Smoking the Competition

In “Smoking the Competition,” the episode resumes in cold, miserable conditions, with rain falling and temperatures feeling near 58 degrees with wind chill. Brazil and Australia are locked in the cliffhanger elimination challenge, racing to retrieve their displaced fish traps from shore without getting wet. Both teams are neck and neck, but Brazil pulls ahead and gets the trap in first.

Rene sums up the win with the line, “If you don’t play to win, don’t play at all,” while Australia congratulates Brazil on surviving. The loss eliminates Australia, leaving only three teams in the competition.

On day 30, the remaining teams receive a new scroll and learn they must migrate to the final zone. The route is punishing: first, they must paddle four miles across the lake on their rafts while avoiding hippos and Zambezi sharks, then hike up in elevation toward the ocean coast. The paddle takes four exhausting hours under the hot sun, and once the teams arrive, the points reset to zero again. Campsite selection is determined by scroll draw, giving the final three teams a fresh start in a completely different environment.

The new zone is a windy coastline with extreme tides, dangerous predators, and far more coastal food opportunities. Brazil gets an early boost when Rene goes crab hunting, shooting one crab with a bow and arrow before spearing two more by hand using an arrow. On day 32, Mexico searches the coastline for octopus, lobster, and stingray. Fernanda spots a stingray and stabs at it with a spear, but it escapes.

USA East also turns to the tidal pools, with Matt and Gabrielle foraging along the beach. Gabrielle spots an octopus and grabs it, while Matt kills it by biting between its eyes. With all three teams trying to adapt quickly to the coast, the next scroll introduces a 48-hour optional build: construct a raised platform shelter to earn 100 points. It is not required, but with the standings reset and the final stage underway, every point matters.

The teams repurpose materials from their rafts to build the shelters. Brazil finishes first, earning 100 points plus a Hawaiian sling and snorkel mask. Rene immediately puts the reward to use and lands a stingray. On day 35, all teams hunt with the sling, but Matt is the only one to score big, bringing in five fish for USA East while the other teams come up empty.

On day 36, Gabrielle wakes up with a swollen eye, forcing a medic call and raising concern about a possible allergic reaction. The next scroll reveals a trapping challenge: teams must smoke a hare out of its burrow, then build seesaw snare traps at the exits. First place guarantees a spot in the final challenge and earns 150 points. Second place earns 100 points, while third earns nothing and faces elimination the next day.

USA East nearly starts in disaster when Matt and Gabrielle cannot find their firestarter, only for Gabrielle to recover it where they dropped it while running to the burrow. All three teams begin building traps around the same time, but Brazil’s teamwork gives them the edge. Rene and Marina focus together on one trap at a time, while Matt and Gabrielle split up and struggle with their individual builds. Mexico also has communication issues, with Pablo not fully listening to Fernanda.

Brazil completes its first trap, followed by Mexico and then USA East. As wind makes the delicate traps difficult to balance, Brazil and Mexico both get close to finishing. Brazil triggers its second trap and only needs to reset it, but the wind keeps blowing it over. Mexico reaches the same point moments later, but Brazil manages to reset first and wins the challenge, securing a spot in the final. Mexico finishes second, leaving USA East at the bottom heading into elimination.