Road Trip: Polynesia

Road Trip: Polynesia	Road Trip: Polynesia
 	
Season 	8
Genre 	Reality competition
Winner 	J.D. Taro
Runner-up 	Cole Schultz
Episodes 	11
Countries Visited 	9
Cities Visited 	11
Starting Point 	Auckland, New Zealand
Finishing Point 	Honolulu, United States
Production 	Production
Season Aired 	April, 2022
Chronology 	Chronology
Previous Season 	Southeast Asia
Next Season 	Scandinavia
Road Trip: Polynesia is the eighth season of the travel reality competition show devised by SJ productions. The show follows a group of individuals travelling around in a select number of recreational vehicles (RVs) from a starting point to a finishing point across a predetermined route. At each city/town pit-stop, the group compete in either an individual or team-based immunity challenge to win the role of 'tour leader'. The worst performing individual in each challenge is put up for 'repatriation', along with another individual of the tour leader's choosing. Everyone other than the three stated cast a vote in the deliberation for who they wish to repatriate, with the individual receiving the most votes kicked-off the road trip. When only two road trippers remain, a jury consisting of the last seven eliminated players vote for who they wish to win the £50,000 prize. The series is hosted by Big Brother UK alumni Lincoln Mackenzie (Season 1 & All-Stars) and Sinead McGrath (Season 2 & All-Stars).
This season introduced the 'Golden Fob Lifesaver'; a game-changing twist that awards the winners of the first two daily challenges with a 'lifesaver'. The lifesaver enables the individual one opportunity to overturn a nomination (either for placing last in the daily challenge or by being nominated by the tour leader for that round). The lifesaver can last be used at the final five.
This season began at Auckland, New Zealand and ended in Honolulu, United States. The tour consisted of nine countries throughout the 'Polynesian Triangle'. It also is the first season to feature a re-used country; Chile (previously used as the location of Chilean Adventure). The winner of the season was J.D. Taro, defeating Cole Schultz in a 4-3 vote to become Champion of the Road Trip.
==Road Trippers==
			
				
			
Name 	Age	Hometown 	Result
Jack "J.D." Taro 	26 	Tennant Creek, Australia 	Winner
Cole Schultz 	22 	Sacramento, USA 	Runner-up
Poliana Pereira 	30 	Oxford, England 	3rd place
Salvator Esposito 	31 	Miami, USA (originally Cuba) 	4th place
Yiannis Mandrapilias	34 	Thessaloniki, Greece 	5th place
Nancy Viriamu 	25 	Cardiff, Wales 	6th place
Nalani Hekekia 	21 	Honolulu, USA 	7th place
Stephanie Droke 	36 	Bedfordshire, England 	8th place
Diana Pualani 	28 	London, England (originally Tahiti)	9th place
Kauri Hawariwa 	27 	Rotorua, New Zealand 	10th place
Fleur Bareilles 	24 	London, England 	11th place
Christy Stewart 	26 	Glasgow, Scotland 	12th place
Jakeel Henrick 	27 	Baltimore, USA 	13th place
==Voting History==
Ep # 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9 	10 	11 	11 	11 	11
Location 	Auckland	Aotea 	Rarotonga	Rurutu 	Adamstown	EasterIsland	Tahiti 	Neiafu	Apia 	Atafu 	Honolulu	Honolulu	Honolulu 	Honolulu
Eliminated	none 	Jakeel	Christy 	Fleur 	Kauri 	Diana 	Stephanie	Nalani	Nancy	Yiannis	Salvator	Poliana 	Cole 	J.D.
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
J.D. 	SAFE 	WIN 	Christy 	Fleur 	Kauri 	Diana 	Stephanie	Nalani	Nancy	WIN 	Salvator	NOM 	Winner 	Winner
Cole 	WIN 	SAFE 	Christy 	Salvator	Yiannis 	Diana 	NOM 	NOM 	NOM 	Yiannis	NOM 	Poliana 	Runner-up	Runner-up
Poliana 	SAFE 	Jakeel	Salvator 	Fleur 	Kauri 	Nalani 	Stephanie	Nalani	SAFE 	Yiannis	WIN 	ELIM 	— 	J.D.
Salvator 	SAFE 	Diana 	NOM 	NOM 	Yiannis 	Nalani 	Stephanie	Nalani	Nancy	NOM 	ELIM 	 	Cole 	—
Yiannis 	SAFE 	Jakeel	Christy 	WIN 	NOM 	Nalani 	WIN 	WIN 	SAFE 	ELIM 	 	 	— 	J.D.
Nancy 	SAFE 	Jakeel	WIN 	Fleur 	Kauri 	Diana 	Stephanie	Nalani	ELIM 	 	 	 	Cole 	—
Nalani 	SAFE 	Jakeel	Salvator 	Fleur 	Yiannis 	NOM 	Cole 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	— 	J.D.
Stephanie 	SAFE 	Diana 	Christy 	Fleur 	WIN 	Diana 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	Cole 	—
Diana 	SAFE 	NOM 	Christy 	Fleur 	Kauri 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	— 	J.D.
Kauri 	SAFE 	Jakeel	Christy 	Fleur 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Fleur 	SAFE 	Jakeel	Christy 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Christy 	SAFE 	Diana 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Jakeel 	NOM 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Key
: This person won the challenge and became the tour leader.
: This person was safe during the episode and cast a vote for who to eliminate.
: This person was safe during the episode but did not cast a vote for who to eliminate.
: This person originally nominated for repatriation, but was made immune with a lifesaver.
: This person finished last in the challenge and was therefore automatically nominated for repatriation and remained on the road trip.
: This person was nominated by the tour leader for repatriation and remained on the road trip.
: This person finished last in the daily challenge and ultimately eliminated in the repatriation vote.
: This person was nominated by the tour leader and ultimately eliminated in the repatriation vote.
==Game Summary==
# 	Episode title 	Destination 	Tour Leader	Last Place 	Nominated	Eliminated	Vote
1 	"The Golden Fob Lifesaver" 	Auckland, New Zealand 	Cole 	Jakeel 	none 	none 	none
2 	"Beach Bike Bonanza" 	Aotea, New Zealand 	J.D. 	Diana 	none 	Jakeel 	6-3
3 	"Balancing Family and the Game"	Rarotonga, Cook Islands 	Nancy 	Salvator 	Christy 	Christy 	7-2
4 	"Ready, Set, Match" 	Rurutu, French Polynesia 	Yiannis 	Fleur 	Salvator¹	Fleur 	7-1
5 	"Mutiny" 	Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands	Stephanie 	Yiannis 	Kauri 	Kauri 	4-3
6 	"Head Bigger Than a Moai" 	Easter Island, Chile 	J.D. 	Nalani 	Diana 	Diana 	4-3
7 	"A Bite From the Leftovers" 	Tahiti, French Polynesia 	Yiannis 	Stephanie 	Cole 	Stephanie 	4-1
8 	"Shell of an Alliance" 	Neiafu, Tonga 	Yiannis 	Nalani² 	Cole 	Nalani 	4-0
9 	"Coco-Nuts" 	Apia, Samoa 	Team 3⁴ 	Team 1³ 	none 	Nancy 	2-0
10	"When the Bell Atolls" 	Atafu, Tokelau 	J.D. 	Salvator 	Yiannis 	Yiannis 	2-0
11	"Aloha, Goodbye" 	Honolulu, United States 	Poliana 	Salvator 	Cole 	Salvator 	1-0
11	"Aloha, Goodbye" 	Honolulu, United States 	Cole 	J.D.,Poliana	none 	Poliana 	1-0
11	"Aloha, Goodbye" 	Honolulu, United States 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote	Cole 	4-3
11	"Aloha, Goodbye" 	Honolulu, United States 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote	J.D. 	4-3
^¹ Tour Leader Yiannis initially nominated Cole. However, Cole used his lifesaver, leaving Salvator as the re-nomination.
^² J.D. originally finished in last place and was nominated. However, he used his lifesaver, leaving next-lowest performer Nalani as the re-nomination.
^³ Group 1 was picked by team captain Nancy. She selected Cole.
^⁴ Group 3 was led by team captain J.D.. He was joined by Salvator.
^ Group 2 (un-listed) was picked by team captain Poliana. She selected Yiannis.
==Episodes==
===Episode #1 - The Golden Fob Lifesaver===
Arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, thirteen brand new road trippers stand on the observation deck of the famous Sky Tower, which stands as the twenty-eighth tallest tower worldwide. Hosts Lincoln and Sinead join the group, welcoming them to the eighth season of Road Trip, which Lincoln jokes will be “less roads and more oceans”, facetiously asking if “all of (them) can swim”. After giving the thirteen a brief chance to introduce themselves out loud, Sinead then confirms for the first time in Road Trip history that a new permanent feature will be added to the game, altering how strategy will be played from here on out. Rather than to award the first two daily winners with monetary or high-value prizes, these two players will now be gifted ‘Golden Fob Lifesavers’. Each lifesaver acts as a single-use veto of a nomination (either by the daily challenge winner or by losing a daily) that can be played after the first repatriation has taken place, and is only valid to be used until the final five; the final opportunity to play it. The holders of the lifesavers may use it to save themselves should they be nominated, or may use it on another individual of their choosing, but any decision must be made ‘immediately’ following nomination announcements. The road trippers are told by Lincoln and Sinead that overnight they’ll have no daily challenge, and that instead they can use the remainder of their evening enjoying the rented observation deck of the Sky Tower, with champagne and food provided to accompany the spectacular view over Auckland. Before departing, Sinead tells the group to use the time to get to know one another, as undoubtedly the relationships they make on the tour “will determine who wins the £50,000 prize”.
Throughout the evening, the group do well to get to know one another, knowing that amongst they will be the allies they require to get through the early stages of the game. With champagne flowing freely, youngest-male Cole becomes semi-intoxicated after the excitement of the start of the adventure becomes too much for him to handle. His drunken antics begin to annoy the entire group, particularly after he breaks several glasses accidentally and begins behaving poorly on the side of the observation deck, leading security to escort him inside to ‘sober up’. Oxford academic Poliana spends time talking to J.D., explaining that she has studied Polynesian anthropology and culture for her entire career, having earned a doctorate in the field several years prior to taking up her position as a lecturer. Despite J.D.’s  interest in Poliana’s field, conversation between the pair quickly turns to Fleur, who the pair have noted uses a knife and fork to eat canapés. The duo quietly laugh together about Fleur, believing her behaviour to be ‘bizarre’ and in-line ‘with her appearance’. In a confessional, Fleur talks about being the daughter of a London-based French millionaire, leaving her to have spent her years growing up in the UK’s capital as a socialite and “without real friends”, explaining friend-making and “a chance to see the real world” as her key reasons for signing up to Road Trip. After being introduced to Diana, Kauri speaks in a confessional about his pleasure at seeing ‘takatāpui’ (an umbrella term for LGBT+ people), speaking of the importance of ‘third gender’ in Polynesian culture. He does however joke that he “wishes she selected a name with less colonial ties than Diana”, flippantly claiming he’ll “help her think up a traditional Tahitian name in time”.
Following the evening’s event, the thirteen road trippers head to nearby accommodation where they’re told to find a partner of the same gender to share rooms (with one room having three women). Native Hawaiian Nalani pairs with Glaswegian Christy, with the girls vastly different backgrounds and upbringings already causing some conflict. Christy insists on smoking before entering the room, causing annoyance with Nalani who ‘hates the smell’, and their conflict only getting worse after Christy smokes outside their first-floor window (which had been left open), leaving the smell to flood the girls’ bedroom. Nalani confronts Christy about this as she enters the room, leading Christy to defend her habits, believing Nalani is “overreacting”. As the girls bicker, Nalani becomes horrified as Christy declares “I’ll have a fag whenever I want one”, closing herself in the bathroom to clean. Not realizing that ‘fag’ is ‘cigarette’ in British slang, a shaken Nalani exits the room, bumping into Kauri in the hotel lobby. Nalani explains the conflict she experienced with her roommate, saddened that such an event is occurring already on her first evening. As Nalani becomes tearful, recanting “and then she said the f-word or something”, causing Kauri to hold in laughter as he realises the mix-up. Rather than to inform Nalani of her mistake, Kauri simply comforts her by stating that she should change rooms after the first night, believing that she and Christy “won’t likely gel”. Nalani and Kauri spend much of the evening sitting together in the lobby talking, keeping Nalani distracted from returning to the smell of smoke surrounding Christy. 
