On episode 14, we reached a critical moment on Vets & New Threats. The UK alliance found a scenario where they could force a tie with the majority household alliance — and they did. The three key teams in that group (Aneesa & Jake, Olivia & Will, and Theo & Adrienne) all found themselves as neither winners nor losers. As such, they all had a vote at the nomination ceremony.
This situation happened because Ashley & Leo came in last place, a position everyone tried to avoid. It also required a team from the majority alliance to win, which Michaela & Cedric did.
While winning has its clear advantages (like guaranteed safety), winners also forfeit their ability to vote. Most members of the majority alliance wanted to vote at the nomination ceremony to ensure their group maintained control in the house, but Michaela seemed to have no problem taking the winner’s seat.
In fact, Michaela has won a lot this season. It’s a clear indicator that she’s a strong player, but she might not have as much competition as it seems at first glance. There are teams that are trying to fall in the middle so they have votes at the nomination ceremony (Olivia has been vocal about this strategy). On the other hand, Michaela seems to be content staying fairly incognito in terms of voting.
However, we know that Michaela is in the majority alliance with people like Nany, Aviv, and Turbo, but she’s starting to see them as competition. On episode 13, she toyed with the idea of voting Aviv & Yeremi into the Arena.
On the same episode, the rookies were entertaining the idea of voting Turbo into the Arena. Michaela didn’t seem too upset by this, but she felt it would be beneficial to keep Turbo in the game because his rivalry with Theo would act like a shield for her.
At this point in the game, most of the alliances are set in stone, and many of the veterans are working together based on years of history. Very few people would be willing to change their vote, but Michaela doesn’t have super deep relationships with a lot of the other competitors because she’s only done a few Challenge seasons.
We’re nearing the end of the season, and by this point, votes tend to be pretty predictable. Michaela may be willing to do something strategic, though she seems more inclined to try to orchestrate a bold move without actually having to cast a vote. If she doesn’t win, it will be interesting to see if she remains loyal to her current allies. She’ll likely want to float in the middle as much as possible, but her chances to get rid of her biggest competitors are getting fewer and fewer. So, if she doesn’t strike now, she may see the biggest threats in the final — unless they target her before then.
Stop Being Polite 