When in Rome

Plot
The episode opens up with the winners and their companions sitting in first class. Alex, Clayton, Ranjitha and Helina are in one set of chairs, reeling over how fun the previous night’s activities were. Helina jokes about Ranjitha beating Colby with the pool noodle, and Clayton laughs at when Alex was trying to dive over the top deck but slipped and belly flopped.

Clayton (CONF): It is good to be back

Rourke is sitting with Mary at the mini-bar. Rourke says now is an opportune time to act upon their conversation atop the ferry in New York City on New Years Eve.

*flashback to Mary and Rourke leaning over the railing as the skyline goes by on the top deck, agreeing to work together post-merge, hoping the other doesn’t get voted out*

He says now that Ani is out of the picture, he would love to work with her and Duncan. Mary fiddles awkwardly.

Mary (CONF): Ah ok well this is awkward...I really do want to work with him it's just...er...

Thankfully, Sofia walks back up, causing Mary to immediately turn around and bring her into the conversation.

Rourke (CONF): Ok first I was suspicious about Colby…now Mary too. There has to be another group working together and why the hell am I not a part of it?

Miller is on the couch lounging, excited for the opportunity to relax, a rare one in a game where everyone is constantly on his or her toes.

In economy class, Paige is crying and Phillippa is consoling her. Paige is sad that her number one ally, Izzy, was sent home in such a shitty way.

Paige (CONF): Like after a fuck ton of episodes we finally get the chance to work together and she’s automatically eliminated...*sniffles*

She also knows how much Izzy loved the experience, which makes it all the worse she is no longer a part of it. Phillippa tells her she’s upset too.

Phillippa (CONF): It's just so crazy to me how fast this can all be ripped away

Also in economy class is Lauren, sitting with Beyla. Lauren tries to subtly question Beyla like she did Annie about this new alliance that potentially doesn’t include her. Beyla decides to come clean and tell her, and Lauren is upset that no one asked her to be a part of it.

Lauren (CONF): Alex is one of my best friends, not to mention I worked with these people for like half of the game

Garrett eats in the mess hall with Duncan, Abbey, Eli, Nico and Kelsey. They are rotating between guessing where the next destination will be, talking about how much it sucks for Izzy, and how fun the yacht was. At the table over, Colby sits with Annie, and tells her how horrifying the last challenge was.

*flashback to Colby narrowly edging out Izzy onto the Dock of Shame*

Annie tells him she’s thankful he didn’t get eliminated, and Colby tells her the scare has inspired him to want to make some big moves.

In line for the confessional restroom, Wilson tells Townes they need to find this third party and work with them to get out Helina. Townes asks why they don’t work with Helina to get out the third party, but Wilson says it’s a numbers game and he doubts Helina’s alliance has numbers given Archer’s blindside.

Townes (CONF): This is so complicated, if the third party has the numbers wouldn't we rather want them out?

The camera pans past Grant and Vani, also in line for the confessional restroom, and back to economy class. As Colby and Annie re-enter, Chris’s voice pops over the intercom, telling the contestants to gather in the ship’s cargo hold.

Grant (CONF): I hate convening in the cargo hold because that only means one thing

Next thing they know, the twenty-four remaining contestants are parachuting into the Coliseum in Rome. The view is beautiful, and the contestants finally get to enjoy the views now that they are used to be chucked out of the plane so often. In the middle of the Coliseum are Chris, dressed as an emperor, Chef and Bailey from season one. Bailey and Alex awkwardly hug, with Alex hoping she didn’t hold a grudge over what happened in the Redwood Forest, and Chris begins explaining the challenge.

Bailey (CONF): Don't think I forgot Kacvinsky, it's partially thanks to you I was voted out fourth last season

The three step aside to reveal a giant pile of armor and weapons. As Chris talks, interns come and begin fashioning the armor on the contestants.

