Chapter Text
We begin this episode the next morning after Natalia’s elimination as Hannah, Jade, and Isabel sat by the campfire. Hannah looked despondent, Isabel looked furious, and Jade felt awkward amidst all the tension.
“So… the last elimination didn’t go as planned, but I’m sure we can find a way to survive the next vote.” Jade smiled nervously, “The others may have a majority but I doubt they’re a united one.”
“That’s true.” Hannah began to smile, “I can always get Benji back on our side and we can try eliminating Anastasia again.”
“Because that worked sooooooooo well last time, didn’t it?” Isabel rolled her eyes furiously to which Hannah looked annoyed at her sarcasm.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m sure if I just talk to Benji, things will be fine.” Hannah crossed her arms in annoyance.
“We didn’t vote for Zaid like he asked us to, and he STILL backstabbed us. Clearly Benji has an agenda that me and Jade don’t fit into, and perhaps you don’t fit in it either.” Isabel crossed her arms sternly to which Hannah glared at her.
“Don’t make accusations about my friend, Isabel!” Hannah said furiously.
“Friend?” Isabel smiled with wide eyes before snickering, “Are we sure that’s all you see him as or does your devotion for him exceed to higher levels than that?”
“Wh-What…” Hannah stammered as she began blushing but before anything could escalate, Jade spoke up.
“That’s enough! Isabel, those remarks were uncalled for!” Jade spoke in a lecturing tone to which Isabel went wide eyed before sighing guiltily.
“I’m sorry… I’m just upset that Natalia's gone, and I don’t like that Benji backstabbed us.” Isabel apologized sincerely.
“I guess I understand how that feels…” Hannah sighed in resignation before standing up and walking off, “I’m gonna go talk to Benji.”
Once Jade and Isabel were left alone, the Strategist immediately turned to glare at the Nun.
“I’m sorry, okay!!!” Isabel said defensively, “But we both know that Benji can’t be left unchecked after that stunt he pulled and I certainly don’t trust Hannah to be objective when she has a certain… affinity to him.”
“You make a good point, Hannah and Benji have definitely been getting closer, and not in a pure platonic way.” Jade acknowledged, “Which is weird because Tristan and Benji seemed like they had a thing going on back when the goth was still around.”
“Wait… those two had something going on?” Isabel asked in shock.
“Yeah, poor Benji. It does not sound fun to be in a love triangle.” Jade admitted with a shudder but she did not notice the devious smirk Isabel held and the sadistic gleam in her eyes.
Confessional: Isabel
“Seems like Benji has more charisma than I expected. Admittedly, I have to give him props for getting two people to fall for him.” Isabel admitted in respect before her smirk turned devious, “Perhaps Hannah deserves a little reminder about how Benji is not as fully devoted to her as she is to him.”
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Jade sitting on a rock at the beach, cuddling up to Franklin before Spencer walked over to her.
“Are you mad at me?” Spencer asked in concern.
“Yes Spencer, I’m mad.” Jade said angrily, “You went behind my back for the second time.”
“I did warn you that two of your allies had issues with me. I can’t exactly do nothing about that, can I?” Spencer asked sternly to which Jade sighed.
“Okay… I can give you that. This isn’t as egregious as the Diego situation, but now thanks to you, I have to deal with Hannah’s conflicting feelings towards Benji and Isabel having an axe to grind.” Jade argued.
“Those two aren’t exactly my concern, are they?” Spencer scoffed before storming off to which Jade turned towards his direction.
“Spencer… after all of this, where do we stand?” Jade asked in concern, making the Mathlete stop in his tracks.
“We’re still acquaintances, all done to better our game. After… I am unsure. It depends on when you feel like opening up.” Spencer crossed his arms before walking off, leaving Jade to ponder her thoughts.
We then cut to Logan and Richard playing basketball together at the basketball shooting booth. The two were clearly having fun, but Richard could tell Logan’s thoughts were drifting.
“So… where’s your head at?” Richard asked the Olympian curiously.
“Well it’s not thinking about water. Nope, that’d be weird. I’m FINE, I’m super… duper, even.” Logan laughed nervously before taking the basketball and shooting it towards the hoop but it ricocheted off the rim and smacked Logan’s face, causing him to fall down, “Ow!”
Richard immediately bent down to lend Logan a hand in picking him up.
“Logan, you don’t have to hide your feelings from me, especially after our talk from yesterday. What Jade did was… very reckless. Just give yourself the time you need.” Richard said despondently.
“Thanks… I doubt Jade had any malicious intent, but I still feel uneasy around her, and around water in general after that incident.” Logan sighed miserably before Spencer walked over to them.
“Everything alright over here?” Spencer asked in concern.
“Logan’s just bummed over what happened last challenge, Jade neglecting to tell me about what happened did not help matters.” Richard explained with some bitterness directed at the marine biologist.
“I understand you’re upset with her, but I talked with Jade about what happened and she never meant any harm. She simply panicked under pressure.” Spencer explained in his ally’s defense.
“I guess that’s fair, but Spence can I ask you something?” Richard asked.