The next morning, the road trippers begin by having a group breakfast in their accommodation, having received word that they’d be taking part in their first daily challenge by noon. Word has got around the group concerning Christy and Nalani’s conflict, with Salvator curious to hear what had occurred after being told by roommate Kauri of the argument. Salvator begins quizzing Nalani as she eats her breakfast, wanting to know if the girls “made up”. However, Nalani seems reluctant to talk about the argument, instead claiming that it was “first night tiredness”. Rather than to accept this reply, Salvator continues quizzing Nalani, leading her to sharply shut him down and claim that it “isn’t his or anyone’s business” and that the problems “have been dealt with”. Watching the argument, J.D. and Diana quietly begin talking themselves about what J.D. perceives to be “pettiness” from Nalani. Alternatively, Diana speaks up for Nalani against J.D., feeling as though she too would be “angered if (her) room stank”. As a smoker, J.D. continues to defend Christy, believing that all Nalani has done is “paint a target on her back”. Diana responds by suggesting that “maybe (J.D.) and Christy should bunk-up” and keep everyone else happy. With tensions already plaguing the group, the thirteen road trippers make their way to Auckland Harbour Bridge, where Lincoln and Sinead are already waiting for them. The two hosts inform the group that for their challenge, they will each bungee jump from the 40 metre height of the bridge, with their goal to press a buzzer when they believe they have reached the ‘peak extension’ of their rope (around 38 metres). When their buzzer is activated, the amount of rope passed through the extension reader will be taken, with the individual closes to a 38 metre reading being declared the daily winner, and given the first of two ‘Golden Fob Lifesavers’. As with all challenges, the individual with the worst result will automatically face the first repatriation. One by one, each player takes on the frightening bungee jump, all eager to win the coveted lifesaver and ultimately avoid falling into last place. Several players; including Fleur, Jakeel, Kauri and Nancy, display great difficulty in taking on the challenge, with Jakeel and Nancy in particular shaking due to a fear of heights (and in Jakeel’s case, also a fear of the water below). Alternatively, thrill seekers Cole, Diana and J.D. all appear to enjoy the task, with Cole calling it the “best thing (he’s) ever done”. After all thirteen have competed, the group gather atop the bridge to hear the results from Lincoln. Lincoln confirms that of the top three, Nalani and J.D. were both narrowly beaten by Cole, giving him the win and the first ever lifesaver. Of the bottom two, Jakeel’s fear of height and water is shown to have been enough to spur him into hitting his buzzer far too early, sparing next-lowest competitor Fleur from being nominated for now. Jakeel is comforted by the group for his unfortunate position, whilst cold congratulations are offered to Cole, with many of the players having hoped that his antics would have left him a prime candidate to be an ‘easy vote’, now knowing the introduction of the lifesaver has thrown a major wrench into all their plans.
===Episode #2 - Beach Bike Bonanza===
Following the first daily challenge, the thirteen road trippers return to their hotel where they’ll be spending another night. On their bus journey back to the hotel, Nancy sits by daily winner and lifesaver holder Cole, congratulating him personally on his victory. Cole appears pleased with Nancy’s attention, leading to the pair to be visibly flirting with one another, particularly noticeable as Nancy plays up a ‘giggly’ persona to each joke Cole makes. In a confessional, Nancy confesses to finding Cole attractive, but insists that any flirtatious strategies she uses will be “for game purposes”, believing that she can easily have a hold over the men in the game with her “red lips and feminine hips”. As the group arrive back at the hotel, many ponder whether Nalani will once again share a room with Christy, aware that the two had friction due to the latter’s smoking habits. Despite their friction, Nalani decides to prevent any further complications and issues, announcing that she is happy to share a room again with Christy; additionally apologizing for her behaviour following their ‘drama’. Nalani’s ownership of her mistake and gradual socialising with the group as they return to the hotel leads many to feel positively on her, believing it to be a sign of maturity that she is willing to publicly apologise so soon after the conflict. Returning to their bedroom, Christy thanks Nalani for “avoiding further issues” by agreeing to stay roommates for an extra night, noting that in thanks she’ll not have a cigarette for the remainder of the day. Nalani states her appreciation towards Christy for this, leading both girls to spend the evening chatting and removing the negativity between them, feeling as though it had been an unnecessary weight to carry so early on in the road trip.
On the third day of the road trip, the group board their private bus and head towards Auckland’s ferry port, where they board a five-hour ferry to New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island; known by the indigenous Māori as ‘Aotea’. On the ferry, Nancy continues her strategy of flirting with the men of the tour, now turning her attention to Salvator. Nancy playfully touches Salvator’s hand in a flirtatious manner as they talk, claiming that she “can tell he’s a hard worker”. Salvator seems receptive to the flirting, clearly enjoying the attention of a ‘prettier’ member of the group. As the pair talk, their interactions are carefully watched by current loner Fleur, who seems less than impressed by Nancy’s behaviour. In a confessional, Fleur speaks vehemently of her disliking for ‘girls using the flirt card’, believing it to be ‘cheap’ and ‘anti-women’ behaviour. She goes on to call Nancy’s behaviour “whoreish”, particularly after having seen her also flirt with Cole the previous afternoon. Once Nancy has moved on, Fleur joins Salvator, questioning to see if he truly thinks anything could come from ‘flirting’ in the game. Salvator decisively tells Fleur that there’ll be “no romance on (his) part”, finding it amusing that Fleur should care so much. Nevertheless, he appreciates her consideration for his ‘wellbeing’, leading to the pair to talk about their nerves going into the next daily, with Fleur particularly hoping to avoid falling near the bottom once again. Elsewhere on the boat, Nancy joins Poliana and Yiannis who are deep in conversation about their backgrounds, finding similarity between Poliana’s Portuguese family and Yiannis’ Greek upbringing. The pair listen as Nancy details her own mixed-emotions at growing up in Wales, having been born and raised there after her father and mother moved due to her father’s position as a professional rugby player. Nancy claims to feel “undeniably Welsh” as well as “Tongan in (her) heart”, a sentiment that Poliana can relate to given that she has never lived in Portugal, but still views it as her “homeland”. The three toast small cartons of juice to their respective ‘homelands’, glad to be able to have such a mix of cultures amongst the group for their tour.
Arriving in Aotea, the thirteen road trippers are driven via private bus to meet Lincoln and Sinead by what is deemed one of the starting points for the ‘Aoetea Track’, a series of interluding treks that are found across the island. The group follow Lincoln and Sinead as they take a two-hour walk around the track, crossing jungle, bridges, streams as well as climbing endless stone-carved steps, giving everyone a chance to take in the islands natural views and beauty. Despite everyone enjoying the trek, several of the group are noted to be out of breath, desperately hoping that the daily won’t entail anything too physical. At the end of the hike, the group are brought to a secluded beach, finding a series of cones and sand-ramps have been spread out in what appears to be a course. The group also find several beach-ready motorbikes waiting for them, being told by Lincoln and Sinead that for their next challenge that they must each ride one of the motorbikes through the designated course, with the individual to reach the other side and return in the fastest time being declared the daily winner and earning themselves the second ‘Golden Fob Lifesaver’. However, the players are informed that if any of the cones (which are designed to be weaved in and out of) are hit, a five second penalty will be added (per cone). After being kitted into safety gear and helmets, the players draw to determine their performing order, only able to watch others compete once they themselves have had their run. First to perform Diana proves to be nervous, struggling as she hits several cones and somewhat slips off her bike going over both of the sand-ramps. Diana is followed by Nalani, who equally struggles, complaining that her ‘small stature’ made it difficult. After Poliana and Stephanie appear to do better than the first two girls, J.D. clearly gives the most successful run thus far, mastering the steering of his bike and fearlessly speeding as he completes the course confidently. Once Salvator and Christy have also performed, Yiannis takes his go on the course, hoping to position himself well to claim a lifesaver. However, Yiannis completely and somewhat comedically topples from his bike as he goes over the second sand-ramp on his return, causing gasps as he rushes over to reboard his bike and complete the run, panicking and hitting several cones along the way. A frustrated Yiannis laments that his chances of victory have “vanished”, certain that he is at risk for elimination, prying others for information as he asks if they perceive him to be in danger based on their own runs. Salvator jokingly responds “let’s say, you’re definitely not in the top bunch”, causing an angered Yiannis to take offence and call Salvator “asshole” several times. Despite Salvator insisting that it wasn’t meant maliciously, Yiannis simply responds that it “is inappropriate humour”, purposely sitting away from Salvator after feeling offended by his remarks. Nancy’s run appears to give her confidence that she has done enough to place above others, whilst Kauri worries as he like Diana and Yiannis wobbles from his motorbike, admitting later that he doesn’t know how to ride a standard bike either. Last to perform Fleur matches J.D.’s run, clearly shocking everybody as she whizzes through the course. Fleur jokes to the group that she had dated “an airhead biker” in her high-school days, having learned to ride through him. Lincoln and Sinead sit the eleven competitors, Cole and nominee Jakeel together to read the results of the second daily challenge. J.D. is revealed to have beaten Fleur by just nine seconds, giving him the win and the second and final lifesaver of the season. Diana, Kauri, Nalani and Yiannis are revealed to have the four slowest times of the day, with Diana and Yiannis constituting as the bottom two. Ultimately, Diana’s time is deemed to be two seconds slower than Yiannis’, leaving her nominated alongside Jakeel for the first repatriation. Lincoln then tells the two nominees that they’ll have until sundown to campaign for their safety, before one of them will be the first individual ousted from the game. 
Following the challenge, the group remain around the beach to begin deliberating, knowing that they have limited time to decide who will be heading home. Cole and J.D. both note their happiness with obtaining the lifesavers, pondering who they’d rather leave had they been given the opportunity to vote. Whilst Cole claims to have no care, J.D. voices a wish for Diana to leave, feeling as though she’s going to be “annoying” later on, bringing up the small disagreement the two of them had over breakfast on the second day. For the nominees, Diana appears to campaign much harder than Jakeel, who seems somewhat dejected and struggling to integrate well into the tour, particularly with his ‘naturally shy’ personality. Diana is able to approach the ethnic-Polynesians on the tour, mentioning that as a subgroup they receive “little to no representation” and need to ensure their in-game survival, also voicing that as a trans-woman that she would feel it sad to be removed so early. Diana is also shown to be speaking with Yiannis, having struck up conversation over the two of them struggling with the challenge. Yiannis tells Diana that he’d willingly vote to keep her in, hoping that she would return the favour if he ever found himself in danger later on. As the vote draws nearer, Jakeel’s roommate Cole tells him that he needs to campaign harder, believing that he has been too timid in his approach. Heeding Cole’s advice, Jakeel does his best to speak around, hoping to make friends and a positive ‘first’ impression at this late stage. At sundown, the group regather around a campfire on the beach, ready to place their key-fobs bearing either ‘Jakeel’ or ‘Diana’ into the holder. In the end, Jakeel’s social timidness and inability to make friends early on leads to his repatriation in a 6-3 vote, having only received half-hearted support off Christy, Salvator and Stephanie. Jakeel nods in acceptance of his fate, telling the group not to “squander the opportunity” like he feels he had, leaving the game with a multitude of regrets. An excited Diana tries to contain herself, glad to know that her appeal to the group (particularly the other Polynesians) has paid-off. The final twelve are told by Lincoln and Sinead that they’ll be camping overnight in nearby beachside cabins, leaving for their next destination in the early hours of the morning.