Garrett (CONF): Wait those are real weapons…I guess it was a matter of time before he just had us beat the shit out of each other

Chris tells them this challenge emulates the struggles of the gladiators in ancient Rome. Each round, they’ll be facing off against a plethora of animals, each with a token around their neck. There will be fewer tokens than contestants, and every round the goal is to get a token and enter the cage of safety on the left side – the camera pans to a cage that has couches and looks almost like a furnished room. On the right side is the cage of loserdom – the camera pans to show a gross cage with flies hanging around tiny piles of poop scattered throughout, which is where those who lose will be for the rest of the challenge.

Miller (CONF): Ah yes, fantastic

Chris tells them they can pick whatever weapon they’re comfortable with, and they are more than welcome to steal another player’s token as long as the player hasn’t made it into the cage of safety. He says the weapons look real but are all extremely dull and shouldn’t be dangerous.

Beyla (CONF): Shouldn’t be or aren’t?

Chris motions for Bailey and Chef to follow him, and perches himself in the emperor’s box at the top of the stadium. He shouts down that the contestants have fifteen seconds to pick a weapon. They range from battle-axes, to swords, to maces, to bow and arrows. It shows Wilson grin with an axe, Alex notch an arrow, and Beyla holding two small swords. Suddenly, all of the cages lining the outside of the playing grounds are lifted, with armor-clad bunnies hopping out. Ranjitha asks why the animals are wearing armor, and Chris says he doesn’t want them hurt either. Grant laughs at a bunny that hops up to him, before it bares its giant teeth and growls, hopping onto him and attacking him.

Suddenly, the game is on and the contestants begin fighting the animals. Amidst the chaos, Chris shouts there are eighteen tokens in round one.

A montage shows Mary chasing a rabbit with her mace that is effortlessly hopping away, before the camera shows the rabbit now chasing her, Abbey trying to wrestle one off of her, Duncan kicking one leaving it’s passed out body right in front of Kelsey, who snags its token causing Duncan to curse, and Nico firing arrows recklessly, hitting a bunny but also hitting Colby who shoots him a dirty look.

Nico (CONF): *rubbing his head* Oops

Nico and Kelsey run into the cage of safety, slamming the door shut behind them and high-fiving. Back on the battleground, Alex cheers as he strikes a bunny with one of his arrows. He makes eye contact with Wilson, who is equally far from the rabbit he hit. Both dart for it, with Alex diving and snatching the token right before Wilson gets there and bolting to the cage, joining Kelsey and Nico.

Townes and Clayton corner two together, and using their swords to intimidate the rabbits before ripping the token off. While celebrating, they notice five or six more have gathered around the ones they took the token from, and immediately bolt off.

A montage shows Vani, Eli, Duncan, Lauren and Phillippa all entering the cage, each one sighing with relief right upon entry. A follow-up montage shows Beyla using her two swords to fight off Paige and her spear, who is trying to take the token Beyla just got, both girls apologizing to each other through the fight.

Paige (CONF): I feel bad but I need immunity with this third-party alliance at work, seeing Izzy booted really lit a fire under my ass

Suddenly, Ranjitha loses hold of a token she just got and it goes flying, hitting Paige in the face. Paige grabs it, her and Beyla make eye contact, and the two girls bolt for the cage of safety, both making it, with Helina right behind. Another montage shows Garrett, Colby, Annie, Grant and Sofia slamming the cage door – ending the round. Ranjitha curses, given she had a token but clumsily lost it. An out-of-breath Mary, angry Rourke, somewhat bruised Miller, fairly bruised Abbey and visibly upset Wilson join Ranjitha in the cage of loser-dom, all trying to stand in places that have minimal poop.

Mary (CONF): *still out of breath with gross smell fumes surrounding her* I don’t know what kind of history classes Chris has taken, but I doubt “gladiators fighting killer bunnies" is something taught in "History of Rome 101"

Bailey giggles, telling Chris he really upped the ante this season. Chef rolls his eyes as Chris thanks her for the compliment and encourages her to keep going. The remaining eighteen leave their cage and re-enter the battlefield, congregating in the center. Chris tells them that fourteen will advance to the next round, and opens the cages, angry and armor-clad raccoons scurrying out.

