Yanu is still ecstatic over Randen getting medevaced last week. Obviously I get it, but it’s a pretty funny – and kind of rough – juxtaposition between someone getting removed for health reasons and them celebrating their good fortune.
But getting back to the game, Bhanu tells Tiffany and Q he revealed on the journey how close Q & Tiffany and Tiffany and Kenzie are. Tiffany and Q play it off in front of him, but once they’re on their own, they have the proper reaction, that Bhanu really messed up.
But then, Q goes to Bhanu, telling him he messed up. And Bhanu says, “Did I do something wrong?” Oh my goodness dude! If the other three didn’t realize how much a liability Bhanu is (they probably did), they certainly do now. This guy is a disaster.
Siga
Jem is still keeping it a secret that she found the Beware Advantage. And even more, she re-hid it, hoping someone else would find it, sending them on a wild goose chase. While they’re out on a group idol hunt, Maria finds it, deciding to take it. With the original instructions still there, Maria starts digging, and of course isn’t finding a single thing.
The interesting thing is what happens if Siga goes to Tribal with Maria still believing she found the real Beware Advantage, and thus she doesn’t have a vote. But production would have to step in and tell her, right? You can’t opt out of voting, so why would this be different? It would be beyond beyond stupid if Survivor production actually let her go through without casting a vote.
Reward Challenge
For the first reward challenge of the season (that we’ve seen, at least), the tribes paddle in from the ocean, collecting a key along the way. Once they reach the shore, they unlock four rings. Then each player has to get one ring up and off the pole. Next is digging under a log, and then tossing the rings back onto another pole.
The first tribe to finish wins 10 fresh fish, with the second tribe winning five.
Somehow, Yanu actually wins the challenge. Nami takes second, with Maria on Siga taking absolutely forever getting her ring free. With Yanu not having a flint to cook the fish, they trade it for an earlier reward of the large tart and tool kit.
Yanu
Yanu is riding high after finally putting a W on the board. But Bhanu is still struggling. At this point, Q knows Bhanu is gone if they go to Tribal Council again. But he also knows that as long as Bhanu is in the game, he has to be the best player he can possibly be. That’s a great idea, but from what we’ve seen, Bhanu probably can’t be a very good player. Q is literally training him in the most basic Survivor strategy, teaching him how to evade questions, answer without really answering, and not giving up all the information at the drop of a hat.
Bhanu asks Kenzie for help too, but she snaps at him a little bit, sending Bhanu on a possible spiral (again). Kenzie recognizes this and eventually goes to apologize. I don’t get the sense she fully means it, though she probably does to some degree. It’s definitely more strategic, as she knows Bhanu has to be happy and content and calm, otherwise who knows what he might do or say. Bhanu seems to buy into, and it looks like it’s mended just like that. A perfect example of how malleable Bhanu is. He could prove to be a high-value alliance partner, as you basically just have to tell him what to do and he’ll do it. But you also have to be the last person to tell him something. He seems like the exact type of player who will simply listen to whoever talks to him last.
Siga
The tribe goes back to where Maria “found” the Beware Advantage, to keep digging. When they don’t find anything, everyone starts to wonder if someone found it and planted it there. The consensus comes to be that Tim was responsible. They haven’t confronted him about it yet, but so far this part of her plan couldn’t be going better for Jem.
Nami
Tevin sees how hard Soda is playing, and is worried she’s playing him just like she’s playing everyone else. Tevin is considering shifting the target from Venus to Soda. Venus is the option for tribe strength, but Soda would be the target for Tevin’s game. And others are seeing things the same way, fearing Soda’s threat level in the long term.
Immunity Challenge
One at a time, the castaways climb a tower and leap into the ocean, swim to and climb onto a crate, and jump back into the ocean. Two castaways release two nets of buoys, and brings them to another platform. Once all players are done, they sort through the buoys, looking for three with their tribe insignia. After finding all three, they shoot the buoys into three baskets.
When Bhanu goes, he somehow manages to skip the crate…
Once Hunter gets to the buoys for Nami, he rips through it, securing the first immunity for the tribe. Yanu and Siga get down to two buoys each, but Tim knocks down the third, sending Yanu back to Tribal Council…again.
Pre-Tribal
This should be one of the easiest votes in Survivor history. Kenzie, Q, and Tiffany are already set with voting Bhanu. And with Yanu not having to go to Tribal Council last week, Bhanu is still without his vote, making this even easier. He can’t even play his Shot in the Dark. Bhanu goes looking for the idol, not knowing Tiffany already has it.
At one point, Bhanu even gets on his knees, begging Tiffany to help him. It was actually a bit uncomfortable to watch. But Tiffany rebuffs him, saying “I’m not going to talk to you if you’re on your knees.”
This is the kind of player Probst wants to cast. He thinks this is good TV. I’ve had my fair share of issues with the “new era” of Survivor, but casting has been the biggest issue. The show may cast a more diverse casting net, but it feels the least diverse it’s ever been. And that comes down to the personalities of the players they cast. Just cast interesting people who want to win a million dollars instead of a million hearts! They did for 40 seasons. Survivor South Africa and Australian Survivor are literally doing it right now.
Tribal Council
What? The tribe didn’t even vote, and Bhanu didn’t quit. But based on the consensus given by Q, Tiffany, and Kenzie, combined with Bhanu not having a vote, Probst just kind of lets him leave, not making them go through with the vote. I don’t like that. Not that I think the result would have changed, but unless it’s extreme circumstances (like Jeff Varner extreme), the tribe should always vote. And what if two of the others had decided to switch and blindside somebody else? Unless there are certain extenuating circumstances, once again, always vote.
Bhanu seems like a lovely guy, but he was a truly awful casting choice, one of the worst in recent memory, maybe ever (discounting the obvious outliers, like those unnamed from Australian Outback and Island of the Idols). An abject disaster. Hopefully with him gone now, the season can open up and gain some momentum.
