The Challenge: USA Recap: Which Two Players Fell One Arena Short Of Making The Final?
With the finale just around the corner, the 10 remaining players can already smell the money. But not everyone's going to make it to next week's Challenge: USA season finale. No, sir. Because on Thursday's episode, the competitors had to survive one last challenge and a double elimination!
Needless to say, emotions are running high. Josh waters up telling us he wants to give the prize money to his parents, while Chanelle details the imposter syndrome she's endured as a result of her mid Survivor 42 finish. And with an episode titled, "The Treason for the Season," someone's about to feel the hurt!
DAILY CHALLENGE | TJ lets them in on a nice little surprise: The man and woman to win the day's challenge are going straight to the final! The cast is pleased as punch, but Michaela is terrified of what she sees in front of her: hot air balloons and "ladders going up to Jesus."
In "Burst Your Bubble," players must climb 40 feet up a pair of rope ladders, then traverse across a balance beam to a second hot air balloon. Once they get across, their time will be stopped. The players with the fastest times will win. And that's when TJ tells them it's a double elimination. (Way to bury the lede, Teej!)
Faysal absolutely beasts his run, but Cory's no slouch either. Once Chris goes, though, it's virtually impossible to guess who's going to take this one. Michaela also deserves some major props, once again conquering her fear of heights to get the job done. And she wins for the ladies! Faysal and Chris are announced as the Top 2 for the guys, but Chris comes out victorious.
NOMINATIONS | While Faysal tells Josh that they've got to get Bananas out (why go to the end with a seven-time champ?), Michaela and Chris head to the nomination table. The two winners — excuse me, finalists — choose Faysal and Cassidy for the Arena.
Josh tells Bananas to his face that he won't vote for him. He even swears on his grandfather in heaven. (Which maaaybe he shouldn't have done...) Tori is having a rough time, too. She made a deal with Faysal and Cory that she wouldn't vote for them if they protected her earlier, and she wants to keep her word. That only leaves her with Bananas and Josh for options. With numbers this small, everyone is faced with potentially backstabbing a close ally.
Faysal puts all of the pressure on Josh, telling him that if he doesn't vote for Bananas, it's more or less like taking a shot at Faysal. When it comes time to vote, Josh and Tori can't decide on which guy to choose. After Josh votes, he confesses to Bananas that he did, indeed, vote for him. (Dear future reality TV contestants: Never swear on a family member, living or deceased, OK?) But then again, it's Bananas! The dude has won a bajillion times. They should've targeted this guy weeks ago! Bananas throws a hissy fit, like he does when things don't go his way, and mumbles something about Josh's word meaning nothing.
One of reality TV's biggest villains ever lecturing someone about not keeping his word. Isn't that rich?
THE ARENA | TJ wastes no time in reading the results of the secret vote. He starts with the women. Tori gets two votes; Desi gets one; and Chanelle gets five. For the men, Cory gets one; Josh gets two; and Bananas gets five. The host heads over to the Hopper to make the match-ups official: Cassidy will play Chanelle, while Faysal will take on... Josh?! Ouch. (When will these casts stop letting Bananas skate to the final?)
It's a Hall Brawl with a twist. Competitors will have a shield to use for the first initial impact (boo!). Then, at the end of the hall, there's a puzzle. Players must solve it and race to a black square to guess the answer. It's a one-and-done elimination; no two-out-of-three business this time around.
The women kick things off and after a couple incorrect guesses, Chanelle solidifies her spot in the final. During the men's heat, Faysal chooses an interesting strategy. After blowing through Josh in the hall, he quickly runs over to guess the puzzle's answer. And instead of actually trying to solve the puzzle, he sprints back and forth repeatedly, so he can keep taking wild guesses. Cutting corners pays off and he eventually guesses correctly, essentially booking Josh's long and likely sad flight home.
So who do you want to win next week's big finale? Let us know in the comments!