A new twist happens this week! Have a look at Darren’s blog in the NBC show site. The double elimination last week put a monkey wrench in the season’s planned episodes to air. So something’s got to give and here’s what Darren has to say:

“Because of the massive upset in the last episode with the double elimination, we had to completely change how we end the show. Initially, we were meant to have three couples left in the final show, but we are going to mix things up now. Also, pay special attention to this week’s show because we have completely changed the way we do the Couple’s Choice Ceremony. The first couple will not be safe from elimination, and the last couple will not be automatically eliminated. It gets wild.”

Only three couples remain this week, Mike & Samantha, Miles & Heather and Skip & Theresa. It looks like they’re all sticking together as partners for the long haul, with at least one couple already making plans to meet after the show is over.

Tonight starts with the couples joining for drinks, happy to still be in the game. The next morning sees them on the beach, ready for what appears to be a long challenge involving both swimming and hiking. We’re told that the couple’s ceremony afterward will operate differently this time around than it did before.

Off they go! The couples swim out to a boat where one partner dives from the deck near the anchor and goes down to retrieve a bag of coins attached to the anchor. Meanwhile, the other partner grabs a surfboard which the couple then paddles to a buoy to pick up another bag of coins. Skip and Theresa take a good lead from the buoy. Some of their antics, like butt slapping with the paddle and keeping the bags of coins “under my boobs”, are rather amusing. They’re having a good time, although it’s going to still be a tiring trek.

At the shore, there are old pier poles sticking up where another bag of coins are found on the bottom. Miles and Heather are running behind the other two couples, but they’re all fairly close. Uh, oh, Theresa dropped and lost a bag of coins somewhere and Skip reassures her they’ll find it, even if they have to backtrack to carefully look for it, and hopefully it’s on the path.

Oh, by the way, did you notice the video edits to blur out the ladies’ bikini bottoms during the challenge? Nope, this isn’t Bachelor Pad where the ladies’ derrieres and topside spillages get eye-candy appealing close-ups instead.

Mike & Samantha are now in first place and Miles & Heather pass the backtracking Skip & Theresa. The next task has the couples paddling their surfboards along a shallow river, where one of the ladies is concerned about hungry crocodiles! Skip & Theresa give up the search for their lost coin bag and walk back, admitting defeat for third place.

After picking up the necessary five bags of coins, the two remaining racing couples head into the village still in their swimsuits and bikinis. They need to deliver the bags to ‘Mombo’ (?) and are having trouble finding him. Oh, there he is, hanging out in the corner. He tells them their finish line password, ‘Amor Salvaje’. Makes you wonder, does that translate to ‘love salvage’? We soon find out the answer to this question as Mike & Samantha greet Darren at the finish. Ah… the clue phrase means “Wild love.” Keep that in mind for the next time you want to whisper a mysterious sweet nothing in your dearie’s ear, yeah?

Now it’s romantic dinner time for each of the couples as they talk and then beddy bye and smoochy cooch! Mike and Samantha go for a sailboat cruise and they’re obviously enjoying each others company. It’s cuddle up hammock time for Skip & Theresa as they eat a cluster of rambutans. Miles & Heather are also looking pretty good.

That night, they all dress up for the couples ceremony. The ceremony amounts to a quiz about how well the couples know each other, à la The Newlywed Game. Whichever couple scores the fewest points goes home. Mike & Samantha pick up 2 bonus points for finishing first in the adventure, while Miles & Heather pick up 1 bonus point for finishing second. The first two couples to score 5 points remain on the show. The questions:

1. The first question is “Where did you first kiss as a couple?” Mike & Samantha match on “The Oasis”. The other two couples match with slight variants of “In the Cabin” (also even on which night and which cabin number!).
2. “When it comes to intimacy, who is more adventurous, you or your partner?” Mike says Sam, Sam says Mike, oops. Miles says himself, Heather says him, so they get a point. Skip says himself, Theresa says both (double oops). Now it’s 3-3-1.

3. For the ladies, “What is the nicest thing your partner has done for you while you’ve been here?” Mike and Samantha match up on a lunch picnic date. Miles & Heather don’t match, nor do Skip & Theresa. So Mike & Samantha are up to 4 points.
4. “How many children, if any, would your partner like to have?” Mike & Samantha have talked about it and agree on two, and they’re in the final! The other two couples haven’t talked about it and both guys guess three and both ladies guess two. The score for the remaining two couples remains at 3-1.
5. “Who typically makes the first move when it comes to intimacy, you or your partner?” Miles & Heather guess each other, while Skip & Theresa pick up a point. 3-2.
6. For the guys, “What is your partner’s middle name?” Both get it right. 4-3.
7. For the ladies, “Which part of your body do these guys like the most?” Skip & Theresa agree on her butt, and so do Miles & Heather, who become the other couple in the final!

Skip & Theresa go home. They kiss and Darren sees them off by asking them to remove their bracelets. It looks like they’ll be seeing more of each other, as they laugh with each other walking out from the resort.

So who will win the grand prize trip around the world in the final adventure next week? Stay tuned!