We’re closing in on the finish line for the debut season of The Anonymous, which means the remaining players are scrambling to stay afloat in the game. They’re also desperate to add funds to the cash pot, which as of right now, sits at less than $50,000.
Last week, DANI threw a few plot twists at the players and pushed them into a back-to-back cycle of Anonymous Mode. She also left us on a major cliffhanger awaiting to hear Marcel’s future in the game.
In The Anonymous Episode 8, “Divide & Conquer,” we learn Marcel’s fate and see the power in the house slowly shifting. Safety is only guaranteed for one person this week, and by the end of the episode, a whopping seven players wound up on the chopping block.
What’s in the box?
After last week’s face-off results remained a mystery, DANI left us all wondering about Marcel’s fate in the game. She confirmed that The Anonymous tried to send him home, but what’s in that face-off box? Surprise! He had the safety, which was lucky considering he only had that particular box after Chris stole his original pick.
When Marcel revealed that he had safety and there would be no elimination, the reactions from the other players ranged from excited to confused. Then, the camera panned over to Nina and she gave us the face crack of the season. She simply said, “Wow.”
Then in a flashback, we learn why Nina looked so salty about Marcel’s safety. She finally won the power of The Anonymous, only for her pick to get nullified by DANI’s twist! Bummer. She took a shot, and it missed, but once the dust started to settle, Nina realized that maybe this wasn’t a missed opportunity after all.
Bismah catches the heat
Some of the most interesting conversations on this show happen in the moments after an elimination. Everyone is desperate to piece together who had the power of The Anonymous, while that person tries to keep a straight face. Some players are better at it than others. This week, Nina gave us a masterclass.
Most of the players assumed that Bismah took the shot at Marcel because of their previous bickering. It’s no secret that she wanted him gone, and Dillian, Christopher, and even Marcel felt confident that it was her. Meanwhile, Nina decided to go along with it. She realized she could use Bismah as a shield to make it through another week.
“The more people who think they want to target Bismah, the better for me,” Nina explained.
With all of that out in the air, it’s not looking good for Bismah. To make matters worse, several players have correctly guessed that she’s the Eagle. That means the likelihood of her becoming The Anonymous is slim to none.
Fortunately, not everyone has guessed Bismah’s avatar. Chris thinks she’s the Cactus, even though everyone at home knows that Cactus is his girlfriend, Victoria. You’ve got to appreciate the irony.
Another day, another puzzle
After taking a break from challenges last week, DANI threw the players back into game mode this week. She presented them with another puzzle, and fortunately, this one had no math involved.
Instead, they were presented with a giant sliding puzzle with eight pieces. The players had to strap themselves to the pieces while one player stood on the sidelines, barking out orders to help them move into the correct position. That solo player would win safety, and if they finished in ten minutes, they’d get a much-needed $8,000 added to the prize pot.
After Marcel’s brush with elimination last week, he really wanted to be the solo player and get the safety. Would he be good at that? The rest of the players weren’t sure. So, they nominated Nina instead, which is definitely the right choice. Let the Survivor alum do her thing, and you know she isn’t going to disagree with having safety two weeks in a row.
Although it took a couple of minutes to get everyone on the same page with this sliding puzzle, Nina managed to quickly figure out a quick way to communicate with the players. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and finished the puzzle with time to spare. Nina is seriously on fire right now, and that’s not even a pun about her secret handle.
All eyes are on Robot and the lovebirds
With Nina winning safety, all eyes suddenly shifted to Robot, who has consistently nominated her for the last few episodes. At home, we know that Robot is Lilly, but the logic behind her voting record has been a bit hard to follow. In one breath, she acts like she wants Nina to stay in the game and seems committed to the girls’ alliance. Then, in the safety of her hideout, she nominates Nina time and time again. With Nina safe, who is Robot going to vote for? Spoiler alert: she’s still gunning for a girl.
Meanwhile, Jack tried to get his allies to shift their sights back to the couple: Chris and Victoria. He called it the “couple armageddon,” and honestly, that just rolls right off the tongue.
When talking about taking down the couple, Jack suggested that they target Victoria first. He told Andy, Bismah, and Nina that he felt more trust in Chris because he had been more straightforward. He’s also been in the game longer, and they just don’t know what Victoria would do if Chris went home first. All of this chatter set the groundwork for the most dramatic Anonymous Mode yet.
After coming together as a group for the puzzle challenge, they immediately went back into cutthroat gameplay for Anonymous Mode. Jack kicked things off and said he wanted to be a “little mean.” He accomplished that goal.
Under the guise of Flamingo, he wrote, “I think Victoria is using Christoper. Who else thinks she has a boyfriend back at home?”
Yikes! That sparked a major reaction from everyone, but a few savvy players correctly guessed that it was Jack. It’s just another example of how taking too big of a swing could cost your anonymity.
As Cactus, Victoria tried to get the heat off her by saying, “One of the girls needs to be eliminated.” She later added, “I think we should just let the girls turn on each other.” At home, we know that’s already been happening.
Not only was the Anonymous Mode chat chaotic, but the resulting votes were just as wild:
- Robot and Snake voted for Bismah.
- Fire and Lipstick voted for Lilly.
- As Lightning, Andy voted for himself. It was a desperate attempt at becoming The Anonymous but a tactic Xavier would advise against.
- Eagle voted for Chris.
- Popsicle voted for Jack.
- Catcus voted for Marcel.
- Flamingo voted for Victoria.
For those keeping score, that means that Dillian and Nina were the only people safe this week. The fact that Dillian managed to get out of this round unscathed without doing anything is surprising, but kudos to him. Next week, we’ll see which one of these at-risk players got the chop, and who managed to keep their identity a secret to gain power in the game.
The Anonymous continues on Monday nights at 11/10c.
TELL US – WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE ANONYMOUS EPISODE 8? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL GO HOME NEXT WEEK? WHICH PLAYER DO YOU THINK HAS THE BIGGEST CHANCE OF WINNING THE WHOLE THING?