The end is getting closer, but will there be any team shake-ups?
Just Keep Runeing
The challenge is called Rune Race, and it’s a multi-stage puzzle. First, each team has a board with an equation on it, but it’s made up of runes. So, they need to memorize the symbols, run down a track, and find the corresponding numbers to get a 4-digit code. Then, they need to jump into the water and use the code to unlock a chest 6-feet underwater. This will release puzzle pieces, and the first team to solve their puzzle will become the winners. A few teams feel confident with the math, like Michaela & Cedric, but when they jump in the water, they realize it’s freezing, and the cold temps seem to impact Turbo more than anyone else. Surprisingly, the first team to get to their puzzle station is Justin & Nany, even though Nany claims she sucks at math. With Michaela & Cedric and Justin & Nany working on the puzzle, they realize its 3D design will make it hard to solve. At least they’ll have time, because teams like Turbo & Sydney and Ashley & Leo need to get out of the water to do their math again.
A Cold Conundrum
Michaela & Cedric manage to solve the puzzle, and they become the winners. Nany & Justin finish second, and more teams reach the puzzle station. Theo & Adrienne are in third place, but Theo is worried because Olivia & Will are still struggling to get their chest unlocked. Theo tries to help with the math, but he solves the arithmetic incorrectly (even though Olivia gave him the correct numbers). Eventually, the challenge comes down to Olivia & Will and Ashley & Leo who are fighting to avoid last place. Leo manages to unlock the team’s chest, but it doesn’t fully open and release the pieces. Ashley panics in the water, because it’s cold and she doesn’t know how to get her puzzle pieces unstuck. She never finds a solution, and this gives Olivia & Will enough time to solve their puzzle and avoid last place.
A Split Target
With Michaela & Cedric in the winning position and Ashley & Leo in the losing position, there will be six votes at the nomination ceremony. The “Super Alliance” has three votes (Aviv, Nany, and Turbo’s teams) and Olivia’s alliance has three votes (Aneesa, Olivia, and Theo’s teams). This means there are two teams with serious targets on their backs. On Olivia’s side, it seems Theo & Adrienne will continue to get votes, because people don’t want to say a different name. Adrienne isn’t a fan of this idea, so she approaches Aviv & Yeremi to try to convince them to vote for Turbo & Sydney. Aviv doesn’t take the bait, because she thinks voting for a different team will create new enemies. Adrienne threatens to make Aviv & Yeremi a target, which Aviv doesn’t take kindly to. So, she doubles down on her intent to vote in Theo & Adrienne (again).
Plan B’s Plan B
After the freezing challenge, Turbo is feeling sick. Sydney thinks he wants to keep this information under wraps, because if people know that he’s not well, they’ll want to take the opportunity to have him eliminated from the game. So, Theo concocts a plan: He wants to strike a deal with Nany. His alliance will keep her friend, Turbo, safe if she votes in Aviv & Yeremi, but he doesn’t plan to reveal this to Nany until the last minute.
Flipping Out Over a Vote
At the nomination ceremony, no one stakes a claim. Then, Theo gets up and tells Nany that his alliance will keep Turbo safe if she votes in Aviv & Yeremi. Nany gets mad, because this is manipulative and Theo is trying to weaponize her friendship. Even Turbo is upset with this proposal, because he would never force someone to decide between friends. Nany suggests that Theo switch his vote, or she might vote for Olivia, but that’s an empty threat. In the end, it’s a stalemate: Theo & Adrienne or Turbo & Sydney. No one changes their vote, so it comes down to a coin toss and Turbo & Sydney are sent into the elimination.
Flipping Out Over a Vote
The cast walks into the Arena, and there’s a tower in the middle of the ring to play a game called Weight Me Up. One partner will need to run outside of the Arena and retrieve 35 cannonballs one-by-one. The balls will help move a paddle wheel slowly, and this will elevate the other partner up the tower. As they move up, they will collect puzzle pieces. Once the final, black cannonball is placed, both partners will need to use the pieces to solve a puzzle. When TJ sounds the horn, Turbo is eager to get moving, because once again he’s cold. He’s also feeling sick, so he’s not performing at 100%, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Sydney. However, Leo seems to have a little more gas in the tank. He gets all of the cannonballs before Turbo, and Ashley gets off the wall first. Ashley thinks she knows the puzzle based on the pieces she’s collected, but when she gets to her station, it’s not what she expected. This gives Turbo & Sydney a chance to catch up, though both teams are unsure of how to solve the puzzle. Eventually, Turbo realizes the puzzle is an equilateral triangle, and the three pieces on each side need to add to the number in the center. This is the guidance he needed, and he manages to score a come-from-behind win.
Stop Being Polite 