Another week, another contestant is removed from the game for unrelated issues as former WWE superstar Lio Rush removes himself from the game due to struggling with PTSD. Later, after an impressive challenge performance from Jay and Theresa, they decide to blindside the house by putting Ashley and Kam up against each other. In a one-sided elimination game, Kam reminds everybody why she is called “Killer Kam” and eliminates former champion Ashley for the second time this season.
Cylinder Carrying Competition Completed Carelessly
The episode begins with many of the veteran girls noticing that Theresa voted against long-time friend Aneesa in the previous episode. With both long-time enemy Nany and Olympic sprinter Lolo Jones confronting her for playing both sides in the “veteran girl” versus” rookie girl” alliance divide, Theresa believes that she is on the outs.
Lio then opens up about his life in a care home and the various triggers that exist in life on The Challenge, as he decides to quit to support his mental health. This leaves Gabby without a partner, which means she’s forced to pair up with rogue agent Devin.
The next challenge is then revealed to be “Smuggle Run”—a five-mile run where teams must carry a large cylindrical capsule and complete a series of obstacles. While less physical than other challenges, challenges like this serve as “mini-finals,” giving contestants an idea of who the real threats are to win.
Amber B and Darrell, Cory and Ashley, Jay and Theresa, and Leroy and Kaycee all start with a lead, while physically stronger teams like CT and Big T, Lolo and Nam, and Fessy and Aneesa struggle.
Eventually, in a trope classic to The Challenge, most teams are unable to solve a math puzzle without timing out, with only Aneesa, Jay, and Ashley being able to complete it. This gives Cory and Ashely and Jay and Theresa a significant lead over the pack. When Cory and Ashley get slightly lost, Jay and Theresa capitalize, giving them the win and $6,000 from the sponsor.
Protein Pack Promotes Private Probst-ian Politicking
In honour of Jay becoming the first Survivor player to win a daily challenge, Theresa announces via confessional that they’re going to make Jeff Probst proud by making a big move and #blindside the cast by eliminating a strong woman out of the game.
Theresa and Jay then target Ashley and Cory, while the veteran girls, led by Ashley, try to flip the vote and get Mechie and Amber M into elimination. However, Kyle, Kam, Leroy, and Nany decide to throw their votes, meaning that the rookie girls have enough votes to send Ashley & Cory into the Crater.
Not satisfied with just one veteran girl, Theresa then suggests sending in Nany & Josh or Kam & Kyle into the Crater too, as Jay swears to secrecy on both the results of the vote and who they were going to send into elimination, giving the pair full information. The Challenge then ever-so-subtly plays a cover of “Our Lips Are Sealed” as they show Jay promise real-life friends Kyle and Cory that they aren’t going into elimination.
Jay comments that he feels that this is a bad move, which I have to agree with. No matter who they pick, this gives all teams a reason to distrust Jay and Theresa and makes them the clear target for half of the cast. This is cemented at the Crater, where Cory and Ashley are blindsided by the vote reveal, only for Kam and Kyle to be blindsided by Jay and Theresa voting them in.
As Kam, Kyle, Ashley, Cory, and Leroy say that they’re targeting Jay and Theresa in the next round, TJ announces (after a classic reality TV fake-out) that this is a female elimination round, leaving Kam and Ashley to compete in “Dead Ringer.”
Swinging Supplies Survivor A Serious Scare
In “Dead Ringer,” each person will hang from a harness on top of a platform, where they must attempt to build enough momentum to swing to six poles that surround the platform, placing a ring on each pole. The first person to put rings on all six poles wins.
Kam quickly figures out the challenge while Ashley struggles, leading Kam to cement her win over Ashley. This eliminates Ashley for the second time this season, giving Kam her tenth career elimination win and a Golden Skull.
While Theresa successfully takes out her target, she has also successfully led half of the house to target her and Jay. Meanwhile, Jay is forced to relive Survivor memories, being only able to reply that “he did that” as Cory and Kyle lay into him.
The episode ends with Kam choosing to recouple with Kyle and sending a warning to the Survivor alum that “next time we’re coming for you, Jay.”
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