After 40+ days of shifting alliances, chaotic tribal councils, and dramatic blindsides, Australian Survivor pumped the brakes in this episode to deliver a more standard, predictable elimination. It’s not always a bad thing to give the audience a little breather, but it did come across as rather underwhelming, given the high intensity we’ve been used to.
Waking up after the rock draw that wasn’t, the remaining OG Brawn ladies are firmly on the bottom and looking for a crack. But the recently reunited Graduates (now the Post-Graduates) aren’t budging. Zara is back with her boys, and for the first time in a long time, it seems like the majority is happy to hold onto their numbers advantage going into the next vote. Why rock the boat, especially at the precarious Final 7 vote?
Kristin, however, is determined to make something happen. After a hammock chat with Morgan, she comes to a realisation. Kaelen is in everyone’s final three plans, and his impressive immunity streak makes him doubly dangerous. So, Kristin floats the idea to Zara of potentially using the three OG Brawn women to blindside Kaelen in a 4-3 vote.
It has the makings of a solid plan until Kaelen wins yet another immunity challenge. Water torture isn’t enough to stop the water baby! With five immunity wins, Kaelen now ties the Australian Survivor record with Brooke Jowett in All-Stars. Unfortunately for Kristin, the only player that came close to taking Kaelen down in the challenge, her plan goes down the drain and she is firmly in danger herself at the upcoming vote.
Back at camp, the Post-Graduates initiate “lockdown,” a word that is sure to bring back nightmares in a post-pandemic world. The four agree not to share any plans with the bottom three, basically shutting them out completely when it comes to their intended target. This leads to some awkward conversations, particularly between Kaelen and Kristin and AJ and Morgan/Kate.
The only hope for the minority is that Zara will flip her vote and come with them to blindside AJ, a known troublemaker. Speaking of, AJ tries stirring up trouble with a split-vote plan, throwing out the idea of bringing Kate and Morgan aboard the Kristin vote. The others, especially Myles, quickly snuff this plan out, much to AJ’s annoyance. It’s clear AJ is trying to keep Kate and Morgan in his back pocket, and the others are getting sick of it.
“Keep it simple, stupid,” Myles reiterates before tribal council, and simple it is. Despite some last-minute whispering that sees the OG Brawn ladies flipping their votes onto Myles (in the hopes Zara will join them), the Post-Graduates stick to the plan, and Kristin is eliminated in a 4-2 vote.
The question now is, will the game remain simple from this point forward? Will the Post-Graduates simply pick off Kate and Morgan and head to the final four together? Or will there be some twists in the tale before all is said and done?
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