This time on Survivor… After Levu returns to camp, Ashley congratulates Joe on a well-played move. She wasn’t exactly Alan’s biggest fan, but he was the only other Hero on the tribe and Ashley knows it’s not two vs. two at Levu. Joe is giddy about his crazy smart plan of stirring the pot and using his Idol. He knew he wasn’t going home and he knew how to manipulate everyone into voting for him. At Yawa, a log of burning bamboo pops a few times triggering Ben’s PTSD. He says that unless you’ve experienced what he, and others, have experienced during their military service, you don’t really understand what he’s been through. Everyone on the tribe is super supportive, understands that he needs to take a bit of time for himself; they check on him, but they leave him alone. Ben tells us that he used to live in the past, but then he met his wife, had his kids and they saved him from all of his inner demons; he looks to the future now. He would love to win the money, but for him, playing Survivor bigger than the game itself. Ben wants to show other Vets that there is hope and that they can overcome the trauma of their military experiences.
Come on in, guys! It’s time for Reward. Up for grabs? Iced coffee, a variety of pastries, and coffee and tea to take back to camp for the first-place winners and one large bottle of iced coffee for the tribe who finishes second. In this challenge, tribe members will be bound at the ankles with their arms bound to their sides and must push a ball over the sand in a relay-style race. Once the first person pushes the ball past a marker mat, they must tag the mat using their head signaling that the next person can continue. After tagging the last mat, the last person must launch balls up towards a high basket; first two tribes to sink five balls into the baskets wins reward. Survivors ready? GO! Levu takes an early lead because Desi BEAST-MODE’S herself to the first marker mat and Ashley takes over with the same rapid pace. Joe moves just as fast and Devon takes to launching balls. Soko is in second place with Ryan taking the last leg of the race; Dr Mike is working on the second leg for Yawa and just when it seems that Soko will have a big time advantage over Yawa… Ryan’s ball slides down a sand hill and into Levu’s lane. This happens two more times. As Ryan struggles with the last obstacle on the course, Devon lands all five balls for Levu, winning them first place, and as Soko is finally allowed to untie and start shooting baskets, JP lands the last of Yawa’s balls. VALIANT effort, though Ryan, and kudos to your tribe for continuing to cheer for you.
At Levu, everyone is super happy and enjoying their reward, especially after Tribal last night. Desi thinks this win will help bring them together as a tribe and hopefully they will keep winning. Devon thanks everyone for trusting him to shoot the baskets and it’s cheers all around as Joe pours the coffee. After Joe and Desi leave camp to visit the beach, Devon and Ashley have a little chat. They know they have to stick together, and neither of them want to vote with Joe and Desi; they both want Joe out of this game. The plan is to convince Desi to vote Joe out of the game with them, but if they can do that, and if Levu goes to the next Tribal, the vote will come down to rocks. At Soko, Ryan apologizes for his poor performance in the challenge, but it seems as if it’s no big deal and people remain in good spirits. Chrissy argues that she did less than him and Ryan jokes about that claim being debatable. Everyone laughs and this is exactly what Ryan wants. He knows he has to keep working on his social game and continues to do so by attempting to open a coconut, but quickly decides that isn’t happening and hands the task to JP. He knows there will be some losses, but the only loss that counts is being voted out of the game.
Roark also knows she needs to work the social angle and takes Ali with her on a water run. Both ladies would like to work with each other and know that Roark will have the numbers after the merge to help Ali. If they can assemble the ladies and bring in one of the guys, they can control what happens if they are doomed to go to the next Tribal. Ali would like to send Chrissy and JP home and when she chats with Ryan, he says he’s on board with that, buuut… Ryan is also aligned with Chrissy and he knows Ali won’t work with her and vice versa so he’s in the middle and he doesn’t know what he’ll do. At Yawa, Cole’s eating habits are grossing people out, especially Lauren. He licks things, puts his fingers in jars after scratching between his legs and it’s just gross. Ben has noticed it too, but only Lauren comments. Jessica would like to keep the Healers together, but she knows Dr. Mike is paranoid about Cole; they both know Cole can’t keep a secret, but Jessica knows that Mike can. When the pair offers to retrieve water for everyone, they do so under semi-false pretenses; they know Joe and Cole found an Idol near the well at the Healer camp so Joe starts digging when the reach the water source. And as luck would have it, Mike finds a hidden Immunity Idol. Mike knows it’s dangerous when someone knows you have and Idol, and this one is rightfully his, but he’s okay with Jessica knowing that he has it, it’s for them.
