By Guest Correspondent ChoHey, it’s Cho and I’m back with another Survivor 40 Recap! Last week was all about the veterans versus old school and who would come out on top. The veterans took a huge hit, but not without Adam also taking one. Go back and read last week’s recap if you missed out on that drama!
Everything is great on Dakal, the golden tribe that never has any drama. They’re continuing to have fun around camp by goofing around with each other. I spoke too soon. Tyson realizes that Nick, Yul, Wendell and Sophie are too under the radar to let keep flying. We know this is true, because Yul admits in a confessional that the true secret power alliance is exactly as Tyson describes. So Tyson goes to Sandra with his new plan to unite the well-connected players, but Sandra is having NONE of it, because it was just days ago that Tyson was trying to get rid of her.
Crabs In A Barrel
We get back from tribal council, and Adam is feeling betrayed by both Boston Rob and his entire alliance. He recognizes that he did everything that you’re not supposed to do in Survivor. He played all sides and got lucky that he was able to even survive. Now, he’s on an apology tour to his alliance. While Adam is on everyone’s shit list, Ben makes the argument that Parvati and Rob are still bigger threats that should leave before him. Despite Adam suddenly pitching in around camp and being extra nice to people, he’s still being perceived as a fake snake.
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Despite Rob, Parvati and Adam all being on the bottom, they refuse to really work with each other. Rob tries to bait Adam into saying something that will give him ammunition against him, but it doesn’t work. Why the fuck is Adam even sitting with those two? If I were him, I’d be avoiding them like the plague! Adam tells us that he won’t fall for their tricks and that he’s firmly against them, because he has nowhere else to go. Not moments later, Rob tells the audience that he and Parvati are gonna bury Adam by outright lying to the others. He lies to Jeremy that Adam is still trying to align with him and Parvati again. Not only does Jeremy and Michele drink the kool-aid, they take seconds. They’re ready to vote Adam out. Poor guy.
Inspiration on the Edge
It’s kind of incredible that the other tribes can see the Edge of Extinction from their beach. Amber finds instructions on how everyone on the island can earn a fire token. They have to take 20 round trips to the top of the hill and back down carrying logs back and forth. It’s quite the marathon, and Ethan welcomes the challenge considering he’s done literal marathons and beaten cancer. Danni looks like she’s about to fall apart, but Natalie is outshining everyone as she outpaces everyone. She references her bank account and reminds us that she wants as many fire tokens as possible! GO NATALIE!
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This is grueling to watch them go through this: Ethan is especially struggling and ends up passing completely out! I am DEVASTATED! The doctors tend to Ethan and lets him know that he needs to not complete this challenge, because he’s going to keep passing out. He starts to cry, because he doesn’t want to quit. He only has 4 more trips to go and wants to set a good example for those who have had health challenges. The doctors okays him to keep trying but he has to take multiple rests.
Everyone keeps fighting to gain their fire token. Ethan continues the challenge. Natalie finishes 1st and has a breakdown, because she’s so relieved. Amber finishes 2nd and also breaks down in tears. Danni and Ethan finally finish as well. Ethan says he was close to dying in a hospital, so he’s not quitting now. Everyone goes with Ethan to help him finish. I’m not crying. You’re crying.
The Weirdest Immunity Challenge
At the challenge, Sandra sits out for the 100th time ever. Parvati says her nickname should be “Bench, the Sandra Bench”. SHADE! Sandra says she’s not hurting her feelings, before Jeff tells Tony & Sandra to sit out on the Sandra Bench. WEIRD! We’ve got a few theories about that. I don’t even know what this challenge is about, because my mind is swirling with conspiracies. Dakal is once again in the lead. This is embarrassing. We need a tribal switch already, Jeff! Adam continues leaping for the keys, but he continues to fail. This is so sad to watch. Adam keeps trying, and eventually grabs their final key!
