Survivor 47 | Ep. 3
TUKU - Night 5
Post Tribal Council at TUKU and the influence of Survivor 46 and 5 straight people went home with idols in their pocket and credit to Gabe for breaking that streak. I believe there’s nothing wrong with playing it and surviving to the next day. Well done Gabe.
Status report at TUKU, Kyle is shook. Sue is pissed. Caroline is elated. Gabe is relieved. Tiyana was right. TUKU had Caroline, Sue, and Gabe control the vote and have the result play out exactly as they planned. Add to it that Tiyana made the right choice going with that 3 and voting out TK and that leaves Kyle on the bottom. Therefore, based on his position after the first blindside, let’s see how bad Kyle wants to play Survivor…from the bottom.
GATA - Day 6
I’m glad that Rachel brings up the whole sleeping on bamboo sucks narrative. Feels like I’ve never heard it laid out this bluntly before. My back hurts just thinking about it Rachel. It has to suck. Honestly, my two biggest fears of playing Survivor are my body failing me because of something like my back hurting badly via sleeping on bamboo and the bugs. Those two might be my achilles heal when I am out there playing.
Anika enlightens us about the GATA tribe being more about vibes than practical survival needs like the shelter and using the fishing gear. Next, we learn that Sam is struggling to deal with the alpha Anika personality. Then, our resident A.I. robot Andy is breaking down for the viewers the various levels of data including what people say (secondary) and their actions (primary). Andy actually seems calm despite talking like an A.I. robot and describing people as data. (all jokes aside, I understand exactly what he means, is Andy growing on me???)
Sam isn’t giving off his original “glue guy” vibes. I think he’s struggling with Anika being smarter than he is. No question he sees himself as the alpha male in the tribe, but he needs to do a better job at hiding his struggle. He’s wearing it on his face, showing it with his body language, and even Andy sees it. Come on Sam, you can do this.
On the Anika side of this perceived power struggle, I wonder if she is aware of how her behavior of taking charge or being the “project manager” is affecting the rest of the tribe. We can’t forget the lessons of dear old Uncle Bruce when it comes to that front of the pack dog mentality. It can wear on the middle of the pack dogs (Rachel, Sierra), back of the pack dog (Andy), and the aspiring new pack leader (Sam). Shout out Cesar Millan.
LAVO - Day 6
Rome is wearing people out at LAVO and the impression is that everyone hates him. He clearly doesn’t understand how his actions could be interpreted by other people. His behavior, his lack of awareness, his never ending mouth, and his personality are going to catch up to him. You can’t be the provider and expect people to kiss your feet and praise you on Survivor. You can’t catch the fish, cook the fish, and eat half the fish without people pushing back against you in the form of not trusting you and focusing on how to send you home.
However, because we are led to believe that Rome is sooooo unbearable, the question naturally becomes, does that mean he needs to stay? Yes, I know that he has an Immunity Idol for one Tribal which means he will play it and he will not go home. What I’m getting at is he entering into the Specialist territory, aka, is he so unlikeable that he needs to be kept in the game forever as a shield by the craftiest player. Sometimes the biggest tornado of the season, if harnessed correctly, can be the greatest asset to another player (see Redemption Island) Will Rome continue down the path toward a category 5 tornado? We shall see.
GATA - Day 6
Andy is trying to build trust with Sierra and Sam. Sierra doesn’t trust Andy, but him trusting her is all she needs. Anika and Rachel are a pair, Sierra and Sam are a pair, and Andy is the winner of the most likely to be the swing vote award at GATA.
TUKU - Day 6
Back at TUKU, we see Gabe courting Kyle and saying that he needs Kyle in this game. Gabe’s read on Kyle is that he would be loyal, TUKU strong no matter what, and in Gabe’s mind, the perfect ally to bring all the way to the end. I’d bet at this stage, Gabe sees Kyle as the goat at the final 3, the zero votes to win finalist, and the number that Gabe needs in this game going forward.
Gabe talked about social relationships and strategic relationships in episode 2 and he’s picking up where he left off. Kyle is a strategic relationship to Gabe and I don’t know that anyone else on TUKU will see Kyle through this lens. The key takeaway here is something we learn each season (think Kaleb) that the person on the bottom (Emily) needs a lifeline (Kaleb) and now Kyle is the one on the bottom and Gabe is reaching down to be his Survivor lifeline. Great recognition by Gabe.
