This felt like such a good, wonderful, classic episode of Survivor. There was a reward challenge (remember those?) that had nothing to do with journeys or clues or hidden advantages. Speaking of which, none of the plotting about who to get out dealt with split votes, worries about idols or other advantages, or messy gameplay. It was between two people when everyone went into tribal council, and it was hard to see which way the tribe would go, but when they all cast their votes, it made total sense. It was just a good, solid episode after last week’s absolute frenzy, and I was so glad it was back.
The highlight for me is the rice negotiation that kicks off the immunity challenge. While I think they should give these players at least a bit of food, the rice negotiation is one of the better traditions we’ve gotten in the new era. Why? Because the players make choices, and choices lead to consequences, and that makes for good television. Jeff tells everyone that if four players sit out of the “Balance Balls on a Disk While Balancing on a Beam” challenge, they get a big bag of rice. Gabe tries to lower the number, but Jeff says no. Then Caroline offers that two people will give up their Shots in the Dark. (A note on plurality: it is not “Shot in the Darks” like Jeff said, just like it’s mothers-in-law rather than mother-in-laws.) Jeff again says no. Then Kyle suggests they should all give it up, except Rachel, who used hers to no avail.
I don’t understand why Sam was so reticent to give his up because the Shot in the Dark is a red herring. It’s only ever been played successfully a few times. The one time it was played to save someone who would have been voted out otherwise (Kaleb in Survivor 45) just pushed his ejection to the following week. Get rid of them. If your game is so bad that you need to use it, then there is really no saving you in the long run. Gabe sways Sam and tells him that the rice is better for his game than the Shot in the Dark because he will still have a vote, and the rice will make him better at challenges, which will give him a better shot of saving him. It is an excellent argument, and Sam relents. However, as soon as Gabe says, “I’ll be eating rice tonight, and someone else is going home,” you just know he’s doomed.
That’s because at the reward, the winning team of Sam, Kyle, and Rachel — who pushed three balls through the sand with their faces — are talking about who they want out. Kyle says he’s ready to turn on Gabe, who is the only other person seen as a physical threat because he needs to make the move on Gabe before Gabe makes a move on him, even though they are part of a block of four Tuku’s who are one vote away from having a majority. When they talk about what happens if Gabe wins immunity, they all think that the next target will become Kyle.
That’s when both Kyle and Sam say it could be Genevieve, who is still riding high after initiating the Sol vote in the last episode. Also, Rachel thinks Genevieve is gunning for her, and Teeny is pissed at Genevieve for betraying her. It seems like everyone is thinking that Genevieve is playing a bit too well.
Genevieve turning on her former tribe mates did lead to a great monologue from Teeny. She tells us that it feels like a breakup to her because she thought that Genevieve and her would go to the end, but it’s clear Genevieve doesn’t see her that way. Teeny then talks about how she came out as a lesbian, but she’s still not done dealing with issues in her life. Now that she’s figured out her sexuality, she’s still dealing with her gender, and it sounds like she’s opting to identify as non-binary. What was great about this is the edit linked it back to her game: Teeny feels a little bit adrift in life and also a little bit adrift in the game, and she is trying to figure both of those things out. I really love this because we know that Survivor’s fanbase isn’t necessarily as super liberal as many other television audiences. If we can get a trans or non-binary person on this show who can highlight the struggles these communities face, maybe we can start to make some progress and save them from being right-wing culture war scapegoats for another election cycle.
UGH, politics! Back to the game. Everyone gave up their Shots in the Dark, so they’re all in the immunity challenge, and it comes down to Kyle versus Sue, and you know Sue is working really hard to win. Why? Because we got a whole bleep-filled montage of Sue talking about how much she [BLEEP]-ing hates Kyle because he wrote her name down. Thanks to the editors for stringing that amusing interlude together.
However, it is not to be. Kyle wins his fourth immunity challenge, and he’s one away from tying the record of five wins held by six former male Survivor players. Of those six, only Tom Westman and Mike Holloway went on to win their seasons. One of those players is Ozzy Lusth, who played four times and never won. That means in 47 seasons, being a challenge beast only worked twice. Why would anyone want to win so many challenges? Sure, setting records is cool, but even though Colby Donaldson made it to the end after winning five challenges, he still didn’t win. I feel like juries don’t prize challenge wins as much as they prize the other elements that make up a great Survivor game.
Rachel has a great analogy for the game she wants to play, saying she would rather be the ocean, nudging a ship in the right direction, than the captain, who is driving the ship. The captains, like Genevieve, who orchestrate big votes, end up getting thrown overboard at the next vote, drowned by the ocean. It’s those people with more subtle games (Andy, Rachel, and, to some degree, Caroline) who seem to be flourishing, though Rachel really lobbied for Genevieve to go home, which ended up not being the case.
Once Kyle wins the challenge — and knows for sure the first time he doesn’t win, he is toast — then the Gabe versus Genevieve wrangling is on. The case against Genevieve is that she is a much more dangerous and insidious player, and if you leave her in longer, then she’ll find new ways to survive. The case against Gabe is that he is a physical threat, and he has more of a chance to save himself if he stays around. He also has the backing of Sue and, until this vote, Caroline, making them a package deal that I would argue is way more dangerous than anything Genevieve has to offer. Also, there are four Tukus, and while both Kyle and Caroline are ready to turn on Gabe, if they keep those four, they can make an easy run for the end, especially with three really loyal people heading up the alliance.
When everyone gets to Tribal Council, my jaw immediately drops. Why? Sol has had a shower and a shave and is wearing a vest with no shirt underneath. Where was this hottie hiding all season? Was Sol always the man of my dreams, and I was just too distracted by his Hello Kitty earring to notice? Damn, Sol! But the real reason we’re there is the vote, and the tribe makes the best choice, which is to vote out Gabe, saving Genevieve for next week. That just goes to show that while a challenge beast has a hard time cashing that million-dollar check, strength in the challenges is still a lot scarier for the Survivors than they would let on.
