Survivor 47 | Ep. 6
GATA - Night 10
In the post Anika world, Andy is pulling the strings, everyone is apologetic to Rachel for leaving her out (but not really), and Rachel is at the bottom. She thought Andy was at the bottom and she was WAAAAYYYY WRONG.
Moving forward at GATA, the merge is looming, Sam still has a dead idol (wonder what he can will do with it) which makes me think back to the birdcage in 44 and the missed opportunity we had with the decoy idols that were planted, never being capitalized on. My best bet for Sam and his idol is to give someone false hope, or better yet, false confidence that they are safe with an idol and Sam can help see them voted out. Lastly, Rachel needs the new beginning of a merge while the rest of GATA will likely stay GATA strong moving forward.
THE GAME IS ABOUT TO CHANGE - Day 11
GATA - Just what the doctor ordered for Rachel’s game.
LAVO - A “new lease on life” for Teeny.
TUKU - The new home for everyone, ready or not, here they come!
We are wasting ZERO moments in this pre merge to get this phase of the game started. I love that producers said to themselves “how about we give absolutely no time to hug it out?” and everyone around the table said YUP!
MERGE BEACH - Day 12
The search for the advantage TUKU with them being the “home team” but Sam and Genevieve see the buoy and think nothing of it but everyone is thinking about it. Do you go after it or not?
Next, the red paint murder mystery begins to reveal itself with everyone else digging up the evidence. The biggest takeaway from this reveal is Caroline knowing Sue has the idol but keeping that information to herself. Caroline is a player but we haven’t seen it quite yet.
Then, Genevieve manages to get away from the group and swim out to the buoy and see the advantage is attached. A dangerous player has more power in the next challenge. I think because the advantage was public knowledge for the next challenge, the threat of finding it isn’t as great. Feels like a nothing burger to most, but the real players will file this away, including Sam who also saw the buoy.
Lastly, the red paint murder mystery continues to take shape with Caroline telling Sue she knows and reassures her (aka knowledge is power once again) and that signals to Sue that Tiyana knows also. I think Sue did a good job of keeping a lid on her emotions during the digging up of evidence and she will have to figure out how to handle being called out about it.
ROME STIRS THE POT
He approached Kyle about the TUKU tribe and Kyle tells it all like he’s the expert source for a front page exposé article. That’s exactly what Rome is writing and he is “delivering his news story” of Sam, Sue, and Tiyana being the biggest threat to Kyle.
Then, just as Rome is about to release the venom and kill his prey (aka the merge beach and the viewers at home), Tiyana’s paranoia is shared with Andy and none other than Rome’s nemesis, Sol. Sol drops the nuclear truth bomb to his new tribemates that “Rome loves to stir the pot”.
Love it! Well done Sol!
“Damn man, WHAT A DICK!” - Kyle
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sol’s fact checking of Rome with Kyle delivers the line of the episode! (and one I’m guessing moms and dads are explaining to their kids at home or glossing over). The best part is the look on Sol’s face when he knows that his suspicion of Rome being Rome is confirmed. An opportunity is presenting itself to put the target Rome thinks he is building on others, back onto him. Kyle may not be the strategic mastermind of the season but lucky for him, he told Sol, aka the one guy in the game that knows Rome and is ready to take him down.
The fireworks are being loaded onto the barge, ready to blast off at Tribal.
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Day 12
EARN THE MERGE - Only 1 player will earn their buff, the merge, and immunity. BOOM!!! Survivor just got MUCH HARDER! The new era has seen each person earning the merge and that has come in the form of winning a team merge challenge. I like the change from team immunity to individual immunity. It’s a better bridge from the previous phase to the merge phase. Only one person earns immunity and everyone else has to continue to earn it while still being vulnerable. Wow!
GENEVIEVE’S ADVANTAGE - Doesn’t have to participate in the team challenge, immediately into the individual challenge with a 1 in 7 chance at winning immunity, and earns the food reward.
