Survivor 46 | Ep. 12
NUINUI - Night 21 Post-Tribal Council
“Tribal went exactly as it should. They say you can see Venus from Earth, but we don’t see Venus no more in this camp. Venus thought that she could rally the troops and send me packin’?psssh, you can cancel Christmas girl, that would never happen! (evil laugh)” - Q
The agent of chaos that keeps on striking! Q has already solidified the MVP award for this season (pending some major turn of events in the next two episodes) but it’s quotes like these that make Q the standout player and MVP of season 46. His behavior is erratic and child like, he starts random games of hide and seek at camp to do psychological research, he didn’t choose Liz for the Applebee’s reward, he won a pizza party via Maria’s questionable rock, paper, scissor decision, and his name has been thrown around for 4 straight Tribals, but HE’S STILL HERE!
Q is a virus that cannot and will not be eradicated and I think it’s what Survivor needed. Is he a villain? Is he the typical jock people never liked or connected with? Is he even a strategic player? Is he none of those? I don’t know but the one thing I do know is that the season is better with Q playing than him sitting on the jury. Let the chaos contin-Q!
Speaking of chaos, Ben has a self-proclaimed “slip of the brain” which never made it onto any Ozzy Osbourne album and it doesn’t play well for the Survivor crowd, especially Kensey, aka Kenzie, who was the victim of Ben’s whammy bar malfunction.
Kenzie has been there for Ben and he acknowledges it, but Kenzie has every right to be so completely confused by Ben’s actions. Feels like a false alarm, nothing to postpone the concert for.
The final curtain call on the post-Tribal scene comes from a wounded Maria. Yes folks, the big bad Maria who has been on the right side of every vote and orchestrated the Tiff blindside was cut at Tribal Council revealing she’s not a machine, just like the Russian in Rocky IV.
Venus’s words were the punch that landed clean on Maria’s chin and it cut her and her gameplay. She’s human, she’s not a machine. Venus got under her skin and in Maria’s eyes, attacked her character.
This isn’t the shocking part. People have been feisty and coming after others on Survivor for a long time!
What was shocking was the emotional SWAT team of Liz on one knee emotionally supporting Maria, Q rubbing her shoulders, and Charlie trying to lighten the mood with Ben’s brain fart. I guess it really speaks to how everyone really perceived and felt about Venus in the game and the contrast between that and how those players felt about Maria. Clearly, they felt very differently because Venus was voted out with all but one stray vote and now Maria’s tears are being extinguished by her support department.
Then, Maria sets the stage with
“this is the time to just go for it…at this point I’ve had two wins, a blindside, I’ve been on the right side of every vote…and if they’re not trying to get me out, that’s their mistake.” - Maria
Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
(opening titles)
NUINUI - Night 21
“Just be with him through the storm.” - Kenzie
The night tremors and trauma of Ben’s panic attacks are getting progressively worse. There’s a fear in his eyes that the nightvision cameras clearly picks up. He’s disoriented. He’s scared. He’s struggling. Despite writing her name down, Kenzie continues to be the one who is right there beside him. She calms him down. She walks it off with him. She holds his arm and hugs him.
The humanness of this short exchange is powerful. At one time or another, all of us have had our struggles and all of us have needed support. Being on Survivor is no exception. To see the humanity in Kenzie’s actions to Ben is a touching moment that adds to the realness and emotions that Survivor can provoke in all of us.
Seeing these acts of kindness from Kenzie to Ben and Liz, Q, and Charlie to Maria are reminders that despite the jungle, the ocean, the struggle, the challenges and the game are the people and the relationships that the journey of Survivor can allow players to go through. I love this part of the show and would argue with anyone that this is what defines the new era, and it totally does rock!
NUINUI - Day 22
It took 22 days but Liz has finally had a bowel movement! I’m wondering if that is a record. Feels like a happy Gilmore type Survivor record. hahaha
The sun has risen on day 22 and Charlie lays it out there, he’s all about the options and he’s playing the middle.
Option 1 - He sides with Kenzie, Ben and Liz to take down Maria and Q and fight it out with them as the final 4.