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Dakal has been working on the puzzle for what seems like a century. Please don’t put Rob on the puzzle, because he’s lost the last 2 puzzle challenges. They put Rob on the fucking puzzle! Dakal had all the time in the world. If they fuck this up, I don’t know what I’ll do. Okay, Boston Rob is ACTUALLY PERFORMING?! Sele is now in the lead. OMG! I’m smashing my face against the keyboard at this point as Boston Rob completes the puzzle and ends their losing streak! Adam cries. Never give up, y’all.
A 2 Million Dollar Mistake?
This upcoming tribal council is about to be a shit festival. Dakal gets back to camp, and Tyson is angling to target Nick. I don’t think he realizes that he’s the prime target. Tyson lies by saying everyone is on board with booting Nick who is lazy and goofed the puzzle. It’s all a farce: the majority is against Tyson. They all view him as a trouble maker and well-connected with the other side. Nick is being reassured by everyone, but he knows everyone is a good liar here.
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Tony is a bit concerned about how easy it is to vote Tyson off: he likes having Tyson in the game, because it keeps a shield in front of him while also using him as a vote. Tony runs off to Sarah and let’s her know that this is a mistake. She pulls in Kim, and now they’ve got 4 votes to keep Tyson. But guess who’s gonna fuck this up? You guess correctly! Sandra who is squarely against Tyson. Tony then goes to Sandra to try to convince her to change her mind. Sandra says she loves revenge but loves 2 million dollars more so she’s going to make the smart decision for her game.
Dakal’s Facade Begins to Fade
Tony starts off by saying that everyone is getting along really well right now. Nick starts off strong by promising his loyalty to the tribe through a switch. Yul says coming into the game, he thought Tony would be an asshole but he’s actually affectionate and nice. Sophie says that she’s trying to not be starstruck by people, because it’s easy to cloud your judgment. Jeff asks if Sandra ever feels starstruck by the people around her, and she says NEVER. She’s such a bitch and I love it! haha This tribal has been so much calmer than I imagined, which means it may be unanimous. It’s time to vote, and Nick votes for Kim because he thinks Tyson has an idol. Did he just fuck himself over with this stray vote!? Jeff reads the votes: Nick, Kim, Tyson, Tyson, Tyson, Tyson, and Tyson is voted off near-unanimously.
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The next episode is a tribal switch, and the most notable thing in the preview is Michele saying she got stuck on a tribe with her ex-boyfriend. WHAT?! Let me know your thoughts in the comment section! If you like what I do here on the site, be sure to support me in my other ventures elsewhere on the internet!
As always, great recap! It was a nail bitter for sure. I missed some things you mentioned, so will have rewatch. I actually like Adam so hoping he stays a few more rounds. I am liking this season a lot more than I had expected but after the horrible last season, it couldn’t have gotten any darker or worse.
I like Adam too. I didn’t think he was as deserving of his win as the others. I thought they played the pity card with him, but I’m enjoying what he’s bringing to this season. he’s a true underdog.
I wanna forget last season as quickly as possible. I’m gonna tell my children that Kellee won that season.
Best line of the night was by Tyson “that’s a lot of firewood”. I like Adam too. He is 100% in the game and is trying to prove himself to everyone. I am glad they are shaking up the game next week. My first thought was who did Michelle date? Why are they keeping Sandra in the game?! Do the buff’s for next week have their names on them, or is it a random draw? I like this season too, even though I find I am biting my nails during the challenges.
I’m also enjoyed Adam a lot this season. He’s a good narrator and I like that he’s owning his mistakes the last few episodes. I’m afraid to even guess who Michele is referencing.
The challenges have ACTUALLY been pretty close despite Sele losing the majority of them.
I read it was Wendall she dated. You know if you read it online, it must be true. ?