However…
Kyle isn’t as “froggy” as Gabe thinks. Credit to Kyle to call a meeting with Sue, Tiyana, and Caroline to bring to light everything that Gabe said to him. Kyle then tells Sue that Gabe sees her as the goat in the game and Sue’s reaction reveals that she is the loyal one, she’s the grudge holder, she’s the stubborn one, and Kyle can never repair his standing with Sue after he wrote her name down.
Uh-oh Kyle, time for plan B…
JOURNEY
Kyle, Anika, and Rome
What an interesting threesome to have the opportunity for a risk/reward in the game. Kyle is on the bottom, Anika is jockeying for alpha status, and Rome, well, we know where Rome stands with his tribe.
No surprise that Rome is inquiring about who went home at TUKU and he’s got strategy of putting targets on Sol and Aysha from the other camps. Actually a great idea.
THREE PACKAGES
Welcome to the Monty Hall Problem Survivor fans!!!
Long story short, Kyle, Rome, and Anika have a 1/3 chance of picking an ADVANTAGE. They have a 2/3 chance of picking LOSE YOUR VOTE. They have to pick one package from the bag. If they get the advantage, they win. If they get a LOSE YOUR VOTE they lose their vote but they have the option to pick again.
They SHOULD 100% PICK AGAIN if they get the LOSE YOUR VOTE on pull 1. Having the ability to choose a second time increases their odds of gaining the advantage from 1/3 or 33.3% to 2/3 or 66.6%. Therefore, you have to risk losing your vote twice in order to have the best odds at winning the game and gaining the advantage.
Now, let’s see who gets ZONKED!!!
Kyle - seems to not understand the game he’s playing. He is too panicked and devastated from the ripple effects of the TK vote. He pulls the LOSE YOUR VOTE and gives up. ZONK!!! Good grief Kyle. He’s in shambles. He let his fear get the best of him. Plus, he didn’t understand the odds of the game and how to best use it to his advantage. Didn’t he see the movie 21? NO, so now he loses his vote at the next Tribal.
Anika - pulls LOSE YOUR VOTE and she does exactly as Kyle does. Another ZONK and another player too scared to risk their vote further. I get it, but all of her logic puzzles and practical skills never had her experience the Monty Hall Problem? Shocking.
Rome - BOOM!!!
Of course Rome pulls it on the first pull. I believe he would have reached in a second time, but who cares, the most irritating player in the game just got more fire power. Rome now has an Immunity Idol (good for 1 Tribal) and a STEAL A VOTE advantage. This advantage must be played when Jeff says “It’s Time to Vote” and is good until when there are 7 players remaining.
My spidey sense says that Rome would be best served by using these advantages sooner than later. He’s going to need them in order to try and stay in the game and get out of the three tribe phase of the game. Having said all that, Rome is unbelievably full of himself and is ready to show his “alliance” what he won to build more trust.
Oblivious….Party of 1, your table at Ponderosa is ready for you.
POST JOURNEY - Day 6
Kyle tells TUKU the truth about the game and he lost his vote.
Anika tells GATA she had a choice to play or not and that she chose not to play. Then, she tells Rachel and Sierra the truth that she had to play and she lost her vote to hide it from Andy. She didn’t tell Sam.
Rome tells LAVO that he lost his vote. He kept the information from Aysha and Sol. Then, Rome tells Teeny the truth about earning the STEAL A VOTE. Then, he shows it to Genevieve and Kishan individually. Rome is trying to use his advantages as collateral to build trust with that 4 and distance themselves from Aysha and Sol. His fire power is forcing Teeny and the rest of the alliance to consider their options of who they can roll with at LAVO and the options feel slim.
Ultimately, the takeaway here is that Kyle, Anika, and Rome presented information and a situation to each of their tribes and the savviest player is going to be the one who uses that information to their own benefit or against the player who told them.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 7
CHALLENGE & REWARD
Climb a tower and leap into ocean. Climb a crate and leap into ocean again and retrieve a key. Cross a balance beam and get to the puzzle platform.
Rest of tribe goes out in pairs and retrieves the rest of the keys to unlock the puzzle.
Complete the seahorse puzzle to win.
REWARD - 1st Place - Tarp and Hammock, 2nd Place - Tarp
We got a peak into the “minute to strategize” and I like it.
Kyle, Rome and Andy are the solo acts to start the challenge. Kyle and Rome are neck and neck crossing the balance beam together with Andy lagging behind. Andy struggled to release the buoy and cross the balance beam. He dropped NOT once, NOT twice, but THREE TIMES on the beam. WHY WOULD THEY PUT HIM FIRST???
The pairs have to release the keys on the balance beam by untying knots and that’s no easy task. This causes people to be super cautious and GATA is able to make up for Andy’s shortcomings and pass LAVO to be in 2nd place with TUKU in the lead by a wide margin and begin the puzzle.
