Original subtitles

♪ MTV. ♪

TJ: Season 40. Everyone ready?

40 players from four distinct eras of The Challenge

assembled together for an epic journey.

[horn blaring]

[screaming]

They competed in electrifying challenges...

[screaming]

...brutal eliminations...

No!

...and targeted their competition

in the most cutthroat season ever.

MICHELE: You actually hurt me,

and you don't want to have a conversation with me?

KYLAND: How many seasons have you done?

I've done three, and I knew that that was a possibility.

Ha-ha, motherfucker, eat my dick!

TJ: When it changed to an individual game,

alliances became crucial.

- RACHEL: Is this the Johnny's Angels meeting? - BANANAS: Yes.

Sit down. [laughs]

If I do something that does benefit your game,

I want to know that you guys will still

- all want to ride with me. - JORDAN: You got to get there

before you can worry about the final.

TJ: Now, all four eras

are still in the final battle.

Eight finalists will have to endure an intense final...

- [air horn blows] - Go.

...to win their share of $1 million.

RACHEL: I'm getting close to the breaking point.

TJ: This final will not only test their physical strength...

LAUREL: [retches] Honestly, I quit.

TJ: ...but the social and political moves they made all season long

will keep them accountable and on their toes.

Which brings me to the karma vote.

Because karma is lurking.

BANANAS: The outlook is very grim.

TJ: The final showdown of The Challenge 40:

Battle of the Eras begins right now.

Let's get this party started.

MICHELE: This is meant to break us.

♪ ♪

BANANAS: All right!

Look at this place, dude.

JENNY: Okay. It's cold.

Why does it smell like shit?

RACHEL: We're living on the Sinister now.

BANANAS: Guys, welcome to the crib.

TORI: Oh, my God, it's gorgeous.

We don't get blankets?

- [laughter] - This is fucked.

BANANAS: This is my 12th final appearance.

I've won seven.

[cheering]

All right!

BANANAS: I've never been so happy to see you!

- Congratulations. - I'm gonna go ahead and, uh,

take the money and run, Teej.

[whooping]

I'm just trying to get ready for the absolutely...

grueling task ahead.

I'm in wet clothes.

I just came out of the water, like, five minutes ago,

and I was in there for three hours,

so I know everyone else is pissed

to be going to sleep on these mattresses.

I couldn't be more thrilled to be on something solid.

JENNY: Technically, the final hasn't started yet,

as I would like to remind you all.

So why we're sleeping on sacks tonight is beyond me.

Like, my hands are dirty.

I've not even started the final yet.

I'm happy to do all the gnarly shit for final,

but don't tell me the final starts tomorrow,

and then don't give me a pillow.

So where is that blanket and cushion, Rachel Fitness?

I don't know.

Season 40 will be my fourth final,

and I have won two finals.

JONNY: Congratulations.

TJ: Rachel, you guys are the champions.

RACHEL: Whatever we are about to do,

I am preparing myself for misery.

JENNY: I want my chocolate and I want my iced coffee.

- JORDAN: Uh-huh. - JENNY: We're being robbed.

JORDAN: I tell you what, Jenny.

You can want in one hand and shit in the other

and see which one fills up faster.

This is not my first final.

Yes! Yes!

[grunts]

- Check. - [air horn blows]

- [exclaims] - I'm shaking.

A final is something that you'll never know

how bad it feels until you do one.

It's only gonna get harder.

So we are gonna continue to separate

the competitors from the champions.

Aren't you guys so excited?

TORI: I don't know how I feel about this room.

It's like a basement. It's giving--

KYLAND: This room? This is luxury.

We have mats that have some cushion to them.

Could've just been shit on the floor.

- [laughter] - We can all talk to each other.

TORI: Now you're reaching.

[sighs] I mean, I can sleep anywhere,

so sleeping on this floor on a tiny mat

doesn't bother me at all.

But I'm gonna be up all night anyway

because I'm so excited and I'm just thinking about

what we're gonna be going through.

When you work for something that you want,

you can get there. And I'm winning this.

MICHELE: I'm so sorry.

I went like this and then it blew air

and unfortunately it got in his eyeball.

JORDAN: She fucking fanned the whole floor of shit.

BANANAS: Way to go, Michele. You blinded Jordan.

You're welcome, everybody else who's in the final.

I am entering my first final

and I'm already pissing off other people.

As much as Jordan tries to pretend

that he is the hardest competitor there is,

he's already getting a little bit irritated, as he does.

And I have the feeling that this is just the beginning.

[groans]

[Tori sighs]

RACHEL: Lights out.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

TJ: All right, everyone.

Good morning, good morning.

I need all of you up top. Let's get this party started.

♪ ♪

I've just spent a very uncomfortable night

on ten thread count, and I was so anxious and nervous.

I just want to get this feeling, like, out of my stomach.

This is not the first time that I have been here.

I've completed two seasons of The Challenge.

And I've been in one final and won one final.

- Champion. - Get off.

- Congratulations. - I won?

- You won. - Fuck off!

TJ: All right, everyone, this is it.

This is your final challenge of this season

of The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras.

- Amazing. - Yeah. Let's do this thing.

You've battled with your teammates to prove

that you're the greatest era of all time.

You had to win challenges or survive eliminations.

And now we are down to the final eight.

One male and one female will come out on top.

You all have a one-in-four shot at serious cash

and your share of $1 million.

- Whoo! - Wow. All right.

