Survivor 46 | Ep. 8
THANK YOU EDITORS
Thank you to the editors for refreshing my memory of who is packing an idol in their pocket. Tiffany found one early at YANU (totally forgot about that) and Hunter has one that nobody knows about.
Thank you editors for clearing up my confusion at the end of the previous episode and Tribal with the Soda vote. We were led to believe Tevin was the one orchestrating the vote for Soda, then Soda was voted out, Soda gave Venus the credit, Venus gladly accepted the credit, Tevin looked on is disgust, and we were led to believe that Venus received all the credit for the Soda vote. It was reinforced with seeing Tevin voted for Venus, not Soda, but thanks to the opening tonight we are given the audio of when Tevin votes for Venus in which he says to the camera, “just in case” in the event of an idol or Shot in the Dark and so Tevin was actually the one orchestrating the Soda vote. Thank you editors, I needed that confirmation.
On with the episode.
NUINUI - Night 14
We rejoin the first Tribal group of Ben, Hunter, and former YANU back at camp. We learn two things.
The Tim vote hurt Ben - Feels like 90 minutes wasn’t even close to being enough time to paint the picture of this relationship, especially with Bhanu and YANU eating up airtime the first four episodes. Ben is wounded in the game like he just lost the drummer in his band. Tim helped Ben keep the beat at camp and in this game. Ben’s emotions come out and so does the viewer’s.
Q is Ready to Elevate His Game - Q is a self proclaimed “game player” and “game changer” who is ready to make it happen in this game. Get your popcorn ready!
The second Tribal group returns to camp and Venus is back with a vengeance. Venus is putting Tevin on blast about how he’s a liar and a snake, but what she doesn’t know, is this is playing into Tevin’s hand precisely as he choreographed.
Tevin’s evil plan is fully on display in his evil laugh confessional and conversation with Liz, who also is having a sneaky, under the radar game behind Venus’ veracity and Tevin’s bigger than life personality and striking first blood in the big move department with the Soda vote.
My spidey sense is telling me that Tevin is using Venus as a shield and Liz is using Tevin as a shield. The difference is I believe everyone thinks of Venus as a shield - which is why she’s still in the game and thinking she’s pulling the strings - but more significantly - is that nobody thinks of Tevin as a shield, except Liz.
NUINUI - Day 15
For less than the cost of a fanny pack is a 3 for 1 deal for the new Q Skirt. Dial 555-SKIRT! The Q skirt is being sold and so is Q’s bigger plans in the game. The hiring committee of Q and Hunter are interviewing Charlie before the sun rises. The “6 alliance” was looking for a new SIGA recruit with Tim’s exit, but as flattered as Charlie was on his interview, he’s not buying the full package Q Skirt.
The interesting takeaway here is as appealing as the 6 alliance and Q Skirt are on the infomercial and around the hiring committee table, I love that Charlie isn’t buying into it. I love that he is remaining skeptical even with his number 1 Maria all in, or at least he tells us she is. Q is trying to play a certain type of power/mob boss/controlling game and Charlie is well aware.
HIDE and SEEK
Q’s alphabet game failure at the previous Immunity Challenge has graduated to a full fledged game of Hide and Seek and everyone’s in. Charlie counts to 40 and quickly finds Liz, Venus and Tevin. Then, Venus and Q clued us in on the greater reveal of the game of hide and seek. The greater the hiding spot tells us the sneakier the player. Venus analyzes Maria’s decision to cover her head with grass to blend in.
The final two remaining hidden was Ben under his green blanket and Hunter hiding up in his spy shack in the tree above the shelter. Q reads into Ben hiding in plain sight as a major threat and he needs to go. Q also sets his sights on Hunter for climbing high up into the tree.
Ok, so the storytelling of Hide and Seek through Venus and Q’s point of view is tremendous. The simplicity of a kid’s game filtered through Survivor with a bunch of bored people ends up telling quite a story. The story of Q’s skepticism of Ben and Hunter. Their individual success in Hide and Seek has elevated their threat level in Q’s eyes. Lastly, I didn’t see Q having the ability to orchestrate kid’s games in order to do an audit of the players left in the game. He certainly didn’t fumble this time. i’m really impressed.
