Heroes Vs Healers Vs Hustlers Episode 4: Hotheads

We dive right in to a tribe swap with no time to waste, as Jeff is quick to tell them to drop their buffs. A bit earlier than usual this season, but hey, gotta keep them on their toes. Alan and Ashley stay blue and welcome Joe, Desi and Devon over to form the new Levu. Roark is the lone Healer to stay on Soko and is joined by Ryan, Chrissy, Ali and JP. On Yawa, we have Jessica, Cole, Mike, Lauren and Ben. Jessica is pumped she still has her showmance, but Ben is pretty scared to be without Chrissy.

Dope with a rope

The new tribes are immediately tested with a reward challenge, where they must unbraid themselves from their ropes, then hook a sled of puzzle pieces for the two puzzle solvers to complete. Ben/Lauren/Cole find a good rhythm for Yawa. JP/Roark/Ryan are in 2nd place, with Ashley/Alan/Joe in last. Ben hooks the sled first, followed by JP, to set up a puzzle showdown between Jessica and Mike against Ali and Chrissy. Alan struggles with the hook. Jessica bickers with Mike a lot, but it's a winning formula and they end up taking the food.

Someone's got a guardian angel

Yawa enjoy their meal, and Jessica finds an advantage in her chip bag. She waits until she can get alone with it, and sees that it's a vote blocker...but once again, it can only be used at the next tribal and must be passed on if necessary. Jessica lets Mike and Cole in on the news, and Cole takes it upon himself to start using this secret to build trust with the others. Uh okay, but isn't that gonna damage Jessica's trust? He tells Ben and Lauren, but Lauren is rightfully skeptical of his motives.

Roark introduces Soko to their new home, and Ryan is very happy to have ended up with Chrissy. He manages to get Chrissy alone and tells her that he was the one who gave her the idol. Chrissy smiles and thanks him, now seeing Ryan as another person she can work with.

Chrissy feelin' the love!

Ashley is not happy to have Alan still on her tribe, but the two of them do agree to put the past behind them since they're better off sticking together. Both the Healers and the Heroes see Devon as the swing vote, and Joe approaches him and decides to throw out a lie that Alan and Ashley wanted to vote him out.

Lauren is hoping to turn Mike against Jessica and Cole so decides to tell him what Cole revealed to her. Mike instantly knows it must've been Cole who blabbed, so decides to get to the bottom of this by asking the couple. Jessica is pissed when Cole admits what he did, but doesn't want to let on how hurt she is.

The immunity challenge is to move a heavy crate of puzzle pieces through a table and then a net. Then unlock the remaining puzzle pieces and stack them so the colors match up. Levu are first out of the obstacle, but Yawa overtake them on the net and Ashley gets her hand trapped. Lauren and Chrissy unlock their tribe's pieces but Ashley has trouble and it ends up being literally the last key she tries. All on the puzzle now, but Levu aren't much better there. Yawa get it first, Soko get it second, and Levu have lost.

Callin' it like he sees it

Ashley curses her bad luck on the locks, as the others tell her not to worry about it. Devon decides to verify with Ashley whether there was any truth to her targeting him. When she confirms that it's bullshit, Devon is now locked in on the snake Joe. Desi lets Joe know she saw Devon and Ashley together, so Joe now had a plan to draw the votes onto him so he can play the idol. Right in front of the group, he awkwardly tries to start a discussion of who to vote out, saying he's voting Ashley as she's the weakest. Alan argues back and tells him he blew up his spot.

Joe tells Desi that his blow-up was all part of the plan and that he has the idol, but she still doesn't feel safe and now wants him to give the idol to her. He's not opposed to that if it's the right move. The other three seem pretty solid, but Ashley still feels in danger if they have an idol. Devon meanwhile checks his bag and is excited to see he has a secret advantage. Hmm, interesting choice by Jessica.

At tribal council, Ashley says that she's never been considered the weakest before in any aspect of her life. Alan says his vote is between Joe and Desi, and Jeff makes the analogy that it's like taking out the bad guy's wife. Joe blames Alan for the divide, and makes a play for the swing vote by saying the Heroes have no cracks (ha!). Alan fires back by pointing out all 6 Healers are still in the game.

Devon gets a nasty surprise

Devon pulls out his advantage right before the vote and learns that it is NOT in fact an advantage, and his vote is being blocked. The votes are cast and Joe reveals his idol. But now he has a dilemma on who to play it for. He keeps it for himself, which pays off when he sees two votes for him canceled. Which Hero is going home? Alan, which shocks Ashley most of all. This is not how I expected the Alan/Ashley rivalry to end. Joe tells Ashley he read her face and that's how he knew.

Well damn, I was skeptical of the early swap but it's really jolted this season to life. Now Levu have a 2-2 deadlock and I have no idea who's going home next.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JOE MENA

Stirred the pot and played his idol correctly to save both him and his ally. Joe's aggressive game is entertaining to watch and he seems to just be having so much fun in the game. What schemes can he hatch next?