Survivor 42, Episode 11 - Battle Royale
KULA KULA (NIGHT 19)
The final 7 is set. Mike is riding his “Hai” horse knowing that he was instrumental in taking out Hai and completing the biggest blindside of the season. Hai’s departure also makes Lindsay and Drea’s amulet advantage go from an EXTRA VOTE to a STEAL A VOTE.
It’s also worth noting that Romeo was not voted out. He was the “easy vote” seemingly yesterday, but now has broken through to being in the game solely as a number. I see the final 3 and zero votes to win path for him. I wonder if he knows it yet.
KULA KULA (NIGHT 20)
We now know that Maryanne loses her pinky toe nails 3x a year. But the commonality of both KULA KULA segments is the low people on the totem pole (Romeo and Maryanne) are keeping quiet while the move makers begin to turn on one another.
Drea and Mike are ready to take the 5 of Jonathan, Lindsay, Omar and themselves to the final 5. Mike wants to take this final 5 to the end and duke it out…..but Mike is not the mane of his word that he’s made us think. It was all a front to make Drea comfortable. Mike is becoming power hungry and I like it. Use the “i’m a man of my word” angle to make inroads, assume power, and make game winning moves.
One problem for Mike. His name is double O Omar. The guy is the confidant of the confident Mike and after Mike feels his coronation of the new “Hai” is complete, Omar is there to go to Drea immediately and let her in on Mike’s evil plans.
Jonathan is literally deteriorating on national television. He is withering away. The guy is fighting the fight of the game but more so the “keep my threat level down” game. In order to do this, the big guy with the most skills has to keep a tight lip to avoid setting people off and wanting to vote him out. Despite his best efforts, he’s still on the outs lead by Lindsay and Drea.
I get it that Jonathan is hurting out there, like everyone is. Not having food this season has really been a constant throughout 42 and even more so far this episode. Add to it that Jonathan is the provider, trying to eat equal amounts even though his body literally needs more, and if he says even the teeniest piece of a complaint or an opposite POV, he will be crucified and targeted. He’s screwed. No way he wins.
JEFF EXPLAINS THE DO OR DIE 2.0
The DO or DIE twist returns! Compete in the challenge, and you risk, if first out, being forced to play DO or DIE. The first person to fall out will have to play the game of chance. If they win, they cannot be voted out, but if they lose, they’re out, that’s it.
COMPETE - Jonathan and Lindsay
DON’T COMPETE - Drea, Maryanne, Mike, Omar, Romeo
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
It’s Jonathan vs. Lindsay. Mono y mono. First question, if only Jonathan or Lindsay turned over the purple, I’m competing rock, would they have automatically won immunity or had to face the Do or Die? Unclear. If there is only one person competing there is no reason to run the challenge because they automatically win, however the one person competing is the only person exposed to the Do or DIe game of chance and therefore should be subject to that, right?
Second, what if nobody turned over the purple rock to compete? Does Probst call a timeout and keep the cameras rolling as the producers huddle to discuss what to do next? Do they just scrap the Do or Die? (Wouldn’t hate that)
Next, why only the two of them competing? My guess is Jonathan is a competitor and wants to win immunity. Lindsay is too. But, I also think Lindsay knew that Jonathan was going to compete and she is determined to bring him down single handedly.
Having said all that, everyone else was just plain scared. Who can blame them? Not competing takes the game of chance off the table for them and allows their social politics to determine their fate. Plus, after one look at this challenge, I know I’m not beating Jonathan or Lindsay and would be a high risk of Do or Die. No thank you.
Now, as much of a beast as Jonathan is and as much as I would not want to compete against him, this challenge of balancing on a small perch and holding on behind your head, advantage small/normal sized people. I still think Jonathan would beat me but my feel aren’t as big as his and I don’t have to hold up as much weight and muscle.
After 10 minutes, Jonathan and Lindsay are both squirming. They are uncomfortable up there and it’s uncomfortable watching.
Then…
Lindsay drops! She turned yellow!!!
