Olivia from The Challenge 'will go down in rookie history,' fans say after this week's power move

The rookies historically have had it rough on the MTV competition series, but Olivia on The Challenge season 38 might just be upending that tradition. The Love Island USA season 3 alum used her budding romance with veteran Nelson Thomas to enact revenge against a team that wronged her last week, and in the process shook up those vets versus rookies alliances that have dominated the game thus far. 

First, history was made: after a whopping 54 failed attempts over the course of his franchise history, Nelson finally won his first daily challenge alongside his Ride or Die teammate Nurys Mateo. On paper, that gave them the power to decide who would potentially stay or go out of The Challenge season 38 cast, but it's actually Nelson's bed buddy, Olivia, who comes up with the elimination strategy for this week's game.

Olivia and her partner Horacio Gutierrez plot with Nelson and Nurys to put the rookie team in, but only if the veteran victors agree to choose Tommy Bracco and Analyse Talavera, the fellow rookies who betrayed Olivia and Horacio last week, going against their word and sending their supposed allies into The Zone. When the cast sees Olivia and Horacio's names up on the block along with Tommy and Analyse, rookies Kim and Colleen, and veterans Darrell and Veronica (who were introduced to the game at the beginning of the episode), the house is shocked that Nelson would put up his love interest. 

"All the pillow talk, you guys never once chatted about this?" Bananas incredulously asks Olivia, adding in a confessional: "I've been accused in the past of doing some real ruthless things but even this is way beyond my paygrade. I don't think anyone can believe this, including Olivia, but she takes it really well."

Little does Bananas or the rest of the competitors know that Olivia is not only in on the plan, but she's the mastermind. "Olivia coming up with the plan is awesome. You know, she's definitely the brains of the operation," her teammate Horacio says proudly.

The move ends up working in their favor: with Tommy and Analyse guaranteed to duke it out in The Zone, Olivia and Horacio luckily pull the Safe dagger, giving them the power to choose which in-danger team to save. They go with veterans Darrell and Veronica, sending Colleen and Kim into elimination, and giving the rookie team another bump of veteran support. 

Colleen and Kim end up victorious in the elimination round, a mix of physical endurance and puzzle acumen, which sends Tommy and Analyse packing—exactly as Olivia planned. 

Fans react to 'mastermind' Olivia, The Challenge rookie: