Survivor 45 | Ep. 8
DAKUWAQA - NIGHT 14
The remainder of the players will all be on the jury or sitting at Final Tribal Council with a chance to win the game. Making the jury is actually an accomplishment. You made it through at least a part of the gauntlet that is Survivor in the new era and that gauntlet is irrelevancy. Nobody will remember nor care to see play again the 2 players who quit, Sifu, and the other players I literally cannot recall at the time of me typing.
First post Tribal story was Drew being pissed about the vote for Sifu. He would have liked to see Bruce b the target but it feels like Sifu’s lack of connection combined with the threat of Bruce’s idol, and most of all having two Tribals with 6 people each made voting tight and Kellie and Kendra had to keep Bruce around.
The other post Tribal story was Jake voting Julie. He took a swing and missed. Now he has to do damage control. It wasn’t too (in Jake’s thick Boston accent) “smahht”. He acknowledges how “wreckless” it was at Tribal Council by not following the herd, but I like that he’s taking a shot and not letting others dictate his game. Bruce is piling on the “stupidity” of the move because that’s what Bruce does. I don’t think this is the death blow that Jake may be feeling it is on night 14. Based on the editing so far, it may be Bruce and his idol that will be put to the test later tonight.
DAKUWAQA - DAY 15
The token “girl’s alliance” conversation. Here it is folks. Who had day 15 in the pool at work for the day that the girl’s have their conversation about having the all women alliance. If step 1 of the women’s alliance conversation is the preliminary conversation at camp then step 2 followed quickly behind - find a common enemy - to give this alliance an easy first test to see if it can work (it won’t) and that is none other than…
Bruce.
Let the games begin including arguably the most fun Survivor game there is…
THE SURVIVOR AUCTION IS BACK!!!
That’s right folks, the Survivor Auction is taking bids once again. After an 8 year absence, the fun, the desperation, and the strategy is back and (hopefully) better than ever. I had to acknowledge that I noticed the clue they tucked tightly into the end of the opening credits. I appreciate a good easter egg.
TWIST 1 - 40 TUBES OF CASH
WE ARE OFF AND RUNNING, LITERALLY in the new and improved Survivor auction. You have to earn everything in Survivor, that includes the money for the Survivor auction.
Good - everyone has different amounts, every bamboo had different amounts in it, everyone has different amounts to bid, wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles.
Bad - Running around in a wild goose chase doesn’t haelp my man Bruce or any old player. Especially because they only let you grab one at a time.
Ugly - there will be a catch or ten still to come and the auction will get ugly.
Loved the montage of Survivor Auction’s past because of the reminder of what was and most of all the simplicity of the auction. The simplicity is the best part. You offer players things that they want and you get to see them enjoy it, get excited, win the prize, feel euphoria, grimace in disgust, and everything in between - all because of the simplicity of the auction. Let’s do this!!!
ADDITIONAL AUCTION TWISTS
NO ADVANTAGES!!!
ONLY 15 Items
Items 1-5 are guarnteed
Items 6-15 will depend on a random draw from Jeff’s bag-o-auction ender
Auction will end without warning!
Most Money Left - LOSES VOTE at next Tribal
Most buying power = most risk
ITEM 1 - Pretzels and Cold Beer
$360 to Kendra
Beer looks amazing and she is tapped out having a beer for dad.
ITEM 2 - French Fries, Ketchup, Soda
$500 to Kellie
Thick cut and sugar in the ketchup and soda had to be AMAZING
ITEM 3 - Mystery Item
$440 to Emily
Charcutterie Board leads to her Emily STICKING HER FACE IN THE SAND hahaha. Salami, crackers, cheese, and a glass of white wine gets a “who are you??!?!?!” from Jeff.
ITEM 4 - Chocolate Milk Shake
$900 to Dee
The most expensive chocolate milk shake in not only the history of Survivor but probably the world.
ITEM 5 - Mystery Item
$480 to Katurah
All her money went to the mystery item number 5 and because of her reaction, Jeff pulls out his best Monty Hall impression. She forgoes the new item to hold onto her original prize 👁️ 👁️. DISGUSTING!
