By Survivor Guest Correspondent Cho
I just finished an epic mukbang stream fueled by a bottle of prosecco, so excuse the vulgarity as we embark on what is sure to be a ridiculously dramatic episode of Survivor! If you didn’t know, I am a live vlogger on the site, Twitch. Be sure to check out my content there! I know tonight is going to be a doozy, so let’s not waste anymore time and get right into it!
Too Long Didn’t Watch
We get right to the meat of things where the tribes are forced to drop their buffs. They’re split into 3 tribes of 5. NuNuMalolo includes Michael, James, Desiree, Kellyn and Angela. The new green tribe, Yanuya, includes Sebastian, Jenna, Wendell, Laurel and Chris. Finally, NuNuNaviti is Bradley, Donathan, Libby, Domenick and Chelsea.
When Yanuya gets to their new camp, Wendell returns a sea shell necklace to Sebastian. Obviously, Sebastian sees this as some sort of bond that they will have for an eternity, because he’s a lovesick puppy dog. Sebastian and Chris see Domenick as the reason why they haven’t been able to connect on a deeper level with Wendell. He does admits that he was always in the middle and laments having to hear Chris gloat about himself. We then get a series of confessionals and scenes of Chris doing exactly this. Remember when I said I was #TeamChris in the comments section last week? I take it back. Laurel lies to him saying he should TOTALLY be a motivational speaker. Oh Laurel, you are so shady, and I love it!! “For some crazy reason, people think models are self-absorbed.” says Chris. Could he not be anymore unaware of how he comes off? Everyone decides that it’s better to stroke his ego while he digs his own grave. I’d rather CBS stop showing him speak altogether. Then, we can just watch him do hot things in the challenges. Does anyone else agree?
On NuNuMalolo, Desiree is worried about Angela, who clues them in on the battle between Domenick versus Chris. Once Kellyn hears about original Naviti targeting Angela, she becomes increasingly concerned that James and Michael will have the advantage. Kellyn and Desiree look extremely uncomfortable as Angela proclaims how happy she is that Mololo saved her from being voted off.
We finally get to NuNuNaviti where our favorite prick, Bradley, is gloating about how amazing things are on this camp! Chelsea cries about how amazing it is to have food and coffee. Wow, is this Chelsea’s first confessional of the season?! What a shame that she’s gotten a horrible edit. Domenick is relieved to not be on a tribe with Chris for once so he goes on to talk talk talk. He calls Libby the Devil in an angel’s body and Parvati 2.0. Not a good thing to be called this early in the game for Libby…
We get to the first 3-way challenge which looks pretty exciting! Oh wow it’s the famous blindfolded scream-o challenge!! Ok if you haven’t seen this, it’s simple: everyone is blindfolded except for a leader from each tribe. Leaders direct their teammates through an obstacle course picking up puzzle pieces and you get the idea. Desiree, Wendell and Domenick are the leaders of their perspective tribes.
This immunity challenge NEVER gets old in terms of entertainment factor! Enemy tribes ended up fighting over the same bag while their leaders scream at them. Naviti is doing absolutely awful. People are falling everywhere, and it’s just so hilarious! It’s kind of like watching babies fall, because they’re so clumsy. Is that wrong of me to say? Desiree sounds like she’s out of her voice, but leads her team to an early lead. Omg, so many people running into stuff! Now, leaders have to guide blindfolded members in a puzzle. Desiree hasn’t made any progress screaming nonsense at her team. Wendell, who came from behind, is now guiding his tribe with calm, cool and collective communication. Yanuya wins, and we’re left wondering which struggling tribe will finish next. Desiree is literally screaming so loud, but she ends up being unsuccessful despite the long lead. No one is sent to Ghost Island, and this is the point where we throw this twist in the garbage.
Back on the losing tribe, Desiree is crying about how bad she did in the challenge. She says she’s used to exceeding expectations, but that she feels like a huge loser. Despite her knowing it should be her, she says she’s still a player and will target James since no one has a connection with him. Michael and James realize they have to turn Angela if they want a shot at getting further. James likens his experience of moving from Korea and being forced to make new relationships to how to play Survivor. He bonds with Angela after having saving her at their last tribal council. Angela cries about feeling alone and struggles with whether to go with James or Desiree.
