Carolyn is riding high after getting Danny out. Even though she didn’t have to play her idol for Carson (he would have only received two votes to Danny’s three), she still feels good about playing it. That’s a great example of self-awareness, knowing this was the right play, even though it technically was played “wrong.”
But then Carolyn starts to slip up. She starts talking about her idol, what she did with the fake idol, and other parts about her game. Yam Yam sees this for it is right away. He’s always thought Carolyn was a good and smart player, but now everyone else is becoming aware of it too, with Carolyn’s help.
It’s what we don’t see here that’s disappointing. Lauren and Jaime seemingly had every reason to vote against Tika at the last vote. Hearing their reasoning would have been super insightful into some critical game dynamics.
Carson wakes up in the middle of the night to see Heidi go off into the jungle, presumably to look for the idol. By the morning, everyone else has joined the hunt.
Lauren, Jaime, Yam Yam, and Carson are talking back at camp, and discuss the possibility of this being the final four. Carson is intrigued, but he still feels like the Tika 3 should continue sticking together. Now, with this new suggestion, he might be able to play it in his favor. Get them feeling comfortable, allowing his side to make a move on either one.
Reward Challenge
The six are divided into two teams of three. One player is strapped inside a giant ball, and guides their two blindfolded teammates through an obstacle course. Once the reach the end, the caller instructs the other two – still blindfolded – through a table maze.
The winning team gets a trip to the Survivor Sanctuary. The players finish Jeff’s sentence when he announces the reward. Come on, Survivor! You gotta mix things up with these rewards. It shouldn’t just be the same thing over and over.
The teams are: Purple: Jaime (caller in the ball), Heidi, Carolyn Orange: Carson (caller in the ball), Yam Yam, Lauren
Orange wins.
Reward/Camp
Carson continues his plan to make Lauren feel as comfortable as possible. But all this talk is getting Yam Yam thinking even harder about actually flipping on Carolyn.
Jaime spearheads the idea of targeting Carson. Just like Carson is doing, Carolyn is playing the game, telling Jaime what she wants to hear, but with no plans to flip…yet. She does acknowledge that she knows she has to cut Carson at some point, but she believes she needs him for at least one more vote.
The three winners return, and Carolyn says they haven’t had rice yet. Did they just not do it right away? Or was the reward really that short? But damn, Survivor seems to really be skimping on the rewards. It’s a shame.
Carson and Carolyn catch up, remaining on the same page, with almost identical experiences with their respective groups. But Yam Yam talks with Jaime about going after Carolyn. She likes that he’s open to flipping, but she would prefer Carson. But she’s just focused on getting a Tika out next.
Immunity Challenge
The Final 6 immunity is a straightforward classic we’ve seen many times. The players hold two ropes, balancing a ball on a disc. The periodically move farther back, giving them more rope to balance.
Lauren outlasts Heidi, securing her second immunity win.
Pre-Tribal
Carolyn pitches Jaime as a vote to Heidi. It’s tempting to Heidi, going with the three Tikas, as it would allow her to save her idol. But she’s not entirely sure she can trust them. Then at the water well, Heidi tells the Tikas she’s on board for Jaimie.
Jaime and Lauren still want to target Carolyn. Jaime says she views Carolyn as the biggest threat. Lauren, for some reason, tells Lauren she wants to target Carolyn because Lauren doesn’t think Carolyn will bring her to the end. That could just be a reason for Jaime to keep Carolyn around! Just say, “Yes, Carolyn is a big threat, let’s vote her out.” Done, simple as that.
Yam Yam is still wavering between Jaime and Carolyn. He talks to Carson about it, who handles it well. He doesn’t jump at it, but he doesn’t shut Yam Yam down.
Tribal Council
Heidi plays her idol for herself. It turns out to be a terrible read, as she receives zero votes. It could very well end up being completely inconsequential. But if she makes it to Final Tribal, the other two could point to this move as how out of the loop Heidi was. It could speak to a lack of awareness in the game.
Jaime is voted out 4-2, with Lauren the second Carolyn vote. And then Jeff sends the final five to their new camp, continuing the most pointless “twist” of all time.
And with that, that leaves us with next week’s finale. This has been a weird season. It started off weak, got reaaalllllyyyy bad, like worst of the series bad, and then has actually been on a decently strong stretch the last few weeks. Hopefully the finale will satisfy again. And as long one of the Tika 3 wins, that should happen – barring some horrible production interference with a dumb new twist, of course. But now, nothing to do but wait and see what next week brings!
