TJ: Previously on The Challenge: USA,
new alliances and old vendettas
have everyone on edge.
I don't care what you have to say.
TJ: The Green team won the challenge
and was safe, the Blue team struggled,
and the Red team couldn't find common ground.
The vets on our team--
they think that we're stupid.
- Cheers. - TJ: And while two Challengers started to get cozy...
...rookies banded together
and targeted Challenge vets.
Is there any way you guys would do a compromise?
It's Tori and Bananas for me.
Sorry, Wes, I'm leaning towards Big.
WES: They basically told me,
"Aw, that was cute, Wes."
TJ: Culminating in a shocking showdown
between vets Jonna and Tori.
- (air horn blows) - Go!
Ultimately sending the first vet, Jonna, home.
- And now... - Shut the fuck up.
...can the vets come together?
You don't know how to play this fucking game.
TJ: Or will the rookies take control of the game?
Looks like you didn't get your way this time.
♪ ♪
- (whooping) - CORY: Okay!
(cheering)
Tori wins, Jonna goes home.
So, in the grand scheme of things,
you know, it's one Challenge vet down.
That was not a number for me.
This is just the first shot.
- (cheering) - MICHAELA: Survivor, Big Brother and Amazing Race
need to come together.
We need to throw in Challenge vets
every single elimination.
A lot of people up there wanted me out.
BANANAS: Welcome to my world.
TORI: Shame on me for believing
that we could ever possibly work together.
Dude, we were never friends. So what are you talking about?
No, no, no, it's not about being friends.
It was about being hopeful
that two people can put things aside and work.
Tori, I know you have a lot of fake friends,
but I will never be one of them.
And-and you should have known that before the jump.
And I-I'm so thankful this all happened.
Like, I'm not, I'm not ever going to be your friend.
AMANDA: I don't know why Tori is mad at me.
We're not friends at all.
I was just one of the votes against her.
I'm sorry that Jonna had to leave
because of this. Imagine...
I wish she would've won, believe me.
- Oh, for sure. But now, because of you, she's gone. - I'm fucking pissed, bro.
- (arguing continues) - My roomies.
ALYSSA L.: The vets fighting against each other...
Cry me a fucking river.
My bedroom is called the secret garden,
and one of the things we're all on the same page about
is getting out the vets.
I'm sorry you're mad that I put you in.
I love you so much. You're my best friend...
I'm not your fake friend. Sorry.
DESI: Our core alliance
kind of started with the girls in my bedroom--
me, Tiffany, Chanelle, and then Michaela.
But with all these connections come additional connections.
So Tiffany's super close with Alyssa Lopez,
who's super close with Alyssa Snyder.
So now we've got those two people in our alliance.
Uh, Michele is also a Survivor girl, so she's in our alliance.
There are rookies here who are not afraid to take big shots.
Our guns are fired directly at the vets.
♪ ♪
Last night was a wake-up call.
All right? These kids have obviously come to play.
- Right. - BANANAS: But it is what it is.
- WES: Yeah. - And this is the game we got to play.
We're playing their game.
They're coming for us vets.
CORY: I would say my number one guy right now is Fess,
but, um, I do want to work with Wes and Bananas.
The problem with that
is, these vets have never had my back,
and at the end of the day they are outnumbered.
It's not a matter of if we should, it's-- we have to.
- Well... - Because they're going to come out--
because they're, 'cause they're going to come after us.
PAULIE: In high school I would dress
like my favorite lead singers,
like, you know, Freddie Mercury, who was just like, yeah,
I'm just owning the fact that I'm just like this gay icon.
I always wanted to be that.
- Wow. - But it's, like, I came through athletics,
so that, like, forced me to suppress, like,
who I was sexually.
I didn't know if I was, like, attracted to women,
attracted to men, or if it was just like an energy thing.
In past seasons that I came on,
like, things would happen and I would just get, like,
super freaking angry.
I'd be like, I need to prove that I'm the most
alpha human in the world.
Since I've been on TV,
I feel as though I was
the bad version of myself.
What kind of example do you set for your baby girl?
Run that. Don't bring up my daughter.
I used to knock motherfuckers out like you for fun,
motherfucker!
I'm a cutthroat competitor,
but there's a difference between
blowing up in a competition
and blowing up in somebody's face.
And finally I wanted to break the cycle,
so I went to therapy.
I had to be honest
about a lot of things, a lot of
"Damn, I was wrong here, here, here and here."
I'm in the best headspace
that I've ever been in. I'm here to win.
