In the aftermath of the Max vote out, with two idols exiting the game, Myles tells us it’s every Brain for himself. He’s not having a bar of another scolding from Zara, after she and Laura voted for him.
Meanwhile, on New Brawn, AJ says he is at the top of his tribe, at the top of the game, and that he doesn’t need alliance mates because he can always get more. Thus, the Australian Survivor editors allow AJ to state the theme of the episode.
Even before the Reward Challenge, AJ goes on a schmooze tour, telling Noonan, “We can target Logan to weaken Laura at the merge”, and selling Kristin a Paulie vote. When Kristin escapes AJ’s gimlet eye, she meets up with Paulie at the well for an alliance of desperation, planning to cut Noonan to save themselves. Paulie says the Titanic is sinking.
New Brains win a visit to the Survivor pub, where, despite the jolly atmosphere, the divide between original Brawn and original Brains is stark. Zara confirms that ex-Brawn will not talk strategy with them. She is praying for merge. She watches despairingly as Myles spills the beans on the dynamics of the ex-Brains at New Brawn. He even goes back to the store to replenish his bean stock, so he can spill even more, publicly announcing that the ex-Brawn just need to give him a name, and he will vote with them.
The Immunity Challenge is an obstacle course, finishing with one castaway from each tribe in the hero position, throwing balls into three baskets. Ben, working from a suggestion by Jesse to save Paulie, Noonan and Kristin, and AJ, working from his own machinations, both try to throw the challenge. High on their scaffolding, Ben admits to trying to throw, as does AJ. JLP threatens to call it a draw and send both tribes to Tribal Council. Ben offers AJ the chance to win, then drills the final basket for another New Brains win.
On the mat, in response to needling from JLP, AJ owns up to throwing, saying Ben was throwing, too. Ben point blank denies throwing, and turns his back on AJ as his tribe walks off for a night of safety.
Noonan is furious at AJ. Why didn’t he just tell them he was throwing? She could have saved herself the sweat and the rolled ankle that this challenge cost her. AJ says that Noonan has “ruined his reputation”, but we can look elsewhere for the cause.
In the bushes, AJ organises the ex-Brains to split on Paulie and Noonan, with Paulie as the primary. Paulie strolls up. With the breathtaking arrogance of a player who only sees his competitors as chess pieces to be moved about at will, AJ tells him about the spilt but subtly changes it so that the primary is Noonan. Kaelan earnestly corrects AJ, which is why you never tell someone they are going home.
Noonan is not going down without a fight. So, despite not being about to run from group to group in the scramble, she pitches a plan to vote out AJ. She tells Logan that AJ had thrown her name out as a possible target. Logan has wanted AJ out since day 3, which stokes the flames of her righteous anger.
At Tribal Council, Paulie lays out all of AJ’s moves. Paulie trumpets integrity and AJ denies any wrongdoing. He gives a rousing speech about his own predictability and transparency, and Karin’s face tells us everything we need to know. Hobbling to the voting confessional, Noonan writes down AJ’s name and calls him “You little weasel” in an all-time excellent burn.
As JLP calls for idols, Paulie plays his. He loves himself the best, and so he should. AJ checks with his side about who voted for Paulie and who for Noonan. There is some confusion, deliberate or otherwise, we’ll have to wait and see. Sensing danger, AJ stands to play his idol. Noonan tells him to his face that no one voted for him. There is a moment where he looks into her wide, clear, innocent eyes and wants it to be true. But discretion being the better part of valour, he plays his idol anyway. Four votes for Paulie and one vote for AJ do not count, leaving Paulie’s and Kristin’s votes to send Noonan home.
Noonan played with humour, power and smarts. She made a strong two with Paulie from the start and refused to ever take the game lying down. She outlasted Nash the Rash and Rick the Itch. And let’s not forget, she never cries. She is one of the stand-outs among this fabulous cast, and she will be very much missed.
AJ worked last episode to make sure his tribe did not go to Tribal, protecting Noonan and Paulie for his future use. This episode saw him turn that strategy on its head as he deliberately put them in danger. He has five plans going at once, at cross purposes, and thinks allies are tokens to be moved around with no volition of their own. When he demands to know who “cooked” this plan, Karin tells him “You did.”
When the ex-Brains had a go at him for concealing his idol, he was surprised. It’s called a “hidden” immunity idol, after all. And while that is true, if you trumpet your game as transparent and predictable, don’t haul out a previously undeclared idol when you are already on thin ice with your allies. There may be no room for you on the door.
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