On 2004’s The Inferno, which pit players from Real World against delegates from Road Rules, CT and Veronica competed like their respective teams’ leaders — though CT was a newbie, he routinely performed better than his Team Red reps, and Veronica helped lead Team Blue to an eventual Season 8 victory.

Fourteen years later, though, and only five episodes into Final Reckoning, the two vets have found themselves eliminated from the game after finishing dead last in a mission that would have previously been a cakewalk for either.

So what the hell happened, and is there any chance for them to make a comeback through a future Redemption House competition?

On tonight’s episode, Veronica continued to feel pressure from CT, who criticized V for approaching the game with a lackadaisical attitude. CT bemoaned the fact that Veronica used to be one of the toughest players in the game but had lost her edge over the years and was now more content drinking wine and watching the sunset than strategizing or working out.

Sadly, CT’s point was proven in the group’s next mission, which TJ announced was a dreaded Purge challenge (translation: there would be no Armageddon vote or elimination round — instead, the last-place team would automatically be sent to the Redemption House). “Shark Bait” challenged each duo to traverse a series of ropes over open water — some were designed to look like giant steaks that would make the journey all the more difficult.

And while Brad and Kyle walked away with yet another win, Veronica couldn’t reach the first steak-rope and immediately went tumbling into the water. She blamed the folly on being the shortest girl in the game, but CT just saw mounting evidence that he was partnered with an especially weak link.

“I don’t expect Veronica to be the best but not the worst,” he lamented. “I’ll tell you what: If that was a f*cking glass of wine, she’d still be up there."

And after CT and Veronica took their collective shame-walk to the Redemption House, CT ripped into his teammate and accused her of giving up.

“I can’t even look at her while I’m here,” CT said to Paulie. “Everything’s a f*cking joke to her. … What did I do to deserve this?”

The back-and-forth eventually amounted to Veronica threatening to quit the game completely.

“I understand that he’s upset; I understand that everyone takes losing differently,” she said. “Him getting mad at me this way isn’t going to assure him a better chance of getting back into the house.”

So, if that chance ever manifests, do these two stand a chance in hell? Will CT and Veronica be able to overcome their differences and compete the way they used to, or is there too much tension between them, and is there no chance for recovery? Share your thoughts, then see how they advance as a duo next Tuesday at 9/8c.