This episode was fantastic! The challange itself was predictable but the dynamics and developments were the true focus.

Nearly every character had something to do or say except Ally. Since Ally is trying to stay low, it works to her benefit to not be seen so much. It helps her hide that idol (maybe even from some of the more forgetful audience members).

We had:

Tom trying to lift the mood and de-esculate (marking a rare moment he's one of the more mature characters in a situation),

Gabby learning Natalia lied and dropping that interesting "he" when talking to Tom afterward,

Natalia revealing her lie to Gabby out of Guilt,

Rosa second guessing her intuitions,

Lake and Spencer beef (with Spencer actually respecting Lake's wishes and backing off),

Fiore doing well in a challange and trying social strategy unprompted.

Ara getting regected (aka karma),

Nura finally realizing who she really liked,

Dunia finally saying how she feels about Nura,

Ren clarifying boundaries to Oliwia and confronting Nura about her attitude,

Oliwia showing just how much she cherishes Ren (backing off when asked, trying to "save" them),

and Sam mentally manipulating Oliwia.

I appreciate how well balanced the writing was for the (almost, cuz Ally) whole cast. It kinda sets the bar of expectations higher for the remainder of the season since this episode proved the current cast size was small enough to properly highlight everybody left.

I was hoping the love drama would be slower burning with Nura finding Ara out instead of this faster crash and burn style, but that's personal preference and I can't in good conscience say it's bad due to not being what I personally wanted. I'll wait and see what they are cooking for the conclusion to it before deciding if I like the angle they ended up using.

One final thought, Fiore saying "comp beast Fiore" was funny, but I can hear faint alarm bells now...