The campers are divided into hunters and deer, with the hunters using paintballs to hunt the other team's deer. Courtney and Duncan end up lost together and literally lock horns while Beth's tolerance of Heather's bossiness and mistreatment of her reaches a breaking point.
Tropes:
- Acrofatic: Owen was extremely manoeuvrable when it came to chasing down DJ, for what we can assume is a very long time. This is in contrast to some of his later appearances were he's winded by the slightest instance of exercise. This also does absolutely nothing to improve his aim.
- Bears Are Bad News: Cody gets mauled by one, the reason for his elimination.
- Beware the Nice Ones:
- DJ throws Owen off the cliff after the latter had been chasing down the former for almost the entire game.
- Beth tells off Heather and breaks off the alliance after being pushed too far.
- Bridgette was pretty hesitant to be a hunter, but when she, Harold, and Geoff spot Heather, she makes sure to paint her good. Twice.
- Berate and Switch: Chris berates the Gophers for stealing from Chef, having food in the woods, being mauled by bears, and blasting their own team. He then proceeds to tell them that it was awesome, precisely because it made great TV and therefore will increase the show's ratings.
- Blind Without Them: Leshawna is revealed to have bad vision, which causes her to accidentally shoot Heather due to not recognizing her from a distance. This of course is never mentioned in any other episode.
- Body Wipe: With Owen, as he is falling down from a cliff after DJ tosses him off after he fails to get DJ out of the game.
- Bring It: Beth refuses to do Heather's bidding any longer and an argument ensues. As threats are made, Heather taunts Beth to "Bring it, dweeb!" She reiterates this line to Beth when Leshawna enters the scene.
- Butt-Monkey: Cody gets berated by Chris and voted off by his teammates for getting mauled by a bear. Heather also gets shot at more times than anyone else throughout the episode.
- Chase Scene: We get an extended one of Owen chasing DJ throughout the challenge, culminating in DJ throwing Owen off the thousand-foot cliff.
- Comically Missing the Point: Owen douses himself in pee to hide his scent, specifically for this challenge. When he's told that they aren't hunting actual deer, he simply complains that he collected all that pee for nothing.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The Killer Bass easily win the paintball challenge due to DJ’s skills at evasion, the Gopher’s inability to land a single shot on the bass deer, and Heather’s bossy behavior. All Bridgette, Harold, and Geoff had to do to win the challenge was find Heather to secure victory because of this.
- Curse Cut Short: The campers are served beans for breakfast to everyone's chagrin except Owen's. He is inspired to sing about it: "Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you f–," failing to finish "fart" when someone, either Heather or Chris, "beans" him with a can of beans.
- A Day in the Limelight: This episode focuses on Beth and her standing up to Heather.
- Death Glare: DJ shoots one at Owen before throwing him off the cliff.
- Does Not Like Spam: Heather tells Beth not to bring her barbecue-flavored chips.
- The Dog Bites Back: After Leshawna "accidentally" hits Heather in the head with a paintball, Heather demands Beth's paintball gun so she can retaliate. Instead, Beth shoots Heather in the thigh, giving her a leg cramp.
- Epic Fail: The infighting among the Screaming Gophers causes them to lose the challenge in spectacular manner, including none of the Gopher members succeeding in shooting any Bass members with paintballs. Cody getting mauled by a bear, and Owen's failure to get Duncan and DJ also go under this.
- Exposition Already Covered: When Chris does the same explanation about the camper who doesn't get a marshmallow has to leave the island, Gwen cuts him off and quickly finishes it for him so they can move on, which angers Chris.Chris: There are only seven marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper—
Gwen: [quickly] Who does not receive a marshmallow must immediately return to the "Dock of Shame", catch the "Boat of Losers" and leave. Can't we just get this over with?
Chris: Fine. Whatever. Spoil the moment. - Gasshole: Owen's trait of this almost blows his cover when he's hunting DJ, and definitely blows his cover when hunting Duncan.
- Gassy Gastronomy: Chris provides the campers with cans of beans for breakfast. Owen sings, "Beans, beans, they're good for your heart, the more you eat, the more you— " before somebody throws a can at his head and shuts him up.
- Game-Breaking Injury: Cody being mauled by a bear quickly results in the team eliminating him, given that he’s no longer useful and would probably get even more horribly injured if he continued to compete.
- Gilligan Cut: Cody talks about how despite his failings, he couldn't possibly be voted off by his team... which is then followed by confessionals from Leshawna and Owen talking about why they're voting him off.
- Grew a Spine: Beth stands up for herself against Heather.
- Groin Attack: Courtney kicks Duncan in the kiwis after he makes some innuendo about their time lost in the woods together.
- Kick the Dog: After Lindsay finishes gathering berries for Heather, the latter, seething over Beth's betrayal, knocks the berries out of Lindsay's hands.
- Little "No": When Heather demands that Beth go back to the lodge to get her dill pickle-flavored chips, Beth gives a soft spoken but firm "No". Of course, Heather does not take Beth's defiance lightly.
- Male Gaze: When Courtney confronts Duncan for spray tagging a tree, the camera focus on her butt for a few seconds.