For the first time, I'm playing where I don't
have a chip on my shoulder, if that makes sense.
TORI: Yeah. I feel that from you.
I'm just proud of you.
Paulie seems like he's got a lot calmer of an attitude.
Honestly, I'm enjoying this side of him.
I need anybody I can get to work with me,
and if he's willing to work with me,
let's work together.
Yeah, it's like I would've never been able to
sleep in a room next to Johnny.
- I love that. I know. - You know?
- Or Josh. - Well, I'm happy that...
If I didn't, like, fix this stuff with myself.
I'm happy that you're having a good time
next to your roommates.
♪ ♪
(birds squawking)
These vets know this game like the back of their hands.
And as a Green team member,
a lot of my people are new in here.
So we need these vets out of here
so that way we can turn this game upside down.
TJ: All right, everyone, welcome to your next challenge
here on The Challenge: USA.
Today's challenge is called Capsized.
- (cheering) - MONTE: Let's go, baby.
TJ: As you can see, there's a boat out there.
And there are eight buoys.
When I say go, you will all jump in there
and swim to that boat.
Once you get to the boat,
you and your entire team
will capsize that boat
'cause on the underbelly is an answer key.
The teams are not allowed to swim under the boat
to look at the flag order,
so you must flip the boat
and read the flag key.
One at a time, you and your teammates
will swim back to one of the buoys
and retrieve the three flags
floating underneath it
and race back to the boat.
Every player here has to swim back to those buoys
at least one time to collect flags,
swim back to the boat,
string up your flags in the order they appear
on the flag key, then rush back to the dock.
The team who gets the most right in the fastest time
will win today's challenge
and be safe from elimination.
This game is going to be played in three heats,
and the order has been selected randomly.
Red team, you're up first.
All right, good luck, everyone.
Let's get it.
Let's get it, Red.
- This one's ours, baby. - (applause)
Get here closest from A to B,
shortest line, right to the boat.
I am on the Red team with Johnny Bananas.
He's a seven-time champion, and that's what I want to be.
BANANAS: The key to this is going to be teamwork and, uh,
attention to detail.
- Yep. - Yes. Yeah. - Attention to detail.
All right, everyone, you ready?
(air horn blows)
(indistinct shouting)
Get on my back?
TIFFANY: I cannot swim
in this water, okay?
Y'all gonna have to help me.
They're pulling somebody.
FAYSAL: Oh, to help 'em.
TIFFANY: This is a memory challenge,
an endurance challenge,
and swimming all combined,
which is everything I hate.
Go to the other side! Other side!
- Go. - (grunting)
There are a lot of moving parts going on in this challenge.
There are 20 flags that we need to collect.
Each of us has to go swim to a buoy and bring them back.
The rest of the team is going to be capsizing the boat
to look at the answer key.
We are then going to use that answer key
to see where on the mast that those flags are placed.
JOSH (panting): Guys, we're up here.
CHANELLE: Our strategy is: Michele, Paulie and Bananas
are going to be in charge of memorizing, and everyone else
is going to be in charge of flipping the boat
forward and backward as much as we need to.
What?
JOSH: Coming into the season,
I honestly felt really on edge seeing Paulie,
but I'm realizing that this guy has grown,
and, honestly, he's being a really good
kind of team captain right now,
making sure that we stay calm and just, like,
get the memory part done.
MICHELE: It's yellow and blue checks.
All right, guys, set up the flags.
Ooh, who's that? Josh?
TORI: Knowing that I just went
into the last elimination,
I mean, the stakes are at an all-time high.
If anybody has to win that's not Blue,
let it be Red because obviously
Green was the one that put me in.
(overlapping chatter)
(grunting)
(groaning)
DUSTY: Our strategy was to just have one person on the boat working.
Um, too many chefs in the kitchen
always gets you in trouble. So, communication's going well,
so I'm feeling good.
Yellow seven.
JOSH: Mich, you're on the third buoy, go.
Yeah, go.
(overlapping chatter)
I got it, I got it, go.
PAULIE: You know, I think that Red is working as a nice cohesive unit.
Like, we've got a good strategy,
and I'm ready to win.
MICHELE: Nice job, Paulie.
Here, give me it, give me it, give me it.
It's on my wrist.
Nice!
(indistinct chatter)
MICHELE: What do we need, four?
TIFFANY: Five more.
This one was at ten.
This one was, what, three, right?
It was yellow four.
MICHELE: We had something in three, so it's got to be two.
- And that one... - BANANAS: Yellow?
There's only one in yellow three.
