For the first time in Survivor 51, a woman wasn’t voted out. Unfortunately, this outcome came at the expense of Ori Jean-Charles, who was not only one of the most liked players this season, but also showed great promise to become one of the most pivotal players in the game. We got what we wanted, but at what cost… #SecondChanceforOri.
As a quick recap, Survivor 51’s sixth episode was filled with shenanigans and tomfoolery, and yet another unwanted outcome: the players were still divided into three tribes. At Dina, Lewis Kelly celebrated surviving, while Danny Kilby tried to do damage control, especially with Eric Macksoud, who couldn’t avoid breaking down over Kilby’s treachery.
At Toka, Milke Pinsky was clearly at the bottom and promised he would switch his allegiance to Savu at the next opportunity. Meanwhile, the remaining three Savus (Devin Way, Jelly Loblack, and Ori) saw themselves as the underdogs, with nothing to lose but the chance to win the next challenge, stay in the game, and carry out their Helicopter Alliance plan.
A Summit then occurred where Kristin Flickinger remained at Exile Island while earning a Tethered Idol, linking her to Sharonda Cox and Ori. Later, Savu was the only tribe that missed out on immunity, meaning one of Jelly, Devin, or Ori would inevitably leave the game just shy of the merge.
As previously mentioned, Ori was ultimately eliminated after Devin and Jelly stuck together and Ori’s Shot in the Dark failed to protect him. In his post-game interviews, Ori revealed much more about what transpired on Savu between him and Jelly, on and off the island, and more. With that in mind, here are some interesting tidbits that Ori shared across multiple interviews.
For starters, in his interview with Gold Derby, Ori echoed what we fans have been saying for years: the three-tribe structure doesn’t do players any favours, as it limits gameplay opportunities for everyone involved. He even apologised to Jeff Probst for his commentary on the season’s game design, as Ori said, ‘’At some point, it’s inevitable because the numbers are so small. There’s nothing you can do…There’s nowhere to go. The tribe swap was tough.’’
Ori also added, ‘’Jeff, don’t kill me, but you don’t have to throw a million different wrenches into it. Just let us play the game! Survivor is amazing. Throw us out there and let us do our thing. Both the fans and the players will thank you for it.’’
In the same interview, Ori was asked what he thought about Jeff’s comment regarding people being worthless on Survivor if they don’t know how to solve a puzzle. After Savu was decimated for not knowing how to do a puzzle, Ori had no choice but to agree with Jeff’s assertion.
Regarding his flirtmance with Jelly, Ori said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that they had a mutual crush during the season. As to whether they would consider dating after the show, Ori revealed they had already had a couple of dates. Ori stated, ‘’Yes, me and Jelly have hung out in New York, and like I said, we get along real well. She’s a very, very cool girl, for sure.’’
Lastly, Ori also shared how he ended up being on Survivor, which is one unique story for sure. In summary, Ori matched on a dating app with someone who works as a casting assistant. After talking on another platform, this woman connected Ori to the Survivor casting process, which ultimately culminated in Ori being on the season.
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