“What is it?” Spencer raised an eyebrow.
“I know you’re kinda close with Jade, but right now, no one else really deserves to go home as much as she does right now. Are you alright with eliminating her?” Richard asked the Mathlete which made Spencer widen his eyes.
“That’s a big ask Richard. Jade is one of the few people keeping my social game afloat.” Spencer admitted nervously.
“We get what you mean, but… has Jade ever truly been open with you back on your old team?” Richard questioned sincerely to which Spencer contemplated what he was being asked.
Confessional: Spencer
“Bloody fucking hell…” Spencer grumbled in annoyance, “I understand Richard’s grievances with Jade, trust me, I’m not happy with her either, but it still wouldn’t feel right sending her home… I suppose if worse comes to worse, I can always continue mending bridges with Anastasia and Zaid, but am I really willing to backstab Jade…”
Confessional Ends
We then cut to the dark of the night as the final nine stood in front of a haunted house where Trevor and Derek stood by the entrance.
“Welcome to Stawaki’s Haunted Mansion.” Derek announced in a spooky voice to which everyone looked horrified at the haunted house in front of them with Benji even jumping into Zaid’s arms in terror. Zaid was somewhat annoyed by this, but didn’t bother dropping him.
“Wait, a challenge at this hour?” Spencer asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Duh. Can’t do a haunted mansion in the daytime. In front of you is the Stawaki Carnival haunted attraction.” Derek made a clawing motion with his hands.
“And inside is things that you…” Trevor stammered before a lighting bolt struck, making Trevor jump in Derek’s arms.
“Sorry guys, Trevor is a little jumpy after testing this challenge. Emily’s still on her break.” Derek spoke bitterly.
“There are three rooms you must get through. First person to escape the haunted house without being kicked out by what’s inside wins immunity.” Trevor managed to squeak out in terror.
“Your challenge begins now.” Derek smirked mischievously before carrying Trevor away as the final nine walked to the entrance door.
“Man, I used to love haunted houses. Back when I was a kid, the attractions used to just be people in face paint and little puppets. I wouldn’t sleep for days.” Richard recalled nostalgically.
“So… who wants to go first?” Logan asked with a scared smile.
“Ugh, don’t be a scaredy cat.” Anastasia grumbled impatiently.
“That’s actually why my last girlfriend dumped me. Scary movies heebied my jeebies.” Logan admitted sadly.
“Definitely dodged a bullet there if she broke up with you over something that stupid.” Hannah said bluntly.
“I’m with Logan, something about this place feels… demonic.” Isabel spoke in a hushed but stern voice.
“Jesus, I’ll go.” Jade rolled her eyes before noticing Isabel’s offended glare, “Hehe… Sorry…”
Soon enough, Jade opened the door to the haunted house before the final nine entered an empty dark room with a stairwell.
“Better be careful while we're here. Don’t wanna get caught by the demons.” Benji snickered mischievously yet playfully as he walked by Jade’s side.
“Says the man who jumped into Zaid’s arms.” Jade smirked back to which Benji looked embarrassed for a brief moment before laughing it off.
“Alright, got me there.” Benji admitted fondly as Isabel led the rest of the group inside, holding her cross necklace in front of her in paranoia.
As the contestants searched around the room, Logan found a mini-table that had a miniature bell on it.
“Hello! Room service!” Logan pressed on the bell with a snicker, “Hey Anastasia, look. It’s Logan BELL.”
“Seems you’re not scared after all.” Anastasia smirked proudly.
“Yeah, I guess this place isn’t that bad.” Logan admitted fondly before the room suddenly went dark before the contestants suddenly found themselves in a haunted library.
“It is that bad! IT IS THAT BAD!” Logan yelled in horror as he clutched Anastasia in fright before she pushed him off.
Suddenly, a bunch of unlit candles began lighting themselves up in a frequency that made even Spencer and Jade widen their eyes before the candles floated towards the contestants in a circle.
“What’s going on?!” Hannah asked in horror.
“I’m too sexy to die!” Benji cried out in fear to which Anastasia glared at him.
“That’s the biggest lie I’ve heard all day. And quit your panicking.” Anastasia crossed her arms at Benji sternly.
Confessional: Benji
“No need to rub it in…” Benji muttered in a whiny tone.
Confessional Ends
“C’mon guys, these are likely just special effects. No need to panic.” Richard smiled reassuringly.
“Right… effects…” Logan smiled nervously but he and Richard would soon be proven wrong as the candles began launching themselves at the contestants to which they all ducked in fright as the candles continued flying sporadically through the air. Their situation did NOT improve once the books starting flying off the shelves either.
“Hey guys! Door’s over here!” Zaid called out as he ran towards an exit door but when Richard ran there as well, he noticed a combination lock.
“Yeah, but there’s a combination lock on it. Maybe one of the books has it.” Richard said uneasily.
“I’ll check the comic books. I need some levity.” Benji said happily as he searched through the shelves.
“This is a library, man. There are no comics here.” Zaid said bluntly with crossed arms.
