Road Trip: Halloween Holiday

Halloween Holiday	Halloween Holiday
 	
Season 	39
Genre 	Reality competition
Winner 	Brida F. Stein
Runner-up 	Amelia Adams
Episodes 	8
Countries Visited	1
Cities Visited 	8
Starting Point 	Bangor, United States
Finishing Point 	Orlando, United States
Production 	Production
Season Aired 	December, 2022
Chronology 	Chronology
Previous Season 	The Roman Empire
Next Season 	Heroes vs. Villains II
Road Trip: Halloween Holiday is the thirty-ninth 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 (RV's) 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 acts as a Halloween-special as well as the thirty-ninth edition of the show. The season takes places solely across the United States of America and spans just 8 episodes (with a reduced cast of 10 players). The winner of the season was drag queen Brida F. Stein, defeating Amelia Adams in a 6-2 vote to become Champion of the Road Trip.
Although this season chronologically takes place after the first thirty-eight seasons; it was the fourteenth season written and published to coincide with the 2022 Halloween period. However, due to scheduling issues, the final seven episodes of the season were delayed until December 2022.
==Road Trippers==
				
				
Name 	Age	Hometown 	Result
Brida F. Stein 	43 	Silver Spring, USA 	Winner
Amelia Adams 	34 	Brighton, England 	Runner-up
Llewellyn Blythyn 	37 	Pwllheli, Wales 	3rd place
Ameena Lali 	26 	Calgary, Canada 	4th place
Julie "Onyx" Yoon 	25 	San Francisco, USA 	5th place
Elle Boigny 	28 	Québec City, Canada	6th place
Rupert Jemison 	29 	Baltimore, USA 	7th place
Hugh Romano-Suthar	30 	Ashford, England 	8th place
Madeline Prentis 	25 	Shrewsbury, England	9th place
Trevor Maxwell 	23 	Plymouth, England 	10th place
==Voting History==
Ep # 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	8 	8 	8 			
Location 	Bangor	Fall River	Salem 	New York	SleepyHollow	Lexington	NewOrleans	Orlando	Orlando 	Orlando 	Orlando 			
Eliminated	none 	Trevor 	Madeline	Hugh 	Rupert 	Elle 	Onyx 	Ameena 	Lllewellyn	Amelia 	Brida 			
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 			
Brida 	NOM 	WIN 	Onyx 	Rupert 	NOM 	Elle 	Llewellyn 	Ameena 	NOM 	Winner 	Winner 			
Amelia 	NOM 	WIN 	Onyx 	Hugh 	Rupert 	Elle 	Onyx 	NOM 	Llewellyn 	Runner-up	Runner-up			
Llewellyn 	NOM 	WIN 	Onyx 	WIN 	Rupert 	WIN 	NOM 	WIN 	ELIM 	Amelia 	— 			
Ameena 	WIN 	Trevor 	Madeline	Rupert 	Rupert 	Onyx 	Onyx 	ELIM 	 	Amelia 	— 			
Onyx 	NOM 	NOM 	NOM 	Hugh 	Rupert 	NOM 	ELIM 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
Elle 	WIN 	Trevor 	Madeline	Hugh 	WIN 	ELIM 	 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
Rupert 	WIN 	Trevor 	Madeline	NOM 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
Hugh 	WIN 	Onyx 	Madeline	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
Madeline 	WIN 	Onyx 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
Trevor 	NOM 	ELIM 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	— 	Brida 			
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 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.
: This person was ejected from the tour without any repatriation vote.
==Game Summary==
#	Episode title 	Destination 	Tour Leader 	Last Place 	Nominated	Eliminated	Vote
1	"Monster Mash" 	Bangor, United States 	Group 2² 	Group 1¹ 	none 	none 	none
2	"Bed and Borden" 	Fall River, United States 	Amelia,Brida,Llewellyn	Onyx,Trevor 	none 	Trevor 	3-2
3	"The Salem B*tch Trials" 	Salem, United States 	Rupert 	Onyx 	Madeline 	Madeline 	4-3
4	"The Rocky Horror Road Trip Show"	New York City, United States	Llewellyn 	Rupert 	Hugh 	Hugh 	3-2
5	"Off With Their Heads" 	Sleepy Hollow, United States	Elle 	Brida 	Rupert 	Rupert 	4-0
6	"Scary Maize Game" 	Lexington, United States 	Llewellyn 	Onyx 	Elle 	Elle 	2-1
7	"Down in New Orleans" 	New Orleans, United States 	Ameena 	Llewellyn 	Onyx 	Onyx 	2-1
8	"Grim Grinning Ghosts" 	Orlando, United States 	Llewellyn 	Amelia 	Ameena 	Ameena 	1-0
8	"Grim Grinning Ghosts" 	Orlando, United States 	Amelia 	Brida,Llewellyn	none 	Llewellyn 	1-0
8	"Grim Grinning Ghosts" 	Orlando, United States 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote	Amelia 	6-2
8	"Grim Grinning Ghosts" 	Orlando, United States 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote 	Jury Vote	Brida 	6-2
^¹ Group 1 was randomly generated to include Amelia, Brida, Llewellyn, Onyx and Trevor.
^² Group 2 was randomly generated to include Ameena, Elle, Hugh, Madeline and Rupert.
==Episodes==
===Episode #1 - Monster Mash===
Beginning on a chilly October evening; ten brand new road trippers arrive to stand within the Broadway Historic District of Bangor, Maine. The ten newbies applaud as they’re joined by the now costumed terrifying twosome of Lincoln and Sinead; laughing as Brida claims relief at “not being the only drag queen” on set after gesturing to Sinead’s killer clown makeup. Shortly after introductions, the players are informed that for this special Halloween-themed season, that the players will be visiting ‘some of the spookiest and unsettling locations’ in ‘’Road Trip’’ history. Fittingly, the group are told that the gated Victorian mansion they are stood next to belongs to famed horror novelist Stephen King, and that the gardens have generously been lent to them for the location of their first daily challenge. Blindsiding the players, Sinead confirms that in just three hours they will all be performing a self-choreographed group performance of ‘Monster Mash’, and that the team who is deemed to give the stronger performance will all be awarded immunity from the first repatriation. Furthermore, the losing team will all be ‘temporarily nominated’, with their fates to be determined the following evening. Without giving the players a proper opportunity to mix and interact, Lincoln announces that he and Sinead will now begin drawing names, and that these will constitute to the two separate teams for the challenge. ‘Team 1’ drawn by Lincoln contains Amelia, Brida, Llewellyn, Trevor and Onyx, whilst ‘Team 2’ drawn by Sinead contains Rupert, Elle, Madeline, Hugh and Ameena. The two teams are quickly separated to different sides of the house grounds, leaving them just three hours to mingle, choreograph and rehearse before presenting their ‘Monster Mash’ performances.
For Group 1, Brida quickly establishes herself as the leader of the pack, insinuating her performance history and familiarity with Halloween (and the song itself) may give them an edge in the challenge. Most of the group are happy to allow Brida to lead, finding her suggestions both comforting and appropriate in getting their choreography sorted. Nevertheless, friction begins to form in the group after Onyx admits in a confessional that she ‘doesn’t like people who think they’re the leader just because they’re older and have existed longer’, questioning “what credentials (Brida) really has to lead four strangers she just met”. Initially, Brida is able to brush-off Onyx’s abrasive attitude, ignoring remarks such as “if you’re a Halloween drag queen does that mean you’re unemployed 364 days of the year?” and “do you claim welfare?”. Eventually, Brida snaps at Onyx as she continues to be a nuisance during their rehearsals, demanding that she “get in line and be quiet if (she’s) not got any suggestions of (her) own”. Elsewhere, Group 2 prove to have a more dynamic approach to their rehearsals, failing to have a single leader and instead all offer an equal amount of suggestions on how they can perform the ‘Monster Mash’ for the judges. As they rehearse, Hugh and Rupert appear to be bonding well, hoping to seek out a friend early on that they could potentially rely on to get through the game. Rupert jokes that with the exception of Madeline they are the “minorities group”, proposing that they “call Road Trip HR” if the judges don’t give them the win. In a confessional, Hugh claims to like Rupert’s unserious approach to the game, believing that “(they’re) the only two normal masculine guys out here… maybe the only normal people here full-stop. Everyone else is gay, a froot-loop… or in some cases a gay froot-loop”. As the three hours draw to a close, the two teams reconvene by the main garden section of the house, finding a stage has been set up adjacent to three ‘Halloween experts’ from the state of Maine. Neither group is permitted to watch the other perform, leaving their knowledge of the other performance unknown until the judges’ results. Performing first, Group 1’s comedic but faithful approach to the ‘Monster Mash’ is seen as a ‘safe’ option by the judges, who cannot help but criticise Trevor as being ‘the clear weak-link of the team’ after noting he remained ‘out of time for the duration of the song’. Alternatively, the judges unanimously applaud Brida’s leadership and theatricality, calling her ‘the stand out of the night’. For Group 2, the judges appreciate the individualistic styles of each member of the team; in-spite their notes mentioning Madeline was ‘as bad as Trevor from Group 1’ for forgetting her portion of the dance midway. Elle, Hugh and Rupert are however praised for holding the group together, believing that they and Amelia from Group 1 also deserved singling out for strong performances behind Brida. After both teams have performed, the judges begin their deliberations on which team will be crowned the nightly winners.
Shockingly, the groups are brought together and told that the judges almost couldn’t decide, calling it ‘neck and neck’ between the two teams, with Brida being the strongest of the night by far, but Group 2 having more individuals with ‘good’ performances overall. In the end, Group 2’s consistency is enough to give them the edge and earn all five immunity from the first repatriation, leaving the entirety of Group 1 now vulnerable to leave the game. After thanking the judges for their time, the ten players are brought outside the mansion grounds by Lincoln and Sinead, now finding a ‘horror-themed’ luxury RV that will now be their home for the remainder of the road trip. The players all board the RV, laughing as they find Halloween decorations, foods and drinks inside. The groups driver (conveniently silent and dressed as Charon) takes the players a short distance to the Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor; the location used in Stephen King’s ‘Pet Sematary’, and also cited as one of the most haunted locations in all of Maine. On the journey, the group utilise the time to finally get to know one another as a large group, beginning by praising nominated Brida on meeting the expectations and showing her performance prowess for all to see. Brida remains humble in defeat, instead passing congratulations back to the winning group, and praising her own for ‘holding together’ despite their loss. In a confessional, Brida reveals that she’s “f**king fuming” that they lost the challenge, solidly placing the blame on “that little bitch calling herself ‘Onyx’, and Trevor who is about as out of place as I was being the gay fatty in Sunday School”. However, believing that social skills are one of her strongest assets, Brida puts into place a goal to spend the night bonding and winning over her competitors, knowing that she will need the support of all of them should she wish to survive the first repatriation. Brida’s attempts are shown to be successful, with many spending their evening laughing at her jokes and wishing to continue their conversations with her to hear about the life of ‘a Halloween Drag Queen’. Unlike Brida, fellow challenge loser Trevor spends his evening complaining about “being out of touch” with the Halloween-theme of the season, claiming that he “(doesn’t) really get it” like the rest of them. Trevor’s confessional reveals that his ‘self-victimising’ and ‘vulnerable’ act is strategy to get the others to see him as less of a threat, and instead offer to bring him under their wings as a protégé. However, confessionals from other players detail that it has had the opposite effect, with Rupert calling him “annoying and a waste of space”.
