By Survivor Guest Correspondent Cho
According to twitter, it is indeed XXPEN$IVE to be mean. The fall of Erika Jayne has turned my world upside down, but luckily we have the healthy distraction of SURVIVOR! I have a feeling tonight’s episode is going to be a hot mess (aren’t they all?) which is why I’m suggesting you do a quick re-read of my Too Long Didn’t Watch recap from last week. Now let’s get right into it!
TLDW
After last night’s Tribal Council, Dom and Wendell realize they’ve pissed everyone off so Dom shares that he has an idol to use against the Mololo 4 as well as Angela/Chris. In another stroke of luck, Dom receives the Legacy Idol from Morgan. Wendell and Dom promise that they are in this together.
The Survivors get to compete for PB&J sandwiches! They have to play an extremely violent version of capture the flag but in the water. The most entertaining version of this challenge occurred in the original Fans vs Favorites season. Erik literally suplexed Amanda into the water WWF-style! We get some really aggressive matchups but Laurel proves to carry Naviti to the win almost single-handedly. She’s one tough chick! This time, the person sent to Ghost Island will return for Tribal Council. Is it just me or is there literally no rhyme or reason to the twists this season??? Kellyn is chosen randomly.
Luckily for Kellyn, she gets chosen to play a game on Ghost Island. She receives the option to wager her next vote for a mysterious advantage. She contemplates risking original Naviti’s 5-4 vote advantage but ends up NOT taking the advantage! She breaks down from the stress and mentions being blindsided in her real life and how she’s had to trust her gut the last several years. It was an endearing scene. I wonder what happened with her divorce. I hear they can be very destructive for both parties involved.
While Naviti enjoys PB&J, Chris tries to figure out what the hell happened with Dom and Wendell targeting Angela. He decides they should jump in with the 4 Mololo and demands that they split votes between Domenick and Wendell. Naturally, the idea of working with Chris repulses Laurel and Donathan, so they decide to align with Dom/Wendell. Dom reveals his true idol which makes Laurel trust him. I don’t know if I would still trust him though. What do you think?
We get to the immunity challenge which involves carrying a heavy chest through some obstacles and then shooting balls on top of a narrow ledge. Desiree’s glasses are SO cute! They’re chunky but in an understated way. What type of glasses do you like? I need a new pair and would love recommendations in the comments! Naviti struggles throughout the first two-thirds of this challenge. It’s so embarrassing! I guess the PB&J didn’t help at all and neither is the team as Chris literally screams for help. Sebastian and Brendan take too long shooting. Naviti ends up coming back from way behind to win, and I know we are all excited that Chris avoids yet another sure-to-be-voted-off tribal council!
Back on Mololo, it appears simple that the original Naviti 5 will stick together. Kellyn is happy she didn’t take the advantage back on Ghost Island for this exact reason. Brendan tries to give the sad tribe a pep talk. Bradley gives us the douchiest confessional so far this season, and mocks Brendan. Remember when I said he’d be awful? Stephanie gives us a confessional crying about failing her kids after being stonewalled by Bradley. I hate him so much. We find out that some girl named Chelsea is on the island who says they should vote off Michael in case they have an idol. The irony is that he ACTUALLY has the idol. My lover-boy Sebastien actually feels bad that the two strongest guys are being targeted knowing that he fits that description just as well.
While Bradley trashes the original Mololo in all his smugness, Michael reveals to the girls that he will use his idol for their group. Jenna and Stephanie literally cry from there being a glimmer of hope. Michael vows that he’s not going to walk out with an idol in his pocket like James from China did. Michael is so well-spoken. I’m honestly impressed by him this episode.
We get to Tribal Council, and I am so worried for my original Mololo. Stephanie, Brendan and Michael all take shots at Bradley for being arrogant, a complainer and a total prick. They bring the heat really hard and Bradley tries to pretend like he doesn’t know why he’s being targeted. Desiree and Kellyn back Bradley up and it appears to be a full on showdown. They try to flip Sebastien and Chelsea who they think are on the bottom. Michael makes a convincing case and lies about the power of his idol being able to save two people. Stephanie’s vote against Bradley is SCATHING! Michael ends up playing his idol on Stephanie, but the vote is 5-4 against Brendan. My heart. I feel personally victimized by this vote.
