The Challenge: USA Recap: A Surprise Double Elimination Sets the Stage for One Brutal Betrayal
Lies are a dime a dozen in The Challenge house and sometimes those lies can destroy real-life friendships.
Before we get into Wednesday’s major blindside, we see a conversation Chris has with some of the Survivor women. There’s still a big divide between the group — most notably between Chris, and Chanelle and Michaela. Despite the fact that they’re now having open communication about rebuilding trust, the jury’s still out on whether the former castaways can actually mend their broken fences.
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Despite Josh wanting to make it to a final, he knows he’s going to have to eventually turn on Wes in order to get there. But Wes tells us that Josh will never be his rival, and that like Pinocchio, Josh will never be a real boy. (Or something like that.) “I will never consider him to be a threat,” Wes tells us.
DAILY CHALLENGE | In “Go the Distance,” players must jump off a platform into water, grabbing a baton on the way down. If they grab a baton, they’re still in the game. But after every round, the batons will be placed further and further out. The last man and woman standing wins.
Oh, and it’s a double elimination this week. No pressure.
Cassidy, Desi, Tori and Michaela are the only ladies to pass Round 1, and even though she’s petrified, Michaela makes it all the way to Round 4 and wins the whole shebang!
In the men’s heat, Bananas and Faysal make it to Round 4, but Faysal claims the win. Can anyone stop this guy at this point?
NOMINATIONS | Despite her handshake deal with Tori, Michaela is eyeing the Ride or Dies champ for possible elimination. Faysal, however, talks her out of it. Since there are several eliminations to go, they hope that the stronger players will win and help keep them safe down the road. Thus, Chris and Alyssa become their two official picks.
And Alyssa cries about it. Again. (I can’t, you guys. We’ve just gotta keep this recap moving.)
Chris tells Josh that he wants to target Wes, which Josh knows is the best move for his game. “I’m hurting somebody that I’ve truly grown to love as a brother in this game and it sucks,” Josh says in a confessional. But will he actually pull the trigger and put Wes’ ball into the Hopper? He does, albeit, through tears.
THE ARENA | Wes gets three votes, Tyler gets seven and Bananas gets two. For the ladies, Tori gets two, Michele gets one and Cassidy gets nine. When TJ pulls names from the Hopper, the matchups are as follows: Wes vs. Chris, and Cassidy vs. Alyssa.
In “Ripped Off,” players hang off a giant tower. One person wears a suit with 10 patches on it. His or her opponent will be the chaser, whose main goal is to rip off as many patches as possible in five-minutes’ time. After time expires, they’ll switch spots. Whoever gets the most patches off their opponent wins and stays in the game.
The women are up first and Alyssa scores eight patches. When the roles are reversed, Cassidy is able to get nine off, securing her spot in the game and showing Alyssa the door.
When Wes and Chris step up to play, Wes rips off nine patches, but Chris gets all of Wes’ sending the three-time Challenge champ out of the game.
While saying his goodbyes, Wes asks Bananas who placed the third vote on him. After some hesitation, Josh cops to it, telling Wes that he would’ve beaten them all in the end. Wes looks a bit dejected and without getting loud says, “I know, but that’s not what you’ve been saying the whole time.”
Wes then does what we’ve been half-expecting him to this entire season: He announces his official retirement from the show after nearly 18 years in the game. “I just want to say I’m not coming back,” the soon-to-be dad said. “It’s been a privilege. To everyone making this and playing with you all… I’m going to miss it all. So goodbye.”
Will anyone be able to take Chris out?! We’ll soon find out. In the meantime, let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below.
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