After a couple of chaotic tribal councils, the latest episode of Australian Survivor: Redemption dialed things back a little. Although in this season, even a slower episode still involved an idol play and a whole heap of scrambling.
The Bounty tribe, which took the spotlight in the previous two episodes, finally has a chance to take a night off. Not only do they enjoy a feast of nachos after a reward challenge win, but they get their hands back on immunity, sparing them from another trip to tribal. Immunity comes at just the right time for this tribe, as relationships and targets begin to shift.
Despite seeming a tight three in the previous episode, Aisha and Cameron air their worries about Lottie. Aisha isn’t a fan of how Lottie almost curtailed the Harry plan by trying to throw the votes to Jackson. Aisha even admits that Lottie got into her head and almost convinced her that the Jackson plan was the way to go. So, while they’re still aligned for now, Aisha and Cameron promise to keep a close eye on Lottie.
As for Lottie, she immediately senses a vibe shift in Aisha and Cameron. Taking out Harry wasn’t her ideal move, as removing a big player takes away a strategic shield. She talks this through with Simon, with the pair agreeing to be ride-or-dies going into a tribe swap and beyond.
However, the episode’s main action takes place on Barren beach. It kicks off in the early hours of the morning when Caleb returns from his trip to the Bounty tribal and giddily gloats about how Harry was sent packing. He wakes up later that morning, worried he said too much and may have spooked Mark and Brooke. For now, Caleb is trying to play his “crazy but cautious” game and wants to keep Mark on side.
Mark, for his part, isn’t worried about Caleb. He believes he has a good thing going with the “Corn Chip Cartel” alliance, which includes himself, Caleb, and Don. Meanwhile, he has a returnee connection with Brooke, his Ruby Soho Alliance with Faith, and a strong bond with Keeley. As far as Mark is concerned, he’s running the Barren tribe, with his fingers in all the pies. He even has players like Tez bringing him information, and his enemy Johnson tucking tail and offering to work together.
But Mark’s control hasn’t gone unnoticed. Much like Aisha and Cameron and their concerns over their ally Lottie, Faith and Keeley worry that Mark has too many loyal soldiers. They don’t want to end up in a situation where it’s deep in the game, and Mark has such a grip on the numbers that it’s impossible to overcome. So, why not start chipping away at some of his options now?
Faith and Keeley initially set their sights on Tez in what they call “Operation Snuff the Weasel.” They fear Tez can’t be trusted because he runs information back to Mark. The pair brings free agent Sally aboard to form a formidable trio, and together they’re ready to start making some moves to shift the balance of power.
After the immunity challenge, Mark gathers his troops and puts the target on Johnson, with Don as the decoy vote. Even though Mark believes Johnson now wants to work together, it’s too little, too late, and he is sticking to his guns, removing the Big Brother finalist from the island.
Meanwhile, the newly formed trio reconvenes and decides that Caleb would make a better target than Tez. Like Tez, Caleb appears loyal to Mark, and, on top of that, he is an agent of chaos. With a swap on the horizon, the three ladies worry Caleb could blow up their games in a flash.
The problem with the plan is that not everyone is keen. Johnson isn’t sure he can believe it, not when his own name is out there and when he’s been trying to mend a bridge with Mark. Tez is apprehensive and almost spills the beans to Mark, saying just enough for Mark to recognize a shift in Faith’s behaviour. And Brooke is steadfastly opposed to the idea.
In fact, Brooke is so thrown off by the last-minute change of plans that she goes into self-preservation mode. At tribal, she unveils her hidden immunity idol, wears it, and ultimately plays it for herself, unnecessarily so. I’m not sure why Brooke felt so pressured into flushing her own idol here, but if you have even the slightest inkling that you might be in trouble, it’s better to be safe than sorry, I guess. [EDIT: As Brooke herself pointed out on Instagram, the idol had to be played at Barren camp and expired by the tribe swap. So her playing it here made a lot of sense.]
As for the Caleb blindside, it never comes to fruition. After all the talk and hype, the vote goes as Mark originally intended, with Johnson copping the majority of votes and Don receiving the back-ups. This could be an issue for Faith and Keeley moving forward, given how many people they told about their plan for Caleb. If word gets back to Mark, it could completely sever that alliance and put them in the firing line.
But that might not matter because the next episode is the tribe swap. The game is shaking up, which means we could wind up with a whole bunch of new alliances and relationships to talk about next week. With this cast of players, I don’t think anything is ever fully set in stone.
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