CTI Recap: Chaos, abs & Injuries (Ep 4–6)

Welcome back to ZM's Recap of Celebrity Treasure Island 2026!

Celebrity Treasure Island NZ is back, dropping a fresh batch of well-known Kiwis into a remote coastal location and stripping life back to the basics — think strategic gameplay, gruelling challenges, and very limited food. Competing for charity, contestants must outwit, outplay, and outlast each other in a high-stakes game where alliances shift fast and trust is basically currency.

The cast is split into two tribes: Wisdom vs Fury — a not-so-subtle generational divide that’s already delivering tension, ego clashes, and some seriously chaotic gameplay. Add in hunger, exhaustion, and the pressure of elimination, and you’ve got all the ingredients for peak reality TV drama.

You can watch Celebrity Treasure Island 2026 on TVNZ 2, or stream episodes anytime on TVNZ+.

Episode 4: Chaos, abs and a very real emotional turn

Episode 4 somehow manages to be both ridiculous and genuinely moving.

It opens with peak CTI chaos. Liv Parker casually asking, “What’s your favourite way to eat sausage?” (twice), setting the tone for an episode that doesn’t exactly take itself seriously.

Over on Team Kahu, things aren’t exactly thriving either. Nix Adams is struggling with bug bites and questioning how she’s supposed to “be cute on TV” while surviving in the wild (relatable crisis). 

Meanwhile, David Correos could not care less. He’s got pink zinc all over his face and is clearly past the point of worrying about appearances. Different coping strategies across the board.

There’s still gameplay happening, of course. Charity challenges roll on (with Portia, unsurprisingly, dominating), while advantage cards and leadership calls continue to shape the game.

But the real standout moment?

A surprisingly raw conversation between Nix and Simon, where she opens up about losing her young son and her struggles afterward. It's a moment Simon calls “courageous… brave… gutsy.”

It’s emotional, completely unfiltered, and a reminder that this show can hit harder than expected.

Episode 5: Momentum, paranoia and everything speeding up

By Episode 5, the game is properly moving (not emotionally this time) and for the first time, it actually feels like momentum matters.

Team Tākapu are still riding high off a string of wins, and it’s starting to show. There’s confidence in camp, a bit of swagger, and the quiet understanding that they’re in control right now. Over on Team Kahu, it’s the opposite; they’re feeling the pressure, and it’s starting to creep into how they play and how they talk to each other. 

But the biggest shift this episode is how power changes hands.

After the last elimination, Ben Barrington doesn’t just survive the challenge -  he becomes kaihautū (captain) because of how the game is structured. Winning a face-off doesn’t just keep you in, it can elevate you into a leadership role, meaning Ben now has the power to decide who goes into the next elimination. 

It’s a big jump, from fighting to stay in, to deciding someone else’s fate.

Back at camp, the tone tightens. There’s more focus on performance now, more quiet conversations about who’s pulling their weight, and a growing awareness that being on the wrong side of a decision could send you home.

Then comes the elimination and it’s a big one.

The face-off turns into a drawn-out endurance battle, with contestants pushed to their limits just to stay in the game. In the end, someone is sent home, after what’s described as a tough, hard-fought showdown. 

By the end of Episode 5, the game has clearly changed:

Episode 6: Injuries, rapid exits and the game turning brutal

Episode 6 is where things stop feeling like messy reality TV and start feeling… a bit relentless.

Because suddenly, everything is happening at once.

The challenges ramp up, the pressure is constant, and players are dropping out of the game at a pace that feels noticeably faster than the first week. Eliminations aren’t spaced out neatly anymore, they’re coming quickly, back-to-back, and it gives the whole episode a much more intense rhythm.

And then there’s the injuries.

Multiple players go down in a short space of time, including serious calf issues during a face-off, and it genuinely shifts the tone. It’s no longer just about strategy or alliances, sometimes it’s just about whether you can physically keep going. 

The exits reflect that.

One elimination plays out as a long, draining battle that pushes contestants right to the edge, while others are taken out of the game because they have no choice. 

It’s messy, it’s abrupt, and at times it’s hard to keep up - which kind of becomes the point. The game feels unpredictable in a completely different way now.

By the end of Episode 6:

• eliminations are happening faster
• injuries are shaping the game
• and no one looks particularly comfortable anymore

Six episodes in, and it’s clear:

This isn’t just chaos now.
It’s survival.

Overall takeaway (Episodes 4–6)

If Episodes 1–3 were chaotic, Episodes 4–6 are where Celebrity Treasure Island levels up.

• Emotions get deeper
• Strategy gets sharper
• Eliminations get brutal
• And injuries become a real factor

Or, as one article perfectly sums it up:
👉 “those beans and rice have officially kicked in… we got some gas” 

Translation:
everyone is tired, everything is heightened, and the game is properly on.

Treasure or Island 🏝️💰

what are you choosing?! 

While 16 celebs battle it out on Celebrity Treasure Island for $100,000 for charity, you could be winning big too 👀

Choose between an instant mystery treasure trove of cash or go in the draw to win a dreamy Rarotonga getaway ✈️🌺

Call 0800 DIAL ZM from 3pm weekdays for your chance to play.

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