Our champions, receiving $400,000 each,

second place will be receiving $75,000,

with third place getting $25,000.

And if you come in fourth, well, you can say you made my final.

However, you're going home empty-handed.

Throughout this race, there will be a series of checkpoints.

You're going to complete these checkpoints in search of tokens.

This is Sinister.

♪ ♪

Sinister is going to act as your floating start/finish line.

You're going to jump off Sinister, go do the checkpoint,

come back as fast as you can.

The fact that we have to start and end each checkpoint

on this boat is giving me the impression

that we're going to be swimming

a little bit more than I might be ready for.

TJ: Now, all season long,

I've reminded you how you treat people matters.

You've all probably dished out your fair share of karma,

but the people who have left this game

from the very beginning all have a say in this game.

Which brings me to the karma vote.

- Oh, my God. - Ugh.

What the hell's a karma vote?

Oh, I hate shit like this.

BANANAS: We don't know what the hell this is,

but we know that whatever is about to come out

of this guy's mouth is not good news.

TJ: After the elimination, you were probably

all wondering why I kept them around.

Oh! I thought you just wanted to say bye.

No, it's to cast a karma vote.

They rated the remaining players one through five.

One being the worst, five being the best.

So all eight of you have been rated

by all the eliminated players throughout the season.

BANANAS: Jesus Christ, man.

Jordan, he grew on me this year.

Jordan, who I thought was my brother.

You are hysterical, but can also be kind of an ass.

My relationship with Jordan

is a little checkered.

Your hot head has pissed me off.

You're too good.

I'm definitely giving Rachel the highest score.

I hope you win.

I'm sitting in this seat right now because she picked me.

Anyone from Era One winning this thing

is a win for all of us.

Eat my ass, Rachel.

Derek is so underrated and such an underdog.

I can give him a lot less of a score

if I went strictly off of gameplay and not aura.

You never burned me, you never made a promise you can't keep.

Jenny from the block.

She has done nothing but fight to earn her place here.

I don't think she's nice to anyone.

She threw me in three different times.

I'm not gonna look out for her.

You're the reason I went in and you haven't really talked to me.

KELLYANNE: Tori won recently.

Tori makes good money on OnlyFans.

She deserves to be a multiple-time champion.

One, I hate you.

I love Kyland. That's my best friend.

THEO: I don't know how much help you need,

but you've never won before.

If I could put a six in there, I would.

I want Michele to have a little bit of a lead over everyone.

BRANDON: She won Survivor, didn't she?

Yeah, you won enough, so you get a two.

You constantly made me feel like

I was playing the wrong game.

You probably won't make the final.

PAULIE: Bananas, dude.

I'm a little torn about this one.

ANEESA: He don't need it.

And he could've pushed harder for us.

I don't want to be the reason that one of these players

who have multiple wins get the money over someone who doesn't.

Is there-- Can-- Is there negative numbers here?

And just so you know, the person with the most votes

will have an advantage.

The person with the least will have a severe disadvantage.

I better just jump off this fucking boat.

Now I have to worry about

the karma vote.

You got to think that I wasn't

the most popular player in this game.

This is already going to be a tough, uphill battle.

TJ: At the end of the final,

we'll tally up all the points

from all the checkpoints and the karma votes.

Whoever has the most points

will become the new champions of this season

of The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras.

None of you will know what the score is until the very end.

MICHELE: Because I was in a position

in this game where I had to go into the Arena

and pick targets,

I made a fair amount of enemies.

So it's gonna be tough for me, with that karma vote.

Welcome to your first checkpoint: Sandblast.

To begin, you're all gonna start right up here on the railing.

When I say go, you will jump into the water,

and swim all the way to shore.

When you get to shore, read the sign

and get it done. Get back here,

I'll reward you a token according to how you finish.

Derek, you'll be assessed a three-minute penalty

for losing at the last challenge. All right?

- Good luck, everyone. - [applause]

MICHELE: I've overcome a lot this season,

but I would be lying to you if I said I was not scared as hell

of entering this final.

These girls have a lot of muscles,

they have a lot of strength,

they have a lot of brain.

But I was on swim team in high school,

so I feel really, really comfortable in the water.

I know that there's gonna be points that I want to quit,

but I'm not gonna let the fear

or doubt creep in.

I'm definitely nervous because my competition

going into the final is absolutely stacked.

But these karma points

are a huge curveball.

I didn't feel like I had bad blood with anyone all season,

so I could take this win.

All right, everyone. Ready?

- Go. - [air horn blows]

- Ready? Go! - [air horn blows]

This first checkpoint is called Sandblast.

We have to swim out to this island,

and I'm definitely finding myself in the front of the pack.

You know what? I may be

one of the strongest swimmers here.

JORDAN: I'm trying to get

as big a lead as I can before

I get to the sand because I know

my biggest strength is going to be swimming.

These guys can all run, so I've got to get it done now

and hold the lead.

- TJ: Ready? - DEREK: Because I got last place

on the last challenge, I have three minutes to wait.

So I'm looking at the views, I'm looking at the scenery.

I'm looking at Kyland really slowly swimming.

I'm like, "Oh.

Blow that horn, TJ."

TJ: All right, Derek, you ready?

- Go. - [air horn blows]

[Derek inhales sharply]

♪ ♪

JENNY: Right now, I'm first out of the girls.

I know that I'm pretty good at swimming,

but I'm gonna have to be doing that

over and over and over again.

This is gonna be fucking hard.

