After three weeks of “permanent partners,” it seems the house is divided into “Olivia’s Alliance” and the “Upstairs Alliance” with people like Nany, Michaela, Ashley, and Aviv. But since the teams formed, Olivia and her pals have had a tough time.
Olivia’s alliance hasn’t won anything, and Theo & Adrienne have been voted into the Arena twice (the week they avoided the Arena was because Gabe tried to stake a claim).
It seems like the group should be in crisis mode, but they may actually be in an OK spot moving forward. Some of the floater teams have gone home, and eliminating Derrick & Dee was a definite victory for Olivia’s group because Dee was firmly aligned with the upstairs alliance.
Theo & Adrienne have found their stride in the Arena, and Theo’s psychic predicted he’d have one more win before the final. So, the group might be weathering the storm for the time being and sending their opponents home one by one.
However, there seems to be a fundamental issue with Olivia’s group: They can’t win daily challenges. Jake & Aneesa have been a middle-tier team, and Theo & Adrienne have been consistently performing near the bottom. So, without power, this group isn’t going to disrupt the status quo.
On paper, Olivia & Will seemed like they’d be a strong team, but their communication hasn’t been great. We saw this during the Running Man challenge, though they still performed fairly well. But if Olivia & Will can’t secure a win, there isn’t a lot of hope for the rest of the group.
That is, unless someone stakes a claim. We’ve seen this teased over the past couple have episodes. Theo toyed with the idea as a Hail Mary to avoid the Arena on episode 12, and Olivia seems to believe Will isn’t meeting her expectations as a partner.
Successfully staking a claim might be the best bet for this alliance. This could spread their votes around so the numbers don’t favor the upstairs alliance so much. It could also help Olivia reach her full potential so the team gets a win. Otherwise, it seems we will continue to get the same outcome: No one in the group wins, one alliance member is sent to the Arena, and they might come back.
Stop Being Polite 