Arriving in the Mount Hope Cemetery, the players are given the option to immediately head to sleep in the RV or ‘explore the cemetery grounds’. Several players opt to avoid exploring the grounds upon learning that they are ‘haunted’, whilst others seem more enticed in hope to see ‘real live ghosts’. Self-described Goths and believers in the supernatural Onyx and Madeline are seen walking around with Llewellyn, confident that they will feel a presence by the end of the evening. During their walk-around, Llewellyn and Madeline bond upon discovering that Madeline’s grandfather and Llewellyn hail from the same small-town in North Wales, giving the pair a sense of comfortability in one another as they talk. Feeling frustrated at not being included in the Welsh-related conversation, Onyx decides to ask Madeline if she has any Asian-ancestry, which Madeline quickly confirms that she doesn’t. Feeling provocative, Onyx responds by saying “strange, you give me desperately wants to be Asian because you hate being white vibes”. This statement immediately rouses anger from Madeline, who audibly exclaims “what the actual hell” several times before asking Onyx if she’s “off her meds”. Bizarrely, Onyx then tells Madeline “only the ones your dad sells me”, seemingly having little response nor offering an apology after Madeline angrily tells Onyx that her father had in fact passed away two years prior. Llewellyn interjects by telling the women that they need to stop the arguing immediately, comforting Madeline after instructing Onyx to go back to the RV or find others in the graveyard before the arguing intensifies. Agreeing, Onyx heads away from a tearful Madeline and bewildered Llewellyn, commenting to the cameras that she doesn’t “believe there are any ghosts out tonight anyway”. Back at the RV, Amelia and Rupert return together after failing to find any ghosts themselves during a walk-around. Despite this, Amelia claims to have “felt energy, dark energy, bad energy” all throughout the evening, confidently exclaiming that the graveyard is in fact haunted. Rupert humours Amelia’s claims, admitting in private it’s simply because she “has that sexy schoolteacher thing going on” rather than anything to do with believing in her psychic abilities. The pair are shown bonding well throughout the evening due to their shared-occupation in working with youths, being the last pair outside as the others head back in to catch sleep. Despite wishing the others goodnight and being aware that they are sleeping, Rupert continues to speak in a loud and animated manner late into the evening, failing to comply when Amelia kindly reminds him to “keep it down” several times. Rupert’s behaviour and loudness wakes up several of the sleeping players, with muttering inside the RV begging that he “shuts the f**k up”. Eventually, Rupert and an apologetic Amelia head into the RV, bedding down with the others as the first night of the Halloween Holiday comes to an end. 
===Episode #2 - Bed and Borden===
On the first morning of the Halloween-themed road trip, the group are driven five hours from the state of Maine to Fall River, Massachusetts. Several members of the group appear less than rested after an evening disrupted by Rupert’s incessant talking. Despite the tiredness, the group remain social over breakfast in order to continue getting to know those they’ll be playing against, with the fears surrounding the first repatriation forcing current nominee Brida to continue seeking support. After their fight during the previous challenge, Brida and Onyx share a packet of dry cereal as they make-up and agree to start afresh on their second day, believing that their argument was due to the stresses of the challenge rather than anything to do with a personality clash. Noticing the pair talking, Hugh inserts himself into the ladies’ conversation, keen to increase his own social standing in this moment. Hugh and Onyx both wish Brida luck in what they expect will be a following daily challenge, believing it will be the final decider in which of the current five nominees remain vulnerable in the first repatriation later that evening. Following on from his conversation with Brida and Onyx, Hugh heads over to other nominee Trevor, mentioning in his confessional that his goal is to bond and speak with each of the nominees in order to determine which of their eliminations would most benefit his long term game. Whilst speaking, Trevor admits to Hugh that he isn’t certain he fits into the group, mentioning that several of the other players have made minimal effort in getting to know him. Wanting to use what he perceives to be a ‘weaker player’ to his advantage, Hugh encourages Trevor to hold onto hope and determination, confident that if the initial winning team are the only individuals voting in the first repatriation, meaning that it would only take three votes to remain in the game.
Upon arriving in Fall River, Massachusetts, the players are dropped off outside the former residence of Lizzie Borden and the notorious axe killings of Borden’s father and stepmother. The ten players enter the residence, finding a note informing them that they will be staying in the murder site turned bed and breakfast overnight. Llewellyn is seen alone outside the house, admitting to a nearby camera that he doesn’t “like the vibes of a place with such a dark past”, unsure if he is going to stay in the residence overnight or instead opt for the beds inside the RV. Ameena joins the lonesome Llewellyn outside, doing her best to raise his optimism and mood before competing in the next daily challenge. Llewellyn confesses to Ameena that he fears facing Amelia and Brida in the repatriation, believing they would be tougher to survive against than Onyx or Trevor. The pair remain talking for several minutes longer, sharing a cigarette as they theorise what Halloween-themed challenge may be in store for them as they stand outside the former Borden residence. Heading back inside, the players sit around the bed and breakfast living area as they wait for the sun to set, having been informed that the next daily challenge will be taking place in the dead of night. Feeling bored, the group begin an impromptu game of spin the bottle, with the game also inconsistently containing elements of ‘truth or dare’. During the game, Amelia is dared to give another player of her choosing a lap-dance, ultimately deciding on an encouraging Madeline. In spite of the girls clearly joking around, Llewellyn is seen rolling his eyes, mentioning in a confessional that “the desperation from Amelia in the moment was nothing short of embarrassing”, going on to deny believing that she is “bisexual beyond those who’ll lend her a vote or two”. After the dance, Madeline takes a seat next to secret strategist Hugh, who candidly tells her that she “is doing things to (him)” after the dance. Madeline laughs at his flirtatious advancements, playfully pushing him and offering him sly compliments in return. The two are seen getting closer on the sofa as they share drinks, lightly touching one another’s hands without rousing suspicion from the other players.
Interrupting the game, Lincoln and Sinead enter the Borden residence, telling the five currently nominated players that they will now be taking on the next daily challenge. For this competition, each player will simply be playing the popular Halloween game of ‘bobbing for apples’, in which they must transport ten apples from a bucket of ice water to an empty basket five metres away. Like the game, players can only use their mouths to transport the apples, and will have their hands tied behind their backs for the duration. Lincoln tells the players that the first three to complete the task will be granted immunity from the first repatriation, but will be ineligible to cast a vote in this round. The two individuals who remain nominated will have their fate determined by the five members of the previous challenge’s winning team, deciding who will become the first player voted out of the Halloween road trip. With the challenge underway, the five nominated players all try their best to ensure their safety, dreading the possibility that they could be the first individual to leave the game. Like the first challenge, Brida and Amelia again show themselves to be the strongest performers of the group, each having five apples in their respective baskets whilst the other three are struggling to get their second. Brida’s competitive determination enables her to pull ahead, placing her tenth and final apple in her basket to claim safety, with Amelia placing her final apple a mere ninety seconds later. Brida and Amelia hug and celebrate their victory, being congratulated by the members of Group 1 as they now turn their attention to the three still competing. Silence quickly ensues as they watch the trio struggle with the task, finding it somewhat awkward that none of them seem able to bob or transport the apples from their buckets to their baskets without dropping them. In a confessional, Rupert laughs at the trios poor performance, commenting “I thought gay men and Asian chicks were meant to be good at using their mouths in these kind of scenarios… if they can’t do this then God help them. Still, it was nice seeing Amelia’s best assets as she was dunking down.”. The seven safe players sit motionless and holding in yawns as they watch the challenge go on for almost fifteen minutes, seeing Onyx somewhat give up as she declares that her ‘makeup isn’t waterproof’ and that it would ‘be a shame to have it run-off’. Eventually, Llewellyn is able to get his tenth and final apple after a bad run, seeing that Onyx and Trevor both only had five and seven respectively by the end. Amelia is heard exclaiming “oh thank God” as the challenge is declared to be over, remarking that she “had a notion that this was going to be a long evening” from her spirit-guide. Sinead announces to the group that with this result, either Onyx or Trevor will become the first person voted out of the game, and that the members of the initial winning team will be given a single hour to decide who that player will be.
Possessing just an hour of time to save themselves, nominees Onyx and Trevor begin talking around to those that have the ability to vote, being aware that three votes is all it will take to save them from repatriation this evening. Trevor immediately seeks an audience with Hugh, feeling both that he is one of the more influential players in the game, whilst also identifying that of all the players he is the most likely to work alongside him for the remainder of the game based on early impressions. Hugh is quick to relieve Trevor with promises that he “has (his) full support”, regarding Onyx positively, but claiming that “she is way too much drama and trouble for her own good”. Trevor feels at ease hearing this assertion, telling Hugh that if he can pull through this vote that he will swear his complete loyalty throughout the process. Utilizing their moment alone, Hugh offers Trevor a handshake of trust, vocalising his belief that the two of them can control the game in secret from here on out. In a confessional, Hugh reiterates his belief that Trevor is the least apt individual for the game, and thus having him as “a sidekick” almost guarantees him “a partner (he) can win against at the final two”. Taking a moment to themselves, Madeline and recently saved Brida share the bathroom as the latter removes her makeup from the day. Madeline speaks positively about Brida’s challenge performance, claiming that she didn’t believe Brida needed safety, but is glad to “not have to pick between people who are actually liked at this stage”. Brida appreciates the compliment, sharing the sentiment as she openly calls Onyx and Trevor “a smorgasbord of annoying traits”. Madeline confesses to Brida that she is almost set on voting for Onyx, retelling their fight the previous night and the callous remarks made about Madeline’s deceased father. Brida stands wide-eyed as she hears Madeline’s story, foolishly surprised that Onyx has caused so many issues just twenty-four hours into the game. In a confessional, Brida nervously laughs as she admits she had been leaning towards keeping Onyx over Trevor had she been granted a vote, but that it “looks like it may be a blowout… that girl is another level of coocoo.” As little time remains before the vote, Hugh begins speaking to the other eligible voters, knowing that he has ‘mutual’ crush Madeline on side, now seeking to get Ameena, Elle and Rupert to leave the result unanimous in Trevor’s favour. When approaching Elle, Hugh begins to forcefully insist that she come off the fence after she tells him that she’s “unsure” on who to vote, leaving Elle somewhat perplexed by his somewhat aggressive approach. Allowing Hugh to speak, Elle listens as Hugh remarks she’ll “probably be the only one, which won’t be good for your standing here” if she ends up voting for Trevor. Rather than submit to his authority, Elle calmly calls Hugh’s attitude out to his face, telling him “I don’t know who died and left you as the sole authority. But, last I checked we won as a team so that we could vote as individuals… if you want to vote against Onyx that is fine, but don’t come here with bullying tactics and think I’m going to just fall in line”. Hugh tries to wind-in on his pushiness, apologising to Elle if he “came off strong”. However, Elle refuses to make immediate amends, reminding Hugh “you want to talk to me about the vote then talk to me about the vote, but speak to me as your equal, because you’re not better than me and I’m certainly not going to take threats when you haven’t even made half an effort to speak to me before tonight”. Elle walks away from Hugh, leaving him less than convinced on his ability to sway others to vote how he wishes. In a confessional, Elle gladly talks on scolding Hugh, finding him arrogant and unlikeable in his approach to the game, confident that his demands have done nothing but “push (her) in the direction of voting against Trevor”. With the hour up, the ten players gather outside the Borden residence around a small campfire to cast their votes for either Trevor or Onyx to leave the game, placing their ghost-shaped key-fobs that bear the name of their target into the pumpkin-shaped bowl. Lincoln and Sinead alternate in drawing the five votes, finding the vote tied 2-2 after Hugh and Madeline vote against group menace Onyx, whilst Elle and Rupert vote against Trevor, finding him more of a nuisance than ‘shield’ Onyx has been. The final vote comes down to Ameena, who surprises several players as she joins Elle and Rupert in voting for Trevor, citing her reasons as “his awkwardness in fitting into the group”. A semi-surprised Trevor sighs and lets out a short exclamation as he congratulates Onyx on her safety, eventually moving over to the others to say his goodbyes. After everybody has said their goodbyes, Sinead announces to the players that “this season, everybody voted out will be a member of the jury, giving all of you a final say on who ultimately is crowned Champion of the Road Trip”. This information rouses a large response from the players, who wave goodbye to Trevor as he lays down and is enclosed in a coffin that has been placed in the back of a hearse, driving him off into the dead of night. The final nine players retire inside the Borden residence for the evening, with Hugh being shown in a confessional remarking that “I lost the battle tonight, and I lost a great side piece in the process. But, he’s on the jury… and he’s voting for me if I get to the end. Every cloud in this game has a silver lining, and right now I’m still the one to beat”. 