“Found one.” Benji smiled enthusiastically as he held a HydroWave comic to which Zaid’s mouth went agape before he got hit in the back of the head with a candle.
Soon enough, Hannah could be seen ducking for cover as books and candles flew across the room before hiding behind an upturned table. Benji noticed this and moved to follow her before they were both hiding together.
“Hannah, I need to know… are you mad at me about last night?” Benji asked in concern.
“What?! Of course I’m not MAD, Benji. It’d be one thing if you voted me off, but you barely knew Natalia. Sure, I’m a little upset that you blindsided me but I was also looking for you all day, where were you?” Hannah asked with a concerned tone of her own.
“I was with Anastasia and Zaid. We were finding ingredients for Zaid to cook with while talking about our new alliance. I made them promise not to vote you out in case you’re worried.” Benji explained nervously.
“You… made an alliance without me?” Hannah asked, a bit hurt by this information.
“I wanted to make my own move. I’m constantly following your lead in our friendship and I made it clear that I didn’t trust Jade or Isabel, and I certainly didn’t trust them to prioritize us over Natalia if we got to the final five, even if Jade and I are friends.” Benji explained sadly.
“You still could've talked to me…” Hannah spoke softly.
“Would you have approved?” Benji asked sternly to which Hannah didn’t have an answer to that.
Confessional: Hannah
“Even if I trust Jade and Isabel more than Benji does… I get why he decided to blindside Natalia. When I force myself to confront it, Isabel and Jade probably WOULD have chosen to keep Natalia over Benji if we all made the final five. The sad thing is, I can’t even blame him for thinking I would’ve given him grief if he talked to me about his plan.” Hannah sighed miserably.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Jade ducking for cover as she searched a shelf before picking up a book with the number three on it.
“I found a book with the number three! We need to find three more! Everyone, start searching the shelves!” Jade informed everyone as the room started to shake.
“We better hurry, this place is getting-“ Spencer began nervously before a book began flying towards him to which he immediately ducked, causing it to hit Isabel on the back of the head instead, making her fall over with a glare.
Soon enough, Benji came out from behind another shelf and smiled optimistically.
“I got six!” Benji called out before noticing three books flapping behind him before they started chasing him. Meanwhile, Isabel stood near the door and put in the first two numbers.
“When you find the next two numbers! Yell them out and I’ll open the door!” Isabel called out.
“This is way less chill than Ghost Busters!” Logan yelled out in horror before finding a numbered book. However, some candles began flying right towards him but before they could attack, Richard shielded Logan with a chalkboard.
“I gotcha covered!” Richard smiled heroically.
“Richard you legend!” Logan cheered before turning towards Isabel, “It’s eight!”
Isabel nodded with a smirk and added that to the combination.
Anastasia then looked to the top of an empty shelf before jumping up to grab the last numbered book.
“Yes! The last number is five!” Anastasia smiled enthusiastically.
“Got it! Let me try the combinations!” Isabel said happily before unlocking the door.
“First try!” Isabel cheered before closing her eyes pridefully, “I’d like to thank Jesus, and-“
“Pray later! Escape now!” Spencer spoke firmly before pushing himself and Isabel to the exit.
“Hey! Spencer! What about the lord?!” Isabel spoke in disapproval before the rest of the contestants began running to the exit but as they did so, a book smacked against the back of Hannah’s head, knocking her unconscious.
“Hannah!” Benji cried out in horror, gaining Anastasia and Zaid’s attention before he moved to carry her bridal style while Zaid grabbed her legs to make Benji’s end less lighter.
“Hurry up! We need to make it inside before Jade or Spencer locks us in!” Anastasia called out before all three of them began running to the exit where thankfully, all of them made it to the other room before Spencer slammed the door shut and locked it behind them.
Confessional: Anastasia
“I would’ve preferred to not risk losing immunity by going back for Hannah, but I knew those two saps would outvote me in leaving her behind. Besides, it’s probably better this way. Hannah will be less likely to target Zaid now that he’s helped her in her time of need.” Anastasia admitted coldly.
Confessional Ends
“Somehow, all of us are safe. Thank god.” Isabel smiled gratefully.
“What a bloody dangerous challenge.” Spencer panted.
“Yeah dude…” Logan smiled nervously, “Hey… remember the last challenge?”
“How could I fucking forget?” Spencer asked as he regained his breath.
“I wanted to tell you something…” Logan began nervously.
“What is it?” Spencer asked curiously.
“I…” Logan began stammering before Benji glared at the duo.
“Maybe wait for conversation until AFTER we make sure Hannah’s alright.” Benji interrupted sternly before he softly began shaking Hannah awake, “Hannah, please wake up.”
“Ugh… Benji, did you-“ Hannah spoke in shock as she stumbled to wake up.
“I carried you to safety… with Zaid’s help of course.” Benji smiled in relief as Hannah’s eyes sparkled as she smiled at him gratefully.
“Thank you, Benji. Thank you.” Hannah embraced the geek to which he hugged back before Zaid loudly coughed into his mouth in annoyance to interrupt.
