Survivor 45 | Ep. 12
DAKUWAQA - DAY 21
Post Julie’s 1-0 vote out of Emily and everyone voting for Julie. They all turned on her and Julie gets to laugh last…with Dee. They’re “acting pissed” at each other and it’s a gutsy and different strategy and mark of the trust between Julie and Dee.
The first major curveball of the episode comes with Dee not being truthful with Austin about being in on the joke with Julie. Austin went out on a limb telling Dee about the Julie vote and Dee isn’t returning the favor here. On top of it, Dee is playing dumb and putting on her best actress in a supporting role performance to mask the whole thing. I love the conversation between Dee, Austin and Drew. It’s awkward, it’s uncomfortable, It’s Survivor Final 6!
DAKUWAQA - DAY 22
Katurah is all over the idol hunting the morning after Julie played it. Dee and Austin go out after her. I love how Jake somehow isn’t looking anymore even though he has needed it for weeks. Katurah gets caught by Austin and I don’t get the whole awkward conversation? Why is it embarrassing? You’re on Survivor, it’s day 22, it’s final 6, and let’s go.
Awkward, party of 2? Your table is now ready…
Drew and Julie talking the morning after. All the REBA should stick together is crap. Julie has made her move and there’s no room for a “reunion tour”. I like watching Drew scramble and squirm with the awkward in the game because it didn’t go his way.
Secret Move, party of 2? Your table is now ready…
Dee and Julie are like Santa Claus dashing through the jungle and laughing all the way. Their plan worked. Their plan destroyed REBA for good and flipped the game we had been seeing for 11 episodes. I guess the question is
1 - “Can they keep the secret?”,
2 - How do they get Drew out? (he’s clearly Julie’s target)
REWARD CHALLENGE
REWARD - Picnic including meat, cheese, nuts, and you enjoy it on a sand spit in the ocean via helicopter aka the Easter Egg.
Challenge
Start by diving in the ocean from a square platform onto shore.
Roll a barrel uphill and then maneuver a rope’s course while standing on the barrel and releasing keys.
Austin obviously out to a lead. He’s by far the best athlete and it’s absolutely zero surprise to see him in the lead. The wet sandy barrel seems slippery and awkward. Drew’s height is helpful yet hindering. Jake’s in 3rd getting to unlocking the puzzle based on his strength and athleticism.
Unlock and complete the slide puzzle.
The girls get to the slide puzzle in 4th, 5th, and 6th place and it all comes down to the puzzle. Despite everyone being at the puzzle, Austin is able to outplay everyone given his dominance in the first two stages and being at the puzzle longest.
Austin wins reward and is able to pick two people.
Dee - This was obvious. This was a layup. He loves her. I don’t get how we haven’t heard the others talk about the bond between Austin and Dee as a threat. Kind of unbelievable really.
Katurah - Strategy move here by Austin. Keep her away from idol hunting and get her on his side for the next vote and/or see where her head is in the game.
Drew cries and relives his middle school days where nobody picked him then and nobody picked him today. Julie is feeling babysat back at camp by Drew and Jake. Then there’s Jake. He’s just dead weight with minimal threat to Austin and Dee.
BACK AT CAMP
Drew is stuck playing babysitter to Julie and Jake. Plus, Drew is throwing a temper tantrum. Also, Jake isn’t doing the whole babysitter BS, he’s lookin for “peppahs”. Jake’s only redeemable qualities at this point in the game is his Boston accent and awareness of it being Day 22 and nothing to lose. His fate in the game has been sealed. He’s the guy that fell through the cracks and never found an alliance.
HELICOPTER & REWARD
What’s cooler than flying 100 feet above the water/beach in a helicopter? How about doing it with the doors open! Really amazing. The rush of energy is palpable and I’m so envious of the experience. Having been in a helicopter tour in Hawaii - I am blessed - and I have some realization of how amazing this reward must be. Throw in the picnic, the sand spit, and the hand holds, and BOOM, one hell of a reward for Dee and Austin and one hell of a third wheel for Katurah hahaha.
JAKE IS BACK!
HE’S GOT A PULSE IN THE GAME FOLKS!!! I’m excited for him and BOOM he finds the clue to the idol that is hiding in the bamboo of the raft. Jake is down in his underwear, reminiscing about his underwear play from college, and this idol isn’t exactly obvious.
JAKE HAS GOT IT!!! HE’S GOT HIS CROTCH IDOL!! It’s good for final 5 and he is ready to make his move at Tribal and to win. LET’S GOOOOOOO!!!! Jake is back and I’m ready for it. I hated him being dead weight. I hated him being down on his luck. I hated him being the forgotten puppy dog that nobody wants to play with.