MICHELE: Well, I'm sorry, but... we have something in three,
- so it's got to be two. - CHANELLE: No.
This one? You're sure it wasn't on white? What?
I know, I know that.
So, one, two...
So, white four?
BANANAS: Michele thinks she has it wrong,
so we now have to capsize the boat yet again.
(overlapping shouting)
Grab it!
BANANAS: If we don't win,
I'm really the one on Team Red
that is in jeopardy.
My legacy's on the line.
- Guys, do we need to flip it again? - So, white four?
Yeah.
TIFFANY: This challenge is not just about swimming.
We have to capsize a boat. I've never done that
before in my life.
- (overlapping chatter) - Goddamn it!
TIFFANY: The bottom of the boat is a key
where we have to memorize
the flags that we're collecting,
have them in order, and swim back.
Josh, you ready? Hold on.
I screw up on the flags
and I forget the top symbols.
This is a race for speed,
so we need to pivot as quickly as possible
because I do want to protect my alliance
- and make moves in this game. - I'm sorry.
TIFFANY: Relax, it's okay.
I trust Michele to be in charge
of memorizing the flags. Red has still not won a challenge.
Michele, what are you doing?
It's-it's a bad mistake.
- We got it? - We're good, we're good.
- Let's go. - Go.
TJ: Well done, well done, go, go, go!
Let's go!
FAYSAL: I'm looking at the Red team.
They are struggling.
It's a lot of swimming,
and we feel, as the Blue team,
we can win this thing.
I'm pretty sure Bananas got a big old target on his back,
but I'm not sticking my neck out for Bananas.
♪ ♪
(air horn blows)
BANANAS: One, two, three.
Red flags! Whoo!
(bell ringing)
We got a little, uh, additive in what I do as a career.
I run a boat. I'm a captain,
so I'm pretty good at flipping a boat.
I know exactly how to do that.
TJ: Are you ready?
- Go! - (air horn blows)
Whoo!
- Did he just backflip? - Fessy.
Whoo!
Right here?
- Our side. - Everyone,
over on this side.
(overlapping chatter)
SEBASTIAN: All right. The bottom two are yellow.
Yellow and red, bottom two.
Our strategy is to memorize flags in blocks.
So we have Tori and Cassidy memorizing a block,
and then Alyssa L. and myself memorizing a block,
and hopefully we don't have to capsize this boat as much
and not waste our energy
when we have to be swimming back and forth.
(overlapping chatter)
I'm so proud of my Blue team.
They came up with a strategy that each girl,
instead of having all of the sides memorized,
they're only going to remember a quadrant.
So, every girl basically just has to memorize
five flags, and that's it.
So we are working so fast through this thing.
Blue team is kind of crushing it.
I'm just hoping that maybe they're going to mess up
on a flag or two that could give us the advantage,
but if this is a race for speed,
I feel like Blue may have it in the bag.
(indistinct chatter)
Go, go! You guys can go!
SEBASTIAN: I need to win,
not only to protect me, but so I can protect Tori.
You know, hopefully we can push the heat on other vets.
I would like her to be the only vet left.
TORI: Let's go, Cory, good job!
- This is white three? - Yes.
- TORI: And that one's white four. - Fess!
I like this challenge because it is memory.
I'm good with memory.
You know, this team is looking good.
So I'm feeling good because let's be real.
Right now the whole house is gunning for the vets.
So I know every time if I don't win,
my neck is on the line.
- Guys, let's go. - All right.
I am a good swimmer,
but this water is freezing.
FAYSAL: Get there, Alyssa, I'll come get you.
Thank God we have Aquaman Fessy
helping us,
but I'm nervous 'cause if we don't win,
I just feel like it's my fault.
(indistinct chatter)
FAYSAL: All the way. All the way. All the way.
(overlapping shouting)
(air horn blows)
- Good job, Blue! - (cheering)
WES: I am a soldier in the Green army,
at which I have pledged my full undying allegiance to.
That's not what I heard.
- (laughter) - Oh.
Just for the record,
Michaela is one of the most paranoid players
I have ever played with in my entire life.
- Whoo! - Go! - (air horn blows)
(whooping)
- Okay, Wes is getting rode. - (laughter)
AMANDA: I don't swim.
So the team better get their motors running
'cause I'm gonna be riding on their backs.
(laughter)
WES: I'm tired of having
to constantly put my cape on
and save the day.
I am being used and abused for my muscle,
my strength and my abilities
in the same way that my wife uses me
for those exact things approximately once a week.
All right, shit... Ready? Go.