Come on in, guys! It’s time for Immunity. In this challenge, tribes will begin on a platform in the ocean, swim to a boat loaded with three bags of rice, unload the rice then push the bags through a hole on a climbing wall. After all the bags are on the other side of the wall, everyone must climb up and over it then carry the bags across a balance beam to shore. Once all three bags have been delivered to the next station, they have to break open the bags to retrieve three balls, which they must maneuver up a vertical maze of holes to three slots at the top. First two tribes to finish win Immunity. Survivors ready? GO! Yawa and Soko are the first tribes to finishing pushing their bags through the hole in the wall, but this balance beam isn’t easy to traverse, and Levu has caught up quickly. JP is the first across with a bag of rice, and Devon makes the task look easy as well, as does Desi. Levu is the first tribe to start tearing rice bags apart, Yawa is the second, but ya’ll know what this maze is: the Great Equalizer and even though Soko is struggling to transfer rice bags, they catch up and it’s even once again. Buuut, Ashley has a big head start learning the tricks of the maze. To make this maze, harder, though, those attempting it must stand on a balance beam. Yawa takes the lead with two balls, Levu has one, but Devon lands the second right after Ali lands the first for Soko. Cole is the next to land a ball, and it’s the last for Yawa; they take the first-place win. And as Chrissy struggles to stay on the balance beam, asking if anyone else wants to try, and Roark asking if she wants her to give it a go, Chrissy stays on the beam and Desi lands the last ball for Levu. Soko will have a date with Jeff tonight; Roark is nervous, but Chrissy struggled and she needs to go home.
So, we’re headed to Soko, where Chrissy doesn’t feel safe and doesn’t know if she can really trust anyone, but she has to do something. During a private talk with Roark, who doesn’t want to have ANYTHING to do with Chrissy at all, Chrissy proposes sending home a guy so they can keep an all-girl option open. Roark lies and says she’s totally open to that option, and Chrissy’s plan has been set in motion. What’s this plan? Create a false all-girl alliance spear-headed by Roark; if JP knows there is an all-girl thing happening, he will feel threatened and will most-likely vote the way Chrissy wants him to vote – for Roark to go home next. Chrissy next talks to Ryan and lets him know that JP is on board to blindside Roark. Cut to Roark talking with Ali, both girls are upset that Chrissy didn’t back down from the balance beam and both want to rally to have Chrissy leave the game. Ali then talks to Ryan about voting out Chrissy and whittling down the Hereos; Ryan says he trusts Roark and Ali, but he trusts Ali the most aaand… Ryan is in the spot he did not want to be in as the swing vote. His social game is going to take a hit tonight. No matter what name he writes down, one his two biggest allies, Chrissy and Ali, will have some beef with him after Tribal.
And awaaay we go to Tribal Council! After Roark dips her torch into the fire, remember: she hasn’t been to Tribal Council yet, Jeff begins the session by asking Ali what she’s noticed about the different groups of people on her tribe. Ali immediately brings up that some people have trouble stepping back to let someone else do something. Chrissy interrupts her to ask if Ali is talking about her and Ali confronts her about the challenge. Chrissy is quick to tell everyone that she offered to step down multiple times and everyone stood back and told her to keep trying. It’s her story, Ali’s story, and the truth. Ryan says that he didn’t see anyone do anything other than try to complete the challenge. After Jeff asks what happened back at camp, Chrissy explains that for the first time, she talked strategy with Roark because she didn’t want to be at Tribal tonight having said nothing to her. Roark points out that Chrissy only called upon her when she need her and that maybe going forward, it would be better to form bonds before they are needed. Jeff says that’s two strikes against Chrissy and she defends herself by saying that Roark never approached her either, even though Chrissy was talking to Ali and others. JP pipes in to say that it makes him a little nervous being one of two men on the tribe while the girls are pairing off to go talk with each other and Chrissy smiles. And blah blah blah, Chrissy says she’s doing the best she can, Roark thinks she’s the swing, Ali says you don’t earn trust until you vote together and with that, let’s just get to the vote. No one has an Idol to play so Jeff reads the votes: Chrissy, Roark, Chrissy, Roark, aaand… Roark.
Next time on Survivor… Ali is NOT happy with Ryan and Cole passes out at camp, and looks to have hit his head pretty hard on part of the shelter… Scary… As always, if you like my blogs, check out what else Reality Recaps has to offer, including Survivor recap videos. Eric still has Big Brother 19 stuff for everyone to enjoy along with his coverage of Bravo shows, and more! If you want to help support everything we do you can become a Patreon and if you’re buying something on Amazon, use this link to further help support the site – it doesn’t cost you more and it gives a little to us so we can keep providing free content for everyone. Thanks for reading! See you next time…
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