NUINUI - Day 15
New discovery here on TCB. As Venus breaches having the post-Soda vote conversation with Tevin and knowing what really happened, it’s as if the producers yelled “ACTION” and Tevin has been cast as this season’s villain. He tilts his head slightly as to not reveal too much as his eyes tell a very different tale to the camera and the audience. If Survivor 46 were a Disney movie, the villain role of Scar, Ursula and Jafar all rolled into one would be played by Tevin. The eyes, The lies, and the evil laugh.
On the other side is a giddy and unsuspecting Venus. She’s oozing with confidence and has no idea how oblivious she is. All that we are left to see is the evil Disney villain doing this…
ENTER LIZ
Like we said before, Tevin is using Venus as a shield and Liz is using Tevin as one. However, that might be incorrect because she may be ready to dismember her shield.
THE 6 ALLIANCE IS PUT TO THE TEST
Like Maria let’s us know, Q’s game is all about trust. That means the mob boss game that Q is running has no room for wavering and Tiff wanting to keep Venus and throwing out Maria’s name is a signal to Q that Tiff is the threat and must be eliminated.
Q told us that he was ready to change the game and that he was a game player and this type of move is on brand. Power in the game looks to be on the table for Q, Tevin, Maria, Liz and the people looking to play the game.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Before the classic Survivor challenge starts, Jeff is ready to pull out his bag of rice to the end of the game and offer it in exchange for 4 people to sit out or for 2 people to give up their vote and still compete. Q steps out first and Liz is right behind. Charlie is on the fence but isn’t willing to give it up.
First time in the new era without a deal. Everyone is playing in the challenge and ready to compete. The season just went up a level and I’m with it.
The “Get a Grip” challenge is a classic challenge and definitely one I would suck at. Maybe not as badly as Liz, Kenzie and Ben. They slid down the pole and hopefully didn’t burn off too much skin sliding down. In direct contrast to the first exits is Tevin sitting up on the pole whistling dixie and we have another reference to Jelinsky and several and then Charlie and Taylor Swift.
My honest opinion on it - enough of Jelinsky.
Tevin’s confidence didn’t last long as he comes down the pole and is out along with Maria. Despite being a peacock, Tevin can’t spread his tailfeathers long enough on the pole.
Charlie is sliding and able to “shake it off” once or twice but he’s struggling.
In the next breath, the confidence of Venus runs out as she slides off the pole and leaves a showdown between Charlie and Hunter. I want to say Hunter was playing some head games with both his body shifts and confidence but ultimately this season’s Spiderman was never going to lose this challenge.
Hunter wins immunity and a guaranteed spot in the final 9. He climbed the tree during hide and seek and was able to hold onto the pole with ease and win immunity. Did he need to show off at the end and hang down with only his legs keeping him up? Probably not. His threat level should be high enough as it is. But regardless, he’s got immunity and the alliance of 6, so for now, he’s good.
PRE-TRIBAL COUNCIL - Day 16
Q is pissed and what else is new. Q gave up on this Immunity Challenge twice - first, when he wanted to give up competing for rice and second, because he knew he’d never beat Hunter aka Tarzan. Also, this may have been a repeat from last week’s “I jumped off the triangle balance challenge to lower my physical threat level”. Plus, Q is on a rampage to take Tiff down because of her disloyalty to the plus 1 alliance.
Enter Liz.
“I’m thinking Liz…do you just want to stay in the game or do you want to like play and have a f#$@ing shot?” - Liz
This is Liz’s moment. After 15 days of laying low, being part of the winning tribe at all the early challenges, and watching the game begin to take shape, the time has come for Liz to make her move and she is targeting Tevin. Our Disney villain may see himself turn into just another “poor unfortunate soul” in the game of Survivor if Liz has any say in the next vote.