TYLER: This is my forte.
I used to be a beach lifeguard back in my day.
Now more than ever, we need a win 'cause we just took
two big shots at two big shots,
Tori and Bananas, and they're both back in the house.
We need this, yo.
♪ ♪
(overlapping chatter)
MONTE: I did. I did, babe.
(overlapping chatter)
MONTE: This challenge is a doozy.
Going last, we thought, would be an advantage
because we got the opportunity to see
many different strategies.
But it is cold as all could be.
And on top of that, the current in this water is crazy.
I mean, all of us look so distraught.
(overlapping chatter)
- Whoa, we're flipping. - Guys, guys.
- Guys. - Capsized!
- (laughter) - Aw...
Green is just a complete disaster.
It's like a scene out of Titanic where it's like
everybody is just kind of like freaking out.
Pull on that side, pull on that side, pull on that side.
- Oh! - MONTE: Stop.
- (TJ laughs) - Guys, guys,
Fucking balance this shit.
BANANAS: Green has already shown
that if they win, I'm definitely
- the one they're coming after. - (laughter)
So this is good for at least
my stake in the game.
All right.
Got to help your slowest swimmers! Let's go!
♪ ♪
(air horn blows)
All right. Good job.
Great challenge today, everyone. At the end of the day,
it was who got the most flags correct the fastest.
So, Green team,
19 flags.
(laughter)
Blue team,
20 flags.
(cheering)
Got them all right.
20 out of 20.
Red team.
20 flags.
(cheering)
So it all came down to time.
- Oh. - Fuck.
Blue team,
your time was 36:12.
Red team was 43:06.
(cheering)
JOSH: I am getting very frustrated
that we keep falling short.
I know that the best thing for my game
is to keep Red team strong,
and I want to start making some moves and taking some shots.
Ugh.
Blue team, you are safe from elimination.
And now I need you to go back to the house
and nominate one man and one woman
- to put at risk of elimination. - Got it.
- All right. Get out of here. - Whoo!
(bell ringing)
(clapping)
Let's go.
ALYSSA L.: It feels amazing to be safe.
It's a little nerve-racking 'cause I don't know
who I can trust on my team.
The first time around, I didn't get what I wanted.
My vote for the guys is Luis.
My vote for the girls is Ameerah.
This time around, I'm not going to sit back and be quiet.
Cory is at the bottom of these seasoned vets
and he realizes it.
100%. I'm at the bottom. I got to make a move.
But I know what Tori is going to want to do.
And that's one person.
I need to let it be clear what side I'm aligning with.
I'm feeling pretty alone right now,
and I got to say I'm a little worried
for the vets.
I don't want to go down with a ship
that I already know is sinking.
I came here for one reason-- to win
and to bring that money home to my family.
We're going to put it on a house
and we're going to all celebrate.
So I'm trying to cover all my bases
and protect myself.
I really don't care to get the heat.
- Yeah. - You can say, "The girls wanted it.
My hands were tied."
ALYSSA S.: Last time Blue won,
we sent home my best friend.
Things need to change. We're not doing that again.
I need some vets to go in today
because we're not just going to pick off these rookies.
Can we just stay here? We can just stay here
- every, every single challenge. - Please.
- Yes. - Okay. Perfect.
I'm in. It's good.
Good job, guys.
TORI: Last week Green team
took a shot at the vets,
and I'm looking around at the Blue table.
I mean, there's only Cory and myself here right now.
We need to do whatever we can do
to protect the Challenge vets.
ALYSSA L.: What I have felt around the house
is people are wanting a guy elimination this time around.
There's already been two girls.
Last week me going in,
knowing that some people in here voted for Jonna to go in,
I think that that was a direct shot at me,
knowing that that was the whole plan.
Maybe you need to not think about it as so direct
and think more strategically
that maybe people wanted Jonna out.
Maybe it's not always about you.
So my vote's for Bananas.
I've also heard people want to go with Monte.
I'm obviously not going to vote in Bananas.
Monte said my name last week.
ALYSSA S.: I feel like I don't have a connection
with any of the men on the Red side,
and that's me being completely transparent.
So I'm fine with Bananas.
I think that Bananas is a good choice
for everyone at this table.
- Okay. - I'm willing to do what the consensus is.
There's definitely a power struggle going on.
Right now Alyssa L. is controlling the room
and Tori's on an island.
And I don't want to get caught
on the wrong side of the vote here.
So I'm going to go with the majority.
I think the girl one is going to have to be
an individual vote and see where the numbers go.
You probably want to get revenge on Amanda.
