By Guest Correspondent ChoHey, it’s Cho and I’m back with another Survivor Recap! All I’m thinking about is how I don’t want to create a family. I mean seriously, I can’t fathom the thought of kids. Especially in this economy! Is it just me? Speaking of families, we waste no time getting right to the challenge which is the long-awaited loved ones reward. Everyone freaks out. Everyone cries. Dean’s ass looks really good here. Oh my goodness, Dan’s 13-year old son comes out to see him which is amazing! He’s the youngest person to be on the Survivor island! He’s SO cute! I don’t know if this is enough to redeem him though.
Four vs Four
Tommy & Janet end up winning the reward of having their loved ones visit camp. They pick Dan and Lauren to also have their family join in festivities. This should tell Noura exactly where she stands in her alliance… Karishma says it’s time to put a wrecking ball to someone else’s head! Lauren and Dan revel in the notion that their alliance of 4 will be able to pick the others off easily. Dan calls them a weird band of nobodies that they shouldn’t be concerned by. Arrogant isn’t a good look on either of them.
Back at camp, Noura speaks to the others about how she’s been loyal to Vokai, but she’s not feeling appreciated by her alliance. She gives the SHADIEST rant about how she’s “like Karishma, except enjoyable to be around, providing for the tribe and winning challenges for them.” and I scream at my TV! Noura continues to go onto a huge rant for literally 5 minutes straight. Karishma and Dean are especially happy about this considering they’ve always been on the bottom. Elaine finds an idol for her new alliance, and Noura vows that the game changes today. Elaine unfortunately loses the immunity to Lauren which I think will make her a backup target to Karishma.
Tommy Gets Schooled?
Lauren says this is the most important vote of the game: her alliance decide they’re splitting the vote between Karishma and Elaine. They’ve identified Karishma as the cat with 9 lives. Dan says the motley anti alliance needs to be put to rest. Noura revels in the fact that she has the ability to actually influence this vote after being told the plan by Janet. She tells Elaine and Karishma exactly how the enemy alliance plan on splitting the votes. Karishma says that this is the only opportunity for them to use their 4 votes to make a power play against Lauren and Tommy.
Click Here For More Survivor Recaps!
Elaine is happy about the new plan to take out Tommy, but she’s worried about Noura being a fruit loop and messing things up. She’s having a hard time thinking through things clearly and is obviously letting the paranoia get to her. Dean says it’s a simple plan, but putting things in the hands of a frantic Noura is dangerous. Tommy also realizes that Noura could potentially be a problem if she flips. Everyone is terrified of Noura. I’m terrified of Noura at this point!
Loose Cannons & Collateral Damage
Not minutes into tribal council, and Dean is ratting out the plan to blindside Tommy. I TOLD Y’ALL DEAN IS A SNAKE! He’s been a snake since the merge, and he’s about to fuck the whole plan up! He whispers and tells Tommy that he’s receiving 3 votes from Noura, Karishma and Elaine. Now the whispering has begun. Dan confronts Noura about Dean’s rumor, and now everyone is whispering! My anxiety is boiling over. You put Noura in a corner, and she’s going to explode, which is exactly what happens when she lets out a TRUTH BOMB and exposes everyone!! Welcome to the circus show.
It’s funny seeing everyone backpedal and lie while Noura is telling the truth. Despite this fact, Noura’s alliance rail into her about waiting until the 12th hour to reveal all this pertinent information to them. Noura tells her Vokai alliance that the bottom 3 are just trying to pit them against each other and in the process exposes Elaine’s idol. Everyone is now cornering Noura for her double dealing. I think Noura leaves unanimously after this grand display. Dean says to Elaine: “I knew we couldn’t trust Noura” but he’s the one who blew the entire plan up.
Click Here For More Survivor Recaps!
It’s time to read the votes, and Elaine plays her idol. Jeff reads the votes: Karishma, Noura, Noura, Noura, Karishma, Noura, Karishma, Karishma, and Karishma is voted out 5-3. Rob says “All that talk, just to vote out Karishma.” and I can’t agree enough! But what I am confused about is Dean voting out Noura. What was the angle after all of that? Did he think Noura wasn’t with them from the start which is why he blew the plan up? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. If you like what I do here on the site, be sure to support me in my other ventures elsewhere on the internet!
Great recap, Cho! I haven’t been into this particular season as much but it’s finally starting to get good, and so now I’m coming for the recaps and everybody’s opinions! I sincerely hope Karishma’s marriage comes out of this stronger. I feel like several episodes ago she was complaining about it? And the fact that it was arranged and she didn’t really feel like she was in love with her husband? I hope he realizes how stressed out she was and forgives her for those comments.
