The Challenge is back with 40 faces vying for the elusive title of Challenge champion. Which 32 will make it past the Era Invitational and onto the second week?
40 Legends Arrive
The cast shows up in a shipping crate (for some odd reason) and we get introduced to our teams. All four eras are psyched to be there, but the emotions escalate when TJ announces there will be a $1 million prize pot. The good feelings are short-lived, because TJ moves directly into the Era Invitational. The cast will be playing Light It Up, and there will be eight eliminations… tonight (except viewers will have to wait until next week to see the full thing).
40 People, 3 Stages
Light It Up has three stages. First, every cast member must assemble a puzzle that creates the number 40. Then, they must take boats and paddle into the water where they will collect 10 lighted buoys corresponding to the color of their era (and jersey). Finally, they will paddle back to shore and put the lights inside their puzzle. The first man and woman from each era to complete this task will earn immunity from elimination. Meanwhile, the last place males and females in each era will be going directly into elimination, and the winners will pick their opponents.
10 Pieces to Victory
The game begins, and people start assembling their puzzles. Laurel completes hers first, and CT discovers there are smaller shapes on the puzzle pieces — a clue that helps him solve the puzzle faster. Progressively, more people complete their puzzles, but some are struggling. Eventually, some players start collecting buoys and Laurel is the first person to get all of hers and light up her “40” and claim a victory. Cara Maria comes in second — which has no safety because Laurel won — followed by CT and Rachel. More people trickle toward completion (mind you, some people are still assembling their puzzle), and Tori and Michele claim other positions of immunity.
2 Allies Divided
The opportunities to get immunity are becoming fewer, and miracles come true when Bananas and Cory claim their respective victories. Horacio rounds out the winning Challengers, but disaster strikes when Nurys earns the first last place position, meaning she has a guaranteed spot in elimination.
The Bottom 8
Following Nurys’ loss, the last place position is being handed out to more competitors. Theo, Kellyanne, and Nia all find themselves in the bottom. Then, Ryan, Mark, and Katie come in last. At this point, the final battle to avoid elimination is between Devin and Leroy. Both of them are struggling with their boats, so Devin decides to forgo his boat and just swim. This works, and Leroy becomes the last place male for Era 3.
Number 1s
With Nurys in the bottom, Horacio assures her that she’s not powerless. He feels he will he able to give her the opponent she’d like to face, and Michele seems to be on board with this notion. While Bananas insists that it’s a bad move to come into the house with a romantic partner, it seems the relationship may benefit Nurys.
Era 1, United
While many teams are plotting against each other, Era 1 seems to have a different issue — they all like each other too much. CT and Derrick mull over CT’s decision, and neither guy wants to vote Darrell into elimination. However, they worry his performance might not be as strong as it once was. Meanwhile, they have the weakest connection with Brad, but he did quite well during Light It Up. When the cast gets to The Chamber, Derrick wants to keep the peace. He says Darrell has been his friend and helped him during his times of need. So, Derrick steps up and volunteers to face his friend Mark in elimination.
Keeping it 100
Many cast members find themselves pleading for their lives in The Chamber:
- Era 2 males: Ryan wants to keep his friend Derek safe and he doesn’t want to face Nehemiah again (Nehemiah eliminated Ryan on The Duel 2). So, he asks for Brandon.
- Era 3 males: Tony encourages Cory to take a strike against Jordan while he has the chance, knowing Jordan has the best shot of defeating Cory this season. But, Jordan retaliates by saying that Cory can’t win without making the final, and he can help get Cory to a final.
- Era 4 males: Paulie has heard rumors that Theo was requesting him by name. Theo confirms this, and states his desire to squash their beef “in the sand.” The two have unfinished drama that started on War of the Worlds 2 when Team USA threw a challenge to target Paulie and Cara Maria’s alliance. Theo knew about this, but when asked, he lied to Paulie.
- Era 1 females: Aneesa wants Rachel to keep her safe, but the team has decided that CT, the male winner, should have the final say because he is more likely to make an unbiased decision than Rachel. However, Aneesa feels slightly betrayed by this. If Rachel wanted to save her, she wouldn’t have given CT power.
- Era 2 females: Aviv asks for the chance to get to know her teammates, but Cara Maria does most of the talking. She tries to reason with Bananas and Laurel, stating that they could start a “new era” this season. One rooted in trust, especially because Cara Maria came in second place during Light It Up.
- Era 3 females: Averey asks to get to know her teammates better, but Amanda tries to plead with Cory and Tori. She appeals to Cory emotionally, because they’re both trying to help out Nelson. Then, she tries to reason with Tori by stating that they have mutual friends, so keeping her safe will keep Tori’s support system safe.
- Era 4 females: Nurys lands on Olivia as her preferred opponent. Obviously, the drama from Battle for a New Champion comes into play, but she also sees Kaycee and Jenny as beasts. However, Michele feels like her power is being dismissed and Olivia is her main ally.
The Era Invitational continues next week, and we’ll have to wait until then to see the final elimination matchups.
Stop Being Polite 