Not to be outdone, Austin buys them at a discount of $100! AND HE CAN’T EVEN GET HIS TEETH INTO IT!?!?!? The fish eyes are literally the size of an apple and his teeth can’t even puncture them and someone is definitely going to throw up, and it could be me. 🤢
Then, the SLURP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD. HOLY CRAP, WHAT DID WE JUST SEE.
Ok, we are back to the auction with an unknown number of items remaining.
ITEM 6 - Mystery Item
$520 to Drew
Bowl of candy to Drew and he’s unimpressed as am I.
ITEM 7 - Pepperoni Pizza
$600 to Austin
No competition because Austin had the most money.
ITEM 8 - Oral Hygiene Rejuvenator
$420 to Julie
Toothbrush, toothpaste, and a shot of listerine that really got her out of the threat of losing her vote.
ITEM 9 - Chocolate Cake for 3
$340 to Jake
Jake extends the ultimate olive branch to Julie after writing her name down and then brings Bruce into the fold for a 10 second devouring of a chocolate cake.
Kellie has $200, Bruce $80, and Emily has $60.
ITEM 10 - PB & J, Potato Chips, & Margarita
$200 to Kellie
Ask and you shall receive. Kellie wanted a margarita and she gets it. I think this dish was truly the best being saved for last. It feels like it has the most nostalgia in Survivor and it gains another piece of evidence in 45!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
They pulled it off and it was enjoyable. As much as we love to watch them suffer and squirm, it was a healthy and welcomed contrast to watch the players enjoy themselves and reap the benefits of the auction. We had some simple food rewards, a hygiene platter, and a record setting chocolate cake devouring. However, it wasn’t only smiles. Katurah got ZONKED with the fish eye balls and worst of all, Bruce lost his vote at Tribal.
It feels like the design of the new era making you earn everything and at any given point be at risk to lose your vote aka one of the most valuable pieces of currency in the game. I think that was the success of the auction especially because of Bruce’s laziness in the scavenger hunt taking away his ability to be the highest bidder. Only 10 out of a possible 15 items may have screwed Bruce too, but what made that twist work was only Jeff knowing the total number of items in the auction.
The success was in the design, the rewards, and the penalties. Designing it from the amount of money via the hunt, the mystery of the number of items, and taking advantages out of the equation made the rewards more enjoyable for players. They knew there wasn’t an advantage to be had that they had to save all their money for and whoever had the most money would be the only one or two to be able to bid for it. That was stupid. It probably ended the auction and why it hasn’t been around for 8 years. Lastly, the penalty of losing your vote for having the most money worked. The risk was entering the auction, not finidng enough money in the hunt, and the penalty for playing was losing your vote. Sorry Uncle Bruce, your $80 tortoise strategy backfired with nobody to blame but you.
One last thought. The after effect of the auction is adding to the experience for the players. It clearly fueled them to keep going (Kendra’s backstory 😢). It’s amazing that something as simple as a beer can uncover Kendra’s story of meeting her biological father.
DAKUWAQA - POST AUCTION
Emily drops the information to her new number 1 Drew. Drew eats it up because he is playing the old REBA versus old BELO game and the girl alliance is in on getting rid of Bruce, just like Drew. Next, Drew offers his 10 foot arm and olive branch with his old REBA backing to Katurah by asking her what she would like to do with the vote.
We know who she wants out.
Old REBA agrees with Katurah on getting rid of Bruce and so we are heading into the Immunity Challenge with the girls, Drew, and Austin all ready to pounce on voteless Bruce with an idol in his pocket. Just don’t let Bruce win the challenge now folks.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Hold the rope and over time it gets harder. Last to drop wins. Simple, simple, simple.
TWIST
The big bag of rice, enough to last the rest of the game is made available to them if 4 people are willing to sit out, but not without Jeff becoming an action movie villain.
Give the guy the Emmy now! That was amazing. I enjoyed every bit of that sequence. I think it was my favorite part of the whole season. Forget about the auction, that was riveting television baby!!!
SIT OUTS - Dee, Emily, Drew, Katurah
5 minutes on the warmup knot. 1/3 of their pregame body weight. Mind over matter. Will power. Bruce, Jake, Kendra, Austin, Julie, and Kellie competing for immunity.
