Last week on “Survivor 45,” viewers (and a few castaways) witnessed one of the most shocking blindsides of the new era as Kellie Nalbandian was ousted over Jake O’Kane. Jake went into tribal council so convinced he was going home that he played his Shot in the Dark, which resulted in a “Not Safe” scroll. But still, he ended up staying in the game when the four ex-Reba members (Austin Li Coon, Dee Valladares, Drew Basile and Julie Alley) plus the sole remaining ex-Lulu player (Emily Flippen), banded together to send home Kellie. Watch Jake’s fresh reaction in the “Survivor 45” sneak peek video above.
“I’m just like, wow,” Jake tells his fellow tribe mates when they arrive back at camp. “I gotta have positive energy. I mean, I’m in the game. How could I not have positive energy?” In a genius bit of editing, Jake’s excitement is intercut with Kellie’s friend Kendra McQuarrie toasting to her absence and seemingly being annoyed by what’s going on behind her.
In a private confessional, Jake laughs as he tells the audience, “Hi, I’m Jake. I’m still on ‘Survivor.’ Didn’t get booted out today.” He goes on to admit, “I was aware that I was not reading people well. But I was not aware how bad I was reading people. I had no idea that that would be Kellie. I don’t even wanna say I was left in the dark — I wasn’t even left in the same dimension.”
The 26-year-old attorney from Massachusetts notes, “But now I have a brand new opportunity to entirely change the way I’ve been playing. Knock on wood, Jakey’s not out of this.”
If Jake wants to stay in the game, he’ll need to somehow find a way to counteract the Reba + Emily alliance. The only other contestants left on the island are Kendra, Bruce Perreault and Katurah Topps, so Jake would need a fifth person to create a majority. The potentially good news for Jake fans is that three people are supposed to lose their vote this week, so depending on who those three are, it could definitely shake up the game.
Find out how it all plays out when Season 45, Episode 9, titled “Sword of Damocles,” airs Wednesday, November 22 on CBS. The first eight episodes are available to stream right now on Paramount+.
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