Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 47 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.
Become a Patron
Get exclusive content and features by supporting Inside Survivor on Patreon.
Top 3 Moments
Rachel and Sol Connect
Christine: Rachel had another great week after being saved by Sol’s advantage in the last episode, starting with Sol revealing his gift to her at the top of the episode. It’s the obvious social move on his part, especially since Rachel has been on the outs since the Anika vote. I, admittedly, really underestimated Sol in the pre-season and expected him to struggle socially. I’m happy to admit I was so, so wrong because he’s been killing it ever since the Kishan vote.
The Auction is Back
Gia: The Survivor Auction has made a return! Taking on the same format as it did in 45, players were tasked to race around camp to retrieve tubes of cash for their auction loot. At the auction itself, Teeny won mac n’ cheese, Kyle broke his vegetarianism for some chicken wings, and Rachel found an advantage hidden in her burger and fries. Sam won the race to eat grubs the fastest but lost his vote when he ended the auction with the most money left. Overall, it was a successful reward, but I could do without the twist of one player losing their vote.
Andy Flips
Gia: Andy has had enough of being on the bottom of Gata. The duo of Sam and Sierra was always one that would need to be broken up, but Andy quickly realized that they never valued him as an ally. Tuku and Lavo planned to target a Gata member, giving Andy the perfect opportunity to switch sides. He ended up being the only Gata member aware of the real plan. Now, instead of being left to the mercy of Sam and Sierra, he left tribal council as the lone victor amongst the original Gata.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Gia: Rachel’s auction reward came with a clue stating that the idol was hidden in the tarp at their camp. Miraculously, she was able to grab the idol undetected. While she didn’t end up using it this round, I have a feeling it will come into play in the next round or so. Sue won immunity this round, leaving the chance of her playing the idol slim to none.
Shot in the Dark
Christine: Rachel’s Shot in the Dark play has been the talk of the town this past week, and for good reason. She played it rather than her idol to get a feel for whether or not she was actually in trouble. This play has multiple benefits: she gives the appearance that she’s on the bottom and out of the loop, doesn’t have to vote for one of her Gata allies, and makes it seem like she doesn’t have an idol. And since the Shot in the Dark failed, playing it doesn’t add to her threat narrative since no one will think that she has something to “add” to her resume. If she makes it to the end, she has a fun surprise to drop on the jury, especially if she never plays her idol and can pull it out like Maryanne did.
Top 3 Players
Rachel
Christine: Between winning some good food at the auction, finding an idol thanks to a clue hidden in her fries, and using her Shot in the Dark to avoid wasting her idol, Rachel had a banner week. She still has a lot going against her, as she’s gained the reputation of one of the most dangerous players in the game. We’re setting up for a major potential conflict between her, Caroline, and Genevieve sooner rather than later. But she’s still here, has a secret relationship with Sol, and has an idol no one knows about. She might have another dicey week or two ahead of her, but things are looking up for her right now.
Andy
Christine: Andy got his revenge on Sierra (and, by extension, Sam) this week. Since day one, it’s been clear that Andy is one of this season’s main characters, and his She’s All That scene this week really solidified that he’s one of the main protagonists. I don’t want to underestimate Andy too much, but game-wise he has a lot going against him for being taken seriously should he make it to the end.
In an era of the show where juries tend to be obsessed with “credit” and “owning” moves, he will likely need something flashy to claim, especially since he’ll have to overcome the early perception of him as an emotional, erratic player. But he’s already got a hell of a story, and that’s certainly worth something. If he can fit the Anika vote, the Sierra vote, and whatever comes next into a compelling underdog comeback narrative, he might still have a shot at this thing.
Caroline
Gia: At this point in the game, I’d say Caroline is in the best position out of anyone. Thanks to her work to keep the blue tribe together, she is well insulated within the remaining Tuku members, especially now that they have joined forces with Lavo. Should Lavo decide to turn on them, Gabe’s reputation and Kyle’s immunity wins will likely make them targets over herself.
I’m intrigued by her strategy to target players like Rachel and Sierra, who appear to be playing games similar to hers. It may seem nonsensical that she hasn’t shifted her target to more outward threats, but it makes sense for her to go after players that could take away jury votes from her (should she make final tribal council). She’s been on an uphill trajectory for some time, and I look forward to seeing how her game evolves from here.
Fallen Comrades
Sierra
Christine: Sierra had a strong start on Gata, but her biggest mistake was locking in with Sam too obviously, too early on. She was in a tough spot when Anika lost her vote on such a small tribe, and I don’t fault her for not forcing a tie pre-merge just to try to save her. But that vote really killed Sierra’s options for allies outside of Sam, setting her up as an obvious target in this merge. Small starting tribes make forming strong early bonds so critical, but they also make it so easy to stand out as a dangerous duo too early. It’s a fine line to walk between safety in the pre-merge and becoming a target in the early merge, and Sierra was, unfortunately, unable to manage that balancing act.
Gia: Ponderosa officially has a new mayor! Sierra’s game had its ups and downs, and now has come to an unceremonious end. Arguably in the best spot on Gata, her alliance with Sam and her wavering trust in Andy proved to be the downfall she could not overcome. She had some fun moments, but she shined brightest in the pre-merge. She got lost in the shuffle once they reached the merge, and didn’t invest enough time into the relationships necessary to her survival. Based on her goodbye message, it’s clear she will be taking her role as the Mayor of Ponderosa very seriously. I can’t wait to see how the jury takes shape with her at the helm.
Written by
It appears most of these have said that you are breaking down the action from the season premiere. Likely a copy/paste oversight?
Love reading these and not trying to bash! Just the copy editor in me, but:
The top of the page says episode 7, but it was episode 8.
Also, other episodes’ top moments still say season premiere on them.