Survivor 49 | Ep. 8
LEWATU - NIGHT 14
We are learning quite a bit post Tribal in the night vision. Jawan, Sage, and Steven have flipped the power balance a complete 180. They now feel on top and Savannah, Rizo, and Soph have been chopped down to the very bottom. I can’t help but feel both the euphoria that Jawan or Steven are feeling with their new found pride in executing the biggest move of Survivor 49 thus far, while simultaneously feeling the bottom drop out on Savannah, Rizo, and Soph. That gut punch feels more powerful than the triumph of those on right side of the votes.
We also get taken into Soph’s perspective here and she feels “bamboozled” and rightfully so, but I find it FASCINATING that we find her seeking asylum in the company of Alex in this moment, aka her original KELE tribe mate. It feels like the depths of despair that Soph was finally able to overcome has reared it’s head once again, like she is the damsel in distress in the Halloween movies and just when she thought she finally killed Michael Myers…HE’S BACK!, and so is Soph finding herself and her game flat on her back and treking uphill again.
Next, we get insight from MC’s perspective. She played her idol (only Savannah and Steven knew about?) to play it safe and to see where the votes landed so she could officially see who she can and cannot trust. Great strategy and one that we often don’t hear as a reason to play an idol. I like the gameplay, Sage doesn’t seem to mind, but Jawan may not be so easy to forgive and trust again.
Next, we get Rizo’s perspective and he tells us that despite being on the bottom…”don’t count your boy out yet”. His conversation with Jawan doing damage control still feels like Rizo always has to have the upper hand and never let Jawan feel like he was cut by the move. It feels like he still isn’t threatened by Jawan and that’s an outcome that is advantageous to both players. Rizo is on the bottom, still feels confident, still has an idol, and can approach the game differently now that old ULI to the end is DONE. For Jawan, he tells the viewers he’s doing damage control, that Savannah is next, Rizo is to follow, and that he doesn’t plan to work with them in the game. To that, I say never say never Jawan.
Finally, we get a very humbled Savannah. She is on the bottom, she was on the outside of the vote, she is vulnerable, and people don’t trust her. I do not buy the sentiments of gratitude and congratulations they show her spewing to Jawan, Sage, and Steven. It’s all BS. I’m hoping she just goes for broke.
LEWATU - DAY 15
A “defensive idol search” featuring Steven, Kristina, and Alex to prevent Savannah and Rizo from gaining power in the game. Sure enough, Kristina finds a full fledge Hidden Immunity Idol! Personally, I don’t see Kristina as a threat in the game, nor as a winner threat. She just gained an idol and that’s great, but at this point in the game, I think you need the secret. Now, Alex or Steven can use the idol against you or for their own benefit. This is a new phase of the game and that idol could be the very thing that makes your game or breaks it. Looking into my crystal ball, I think this will break Kristina.
Coming back from commercial, things we learn
Did we know that Steven was a rocket scientist??? He’s narrating the game in NASAese and it feels like him and Jawan are growing closer.
Jawan is afraid of Savannah aka the savage.
Sage is doing damage control with Soph and wants Savannah to go next.
Soph is desperate to find new people in the game and is welcoming the damage control.
Savannah doesn’t feel powerless in life ever.
Savannah’s back is against the wall and she feels left out. We see an emotional side of her with a work story that left her feeling “iced out” and isolated. Next, this story accelerates to her not being able to have children naturally.
Wow.
The emotions come as a surprise to her, but as her emotions are flowing, it has me think, this makes sense. She’s played the game from a tough, strong, and calculated way thus far, and for my money, I see a direct correlation of her game to the “iced out” Savannah who had to present strength everyday for 2 years, and not let the others see her blink. However, in this moment I wonder if Savannah had played the game with her emotions, allowing herself to be vulnerable, being the person she wished she could have been at work., would she have been able to have greater relationships in the game and find herself in a different place in the game?
Time will tell.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - DAY 15
Another Survivor classic challenge is back, but with a twist.
Two groups of 5
Winning Group - All win immunity, don’t go to Tribal
Losing Group - Nobody safe, all go to Tribal, someone voted out
BLUE - Sage, Rizo, MC, Jawan, Sophie
YELLOW - Steven, Kristina, Soph, Alex, Savannah
Advantage - Last one standing
REWARD - Deli Sandwiches
This challenge is and always has been BRUTAL! The footholds are tiny, uncomfortable, and painful. It’s painful to look at their feet digging in and the footholds digging back. The struggle in their toes and their feet are palpable. Perhaps worst of all is the sudden drop and the sting in their feet upon impact you can feel in your own feet every single time someone drops.
Great editing 15 minutes in - Soph’s prayers, Jawan’s squirming, and Sophie’s focus.
Final 3 - Savannah (YELLOW), Sage (BLUE), Sophie (BLUE)
Sage drops out and it leaves a showdown between Savannah and Sophie for immunity, for reward, and for an advantage in the game. They both are struggling. The foothold is nothing. It’s hardly anything at all. The facial expressions are extreme, the damage to their feet is all too real, and then Sophie drops.
Savannah wins Immunity for herself and the rest of YELLOW - Alex, Soph, Kristina, and Steven. Savannah sends BLUE - Jawan, Sophie, Rizo, MC, and Sage to Tribal. Savannah was terrified of Tribal tonight and rightfully so, she needed this win more than anyone.