===Episode #3 - Balancing Family and the Game===
Soon after Jakeel’s elimination, the twelve remaining road trippers separate and head into their beachside cabins for the night, with some taking the chance to socialise on the beach before catching some sleep. Having survived the repatriation, Diana speaks to Yiannis and Salvator, explaining to the duo her gratitude in remaining within the game. Yiannis claims to hope that they can “soon start forming alliances”, feeling as though they’re now at a stage where such manoeuvres would be justifiable. Salvator seconds Yiannis’ hopes, boldly lying to the pair that he was one of the six to vote against Jakeel, despite the truth being that he had in fact voted for Diana to leave. In a confessional, Salvator calls the result ‘the wake up call he needed’, having not realised that there was a “clear majority supporting Diana”. He goes on to state that he is happy to lie, cheat and steal to move ahead in the game, beginning his moves by making peace with Yiannis after their fight at the daily challenge, and also ensuring that Diana falsely believes “she owes (him) support”. Later that evening, Diana goes to her bedroom where roommate Nalani is already in conversation with Kauri. Diana thanks the pair for both coming to her aid, reiterating her campaign line of wanting to see the Polynesian’s work together in the game. Nalani and Kauri both agree with this plan, thinking it possible to bring in Nancy to give them a fourth vote, whilst keeping themselves as the more authentic ‘Poly-trio’. In a confessional, Kauri and Nalani are both shown to feel positive about the alliance, naming the other as their closest ally at this stage in the game, and believing that they can get to the end with Diana to make ‘Road Trip history’.
The next morning, the group begin the long journey to their next destination; requiring that they first return to Auckland to catch a flight from New Zealand to the Cook Islands’ capital of Rarotonga. Overall, the journey takes a difficult ten hours, finally getting the group to Rarotonga just as the sun begins to set over the Cook Islands, providing the group with a picturesque sunset on arrival. Although most of the group appear tired, all twelve agree to head to local beach bar to enjoy drinks and dinner prior to getting rest in their small lodgings. At the bar, Kauri ensures to pull Nancy and Yiannis to one side, having agreed with Diana and Nalani prior that he would invite both to join the outskirts of their ‘Polynesian alliance’ (despite Yiannis not actually being Polynesian). Kauri’s proposed alliance is received well by Nancy and Yiannis, with Yiannis having somewhat expected something to be in the works after his conversation with Diana the previous night. Nancy admits to being glad that she’s finally finding a group, having so far only managed to use her flirtatious strategy to have cordial bonds with Cole and Salvator. Following the formation of the five-person alliance, Yiannis and Nalani speak together to confirm how they plan to navigate the game, leading Nalani to openly say “as long as one of our five win”, not realising that in this moment Cole had been standing just one meter behind her fetching a drink. Having overheard Nalani, Cole jokingly and loudly exclaims “’Our five’? Can I join?”, laughing at Nalani’s clumsiness whilst also semi-seriously wanting to join any formed alliances. Both Nalani and Yiannis become embarrassed at having been caught out, going silent and being unable to argue their way out of being caught by Cole. However, as Cole continues asking the pair about ‘the alliance’, Yiannis’ patience quickly wears thin, telling Cole that he should “stop talking for (his) own good”. This threat causes Cole to laugh, as he somewhat teases Yiannis, reminding him that he has the lifesaver and that making alliances should “be done with more skill”. Nalani then speaks up, joining the argument against Cole as it appears both are lashing out at the first daily winner due to their own embarrassment. Cole goes on to tell the pair that he won’t out this matter to the entire group ‘as long as they leave him be’ in the game. Rather than to accept this ‘blackmail’, Nalani and Yiannis tell Cole to ‘expose them’, and Nalani ultimately telling Cole he’s “being a bitch”. The trio’s argument soon catches the attention of Fleur, who had been waiting after Cole to order her own drink. Fleur, who has been listening to the latter half of the argument, is quickly brought up to speed by Cole; telling Fleur that “Nalani and Yiannis have an alliance with three others”. As this comment reignites the fury between the three, Fleur then speaks up in support of Cole, telling the pair that ‘they got caught out and need to fess up’. Yiannis eventually slips away from the argument, leaving Nalani alone to face both Cole and Fleur, with the two girls eventually being alone after Cole too leaves to re-join the rest of the group. Despite Nalani’s attempts at gaslighting Fleur once they’re alone, Fleur refuses to back down from her earlier claims, reminding Nalani that she “isn’t stupid” and doesn’t want to be treated as such. In separate confessionals, both women are seen criticising one another, with Nalani accepting responsibility for causing the fight, but firmly being of the belief that she now needs to have Cole and Fleur be the first victims of her new alliance.
The group awaken the following morning and change into their bathing-suits; heading a short-distance to a nearby beach on Rarotonga island. There, they are met by Lincoln and Sinead, who tell the players that they’ll be taking part in their next daily challenge. One at a time, each player will take on a balance beam going across a short area of shallow water between two beaches. The balance beam has been laid out in a zig-zag fashion, with five small platforms located equally ten metres apart across the balance beam acting as ‘checkpoints’. If an individual falls from the beam (or touches it with their hands), they may return to the last checkpoint that they passed. The individual to cross the beam in the fastest time will be crowned the daily winner, whilst the slowest time will automatically face the winner’s nominee in repatriation. During the task, the women are shown to be exceptionally better than the men at keeping their balance, with Fleur and Nancy both noted to cross the entire sixty-metre course without falling once. Despite falling, Diana and Christy are also noted to have performed quickly, placing themselves in the top four of the day alongside the other two women. Of those struggling, Kauri surprises the entire group as balance appears to be a weak-point despite his familiarity with surfing, leading some to ponder if he has ever truly surfed in his life. Salvator also has a tough time with the beams, jokingly giving Yiannis permission to laugh at him for his constant falling. After all twelve have performed, Sinead announces that Salvator has finished last and as a result will automatically face the next repatriation. Alternatively, Nancy is declared to have beaten the other three high-placing women, giving her the right to select who will be going head-to-head against Salvator in the vote. Wanting to save Salvator due to their reasonably decent relationship, Nancy begins to ponder who her nominee should be, also wanting to select somebody who won’t be seen as a ‘controversial’ choice. In the end, Nancy selects Christy as her nominee over social outcast Stephanie, stating her reasons as being “Chirsty’s homesickness”, alluding to conversations the girls had overnight in their accommodation. A tearful Christy nods and accepts being nominated, taking her spot next to Salvator as the group then turn to Cole and J.D., both of whom announce that they’ll be holding onto their lifesavers for at least one more round. Lincoln then tells both nominees that they’ll have the remainder of the afternoon to campaign for their safety, with one of them becoming the second to leave the tour by sundown.
Following the challenge results, Christy is comforted by several members of the tour as she becomes visibly emotional, believing that her apparent home-sickness has made her an easy target despite her “giving one-hundred and ten percent” in the competition. Poliana is seen asking Christy to confirm if she truly wants to stay, not wanting to vote to eliminate Salvator if Christy would rather return to her children back home. Elsewhere, Salvator begins his campaigning, hoping to use Christy’s ‘quitter’ mentality against her and save himself. He straight away finds himself getting support off Fleur, who cites Salvator as one of the few straight talkers in the game, and also having “no time for Christy crying every day about her kids when she can just go home”. Despite Nancy telling her alliance (and Cole) that she’d rather see her nominee Christy leave, Nalani vocally admits that she would struggle to vote her, having found that the two girls actually get along quite well after mending their damaged first impressions caused on the first night of the trip. By the end of the afternoon, the group regather around a campfire on the beach, with talk around whether or not Christy wants to remain in the game. Christy declares that she has “no intentions of ever quitting”, telling Lincoln and Sinead that she ‘hates her love for her children is being weaponised’ by those seeking to eliminate her. She then indirectly calls out Nancy, believing it to have been a “cheap move” in hindsight, despite earlier accepting the nomination. Regardless of Christy’s last minute fighting talk, it proves to be not enough to save her, as she is eliminated from the game in a 7-2 vote, only receiving Nalani and Poliana’s backing against Salvator. Although disappointed, Christy wishes everyone in the game luck, seemingly happy to be on her way back to re-joining her kids in Glasgow. After Christy departs, the final eleven return to the popular beach bar whilst they’re spending another night in the Cook Islands. At the bar, the group do their best to get along despite the numerous fights over the past few days, with the alliance of five in particular nervous to have either Cole or Fleur expose them; rallying those together who has thus far failed to form any solidified groups.
===Episode #4 - Ready, Set, Match===
The morning after Christy’s elimination, the final eleven board a private plane and depart from Rarotonga airport, leaving the Cook Islands for Rurutu; an island that is part of the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia. On the plane, oldest female Stephanie is seen snoring loudly as she sleeps against her window. Fleur and Salvator (who are sat behind Stephanie) are seen smirking at her snores, getting Diana involved as the trio visibly begin mocking Stephanie, quietly joking between themselves that they’d forget she was even amongst them if it weren’t for her snoring. As the three continue to talk, they each come to an agreement to vote for Stephanie next, laughing at the idea of someone so out of the loop outlasting any of them in the game. In a confessional, Diana talks about having feared Fleur and Cole would leak their alliance after finding out that Cole overheard Nalani and Yiannis talking strategy. However, she gladly states a belief that both Fleur and Salvator are slowly moving into her corner, believing that she can keep both under control and loyal, keeping “non-threats and easy votes like Stephanie” on their radar to send home first. Elsewhere on the plane, Kauri and Yiannis quietly speak together about their alliance, glad to have already had one successful round in ousting Christy. Kauri notes that it is still currently six against five, but that he doesn’t see there being any chance of the other six teaming up against them. Yiannis continues to apologise for the drama with Cole, thinking it best if they “take the first shot” as soon as they can, which Kauri agrees they can as long as they make sure one of their five wins the next challenge. After the plane arrives in Rurutu, the group are driven to their overnight accommodation, giving them a chance to each refresh and get ready for their next daily challenge.
After getting changed, the group head to hired boats where they’re taken around the shores of Rurutu, where they’re told there’s a chance they’ll be able to sight humpback whales that are often seen swimming through these Oceanic waters. Due to the airline snacks consumed, Nalani becomes unwell on one of the boats, ultimately leading her to throw up over the side, forcing her boat to come to a halt on its tour. As Nalani continues to feel sick, many of the group fail to sympathise after noting that she had eaten nothing but sugary snacks and milk-based drinks all morning (with Cole noting privately that “she eats like a four year old locked in a supermarket”). The captain of Nalani’s boot soon deems her too sick to continue with the tour, claiming that they’ll have to return to shore, greatly annoying everybody. Despite pleas to let the group go into one boat as the other takes Nalani back, the captain confirms that weight restrictions wouldn’t allow all the players on one boat “as they’d be one person too heavy even without Nalani”. Cole eventually volunteers to return to the beach with Nalani (despite mutually disliking her), not wanting to rob the others of the opportunity to see the whales. The entire group is majorly grateful to Cole, not caring if it was a calculated decision on his part. After Cole and Nalani return to shore, the remaining nine are able to continue with their tour, sadly still seeing no whales by the end. As the group return for lunch, a concerned Stephanie joins Nalani as the two girls sit together on beachside deckchairs. Nalani thanks Stephanie for checking on her, noting that she is one of the few to show any consideration thus far. Stephanie claims that it’s “the mother inside”, having three young children herself back home with their father. Despite both women coming from vastly different backgrounds, Nalani becomes emotional in hearing about Stephanie’s homelife, stating that “it’s the kind of life (she) wants” someday, telling Stephanie that she is the “richest one” for it. Stephanie goes on to joke that she is “certainly well off in a few ways”, making Nalani laugh and leaving her feeling better as she returns to lunch.