Option 2 - He stays loyal to his day 1 relationship with Maria to the end and risks losing to her.
So, the fate of the winner of Survivor 46 seems to be getting set up by the decision that Charlie is going to make. Feels like this is the episode where he will choose. Choose wisely Charlie.
REWARD CHALLENGE
REWARD - Chinese food at the Sanctuary
CHALLENGE
First, high step hurdles, untie bag and maneuever the bag along a rope that is intertwined over a step bridge.
Next, pull the rope through and release the bag to crawl under a bridge to arrive at the maze.
Finally, get the ball out of the bag and work the ball through the table maze to win reward.
The ball and maze are controlled by a pulley system of two ropes in the hands of the players. The learning curve is heavy for this maze which allows Kenzie, Liz, and Ben to catch up to Charlie, Maria, and Q who got to the maze first.
Controlling the ball and getting it past the obstacles comes down to how well you can control your movement and maybe even your grip strength, lol, because Charlie maneuvers past the final obstacle and lands the ball in the center of the maze to win reward.
The stakes go further when Jeff drops a bomb that Charlie will also be delivering love in the form of letters from home. Finally, someone has rewarded Liz, decided to feed Liz, and nourish her back to health. Liz was the easy choice.
Now, the tough choice. Select a second person. Maria is his number one and has been since day 1. Everyone knows that Maria is the parent among the group, so Charlie choosing her to receive the love would make all the sense in the world. However, Charlie goes with Kenzie. Apparently Kenzie postponed her wedding to come on Survivor and the day that her wedding was supposed to be was the day before Charlie’s decision.
Wow!!!
Look, it’s pretty clear from Jeff’s question to Maria that love from home is an emotional trigger and game pick me up that is truly one of a kind. On top of it, being able to cash in on the loved ones reward on Survivor is a once in a lifetime moment in itself.
WHAT MAKES THE SHOW CAPTIVATING ARE THE DECISIONS PLAYERS ARE FORCED TO MAKE ARE ABSOLUTELY GUTWRENCHING! Anybody with a pulse can easily feel the pain and difficulty in Charlie’s predicament. There’s no right answer, except for what he believes the right answer to be. Maybe he thinks taking Liz on the reward could be a vote from her at Final Tribal to win the million over Maria who made her duke it out with Q in rock, paper, scissor. Maybe he’s decided to abandon Maria, his #1, because he knows that her being on the jury is better than her being next to him at Final Tribal. These choices are insanely difficult while simultaneously riveting, especially at this point in the players’ journey.
SANCTUARY - Day 22
There are only 4 days remaining in the game and this kind of food reward can be a double boost to your body and soul. Coming home from work the best thing i know to do is enjoy a snack, so can you imagine chowing down on chinese food after 22 days of food vulnerability? and after winning a reward? and playing a game for $1,000,000 and you are in the final 6?!?!? No doubt this will be the best poo poo platter ever.
Charlie chose the people who didn’t eat the last time and he tells us that his bond with Maria will not be broken. The flashback to their day 1 Malcolm and Denise leaves him confident that Maria will be ok and they will be ok.
NON-SANCTUARY - Day 22
Maria is convulsing back at camp and lets us in to the hurt she feels. She’s consumed by the visual in her brain of her three boys writing the letters and thinking of her as they write. To Maria, a piece of her died with losing out on this reward. In addition, she pulls back the curtain on the agreement between her and Charlie to not take each other on rewards and to their credit they stuck to it. Maria last time, and now Charlie.
The convulsions, the emotions, the tears, and the hurt are the fuel to ignite the reserves in Maria’s tank to fight to win the game. You got to love it!
SANCTUARY - Letters From Home
We begin with Liz. Liz has grown right before our eyes this season and her growth has been mostly black and white. In other words, when Liz is growing, we know it, we see it, and we hear it direct from her mouth. My hope is that people watching Liz discuss her fear of showing her emotional side be demolished by the reminder of why she is even there and letting the emotion of the moment run wild.