Kellyn talks to Angela and feels completely uncomfortable depending on her. She says that Angela doesn’t understand what’s going on out here in the game and that she doesn’t know what to do right now. We get this camera zoom in on Angela’s face which is meant to confirm that yes, even Angela doesn’t know what the hell she’s going to do. Is it bad that I don’t feel bad whatsoever for Kellyn or Desiree? I hope Angela keeps James!
Jeff reminds Malolo how awful they are right after they enter into Tribal Council. Desiree takes full on responsibility of the challenge fail. Desiree campaigns that brute strength is not what you want long term in the game. James counters that none of them could get to the merge if they keep voting strong competitors out. Kellyn reminds us of the obvious: that there’s 3 original Naviti that should stick together in tonight’s tribal council. James counters this again saying that those RANDOM relationships aren’t exactly always to be depended on, and that the relationships you choose beyond day 1 tribe selections are more important. Angela admits that Malolo is indirectly the reason why she’s survived to this point. Between Desiree and James, it ends up being 4-1 for James. I’m blindsided, and so is James who was expecting a 3-2 vote either way. This has been the roughest 3 boots back-to-back in Survivor history. Why is this happening?!
Next Time On Survivor: Desiree wants to burn the Malolo flag and all the bad luck that comes with it. Bradley has trouble not showing how much of an asshole he is to his tribemates, and pisses Donathan off in a big way. I’m surprised that Bradley’s surprised. Are you surprised?!
Cho’s Top Takeaways
Did Angela Make The Right Decision?
Right off the bat, I’m conflicted. We already see that Angela has been backstabbed by her original tribemates. Ironically, James was probably the biggest reason why she remained in the game to this point, which is why it sucks seeing that move not pan out for him here. What do you all think about her decision to stick with original Naviti now? Looking long term, I don’t see Angela having a lot of social capital. If anything, she seems like a complete goat to take to the end since neither the Naviti nor Malolo will respect her except for Chris.
Wendell’s Social Prowess
One thing that is worthy to note that you all probably haven’t noticed is how freaking smooth Wendell is. Despite being the main ally to Domenick, he has been able to remain on good terms with virtually everyone on every tribe he’s been on this season. The fact that he held on to a worthless trinket simply to give it back to Sebastian shows how good of a read he has on his competition. When in doubt, your social game is your most important one. The way you make people feel cannot be underestimated. Chris and Sebastian were ready to write Wendell off due to his connection to Domenick, but due to his social game, they still want to work with him. Watch Wendell. He’s my dark horse to win at this point!
The Merge Looms
We know that there are 14 players left now. The 2nd part of the Legacy Advantage says that the first potential for immunity is at 13 players which means we are most likely to see the merge happen then. If us viewers at home know this, I’m sure the survivors are also thinking about a potential merge. Does this make the James boot easier for you to digest knowing this? Is it better to vote off the strong at this point? Would you guys be interested in me doing an in depth rundown of every Survivor remaining in the game as the merge looms? This would be in addition to my weekly TLDW recaps. Let me know in the comments below please!
That’s it for me y’all! What were your biggest takeaways from this past episode? I’m back to being #TeamDomenick in the Chris vs Domenick war that simply won’t end. Maybe they’re setting us up for one of them leaving right at the merge in a huge battle?! Be sure to leave comments below and check out my tweets where I discuss the latest in Survivor news!
Please No Spoilers In Comments
I still can barely keep track of who’s who and what team they each started on. Meanwhile, Jeff has them break into 3 tribes and off the top of his head calls out that each have 3 to 2 from the original tribes. I need ginkgo-biloba ?
Hey Ab, thanks for the comment. There has been so much shifting of tribes this season, that it is indeed hard to keep track of everyone. We need a good double boot to speed things up, no?!
I’m team Chris. There is something about Domenick that I do not like and was hoping that he would be the one sent home last night. Love Laurel, she knows how to read people. And please Chris …. keep your mouth shut. Your too good to look at to go home yet.
Would love to read your in depth view of the remaining survivors.
Still team Chris eh Bobbi?! I totally get that. I was just Team Chris last week and 2 weeks before that. I’m the ultimate flip flopper when it comes to Domenick vs Chris. He really should just try talking a bit less. It would do him so good.
Laurel is impressive in an underrated way. I wish she got more screen time.
Thanks for the input regarding an in depth run down of everyone remaining. I think it would help kind of look at each player, the game they’ve played thus far and how we think they will do moving forward.
Where did the Quote “Fate is the Homie:” come from?
Desiree said it about them drawing buffs for a new tribe.
I think Angela looks like Robin Wright a little, she’s pretty.