I’m taking your note as FACT. Thanks for the tea, Dawn! LOL
Cho- Great recap! Sandra sat out again? She must have some master plan running through her mind. Rob blew through that puzzle with ease. If he intentionally screwed up the two previous puzzles then why? Losing those previous challenges put his Ethan and Paverti’s but on the chopping block . Maybe he thought he was in control of voting before and when Ethan got voted off he realized he is not. If the merge is a random draw I don’t get how production can control the outcome but who knows. I’m hoping the new tribes have most of the old schoolers together. I would love to see them go after each other. I kinda think if Rob, Pavarotti and Sandra work together they need a new schooler in their back pocket so they can know what is going on . I think Yul would be a great choice. He seems to make rational decisions and does not allow emotions to sway his choices.
Yul is firmly anti Rob and Parvati. That was his biggest reasoning for taking out Amber and now Tyson: because of their connections to Rob.
I really don’t get what the deal is with Sandra sitting out. It’s very perplexing. The rules must have been changed this season without us knowing.
It’s because on the episodes that have both reward & immunity challenges, you can’t sit the same person out twice.
However, I think they should change it so you can’t sit out back to back challenges no matter what they are.
Without a doubt, this is the best season ever!
I am with you, was crying like a baby during Ethan’s EoE challenge. So inspiring!
I was a mess. It’s fantastic.
Conspiracy Theory: Rob realizes this is a challenge he cannot throw because he is in danger FINALLY. So suddenly he can solve a puzzle in ten seconds flat. After not putting more than one or two pieces in previous puzzles and instead rearranging the puzzle pieces to the point of distracting his puzzle partner, this week, he puts in all the puzzle pieces quick and in a hurry with no mistakes. After the merge, if he has the numbers, he will start sucking at puzzles again. Why did his teammates let him do the puzzles three times in a row though?
I too go emotional at the support for Ethan on EOE.
The other side is so afraid of, or enamored by Sandra they let her just sit around and eat and do nothing and never have to expend her energy on difficult challenges with long swims and such. Both Rob and Sandra are being given total passes by their teams. I hope those two end up on the same tribe next week.
Oh shit. I have to go to the pool BRB.
I WAS SO PERPLEXED! All of a sudden, Rob is back at being the puzzle god? Bullshit. If I were on his tribe, I would have told Rob no fucking way are you doing the puzzle this third time in a row!!
I also agree with you on Sandra. I think everyone is so star struck by the both of them that they’re getting passes by their competitors. While I do like them both and want them to go far, if I’m in the game, I’m saying TAKE THEM OUT IMMEDIATELY! The longer they stay in, the more damage they can do to this entire game.
What’s the story with this pool here huh?!?!?!?! What was the emergency?
I just sent the events of the pool to a friend. I am LENTILING which means I have to work out. Here is how that went. It helps to be familiar with the Youtube about the Honey Badger. Honey Badger don’t give a shit. It is the best Youtube ever in the history of Youtubes. YOU MUST WATCH!I It is only 3 minutes, AKA the best three minutes of your day. But you MUST have the sound on! I want Randall to be my best friend. See my story below the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg
The Therapy pool has strict hours for each available activity. My favorite pool time is T TH from 4 to five. If you are late you can walk but under no circumstances can you stay a minute past 5. Five to six is for the lap swimmers.
So I was a little late to the pool about five minutes or so, and somehow I think I forgot to hit my lap clicker a few times. So I had to really push it to get my clicker to 44 laps.
Then Honey Badger came in more than half way through the hour. Thursdays are the best days to go because the therapy lane is usually available and almost everyone has their own lane or only shares with one person. I had a lane to myself, not my favorite lane, but my own lane. My girlfriend who brings the music was the lifeguard. She is literally the only one who I think could save me or anyone else. Life was good. Then my ankle started flopping and I realized I forgot my ankle support. I was losing a tiny bit of my happy place when Honey Badger arrived.