“Oh… thanks Zaid. Sorry… We were just having a… moment” Hannah smiled awkwardly, reluctantly pulling away from Benji to address the chef.
“Fair enough, I guess. Let’s just head to the next room.” Zaid replied somewhat coldly before the contestants headed forward.
Confessional: Zaid
“I could’ve sworn that Benji had a thing for Tristan. What with how they bonded in the musical challenge and how Benji seemed flustered when talking about them…” Zaid said suspiciously, “They didn’t get a lot of time together so I’m not gonna judge Benji if his feelings are drifting towards Hannah, but I just hope he’s not caught in some stupid love triangle by the time this is all over.”
Confessional: Isabel
“Blegh. Those two are so cute that it’s sickening. I need to make sure Hannah stays loyal to me and Jade so that Benji doesn’t sway her.” Isabel gagged before adding, “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna pull an Ellie and make up lies about Benji leading her on, but from what Jade told me… Hannah should at least be aware that Benji might not choose her over Tristan.”
Confessionals End
We then cut to the final nine further down the hallway as Jade takes a look at the exit door to see that there are three heyholes on one lock.
“There are three locks on the exit.” Jade informed them.
“Guys, crazy idea, but what if the keys are in each of those three rooms?” Isabel suggested with a smirk.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Anastasia asked impatiently.
“Okay… let’s split up.” Jade suggested.
“Zaid?” Anastasia asked expectantly.
“I got you, Ana.” Zaid reassured her with a smirk.
“Richard, wanna go with me and Isabel?” Jade asked cautiously to which Richard looked conflicted about this offer.
“Hmm, I don’t know…” Richard answered hesitantly before Logan spoke up.
“Don’t sweat it coach, I can just go with Spencer. Besides… you two deserve the chance to clear the air.” Logan smiled reassuringly with a subtle nodding gesture to which Richard picked up on.
“Well… I guess that’s fine by me.” Richard shrugged in compliance.
“Wait, there’s only three rooms so who do me and Hannah go with?” Benji asked with a confused eyebrow raise but before Anastasia or Zaid could speak up, Spencer did.
“You should join us. Anastasia and Zaid have enough strength to protect each other and Jade, Isabel, and Richard have safety in numbers.” Spencer suggested to which Logan nodded excitedly.
“I don’t see why not.” Benji shrugged while Hannah looked annoyed, but sighed in acceptance.
“Fine.” Hannah rolled her eyes while Spencer smirked in delight.
Confessional: Spencer
“Thankfully for me, my social status in this game has improved now that we’ve merged and alliances are being tested. Logan and Richard are on my side, my alliance with Jade albeit testy is still intact which means Isabel is unlikely to target me, and after last elimination, Anastasia and Zaid are less likely to target me due to our efforts to get Natalia out. Now I just need to mend bridges with Hannah.” Spencer said smugly.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Anastasia and Zaid entering some haunted playroom before searching around the place.
“So… who’s the next target?” Zaid asked curiously.
“Richard or Jade. Richard is the most social player remaining and Jade’s actions last challenge speak for themselves.” Anastasia answered firmly.
“I’d probably prefer it to be Jade. She definitely had a hand in getting Ivy and Tristan out.” Zaid said with some slight annoyance.
“Fair enough, but don’t discount Richard’s threat level either.” Anastasia warned him.
“I won’t.” Zaid rolled his eyes before the two of them suddenly heard squeaking and looked down to see rats.
“Look!!!” Zaid cried out in horror before the rats began swarming at them on all sides.
“Oh no…” Anastasia gulped.
Back with Spencer, Logan, Hannah, and Benji, they found themselves in a dark but purple lit room as the floorboards creaked.
“Geez… this floor is really creaky…” Benji gulped.
“Tread lightly.” Spencer instructed before the four of them began lightly walking across the room.
“So Hannah and Benji… I don’t think we’ve gotten a real chance to get to know each other…” Logan smiled nervously, “Considering we’ve been on opposite teams and all.”
“That’s true.” Benji smiled back with more optimism, “Well… I’m a current law student and I’m into comics, anime, video games, and cosplaying.”
“That’s pretty cool, man.” Logan said happily, “I’m more of an athletics guy myself, mostly into swimming, but I can appreciate those too.”
“Can we please focus on finding the key right now? You can talk later.” Spencer reminded the boys firmly.
“For once, I agree with you.” Hannah rolled her eyes to which Spencer picked up on.
“Still holding a grudge, Hannah?” Spencer asked with a stern eyebrow raise.
“After what you did to Diego and Tristan, no doubt I am.” Hannah scoffed in annoyance to which Logan and Benji looked concerned.
“If it makes you feel better, being swapped on Blue Team gave me time to genuinely reflect and I do wish I hadn’t eliminated Diego that day. Hell, I’ll even admit that I went too far with how I got Tristan out by how I treated Ivy, but Hannah, you have to admit that they were a threat and even if I hadn’t overplayed my hand that day, I would’ve still had to use the idol against them.” Spencer admitted softly to which Hannah looked annoyed, but didn’t argue.