Bradley looks like an actor, but I’m not sure who….Michael Shannon maybe?
Ick alert….Did anyone notice Jenn’s yellow bikini bottom?
You can see it’s dirty in the front in an embarrassing way, but when she turned around it looked like she crapped in it.
WHY do people wear light colored things when they know they will get dirty?
And WHY wasn’t anyone sent to Ghost Island?
So weird.
I really think they should have had everyone have to pick something on GI. The no game for you crap was stupid. Makes it completely pointless.
I didn’t notice the yellow swimsuit until I put the photos up. I was going to change it out, but I was super busy last night and trying to watch Empire.
Angela does give me Robin Wright vibes, and it’s a good thing. If only she was as smart or socially savvy.
If I were on the show, I’d wear black everything. Probably a black speedo of some sort.
The Ghost Island twist has turned out to be a complete and utter bust. So disappointing really! The lack of inconsistency is pretty upsetting.
2 things re: Ghost Island
1) did it tell the castaways to break the urns in order?
2) I don’t think it’s done because there are still unbroken urns which leads me to believe after everyone is merged they’ll start sending castaways back over.
1) I can only assume that they were instructed to strike the very next urn. I just don’t think that every single person sent there just happened to pick the very next one from their own volition.
2) I also believe we will see Ghost Island come back during the merge portion. It’ll definitely be interesting see how it’s incorporated. Maybe the winner of the reward challenge selects one person themselves? Will they send an ally or an enemy? Will sending an ally telegraph to others where their loyalties lie?
I read on another site that they are supposed to break them in order. I think that’s kinda stupid.
The only reason I asked was because the big sign on them just says “break an urn”. I think there should be other idols lying around. Not just a game of chance with pick right or left.
Yeah, it would be great if there was always a game for them to play however small or big the actual impact on the game. If it’s even something like a reward of food even for taking a risk.
I also think that it’s super stupid. Like, it makes no sense whatsoever. Also, another reason why they have to break them in order is because just imagine someone getting the Legacy Advantage at like F7 when the advantage can’t even be used.
Cho- I agree with you 100%. Chris, please stop tooting your own horn. I think Wendell will do well. He is good in challenges without being to much of a physical threat and he seems to get along with everyone. Is it me or is Michael getting HOTTER? He looked sooo good during tribal council. Thank you again to Cho for the awesome recaps and to TT for scratching my reality show itch.
I think once Chris gets to see how ridiculous he looks, he will have gained at least a tiny bit of self-awareness. He just rubs everyone the wrong way. The way everyone is forced to simply tolerate him is embarrassing.
I’m loving Wendell’s game. He’s such a middle of the road guy in terms of Surviving playing skills. Very well-rounded.
And yes, Michael is getting HOTTER. Ugh. His version of 18 is much better than mine! haha
Thanks for the recap. I had no idea James was blindsided or how, so issues are arising as usual with me and Survivor.
I’m hanging in there and will continue to.
Thanks again Cho, and I will learn what a live vlogger on Twitch is. (Just for you, lol)
It’s pretty simple. There were 3 original Naviti who started the game together while James and Michael started on the Mololo tribe together. It was simply a numbers game. What made it a blindside is that James assumed his new bond with Angela, after having saved her a few weeks ago, would supersede original tribal divisions. That obviously isn’t the case.
Oh so, basically, think of me as a “youtuber” except I’m on a platform called “Twitch” which specializes in LIVE video content instead of something you upload and play later.
First, is everyone else getting the creepy jockey underwear ad with the male packages? It’s very distracting. Sorry about that.
I can’t believe that James went home. You know the part of the show where they talk about who they are going to vote out, just before they go to tribal council? Desiree said, something like, it should be me, but there are three of us and two of them so James is going home. Well they always say someone is going home and that is not usually the person who goes, so I was sure James would stay and Desiree would go.
So I was blindsided. James looked truly shocked. Clearly he thought Angela was voting Desiree with him.
Wendell is PLAYING THIS GAME. Everyone loves him. He’s smart and athletic. He’s GOOD. And cute.
Wait, I’m not getting this ad. Please direct me to it so that I can ascertain how distracting they actually are.
I was genuinely blindsided as well. I thought they were setting up Desiree for a typical switch-boot. She was getting confessionals and saying ironic things like “Fate Is The Homie” right after the switch that made me think she was in trouble. The more I think about it, the more I think Angela made the right decision to stick with Desiree/Kellyn. The mistake she made was NOT voting Michael out instead. She had a connection with James. Why vote him out over Michael? If Kellyn/Desiree wanted my vote, I would have told them to make it Michael.