GIVE ME COMEBACK JAKE 100 out of 100 times! His struggles in the game, his forgotten storyline, his outcast identity in the game and now he’s equipped with a final 5 idol to fire away with. He has wanted to fit in and find his place in this season, yet here he is in the final 6 and the character he has been cast in - the outcast - is reaching his climax.
Action!
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - DAY 22
The challenge that stands between the competitors and a guaranteed spot in the final 5 is balancing a ball on an oversized wooden spoon that is held up via the foot of your choice. If you’re reading this, right now I want you to stand up and think about which leg would be your leg to balance on and which leg would keep the ball and wooden spoon going. Not easy is it.
Speaking of not easy, Julie, Jake and Katurah didn’t have it so easy and are eliminated quickly from the challenge leaving Drew, Dee, and Austin with the beauty of Fiji, Jeff’s anxiety provoking narration, and the crashing of the waves to enjoy as you balance a ball all the way to the final 5.
Next, we learn that Dee isn’t a good dancer when he begins to lose balance and his ball starts to move. He has to maneuver and jump and hop and balance the ball multiple times. But, it’s too much. Drew drops leaving Dee and Austin.
Final 2 - Dee vs. Austin
Austin may be more muscular but Dee was a literal statue. She didn’t move nor did her ball. She even talked her best trash to Austin. His balance gives way and he drops. Dee wins immunity and a guaranteed spot in the final 5.
Dee wins and is calm, cool, and grateful in victory. She is a stark contrast to Drew’s previous episode explosion of a win and Julie’s awkward “hey can we go back to how things were” celebration after voting out Emily. Again, Dee is athletic and deserved to win the challenge, however, it’s another example of Dee not having to face any adversity in the game. Can you say it’s her skill and a high level gameplay? Sure. For my money, it’s the no adversity game because she’s always been in the power position.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE
Jake is trying to make his move, stake his claim, and stop being a pawn in other people’s games. He’s proposing to Julie and Katurah to vote Drew, but he doesn’t realize that Julie is still in good shape with Dee and that Katurah is not going to go along with Jake’s plan. You can even look at like Drew is the move for everyone.
Did Drew just call Gervase - Ger-vase - and botch his name? Come on Drew, get him out of here.
The only person who doesn’t know that Drew is the target is, well Drew, and his day 1 boy - Austin. The issue for Dee is that Austin told Dee what the deal was for the Julie vote, and now Dee is in the same position that Austin was last episode. I love that the suspense is building. I love that we are walking into Tribal Council without knowing whether Dee told Austin about the Drew vote or not?
Dee tells Austin - If she tells him then she is guilty of playing with and letting her emotions creep in. She would also be guilty of having a deep connection with Austin and that will be long standing far after the game.
Dee DOESN’T tell Austin - If she DOESN’T tell Austin then she is “playing the game” and not letting her emotions lead her actions. She doesn’t necessarily lose Austin’s trust or love or affection. However, she’s risking it.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - NIGHT 23
Love how Probst brings the jury up to speed about the Helicopter Picnic reward and the implications of Austin’s decision back at campus. Love how it’s putting Julie in the uncomfortable position that I think I’ve been waiting for all season for her, Dee, and the rest of REBA.
Probst putting his Emmy reel together by asking about how the relationships make the votes difficult. The jury likes this conversation and Drew seems a bit too confident in the relationships he has in the game. Drew even goes on a limb to say he’s seeing his path to a Final Tribal.
Drew’s calm and confidence juxtaposed to Julie’s acting and paranoia couldn’t be a more different vibe and I’m ready to vote.
PREDICTION: Drew gets blindsided. Having said that, I’d love it if Jake played his idol for Drew, saves him, and Julie goes home.
VOTES
Austin plays his amulet for himself.
DREW - 4
JULIE - 2
WOW! Dee didn’t tell Austin about the vote. Austin is in disbelief. She won’t even look at him. Austin and Dee just got played like a fiddle. Dee distanced herself and her game from the rest with this move. She had a chance to return the trust and favor to Austin and she didn’t. Ultimately, it was the right move for her. She doesn’t need to return the favor to keep the love and showmance with Austin. Even if Austin got voted out and Dee went to the final 3, she would still get his vote. Dee is getting her cake and eating it too no matter what in the Austin relationship and next week we will find out if I’m right.
For Drew, I think he was blindsided by the success of REBA and taking his chance at final 7 to take out Julie. He underestimated the Julie and Dee relationship and the Austin and Dee relationship. Finally, he overestimated the power and standing that he and Austin had in the game. In the end, Drew is the first one burned by the dismembering of REBA, but it’s fitting because, well, he started it.