“Hold on guys, the key’s hanging from that chandelier.” Benji pointed out as all four contestants looked to see the key hanging from the chandelier.
“Great. Let us just sprout some wings.” Spencer rolled his eyes.
“Or… one of you could climb my shoulders.” Logan suggested.
“Good idea.” Benji smiled with a thumbs up, “Which one of you guys wanna do it because I probably wouldn’t be too good at balancing.”
Spencer and Hannah turned to look at each other before Spencer spoke up.
“Would you feel more comfortable if you were the one holding the key?” Spencer offered the bartender.
“Looks like your massive brain does have a sense of logic. I’ll do it.” Hannah raised her hand before climbing on top of Logan’s shoulders and despite some slight shifting in balance, Hannah was able to reach for the key with a smile.
“Got it!” Hannah cheered.
“Yes!” Logan pumped his fist out in celebration but this shift in movement caused them to start wobbling around much to Spencer and Benji’s worry before Hannah and Logan smacked themselves onto the two of them and sent all four of them falling through a hole in the floor.
Soon enough, the four contestants fell into a dark red room in the middle of a sinner’s circle. When the four of them regained their senses, they opened their eyes to see that Spencer fell on top of Logan while Hannah fell on top of Benji to which Logan chuckled sheepishly before smiling at Spencer.
“Uh… hi.” Logan said with a nervous but giddy smile.
“I… you two should’ve been more careful.” Spencer spoke in a lecturing tone but he was still blushing as he turned to Logan, “Are you okay? Let’s just… get up and find the exit.”
“Yeah… good idea.” Logan spoke nervously before getting up and walking around the area alongside Spencer while Hannah still laid on top of Benji with wide eyes and a blush on her face.
“So… should we join them…” Benji asked awkwardly as he noticed Hannah was still sprawled on top of him.
“Well… we have time since I have the key, so…” Hannah began stammering over her words.
“So what? Hannah, are you okay?” Benji asked in concern to which Hannah blushed even more and hit her lip before closing her eyes, grabbing Benji’s face and kissing him on the cheek to which Benji blushed and widened his eyes while Logan and Spencer widened their eyes and stared at the scene in shock.
Hannah’s eyes soon opened in shock at the realization of what she just did before running off before she stopped in an area where she could keep a healthy distance from Benji, Logan, and Spencer.
“Wha… Hannah, did you just… kiss me on the cheek?!” Benji asked in shock.
“Y-Yes… I don’t wanna talk about it right now, but I-I’m so sorry Benji, I shouldn’t have sprung that on you…” Hannah stammered as she struggled to catch her breath.
“Hannah, I’m not mad, I just-“ Benji began walking towards Hannah before suddenly a trap door opened beneath his feet and sent him falling, “HANNAH!”
Hannah, Logan, and Spencer all looked horrified at this scene.
“BENJI!” Hannah cried out in horror as tears began to prick through her eyes as Spencer was the first to come back to his senses.
“Benji will be fine, Hannah. He’s likely just out of the challenge. C’mon, we have to find an exit.” Spencer spoke sternly.
“B-But what if he’s-“ Hannah began stammering again before Logan interrupted.
“Spencer has a point, Hannah. We gotta keep moving.” Logan said with more empathy to which Hannah looked down in worry before nodding firmly and running out of the room with Logan and Spencer.
Confessional: Hannah
“Why the hell did I do that?!” Hannah asked in shock and horror, “I… I definitely wanted to do that, I know that much, but… Benji’s my friend and Tristan’s also my friend. They clearly had something going on before they left and… GAH! What have I done?!”
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Jade, Isabel, and Richard entering an isolated room with fake skeletons and a glass bridge which led to where the next key was and an exit door.
Isabel looked down in horror as she couldn’t see what was below the glass bridge before backing up nervously.
“No! Hell no! I’m not dying today!” Isabel spoke fearfully.
“I mean… this is probably just one of those traps…” Richard smiled nervously.
“I’m not risking my life on a PROBABLY!” Isabel spoke furiously as tears pricked her eyes.
“It’s the only way forward.” Jade reminded her friend.
“Deep breaths, Isabel.” Richard spoke calmly as Isabel continued freaking out.
“I can’t even step onto the first panel… what if it breaks?” Isabel asked worriedly before Jade stepped forward.
“Fine, I’ll go first.” Jade reassured her group, “Just follow me, okay?”
Soon enough, Jade stepped on one of the glass panels to the right and much to her relief, it did not break.
“See? It’s not so bad, just one step at a time.” Jade smiled reassuringly to which Isabel smiled back as she let Jade lead her to the same panel while Richard smiled proudly.
Confessional: Jade
“Some things are more important than money. For me, it’s a quirky nun friend I met one month ago.” Jade said happily.
Confessional: Richard
“Even with Jade’s blunder in the last challenge, I can’t help but feel proud that she’s being so patient with Isabel in her moment of need. Maybe I’m judging her too harshly.” Richard said happily.
Confessionals End
Soon enough, the three oddballs continued traversing through the glass bridge with Richard somewhat falling behind Isabel and Jade as they all made it to the middle of the bridge. There were noticeable holes in the bridge now due to the glass presumably breaking off.
