Oh baby. We start off with a “Previously on Survivor” segment AND we get the full opening credits? We’re eating good now. These are the kinds of things we were missing, and it’s great to see the Survivor team making at least a couple good creative choices with the 90 minute runtime.
Lulu
Emily is taking some heat from Sabiyah back at camp. Sabiyah feels like Emily was attacking the others, particularly her and Kaleb. It seems a little too much, at least based on what we saw in the premiere. It looked like Emily was only trying to save her game. Of course there could (and likely was) more that we didn’t see that might explain it better.
But the broader point still stands, as Emily just didn’t mesh with the rest of the tribe, and Sabiyah clearly doesn’t see Emily as someone she can work with in the game. Emily didn’t leave the first episode in a great position, and it looks like she’ll have quite her work cut out for her to flip that.
Emily starts idol and advantage hunting. The other Lulus sense this and start tracking her, but Brandon also uses the opportunity to look for the idol himself. He does end up finding the Beware Advantage with Sabiyah. He gives it to Sabiyah to open and take possession of, to save his vote but still know where the power and advantages are.
Take the note and lay it over the map of their tribe camp. The hole will reveal the location of the next clue. Thank you, Survivor production! This was such a drag with the bead task two seasons ago. Each tribe had the exact same thing to accomplish. It got real boring real fast to watch the tribes do the exact same things one after the other. But now? Two Beware Advantages found, and two different tasks. Let’s go!
Kaleb could be presenting himself as a lifeline to Emily. He thinks he’s starting to understand her a bit, and gives her some advice on how to better ingratiate herself with the rest of the tribe. I think it’s genuine while also being good gameplay. She had nobody, and giving her an outlet and source of comfort can go a long way toward securing a strong ally. And if Emily does try to blow things up, she might be less likely to go after the first player who showed her true kindness.
Reba
J. Maya can’t stop thinking about the tribe flag. She’s convinced the seemingly random symbols have a hidden meaning. She gets to work trying to decipher it. That’s bad for Austin, who, having found the Beware Advantage, has to figure out what that meaning is – his vote depends on it. He gets there, with the message telling him to “Dig at fallen palm tree X.”
Sifu asks if they think they would be friends if they met each other outside the game. I get that it’s an interesting topic to discuss, but not while you’re in the game! The risk of creating a super awkward situation is too high.
Julie is taking on the “mom” role of the tribe, and that makes her nervous, so she gets to work on securing some allies. She gets along with Dee, and she and Drew also connect. Drew and Austin are close, and Austin and Dee seem to be as well. Sifu appears to be the odd one out at this stage. But with the other four forming a few different twosomes, maybe rather than a true strong four, there should still be ample opportunity for Sifu to make some inroads.
Belo
Jake is starting off as a big fan of Bruce, as Bruce reminds him of lots of people back home in Boston. But one person who hasn’t fallen under Bruce’s spell? Katurah. She complains about pretty much everything he does. Bossing people around, talking about his first time on Survivor, name dropping Survivor players. But then the name he drops is *drum roll please* KANE! I’m not sure what would be funnier: Katurah thinking Kane is an actual name drop, or that he listed other players, and production wanted to have some fun and thought using the Kane clip would be funniest. Either way, bravo.
Journey
A boat arrives at each camp, to pick up one player from each. Brandon, Bruce, and Drew make the journey. It starts off as stupid as before, giving the players the chance to get to know each other before each going on their own path. Brandon is very forthcoming about the Lulu tribe dynamics, while Bruce plays it a little more reserved. Drew appreciates what Brandon did, but thinks Bruce missed an opportunity, calling it bad gameplay. As much hype as Bruce has gotten, I’m also just not sure he’s that good of a player.
The players come to a decision, risking their vote for an advantage. They have a challenge, where they have to pair up tiles with matching designs; the tiles also have numbers on the back. That will leave three odd tiles out. Using the numbers on those tiles, they solve a combination lock. It must be done within three minutes. Bruce does not play, saving his vote. Drew wins, but Brandon loses.
