In the aftermath of last week’s messy Tribal Council, Teeny’s feeling burned and vengeful, and Genevieve is feeling super guilty. The only reason Teeny knew Sol was going home was because Andy told them at the literal last minute, and all the blame falls squarely on Genevieve for putting the plan together. For Teeny, it’s just deja vu at this point. Genevieve blindsided them once at the Kishan vote, and now she tried to do it again. Playing an emotionless mastermind game was her goal, but now emotions are unavoidable, things have gotten personal, and together, they realize they can’t play alongside each other anymore. There are two of them… and only one million dollars. May the best player win.
The next morning, tension is still thick between Teeny and Genevieve, but there’s an elephant in the room to be dealt with first: the four Tuku members. If Kyle and Gabe are up for elimination, one of them needs to go. The numbers are there, so why not use them? Well, not if the numbers themselves have other thoughts. Sam and Andy see Genevieve as a big threat, too, perhaps even scarier than anything Tuku could throw at them. So Andy sets off to get some balls rolling within his web of alliances. Now that he’s in a position to call some shots, he’s turning everyone else against one another, and he’s got Rachel as his new number one. Not her ideal choice, given their up-and-down history, but she can’t afford to be picky.
A great meal at the Sanctuary is up for grabs at the reward challenge, and it’s a team challenge this time. Kyle, Rachel, and Sam slither and shoot their way to victory without any opposition from the other trios, and the reward is all for them, no guests allowed. Rachel finally eats some rice without having to steal it from a challenge prop, Sam tries even more new fruit for the first time, and Kyle makes a bold play and throws out Gabe as a target, hoping to strike before he’s struck himself. Sam’s 100% down to take out a power player, but Rachel knows there are better options out there for herself. Namely, Genevieve, the only player who’s actually onto her game at the moment. Plus, Sam blew up her spot at the Sol vote, so what does she really owe him anymore?
Meanwhile, the losers return to camp, where Andy is still weaving his web. Only now, he’s working Tuku against one another, focusing on the rift between Sue and Kyle. She wants him out, eliminated, dead, his head on a stake, you name it. He wrote her name down one time, and that’s a no-no in Sue’s world. It’s emotional gameplay (aka losing gameplay) and Andy wants that kind of player next to him at the end. As for the rest of Tuku, Gabe is ready to strike on Kyle, but he’s not totally sure yet as Kyle is predictable, and predictable players serve Gabe well in such a chaotic season.
When the Beka tribe reunites, Sam gets to work assembling an army of bottom feeders to gun for Gabe, including Teeny who’s still feeling down in the dumps about Genevieve’s latest betrayal. It’s like a bad breakup where Teeny thought they were a great couple, but Genevieve was just using them as a means to an end. And it all just dredges Teeny’s insecurities to the surface again. They mask those feelings by hanging out with friends, but they’ve always been confused. Confused about sexuality, confused about gender, confused about their place in a world they just can’t fit into… just like in Survivor. But when they’re pushed to their limits and their bag almost burns up in the fire, Teeny rises from the ashes and swears to play a more confident game with a fire under their ass for a change. No more crying. Now it’s about winning.
At the immunity challenge, the rice negotiation is back, and the price is four players sitting out. But Caroline has another offer: two people surrender their Shots in the Dark instead. Jeff refuses, but Kyle suggests everyone gives up their dice for rice, and now Jeff’s interested in playing their game. Most people realize those dice are largely useless, but Sam’s not budging so easily. He’s on the bottom and nobody seems to want his vote for their plans, so why throw his last resort away? Gabe pushes back harder, though, and Sam finally agrees to the deal for the sake of giving everyone else the rice they’re hoping for. And for Gabe, it’s a big win as no more Shot in the Dark means no more of his devious plans can be left up to chance.
Speaking of devious plans, Kyle wins his fourth necklace in yet another ball-balancing showdown with Sue, spoiling Gabe’s schemes and leaving him as the primary target as Sam keeps pulling numbers to his side. But Genevieve’s a tempting target too, especially for the likes of Teeny who would love to see her get some immediate karma for the Sol vote. But they know Gabe is the better move right now, and they commit to Sam’s plan instead.
Meanwhile, Gabe’s feeling confident about his survival, but there’s treachery among his ranks. He’s cocky, still under the assumption that Caroline and Sue will happily ride his coattails to the end and let him sweep the votes for an easy win. But from very early on, Caroline’s never really trusted the guy. And now might be the time to turn against him when he least expects it, emerging from his shadow to claim some win equity of her own. But she has to tread carefully because carelessly betraying Sue, who will never turn on Gabe at this point, could doom her game as soon as it finally starts.
As her head spins between targeting Gabe or sticking with his Genevieve plan, Rachel arrives on the scene and sets the record straight. Genevieve. That’s who needs to go. No question about it. Caroline’s anti-Gabe plan is pushed back to another round, and then Rachel heads to Kyle, who actually sees some value in keeping Gabe around solely to keep a meat shield in front of himself. As Rachel puts it, she’s not steering the ship, but she is the ocean whose tides control where it can actually go in the first place. She’s been through Survivor hell to find a comfortable position, but she’s finally found it, and now it’s time to start making moves.
As the Bekas head to Tribal, Gabe and Genevieve both realize they could be in trouble. Gabe hears his name floating around while Genevieve notices nobody is talking to her anymore and wishes she had her Shot in the Dark back. Both are risky positions to be in, but both strategists are confident that if they survive this round, the game is theirs for the taking. The only problem is how much of a mess this tribe is. Tuku might be somewhat united, but everyone else is just a loosely connected group of people who constantly lie and backstab each other. There’s nothing consistent here, and therefore, there is nothing to be sure about when heading into this vote.
But when the votes actually get read, it’s a bit of a shocker. It turns out Genevieve’s last-second fears were for nothing because it’s a slam dunk 7-2 against Gabe, with Caroline getting her way and Rachel being the one to save her big target for another Tribal. Confident to the end, Gabe swears he’ll be back for another season and leaves Sue on the bottom to deal with the fallout of Caroline’s sudden betrayal. Tuku’s been dismantled from within, but the last two Lavos are on terrible terms, and Gata’s loose alliance is ready to implode yet again despite coming out on top for a change. It seems easy to assume where this season is probably going, but… you know what they say about assuming.
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