Following their lunch, the road trippers head to a secluded beach where they find Lincoln and Sinead waiting for them. The pair tell the group that for their next daily challenge that they’ll each be required to use equal materials provided (a knife, a flint, coconut husk, dried kindling) to build a fire high enough to burn through a rope situated above their pile, with the first person able to burn through the rope declared the daily winner, giving them the right to nominate somebody else in the group. As usual, the last person to finish will automatically face repatriation, a position none of the eleven want to find themselves in. As the challenge gets going, a few of the players prove to be better in their survival skills than others, utilising their equipment well to quickly get a spark and flame going. Others; namely Diana, Fleur, Nalani and Stephanie, all struggle to get a flame, somewhat laughing at the comedic appearance of their fruitless efforts to hit their flint. Lincoln notes that J.D., Poliana and Yiannis all appear to have the biggest fires five-minutes into the challenge, with J.D. and Poliana (who are next to each other) quietly giving one another words of encouragement to win. Their words prove to do little, as Yiannis’ methodological approach gives him his first daily win of the season, with J.D. finishing second and Poliana third. Cole, Kauri, Nancy and Salvator finish in fourth-seventh respectively, leaving the other four women still struggling to get a flame going. With none of the women able to make progress, production agrees to give each an equal amount of lighter fluid, allowing all four to get a flame, leading Diana to take eighth place and Stephanie ninth. In the end, Nalani is narrowly able to get her rope burned ahead of Fleur, leaving the socialite nominated and vulnerable. After all the fires are put out, Yiannis is asked by Lincoln and Sinead who he’d like to nominate to face Fleur, leading to an immediate answer of “Cole”. Before Yiannis can claim his reason, Cole stands and exclaims “I don’t think so, buddy”, handing his golden-fob lifesaver over to Lincoln and Sinead. Lincoln declares that with this, Cole has vetoed Yiannis’ nomination and is now immune, leaving Yiannis no choice but to select somebody else to face Fleur. Whilst Cole handed his lifesaver over, Yiannis is quietly seen to have whispered “trust me” to Salvator, selecting him as his second nominee, lying that his reason was their “minor disagreement during the motorbike daily”. A somewhat stunned Salvator takes his position next to friend Fleur, hugging her as they listen to J.D. announce that he’ll yet again be holding onto his lifesaver, confirming that at sundown one of them will be leaving the game for good.
Lincoln and Sinead announce to the players that they’ll now be taking an excursion to the Rurutu caves; natural limestone caves that overlook Rurutu’s coastline and the Pacific Ocean. On the way to the caves, both Fleur and Salvator talk to one another about their frustrations at being nominated together, wishing one another luck before parting to begin their campaigning around the bus. Yiannis explains to Salvator that he is “confident” he’ll survive against Fleur, also whispering that they can “hide (their) alliance” if people think they’re not working together. In a confessional, Salvator calls Yiannis an idiot for this move, not thinking putting your ‘allies’ in the firing line is indicative of trust or good gameplay. Salvator then goes to speak with Diana, having so far been under the impression that they’ll be working together despite being unaware that he is outside of her core alliance. In his campaigning, Salvator tells Diana that he wants to be “completely honest” with her, coming clean that he was one of the three votes against her in the first round. Salvator claims to believe that in telling her this that they’ll have complete trust. However, Diana appears angered at the revelation, calling Salvator “shady and weird” for lying about it until this stage, confirming that it has done nothing but kill any trust she had in him. After Salvator is shown to believe telling Diana was a mistake in his confessional, Diana is shown in hers to be irritated and flabbergasted at his lies, calling them pointless and a sign that “maybe Salvator isn’t all there in his own mind”. She goes on to call Fleur the more honest of the pair, despite her alliance’s worries of Fleur and Cole blowing their games up. For Fleur, her campaign mostly consists of her promising loyalty in return for votes, pointing out that she isn’t a threat and at this stage has little to no allies. Fleur also promises Nalani in her campaign that she “hasn’t said anything about the ‘alliance’ chat she overheard”, but goes on to suggest she “might not be so tight lipped” if she is ousted later that day. Nalani claims to know that voting out Fleur would signal a war in the game, but ponders if perhaps it is worth doing due to the numbers dwindling against the group of five.  As the group arrive at the caves, they are given a moment to look around, soon heading to a safer area of ground as the sun sets over Rurutu island. As the eligible voters place their key-fobs into the holder, Fleur and Salvator hold hands, keeping their emotions together for what is about to be the end of the road for one of them. As the votes are revealed, Fleur is shown to have only received Cole’s backing, as the others all boot her in a near-unanimous 7-1 result after ‘the alliance of five’ pushed heavily for her elimination. Having been told by several players that her elimination was coming, Fleur still appears to be unable to hold her emotions in, tearing up as she makes her parting words and explaining her disappointment at the adventure finishing so early. Despite her speech initially seeming positive, Fleur ends by claiming “and to the alliance of five people… you should tell Nalani and Yiannis to do a better job at not going around telling others about it. And to the five people outside of that group… kick their behinds”. Nalani and Yiannis both shake their heads and nervously laugh at Fleur’s jaw-dropping final speech, with Nalani exclaiming it to be “bullshit Fleur, and you know it”. However, Fleur claims to have “no reason left to lie”, hugging a select few individuals goodbye before going to collect her things from the private bus and depart the area. The remaining ten players look around at one another after the tense elimination, seeing darting eyes from J.D., Poliana and Stephanie, as the three of them quickly realising for the first time that they’re potentially on the wrong side of a numbers game.
===Episode #5 - Mutiny===
Following the drama surrounding Fleur’s exit from the game, the remaining ten players return to their beachside accommodation where tensions and questions remain at an all-time high. Fearing for his safety in the alliance after its ‘outing’, Kauri makes an effort to approach those who have thus far been left out of any major endgame deals. In his shared bedroom with J.D., Kauri speaks with J.D. and Poliana about what Fleur had stated, believing that she ‘twisted information’ that she had heard off Yiannis and Nalani. Rather than to be completely honest about the nature of the alliance, Kauri begins blaming its formation on Nalani, telling J.D. and Poliana that she is “clearly a detriment to all (their) games”. Poliana asks if it would be wise for the group to agree to send Nalani home next and ‘end the mistrust’, something that J.D. claims is deeper than Nalani, believing there to be more to what Fleur said than it being the result of one individual. Kauri goes on to tell both J.D. and Poliana that he is completely loyal to them moving forward, and that it would be smart if they could “team up against any other alliances”. However, both J.D. and Poliana remain sceptical, thinking that Kauri is now playing multiple sides and likely jumping from a fractured group. Kauri’s dealings with the fallout of Fleur’s exit continue throughout the evening, leading to almost the entire group noticing his numerous conversations and attempts at blaming an ‘alliance’ on Nalani. These actions irritate those outside the alliance (who don’t trust him), and those inside the alliance who now perceive Kauri to be a disloyal self-serving individual. The next morning, the group begin a difficult journey from Rurutu to Tahiti, where they then catch a further flight to the Pitcairn Islands.
Arriving in Adamstown just after midday, the group take a moment to relax on the beach as they’re provided with refreshments and a light-lunch. On the beach, Poliana moves over to join Diana and Nalani who are sunbathing together. Poliana questions both ladies on the existence of ‘an alliance’, claiming that she has no intention to blame anyone in particular, but rather would work alongside those she trusts (naming Diana and Nalani as two of these people). Both girls are relieved to hear this from Poliana, somewhat in disbelief that somebody not in their initial group is choosing to try and work with them still (although there remains heavy speculation as to who is in the alliance other than Kauri, Nalani and Yiannis). Nalani tells both women that she’d ideally like to see a man leave next, identifying J.D. or Cole as her preferences at this stage. Diana seconds both these suggestions, thinking their odds of getting Cole out next are good thanks to his lifesaver already being gone. Poliana admits to being happy with Cole as a suggestion, not wanting to throw out another name in fear that it could come back to bite her later on. After Poliana leaves the women alone, they continue talking about their confidence that with Salvator and Poliana ‘virtually on side’ that they can keep the numbers and send the others outside the alliance home next. However, both women agree that in their inner trio they must now become the final two deal, particularly after fearing that Kauri’s behaviour in the past twenty-four hours leaves him a prime candidate to undo the alliance’s unity. In a confessional, Nalani is shown to be excited at cementing her deal with Diana, having initially been worried that she’d be ousted from the alliance due to her slip-up with Yiannis. However, she also claims that whilst the alliance is her endgame plan, that she is still not completely convinced they’ll be able to reach the end as “one happy group”, highlighting the importance of Salvator, Poliana and her new friend Stephanie in keeping numbers on their side.
Later on, the group head to the Pitcairn Island Museum where they’re given a tour alongside Lincoln and Sinead of the islands Polynesian history, as well as intricate details about the famous mutineer-ship; the HMS Bounty, with the Pitcairn Islands acting as the site of the mutiny in 1789. After the tour, the group are brought to the adjoining beach from the museum where they’re each given a blackboard and chalk. Sinead tells the players that she and Lincoln will alternate in asking questions about the information received on the tour, with each wrong answer given eliminating that player from the game. The last individual standing will be declared the daily winner, nominating somebody to face the first player eliminated in the next repatriation. Shockingly, Kauri, Nancy and Yiannis are all eliminated on the third question, putting three out of the five members of the alliance automatically in danger. Cole, Diana and Salvator all are eliminated next, shortly followed by J.D. and Nalani, all of whom are relieved to be safe from placing at the bottom. In the end, Stephanie shocks the entire group as she beats Polynesian-anthropological Oxford lecturer Poliana in the final question, giving her the win and the right to nominate somebody for repatriation. Before Stephanie is asked to make her nomination, Lincoln asks a bottom-place tiebreaker for Kauri, Nancy and Yiannis. Yiannis loses the tiebreaker, leaving him vulnerable and frustrated, knowing that his alliance are totally powerless in who he’ll be facing. Stephanie takes a moment to think of her nominee, having been aware that with the rumours of an alliance containing Yiannis that she’d like to select somebody who is part of that group, and also somebody who she doesn’t trust. Ruling out Nalani due to her positive relationship with her, Stephanie selects Kauri to face-off against ally Yiannis, sending shockwaves through the game as the alliance of five is forced to cannibalise one of its own. A smiling J.D. declares that he’ll be holding onto his lifesaver, cementing Kauri or Yiannis’ fate.
Kauri and Yiannis are told that they’ll have just over an hour to campaign for their safety in the game, being instructed to all reconvene on the beachfront to cast their votes by sundown. Kauri’s campaign is heavily built around the idea of ‘Polynesian unity’ within their alliance, pointing out that as Yiannis is not Polynesian that he therefore is their most expendable member. However, several members of the alliance question Kauri on his scrambling the past twenty-four hours, wanting to know if he had thrown any of them under the bus in his conversations with those outside the alliance. Kauri denies such actions, with a few players finding it difficult to believe after receiving word off Poliana and J.D. that this had in fact taken place. Kauri receives positive information from Cole and Salvator, both of whom agree to vote Yiannis after being nominated by him in the previous round. Fearing for his own survival, Yiannis spends time one on one with Diana, believing her to be the leader of their alliance and the individual who could sway the group to save him over Kauri. Yiannis speaks fondly about the pairs bond, believing that they have stayed truthful with one another from their alliances inception after the motorbike daily. Diana tells Yiannis that she’s unsure if she can get the votes against Kauri, but seems to be in agreement that Yiannis is the individual who is more likely to be on her side until the end. Yiannis continues working hard to save himself, approaching J.D. in the knowledge that he will need all the votes he can get to survive this round. J.D. tells Yiannis that he can only keep him in the game if he ‘gives better information and deals than Kauri’, claiming Kauri gave names of the alliance and promised him a final five deal. Yiannis promises to match this deal, but also exposes to J.D. that Kauri had been one of the leaders of their alliance, also happily naming the entire group (and Salvator as an associate). In a confessional, J.D. laughs at the alliance already imploding in on itself, believing that with Kauri or Yiannis’ exit, that he and the other ‘leftovers’ will be able to continue knocking them out until they become “an alliance of none”. At sundown, the group regather on the beach and begin placing their key-fobs for either Kauri or Yiannis to leave the game. The vote is tied 3-3 after Nalani joins Cole and Salvator in voting Yiannis, whilst Diana, Nancy and Poliana all vote for Kauri. With one vote left, both men stand nervously as the final fob is drawn, revealing that J.D. joined ally Poliana in ousting Kauri from the game in a close 4-3 result. A blindsided Kauri sighs in disbelief, unsure why the ‘Polynesian alliance’ turned on him over Yiannis, not realising that his overplaying and self-sabotage was his ultimate undoing. Kauri departs after saying his goodbyes, still hoping that his alliance can regain control and produce the winner. However, as the final nine return to their accommodation, they all become aware that now they have reached the jury stage, that the gameplay, big moves and betrayals are only likely to get more intense.
