Last week on The Challenge: All-Stars, Alton was the man of the hour. He gassed out in a team challenge, allegedly slept with Jisela, and defeated his friend Syrus in elimination. Also, a new twist from T.J. meant that every elimination would be a double elimination with one man and one woman going home. Aneesa was Alton’s partner, and Beth went home with Syrus after a near-shutout elimination. This was a twist nobody saw coming.
The All-Stars walk back to the house to the sound of “Only You” by 112 featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase. It isn’t long before Aneesa and Alton are met with praise by their fellow competitors, the first being Derrick, who pats Alton on the back. Jemmye goes into a confessional where she talks about how excited she is for this new twist. She and Mark mention that you need to either win the daily or be prepared to go into elimination and possibly go home.
Aneesa prepares herself a plate of food and stares at her tore up knuckles. In her confessional, she mentions that there is a lot of pressure for her to win, especially after 14 seasons. The most important thing to her, though, is just making it to the final. She has been to 2 finals in 14 seasons, and I’m honestly surprised production hasn’t tried to rig her another final. Come on. It’s a FINAL! If Devin and Jay can make finals, I’m sure production could throw Aneesa a bone.
Katie and Jonna are talking in their bedroom about the new twist. Jonna is stressed out about the new twist, as she doesn’t want to go into elimination. In past seasons, she hasn’t made it as far as she would like, and she came back to prove to herself and her family that she can still compete. Katie, on the other hand, feels that she is safe. No guy would pick her as his partner. She wants to instill fear in the minds of the strongest guys that if they vote her in, she will pick them as her partner. This season, Katie is self-aware about her abilities and refuses to pretend like she is a great competitor. Her strategy of pretending to be weak is so far paying off.
The newest hookup in the house looks to be Aneesa and Laterrian. Laterrian likes that Aneesa is similar to him and he is turned on by her “never-quit” attitude. Laterrian asks if Jisela and Alton are in the bathroom because he wants to brush his teeth, and he and Aneesa share a laugh about the subject. Aneesa is privy to Laterrian’s sweet side, and he’s like an aggressive teddy bear.
The All-Stars head off to their next challenge. T.J. greets them and says that it is a team challenge, but individual success is paramount to the team success. He laughs at his pun. If you somehow are not aware, this show is on Paramount+. If you are aware, I hope you laughed. I did.
Today’s challenge is called Escape the Room. The All-Stars will be split into 4 teams of 4 and will stand inside a container 30 ft over the water. Each person must solve an individual puzzle, and floors will open randomly from left to right. The team to solve the most puzzles before being dropped wins the daily.
Gold team is Ruthie, Easy, Laterrian and Jonna. Silver team is Jisela, Alton, Darrell, and Kellyanne. Copper team is Katie, Yes, Derrick, and Aneesa. Finally, the Black team is Kendal, Mark, Nehemiah, and Jemmye. Jonna is adamant about not wanting to be captain, so Ruthie volunteers; if she wins, she would be safe so it’s a gamble she is willing to take. Kellyanne offers to be captain for the silver team because Darrell is the other captain and Kellyanne would like to be his partner in an elimination. On Copper, Katie and Yes step up to be captains, mostly because Aneesa went in the last night, Katie is nervous and wants to take responsibility if her team loses. Black is the last to pick captains, and Kendal steps up because she wants her fate in her hands. If she goes in, it won’t be because the house voted her in. Mark steps up as her partner. He isn’t a big fan of Kendal, but now he needs her because he doesn’t want to go home.
Silver and Gold are first to go. Did I say I like that song already? Big Easy immediately figures out that the puzzle is a pictogram and his strategy is to do the outsides first. Over on the Silver team, Darrell is suffering from a bad case of the stanky leg. I never thought I’d hear him say those words.
The spectators on the ground notice that both teams have put captains in the 3rd and 4th spots. Jonna notices that she is doing her puzzle completely wrong, but she doesn’t have time to change it because she is the first to drop. Alton falls soon after her, causing Jisela to freak out. Luckily, she at least finishes her puzzle and feels confident that it is right. Kellyanne asks Jisela for help and thinks that the three of them, including Darrell, can finish their puzzles.
