Survivor 45 | Ep. 4
LULU - NIGHT 7
Sabiyah is gone and so is her idol, the drama of revealing it via burning the wax, and lastly, Sean’s confidence in the game.
“I’m just…dumbfounded” - Sean
He knows he is at the bottom, he respects the move that Emily and Kaleb made and actually feels left out. Sean has nothing. He has no leg to stand on so he turns on the charm to get on good terms with the first power couple on 45. It feels like he needs to say less because it is only burying him further, unless there is a tribe swap or something to reshuffle the game…
Lucky for him, we know this wish is about to come true!
DROP YOUR BUFFS - DAY 8
When Jeff introduces the new look LULU for the first time, a lot of big reactions are had. I know, I know, that always happens. However, let’s not forget two key points and a bonus third point that makes this big reaction a little different.
Kaleb went to REBA on the tribe raid and built relationships, or tried to. This is a culprit in the big reactions because it confirms EVEN FURTHER the suspicion that REBA had about Kaleb, his savvy in the game, and his charm. He has made it through another Tribal. The antennas are fully erect at REBA.
Emily is STILL THERE?!?!?! Remember in the first 3 seconds of the game on the barge when she called out Bruce? Yeah, that same person who immediately put a target on her back from the jump, is STILL IN THE GAME. BELO (blue tribe) is definitely reacting to this development, most of all, Uncle Bruce!
The other point needed to be made is that REBA and BELO have combined to go to ZERO Tribal Councils. Ultimately, the LULU three has been through a ton more than the rest of the players.
Brando called it! I know we as viewers knew it was coming (based on last week’s teaser) and now it’s time for another big reaction from everyone. Think about it, at this point only 3 players have even been to Tribal Council and there is a tribe swap. It feels like the tribe swap is starting a new season of Survivor. Back to the old school two tribe format. The difference here is that the LULU 3 are the only ones with game experience that they now get to bring to this “new season”. Oh yeah, Bruce too, but he has been on two actual seasons of Survivor, and STILL has not been to Tribal!!! Hilarious.
Kaleb appropriately spits at the LULU yellow buff. Sean fake cries as he drops his, and Katurah offers a weak “stay BELO strong”.
NEW TRIBES
New REBA - Sifu, Dee, Julie, Jay, and Sean.
Wow! I think I spoke too soon. Just when Sean thought his game was going to turn right around, he ends up as the new eras first swap screwed player (at least on the surface). He goes from bottom of 3 person LULU to the only LULU among 4 REBAs who didn’t move anywhere. WOW! This also means that Drew and Austin are elsewhere.
New LULU - Katurah, Keliie, Jake, Bruce, and Kaleb.
Part 2 of the I spoke too soon. Kaleb just had a heroic moment of knowing he has one person to trust in the game, Emily, yet now he has been yanked away from her and swap screwed by being put with 4 BELO.
Or has he?
Maybe, Kaleb has been rewarded yet again. Think about this, he made it out of the LULUlosers with a number 1 ally in Emily, he had the chance to mingle and speed date with REBA and now he was put with 4 BELO. Kaleb, the social butterfly, will now be able to spread his wings to even more players in the game. Kaleb is the most interesting player and game so far.
New BELO - Drew, Austin, Brando, Kendra, and Emily.
This tribe of 5 has the greatest mix, well the only mix.
New LULU
I think the story of 45 has led most of us to sell some of our Uncle Bruce stock, yet Bruce delivers this emotional moment because he’s back at his Survivor 44 TIKA beach home.
Katurah is lawyering up immediately at Kaleb by cutting off Bruce and demanding to cross examine the witness and see if the story Bruce told BELO checks out. If you cut off Uncle Bruce when he is vibing with the newbie, Katurah is maybe revealing too much of her feelings toward Bruce.
Leaving the initial hangout of the new LULU has Kaleb picking up exactly where we last saw him, building relationships and rapport.