===Episode #6 - Head Bigger Than a Moai===
The morning after Kauri’s elimination, the group begin travelling from the Pitcairn Islands to Easter Island; one of the most remote regions of the world that is considered a special territory of Chile. In order to reach Easter Island, the group take on a gruelling 24-hour journey in which they take several fights through Polynesia, eventually reaching mainland Chile and then finally landing on Easter Island. Throughout their travels, the group are documented as they interact with one another, knowing that their games will not come to a halt just because their travel days are extended. In Santiago airport, an argument is seen to take place between Diana and Cole after the latter claimed that “Kauri was betrayed by his alliance”, a sentiment that Diana finds insulting as Cole “doesn’t know the whole story”. Diana goes on to announce her beliefs of Cole being a stirrer, with Cole responding by claiming Diana’s aggression is stemming from her grip on the game lessening, believing that Kauri’s exit has signalled her alliance has failed. Diana then tells Cole that they “can deem who has failed after we see who goes home first”, confident that Cole will not last much longer now that he is without any lifesaver. In a confessional, Cole happily calls Diana a “terrible player who can’t handle that she’s lost power for the first time”, going on to suggest that she would be his prime target along with Yiannis if he were able to win the next daily challenge. Stephanie and J.D. are shown to be watching the fight after getting fast-food together, munching on fries as they find entertainment in the action. J.D. tells Stephanie that the fight is ‘good for them’, reminding her that the alliance will continue to target Cole over herself despite her win being what ultimately sent Kauri home. Stephanie is pleased to hear this assessment, telling J.D. that she’d ideally like to see one of them win again and “send Yiannis or Nancy home”.
On the flight over to Easter Island, Diana sits by Stephanie, ranting to her about Cole being “an irritating little rat”, causing Stephanie to laugh as she tries to take the matter more seriously. Diana tells Stephanie that she’d like everyone in the game to agree to put Cole up if they win, claiming that she is unable to enjoy herself for as long as he remains part of the tour. Stephanie mentions her lack of belief in everyone agreeing to this, casually admitting that she would feel opposed to doing it herself. Despite Diana’s irritation at this, she is pleased as Stephanie assures her that she isn’t on her radar, instead repeating her target of Yiannis as she had earlier stated to J.D.. Elsewhere on the plane, J.D. sits with Salvator and Nalani as they talk about the exhaustion of the trip, thinking that it is responsible for tensions erupting between players such as Cole and Diana. J.D. then tells the pair that he believes “the game is getting to some people”, snitching on Stephanie and lying that she is “already throwing out names in case she wins again”. Salvator and Nalani appear surprised by this, feeling it an arrogant thing to do after just one daily win. J.D. tells them that they need to be careful of Stephanie, particularly as he thinks she has been underestimated as a threat by everyone until now. In a confessional, J.D. talks about feeling somewhat bad about lying on Stephanie, particularly as he intends to work alongside her for now. However, he goes on to say that he wants to keep everyone at each other’s throats, making sure that nobody even considers nominating him should they win a daily challenge; also wanting to protect his closest ally in Poliana. The group arrive on Easter Island that evening, taking the time to head to their comfortable accommodation where they’re each given a meal and private show of ‘Ballet Kari Kari’, a local dance performance that proudly displays the islands Polynesian culture.
The next morning, the final nine meet Lincoln and Sinead in Rapa Nui National park, where they join a local guide who takes the group on a tour of the islands open greenery. Throughout the tour, the group are majorly excited to witness the world-famous ‘moai’ statues (also commonly known as ‘Easter Island heads’), realising quickly why the area has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Several of the group become emotional as they hear tales of the horrors of colonialism across the island, with the native Rapa Nui peoples being decimated by slavery and warfare. Following the tour, the nine road trippers say goodbye to their guide, heading over to an open area of land that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, finding nine small perches laid out in a line. Lincoln and Sinead tell the group that for their next daily challenge, they will (like the moai) stand motionlessly balanced looking out towards the ocean atop their perches whilst holding a lightweight ‘pukao’ (hat-like structure found on several moai statues) on their heads. If an individual’s pukao falls (or is touched by their hands), or an individual steps off their perch, then they will be eliminated from the challenge. The first individual to be eliminated will face repatriation, whilst the last-one standing will earn the right to select who will face-off against them. Quickly into the challenge, Nalani and Salvator are both shown to be struggling with their balance; praying that the other falls before they do. Ultimately, Nalani falls backwards from her perch, landing on the soft grass as she sees Salvator quickly drop down after, himself having been just seconds away from losing. An angry Nalani picks up her pukao and throws it several metres, furiously ranting and cursing at her challenge loss, leading her to become teary and emotional. As Sinead asks Nalani to discuss how she’s feeling, Nalani loudly continues to rant about the task and the result being “bullshit”, clearly not wanting this to be the end of her time. Nalani’s poor attitude and anger easily irritates the other players, all of whom feel somewhat relieved that she has taken the fall this round. Within the next ten minutes, Stephanie, Yiannis and Poliana all lose their place in the task, leaving just four to fight it out. Of the four, J.D. looks by far the most comfortable, being noted by Sinead to be the only person to not move at all throughout the task. After Diana and Nancy are the next two down, Cole and J.D. begin talking to come to a deal should one of them choose to step-off. Cole tells J.D. that he isn’t confident he'll last much longer, willing to give J.D. the victory if he’d promise to nominate somebody else. J.D. tells Cole that he would be safe, being enough to cause Cole to knock his own pukao off, handing J.D. a seemingly comfortable second victory. The group congratulate J.D. on his win, envious and worried that he has earned this victory whilst still retaining his lifesaver from the second daily challenge. J.D. takes a moment to consider who he’ll be placing up against Nalani, wanting to continue to weaken the numbers of those against him in the game. Eventually, J.D. states aloud that he “is taking a shot at somebody who (he) has no real friendship with, and somebody who is too much of a strategic player”, naming Diana as his nominee to face her ally Nalani in another major blow to the alliance of five (soon to be an alliance of three).
With Diana and Nalani nominated, both women walk off together to speak about the results, not wanting to give anyone else the time of day as they come to terms with what has happened. The others remain around the challenge area, somewhat confused on what to say as the nominees go off alone. Nancy is quietly told by J.D. that “any alliance you were in is dead”, warning her to separate herself from Diana and Nalani and to concentrate on her own survival in the game. The ‘leftovers’ of Cole, J.D., Poliana and Stephanie discuss the vote, hearing J.D.’s hopes that they’ll eliminate Diana as the “leader of the others”, believing Nalani to be significantly less threatening. However, Poliana claims in a confessional to be conflicted, particularly as she feels Nalani is a loose cannon and less deserving of remaining than Diana. After Diana and Nalani return to the group, J.D. pulls Nalani to one side with Cole, telling the pair that he’d like to officiate an agreement between them to work together, secretly seeing neither as mental threats to challenge his desired dominant game. Nalani tearfully tells J.D. that she thinks he may have “screwed her” by placing her against friend and ally Diana, confident that she will get enough votes to stay. However, J.D. tells Nalani that he has “three votes against Diana” already locked in thanks to Cole, Poliana and Stephanie; not realising that Poliana is speaking to others about voting Nalani. Cole backs-up J.D.’s wish for a trio between themselves, telling Nalani that he no longer wants to be against her in the game, believing her to be “a genuinely kind person unlike Diana”, who he views as constantly berating others when she doesn’t get her own way. In a confessional, Nalani is shown to feel overwhelmed by the days events, uncertain that surviving against Diana will be possible, and not certain that she would have it in her to campaign against her main ally in the game. The group continue with their hard campaigns throughout the afternoon, with Diana finding support amongst her alliance and Poliana, giving her the edge going into the vote. However, Poliana tells J.D. that she is unable to vote Diana, jeopardising his plans of keeping Nalani and working alongside her, forcing him to turn his concentrations onto Nancy yet again in hope that he can get her to play individually away from the remnants of her alliance. At sunset, the group convene atop Orongo crater; a massive volcanic crater and lagoon on the southern tip of Easter Island. Here, the group find Lincoln and Sinead, who give Diana and Nalani a chance to plead their cases once more. After both women have spoken, the eligible players cast their votes for who they want to leave the game. Shockingly, a 3-3 tie occurs despite Poliana siding with Diana and her alliance, with the tie caused after Nancy flipped to instead vote alongside Cole and Stephanie against Diana. A helpless and shocked Diana stands in silence as attention is turned to daily winner J.D., who gladly breaks the tie by eliminating her from the game and leaving her as the first member of the jury. Diana spitefully tells J.D. to “drop the smile, asshole” as she says goodbye to those who voted to keep her, initially being weary of Poliana before being assured that she “had her back” (leading Diana unaware which of her allies had turned). An emotionally exhausted Nalani is comforted by J.D., Cole and Stephanie, ultimately promising her that they’re now the ones who’ll keep her safe in the second-half of the game. The final eight grab their belongings and head back to their accommodation, glad to have the evening ahead to rest before the inevitably long journey out of Easter Island the following day.
===Episode #7 - A Bite From the Leftovers===
The final eight players begin the long return journey from Easter Island back to French Polynesia, this time heading to the island of Tahiti. Throughout the journey, Cole and Nancy are seen spending lots of time together, rekindling their flirting that had begun earlier in the game. Cole promises Nancy of his intentions in keeping her safe, believing that her vote for Diana proves that she is no longer apart of the almost-obliterated alliance. Nancy appears nervous, venting to Cole that she is certain those she had previously been working with will not forgive her and may seek to vote her out as a result. In a confessional, Nancy states no regret in voting for Diana, identifying her as a major threat and also admitting to have had little faith in her position within the alliance. She goes on to explain her desire to reignite a more individualistic game, using her bond and trust in Cole to take her further. Elsewhere, Yiannis speaks with Nalani and congratulates her on surviving the last repatriation, doing his best to explain that despite voting her out, that he still has intentions of “being loyal to our group”. Nalani offers the same sentiment back to Yiannis, secretly feeling confident that both sides of the game apparently want to work with her. Yiannis then goes on to criticise Nancy for ‘lying to Diana’s face’, feeling as though she has a final deal with Cole based on their flirtatious behaviour starting up again after Diana left. Nalani agrees that she has felt a distance from Nancy since the repatriation, admitting that she hasn’t even had the opportunity to thank her for keeping her in the game. Yiannis then warns Nalani that they cannot continue with an alliance that contains Nancy, thinking it would be better to reshuffle their members and concentrate on getting the Cole and Nancy pair out of the game before numbers dwindle more.
After another exhausting period of travel, the group arrive in Tahiti where they almost immediately head to bed, hoping to rest prior to their next daily challenge. The following morning, the group awaken to a Tahitian breakfast of banana crepes, ‘firi firi’ donuts and coconut-bread. Over breakfast, Yiannis begins laughing to himself, noting the irony in Diana being ousted the day before the group spend a period of time in Tahiti; Diana’s birthplace that she had stated a want to visit during the trip. In his confessional, Yiannis apologises to Diana for laughing, blaming his hysterics on “fatigue and borderline heat-stroke”. The group are all given an hour of free-time before being required to travel to their next daily challenge, giving Cole, Nalani and Stephanie an opportunity to visit a local market whilst others remain beachside. At the market, the trio appear to have a good time sampling local fresh fruits and embracing the Tahitian culture, finding the friendly locals more than willing to show them around. Stephanie tells the young pair that it feels as though she’s taken her children out for the day, with Nalani joking that its ‘unlikely the locals think you’re my mother’. As the trio sit down to drink smoothies together, Cole tells both girls that he hopes they, J.D. and Nancy will be the final five, believing there to be no argument for keeping Poliana, Salvator and Yiannis in the game now that Diana is gone. Stephanie raises her glass as Cole speaks, clearly excited at the idea they could be amongst the last left in the game. Nalani admits her weariness of Nancy, but claims to have no issue with going to the end with the two of them and J.D., not letting them know that Yiannis also has shown interest in keeping her around. After Cole briefly heads off to grab more fruits to take back to the group, both Nalani and Stephanie are quickly shown talking, agreeing that they trust the other more than anyone else in the game and would like to be the first all-female final two since The Caribbean, particularly as both believe that ‘women are discredited when sitting next to a man at the end’. The trio eventually return to the others with their fruits to share, all heading in a private vehicle to the site of their next daily challenge.