Big Easy finishes on Gold and Laterrian notices his puzzle is sideways, so he fixes it with Big Easy’s coaching. Big Easy is happy that he finished his puzzle. He feels that he has a good shot to win $500,000. He has lived half of his life broke and uses that as motivation to try hard. Laterrian and Jisela fall suddenly. It sucks that if you finish the puzzle you still drop, but they don’t know if it’s right until everyone has gone. Jisela feels confident that she is correct, but we see that portions of hers and Laterrian’s are wrong.
Easy starts coaching Ruthie because her puzzle is similar. Darrell tries to help Kellyanne, but she falls and Darrell begs to be dropped. It isn’t long before he and Ruthie fall, and round one is over. Laterrian is proud of everyone’s effort, and Easy is confident that at least two puzzles are complete.
Copper and Black are the next to compete. Aneesa and Yes love puzzles and are excited, but Katie is nervous about the whole thing. Everyone starts off strong, but Katie starts crying and prepares herself to fall. “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake plays as Katie shakes in fear. She doesn’t even care about the puzzle. Ruthie is watching on the floor and laughs at Katie’s fear, as she has a sick sense of humor. Katie and Mark fall quickly, but luckily Katie doesn’t hurt herself. Yes finishes and coaches Aneesa with her puzzle. On Black team, Nehemiah is struggling to figure out the puzzle, and it’s not long before he and Yes fall into the water.
Derrick starts cursing about the puzzle, so Aneesa tries to calm him down. Kendall gives Jemmye some tips, but she doesn’t have time to finish. She mentions that she switched hers last minute, and she hopes that she is right. She feels confident that her boo, Nehemiah, is right, and feels good that Kendal is also right. Unfortunately, Kendal has her puzzle upside down. She may not have time to finish it, but she decides that she wants to take the risk. Somewhat luckily for her, depending on the rules, she drops before she can make any changes.
T.J. congratulates the All-Stars on a job well done. Only one person got the puzzle right, and it turns out to be Big Easy. This effectively gives his team the win, making him and Ruthie safe. He is glad that he cannot go home; Ruthie is happy to be safe and doesn’t really care if anyone is upset.
The losers of the daily, by a close margin, are the Black team. Kendal had the puzzle right but it was upside down, so now she and Mark will be going into elimination. You really can’t make this up. Mark wants Kendal out of the game and now he has to work with her.
Back at the house, the Black team discusses possible opponents. Mark gives the decision to Kendal and says she should pick who she can beat. Kendal can’t go against Jemmye, Aneesa, Kellyanne or Jonna, so that leaves Katie and Jisela. I didn’t realize how many girls’ names start with J or K. There’s 6 of a possible 8. I’m not even JK about that. See what I did there?
Kendal wants to wait until she finds out what the house votes on. Mark would like Kendal to leave any other time, but now he’s stuck with her and needs her head in the game. I’ve noticed that Mark doesn’t like Kendal. Check out this tweet for my thoughts on it.
Nehemiah speaks up first at nomination. He says that Kendal wants the house to choose. Katie thinks it’s only fair if she goes in and volunteers herself for elimination. Jemmye is upset with the decision, as there is half a million dollars on the line and the point of challenges is to avoid eliminations.
Kellyanne votes for Katie, but says that it must also be okay with the guys. Aneesa asks how the guys feel. Laterrian is annoyed that the men are scared to go in, and he votes for Katie. The rest of the house votes her in and has well wishes for her performance. Alton doesn’t want to compete against Mark and hopes that Katie doesn’t choose him. Darrell is suffering from faux back pain and wants to be left out. Yes is also worried because Katie gets to see the elimination and then pick a partner based on her beliefs, and it may not suit the guy she picks.
Club time! “Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)” by Citizen King is the song of choice. The begging of Katie not to pick certain guys doesn’t take long. Derrick walks up to Katie with a bloody face and a cane; he needs the day off. Yes is also “hurt” and delivers a doctors note to Katie. It’s kind of hilarious that the guys are pretending to be injured. They’re so full of it.
Mark tells Big Easy and Darrell that he doesn’t want to go against his friends. He wants to go against Yes, Nehemiah, or Alton, but he still has to rely on his partner. Jisela, on the other hand, can’t afford to lose Nehemiah or Alton. She would benefit to have Kendal out of the game, as she is a strong player with not the best relationship with Jisela.
