Ghosts Of Challenge Past: Can Nicole Survive Vendettas After Her Reunion With Laurel?

The ghost of Christmas past came a little early for Nicole on tonight’s Challenge installment — so will she have the ability to push on right now that she’s been forced to confront her ex face-to-face?


On the latest Vendettas episode, competitors were challenged — soon after having been divided into three teams — to recover a series of palettes and construct staircases that would lead up to one of three flags. The initial team to raise their respective emblem in “This Land Is My Land” would win, and Tony, Zach, Nicole, Natalie, Britni came out on top, with Zach, Tony and Natalie ultimately earning spots in The Troika.


And though Devin had the advantage of using his grenade to create the teams, he, Nelson, Kam, Kailah and Brad lost, and the sort sentenced Kam and Brad straight into the looming Ring round, which TJ warned could be a double elimination.


The real action wouldn’t come up until the particular Ring game — “Yanking My Chain” — started, though, as TJ informed the sort he’d enlisted the likes of new Mercenaries Frank, Laurel, Ashley and Darrell to battle it out against the previous Ring nominees and Nelson and Britni, who’d been tossed into the elimination round by The Troika.


And though Nicole was safe from elimination, she was hardly at ease, and while she spotted Laurel, her ex-girlfriend of nearly per year, she broke down.


“What a wonderful birthday gift — surprise, surprise, Laurel’s here,” Nicole mentioned as she sank into her knees and started cry. “Just to be able to see her sort of makes my belly drop...Obviously [she] still has my heart a little bit bit.”


Soon after four two-man rounds of the elimination round, — which amounted to a reverse tug-of-war performed around the circumference of a ring — Laurel turned out to be the only Mercenary who could beat her appointed opponent, Britni. And while Nicole remained in shambles, the uber-competitive Laurel didn’t look also shaken up by the reunion with her ex.


“I take no f**king prisoners,” Laurel mentioned amid her battle. “I actually haven’t looked at Nicole nevertheless. Do I'd like to be able to see her hurt? No. Has she hurt me numerous times? Yes, continuously, however I’m trying not to pay attention to her because, you know, elimination rounds are not about f**king emotions, right? So f**k that.”


Still, Nicole and Laurel — both of whom were vague about the causes of their breakup — did cross paths on Laurel’s way out. It was friendly, although Nicole remained shaken, and as Laurel, herself, pointed out, whenever a competitor starts to acknowledge his or her emotions, he or she is absolutely done for. Will the sentiment apply to Nicole?


What do you know — can Nicole defeat the pain of seeing Laurel again, or is Laurel, herself, proof that an emotional player is a ticking time bomb (remember, the only elimination round she’s ever lost is any time as soon as she was dating Nicole on Invasion of the Champions)? Share your thoughts, and visualize how Nicole progresses Tuesday at 9/8c!