Leaves

[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for The Challenge Season 41 Episode 5.]

Another GOAT of the show headed home on The Challenge‘s latest episode — though not for the reason you might think.

Wednesday’s (August 27) new episode of Vets and New Threats picked up right where the last one left off, with the remaining competitors dealing with the aftermath of Johnny Bananas‘ elimination. His showmance partner Dee Valladares staged an impromptu memorial on his now-empty bed, fit with an actual banana and a “no feet” sign as a wink to his apparent kink.

Meanwhile, Olivia Kaiser mused that his exit would have the unintended consequence of uniting the rookies against the veterans, and she seemed to be right based on the hush-hush bunkroom gathering Aneesa Ferreira accidentally (or maybe intentionally) crashed.

After that, Cara Maria Sorbello revealed that she needed to leave after receiving bad news about her mother’s health and saved her biggest goodbye for fellow Bostonian Chris “C.T.” Tamburello, who offered to leave right alongside her.

“This is harder than The Challenge itself,” she said of what she faced at home. “This is my escape. This is where I can just go on autopilot and focus on one thing and escape my home reality.” Of her exit, CT said in a confessional, “Cara is like a sister to me… I tell her to keep her head up, and she’s a tough chick, but I’m going to miss her.”

Cara’s exit meant Leo Dionicio had no partner, but instead of forcing him to become the next “hangnail” of the game, host T.J. Lavin announced that an alternate was coming into the game — it was not just any old player, but two-time The Challenge: All Stars winner Jonna Mannion. Game on.

The daily challenge was sponsored by (and themed in accordance with) the upcoming football horror film Him. Called “Dirtballer,” the grueling challenge required the pairs to work together to dig up giant wooden posts, carry them across a 500-meter field, then set them back into the ground to create a goalpost before kicking a field goal on it to win. Winning the challenge were Michaela Bradshaw and Jake Cornish. Coming in dead last were Dee and Derek Chavez.

Michaela, despite giving Olivia a spirited speech about her decision to protect someone who wasn’t being targeted, decided to throw their save to Jake’s pal Leo from potential elimination. Then, the house vote became a tie between Yeremi Hykel (whose partner Ashley Mitchell was loudly concerned about becoming a hangnail) and Ben Davis. T.J. resolved the tie with a coin toss, which sent Ben into the arena.

The elimination challenge was, like the daily, Him-coded as “Him Collide,” a variation of the classic Hall Brawl featuring a football. Without much resistance, Derek ran all over Ben and easily won, leaving his partner Olivia as the next hangnail.

Then came the selection, wherein the new partnerships were decided: Michael and Yeremi, Jake and Janna, Adrienne Naylor and Derek, Turabi “Turbo” Çamkıran and Tay Wilcoxson, Aviv Melmed and Cedric Hodges, Will Gagnon and Ashley, Ayoleka “Leka” Sodade and CT, Gabe Wai and Aneesa, America Chavez and Derrick Kosinski, Leroy Garrett and Izzy Fairthorne, Sydney Segal and Leo, Nany Gonzales and Theo Campbell, and Justin Hinsley and Dee.

All in all, there wasn’t too much drama in this particular episode, but the look-ahead tells us that things are about to sour up between CT and Turbo — meaning, the fear that vet-on-vet crimes would begin in the wake of Bananas’ departure might just come true after all.

The Challenge, Wednesdays, 8/7c, MTV