The group arrive at the Point Venus Lighthouse, which has stood in Tahiti since the late-1700s after James Cook’s first voyage. After looking around the lighthouse and its surroundings, the group are told by Lincoln and Sinead that for their next challenge, each player will be given unique co-ordinates on a map and compass, which they must use to locate a hidden item on the vast Tahitian beach by Point Venus. The first individual to accurately locate their own item (which will be marked with a colour corresponding to their map) will be declared the daily winner, whilst the last will automatically face repatriation. The group begin their searching, struggling to use their maps and compass to put themselves on the right path. Yiannis is shown to be digging in one area after thinking that he is in the right spot, soon realising that the partially uncovered item in fact belongs to Salvator. Yiannis nervously and quietly covers the item back up with sand, trying not to alert any of the others that he’s found it. Eventually, Yiannis is able to get his bearings more accurately, this time finding the correct item and unearthing it to give himself his second daily win of the season. Salvator is able to finish in second place after noting a mound of dirt near where he suspects his item is; followed by Nalani and J.D. who claim third and fourth place respectively. The four finishers take shade and drink refreshing smoothies as they watch the others struggling under the unforgiving Tahitian sun, spotting Stephanie and Poliana taking a break due to their own exhaustion. Cole and Nancy are able to find their items next, with Poliana and Stephanie not continuing until temperatures begin to cool. Stephanie’s inability to use the map correctly leaves her without a hope, being completely in the wrong area as Poliana is the final player to find her item, leaving Stephanie automatically facing repatriation. A tearful and exhausted Stephanie is brought over by Sinead, helping her take a seat besides the others as Yiannis is asked to name who his nominee will be. Unsurprisingly, Yiannis selects Cole as his nominee due to their poor relationship, glad to know that on this occasion he has no lifesaver to save him. Rather than to save either of his ‘allies’ J.D. chooses not to risk his own safety, keeping his lifesaver and leaving Cole and Stephanie nominated.
With little time to spare, Sinead tells the group they’ll have just one hour to deliberate and come to a decision on who to oust from the game. Stephanie begins her campaigning by approaching those in her ‘leftovers’ alliance, believing that she is a more valued member of the group than Cole. Nalani promises Stephanie her support, also believing that they can get Salvator on side to vote Cole. Alternatively, Cole spends time talking to J.D., believing that the two of them have a good friendship that would put him as a more desirable ally than Stephanie, who Cole believes is less likely to win challenges for their alliance. J.D. somewhat agrees with this argument, thinking Stephanie’s only challenge strengths would come from static mental challenges rather than physical ones. As the deliberations heat-up, Stephanie begins telling members that Cole and Nancy have a “final two deal”, also exposing that Cole had tried to pull herself and Nalani into an alliance with the two of them (bending the truth that this also included J.D.). Word on this quickly gets back to Cole, causing him to confront her as the pair are given one last chance to plead their case. Stephanie fumbles over her words as she tries to repeat the same ‘lie’ that she had told earlier, clearly causing others to re-think her entire afternoons campaign. Cole eventually claims to be disappointed in Stephanie’s “dirty tactics”, admitting that he had spoken about an endgame five-person group, but that Stephanie too was on board with the plan. The pairs bickering is brought to an end as the voting begins, leaving five eligible voters the power to determine who will be leaving the game. In a 4-1 result, it is Stephanie who is next to leave the game after only Nalani voted to eliminate Cole, with the others uniting over a mix of mistrust for Stephanie and a belief that her lack of physicality wouldn’t benefit their cause. Stephanie defeatedly accepts her fate, tightly hugging closest ally Nalani goodbye and wishing her luck, also extending these well-wishes to the entire group. She briefly apologises to Cole, admitting that she “isn’t cut-out for the lying and scheming” like she thought. Cole accepts Stephanie’s apology, hugging her and claiming to have “hated it being down to (them)”. The final seven reboard their private vehicle and head back to their accommodation without Stephanie. On the bus, Nalani sits looking out the window, nervous about losing her two closest allies back-to-back, and pondering whether those who claim to want to work alongside her will truly stick to their word as the game ventures into the final third.
===Episode #8 - Shell of an Alliance===
The final seven begin their travels from Tahiti to Neiafu in Tonga; taking a ferry and flight in order to reach their next destination. During the ferry ride, Cole and Nancy are continuously seen to be getting closer, resulting in the pair sharing a kiss one evening before retiring to the same cabin overnight. In a confessional, Nancy blushes and refuses to talk about ‘what went down’, claiming that she didn’t do anything for game purposes and that all her feelings towards Cole are “completely genuine”. Similarly, Cole keeps silent on the matter, blushing and laughing as he lies that the pair simply were “talking game” in private and didn’t want others to overhear. Of the other players, J.D. mentions in a confessional that he’d be “a bit ashamed if Nancy were (his) daughter”, saying nobody wants to “see their child put out on television”. He goes on to further criticise Nancy from a ‘protective viewpoint’, thinking that ethnic Polynesians (despite J.D. being Melanesian) mixing with Caucasians would ultimately “water-down” their culture and continued existence; seemingly advocating for singular race-based relationships. After another long journey, the group arrive in Neiafu and quickly take a break inside their accommodation after receiving note that they’ll be having a daily challenge and repatriation later that day.
Inside their room, Poliana and Nancy are soon joined by J.D., who begins talking to the women about their plan moving forward into the next repatriation. J.D. suggests that they solidify who between Salvator and Yiannis will be their target, specifically as they are the only two left outside the interwound ‘leftover alliance’. Both girls claim that they perceive Yiannis to be the greater threat, although Nancy also claims to feel uncomfortable with Nalani being in the game, having been made aware that Nalani and Stephanie had voiced mistrust in her to Cole during the previous round. Poliana goes on to ‘celebrate’ that the trio are the only three players in the game who have yet to be nominated, pondering if it means they are the best all-round players left. Both J.D. and Nancy jokingly accept this label, hoping that it’ll continue for another round if they can retain power away from Yiannis and Salvator. In another room, Nalani sits and speaks with Salvator, venting to him that she feels she cannot trust the alliance of Cole, J.D., Poliana and Nancy to take her further, believing that she is the only one without a partner in the group. Salvator agrees with Nalani, telling her that at best she’d be “playing for third place”, thinking it wiser that she joins himself and Yiannis in hope that they can get one of the others out next. Nalani admits that she’d like to oust Poliana, believing her to be the best player, pointing out that she has floated between sides and yet to make a single enemy. Salvator also supports this belief, wondering why Poliana has gotten away more than anyone in regards to “playing multiple sides and making deals with everyone”. Nalani ends the conversation by declaring that she wants to rest prior to the daily challenge, making sure to reiterate her perception of Poliana being “so freaking underserving” of being in the game over players like Kauri, Diana and Stephanie.
All seven players are escorted to a nearby beach where they find Lincoln and Sinead already waiting, having instructed each player to change into their bathing suits for their next daily challenge. Lincoln explains that for their challenge, each player must swim out into a enclosed area of sea, locating ‘shells’ as they do so. After bringing a shell back, each player must open the shell at a designated platform, trying to locate those that contain ‘pearls’. However, of the hundred ‘shells’ placed in the challenge zone, only forty contain ‘pearls’, and competitors may only bring back one shell at a time. The first player to find three ‘pearls’ will be declared the winner, whilst the last to complete their collection will automatically face the evening’s repatriation. As the challenge begins, all seven race out into the water, desperately splashing around with their snorkels as they search for the coveted shells. Cole’s strong swimming ability easily gives him an advantage over the others, allowing him to take the lead with two pearls within the first ten minutes. However, Cole is soon caught up to by Yiannis, who has gotten lucky by finding two pearl-shells in a row. Yiannis is ultimately able to beat Cole through the luck of finding shells, claiming that he had “felt which shells were heavier” when underwater, giving him his second straight daily challenge win. A disappointed Cole takes second place, with an impressive Poliana finishing in third several minutes later. Despite their strong swimming ability, J.D., Nalani and Nancy all struggle to find pearl-filled shells, convinced that they must’ve washed out to sea. The trio become more panicked after Salvator finishes in fourth place, leaving them aware that one of them will be facing repatriation for sure. After forty-minutes of swimming, an exhausted Nancy is the fifth to finish, collapsing besides Cole as she tearfully calls it “the hardest thing (she’s) ever had to do”. Again, luck appears to be a factor in determining the outcome, with Nalani able to beat J.D. and claim the final spot of safety in the challenge, leaving an irritable J.D. nominated for repatriation. Before Sinead can announce J.D. as finishing in last place, he stands and presents her with his ‘Golden Fob Lifesaver’, claiming that he isn’t “letting luck screw (him) over”, apologising to Nalani as he sits besides her on the beach. Sinead announces that with J.D.’s lifesaver he has spared himself from being nominated, and as per the rules Nalani will now be considered the next-lowest finisher of the day, and therefore taking J.D.’s spot in being nominated. As Nalani tries to comprehend what just happened, Yiannis is asked by Lincoln to name his nominee, once again selecting nemesis Cole to face the chop. Cole laughs at his third-time selection off Yiannis, calling it “a bit obsessive now, buddy” to no response. Cole and Nalani are told that they’ll have the afternoon to campaign for votes, with the group now heading to Mount Talau where they’ll cast their votes.
On the hike up Mount Talau, Cole and Nalani are forced to awkwardly begin campaigning to others for votes. To no surprise, Cole is told by romantic interest Nancy that he has her vote, needing to secure two more as he is aware a tie would guarantee his exit due to Yiannis’ “insanely crazy hatred” of him. Nalani speaks with J.D., somewhat upset that his lifesaver has placed her in the line of fire. However, he somewhat coldly tells her that he “already apologised” and that she “cannot expect (him) to just take being nominated”. Nalani asks J.D. if he’d vote to keep her safe, believing that she can get Salvator’s vote, requiring just one more to survive against Cole (knowing that Yiannis intends to save her). J.D. tells Nalani that he’ll “have her back as long as (he) can”, reassuring her as she heads off to speak to Salvator. However, in a confessional J.D. talks about his nerves that Nalani has more friends on the jury than Cole, and that she ultimately may work with Yiannis and Salvator over himself and Poliana as they move into the final six. Poliana also appears conflicted on the vote, not having too much care between the pair who leaves, and instead wanting to do what she believes is more beneficial for the alliance that she intends to go to the endgame with. Atop Mount Talau, the group are given a moment to enjoy the view before Cole and Nalani make their final pleas of safety. Both give almost identical speeches on being ‘loyal to their alliance’, with some pondering as to which side Nalani is truly aligned with. As the votes are revealed, Nalani is left blindsided as she is ousted in a 4-0 result, with J.D. and Poliana choosing to go to the end with the pairing of Cole and Nancy over herself, distrusting her positioning in the previous alliance of five. Salvator hesitantly apologises to Nalani, claiming that he just wanted to vote with the majority, feeling it pointless to cast a rogue vote against Cole. After a saddened Nalani departs the area, the final six are congratulated with having made it to the final week of the road trip, being advised to head back down the mountain and think about how they plan to reach the coveted final two.
===Episode #9 - Coco-Nuts===
In the final few days of the road trip, the remaining six players board a small plane and fly from Tonga to the capital of Samoa; Apia. In Apia, the group are immediately escorted to the Robert Louis Stevenson museum; a museum that bears a curated version of Stevenson’s residence during his time lived in Samoa. Throughout the tour, Cole notes that he remembers seeing parts of Stevenson’s residence in another popular reality show, recanting a fight between two women during its feature. At the end of the tour, the group are given a sheet that details information they will have heard throughout the museum, with the goal being to fill in the blanks on the paper with the correct missing information. After each player has filled out their papers, they are collected by Lincoln and Sinead to be tallied-up. Nancy is revealed to have scored the best, followed by Poliana and then J.D.. Rather than for these results to act as a daily challenge, Sinead explains that instead the three of them will become team captains for the upcoming team-based challenge. A shocked Nancy is told that she must select a single partner out of Cole, Salvator and Yiannis, easily selecting ‘tour boyfriend’ Cole. Poliana then selects Yiannis, believing him to be the strongest overall between himself and Salvator. J.D. is then left with Salvator, wondering as to what task will be put before them later that day. Lincoln explains that later on, the winning team of the daily will have the sole power to eliminate somebody from the losing team, leaving the stakes of the challenge higher than ever.