Richard had finally caught up to Isabel and Jade but not before noticing the glass pane behind him starting to crack.
“This is like a carnival game. A very… very bad carnival game.” Richard spoke fearfully.
Jade soon continued walking through the glass bridge to the right and stepped forward a little but unfortunately for her, the glass pane started cracking beneath her feet.
“Oh shoot…” Jade gulped before the glass finally broke, sending Jade falling to the abyss below.
“Jade!” Isabel cried out in horror before kneeling down as she began crying, “Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaade!”
“L-Let’s keep going… I didn’t hear a crashing sound so I’m positive she’s fine. I’ll guide you like your personal North Star.” Richard reassured Isabel before walking forward, jumping over the glass pane that Jade just fell through as he gave a thumbs up.
“Oh hell yeah! Double or nothing!” Richard cheered before jumping onto another glass pane which immediately broke beneath his feet, sending him falling, “KEEP GOING!”
“Mother Mary…” Isabel prayed before slowly walking across the glass bridge, “Okay… footprints in the sand… my help comes from the lord… make of Heaven and Earth… he will not let your foot slip… he watches over you will not slumber…”
After finishing her prayer, Isabel noticed she made it to the end of the glass bridge to which she smiled in relief.
“HALLELUJAH!” Isabel cheered before grabbing the key and exiting the room where she met Spencer, Logan, and Hannah at the hallway as Anastasia and Zaid exited the rat room, shaking the rats off of them. Isabel, Anastasia, and Hannah all held keys in their hands.
“Oh god… what happened to you two?” Spencer raised an eyebrow.
“Ugh! Ratatouille was a LIE!” Zaid cried out in despair.
“We had to fight rats for the key…” Anastasia spoke in disgust.
“Okay… let’s head to the final room.” Logan suggested awkwardly before Isabel, Anastasia, and Hannah all put their keys in the lock which unlocked the final room in which there were mountains of fake skulls everywhere with the mountain in the middle leading to a throne where a deactivated puppet that looked like Nina sat with a knife.
“This place just… keeps getting better.” Anastasia smiled but there was fear in her eyes.
Zaid soon carefully walked towards the exit door before noticing the ropes blocking it.
“I found the exit, but… it’s blocked by a rope.” Zaid informed them.
“So… should we just get that doll’s knife and cut it?” Isabel asked nervously.
“What’s the catch?” Hannah asked sternly.
“I can see it coming.” Spencer informed them before the puppet’s head fell off it’s body and creepily rolled towards them with all six contestants looking fearful before the puppet opened it’s eyes and began floating around with a red aura.
“Come closer losers!” The demon puppet spoke threateningly before reattaching it’s head back onto it’s body as a fire sprung out and voodoo dolls began waking up and inching towards them, “Let’s see who gets to stay!”
The six contestants all stared at the scene with mouths agape before Spencer shook off his fear.
“Okay, I’ll grab the knife and you all deal with… that!” Spencer said determinedly.
“You can’t just-“ Isabel began warning him before Spencer ran towards the throne, kicking away a doll before trying to grab the knife from the puppet but it just pushed him onto the ground before flying towards him, holding the knife towards his throat.
“Oh shite…” Spencer gulped.
“Great plan Spencer…” Anastasia smirked sarcastically before Zaid interrupted.
“I’ll try to get the knife. You hold the puppet!” Zaid told Anastasia to which she nodded before they both ran towards the puppet.
Confessional: Anastasia
“Ugh, I’d love immunity, but Zaid’s loyalty is crucial.” Anastasia scoffed in annoyance.
Confessional Ends
Soon enough, Anastasia grabbed the puppet by the leg while Zaid picked up one of the dolls and used it to smack the knife out of the demon puppet’s hands causing the knife to land sticking on the wall.
“You’re lucky I don’t have that knife right now!” The puppet spoke threateningly.
“Oh please. I faced worse than you.” Anastasia scoffed as the puppet threw pathetic punches at her leg while Isabel pulled the knife away from the wall before running towards the exit door to which Spencer, Logan, and Hannah all followed her in fear before Isabel cut the ropes and exited alongside Spencer, Logan, and Hannah who met Trevor and Derek along with Benji, Jade, and Richard outside.
“Isabel, since you’re the first one out of the haunted house, you win immunity!” Trevor cheered excitedly.
“YES!” Isabel roared in excitement while Spencer, Logan, and Hannah just looked relieved to be out of the haunted house before Anastasia and Zaid exited as well, with Anastasia tossing the broken remains of the demon puppet away.
“As for the rest of you, one of you won’t be so lucky tonight. See you at elimination.” Derek smirked as the rest of the final nine looked nervous while Spencer smirked.
Confessional: Spencer
“I could’ve tried fighting Isabel for that knife but what good would that have done? It would’ve just pissed her and Jade off while giving Hannah further reason to be against me. Isabel having immunity is a small price to pay when I can sneak by undetected for this vote.” Spencer smirked smugly.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to later in the night as Hannah, Jade, and Isabel met by the beach to discuss their target.