This is the same Brandon who actively chose to give up the Beware Advantage for fear of losing his vote. I get it that it’s not an exact 1:1 comparison, but still. I would assume the same thinking would apply. The overall strategy is the same, no?
Drew’s advantage is Safety Without Power. He can leave Tribal Council before voting. He doesn’t get to vote, but he can’t be voted against. The last time it can be played is when there are 10 players left.
Lulu
Brandon tells his tribemates the truth about losing his vote. Sean isn’t keen on hearing this, as Brandon had been the tribe’s self-proclaimed puzzle master. But he struggled in the first immunity puzzle and now this. Sean, probably rightfully, asks in a confession, where do Brandon strengths lie?
Reba
Drew tells his tribe the full truth, including the advantage, even showing them the note, trying to build full loyalty. He even goes so far as to say the Safety Without Power can be used post-merge as a tribe advantage. Austin sees this and thinks he can trust Drew as a loyal ally, so he tells him about the Beware Advantage. And Drew is all in, having found his ride or die.
Belo
Brando finds an in with the girls, who are intent on forming a girls alliance. Bruce and Jake recognize this, knowing they have some work to do. Brando is trying to keep his options open and, like Jake, is maybe getting drawn in with Bruce. Kellie also finds herself in the middle, connecting right away with Kendra and Katurah, but also enjoying herself with guys, perhaps finding her strongest partner in Brando. Three strong twosomes could make for a fun tribal council.
Challenge
One at time, the players swim to and then climb a tower. They jump off the tower, smashing a tile to release a key. They cross a floating balance beam, and swim to the end. Once they have all the keys, two players unlock their puzzle pieces to solve a coral puzzle.
Also up for grabs are fishing kits for rewards.
Katurah and Sifu sit out, and Probst announces new sit out rules. It used to be that no player could sit out back to back challenge, and the cycle would reset after each Tribal Council. But no more. Now, a player cannot sit out back to back challenges, period.
I love the new rule. I’ve always thought this should be the rule. It adds a different layer of strategy knowing the person who sits out one challenge has to participate in the next. If a player is otherwise well-positioned but very weak in challenges, that player could just sit out every immunity challenge. But if, for example, Brandon sits out and Lulu still loses, they might have more reason to vote him out rather than risk another poor performance from him in yet another immunity challenge. Players can’t hide their challenge weaknesses anymore – not completely at least.
And speaking of that, as if right on cue, Reba takes first place. and the better fishing kit, with Belo taking second and the smaller kit. Lulu, with Brandon and Sabiyah on the puzzle, lose again.
Pre-Tribal
Right out in the open, Emily says she and Brandon both know it’s between the two of them. Emily is clearly on the bottom, but Brandon has been the obvious weak link in every challenge, in every aspect. They are worried Emily might play her Shot in the Dark, but Brandon doesn’t have a vote so he can’t use his. Sabiyah also doesn’t have her vote yet, so she, Sean, and Kaleb start looking for her idol again. They find it…but it’s encased in wax. The note says she must burn the wax to officially take possession of the idol. And oh yeah, they don’t have fire, or flint to make fire, so she’s completely SOL.
Brandon knows he only has his social game to save him here, knowing he is better liked and more trusted than Emily For Emily’s part, she’s fighting too. She even gives Sabiyah her Shot in the Dark as a sign of trust.
I think that’s the analyst in Emily coming out. The Shot in the Dark gives you a 16.7% chance of staying alive. She has to figure her odds are better by playing to her strengths – and to Brandon’s weaknesses – than by relying on something with such low odds, and something that she has no control over.
Tribal Council
Whether Emily’s gamble with her Shot in the Dark was a significant factor or not, she lives to play another day, with Brandon voted out 3-0. Before Tribal, Sabiyah questioned, if they keep Emily, do they win? It’s a very fair question, and one we’ll see play out next week.
