Survivor 48 | Ep. 10
NIU NAI - Night 17
David is gone and so is Mary’s morale in the game once again. She loses her number one and is back on the bottom again. Nothing unfamiliar there for Mary.
However, arguably the most interesting interaction of season 48 takes place when Eva and Mary have a post-Tribal conversation alone. Eva, being Eva, is extremely straightforward in telling Mary that she is sorry that she voted out her number 1 ally, Mary isn’t part of Eva’s alliance, she won’t be playing an idol on her, and her best strategy is to lay low and Eva will try to steer the vote elsewhere.
WOW!
All this makes you wonder, “Is Eva the most dangerous player in the game???” She has the firepower — a Hidden Immunity Idol and Safety Without Power — and the allies in Joe, Shauhin, and Kyle. Plus, by the nature of who Eva is, she sees the game very concretely and isn’t afraid to tell you like it is. At this point she’s in the power position, sitting pretty, and the numbers are on her side.
Will Mary be able to wrangle the rest and maybe a hidden advantage to upset the throne that Eva and her allies sit upon in the game?
Enter Star, Mary, and Kamilla right on cue to start the “revolution”. They need to bring Mitch in to make 4 and vote together to try and flip the game and vote out either Joe, Shauhin or Eva. I don’t think Kyle and Kamilla’s secret alliance will mind and it’s actually a “big move” for them to do this, especially for Kamilla. I think we are headed for a great episode!
DAY 18
Mitch’s hilarious mailman stories isn’t enough to get him into the inner circle of the Joe, Eva, Shauhin, and Kyle alliance. That alliance has a great chance at getting to the end because the only ones who could screw that up would be Kyle or Shauhin. Or, the other 4 still in the game could make a move because the strong alliance is going to remain strong.
Now, the time has come for Kamilla to see where her alliance with Kyle truly stands.
“Our season has been about emotional connections and I don’t know if strategy and backstabbing, those traditional Survivor things, is what the jury is looking for.” - Kyle
Kyle is very self aware both of himself and the path that season 48 has taken thus far. Also, as much as Kyle trusts Kamilla, he also trusts Joe. Kyle’s emotional connection with Joe is real and at this point, Kyle isn’t ready to reverse the trend of the game so far.
Kamilla tells Kyle about Star and Mary wanting to target Joe in the next vote. The question is how will Kyle actually handle this situation. Will he tell Joe and betray all trust with Kamilla and see his path to the end with the Joe, Eva, and Shauhin alliance? or will he let it be, stay out of the way and let Kamilla take her shot at Joe?
REWARD CHALLENGE - Day 18
REWARD - Boat to neighboring Fijian island for a fried chicken and waffles picnic.
Another Shauhin freestyle, wow.
@allwinnerssurvivor/CBS
This has to be the most awkward challenge. The snaking and slithering face down on the sand, up and over two sand humps, sand in your eyes and face, and a rope in your mouth. I feel myself drooling just watching.
Kamilla is way behind (least physical strength) and Joe’s rope management and buoy maneuvering gets him first to the ring toss. He misses.
Kyle regains the lead by nailing (with luck) his first ring. Eva lands one. Joe lands one.
Joe lands his second ring. Kyle lands his second ring.
Kyle launches his third ring…NAILS IT! and wins reward.
Who will join Kyle for the reward?
Kyle immediately picks Eva because of her support. Second, he picks Kamilla because “she hasn’t had much rewards”, and finally picks Shauhin who has been making everyone laugh. Nothing for Joe, Mitch, Star, and Mary.
“Does he love me??? I feel like I can’t catch a break in this game!!!” - Mitch
No Mitch, Kyle does not love you. He loves Kamilla, he loves Eva, he loves Shauhin and he loves Joe. Right now, Mitch is giving me Jake (from 45) vibes where the game just never seemed to go his way. Mitch isn't quite there yet, but I could see a zero vote third place for Mitch because of the zero threat to win the game that he would bring to a Final Tribal Council against any of the power players this season.
REWARD - Day 18
I appreciate the once in a lifetime nature of this reward and Shauhin’s perspective and awareness to bring us into that feeling. It’s not at the same level of the old school rewards of bringing toys and school supplies to a local village and school but this is another incredible reward to win.
Fried chicken and waffles, beers, sodas, a new island and even the boat is nicer.
“I need Mitch, Star, and Mary as pissed off as possible so they will go with Kamilla after Joe….Everybody expects these big moves but I think Survivor is won in the margins” - Kyle
Next level strategy and gameplay here from Kyle. He is finding a way to satisfy Kamilla but also not upset his core four alliance. I wonder how it could backfire on him and the biggest way is can the jury see that gameplay as a winning strategy? I don’t think Chrissy will understand that because she’s looking for big moves.
NON-REWARD - Day 18
Joe doesn’t get chosen for the reward and is playing babysitter for Mary, Mitch, and Star. I love how Joe is doing jury management by being honest with Mary, but what’s even better is how Mary is aware of exactly what’s going on.