Wendell is a keeper! I’m rooting for him!!
If you go google Jockey mesh briefs and come back you will probably get it. I am going to have to keep seeing this forever now just for typing this,
I think the ad is a nice touch of flair. I’d love a package like that in my mail box.
Oh my! I just had to look!
I feel like Sonja Morgan right now.
I’ve been gone a couple of weeks. Life smacked me in the face!! I have not worked for a month and last weekend a drunk 28 year old totaled my legally parked car. I’ve been dealing with ins., police, etc. Now I have to buy a new car. My other car was almost paid off. Now I have to start over. O.K. whining over !
Survivor, I am ticked off they voted out James. He was a solid guy. Prior to this I was neither a Desiree fan nor opponent. After watching her screaming like a banshee at he tribe mates, not so much love for her. Angela is an idiot, those girls could care less about her. They like her to vote with them, but, IMHO they really don’t like HER.Just because one is assigned to a random tribe in the beginning, why have all this blind faith to a bunch of people that have spent very little time together?
I have never, ever liked Chris. He is arrogant and sanctimonious, with a dash of paranoia.He cannot handle anyone disagreeing with him. Remember he hated Dom simply because he did not agree with his decision. Dom should have kept his mouth shut, but he wasn’t an ass about it. It was the very beginning of the game and gunning for someone that early is a sign of weakness in my opinion. Chris is a legend in his own mind.
I’ve always liked Wendall from day one. Dom doesn’t bother me other than his miscalculations about talking about/disclosing the idol. Jeff is wrong about Malolo being the worst tribe ever. What about the loser brains tribe? there have been others. It will be interesting to see how the next couple of weeks roll out.
angel I am SO sorry to hear about your irl troubles. That fucking sucks beyond belief. When life smacks you in the face, be sure to use extra powdered foundation.
I agree with your assessment over people depending on shallow bonds that don’t mean much at all. There’s no logical reason why you should feel hyper-connected to your original tribe.
Your analysis on Chris vs Dom is pretty spot on. Chris is so socially unintelligent that it hurts to see him tank his game at every turn.
There have been MUCH worse tribes than Mololo. Jeff is being hyperbolic for the sake of views and entertainment. Welcome back to the site. I’ve missed you! <3
Thanks Cho….sometimes when things like this happen, I hibernate and lick my wounds so to speak, I’m getting to old for this nonsense! 🙂
I have to say, the “powdered foundation” comment made me smile….Thank You.
I may not have been posting, but I NEVER miss Survivor…..onward and upward!
Happy to hear that you’re along for the ride with me!! I definitely plan on giving us an indepth run down of the remaining 13 Survivors as we get closer to the merge.
That sucks! I’m sorry you had a horrible month.
Hope April turns out to be a great month for you.
I don’t mind Dom either.
And yes, the worst team ever was the one Stephanie was on where she was the last one on it!
Thanks ZZZ…from your fingers to karma’s ears!
Oooo that was an awful team and any team with Kass on it… LOL
Like Cho said, Jeff was being hyperbolic
ULONG is the name of Stephenie’s tribe. That tribe will forever go down in history. I think the Brains tribe deserves a lot of side eyes too for not only being weak in challenges but a hot mess socially as well.
I was shocked when James was voted out! I really thought it was going to be Desiree. I am still team Chris, and I would love it if you gave an in depth review of the remaining Survivors!!
Thanks for the feedback, Liz. I was SO shocked at the last vote that it hurt me to my core.
I’m glad to see that there are still Team Chris fans, but I feel like at this point he’s being set up for a big merge boot. We’ll see. He’s actually an intelligent guy, but his social intelligence is severely lacking.
I just want to watch him do things without speaking.
I hate how these days they immediately vote out the strong players or the players with personality and then the boring ones are left and win the show. Also this ghost island think is lame. Think they need to switch up the casting for Survivor. Also why do you never see fat people on survivor? It is just the skinny people who get casted to get even more skinnier. I want to see a chubby person like in the real world.
It’s an unfortunate trend we’re seeing with the strongest leaving first. But let’s not forget that Jacob was at least “average” weight this season. They do cast overweight people at times, but they tend to not be cut out for the job. Cirie was somewhat overweight and tends to do really well though. She ended up losing a lot of weight on the show.