Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 45 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 latest episode.
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Top 3 Moments
The women of Reba are very good actresses…very, very good
Gia: The first night at camp after a blindside is always awkward, but Reba’s first tribal was on a whole other level. You would think a quit would make the blow easier, but Sifu was still unsatisfied after he received a vote. He asked which of the Reba women voted for him, as Sean told him as he left that it wasn’t him. Sean’s choice left Dee, Julie, and J. Maya in a difficult position, especially since they had already committed to keeping him. Luckily, this fracture didn’t keep them vulnerable for long, as Reba came in first in the immunity challenge and will be the only tribe fully intact going into the merge.
Sandwich vs. Amulet
Christine: Move over Savvy vs. Sweat; there’s a new choice in town! Kellie, J. Maya, and Austin got to go on a journey after the immunity challenge, and the three were presented with a choice: they could either take the three Advantage Amulets from Survivor 42 or take the sandwiches waiting for them at the top of the mountain.
Austin immediately wanted to go with the food option, which is unsurprising given that he already has access to his fair share of advantages. But since J. Maya and Kellie both leaned towards the Amulets, he decided it was best to not put up a fight. In his confessional, though, he vowed to get his revenge on the two for depriving him of his beloved sandwich. If he makes good on this threat, Kellie and J. Maya’s choice could come back to bite them in the merge.
Emily in the Middle
Christine: With post-swap Belo split down the lines of 2 OG Belo, 2 OG Reba, and 1 OG Lulu, I knew we were in for a treat when they lost the immunity challenge this week. Emily perfectly positioned herself in the middle of the Austin/Drew duo and the Brando/Kendra duo, the latter of which didn’t end up being much of a duo at all, as evidenced by Brando throwing Kendra under the bus. After immunity, the tribe decided to openly take turns splitting off into pairs to discuss the vote, leading to Emily nearly turning against Drew after Brando pinned his own pitch to betray Kendra on his fellow Pokemon fan. Things got sorted out when Austin returned to camp and Emily went forward with the plan to vote out Brando, leaving the ever-so-animated Kendra looking shocked.
Tribe Breakdown
Belo
Gia: Oh, Belo, what fun times we had together. This was the only tribe that had members from each original tribe, and the chaos that brewed as a result was worth the wait. In between Kendra being her authentic self, Drew flat-out refusing to align with Brando, and Brando explaining Pokemon Go, at the center of Belo was the question of which pair Emlly would side with. She decided to go with Drew and Austin, but the journey to this decision was fantastic to watch unfold.
Lulu
Christine: On Lulu, Jake had another scary fainting episode, leading to a vulnerable confessional about his relationship with his body as he recovers from an eating disorder. Our time with this tribe wasn’t entirely uplifting and inspirational, though, as Katurah found herself in hot water for looking for an idol and got into another minor conflict with Bruce. Meanwhile, Kaleb and Kellie are still sitting pretty and well-connected on Lulu, putting themselves into solid positions going into this upcoming merge.
Reba
Gia: Reba was such a mess in this episode, and I loved every moment of it. Most of their screen time was spent dealing with the fallout of the last episode. Sean’s quit threw everyone for a loop, and Dee’s vote for Sifu fractured the tribe more than it already was. That being said, Dee and Julie remain the central power of the group, proving that they may have been down, but they’re far from out.
Top 3 Players
Kellie
Gia: There are very few players going into the merge with more power than Kellie. She was at the center of the power structure on OG Belo and Lulu 2.0 and is now one-third of the Advantage Amulet holders. Now, there are a few things I’m worried about with her, the major concern being that everyone is aware of how much influence she holds. With Emily siding with the Reba faction, her closest ally being blindsided, and Kaleb having a weak connection with Kellie, what’s keeping him from throwing Kellie under the bus? Luckily, if any player this season can work her way out of this mess, it’s her.
Kaleb
Christine: Kaleb has perfectly leveraged his position on his swap tribe as the odd man out in this group of OG Belos, slipping into the cracks of their alliance and buddying up to absolutely everyone. He’s still got the issue of being way too obvious of a social threat, especially if his time visiting Reba comes back to haunt him at the merge, but he’s certainly made the most of his swap experience.
Austin
Gia: Austin had a lot of ups and downs in this episode. On the one hand, he was on the right side of the vote and was able to extend the life of his idol with no consequences, thanks to the Goodwill Advantage. That being said, I know he is still thinking about those sandwiches. Austin had good reason to be wary of the Advantage Amulet, but he has a lot of advantages to work with as they go into the next phase of the game.
Fallen Comrades
Brando
Christine: It’s unfortunate that we heard so little from Brando in the episodes leading up to his boot, but that’s just how Survivor editing goes sometimes, isn’t it? Brando didn’t exactly get swap screwed because there was a lot of potential for him to team up with Austin and Drew. It just didn’t happen in the end, though, because Emily ultimately made a stronger connection with them and had the advantage of seeming less threatening compared to Kendra and Brando’s perceived duo’ status. In a swap-less season, I think Brando could have made a deep run of it since he and Kellie were portrayed as the center of OG Belo, but instead, he found himself as an early boot.
Gia: I knew that OG Belo members could be in trouble if new Belo went to tribal council, but nothing could have prepared me for Brando being voted out pre-merge. The time we had him was great; who can say they will ever forget him rocking the buff as a shirt with the Belo ladies? His screentime shot up this episode (which should have been the first clue for his fate), and I adored the segments of him fully embracing the nerd archetype, even if Drew (or Basile?) didn’t appreciate it as I did. I hope Brando had just as fun an experience playing Survivor as the fans did seeing him live out the chance of a lifetime.
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