New BELO
The story at new BELO is a truly new lease on life in Survivor for Emily. She has a clean slate. She has Kaleb, if they get back together at the merge. She has all of Sabiyah’s secrets to tell. She can paint Sabiyah as the aggressor and rebuild her image to be squeaky clean. Lastly, Emily is the swing vote at the new BELO. 2 REBAs, 2 BELOs and Emily. The two REBAs, Drew and Austin, are allies already and will definitely make a play at “bringing Emily in”. Don’t forget they have an Immunity Idol from the REBA camp. Brando and Kendra are playing hosts to their new tribemates and grinning from ear to ear when they deliver Emily her first fire in Survivor.
Ultimately, it’s safe to say, on the surface, Emily is BY FAR the biggest beneficiary of the tribe swap from LULU because the new BELO has the mix of all 3 old tribes.
New REBA
Sean is ready to air all the LULU dirty laundry and try to use it to build relationships and find the cracks in this REBA 4 he got stuck with. Sean coming to REBAs 4 old members connects with Jay who we really haven’t gotten to know. We know that she is a singer but that’s about it.
Speaking of getting to know people, when Jay and Sean go off, the remaining REBA, the skeptical as hell 3 of Dee, Julie, and Sifu literally set up a look out, study Sean’s bag and how his strings are tied, and raid his property to find out if he’s got anything. Dee and Mama Julie just lost their idol with the swap and Drew/Austin taking their idol to the new BELO.
Lastly, I think REBA got swap screwed. 4 out of 5 of them are the same REBA. They don’t get to build new relationships, air dirty laundry, or play a new game. They get one new person in Sean and have everyone else and all the history they have remain the same. They also lost manpower in Austin and Drew going elsewhere and Sean isn’t exactly an athlete/challenge asset. Jay seems to be the most distraught by the swap. Jay has had it with Sifu. Jay wants to connect with Sean. Jay does connect with Sean and is clearly desperate to make it work and keep him around. However, the “easy” vote when your tribe swap ends up 4/5 the same people, is just to vote the newbie with no history out. Keep it the same and keep it moving.
Prediction: If REBA goes to Tribal tonight, they vote out Sean. It’s clean, it’s easy, it’s expected.
BELO - DAY 9
Thank you Austin for the recap of all the tools in your toolbox. Austin has the Immunity Idol, Drew has the Goodwill Advantage and Safety Without Power. Now, they are ready to make their pitch to Emily, bring her in and target the old BELO - Kendra or Brando.
LULU - DAY 9
Kellie has been separated from her number 1 - Brando. She was the swing vote in the middle at old BELO which gives her a good starting point at new LULU. The same can’t be said for Katurah. Katurah is perseverating on Bruce. She has had enough and it’s literally all she can talk about it. She’s annoyed by it and I am annoyed by her.
Now, I’m thinking Katurah is the one at the new LULU who was actually swap screwed. She’s bitter, she’s annoyed, and she’s stuck in the same tribe as before the swap, besides Kaleb. Her game is the same game - get Bruce out. She is giving information that she wants to give out, though she’s the only one who supports this. At this point, I’m hoping that Katurah is voted out because of her bitterness. It’s making her not fun to watch, nor root for.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - DAY 9
First, dive in and swim to the cage, climb up, and jump inside and release two poles.
Then, use the two poles to lift the cage and push it up onto the beach to your mat.
Next, dig one person out from underneath the cage to grab the balls and be the rebounder.
Last, shoot a ball into each of the nets.
New LULU out front getting to the carnival basketball shot game finale of this challenge and LULU wins it’s first immunity with Kaleb doing his best Steph Curry impression making the 3 long range baskets easily and quickly. With this, the original BELO 4 - Kendra, Brando, Bruce, and Jake remain Tribal Council virgins and Kaleb gets his first flint and break from Tribal.
The challenge is down to Austin shooting for BELO and Sifu shooting for REBA. Austin wins it comfortably for REBA and sends the new BELO to Tribal Council. This result is sending REBA’s Dee, Julie, Sifu, and Jay to Tribal for the first time and Sean for the fourth straight time.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE
Sean continues to be a loser in the game. 4th straight Tribal. Deflated. However, now is Sean’s chance to do his best work. If there’s a crack, now is the time to seep in and break it.