Laterrian talks to Katie and says that he’s not scared about going in. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t help Katie, and it’s not like they are definitely going to lose. Laterrian has proved himself during this challenge, and I am shocked with how well he is doing. I could see him going hard for her. To be fair, his butt is also on the line, but he is focused on helping Katie almost more than himself.
The next morning, Mark and Kendal do yoga together. Mark tells Kendal to shut the competitors out. Kendal feels unwanted by Mark, but he is willing to move past his dislike for her to stay in the game. The lack of relationship between them is not as important in this elimination, and Kendal knows that if nothing else, Mark will fight for himself, which will obviously benefit her.
Aneesa, Jonna, Katie, and Kellyanne talk about who they trust. Katie likes Laterrian and Yes as her contenders but can’t guarantee that she could win with either of them. Aneesa wants Laterrian to be safe, but it’s not her decision. I get she doesn’t want to lose her hookup, but it might be best to relay that to the person with the decision.
The All-Stars walk into the elimination, and it looks like a tug of war. T.J. tells Big Easy and Ruthie they are safe and asks Mark and Kendal to join him. He then asks Katie to join them and mentions that he knows Katie volunteered herself. He felt that Katie would hurt herself and is glad he was wrong. He then asks Katie for her partner choice. Jisela is “doing eyes” towards people who she would want to go in. Katie decides that she will go with Laterrian. It’s what she is most comfortable with, and he is happy to help her out. The $500,000 would be great, but helping someone in need is better.
The elimination is called Pull Me Over. The competitors will start by standing on stumps and will pull the rope to their side and try to knock the other person off. If both teammates knock the other person off, their team will get a point. The first to two points wins.
If Katie was to win the money, she would want to build another house for her family (her husband and her daughter). She just wants to make them proud. Laterrian wants to live up to the expectations of his physical strength. Mark is feeling the pressure but will win no matter what. Jisela needs Kendal to go home empty-handed, and she has lots of faith in Katie.
The first round starts, and Mark is immediately focused on getting closer to the money. Kendal uses her yoga stances, but Katie doesn’t seem to have a strategy. To everyone’s shock, Kendal loses focus and drops her rope. Derrick is shocked but excited that it is now even. Laterrian goes into beast mode and is focused on getting Mark off the stump. Mark drops his rope, and Katie/Laterrian win the first round.
We are now into the second round, and Katie/Laterrian are up 1-0. Mark is more focused than ever about wearing Laterrian out. After about 20 seconds, Laterrian falls. Katie decides to drop the rope and rest up to be prepared for the last round. Everyone is spent, but they will not be giving up.
Round three is the final round, and it’s all or nothing. Katie’s hands and thighs are burning, and she loses grip of the rope. This leaves the guys to battle it out. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Kim Wilde plays as Mark and Laterrian go at it. Laterrian is struggling but not giving up. These four have gone at each other with everything they have, and Kendal says that Mark better not let her down. Luckily for Kendal, Mark is the one who comes out victorious. Sadly for her, her friends are going home.
Mark is proud of his and Kendal’s performance, and he now wants to run the final with Kendal more than any other girl. I think he always believed in her and wanted her out because of her strength, but it’s nice that he trusts her.
Laterrian gave all that he had in this challenge, and he accepted that he lost to a better competitor. Katie has gone from flipping people off to hugging them as she leaves. She kept her word and is proud of herself playing fair; it sucks to leave but she’s excited to see her family. This has been her favorite Challenge so far, and she is happy she came. Aneesa isn’t sure what her relationship with Laterrian will be after this, but she wants to see him again.
T.J. praises Mark and Kendal for winning. Jisela is upset that the two of them, mostly Kendal, are coming back. She feels that she would lose to Kendal in the arena. T.J. sends the All-Stars off for the night. Mark mentions that the game has changed from nice and fun to cutthroat, and it’s only getting harder from here.
Well, that’s it for Episode 6 of All-Stars! This episode was great, and we are getting so close to the final. In fact, the next episode is the last arena of the season. I don’t know who I want to make it to the final and win, but I’m enjoying everybody and sad this season is almost over. I have high hopes for the end, though.
Reality TV Guide 