[Warning: The following post contains spoilers for The Challenge, Season 41 Episode 8, “Justice for Leka.”]

Every knife in the house was out for Chris “C.T.” Tamburello on Wednesday’s (September 17) episode of The Challenge.

After his miserable performance in the prior daily challenge resulted in his partner Leka being sent home, the others routinely chanted “Justice for Leka” in front of CT, and he took it in stride… mostly. One thing he wouldn’t abide was the belief that he threw the daily on purpose to send Leka home, and he denied that until he was practically blue in the face in a conversation with Dee Valladares. Otherwise, though, he took all the licks the house had to give him over Leka’s fate and his fault in it.

That didn’t mean he didn’t try to improve. With the “lock-in” approaching — that is, the final selection where players with the most points choose their permanent partners — CT wanted to put on a better showing in the daily, and he almost did.

The newest challenge was “Cyclone,” another suspension-over-water mission wherein the partners had to climb up a 30-foot container with climbing walls on the side and transport blocks from the top to the bottom before dropping into the water for a 500-meter swim to the finish. CT surprised everyone by scaling the side with gusto… until he dropped off and was left to huff it in the water. Unfortunately for him, his partner, Michaela Bradshaw, decided to throw it (not even bothering to hide that fact), so he was the auto-entry into the arena.

“Whether you like me or don’t, I’m still coming out of that hole, so f**k you,” CT said in a confessional.

Finishing first in the daily were Sydney Segal and Yeremi Hykel, who had to decide who to send into the jury alongside the hangnail (which was actually Theo Campbell, instead of Will Gagnon, because of some uncertainty about his knee that rendered him unable to participate in the daily). Though Derek Chavez made a plea to the pair, they had ample reason to send him in instead of other vets — like Derrick Kosinski, who was bracing himself for the job, or Leroy Garrett. Then, in a very lopsided house vote, Derek was chosen to go against CT.

When the crew arrived at the arena, Derek soon discovered it was the worst case scenario for him: pole wrestling. With at least 100 pounds on his opponent, CT easily won the first two rounds to end it and return to the house.

“I like Derek a lot. I mean, he’s outperformed me, I think, in every aspect of this game so far. It’s no secret, this is probably the worst performance I’ve ever put on in a Challenge. I’m confident in this game,” CT said. “If it was any other elimination, Chavez would’ve had a chance to beat me. Just not this one.”

From the look ahead, it seems CT will be welcomed back at least enough to earn the title of toast-maker during a night on the town, but we’ll have to wait and see who’d dare to choose him as a partner through to the final.

He (and everyone else) will get one more chance to earn some points as host T.J. Lavin teased, “The next challenge is the most important of the season so far, and it’s an individual one.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Olivia Kaiser got emotional after hearing rookies like Will and Cedric Hodges making fun of her; Theo was medically cleared to return after an MRI; and Nany continued to have her fun with Will on the side.

The Challenge, Wednesdays, 8/7c, MTV