The Bro Breakup

**The Bro Breakup** is the fourth episode of *The Challenge: The Duel*.

## Story

 The players returned from the elimination and settled in for the night. Neisha and Kaliegh sat down in the lounge area. They reflected on how real the game felt now that a Survivor UK player was out. Kaliegh insisted Neisha and her work on their game relationship and align. Neisha tells Kaliegh that she has her back but that she also has Lenny, Gloria and Shona’s backs too. Kaliegh joined Aura, Melvin and Tye afterwards who were all hanging out in the kitchen watching Jake and Boherty cook. Kaliegh explained that they still needed to be weary of Neisha since she was tight with the other side. Melvin rolled his eyes and called Neisha a loser for thinking they’d want to work with her. Jake said that now that he’s been in an elimination, it feels so much more real and he’s ready to take these US players out.

 Owen, Nick, Lenny, and Gloria sat out by the bonfire. Gloria complained about how much tension there is in the house, particularly from Zack, Kit, and Lukas. Nick said that Zack was letting the game get the best of him and he was beginning to be unbearable to be around. Owen and Lenny both agreed and said they needed to start reeling him in more. Cleo, Katie, and Grace were sat for a girls chat. Zion swung by and hugged Katie from the back. As he leaves, Cleo and Grace smirk to each other. Grace notes that she’s jealous of Katie for having such a cute boyfriend. Katie smiles and says that “Cameron” is the best. Cleo squints and asks if she meant Zion. Katie asks what she said, and the two tell her she said Cameron. She laughs it off as an accident. Ezra, Cameron and Maria were in the gym. Cameron was quiet so Ezra asked if something was on his mind but Cameron said it was nothing. Nori joined them and Maria offered her a high five. She said that Nori’s performance in the elimination was epic and so much fun to watch.

 The next day, the challengers were woken up for the daily challenge. TJ explains how the challenge will work. It’s a challenge called “Ice Spy”. The challengers will have to dive into ice cold water to try and find blocks that say “kill” on them. Whenever someone finds a kill block, they can put it on someone else’s station, eliminating them from the challenge. The last player standing wins the challenge and starts the safety chain. The men go up first. All of them men lunge themselves into the freezing water. Troy is the first to pop up with a block, soon followed by Skanivan. Troy eliminates Melvin, Skanivan eliminates Zack. Ezra, Jake, and Skanivan each find another block and subsequently eliminate Frasier, Troy, and Owen. With just Nick left representing his alliance, he found a block and eliminated Skanivan. Lukas found a block and eliminated himself because he was sick of diving into the cold water. Tye found a block and eliminated Nick, Zion then found the next block and eliminated Tye. This left the challenge down to Cameron, Ezra, Jake, and Zion. Ezra and Jake both found blocks. Ezra eliminated Zion, and Jake eliminated Cameron. With this, it was just down to the two men. After a few minutes of them searching, Ezra rose out of the water with a block and eliminated Jake, winning the daily challenge for himself.

 Next up were the girls. Boherty squealed as she dipped her toes in, while everyone else jumps and dives into the water. Immediately, Aura surged out of the water with two blocks in her hand. She used them to eliminate both Lenny and Shona from the challenge. Maria rose from the water next and eliminated Gloria. Nori found a block and ran, unsure about who to pick. She then saw Boherty who pleaded with her to eliminate her. Boherty told Nori she’d let her borrow her curling iron. With that, Nori took the easy way out and eliminated Boherty. Maria then jumped out of the water and next eliminated Nori. Out of nowhere, Neisha jumped up from the water with nothing in her hand. The men looked around confused. She then pulled five blocks from inside her swimsuit. Everyone shouted with anticipation. With the blocks, Neisha chose to eliminate Cleo, Grace, Katie, Maria, and Aura. This left the challenge just down to Kaliegh, Kit, and Neisha. Kit jumped out with a block, and seconds later so did Neisha. Before Kit could eliminate anyone, Neisha outran her and placed her block on Kit’s station. With that, it was down to Kaliegh and Neisha. After about ten minutes, Neisha soared from the water and ran to Kaliegh’s station, setting down the last block. With that, Neisha won the challenge.

