For a game called Double Agents, the latest Challenge season has found veteran Cory spending a whole lot of time flying solo. And during tonight’s episode, his partner — once again — went MIA. So now that Cory is, once again, a rogue agent, the question is: Who could possibly survive as his partner in crime?
With Cory’s former Real World: Ex-Plosion housemate and Rivals III partner Ashley back in the game as his co-pilot, contestants got their first taste of a final mission in “Smuggle Run,” the most grueling mission so far. In pairs, players would have to carry a heavy designated capsule across a five-mile obstacle course, and though Ashley had already been eliminated once from the game, she performed like a contestant in command.
“Ashley is just in her element,” Cory said, as Ashley solved a dizzying math puzzle in a split second. “I’m just sitting there like a proud father.”
And through the last leg of the course, it seemed like a win was in the bag for Cory and Ashley. But Theresa and Jay, who narrowly missed a first-place finish in previous mission “Agent Down,” came out strong in the last leg and won, leaving Cory and Ashley with a silver medal.
But on The Challenge, silver may as well be soot. Theresa, bent on making a big move, was determined to pit Ashley against either Nany or Kam in The Crater to ensure that a strong player outside of her alliance was eliminated.
It seemed like a longshot, but Theresa’s plan worked. After getting Big T and her roundup of rookies on board, Theresa successfully got the house to vote Ashley and Cory into The Crater, and upon arrival at the elimination round, Theresa and Jay selected Kyle and Kam to serve as Team Ex-Plosion’s opponents.
Long story short: Kam knocked Ashley out with a commanding performance in “Dead Ringer” to earn her 10th elimination-round win and sent Ashley home for a second time in a single season.
And, for the third time on Double Agents, Cory was left without a partner. He had watched Aneesa send his first partner, Tori (who Devin initially poached from him), home just hours before. His second partner, Natalie, was forced to leave the game for personal reasons shortly thereafter.
“I guess it’s fair to say that I am the black widow of the season,” Cory said as Ashley bid farewell to the cast. “I can’t keep a partner to save my life.”
Still, a fourth partner will, indeed, come for Cory, so who should it be? Would he fare well with a rookie like Gabby or one of The Ambers to get a veteran’s attention off of his back? Would pal and former ally Aneesa be a good fit, or could Olympian Lolo Jones bring the type of fire that Cory needs to proceed? Tell us what you think, and be sure to check out the next Double Agents episode Wednesday!
