Maryland Outback Episode 15: Go Out With A Bang

Only 4 players remain as the finale begins where we left off...Ryan exiting with some very harsh words. Nicole C reveals those rude comments at tribal were the only reason she voted Ryan out. Lone ranger Chandler is stirring the pot, asking who will get voted out if he wins immunity, but Chris L has very little patience for him right now.

The immunity challenge combines bits and pieces of several past challenges. First up is egg-carrying, with Chris L and Steve taking the lead. They both get to the brainteasers no problem, but Steve is first. Chandler catches up to the brainteasers, whilst Nicole C is trailing pretty badly. Steve is finished with the soccer and blasts through the elimination order. Chandler struggles on the soccer as Chris L and Steve recreate the symbols. Steve maintains his lead and follows his scavenger hunt clue to find the necklace, winning himself a spot in the final 3.

Chris L is now threatening Nicole C that if she doesn't vote for Chandler they'll vote for her so that he has an easier opponent in the tiebreak challenge. Chandler tells Nicole C to just vote for Chris L and lie about it, which is what she wants to do. Steve is conflicted about voting for someone who helped him so much, but Chris L has no reservations about making what he thinks is the best move.

At tribal council, Steve says he thinks Chandler and Nicole C will both beat him at the end, which Chandler surprisingly agrees with. Chris L disagrees with the reason though, saying they'd only win based on bitterness, not because they played a good game.

David topples Goliath

As the votes are read, it seems Steve and Chris L voted for Nicole C after all. But she can't be too mad, since she voted for Chris L. Now it goes to a second tie, and Chandler is ecstatic that he somehow dodged that bullet. The tiebreaker challenge is to recreate a sequence of objects Austin shows them by memory. Despite Chris L's confidence, we're only 4 items in before he makes a mistake, giving Nicole C a surprise win. What a way for him to go out. Steve, Chandler and Nicole C are all happy to have made the final 3...but then Austin surprises them by telling them there's still one more challenge to go.

Burn, baby, burn

Chandler is elated that Chris L went home, since he was being a jerk to him that whole tribal council. Steve is dismayed, mostly because with the final 2 news, he still has a high chance of being voted out. On the way to their last challenge, the three players take part in the rites of passage, paying tribute to the people that have fallen. The biggest takeaway from this is that Chandler was in an alliance with everyone, and that nobody really remembers anything about Katie.

The immunity challenge sees them put one hand on a sundial and keep it there as long as they can. Nicole C gets bored pretty much instantly, but Chandler also wants to drop out since he doesn't think he wants to win as much as Steve. Nicole C is the first out, allowing Chandler and Steve to have a heart-to-heart about life. After a few hours, Chandler concedes, giving Steve the win.

Are you trying to seduce me?

Steve isn't sure who he wants to take to the end, since his worry is that Nicole C could win if she pitches her game right. He decides to meet with both of them to allow them to make their pitch. Chandler goes first, and his main tactic is to pose suggestively with his shirt unbuttoned. He then starts rambling incoherently and speculates Nicole C might be "lezzing out" with Xandria...it's pretty strange, to say the least. It's Nicole C's turn now, and hers isn't much better either, but she makes the point that not being good at speaking is good for Steve. Steve asks Nicole C if she'd be willing to give him a kiss, but she's hesitant.

At tribal council, Steve says his decision on who to take will be based purely on what he thinks gives him the best chance of winning. Now getting a chance to make better arguments, Nicole C points out that a large portion of the jury doesn't feel she deserves to be here. Chandler argues that with preparation, Nicole C's case will be stronger than his. Chandler is voted out to become the final juror and he wishes Steve luck. Must be disappointing to fall just short, but at least he achieved his goal of making friends.

Before facing the jury, Steve and Nicole C both reflect on their games. Nicole C had a lot of say in who was voted out, whereas Steve was always a target. Steve hints he might want to pursue something with Nicole C after the game. That being said, Nicole C is glad Steve didn't follow through on asking for a kiss.

At final tribal council, the final 2 give their opening statements to the jury. Nicole C talks about her strategy to stay under the radar. Steve says his challenge record speaks for itself, and that by teaming up with Chris L, he was able to keep the blood off his hands.

Xandria is the first juror and seems pretty indifferent. She asks Nicole C if it was strategy to be bad at challenges, and she says obviously she would've wanted to win if she could. She then asks Steve why he voted her out when she was actually protecting him, and Steve says his priority was just to survive and there weren't many options for who to get out at that point.

Chris T tells Steve that he deserves to be here, whereas Nicole C only made it because she hooked up with half the guys, causing some dissent in the jury. Nicole L also doesn't have much nice to say about Nicole C's game, saying she was almost voted off a whole bunch of times and was playing both sides...but Nicole C argues that wasn't a bad thing. Connor asks Steve if he would've taken Chris L out given the chance and Steve claims he would've taken him to the end...hmm, that seems like a lie. Phil asks Nicole C what her best alliance was, and she says Ryan.

Siona offers some positivity

Siona changes the pace and calls the jury bitter whilst giving Nicole C some praise for her gameplay, which she is very glad to hear. Ryan is up next, and asks (surprisingly politely) why Nicole C voted him out. Nicole C says she didn't make up her mind until tribal council. Chris L asks Nicole C to confirm whether she just went with whoever she was the last to talk with before tribal, since that's what it looked like to him. Nicole C says she did have reasoning behind her votes, but admits she was wishy-washy. Chandler is last and wants to know why Steve voted him out, and Steve says he thinks Chandler would've prepared a better speech.

The jurors cast their votes, with Xandria saying she's voting for Nicole C just so it isn't a blowout. Chris L's vote is obvious, but Ryan decides to go for Nicole C as well...didn't see that coming. Even more shockingly, Chris T votes for her too, apologizing for his mean words. Wow, this could actually be pretty close!

Austin reads the votes out 2 weeks later with the whole cast in attendance. After 8 votes, it's a 4-4 tie, with the 4th Nicole C vote producing gasps. The last vote is for Steve, making him the winner of Maryland Outback. As such an obvious threat, it might seem a shock that the others allowed this to happen, but he definitely had to work to get there, shifting from power player to underdog constantly. And thus, a season that truly had it all - drama, strategy and fun - comes to a close. Until next time!