Previously on the Challenge: doesn't it seem like it's been a long time since there was a new episode? So much has happened since then. Stephen was arrested. Jisela, Veronica, Flora, and Beth S. (yikes!) posed for Playboy. Anyway, for once the "previously on" segment is useful. Last time we saw the contestants, Tara was worried about competing in the Ladder of Doom relay, because if she failed to complete the mission, she and Dan would be eliminated, enabling Josh and Holly to get into the final six. The contestants had to climb down a rope ladder -- which was suspended over some rocks and water -- grab a flag, and then climb back up. The team with the lowest combined time wins a ski vacation package. Upon first seeing the ladders, many of the contestants were inspired to invoke Belounatic, yo.

Thankfully, we start right out with the competition, so at least we know this won't be yet another non-competition episode. Coral, Kelley, and Elka are climbing first. Coral gets her feet tangled up and totters on the ladder. Mike yells to her to keep her feet wide. What looks like the most difficult part of this competition to me (besides keeping your balance) is the fact that the rungs of the ladders are really far apart, so tall people or people with long legs would have a definite advantage. It's difficult for someone like Elka, who I think is kind of short, to hold onto one rung and stretch her leg down to the next rung. Plus, since they have to climb down first, they can't help looking down, which certainly isn't going to help Danny with his fear of heights. In an interview, Elka says that she kept seeing the waves crashing into the rocks, and she was sure that she would get taken out by a wave and swept out to sea. That would be a lot more realistic if they weren't wearing harnesses that would totally catch them if they fell. Coral gets to the flag first, grabs it, puts it in her mouth, and starts climbing back up. I would be afraid that I would scream and drop the flag into the water. In an interview, Coral says that she just wanted to get it over with. Kelley makes it back first, with a time of 3:33. Coral is next, with a time of 3:41. In an interview, Coral says that she's not thinking about the other girls; she just wants to get off the fucking ladder. I feel her. Elka finishes third with a time of 4:03.