And then there were none. Well, technically there are still four, but for the time being there are none. I’m referring of course to the number of returning players left in the game. Joe and Aubry had already been banished to Extinction Island. And after tonight they are now joined by fellow returnees David and Wentworth. And it’s about time. A common thread among some of the new players is their focus on voting out the returning players. And their plans are finally coming to fruition.
Of course there is still a chance for one (maybe more, depending how the Edge of Extinction twist ultimately plays out) to win their way back into the game. But even if one of those four does make it back, it seems they will be facing a huge uphill battle to get to the end and win.
Post Tribal
After last week’s insane Tribal, some people are looking for new openings. One of those is Wardog, as he immediately tries to form a new alliance of six. He wants to pull in Ron, Julie, and Gavin to join Lauren and Wentworth. Wardog believes the tribal lines may have officially fallen, and it’s time to make moves.
Immunity Challenge
That’s right, no Reward Challenge again this week. And that’s because we get not one, but two Immunity Challenges. The first is yet another balance challenge, but at least there’s a bit more to this one. Each contestant rests a bar on their shoulders while in a squatting position. If you go up to high, your flag pops up. Go too low and your urn drops. The whole thing looks completely uncomfortable to an extreme.
But this challenge comes with a twist. The players are given a choice to compete or eat. I love these kinds of decisions. Any time the show forces players to make a big decision like this presents an opportunity for them to ruin or advance their game. Everything is more interesting when they have to make decisions. Give ’em a little free will and see what happens.
And what happens is Lauren, Victoria, Wentworth, and Ron all choose to sit out and eat. I always find it somewhat arrogant when players choose to sit out. As safe as you might feel, you never know what can happen. Why deny yourself a chance to secure your guaranteed safety in the game? Yes, Wentworth has an idol and Lauren might be the most under-fed person on the show so far. But still, you gotta go for it!
Anyway, Aurora wins, forcing the tribe to change their target.
Pre-Tribal/Tribal
And that new target? One David Wright. David knows he is a likely target, so he gets to work trying to put some pressure on the Lesu 3. They are a powerful trio and David does his best to make the rest of the tribe see that.
In the end though, David’s efforts fall short as he is voted out and heads to Extinction Island.
Extinction Island
We follow David to Extinction Island where its inhabitants receive another clue in a bottle. David finds the advantage, which allows him to send an advantage to someone at the next immunity challenge. Speaking of which…
Immunity Challenge
We have another balance-based challenge, as each contestant balances a paddle on a stand. They roll balls down paddle, needing to settle five balls on five separate dimples. But not Devens. David, in a move as unsurprising as Avengers: Endgame shattering pre-sale ticket records, decided to send the advantage to Devens. Devens only has to land four balls to everyone else’s five.
Now on the plus side, this challenge gives us plenty of opportunity for some classic Probst ball jokes, such as “Devens, toss me one of your balls.”
But on the negative side, I hate when players receive challenge advantages. Even though Devens wins, I’m over this happening. It gives the players just too much of an edge. In such a crucial part of the game, any small advantage can pay huge dividends, like being immune at the next Tribal Council. Give me a pure, even-playing field challenge.
Pre-Tribal
After professing how loyal he is earlier in the episode, Wardog obviously decides to target Wentworth for this next vote. Wentworth is a returning player, which means Wardog wants her out. He tries to pull in Victoria, Aurora, and Devens, who all seem amenable to the plan. Ron, however, isn’t so fast to jump on board. Ron continues to be the star of this pre-tribal section as Aurora decides to give him her extra vote advantage.
You have to assume Aurora felt completely desperate to use this move. She was not only handing him the advantage, she was literally handing him a reason to vote her out. If she’s the boot, the extra vote is Ron’s. True, there would be nothing forcing Ron to return the advantage should Aurora survive the vote, but that could be a tricky situation. But if Aurora is voted out? Then Ron is in the clear and the extra vote is his without question.
But like I said, if Aurora truly felt that desperate, then why not swing for the fences? She had a card to play so she played it. And while she was aware of Wardog’s plan to vote out Wentworth, you can’t really blame her if she doesn’t trust him 100%.
Before heading to the night’s second Tribal Council, I need to address a quote from Aurora. I don’t remember the last part, and it’s not necessary to the point I’m trying to make. She says, “Either I’m going to be blind-sided…”
Let me just say this: If you know you are a likely target, then
it 👏 is 👏 not 👏 a 👏 blindside 👏
I’ve said it before – this season in fact – and I will keep pounding this drum. Too many people are getting too lax with the use of the “blindside” term. It used to mean something; I only wish it would go back to its actual meaning.
Tribal Council Redux
Because I told you at the very beginning of this recap – and likely because you already saw the show (if not, why are you reading this?) Wentworth is voted out after not playing her idol. Initially I’m against this move. Wentworth was the last real, consensus threat left in the game. Yes, there are other strong players, but she was a legitimate and, perhaps more importantly, obvious threat. Who will the masses turn on next? Well, Wardog seems like the easiest choice. He’s the one who has been orchestrating the previous votes. He’s now turned on a close ally immediately after preaching how loyal he was. The heat is now on Wardog. Can he handle it?
The other big news is the fact that Ron and Julie did not vote together this time. In this very episode, we saw Ron take Julie’s feelings into account when considering his voting options. We didn’t see if Ron told Julie about his voting plans beforehand (I’m going to guess he did not) so it should be interesting seeing how that aftermath plays out next week.
