‘The Challenge’ Recap: [SPOILER] Puts His Own Game At Risk To Save A Friend During Double Elimination
Two players with red skulls were sent home on the July 8 episode of ‘The Challenge’ — and one elimination came after a game-changing move to help someone else.
The July 8 episode of The Challenge: Total Madness begins with six guys and five girls left. Every player has earned a red skull at this point, and will be able to run the final if they make it that far. Unfortunately, it’s not time for the final yet. Instead, it’s a double elimination week — which means one guy AND one girl who already have a red skull will be going home.
The weekly challenge is an individual game, which requires each player to drive a car at full-speed into a row of barrels, which other competitors are standing on top of. The guy and girl who knock down the most barrels will be in the tribunal. Johnny Bananas and Kaycee pull out the W, and they decide to pull Kyle, a member of Johnny’s alliance, into the tribunal as the third member.
Back at the bunker, all of the losers must nominate one guy and one girl into elimination. Rogan knows that he does not have enough votes on his side, so he decides to prove himself again by nominating himself. The girls’ vote isn’t as easy, though. Jenny, Bayleigh, Melissa and Dee each vote for one of the other girls, which brings the vote to a four-way tie that will be decided by the guys. In the end, Jenny’s inability to keep her word to other players throughout the season earns her a nomination into the elimination.
Now, the tribunal must pick two other guys and two other girls to potentially go against Jenny and Rogan. At the challenge, Johnny and Kyle promised Kaycee that they wouldn’t vote her ally, Fessy, into the elimination. They keep their word, so Cory and Nelson are the options there. For the girls, it’s between Dee and Bayleigh, as Melissa is closely aligned with Johnny and Kyle (even though they aren’t happy that she didn’t stick up for Jenny at the losers’ nomination).
Ahead of the elimination, Nelson makes a huge move to save his best friend, Cory. He lets the tribunal know that he wants to be chosen to go against Rogan, as Cory, who has a daughter and another on the way at home, has much more at stake in this game than he does. Nelson’s decision is widely respected in the house, and the tribunal grants him his wish. Meanwhile, the tribunal votes Dee to go in against Jenny.
The challenge is an all-time classic — Hall Brawl — which requires the players to run straight at each other down a narrow hallway. The first to reach their bell on the other side wins. Jenny dominates Dee, and Rogan pulls out the win over Nelson, which means Dee and Nelson are eliminated.
Naturally, Nelson’s elimination is super emotional for Cory. However, it’s all worth it, as host TJ Lavin ends the night by letting the remaining nine players know that they’re all headed to the final! We’ll see how that plays out when the show continues next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. on MTV!