The latest episode of The Challenge All Stars 5: Rivals, which aired on March 26, 2025, marked a significant turning point in the season with the eighth elimination. Throughout this season, tension has been high among contestants, particularly following recent events where Nany expressed concern over Turbo’s behavior and the dynamics within the alliances began to shift. In the previous episode, the elimination of Ashley and Dario followed a gripping challenge won by Nany and Turbo, placing them in strong contention going forward.
In the present episode, six rival teams faced off in a challenge after Veronica faced a setback with an ankle injury prior to elimination. At the conclusion of the episode, yet another team was sent home, narrowing the competition to five pairs. This season features an impressive lineup of 26 returning contestants and is hosted by the familiar face of TJ Lavin. A unique twist has contestants teaming up with their former opponents, all vying for the grand prize of $300,000.
Highlights from Episode 9 of The Challenge All Stars 5: Rivals
This recent episode began with host TJ announcing that the contestants had the opportunity to secure a coveted spot in the finale. Frank and Sam, Adam and Steve, as well as Nany and Turbo, had already earned stars from prior challenges, but they were not the only pairs hoping for success. Nicole and Melissa, Katie and Veronica, along with Da’Vonne and Shane were all eager to claim the remaining star.
Former rivals Melissa and Nicole managed to set aside their past conflicts to form an unexpectedly close friendship. However, this transition did not go unnoticed by Veronica, who criticized Nicole’s apparently excessive friendliness towards Melissa, particularly with a girlfriend at home. Meanwhile, Shane was attempting to forge a connection between Da’Vonne and Veronica amid the tensions.
Da’Vonne displayed reluctance to collaborate with Veronica, given Veronica’s ongoing targeting of her allies Nany and Turbo. Shane continued to push for trust-building between the two women. The episode featured the “Bubble Bullseye”challenge, which had rivals racing down a ramp in inflatable tubes, aiming to land in the “bullseye zone”to earn maximum points.
The rolling scoring system presented varying point values for different landing zones while penalizing any team that touched the board with a deduction of points. The competition eliminated the furthest team from the bullseye after each round, with the last round rewarding the top-scoring team with both victory and immunity from elimination. The highest-scoring non-star-holding team would also earn a star during this round.
The competition saw an intense series of eliminations, starting with Nany and Turbo in the first round, followed by Melissa and Nicole, and then Adam and Steve. Katie and Veronica were eliminated next, with Frank and Sam following suit, ultimately leading to Da’Vonne and Shane clinching victory. Their win granted them a star and immunity from the elimination round.
The victory also provided Da’Vonne and Shane the strategic advantage to choose a team for elimination during the House Vote. As discussions ensued, some participants suggested sending Melissa and Nicole into the arena against Katie and Veronica to potentially snatch a star from one of the existing holders. However, Da’Vonne opposed this idea, expressing concern that it would put her allies Nany and Turbo at risk.
The stakes were raised when Veronica suffered an ankle injury while navigating marble stairs, recalling a previous injury that had previously led to her disqualification from the game. Ultimately, the House Vote decided that Melissa and Nicole would face elimination. Da’Vonne and Shane opted for Katie and Veronica as their opponents.
The elimination round, titled “Pin Pop,”tasked the teams with guiding a sizeable pin to pop as many balloons as possible to determine the victor. In a nail-biting finish, Melissa and Nicole narrowly won, consequently stealing the star held by Nany and Turbo. While Nany expressed her disappointment, she graciously congratulated the victors for reaching the final stage of the competition.
This episode concluded with Katie and Veronica being the eighth pair eliminated from The Challenge All Stars 5: Rivals, further intensifying the competition among the remaining teams.