===Episode #3 - The Salem B*tch Trials===
Immediately following Trevor’s elimination, the players scatter around the Borden residence in order to catch as much sleep as possible before moving on the following morning. Rather than sleep straight away, Hugh pulls initial friend Rupert to one side, questioning him as to why he decided to vote against Trevor, mentioning that he had ‘told him that he’d be voting for Onyx with himself and Madeline’. Rupert explains that he chose to change his mind at the last minute, believing Trevor to be “fickle” and “less straight forward” as a player in the game. Hugh seems less than satisfied with Rupert’s reasoning, telling Rupert harshly that “I feel that you’ve broken trust with me, man. I thought you, me and him could’ve ran this thing, and now it’s telling me you’re unreliable”. Rupert disassociates himself from this assessment, telling Hugh he’s “being overly emotional about a guy we knew for a day”. Hugh reminds Rupert that all they have to go off in this game is the trust they display when voting, once again branding Rupert as somebody who has already broken this trust. Rupert shrugs at Hugh, simply stating “I’m sorry you feel that way, and if it changes how you wanna play this with me then I’ll have to live with that”. Both men leave the conversation less than satisfied, each shown in respective confessionals where they talk of the other negatively, less enthused by the idea of working together for the rest of the game. The morning after, the remaining nine players board the Halloween-themed RV and are driven ninety-minutes north to the infamous town of Salem, Massachusetts, where they’ll be stationed for the next round of the game. On the drive, Onyx takes a moment to address the entire group, thanking them for giving her a second chance in the game and allowing her to “continue enjoying this amazing once in a lifetime experience”. She begins to address certain individuals directly (namely Madeline), apologising for her abrasive personality and hoping that they can allow her to show them her “true, kind character underneath the surface”. Everybody appreciates Onyx’s change of tune, feeling sincerity behind her words and confident that this could be a positive change for herself and the entire group experience. 
In downtown Salem, the RV pulls up beside the famed ‘Witch House’; once home to judge from the trials Jonathan Corwin. Lincoln and Sinead welcome the players and introduce them to a local guide and expert, who explains to the players that the house has stood for well over four centuries, with the house also decorated to period and containing items owned by those who fell victim to the vicious trials. Looking around the home hits practising Wiccan Ameena hard, leading to her speaking of spiritual/occultist practices that she performs, being inspired by modern Wicca as well as elements of her Indian ancestry. Semi-joking, Ameena asserts that she’d “have been hung in these trials for sure… short brown girl, painted for the goddesses, mixing up a little herbal remedy… they’d have dragged me out and strung me up John Smith or whoever. But, jokes on them because asphyxiation is one of the greatest joys in the bedroom”. Moving on, the players travel a short-distance to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, before finally attending Proctor’s Ledge; the site where nineteen innocent individuals were put to death as ‘witches’ in 1692. Amelia is quickly overwhelmed by ‘energy’ at the site, suggesting she feels faint as she clings onto Elle’s shoulder. The teacher and part-time psychic-medium is ushered to a nearby bench by Elle, who tries to cool Amelia down before fetching her a bottle of water. Amelia thanks Elle for her kindness, explaining that she can “hear their screams… the tormented souls… their pain is strong here, I just know it”. Elle nods along, choosing not to question Amelia on her ability, despite having some reservations on the theatrics of the situation. Back at the site, the other seven players stand with their guide, Lincoln, and Sinead, with Hugh quietly questioning “is she having a psychic moment? Or did she just read the brochure?”. As the guide finishes up the final part of the tour, the players listen intently as they receive the last pieces of information on the history of Salem and the stain that is the witch trials, with some of the players questioning the town recognising the ridiculousness of Puritan paranoia, as well as Salem doing its upmost to capitalise off the tragedy. Brida and Rupert both appear to be two of the most vocal in their uncertainty towards the culture of Salem, agreeing with one another that its (according to Brida) “hard to separate stories of tragedy and mass hysteria with gift shops selling keychains and t-shirts with ‘’American Horror Story’’ font”. In turn, Brida supports Rupert’s claims that “a lot of it feels like… scared white colonists looking to control their women and blame any problems on African or Indigenous peoples. The whole thing reeks of barbarism…”. 
After a surprisingly political breakdown of the tour, the nine remaining players are escorted to a nearby common where they’re told by Lincoln and Sinead that they’ll now be competing in their next daily challenge. All at once, players will race amongst ten podiums, each bearing a question relating to the Salem Witch Trials, with the answer being a fact that they have been told at some point during their tour. The players will find four potential answers at each podium, with each answer being placed upon a small chest. If a player selects the correct answer, they will find a small Wicca talisman inside, which they then must place upon their own podium left at the start-line. If wrong, the players will find pieces of rope, which must be taken to a nearby fire and cast to the flames before they can attend another podium. The first player to correctly gather all ten Wicca talisman in the fastest time will be declared the daily winner, whilst the last to finish will be automatically nominated for repatriation. During the challenge, Amelia surprises all by initially pulling ahead, proving that she is continuously good at challenges despite her episode at Proctor’s Ledge. Like Amelia, Madeline and Rupert also stay ahead in the competition, both having paid attention due to their interest in the subject matter, keen to win power and take the first point of control in the game. Alternatively, Elle, Hugh, Llewellyn and Onyx struggle in the task, repeatedly getting questions wrong, with their attention to detail being shown to lack compared to the others. Amelia and Rupert are both seen tied at nine talisman each, with Madeline close behind on eight. However, Rupert is able to sprint past Amelia (who gets a question wrong), giving him a first place finish and the right to nominate somebody for repatriation. Amelia and Madeline finish the challenge soon after, with Brida and Ameena also claiming safety as they finish in fourth and fifth place respectively. The fivesome cheer on the others as they battle to avoid last place, seeing Elle take sixth place, and Llewellyn narrowly avoiding the bottom again as he finishes in seventh. Hugh and Onyx race to claim their final few talisman, with Onyx yet again finding herself in danger as Hugh takes the final spot of safety, leaving her at the mercy of the repatriation vote. The players congratulate Rupert on his win again after offering Onyx their commiserations, unsure what to say after she gave another horrendous challenge performance. Before Lincoln can ask Rupert for the name of his nominee, Onyx pulls the challenge winner to one side, frantically whispering to him that she ‘needs to stay in this game’, believing that ‘he is the only one who can save her’ depending on who he nominates to face-off against her. Having established a positive relationship with Onyx after helping save her at the previous vote, Rupert tells the nominee that he is “open to hearing” who she thinks he should put up. Onyx briefly looks at the other players, eventually telling Rupert “put Madeline up… she showed today she’s a threat in these challenges, and I think I can beat her”. After the chat, Rupert follows through with Onyx’s suggestion, apologetically nominating Madeline as he tells her “we haven’t really had a great deal of conversation, and I gotta go off who I’m vibing with”. Madeline fails to hide her annoyance at the decision, firmly believing that Rupert allowed himself to be swayed by a ‘vindictive’ Onyx. Sinead tells both girls that they will have just an hour to convince the others why they deserve to stay in the game, with one of them to become the second member of the jury as their journey comes to a sudden end.
Madeline is quickly pulled to one side by friend Llewellyn, cuddling and comforting his friend as she is reduced to tears after finding herself nominated against Onyx. Llewellyn listens as Madeline complains about Onyx’s “horrible attitude”, calling her apology earlier in the day “performative as f**k”, a sentiment that Llewellyn agrees with, assuring Madeline that “you’re not going anywhere… nobody likes her and we can get the votes together without even breaking a sweat”. Madeline tells Llewellyn that she is ‘unsure’ about that possibility, citing that they had expected Onyx would leave the night before, proving to them that she is far more resilient than they had initially feared. Elsewhere, Onyx begins campaigning to players in order to save herself, with Rupert also aiding her in her mission to remain in the game. Much of Onyx’s pitch centres around herself “not really being a threat”, highlighting that Madeline is much better in challenges, and ultimately “has more people wanting to work with her”. This argument rouses the interest of strategic thinkers Brida and Hugh, both of whom see value in keeping individuals such as Onyx around, despite the two of them also being fond of Madeline. For Madeline, her campaign concentrates on the discomfort that Onyx has brought to the game, telling players who view her as a shield that “you are only making the case why no one will ever get rid of her, and why they’d keep her over you if you’re nominated against her next”. As the hour draws to a close, the players gather beside Proctor’s Ledge, ready to remove a member of their own society after a group judgment. Lincoln and Sinead alternate in drawing key-fobs out of the pumpkin holder, with the vote being tied 2-2, revealing that Brida joined Llewellyn in voting against Onyx, citing her as too much of a troublemaker to keep around over friendlier Madeline, whilst Hugh shockingly votes crush Madeline out alongside Elle, stating in his confessional that “Onyx is a fine replacement after losing Trevor… and (Madeline) is way too connected to others than Onyx could ever be”. The next vote belonging to Amelia is revealed to be against Onyx, as she too decides to keep the player she is closer to, finding Onyx too difficult to form a relationship with at this stage. The sixth and final vote drawn ties the result at 3-3, after Ameena joins those in saving Onyx, a result that she secretly confesses “would just be kind of funny”. Madeline tries to hold her tears back as the tied result is announced, with Onyx’s much happier and relieved reaction all but confirming her allegiance with Rupert. Despite pleas from Madeline and Llewellyn, Rupert sides with friend Onyx as he announces his tiebreaking vote against the former, repatriating her from the game in a 4-3 result. Llewellyn is repeatedly heard brandishing the result as “disgusting” as he coddles a sobbing Madeline in his chest, clearly bewildered how Onyx has managed to survive a second consecutive repatriation. After Madeline says her goodbyes and is closed-off inside her departure hearse, the remaining eight players head back towards the RV where they’ll be spending the night. Llewellyn is seen to be comforted by fellow minority voters Amelia and Brida as they walk off, all wondering how and why the other voters secretly plotted against them.
