The house is divided. Which side is in trouble this week?
Challengers on the Run
This week’s challenge is inspired by the movie The Running Man, and Glen Powell kicks off the competition with a message. Fittingly, this game is called Running Man and TJ gives each team a key. The partners will need to run down a field and find a shipping container that has a lock for their key. They need to open that container, which is wrapped in chains and ropes, and release a car. They’ll then drive the car to a working station and use tools to remove the hood and release a tracking device. Finally, the competitors will run the tracking device to the finish line before it detonates to clock their time. The duos quickly find their containers, but Olivia & Will seem to struggle to work together while removing the chains from their box. Yeremi & Aviv are the first team to get to their car, with Michaela & Cedric close behind — and they discover the car is a manual. This proves to be an issue for some teams, specifically Justin & Nany who resort to pushing their car.
Finishing With an Almost Bang
Yeremi & Aviv are the first ones to get to their repair station and they open their hood. They discover the tracking device is directly under the hood, and they run to the finish line. They become the winners, and then Michaela & Cedric finish shortly after. Teams start trickling in, and when Theo crosses the finish line Adrienne is far behind. Michaela calls this cheating, and Olivia tells her not to talk shit. Michaela then tells Olivia to shut up before she punches her in the face. As the two girls bicker, Ashley & Leo and Derrick & Dee are fighting to avoid last place. Ashley & Leo eventually deposit their tracking device, though Leo drops it trying to do some type of trick shot, making Derrick & Dee the losers who are going to the Arena.
Decoyneesa
After the challenge, the numbers are making it seem that Theo & Adrienne may be going into the elimination, but Theo has a kamikaze move: stake a claim. This plan isn’t exactly a secret, so Leroy believes his best option is to make Theo feel safe so he and Adrienne don’t stake a claim and remain an option for the Arena. To do this, he wants to place a decoy target on Aneesa & Jake’s backs, and Sydney is on board with this scheme. The cast goes to the club, and Turbo gets on board with the plan, as do Derrick & Dee. This means Leroy will need to make Aneesa truly believe the plan, but that will be hard because they’re friends.
Friend of Faux
Leroy sits down with Aneesa and he lays his cards on the table, crafting a fake scenario that makes it seem like his hands are tied and his best option is to vote in Aneesa & Jake. He asks Aneesa what he should do, and she says “whatever I could sleep with.” Aneesa seems to take Leroy’s bait, and Olivia, Theo, and Adrienne seem excited by the prospect of them all being safe, even if it means Aneesa’s game would be in jeopardy.
A New Old Plan
At the nomination ceremony, silence. No one stakes a claim. Quickly, Aneesa, Theo, and Adrienne realize they’ve been bamboozled. With five votes, Theo & Adrienne are voted into the Arena. Theo calls the plan “pathetic,” but he’s not super worried because his psychic told him he’d see three eliminations this season and make the final.
A Good Ol’ Pillow Fight
The Arena game is called Bad Dreams. There are two beams suspended over mud, and the competitors have “weapons” to attack their opponents. If your opponent falls off or drops their weapon, you win. But, to score a point, both opponents need to win the round, and the guys and girls are separated. In the first round, we discover that pillows are the weapons. Derrick falls in one second, but Dee eventually knocks Adrienne off, so no points are scored. The same thing happens in the second heat… and then the third heat…and then the fourth heat. It comes down to the fifth round, and Derrick falls into the water, but the girls don’t fall off. So, the game moves into a sudden death round. TJ flips a coin, and the boys will be competing against each other. As expected, Derrick falls off again, and Theo & Adrienne take home the victory.
A Dirty Win
After his win, Theo yells at the crowd and claims he will take out each of those “pussies” one by one. Turbo takes offense, tells Theo to watch his words, and calls him a dumbass, further solidifying the new rivalry between the two former friends.
Stop Being Polite 