SCHOOL YARD PICK - WHY DIDN’T WE SEE WHO GOT PICKED LAST? FIRST?
BLUE - Rome, Andy, Caroline, Tiyana, Sol, and Gabe
YELLOW - Sam, Rachel, Sierra, Sue, Kyle, Teeny
Challenge 1 - Obstacle Course and Table Maze
The mud on this challenge is the worst yet. The last log forces you to go fully submerged in the mud and the claustrophobic nature of it is putting pressure on my chest. I hate it.
Next, the players become wood chip breaded cutlets as they play a crane game with a grappling hook. The discomfort continues on the wooden slide down. Seems like a minor detail but I am cringing just thinking of the leg burns and seared skin.
Next, is the quarter ramp run up. The players are literally unrecognizable as they try to navigate getting everyone up the ramp and onto the puzzle platform. YELLOW builds a wall of sand bags and BLUE looked like a military trained squad using their bodies to get everyone up and over. Impressive.
Finally, the two person table maze. BLUE has Gabe and Rome up against YELLOW’s Sam and Kyle. The alpha aggressive energy of Gabe and Rome feels like the wrong combination for this puzzle, yet it’s neck and neck with Sam and Kyle edging out Gabe and Rome by a muddy nose.
My question is why anyone lets Rome into the clutch position? He stinks at the puzzles and mazes. Anyone figure it out yet? I know Sol has and will use it against him, but what about the rest of you BLUE???
WINNERS - Sam, Sierra, Sue, Kyle, Teeny, Rachel, and Genevieve (no mud)
Challenge 2 - Balance Beam and Wooden Bow Ball Balancing
Sierra drops almost immediately and followed closely by her #1 ally Sam.
Down to 5.
Are Sue’s eyes closed? or just caked in mud.
On to section 2 for 10 minutes, the beam narrows.
Rachel couldn’t recover the ball.
Down to 4.
Genevieve recovers once, but not twice. The advantage didn’t serve her well.
Down to 3 - Kyle, Sue, and Teeny.
OMG, Jeff narrates Sue’s ball on the move, Teeny’s eyes wandered and her ball dropped.
On to section 3, down to 2 - Kyle and Sue.
Kyle gets his first movement but Sue’s movement was too much and she drops.
KYLE WINS IMMUNITY AND THE MERGE!!! What a moment for Kyle! He gets to be the first to don the 47 BAT Immunity Necklace AND the purple merge buff! Kyle’s name is off the table and given the way his episode started, this is exactly what his game needed. And oh by the way, Kyle doesn’t even have a vote! Huge for him.
MERGE FEAST - Day 12
I’m annoyed that Sam was craving a charcuterie board. Come on Sam. Come on. How about a cheeseburger. How about a sandwich. How about a classic PB&J. No, you wanted a charcuterie board and I cannot believe you actually got it. Wow.
Sue wants to vote the majority. Sam wants to vote Rome. Kyle doesn’t have a vote and hates Rome. The only person who isn’t is Genevieve.
Sam brings up the need for a second name and Sue brings up Andy. The takeaway here is how you play those moments. Do you keep quiet? Do you divert the conversation? Do you throw out another name? Do you make a joke? Sam opts to take a breath and utter “If it’s Andy, it’s Andy.” Now, the key is for him to go back to camp and beat everyone else to get to Andy and tell Andy that Sue brought his name up and they went along with it only to not reveal their entire hand.
BACK AT LOSER CAMP - Day 12
The three way shared amulet between Andy, Caroline, and Teeny is on the table. Andy is saying to make it public and play it tonight. I think it’s the right strategy given that everyone knows about it anyway. The question is whether any of them is willing to be against that and use the opportunity to vote out one of the other two.