===Episode #4 - The Rocky Horror Road Trip Show===
Immediately following Madeline’s shock repatriation, the players board the RV in order to bed down for the night. Whilst conversation initially appears friendly, Rupert decides to openly question Llewellyn on his clear anger over the result, in particular calling out his description of the decision to save Onyx as being “disgusting”. Llewellyn immediately responds with hostility, telling Rupert “I don’t even want to speak to you”, calling the group “callous, manipulative, liars” for choosing to blindside himself and Madeline at the vote. Rupert laughs as he tells Llewellyn “you’re taking this all way too seriously, my brother”, leading Llewellyn to sharply demand that he ‘not call him brother’. The others in the RV begin to diplomatically request that the men stop fighting, wanting to get some rest rather than relive the tension of the evening’s repatriation. In a confessional, Llewellyn is shown to be extremely emotional as he mourns the loss of friend Madeline, citing his determination to see that “Rupert is the next one out of this game… and if for whatever reason I can’t come after him I’m going right for his right hand woman; Onyx”. Llewellyn continues with his rant against the pair, eventually also announcing his desire to see “Hugh called out for the game he’s playing. He’s the most sly person. Madeline thought she had him on our side, and he was the vote that helped send her home. In some ways, he needs to be the target ahead of anyone else… and I want to be the one to expose him for what he is”. The next morning, the players are awoken early as they are driven four hours into New York City, giving them ample time to eat breakfast and socialise throughout the journey. Not wanting a repeat of the night before, Elle decides to make a speech for the entire group, pleading with them that they recognise “this whole thing is meant to be fun for us, it isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. Yes, there’s money at stake, but look around us… we have a drag queen, a ‘leather daddy’, a fancy-dress driver! None of this is serious and we need to have fun, it’s Halloween not the holiday from hell”. Elle’s positive speech causes laughter amongst the group, reconciling with her words and ultimately finding appreciation towards her for breaking the tension and injecting a positive aura into the game. In a confessional, Elle speaks briefly about having “suffered a lot in life with… you know… really tough times… a lot of fighting in my family… a lot of pain. I didn’t want that here. I’m grown. I’m in control now. I don’t put myself in situations where I cannot have fun, cannot be around positive and kind people that make me happy. I chose to do this road trip, and I knew there would be arguing. But, we can keep the personal and the game apart. We can butt heads and still laugh the next morning. I have to remind these people of that, because we should look back at this whole journey with a smile on our face”.
Arriving in New York, the players park outside the Dakota Apartments, an apartment complex built between 1880-1884 that is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in New York City. The players are escorted inside, having been allocated two apartments for the evening. The building manager tells the players that residents have reported the sight of ‘a young girl’s ghost skipping around corridors’ as well as ‘the wailing ghost of a woman’, whilst Yoko Ono herself claimed to see the ghost of husband John Lennon in their previous apartment shortly after his murder had taken place outside the building. Ameena, Amelia, Hugh and Llewellyn take the first of two bedrooms, leaving Brida, Elle, Onyx and Rupert to be led to the second. In the first room, Hugh heads off for a shower as the other three sit around together on their sofa. Llewellyn talks openly to both girls about his sadness at losing Madeline, assuring them that he holds neither responsible (Amelia is heard noting “well, I didn’t even vote for her”). Ameena explains to the pair that she had voted Madeline due to feeling that she had “more similarities” with Onyx, claiming that in no way is it an indication about who she is aligned to. Llewellyn is quick to propose to the girls that the three of them stick together in future votes, believing if they don’t work together that they could very easily find themselves in danger as players like Hugh, Rupert and Onyx “skate by”. The girls both gladly accept the offer, with Llewellyn also admitting that he’d like to “pull in Brida” to give them four solid votes to control the remainder of the game. In the second apartment, Onyx and Rupert agree to platonically share one of the two beds together, mutually knowing that there is nothing but friendship between them at this stage. Whilst laying down, the pair whisper that they “have everyone so pissed off” in the game, laughing as they mimic Llewellyn’s breakdown after Madeline’s repatriation. Onyx calls Llewellyn “a freaking moron” for his reaction, confused as to how he can “try to blame (her) for wanting to stick around”. Rupert assures Onyx that the two of them can “pay him no mind”, instead wanting to confirm that the two of them will be “going to the end of this thing together”. Onyx gladly accepts Rupert’s offer, saying “the only way one of us wins is if we give them no other choice than to vote for one of us”, leaving the pair sniggering as they try to not alert Brida and Elle to their scheming.
After being given until the mid-afternoon to relax, the players are driven a short distance to the New Amsterdam Theatre located on Broadway. As the final eight walk inside, they informed by a worker that they must each greet a portrait of silent film star Olive Thomas, who tragically died aged 25 after accidental poisoning, and is said to be the ghost that haunts the theatre to this day. The eight players are seated in the audience area, watching on stage as a troupe of actors perform scenes from musical ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. Applauding the actors on the completion of their impressive performance, the group watch on as Lincoln and Sinead enter the stage from the wings, welcoming the players to New York and the supposedly haunted location of the New Amsterdam Theatre. Sinead tells the players that for their next daily challenge, each competitor will be supplied with three potential scripts from ‘The Rocky Horror Show’, all in total equalling four minutes of stage time, dialogue, and a musical number. Each player may select which script to use, additionally choosing a character from that respective scene to portray. The competitors will be given adequate costumes and professional actors to give them the ability for a proper run-through, which will then be judged by three Broadway experts, who will determine a winner and loser of the challenge based on relevant criteria. The players are all given three hours to learn their lines and choreography for their chosen scenes, before being put into a randomly drawn running-order for their final performances. Unsurprisingly, a majority of the players struggle with the performances, regularly forgetting steps and lines due to being given only three hours of practice time. The judges identify that ‘by far’ the strongest three performers were Elle, Hugh and Llewellyn, who chose to play Magenta, Brad, and Frank N. Furter respectively. Ultimately, the judges award the win to self-described ‘Rocky Horror superfan’ Llewellyn for his near perfect performance, also appreciating that he took a risk by selecting the most iconic character from the movie. Llewellyn’s joy only increases as Rupert is named the worst performer of the evening, having fluffed his lines more than anyone, and ‘been out of step in what looked like a completely original dance number’. Lincoln congratulates Llewellyn on his much deserved win, now requesting that he name his nominee to face-off against Rupert in the third repatriation of the season. Addressing the group, Llewellyn quickly announces that “I want everybody to know, that after losing a good friend last night… and it being no secret how hurt and betrayed I felt, I had intended to stand here and name Rupert as my nomination. But, fate has it that he was already going to end up there, and I need to select somebody to face the man that I do hope you chose to vote out tonight”. Rupert is seen quietly laughing at Llewellyn’s speech, mumbling “appreciate the love” as he is critiqued by the daily winner. Completing his soliloquy, Llewellyn finishes with “and so I need to pick someone who I think has been playing this game particularly slyly, and was caught in a lie that they had told myself and Madeline yesterday… that person is Hugh”. Hugh appears bewildered at the announcement, clearly having had no indication that anyone other than Elle viewed him negatively as a strategist. Sinead wishes the two men luck, confirming that they’ll have just one hour to plead for their safety, before meeting in times square to discover who will be the third individual to join the jury.
Instantly, Hugh and Rupert break-off to begin speaking to others that can save them from certain repatriation, both desperate to remain in the game in the quest to win the £50,000 prize. Onyx is fast to establish herself as a Rupert supporter, noting that whilst she likes Hugh and appreciates him saving her the previous round, that “nobody has my trust here like Rupert does… I know he’s honest and a straight shooter”. Hugh is seen pulling strong social player Brida to one side, feeling almost immediate relief as she tells him there’s “no chance (she’s) voting to keep Rupert”, commenting that he's far too messy as a player, and lacks the “foresight” that she sees in Hugh. Wanting to secure herself for the future, Brida requests that Hugh ‘promise’ her a final four deal, not wanting “further surprises like the one you gave me last night”. Hugh assures Brida that he will be completely loyal to her if he can survive, suggesting that his targets will be Elle and Llewellyn before anybody else. Accepting this promise, Brida tells Hugh that she will speak with other players, confident that they can get most of the ‘neutral’ thinkers against Rupert. Fulfilling her role as popular amongst the other players, Brida is next pulled by Onyx, who is trying to campaign on Rupert’s behalf. Brida quickly tells Onyx that her vote is already locked in support of Hugh, requesting that Onyx “understand” and not to “see this as me having no interest in working with you later on”. Onyx is gracious in this response, knowing that if she is unable to save Rupert that she’ll need allies in his place, citing Brida as the perfect candidate for this role. Amelia soon joins the ladies in the foyer of the theatre, putting her arms around both as she hears their candid reasons for saving Hugh and Rupert respectively. Onyx brazenly tells the ladies that they should “stick together” regardless of the result, somewhat coming to terms with the fact that the power in the game is currently not on her side. Amelia and Brida gladly accept this offer, later shown in confessionals at their worry that they are ‘in multiple alliances that all have different motivations’. As the hour draws to a close, Hugh continues trying to smoothly manoeuvre his way into the good graces of the other players, aware that his aggressive strategizing and gameplay may have left him too exposed as a player. Alternatively, Rupert utilises his position as a rogue agent, hoping that the same arguments of being ‘an unpopular outsider’ that worked for ally Onyx also curry him enough favour to remain in the game. Meeting in times square below the illuminated billboards of the evening, the eligible voters begin casting their votes for either Hugh or Rupert to leave the game. As expected, Llewellyn’s allies Ameena and Brida vote to eliminate Rupert, wanting to honour his wishes of seeing his main nemesis leave the game in an act of revenge for Madeline. Oppositely, Elle and Onyx cast their votes to eliminate Hugh, with Elle particularly eager for others to view Hugh as a dangerous player that would be “smarter for (them) to get rid of” whilst the opportunity presents itself. The final vote comes down to Amelia, who battles an internal struggle of being more aligned with Brida and Llewellyn against Rupert, but ultimately having had more positive interactions with Rupert than with Hugh. In the end, Amelia is revealed to have privately convened with Elle and Onyx, agreeing that they will ‘blindside’ Hugh in the biggest move of the season thus far, eliminating him in a 3-2 result. Audible gasps are heard over the booming intensity of Times Square, with the Rupert voters, Llewellyn and repatriated Hugh stunned by the result. Hugh wishes everybody luck, still shocked as to how he allowed the game to slip through his fingers so easily as he is enclosed inside his departure coffin. Rupert can barely contain his excitement at his miraculous survival, thanking ‘the Halloween spirits’ for watching out for him. The final seven players are ushered back to the Dakota Apartments where they’ll be spending the night, certain that the hauntings won’t be the only terror that awaits them after a second shocking result. 
===Episode #5 - Off With Their Heads===
Returning to the Dakota Apartments, Ameena begins scolding the group for the result, claiming that she ‘doesn’t know why there needs to be continuous surprises’ amongst this group. Onyx quickly takes the bait of Ameena’s remarks, telling her “you’re upset because there’s a result you’re on the wrong side of now?”. Not appreciating this attitude off Onyx, Ameena reminds her that “twice my vote has kept you here”, leaving Onyx to respond with “then that’s twice the regret for you” before turning away to head to her room. Ameena refuses to see the argument end here, clearly further angered by Onyx’s nonchalant tone, yelling at Onyx that “the only reason you’re still here is because people cannot stand you and know they’ll beat you at the end”, to which Onyx tells her “and the only reason you’re still here is because no one wants to waste their power move on a dumpy, wannabe Wicca”. The girls are quickly separated as Onyx strolls into the elevator, leaving Ameena to rant and rage to Llewellyn in the lobby. Llewellyn scolds Ameena for her response, telling her that it “is doing (them) no favours” to show such emotion, and instead they “need to play this smarter and beat them at their own game”. Ameena fluffs Llewellyn’s advice off, prompting him to remember his own extreme emotional response to Madeline’s elimination. Llewellyn lifts his hands and storms off from Ameena, telling her that “I’m not going to stand here and have you turn on me too… you can heed my advice and get with the programme or condemn us to those coffins over the next few nights. It’s your choice, darling”. In a confessional, Ameena is seen rolling her eyes at Llewellyn’s ‘high-horse’ attitude, not appreciating that he won’t allow her to expel her anger in the same way he was allowed to just twenty-four hours prior. Up in the apartment, Onyx and Rupert celebrate the latter’s survival, confident that they could be the “greatest underdog winners in ‘’Road Trip’’ history”. In a confessional, Onyx cackles at her and Rupert being the only two to survive repatriations thus far, noting that the “dynamics have well and truly shifted” with Hugh’s elimination. She names Ameena as her next target, stating “she may have saved me twice, but the first chance I get I’m sending her home. I’m tired of her stuffing her face every morning and clouding my face in that nasty coffee breath at 8:00am”.
