Survivor 46 | Ep. 11
NUINUI - Night 19
Kenzie was left out of a vote and I think it broke her. Her idea and desire to blindside Tiff was taken from her. She asks Charlie “Why didn’t anybody tell me?” and it’s clear that she got comfortable in the game. Sometimes we see on Survivor one player get voted out and the ripple effect actually takes out two. Now, I may be led to believe that Kenzie is that second one, but maybe it will be someone else, like Maria.
Maria comes out of the Tiff blindside with the first visible blood on her hands. Charlie outs to Kenzie that it was Maria’s move as he tries to do damage control and Venus, being the other person left out of the Tiff vote, tells Kenzie and the audience that Maria’s quiet and sneaky game is getting louder and less inconspicuous.
NUINUI - Day 20
We start day 20 with some idol fever. Not that anybody would actually use it, but it’s still a valuable tool to have in this game. Venus is the lucky one to find it. One question, why is the previous idols so difficult to obtain and this one is as simple as turning over a rock? First, let me say this, I like that this one only needed to be found and nothing else. I’m totally good with that. However, it makes you wonder why the discrepancy between the three tribe phase idols and the final 7 stage idol is so large.
One thing that adds to the idol drama is the power of having confidence in the game and believe it or not, I’m happy that of everyone, Venus found the idol. She already has an edge, but now more than ever, she has an edge. She has firepower and let’s hope she uses it.
The “left out of the vote crew” are beginning to see the bigger picture and so is Charlie. Maria’s game includes being on the right side of the votes, orchestrating the Tiff blindside, and seeing the asset in harnessing Q to advance her game. Now, the left out crew is approaching Charlie just as he approaches them. They all realize that Maria’s story and game is more impressive than theirs and now she has to be the next one to go.
This type of move happens in every Survivor season and every time it does, it makes you wonder when is the right time to make your big move? Tevin was too early. Hunter was too late. Tiff was too worried about Q and Kenzie got too comfortable. Now, Maria makes her move at final 8 and it’s a game winning move, or is it? The sun rises on day 20 and by noon, she is public enemy number one because of the move elevating her threat level. Perhaps, what really happens is people make big moves and get credit, but needed accomplices to pull off the big moves. Then, the accomplices have to decide if and when they will take down the big movers as their own big move. At this point, it feels like the biggest move in the game is with Charlie. Charlie has to decide if and when he will turn on his number 1 and recalibrate the game. He’s been with Maria since day 1 and everyone at camp knows that, so he does have the “I took out my number 1” card to play, and it feels like the best card anyone’s got in the game. The question is, when do you play it.
WHO CAN WIN?
At this exact moment, as I watch episode 11, I’m wondering who can win? Let’s do a brief ranking.
Maria - Orchestrated the Tiff blindside.
Charlie - On right side of votes, needs to take down Maria.
Liz - Orchestrated the Tevin vote, had the meltdown and still on right side of votes. Hasn’t eaten.
Ben - Charismatic and on right side of all votes.
Venus - Has idol. Underdog story.
Kenzie - Seems like a number at this point.
Q - Not everyone’s favorite person, and pissed people off past the point of no return.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 21
Can we stop with Jelinsky references? Thank you.
CHALLENGE
REWARD - Pizza Delivery to camp.
First, balance a ball on a pole as they go over and under hurdles.
Next, add sections to the pole and continue balancing the ball over a balance beam.
Charlie is way out in front after the balance beam.
Finally, maneuvering the ball through a “snake track” while balancing it on a small surface and deposit two balls into nets at the half way point and the end of the track.
Maria is the first to drop a ball at the halfway mark. Shortly after, Venus, Charlie, Kenzie, and Ben all drop a ball in that net. Everyone is dropping their ball like crazy. A drop montage if you will. During this, I notice the small hole in the center of the surface that the ball is balancing on. Makes sense.
Venus for the win….NOOOOOOO!!! and Maria seizes the day and wins her second Immunity Challenge, pizza, and a guaranteed spot in the final 6. After winning the challenge, Maria is faced with choosing someone to join her, and she opts for her first choice to be Ben. He starts crying and is clearly in bad shape physically. He needs the food. The guy is falling apart.
What happens next is a Survivor first, it takes Maria, FOREVER, to decide and the editors let us sit with her decision. Charlie and Kenzie take themselves out of it leaving Venus, Liz, and Q. Maria asks them to plead their case. Q and Venus put it back on Maria and Liz reminds us that she hasn’t pooped in 20 days. Then, Maria says Q and Liz play rock, paper, scissors to decide who goes, and guess who wins, Q.
