Ok i want to come with a seperate argument on why the fix i propose in this post is good and here's why:
Having Alejandro specifically emasculate Cody earlier on could be used to drive home later that he doesn't care for him really, and that his alliance with him is purely superficial; Alejandro's focus at that point would be one-upping Heather and getting the million, and considering earlier events in the season, he'll have done everything in his power to not let anyone in. Because why would he? They're either disposable or mere peons. And also that he's hooked up on gender essentialism shit and this could push further that he's wrong about that outside of Heather just beating him (granted i would've done that by having him bond more with Courtney than Duncan, but this isn't "lilani tries fixing ALL of World Tour hour" now is it)
THEN you can contrast that with Heather and Sierra building an actual friendship and Heather not wanting to admit to this since it only started because she wanted to bring Alejandro down, and Sierra openly distrusts her. Have it parallel the Island alliance, but with the friendship part be genuine. So when their alliance breaks in Planes, Trains and Hot Air Mobiles you actually FEEL BAD FOR HEATHER because she lost a friend but also FEEL BAD FOR SIERRA because she thinks one of her friends just betrayed her, in the same way she did before. Peak drama!
And then, get this, you bring back up both Heather and Alejandro's familial situations. Maybe the pressure Alejandro feels (real or imaginary), or how much Heather's despises her, to maybe inject some more interiority or sympathetic motivations to them, BUT THEN SHOW HOW DIFFERENT THE CROWDS THAT SUPPORT THEM ARE by having Heather's mostly like her for who she is under the thorns while Alejandro's only like him superficially (or are invested in what's happening between him and Heather. i see you, Katie and Sadie the fujos for straights)
And, idk, have Sierra try to convince people to join with Heather? Or have Leshawna not inexplicably hate Heather again after their truce in TDA? Have Harold saying she's the "good guy" mean anything deeper than "uh ig we hate you less than the other guy".
And then, AND ONLY THEN, would i have gotten sold on antihero/redeemned Heather. because SHE WOULD BE.
She'd still be a materialistic bitch after the money, but she'd have interiority, she'd have let someone in her walls, something Alejandro either doesn't do or didn't on screen.
Like this, Heather's victory over Alejandro by rejecting him becomes a full victory, since she bested every single thing he represented, while growing as a person on top of that.