Duncan (CONF): That is absolutely disgusting

Immediately the second battle begins. Four raccoons are stacked atop one another fighting off Phillippa and her larger sword. She has a hard time controlling it given its size, and she also squeals every time it makes contact with the raccoon’s claws given how gross it is.

Nearby, Alex, Nico and Sofia sit side-by-side and fire arrows into a crowd of raccoons that is simultaneously fending off Clayton and Kelsey, who has a spear.

Suddenly, Phillippa lands a lucky strike, knocking out all four raccoons and leaving four tokens up for grabs. She grabs one and darts into the cage of safety, taking a second and tossing it to Paige making her safe as well. Paige is right behind her, squirmishly shutting the door behind her hoping no raccoons trickled in. Colby secures a third one after sword-fighting Townes for it, and as Kelsey reaches for the last one Nico shoots an arrow right in front of her, startling her giving him enough time to snag it and join Phillippa, Paige and Colby in the cage.

A montage shows Alex, Beyla and Garrett sigh with relief as they slam the cage of safety door behind them, tokens in hand.

The larger horde is growing, the raccoons working together to fend off the contestants, and Townes and Annie have joined the battle, the latter with an axe. They turn to see Duncan shouting a battle cry at the top of his lungs and diving into the horde. He emerges with scratches on the uncovered parts of his body, but also a token in hand. Townes, Clayton, Annie and Kelsey also turn to see Eli and Sofia running into the cage of safety, Eli with his mace and Sofia with her bow and arrows.

Clayton (CONF): We gotta do this

A quick transition shows Vani sword fighting with two raccoons and Lauren tossing one off of her. It jumps back to Clayton and he shouts for the four fighting the horde to coordinate, and they begin herding the raccoons like sheep dogs. A four-way split screen shows Townes, Clayton, Annie and Kelsey strike them down simultaneously, each grabbing a token and making it to safety.

Helina and Lauren run frantically into the cage of loserdom, slamming the door behind them, where a visibly grossed-out Vani and an exhausted Grant join them.

Vani (CONF): This challenge is vile

Once the fourteen still in have re-entered the arena, the cages reopen and ten armor-clad eagles come soaring out.

Colby (CONF): I’m sorry Chris does realize eagles can fly right?

Alex, Nico and Sofia smirk at each other, given they are the only ones with long-range weapons. They begin firing arrows into the sky, the other eleven contestants ready to hop on one that falls. Eventually, the eagles begin swooping down to attack the contestants, angry at the constant stream of arrows.

Chris (CONF): *laughing maniacally* This was one of my best ideas yet

Alex manages to strike one in the air, but notices it’s falling down toward Garrett. Alex sprints and snags the token before Garrett realizes, bolting back to the cage of safety. He runs into Paige, guarding the cage. He tries to fight off her sword with his bow the best he can, but she’s gaining the upper hand. Thankfully for him, Beyla comes in with her swords and tells him to go.

Beyla (CONF): Look girl you gotta chill with attacking the other contestants.

Alex makes it to safety, annoying Paige. An eagle swoops down and attacks Beyla, who manages to time it perfectly and strike it down with the sword in her right hand. She grabs the token from its neck, and joins Alex in the cage of safety, where he thanks her. Colby gets nailed by one in the back, and Eli rolls out of the way, allowing one to slam into the wall, only to learn it doesn't have a token anymore.

A montage shows Clayton jump over one swooping at him and stomping on it, Duncan rolling out of the way of one before swinging his sword and knocking it out of the air, Kelsey ripping a token off one flying by and Phillippa gracefully dodging two swoops before snagging a token off one Nico hits. It then shows Clayton, Duncan, Kelsey and Phillippa slam the cage door behind them as they enter.

With more than half the tokens taken, the remaining eight contestants are frantically trying to reach the eagles. Sofia manages to hit one, with the arrow ricocheting and taking down two more. She jumps and cheers, and realizes one of the ones struck down doesn’t have a token anymore meaning only two became available. By the time she looks up to see the other two she hit, Annie and Paige had already ripped the tokens off and headed to the cage. Sofia curses, as she sees Nico hit one and join the others in the cage of safety himself.

