After a week of electric tribal councils and big blindsides, I felt we were due a slower, more predictable episode. However, this season of Australian Survivor doesn’t understand the meaning of predictable. Yet again, another player gets a taste of power and lets it go straight to their head, only to end up with their head on the chopping block.
The episode begins with the tribe decompressing after the near-rock-draw and Simon elimination. Brooke admits that flipping on her fellow returnee was heartbreaking, but it made the most sense for her game. But did it make sense for her allies, Keeley and Jackson? Not so much, as the Kaput Alliance is now back in the minority. Keeley isn’t ditching her allies, though; she’d rather take a dump in her hands and clap than vote with Cameron and co.
Cameron, meanwhile, is soaking up the success of the Simon vote-off. He doesn’t quite go full Ben, but the power has definitely put an extra pep in his step. He’s ready to move forward with his so-called “Underdogs” alliance (he keeps calling them underdogs, even though they’ve had the numbers for most of the post-merge) and take out the others. And, still believing Brooke has an idol, he plans to take out Keeley, recognising her as the most dangerous player in the game: Killer Keeley.
Yet, Cameron throws a wrench in his own plans when he picks Keeley (alongside Sally) to join him on an overnight Ikea-sponsored reward. His choices annoy his other allies, Caleb and Loz, especially as he picked the two people he’d previously thrown out as possible vote-offs. Loz and Caleb don’t understand the thinking; did Cameron make a mistake, or is he plotting some shenanigans? Whatever it is, the frustration leads them to consider voting out Cameron with Brooke and Jackson at the next tribal.
Taking Keeley on reward proves to be a mistake in more ways than one. Not only does it piss off his allies, but it also fuels Keeley for the immunity challenge. Powered by caffeine and danishes, Keeley holds on for over an hour in a leg balancing challenge to win her first immunity necklace of the season. And this is technically a double challenge, as she also has to put up with Cameron’s incessant talking throughout.
It’s Cameron’s mouth that keeps getting him into trouble. He’s a good-natured, likable guy, but his inability to keep quiet for more than two seconds is driving his tribemates nutty. Plus, he talks so much that sometimes he starts spouting nonsense plans, like pitching to Caleb that they need to be wary of Sally, someone who is meant to be in his alliance. Between this and his reward choices, the tribe is seriously considering dumping all the votes on Cameron, if for nothing but a bit of peace and quiet.
But can they really pass up this opportunity to take out Brooke? She’s a challenge beast who put up another valiant effort in the latest immunity challenge. They might not get this chance again. That’s certainly where Jackson’s mind is at, as he doesn’t buy that the majority alliance would truly flip on Cameron when Brooke is a sitting duck. Jackson believes Brooke is the true target, perhaps with himself as the split vote in case Brooke has an idol.
The idol situation is a big talking point heading into the vote. Cameron caught Brooke snagging a package at the previous reward, and so he’s fully under the impression that Brooke has an idol. Unbeknownst to him, Brooke only has half an idol and needs the other half to make it effective. Brooke continues to play like she has a full idol, and so Cameron plans to get her to flush it, all the while actually voting out Jackson.
As for the other half of the idol, it’s Sally who ends up finding it. She quickly lets Loz and Caleb know, and the three of them agree not to tell Cameron. Hilarity then ensues as Caleb and Loz try to test whether the Kaput Alliance has the other part of the idol by crowbarring the word “half” into conversation. Jackson remains oblivious to the “half” talk, but when Caleb tries it on Brooke, he gets a catch.
Brooke admits she might have shot herself in the foot by letting Caleb know she needs another half an idol. If Caleb knows she’s unarmed, then there is nothing stopping the other alliance from piling their votes on Brooke and sending her to the jury. She comes up with a quick lie, telling Caleb she has a real idol, too. It’s unclear whether Caleb buys it or not, and so Brooke throws out an alternative plan to Cameron, and that’s blindsiding Caleb.
The Caleb pitch doesn’t gain any traction, and heading into tribal, Brooke, Jackson, and Cameron are the ones with their names on the board. It seems illogical not to take out Brooke here, and yet, that’s what happens. Even Brooke expects to be voted out, so she unveils her half-idol, asks David if she can keep it as a souvenir, and calls out Caleb as having the other half (it’s actually Sally). But that’s not what happens. In fact, Brooke doesn’t receive a single vote. Instead, Cameron puts his vote on Jackson, and the rest of the tribe sends chatterbox Cameron packing.
On paper, the numbers are evened up again, with three Kaputs against three Underdogs. But I don’t expect it to be that simple because this season continues to surprise in the best possible way.
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