But I want to compete against the best of the best.

It doesn't scare me, doesn't faze me,

and do you know what?

I'm gonna see the best of my best

by competing against them.

"Retrieve all missing puzzle pieces, one at a time.

"After solving your 3D puzzle, swim back

to the Sinister to get your token."

Don't think about it, Jenny.

- JORDAN: Good job, Jenny. - Well done.

- JORDAN: Way to start it off. - MICHELE: Thank you.

♪ ♪

JORDAN: This beach run is no joke.

The sand is deep,

and we need to do this five times.

It sucks, it's long.

It is a slog,

and I love it.

[clears throat]

♪ ♪

KYLAND: Several people are already doing

their first return trip with their first puzzle pieces.

I'm worried because I'm looking at Bananas,

who has won more Challenges

than anyone else.

Then we have Jordan, who has arguably the best

winning percentage in finals

of any Challenger ever.

But I'm pretty good at puzzles,

so I got to kick it into high gear.

[panting]: Okay, let's fucking go.

♪ ♪

Whoo!

♪ ♪

TORI: Oh, my God.

♪ I keep on keepin' on ♪

♪ I'll play the long game ♪

♪ The long game... ♪

JORDAN: Derek started this checkpoint

with a three-minute time penalty,

but he has already caught Bananas, he's already

caught Kyland, he's made up a ton of ground,

so I have to get this puzzle as fast as I can

and get back in the water.

♪ ♪

RACHEL: This run is not any normal run.

This is about half a mile each way,

a full mile round trip,

and we have a few trips.

And my shoes are wet and my body's wet,

and I'm already tired from the swim.

But here's one thing I know about running:

I will not stop.

I mean, my wife has been taking care

of three kids by herself for a few months now.

The lion's share of a million dollars?

It would be the least I could do.

♪ Keep on keepin' on ♪

♪ I'll play the long game ♪

♪ The long game. ♪

BANANAS: I'm-a take my shoes off.

This fucking sucks.

DEREK: Fuck this.

♪ ♪

This is where I excel. Like,

I am a very good sprinter,

I'm a very good long-distance runner.

Like, this is where I will catch up to people.

This is final number two for me.

- [electrical zapping] - Ooh, motherfucker!

How many have I completed? Zero.

How many have I won? Zero.

I feel like my story is how every underdog feels.

But I stepped up and I've done what I needed to do.

I won on a guys' day when I needed to,

and then I won the last guys' elimination to get to the final.

So, I just need to believe in myself.

[panting]

[panting]

The swim really put me behind,

but as I'm running, my pace is pretty good

and I am catching up to everybody.

I pass Michele, I pass Rachel.

Whoever wins this final is walking away with $400,000.

Fourth place gets literally nothing.

So I need to do everything in my power to win.

[panting]

♪

JORDAN: Derek is right behind me.

I have got to nail this puzzle.

Every single second counts.

[panting]

JENNY: I want to win this first one because I need to get

the most amount of points because the karma

is not gonna help me.

I was obviously part of Johnny's Angels.

Bananas' Angels.

BANANAS: Just me and Bananas' Angels.

Bananas' Angels.

[laughter]

JENNY: So, well, I'm gonna have a lot

of bad karma points.

Check?

BANANAS: This is checkpoint one

of what's gonna be a very long final.

I'm not gonna try and keep up

with these guys that are just

sprinting right out of the gate.

I've been here before, and I think

this is where experience plays in.

I'm going to be able to withstand

the pain and the anguish

both mentally and physically

longer than my competition.

TORI: Michele and Jenny

are such fast swimmers.

I have to solve this puzzle quickly

and get in the water fast enough because if I have enough

of a lead in the water, then I'll be able to beat them.

JORDAN: Check.

Check.

Good.

I'm the second one to finish this,

and I had a penalty.

So it's like, okay, kudos to me.

I-I can do this.

I really want to win this

because I was a fan watching The Challenge

growing up, in high school.

Like, this was my show to watch

with my best friend, and knowing

that if it comes down to the karma vote

being what makes us a winner or not,

I have been nice to everybody,

I'm friends with a lot of people.

Like, I'm sitting pretty good with the karma votes.

Like, that's going to push me above everybody else.

Check?

MICHELE: Check.

Good?

I started this season winning the first challenge,

and I want to enter this final winning the first checkpoint.

Jenny is a little bit ahead of me,

but I am gonna bust my ass

to make sure that I am the first person back to this boat.

This is gonna set the tone

for the final, and I want it for my confidence,

but also to say, "Hey, I'm no layup,

I'm showing up and I am a force."

Check.

♪ ♪

Check.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I am one of the first to the puzzle station.

And I realize that every woman

has now gotten back into the water to swim to the Sinister.

[exhales]

This is not the way I want to start the final.

♪ ♪

Check.

BANANAS: The outlook is grim

for me in this checkpoint.

Jordan's gone and Derek is

almost out of my reach.

But after what seems like an eternity

of running back and forth on the-- on this beach...

...um, I see that on my final trip back,

Kyland's still at the puzzle board.

This is good for me.

I was able to conserve some energy,

so hopefully I'm able to get this thing

knocked out and not end up in dead last.

JENNY: I see Michele from the right-hand side

and I'm like, for fuck's sake,

I need to get back to Sinister,

I need to get first place.

I need to start off on a fucking high.

TJ: That's what I'm talking about.

JORDAN: What a way to start Challenge 40 final, on top.