No, I don't.
- Oh, you don't? - I think there's bigger fish to fry.
Start with Tori and we'll go around.
TORI: Okay. My vote's for Monte
and Desi.
I-I stick with Monte. I really do.
- And what's your girl? - And then Tiffany.
CASSIDY: Yeah, I would say,
I guess, Bananas.
And Amanda.
I'm hoping to continue to front an attack
on the veterans right now
and just cut them at the knees
before they can, you know, muster forces
to go against people like Survivor,
who which I feel like are a big threat to The Challenge now.
Uh, my vote's for Amanda and Bananas.
Bananas and Amanda.
I'm gonna go with Bananas and Tiffany.
Okay.
Bananas and Michele.
ALYSSA L.: Cory?
(Cory chuckles)
CORY: I'm outnumbered right now.
I'm listening to everybody say who they wanted to vote.
I got to show these people in the house
that I'm here to play.
I feel like I'm on the bottom
of this vet alliance,
but I don't owe anybody anything.
I just got to make a move.
(Cory sighs)
So what? It's going to be Amanda and Bananas.
CORY: That's what it's going to be.
Bananas and Amanda.
Good? Cool.
I am thankful to be safe,
but I recognize it's not because anybody's going to save me.
It's because I'm going to save myself.
I'm sorry, Tori. It's not what you wanted.
TORI: When push comes to shove,
my voice means nothing in this vote,
and that's what annoys me the most.
Bananas, I'm sorry.
There was literally nothing I could do.
So what about, like, Faysal and stuff?
It wasn't even a hard decision for him, either vote.
Cory, too?
It's one thing to be voted in
by people I don't know.
It's a completely different thing to be voted in
by people that I felt like had my back.
But Cory's the type of person
that has no allegiance
and no loyalty to anyone but himself.
- You guys some bitches, dude. - What are you talking about?
No, you were not outnumbered.
Shut the fuck up, dude.
Right when push came to shove,
you throw my name under the bus, dude.
AMANDA: Classic Bananas making a scene.
It's a chaotic mess.
I just have to stay quiet.
Hopefully, Bananas is the focal point,
and the whole house will want to vote a guy.
Am I gonna be on the ship when it sinks, or am I fucking...
You're on a sinking ship!
Maybe you don't understand my game.
I don't think you understand your game.
No, I don't think you understand.
- That's why you've never won. - I don't think you...
Because you don't know how to play this fucking game, dude.
- Okay, all right. - You don't.
CORY: Bananas, you can complain all you want.
I don't have time for it.
Like I said, I came here for one reason-- to win
and to bring that money home to my family.
JOSH: Cory and Fessy, they don't have common sense.
You literally just made the move
for Amazing Race, Survivor and Big Brother,
and at some point in the game
they're going to point those guns at you.
You're next.
You just fucking fall in line
like a fucking lemming and run off a cliff, dude? Like, yes.
I can't just be, "Okay, it's the vets sticking with the vets."
Survivor's rocking with Survivor.
CORY: What has rocking with the vets gotten me?
BANANAS: You're literally letting these guys
come in and fucking run our show.
- But you just said I haven't won with the vets, right? - Dude.
ALYSSA L.: I love when people think
they know everything, and it doesn't go their way.
I'm gonna go with the people that I have met
and the connections that I have made
- and see how far that gets me. - Not far, dude.
These vets think it's a black-and-white type of game.
The lines are blurred.
So cry me a fucking river.
BANANAS: You're a bitch, too.
- Why? - What do you mean, why?
What planet are you living on, dude?
- FAYSAL: My own. - You're right.
I mean, I guess I'm just tired of your shit, bro.
- Every season... - What's my shit? What have you won?
You're getting mad because we're making moves,
because we've won the daily challenges.
- This is the way the game goes, bro. - What's the move? No, dude.
- You've got 22 seasons. You should know this. - You're right. What's the move?
FAYSAL: I don't know what Bananas thinks,
I don't know if he thinks I owe him something,
but I definitely don't.
I'm here to play my own game,
I'm not here to play... Bananas' game.
The fact that he's throwing a little hissy fit
just goes to show you how long he's been
on top of this game.
And, I mean, right now he's at the bottom.
You're fucking dumber than you look, dude.
FAYSAL: Well, at least I win shit, Red team.
BANANAS: You fucking better watch out who you trust
and who's on your side.
- No. - (chuckles): Okay, don't chill.
BANANAS: There's a zero percent chance
that I'm gonna make it all the way to the end of this show
if I'm up every single time.
