Episode 9 recap - The crying game

We start with the HoH challenge - the foam is rising high, the players are taking knocks, and are really being put through the wringer...literally. Bruno battles the pain barrier of a broken thumb to take a nice lead, and eventually Godfrey starts helping him win too. Cheating? Not really, just smart. It's an emotional win for Bruno as now he gets to see his kids, but Sarah is also emotional as she knows she's going up.

Jordan and Zach continue to talk about how they're playing both sides. They did form an alliance called the Hexagon that involved Johnny, Sarah, Brittnee and Kevin - but it doesn't seem like Newport are really putting a lot of stock in it. Kevin has to disassociate himself with the move last week if he wants to stay out of trouble, which he manages to do. Bruno also promises Brittnee he won't put her up - even though she just got rid of Bruno's closest ally. But Britt isn't really considered a threat right now, Johnny is the one being pinpointed as dangerous in multiple areas. Only Bobby is suggesting a different target: Kevin.

This week's Have Not competition sees three teams having to navigate a maze for dog bones. One member is blindfolded, and the other two are directing them. There's also a shock collar involved - what the fuck? Willow, Kevin and Sarah are the dogs, and Sarah does not have much luck following Jordan's direction. Willow arguably has it worse, since Pilar barely knows left from right. I bet she's secretly okay with that though, since she seems to be having a lot of fun laying it on thick with the "shocks". Willow, Pilar and Brittnee lose the challenge and are the Have Nots. Godfrey is stoked to have won and it's a good job he did as he's the only one that seems to eat the chicken feet.

We get some more Sarah meltdowns now as she laments how unfair it is that she took the heat for Brittnee's HoH. "When you play the game, you get punished for it" she says. Hey, she's not wrong. And don't even get me started on Ashleigh and Pilar telling her how hard it is to be in a showmance. But she is going to make a pitch to stay off the block though, getting to talk to Bruno...and she seems a little disheartened to hear that everyone else pretty much knew she was going up and no-one even tried to stop it.

Bruno nominates Johnny and Sarah - nothing personal, just a game move. Kevin tells Johnny that he's gonna kill it in the veto. But Sarah ensures us she's gonna fight harder than anyone expects, and her useless "alliance" is dead to her. Really excited to see what this girl does next.