Even though Jonathan LaPaglia had his sleeves rolled up for the latest tribal council, he still had some tricks hiding up there. But did this electric season of Australian Survivor need another trick? Especially so soon after the controversial twist that ended the previous episode? It’s yet another downside of the show’s insistence on large episode counts requiring non-elimination rounds.
The season has been lucky with the outcomes of these sudden change-ups. As unfair as it was, the previous episode’s “only three people get a vote” twist had perhaps the best result. The New Titans tribe’s three most prominent players (Aileen, Kirby, and Feras) all ended up being safe and the underedited Charles went home. This episode had a similar outcome, with the ultimate result not particularly upsetting the show’s momentum.
Before we get to tribal, though, there is the fallout from the Charles vote-off. Aileen and Feras got a momentary reprieve, but the writing is still on the wall. It’s particularly bleak for Aileen, who knows that Feras has an idol, making her the obvious next target for Kirby and her alliance. No matter what she pitches to the OG Titans, Aileen’s flipping back to Feras at the last tribal scuppered her opportunity for new bonds.
Who can hold on the longest? ♂️ #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/Vvk3eC5nBe
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 19, 2024
But this desperation drives Aileen through the immunity challenge, as she single-handedly wins for her tribe. If you thought Jaden’s “only three-points” comeback yesterday was impressive, Aileen immediately outdoes him in this hellish endurance challenge. Tasked with holding onto a rope while positioned on a slanted podium, Aileen struggles through the pain to outlast everyone in both tribes, earning immunity for the Titans.
With the Aileen & Feras versus Kirby battle put on hold for the evening, it’s over to the New Rebels for what promises to be another messy vote. At least, it ends up being messy. Things seem simple at first; Caroline and the Middle-Aged Mafia do an excellent job convincing Mark he’s back on board. They tell Mark they’re committed to moving on to the merge as a foursome, meaning OG Rebels Alex and Rianna are sitting ducks.
However, Caroline still remembers Mark’s attempted hit on her, and Rianna is quick to remind her lest she forget. Plus, after Rianna voted for Mark at the Rebels’ last tribal, she earned Caroline and Kitty’s trust. So, putting her mob boss hat on, Caroline is ready to return the hit on Mark and seems to have everybody on board.
It’s outplay or be played #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/7DGbvaI8aV
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 19, 2024
But, as this is Titans vs. Rebels, that means endless pre-tribal scrambling and ever-changing plans. With Mark butting himself into every conversation, Caroline becomes confused between real and fake plans. On one end, there is a plot to split between Mark and Alex, and, on the other, a supposedly decoy plan to split between Alex and Rianna.
As confusion abounds, Caroline panics and tells Eden it’s safer just to vote out Alex. Her concerns are understandable after having seen Mark try and fail to blindside her just a few days ago. Caroline is in a solid position right now and doesn’t want to jeopardize that. As a viewer, it seems she had the votes to take out Mark, but on the island in the middle of the madness, I can understand the second-guessing.
Of course, none of this matters because, at tribal, JLP rolls down his sleeves and reveals, “Tonight is a little bit different.” As we saw earlier this season on the OG Rebels, the tribe won’t be voting someone out tonight but instead sending someone to the Titans. However, no sabotage element is attached this time; instead, those with votes will draw rocks to determine who is sent to the other tribe.
Tribal twist Tribal mayhem #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/JWHFZ5O87U
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 19, 2024
Even before the twist is revealed, there is a lot of whispering and more confusion. Poor old Jaden, who is just trying to play a “chill” game, looks particularly baffled. Caroline fills Rianna in on what’s happening, confessing that she didn’t have time to enact the Mark plan and to just vote for Alex instead. Rianna looks a little bit miffed, but she doesn’t have much wriggle room.
Once the twist is out in the open, the votes continue to aim at Alex and Rianna. Caroline urges for Alex to be sent to the Titans, noting how he has no strong allies over there. Eden suggests Rianna, explaining how she does have connections on the other side, something which could help them come the merge. Whichever way it goes, Caroline is steadfast about one thing, “It can’t be Mark.” She, of course, doesn’t want him reuniting with Valeria and setting the narrative regarding Viola’s blindside.
In the end, it’s Alex and Rianna’s names that come up in the urn. The two OG Rebels draw rocks, and Alex winds up with the blue one, sending him to the Titans and back into the loving (?) arms of his old friend/foe Kelli.
As I said up top, this twist is frustrating but doesn’t massively impact the overall game or momentum of the season. Alex is somewhat of a spare part, no matter what tribe he ends up in. At most, it’ll potentially give Aileen and Feras another number, but it won’t be enough to upset Kirby’s hold on the Titans. Well, unless Hurricane Kelli reemerges, and judging by the preview, that might well be the case.
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Is it the large cast or the number of episodes they are required to make (for whatever reason) that causes the non-eliminations? I don’t know a lot about how it works but wouldn’t more contestants generally mean there should be more eliminations, not less?
You’re right, I meant large episode count!