Now, the BLUE team goes back to old ULI and will face a Tribal of 5. On first thought, based on previous Tribal, it would seem like Rizo was the most vulnerable, but reminder, he has an idol. My sense is he needs it and he will play it. That leaves MC, Jawan, Sage, and Sophie vulnerable.
OLD ULI CAMP - DAY 15
Is Sophie really telling Sage and Jawan to throw her name out to Rizo? Dangerous, but it could be the right plan to make him feel safe, not play his idol, and they all get Rizo out.
Sophie tells then doubles down when she tells MC that she’s going to throw her vote on Jawan, just in case Rizo plays his idol. So what does MC do with this knowledge? She uses it as power and power to build trust. MC going to Jawan and offering this information is her olive branch to building back full trust again.
Let’s just go to Tribal because it is going to be wild!
REWARD - DAY 15
Savannah’s advantage sends her over to ULI beach with the option of casting a vote at Tribal or saving it for later use. A fun new twist on the EXTRA VOTE advantage. First though, as soon as Savannah boards the boat, I immediately thought, “why is she sitting up and allowing herself to be seen?” I get that it probably doesn’t matter, but sitting up and being visible makes the rest of the reward earners know that she boarded the boat with her advantage. Plus, it would make for a great shot of her being extra sneaky, even if it’s meaningless. I guess I just see her as capable of pulling moves like that and I am rooting for it.
Unleash the savage within!
OLD ULI CAMP - DAY 15
Jawan is paranoid and Sophie is exposed. MC blew up Sophie’s plan and now it’s come back to her via Sage. Now, enter Savannah, her Immunity Necklace, and Rizo’s number one. It makes sense now as to why Savannah didn’t get the necklace put around her after winning the challenge.
They immediately begin strategizing. Savannah tells him about the EXTRA VOTE and that she can save it and the plan to turn the target onto MC begins. Rizo wants to turn the crosshairs away from him and to not take out the obvious challenge threat that other people would expect to happen. Plus, he doesn’t want to play his idol. I like the plan to target MC. She’s a threat in challenges, she was on the right side of the Nate vote, and she’s a social threat with many friends not going to Tribal tonight.
Heading into Tribal it seems like the vote will NOT be Sage or Jawan and it could be RIzo, Sophie, or MC.
PREDICTION: Rizo keeps his idol, Savannah keeps her vote, and MC goes home.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - NIGHT 15
The discussion centers around the chaos of the twists. Jawan, Sage, and Sophie felt they were on top and the split group and only half at Tribal has everyone feeling knocked off their pedestals and back on even footing. Throw in Savannah winning immunity and the advantage of joining Tribal, and the chaos rules the day.
Sophie is paranoid. She feels like the game shifted back to original tribal lines and her position in the game of being on top, winning immunity, immediately shifts to losing the one on one and the challenge to Savannah and finding herself extremely vulnerable.
Jeff brings up Rizo’s idol and the discussion, if any, around it. Jeff’s ability to navigate these conversations is truly impressive. He’s the best in the business for a reason.
Then…
Sophie’s paranoia wants to cut to the chase that it’s either her or MC. She’s now thrown her name out as the original plan to throw Rizo off and now she is putting herself out there again and putting herself against MC for the votes. Feels desperate but feels like she is fighting for her life in the game.
Then the first live Tribal begins. Live Tribals are pure paranoia and anxiety. In the end, if Rizo doesn’t play his idol and he makes it through, it will be like Kobe hitting a game winner at the buzzer.
VOTES
MC - 4
SOPHIE - 1
Savannah did not use her EXTRA VOTE
KOBE!!!
My prediction was spot on, 3 for 3! Rizo didn’t play his idol, Savannah didn’t use her EXTRA VOTE and MC went home. I feel like MC being voted out is a duplicate of the Nate vote. The threat of Rizo’s idol, MC sharing Sophie’s secret, Jawan’s distrust of MC for her idol at the previous vote, and the twists of only half the people going to Tribal and Savannah showing up after the fact, forced old ULI to go back to working together and voting out an original HINA. The threat of Sophie still remains, but everyone that valued MC in their game, is hurt by the vote.
I think the most shocking outcome was Rizo remaining untouched and maintaining his idol. It was a tough needle to thread, or in basketball terms he would understand, a tough contested three pointer to swish, but it feels like it was a perfect storm. The twists, Savannah winning immunity, and some heavy doses of bad gameplay, paranoia, and knowledge being used as power led to Rizo regaining a quarter inch on the foothold of his entire game leading to this outcome.
We welcome MC as the second member of the jury. Feels like a good outcome for MC. She found and played an idol, she was a challenge beast that led original HINA to avoiding Tribal all together, and she built some connections. However, in the end, I think the twists this episode put her into a situation that she was in the minority for and her social game wasn’t strong enough nor trustworthy enough for people to stick their neck out for her. It was easier for old ULI to realign and vote out a vulnerable MC who had shown most of the voters that they can’t trust her fully. Finally, Sophie’s challenge threat made enabled the opportunity to take out the less obvious threat MC, just like Nate last episode, the best option.
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