The next morning, the players travel a short distance inside the state of New York, this time pausing to stay in the famed town of Sleepy Hollow. The players depart the RV on Headless Horseman Bridge, where they are suddenly chased down by a pumpkin-headed figure on horseback, leaving the players screaming and running to safety. Bumping into Lincoln and Sinead, the final seven are welcomed to Sleepy Hollow, a town famous for being the setting of Washington Irving’s 1820 gothic horror ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. Lincoln tells the group that they’ll have a few hours to relax and explore the town, instructing them that they must reconvene by the Old Dutch Church by early-afternoon. Utilising the time to explore as a means of fixing her current position, Brida walks linked with ally Amelia, who had voted oppositely to her at the last repatriation despite having initially insisted that she would see Rupert removed from the game. Amelia explains her reasoning for keeping Rupert to Brida, voicing her mistrust of Hugh, as well as being “swayed by my heart and the energy around them both”. Brida coddles Amelia as she gives her explanation, assuring her that there are no hard feelings “as long as (they) are still on the same page” of going to the endgame together. Amelia insists to Brida that she would vote Rupert out of the game next over “anybody else”, reminding Brida that “he and Elle are the only two people we have made no promises to”. The two ladies hug as they wait in a local coffee shop for some lunch, satisfied with the notion that despite the difference in voting last round, that they are still very much intending to work together. However, Brida notes in a confessional that she ‘doesn’t like being made a fool of’, believing that in the past two rounds she has “been left in the dark continuously by those who have sworn to be on (her) side”. As a result, Brida ensures to spend time talking with semi-outsider Elle, believing her to be a ‘critical vote’ to get a hold of moving forward due to her position as currently being unaligned to any other players. Elle tells Brida that she ‘wants to continue playing the game free from constricting deals’, thinking that voting with her own preference is ‘the smartest way forward’. Brida tells Elle of her appreciation for this strategy, falsely suggesting that she too is using the same mindset. Elle returns the compliments towards Brida, having taken note of the fact that they “are two of the only people here that haven’t freaked out or made (themselves) look silly” after a repatriation vote, believing that their lack of dictatorial strategy allows them to enjoy the experience more than their competitors. 
At midday, the final seven meet Lincoln and Sinead inside the Old Dutch Church, a small church that is said to be the second oldest in America after having been erected in Sleepy Hollow during the seventeenth century. Sinead tells the players that the church and its nearby cemetery are said to be haunted by the spirit of the famed ‘Headless Horseman’, with this folktale being connected to the next daily challenge. Each player will be supplied an array of pumpkins, with the mission being to simply carve the best pumpkin design in a two-hour window. The pumpkins will each be judged by Sleepy Hollow’s panel of ‘pumpkin carving experts’, deciding who will be automatically nominated for repatriation, and who will be the daily winner that determines the individual to face-off against them. Amelia, Brida and Elle all appear excited by the challenge, each having their own experience with arts and crafts, whilst players such as Ameena are seen struggling as she appears confused as to how to begin the carving. Brida’s ‘two-headed’ pumpkin design begins to come together, being by far the most ambitious design of the day, leaving Amelia’s ‘school arts and crafts’ effort and Elle’s ‘African ancestor death mask’ looking less grand despite their efforts. However, Brida’s design ends up collapsing in on itself due to a miscalculation of weight distribution, leaving the drag queen holding back tears as she tries to salvage her pile of pumpkin-mush with only twelve minutes to spare. Once the time is up, the players are ordered to step-back from their designs, leaving the panel to anonymously begin their marking. Rupert is seen comforting Brida as they await their scores, assuring her that “whatever happens happens” when it comes to the scores, doing his best to keep Brida from completely breaking down over her overly ambitious failure. Brida appreciates the kindness shown by Rupert, feeling some internal guilt and reflection on whether or not he truly would be her best bet of targeting in the upcoming repatriation. This reflection only grows deeper as Rupert whispers to Brida that he ‘wouldn’t vote to send her home, believing a majority of the others feel the same way’. Confirming her worst fears, Brida’s obliterated pumpkin pile is named as the worst entry, leaving her automatically nominated for repatriation, momentarily saving Ameena who had otherwise been seen as the worst still-standing entry. Llewellyn is named to finish in fifth place, with the final four entries all being seen as ‘extraordinarily good efforts’ considering the minimal time given. Duo Onyx and Rupert are given joint-third, with the panel struggling to name one as being better than the other. Of the top two, Elle’s design is given the ultimate win, granting her the sole authority to name the second nominee to face-off against Brida. Elle takes a moment to decide on her nominee, narrowing it down to Ameena, Llewellyn and Rupert, viewing the three as controversial figures, and those that she would feel would be sent home over far more popular player Brida (who Elle would like to see survive the round). Ultimately, Elle decides to play it as safe as possible, nominating Rupert after determining that losing him would cause the least friction amongst the other players. Brida and Rupert hug one another as they’re told they’ll have just one hour to fight for their safety, with one of their adventures coming to a swift end in Sleepy Hollow.
Brida and Rupert both begin their expected campaigning, with Brida feeling some confidence in her standing in the game, believing that a lot of the players view her as somebody they would want to take to the final three. However, Brida also mentions in a confessional that she recognises her own ‘threat level’, pointing out that “being the bigger threat is what really sent both Madeline and Hugh out the game, and to assume that someone like Rupert… no matter how much the others say they dislike him… will just lay down and die… it’s a foolish mistake that I don’t intend to make”. Outside the church, Onyx tells ally Rupert she will again do her upmost to keep him safe, concerned that they’ll struggle to find the three votes needed to prevent a tie, particularly as the pair are ‘certain’ Elle will vote to keep Brida in the event of a tie. Despite things looking bad for Rupert, Onyx continues to attempt to make conversation with the other players, knowing that with his repatriation that she will need others to work alongside if she wishes to reach the final two. Upon walking over to Ameena, Amelia and Brida, Onyx quickly finds herself shunned away by Ameena, who tells her “don’t even come over here with any of your foul-tongued speech”. Defending herself, Onyx explains that she “just wanted to confirm if everyone was voting Rupert”, before continuing with “not that I care how you’re voting Ameena… you’re probably waiting to be told what to do, as you’ve done every single vote so far”. The two girls begin arguing back and forth again, leading Amelia and Brida to walk off in annoyance, tired of hearing the two girls spilling toxicity at one another. Eventually, production intervenes and send Ameena and Onyx in different directions, concerned things will get worse after Onyx labels Ameena an “ugly weirdo with a face to match that hair”. With the hour up, the final seven gather in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, spotting the same pumpkin headed figure that they now realise represents the infamous Headless Horseman. The figure is seen circling two pumpkins, each carved to bear resemblance to Brida and Rupert respectively. Both Brida and Rupert are given a moment to state their final words, with Brida using hers to reiterate her “positive relationships” with the players, hoping that they “can honour (their) words” they have promised her thus far. Alternatively, Rupert appears to accept defeat in his final speech, calling out Elle for a “waste of a nomination” in coming after him, suggesting that she has “done the dirty work that others wanted you to”. Drawing the votes, Lincoln and Sinead reveal that Rupert has been repatriated in a unanimous 4-0 result, with Onyx joining the others in keeping on Brida’s good side, recognising that to try and save Rupert would be fruitless at this point. Rupert accepts the result, slightly twinging as the Horseman slices his pumpkin-resemblance in half with his sword. Amelia, Brida and Onyx appear as the only three to hug Rupert before he departs in his hearse, accepting his well wishes in his final moments. The final six receive congratulations from Sinead, telling them that overnight they’ll be staying in their RV yet again, with a group target leaving now opening up the possibility that any one of them could be next. 
===Episode #6 - Scary Maize Game===
At the end of the first week of the Halloween road trip, the remaining six players are driven fourteen hours through the night and morning to the South-eastern state of Kentucky. For lunch, the players collect a drive-through Kentucky Fried Chicken, indulging in perhaps the most famous export. Amelia suddenly begins tearing up as she eats, confessing to the other players that her psychic-medium abilities transcend the human species, announcing that “every time I sit down to eat… I can feel their pain”, gesturing her head towards a bucket of popcorn chicken. The other players look to one another awkwardly, clearly put-off by Amelia’s insinuations about the deceased chickens. Brida casually asks Amelia why she doesn’t become a vegetarian to avoid this ‘pain’, leading Amelia to respond “the tormented energy of uprooted plants is just as vicious”. Ameena mumbles that Amelia is ‘putting everyone off their food’, also causing an uncomfortable atmosphere as she ignores Onyx’s request to pass over sachets of salt and pepper. Having had enough of the continuous fighting, Brida raises her tone as she demands Ameena “cut it the hell out”, ranting that “every single day with you people it’s something new… pass her the damn salt and stop bringing your attitude out when we’re sitting around eating”. Ameena directs her frustration at Brida, noting that “I don’t have to pretend to like anyone here”, to which Brida tells her “no, but we’re the ones who have to constantly hear about it. Shut up.” The group sit in further awkward silence for the remainder of the meal, semi-surprised that typically cool-headed Brida has snapped at Ameena. In a confessional, Ameena calls Brida ‘the person who constantly wants to be the centre of attention’, believing that she only spoke up ‘to bring the eyes back on her’. Alternatively, Brida is shown in a confessional to be calling Ameena “a gnat that just zooms around and bites over, and over, and over… eventually you’ve got to swat it”, finishing by admitting doubt on her current position working with Ameena, Amelia and Llewellyn, instead pondering if she and Amelia instead should work with ‘outsiders’ Elle and Onyx. 
Arriving in Kentucky, the players find themselves outside a purpose built horror maze, containing live actors as real-life scares that await those brave enough to wander inside. The final six receive a note telling them at sundown they will enter the maze one at a time, with the goal being to find their way out of the maze, all whilst preventing their heart rate from increasing by 70% from their starting resting heartrate. The individual to do so in the quickest time will ultimately be crowned the winner, whilst the person who takes the longest time (or has their heart rate exceed the measurement in the quickest time) will be automatically nominated for repatriation. Noting that they have several hours before competing, Ameena takes the time to try and make amends with Brida, walking to one side together as they apologise to one another for their earlier argument. Ameena acknowledges that she has brought negativity to the tour, appreciating that Brida helped her “realise the extent of (her) attitude”. In turn, Brida apologises for ‘raging’ at Ameena, suggesting that the stress of the tour had got to her, and truthfully “the comments (she) made applied to all of (them)”. Despite Brida and Ameena both continuing to swear their loyalty to the ‘final four’ deal with Amelia and Llewellyn, Brida continues to be dissatisfied by this option, instead wanting to speak with Elle and Onyx prior to the next daily challenge. Joining Elle in the RV as they change into their tracksuits, Brida proposes to the outsider that they consider who to nominate if either of them are able to win, feeling satisfied as Elle confirms her target would be Ameena or Llewellyn. Elle goes on to tell Brida that she’d “like the two of (them) to go to the final two together”, wanting to see that somebody she likes beats her if she herself is unable to win. Brida promises the same in return, in spite of being shown in a confessional to dread the fact that she is “now aligned with every single player… and in final twos with at least three of them”. 