Over lunch, the group begin talking about their speculation for the daily challenge, with it being the first instance in Road Trip history where the task has been three teams of two. All six seem deeply afraid of the task ahead, not liking the odds of just two individuals having the entire fate of the others in their hands. Poliana speaks to close-ally J.D. and his partner Salvator over their food, asking both if they’d come to a pre-agreement on who to send home from each team. J.D. frankly tells Salvator that he’d “never vote for Poliana”, advising him to agree to the same or else their deadlock would result in the two of them going to a lottery-based elimination. Salvator surprisingly agrees to this, feeling as though Yiannis (whilst not his preference to leave) would be a better choice to send home than Poliana. He goes on to ask the duo whether they’d be interested in working alongside him into the final few days of the game, believing that they would be foolish to go to the top four with Cole and Nancy given that power would be evenly split between them. Both Poliana and J.D. are quick to accept Salvator’s proposal, feeling hopeful that as long as J.D. and Salvator don’t lose that they could easily become the top three in the game. Later on after J.D. heads to the bathroom, Salvator pulls Poliana into a conversation with himself and Yiannis, voicing his hopes that Cole and Nancy will lose the next challenge. Yiannis agrees, particularly eager to send Cole home after three failed attempts on his part. Poliana jokes that she feels confident if Cole and Nancy were to win that she would be okay regardless, being transparent in her assertion of surviving against Yiannis in a vote (which Yiannis takes no offence to). As lunch draws to a close, Poliana is pulled to one side by Salvator, who tells her that he feels at this stage he is without any true alliance, and that he would like to declare his intentions of going to the final two with her. In a confessional, Salvator claims that his reasons for this are “Poliana being less-vocal and grand” in her gameplay, thinking that he could outtalk her in a final two situation. Rather than to shut-down Salvator, Poliana agrees to his final two deal, liking her odds of now having both J.D. and Salvator fighting to take her to the end, where she believes she can beat either thanks to “a superior social game, and not pissing off anyone on the jury”. Cole comes and joins the pair, wanting to get ahead and ask them about their views on what will happen if certain teams win or lose, being upfront about his belief that if J.D. and Salvator were to lose that they should maybe consider voting for J.D. given his track record of making successful moves. Poliana and Salvator both humour Cole’s suggestion, secretly agreeing that J.D. is likely seen as a bigger threat than Salvator, but also not wanting to prescribe to anything given their new secret final three with him.
After midday, the final six head to a nearby secluded beach where they have already changed into their bathing suits, once again facing the pacific waters in a daily challenge. Each player is handcuffed to their partner, with the cuffs interlocking on a circular-shaped rope course, with each group having their own course. At the base of the course in the shallow water, each group finds a large selection of coconuts floating on individual platforms, which they must bring back (one at a time, i.e. two per group) and shoot in a basketball-style to their tribe net. Each net is held up by a weight of roughly 45kg, with around thirty-coconuts needed to tip the weight and send the net to the ground. Lincoln explains that the first team to get their net on the ground will be declared the winner, whilst the last team will automatically face repatriation. Each team takes their position on their individual course, knowing that running around through the shallow waters in a repetitive motion will become exhausting after the first couple of laps; made even harder by the fact players are handcuffed together and can only move as fast as the slower partner. Throughout the challenge, all three teams give a strong performance, clearly wanting to avoid the dangers of repatriation at this late-game stage. As exhaustion begins to set in, J.D. and Salvator begin to pull ahead, noting that whilst Yiannis and Nancy are the best shooters of the group, that the two of them are able to lap their competition and thus get more chances to throw. After a gruelling twenty-two minutes, J.D.’s final successful shot is enough to give himself and Salvator enough weight to send their net to the ground, cementing their safety and victory over the others. As the boys celebrate, the others continue to battle it out, not wanting their fate to be in the hands of the two victorious men. Yiannis and Poliana’s collective shooting-accuracy gives them a slight edge, handing them second place and leaving romantic partners Cole and Nancy nominated for repatriation. Cole and Nancy hug one another, holding in their sadness as they realise for one of them it will be their last evening on the road trip. Sinead then tells the six that they’ll be heading to another location, with this time being given for Cole and Nancy to plead their cases to J.D. and Salvator, reminding them that if a decision is not reached that they will go to ‘drawing key-fobs’.
The group are taken to the stunning Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral located in Apia, taking a group photo outside prior to heading in for a quick tour. Despite the Cathedral’s beautiful architecture, Cole and Nancy struggle to enjoy their surroundings, knowing that soon they’ll need to campaign to remain in the game. Once a free moment is given, J.D. pulls Cole and Yiannis to one side under the guise of ‘making amends’ between them, believing ‘there is no room for negativity on the tour’. Initially both men seem unsure, but shake hands and laugh with J.D. for creating ‘an awkward conversation’. Whilst both Cole and Yiannis appear to note there being nothing personal about their dislike for one another, J.D. claims in a confessional that he had just wanted to “get a reading for how much they’d be coming after each other” moving into the final five. He voices his belief that with Cole still in the game, that Yiannis will likely continue nominating him and vice versa, sparing himself, Poliana and Salvator and “guaranteeing our path to the final three”. However, J.D. finds Salvator more conflicted about keeping Cole, having presumed he would be seen as the bigger threat than Nancy who has been “largely passive” in the latter half of the game. Both men agree that whatever the outcome that they need to remain on the same page, not wanting to risk going to a random draw between themselves. At sundown, the group gather inside the Cathedral courtyard, where J.D. and Salvator cast their votes for a hand-holding Cole and Nancy. Sinead pulls the votes, announcing that they have unanimously agreed to repatriate Nancy, sparing Cole for a third-straight time. A tearful Nancy kisses Cole goodbye and wishes him luck in beating the others, then saying her goodbyes to the entire group. Cole is comforted by Poliana and J.D. after Nancy departs, with J.D. whispering that he’s “still got him” going forward. The final five head to their accommodation for the night, where Poliana is heard laughing at being the “last woman standing” already.
===Episode #10 - When the Bell Atolls===
The morning after Nancy’s elimination, the final five all board an overnight ferry headed to the Tokelau Islands; a territory consisting of three separate atolls and having a population of only 1500 people. On the ferry ride, J.D. half-drunkenly laments about ‘all the Polynesians being gone’, believing that ‘as the only non-Caucasian’ he is more deserving of winning and representing the season. This comment immediately irritates the entire group, feeling that J.D.’s performative self-serving view has no bearing on the truth. Poliana is quick to speak up and shut J.D. down for his remark, telling him that he’s “laughably arrogant” to believe that, pointing out that he played a majorly direct hand in Kauri, Diana, Nalani and Nancy’s eliminations. After drinking some more herself, Poliana stands and tells J.D. to “stop preaching (his) bullshit at them”, only to be told by J.D. that he doesn’t “want to hear (her) lecture like (she’s) at work, darling”, to which Poliana declares “you’d never get into Oxford anyway, ‘darling’”. The next morning prior to arriving in Tokelau, J.D. apologises to the four other players for his intoxicated remarks, assuring them that he is aware the part he played in ousting others and that by no means does he think he’s more deserving to win simply because of his ethnic background. A forgiving Poliana remarks “good, because that should make it easier for you when you lose”, much to the amusement of everyone else. Ultimately, the group forgive J.D. for his remarks, believing his apology to be sincere and being swayed by his pleasant socialising throughout the remainder of the morning.
The group are initially shocked by the remoteness and limited land on Tokelau, finding it somewhat difficult to imagine that several thousand people call the islands their home. As the fivesome head through shallow waters to get to higher land, Poliana notes “could you imagine if poor Jakeel was still here? He’d be crapping his bloody pants” in reference to Jakeel’s major fear of deep water. The road trippers eventually meet-up with Lincoln and Sinead, who are resting on a beach enjoying cocktails, providing the final five with their own as they all pull up deckchairs to relax for a few hours in the sun. Whilst relaxing, each player struggles to switch-off from the realities of the game, knowing that challenge wins and losses at this stage are more important than ever in staying safe, with fewer and fewer people eligible to vote with each passing round. After relaxing, Sinead pulls the players together, explaining that they’ll now be taking on their toughest daily challenge yet. All at once, each player will be partaking in an ‘Atoll Relay’, having to race around the entire 2.5km of circular land that makes up the island of Atafu. During the relay, contestants will find three different stations, which will force them to complete; a slide puzzle, scale and clean five fish (judged by local fishermen), roll five coconuts successfully into five holes in a game of ‘Tokelauan golf’, and finally using a canoe to row from one side of the atoll to the other, where Lincoln and Sinead will be waiting to greet the winner. Each of the five take a moment to prepare and get in comfortable clothes and shoes, knowing that in the pacific heat that this race will become tiring quickly.
As the challenge begins, the boys’ natural speed advantage gives them a head start over Poliana, who insists that she will catch up thanks to the stations. Despite the boys’ head start on the slide puzzle, Poliana becomes the first to finish, only retaining her lead for a few minutes before eventually being passed again by J.D. and Yiannis, both of whom finish just after her. The two men continue to hold their lead as they both get through the fish cleaning, noting that Cole has now caught-up to Poliana, whilst Salvator is still trying to reach the second station after taking a long time on his slide puzzle. Yiannis is able to take the lead after he exhaustedly gets his five coconuts in their holes, knowing that J.D. is only minutes behind him, keen to keep the lead through the final portion and get his fourth daily win. Poliana is able to pass Cole yet again thanks to the fish and golf stations, knowing that she is unlikely to win, but still certain she can “stay out of last place”. Yiannis and J.D. are seen to be both on the final canoe portion of the challenge, racing ferociously towards Lincoln and Sinead on the opposite side of the atoll. As the challenge continues, J.D.’s strength in rowing enables him to eventually overtake a tiring Yiannis, continuing with his strong pace to reach the beach and claim another daily challenge win and guaranteeing himself a spot in the final four. A sweaty and exhausted Yiannis hugs J.D., with both men collapsing in the shade as they’re brought water by production. The men look out at the water, seeing Cole coming in to claim third place, and Poliana distantly behind him as she struggles with the physicality of the rowing. Despite Poliana’s struggles, she is pleased to finish in fourth place, spotting Salvator as having never managed to make up time for his struggling with the slide puzzle and golf portions of the competition, leaving him automatically facing repatriation. The group applaud Salvator as he comes in, pouring water over his head as he tries to catch his breath. Rather than to let the group get any real rest, Lincoln asks the victorious J.D. to name who he’ll be selecting to face Salvator, to which J.D. states he is “taking a shot at (his) biggest competition in challenges” and nominating Yiannis. Yiannis appears to accept the nomination, seemingly having come to terms with it the moment he failed to win the daily due to a lack of allies left in the game.
Lincoln and Sinead tell the final five that they’ll be treated to a local meal on the beach, with live music and performances of an ‘authentic Tokelauan dance’ as they enjoy their food. However, they are reminded that when the performance stops, that a decision will need to be made as to who between Salvator and Yiannis will be next to leave the game. Unusually, the group have an open forum as they eat, discussing the ‘inevitable’ result that Yiannis will be leaving due to both Poliana and Cole declaring unwavering intentions to keep Salvator safe. Rather than to fight, Yiannis thanks the group for the experience, claiming it to be one of the best of his life, wishing everybody luck in moving forward. Strangely, this leaves the group silent as they sit and watch the dancing and music performances, having a rare moment to no longer be worried about the upcoming vote of the game. As the performance ends, Lincoln and Sinead re-enter to ask the players if they’d like a moment to say any last words before voting. However, Yiannis announces that they “have already voted”, and that both Cole and Poliana have told him he’ll be leaving, and as a result he would see it “pointless to do any official voting”. Although surprised, Lincoln and Sinead ask both voters to confirm with this assessment; they both happily do. Sinead accepts their verbal agreement, declaring that Yiannis has therefore been unanimously repatriated and will become the fifth member of the jury. A smiling Yiannis hugs everybody goodbye, even offering a somewhat awkward hug to nemesis Cole, congratulating him on ‘winning’ their war. The final four wave goodbye to Yiannis as he departs, being allowed to remain on the beach and enjoy the remainder of the music and food as they head into the late hours of the evening, knowing that in just a few days one of them will become the eighth Champion of the Road Trip.