Next, Kenzie is able to try to express her gratitude for being able to check in with her life back at home, her fiancé who allowed her to postpone their wedding, and relinquish control. She’s reassured in this moment that you don’t need to always be in control, you can lean on other people, and you don’t have to be perfect in every moment.
Finally, Charlie is given the boost he needs from his girlfriend Judy back at home, his sister, and his parents all reminding him to play to win the game! This kind of boost goes a looooooooong way and could literally be the deciding factor in the previously mentioned choice that Charlie will be making between sticking with Maria and taking her down.
3 different players, 3 different messages of love, and 3 very different takeaways and boosts to the players. The letters from home are the reminder to us the viewer also, that Survivor is much more than just a game for $1,000,000. It’s a journey to push yourself to find answers to questions you had and others that were lurking beneath the surface. I loved this reward and am ready to see these takeaways propel these 3 forward.
Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
SANCTUARY - Strategy Talk
The target seems clear, beat Maria at the next Immunity Challenge and take her down!
NON-SANCTUARY - Idol Hunting
The next installment of the agent of chaos is here as Q is the lucky finder of the Hidden Immunity Idol! Q decided to tell Maria about the idol because she is his number 1 and that he will “play it for her or himself” and all of a sudden the bond between Q and Maria is looking mightier than ever when Maria drops for the first time - taking out Charlie.
BOOM!!! Let the games begin!!!
Here’s how I see it. Q was a free agent and Maria has been the only one to tap into his chaos for mutual benefits. Now, with the ripple effects of the reward snub in the past, the only option in the game is for the two of them to chart their own paths forward without each other. Now, it’s a race to see who can lie better, who can comfort the other better, and who can strike first before the other.
The juxtaposition of Charlie and Maria sharing their love, affinity, and relationship that will continue back in real life with the iceberg of lies, deceit, and gameplay lurking beneath the water is RIVETING!!! Are you on the edge of your seat? I know I am. How can you not be? The two players who have been working together most closely, on the right side of the votes, and orchestrating blindsides, are now realizing that the next assignment on their hit list is each other. It’s as if they are on the top of a building looking through their rifle scopes to bring their target into focus, and at this point we the viewer know that they are about to see one another in their crosshairs.
Only one Immunity Challenge stands in the way. It’s time to pull the trigger. GO!
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 23
First, swim to a tower, climb up to the top and leap off.
Next, swim to and cross the floating cargo net, leap off and swim to the floating balance beam.
Once you cross the balance beam, dive into the water again and swim to the final platform holding the dolphin puzzle.
Finally, win immunity by being the first to put the puzzle together.
Maria, Ben, Charlie, and Liz are the first ones to the puzzle. Q and Kenzie are late to the party and Liz sucks at puzzles. Ben is out to a lead and starts to get the dolphin’s fin to take shape.
Ben winning would totally rock!
Here comes Maria! Four pieces in a row and she is leaving Ben and the rest of the competition behind and all of a sudden, Maria has the entire dolphin together in no time and she wins her 3rd Immunity Challenge. She is in the finale, she’s guaranteed the final 5, and Charlie’s plans have been foiled.
Now that Maria is off the table, the obvious choice seems to be Q. Charlie, Kenzie, Liz, and Ben know that and will likely turn their sniper rifles toward him. However, what they all don’t know is Q found the Hidden Immunity Idol and the chance to save himself and reek havoc on the game once again. This is going to be good, but we mustn’t forget that
THE LAST 3 PEOPLE VOTED OUT HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED WITH AN IDOL IN THEIR POCKETS!
So, will Q pull the trigger and continue his reign of terror on the game? I’m ready to find out.
Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE - Day 23
The scramble is not on the side of Kenzie, Ben, Liz, and Charlie. Instead, it falls on Maria. The reality is Maria has the Immunity Necklace and Q has the idol. Now, it’s time for Maria to accept the fact that it’s Charlie’s time to go. Maria is taking down her number one in Charlie and relying on her number 2 in Q to continue to take on Liz, Kenzie, and Ben.
