In our last episode, four contestants were left blindfolded and bound to trees deep within a Scottish forest. Among them were Real Housewives star Caroline Stanbury, along with Kristen Kish, Ron Funches, and Eric Nam. They each pleaded their case to the three Traitors: Lisa Rinna, Candiace Dillard Bassett, and Rob Rausch. This week on The Traitors, one of these forest-bound captives meets an unfortunate end.

The previous challenge left half the competitors relying on the trustworthiness of their partners. Dorinda Medley’s failure placed her partner Lisa in jeopardy. However, Dorinda remains unaware that Lisa is actually a Traitor and therefore immune to elimination. Meanwhile, Colton Underwood is anxious about Caroline’s fate in the forest, and rightfully so. In flashbacks, we see Caroline fall victim to a direct confrontation, as she finds herself staring down Lisa, Candiace, and Rob at the moment of her elimination. In a final outburst, Caroline exclaims at Lisa, “Rinna, you bitch.”

Lisa and Candiace show no remorse as they send one of their own packing, with Lisa dismissively telling Caroline, “Too bad, Caroline. Back to Dubai you go.” This marks a stark break from the usual alliances within the Housewives community. In their parting words, Caroline warns Lisa, “I’ll see you out of this, I’m sure. Somewhere like Bravo-Con,” to which Lisa curtly replies, “No you won’t.” The next morning, Lisa feigns innocence at breakfast, concocting a tale about being tied to a tree and encountering a leather-masked henchman, hoping Ron will back her story. Observing this performance, Candiace reflects on the dramatic flair common among Housewives, noting, “Housewives are dramatic people. I mean, hello. Have you met me?”

As the day unfolds, two leaders emerge with differing theories on who the remaining Traitors might be. Tiffany Mitchell suspects Ron, Yam Yam Arocho, and Michael Rapaport, while Colton points the finger at Tiffany. Each tries to rally support as the group embarks on the day’s challenge. Host Alan Cumming explains they will split into teams to locate spears hidden in the forest. Once found, the spears must be ignited and used to pierce a large wooden effigy, in a Wicker Man-style ritual, naming a contestant they wish to deprive of a shield. Ron is the first to lose his shield, joined by Monet X Change, Tiffany, Michael, Tara Lipinski, Stephen Coletti, Maura Higgins, Johnny Weir, and a tearful Yam Yam. Lisa, however, remains protected.

Following a meal disrupted by Michael’s comical eating habits, the contestants gather at the round table, where Colton prepares to challenge Tiffany. “You’re the most dangerous and you’re the puppetmaster,” he accuses, confronting her control over the Traitor narrative. Tiffany counters with confidence, “No, I’m the smartest. Definitely smarter than you.” Yet, in a bold move, she dares anyone who disagrees to write her name down for banishment, even spelling it out for clarity. This recalls the chaos of season one, where numerous misspellings of the name “Geraldine” became a running joke.

While Colton and Tiffany trade accusations (and Ron suggests that Maura might be a Traitor based on the light footsteps he heard in the forest the night before), a new bomb is dropped: Eric, also tied to a tree the night before, reveals that while he was begging the Traitors for his life, he heard one of them laugh, and he is 99% sure the laughter came from Tiffany. (Eric claims that as a musician, his ears are highly attuned to sound, to which Tiffany responds, “You might need another career.”)

Candiace comes to Tiffany’s defense to turn eyes back toward Ron, and Tiffany cries when she thinks about just how much she needs the prize money. (Candiace also cries out of sympathy for Tiffany. Candiace is starting to rival Phaedra Parks for being the most unsuspecting Traitor of all time.) As an aside, while this batch of Traitors seems to relish the game and are really not being precious about who they kill, the Faithfuls in this game are some of the more delicate competitors we’ve ever seen, everyone seems to be taking this game very personally, forgetting that it is, in fact, a game.

Ultimately, Tiffany is banished in what is yet another almost unanimous vote, and when she steps into the Circle of Truth, she tells them all, “You get what you deserve and you all didn’t deserve me because I am a Faithful.” No one is more surprised by this than Eric’s ears, which have deceived him.

Michael, who has been especially reserved all episode (if Tiffany’s departing legacy is that she got him to shut up a little, her time in the castle will have been worth it!) finally speaks up after the banishment when he tells Kristen something that might just swing the game in a new direction. “One of those three hunks is a Traitor. Colton, Rob, and Stephen. I don’t know which one, but one of them has to be.”

He ain’t wrong.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.