Merge/EoE Challenge
Just like the show jumped right in this week with no “Previously on” segment, we’re jumping right into our recap with no lead-in. We start right away with the always heavily anticipated merge. There are the usual smiles and cheers and boost in endorphins. Those are somewhat tempered, though as Jeff starts waxing poetic about iconic moments in Survivor. It’s at this moment the castaways should start feeling uneasy. And it’s at this next moment that Probst tells the castaways what they are about to witness could become one of those iconic moments. And at that he calls in the Extinction 6.
Wentworth says “I knew it.” Ah, no you didn’t. It’s a great soundbite but there is no way you could have predicted this twist, not with any certainty at least. Unless she meant she knew a twist was coming. Which, sure, okay. Not exactly a giant leap, but we’ll go with it. Anyway, the six stroll in, thankfully without any death glares like you might expect (except for Reem, but that doesn’t count because that was obvious).
Jeff explains the Edge of Extinction, except without any specific details. He then drops the bomb expected news: one of these six is going to win their way back into the game. In the challenge, they race through a series of obstacles, before finishing with maneuvering a ball to the top of a snake track. Even with Keith gifting Chris the 30 (!) knots disadvantage, it’s a close race, as everyone is legitimately in a position to win. Wendy’s ball falls off mere inches from the top, leaving the door open for Devens to claim victory and secure his spot back in the game.
So Devens is back in the game. But what about the five he beat out? Well, Probst announces, “Now Extinction Island begins again. Every person voted out will have the same opportunity.” And yes, that includes Aubry, Chris, Keith, Reem, and Wendy.
Everyone starts crying. Well, not Wendy. Wendy smiles. Because…? I think it’s time to stop questioning anything Wendy does. She’s going to do whatever she wants, however she wants. She has been far from my favorite player this season, but you have to respect how true she remains to herself.
Overjoyed that their time in the game is not yet at an end, the remaining five go back to Extinction Island. It looks like they all have renewed energy and a newly positive outlook (for the time being, at least). But, immediately after getting back to the island…
Extinction Island
Keith and Wendy raise the mast as soon as they get back. So that’s it for Keith and Wendy. Moments after we saw Keith screaming to the heavens in joy at yet another chance to stay in the game, and Wendy being visibly excited, the two go and raise the mast, officially ending their games. We’ll see what happens with Aubry, Chris, and Reem, along with anyone else who finds their way to the island, but I’m glad someone finally quit. It helps solidify how truly taxing Extinction Island surely is.
Vata (The merged tribe name, apparently, because the show thankfully skipped over the “What should we name the tribe?” segment)
Wentworth is none too pleased that Devens is the one to come back into the game. She played a part in voting him out, so she is reasonably worried how he will react to being back in the game with her. Wentworth also thinks she can paint Devens as an easy vote. He was already voted out, now he’s back in the game due to a twist that can be painted as unfair to the other players.
Luckily Devens realizes he might be the easy vote so he gets to work right away working his relationships. He manages to connect right away with Julie. She likes Devens a lot, and they seem to hit it off. And not only does she like Devens, she wants nothing to do with the plan to send him back to Extinction Island. She can’t justify it morally. And to that I say, “nuts to that.” I see her point, but the first post-merge vote can be especially tenuous. An easy vote isn’t always the worst thing. And besides, by the time Tribal rolls around, she will have only known Devens for a few days. It wouldn’t exactly be a hard relationship to cut short.
That being said, there I can’t believe I hadn’t considered on the pro “keep Devens” side. Let’s say Devens is voted out. He goes back to Extinction Island, where he will presumably have another chance to come back into the game. What if he wins that next challenge? Now he has been voted out and won his way back in TWICE. That by itself would make him a massive threat to win. And nobody talked about that, at least from what we were shown.
Wentworth continues her work to get the tribe to turn against Devens. She first approaches Joe about working together and he seems to be on board. She then goes to the other five remaining women in the game in an effort to throw both Devens and David under the bus. This doesn’t go quite as smoothly, as the Kama women, led by Julie, decide to turn their sights in Wentworth and Lauren.
And it wouldn’t be a merge without an idol. And luckily for Devens he finds one waiting peacefully for him in his bag. But unluckily, it comes with certain rules. It’s a two-piece idol and he must give one half to another player before the next Tribal Council. If both remain in the game after the next Tribal, it becomes a normal immunity idol. Devens gives the second half to David, still his most trusted ally in the game.
This decision makes sense, but I think he should have at least waited until after the Immunity Challenge. Since the idol’s power is contingent on both Devens and the second player being in the game after Tribal, he could have considered giving it to whoever wins immunity. Ultimately I still think David would have been the correct choice – who else could he trust enough at this point in the game? – but it’s something I would have at least considered.
Immunity Challenge
The first individual immunity challenge is a balance challenge, because why would we want to ruin another good merge episode with a challenge that is actually fun to watch. Now, as endurance challenges go, this one is perfectly fine. I just would have preferred something a little bigger. Anyway, the castaways stand on a narrow beam, holding a pole above their heads, on which they balance a statue. Julie wins.
Pre-Tribal
Julie is still on the Wentworth train. And she forms a plan to get Kelley and Lauren to split their votes between Devens and David, while they turn right around, aiming to vote out Wentworth. But Ron wants to go a different route. He wants to take this opportunity to vote out Joe. As he says, “If you’re playing Survivor and you have a chance to take out Joe. Every time is the right time.” Victoria still wants to stick with the Wentworth plan, but Ron is not backing down from his idea either. Only time – and Tribal – will tell who ultimately gets the axe.
Tribal Council
This season just can’t help itself, can it? Before Tribal stars, Jeff brings in the jury. Excuse me? Yes, that’s right. In come Aubry, Chris, and Reem. So not only do those voted out still have a chance (at least, could be more) to get back into the game, they are also on the jury. This means there is the possibility of a 13 person jury. I’m going to reserve judgement on this part of the twist (though initially I’m not super thrilled) but kudos to Survivor for really coming out swinging this season.
As for the vote itself, I love a good chaotic merge vote. Do you remember the merge vote all the way back in Borneo? There were 10 players in the game, and seven – SEVEN! – of them received votes. Think about that. Gretchen was eliminated in a 4-1-1-1-1-1-1 vote. That has to be one of my all-time favorite voting moments in the show’s history. This vote isn’t nearly at that level, but it’s not without its drama. David and Devens think Kelley is the vote. Kelley, Lauren, and the Wardog think it’s David. And Aurora and Joe think Devens. But in the end they’re all wrong, as Ron wins out and gets Joe voted out and sent to Extinction Island by way of a 6-3-2-2 vote.
Additionally, we get some fantastic reaction shots. Ron’s face is all over the place, and I’m hoping there is plenty more where that came from. We also get a dangerously close to an NSFW moment from Wardog, due to the unfortunate and unintentional (maybe?) placement of two particular fingers near his mouth. I won’t get into specifics; I’ll let your imagination run with it. But for what it’s worth, I laughed out loud. Maybe that’s the inner teenager in me coming out, but hey, funny is funny.
But beyond all that, the Kama alliance is now one to watch going forward. While I agree Joe had to be an early target, it’s interesting that it was all original and Kama 2.0 that voted for him. It becomes even more interesting when you take into account the fact that it was not necessarily an easy decision. You had Ron pushing hard for Joe, while Julie and Victoria both wanted it to be Wentworth. If this sort of in-fighting keeps up, the Kama alliance could quickly deteriorate.
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