Thank you so much for stopping by to say hello. Really appreciate it! I also felt like Karishma’s storyline came FULL CIRCLE with her making it to the Family Visit and seeing her husband. While I don’t see anything particularly wrong with her statements, I DO understand how her husband would feel uncomfortable watching her share those sentiments. It was quite a breakthrough for her, and I think/hope her marriage comes out stronger than it’s ever been before. I think she really learned to value him due to them being apart.
You guys should read her exit interview on entertainment weekly. She talks about those statements. I was really rooting for her. I can’t but can believe Noura.
Thanks a lot. I’ll definitely check them out.
I thought it wasn’t cool of Dan to refer to the other four as a bunch of losers especially in front of his son! The only reason I can think of for Dean going rogue is that word got around that him n Noura were off talking, and he got scared that he was the one going. Great episode n awesome recap Cho!
Dan is a jerk. his son is his only redeeming quality this season. I think CBS has gone the extra mile to make him look bad, and I totally see them adding more scenes to paint him in a negative light.
That’s what I’m thinking of too. I think Dean probably figured that Noura was NOT with them, so instead, he blew the plan up in hopes of gaining an ally in Tommy while also throwing Noura under the bus. Pretty smart if it works, but I think Dean isn’t looking too great overall. If anything, it has made him a bigger target on par with Elaine.
Thanks a lot for commenting!
I am obsessed with this season of Survivor. Great recaps!
Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate you!
Why on earth did they not get rid of Noura??? She is great at challenges and Karishma can barely tie her own shoes! UGH! But at least it took the focus off my girl Elaine for another week.
I feel like they think Noura is expendable, but the issue is that Noura almost ruined Tommy’s game. They better be careful with her. She could win it all.
I will do serious damage to myself if she wins. ?
Cho- Amazing recap. At this point there isn’t one person that I am rooting for. It seems as though all the decisions to vote someone out are made at Tribal Council after all heck breaks loose. The players that were strategizing and willing to make moves are sitting on the jury. I do like Elaine and Janet but they seem to be followers of the majority. Noura is bat crap crazy. She cant seem to complete a thought or sentence without taking a left turn onto delusional paranoid island. However she is entertaining. The Challenge for time with the loved ones always brings out animosity. I think I would probably feel the same if I wasn’t chosen to spend the day with my family. They just need to push that emotion aside and get their head back in the game. I’m hoping those that are voting depending on which way the wind blows realize they need to be the storm to control those winds. I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving!
Thanks as always for your insight, Kerry. I also feel like Janet and Elaine have been followers during the post merge game. Really, Lauren seems to be the one who has remained in firm control of the majority of votes. Her social game and strategic thinking, combined with her powerful trusting ally in Tommy, has made her a huge threat. Won’t be surprised if she’s booted before the finale to join the other power houses.
I actually love watching Noura play. she’s the embodiment of what it means to not have any control due to how excited she is to play the game. She’s super neurotic and really a go getter. I feel like she’d be great to be friends with irl.
the challenge is a double edged sword. You’re bound to piss off people but you’re also able to make concrete allies with the people you take on reward. It’s always tricky. I’d honestly throw the challenge tbh. LOL It’s like the modern day “car curse” challenge. Remember they used to give away cars?!
I know how much you love Kerry. She is having a hard time so be sure to shout her out. xo
OMG I forgot about the cars! If I recall correctly they were odd cars? Gonna have to google that.
Yeppers! The car curse was a great part of the show. haha I remember in Guatemala, Cindy won the car and told everyone to screw themselves after she got blindsided. lol
I can’t believe I am saying this… but I am rooting for Noura. That girl is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a little batty and her social game sucks but she is great at challenges.
Noura is so problematic to live with on the island, but thankfully I’m not the one living with her. I need her to make it to the F3. She’s got the motivation.
You’re right Cho! Dean is a snake. That tribal council was entertaining to watch. The jury loved it. Noura is goofy but she is very physically fit and strong. I have no idea who is going to be F3 at this point.
Hey Laila! Thanks for the comment. How was your thanksgiving?
Norua made tribal council a literally shit festival. I was cracking up at the truth bombs she was setting on everyone. No one was safe. I don’t have any idea either. This is a total toss up at this point!
My Thanksgiving was quiet. My man cooked b’c I haven’t been feeling too well. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with your family. I remember you saying you were a little bit nervous about it.
Oh, and thank you so much for all your awesome recaps! Your recaps got me started on watching past Survivor shows and I am loving it. LOVING IT !!
I hope you feel better soon, but that’s good that you have a man that can fill in from time to time! My thanksgiving was fantastic! I did have a bit of a showdown with one family member in particular, but I’ll leave that story for my next podcast episode.
