In the aftermath of Raymond’s big move, everyone is amazed and variously emotional (including Feras and Kirby, who are, however, only acting). Then, as has been the way all through this wild season, Day 38 dawns and the tribe resets.
Alex has somehow become the belle of the ball, with Mark, devastated by Valeria’s ouster, declaring he is “stuck with Alex.” Alex gets busy pulling together a boys’ alliance, with Culpepper maths of four votes as a majority in a tribe of eight. Feras and Mark know they need to add one more, and Mark invites Caroline on board.
At the Reward Challenge (filling leaky buckets from the sea and transporting the water to a tube), Alex is far and away ahead of everyone else. So much so that the others stop to admire his prowess and strat chat amongst themselves. Assured of a win, Alex approaches Mark to discuss who to take with him. Although this kind of chicken counting before the eggs have hatched can get a castaway into trouble generally, in this case, Alex cruises to victory.
They’ll need a session at the spa after this challenge! #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/3aiTG9SJri
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 10, 2024
He and Mark had agreed that he would leave Mark behind at camp with Kirby and Rianna. However, when JLP offers Alex the chance to add guests to his overnight spa reward, he swiftly picks Rianna, Caroline, and Kirby. Kirby, just a few hours ago, said to his face she didn’t trust him. While smiling, of course, Mark is startled, and so are we. Feras calls this “an amateur move.”
Despite Alex’s plan to ply his guests with red wine and lasagne and then get them to spill their secrets, the only spillage is from Alex’s tummy as he overdoes it at the table. Kirby, Rianna, and Caroline bond in the jacuzzi and plan to vote out Alex nexr.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Mark locks up the boys’ alliance with Feras and Raymond, agreeing to shoot for Rianna or Kirby if Rianna wins immunity, which she does in an Immunity Challenge featuring ropes (because what else?).
Just. Brutal. #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/x1rjCACbLt
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 10, 2024
Kirby, Rianna, Caroline, and Kitty agree to target Alex. They do the mental arithmetic and realise that four is not a majority in eight and agree to bring in Feras. On this day, Kirby and Feras trust each other.
At Tribal Council, Alex begins to doubt his plan of buttering up the women at the spa and feeding them a fake “vote for Raymond” plan. Taking over interrogation duties from JLP, he spills all the secrets of who said they would vote for whom. But to his dismay, Feras calmly confirms that yes, he had agreed to vote for Kirby, with no defensiveness or further explanation.
Alex switches to asking everyone what moves they have made and challenging them to expose their strategies. When no one gets their feathers ruffled, he tries for a King George, asking Kirby why she is getting defensive. She brushes him off like a fly with her airy statement that she is “just chilling.”
There’s not much a glass of red wine won’t fix #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/oYI6Jed16R
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 10, 2024
With his Survivor life crumbling before his eyes, Alex says everyone is scared to write Kirby’s name down and goes out in a blaze of, if not quite glory, then certainly something very entertaining. In a season of mirrors, his tribal council breakdown echoes that of his nemesis, Kelli. He goes out cheerfully enough on a 6-2 vote, with only he and Mark voting for Kirby.
Alex never found a safe haven after losing the Cuddle Crew. He flitted from group to group, hoping to be included, but in the end, understanding he was just a number. He has been hugely entertaining on our TV screens, and we are glad he made it this far. But with no established relationships, and no shared voting histories, in the end there was nowhere for him to land.
In Feras’s voting confessional, we get a glimpse into the future when he says, “I’m not afraid of anyone in this game. Kirby is next, then RiRi. But first… you.”
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