CHRIS: Bananas is trying
to get pity out of everyone.
And I'm just not buying it.
I know that this is a subtle manipulation.
It's... let me take that back.
This is obvious manipulation.
I know exactly what you're doing.
BANANAS: Nobody has been public enemy number one
fucking every single vote.
Buddy, I'm on a fucking island.
What everyone's playing right now
is this fucking game of survival, dude.
I think what it is-- people are hoping that I fucking stay.
It's just like, "Oh, let's just keep
"fucking throwing Bananas in.
"Oh, let's do the original thing
and fucking throw Bananas in for the third time."
When I'm fucking gone,
all this shit is going to fucking-- is going to blow up.
How shortsighted can you be?
This is just fucking stupid, man.
You guys are like fucking marionettes, dude.
Like, "Oh, what move--
"what can we do to appease the fucking alliance
for one more day?"
Who would have thought I would come into a house
and my biggest fucking allies
would be Dusty and fucking Paulie.
- (laughter) - (groans) That's all I need.
DUSTY: I do not want to lose Johnny Bananas
because the guy's my hero.
I want to continue to build
my relationship with Bananas.
I want to continue to learn from Bananas.
We need to get to work and try to figure out
how we can keep my hero in this game.
BANANAS: What alternate universe am I living in?
It's a nightmare.
What I want to ensure is that I want Bananas to go home.
- MICHAELA: Yeah. - I'm tired of hearing his voice
MICHAELA: Mm-hmm.
And I feel like Paulie can beat him.
I do feel like Paulie has a motivation
to get these vets out, but then you also have
- somebody who you know... - DESI: Is not on our side.
...is on the vets' side.
DESI: Yeah. Josh. That is a good point.
So better to get out someone we know
is definitely on the other side
than someone we think is kind of playing
both sides and could potentially be our number.
Bananas and Amanda are the nominees.
Bananas thinks that he can come into this game
and he's going to continue to be the king of the castle.
I don't really care if it's Paulie or Josh.
I just want to get Bananas out.
I think one thing's for sure, Red, male.
Mm-hmm. Red, male.
Who do you think Green's going to put up?
They're trying to split the votes on us
to have one of us go in against you.
My, what a tangled web we weave.
Who do you want to vote for?
'Cause everybody's going guys. Nobody's going girls.
I was just gonna... I was just gonna say you.
AMANDA: Bananas, be serious. We don't have a lot of time here.
Okay. You're not even on our team.
What the hell are you even doing in here?
- (laughter) - Who invited her?
I have always been someone who doesn't care about
sabotaging my own team,
especially when it benefits my game.
The more boy balls that go into that Hopper,
the less chance I'm going to be down in that Arena.
Monte would make a huge statement.
- MICHELE: Yeah. - But, I mean,
he's also a monstrosity of a human being.
So, the thing about Tyler is,
I think my skill sets and his would match up.
PAULIE: I don't know what has happened, ladies and gentlemen,
but I am actually inclined
to help out Johnny Bananas.
But then there's that other voice in my head that's like,
we hate each other.
BANANAS: Paulie the parasite,
you might have other people on this stage fooled.
- Yeah, okay. - You don't have me fooled.
- My vote's for Johnny. - Paulie is one of the most
dishonest people that's ever been on this show.
Damn, it's so untrustworthy. Whoo!
The universe has been forcing me into
these situations in order to make amends with my past.
I don't know what to do in this game.
DUSTY: I think Monte and Tyler, we can spread them over those two even.
And you can beat both of them, dude, no question asked.
BANANAS: That's the way you guys want to go,
then I'll go that way, too.
(alarm ringing)
- Red and Green, you're up. - All right.
- Okey dokey. - (sighs)
Obviously, a Red male.
I'm hoping he can beat Bananas.
I'm sorry, Paulie.
JOSH: He has the best chance of beating Bananas.
I'm gonna have to go against Green, oh, God.
(sighs)
Sayonara.
BANANAS: Good night, sweet prince.
(sighs)
I never thought I'd be saying this,
but, Bananas, I hope you come back.
Good luck tonight, buddy.
You ain't gonna need it.
♪ ♪
I'm a 40-year-old man. I'm in a young man's game.
All the experience that I've had, um,
I feel like a fish out of water.
I feel like, uh, it's my rookie season all over again.
And I'm pretending like this is just another day in the office.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
What's up, player?
♪ ♪
TJ: All right, everyone,
welcome back to the Arena.
Blue team, well done.
You had to go back to the house,
nominate one man and one woman
to put at risk here in the elimination round.
