We saw Ashley vote in Ninja to guarantee her safety for the week. She essentially flipped to the other side for one week of protection. Will this hurt her standing with her alliance? I think only a small bit. This season is still a numbers game, and while she displayed disloyalty to her alliance, they still need her vote. So while Ashley might be a floater, she can choose which she side she floats to week to week. It’s a great position to have in the game.

It’s also weird seeing her bond so well with Cara after the social media feud between the two, especially the attacks flung by fans. I guess that’s growth?

4 Johnny Bananas is/was playing a phenomenal game

The previous few weeks, I made fun of Johnny for being a curmudgeon who is playing a short-term game. This week he proved me wrong. With Wes out of the way, Bananas now has an actual gameplan of attacking the other side. The best part of it is he is attributing Wes’s name to all these players; and while Wes did have deals with them, it’s ironic to call them scurrying rats considering many of them have made finals, won eliminations, and are even multi-time champions.

Regardless, Bananas has done an incredible job of whispering into Laurel’s ear and getting her to do the leg-work he has no desire to accomplish. Laurel became Bananas best employee this episode as she did everything he would do, except without the target Laurel created for herself. His ability to misdirect the valid complaints of his teammates with personal attacks or red herrings is top-notch gameplay. He is a politician who when backed into the corner yells fakes news, yet the Challengers are dumb enough get distracted by it. Laurel losing the elimination hurts his stock a massive amount, but who saw that coming?

3 Should Ninja maybe tone down her intensity a bit?

I like Ninja Natalie. I think she brings a fun energy to the game and is a total competitor. The world always needs more confident and strong women; therefore, I support her being on this show because she is a kickass human. Social media thinks otherwise, and I understand why. Ninja is confident, but occasionally she borders on the side of cocky, which once fans think you’re cocky, they bury you for it. Her over-exuberance before the elimination began was almost setting her up for failure. If she won, people would think it was rigged for her based on her excitement; if she lost, people would make fun of her for losing at what she thought she’d win hands down.

It was a lose-lose situation, and fans probably want to see a more humble Ninja. Regardless, I’m glad she’s entered the Challenge world.

2 What the hell happened in that elimination and who is to blame