Besides the first boot, Candy, who was a case of collateral damage, this season’s eliminations have shared one thing in common: a lack of self-awareness. Indy, Kent, and Nash all came on too strong from the start, had a false idea of how they were perceived by their fellow tribemates, and caused their own downfall with their overconfidence.
It seemed like Ally was set to keep the trend going in episode five until the good ‘ol Aussie Survivor non-elimination twist reared its ugly head and ruined all the fun. But before we get there, let’s recap what happened in the latest episode.
With the Nash rash cleared up, the Brawn tribe is all smiles, with many having the best night’s sleep since they arrived in Samoa. Nash was the group’s main antagonist, a disruptor, forcing everyone to play his chaotic, paranoid game. Now that he’s gone, the Brawns return to their more laidback, easygoing approach to Survivor. In a way, Nash’s behaviour helped unite the tribe in their ire against him, so there is no real bad blood.
Well, almost none. Ursula hasn’t forgotten about being the backup vote and isn’t so willing to play happy families. When Noonan approaches her to clear the air and move past the Nash saga, Ursula basically gives her the brush-off. It’s more of a ‘let’s wait and see’ than a ‘let’s move forward together.’ I suspect Usula will be ditching her old Brawns the first chance she gets.
The good times for the Brawn tribe continue when they win a day at the spa, complete with cheese and crackers, champagne, and fresh running water. Things only get better when JLP offers them a chance to invite one of the losing tribe along, and they select Ally, who proves to be the perfect choice. Ally doesn’t even need any champers to loosen her lips, as she willingly spills the entire Brains tribe dynamics to the enemy.
Ally is the woman of the hour in this episode. Feeling strong within The Coven alliance, the power goes to her head, causing her to swan around camp, dishing out orders and talking down to her tribemates. I gather she believes her conversations with AJ come from a place of openness and honesty, but they come across as arrogant, patronising, and belittling.
AJ certainly takes them the wrong way, and with his newly formed Bomb Squad alliance with the Brains boys, a plan is put into motion to blindside Ally. Meanwhile, Karin and Zara once again push for Rich to go, and this time, they’re not willing to budge despite how much Laura mopes about the decision. Yet, Laura is given a silver lining when it comes out that Ally told the entire Brawn tribe about the women’s alliance.
Unfortunately, due to the twist, we don’t get to see how this tribal council would have played out. But The Coven seems set to boil over, and it has for a while. There are too many differing opinions and strong personalities, and it’s clear Laura would rather keep Rich around than move ahead with Zara and Karin. For their part, Zara and Karin are looking to hitch their wagons to AJ and Myles to form a new foursome.
This puts AJ and Myles in a powerful position. They have options: going with the Bomb Squad and throwing a grenade Ally’s way or kicking Rich out and earning Zara and Karin’s trust. Before tribal, it seems they’re leaning towards the Rich vote, but after AJ’s ill-advised Bomb Squad speech before the vote, it looks like they’re back on Ally.
For her part, Ally is not worried, even if the Bomb Squad talk and AJ and Myles’ whispers have her giving the side-eye. She’s confident in her numbers and knows she’s safe. And, it turns out, she is, because JLP drops a bombshell of his own and announces there will be no one going home tonight. Instead, the tribe will be voting to send someone to Brawn.
AJ immediately puts his hand up to volunteer, probably incentivised by the idol he found earlier. Going to Brawn would give him a chance to form new alliances, and if that fails, he’ll at least have a guaranteed way to survive a potential Brawn tribal council. However, Ally doesn’t like that idea and throws her hat into the ring.
As the conversation goes back and forth, Logan gathers The Coven for a side chat, and they decide Rich would be a better choice to send over to Brawn than AJ. Rich says he’s up for it, and so it’s settled. Rich cops the majority of the votes and is sent to the Brawn tribe, and unlike seasons past, he won’t be returning to his original tribe.
Rich isn’t going to Brawn alone, though. Before he hands over his dirty Brains buff for a freshly clean Brawn one, JLP hands him a scroll to read on his way there. With new surroundings comes new powers, as Rich will be allowed to send two players back to camp during the next tribal council, meaning they won’t be able to vote but also not be voted for.
It’s always frustrating when these non-elimination twists ruin what could be a really exciting vote, but it’s just part and parcel of Australian Survivor at this point. Hopefully, some glorious chaos will come of it.
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