Maryland Outback Episode 4: We're A Lot More Closer

No showmance here

Chris T is back to his old cocky self, bragging about how he was able to guilt-trip Chandler and romance Nicole C in order to sway them back to his side. However, Nicole C is just playing along to use him to her advantage.

The immunity challenge is to throw balls into a bucket, but the number of balls is determined by how well they do at a survey about their tribemates. Both tribes score a 31 to make them even on balls. Ashley scores the first point for Nehami, Brandon gets a second and Lauren gets 2. Waka finally get on the board courtesy of Chandler, but Steve scores 2 to put Nehami further in front. Ryan gets 2, but Nicole L gets 2 as well, meaning once Chris T misses, Waka have lost again.

At tribal council, Nicole C finally admits the losses are getting to her. However, the tribe seem mostly pretty close now, with most of their animosity directed towards Alex on the other tribe. The camaraderie is reflected in the vote, as Katie leaves with little fanfare. She saw it coming since nobody was talking to her, but wishes Waka luck.

Siona and Ryan continue their playful bickering having voted for eachother at the last tribal council. Chris T is still flirting with Nicole C, but she doesn't let it get too far and reminds him that he almost voted her out.

Before the next challenge, Austin makes them drop their buffs. The Wakas draw for new tribes which ends up splitting up Phil and Chris T. Getting to choose their teammates, Alex is surprisingly the last picked...or not that surprisingly, seeing as he's so disliked. When the dust settles, we are left with:

WAKA: Phil, Chandler, Nicole C, Chris L, Brandon, Nicole L, Ashley, Alex
NEHAMI: Chris T, Siona, Ryan, Steve, Connor, Xandria, Karla, Lauren

The new tribes are having a ball

The first of three sports for the challenge is volleyball. The match ends up pretty close, with scores tied 19-19 late on. Waka win the next two points though, and take the first round.

The second round is a game of handball. Chris T scores the first goal for Nehami, and Steve gets a second one. Waka are able to tie up, mainly due to Phil. A couple of more goals from Steve wins Nehami the round, but Alex makes a lot of enemies with his violent play.

The deciding round is a game of baseball. Chris T gets Nehami's first run, but Alex catches three people out. It's soon 7-1 to Waka, and when Xandria overruns third base, their win is sealed. It's the first taste of victory for Phil, Chandler and Nicole C...but Chris T, Siona and Ryan are back at tribal council again.

Chris L actually likes his new Waka tribe, with the only negative being separated from Steve. Chris L sees Phil as someone he can pull in, since they're both strong physical threats. As of right now, Nicole C is the main target... but Alex is ruffling feathers even on his own tribe and might end up out sooner rather than later.

Lauren scrambles to save herself

Ryan and Siona feel fortunate to still be on the same tribe, and think they can get Connor to flip, since he wasn't that close with anyone on old Nehami. Steve feels most in danger, cut off from most of his allies. Lauren tells Steve they should try and get Xandria out, since she's useless in challenges. Ryan and Siona are targeting Lauren however. Steve agrees to vote for Lauren, but really he's trying to save her. Lauren sees Karla and Chris T as possible votes to save her ass and get Ryan out.

At tribal council, Connor claims he doesn't mind being here for a change. Steve reflects on how the tribe swap made him a lot less comfortable. Lauren thinks Waka formed alliances faster than them due to going to tribal so much. Xandria claims old tribal lines are irrelevant now, which Austin finds surprising given that Nehami should in theory be 5-3 up. Chris T reiterates his hate for Alex, which Siona reckons is jealousy since he has his girl now.

We get to the vote, with Lauren saying she's not sure why Ryan hates her, and Steve declaring his hatred of Siona. Xandria even proves herself incompetent at voting, not knowing where to put it. It's gonna be a close vote between Lauren and Ryan, with Lauren getting the boot. In her final words, she rants about how she doesn't deserve to be out and wishes Karla (who?) the best of luck. So now that we have a brand new game, it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.