I don't want to count my chickens too early, but

feeling pretty good.

Motherfucker.

TJ: Well done, Michele.

Good job.

MICHELE: I am elated.

In the individual portion of the game,

I've never placed first in anything.

So starting this final with a first place token

means the world to me.

Since day one of this season,

I've had to battle my way here as the underdog.

- Row! Row! - As somebody who I think

was underestimated, and to be perfectly honest,

I underestimated myself in a lot of ways.

I've battled with my own insecurities.

I've battled with other people's perceptions of me.

All of their thoughts about who I am and how I play this game.

They're just trying to create the riff between us.

Don't let it happen.

But nobody can say that I did

manipulative things to get here.

I got here because I won eliminations.

- [air horn blows] - I proved to myself,

and I think I'm gonna prove to a lot of people that I'm more

than just somebody who hides in the shadows and makes

social and strategic moves. I'm also a great competitor.

That is correct.

[screams]

And now I just need to make it

to the finish line

so that I can stand on the top and be like,

"Ha-ha, told you so, bitches."

This is not clicking for me.

Ugh. Let's try this.

Check.

Thank you.

I finished my puzzle before Bananas,

which feels great, but now I have

to swim all the way back to Sinister.

I'm not gonna lose hope, but I'm really praying

that he can't solve this puzzle for a while.

[groans]

Check.

Fuck.

BANANAS: Kyland swims like a tuna.

But more like a can of tuna.

So, yeah,

I'm expecting to finish in third place and, uh,

hope that whatever the next checkpoint is favors

my skill set a little bit better.

[retching]

Dude, swimming against that current?

Oh, my fucking God.

How the fuck are we supposed to get out?

- Yeah, do you need a hand? - Yeah.

Oh, fuck.

[retching]

[others shouting]

MICHELE: What time penalty, Derek?

Came in at two.

I'm second place and I feel like my karma points

will boost me up something, you know?

Like, those karma points are gonna come into play.

So I'm just worrying about getting

these one and two tokens.

- DEREK: Good job, Tori. - JENNY: Awesome, Tori.

TORI: Fuck, that was hard. You guys are incredible.

MICHELE: Now swim back.

TORI: This final is about swimming, this is your guys'.

That swim.

- Where's Rachel? - Still back there.

[Rachel groans]

Got it.

Check.

Thank you.

[exhales]

Almost done, Banana Man!

BANANAS: Fuck this shit!

I think I see Jesus.

TORI: No, that's just TJ.

BANANAS: Guys, there's a fucking white whale, dude.

- You're lying. - Look at this. I swear to God!

- Look. - What--? Oh, my God.

- Oh, my God. - JORDAN: Morons.

JORDAN: No!

That's what you call worst to almost first.

DEREK: Come on, guys!

- DEREK: Way to finish, Rachel. - Oh, shit.

KYLAND: I am in dead last.

I know that there's so much more of this final.

So I got to keep my mind right.

And not let this last place finish

deter me from staying in the game.

All right, so, first place on the first checkpoint,

Michele and Jordan.

Second place, Derek and Jenny.

Third place, Bananas and Tori.

Fourth place, Kyland and Rachel.

[cheering, whooping]

RACHEL: This is not a good start for me.

But I'm also someone who never gives up.

So as long as I never get fourth place again,

I can still be okay.

TJ: Now we're gonna go off to checkpoint two.

Until we get there, you will each have

to stand below deck on your assigned spot.

JENNY: Honestly, I think TJ hates us.

Does he realize how much we've just been swimming?

- Get out of here. - BANANAS: Oh, God.

JENNY: I'm ready to lie down.

I know this is supposed to be grueling and hard,

but this is relentless.

And this is just the beginning.

♪ ♪

JORDAN: Welcome aboard the Sinister.

BANANAS: This place is a shithole.

DEREK: Normally when you jump on a ship,

there's, like, lounge chairs

and cabana beds and pool decks, you know? No.

We have to be standing in this wet, muddy, dirty floor

in our wet clothes with our hands on this handlebar

until we get to the next location.

This is going to be so strenuous because

if we have to continue swimming and then not being able

to rest, I can't even think about

how my body's gonna feel after this.

You see that abandoned ship way out there?

That is checkpoint two.

Ghost Ship.

Swim to that ship, board that ship

and find the directions, read them and get the task done.

First one back on the Sinister wins this checkpoint.

Got it?

All right, everybody ready?

- Go! - [air horn blows]

JORDAN: Normally, in a final, it's my M.O.

to sit in the hip pocket

of whoever wants to be out in front.

Because I want to push their pace.

Ultimately make them crash.

In this final,

I am the swimmer of this group.

So, at the start of every checkpoint,

I am going to get myself as much of a lead as I can.

And make them chase me.

I absolutely want to be known

as the guy who shows up and wins.

I am determined to eat the lion's share

of that million-dollar prize.

"Ghost Ship.

"Dive under the abandoned boat, memorize the symbols,

"climb on board, and reproduce the board on your station.

"Once solved, swim back to the Sinister

to retrieve your token."

All right.

JENNY: Michele took the win in the first one.

I was right there with her, so that was painful.

But, honestly,

I perform my best

when I've got somebody right there

next to me that I've got to beat.

I'm gonna fucking kill this one.

Well, that was terrible.

[exhales]

MICHELE: More swimming. Yay.

Yeah.

MICHELE: We're all exhausted from checkpoint one.

And this is not as straightforward as it seems.

