Titans vs. Rebels is heating up as two wars are simmering at both camps. At the Titans tribe, the rivalry between Kirby and Feras has been brewing for weeks, and it is only a matter of when one will prevail over the other.
With the Rebels, there’s Mark vs. Caroline, as neither trusts the other as far as they can throw each other under the bus, and neither will rest until the other has walked away with their torch snuffed. As the rest of the players decide who to side with, the audience has to wait and see which tribe wins immunity and which one will fight the next Survivor battle… and this episode definitely didn’t disappoint.
Mark finds himself in an “out of the pan and into the fire” kind of situation, as he has now lost another potential ally and an idol in trying (and failing) to get revenge against Caroline, his former middle-age mafia alliance member. He knows he’s counting down his days if he doesn’t try to get into Caroline’s good graces again, who, for her part, decides to use Mark for her strategic purposes down the line.
Meanwhile, the Titans tribe is thriving as they’ve won several challenges, with Feras leading the high morale back at camp. However, not everything is peachy for Feras, as he suspects something is amiss with Hurricane Kelli, who has not been up to her usual tricks lately.
Kirby decides to use Feras’ suspicions about Kelli in her favour and tells him that Kelli indeed has an idol. When Kelli discovers the latest rumours, she decides to have fun and parades around Feras, holding her bag full of trinkets. Feras, fed up with all of this, decides to target Kirby once and for all and tells Garrick and Raymond about his plan. They recruit the Titans’ former members, Valeria, Winna, and Charles, as numbers against Kirby’s coalition.
Big brain play from Mark #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/FYky3yBtQn
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 13, 2024
Reward challenges are back for this episode, and for this time, the tribes have to go head-to-head in a spelling bee contest, but Survivor style, of course. For each round, two tribe members race into the water to collect coconuts with letters on them, bring them back to the beach, and use them to spell specific words. The first pair to get the word right wins a point for their team, and the first team to get two wins a reward for their tribe, which consists of a Mexican feast. As a Mexican, I can say that Mexican feast would be the Survivor version of tacos and margaritas, but they looked good enough for the people starving for almost twenty days on a Samoan beach.
Tensions between the Titans (and former Rebels) began from the get-go, as Kelli volunteered herself to participate in the challenge as “she could spell,” with Garrick despondently replying, “We can all spell.” Kelli and Garrick represent the Titans for the first round and win it for their team, though not without struggles. I must add I found it infuriatingly funny how Kelli struggled with the word salsa. Ultimately, the Titans take home the win, and Valeria gets to eat her first tortillas.
After the reward, Valeria, Winna, and Charles talk about working with Kirby or Feras, as each side has pros and cons. Charles later discusses the original Titans trio’s options with both sides separately. Kirby and Scott tell Charles about targeting Feras, while the latter also tells Charles he has his sights on voting out Kirby. Charles, barely able to contain his glee about the original Rebels targeting each other, agrees to consider their offers.
Watch out Feras! #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/r0BGE1hsEz
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 13, 2024
At the immunity challenge, JLP tells the castaways what the challenge entails: each person has to hold a heavy barrel, and if they want to tap out, they can hand their barrel to someone else. If a single person drops their barrel, the whole tribe loses the challenge, immediately granting immunity to the other team. After a fierce battle, the Rebels come up victorious for the first time since the tribe switch, giving its members a much-needed reprieve from tribal council.
Back at the Titans beach, the seven original Rebels pitch to each other, attempting to work together for this first vote to keep their numbers up against the original Titans. As Aileen is begging for a truce, Feras and Kirby begin sizing each other up, rendering Aileen’s ceasefire plan void.
Garrick is adamant about voting Kirby out before she eliminates them, but Aileen tells him they don’t have enough numbers. As Garrick and Feras guarantee the OG Titans trio is with them, Aileen is still hesitant about making a move but ultimately agrees. However, Raymond has a conversation with Kelli regarding her “idol” and lets slip that Kirby is the fallback plan when he asks Kelli if she will use it on Kirby. Hurricane Kelli springs into action and retells this conversation to Kirby, who was seemingly on board with the truce but is now seeking retribution.
With immunity on the line, which tribe can grit it out longer? #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/sthLUwQaBZ
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 13, 2024
Kirby and Scott decide to target Feras’ number one ally, Garrick, in case Feras uses his idol on himself. Kirby tells the OG Titans to vote for Garrick while Feras maintains his target on Kirby. Kirby also pulls in Kelli and tells her to play along in case Kirby tells her to “play the idol” to rattle Feras further.
At tribal council, JLP asks the Titans if the OG Titans are in trouble due to their lack of numbers or if there are cracks they have managed to infiltrate. Charles confesses the trio will side with the OG Rebels’ alliance, which will suit their games better. Kirby and Feras immediately start to banter and try to rattle the other, with Kirby outright calling Feras paranoid.
Kirby also calls Feras and Aileen out for wanting to keep the OG Rebels strong while still plotting to throw her under the bus, with Garrick telling her she did the same thing. Garrick senses he’s in danger but still verbally spars with Kirby regarding her actions at tribal council, where Peta was voted out. With the reassurance from Valeria, Feras insists the votes go against Kirby, and JLP announces it’s time to vote.
“If I had a rifle, you had a bazooka” #SurvivorAU pic.twitter.com/h0a8YD4WNW
— SurvivorAU (@Survivor_AU) February 13, 2024
Just before JLP reads the votes, Aileen tells Feras to use his idol on Garrick after seeing Kirby and Kelli whispering. Feras, still thinking they were safe, decides not to play his idol. Feras’ decision proves fatal as the OG Titans side with Kirby and Scott, and with a 6-3-1 vote, Garrick is blindsided, leaving an upset Feras and a triumphant Kirby behind.
Just as Garrick calls everyone “dirty dogs” for voting him out, Aileen tries to save face with Kirby as she tells her she voted for Kelli instead of her.
The preview for next week hints that the ongoing feuds will most certainly play a role in the upcoming tribal councils, and as the players are trying to get to the next phase of the game, these next few episodes will be crucial to see who will indeed reach the merge. Or who will crash and burn before JLP sends them on their merry way home.
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Am I the only one who was surprised to find out there was a contestant named Charles in this episode? I don’t think I’ve seen him in any previous episodes.