In this week’s installment of the Challenge SL&A we return to the 90 minute format but don’t have a ton to show for it. After the drama-packed shortened episodes of the last two weeks, this one was relatively light on action but hopefully did set up a major shakeup that will promise emotional pyrotechnics for weeks to come.

We start this episode with Emy’s victorious arrival back to the house, and spirits are high among all the Non-Bernas. Devin explains in his talking-head what we all already know: the Rookies have so far played perfectly into the Vet alliance’s plans by:

1. Never rallying their numbers to vote in non-Rookie teams and,

2. Continually choosing to infiltrate Rookie/Vet teams in the Lair, creating NEW Rookie/Rookie teams.

It’s a perpetual Rookie machine and because of it, nearly all of our Vets have been sitting pretty. Amber is the only non-Rookie to have seen the Lair so far, courtesy of the departed Messy One, and the only Vets to leave the game have done so outside gameplay - Aneesa for annihilating her shoulder, and Fessy for being Fessy.

The Rookies have yet to realize that by always creating new Rookie/Rookie pairs to scapegoat, they’ve also created an environment where this Vet truce could really thrive. Even the Vets seem shocked this strategy has taken them this far, as these kinds of broad understandings based on Challenge tenure rarely do.