Their hopes lie with Foliaki. He starts confidently, veers uncontrollably towards the edge and pulls off a spectacular roly-poly to manoeuvre back towards the centre. But his trajectory is off and he only manages to topple seven pins.
If they hope to win immunity and the accompanying all-important scroll, this alliance is going to need to raise their game. Christian Cullen takes the win after knocking down 14 pins.
Today’s Face-Off sees the players digging through the sand looking for balls. When found they need to rush through the water, go up some steps and then drop the ball through a target into a tube. First to successfully drop five balls into their tube wins.
Bubbah and Wairangi Koopu are quick off the mark and neck and neck to take the game’s first shot. Both miss.
“So embarrassing,” Bubbah blushes.
Who will earn immunity? Photo / TVNZ
Koopu quickly returns for another try. This time his aim is true and he takes the early lead. While the others dig and dig, he’s back with his third ball
“I suggest everyone works faster if they don’t want Wairangi to win,” co-host Lance Savali shouts.
But Koopu misses, keeping them all in the game.
Foliaki and Langstone both miss their first attempts, but Bubbah nails her second shot, to tie with Koopu in pole position.
The constant digging through the heavy sand is starting to take its toll physically on the players, while every missed shot – which is most of them – saps away at their mental strength, replacing it with frustration. The game has turned into an endurance challenge.
“By this point, I feel like giving up,” Foliaki says, after missing a handful of shots. “But I have to keep going.”
“It’s tough,” Cullen admits, trudging back for another attempt after many failures. “It’s harder than I thought,”
By now Koopu has landed four balls. Sensing imminent defeat, Langstone changes strategy. She grabs Baird and the pair jump into Cullen’s lane and begin digging. Now he just needs to focus on aiming.
Koopu is a tough opponent. Photo / TVNZ
Bubbah is still in contention with three balls and Foliaki has calibrated his aim and is catching up. Having clocked that The Mutinous Three are working together, Solomona quickly hops into Koopu’s lane and starts digging.
“All the subtlety’s gone now. It’s pretty obvious there are two competing teams here. The original team Aihe and original team Wētā,” Baird says, shattering the facade of Team Kōura.
But Solomona’s aid doesn’t help Koopu. His aim has gotten worse, his balls bouncing everywhere but in. In contrast, Bubbah is on fire, matching his four balls. If she lands her next shot, she’ll win.
Koopu picks up the pace as Solomona feeds him balls. But he can’t land the shot. And he misses again. And again. And again.
Until he doesn’t.
“Wairangi with his fifth ball wins this Individual Face-Off,” Savali shouts, as the Mutinous Three gulp. Koopu doesn’t keep them waiting to learn their fate. As they walk back to camp he tells them he will again be choosing two of them for elimination.
He has also won an afternoon at a luxury spa. To no one’s surprise, he takes Solomona with him. But eyebrows are raised when he also invites Dunkedon Garner, who is thrilled.
“Maybe he felt sorry for me?” he wonders from the comfort of a fluffy white robe.
"I'm feeling pampered." Photo / TVNZ
Koopu’s intentions, however, are not so charitable.
“The household can smell Duncan,” Koopu states, dunking on his kōura teammate. “My idea is to invite Duncan along so he can get a fresh clean and the household might be better off.”
“I’m feeling pampered. I’m feeling manicured. I’m not feeling like the hairy monster I’ve become,” Dunkedon Garner smiles, floating. “I’m feeling special.”
Back at camp, a hidden alliance has a moment. Cullen has snuck away with Bubbah. With his future uncertain, he hands her back the secret scroll she gifted him when they formed their alliance.
“You can win this,” he tells her, looking directly into her soul. His faith causes her to get teary-eyed.
Kōura arrive at elimination and Koopu again selects The Mutinous Three’s power couple, Langstone and Baird. The challenge is a test of patience and balance. The pair must walk across a wobbly platform to place six balls on six posts. The first player to do so, wins.
The platform wibbles and wobbles like jelly on a plate. The duo attack the challenge like turtles, moving slowly and deliberately. A slight lean too far left causes Langstone’s first balanced ball to tumble off its pole. She has to restart, while the cautious Baird creeps ahead with three. Then four. Then five.
“Millsy, safe in this game!” Savali shouts. “Michelle is going home.”
Michelle Langstone's journey on the island comes to an end. Photo / TVNZ
This time around there is no Mercy card to save her. Through tears, she hugs out her goodbyes.
When she’s gone, we catch up with Koopu who says, “Those three were a snake”. Then he smirks and says, “We’ve cut the head of the snake off”.
His satisfaction is plain to see. But it may be short-lived as eight of the other nine players now know they need to come at the King if they want to survive.