At sundown, the players are drawn into a random order as they enter the horror maze one-by-one, all determined to come out on top and guarantee themselves a position in the final five. Llewellyn is first to compete, speed walking his way through the maze, confessing that he ‘ignored everything he saw’ and ‘everything that jumped out’. He is able to finish the maze in a particularly quick time, seemingly unbothered by the horror elements inside. Next up, Elle struggles as she tries to keep her heartrate low, clearly bothered by the killer clown section of the maze most, announcing in a confessional that she has “a recurring nightmare I am eaten by Pennywise”. Onyx is next to compete, clearly being the most scared competitor so far. Despite her claims that she “isn’t scared easily”, Onyx jumps several times, concerned that her heartrate is going to increase too much, resulting in her taking moments to ‘calm down’ before moving on, believing that if she runs through the maze she will exceed the 70% increase limit. Like Elle, Amelia’s run provides an average time, particularly due to her failure at navigating the maze, regularly running into dead ends several times as she is chased around by a ‘cannibal redneck’. Brida performs her run out of drag, showing herself to be one of the most competitive players of the day. Brida sprints through the maze, confident that her heartrate will not increase too much during exercise, laughing as she almost body-slams one of the live actors by mistake. Last up, Ameena shows herself to be one of the slowest at working her way through the maze, clearly extremely frightened by the horror and live element that the actors provide. Although clearly scared, Ameena is later told that her heartrate did not exceed the limit, as was the case with all six players, leaving the result down to who was able to get through the maze the fastest. Lincoln announces that Onyx has finished with the slowest time of the day, narrowly falling into last place as she finishes eight seconds behind Ameena. Sinead then declares that the winner of the daily is Llewellyn, whose near flawless run has beaten out “Brida’s audition as a line-backer”. Llewellyn appears ecstatic at his win, quickly naming Elle as his nominee to face-off against Onyx as she is “the least close” to him of those left, keeping secret that the real reason is she and Onyx are the two outside of his final four plans with Ameena, Amelia and Brida. 
Having been given the usual hour to campaign for their safety, Elle and Onyx take drastically different approaches in their pleas from their predecessors, with Onyx loudly speaking to the other players that she ‘hasn’t lied thus far, and doesn’t intend to start doing so’, calling herself ‘the least threatening person in this game’. After her public campaign, Onyx retires to the RV, laying down in a defeatist attitude, hating that she will “probably be outlasted by Ameena and Llewellyn”, but secretly hoping that Brida and Amelia can pull-through for her. Similarly, Elle chooses to publicly address the other players after Onyx, also believing that she is ‘honest’, and reminding them that she has yet to cause friction on the tour, confident that “keeping (her) will bring about the harmony that we all crave at this point”. The ‘final four’ alliance stand together after being left by the two nominees, appreciating that they have been given time to speak amongst themselves in determining who to send home. Amelia and Llewellyn break-off together, with Amelia telling Llewellyn that her ideal final three would consist of him, Brida and herself, feeling that the best way to achieve this would be to keep around those who “aren’t as good in challenges”. Llewellyn tells Amelia that he would rather see Onyx repatriated, uncomfortable at the idea of betraying Ameena’s trust by keeping her around at this stage. However, he acknowledges that “Ameena is less deserving” than the other members of their alliance, humouring Amelia’s suggestions as he ponders what would be the best endgame for him to finish victorious. Simultaneously, Ameena and Brida go back and forth on who they’d rather see leave the game between Elle and Onyx, both agreeing that Elle is the greater challenge and social threat, with Brida certain that “Onyx won’t beat a single person if she somehow makes it to the end”. Ameena however dislikes the idea of taking Onyx further, not totally convinced by the argument that Elle could somehow see off the four of them over the final few rounds. Shocking Brida, Ameena announces that she views Llewellyn as “the biggest threat” of their group, thinking that whilst his recent challenge wins have done them good, that they need to consider “whether or not (they) can allow him to make his way to the final rounds”. Amusingly, Brida continues being the social glue holding the alliance together, now being summoned by Llewellyn, who voices his concern that Amelia may vote for Onyx to stay, believing that as an alliance they had “agreed to send her home next”. Brida tells Llewellyn that it ultimately shouldn’t matter who leaves between Elle and Onyx, ending her point by saying “if our four is true to itself, it isn’t a dealbreaker that one goes tonight and the other tomorrow… we just have to realise which of them is taking which because we’re the ones in control, not them”. As the hour draws to a close, Amelia and Brida continue to seem torn in their decision, being completely split on whether socially stronger but more likeable Elle should move forward with them, or if major outcast and conflict source Onyx is the better bet to sit with at the final five. In a confessional, Brida laments at the “option of going between two alliances” being “dead and buried”, seeing Llewellyn’s win as forcing her hand to stick with the final four ‘for now’. Ameena, Amelia and Brida each cast their votes for either Elle or Onyx to leave the game, with the result revealing that the girls were split, but that Amelia and Brida have worked to blindside Elle in a 2-1 result. Onyx and Elle both look surprised at the result, with Elle clearly hurt as she hugs everybody goodbye, uncertain why Amelia and Brida turned on her at the last moment. Choosing to keep her emotions in check, Elle quietly departs via hearse, leaving the final five returning to the RV with mixed emotions as to how the final few days of the road trip will pan out.
===Episode #7 - Down in New Orleans===
The final five players board the RV so that they may be driven again throughout the night to their next haunted location. This time, the players undergo a thirteen hour journey south to the state of Louisiana, where they’ll be staying in ‘a location synonymous with spooky-sightings’; New Orleans. Llewellyn and Onyx both head to bed, sleeping as unbeknownst to them, the other three players convene quietly around the RV table to discuss strategic matters. Panicked over voting in the minority, Ameena rapidly talks to Amelia and Brida, realising that they hold the balance of power moving forward, and potentially may not be interested in going to the final three with her as she had initially thought. Amelia and Brida calmly try to explain to Ameena that they ‘kept Onyx as she is less of a threat’, commenting that Elle had already won a challenge, whereas Onyx ‘has finished in last place more than anyone else’. Ameena accepts this reasoning, despite admitting that she ‘cannot wait to see (Onyx) leave’, telling Amelia and Brida that she ‘wouldn’t be able to live it down’ if Onyx were to outlast her in the game. Amelia assures Ameena that this will not happen, again bringing up that her intent is to go to the final four with the three of them and Llewellyn. Brida remains quiet as the two speak on the ‘final four’ deal, shown in a confessional to again throw doubt on whether or not that foursome is the best means of her winning the game. Instead, Brida admits her desire to see Llewellyn leave next, believing him to be the biggest challenge threat, as well as somebody that could potentially sway a jury to vote for him over herself. The next morning, the players are given an hour to freshen up in a local bed and breakfast before heading to Antoine’s Restaurant; a family-owned establishment that is said to bear the ghost of founder Antoine Alciator, who regularly manifests to check-up on his ancestors running his business. The final five listen as they are told the story of Antoine’s ghost over lunch, bemused at the idea there is a non-malevolent spirit potentially watching over them. Amelia jokes that she can ‘feel he’s with them’, making everybody laugh as she declares “he’s saying… give Amelia the money!”.
The group meet with Lincoln and Sinead who then begin escorting them on a tour around two key sites in New Orleans’ horrifying history. Firstly, the players visit the reconstructed LaLaurie mansion on 1140 Royal Street, which had previously been the location where New Orleans socialite-turned-serial killer Delphine LaLaurie notoriously brutally abused and murdered her slaves for years until she was eventually run-out of state by a mob of outraged citizens. A local guide explains to the players that the story of LaLaurie has been made more famous by shows such as ‘American Horror Story’, with all the players reacting positively as they admit they have each seen the show before. However, the guide explains that the fictionalised and ‘heavily dramatized’ presentation of LaLaurie’s story does not truly reflect the horrors that had taken place in real life, nor does it recognise the site of the previous mansion as reportedly being one of the most haunted locations in the United States. The guide details stories of ghoulish sightings and noises that are said to be the spirits of tormented slaves. Additionally, the house is said to be the location of a horrific 1894 murder of a tenant within, who despite police suggesting was the ‘victim of robbery’, was found to have no trace of valuables stolen, and had been confirmed by friends to be ‘plagued by sprites and demonic beings that he believed were haunting his house’. Whilst the players are not permitted to head inside the privately owned premises, they are able to continue standing outside, seeking if they can ‘feel the negative energy’ that others propose to experience in the area. Onyx is heard muttering “that’s a bit pointless” after they are told they cannot enter, causing the guide to explain that they simply cannot access the private residence without permission. Onyx then further embarrasses the group as she exclaims “but it isn’t even the same house so it feels like a bit of a cop-out”. Everybody cringes as Onyx speaks out, clearly not appreciating her seemingly pointless provocative statements. Amelia speaks-up against Onyx in order to put an end to the awkwardness, brazenly telling her to apologise for her comments towards the guide. Rather than do so, Onyx defends her remarks as being ‘harmless’ and ‘true’, leading Amelia to request that Onyx leave the premises if she’s “going to keep being so rude”. In a confessional, Amelia seems flustered and offended by Onyx’s personality, stating that “even somebody without the gift could feel the horrible energy she put out this afternoon”.
Keeping-up with the ‘American Horror Story’ theme, the players next visit the tomb of the ‘Queen of Voodoo’ Marie Laveau. There, the group view the offerings left by those still seeking the help of Laveau well-over a century after her death. The group’s guide explains to the players that Laveau’s ghost is believed to still wonder the streets of New Orleans, being one of the most sighted historical individuals seen by those exploring the paranormal today. Lincoln and Sinead thank the guide for their time, now taking over to explain to the final five that in the spirit of winning favour from the spirit of Marie Laveau, their next daily challenge will involve putting together their own small offering with relevance to the information they’ve been given by the guide. Additionally, each player will be scored on decorating their very own Mardi Gras inspired Halloween-themed top hat, which they will present along with their offering to three local experts on New Orleans’ voodoo and paranormal history. Having been given three hours to complete both tasks, the fivesome break apart and begin planning their themes before beginning their creative assembly, realising the importance of maintaining power in the game in these final few rounds. Brida speaks confidently as she puts her two pieces together, believing that she has an edge thanks to being a drag queen, referring to these sorts of activities as her “day to day working life”. Oppositely, Ameena, who had performed badly in the previous creative task, is determined this time to right her wrongs, believing that working with ‘materials that aren’t a pumpkin’ make this much more suited to her skills. Once the three hours draw to a close, the five players present their offerings and hats one at a time to the judges, hoping that they’ll win them over enough to be crowned the tour leader. The judges’ notes show they’re not impressed by Llewellyn’s ‘generic’ Mardi Gras hat, which they call “a poor imitation of what proper Mardi Gras is”, whilst also finding his offering to be “erratic and simplistic”. Shockingly, confident bordering on cocky Brida’s Halloween design is criticised by the judges as having “little to do with Laveau, and little to do with New Orleans”, saying that her hat “could have been for a celebration in any state”. Oppositely, Ameena, Amelia, and Onyx all receive positive critiques, having connected their offering and hat designs well thematically, as well as drawing on what they had learned throughout the day in order to truly illustrate its connection to New Orleans. In the end, it is revealed that Llewellyn was selected as the worst entry by the judges, automatically leaving him nominated, whilst Ameena has been crowned the winner of her first daily challenge, giving her the right to select who will face Llewellyn in the sixth repatriation vote. Taking little time to think or contemplate a decision, Ameena gladly names Onyx as her nominee, openly admitting that “I’ve made promises to work with a group of people, and tonight we can see that this plan is followed through when you finally leave us”. Lincoln tells Llewellyn and Onyx that they’ll be given the usual hour to campaign for their safety, before one of them ends their journey in New Orleans as the sixth member of the jury.
