This episode opens with Turbo prepping for the final. He eats a massive amount of food and then runs on the treadmill. Turbo says he will accept nothing over than first, and Theo says he views Turbo as his biggest competition.

Theo, Georgia, and Wes talking in the kitchen.

Elsewhere in the house, Wes is talking to Georgia, Theo, and Hunter. Hunter mostly lurks in the background as Wes explains what to expect next to the two remaining Brits. He tells them how no matter what you did throughout the season if you fail in a major way in the final that is all people will remember. Wes is obviously referencing when he was paired with Kenny on Rivals, in a season filled with controversy. Wes carried Kenny the entire season, winning two eliminations and a mission for the pair. However, in the final Wes got terribly sick and sustained a massive injury in his hamstring, leading Kenny to attempt to carry him for a few seconds. Wes tells the two if you aren’t scared, you aren’t prepared. Wes tells them a non-American has never won (apparently, he has blocked Evan from his memory), and he won’t settle for anything less than first. It’s a small thing, but I find these moments to be very effective at humanizing these characters and making us appreciate as people before they embark on a near impossible task.

The cast as TJ arrives.

All of a sudden, a rumble sounds in the distance and TJ appears in a helicopter. Ninja gets super excited, and the cast emerges to see TJ and the Pain Locker ready to take them to the final. The final is called The Death Path and entails the competitors to complete a course which spans fifty miles and includes numerous Kill Zones throughout. The first half of the final will be twenty-four miles, half running, and half biking. There are five checkpoints, and each competitor must complete four laps and all five checkpoints before finishing. The total times from the different parts will be added up and whoever has the quickest time will be declared the winner. TJ blows the hon and their off.

Wes passing Theo on the run.

Theo starts off in first. However, he lets Wes pass him in an attempt to get him to tire himself out. Georgia is right behind the two and is grinding to keep up with Wes. She’s right behind Wes and Theo but is clearly hurting to keep up. Hunter and Turbo are walking their bikes, and Ninja passes them. Theo passes Wes on the bike and gets to the checkpoints first. Wes is soon behind. Theo plays On Point, where he has to get a ring on each point of a standing board. Wes is right behind him and plays Pyramid Scheme first. Pyramid Scheme entails the competitors completing a puzzle of different colored pyramids, seemingly similar to Sudoku.

Georgia dragging the bike behind her.

Georgia is behind the boys still and is really struggling on the bike. She seems to be getting really bothered by the heat. She falls down a few times and starts breathing super heavily. Ninja ends up passing her as Georgia looks like she is on the verge of death. Eventually, the producers make the call and medics are summoned to the scene. Georgia ends up being medically disqualified as she is deliriously dragged into the hospital truck.

Wes working on Pyramid Scheme.

We move ahead with only seven competitors now, as Turbo arrives to play Rampage, where competitors must use a pole to push a ball up a ramp and into a hole. Ninja is soon behind him and plays Skulled Out. Where competitors assemble a standing puzzle in the shape of a skull. Hunter arrives and plays So Rolled, where competitors roll a tire through a hole/ Cara Maria and Mattie keep running after seeing that all the checkpoints are being used. Theo and Hunter finish and are off, while Ninja finishes and tries out On Point.

Turbo’s leg is cramping.

Theo is killing the run and passes Cara and Mattie, while Hunter is hurting and is passed by Wes. Cara is hurting and complains to Wes as he passes her. The competitors arrive at the biking section, with the order being Theo, Wes, Cara, Mattie, Hunter, Turbo. Turbo starts biking but gets a bad cramp in his leg. However, he is able to push through and continue. Theo, Mattie, and Wes arrive at similar times to the checkpoints. Hunter starts hurting super bad while on the bike but is able to get back up and keep moving. Theo finishes the checkpoint and is able to keep moving, and Wes is right behind him after finishing On Point.

Ninja after falling off the bike.

Ninja is on the bike, and her vision goes loopy and she just falls over. She has medics come over to her, but reports come back normal, so she is good to go. Wes is having back issues rolling the tire and decides to just take a break until he times out. Ninja gets to the checkpoints and does two in a row before doing her next run. Theo asks Ninja if she did the Rampage, but she doesn’t tell him.

TJ talking to Mattie.

Mattie looks like a zombie and decides to call it. TJ tells her she is a great competitor; she just has to quit smoking. TJ didn’t even give her that hard of a time, showing how brutal this final is. Medics evacuate her out, and we are down to six.

Baby Wes.

Moving forward, Theo is still in first with Wes behind and Turbo has moved into third. Wes decides to do two checkpoints in a row and then do the last run to finish things off. Theo finishes his last run and only has the two checkpoints to do. Theo finishes first on the first leg, with a time of five hours and thirty-four minutes. Wes is right behind him with a time of five hours and forty-four minutes. Turbo gets third with a time of five hours and fifty-eight minutes.

Wes after falling over from cramps.

Turbo seems confused and is asking Theo if they are done or not. As they are talking while standing on some stumps, Wes just falls over. Wes refuses medical attention and gets back on the stump. I’m not sure what the point of the stumps is but my theory is that they were originally going to have them stand on them for another portion and then after everyone was so hurt decided against it. Hunter times out on Skulled Out, but Cara is already working on Pyramid Scheme and has to wait for her to finish it. Ninja finishes and starts to cry from the pain of the race. Cara finishes to Wes and Theo clapping for her and all that is left is Hunter on the Pyramid Scheme. As usual with Hunter and puzzles, it does not go well. He’s significantly behind everyone else, but they are all hurting.

The cast getting their IVs.

TJ arrives to greet the competitors and explain the next steps. They crawl over to the podium and await what is next. TJ says they will have a Tribunal, with Theo, Wes, and Turbo in power. The cast goes to a truck to get IV’s which Cara refuses. The Tribunal starts, but the episode closes, and we have to wait for the next one to see what happens.

Disqualified

Georgia: Outstanding season from Georgia, and it was hard to watch her get dragged away in an ambulance. She explained in an interview with Challengemania that she hadn’t hydrated herself well and had taken an energy drink in the morning, and by the time the medics were there she didn’t even remember where she was and was in and out of consciousness. I think she was the best character of any girl this season and if she gets a partner with a bit more political capability (about to start a petition for a Georgia/Wes pairing); she is a legitimate threat to win.

Mattie: Great season from Mattie as well, her physical performance at many times was the best of any girl on the show. She seems like someone who could be a bigger personality give the opportunity, but since Kyle and Paulie’s rivalry kind of fell into the background as the season went along, she didn’t get the chance to shine.

Power Rankings

6) Hunter: I went back and forth on whether to put Hunter or Ninja in this spot, but with Hunter being so far behind it is kind of difficult to put him anywhere but here.

5) Ninja: She finished ahead of Cara, but I think she is easily the most likely to be thrown in putting her at number five.

4) Cara Maria: She was dragging for a lot of the final, but she pushed through and was able to make it to the end. I don’t know how realistic winning is for her at this point, but if one of the three guys ahead of her falters she should jump up.

3) Turbo: These top three are really just a listing of the order, as I think any of three are a legitimate threat to win. Turbo seemed to sustain the most serious injury of any of them, but I also have a difficult time seeing him let himself lose.

2) Wes: Impressive performance from Wes. Other people have been skeptical of his physical performance, but he’s got as good a shot as anybody to win at this point.

1) Theo: Theo absolutely killed the first portion of the final and seemed perfectly built for it. We’ll see what awaits him on the second leg, but for right now he is the favorite.

Extra Notes

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