Tropes in this episode include:
- Absurd Phobia: Alec telling that his son has a phobia of sand comes of as this at first, but it's later subverted when he also tells that his son acquired that phobia after stepping on a shard of glass while playing in a sandbox and that he was so focused on the book he was reading that he didn't notice his son's screams of pain.
- Cast Full of Gay: Lampshaded trope. Trevor telling Emily that he likes Derek gets an unimpressed reaction from her, that leads to this exchange:Emily: Wow, I'm shocked... is that really it?Trevor: What do you mean is that "really it"?Emily: You think saying you're gay is something huge? Look what show we're on.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Oliver informing Kristal that they have a big problem on their hands because one of the staff members has been breaking the rules. The episode ends before Oliver elaborates on what the problem is.
- Cycle of Revenge: Gabby joins the Yellow Team when it's time to vote on the condition that they will vote for the person they want. Then she tells them to vote for Tess out of pure spite for Ellie's elimination in the previous episode.
- Disappointed in You: Riya delivers one to Grett before the challenge. After Grett lets Yul mistreat her one more time, Riya tells her in private that she used to look up to Grett in Season 1, and that now she just lets Yul push her around out of fear that he will leave her. This is a Pet the Dog moment for Riya, as she can't stand Yul's Domestic Abuse of Grett, and she also tells Grett that, the next time Yul mistreats her, she will do something about it if Grett doesn't.
- Graceful Loser: Tess takes her elimination pretty well, not even being mad at Gabby despite the fact that she told the entire Yellow Team to vote for Tess out of spite.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: Yul keeps being this, having Riya shove a coconut shell on his head for mistreating Grett, and having Jake hit him with a ball after his attempt at provoking Jake during the challenge.
- Troll: When Trevor is about to tell Emily about his true feelings for Derek, he first asks her to promise she won't judge him for it, to what Emily answers "You know I can never promise that".
