Pedal to the Metal

1. New narratives are introduced. We learn that Cashel is Tyson’s only competitive “concern.”
2. It also builds on established storylines. After the rules are explained, Cashay feels unlucky to be partnered with her freshly ex-boyfriend Cinco for a challenge that requires “the one thing she’s scared of.” She’s right – It is unlucky, because you’d think buoy-hopping for big Scrabble tiles, then spelling words with them is too niche a fear to ever come up in the wild. (She’s actually talking about swimming.) When it’s finally their turn, Cashay is only able to complete the challenge because Cinco says he “needs [her.]” Kind of a downer ending, but definitely a relatable one, too.
3. It develops characters – specifically, through humor. At the start of his heat, Leo stops short of the water to take off several pieces of gear, including his shoes. Later, Tyson teaches us an “old cycling trick:” To demoralize your competitors, always relax your breathing while you’re within earshot of them. Lastly, T.J. laughs at contestants as they fall into the water, a core tenet of his host persona.
4. It showcases strategy. Throughout the segment, we’re made privy to a few teams’ plans for how to approach the challenge: Angela & Leo spell “one big word,” then expand above and below it. They choose “manipulate” as their starter, which is so on-the-nose thematic, I’m convinced Jeff Probst snuck onto the set and tampered with their answer grid. Cashel uses his & Tiffany’s tiles to spell out Kyra, the name of their castmate/his ex-girlfriend – Too bad it doesn’t count toward their word total… Justine & Tyson are the only duo to split the workload. Tyson handles the swimming and tile collecting, while Justine hangs out onshore filling in their answer grid.