Waking up shell-shocked after the elimination of Lachlan and still being hunted down by The Chaser, the hikers have no time to rest as the Mountain’s Keeper delivers another blow: Pack your bags now and race to the choppers, but if you’re the last 3, you’re in trouble. After a frantic dash for the group to pack its bags, Mat, Olympia and Charlotte – are the final three to the chopper. Jai delivers the bad news: one of the three will be voted off tonight.
With the Chaser still breathing down their necks and ready to steal someone’s cash, Jai gives the group a glimmer of hope, offering them a ride over a ridge to their next hike, but at a cost. He takes $50,000 of their cash, taking their cash pool from $816K to $766.
Arriving at Checkpoint 4, the hikers discover surprise packages from family. Opening special notes, presents and videos from their loved ones, everyone is overcome with emotion. However, the joy doesn’t last long. Someone is leaving the mountain tonight, and as Charlotte, Olympia and Mat try to process the end of the Nub Club, they come to the realisation they will need to make a devastating decision to vote each other off the mountain. Mat has created such a strong bond with Charlotte, so he decides he will vote for Olympia and has the support of Phil, Simmone and Taylor. Charlotte and Olympia have created a beautiful connection, and they can’t bear the thought of being without each other, so they make the decision to vote off Mat.
Olympia tries to convince the highly strategic Ava to help them vote off Mat, but Ava has other plans. She wants to position herself as the leader in the group, so she starts a campaign to get rid of Charlotte because she’s so social and influential. As Ava rounds her troops, she realises she needs one more person to achieve her goal: Mat’s friend Phil. Faced with a heartbreaking decision, will Phil make a bold move to advance his own game, or will he stay loyal to Mat?
As Jai arrives for the vote, Phil decides to stay loyal to Mat and votes for Olympia. Because he is first to vote, Ava and her supporters don’t want to rock the boat, so they vote for Olympia too. With everyone voting unanimously for Olympia, she is leaving the mountain, and leaving behind her new best friend Charlotte, who is inconsolable.
As Ava licks her wounds and realises she may now have a target on her back, the Mountain’s Keeper arrives for an encore, dropping a duffel bag into the lake. As the group reads the note, Look behind you, they turn around to see The Chaser on the ridge. He’s finally caught up with them. Ava asks: “Is that Sam?” It sure is! And he’s about to steal someone’s cash.