Honey Badger is very, very old and big and has a very scary face. She comes in with a walker with tons of plastic bags that are probably full of dead baby heads or something. She looks mean. And whatever lane she wants she gets. Guess whose lane she wanted? She plops a sack or two of possible baby heads or dead puppies (we never know because she never actually opens the bags for any reason) right by my lap clicker and my ginormous bottle of electrolyte water.
The music is still playing though and I was good. I tried to have good Christian thoughts about Honey Badger. I ain’t the most pleasant bitch in the pool myself. Perhaps we could bond after all. But Honey Badger won’t pick a side of the lane and stay with it. Also, at the end of the lane she will sprawl across the whole lane doing some sort of floaty shit before coming back. Probably trying not to die. My ankle really dislikes Honey Badger.
Eventually, the hour is almost up and another lane comes open. I have to move my clicker and water and time is ticking and I have like eight more laps to do in ten minutes. It takes a couple of minutes to move my things and the clock is ticking. I go full speed and my my laps. I am great. I was the second cutest/smallest person in the pool today! I think smug things about the fatties fatter than me. I am killing this shit!
It is now ONE minute after five and the serious lap swimmers are in the pool giving me the eye for putting my weights away from the pool (which blocks my favorite lane) instead of getting out and walking around. I fear the lap swimmers. They are the cool kids. I try to waddle away quickly.
And then I see it. It’s Honey Badger. Honey Badger is swimming laps like an Olympic swimmer. She has form. She has speed. She might be the second best lap swimmer in the damn pool. She was there early to claim her swim lane. The Honey Badger always wins, dammit.
LOL omfg this is the best storytime I’ve read in a while. Honey Badger is hilarious but THIS Honey Badger is kind of scary! I really love how dramatic this one hour of your life was. I feel like I was THERE with you during the height of anxiety and pressure. I can’t believe Honey Badger was simply claiming her favorite lane before the other lap swimmers got there. She’s dedicated… and scary!
Also side bar, I’m so proud of you for moving forward with all this working out. You ARE killing!
Thanks this is what my site will turn into once I “retire” to somewhere fab.
Honey Badger doesnt give a shit! Love that video, and great job with the swimming! My mom swims every day for 35 minutes. She is 83 and can run circles around me.
Your Honey Badger reminds me of characters like the Soup Nazi and Church Lady. They could all be villains in a simulated reality or video game. Very scary.
You are doing SO WELL this Lentil Season. I remember lap swimming when I tapered off of methadone maintenance. The first day, the first lap, I felt like I was dying. The next week, I could do a leisurely mile. I LOVED when the endorphins would kick in. I felt like I could swim forever. Only in warm water.
I didn’t make it clear in the story because I was originally emailing one person and then used it to answer Cho”s question, because lazy. That person know I am doing something called water walking (I generally jog a few laps). It is a heated therapy pool that is 3′ 8″ deep all over. So I walk under water and also use a variety of water weights while walking to work any arm muscles I may have under all the flab. So it is a full body workout.
I am also doing treadmill work (a regular treadmill on land) on other days. I hate it haven’t really done it much. I can walk a five K on the treadmill in approximately the same time it takes me to do a mile in the pool. Around 50-53 minutes. The water walking often hurts my worst ankle of the two for a bit. The one has shown vast improvement. So progress in ankle strengthening is happening. I am a rather small framed person under all this weight and my bones are not made for such tonnage.
I am trying to drop some weight before I embarrass myself any further in yoga class. I do want to go back to doing that as well, but Since I did it many moons ago for a brief time, it is very frustrating and embarrassing not to be able to do the simplest things in there. YET.
Wow, I hadn’t even thought about that! Just thought he was off because of Amber. That makes a lot of sense. Why did his tribe let him do a puzzle again after losing on 2 others?