The previews show Jenna and Sebastian flirting as well as Chris and Donathan bonding. That latter duo is quite the unlikely pair! I can barely focus as I mourn the loss of our hottest Survivor dad in history. Second Chances season please!!
Cho’s Top Takeaways
All Risks Aren’t Worth It
While Kellyn is a super fan of the show, she didn’t let her excitement turn into overzealousness. There was definitely an opportunity for her to gain a greater long term advantage while on Ghost Island, but it would have definitely put her in danger at the next Tribal Council. The way she rationalized this was perfect and should be noted. Just imagine if Kellyn was unable to vote in tonight’s tribal council? Does Sebastian go to rocks for original Naviti? I highly doubt it.
Never Give Up
As cliche as this sounds, it applies to every season in Survivor. Once again, we see it illustrated early on this season in tonight’s immunity challenge. While Naviti was objectively awful at the challenge, there is always a chance to succeed and we saw exactly that. In terms of tribal council, we saw a great effort from the original Mololo. While they didn’t succeed in breaking them up, we see from the previews that there are indeed cracks in Sebastien’s loyalty. Michael holding on to his idol would have been a major mistake in my opinion, but I want to know what you all think in the comments below.
The Importance Of Being Likable
I know we sort of talked about this last week, but it can’t be stressed enough this season that simply being likable can serve you well. Chris comes back from Ghost Island and instantly starts trying to be the ringleader on rallying everyone against Wendell/Dom. Instead of taking a seat and letting people come to him, he once again displayed his aggressive social game which instantly backfired. While Domenick has made countless strategic mistakes, at least people tend to like him, which is why Laurel and Donathan chose to assuage his concerns about the next vote.
What did you all think about the latest episode?! Are you as upset as I am about Brendan being voted off? Are you even more upset that Bradley, king of complaints, is still in the game? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget that I’m always LIVE-TWEETING the episodes on my twitter account. Send me tweets to make me feel better about tonight’s outcome.
Please No Spoilers In Comments
I am heartbroken.
I am so bummed Brendan (aka Mr. Shapiro) is out. I really thought he would make it further. I’m sure his students are bummed too! ☹️
I am devastated. He’s such a cool person. I’m sure he had a lot of people hoping he would have done better. Another player bites the dust to an unlucky Switch situation. He was always so perceptive too. He just couldn’t shake being a threat to others.
It was really upsetting for sure. Tribal switches can be rewarding from a viewers standpoint, but some amazing characters have been lost because of them, too.
I don’t believe they thought he was most threatening than the other 3. I believe he was the safest vote to avoid an idol. They’re playing a linear game, right now, which makes sense from their perspective but is frustrating as a viewer.
Hey there! Thank so much for stopping by the site. My heart flutters.
There are so many great characters that have suffered from tribal switches. A case can be made for many, but especially these last two boots. Frustrating is the only word that seems to fit the way I feel right now.
I think original Naviti feel spooked by the fact that Morgan is gone and have decided that their only choice is to really stick with their current 5. Things are never that simple, but from an objective perspective, they definitely made the right move. Kellyn is very perceptive.
I am Team Michael now but I fear for him too.
I’m definitely team Michael as well. Episode just ended not too long ago. Hope you stick around for the next recap. 🙂
I don’t understand why Michael didn’t play the idol for Brendon, instead of Stephanie. Why take her out when they could take a strong man out? I’m still not feeling this season. Which makes me sad since I’m a devoted, every season since the beginning fan.
It’s a dilemma of playing reverse-reverse-reverse-reverse psychology. Will the enemy alliance target a weaker member or a stronger? Will they think that we know what they’re thinking so they switch their plans? What if they know that we know what they’re thinking so they switch their plan?
Hopefully my ridiculous illustration sheds some light on how difficult these situations can be. Regardless, it was going to be a 50/50 shot AT BEST whether Michael played it on a guy or girl. It came down to a guessing game, and if I were him, I would have played it on MYSELF.
Desiree was right. They didn’t go after an easy target in Steph/Jenna. And between Michael/Brendan, they went after the “lesser” threat. Ugh, such a frustrating outcome though.
Wait, Even I bought that he was using it on himself and someone else. It was only good for one person? I LOVE MICHAEL EVEN MORE! I was working while watching and yet I still can’t believe I misunderstood this. I would have used it on myself as well.