Right after the results, Brida walks away from the others as she is heard complaining that the result is “bullshit”, clearly majorly disagreeing with the judges for their decision, in particular placing her second from the bottom. In a confessional, Brida rants as she exclaims that the judges had “never said it had to specifically relate to New Orleans… this is a Halloween road trip… are they saying they don’t have Halloween here? I made a voodoo offering… you don’t get that in Maryland!”. The other players stand back as they watch Brida almost lose her cool, finding her lack of sportsmanship here off-putting, altering their opinions of her negatively as they ‘see cracks beginning to form’. Wanting to check on her closest ally, Onyx is the first individual to approach Brida, agreeing with her that the judges were “warped” in their viewpoint, claiming that her own entry was “better than Ameena’s ugly pile of s**t”. Feeling relieved and amused, Brida hugs Onyx as she apologizes for her semi-meltdown, explaining that it is “just tough to feel like I’m having any chance at influencing this game stripped away from me”. Onyx agrees with this feeling, having experienced it herself almost every single round of the game. However, Onyx reminds Brida that it “isn’t over for (them) yet”, telling her that she and Amelia control who leaves the game, confident that they will now send Llewellyn home and then be “ready to vote Ameena out at the last four”. Wanting to assure that Amelia is on the same page, Onyx next visits the psychic-medium, also realising that the two should have a conversation following their argument outside the LaLaurie mansion. Amelia is quick to forgive Onyx for their earlier back-and-forth, claiming that she “couldn’t harbour such negative energy” inside for a minor disagreement. Onyx begins explaining to Amelia that she has ‘already confirmed’ with Brida that they are going ahead with their final three plan, hoping to receive the same confirmation off Amelia in this moment. Amelia tells Onyx that she is ‘definitely’ voting to send Llewellyn to the jury, commenting that he is “too big of a threat in these challenges”. Also on the campaign trail, Llewellyn speaks with Ameena who assures him that in the case of an ‘unlikely’ tie that she would break it in his favour, leaving him now to confirm with Amelia and Brida that they are sticking to the final four agreement and voting Onyx out of the game. Amelia, Brida and Llewellyn come together to discuss the vote, with Llewellyn secretly telling both ladies that in their ‘final four’ alliance that he would like to see Ameena take fourth place, calling the three of them “the most deserving to get to the end of this game”, commenting that Ameena has largely “skated-by”. He goes on to call the three of them the ’sane’ players, referring to them now as the ‘sane final three’. Amelia and Brida laugh at his remarks, gladly accepting the term ‘sane’ despite the fact they are a ‘drag queen, psychic-medium, and self-described leather daddy’. In separate confessionals, Amelia and Brida are shown to be torn over the suggestions, believing that Onyx is somebody they have had to carry through much of the game, but also confident that she wouldn’t beat either of them in the final two. However, Amelia appears particularly conflicted, regarding Llewellyn as ‘a good friend’, and ‘someone she would feel less sad to lose the game against’. Moreover, Amelia appears nervous that Onyx would be far more loyal to Brida than herself, also theorising that Brida could ‘tactically’ take Onyx to the final two in order to ‘guarantee she wins the game’. At the vote, the players gather around the tomb of Marie Laveau, with Amelia and Brida casting their votes to eliminate either Llewellyn or Onyx from the game. In the second tie of the season, it is revealed that Amelia has chosen to vote for Onyx, abandoning her deal with Brida, leaving her to cast a vote against Llewellyn alone. A frustrated Brida closes her eyes, seeing this as the ‘death knell’ for her game, whilst Onyx candidly laughs as Lincoln and Sinead ask nemesis Ameena to cast the deciding vote. Amelia is seen mouthing ‘I’m so sorry’ at both Brida and Onyx, but is ultimately silenced over Ameena’s confident verbal elimination of Onyx, glad to ultimately outlast her main enemy at this late game stage. Onyx chooses to solely say her main goodbyes to Brida, wishing her luck and pleading that she can hold on until the final two. Rather than be bitter, Onyx chooses to wish Amelia and Llewellyn well as she heads to her coffin, semi-jokingly declaring “I’m not sure how Ameena will fit into one of these” as the lid is closed on top of her. The final four are congratulated by Lincoln and Sinead for reaching the penultimate stage of the game, leaving the four of them to head into their RV, ready to immediately begin discussing the vote, and decipher why Brida tried and failed to jump ship from the ‘final four’ alliance that she now finds herself isolated with. 
===Episode #8 - Grim Grinning Ghosts===
On one of the final nights of the Halloween road trip, the final four players board the RV as it begins a ten-hour drive from New Orleans, Louisiana to Orlando, Florida, having been told that the Sunshine State will be the final destination along their journey. Immediate conversation circles around the topic of the vote just minutes earlier, particularly as to why the vote ended in a 1-1 tie despite the four of them having supposedly made a ‘final four’ alliance. Brida quickly confesses to being the rogue voter, being aware that to lie about the vote would do her no favours, particularly as Amelia had been heard apologising to Onyx after her repatriation. In a confessional, Brida mentions her mindset being one almost of defeat, believing that by voting against Llewellyn and exposing her desire to keep Onyx in the game, that she has ‘effectively put an end to her own game’. However, Brida confesses that she will pull out all the stops, attempting to “throw out so much blame left right and centre that they may be so confused, and end up taking their blades away from my neck”. Brida apologises to Llewellyn for the vote, commenting that she “had been led to believe by a certain someone… ‘’Amelia’’… that you would be taking both the votes tonight”. Amelia is quick to refute this claim, stating in front of everyone that she had ‘told Brida of her uncertainty’, to which Brida further exposes Ameena by announcing “and Ameena, I really thought if it came to the tie that you’d vote Llewellyn because the three of us had spoken about seeing him as a bigger threat than Onyx, and that we didn’t feel confident letting him get to the top three”. Brida’s remarks cause chaos around the table of the RV, with Ameena and Amelia both scolding her for lying and ‘exaggerating’ the truth, with Llewellyn silently trying to decipher what is fact and what is fiction in the moment. Brida goes on to tell the trio “I’m just making sure everything is out there so we’re all in the know. I was lied to tonight, and I don’t think I should take the fall when we’ve all told lies the last few days. I’m no angel, but neither are you…”. Despite Ameena and Amelia vocally defending themselves and scolding Brida, Brida reiterates her desire to ‘go to the final three’ with both of the girls, once again saying that “none of (them) can win against Llewellyn”, apologising to the Welsh challenge threat in what she calls “a nothing personal call to arms”. Llewellyn decides to call for an end to all the arguing, joining in the criticisms against Brida, particularly as he declares that she and Amelia had ‘both promised him the final three’, to which Amelia states ‘it’s a deal she has been loyal to’, only to be called out by Brida for “admitting that (she) wouldn’t be loyal to the deal with Ameena, as you weren’t to the one you made with Onyx”. Brida announces with that remark that she is headed to bed, believing that with Amelia’s poor defence that it confirms her claim ‘everyone is a liar’, hoping that her attempts at throwing up enough dirt will have thrown her a desperately needed final lifeline. The other three remain up for several minutes longer, calmly agreeing that Brida certainly is ‘fighting for her life’, but all are shown in confessionals to be doubting one another, buying into Brida’s claims that the girls especially have been exposed as plotting against Llewellyn as well as one another.
The morning of the penultimate day of the road trip finds the four players arriving in Orlando, Florida, being driven into the states most popular tourist attraction; Walt Disney World. The foursome clap in excitement like schoolchildren as they enter the theme park grounds, clearly excited for what fun awaits them in perhaps the most stressful round of the game yet. Lincoln and Sinead meet the players at Liberty Square, welcoming them to the final stop on their Halloween Holiday tour. Sinead explains to the players that whilst they will be taking on their next daily challenge later that evening followed by another repatriation, that they first may enjoy hours of fun carte blanche around the park. Hours later, the players reconvene after having tried to enjoy their time as much as possible, all whilst balancing the nerves of knowing that it will be the end of the road for one of them tonight. Lincoln and Sinead greet the players on a now darkened and abandoned Main Street, U.S.A., explaining to the players that for their next daily challenge they will strategically be taking on ‘the most competitive round of Trick or Treating in history’. For this challenge, each player will be trick or treating amongst twelve ‘houses’ on Main Street, each having forty-pieces of candy inside for taking. The group are told that in this game, there will be five candy types, each varying in value from one to five points. Each house has three candy bars (five points), five lolly-pops (four points), seven cookies (three points), ten taffies (two points), and fifteen gummy bears (one point). Players must attend houses one at a time, commencing in lucky-dips in order to collect a desired candy-type, which have been split into their five respective groups. In the spirit of the game, each lucky-dip may have an amount of ‘trick’ (dummy products) inside, each valued at a negative amount of the proper items value. Sinead informs the players that per house; gummy bears will have no tricks, taffies will have two tricks, cookies will have four tricks, lolly-pops will have five tricks, and candy bars will have eight tricks. As part of the game, each player will make twenty stops during their trick or treating evening, and must strategically decide which pots to take their lucky-dip in based on how they wish to accumulate points, and how to ultimately avoiding collecting tricks and losing points. Furthermore, as all players will be competing simultaneously, they can take note of what one another receive, making it a game about strategic memory on which houses to attend, particularly as Lincoln confirms “tricks and treats will not be replaced once taken”. The foursome compete, each taking different strategies throughout the game, as well as clearly having different abilities when it comes to remembering who has gotten what from which house. Ameena and Amelia both appear to do worse than their competitors, regularly receiving tricks at the start of the game after going for high ticket items, before Ameena eventually attempts a strategy of simply going for gummy bears to avoid falling into last place. Alternatively, Brida and Llewellyn both carefully stick to cookies and occasionally venture towards lolly-pops, doing their best to wrack-up points to push ahead. Ultimately, Llewellyn takes a risk of going for a candy bar towards the end of the game, commenting that it’s “do or die” at this stage, not wanting it to come down to ‘a gummy bear or two’ between himself and Brida. Llewellyn’s final risk pays off as he miraculously is able to get an official candy bar, pushing his total up and granting him his fourth challenge win of the season. Brida sighs as she finishes short yet again, whilst a relieved Ameena takes third place ahead of a now automatically nominated Amelia.
