Chaos thrived at the latest tribal council, and the remaining nine players were left scrambling to figure out what the heck happened. Sneaky Raymond and cannot-lie Kitty flipped on their respective alliances, sending Jaden out as collateral damage. As everyone is willing to work with anyone, it’s just a matter of time before we get to see who will get the last laugh and who will be the next possible flipper to be flipped out of the game.
The episode begins with everyone wanting answers about what happened at tribal. Valeria questions if she was the original target, to which Feras confirms before explaining the vote flipped to Alex at the last second due to all the whispering. Raymond is called a little weasel who can’t be trusted, as he was the one who caused Jaden to leave instead of Alex.
For his part, Raymond is basking in the chaotic ambience, and since he still has his ‘Ultimate Vote’ advantage under his sleeve, it seems Chaos Raymond is not yet done playing. Raymond needs all votes on him for his advantage to work, so his vote is the only one that counts. He starts acting up the following day, pretending he feels remorse, and Feras, aware of his plan, doubles down by telling others Raymond might be checking out of the game.
Raymond’s not doing too well… or is he? #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/1d4dz380ca
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 5, 2024
Kitty also confesses her flipping crime, greatly surprising the OG Titans as they wouldn’t have guessed she was capable of deceit. Valeria, while feeling grateful towards Alex as he played his idol for her, knows she can’t trust Kitty but is aware Kitty is desperate enough to do what she’s told to gain a semblance of trust once more. Mark corroborates this as Kitty is seemingly the perfect loyal soldier.
JLP announces the next reward challenge will consist of the players racing to transport a coconut over a series of obstacles, then firing that coconut from a slingshot, tempting to smash targets with their tribemates’ names. This challenge is one of the best in Survivor lore, as it is specifically designed to show everyone the elimination pecking order, which usually leads to alliances shifting and epic blindsides. It seems production couldn’t have used a better challenge at this point of the game.
Alex and Valeria are the last two playing, with Alex ultimately claiming victory, and he brings Valeria, Kitty, and Feras to accompany him to enjoy a nice spot of afternoon tea.
This challenge is all about poise and control ♂️ #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/pGciJgENL9
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 5, 2024
While enjoying their picnic, Kitty asks Feras if he’s still willing to work with anybody after being blindsided. Feras states he does as long as it benefits his game, but during his confessional, he says Alex will need more than sandwiches to get back into his good graces. Funnily enough, Kirby had said the same thing in a previous confessional, highlighting how well she knows her frenemy Feras.
The smiling assassin also takes his chances of continuing to plant seeds about Raymond’s well-being, and at camp, so far, it seems to be working, with everyone else being concerned Raymond might quit.
As he returns to camp, Feras congratulates Raymond for his performance as the others start falling for the trap one by one. Both decide to tell Kirby about their masterful scheme, who joins them in plotting Valeria’s demise. But Valeria is noticing how easy of a vote it would be for Raymond to leave the game and would like to take this chance to get out a more significant player instead. Valeria realises this could sound brutal but states in a snarky tone that Raymond could surely last a couple more days.
After a well-earned endurance battle against a fury-inducing maze, the coveted immunity necklace goes to Kirby. And as players gear up to head to tribal, Raymond says his head and heart aren’t in the game anymore and wishes everyone to vote him out. As Ray gives his best rendition of Sleeping Beauty and yearns for the Oscar for Best Actor, Feras goes for his as Best Supporting Actor and pleads to the others to put Ray out of his misery.
Name a better performance! We’ll wait… #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/zO5feCr9vF
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 5, 2024
Valeria isn’t far behind and starts plotting to vote Rianna out instead, as everyone else is too focused on Raymond. Mark argues that even though it’s a good plan, they would still need five votes, and jury-wise, it might taint their chances of winning for their deceit. Meanwhile, Kirby tells Rianna about the master plan, and Rianna is nervous about Raymond going after her instead of Valeria.
To make sure they’re both safe, Rianna tells Kirby she should write Rianna’s name down, blowing up Raymond’s plan/advantage, and vote him out, with Feras thinking the OG Titans were the ones who flipped. Kirby isn’t sure what the right move is, as she wants Rianna to feel comfortable but still maintain Feras’ trust. Even after Raymond tells Kirby he will write Valeria’s name down, Kirby considers giving her immunity necklace to Rianna to protect her in case something goes wrong.
At tribal council, this season’s fluidity regarding voting blocs is brought up again. Feras redirects the conversation towards everyone being on the same page for once to vote out Raymond; as the latter has expressed, he wants to leave the game. To JLP and the jury’s surprise, they notice Raymond is like the walking dead, and he once more pleads his case to join the jury.
Absolutely NO ONE saw this twist coming! #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/2MHy38N9MX
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 5, 2024
As the others retell how they’ve seen Raymond’s downhill behaviour over the last couple of days, Kirby smoothly hands her immunity necklace to Rianna, who tentatively puts it on. JLP asks Kirby why she gave her immunity away, and Kirby responds, “just in case,” sending JLP into a chuckling fit. Just before the vote and while side-eyeing Kirby, Feras hopes no one is taking advantage of the situation to do another play instead.
One by one, the votes start coming towards Raymond, and it is particularly hilarious how, amidst the sweet words from everyone at his apparent departure and heart-breaking music, Raymond is still acting his soul off, making us sweat until the last second to see if his plan will pan out or not. At last, the bomb goes off as Raymond decides to play his advantage, sending every person unaware of his evil plan into full-blown panic.
We’re in the big leagues now #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/15anTwQdnD
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 5, 2024
Gripping their seats, everyone realises that every vote went towards Raymond, fulfilling the power of the advantage. Leaving Raymond’s single vote to count, Valeria becomes the third jury member. Taking her blindside in good stride, Valeria quips it’s good to be voted out not by the majority but by the minority, leaving everyone laughing as JLP snuffs the Russian Ice Queen’s torch.
This season is keeping everyone on their toes, both players and viewers alike. Everyone who isn’t playing on overdrive is getting left behind, and just a few are shaping to be contenders to snatch the Survivor crown. Still, as we saw during this episode, no one is safe, as even the seemingly meekest of players can grab the game by its horns and flip it on its head.
Will the smiling assassin claim the ultimate victory? Will Caroline and Kitty mend fences over Kitty’s betrayal? Will Raymond’s deceit cost him the game? Or will someone else slither their way to the endgame while everyone looks the other way? Sunday can’t come soon enough to find out!
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