“Did you talk with Benji?” Jade asked Hannah in concern.
“I did… and a little more than that…” Hannah admitted in embarrassment.
“Pray tell, what does that mean?” Isabel asked skeptically before Hannah grunted.
“Ugh! I kissed him on the cheek, alright!” Hannah cried out in frustration to which Jade and Isabel widened their eyes in shock, “I landed on top of him after the two of us, Logan, and Spencer fell through a trap door… and… well, there’s a lot of unspoken tension between us that I can’t comprehend. All I knew was that it felt so good and… I wanted to express it somehow…”
“Oh geez, Hannah… you know that Benji and Tristan also have something going on, right? You may have just made things way more complicated than needed.” Jade said with a lecturing tone.
“You think I don’t know that?! I’m so sorry… I’ll talk to him, I swear.” Hannah said apologetically.
“No, I’LL talk to him.” Jade spoke sternly.
“But he doesn’t trust you or Isabel as much as he trusts me.” Hannah argued fearfully.
“I’m aware of that, but Benji and I also bonded in the musical challenge. As long as I’m transparent with him, he should hopefully be swayed to vote with us. Things are a little too awkward between you two right now and it could screw up this whole vote.” Jade argued back.
“Who is our target, anyway?” Isabel asked in curiosity, and to break the tension.
“Richard. I doubt he holds a massive grudge on me for the pirate challenge, but things are still awkward between us. Getting rid of him is our safest bet.” Jade said sternly before walking off to find Benji, leaving Isabel and Hannah alone. Isabel subtly smirked at this before putting a comforting hand on Hannah’s shoulder.
“Hey… I get why you acted on your impulses. Young love can be unpredictable and reckless sometimes.” Isabel smiled reassuringly before sighing solemnly, “That’s how it was between me and my ex…”
“What… happened with you and your ex?” Hannah asked in concern to which Isabel sighed miserably.
“Things ended pretty badly. He turned out to be a really toxic person. He pressured me into doing unhealthy things so that I’d fit in with the cool crowd… to prove I was a good girlfriend… One day I couldn’t take it anymore and I dumped him for good.” Isabel said sadly.
“I’m so sorry Isabel.” Hannah said sympathetically.
“Thanks Hannah, but I could’ve easily avoided my misery if I just squashed my feelings for that prick sooner, which is what you need to do with Benji.” Isabel crossed her arms sternly to which Hannah widened her eyes.
“What?! But… Benji isn’t toxic.” Hannah argued in shock.
“I agree, Benji isn’t toxic, but Benji also has prior history with Tristan. Do you really think he’s gonna give that up just because you have feelings for him?” Isabel asked as she narrowed her eyes to which Hannah looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the words.
“That’s what I thought. Just focus on eliminating Richard tonight.” Isabel advised the bartender as she dropped her head sadly to which Isabel smirked at as she walked off.
Confessional: Isabel
“I’m doing Hannah a favor here. Getting involved in a love triangle never ends well and it’s for the best that she nips this little crush on Benji in the bud so that he and Tristan can be happy and if it happens to benefit my game… so be it.” Isabel smirked smugly.
Confessional Ends
We then cut to Benji walking towards Anastasia and Zaid with a frazzled look in his eyes to which Zaid looked concerned.
“Hey Benji, you alright?” Zaid asked in concern.
“Yeah… things are just… awkward between me and Hannah right now. Can we discuss the vote?” Benji asked nervously.
“Mind if we get in on that?” Logan asked happily as he, Richard, and Spencer approached the trio.
“The more the merrier.” Anastasia shrugged amicably, “Who do you have in mind?”
“Jade. I know she’s not exactly cruel or anything like that, but she DID leave me in the dark about Logan’s situation in the last challenge. I don’t want her to stay in the game long enough to where she does something she’ll regret.” Richard said firmly.
“And you’re on board with this, Spencer?” Benji raised an eyebrow in shock.
“I have a lot of respect for Jade, but I can’t ignore the fact we have different priorities or what she did to Logan.” Spencer nodded.
“That’s fair. We’ll definitely think about it.” Zaid reassured them to which Richard and Logan smiled.
“Great. You won’t regret it.” Logan said happily before he, Richard, and Spencer walked off, leaving the unlikely trio by themselves.
“I don’t know about you two, but Jade is definitely my choice for elimination. We have every reason to target her.” Zaid told his allies.
“Yes, but those boys seem very close with each other.” Anastasia argued, “It would be better to deal with that trio sooner than later.”
As Benji, Anastasia, and Zaid contemplated their choices, Jade soon approached them.
“Hey guys, mind if we talk about the vote?” Jade asked.
“Who’s on your mind?” Anastasia raised an eyebrow.
“Richard. He’s close with Logan and Spencer, and also has a great social and challenge streak.” Jade answered.
“I agree. If those three make it any further together, it could be a death sentence. You have our votes.” Anastasia smirked to which Jade, Benji, and Zaid looked shocked.
“Really? I thought it’d take more convincing after… what I did last challenge.” Jade admitted awkwardly.