Sofia (CONF): This is so incredibly frustrating

Townes is the last to secure a token, ending the round. Sofia curses, angry she didn’t run to the right eagle, and walks over to the cage of loserdom alongside a bruised Eli, Garrett and Colby.

The remaining ten contestants: Phillippa, Clayton, Duncan, Kelsey, Beyla, Alex, Paige, Townes, Nico and Annie re-enter the battlefield, where Chris tells them this will be the final round. Only four tokens will be available, with those four winning immunity from the night’s barfbag ceremony. The cages open up and four armor-clad bears come out.

Phillippa (CONF): I’m sorry is that a fucking bear

Bailey laughs again with Chris and Chef, telling them this is insane. The bears roar and leap into action. One charges Alex and Beyla, the two darting away. Another one swats at Phillippa and Duncan sending them flying. It leaves to go after the two. The third approaches Townes, Paige and Kelsey cautiously, separating them from the group. That leaves Clayton, Nico and Annie with the fourth bear, and it turns to them and grins.

Annie (CONF): This isn’t quite what I wanted

A montage shows Beyla fending off the bear up close as Alex shoots arrows at it. Beyla’s sword accidentally catches on the necklace, and when she yanks it back the token goes flying, landing right in Alex’s hands. He nails the bear in its chest plate with an arrow, giving Beyla time to escape as Alex jumps into the cage of safety, almost crying he’s so happy to win individual immunity.

Phillippa and Duncan stand side-by-side, each having gotten used to using a sword. When the bear turns its attention to Duncan, Phillippa jumps on its back and rips the token off, running to join Alex and also earning immunity. The two hug, gleaming with their tokens in hand.

Duncan and Beyla run over to join Townes, Paige and Kelsey, but by that point, Kelsey had already thrown her spear and successfully knocked the token off. Paige goes darting for it, but Kelsey barely beats her to it. Now, Townes, Paige, Duncan and Beyla stand between Kelsey and the cage of safety. In the background, Annie swings her axe at the bear as Clayton fights with his sword and Nico fires arrows. Kelsey wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead and charges.

Kelsey (CONF): I honestly am not sure how that happened

The scene flashes to Kelsey inside the cage of safety, token in hand. Townes, Paige, Duncan and Beyla lie on the ground, groaning. Clayton triumphantly joins them, ending the challenge and earning him his second individual immunity in a row.

Clayton (CONF): Ok I may need to throw the next challenge, I do not want to be viewed as an immunity threat

Townes (CONF): Two wins in a row? This guy has got to go whenever he’s vulnerable

The scene flashes to the jumbo jet. Lauren is talking to Alex in the mess hall, telling him she’s upset she wasn’t included in the alliance. Alex tells her she’s more than welcome to join, but she tells him she has to think about it.

Lauren (CONF): Yeah as an afterthought, how kind of you...

Colby is talking to Annie, Abbey and Duncan, and tells them he wants to go after Wilson’s alliance. Duncan tells him that it may be too soon, and Colby says he doesn’t want to target Wilson, beginning to tell him the plan.

Paige, Phillippa, Kelsey, Grant, Rourke, Wilson and Townes sit around a circular table and discuss their strategy.

Paige (CONF): This is an important vote for sure

Wilson says they just have to stick to the plan and target one of Helina’s allies. Before Townes can open his mouth to protest, Wilson says this is the safest way to ensure no one from their alliance goes home. Paige suggests Ranjitha, and Grant agrees, saying Ranjitha is too likable to keep in this game for too long. Phillippa rebuttals, saying Vani is a sleeper-cell and too dangerous of a player, with Kelsey chiming in that she's better at challenges too. The seven begin trying to lock down a target, so they can find a uniform plan moving forward.

A montage shows Colby whispering something to Alex and Miller, Grant pulling aside Vani and whispering something to her, and Garrett nodding as he talks to Mary. Helina and Ranjitha sit in the mess hall together, confused as to any sort of plan. They don’t know whom to target, and no one is trying to strategize with them.