Jonathan wins. Safe at Tribal. Guaranteed a spot in the final 6. Lindsay must now play DO or DIE! Her fate will be determined by the game. If she wins the game, she’s safe and Tribal has a vote like normal, but if she loses, no vote and she is out! Huge stakes.
The million dollar question for Lindsay will be “Why did I not just sit out?” All signs point to her being in a place where she doesn’t need to compete and would still be safe, but the competitor in her may have gotten the best of her.
Post Immunity, Lindsay is tackling this decision she made. She’s proud of herself for giving her all but her pride may have got the best of her. People are coming to her comfort, but not really. Drea is ready for Lindsay to make it easy on her and get that amulet to become an individual idol. Drea would become even more solid. But, Mike is rallying troops to take out Drea.
But…Drea has other plans for Mike, if Lindsay is safe. Drea spills the beans on her Knowledge is Power Advantage to Omar thus guaranteeing that Mike won’t have an idol and they can blindside him. Again, Omar at the center of important information. Drea tells Romeo. Omar tells Lindsay.
But…Omar and Lindsay have other plans for Mike or Drea, if Lindsay is safe. Since they know about Drea’s Knowledge is Power Advantage, they now know how to manipulate it. In other words, Omar can tell Mike about Drea’s advantage and plans and take the idol out of his possession and thus leave Drea looking STUPID, and then able to vote her out. They can also let Mike in on the plan, take his idol, make Drea look STUPID, and STILL VOTE MIKE OUT! This whole segment was dominated by Omar and further cementing him as the number 1 player this season, but EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON LINDSAY WINNING DO OR DIE!
TRIBAL COUNCIL
Jonathan is safe after winning the showdown against Lindsay. Lindsay has to play Do or DIe because she lost to Jonathan. Everyone else didn’t compete. Her competitive nature took over and screwed her over.
The winks and the nods have many different outcomes that can come from this Tribal, yet there may not be a vote at all. I think the lesson of this Tribal before the Do or Die is that the game rages on and you have to play like it’s your last every single minute. Also, like Hatch taught us back at Final Tribal in season 1, observation is key to playing this game and like Drea pointed out, observing everyone else is key.
DO OR DIE
Lindsay chooses the middle box. The middle box! Never take the middle box. Now, Jeff dramatically opens one of the skull boxes and gives her the chance to swap. Her gut told her to stick it out and it WORKED! She joins Deshawn in feeling the relief of DOING and not DYING!
BACK TO TRIBAL
Lindsay is now safe and that means a vote will happen. So, immediately following Lindsay’s triumph, Drea pulls out the Knowledge is Power Advantage. She has a lot of firepower and not a lot of time to use it, so now is the time to use it! So, she asks Mike “Do you have an idol?”…
NO!
Like Xander in 41, Mike etches his big Tribal moment in cement. Mouths agape. Jaws drop. Moment solidified. She never saw this coming. Shame on you Drea. You had it. You really had it. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, use the advantage, and everything would have been fine. You could have stolen Mike’s idol or even Lindsay’s amulet and played it as an idol to save yourself or risk whatever happening.
But, you didn’t.
You forgot the one thing that is most important about the Knowledge is Power Advantage, just like Liana did, and that is KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! It told you right in the title! Knowledge is power in this game and once you gave Omar the KNOWLEDGE of you having this advantage and the KNOWLEDGE of how this advantage works, you set yourself up for this outcome. Now, you and Liana can become instant friends and wallow in your misplays as they live on in Survivor lore. My how the Survivor rich have fallen!
Drea’s disappointment is Mike’s triumph. He claps his hands, pulls up his sleeves, and maybe even gives a little celebratory muscle flex in the process. Mike pulled off the blindside and made shockwaves through Tribal and Survivor lore.
But, did he?
Or was it actually the silent assassin nestled behind him awkwardly keeping his mouth covered to show shock but in actuality he’s desperately trying to cover up his adrenaline and giddyness knowing he was the Beethoven behind this masterpiece, not Mike. Mike was merely the guy seated at the piano. Maybe a Milli Vanilli reference would be better suited. Either way, the real move maker was Omar, not Mike, who will be adding the biggest feather to their winning resume fidora after this one.
