Two players down, 15 teams remain.
Teams of the Week
Tay is back in the game with two points from her Arena win, but we’re in for another shakeup as new teams are assembled. Here are the partnerships going into the third challenge.
Leka & Leroy
Turbo & Izzy
Olivia & Justin
Will & Nany
America & Bananas
CT & Dee
Aneesa & Yeremi
Ashley & Jake
Cedric & Michaela
Leo & Aviv
Gabe & Nia
Ben & Cara Maria
Sydney & Derek
Theo & Adrienne
Derrick & Tay
Teams of the Weak
Ever since the Day Zero challenge, Nia’s knee has been feeling off, so she goes to the hospital to get it checked out. She gets support from CT, but not from her new partner Gabe. He feels that the veterans aren’t in the best shape, and they might as well just go home, so he vents to other people about Nia’s low potential and the fact that he’s been getting picked last at the Selection. This gets back to Nia, and she confronts Gabe to express her disappointment. Nia claims she doesn’t feel compelled to work hard for Gabe, and points out that she’s earned points this season, is doing her sixth Challenge, and has allegedly made two finals. Perhaps Gabe is getting picked last because he hasn’t done anything too impressive this season.
Sinking Successfully
We get to the challenge, and TJ addresses Nia’s knee. The MRI results haven’t come back, so Nia & Gabe are unable to participate in the daily challenge: Water Tower. The teams need to swim to through a quarry where there’s a tall container. One partner needs to swim to the container, climb it, grab a flag, and jump into the middle. The other partner will head to a puzzle on a raft and solve it, but their time won’t stop until both partners are on the platform with a completed puzzle. In the first heat, Sydney speeds through the swim and climb, and Derek solves the puzzle pretty quickly. Then, Derrick jumps into the container and calls for help. Luckily, he’s just disoriented from hitting the water and he regains enough composure to stop his time. However, many of the teams get disqualified because one person can’t finish the drill. Izzy, Ben, Theo, Leroy, and Adrienne all fall off the climbing wall while Aviv and Dee need to be rescued after hitting the water (which is also a DQ). The competition completes with an impressive swim by Cedric and unimpressive puzzle solving by Aneesa.
Winners and Losers
After the challenge, TJ reveals that Nia & Gabe are automatically in last place and Nia will be heading into elimination because it’s a female week. Then, Olivia & Justin are declared the winners, which sends panic to Bananas’ alliance. Cara Maria identifies America as a great opponent for Nia, and if Nia wins and America goes home, Bananas becomes the Hangnail next week.
Vets & New Alliances
The cast goes out to party, and Justin and Olivia realize they don’t have a lot of the same allies, so it will be hard to identify a team to protect at the nominations — but Justin feels that saving someone from Olivia’s side could make him a double agent with protection from both major alliances. Meanwhile, Bananas & America are starting to notice the power shift. America feels like no one is talking to her, which likely means they’re talking about her. However, there are many people talking. A lot of alliances are emerging, including a strong connection between Izzy, Justin, and Olivia.
The Hangnail Hangup
Olivia talks about her plan to get America sent into elimination, making Bananas the Hangnail if America gets sent home. CT and Derek applaud Olivia for the smart plan, but Sydney isn’t as impressed. She tells the plan to her new allies, which includes Bananas, Aviv, Nany, Dee, and Ashley. This gives them time to discuss a counter plan that could stop Bananas from becoming the Hangnail, but it might be too late.
The Rookie/ Veteran Divide
At the nomination ceremony, Olivia & Justin save Izzy & Turbo, and Michaela calls out Olivia. She believes the save is only valuable to protect a vulnerable team, and Izzy was never at risk. Michaela’s statements were an attempt to expose Olivia for not working with the veteran women, and according to Bananas, it was effective. Then, the cast votes, and most of the votes land on America & Bananas. A few people send votes to Tay & Derrick, including Aneesa. She claimed that Nia stated she didn’t want to face America (which is a half truth), but Cara Maria calls Aneesa out because Nia didn’t say she wanted to keep America safe. Regardless of this vote, America & Bananas receive the majority, sending America to the Arena.
The Eliminationless Arena
The cast heads to the Arena, and there are logs, walls, and ropes. We get a big, long cliffhanger, but based on the episode’s pacing, the outcome is obvious — Nia is too injured to continue. So, she gets sent home and Gabe becomes the Hangnail. America gets to return, and all of the messiness to get Bananas sent into elimination was for nothing. Plus, this is considered a “win” for America, so she gets two points added to her score.
To fill the time, we also get next week’s Selection. The teams are:
Justin & Aviv
Olivia & Yeremi
Cedric & Cara Maria
Michaela & Ben
Derek & Izzy
Sydney & Turbo
Aneesa & Will
Nany & Jake
Bananas & Leka
America & Theo
Derrick & Dee
Tay & Leroy
Ashley & Leo
CT & Adrienne
Stop Being Polite 