Some of the key elements have little, tiny differentiators.

So it's not just memorizing things.

This is also gonna require attention to detail.

♪

♪ ♪

JENNY: Oh, my memory is so bad.

My memory sucks.

Like, I do not

have a memory part of my brain whatsoever.

But I'm starting to put my puzzle pieces into place...

[mutters]

Barrel, this barrel.

I have no idea what I looked at.

JENNY: There's so much I want to do

with this money if I win.

My twin sister just had a second baby.

I'm obviously gonna spoil the shit out of him.

And spoil all my other nieces and nephews, and my sisters,

and my mum and my dad

and my boyfriend who has put up with me being away from home

for so long.

So I have to win.

MICHELE: Check.

No, no. No, no cheating.

- I'm-I'm ahead of you, honey. - TORI: Yeah, but you're wrong.

MICHELE: I know, but I don't know where I'm wrong.

This is right. This is right. This is right.

This is right. This is right. This is right.

JORDAN: Check.

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

BANANAS: All right, guys, here's the idea for a final.

What's Jordan good at?

Swimming? Perfect.

Being a fucking dickhead. Great.

Jordan is ten steps ahead of everybody again.

He's a fish. Like, he does triathlons.

So, the other guys,

we need to get our shit together, because...

if we don't, we're-- we're screwed.

JENNY: Can I get a check?

TORI: Check.

I had the exact same fucking thing.

So, what the fuck is the difference?

This is the same board that I'm looking at

underneath this ghost ship.

Where am I going wrong?

I used to call myself a puzzle queen, but...

I think I'm more of a puzzle peasant right now.

Are you kidding me? What the fuck is the difference?

MICHELE: I know these are waving flags

and these are the exact same.

Waving flag.

Can I compete on the guys' side?

Because I'd be second place.

Thankfully, I finished before Michele

and pretty much the same time as Tori and Jenny.

So it is off to the races.

MICHELE: These are the same.

Oh, this fucker.

Fuck me.

Oh, my God.

The first row has a barrel in it that has a skull on it

where all the other barrels don't.

DEREK: Huh?

Check.

Good?

The barrel has a skull and crossbones in it.

It's a small difference, but it's a big difference.

DEREK: Repaying favors and helping each other

is how this game was played.

So, what's the point in not stopping

to help your friend? You know, like,

it's the Ladies of Leisure versus the Angels.

Let's do this.

TORI: Rachel is right behind me.

So I am doing

everything in my power to get to that ship right now.

To come in third on the first checkpoint

didn't help me in this game.

So if I can make it to the Sinister before Rachel

and place second,

then maybe I have a fighting chance.

DEREK: Is that good?

Good?

BANANAS: Check.

Derek and I finish basically simultaneously.

If there is some sort of miracle,

like a rogue harpoon hits Jordan while he's swimming,

maybe we might get first place.

But after finishing third

at the first checkpoint, I'm just hoping

that I beat Derek. This is gonna be a dogfight

all the way back.

Being in yet another final,

I have experience on these other guys, but...

with experience also comes age.

With age comes bad hips

and hemorrhoids and knees.

So, yeah, I'm a little bit worried

that I just can't keep up with him,

so I'm gonna need a lot of karma.

Good karma.

- [Jordan whoops] - Yeah.

- JORDAN: One-one, baby. - Yeah. One-one, right.

Two checkpoints down and project "avoid the karma vote"

still in effect.

I am here to win.

If I can win this money,

I can see a very clear path of being

a professional race car driver for good.

I want to be an American driver

that can go out there and compete in grand prix.

Ultimately, I like my odds here.

There you go.

KYLAND: I'm the only one still here.

This is Kyland's ghost ship.

Check.

But I have to believe I can

turn this around and get this win.

BANANAS: Thank God you've got Kyland behind me

because I'm not a strong swimmer, but I am

literally Michael Phelps next to Kyland.

And I was able

to not absolutely empty the tank on the first checkpoint.

But Derek has been going as hard

and as fast as he can.

So I pull out into the lead and now it's about

not letting him catch back up.

JENNY: Well done, Tor.

[indistinct chatter]

RACHEL: I am devastated.

On the second checkpoint,

I've come in third place.

And I'm worried because I'm pretty used to winning

and I feel like I'm letting down Era One.

It's not a good feeling.

I came in first place on the first checkpoint

and now I'm in fourth place on the second.

Apparently, I'm not very good at attention to detail.

That cost me the win in this checkpoint.

But I'm looking at all the girls here

and we're already back to the Sinister.

JORDAN: Come on, boys!

MICHELE: Meanwhile, other guys are

still swimming.

I'm kind of thinking like,

"Damn, look at the girls who I'm up against."

They're better than all the guys are.

I'm happy to see that we're kind of whupping their asses.

[shouting, whooping]

BANANAS: After two checkpoints,

me and Derek are now tied.

We both have a second place and a third place finish.

And now it looks like it's gonna be a fight

between Derek and myself for who can win these checkpoints.

But this is a very long final.

And if history is any indicator,

there is still a lot of game to be played.

Whoo!

JORDAN: Good job, brother!

MICHELE: I feel like this final is

at a detriment to Kyland.

I don't think he's fully prepped on swimming

and I'm nervous for him.

TJ: All right, everyone.

That was checkpoint two.

First place, we have Jordan and Jenny.

TORI: Where has this Jenny been all season?

Like... [exclaims] it's gonna be tough to beat her.