You did that and you chose two more vets.
Interesting.
So, Bananas, Amanda, come on out.
(cheers and applause)
Losing squads, you had to go back to the house
and do a secret vote.
You had to go and place names into the Hopper.
You did that. And those names are...
FAYSAL: All it takes is one ball.
And now you're going into elimination.
You have a chance to go home.
So, hopefully a strong male competitor goes in
to get Bananas out of here.
TJ: Josh, two votes.
Tyler...
three votes.
Chanelle, one vote.
Fuck.
TJ: Paulie...
three votes.
Instantly, I know that
this house is trying to pin
Paulie or me against Johnny,
and it's pissing me off,
but I'm trying to control all that energy
because I don't know if I'm going to be called tonight.
TJ: Monte.
Five votes.
Ooh, I wouldn't want to be Monte right now.
If you have one ball in there, there's a chance...
- Fuck. - ...that you're playing tonight.
- Luck, please be on my side. - TJ: All right, let's do this.
(whirring)
LUIS: Man, it's a full-fledged attack
on my boy Monte.
Five votes. I'm happy to see
that my name was not picked,
but I don't want to dwindle my numbers
on the Green team. I want Josh or Paulie.
I don't know what person threw away their vote on Chanelle.
I don't know if you guys heard what TJ said before,
but if there's one ball in that Hopper,
I still have a chance of going in.
All right. The Hopper has chosen.
TJ: All right. Well, Bananas...
...you're playing tonight.
Amanda, go ahead and rejoin your team.
(applause)
AMANDA: I can't wait to go lay down right next to Tori
every single night
to remind her that I'm still here.
Who's it going to be, Teej? Who's going home tonight? Whoo!
All right. It is...
BANANAS: Matching up against Monte,
that's what I want in this elimination.
Once that type of a statement is made,
hopefully then that will make them think twice
about targeting me.
If he's the one that's sent down there,
luck's on my side.
- Paulie. - Ooh. - Let's go, Paulie.
- Get it, Paulie. - (applause)
ALYSSA L.: Let's go.
PAULIE: I feel like this is the universe's way
of saying, "Whatever past issues you guys had,
it ends here tonight in the Arena."
There is no coming back from an elimination loss to Paulie.
Tonight you are playing Fire Ice.
As you can see, there are
two giant blocks of ice
on either end of the Arena.
To begin, you and your opponent
are going to be
on your own block of ice
holding your arm in the air.
That arm is connected to a giant bucket of fish guts.
That's right.
And it is trigger-happy.
So you cannot move your arm.
You move it, the fish guts come down and you're done.
Now, there are also beanbags next to you.
That's so you can pick up the beanbag
and chuck it at a target.
If you hit the target, it will ignite a torch
under your opponent's block of ice
and it also turns off your torch
when you hit the target.
At its core, this is a game of endurance.
The more your ice block melts,
the more you're going to have to struggle
to keep your arm at the same height.
Whoever can avoid tipping their bucket the longest
will win tonight's elimination and stay in the game.
- Good luck, guys. - JOSH: Good luck, guys.
- TORI: Good luck, guys. - AMANDA: Good luck, guys.
(cheering)
PAULIE: If there's a game to go against
a seven-time champ and win, it would be this one.
If I want to try and consider myself a Challenge legend,
It's something that I just have to do.
BANANAS: I've been waiting to light this guy up for a long time.
Paulie's a gamer,
and it's just going to come down to, uh, who can
withstand the pain for longer.
DUSTY: Let's go, boys. Come on now.
All right, gentlemen. Ready?
TORI: Come on, Paulie.
- DUSTY: Come on, boys. - AMANDA: Let's go, Nana Man.
- Go! - (air horn blows)
TIFFANY: Let's go.
- Y'all got this. - DUSTY: Come on, boys.
Good job, Johnny!
(cheering)
- Good job. Good work. - You got it.
Uh-oh!
CORY: Johnny's been
the number one person to underestimate me.
The shots have been fired.
I got him right where I want him.
I just hope that this works out.
- Yes! Good! - Nice.
- Way to go. - Don't waste 'em.
Make sure you got the last one.
They just accurate as fuck.
- Good job. - Nice shot.
This game, it's not just about endurance.
It's about your smarts.
I mean, if you get stuck with the fire underneath
your platform, you're done for.
Whoever throws the last bag,
they definitely have the best shot at winning this game.
- JOSH: Come on, Paulie. - AMANDA AND MICHELE: Careful.
JOSH: Take your time.