Arm is straight out the whole time and it gets harder as you go. I think you have to go with your dominant arm. More strength, more coordination, more reliability.
Kellie is out first with Kendra quickly behind on knot 4. Jake is a little too showy and playful for my taste. Julie is the lightest and fit. Austin is the physically strongest player so that seems like an advantage. Finally, Bruce has the most at stake with having no vote.
The final stage is no knot at the end of the rope. Straight arm, lean back, use leverage, keep your grip, and keep fighting.
Austin out!
Bruce going to a place of zen.
Jake is out!!!
Bruce and Julie remain. The two oldest. Biggest stakes of the game and Julie wanted it so bad but couldn’t do it. Chant it with me…
UN-CLE BRU-CE 👏👏👏👏👏 UN-CLE BRU-CE 👏👏👏👏👏
This guy cannot be denied and we cannot be denied the struggle of Katurah to rid herself of the burden that is Bruce.
I love this outcome. It’s perfect. Bruce is down and out. No vote. No enjoyment nor participation in the almighty return of the auction, so what does he do to follow it up? He wins immunity, the greatest prize in the game of Survivor. #LFG!!!
PREDICTION - Jake is the easy target and his wicked aggressive move against Julie was probably enough to get him voted out to join his boy Kaleb on the jury.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE - DAY 16
Bruce has no vote, an idol in his pocket, and wins immunity. Can’t get any better. He can be 100% pure Bruce with impunity. Love it.
Jake is the first choice of Emily but after Kaleb’s Shot in the Dark miracle, you have to account for the possibility of it working and there needs to be another name. Cue up Jake’s idol hunt. Love it!!! This is how you take the bull by the horns and play Survivor at this point.
Drew sends his idea down the old REBA and Emily line with the votes turning to Kellie. Ultimately, Jake is the easy vote and Kellie is that voting blocks more strategic pick.
PREDICTION - Jake is out. Bruce keeps his idol. Nothing to see here, move along.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - NIGHT 16
Jake takes center stage at Tribal Council and we are living in his awkward feelings too. He struggles, he stammers, and he is paying for his misstep at the previous Tribal. Thankfully he recovers to provide the redirection of the conversation to how the votes have been “falling in line” and he thinks it’s him.
In Survivor, anything can be a reason to get you voted out. Jake’s vote for Julie was likely enough to see his options be down to playing the Shot in the Dark and hope for some Kaleb magic to send 45 into a second tailspin.
SHOT IN THE DARK
Jake is NOT SAFE
VOTES
KELLIE - 6
JAKE - 3
That’s how you play Survivor baby!!! Kellie is COMPLETELY FLABBERGASTED. Kendra is crying. Jake is dumbfounded. Bruce is weakened. Drew, Dee, Julie, Emily, and Austin just made a big time move. They are playing and playing to win. They have drawn their line in the sand and it was so beautiful it could only leave one to utter the following expression in a thick Bostonian accent, respectfully of course,
“WHOA!!” - Jake
I agree Jake. “WHOA” is right pal. Another lesson learned in the reality that there are no easy votes in Survivor. Kellie’s masterplan to go with the old REBA tribe and she will be able to vote out Bruce when she says so is turned around back on her. instead of the easy vote that Kellie, Katurah, and Kendra thought, we got a major turning point in the season. Kellie’s long term threat combined with her ties to Bruce, who was immune, made the perfect recipe for a united voting block to make her comfortable with the Jake vote and then turn on her at the last moment.
Moving forward we have Dee, Julie, Drew, and Austin staying REBA strong against the old BELO of Kendra, Katurah, Jake, and Bruce. Not to be forgotten is my vote for frontrunner in the game - Emily. Emily has an alliance with old REBA but yet finds herself in the middle, YET AGAIN, YET ALWAYS, leaving herself the ability to form militia with Bruce, Kendra, Katurah and Jake and take out a REBA. The 4-4 split in the game is on Emily to decide which way to go, how to flip, and how to hopefully not flop and find herself head in hands, tears in eyes, and a date with Jeff for a torch snuffing.
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