In order to win this, I need to pick it up.

JENNY: I have not swam for four years.

Last time I swam was in Thailand, season 34.

Go, Jenny!

Come on, Jenny!

[women whooping]

And so to be able to go into a second checkpoint

and get a good rhythm and good breathing

is like the best feeling ever.

TJ: Second place, Bananas and Tori.

Third place, Derek and Rachel.

Fourth place, Kyland and Michele.

All right.

There's no rest for the weary.

Take your spots in your places and let's move

to checkpoint three.

- Let's go. - Let's go, let's go.

KYLAND: Jordan gets first place back-to-back.

Him and I were trading

first and second place for most of the season,

and I had to go into elimination

multiple times against Challenge champions.

But now I'm getting back-to-back last places.

This is not even a situation where I'm thinking about

how can I be competitive with Jordan, but it's like,

"How can I stay in this game at all?"

But I feel like I was pretty nice to everyone,

so I don't anticipate

getting a lot of bad karma.

So I need to turn this around

because the job I came here to do

is still truly possible.

♪ ♪

TJ: This is checkpoint three.

A Thousand Steps.

Again, you're gonna start on Sinister,

jump in the water, swim all the way to that beach.

From there, it's a thousand steps.

You must notice all the clues to help you solve a mystery,

then race back to Sinister

and collect your final token for the day.

Let's do this. Good luck, everyone.

All right, everyone ready?

- Go. - [air horn blows]

TJ: You got this.

Breathe, every stroke. Don't quit.

TORI: Who would have thought that this final

was gonna come down to miles of swimming?

Like, when we swim in daily challenges 500 meters,

we see the end in sight, we can do it.

You put us in the open water against these waves

that are literally choking us.

Like, of course it's gonna be difficult.

I can only imagine how much more we're gonna have to do.

JORDAN: Checkpoint three, we have to swim to shore

and then climb a thousand steps,

get all the way to the other side of the island.

I'm not wasting any time

because I have no idea

how close these guys are on my tail.

If we have to swim every single time.

Dude, it's such a fucking disadvantage, man.

- JENNY: Such a disadvantage. - MICHELE: It's crazy.

This season, me and Jenny have kind of been on opposite sides.

She's been Bananas' Angel,

and I've kind of been Bananas' Devil.

So, I know that Jenny may have

a little bit of animosity

towards me because, when we were on Era Four,

she continuously got thrown in,

but she seems to be the stiffest

competition right now, so I'm just

happy that I'm keeping up.

TORI: Oh, my God.

- Evil. - I know.

Despite Tori's drama with Bananas,

I've made it very clear to her from the beginning that Tori

and my relationship is separate from that.

RACHEL: Take a break, you know.

- [retching] - All that salt water.

RACHEL: That was you in the water, huh?

- TORI: Yeah. - RACHEL: Right now,

if Tori and I stay in this together,

it will get us through this.

And then my strategy

is to beat Tori.

Guys, I know this final's individual,

but I feel like we're gonna get through it together.

Okay.

♪ ♪

"Find a hidden image on the coconut trees

"by swimming to a raft 500 meters offshore.

You must stay on the course at all time."

I see it.

I'm gonna study this skull so deeply.

I've got a lead, but I'm checking over my shoulder

because I know these guys can all run.

I'm just waiting to see Bananas or Derek come flying up.

JORDAN: "Run back to your solving stations

"and reproduce that image on your board.

"Once correct, swim back to the boat

"and collect your token. If it's incorrect,

you must run the course again to recheck the image."

Just keep at it. We're almost done.

DEREK: Michele-- "Go, girl, go."

Like, yes, sis. Get your fucking coin, girl.

- Yeah, this sucks. - I know.

- She's just too good, man. - Go get it, Jenny.

DEREK: I'm so happy because Michele is in a good spot

right now, and when you look

at the girls that are in this final,

these girls are insane.

So I'm so proud of my girl.

Man.

This...

Oh, the image on top.

I know the karma thing is not gonna work much

in my favor. I haven't been here for so long.

I haven't had a chance to build up

those relationships and connections.

Like, give me the checkpoints.

Give me the swimming.

But, like, make it a popularity contest,

and I'm not gonna win.

We are no strangers to solving puzzles.

The key is do it quickly and don't get it wrong.

Check.

Well done, Jordan.

Thank you, ma'am.

JENNY: I'll see you at the boat.

Check.

Yeah?

- TORI: Do you see it? - RACHEL: Yeah.

JENNY: To make it to this point, honestly,

I have no idea how I did it.

When I started out,

I was so excited to work with a team of people,

get to know my era,

look out for each other, feel safe.

And honestly, they fucking

shat on me within the first week.

And I just kept getting targeted.

I kept being a scapegoat.

And to go from feeling,

like, so alone...

Wow.

JENNY: And then moving the game

from, you know,

eras to individuals,

I found my people.

Love you guys. Love you guys.

JENNY: And I couldn't have done it, honestly,

without Rachel, Aviv, and Johnny.

Those guys pulled me from the brink,

and now I'm here.

So now, it's time to just put the work in

and finish this thing.

BANANAS: So this is where I have an opportunity

to make up some ground. I see Derek,

and I'm gonna do everything I can to catch up.

There's no way that I can

give up second place again.

So, that's all that's on my mind.

KYLAND: "Find a hidden image of the coconut trees

by swimming to a raft."

[sighs]

This is how I feel about this sign.

Fuck this. Another swim.