You’re so welcome. I love doing the recaps, because it’s simply a way for me to engage with people like you in the comments. LOL Let me know which seasons you end up watching!
Aw Cho. I really wish it all went smoothly. Don’t let that person get you down. You are too good a soul for negativity.
Seasons I watched in order…
24 — Fun season, didn’t like the winner who was the fan favorite.
17– Beautiful scenery, especially exile island. Bob and his fake idols was hysterical. And Randy with his fight over a cookie was funny as well, plus he got played at tribal council. I think he is probably hated by viewers, but I think he is just misunderstood. lol
12 – Shane is entertaining and Cirie was so funny. I loved Cirie. She told couch potatoes to not do this and sit on their couch! lol I loved Courtney even though the cast found her annoying. That cast had a lot of funny people.
13 – Loved watching Ozzy during the challenges, he was perfection. Yul had the best social game. I wish they both could of won. I also like how they were split into four groups, but was mad when the first guy, I forget his name, was voted out.
19 – Russell! Omg he tortured everyone. They all listened to his every word. Whoever he wanted to go, went. He should of won even though he is mean. The rain and cold was grueling, people almost died! And Shambo, oh my she was entertaining and a wild card. Her visions of who to vote off, her chicken friends. Entertaining.
25 – The beginning for Denise, Russell and Malcom and the other girls (who I can’t remember their names names) was absolutely grueling for their tribe. Poor Russell has unbearable weather his first season and now he has almost the same thing. I wish they kept him. Abi Maria was such a bitch and I loved her. She really played some mind games before leaving. She was entertaining b’c she is not self aware at all. I think she is probably telling someone off right now as I write this. lol
18 – Ehh I am watching it now, It’s okay. Beautiful scenery and I liked the twist of two people at exile, but I don’t think it will work out for them. Coach is kinda annoying. Taj is great. She’s entertaining and fun. I like Ellise, she seems like a no nonsense real person. I also liked the older, cooky lady that was voted out early. I the kid with the glasses, I think he has red hair. I can’t remember his name. I didn’t finish this one, fell asleep during it, woke up and Jeff announced the winner at the exact time I woke up! I will still watch it though.
I don’t know why I am watching them in this order. I want to get to the older ones, but I kinda like newer shows, but I need to watch the older shows so I don’t see any spoilers.
You should also not spoil the old seasons for those new to the series here.
Then delete it.
Nah! This one wasn’t too spoilery. 🙂 I just know that since Cho started recapping here, people have been going back to watch earlier seasons. 🙂
I actually tried to write how funny and entertaining those seasons are without spoiling anything. I guess I am not a good spoiler alert person. I didn’t know people are watching past shows like me. If you want delete it. Or better yet..
Erase my post and write… this bitch didn’t follow the commenting rules and everyone will think, what did she do? 🙂
Nah. You are fine.
I think season 12 is SUCH A GEM! They really had a cooky cast of misfits. I’m elated that you are watching the older seasons. Please get to season 11 Guatemala and let me know what you thought. And Season 16 China too. Omg there’s just so many of my favorites that you need to indulge in! lol
I LOVE YOU!!!
Cho, I love you too!! So much!!
I will watch S11 when I am done with S18. I absolutely love this show and can’t believe I didn’t watch. I can be a bit squeamish and I think when I watched S1 I saw some creature or something and it turned me off. But you have not lived if you are not a Survivor viewer.
Oh, and S18 I said I liked Ellise, there is no Ellise, her name is Sierra. It’s not a spoiler, I just started watching this season so I have no idea what will happen so far. I think I am on episode 4 or some early episode.
Laila- I hope you start feeling better. Feeling poorly physically or mentally during the holidays is horrible!!
Maybe Noura is a genius. Maybe her entire strategy is to seem unpredictable and alittle loco. It allows her to say what she wants and flip flop because the others expect it and will keep her around because they think they can get her out whenever they want or that they can beat her in the end. She is a challenge beast and she seems to win when she knows she may be on the chopping block. I know my theory is as crazy as Noura is but wouldn’t it be great if it were true.
I hope YOU are feeling better too. I know you mentioned some hospital visits recently. Sending you all the love I can muster!
I’d like to delude myself into thinking Noura is some mastermind genius, but honestly, I think her behavior is simply Nouramal to her. lol Regardless, I want her in the end!
Cho- Thank you for the positive thoughts. Unfortunately I agree with you about Noura. With her what you see is what you get. Besides even if she was an evil genius I don’t think she could convince anyone that was her plan all along. By the time she would begin her third or fourth sentence of her explanation she would be off on an unrelated subject.
