Before we get into this week’s episode, we have some big news to cover! As has been rumored, it’s now official: Survivor will be moving to 90-minute episodes, beginning this fall with Survivor 45. It’s a change fans have long been asking for, and we finally got our wish. Australian Survivor and Survivor South Africa have always had the longer episodes, and as more and more fans have been able to catch up with these two terrific international versions, the banging for longer US episodes has only gotten louder. The flagship US Survivor has been lagging far behind both AU and SA, so here’s hoping this change will be a much-needed shot in the arm.
I do believe there is huge potential for Survivor to get back to its glory days, with more time available to focus on the tribe dynamics, social game, and overall strategy. However – and it’s a big however – I don’t fully trust this current production team to wisely use their extra time. As we’ve seen with this season in particular, they won’t shy away from cramming twists and advantages into the 42-minute episodes. There’s a huge range of outcomes here. I’m excited, but it’s more on the tepid side.
And we will actually probably have to wait until Survivor 46 to get our first full look at how all this will come together. I haven’t been able to find anything to confirm filming dates for Survivor 45. But based on how the schedule usually goes, they will either have already finished filming or should be about to finish. Depending how much Jeff Probst and the rest of the production team knew going into filming, they maybe couldn’t make any changes to the game format that were dependent on having longer episodes to work with. So once 46 rolls along, we’ll be able to see if they keep the game as is, and just show us more of the moments that are already there, or if they take a swing and make changes or add even more twists.
But that’s a future discussion to have, let’s get into this week!
Va Va
Carolyn is upset after being left out of the Frannie vote. Carson and Yam Yam have damage control, but Yam Yam says Frannie was “too juicy of an option.” But Carolyn is inconsolable, believing the two are just telling her what they think she wants to hear.
Danny wants to figure out who voted for him, and ironically enough, it was Heidi, who he views as his closest ally. Like Carolyn, Heidi was also played, as she was convinced Danny was gone. While the three Tikas are talking, Carson wants to make sure Danny knows it was Heidi who voted for him. So Yam Yam tells Danny at the well.
Danny asks Heidi about it, who denies it, and Danny believes her. He thinks it’s a ploy by Tika to split them apart. It’s funny that he’s right in the latter, but doesn’t want to believe the former.
The Tika contingent has been running strong, but the rest of the tribe is maybe starting to finally see the light. They see Yam Yam as a big Final Three threat with how likable he is. They all like him, which is just even more evidence that, at the very least, they need to consider him as a potential vote target.
Immunity Challenge
We have a challenge this week everyone knows. It’s the grate challenge that Owen and Karla beat in Survivor 43. So yeah, let’s run this one back, why not. It’s a challenge that players proved can be beaten. Yes, it’s a Survivor classic, but I think we can do away with it after seeing what happened last season.
Yam Yam and Heidi are the last two left, and Yam Yam outlasts her to win immunity.
Pre-Tribal
Danny spearheads the the effort to go after Carson. He goes as far as saying, “If I cloned myself and saw myself at Final Tribal against Carson, I might vote for Carson.” He tells Yam Yam the plan is a vote split on Jaime and Lauren. Carolyn wants to vote Danny. She and Yam Yam both agree that Carson is the other side’s target. She tells Carson about the idol, and is willing to play it for Carson. But this is when the paranoia starts creeping in. Something could go wrong and Carolyn could end up voted out. They discuss switching the vote to Heidi instead.
Tribal Council
In the end Carolyn does play her idol for Carson and Danny is voted out with a 3-2 split against Heidi. What’s interesting, however, is the last vote was originally for Lauren, before being crossed out and changed to Danny. Also interesting is the Tikas got both Lauren and Jaime to flip on Danny. Too bad we didn’t see any of that. But now the Tika Three are in the majority! Well, at least according to Carson, even though it’s really a 3-3 split. But whatever, down to the final 6, fingers crossed we get a strong last two weeks!