Tears were in my eyes when the others walked with Ethan to get the last log. I’m still in my original conspiracy theory but TT’s theory is good too. I’ve now decided that Rob and Sandra really do have a pre-game alliance, but I think Sandra sitting out repeatedly and Rob pretending to suck at puzzles and Sele losing so many was a way to speed up a merge or switching teams up. It’ll be very interesting if they draw buffs next week with names on them or at random. Even if Rob and Sandra don’t end up on same team next week, I still believe they will continue to pretend to be mad at each other and pretend to suck until they can get on same tribe eventually. I don’t think it’s a given that either will eventually win. But, I do think the goal is to eventually be working together and that they’ll stay in the game long enough for that to come out. I think it’s better for ratings and I’m convinced that production is helping as much as possible.
I don’t get why Tyson gave his token to Nick. Tyson used to be a challenge beast but I don’t think he refreshed his skills and I was disappointed in his gameplay this season. I’m loving Yul and Jeremy. Wasn’t a fan of Natalie before but dayum! She is killing it on EoE and I’m pulling for her. There are a lot that I’m forgetting their names because they have been invisible in the game, which could mean they’ll get picked off or skate unnoticed to the end. There’s so much drama to come due to the tokens and I can’t wait! I am loving this season! Thanks for the quickly posted recap!
Agreed with you. Sandra and Rob are still looking to play the game together. It’s super smart, because they have the biggest targets coming into this game. I look forward to seeing them meeting up. I have no idea why Tyson gave his token to Nick either. I thought the person he was closest to would be Kim. His showing this season was kind of disappointing. I think he’s lost his touch which is unfortunate.
I’m also loving Natalie and Yul. Yul is so hot and dreamy. I love him.
So tin hats on…Maybe Sandra is communicating with Rob during challenges on the Sandra throne/bench (Parv totes should have said throne). That would explain his behavior the last 3 puzzles—shared strategy together to get to merge. It does not explain why neither has been voted out, but the fact they haven’t been voted out is just more proof they truly are the GOATS. Preview clip sure makes it look like new buffs are grabbed freely and not pre assigned.
Yul is way hot. And smart. And hot. Ethan is just an all round fantastic person who I have loved since day 1 Africa. Amber won because Rob won for her (IMO, Rob won twice just like Sandra has). Natalie is impressive, but I have yet to get over my decade old anti-twinnie bias.
Not only am I over my anti twinnie HATRED. I find myself rooting for Natalie. I love how she is stacking those coins. Hopefully, she can get back on the big island by using them in some way. Even if it is another comp to get back in, and those are usually physical to favor guys, I would put her up against the guys in any physical competition.
I just posted the same thing about the pool…didn’t see you had it covered ???
I have no idea what either of you are talking about! lol
Count your lucky stars. It put me off my dinner. 🙁
I have an unpopular opinion.
Doing all that effort for just one fire token was ridiculous to me.
And yes, it’s courageous and fabulous that Ethan forced himself to finish, but I think it was stupid of him to do that. But Survivor and Jeff love that sh*t.
I did love that they all went with him for the last log, that was awesome!
So fun to watch that comeback!! Adam got to redeem himself a bit. I still don’t like him much.
I watched the video that is on the EW recap, and it has about 10 of the players. They said they never made off island plans for the game. That it would feel “dirty”. Rob & Sandra talk about the incident and she says she did not know why it bothered her so much, but it did. Rob said that information is power, so he felt better not saying anything. Sounded real to me. Conspiracy is over in my head.
Very happy you are working out Tamara! The water walking sounds kinda cool to me.
This is NOT intended to sound rude. I have the opinion if I was on Survivor I would use every “effort” just to stay in the game. I don’t think Ethan was “stupid” to finish the challenge. My sister is in stage 4 cancer and her doctor tells her over and over that the second you give up, you will die. He did it because he has been forced to fight challenges when he was battling the cancer. Plus, he is an athlete, he will never not finish the race. I find him to be inspirational, motivating, humble, and a fighter. Until you have cancer and are forced to face how your body fails you, don’t judge Ethan. It isn’t just Survivor and Jeff who love it. My sister loved it because it motivated her bad day to turn into a good day and made her get up and walk the extra few steps in her house, while wearing her Survivor buff on her big, bald head!!! The second cancer patients give up, they deteriorate. The constant positive motivation keeps them alive and fighting the cancer. I am happy Ethan’s story touched my sister. I am thankful Ethan showed cancer patients it is ok to be weak. I am thankful everyone stopped and helped him when he needed the support.