“I’d be a hypocrite if I judged you for that considering what I did to Ivy. You’re aware you messed up and right now, Richard is a bigger threat.” Anastasia assured her.
“I guess it’s a deal then.” Jade smiled in appreciation, “See you at the vote.”
Once Jade walked off and was out of sight, Zaid turned to Anastasia in shock.
“So we’re voting for Richard tonight?” Zaid asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes. Like I told Jade, he is a bigger threat right now in comparison to her.” Anastasia nodded firmly.
“But Jade is still slippery. Are you really sure about this?” Zaid asked nervously.
“I’m sure. Let’s just get ready for tonight’s vote.” Anastasia nodded while Benji and Zaid looked conflicted.
We then cut to the final nine at the elimination ceremony as Derek spoke up from the podium next to Trevor.
“Okay, spooky scary skeletons. Write down the name of the person that sends a shiver down your spine.” Derek snickered.
Voting: Jade
Jade looked nervous as she wrote her vote.
Voting: Zaid
Zaid looked hesitant before writing down his vote.
Voting: Spencer
“I trust you more than others but considering what you did to Logan, my trust has limits.” Spencer spoke sternly as he held up a vote for Jade.
Voting: Richard
Richard seemed determined as he wrote down his vote.
Voting: Isabel
Isabel had a stern look as she wrote down her vote.
Voting: Benji
Benji looked nervous as he held his ballot, but ultimately deposited his vote.
Voting Ends
“Once the votes are read, the decision is final.” Trevor announced, “First vote… Jade.”
Jade looked concerned at hearing this.
“Richard.”
Richard widened his eyes in shock.
“Jade.”
Jade began to look more nervous.
“Richard. That’s two votes for Richard, two votes for Jade.”
Richard and Jade looked more nervous as Trevor spoke up.
“Richard.”
Richard lowered his head sadly.
“Jade.”
“Huh? Interesting.” Jade raised a skeptical eyebrow at Spencer who looked away awkwardly.
“Jade.”
Jade looked horrified at seeing four votes against her as Isabel put a hand to her shoulder in reassurance. Anastasia just stared at Benji and Zaid with suspicion.
“Richard. We are tied once more. Four votes for Jade, four votes for Richard, and only one vote left. Tenth person voted out of Disventure Camp…” Trevor spoke dramatically as Jade and Richard looked nervous, Isabel and Logan looked worried for their number one allies, Spencer and Anastasia stared at Trevor in determination, Hannah looked concerned, and Benji and Zaid both looked worried.
“Richard!” Trevor finally spoke to which Richard widened his eyes while Logan sprung up in horror.
“NO!!!” Logan cried out in despair.
“Sorry man, but you were our best choice to eliminate.” Benji said solemnly to which Anastasia took note of, as Richard finally came to his senses and laughed lightheartedly.
“Ah, hell of a game. Well… I can’t win them all, but you can certainly do so, Logan.” Richard smiled proudly at Logan who looked at him tearfully.
“I’m gonna miss you so much…” Logan spoke with a broken voice before Richard smiled and picked up his signed basketball near his log.
“Well here, a little reminder.” Richard reassured him as Logan gleefully accepted it.
“Oh, and promise me something. Don’t let today’s maybes be tomorrow’s regrets.” Richard advised the swimmer who smiled back.
“I… I promise.” Logan smiled tearfully before embracing the coach who hugged him back.
After breaking off from the hug, Richard turned to a sheepish looking Jade.
“I may have voted for you tonight but there are genuinely no hard feelings.” Richard reassured the marine biologist, “Just try to be a little more careful with how you approach this game.”
“Understood. I definitely will.” Jade nodded with a grateful smile.
Richard smiled proudly at this declaration before walking towards the dock and jumping onto the Boat Of Losers which immediately drove off.
As Richard went further away from the island, he smiled tearfully but with pride.
Confessional: Anastasia
“So Zaid didn’t follow along with the plan to vote for Richard, hm? While that is annoying, I can’t say I fault him for it. I will definitely be confronting him about this, though.” Anastasia crossed her arms sternly.
Confessional: Zaid
“I know the plan was to vote for Richard… but I just couldn’t let Ivy’s warnings about Jade be in vain. I know I’ll have to talk to Anastasia and Benji about this… that’s not gonna be fun…” Zaid sighed miserably.
Confessional: Benji
“It was tempting to vote for Jade, but ultimately, I didn’t want to make things with Hannah any more awkward than they already are and Richard was a threat in his own right. Hopefully I made the right call…” Benji confessed worriedly.
Confessional: Jade
“So Spencer voted for me? I can’t say I’m surprised considering what the alternate option was, but it’s clear that our alliance has officially run its course. Right now, he’s my opponent, not a friend.” Jade sighed in acceptance.
Confessional: Logan
“Everything is crumbling around me, and-“ Logan began freaking out as he gasped for air, “I just wanna breathe…”
Suddenly, Logan slapped himself and the face and gained a furious look.
“C’mon Bell! Into the deep end!” Logan told himself sternly.
Confessionals End