The Challenge is back, and we’re starting out in Thailand. Bring on the Cutthroat!
A Thai’d Race
We start the season with a fairly sloppy run through the city at night. It’s a race to get to the house, and the first eight people who arrive will have a chance at becoming a team captain. We see the cast sprinting through parts of the city, almost crashing into cars, and Sydney arrives at the house first. Then Izzy gets there, and more people trickle in. The first eight competitors at the house are: Sydney, Izzy, Josh, Will, Anna Leigh, Justin, Chris, and Leo.
Captain’s Puzzle
The first eight people need to sprint inside the house and retrieve one of eight boxes. Then, they’ll bring their box back outside, unlock it, and solve the puzzle inside. This feels like a death sentence for Will (spoiler: it is), but it’s an opportunity for other players to shine. Anna Leigh isn’t the first person to bring a box out of the house, but she’s the first person to complete the puzzle, so she becomes the first team captain. Then, Chris finishes, and Justin is the third Challenger to correctly solve his puzzle, making them the other two captains.
The Unlikely Return
The cast celebrates the start of a new season, but one person is getting a little more attention: Nelson. This is his first season back after his near-death experience, and even Bananas is excited to see him. Later, he and Cory mention that they feared this day could have never come, and they’re excited that Nelson is back in the game. While this is a triumphant return, Nelson reveals he had eight surgeries, 32 screws, and two plates put in his leg before his foot was amputated. He knows he’s lucky to be back, and he vows never to drink and drive again.
Three Teams Are Born
With the three new captains, the teams are assembled: Anna Leigh is blue , Chris is gray, and Justin is orange. But, they don’t get to pick their own teams, they pick players for someone else’s team, snake style.
Anna Leigh:
Cedric (Justin’s pick)
Reilly (Chris’ pick)
Lete (Justin’s pick)
Brad (Chris’ pick)
Nelson (Justin’s pick)
Josh (Chris’ pick)
Cara Maria (default)
Chris:
Adrienne (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Sydney (Justin’s pick)
Nurys (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Cory (Justin’s pick)
Cassidy (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Keanu (Justin’s pick)
Leo (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Justin:
Deb (Chris’ pick)
Will (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Bananas (Chris’ pick)
Michele (Anna Leigh’s pick)
Tori (Chris’ pick)
Izzy (Anna Leigh’s pick)
CT (default)
The captains also need to pick a co-captain of the opposite sex. Anna Leigh picks Nelson, Chris picks Sydney, and Justin picks Michele.
Crossing to Safety
The cast shows up for their first daily challenge, called Right This Sway. Teams need to traverse a narrow bridge over a waterway, but there’s a catch. There are ropes attached to the bridge, and the other teams can pull them to rock the bridge, making it difficult to cross. If a player falls into the water or tries to cross on their knees, they’re disqualified. The team that gets the most players across the fastest wins. The grey team goes first, and they quickly find out it’s impossible to walk with their opponents pulling the bridge — then, Adrienne comes up with a good strategy. She “monkey walks” across the bridge with her hands and feet on the edges of the bridge and her knees elevated. Other people try to replicate this strategy, but they mostly fail, and their knees touch the platform. So, despite going first, the Gray Team wins the competition.
This gives Chris and Sydney power, because the Orange Team placed second, Justin and Michele are safe.
Vet on Vet Decision
The vulnerable players are scrambling, especially the Orange Team. They know Sydney won’t send Will into the Arena, so Justin and Michele just nominate him. This leaves the remaining player to nominate CT or Bananas, which is basically a direct ticket to The Arena. Tori wants to reach a stalemate, and the votes fall that way — but CT isn’t a fan. He doesn’t feel a stalemate will benefit him, so he confronts Bananas. While Bananas insists this scenario is a 50/50 coin flip, CT still thinks a stalemate won’t work in his favor. And CT’s right about one thing: It’s not a coin flip. TJ forces the female captain, Michele, to choose, and she makes Bananas the second nominee.
Color Wars
At The Arena, the two winning captains must pick between the two Orange Team nominees and any male on the Blue Team. As predicted, Sydney and Chris save Will, sending in Bananas. Then, they pick Cedric from the Blue Team to play Burn Out. The Arena is filled with posts — half are orange, half are blue. The goal is to push buttons and make as many lights your team’s color in five minutes. The player with fewer lights will be the first person sent home, and if one competitor changes all of the lights to their color before time runs out, they end the game early.
Lights Out
Cedric is a former track star, so he feels he has speed to his advantage, and Bananas knows he’s playing against a competitor that’s half his age. Despite his speed, Cedric doesn’t seem to get a strong start. He’s running, but he only hits one light at a time. Meanwhile, Bananas uses two hands and quickly takes control of the game. Within a matter of seconds, Bananas is on Cedric’s tail and changes every light to orange, sending Cedric home in a tearful goodbye.
Captain Swap
Surprise — the captains rotate. So, the current captains need to pick new captains for the next daily challenge. Here are the picks:
Chris picks Keanu
Sydney picks Adrienne
Justin picks CT
Michele picks Tori
Nelson picks Cara Maria Josh
Anna Leigh picks Cara Maria
Stop Being Polite 