people vote for Zara because the girls are relinquishing power. Clearly, no one followed through with that plan, but Zara was upset by the idea. When the group gathers for deliberation, Corey and Hughie are the names on the table. Michele gave Corey a heads up, but Hughie is shocked to hear his name. The guys go around in a circle, talk about their strengths, and when Corey says he’s empathetic, Zara scoffs at that.
No Way UK
After the deliberation, some US cast members start toying with the idea of sending in a UK player, and James’ name is on the line. When the cast gets to The Arena, the tables have turned, and many of the boys are burning their votes. But, Hughie’s name starts becoming more popular. Nobody follows through with the plan to go after a UK player, and Hughie seems upset. He doesn’t want to look weak, so he picks Kyland.
Bumpsketball
The game is called How I Roll, and there are two rotating, bumpy tracks with nine baskets in front of them. The goal is to run, retrieve a ball, roll it down the track, and score in all nine baskets. To score, you need the right momentum, and it’s easy to mess up. Kyland seems to understand how to work with the momentum sooner, and he starts gaining points quickly. Meanwhile, Hughie is tripping over baskets and falling behind. Hughie starts making a slight comeback, but to no one’s surprise, Kyland gets the win.
Stop Being Polite 