No meltdown from Liz on display this time, but rather Maria’s power. I love that Jeff called it out on behalf of the audience. Maria took Ben because his body was breaking down and then she makes Q and Liz rock, paper, scissors to decide the other person? That was a horrendous optics move for Maria. I think she’s lucky to have won immunity.
PIZZA PARTY
Q is self-aware enough to know that he shouldn’t have been on the reward because he won the Applebee’s feast in the last episode. Q is also self-aware enough to not feel bad and that’s why you have to love Q. I know he has pissed people off, but he owns it, and it’s a good thing for the viewers.
The other major takeaway from the pizza party is Ben saying out loud that everyone knows Maria and Q are close and that the SIGA 3 and Q are a majority in the game. Their 4 (includes Charlie) can Pagong everyone else in the game, and they may be starting that process with Venus. However, Venus has the idol and the pizza is making them really doubt she found it.
I’m ready for Venus to play the idol at Tribal and create some chaos in Maria’s game. I can’t believe I’m rooting this hard for Venus, but LET’S GO VENUS!!! She looks like the one with the opportunity to recalibrate the game and I hope she ACTUALLY PLAYS THE IDOL and it upends SIGA 3 and Q’s plans.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE
The most interesting part of the episode happens upon the pizza people’s return to camp and Maria’s attempt to apologize to Liz, Venus, and Kenzie. I applaud Liz for allowing herself to not hold back and suppress her feelings any longer in the game. We saw it at the last reward snub and we are seeing it again now. Q is a trigger for her and she is no longer going to hold back her feelings for the sake of anyone else. She even acknowledges that this is what Survivor has taught her. This felt like a miniature version of a Final Tribal Council speech as to why she should win, but it was just Liz speaking her raw and authentic mind in real time.
The reconciliation chat between Maria and Liz ends with the choice between Liz and her crew wanting to vote out Q and Maria’s group who wants to vote out Venus. Liz shares the common thread with Maria - and likely others - of not trusting nor understanding Venus and her game. However, the disliking of Q is too strong for Liz and company to vote Venus out over him.
I guess the questions going into Tribal Council is
Will it be Q or Venus?
Will Q continue to be the meat shield/smoke screen for blindsiding someone?
Will Venus play the idol?
What is Charlie going to do?
Heading into Tribal Council we are seeing it through Charlie’s eyes. He is the man in the middle between the two groups. On the one side he is happy to feed into the Q hate, the desire to vote him out, and to turn the heat up on Maria’s threat level and on the other side, he is also happy to check in with his number one and give his word that he will vote for Venus. Ultimately, he’s telling us that he’s conflicted with this vote and the potential picture it can paint of him moving forward in the game.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 21
Jeff has got his licorice and some fire inducing questions for Maria and her choices at the reward. Venus seizes the opportunity to light Maria up for the jury to hear all. It’s just what Venus does.
Charlie is providing perspective on the moment being about decisions.
Tonight is the last time to use the Shot in the Dark. (Honestly, forgot that fact for sure and really forgot about the Shot in the Dark in general).
Liz clearly HATES Q and the fact that the game warrants keeping Q around is the ultimate thorn in Liz’s game and emotional state. She clearly doesn’t think he deserves to win another reward and likely not in the game.
Q and Venus are oil and water. They simply do not see eye to eye on anything in Survivor and probably in real life as well.
Charlie leaves us with a summation that tonight’s decision is about getting the most alignment possible in the same direction. Aka people are not on the same page here, but there will be enough of it to oust one person.
VOTES
Venus - 5
Q - 1
Kenzie - 1 (from Ben)
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our third straight person to get voted out of the game with a Hidden Immunity Idol in their possession. The Venus vote comes as no real surprise. She is hostile, aggressive, and has never been someone that was seen as trustworthy in the game. She never had a real ally, except maybe Randen, and that didn’t get her anywhere.
Venus’s exit from the game I believe is a loss for the season. I think she has been one of the more unique personalities in the entire new era and for that she stood out. Her feistiness is something that we haven’t seen in Survivor’s new era and there was value in watching that play out. She wasn’t like anyone else and that’s what made her stand out this season, but it’s also why she never fit in. When Jeff opened the season saying that some of you will never win because it just won’t work with this group of people, he was talking to Venus. I don’t think she really ever had a chance to win this season and probably any season of Survivor for that matter.
In the end, I think Venus falls into the category of misunderstood. Her personality, backstory and mission in life is probably unfamiliar to most people, including the cast of 46. In the game of Survivor, the social politics, the struggle, and the society formed doesn’t always allow for people’s real stories to be told and we only see them in a very specific way. My guess is that this is true for Venus’s Survivor portrayal as well. Maybe Survivor would never be able to reveal all that much of that real story of hers and maybe it did, but ultimately, 46 was better with her in the game as long as she was.
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