u/Dazzling_Metals

…it’s that as much as people predict they would return in the merge, it comes off more as wishful thinking than anything. I honestly can’t see either Ren or Dunia winning the comeback challenge if and probably when one of them are booted in the late premerge, as it would defeat the emotional significance of their elimination. Also, knowing ONC, I have a bad feeling that it would be a favorite and not a fan who wins the comeback challenge, likely Aiden because of seemingly unfinished business for his character and all of the “foreshadowing” that points to it (e.g. no Patreon shoutouts, though I think that was just because of a production issue). It could also be one of the favs that get eliminated in the next few episodes, but that does depend on who they are…

In short, don’t get me wrong, if Ren or Dunia go home prematurely, I would be beyond relieved to see either of them plow through the comeback challenge and get to stay for more episodes. Thing is… their elimination would be the kind that has special emotional weight to it, and I don’t think ONC will just diminish it by having Dunia or Ren make merge anyway. Don’t forget that ONC has been preferential towards the favorites so far, and I won’t be surprised at all if that continues into the comeback challenge.

I already know these news aren’t gonna sit will with many people, but… hey… there’s a chance that Logan’s character could be massively improved with the comic he’s getting soon. As someone who isn’t a big fan of Logan (I don’t outright dislike him tho), I’m actually intrigued to see what his dynamic with Jade will be like in this comic.

This isn’t a leak btw, since even non-Patreons can view these news on the website.

Aiden getting eliminated this early on can be summed up as a case of being happy with WHAT happened, but not with HOW it happened… at least not entirely. Since Episode 2, I have by no means been fond of Aiden in S5, aside from maybe this most recent episode where he really gave out his all in the singing challenge and absolutely killed it, but the scores that came back from his, Ara, Nura, and Evie’s song is where issues surrounding his elimination start to arise.

I mean… seriously? The fans go up for elimination and NINA of all the things are one of the contributing factors to Aiden getting the boot? That’s for sure utter bullshit and even made Aiden’s exit feel like a disservice to his character, and not helping is how Evie seemed to develop an appreciation for him as a friend (e.g. that touching scene where she gave Aiden her sunglasses as means of good luck), only for it all to be thrown out the window when it was his time to go. From a gameplay standpoint, it makes sense, as it was quite stupid of Aiden to openly admit that he will search for new allies upon reaching the merge, which understandably rose the suspicions of Ara (who was intending to abandon Aiden’s alliance), Nura, and Evie. If that’s so, however, then it just renders Evie’s bond with him to be kinda pointless, especially given that shot where she was seemingly going to give Aiden a respectful goodbye only to reveal that her final encounter was just to take her glasses back. Then again… Aiden did say “you all voted for me!? Before Evie!?” to his teammates, which probably didn’t sit well with her, hence why she didn’t bother giving him a real goodbye.

To sum it up, I’m glad Aiden is gone and he left at the right time, but how he left… my thoughts on that are very mixed overall. From a long-term standpoint, Aiden’s gameplay really only set him up for a failure that would come sooner than later, as he kept eliminating teammates that were good in challenges too early on, believed ALEC of all the people that Evie had an advantage, and in this most recent episode, sold any chance he had at making merge by implying he would leave the fans team in the dust in favor of his original allies on the favorites team. With that being said, Nina’s personal bias against Aiden still made his departure feel really contrived, and while Evie had understandable reasons to vote against him, it still kinda sucks that a surfacing genuine friendship was axed just one or two episodes after the first signs of it appeared. Perhaps the motel or returnee challenge episode is where Aiden and Evie could reach some proper disclosure, with the former finding out Evie never had an advantage, because bro left STILL thinking she has it lmao.