Kerry – It would be funny if she was a genius and won. Imagine her speech..
“To my jury member, I am an evil genius and you all got played. Now cast your vote for me to win or you will all look dumb, so dumb for not voting for my evilness ways.”
Haha! That would be one epic.
I would have liked Karishma’s story arc to have been she found her independant strength on Survivor and dumped the arranged old man. The snivelling at family time and the dedication to him on her exit was pukeworthy for me.
I loved Jeff letting the visually impaired sister run up and down wifh him. So sweet.
I think it’s a bit more complex than that. The way I view it is that Karishma started off saying negative things about her relationship/circumstance, but after experiencing the hardships of Survivor, she finally realized why her husband was important to her. Apparently, there are exit interviews where she dives into this issue deeper. I need to read them in order to understand her perspective better.
I thought it was a decent ending to her arc.
And omg Jeff was SUCH a sweet heart to let Noura’s sister shadow him. That was the highlight of the episode for me.
Cho, Thanks for taking the time to recap as though I try to not miss an episode, there is usually some tidbit you cover that I either miss or forgot. Was a nice gesture by Jeff and the other family members to let Noura’s sister Lana shadow Jeff during the challenge.
I do have to ask though given this season, Jeff has forever as an intro to a challenge exclaimed ” c’mon in guys” does a new tagline need to be phased in?
That’s why recaps are so fun to read. Like you said, everyone is viewing it from a different lens, so you’re bound to find unique perspectives on the show as well as pointing out things you missed. THANK YOU for commenting. It means a lot to me!
I wish things were more standardized. I’m STILL bitter about Survivor being on Wednesday’s instead of Thursday’s.
Cho – Just wanted to say I love your recaps! Love them more than watching the episode! Cho – you called it on Dean! He’s desperate. Nothing proved that like his fake legacy advantage or whatever crap that was last week. He had a great opportunity to build something with Kellee, but that didn’t happen. He lacks that part of game play where a person actually considers how their actions will be perceived by the people that hold the key to the prize. In my opinion he is too short-sighted to be a threat. The only way that would work out for him is if he were better at the immunity challenges.
Thank you so much for the comment! I really appreciate you engaging with me here, because it’s truly why I write the recaps!
I’m just not really liking Dean. As much as he’s a numbers guy, he doesn’t realize that all the moves he’s made has landed him directly in the minority. Everyone else for the most part are playing like snakes too, but he’s the only one who’s suffering because of it! And like you said, he sucks at challenges too? Get him outta there!
No Kmac noooooo! I can’t take anymore changes in my Survivor schlocky Jeff schtick lines. 🙁 i already miss the way he used to say “You’re getting your first look at the so and so Tribe, so and so voted out at the last Tribal Council”….and at the beginning voiceover “PREVIOUSLY on SURVIVOR with the short recap.
I need these things.
I need them to stay the same.
Forever.
Same.
omg SAME SAME SAME! I still wish that Survivor was on on Thursday’s!
I just scrolled to bottom of comments as to avoid any spoilers. I did a Survivor binge and I’m caught up with the exception of this episode. Better late than never! I will watch this weekend and come back. But wanted y’all to know that you have a new Survivor member and I’ve had a lot to say about this season! I’m here for it! Hope y’all have a good weekend and I’ll be back after I watch this one soon! Thanks Cho! ?
omg IJC THANK YOU! We welcome you into our community and look forward to more engagement from you. Please let us know ALLLLLL of your thoughts in the comment section. You probably will have a unique perspective, because you’ve binged episodes instead of watching them once a week.
I will be waiting with bated breath on your opinions of the season. <3 <3
I left comments on older posts in order of my perspective and feelings, etc. as I went through the binge. My feelings have evolved over the season thus far. Although I’m really enjoying this season, it’s weird that I haven’t really latched onto one favorite that I’m rooting for. It took me a while to get past what happened at merge.
I’m now back to just enjoying watching everyone (even the ones I dislike—I’m pretty much in agreement with you on the actual players assessment)
I thought for sure that after Noura’s drama at tribal that she would be unanimously voted off! I just got used to Karishma somehow escaping tribal, lol.
My favorite part is the Rob and Sandra commentary during tribal and the episodes when someone goes to the island, and pretty much any time that Rob is on screen. I’m officially obsessed with him as he has aged well! Love Sandra too.
“What does extrapolate mean?” I love Elaine! I got super sappy with the family/loved ones visits—It always makes me emo when they do that part.
Really enjoying your recaps as well. You are amazingly detailed!
I love what Kellee said at the end of the tribal something to the effect of what a dumb move it was sending Karishma home. Although two idols in your pocket voted out… While accurate no room to talk Kellee. Lol