Kirby and Feras, the “Arab-original” Alliance, aka Ferby. We loved them, while they loved and fought and scrapped and came together and broke apart and came together again. Sealing Kirby’s fate with his decision not to play his idol for her, Feras said in his voting confessional, “Sister, girl, I never thought I’d be upset to write your name down.”
Kirby played an extraordinary game. From a recruit to a mistress of the game, she learned and evolved and smiled all the way through. She made moves that confounded the commentators, moves that shouldn’t have worked but did. She told us she hadn’t gone all-out in challenges, until she needed to. Then we and her tribemates saw the elite athlete that she is. It didn’t take Alex pointing it out for her tribemates to know that no one could beat her in the end. And so they took the opportunity of her vulnerability to send her to the jury.
Despite being a unanimous vote, Feras managed to claim the move as his own with an idol-play speech that was equal parts emotional and strategic. He claimed the Raymond idol fake-out and underlined that Kirby’s ouster was in his hands. He could save her with his idol or let her go. He knew he needed to do this publicly, not least so he could tell Kirby how he really felt before the game thundered on. He also needed to show the jury that he was back in control.
Kirby has one goal and one goal only #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/EfVN7YkQ6i
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 17, 2024
Mark had been the target. With Feras having an idol and Raymond performing the finding of an idol in front of Mark and Caroline (in reality, the accessories of Feras’ other idol plus a flash of his real one), it only remained for the Original Rebels to ensure that Mark did not win the immunity challenge.
Kudos to the challenge designers. The challenge is Simmotion with an added ladder. It is such a superb challenge at this stage of the game, testing mental and physical limits, that we barely missed the ropes. In the end, Mark squeaks out Feras to gain the necklace. Knowing his Survivor life was on the line seemed to give Mark the edge he needed.
All the men are either actually immune or have implicit immunity leaving a Titan and a Rebel, Caroline and Kirby, vulnerable at Tribal Council. In place of a scramble the final five perform a respectful square dance as they talk in pairs, from one to another. Kirby knows her only chance is for Feras to play his idol for her because even if he votes for Caroline along with her, she knows Raymond is putting her name down. Feras has a lot of thinking to do. And that part is not a performance.
This classic #SurvivorAU challenge would be EXHAUSTING! pic.twitter.com/hjensOQCxd
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 17, 2024
For his part, Mark offers Feras a final three if he doesn’t save Kirby, and they shake hands on that deal. Feras also makes a deal with Caroline to vote out Mark next if Kirby goes tonight.
Tribal Council is remarkably calm. It’s as if everything was agreed ahead of time. And in a way, it was. Kirby holds a tiny flame of hope, but as befits the wonderful player she has become, even she can see Feras needs to let her go. Even so, he has a hard road to the final two (if it is final two, the players seem to think so).
Kirby asks the BIG question #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/AJ0WqMC3WE
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) March 17, 2024
This incredible, chaotic, hilarious, thrilling season continues to deliver. We can look forward to Kirby on the jury, and in a returnee season very soon.
Written by