Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 43 as they list their top moments in various important categories. This includes the most essential information, the stand-out castaways, and the key moments from the week.
Here, Christine and Gia break down all the action from the third episode.
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Top 3 Moments
Karla Barters for Beads
Christine: Our Coco tribe has been awfully quiet since the premiere, but Karla solidified her status as Coco’s breakout star this episode with her bead collection. She initially decided to ditch the Beware Advantage when she first found it, which, for the record, I think was a very respectable decision, but ultimately came back for it and lost her vote.
Her successful hunt for the beads was less suspenseful than Cody’s last week since there was no tribal council looming in the immediate distance. Still, it was just as impressive, given that she pulled it off without any assistance. Plus, she made Palau’s Caryn Groedel proud with those very good acting skills.
Sami Spills the Beans
Christine: I thought Vesi was going to be our messiest tribe going into this season, but Baka is sure giving them a run for their money. Last week, the tribe looked through Gabler’s bag to check the status of his idol, and then this week, Elie planned a scheme to trick Gabler into believing his idol was dead. The plan might’ve worked, but she made a fatal mistake in telling Sami.
Sami clearly has an appetite for chaos since he quickly ran that information back to Gabler and told him about the bag-snooping scandal. We didn’t get any immediate payoff from this conflict since Baka avoided tribal council again this week, but Elie looks like she’s going to be in some serious hot water if they ever go back.
James and Owen Help Noelle
Gia: We got an advantage dilemma in this episode, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Owen, James, and Noelle were chosen for the journey. An unlikely trio for sure, but I am intrigued to see if it leads to any long-term impact. Noelle told James and Owen that she was left out of Justine’s blindside and was worried about her position in the game now that Vesi was going to tribal again. As a result, both men decided to automatically give her the advantage in hopes that she could take out a big player. Obviously, that didn’t happen in this tribal, but who’s to say what this could lead to further down the line?
Tribe Breakdown
Baka
Christine: Last week and this week were a lot of set-up for what may happen in the future on Baka, with Gabler being sick and all the shenanigans surrounding his idol. After all this mess, it seems like Owen is now in one of the better positions on his tribe after being targeted at the first tribal council. Jeanine, Elie, Gabler, and Sami are now caught up in the drama surrounding Gabler’s idol, leaving Owen to watch the chaos unfold from the sidelines.
Coco
Gia: Oh, Coco, we hardly know you. But what we do know, I love everything about it. The blue tribe is the only group that has yet to vote someone out, but the likelihood that this will last for much longer is very slim. We could potentially be seeing a Luvu 2.0, but I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.
Vesi
Gia: A week ago, I would’ve said that no one was safer in this game than Jesse. Well, look what a week has done to that prediction. Vesi lost immunity for the second time in a row, and they decided to keep the tribe strong by voting Nneka out. In doing so, Jesse and Cody just blew the iron-tight hold they had in Vesi. Justine’s blindside created a wedge between Dwight and Noelle with the rest of the tribe. Now that Noelle has a steal-a-vote, the former power structure has been turned on its head. I feel that if they go to tribal again, Jesse and Cody will regret dismantling their trio so early.
Top 3 Players
Karla
Gia: Karla has always been a stand-out, but in episode three, she was leagues above everyone else. I’d argue that she was already the most secure person on Coco, but now she’s definitely the most secure with the idol. The way she maneuvered the beads task was a master class in bartering and the importance of a strong social game. My only complaint is that we need to see more Coco as a whole and, therefore, more Karla as a result.
Gabler
Gia: Baka is going to regret the extent that they have seriously underestimated Gabler. He’s well aware of how his tribe perceives him, but in this episode, he finally got the full picture. He’s known all along how his idol works, and now he plans on using it to take out Elie. My one concern is how he is physically depleted from the elements, but if he can overcome that, he’s going to be an exciting one to watch.
Noelle
Christine: Despite being on the bottom of Vesi, this was a huge episode for Noelle. Her challenge performance alone could get her this spot as one of the top players of the week, but she also got a Steal a Vote at the summit. Usually, it’s a mistake to tell other people about your advantages, but Noelle made the right call by telling Dwight, who was also left out of the vote last week.
The Steal a Vote isn’t very powerful if Noelle votes alone, but she can secure a majority with it if Vesi returns to tribal again and Dwight votes with her. She trusted her gut this week and saved her advantage, which could help her make a game-changing move in the future if she plays it right.
Fallen Comrades
Christine: I knew Nneka wouldn’t last long in the game when I read her pre-season press and saw how hesitant she was to lie and play dirty. I’ll give her props, though, because she played way better than I thought she would. Nneka ultimately played an “old school” game: find a majority alliance, stick with it, and don’t mess around looking for advantages. Her social game was clearly effective since she survived last tribal, but her lack of challenge skills meant that her close allies couldn’t stick their necks out for her a second time in a row.
Her only “mistake” was not being better at challenges. On another season with larger starting tribes, perhaps Nneka would’ve been able to avoid being targeted as a challenge liability (or had more chances to sit out of challenges) and could’ve gotten by on her social game for at least a little longer.
Gia: I was excited to see more of the Nneka, Cody, and Jesse trio, but unfortunately for Nneka, the “keep the tribe strong” mentality won out here. Nneka knew her strengths would lie in her social bonds, and they helped her survive her first tribal. As much as I hate to admit it, challenge strength does play a factor in the game’s early stages, and Vesi’s two consecutive losses are hard to ignore.
While her time on the game was short, Nneka proved to be a positive light with goals much bigger than the title of Sole Survivor. Her backstory about her experience working with a mission in Nigeria was of the most touching ones we have seen and speaks to the bigger picture of what it truly means to be a Survivor.
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