The question really comes down to whether REBA is going to do the easy thing and vote Sean or will someone rock the REBA Strong boat?
In the wake of their first Immunity Challenge loss, Jay will be making her pitch to keep Sean and blindside Sifu. Julie is thinking about keeping the tribe strong, aka vote Sean, and making their play to stay physically strong and keep themselves out of Tribal. However, the girls - Jay, Julie, Dee - are happy to stay REBA strong but also blindside Sifu. On the one hand the vote seems easy and the editing is messing with us, yet simultaneously, Sifu seems weird, irritating, and less likeable, especially to the girls of REBA, which would make him the easy target.
The Survivor podcast “On Fire with Jeff Probst” talked about every scene being put into the show on purpose. The audience is definitely led to believe the vote will be either Sean or Sifu, but Sean reminded us the viewers about his Shot in the Dark.
Oh yeahhhhhhhhhh. The Shot in the Dark seems like a totally viable option for Sean tonight. Ultimately, does his vote really matter? No. He has to be thinking that his fate is in the hands of Jay, Julie, and Dee. Take your shot Sean. At least have the chance to have done something besides lose on Survivor. It’s certainly a better story than not playing it.
Prediction: Sean plays the Shot in the Dark and misses and gets voted out. The REBA Strong vote makes the most sense after the tribe swap, it keep them physically strong, and my read is this tribe doesn’t have big players in it.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - NIGHT 9
Jeff throws it out there that to win Survivor, you have to have a little bit of luck. Sean’s story is likely a story of bad luck. Put on the wrong tribe, the losing tribe, and swapped to a winning tribe in REBA who didn’t have to do anything difficult in this vote, if they don’t want to.
The bad luck continues for Sean because the swap gave Sean under a day to try and find the cracks and make something happen.
“Failure is good, it helps you grow, it teaches you what, you need to know! - Sean (via 1st Grade Teacher)
Jeff reads the room and gives the floor to Sean for what seems like his farewell monologue and then…
WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?! IS THIS HAPPENING AGAIN?!?!?!?
Sean just asked the four REBA people to write his name down, continue their dream, and allowing him to get back to his husband because Survivor isn’t his dream.
Wait a minute…
Dee is mouthing to Julie to vote Sifu. I’m wondering why Jeff didn’t propose the quit like he did when Hannah quit at the first Tribal. Hmmm…
VOTES
Sean 3
Sifu 1
Dee 1
No surprise here. Like a last second Hail Mary at the end of a game. You knew the outcome was going to happen but it did give a moment of anxiety. My biggest takeaway from this Tribal, other than the disgusting 2nd quit from Sean, is that Sifu took the moment when Sean was voted out to not just sing kumbaya (even though he’s the Tai Chi guy) but to use it to press Sean about if he was the one to write down Sifu, he says he didn’t, and now Sifu has information.
By having the vote REBA reveals some of the lines drawn in the sand. Dee is going to have to answer to her Sifu vote. Who voted for D? (Sean) Why would Sean vote D and not himself? Is Mama J going to express her distaste for the “last minute” suggestion from Dee? Lot of questions and lots to be revealed, but I’m happy that at least they voted and thus more ripple effects will take place versus a second quit and no vote.
I will close out this week’s blog unfortunately discussing yet another quit. That’s two tallies in that column which is two too many. Aside from the obvious, let’s talk for a moment about Sean being a school principal, aka a leader in his real life. This real life leader just quit on national television because the game didn’t go his way, he was losing, and he missed home.
As an educator, what message are you sending to your students, faculty, and community with this decision? Notice how there was never talk about proving anything to his students and faculty? Notice how he never mentioned being a role model by facing challenges, taking risks, not being afraid to fail, and more? This is really bad and is putting an aquadump washed ashore stink of Survivor 45. The cast is bad. Two quitters already? I hope this season can be turned around and we can use the Men In Black memory eraser gadget at the end to pretend these quits never happened.
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