Survivor 45 | Ep. 5
REBA - NIGHT 9
Dee is downright nasty. She votes Sifu, takes credit for a Sean vote, and keeps the lies coming. I love how Sifu is trying to navigate who voted for him. He was smart enough to ask Sean on his goodbye and Sean told him No. Now, Sifu can’t figure it out? I guess that really speaks to either how distant he is with Dee, Julie, and Jay or just how bad he is at playing 9 days of Survivor. See, it sucks to be on the team that never goes to Tribal.
BELO - DAY 10
Does anyone care about them not having food, or maybe more accurately, that they are hungry? Now, Kendra gagging and regurgitating a worm? Always gets a chuckle. I was a big Steve-O throwing up guy, it always cracked me up.
LULU - DAY 10
Ok, now I’m just uncomfortable. Jake’s “episodes” are crazy to see. It’s so real. It’s so alarming. It’s great that Kellie, the nurse, is on his tribe. Wow, Jake was 287 pounds and is here to speak out and be a voice for those with binge eating problems? Wait, does he have pizza socks???
The real question is “where the hell is medical?” The guy has passed out twice, convulsing uncontrollably twice, and we get no information? Seems crazy to me, but the worst pahht (Boston accent) is the very idea of him being pulled from the game. Please, for the love of God no.
Kaleb, again, is seizing the day. People absolutely love the guy and he shows them love right back. Kaleb is shmoozing everyone and the clear frontrunner for season narrator. Kaleb is fearless and the most aware player. Him calling out Katurah’s name when he sees her clearly idol hunting, to “save” her, is a subtle, yet excellent move. Kaleb is like the Statue of Liberty, give him the tired, the poor (in the game), and the huddled masses, aka everyone in the game.
REBA - SIFU’S FAKE IDOL
I feel like Sifu just doesn’t fit in. I don’t think he did with the original REBA nor the new REBA (essentially the old REBA). Plus, he’s the only guy on his tribe with three women who clearly get along, and probably get along more, because they all agree that Sifu is weird and/or someone they cannot relate to.
I have nothing against Tai Chi. It’s probably awesome. I have nothing against heavy metal. It’s worth dipping a toe into when you’re at a sporting event or playing Guitar Hero. But he feels mismatched to me. When you look at the guy, learn about his interests, and piece him all together, something doesn’t quite add up and it shows in his lack of connection with REBA members.
BELO - EMILY IN THE MIDDLE
Are we hearing a conversation about Pokemon? Thankfully the editing shrunk a nerd conversation down to a couple clips that allowed the editing to take center stage. Did Drew just shut down his fellow nerd? Well, Drew may have just made a mistake, or has game muscles in the form of his idol and advantages.
The real story at BELO is Emily. Brando gets rejected by Pokemon Drew who is allied hardcore with Austin. This leaves Brando having to connect with Kendra, his most distant original tribemate. This leaves Emily, yes Emily in the prime position of swing voter.
Remember when Emily was going to be voted out 1st until Hannah quit? She couldn’t be in a more opposite position now. However, she has to choose essentially between voting with the Austin/Drew or Brando/Kendra should they go to Tribal. Based on what we see, it feels like Emily will do anything to survive and hope to get back to Kaleb, but my thought is Brando and Kendra are the move. Drew is too smart and Austin is too brawn. Put them together and you have a target to take aim at.
LULU - BRUCE WILL BE BRUCE
“I want Bruce to know that I will do anything he says because when the time comes to strike, my hope is that he never sees it coming.” - Kaleb
Camp life is center stage this episode and that means the real Bruce is here and Uncle Bruce is nowhere to be found. I’m definitely sick of the Katurah complaining about Bruce confessionals, but I’m not sick of Kaleb’s confessionals. Kaleb is far and away the most captivating character because based on what we have learned thus far, he’s the best player out there.
REBA - OPERATION THROW JAY UNDER THE BUS
Is Jay sticking her neck out there to throw off Sifu? She is a sitting duck. From what we are shown, Mama Julie and Dee are like peas and carrots at REBA. I have to believe that if it’s obvious to us at home, it must be obvious on the REBA beach too.
Right?
Has to. Ok, so assuming that is the truth, wouldn’t it dawn on Jay? You would think it would be impossible for it not to. However, that’s where the previously mentioned Sifu doesn’t fit in conversation comes into play. Even though Sifu is the obvious person that Jay should ally with, she doesn’t see it, and so she would rather be the decoy than work with Sifu. Unbelievable. Jay deserves to get voted out.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
3 level obstacle course collecting keys
Use keys to release hook and retrieve sandbags
Fire sandbags at targets
REWARD - 10 fresh fish, 5 fresh fish
Ok, there is DEFINITELY something hidden in the fish reward and I’m not talking protein. All I know is if I am on one of the winning teams, I’m checking those fish for clues and/or advantages.