[urinating]

See that? That's my piss.

That's how I feel about this extra swim.

What if I build a boat? I got time.

- Hey, are you first? - No.

Oh, well. Keep crushing.

- Good? - Yes, you're good to go.

- Yes. Yes. Let's go. - Okay.

♪ We're free from the reins ♪

♪ Yeah, we're tearing it up... ♪

DEREK: Okay.

♪ We're boosting the script ♪

♪ But we never give up now ♪

[exhales]

Bananas is the GOAT of this.

He's won the most championships, and to

have to compete against this man

is kind of frightening.

But also, it brings the best out of me.

I want to prove that I am here for a reason.

Like, I'm not getting sent home first anymore.

Like, I'm actually winning things. Like, I'm making moves.

Check.

♪ ♪

Awesome. Whoo!

DEREK: Bananas kills this puzzle,

which is freaking me out because

I know that I have so much more to do.

So, I just need to get back to Sinister as fast as I can.

♪ We get no rest ♪

♪ ♪

♪ There's no stopping you. ♪

Check.

Thankfully, Tori just got her puzzle wrong,

so now she has to do the whole course all over again.

I have hope.

All I have to do is finish my puzzle,

and make sure that I do not get last place.

DEREK: Check.

Thank you.

Check.

Fuck.

[screams]

[screams]

KYLAND: This cramp hurts so bad,

but it's being numbed by the realization that

I may not be able to have

any placement in this final.

Things have shifted from "Can I win this final?"

to "Can I finish this final?"

[screams]

♪

Fuck.

[screaming]

[Kyland screaming]

[panting]

Okay.

Well... fuck.

Figure it the fuck out.

Fuck.

Okay. Okay.

I don't think I've quit anything in my life.

It's just a face.

I came in with

an unbreakable will to

give my all and never quit.

So, my strategy is

to finish this puzzle as fast as I can,

and hopefully, someone else is still solving this puzzle

and I can still compete in this final.

I had to come back.

Get a good look at it so you don't have to come back.

What are you doing?

KYLAND: The cramps is the only thing that's getting me.

My body is just chilling.

I'm just annoyed.

After all this, it just comes down to fucking swimming?

I'm kind of pissed.

[Kyland groans]

♪ ♪

Oh, fuck. Back to this shithole.

What's that?

There's the mouth.

♪

This is what I had the first time.

I mean, if I call check, are you gonna make me go back?

Oh, my God.

I didn't realize

that I put two of them incorrectly.

What the fuck?

The mouth matches. I'm gonna call check.

Thank you, bro.

But it doesn't matter if we can figure out the puzzles, Tori.

We have to be Aquaman. And Aquawoman.

♪ ♪

BANANAS: Attagirl.

That's what I like to see.

Crawling across the finish line.

I have secured another third place finish.

Right now, in the final,

I realize how hard this is,

and I can't even think about doing all of this

and getting no money.

I also know I can still win this

because there's a lot of final left,

and I do believe I have good karma.

Swimming in the sunset.

Looking spectacular.

♪ ♪

You all look beautiful.

Mmm, we've seen better days.

TJ: All right, so, checkpoint three is done.

Jordan and Jenny, first place.

Bananas and Michele...

- BANANAS: Yes! - ...second place.

Derek and Rachel, third place.

Kyland and Tori, fourth place.

Nothing if not consistent.

[laughter]

TJ: All right, everyone,

go back to your stations,

hang your tokens at your stations.

We are in transit to the next location.

On to the next what?

♪ ♪

That is really fucking beautiful.

It's the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in my life.

TORI: I just cannot get over

- how much swimming we've done. - BANANAS: Dude.

My legs, my arms, my whole body hurts.

All I want to do is rest my weary bones,

but that's not in the cards for me.

We're all standing in our godforsaken circles,

thinking about how much pain and misery

we're all feeling right now,

so I would say the emotional state of the group

is fairly low right now.

I'm trying to kind of not let that get in my head,

because this karma vote is looming,

so this final is still anybody's game.

[TJ laughing]

TJ: All right, everyone.

You all are killing it.

You're one step closer to making some money.

RACHEL: At this point in the game,

I don't have the best placement

on the first day.

I find myself getting a bit frustrated

because Jenny is still getting first,

and I need a first place finish

to keep me in the final.

But I'll tell you who I don't want to win.

I don't really want Michele to win

because Michele is ahead of me

at every single checkpoint.

So, there is no other option than for me

to win the next checkpoint.

Now, this is the overnight checkpoint.

♪ ♪

Yeah. Best day ever.

TJ: All right, everyone,

this is the overnight checkpoint.

Yeah. Best day ever.

[laughs]

Down below, in the sleeping quarters,

there are several chests,

one for each of you.

There's also a giant bag of coins,

thousands of coins.

You're going to count those coins one by one

for 30 minutes.

[buzzer sounds]

Then you're gonna come up here

and sing "Show Me the Way to Go Home"

for 30 minutes.

ALL: ♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

♪ I'm tired and I want to go to bed ♪

TORI: Oh, my God.

TJ: Then, you're gonna go

back down there and continue counting...

...continuing this process, of every 30 minutes,

- coming up to sing... - [buzzer sounds]

going back down to count,

until you have counted all of your coins.

The most accurate count of the night will win.

Second most accurate will get second,

and so on.

- Got it? - Got it.

All right? Good luck.

No quit here, Teej.