He LIED. It only works for one person, but the way he said it made me believe him too! LOL I actually love Michael too now. He tried using that lie as a way to make Sebastien flip. I hope he sticks around.
That was brilliant. He was like, the guy left with TWO IDOLS in his pocket so I get to save TWO PEOPLE. I believed it all.
Yeah, even when he said it, I was thinking like “duh that makes total sense”. I wonder if he will carry on with the lie the next episode and say that he still has an idol to use or if he will fess up to the truth. I want him to do well.
He revealed the idol before the vote. No one was therefore going to waste a vote on him, he had no need to use it on himself.
Exactly. They were deciding between him and Brendan before. That probably ensured that they would vote against Brendan. It’s such a travesty. The way he hustled at Tribal Council was impressive. Very good effort. I would say he beat the curse of James.
Bradley has utterly no self awareness. He REALLY pissed me off when he compared himself to Boston Rob, not because I have attachment to BR but because I laughed so hard my vodka cran came out my nose! There is ZERO comparison in their game play, strategy or social. Was devastated no one flipped on him.
Not sold on Ghost Island. I don’t mind when the producers mix things up during the game because I can understand they have make unplanned tweaks to keep things moving etc but I dislike how they are using this twist. If the winning team can’t choose a player they should be forced to draw rocks themselves and one of their own goes. And to determine if the person going to GI gets to play they should have to draw a stone (white they play black the don’t) so it’s completely random if a person gets to play or not.
Omg I know. The Boston Rob comparison was so cringe-worthy. I can’t stomach Bradley, but at least he makes a good instant-villain, which is really needed this season. I don’t count Chris or Domenick, since they’re both knuckleheads, and Domenick is actually likable.
total agreement on Ghost Island twist. You would think they would have learned from last season’s production intervention with the F4 “advantage” they gave Chrissy and the backlash they received. They need to be CONSISTENT with the twist mechanics. Why is it this time that Kellyn got to go back to camp for TC? How is it decided when someone gets to play a game or not? I also agree that there should be a punishment for not being able to choose a player to send.
Maybe I’m just blinded by his blue eyes, chiseled jaw and wash board abs, but I don’t think Chris is that big of an ass. I think that it comes down to it’s not what you say it’s how you say it. I don’t like the way he speaks “at” others instead of asking for their opinion. I’m impressed with Michael. He is very well spoken without coming across arrogant or aggressive. I can’t believe he is only 19. Thank you for the recap.
I understand your point of view on Chris, and I actually agree. Like I’ve said in the last two recaps, what Chris is actually saying MAKES THE MOST SENSE. That being said, it doesn’t matter, because he comes off as an ass to everyone he interacts with, even his own allies. Not counting Sebastian, because he’s a lover boy who gets manipulate easily.
Michael’s stock went way up in my books after this past episode. He’s everything you said plus more. I don’t think I’d be as calm cool and collected as he is in the game.
Thank you so much for commenting. Recapping the show is fun, but the true joy I get is from interacting with everyone in the comments, so thank you for the support. <3
Chris is the kind of asshole I used to date when I could still pull hot guys. lol. Gorgeous, but an utter asshole. I can’t say I’d mind looking at him for a few more weeks though…
Omg I’m imagining you pulling the hottest studs right now! My Aunt TT back in the day!! *snaps whip*
Loved Michael’s cool-headed play at Tribal… very impressive for a young player. Same comment I made last week – I don’t like Ghost Island… it’s not consistent and it’s so completely producer driven which allows production to drive the game too much. I get that Kellyn didn’t play so she could preserve her vote, but it was still boring, IMO. I had no idea who half the players were this week – with the early tribe swap I think it’s been a difficult season to learn who the players are. I still love Survivor but I don’t think I’m loving this season.
I was also very impressed by Michael. He got me to believe everything he was saying at Tribal council hook line and sinker!
Kellyn’s choice was definitely the boring one, but a better strategic move for her. It definitely paid off in the end. I wonder if the same choice will be given to the next person to go onto Ghost Island. The lack of consistency is REALLY making me not like the Ghost Island twist. I had high hopes.
Yeah, it is difficult to identify the players. Hopefully we get better representation of everyone moving forward and QUICK!