Suvechha Sarkar
Season 2 of Fox’s ‘Extracted’ continues to push the survivalists to the limits of their physical and emotional endurance as they battle the wilderness and freezing temperatures. Episode 5, appropriately titled ‘A Juicy Power Play’, turns the heat up in ways no one sees coming. After Eric’s extraction in the previous episode, the families at the Headquarters (HQ) begin improving their gameplay as new alliances form. With another survival trial ahead, the remaining eight contestants must prove their trustworthiness to avoid a new target being placed on their backs. The game may change again due to a new power-play card, which can also create a rift between the families.
Strategy Intensifies as a Shared Steak Becomes the Ultimate Test of Character
The tenth day in the wild begins with eight remaining survivalists, living on the little food their families have managed to send them from the Headquarters (HQ). As the new morning rolls in, Lynsey notes that Rhoman usually eats a lot of food, so it’s unlikely for him not to eat. However, Dallas quickly adds that his brother is quite positive, which highlights how strong he is. On the other hand, Summer shares that she has not had any food since eating the bird and has only consumed water. Shortly after, the attention shifts to Alec, who feels that since they are halfway through the competition, someone needs to make the first move. He states that if they don’t do it, it will be done against them. Alec explains that this is the reason he and Dayton have made a plan with Katie’s family to target Polly.
The focus shifts to Polly, who reveals that she is both cold and hungry. In her confessional, she shares that if a person has been through chemotherapy, they become good at suffering because, although it is brutal, she is still here. She emphasizes that she is a fighter and she wants to prove that cancer hasn’t beaten her. In the meantime, Molly notes that she and Bailey’s mission is to get Polly as far into the game as she can physically go. Moreover, they will continue to compete with integrity without deliberately being cruel. As the spotlight falls on Katie, she admits that she needs food or a sleeping bag. Soon after, Emily discloses that she has four sisters, and they all grew up close to one another. While Katie is the second oldest, she is in the middle, while Carly is the youngest.
Emily feels that Carly gives her youngest sister energy and doesn’t take everything seriously, but Carly insists she can be serious when she needs to. Carly further states that she wants Emily to see her as an adult, not as a younger sister. The energy shifts at HQ as soon as an announcement of a survival trial is made. For this trial, a 16-ounce steak is cooking in the wild, which has 65 grams of protein and more than 1,000 calories. It is enough to sustain the survivalists for days, but they have to share it. Each of them will encounter the steak one by one with instructions to take as much as they need to win. The families at the HQ receive 3 minutes to rank the contestants from most trustworthy to least, which will determine the order in which they’ll approach the steak.
A Food Trial Exposes Cracks at HQ as Contestants Wrestle With Their Instincts
It makes families worry because while some contestants may get the entire steak, others may end up with nothing. As the 3 minutes on the clock begin ticking, Doug’s family volunteers to go last, noting that when they discussed this challenge at home, they had decided to be in the last position. When Makala says that Amey should go first, Daniel becomes upset because he feels Makala always likes to dictate everything. He quickly states that early in the game, Katie, Polly, and Luke stepped out, and since they are trustworthy, they should go first this time. As time comes to an end, it is revealed that the order in which the survivalists will have the steak is: Amey, Katie, Polly, Luke, RJ, Rhoman, Summer, and Doug.
The competitors are soon informed about the survival trial and instructed to head to a clearing at the south end of the lake. Following the order, Amey is asked to head to the food first. As soon as she arrives, she learns that the food will also be shared among the other contestants. Back at the HQ, Skyler notes that although he wants her to eat, all eyes are now on her, and he trusts her completely to make the right choice. Amey eventually chooses to cut the steak lengthwise, taking a minimal portion. Although Katie takes a small portion, everyone at HQ notices that Polly takes a larger piece than the others. Seeing that, Alec begins to worry that not enough protein may be left by the time Doug gets his turn. When Luke arrives at the spot, Daniel reveals that since childhood, he and his siblings have been taught to share and to just take their portion.
As time passes, Luke, RJ, Rhoman, and Summer each take a small piece of the meat. When Sage notices Summer crying during her turn, he discloses that although everyone knows his sister as the pageant queen, she is actually a cutthroat tomboy who can prove to be a formidable competitor during a soccer game. Lastly, when Doug arrives at the spot, he carefully examines the steak to estimate how many competitors ate the protein before him. Unfortunately, he mistakenly thinks there are still people behind him, which prompts Doug to take a little piece of the meat. Although disappointed, Alec remarks that Doug’s actions only show his father’s selflessness. As every contestant is still on a high after eating the steak, Amey notes that since she grew up with absolutely nothing, she now has eater’s guilt.