Ranjitha (CONF): Honestly, laying low may be a good plan right now

Over the intercom, Chris beckons the contestants to the elimination room.

~*ELIMINATION CEREMONY*~

Chris walks out with a plate containing twenty-two barf bags filled with airline-issued peanuts. He tells the contestants it’s time to vote, and that they know the procedure.

Clayton (CONF): I guess this is the plan, I love you so much but they have a pretty good argument *stamps Paige’s passport*

Colby (CONF): *takes a deep breath* It is time to make a big move...*stamps Paige’s passport*

Paige (CONF): I love you girlie but it’s time to go! *stamps Ranjitha’s passport*

Grant (CONF): You are way too big of a threat *stamps Ranjitha’s passport*

Ranjitha (CONF): I honestly have no idea what to do…*stamps Townes’ passport and shrugs*

Chris first hands out the barfbags to those immune:

Phillippa. Alex. Kelsey. Clayton.

The four engage in a large group hug, excited to have won such a hard challenge. Chris tells them if anyone wants to use an idol, it has to be now. The others all look at each other, and Chris tells them oh well. The next bag goes to…

Vani.

She cheers.

Helina. Wilson. Nico. Colby. Mary. Lauren. Garrett.

Helina and Wilson look shocked they are already called out, but look overwhelmed with relief, especially Helina given her experience at the last elimination ceremony. Colby barely catches his he’s so anxious to see if his plan worked, and Nico hugs a reluctant Lauren and a pleased Garrett.

Grant. Kelsey. Miller. Annie.

Grant and Kelsey hug, as do Miller and Annie.

Eli. Duncan. Beyla. Sofia.

The four all excitedly catch their barfbags, the camera flashing to them as their name is called. That leaves Townes, Paige and Ranjitha as the bottom three, with the next bag of safety going to…

Townes.

Townes just grins, catching his bag and stretching. Ranjitha looks absolutely shocked, but Paige just looks anxious. The two girls grab hands, given their friendship outside the game, as Chris hands the last barfbag to…

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Ranjitha.

Paige looks absolutely crushed, as does Phillippa.

Phillippa (CONF): First Izzy and now Paige? This absolutely blows for our alliance

Wilson looks pissed, as this third-party power struck again. Everyone looks shocked. Colby looks incredibly guilty, but with a twinge of pride his plan worked. Paige goes around and hugs everyone, on the verge of tears, and tells them that she’s so glad she got to play the game with everyone and wishes them luck. She kisses Phillipph on the forehead and tells her to stay strong, before grabbing a parachute and jumping off the Dock of Shame, cheering at the last skydiving opportunity.

Paige (CONF): Man this sucks...this game has given me so many memories though and I don’t regret one second of it

Chris tells the four winners to choose someone to join them in first class on the way to their next destination. Alex picks Nico, Phillippa picks Rourke, Clayton goes with Annie and finally Kelsey picks her number one Grant.

Chris tells the contestants that unlike usual where a bar is rented out, an event is thrown or a party is hosted, he’s giving them the opportunity to just go out in downtown Rome, as long as they stick together.

Rourke (CONF): Oh hell yeah

A montage shows Rourke and Helina dancing on top of a bar, Vani, Ranjitha and Mary laughing and falling over each other as the group walks to a different bar, and Alex and Grant jokingly dancing together.

It also shows Miller, Abbey, Colby and Annie taking shots, with Ranjitha joining them and buying the next couple rounds in honor of her safety. She drunkenly tells them she thanks them for saving her, knowing they voted with the other big group and shocking the three. The scene transitions to Wilson, Townes and Phillippa dancing in the middle of the dance floor, with Duncan, Eli, Sofia, Mary, Alex and Nico joining them. Bailey joins, stating as many did before her that this season looks like a ton of fun as she dances with the group.

Helina pulls aside Alex, and tells her she wants to work together and knows he’s in an alliance. He looks taken off guard, asking how she knows as the scene fades to black.