Lock in or Storm Out

In “Lock In or Storm Out,” the five remaining Global Showdown teams enter day 21 in the lake zone under brutal heat, possibly the hottest day of the challenge so far. With the leaderboard reset still fresh, every team is trying to turn the marshy environment into food and momentum.

USA East - Matt and Gabrielle go out on their raft to fish, but they have no luck and end up baking in the sun. Brazil, meanwhile, has to work without a cast net but adapts by using a bamboo rod to catch a steady supply of small fish. In a zone where hunting opportunities are limited and the water is full of danger, fishing becomes the main survival strategy. When rain hits overnight, the teams shift focus on day 22 to improving shelter, with Australia, Brazil, USA East, and Mexico all working on roofs.

The next scroll introduces a new weapon challenge: each team must build and use an atlatl. Constructing it earns 50 points, but both teammates will have to prove they can use it in the day 23 challenge. The heat continues taking a toll, and Fernanda needs a medic call for dehydration and heat exhaustion. As teams test their builds, nearly everyone struggles to control the atlatl effectively.

On day 23, USA South and Australia sit below the red line, making the challenge critical. Each teammate must use the atlatl to pierce an impala hide from 10 yards away. Only the first three teams to complete that phase advance to the butchering round, where they must skin and gut an impala. The top three teams earn the impala meat, and the challenge ends with both teammates smearing their faces with impala blood. First place earns 150 points, second earns 100, and third earns 70.

Matt feels confident, and he backs it up by piercing the hide on his first shot. Rene follows for Brazil, then Gabrielle lands her shot to make USA East the first team through the atlatl phase. Marina finishes next for Brazil. Frank then hits for USA South, but Ky and Alexa come through for Australia, giving them the final impala and shutting out the other teams from the food reward.

In the butchering round, USA South works fastest and wins the challenge, taking 150 points and a major food boost. Brazil finishes second, and Australia takes third. Despite the points and meat, USA South and Australia still end up in danger and must face each other in the day 24 elimination challenge.

For elimination, the two teams must build a raised fire platform that can sit in the water, hold a suspended pot, and boil water. Australia completes its platform first, with USA South finishing soon after. Then the race shifts to starting fires, hanging pots, boiling water, removing the pot, and placing it back again. Australia is first to get fire, but the episode ends before revealing which team wins, leaving the elimination result as a cliffhanger.