 After the challenge, everyone returned back to the mansion to discuss gameplans. Aura and Kaliegh sat in their room and tried to figure out a way to flip Neisha. Aura expressed that she was maybe an easy target after her strong showing in the challenge. Neisha assured her that she was going to be fine and if Neisha saved her, she’d save Aura next. Lenny, Frasier, Troy and Neisha sat down to discuss plans for the safety chain. They agreed that with Ezra in power, it’d likely be one of their allies heading in. Frasier suggested they leave Zack for last since he’s proven to be a liability but Troy defends him, saying Zack’s more loyal than Nick is, and they haven’t known Owen as long. Lenny asked Neisha what her plan is. Neisha said that she was going to pick Lenny first and if she got her way with the chain, either Kit or Maria would be the one vulnerable as she saw them as their biggest threats.

 Zack was talking to Owen and Gloria about the safety chain and how they had to make sure Melvin and Maria left. Gloria kept trying to give input but Zack cut her off every time. She eventually got fed up with this and told him to stop interrupting her. This broke into a fight. Owen stayed quiet as the two yelled back and forth. Gloria called Zack a pig and stormed off. Owen assured Zack he’s smooth things over.

 Before the ceremony, Maria and Cleo both found Kaliegh and asked if she’d heard anything. She said Neisha had been with Lenny all day and that she never got a chance to speak with her. Aura joined them and she was freaking out, wracked with anxiety. Kaliegh told them that she’d find Neisha and figure out a plan. Kaliegh pulled Neisha aside and asked Lenny for a minute alone. She pleaded with Neisha and said that if she didn’t save her, she’d be at the bottom of the totem pole. Kaliegh promised that she would save Lenny next. Neisha told her she’d think about it and do the best she could.

 Ezra, Cameron and Skanivan got a chance to chat before the safety chain. They agreed to save each other at the start. Ezra said if he got his way, one of Troy, Frasier or Zack would leave because they were the biggest threats in his eyes. Just then, they all got called down for the safety chain. TJ gathered the men up for the safety chain ceremony. He asked for Ezra to step to the front and reveal who he’d be saving first. Ezra stood at the front and revealed he’d be saving Skanivan first. Skanivan chuckled and said it felt good to be picked early before heading to the front. Skanivan then holds true to the promise he made and saved Cameron next. Cameron then took his spot at the front and next saved Zion. The two hugged as Zion approached the front. Lukas smirked. Zion then thought hard and looked at his options before landing on saving Jake next. Jake didn’t think much about his selection and picked to save Tye next. Tye looked at his options and landed on saving Melvin next, seeing Lukas as a bit of a wildcard. Wanting to secure one of the US player’s doom, Melvin picked Lukas next. Lukas offered Melvin a hug but Melvin swerved it very aggressively. Lukas opted to save Frasier next. Frasier considered his options but ultimately stuck by Troy’s side and saved him. Troy thought back to what Frasier suggested but ultimately stuck to his guns. He sighed and saved Zack next. With that, TJ reminded Zack that whoever between Nick and Owen that he didn’t save would be sent into the elimination and pick who to drag with them. Zack thought for a second and went back and forth but eventually came to the conclusion to save Owen over Nick. Nick was very annoyed and called Zack out on it. He claimed Zack wasn’t loyal and didn’t mean shit when he said he was all for the BBUS players. Zack said maybe if he didn’t hoe around with a “cunt” like Ava, he would’ve saved him. Before TJ could even ask Nick who he was dragging, he told Zack that he was wrong for ever ignoring Ava’s concerns about his friend group and that he’s taking Zack into the elimination and taking him down. With that, TJ made it official and sent Zack and Nick off for the elimination.