This challenge looks like a lot of fun. I imagine the Dream Team that tests all the challenges beforehand had a fun time with this challenge and the tiered obstacle course. Even the way the sandbags dumped out was fun. Plus, all challenges with these sand bags are more fun. Landing them on platforms, launching them at targets, and shooting them into baskets make for a fun time for all ages.
Sifu wins it for REBA. No redemption for him getting his name written down this episode.
Kaleb snipes the last target and sends BELO, for the first time, to Tribal Council. Either Brando, Kendra, Drew, Austin, or Emily will be eliminated.
TWIST
REBA gets to choose who goes on the journey. Jay (REBA), Kellie (LULU), Austin (BELO). REBA knows Austin and so Jay is looking to get information from him at the journey. They also cost Austin the chance to do some politicking and scrambling. Plus, Drew loses his number one ally heading into Tribal.
PREDICTION: Austin can risk his vote on the journey because of the treasure trove of advantages that him and Drew have acquired thus far. The idol in his pocket can always be played and thus he can play the game and try to add to his many treasures in the game.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE - BELO
I don’t like how the BELO tribe just decides that they are going to civilly scramble. Come on. Luckily, that’s all crap. These people are anything but civil. They are all lying, except for Emily. Emily, the one who would’ve likely been voted out 1st is simply using her swing vote position to just go around acquiring truth and sharing it with everyone because everyone wants to talk to her. Can’t believe how much her game has swung, but I like it, it’s making the season interesting.
JOURNEY
Jay, Kellie, and Austin are greeted at the top with a game of choice between SUSTENENCE vs. STRATEGY. The choice is between a life saving sandwich (Sustenenace) or some Amulets (Strategy). Austin wants the sandwiches and Jay wants the amulets. Kellie is put in the middle.
Austin’s reason for sandwich is interesting. He has multiple advantages already and so it’s obvious why he wouldn’t want to complicate things more. However, the reason that’s most interesting is something that producers and game designers are listening to hard, and that is that the Amulets aren’t worth it. They gain more power as fewer amulets are in the game, but it also inherently turns them against each other because the chances of them using all 3 together seems impossible. The best outcome is being the last one standing and you get the amulet to turn into an idol, but again, the chances seem unlikely for that to happen. What is likely, if you go amulet, is you have a lie to tell and you are doing it only to check a Survivor Bucket List item. Lastly, Austin sees this as a “symbol of war” and his “worst day in his Survivor career".
I love the juxtaposition of Austin having his worst day and Jay having her best day.
BACK TO THE SCRAMBLE - BELO
Austin comes back and lies to the tribe about a failed “Sweat Strategy” game. I don’t get it. Just say there was a sandwich and you ate it. Right? Too simple? Now, Austin has to come to the rescue of his boy Drew and either lock in Emily or pull out the bag of tricks filled with advantages.
Emily is faced with trying to figure out what her best move is. She’s in the middle. She’s between the Austin and Drew alliance and the Brando and Kendra quasi alliance. She’s skeptical of Drew and sees him as a strategy threat, yet she seems to like and connect with Austin. She doesn’t have as straight a story from the other side and it feels like Brando’s first Tribal will be his last.
PREDICTION: Brando gets voted out.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 11
Brando and Kendra are awestruck by the ambiance of Tribal Council. It feels like a true disadvantage to Brando and Kendra more than Drew and Austin. The only advantage seems to lie in Emily’s hands. She has no “old LULU” except Kaleb and thus is ready to form new alliances and build trust with people, yet the former REBA - Austin and Drew, and former old BELO - Brando and Kendra seem more worried about old alliances more than the reality they find themselves in.
VOTES
Brando - 3
Drew - 2
Emily voted with Austin and Drew and knocked out Brando. His first Tribal Council is his last. Kendra is DUMBFOUNDED by this outcome, somehow, and the real winners ultimately are Emily and Austin.
Emily forms new allies in Austin and Drew (for now at least) and leaves the door open more than Drew and Austin to bring Kendra into her fold. Emily’s name was never even considered, never dragged through any mud, and the only real stress felt was self induced because of the autonomy she had in the direction to go. We shall see how it plays out for her.
The real winner of the episode is Austin. He gains another possible advantage in the amulet (shared with Kellie and Jay), he sacrifices his vote at this Tribal to extend the power of his idol to the merge, and cashes in the Goodwill Advantage to keep his vote and cast the knockout vote for Brando.
As for Brando, he leaves the game as a very forgettable player. I think going to only one Tribal and having the early game success keeps the viewer from being emotionally connected or invested in a Brando kind of story, and so we say goodbye to him without feeling any real loss. I wonder if BELO felt the same.
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