Dave & Ana (Team NYC) start to collect their money... with crowbars? Well, just in case business needs to get done. Team NYC is sitting in the catbird seat with their numerous first-place rooms. Quite a stretch from the All-American Couple Steve & Nicole (they have to rerenovate the first two rooms) and The Rednecks Scotty & Sam. Meanwhile in LC4, Rose offers dinner instead of the $1000. Sorry, honey, it's cash only. And Sears cards. Dave deals for $400 and the flower... thing. Ana would've wanted to get $460.

Scotty & Sam are back against the monetary wall. Steve & Nicole has time issues. Both spend their money at Sears. Meanwhile, Dave & Ana are having differing opinions about a wall in the kitchen being converted into a window. Basically, Dave says "yeah yeah!" while Ana says "get a professional!" They end up taking their time to "give the other units a chance".

UC1 takes a lunch over the kitchen table they don't yet have. Steve gets an idea to call Brad & Lew in. You remember them, right? Evicted in episode 4? Lew answers the phone and the UC1 crew negotiates $1200 for the guys' service. "I just want to be able to see Barney & Rose and Dave & Ana see me & Brad helping you guys." Success!

Scotty & Sam get in a clash over work ethic, as Dave & Ana get contractors for their kitchen floor. After stopping halfway, the contractors get notice that their services are no longer required, and that Dave will handle it himself. Meanwhile, UC1's contractors are already at work on their cabinets, as Steve helps them play "Find the Microwave Plug".

Meanwhile, this is also the week for the teams to re-renovate the other rooms, so Barney & Rose take time out to finish their bathroom (if you remember, they dropped their work so that Carl & Kim would get the boot. It didn't work). So that's one of their main focuses there.

Up one, though, Dave & Ana are back to fighting over stuff. In UC2... Scotty: "You still not talking to me?" Sam: "Nope." Then the classic walk-by-and-glomp-your-other move comes into play. Dave & Ana have alternative plans to try and mend their broken fences. They won a night at a spa last episode. Did it work? Let's see... silent treatment... feeling of enemies... bottled-up angst... Yeah... Didn't have a hope in hell.

Barney & Rose get their kitchen into place. Paid a lot of good money for this to go down, and it'll go down nice and smooth unless someone throws a curve...

Now stepping up to the mound for the LC3 Evictees, number 33 and 34, Brad & Lew! Steve & Nicole welcome them to open arms. Rose & Barney... less so. "You low-life..." Scotty & Sam wanted to hire them first, but they still give them props for their move. Lower Complex confront Sam about the contracts... "Brad & Lew coming back didn't phase me." What the other two units had to say about them... did, as they played the friendship card. If I may: this is an anything-goes game. You have the start. You have the finish. What happens in between is up to you. Furthermore in times like these there are winners and there are losers, and to know that Scotty & Sam were even thinking of hiring the two without telling UC1 of it first and then to go back and chastise them for doing the same thing reeks of hypocrisy.

With 51 hours to go, Brad & Lew remember the first rule of business: get the money up front. Then it's off to work. In LC4, their kitchen is coming together quite nicely as well. Dave & Ana finally get their contractors. Strategy: "Don't screw up." The contractors go to work and totally level the place, much to Ana's... disgust?

Taking a break from the mass destruction, the men have dinner together at a roadhouse. The women have dinner together at an Italian bistro. Dave & Ana are this close to a breakup, you can tell. Nicole & Sam indirectly discuss the Guys coming back over. "I'm not going to play happy just to make someone happy."

At 34 hours left, Ana says that Dave is acting like a little bitch. "Suck it up and finish the damn kitchen."

The next morning, Steve & Nicole pretty much said... what I said, as the breakfast nook is nearing completion. Satisfied on a job well done, the two teams say goodbye one more time. Meanwhile, Rose is nearing poverty as they head to the store for wall stuff and kitchen electronics.

With 26 hours, it's another one of those mad scrambles as Barney & Rose are missing faucet parts. Unfortunately, the contractors are on their way to Vegas. The sad part is... I'm not joking. Dave's contractors are done with the floors and walls, but with 22 hours to go, do they even have time to finish the cabinets?

Everything runs short for UC1 as Steve pushes Nicole. In UC2, they're going on 36 hours of no sleep. LC3 has eight hours to go, are nowhere near completion, and pondering giving up. But will they? It's the mad dash to the finish as... *air horns* "Time's up! Tools down. Your work at the Complex Malibu is complete!" But we still have inspection to go, so....

UC1: Brad & Lew did quite a number as we see a lot of style, but a little too much cramping. Or it could be a trick of the light, I don't know. Lourdes proves that it is, indeed, a trick of the light. But she would like more light. Jason doesn't like the table legs.

UC2: Not bad either, but I'd like it a little less dark. Jason likes the tiles, and David likes the squares and the light.

LC3: Before, it was craptacular. After, it's ghetto-fabulous.

LC4: Lots of light to contrast the rest of the units' darkness. Unfortunately, the nook is creating a vacuum. The judges love it, especially the closing drawers, as Barney can't get enough of those....

Now, to the outcome of the inspection. The reward for the winning room: $5000 for professional improvements before the apartment goes to auction.

UC1 spent $20,638.96 on their kitchen, leaving a $7319.61 deficit.
UC2 spent $20,600.47 on their kitchen, leaving a $13,160.66 deficit.
LC3 spent $21,316.91 on their kitchen, leaving a $3890.06 deficit.
LC4 spent a whopping $31,987.80 on their kitchen, leaving a $26,851.08 deficit.

Most valuable is the kitchen in... UC1. Brad & Lew pay off for the AACs, as Sam gets a word in edgewise, saying that a lot of her designs are in that room. And it all goes from there, even as Sam insists that "she's done talking". Sure you are...

Next time, the buyers put their money in the players' work, as we see who walks away winners once the hammer goes down. See you soon!