KYLAND: Usually,

when TJ tells finalists

they have an overnight challenge,

it is associated with feelings of dread.

But I couldn't be more excited because

as much as I hate singing,

I kind of love me some counting.

So, I'm feeling like this is my opportunity

to not only avoid last place,

but hopefully get my first

win on a checkpoint in this final.

BANANAS: This is fucking so stupid, dude.

The bag's so heavy that when I try and move it

closer to me, it doesn't move.

There's so many coins in here,

and we are now going to have to count them all.

This is what true nightmares are made of.

- [buzzer sounds] - MICHELE: Stop.

One, two, three.

- Thank you, guys. - Yep.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

BANANAS: Ready? Here's how it goes.

♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

ALL: ♪ I'm tired and I want to go to bed ♪

♪ I had a little drink about an hour ago ♪

♪ And it's gone right to my head ♪

TORI: It feels like, you know, a depressed choir, but, like,

I am somebody that loves to listen to music on repeat.

Like, if I have that one song I like,

I listen to that song six, seven, eight hours in a row.

I'm just channeling that right now.

You like to sing,

now everybody has to hear you sing,

so this is my opportunity to sing away.

♪ You will always hear me singing this song ♪

♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

DEREK: I've been wanting

something that I excel in

to be a part of one of these challenges

and final. So, I was just like,

is, like, voguing part of the final?

Is, like, lip-synching? Is karaoke-ing?

Well, we have a song now, and I'm

pretty good at that. Like, this is my jam.

So how hard can this actually be, guys?

♪ You will always hear me singing this song ♪

♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

JORDAN: ♪ Bitch! ♪

♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

♪ I'm tired and I want to go to bed ♪

♪ Bed, bed, bed ♪

♪ I had a little drink about an hour ago ♪

♪ And it's gone right to my head ♪

♪ That's where I... ♪ Oh, God.

Oh, my God. Yeah, I'm released of the song.

♪ No matter where I roam ♪

MICHELE: There we go.

♪ On the land or sea or foam ♪

♪ You will never fucking ever again ♪

♪ Hear me singing this song ♪

[quietly]: ♪ Show me the way to go home ♪

[buzzer sounds]

BANANAS: All right. Fuck this shit.

MICHELE: We just have, like, three

or four more of those to go.

BANANAS: Yeah.

♪ ♪

KYLAND: We cannot restart our count, right?

RACHEL: I am in a zone, counting these coins,

because I keep track of my money.

If I can win this checkpoint, I am back in this final.

I can't really stress to everyone

how magical this experience has been.

I came in with a group of people

that I have 20 years of history with,

only to watch them go

one by one.

But when my back was most against the wall

is when I won. And then,

sending Kyland and Kaycee against Devin and Tori

was the game changer.

I had a lot of different things going on

that got me to this point, and there is no question

that I am meant to be in this final.

Now, all I have to do is bring it home, baby.

[buzzer sounds]

[Michele laughs]

Still so much left. Holy shit.

♪ Show me the way to go home...♪

[buzzer sounds]

[buzzer sounds]

♪ Had a little drink about an hour ago...♪

Yeah, remember that one time I said

singing that song for 30 minutes would be fun? Yeah.

Try saying that after the fourth and fifth time.

[buzzer sounds]

JENNY: We actually will never go to sleep

with all these coins.

I won't be doing any challenges tomorrow

with no sleep, that's for sure.

We're tired.

I don't know what time it is.

My body is battered,

and now I've got to sing the same stupid song

over and over and over and over again.

It's literally, like, enough to make you go crazy.

♪ ...to my home ♪

[buzzer sounds]

- [groans] - TORI: Are you okay?

Yeah. My hand cramped. [laughs]

TORI: Sorry.

It's like, "No, you can't go to sleep." Okay.

Okay, brain. Don't shut down because you're exhausted.

BANANAS: Okay, we've done it enough.

- We're all counting. - MICHELE: You got this. Just put them in.

I'm seeing Jenny sort of fray at the edges.

She is slamming her coins in.

She's very vocal

about how uncomfortable she is.

It's hurting here, it's hurting there.

My knee's hurting, my fucking ass

is hurting, everything's hurting.

TJ should award at least me something,

having to deal with all these people in their delirium.

Jenny's going crazy because she's hungry, she's hot,

she's cold, she's exhausted.

I'm on the brink of falling asleep.

You've won a final. You know what you're getting into.

Why is this so crazy for you?

Why does your hair look like that?

My back's hurting too much.

Like, I'm 37.

My body's just old as fuck now.

I just can't do this shit.

JORDAN: Shut up. We're all trying to count.

Jenny is at her end. You can just see it.

I've never seen her like this.

She usually has, like, the happiest demeanor

and, like, loves everybody.

I don't think Jenny likes anybody right now.

I think that if she could literally, like,

leave the face of the Earth, she fucking would.

- Just put it in. - BANANAS: Then quit, Jenny.

- JORDAN: Stop! - BANANAS: Damn it.

- I actually want to die. - MICHELE: It's never gonna end.

JORDAN: This is sleep deprivation.

This is going looney tunes.

TJ: Today is the day one man and one woman

will become Challenge champions.

- Go! - [air horn blows]

KYLAND: I still have a chance.

I have to kick it into high gear.

RACHEL: I'm getting close to the breaking point.

MICHELE: Panic starts to overcome me.

I cannot get out of this fucking water. [shouts]

After the karma vote,

there was movement in the final standings.

This is where it gets gnarly.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org