Previously on Beast Games, Season 2’s cliffhanger format delivered an unexpected twist. Major contenders were ousted from the cube: Jeff, the Season 1 champion; Sue, the seasoned Survivor veteran; Ian, the Ninja Warrior and private island victor; and JD, the one who pocketed a million in Captain Bribe. But the mystery remains about what transpired in the final cube. Who will rise to the challenge, and will JC’s golden coin, with its potential to boost the grand prize, still be in play? Will Jim, the jokester of Beast City, rely once more on sheer fortune to advance? In Episode 6, titled “Hearts Will be Smashed,” answers unfold with a surprising turn: Monika has seized the role of coin master in the Beast Games.

Still shackled to the cube, JC bid farewell to his fellow competitors, wishing them the ten million dollar prize and handed Monika his coin as a gesture of redemption for his Season 1 antics. (“I tried to right my wrongs.”) This leaves 13 contestants, split into three Smarts and ten Strongs, with plenty of speculation about upcoming events. During the 24-hour hiatus before a dual elimination challenge, participants mostly divided by gender, though rumors swirled about #194 Bryleigh and #162 Tyler prioritizing their own interests. Monika, meanwhile, relished her newfound power. She assured the women of her loyalty, only to confide in the men. “I don’t really care about alliances; I have to do what I feel is right in the moment, and it’s not sticking with them.” It’s a wonder how trust ever takes root on these shows.

A BAD HANG

Each of the final 13 contestants faces a glass heart, symbolizing their life in the game this season. Two challenges await, one testing strength and the other intellect. Victors will decide which three players will see their hearts—and Beast Games aspirations—shattered. Through the portal we go!  

Monika’s resolve with the coin is tested once more. As the Strong challenge looms, MrBeast offers her bags of cash, 100K, to part with the coin. Yet Monika stands firm. “Everybody knows I’m un-bribeable,” she declares.

The contest kicks off with participants suspended high above, secured by harnesses a hundred feet in the air, clutching rope-bound poles as their platforms retreat. Falling doesn’t mean elimination, but those who drop lose their influence over the Top Ten. Hannah, Nick, and Cory descend first into the shadows, followed by Jim, Kady, Tyler, the other Tyler, Auguste, Jack, Brett, and Catey. This leaves Bryleigh, who confidently lets go—“I climb a lot of ropes,” the competitive Crossfitter boasts—and Monika, serene in an aerial lotus pose. The remaining players vie for favor. Jim pleads, “Please don’t cook me, Bryleigh!”

It’s an interesting showdown between these two players, who call to each other from their poles. Bryleigh agrees to not shatter Jim’s heart, if Monika agrees to keep Tyler safe. That sounds like a deal, she tells her counterpart. And then, so nonchalant you’d think she wasn’t clinging to a pole without a net, Monika turns to the camera for her evil genius moment. “I’m lying!”

ATTEMPT THE PATTERN

The Smart-coded tier of the game involves pattern memorization, on a competition field that looks like the “Billie Jean” video if it took place inside Tron. Monika’s Strong victory keeps her safe at one end, and the rest are shown a pattern of light-up squares for ten seconds. Memorize it, safely walk through it, and the first person to complete it takes the Smart position next to Monika. Only these two winners will decide which three player hearts to shatter.  

Jim gets through about a quarter of the pattern, followed by Catey’s attempt. And since it’s the same for each contestant, the others become like a Price is Right audience, shouting out steps and directions. This is beneficial, but also cutthroat, like when Auguste bamboozles Catey during her chance. And all the while, Monika is down there at the end. She looks content, and calculating. Have you ever watched a reality show, especially in the later rounds, and attached a certain kind of inevitability to a contestant? That is exactly what the master of coin in Beast Games Season 2 looks like. Monika is eventually joined by the grid finisher, Nick and his huge tattooed biceps, who gets a laugh from the group for tapping his temple like a Team Smart-er from Episode 1. As of now, MrBeast says, these two are running the game. “Guard! Bring in the elimination hammer!”

SHADOOBIE, SHATTERED

During the final shatter phase, the phrase “I really want you to know it’s not personal” gets a pretty disingenuous workout. It’s a day later, and games winners Monika and Nick have made their elimination decisions. They walk the line of players and hearts, and Bryleigh is the first to go. “I’m sorry for telling you on the hang that I’d have your back,” Monika says; “I’m not sticking by my word.” Man, she is really letting the power flow through her. And for their next choice, Nick apologizes for X’ing out strongman Tyler, who was Bryleigh’s Ep 5 cubemate, and like Nick turned down the million-dollar Captain Bribe challenge. It’s nothing personal, the shatterers say to the shattered. Note: it totally feels personal. “We just had to put that alliance to an end.”

Which leaves just one heart left to break. Going forward, the Top Ten will be locked in. The coin to double the five-million-dollar grand prize is still in play. And there are four episodes left to determine, of those still standing, who will become the next Beast Games champion.

11 players remain.

Johnny Loftus (@johnnyloftus.bsky.social) is a Chicago-based writer. A veteran of the alternative weekly trenches, his work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork, The All Music Guide, and The Village Voice.