Llewellyn is congratulated by the ladies, all of whom are well aware and nervous of his challenge prowess. After being asked to nominate either Ameena or Brida to face Amelia in the repatriation, Llewellyn is seen to pause, mentioning in a confessional that he feels it is justified in this moment to go after Brida. However, he admits concern that Ameena may vote out Amelia, who he privately declares is “the person I want to sit next to at the end of this game”. However, Llewellyn also admits fears that Brida too would seek revenge on Amelia for turning on their ‘plan’ at the last vote, in spite of knowing that she ultimately prefers the psychic-medium to Ameena as a friend in the game. Llewellyn decides to take an unprecedented step, asking both Ameena and Brida who they’d vote out if he were to give them the sole power on who leaves at the next repatriation. Expectedly, Ameena diplomatically gives an ‘unsure’ answer, claiming that she would want to hear both Amelia and Brida’s cases as to why they should stay in the game. Astonishingly, Brida answers Llewellyn with a much more straightforward and cutthroat approach, telling him “I feel burned by Amelia after what she did to me last night… but, I’ve stuck with her this far and I couldn’t just end that relationship tonight. I’d vote out Ameena”. Ameena audibly scoffs in shock at Brida’s audacious reply, asking “what the hell, Brida?” several times to no reply, clearly bothered by Brida’s stone cold exterior in this moment. Ameena then turns to Llewellyn and claims that she ‘would vote out Brida’, giving Llewellyn comfort knowing that either way Amelia would be safe. However, before Llewellyn can answer, Brida reminds Llewellyn yet again that “Ameena would’ve kept me tonight. I think she flipped her answer because she didn’t like mine… I’m not going to bullshit you just because you won. You know where I stand, she’s changing her tune with the wind. She knows if she gets rid of Amelia that you or I would take her to the end over each other, and she knows getting rid of Amelia here is her best bet”. Despite claims of the statement being untrue from Ameena, deliberation is brought to an end by Sinead, who again probes Llewellyn to make his decision. Swayed by Brida’s straightforward answers, Llewellyn apologises as he nominates initial ally Ameena for repatriation, leaving his former friend reeling with emotions as she places both hands atop her head. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Brida apologises to Ameena publicly before announcing to Lincoln and Sinead that she “will stick to (her) word” in this moment and keep Amelia in the game, all but confirming that she is voting to repatriate Ameena in fourth place. Ameena labels Brida as “the biggest fraud out here” as she heads towards her departure coffin, telling Amelia that she “has (her) vote” if she can make it to the end. A tearful Amelia and Llewellyn both apologise as they wave Ameena off, standing with a stern-faced Brida who simply congratulates the fourth place finisher on ‘a strong game’. The final three are again congratulated by Lincoln on Sinead for reaching the final round of the game, being told that they’ll sleep their final night in a Disney-located hotel before reconvening the next evening to take part in their final daily challenge, where one individual will decide who fights against them for the jury’s votes in crowning Champion of the Halloween Road Trip.
The next evening, the final three players each are escorted to Disney’s ‘The Haunted Mansion’ ride, having spent the day separated as they head into their final daily challenge. One-by-one, each player enters an individual ‘doom buggy’, going through the ride alone and laughing at the amusing and occasionally frightening horrors inside the dark ride. Each player is heard in individual confessionals as they’re shown riding around the mansion, detailing their wishes and plans for the final two. Amelia mentions being in the most difficult position, believing that she may pose a much bigger threat to win the game than Brida and Llewellyn realise, hoping that neither catch onto this after Ameena’s parting remarks. Brida is heard declaring her intent to send Llewellyn home, feeling as though she would never be able to break on her loyalty to Amelia over him, and also fearing that he has “a few friends” on the jury at this point. Finally, Llewellyn in turn talks about wanting to end the game beside friend Amelia, calling it his “dream from the start to sit at the end with someone I care about”, and also finding Brida has been “far too friendly with people as she helped send them to their coffins”. At the end of the ride, Lincoln and Sinead await the final three before taking them into an empty grand dining room within the mansion. The trio are told that they’ll now take on a trivia-based final challenge, in which they will be asked questions relating to Halloween; the answers to which have been revealed to them throughout their many stops and tours along the way. The individual who scores the most points after ten questions will be crowned the winner, and more importantly will be able to decide which individual they are taking with them to the final two. Following the questions, it is revealed that all three players have scored rather poorly, with Brida getting just four out of ten correct, whilst Amelia and Llewellyn tie on five. In a tiebreaker, both Amelia and Llewellyn are asked to guess how many pieces of individual candy were collected in the ‘Trick or Treat’ final four challenge, with the individual who gets the closer answer without going over being crowned winner. In the end, despite being closer, Llewellyn’s answer is revealed to be eight over the true answer, leaving his submission void and thus enabling Amelia to claim her second individual win. Both Brida and Llewellyn congratulate Amelia on her win, now taking the chance to each pitch their case as to why they should be brought to the final two over the other. Brida reminds Amelia that she had saved her at the previous vote, referring to their partnership in the season being “one that (she) never wavered on”, hoping to receive the same courtesy off Amelia this evening. Moreover, Brida calls Llewellyn’s challenge prowess and ‘friends on the jury’ a major threat to sit against, confident that he will be able to “sway those that are undecided”. Llewellyn similarly makes the argument of ‘friends on the jury’ against Brida, telling Amelia that she would likely pick-up Hugh, Rupert and Onyx’s votes, whilst the three of them would more likely vote (Amelia) if he were to sit next to her. Additionally, he tells Amelia that she has been the person he has looked out for the most, fearing that turning on him would leave her looking too cutthroat for a jury to reward. An overwhelmed Amelia requests a moment to gather her thoughts before making a decision, pacing up and down the grand table as she tries to ‘feel the energy’ to determine in which direction her vote should go. After several minutes, a tense Amelia sits down and casts her vote, announcing that she is putting her heart before her head, truly wishing that she could go to the end with both individuals and ‘let the best man, woman, or drag queen win’. Sinead draws Amelia’s final vote, revealing that she has decided to let woman face drag queen by eliminating Llewellyn from the game. A clearly hurt Llewellyn stares silently for a moment at Amelia, refusing her offer of a hug before quietly wishing the pair luck, exclaiming that he ‘isn’t cut out for all this lying’ as he exits the dining room. Brida reaches over and hugs Amelia, thanking her for ‘staying true’ to their early-formed alliance, commenting that whatever happens she truly believes the two of them will stay friends for “a very long time… or at least until my poppers addiction catches up with me”.
An hour or so later, the jury of eight (Trevor, Madeline, Hugh, Rupert, Elle, Onyx, Ameena and Llewellyn) enter the mansion in full Halloween fancy-dress, sitting opposite a trademark in-drag Brida F. Stein, as well as a ‘spooky fortune teller’ Amelia. The two ladies each are given a moment to make opening statements as to why they should win the game, before the jury are able to take the floor and give questions or statements to the final two in order to determine which of them they will vote to take home the £50,000 prize and title of Champion of the Halloween Road Trip. Beginning with Amelia, many of the jury praise her social game, believing that she was never truly in danger all season, and had put herself in a position where ‘almost everyone she worked with was willing to take her to the final two’. Similarly, Brida is also credited for an excellent social game, with several jurors calling her ‘the best social player of the game by far’, whilst others feel it would be ‘unfair’ to categorise one of the women being better than the other, particularly as neither were nominated by a tour leader all season. Critiquing the girls’ games, several jurors struggle to see Brida as being as ‘dominant’ as she appears to believe, particularly as she herself confesses to voting in the minority on three occasions (including ties), and failing to convince supposed closest-ally Amelia to go through with her wishes of taking Onyx with them to the final three. Likewise, jurors struggle with Amelia’s positioning as a ‘sidekick’ to many others in the game, believing that she had the makings of the most influential player based on votes alone, but are unable to find signs that Amelia herself intentionally played this way, with Hugh calling her “influential without intent”. Returning to praise, many of the jurors speak highly of Brida’s explanations surrounding her late game survival, particularly her ability to survive the final four and three repatriations, commenting that she is “a master of manipulation” when she needs to be, as well as somebody who ‘isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty’ when needed. Amelia too is given this compliment, with Rupert calling her a ‘smiling assassin’, truly confident in his assertion that the final two are “the most deserving to sit in those seats”. In a final batch of criticism, Ameena admits that she is now ‘undecided’ on her vote despite swearing that she would support Amelia in this situation, now claiming that she cannot hold Brida’s ‘survival instinct’ against her. However, Ameena calls Brida’s attitude in the final few rounds “bordering on repugnant”, suggesting that she “has shown the world how bitchy, callous, and disregarding a drag queen can be of somebody else’s feelings”. Moreso, Ameena highlights Brida’s stroppy attitude after the daily challenge in New Orleans, questioning Brida if she is “always so bratty when (she) doesn’t get (her) own way?”. Brida reacts strongly to these remarks, apologising for hurting Ameena before harshly telling her ‘not to conflate her personality with the beautiful art of drag’, pronouncing that the jury can “judge my actions as my own… everything you see is Brida… not drag. I am a player who happens to be a drag queen, and my negative qualities are not mutually inclusive with my art that so many have fought for the right to do”. Onyx is seen nodding along as Brida speaks, whilst Hugh cannot help but applaud her statements, clearly moved by Brida’s almost tearful response. Finally, Llewellyn is given the chance to question Amelia on her ‘betrayal’, mentioning that he has ‘spoken to the jury’ and found that she would have ‘certainly beat him' if she had voted Brida out over himself at the final three. Amelia fights off tears whilst answering Llewellyn, calling him one of the ‘best individuals she has had the pleasure of meeting’, reminding him that she had made the decision based on what her heart was telling her, and that both ‘then and now’ she was unable to cast a vote against Brida. Llewellyn questions Amelia if this means she ‘was under Brida’s spell, and nothing more than a tool to carry Brida to the end of the game’. This question is rebuffed by Amelia, who tells Llewellyn that her ‘loyalty’ to Brida isn’t indicative of her being Brida’s sidekick, but rather ‘an indication that she believes in her own efforts throughout the season and the game she played’. Both women are thanked for their time at the end of questioning, giving the jury a few more minutes to contemplate their decisions before heading to vote. Each juror then places their ghost-shaped key-fobs into the pumpkin holder for the final time this season, bearing the name of either ‘Brida’ or ‘Amelia’ depending on which individual they would like to see win the game. Lincoln and Sinead alternate in drawing from the pumpkin, with the vote being tied 2-2 after the first four are removed. Ameena and Llewellyn are both shown to have voted for Amelia, believing her game to be more influential at the end than Brida, and ultimately putting feelings aside to crown the individual they see as being more worthy of the win. Oppositely, Hugh and Onyx cast their votes to crown Brida, wanting to see their friend and ally take the title, as well as lauding her ‘excellent’ social game and behind the scenes string-pulling that got her to the final two. Elle is the next player to vote for Brida, having gotten over her blindside by the ladies and regarding Brida as “a fantastic representative” for the game. Brida then is shown to sweep the remaining votes in a 6-2 victory for Champion of the Halloween Road Trip as she claims support from Trevor, Madeline, and Rupert, giving her victory for her social game, effort in challenges and being more aware of the game she played than Amelia. The group congratulate Brida on her victory, accepting that her dominance behind the scenes had made her win inevitable, whilst also paying respect to the game played by Amelia, who unsurprisingly appears gracious in defeat and ecstatic for friend Brida. The Haunted Mansion’s theme ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’ plays overhead as the two ladies stand hand in hand, throwing candy from a nearby pumpkins towards the jury, all laughing as they prepare to debrief on a rather unusual way to spend the autumnal holidays. Lincoln and Sinead quietly collect some candy of their own as they head out together, declaring that ‘if they hurry they still might be able to reach a few houses before the night is up’.