Michele, Olivia, and Cara Maria have targets on their backs — plus, Michele will receive a disadvantage at the challenge. Can she survive to see another week?
Cheering for the Enemy
After the cast returns from the Arena, Bananas decides to stir the pot and confront Michele for getting angry at Josh when he cheered for Bananas during Cramped Out. Michele freely admits this, because she feels like supporting Bananas directly opposes her game. Josh feels like he’s always dragged in the middle of the alliances’ crossfires, and he should be able to cheer for whomever he chooses. Michele sees this as an attempt to tear friendships apart, but Josh is getting tired of having to defend his loyalties.
In the Trenches
The cast arrives at the challenge and they see balls, mud, and a giant “40” carved into the field. The game is called 40 Yard Dash and competitors must run through the craved path and its obstacles to retrieve six puzzle pieces. Once all pieces are collected, they must use them to assemble a pyramid. Michele is given a one-minute penalty because she came in second-to-last in Duned, so she’s already behind the rest of the girls. The obstacles include a mud pit, maneuvering through bamboo chutes, crawling under a net, and climbing over barrels of hay. Jordan is the first person to collect all six puzzle pieces, but Jenny isn’t far behind. However, no one can see how these balls fit together to make a pyramid, and many people call for a check when their puzzles are comically wrong.
A Pyramid of Targets
Jordan is the first person to complete the puzzle correctly, and he’s happy to prove that Kyland isn’t the only competitor who can solve a puzzle. Kyland finishes second, but that doesn’t give him power or make him immune from being a target next week. For the ladies, Cara Maria is the first one to finish her puzzle, meaning she won’t be going into the Arena. People gradually assemble their pyramids until it’s down to Aviv, Cory, Derek, and Michele. Derek finishes his before Cory, meaning Cory will get a disadvantage at the next daily Challenge. Ultimately, Aviv manages to get her puzzle assembled, which means Michele is automatically going into the Arena. But this screws Olivia over, because she’s now the only woman who can be the second nominee, and this ensures a Michele vs. Olivia Arena.
Toe Trouble
The Bananas Angels alliance have a weird habit of giving each other foot massages and playing footsie. On the bus ride home from the Challenge, Bananas and Aviv are touching toes, and Michele jokingly asks if she can join. She knows she’s playing with fire, but she doesn’t have anything to lose. Michele’s question implies that this is an inappropriate, somewhat sexual action, and it’s “bad optics” for someone in a relationship to do this. Bananas knows this is just an innocent, playful action, and gets mad that Michele is resorting to low-blows to make waves in the game. It’s especially rude to bring Aviv (the one who’s actually married) into the mix, because her real-life relationship could be damaged by a petty game move. However, Cara Maria defends Michele, claiming “it’s not cute” for Bananas to be yelling at a girl.
A New Angle for the Angels
The cast goes to the club, and alliances are forming. Michele has a breakdown because — if she wins the Arena — she’ll have to name three targets. She knows she wants to save Kyland, and she knows Bananas and Josh can be targets, but she’s torn between saving Derek or Cory. However, Bananas Angels is going through a bit of a rebrand. Josh seems to be migrating over to the group, which he dubs “Rachel’s Angels,” with himself, Bananas, Rachel, Aviv, and Jenny. So, while Michele is crying about saving her friends, Josh is celebrating with his new group.
Feeling Like a Banana
Aviv confronts Michele and Olivia for Michele’s comments on the bus, and Michele admits Aviv was just dragged into the mix because she was an angel that was nearby. She apologized to Aviv, which Aviv accepts. But she feels like the bus comments could have been very damaging for her, and Michele regrets that she stooped to Bananas’ level.
A Geneius Game
Michele and Olivia are playing Stranded, and it’s a mix of puzzles and speed. Each player has a “DNA Strand” made of metal circles, and they need to use different size rungs to turn it into a ladder. Once completed, they will climb the DNA ladder, release a bag of letters, and use them to spell a three-word phrase. Immediately, Michele tries to be strategic because the rungs are only marginally different in size, but Olivia is moving much faster. She’s grabbing rungs and just placing them where they fit — which gives her an early lead. As the climb the ladder, it’s clear that the rungs aren’t very stable, but Olivia releases her bag first. She’s dyslexic, and struggles to place her letters, but Michele releases her bag shortly after. Michele puts her letters on the ground. Soon, Michele discovers the phrased is “not eliminated tonight,” and true to the phrase, Michele stays in the game and Olivia goes home.
Painting the Targets
After a tear-filled goodbye, Michele selected Bananas as a target… unsurprisingly. Then, she nominates Josh, who has been working with Bananas. Finally, she has to say Cory. This isn’t a shock to Cory, more of a disappointment. He told Michele she would be his “number one,” but clearly, she’s protecting other people before him.
Stop Being Polite 