===Episode #11 - Aloha, Goodbye===
Coming to the end of their Polynesian journey, the final four road trippers are awakened the morning after Yiannis’ repatriation. Leaving Tokelau, the group begin a long journey to Honolulu, Hawaii. Each of the four players take time alone during the flight, thinking through the path they’ve taken to reach this stage, and the current odds they have of winning the £50,000 prize. In this moment, the players are all shown in confessionals detailing their endgame thoughts. Salvator is shown to credit himself with surviving between ‘two alliances’, and being tied with the most repatriation survivals of any player left in the game. J.D. comments on his view that he is the “best strategist” of the season, also believing that he has been responsible for almost the entirety of the game after Fleur left. Poliana talks of her ‘impressive social game’, clarifying that nobody targeting her throughout the game has been a result of her social manoeuvring. Finally, Cole is shown to declare himself as being “the underdog to end all underdogs”, joking that his areas of weakness in the game have left him ironically a likely candidate to win should he overcome the odds and reach the end. After arriving in Honolulu, the foursome head to Waikiki Beach and enjoy a private lunch as they discuss their hopes for the remainder of the game. Interrupting the conversation, Lincoln and Sinead arrive to inform the players that once done eating, that they’ll be taking on their next daily challenge. For their challenge, each player will be learning a three-minute segment of a ‘hula’ dance; a Polynesian cultural dance that had been developed in Hawaii. Each member of the final four will be paired with three professional hula dancers, learning steps in-line with their gender for their performances, which will then be scored by local judges. In order to remind the players of the gravitas around this competition, Sinead reiterates that half of them will be nominated by the end of the day, and that with one player having the deciding vote, immunity through a challenge win is the only way to guarantee their spot in the final three.
The final four each break-off into their groups of professional hula dancers, changing into traditional Polynesian outfits for their performances. Salvator is shown to immediately be struggling with the moves, joking that for a Cuban he “lacks any sense of rhythm” that is needed to win the challenge. J.D. and Cole fare better, seemingly giving both hope that they’ll have a chance to claiming the win despite believing that the dancing is more suited to Poliana, who is seen to be enjoying herself and truly getting into the task. Poliana claims in a confessional that she had taught educational lessons on “the history of hula” before, but that she has yet to have the honour of partaking in the actual dance. After practice time is up, the foursome perform one at a time for the local judges, a curious audience of beachgoers and hosts Lincoln and Sinead. Cole’s performance goes reasonably well, receiving a warm reception off the audience, and apparently looking stronger than J.D.’s (who performs next). As expected, Salvator continues to struggle in the task, missing several steps and falling out of time with his music. Finally, Poliana’s performance is easily declared to be the best of the day, comfortably winning her the challenge and giving her the right to nominate somebody to face Salvator, who finishes with the lowest score of the day. Coming as no surprise, Poliana nominates Cole over friend and ally J.D., fully intending to stick to her final three deal with J.D. and Salvator until the end. Lincoln tells J.D. that he’ll have a few hours to determine who between Cole and Salvator will be the next to leave the game, giving him the sole decision on who to bring to the final three with himself and Poliana. Both nominees take time speaking with J.D., hoping to convince him to maintain their survival in the game. Cole utilises his time to tell J.D. that he has been loyal to him from the start of the game, reminding J.D. that he has always supported their friendship and the ‘leftovers’ alliance. Cole goes on to criticise the notion of taking Salvator forward, knowing he had never been apart of their alliance and instead had worked with those who are now largely on the jury. Later, Salvator is joined by Poliana as he does his best to convince J.D. to stick to their still fresh final three plan, joining Poliana in the argument that Cole is “too resilient” to take to the top three and risk allowing him to reach the final two. In a confessional, J.D. talks about difficulty in making his decision, particularly after Poliana and Savlator campaigned together, leaving J.D. worried that they are close enough to take one another to the final two over himself, whereas he feels “more confident Cole would stay loyal to (him) over Poliana”. However, J.D. also notes that to keep Cole would “betray everyone”, also jeopardising his friendship and relationship with Poliana at the last moment, as well as burning any chance of getting Salvator’s vote. Watching the sunset on Waikiki Beach, the foursome are joined again by Lincoln and Sinead, announcing that it is now time for J.D. to make his decision on who to oust from the game. J.D. explains that “reaching the final four of such a hard game is not a privilege that (he) can take lightly”, and must take the opportunity to “make the most of this chance to go all the way and win” rather than settle for second or third place. In keeping with this, J.D. blindsides Poliana and Salvator by voting to repatriate the latter from the game, sparing his friend and ally Cole to ‘ensure’ that nobody in the final three would be voting against him if they won the last daily challenge. Salvator erupts in anger at the decision, cursing J.D. as a liar and two-faced, promising that he will never get his vote to win should he reach the end. J.D. remains stoic in the face of Salvator’s anger, choosing not to address the betrayal and instead moves to speak with Cole. Poliana hugs Salvator goodbye, promising her eliminated friend that she had “no idea (J.D.) was going to do that”. Salvator wishes Poliana luck before walking off down the beach, claiming that he believes she will win if she’s able to overcome Cole and J.D. in the final challenge.
Moments following Salvator’s elimination, Poliana demands answers off J.D., feeling just as betrayed as Salvator after being left in the dark over the decision that J.D. would make. J.D. tells Poliana that his move was in order to prevent a situation where Salvator would win the final challenge and take her to the final two, something that J.D. claims would “leave him fifty grand richer”. Poliana appears confused by the move, openly believing it to be J.D. trying to guarantee that he would be taken to the end by either herself or Cole. Despite J.D.’s assurances to Poliana that he still intends to take her to the end over Cole, she asserts in a confessional that she will “win the last challenge and take (herself) to the end… with or without J.D. by (her) side”. The next morning, the final three awaken in their accommodation to begin the final day of the road trip. After spending time relaxing over breakfast and lunch, the trio head on a hike up one of Honolulu’s many nature trails, ending the tour with an overlook of the Hawaiian islands. The final three are then driven to the Pearl Harbour National Memorial; the site of the 1941 attack by Imperial Japan that sparked the United States’ entry into World War II. Cole talks to the others about his emotions at the harbour, having heard tales of war from his great-grandfather who had served in World War II. Once the tour of the harbour and memorial is over, the group are brought to a cleared area around a campfire, finding Lincoln and Sinead sat and waiting for them. Lincoln confirms that they’ll now be taking on a trivia-based final challenge, with questions ranging from the road trip as a whole, locations, activities and other contestants. The final three are to write their answers on boards secretly before revealing, with every correct answer earning one point. After ten questions, the individual with the most points will win a spot in the final two and determine who will be joining them. Although both J.D. and Poliana claim in confessionals that they intend to take the other to the final two and honour their early-game deal, they are left without power as Cole shocks them in claiming a victory of six points to a tie of five for each of J.D. and Poliana. Leaving Cole with all the power, Poliana and J.D. each take turns in pitching their last minute pleas for why they should be taken to the final two. Poliana speaks on her game being ‘less impressive’ than J.D.’s, highlighting his many challenge wins and ability to turn votes in the direction he wanted. Alternatively, J.D. talks about Poliana having a strong social game with little blood on her hands, and goes on to remind Cole that he had saved him at several votes in order to honour their friendship and alliance. However, Cole questions J.D. as to whether or not he’d have taken him to the final two, which J.D. shockingly and truthfully admits he would not, something that Cole ultimately appreciates. Cole eventually states that he has reached a decision, choosing to honour his friendship and closer ally in the game, saving J.D. and selecting Poliana to become the seventh and final member of the jury. Poliana takes the elimination with grace, noting that she truly didn’t have as good of a relationship with Cole as J.D. did, recognising it as having been her biggest downfall in the game. The oxford lecturer hugs both men goodbye, wishing them luck before heading off down the harbour to join the other jurors in waiting. Sinead congratulates the two men, telling them that they’ll be given a small meal prior to pleading their case to the jury, who within the next few hours will decide which of them is to be rewarded with the £50,000 prize.
After the meal, the final two men sit and watch as the jury of seven (Diana, Stephanie, Nalani, Nancy, Yiannis, Salvator and Poliana) gather before them to begin the process of deciding a champion. The jury as a collective body is allowed to question or make statements to Cole and J.D. whilst they pitch their case as to why they should be crowned winner of the road trip. Constructively, almost the entire jury is willing to congratulate J.D. on playing one of the most successful games in Road Trip history, noting his dominance in challenges, never voting incorrectly, strong social bonds and ability to lead a ‘leftovers’ alliance to take down those who had initially been in control of the game. However, J.D.’s ‘villainous’ attitude and comments throughout the process appear to have rubbed several jurors the wrong way, with Diana speaking up and declaring that she would “rather drink battery acid than call (J.D.) a deserving winner”. Moreover, Salvator also brings up J.D.’s betrayal of him, thinking it unnecessary and a key indicator that J.D. truly have no care for individuals or the social bonds that could be made throughout the process. J.D. tries to defend himself by claiming that he had truly made bonds, but that he “put game above anything else”, something that appears to disappoint members of the jury. Alternatively, Cole is congratulated for playing a resilient and ‘underdog’ game, with many having expected that he would be easily picked-off in the early stages of the game, only to use his likeable and easy-going personality to get through several nominations and reach the final two. Nancy speaks up in support of Cole, believing that he had managed to get J.D.’s loyalty “when everyone else failed”, feeling that based on this alone he “outplayed the manipulator in J.D.”. Yiannis challenges this sentiment, feeling as though Cole was “largely a passenger” throughout the season, thinking that once power had slipped from his alliance that it “was J.D. and Poliana who were steering the direction of the ship”. Poliana supports Yiannis’ argument, thinking that it would be unfair for anyone to claim that J.D. is not more deserving of the title simply because “unlike Cole he was able to make moves” rather than “sit back idly and hope for the best”. Rather than offer Cole support due to her disliking of J.D., Diana similarly criticises Cole’s gameplay, not buying into Cole’s ‘nice guy act’ and instead seeing him as a manipulative stirrer who “hides behind a Californian smile”. Quieter jurors Stephanie and Nalani talk about finding difficulty in rewarding either, agreeing that whilst they felt closer to J.D. as a player and view him as more deserving, that neither feel comfortable in rewarding somebody who ‘played with us like objects rather than other people deserving of his respect’. J.D. assures both women that he did value friendships and experiences on the journey, but claims that his need for the money was always a priority, apologising if he “ever left anyone feeling less than their worth”. The seven jurors then cast their votes for who they want to win, placing key-fobs with either ‘Cole’ or ‘J.D.’ into the holder. Lincoln and Sinead alternate on drawing the final votes of the season, with the vote being tied 2-2 after Poliana and Yiannis both naturally side with J.D., whereas Nancy and Salvator predictably select Cole to win. ‘Conflicted’ jurors Nalani and Stephanie are shown to have voted separately, with Nalani voting for J.D.’s superior game, and Stephanie being swayed by Cole’s more personable approach in his final pleas. Both men let out slight laughter as they realise it all comes down to Diana’s vote, having no idea who she’ll reward after declaring her strong disliking for both throughout the evening. In the end, Diana chooses to respect “the player and not the person”, giving J.D. her vote and making him the eighth Champion of the Road Trip. J.D. breaks down in tears at his victory, over-excitedly jumping up and down after hugging a still happy Cole and thanking the jury for their co-operation. Only Nancy appears disappointed with Cole’s loss, as Stephanie and a now less-bitter Salvator congratulate J.D. on a “deserved result”. As the nine players stand around and converse, Lincoln and Sinead begin to head out the area, jumping in a taxi to get to Daniel K. Inouye Airport before their next flight takes-off.