Thank you, Joey. I know your sister appreciates all the support and love you give her. It was a beautiful Survivor storyline that I am glad she got to see. I am sure it was even more beautiful for her to share her own Survivor movement with you and then all of us here.
I liked Ethan before he had cancer. Then I liked how he and his then partner did so much for cancer patients (she lost her mother to cancer and left Survivor All Stars early to go home to be with her for the end.) Then Ethan announced he had started treatment for his second round of cancer the same month I was diagnosed. We are about the same age. He was doing chemo and radiation again; I could sure do it once.
Survivor is a microcosm of the human experience. It has always been about pushing your body and mind to the absolute limit. Whether some of these winners are more deserving than others is not the point. There are 38 people in the US who have pushed themselves to limits very few people can understand. These 20 people have done it before. They know they can do it again. They may have to change up their game to account for many factors, but they know they can survive. All of it. The point of the show is for the average couch potato to watch the players push themselves to the point of exhaustion. Several have even been evacuated and hospitalized for pushing their bodies. That is the game. That is why we watch. They do it for a single token. They do it for steak dinners. They do it for $2million.
Cancer treatment changes your body forever. Many cancer “survivors” continue with maintenance prescriptions that still affect their day to day lives. I would bet that Ethan is on such medication. It wasn’t just about the token. It was about playing the game for every last second. As Joey referenced, it was a universal truth about taking every last second to live. Not just survive. But live.
Well, I did say it was unpopular.
I am glad it inspired people.
I don’t think giving up on a grueling challenge for a fire token is at all similar to giving up fighting cancer.
I don’t think it was worth any of them doing it, except maybe Natalie. I was not judging Ethan.
And why didn’t they pace themselves? (Maybe they did, didn’t show it.)
They acted like it was a race.
Yes, when you have cancer, your body is failing you, but when you overdo it and push it way too hard, that is you failing your body imo.
Best of luck to your sister for sure. ???
Thank you ZZZ. This is why TT is my favorite site. Anyone can share their opinion. It doesn’t matter if we agree or not. I find it interesting because people say things I don’t think about. I enjoy reading your comments. Please don’t take mine personally.
???
For the love of GOD. CAN WE STOP THIS RIDICULOUS FUCKING CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS “STUPID” FOR A TWO TIME CANCER SURVIVOR TO DO?
THE ANSWER IS NOTHING. NOTHING IS STUPID FOR THEM TO DO. ETHAN HAS BEATEN DEATH TWICE AND IS LIVING HIS LIFE THE WAY HE CHOOSES. NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR ANY OPINION THAT CALLS HIS CHOICES STUPID. END OF CONVERSATION.
I’m sick of a moderation box full of dozens of the same post, and email boxes full of people outraged by the comment. For the love of God let’s not keep rehashing this inane subject and move on from all the cancer stories.
PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
Hi Cho and All! Been loving the recaps and comments all of this great Season but haven’t had much to add.
I hadn’t even considered Rob was throwing the puzzle challenges which confirms my belief that despite being a rabid Survivor fan, I would still be the 1st voted out, lol. I was actually cheering and shouting at the TV at the/his comeback.
Don’t really get or feel the Adam love? I don’t remember him and he seems to be kind of an over thinking it weasel.
“I don’t remember him and he seems to be kind of an over thinking it weasel.” I don’t remember him either and he is sort of an overthinking weasel. He makes for good TV. I don’t think anyone is really concerned with him winning. He is just the mischievous imp keeping things interesting. He’s good TV.