VOTES
Drea 5
Mike 3
With a smile, Drea says “I gave it all.” And in as unique a vote out moment as ever before filled with bro hugs, big smiles, and maybe most importantly of all, secrets shared oh so politely. Drea’s whistle blowing discloses Omar being the only one she told the secret to and a close second, that Mike will probably win if he gets to the end. Now, will these revealed secrets have any ripple effects? We shall see.
Drea’s torch getting snuffed feels like it didn’t have to be. First, Lindsay didn’t have to win Do or Die. If she loses than Drea is still in. Second, If Drea doesn’t share the Knowledge is Power Advantage secret with Omar and try to make that move, she’s still in because she could have taken Mike’s idol without anyone knowing and then played his idol if she felt that insecure. Easy for me to say, but perhaps being Survivor rich is what did Drea in. She played from a position of power from the first moments of the game and only continued to grow in advantage wealth, but in the end, the Knowledge is Power Advantage did her in because she didn’t see the advantage of knowledge from the other side. She gave knowledge to Omar and he used it against her. Well done everyone.
Lastly, as much as I enjoyed Drea’s exit and its picture perfect display of gameplay, I have to give it one MAJOR DING. THIS IS STILL A GAME FOR $1 MILLION DOLLARS. I REPEAT, SURVIVOR IS STILL A GAME THAT REWARDS ONE PERSON WITH A LIFE CHANGING SUM OF MONEY. I know that Drea has 800K (and counting) followers on Insta and it allows her to file a W-2 under “Influencer” but cashing in on the million dollar prize would have been better than her A+ Survivor exit. Plus Survivor 42 Champion in her Insta bio might push her followers up to the 1M category, but I think I’d rather have the 1M dollars instead.
Speaking of those still able to win $1M lets’s take a look where they stand…
RANKINGS
12. Lydia
11. Chanelle (1st on Jury)
10. Rocksroy (2nd on Jury)
9. Tori (3rd on Jury)
8. Hai (4th on Jury)
7. Drea (5th on Jury, no advantages)
NEEDS A MIRACLE BUT IT’S POSSIBLE…MAYBE
6. Romeo - Only a number. Capable of orchestrating moves but needs to do something like find an idol and use it to save someone and his lone vote be the decider in a blindside.
5. Jonathan - Failed on 1st Drea blindside. Only arguments are winning challenges, surviving at 6’4” on 500 calories a day is hardest (nobody would care), and he bit his tongue (like everyone). Don’t see it.
CONTENDERS
4. Lindsay - Back to back big episodes. She’s proven she’s a competitor which presents a similar argument as Jonathan. Drea’s out so Lindsay’s amulet is now an Immunity Idol. There’s a path but she has to stop fighting Jonathan and realize he cannot beat her at a final.
FAVORITES
3. Mike - Instrumental in Chanelle, Rockroy, Hai, and now Drea blindside by ditching his idol. Drea outted him as the likely winner. Mike was right, could be the kiss of death.
2. Maryanne - Willing to stand up for something bigger than her game aka has a story. Found another idol, plus still has an EXTRA VOTE. Super likeable. Needs a big move with the idol or EV. Erika archetype, will be tough to beat.
1. Omar - Favorite or weeks, but like Rocky did to Drago, Drea cut Omar by revealing that he shared the secret that led to her getting blindsided. Omar’s perfect game may have just ended in the 8th inning.
Lot of firepower still in the game but time is running out for playing idols and advantages. Omar via Mike, Lindsay, and Maryanne have Immunity Idols. Maryanne has an EXTRA VOTE. Jonathan and Lindsay are the only two who’ve won immunity. An Immunity Challenge win from Omar (maybe Mike if he gets idol back), Lindsay, or Maryanne could guarnatee at least fire for any of them, but nothing is guaranteed in Survivor except viewer satisfaction.
Thanks for reading. Until the next time, be sure to outlike, outcomment, and outshare the rest all season long. If you like the blog be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and subscribe to the YouTube channel.
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