She takes her plan to Maria, Charlie, and Ben first. The question becomes is he the logical biggest threat and I think the answer is yes, especially after the Soda vote. Next, Liz brings it to Venus who couldn’t say yest fast enough. Tiff reminds us that Tevin has the Extra Vote and then…
Word goes back to Q that the vote is for Tevin and he tells Hunter and all hell breaks loose.
Q wants to rule the roost but clearly that’s out the window. Hunter wants to get to the bottom of it but they are running out of time. Charlie and Maria thought it was Tiff because she threw Maria’s name out there and now they don’t know what the hell to do. Venus tries to join in on a conversation that she wasn’t apart of and Liz shoos her away leading to Hunter pleading “Can’t we just vote her out?” with a genuine what the hell are we complicating here tone.
Tribal is going to be electric.
Prediction: Venus sticks her foot in her mouth saying too much at Tribal and with all the chaos it swings back to her being the easiest choice amongst the chaos.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 16
Food and the rice negotiation failure at the Immunity Challenge is the first topic of conversation and apparently Liz hasn’t used the bathroom in 16 days. How is medical not all over this? We just move on from this.
And now, Q throws a tantrum and says that everyone should vote for him and “start fresh” and have a “new opportunity”. Me thinks Q is up to something that may involve a plan to have all the votes come his way and then use an Immunity Idol to save himself and have his one vote take someone out.
The secrets are coming out. Charlie tells Tiff that Q told him and Maria about Tiff’s idol. Tevin brings up voting for Venus. Hunter thinks this is the dumbest thing ever (I agree) and Ben thinks “this does not rock”.
VOTES
Note: We got more voting confessionals and insight then ever before in this season. People are disgusted by what Q did and the ripple effects of it.
Tevin - 7
Venus - 2
Despite complete and utter chaos before Tribal and at Tribal, Liz’s plan and wish to vote Tevin out, comes true. Tevin goes home with an Extra Vote souvenir, Q’s temper tantrum garners zero votes and whole bunch of questions about what the rest of the tribe will think or do with him moving forward, and lastly, the 6 alliance is dead.
Back to Tevin, he orchestrated the Soda vote and it seems like he struck too soon in the game to be ever able to outlast the rest. Combine that with his larger than life personality and extravertedness, it makes sense that he would be eliminated immediately after a big move. Tevin can’t hide. It’s simply something he cannot do. If he would have ever gotten all the way to the end, he’s an actor, he would have rehearsed his Final Tribal plea to be his Emmy winning scene for Best Actor in a Reality TV Series. He had to go. Last thought on Tevin, I think the season was better for having him, his giant personality, and storytelling. He opened the season narrating what the game is for a reason. It’s no surprise to me that the two largest outward personalities - Soda and Tevin - are the first two out post-merge. The takeaway here is that Tevin’s social threat level was too high and the under the radar Liz type are able to recognize that threat and make their move to eliminate him.
Final Thoughts Going Forward
First, all hell is going to continue to break loose at NUINUI. Q is going to have to explain himself to pretty much everyone for his Tribal antics. Tiff and Kenzie have seen this before and it will be interesting to see how they proceed forward with Q and well, everyone else too for that matter. I mean, what the hell was he doing???
Next, the 6 alliance is nothing, was nothing, and will always be nothing.
Finally, it feels like this season is trending toward a crash landing where only one passenger will emerge from the wreckage. Feels like Liz’s move on Tevin was significant because it was a big move, but it feels less of a move because we hardly have heard from Liz with people like Q, Tevin, and Venus swallowing up air time. People like Liz and Maria who are under the radar or behind the scenes kinds of players are always a threat to make it far in the game by orchestrating votes while keeping their threat levels low. Jeff always says that the best players are the ones who can see the monster aka the game for what it is and how it is being played and can adapt and move forward. To me, the monster in this game is chaos and unpredictability and the Tevin vote revealed that among the chaos and unpredictability, people went with the plan they knew and trusted, and a big social threat in Tevin went home.
Looking forward to next week’s episode and seeing the chaos and unpredictability continue.
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