Emily Secretly Secures a Power Play Card That Can Shift the Entire Game
Instead of sitting down, Rhoman goes to the lake to catch fish, and when he succeeds, he expresses his happiness that he took only a small piece of the meat. Alec remarks to Emily that Rhoman is both mentally and physically strong. He continues that Emily’s sisters are the only people he will be happy to see win. Alec divulges that, since he and his brother have an alliance with Emily and Carly, they will go after Rhoman, whom they consider the strongest competitor. Moreover, they decide to target Polly and Luke, since they are formidable opponents as well. Eventually, the next morning finally rolls in, and Polly reveals that she feels dehydrated. While Rhoman isn’t worried about his energy after the food he ate the previous day, Katie is concerned, noting that her chest has been hurting.
In the meantime, the monitor next to Sage suddenly shows a message: A power card planted has been plated in HQ. Find it, keep it secret, and turn the tables on the competition. Since he becomes the first person to notice it, he immediately begins searching for the card. One by one, every family at the HQ also comes across the message and begins their search. Sage mistakenly finds a four of diamonds card and assumes that it may be the power card they are looking for. The focus then shifts to Emily, who finds something stuck under one of the HQ racks. As she begins to pull the card, she notices Skyler is in the same room, prompting her to be discreet as she hides the card in her pocket. Despite that, Skyler notices Emily and informs everyone about the incident at the HQ.
When Emily notices every family member talking about her getting the card, she asks Carly to pretend not to know anything. It doesn’t take long before Katie’s family is summoned to the supply room. Upon entering the room, they are informed that, having received the power card, they must make three crucial decisions. For the first task, they must gift a sleeping bag to a survivalist by placing it in the person’s crate. Instantly, they decide to put it in Katie’s crate since she has been begging them for one. For their second decision, they must take an item from any survivalist by filling out a card kept before them and placing it in their crate. Although Emily and Carly become nervous about making a negative choice, they decide to go through with it for Katie. After much contemplation, they decide to take Rhoman’s sleeping blanket away.
Emily and Carly’s Decisions Spark Outrage at HQ After Polly Loses Her Sleeping Bag
For their last choice, Emily and Carly must take an item from any survivalist and give it to another competitor. The sisters immediately reflect on their conversation with Tanisha, Alec, and Dayton, where they discussed targeting Polly. Although they consider Luke for a short period, they ultimately decide to take Polly’s sleeping bag and give it to Doug. Emily and Carly become worried about the consequences that they may have to face because of their choice, since everyone at the HQ already suspects they have received the power play card. As they enter the broadcast room, the message announcing the supply drop appears, informing the families that a power card has been played. The survivalists are then instructed to pick up their crate from the lakeshore. However, Amey, Summer, Luke, and RJ are left disappointed upon finding their crates to be empty.
When Katie finally gets her sleeping bag, Emily becomes nervous, thinking about what lies ahead. However, Lynsey becomes upset when Rhoman’s blanket is taken from him. In his confessional, Dallas states that they are at a point in the competition where supplies are being taken from others to break each other’s resolve. He remarks that everyone must now watch out because he isn’t playing for fun anymore. Polly’s family soon faces heartbreak when they discover that the contestant has to surrender her sleeping bag. Bailey expresses her frustration, stating that Polly doesn’t even have fire, so she will have no comfort when night temperatures are expected to drop below 30 degrees. As Molly walks away crying, Bailey states that now Polly will not be able to go on.
Meanwhile, Doug receives a sleeping bag, but other family members point out that the contestant already has a blanket. Tanisha becomes upset because after her last strategic conversation with Emily, she expected the sisters to have RJ’s back. Shortly after, Lynsey walks up to Emily and Carly and asks them about their decision. Emily tries her best to explain that they chose to take Rhoman’s sleeping bag away because he has food. When Lynsey asks about Polly, Emily reveals that she considers Polly one of their top contestants. As Lynsey and Luke’s family confront Emily and Carly, Makala steps in, asking everyone not to keep firing questions at the two young women. However, Daniel asks Makala not to insert herself in every situation.
Two Suspicious Orb-Like Objects in the Freezing Water Hint at a New Twist
As Bailey and Polly sit outside HQ, the former runs into Carly. Bailey tells Katie’s sister that if she and Emily want to talk to them, then they can come outside. However, as time passes and the sisters don’t arrive, Molly observes that their opponents will not show up. She further adds that Emily and Carly have made a bad decision, which reflects poorly on the two young women. In the meantime, at the HQ, Alec and Daniel praise Katie’s sisters for making a hard decision and sticking by it. On the other hand, as more than 20 minutes pass by, Molly notes that Emily and Carly are not courageous enough to confront them. However, she is soon proven wrong as the sister arrives and apologizes to Molly and Bailey.
When Emily tries to explain that their choice wasn’t personal, Molly points out that they could’ve chosen Luke, given his young age. However, Emily once again remarks that she and Carly felt it was the best decision for Katie. Soon after, the families receive a weather alert that the temperatures have dropped below freezing. Although Molly watches Polly endure the cold, she decides not to extract her until her sister says so. Things take a turn as some of the families watch two drones drop a blinking, orb-like object into the lake. Meanwhile, unable to sleep, Rhoman decides to head to the lake for some water, but he is surprised to see lights there. He begins wondering what that means for the competition. It remains to be seen in the next episode what the object may lead the contestants to.
