Whoever said a pre-merge is boring has never seen Australian Survivor. While some players’ fates might appear to be determined, one conversation, twist, or someone’s ego might be enough to shake things up, which is what happened last time to Aisha. However, this episode also demonstrated that everyone, no matter how savvy they are, is up for grabs, especially when it comes to someone else saving their own skin.
So, let’s recap! The Barren tribe returns from their last tribal, where people’s reactions couldn’t be more different. On the one hand, there’s Brooke and Simon, who are ecstatic to have pulled off the move against Aisha, whereas Blanche and Lottie are dumbfounded to have been blindsided, particularly Blanche, as she also lost her idol in one fell swoop. However, Lottie is feeling particularly vengeful towards Simon for leaving her in the dark, and while she doesn’t want to blow up her game in public, she declares that Simon is dead to her.
The next day, Lottie and Cameron question Loz about the blindside. Loz clarifies that she and Jackson felt at the bottom of the Bounty 1.0 tribe, which is why they went ahead with voting out Aisha. Loz then denies that Simon has completely flipped against them, but Cameron calls Simon fake and declares he won’t trust him again.
Simon also tries to do damage control with Lottie and acknowledges that this relationship might never be recovered. Lottie reveals she knows Simon’s M.O. from his previous seasons, which she plans to use to her advantage. She also tells him that she doesn’t want to work with Jackson, and the only way she will trust Simon again is if Jackson is the next one voted out.
Over at the Bounty camp, at the crack of dawn, Faith and Keeley secretly meet behind Mark’s back to plot against him. The self-appointed Sister Wives decide to send Mark to the jury via a blindside once the merge happens, while also keeping Simon close to them. Later, Richard, Mark, and Caleb discuss the proximity between Faith and Keeley, and while Caleb dismisses that two players can’t do much damage in a tribe of six, Mark is wary of this bond.
Mark and Faith talk regarding his recent paranoia, and while Faith tells him there’s nothing for him to worry about, Mark recognises Keeley will be a problem for him down the line. Meanwhile, Keeley says she’s working with everyone in her tribe and wants to work with Richard at the merge, naming their alliance the “Board of Directors.”
At the immunity challenge, Richard is surprised to see Aisha gone and calls it a “massive move.” The challenge sees the two tribes facing an obstacle course and solving a puzzle. Despite the Bounty tribe having an early lead, they blow it, allowing the Barren tribe to snatch another immunity win.
Before the tribes separate, Simon asks Mark whether Richard is safe, to which Mark responds that he is. In a confessional, Richard plans to use his connection with Simon to scare the others from voting him out. I couldn’t help but laugh at seeing how serious Richard said he would use Simon against the others, almost as if warning that he would unleash a hound on them or something.
Regardless, back at the Bounty camp, the plotting begins. The move becomes a power struggle between Mark and Keeley, as Mark wants to vote out Richard, while Keeley is set on Caleb. Mark wants to be Simon’s number one suit boy at the merge, so he decides to tell Richard the target is Sally and tells the others to split the vote between Richard and Sally in case of an idol. For her part, Keeley joins forces with the other Wise Women, aka Faith and Sally, to go after Mark’s blind spot, Caleb.
Caleb feigns agreement but is secretly fed up with being told what to do by Mark, Faith, and Keeley. Even Keeley jokingly asks him if he’s Mark’s secretary when Caleb tells her Mark wants to speak to her. Caleb, who is more aware than he’s being given credit for, tells Sally this is their shot to get rid of their tribe’s hierarchy once and for all.
Most of all, Keeley and Faith want to teach a lesson to Mark, as they know Mark aligning with them is what he did on his original season. However, to Mark’s detriment, they consider themselves smarter than his former allies, which is why they aren’t worried about his reaction if they manage to get rid of Caleb.
At Tribal Council, the tribe’s hierarchy is discussed. Richard claims he’s pounding at the door, waiting to be let in. Keeley says she has an open-door policy, and David then surprises the players by announcing a new door is going to open for them all via a twist.
Instead of voting someone out, the tribe will have to send three members to Redemption Beach, where they will have to fight their way back into the game. The three people who receive the most votes will have to go to RB; if there’s a tie, those players will have to draw rocks to determine which three will be at risk of elimination. If there aren’t enough names on the votes, everyone will draw rocks to determine their fates.
Immediately, the scrambling recommences as Mark wants the Head Office alliance to be safe. Faith and Keeley, however, pull in Sally to send all the men to Redemption Beach. Sally tells Caleb the plan, to which Caleb agrees, as it would place Mark at risk. Mark pulls Caleb away and asks if he’s the target, which Caleb confirms by telling him the women are after him.
Mark confronts Keeley by calling her a mole. Keeley feigns innocence and claims this plan is Caleb’s doing. Self-named Chaos Caleb tells Richard it would be beneficial to them to have Sally on Redemption Beach, as he thinks she will not be a threat in the challenge to get back.
At last, the tribe votes, and a surprising turn of events ensues: Sally ends up with three votes, Caleb gets two, while the last remaining vote goes to… Keeley! She immediately suspects Mark, who denies it, and it turns out Richard was the one who voted for Keeley to protect himself. As the remaining trio embraces having just escaped the latest twist, Richard jokingly calls himself the new Keeley, which Faith, though playfully, shoots down.
What a convoluted mess of a tribal, but in the end, nothing is what it seems, especially on Survivor. The preview shows Keeley, Sally, and Caleb fighting for their shot at redemption, but who knows who will ultimately prevail. Any alliance, allegiance, or bond will certainly be tested with the merge at the next corner. Only time will tell who is truly calling the shots at this game and who is only going along for the ride.
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