Back to Mitch. It’s nut crunch time for Mitch’s game. He has a choice to make. At this point he can vote with Joe, Eva, and Shauhin and make it another day or he can vote with Mary, Star, and Kamilla and see where that brings him. Mitch is well aware of where he stands in the game and it’s not looking great, but given that we are at the final eight, I think he will inevitably join Star, Mary, and Kamilla and vote out Joe. If he doesn’t and he goes and tells Joe what’s about to happen, he will lock up earning nobody’s respect in the game, especially not from Star or Mary.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 19
RICE NEGOTIATION - not a negotiation at all. Total zero.
Another classic Survivor challenge — stacking blocks to spell out I-M-M-U-N-I-T-Y.
Kyle is playing AGGRESSIVELY and I respect it. He’s build Y-T-I-N-U twice and it’s fallen while he was back grabbing another letter.
Shauhin and Mitch have taken a slooooooooow and steady approach that has him in the lead and without dropping once. Mitch is taking a similar approach but lags behind.
SHAUHIN DROPS!!!
Mitch places his 7th block but Kyle is in the lead and then…MITCH DROPS!!!
Kyle is in the lead and Joe is second. Just like the beginning of the challenge.
KYLE DROPS, AGAIN!!!! Joe is in the lead again!
Joe places the eighth and final block while blowing a fly off his face. The slow and steady back pedal combined with the super slo-mo flies on his face, his feet in the sand, and the final steps to victory.
JOE WINS HIS 3RD INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY!!!!!!! Guaranteed the final seven and guaranteed to ruin the plans of Mary and Star.
NIU NAI PRE-TRIBAL COUNCIL - Day 19
Enter the backup plan….well, maybe not.
Star is ready to fight and stay alive as long as possible, but it seems like Mitch’s choice is to tell Shauhin about the plan because he doesn’t trust Mary or Star. He even tells us the viewers that he can’t do it and it’s disappointing. I understand why Mitch doesn’t trust Mary and Star. I understand why Mitch trusts Joe, Eva, Shauhin and Kyle (they are playing a trust based game) but I don’t understand why Mitch won’t take a chance. Maybe he will prove me wrong in a future episode and maybe it will all work out where I have egg on my face and Mitch will laugh last.
Won’t happen though.
Being afraid to take a chance in Survivor doesn’t get you anywhere, even on a season where building trusting relationships and sticking by them is the name of the game. I love Kamilla’s ability to see how Mitch’s shortcomings limit her possibilities in the game.
With the Joe move off the table, the vote swings toward a very uninteresting vote between Star and Mary. The rationale to vote for Star over Mary is Star has a Shot in the Dark and Mary doesn’t. On the other hand, the rationale for Mary over Star is a vague belief that Mary can win immunity over Star.
STAR’S RAP
“My enemies be plottin………” - Star
Star dazzles us with the help of audio editors with a rap about her enemies plotting to get her. All I can think in this moment is that we haven’t seen much of Star and her personality all season. She didn’t talk to anyone to start, then she found the Beware Advantage and couldn’t figure it out, then Eva opens it and Star gives her the Immunity Idol, and now Star is likely to get voted out this episode or next without any ally left in the game. Star feels like an untapped resource and that her game and her personality never got off the ground. I wonder if the 39 day version with more camp time and more down time would have let Star’s personality at camp shine through more.
PREDICTION: Star gets voted out. BOOOOO!
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 19
Playing from a place of trust or paranoia? Star is never playing from a place of paranoia and even finds the best way to throw Mitch under the bus by saying he didn’t stutter when he told Star to play her Shot in the Dark hahaha. See this is the Star we need more of.
Mary doesn’t have time for paranoia. Kamilla is brushing her brain clean from paranoia.
Eva repeats the simple game plan of Pagonging people one by one. No fear in her brain.
Mary is feeling on the bottom and seems all but defeated. She isn’t thinking about who will be left in the game and Jeff’s questions aren’t applicable to Mary. Mary’s strategy is to roll over and play dead hoping that this will present a zero threat that will make people keep her around.
Star is presenting confidence much better than Mary and is fighting off paranoia by probably being paranoid. She has done a hell of a job masking it and probably enough to avoid being voted out.
VOTES
STAR - 5
MARY - 3
“Hit me where it hurts Uncle JP” - Star
Well, in a very anticlimactic ending, Star is voted out with her Shot in the Dark still in her pocket and I have to believe at least one part of her wishes she still had that Immunity Idol. Mary’s strategy of rolling over and playing dead without a Shot in the Dark was enough to get her through this vote and to another day in Survivor.
Earlier when I wrote that we hadn’t seen much of Star’s personality throughout the entire season and that we missed out on what could’ve been with Star, I think in the end, this episode delivered Star to us. We got the version of Star that was missing and this one episode was all we needed. We saw Star fight for her life in the game, we saw Star comfort Mary, and we heard Star rap in a confessional and for her exit interview.
Personally, I wish Star was a better rapper but I feel like Star knows she’s an ok rapper because all that matters is she loves rapping. Star strikes me as a person who is self aware and genuine. She was never going to be the strategic mastermind of the season, nor was she cut out for a season built on trusting relationships. I think people enjoyed Star but my sense is that Star never really found her place in the actual gameplay which is why being voted out as the fourth member of the jury with nothing but love feels about right.
Time to go Star and time to go on this blog.
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