 As the guys head out, the girls join TJ for the safety chain. TJ asks Neisha to take her place at the front and reveal who she’s going to save. Neisha thought back to all of the conversations she had and tried to formulate a decision. Neisha took a deep breath and apologized to Kaliegh before saving Lenny. Lenny thanked Neisha and then chose to save Gloria next. Gloria considered not picking Shona in spite of Zack but ultimately stayed loyal and saved her. Shona thanked Gloria and then stood and selected to save Nori. Nori thanked her before taking her place at the front. She considered a few girls but ultimately chose to save Cleo, seeing it as the most crowd-pleasing move. Cleo then saved Grace without much consideration. Grace also didn’t take much time to decide and opted to save Katie. Katie considered a few options but landed on saving Maria, much to Shona’s disappointment. Maria then decided to save Boherty, hoping to maybe build a relationship. Boherty ran over and hugged her. Boherty then didn’t even hesitate before choosing to save Kit. Before Kit made her decision, TJ told her that whoever between Aura and Kaliegh that she didn’t save would head into elimination. Kit sighed and said that she hoped whoever goes in wins the elimination. With that, she opted to save Kaliegh and said it was merely because she felt Aura stood a better chance. Aura held her emotions in place, despite being really scared and sad. Kaliegh hugged her and said it was all her fault and apologized. Aura assured her it wasn’t and that she’d survive. With that, TJ asked for her decision. Aura said that she was never someone who played with fear and that she wasn’t going to start now. Aura turned to Lenny and invited her to join her. Everyone went “oooooh” as Lenny walked up. Lenny smiled and wished Aura good luck, kind of feeling pumped to compete.

 Everyone gathered in the bleachers as they waited for the first pairing to enter. Shona quickly realized Zack wasn’t there. She went to Frasier and told him that Lenny got sent in, and started freaking out. She didn’t know what she’d do if Zack didn’t come back. Just then, fog appears in the arena as Nick and Zack head out from the entrances. TJ explains that the elimination is titled “Pole Wrestle”. The goal is simple. They’d both start the challenge holding opposite ends of a pole. The first person to lose grip of the pole loses. Whoever wins two rounds first will win the elimination, and the other will be eliminated. The first round starts and immediately, the struggle begins. Zack’s weight gives him an advantage and he swings Nick around like a doll but Nick doesn’t lose grip. Zack maintains control of the pole and Nick trips trying to keep his grip. Eventually, Zack stops trying to swing him and around and focuses on pushing Nick’s hands off of it. He slides his hands further and further down, trying to loosen Nick’s grip. Out of nowhere, he swings the pole around, catching Nick off guard and causing him to drop. With that, Zack won the first round. The next round begins and Nick tries his best to dominate the grip of the pole but Zack’s grip stays firm. The two play a game of tug of war for about five minutes before, they both fall to the ground. Zack pushes Nick off of him and that does it, Nick loses grip and his game. TJ blows his horn and announces Zack as the champion of the elimination. Shona screams and cheers for him from the bleachers. Zack rips his shirt out of excitement and swings it around. He tells Nick to go fuck himself. Nick ignores him and heads out before TJ can even make his elimination official.

 Next up to compete were Aura and Lenny. Smoke appeared from the entrances as they entered the arena. Kaliegh cheered for Aura and encouraged her from the sidelines. Neisha cheered for Lenny and tried to uplift her. TJ reexplained the rules to them. The first round began and the girls put up a fight for that pole. They were immediately on the ground wrestling over it. Aura yanked on Lenny’s hair to try and distract her but Lenny rolled over. After another five minutes, they continued yanking on each end of the pole but eventually Lenny yanked it a bit harder and Aura lost grip, earning Lenny the first point. The next round began and Aura was extra determined to win, knowing her game relied on it. She went even harder and immediately had Lenny on the floor, trying to hold onto the pole. Aura stayed stood and pulled the pole further and further away from Lenny. Eventually she spun around, causing Lenny to lose grip and earning her first point. With it all tied up, the game came down to the final round. The final round began and both girls were out for blood. Yet again, they were both on the ground wrestling over it. Aura was on top of Lenny trying to pry it out of her hands but Lenny kept her grip. She pushed Aura off of her and regained control, now on top of Aura. Aura tried pinching Lenny and putting pressure on her eyes, which caused the two to roll over again. They kept rolling for another ten minutes before Lenny once again gained control over Aura. She pulled and pulled but Aura wasn’t giving up. Eventually, Lenny got the pole with one last pull and Aura lost grip. TJ blowed his horn and declared Lenny as the winner of the elimination. Lenny saw Aura start tearing up and she went over and hugged her. She said that Aura really put up a good fight and she should be proud. Kaliegh started crying on the bleachers and Boherty hugged her trying to give her some comfort. TJ congratulated Aura for a very strong effort but unfortunately had to let her leave. Aura thanked everyone before heading out while everyone applauded for her.