The laser seems to be pointed toward Rome but he isn’t going down without a fight. His plan for targeting Kyle is out the window with him winning immunity, so he turns the focus toward Sol. Sol isn’t worried and he shouldn’t be. Rome is playing so hard but he can’t see the forest for the trees. We are led to believe that Rome thinks he is running the show and dictating the vote onto Sol and everyone else is in on voting Rome.
Seems too easy. Rome can’t be THAT self-absorbed can he?
TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 12
Insecurity and trust is permeating. People are still very much getting acclimated to one another.
Kyle is talking fact checking and phony bologna.
Advantages are being seen as a disadvantage? I love how Jeff takes it personally and then even gets up and invites Rome to sit in his seat and host the show. Rome is a host and a talker. He felt right at home in Jeff’s chair and maybe even a little too comfortable. I think Rome just had his Survivor moment. Feels like he might have an opportunity to snuff his own torch.
Did Andy just reveal how much joy blindsiding Anika was??? Andy got caught up in that moment and may be revealing a bit too much.
The episode’s title “Feel the FOMO” gets delivered by Andy who is weaving the outcome in Survivor to his identity. Feels more like episode 1 Andy or excited Andy.
Finally, the votes being cast are a plenty for Rome. We see Andy vote in German for Rome, and Teeny and Sam vote Rome too. Rome votes for Sam to just stir the pot because Rome likes to stir the pot. We see Sol vote for Andy, aka NOT Rome. Last, we see Caroline, Andy, and Teeny stand up to play the amulets.
3-WAY AMULET PREDICTION: They play for Sol and we see the first easy vote in multiple seasons actually happen.
WRONG!
They play it for Teeny aka the one who gave up their vote on the journey for them all to get the amulet aka the amulet is not going to last on the show as an advantage. This group spat at the whole thing. Take note Jeff. Rome schooled you from your seat on it and now the amulet holders confirmed the disadvantage of the amulet. Don’t bet on it for 48.
VOTES
Rome - 9
Andy - 2
Sam - 1
“We got him out.” - Sol
Simple quote for a simple vote. Believe it or not, there can be a simple vote on Survivor and Rome fits that criteria. Rome leaves the game graciously and with nothing but love for everyone which is incredibly impressive. Every time any of these people are able to handle that moment with love and grace, it’s hard to believe. I know that moment must be incredibly difficult despite the immense gratitude that everyone who plays the game must feel.
Rome being voted out feels as inevitable as the cold of winter. He was all gas and no brakes and in Survivor I don’t think that strategy is sustainable from day 1 to day 26. It got him through the first stage of the game in a tribe of 6, but his style of play was revealed when he tried to continue his strategy at the merge beach. His attempted manipulation of Kyle backfired because Sol was hip to Rome’s game and was salivating at the idea of exposing him. Teeny was happy to see him go and Genevieve cut ties with Rome too.
Jeff introduced the new era with the notion of the monster looming is the game and the players who are best able to recognize the monster, adapt, and move forward would succeed best. Rome did that in the first stage of the game with the Beware Advantage, seeking loyalty, and effectively using the Steal a Vote to blindside Kishan with Genevieve. However, the merge is a different radio show with a different target audience and Rome didn’t listen to Jeff. He didn’t anticipate the monster. He didn’t adapt his game. So, he got voted out.
The beginning of the season was great in large part because of Rome, but like a radio show, Rome’s air time was up. It’s time for him to sign off. The next host’s show begins now.
Thanks for reading the blog. I appreciate the support. Please be sure to Like, Follow, and Subscribe to the blog and my podcast - The ReRACEables Podcast covering The Amazing Race. Info and links below.
The blog has spoken!!!
Follow my blog Website - www.tribalcouncilblog.com
Instagram - @tribalcouncilblog - Click here and Follow the Instagram
Facebook - @tribalcouncilblog - Click here and Outlike, Outcomment, and Outshare
Twitter - @TribalCouncBlog - Click here and Follow
YouTube channel - Click here and Like and Subscribe
