Was Laurel Smart to Skip The Arena?

On episode 9 of All Stars 4, Laurel finally had a chance to volunteer and go into The Arena. The stage was set for her to face Cara Maria — an opponent she claimed she was OK facing — but she opted out.

Based on prior conversations, Kam was even expecting Laurel to volunteer, but to her surprised, Laurel refused. Fans are also upset that they missed a clash of the titans. Both Laurel and Cara Maria always put on a show when they face each other, but it’s also a risk for both girls. Even if Laurel has defeated Cara Maria in the past, it’s not like Cara was ever an easy victory, and she has an incredible elimination record.

Now, Kam is gone, and that’s one strong competitor out of the game. That’s a win for Laurel, but it also means Cara Maria has a star and Laurel doesn’t.

Laurel seems confident that there will be other opportunities to get stars, and she’s probably right. It’s a safe assumption that the next elimination will be a men’s elimination because there are more males in the game than females following Kam’s departure. But, that doesn’t guarantee the final will immediately follow the next challenge.

If The Island is any indication, there will likely be a last-minute opportunity to get a star, akin to the challenge where Evelyn secured the last key. If Laurel has this type of opportunity, it could be a huge advantage for her game.

It appears Laurel wants to get the final star of the game. This means no one would be able to steal it from her, but she’d also be able to take the star from whomever she wants. That means she could protect Nicole’s position in the final, and if she wanted, she could take Cara Maria’s star and prevent her from running in the final.

If this situation happened, and Laurel was victorious, skipping the episode 9 Arena would be a beneficial gamble. And if I was betting, I would wager that there will be at least one more chance for her to get a star.

However, nothing is definite, and things are always changing.

At the end of episode 9, Laurel had a bit of a cowardly edit. But, if her decision allows her to get the final star, it would be the ultimate power move. The risk could pay off in a huge way, but there’s also the possibility that it will cost Laurel the game.