The challenge for Maria is to put her reel together for her Oscar moment. This is her winning moment. If she can pull this vote off, take down Charlie, not lose Q, and make it to the final 3, she will win. If Q holds the idol, then the result will look a whole lot different.
Snipers take aim….ready…..FIRE!!!
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 23
Charlie is kicking off Tribal covering his tracks with everyone in the game over his decision to take Kenzie and Liz for Chinese and love from home. Plus, he is making a case to the jury about his decisions.
Next, we turn to Maria’s P.O.V. about Charlie’s decisions and the effects it had on Maria in both crying her eyes out in disappointment and using it to fuel her fire and win a third Immunity Challenge.
On to the topic of blindsides. The jury has five members, all who were blindsided. Now, Jeff is bringing up the choice between sticking with an alliance and making their move. Maria and Charlie are not giving straight answers on choosing alliances over making a move and now Ben and Kenzie are changing the energy of Tribal. They hijack the conversation as Kenzie points out her P.O.V. on Ben’s vote for her despite their alliance.
Next, Q sheds light on each vote being it's own independent vote and Liz makes her free spirit plea to not get voted out.
PREDICTION: Q plays his idol and all hell breaks loose in the game, and Charlie is caught in the shrapnel!
VOTES
Q - 4
Charlie - 2
DING DONG the agent of chaos is dead and the streak of people going home with an idol in their pocket continues. WOW! I cannot believe that happened. It’s unbelievable. I really can’t believe that Q wouldn’t play the idol and ensure that Charlie went home, but now that this is the fourth consecutive person to follow this pattern, the reasons why this has happened are clear.
One, Q was always SUPER confident and having Maria as his number one and her trusting him, gave Q an irrational confidence more than he already did. Second, the idol and the Maria alliance blinded Q to the reality of Kenzie, Liz, Ben, and Charlie hating him. Third, Q thought that because he told everyone around camp to vote Charlie, he thought people would follow him. Last, Q finding the Immunity Idol made him think he was in control and made him think about how it would take him to the final four instead of playing it for himself and ensuring the final five first.
As much as I’ve loved Q and everything he has provided this season, you would think that this blog should end with his blindside, right?
Wrong again.
The final thought today lies instead with Maria. Coming into Tribal Council, she knew that Charlie was her number one and had been all along. She knew that Q had become her +1 or her number 2. She also knew that she would have to snipe Charlie before he could snipe her. Then, after Charlie takes Kenzie and Liz on reward, Q finds the Hidden Immunity Idol and shares the news with Maria, further solidifying their alliance in the game and her plan to take her shot at eliminating Charlie. Next, Maria wins the Immunity Challenge and she makes a case for her Oscar.
Having said all that, Maria went into Tribal believing that Q would be safe and that her and Q’s plans to vote Charlie would be followed by the rest and there was no need for Q to play his idol.
WRONG!
For the first time this season, Maria fired her sniper rifle and MISSED. She didn’t just miss, she missed badly. She took her shot at her number 1 and instead she may have only hurt herself and her game. Like a pitcher deep into the 9th inning with a perfect game still intact, Maria’s pitch to get Charlie out got launched into the upper decks.
The misfire on the Charlie vote now leaves Maria’s plan to get Charlie out TOTALLY EXPOSED! I mean Maria is basically standing in Times Square in her birthday suit on this one. The potential game winning move to take down her number one in the wake of overcoming the disappointment and despair of losing out on the love from home reward is instead replaced with a Titanic mess. She loses Q, she loses all trust from the remaining players, and the only thing she can’t lose now, is the final four Immunity Challenge or finding Q’s idol. If she does, the “easy vote” will find its crosshairs locked on her fairly quickly, ready to terminate her.
Maria won immunity and Q had an idol. If Q plays the idol for himself and the votes on Q don’t count, Charlie goes home and Maria is one challenge away from at the very worst, being in the fire making showdown to have a chance at making the final three. Instead, this sliding doors moment remains just that leaving Maria looking through the glass at what could have been.
Finale of Survivor 46, HERE WE COME! Let’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
