We have our final batch of temporary teams before competitors pick their permanent partners.
Fake Threat, Real Nickname
After the last elimination, Will has become the Hangnail, and he’s upset that Dee (who he was close with coming into the season) said his name. She apologizes, and the beef is squashed, but he’s not the only one who’s angry. Turbo is mad that Derek voted for him and Dee last week. Derek claims the vote was directed at Dee — because it was a female elimination — but Turbo is angry because he would have been a Hangnail. Turbo believes Derek lied to him and promised safety, but Derek feels this is a game where he needs to say people’s names. So Turbo gives Derek a new nickname: “FF” aka Fake as Fuck.
Taking a Knee
Another injury may be threatening another veteran. Theo’s knee is swollen, and it’s been bothering him for a few weeks. He sees a medic, and he tells the medic that he’s had a swollen knee in the past that healed on its own. That hasn’t happened this season because all of the challenges have been intense so far, irritating the knee and preventing his recovery. Due to this, Theo gets to sit out of the daily Challenge and Will takes his place, working with Dee. Fortunately, Theo isn’t out of the game (yet), but he has to get and MRI and survive becoming a Hangnail.
Climbing to Victory
The cast shows up at the challenge and its a heights over water game named Cyclone. There’s a suspended, rotating container with four climbing walls on it, and pairs need to climb the wall and transport five blocks to the top. Then, they jump off the container and will swim 500 meters to stop their time. The duo that transports the most blocks the fastest will win. In the first heat, Justin & Ashley seem to have the most speed, but Justin drops a block and falls off the wall, so they only transport one block. Leroy & Tay fall later, but they move zero blocks. Dee & Will are the last team to the dock, but Will & Dee manage to transport two blocks. This sets the pace for the next heats, but Yeremi & Sydney (well… only Yeremi) manage to bring four of the blocks to the top, becoming the new leaders. Meanwhile, Gabe & America also finish with zero blocks transported.
The Perks of Being a Wallfaller
In the third heat, we see CT & Michaela compete, and people are shocked to see CT start climbing the wall without issue because he couldn’t climb an inch when Leka was vulnerable. But, he only makes it half way up the wall and falls. This gives Michaela an opportunity to throw the challenge, no one wants to be paired with CT and they want him to go into elimination. Michaela takes her time, falls off the wall after a “struggle,” and slowly swims to the dock. Meanwhile, some of the spectators are screaming “justice for Leka” on the sidelines. In the end, Yeremi & Sydney take the victory, and Michaela’s plan to get CT into elimination works because the team lost and CT is going straight to the Arena.
Veteran C. vs. Veteran K.
The cast goes to the club, and Dee apologizes to CT because she doesn’t want his departure to be on her conscious (if he does go home). But, she does believe CT threw the challenge when he was paired with Leka. Meanwhile, Sydney & Yeremi are torn between sending in Derek C. and Derrick K. as the second male in the elimination because both of them voted against Yeremi. Derek C. feels it would be imbalanced to send him in, because CT outweighs him by 100 pounds and he’s unlikely to beat CT and get “justice for Leka.” Sydney would prefer to send Derek C. into elimination, but Yeremi would rather send in Derrick K., who he perceives to be the bigger threat.
Old News to New Threats
Throughout the episode, the cast is scrambling to make connections and determine their permanent partners. While at the club, Olivia talks to a lot of the New Threat men, including Will and Cedric. Clearly, they don’t want to work with Olivia because they mock her questions when they return home. Olivia overhears this and gets upset. She feels discouraged, because she had a lot of momentum coming into the game. Now, she’s losing allies, Theo needs an MRI, and some of the New Threats are actively trying to not be picked by her.
Two Names, One Clear Choice
At the nominations, we receive news that Theo’s knee is OK and he’s cleared to compete. He’s still the Hangnail, and Derek C. & Aviv become the nominated team. Then, it’s a nearly unanimous vote to send Derek C. to face CT. The only person who doesn’t say his name is his Real World Cancun BFF Jonna. Derek is upset, because this vote doesn’t make a lot of sense to him, and many of his allies cast their votes on him because they were following the bandwagon.
Winning in the Poles
We get to the elimination, and it’s a classic: Pole Wrestle. The first person to win two heats will win the elimination. In the first heat, it starts off with CT on his feet, and Derek manages to knock him down. This looks good for Derek, until CT gets on top of him. CT tries to make moves, but Derek’s grip strength allows him to weather the storm for a while. CT eventually gets the pole, and now Derek needs to compete in a second heat after getting battered in the first round. In the second battle, Derek feels he’s being “manhandled” by CT. His goal is to hang on and let CT tire himself out, but that wasn’t the case. CT emerges with the pole again, and he takes home the victory.
There’s no selection this week, because we’ll be heading to an individual challenge next week, and it’s the mini final.
Stop Being Polite 