Caroline and Gabe are way ahead on the puzzle with 3 or 4 pieces connected by the time GATA begins unlocking their pieces and LAVO is still on the balance beam.
Caroline and Gabe vs. Rachel and Anika vs. Kishon and Aysha. Despite being behind at multiple stages, GATA is able to come back, crush the puzzle and win the challenge. TUKU finishes second, winning their flint back and sends LAVO to their first Tribal Council. Now, all three tribes will have all gone to Tribal.
Rome continues his lying ways saying that he doesn’t have a vote, but Sol isn’t buying it. Genevieve was seemingly unsuccessful in scouring the sit out bench for a hidden advantage. Decisions are about to be made and Rome’s about to reveal some of his lies to the rest of the tribe. I’m actually looking forward to this Tribal and the fireworks that Rome is sure to set off. Plus, I really like that each tribe will have been to Tribal and as a result all be on an even playing field. In 46, Kenzie and Q’s tribe lost every time the first 4 episodes and dominated the narrative of the show. That was fine, but this a healthy change and a way we get to know each of the tribes/all the players in the game sooner.
PRE-TRIBAL SCRAMBLE - Day 7
Aysha wants to target Rome but her suspicion tells her she can’t and so she proposes to Teeny that the vote be Genevieve. Teeny is trying to be the solid swing vote with bridges between everyone on her tribe. Teeny is doing her darndest to play into Rome’s desire to vote out Sol tonight. Rome is drunk with power and SOOOOOOOO full of himself.
Did he just reference himself as the Godson to Boston Rob???? Come on now.
Props to Sol for sniffing out Rome’s B.S. but he doesn’t give the audience full confidence in his ability to play the game. It feels like we barely got to know him and why Rome wants to vote him out.
Kishon and Teeny try to connect with Aysha and bring her in by telling her about Rome’s idol and the vote going to Sol, but Aysha isn’t about it, she wants Genevieve. This is shocking to Kishon and Teeny and now seems like they are the ones faced with making a decision about the vote being Aysha or Sol. Based on what we see, it looks like trust is going to come into play tonight.
PREDICTION: Aysha’s pushback on Teeny and Kishon’s extension of trust leads to her being voted out, not Sol.
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 7
Kishon drops there being a “core 4” and when Jeff digs deeper at it, he prefers not to say. Feels like a misstep by the doctor.
Aysha is trying to communicate to Sol with her eyes and vice versa. Aysha clearly feels betrayed by Teeny and Kishon because they weren’t giving her what she wants nor telling her what she wants to hear. She makes her final push to Teeny to be the one to vote with her and Sol to vote out Genevieve, not Sol.
I wonder if anyone will play their Shot in the Dark. My gut says no.
ROME PLAYS HIS IDOL
It was only good for one Tribal Council, so we knew that he would play it and play it for himself. What we didn’t know was that he would lie and say that he got the idol on the journey. I’d bet now that he doesn’t have the idol, people will prey on him sooner than later. Feels like Rome will be searching immediately upon getting back to camp.
VOTES
Aysha - 3
Genevieve - 1
Sol - 1
Rome - 1 - Does Not Count
Well, we now know that being a Survivor Podcaster doesn’t mean jack squat for how likely you are to win or even be successful on Survivor. I think this early exit will be a humbling experience for all the people on their couch, talking Survivor into microphones, or typing blogs about Survivor too. I read you loud and clear Aysha, but my guess is that you will forever be disappointed in yourself for not being more flexible in the game or more aggressive in the game, or letting someone like Rome affect you that much.
As a superfan, losing Aysha is tough. She too is a superfan and she too is in the niche category of people who spend more time thinking about, talking about, and connecting with people about all things Survivor. I can connect to that and i’m sure many others can too. However, as we say good-bye to her I’m hearing the voice of Jon Lovett from the marooning talking about how every player standing on the beach thought about how they would play and that it would not match how they actually will play and I think that’s the story of Aysha. She probably thought about how she would play Survivor more than anyone else on Survivor 47, but in the end, the way she likely wanted to play or saw herself playing, was nowhere near how she actually played.
To close out this blog, I say thank you Aysha. Thank you for the lesson in how not to play the game and for the reassurance that just because someone really loves Survivor, loves talking about Survivor and loves all the nuances of Survivor, it doesn’t mean a damn thing when you actually step foot out there on Survivor. Like Jeff Probst has said throughout the new era, you have to play Survivor the first time as if it were your second time. I think Aysha left that podcast queued up in her Spotify, but never hit play.
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