The Challenge: USA Recap: The Vets Concoct a Zany Plan, but Did It Wind Up Saving Them From the Arena?

Nick Caruso
·4 min read
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Just a few episodes ago, The Challenge was utterly and completely taken over by its Big Brother and Survivor contestants, leaving players like Bananas, Wes and Tori significantly on the outs. But that’s not the case anymore because in Thursday’s episode, shots. were. fired.

At the top of the episode, Cassidy is suspicious that Wes was one of the people to vote for her in the last elimination and she’s absolutely right. Wes says he only did it because his team made him think they were doing the same. He knows Cass will figure it out and he’s peeved that he had to make a new enemy for the sole fact that he got GOT. He also knows his team will most likely come for him next… when the time is right. So what does he do about it? He jumps in the pool naked like he’s on MTV in the ’90s! He wants to be the fun and entertaining guy, so that people won’t want to get rid of him. It’s a thin strategy, but hey, this CBS iteration needed a little pizzazz. (GIVE THEM MORE ALCOHOL, PLEASE.)

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DAILY CHALLENGE | In “Unboxed,” each player has a giant box with a puzzle inside it. They must carry it through a course in search of the finish line. Along the way there will be several puzzle stations. If they choose to start a puzzle, they can’t abandon it, but if they complete it, they can leave the heavy box behind. Only one person can stop at each station, but it’s first come, first served. The first team to get to the finish line (regardless of the amount of boxes they have left) will be safe from elimination.

Green decides to complete Monte’s puzzle first (since he’s the largest member of the team and the boxes are determined by each member’s weight), then book it to the finish. Quite a risky gambit! Chris and Fessy make quick work of a math puzzle, allowing Blue to take the lead. But then Blue stops to complete a second puzzle, allowing Green to keep truckin’ right on through to the finish. They win safety and must now pick one man and one woman for possible elimination.

NOMINATIONS AND VOTING | Wes pitches a plan to break up the Survivor players on the Blue team. He asks Tyler and Monte for a temporary cease-fire in an attempt to save his fellow MTV castmates. At the table, Michaela asks if they can agree to not nominate two Survivor players, which would put her in a tricky position. Tyler and Monte want to nominate Chris, while Wes wants to nominate Cassidy. (If you vote for someone once, you might as well keep saying her name, right?) Michaela’s on the losing side of things and after they vote, Chris and Cassidy do indeed become the official nominations.

Elsewhere, the vets decide to pull what they call “Operation Hat Trick.” They can’t figure out why they’re not targets anymore in this brewing Big Brother vs. Survivor battle that’s formed, so they agree to stir up some organized chaos. They all vote differently; whatever name is drawn out of a hat is the name he or she will throw into the Hopper. That way, they won’t appear to be working together, everyone will be confused and they can still appear to be assets to the other alliances. Bananas then pulls some absolute rogue madness: He votes for Fessy! After just agreeing on this whole plan with him! Wow. I hate to give Bananas any unnecessary credit, but I’m kinda here for the madness.

THE ARENA | The secret votes are as follows:

Tiffany: 4
Fessy: 1
Desi: 1
Alyssa L: 1
Sebastian: 1
Chanelle: 2
Dusty: 4

Immediately, suspicions form. Hackles are raised! But there’s no time for drama (yet) because someone’s about to get called down to the sand. The unlucky player is… Alyssa L., making Chris safe for now.

In “Block Heads,” each person will be locked inside her own cage. Around the Arena are flagpoles. Each player must roll her cage to each pole and collect the flags. Then, they must lay their flags on a light box which will reveal the code to her cage. Escape the cage, escape elimination.

Both women struggle to move the awkward contraption, and it’s neck-and-neck as they both race to the light box. Cassidy, however, is the first one to crack her code, break out of the cage and hit the buzzer, sending Alyssa L. home. But will Cassidy defect? Not a chance. She heads back to the Blue team and rejoins the game.

Happy with the night’s outcome? Should the CBS players be more focused on getting the MTV legends out? Drop your comments below!

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