- Mercy Kill: The Gophers' elimination of Cody comes off as this, seeing as he's barely able to move.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Heather's prior treatment of Beth, combined with her forcing Beth to guard her and fetch her chips, and have to deal with Chef as a result, causes Beth to break off from the alliance, and then plaster Heather with paintballs.Beth: (in confessional, after stealing a bag of chips from the main lodge) So I'm running for my life from this psycho chef, then all of sudden, it hits me! I'm doing this for Heather?! I don't even like her!
- Nature Tinkling: Heather hogs the bathroom early in the morning. As she takes her leisure time showering, all other girls have to hold it in until she lets them in. Gwen doesn't care to wait and goes lumberjack style in the woods.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Granted, Heather had it coming, but Leshawna and Beth plastering her in paintballs not only wasted time and paint that could be spent on their actual enemies, but the Bass use the opportunity to fire on them amidst the scene.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Heather trying to get Beth back into her alliance alerted Sadie to Beth, who had a clear shot.
- Not So Above It All: Duncan, of all people, is terrified when the helicopter Chris is piloting wakes everybody up.
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: When Beth finally stands up for herself, Heather attempts to coerce Beth back into rejoining her alliance. Beth refuses, standing up against her.Heather: I am giving you one... last... chance!
Beth: Why?! Because you know you can't win without your little alliance?!
Heather: I can make your life miserable here!
Beth: You already do, Miss Come-Put-Lotion-On-My-Nasty-Alligator-Skin! What do I have to lose?! - Oh, Crap!: Heather, when she is surprised to see Beth getting a marshmallow, then realizes that it's now down to her and Cody. For the first time in the season, she looks genuinely afraid that she's about to be voted off until the axe falls on Cody instead. Her reaction afterwards makes it clear that she knows she dodged a bullet there.
- Ordered Apology: Heather attempts to get one out of Beth for defying the alliance; however, Beth remains steadfast and refuses to bend the knee, also noting that with one member of the alliance down Heather really doesn't have much power.
- Out-of-Character Moment:
- Bridgette is very enthusiastic about hunting down the other team, though she has to have an explanation by Harold first, and the only person she is enthusiastic about hitting is Heather, who definitely deserves it.
- The normally meek DJ throws Owen off a cliff. But then again, Owen had acted as a Super-Persistent Predator towards DJ.
- Out of Focus: Trent and especially Gwen, who are typically among the more in-focus members of the Gophers, have very limited roles in this episode, more or less vanishing after the deer hunt starts. With both being deer, them not being seen or shot with paint can be seen as a success in its own right.
- Plot Armor: Cody being mauled by a bear was the only thing that kept Heather from being eliminated.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title:
- The title is a play on the film The Deer Hunter.
- On Apple TV, the episode is called "Bad Will Hunting", a play on the film Good Will Hunting.
- Potty Emergency: When Heather is taking too long in the washrooms, we see a queue of all of the girls left desperately wanting to go in. Gwen eventually gives up on waiting, deciding to go "lumberjack style" (read: in the woods).
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Heather does this when Beth becomes defiant.Heather (after Beth refuses her order) Take it back!
Beth: No!
Heather: Take... it... back!
Beth: No! I'm tired of being your slave! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a challenge to complete. - Rage Breaking Point: Beth's patience with Heather's bossiness finally runs out, with Beth breaking off the alliance.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Beth gives one to Heather, stating that the reason why their team keep losing challenges is that Heather is too busy being mean and bossy to care.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Heather demands that either Lindsay or Beth lotion her back, Lindsay sneaks away, leaving Beth to do the task.
- Ship Tease: The kiss on the cheek Beth gives Cody as he leaves.
- Shout-Out:
- Chris wears a Rebel Flight Suit when flying the helicopter.
- Owen calls Duncan "Bambi" after seeing him in the deer gear.
- Stupid Evil: Even though Lindsay and Beth are chosen as hunters, Heather makes them waste time getting snacks for her when they should be hunting the other team’s deer to win the day’s challenge. She also interrupts Beth when she has a clear shot at Sadie, who immediately books it.
- Super-Persistent Predator: Owen attempts to be this towards DJ, then Duncan but ultimately fails.
- Tempting Fate: Heather says that she is not going to be a deer, only to be forced into becoming one seconds later.
- Throat-Slitting Gesture: Beth stands up against Heather and as such Heather sets out to get her voted off. Thinking she's got the votes arranged, she locks eyes with Beth and drags her finger across her neck during the campfire ceremony. However, her threat is ruined when Beth receives a marshmallow at that exact moment.
- Unfriendly Fire: After Leshawna "accidentally" hits Heather with a paintball, Leshawna, Heather, and Beth get into a paintball fight, which results in the Gophers' loss.
- Ungrateful Bitch: Heather acting like one is what pushes Beth over the edge.Heather: (as Beth comes back with a bag of chips) What took you so long?!
Beth: Here! I hope you know what I had to go through to get those...
Heather: (snatches the bag out of Beth's hands and shakes it) There's like... eleven chips left! (sniffs the bag) And they're barbecue! (throws the bag down) Go exchange them for dill pickle! - Visual Pun: Duncan and Courtney get their fake antlers stuck together. They literally lock horns.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The Screaming Gopher girls start an argument that escalates into them shooting their paintballs at each other instead of hunting down the Killer Bass like they're supposed to. The Bass hunters take advantage of their distraction and blast them with paint.
- "You!" Exclamation: Leshawna accidentally shoots Heather. Heather can't utter worse than "You!" before she attempts to shoot Leshawna right back.
