Yahoo News Survivor 45 Recap: The One Where Nobody Quits
Wednesday’s episode featured empty bellies, rogue Tribal votes and a bout of passing out, but none of these island stressors caused anyone to quit the game. That’s right, Survivor, fans! No one quit in Episode 5, and for that we are truly blessed.
That doesn’t mean it was a walk in the park for the remaining 14 castaways, especially for Sifu, who’s trying to crack the season’s biggest mystery (for him, anyway): Who wrote “Sifu” at the last Tribal? Since Sean denied it on his way out the door, poor Sifu’s absolutely spun, turning the opening of the episode into a pure witch hunt. All three women do exactly what they should: deny, deny, deny! Of course, it’s Dee who’s lying, but doesn’t this whole ordeal just paint an even bigger target on… Sifu? Sometimes you just gotta let it slide, man! And take out your enemies later when the timing’s right.
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Meanwhile, J throws out an idea. (A very dumb one, if you ask me.) She offers to take the blame for the Sifu vote to try and convince him that he doesn’t need to play his idol at the next Tribal Council. I don’t know about you, but I would never, ever volunteer to be the decoy. Decoys can and do go home, just like pawns in Big Brother. And look at that. Merely seconds later, Dee’s all, “Maybe we should just vote J out!” and Julie isn’t opposed! You really can’t trust anyone in the game of Survivor.
LULU | When Jake collapses and passes out again, he worries about being pulled from the game. He tells us that before coming out to play, he weighed 287 pounds. He had a serious binge-eating problem that he ignored and hid from his loved ones. But he overcame that struggle and put in serious work to better his life, hence his frustration with his current body issues. You can’t help but feel for the guy.
While Jake struggles, Kaleb hustles. The guy’s working overtime, securing one-on-one relationships with every member of his new tribe. He even tells Kellie that the idol was flushed with Sabiyah, and we all know that information is power in this game. Somebody better keep an eye on this one, or he could win the whole shebang.
BELO | After bonding over Pokémon, Brando tells Drew he’d be open to starting an alliance with all of the game’s geeks, dweebs and nerds. Drew then does something pretty questionable: He immediately shuts it down. To the kid’s face! There’s something to be said about the phrase, “make me no promises, tell me no lies,’ but come on, man! 1) Options are good to have, right? But also, 2) you don’t need or want to declare war when it’s entirely unnecessary. Drew seems… smarter than that?
IMMUNITY IS BACK UP FOR GRABS | After racing through a massive three-level obstacle course, one player uses keys to unlock a hook, which is used to procure some sandbags. Knock down three targets with the bags, win immunity and 10 fresh fish with all the fixings! It’s a tight race until the very end, when Belo falls out of it and unfortunately books a trip to see Jeff at Tribal. Reba, as the winning tribe, gets to pick three players to send on a journey. They select J, Austin and Kellie.
JOURNEY | The trio is offered a choice: Sustenance in the form of a sandwich and orange juice, or Strategy in the form of three amulets. If they choose the amulets, they’ll all have to work together for them to have power. All three pieces played together will be an extra vote; two combined equal a steal-a-vote; while the last amulet left in the game has the power of a full idol. Austin is hungry and worries about the target on his back. J is pro-amulet. With Kellie leaning toward the Strategy option, Austin relents and the trio accepts the advantage. Austin, however, says his aim will be to turn his amulet into an idol, so Kellie and J better watch their backs come the merge.
STRATEGY | While Kendra pitches Emily on a potential Drew vote, Brando offers Drew his Shot in the Dark in order to sway him to his side. Brandon says he’s willing to cut Kendra if it means he gets to stay. It’s a bluff, of course, but the fact that he’s willing to ditch Kendra without a fight is a red flag for Drew. When Emily fact-checks this conversation with him, Brando lies about his bluff, which immediately pits Emily and Kendra against Drew. Drew, however, has the Safety Without Power advantage — which I totally forgot about until those words flashed on the screen — and in addition to his amulet, ally Austin has a one-time idol (with the option to extend) and the Goodwill Advantage. Yep. The “new era” is still confusing as hell.
Austin returns from his trip and lies to the tribe about what happened. The only person he tells the truth to is his buddy Drew, and Drew convinces him to let Emily in on the secret in order to secure her vote. But will it work?
THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN | The future Reba vs. Belo battle is a big topic of conversation, as each player tries to assess — without revealing! — which group is best for his or her game. Emily, the lone former Lulu member, says she looks forward to showing her loyalty, as she seemingly seems to be riding the middle in between the two duos.
When it’s time to vote, Austin declares that he’s sacrificing his vote in order to extend the life of his idol. But per the rules of the Goodwill Advantage, he’s also restoring it so he can have a voice tonight — clever! No additional advantages or idols are played.
When Jeff drops the hammer, Brando is voted out of the game in a 3-2 vote and his ally Kendra is flabbergasted. (Read our Q&A with Brando here.)
Did Emily make the right call siding with Austin and Drew? Go full tilt boogie in the comments section and let us know.
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