TIFFANY: Hold those arms up.
SEBASTIAN: Watch yourself, Paulie.
JOSH: Good work, boys.
PAULIE: Bananas and I are going back and forth
hitting our targets, fire goes on,
fire goes off. It comes down
to my last beanbag.
- (groans) - Oh, shit.
MONTE: Bananas threw his last bag,
but Paulie has one more bag left.
This is pretty much his life on the line in this game.
And I miss the target.
- (gasping) - Oh! - Did he hit it?
Oh. (chuckles) That was the last one.
Oh, my God.
DUSTY: We're a-cookin' now.
MICHELE: Just breathe. Stay still and breathe.
TORI: The beanbags are done,
and the fire's just going underneath Paulie's ice.
Bananas is in the position to win.
But at the same time, Bananas is moving
a little bit, like shifting his back.
I need him back in this game.
- Do work. - He could still fall.
- MONTE: Yeah, yeah. - DUSTY: Mind over matter, boys.
WES: Breathe.
This is hard. My arm's tired.
These guys are savages, dude.
BANANAS: I'm trying everything that I can do
to give off the impression that this is not affecting me at all.
But it doesn't seem to be having
any sort of effect on this guy.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
TYLER: Now that this thing is just a waiting game,
we're waiting for somebody to lose focus.
I'm pretty sure Paulie is looking Bananas
right in his soul right now,
and I like that strategy because Paulie does have
a death stare, and it might actually work.
These two are the definition of stubborn.
Lock in, Paulie.
Go get the Banana Man out of this game.
- Way, to go, boys. - Good job, guys. Keep going!
- Let's go. - Hell yeah.
TJ: Hang in there, boys.
TIFFANY: Show 'em how it's done.
Now I have to sit here
and pray that he gets tired
and drops his arm
before my ice melts
and has my arm pull the rope down.
Because I'm not dropping this thing,
come hell or high water.
ALYSSA L.: I'm hoping, because Johnny's just an old man now,
that his back is just gonna give out,
and Paulie has really great mental toughness.
He's in it.
He's not even moving.
Paulie, please just don't slip, please.
Paulie's ice keeps tilting, right?
- Oh! - (air horn blows)
- TJ: All right, Bananas, you win. - Whoo!
- Way to go, Paulie. - Good job, Bananas.
(cheering and applause)
Oh, my God, dude.
Paulie and myself, we've despised each other
since the second he...
infected The Challenge.
However, throughout the course of being here...
we've pretty much put whatever issues we had behind us.
BANANAS: It's unfortunate that he had to go.
Someone's got to lose.
But your boy's on top, triumphant.
Great elimination, fellas.
Paulie, unfortunately you lost tonight's elimination round.
You gave it your all.
It was a tight battle, but those fish guts landed on you.
Unfortunately, I have to send you home.
I really hope we see you in the future, Paulie.
Take care of yourself. Have a good one, man.
- Missed you, Teej. - (laughter)
Take care, man. See you, brother.
PAULIE: I finally feel
like I have nothing to prove to anybody but myself.
Bananas giving me a hug
and telling me I'm a good competitor.
He had every right to gloat.
Him saying that to me
made me finally feel
like an actual Challenger.
Well, Bananas, way to get it done, my friend.
- So proud of you, man! - Yeah!
Fuck yeah, dude.
Now, by winning tonight's elimination,
it is time for you to choose
do you want to stay with your team,
or would you like to defect to the Blue or the Green team?
Just remember, you have to take a man's place.
Losing Bananas off Team Red, let's be honest,
he is the brains of our operation,
he is the most experienced player
that we have,
and to lose Bananas early, it would be so detrimental
to my psyche, I'm afraid.
TJ, uh...
this whole defection angle
was put in this game for a reason.
I'm obviously not here to go with the flow.
Bananas, he's coming back into this house.
And my only fear...
is that he's gonna send me to the Red team.
Grab your popcorn, the war has begun.
TJ: Next on The Challenge: USA...
BANANAS: This is my best option
at protection at this point.
TJ: ...the vets are fighting back.
I'm not included in those rooms.
They shuffle like fucking rats.
I'm coming after you.
TJ: But it's a rookie
who makes the most strategic move...
The only way to keep our names out of nomination
- is to do something different. - (shouts)
TJ: ...causing frustration and chaos
throughout the teams.
MONTE: There were deals made behind closed doors,
and I couldn't get ahead of that.
It doesn't feel natural and easy for me.
JOSH: So, are we playing Survivor? Are we playing Survivor?
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org
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