Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 44 as they list their top moments in various important categories. This includes the most essential information, the stand-out castaways, and the key moments from the week.
This week Christine was without power, so Gia is going it alone to recap the previous episode.
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Top 3 Moments
Tika is Over Each Other
No one was more ready for the tribes to be dissolved than Tika. After a messy tribal council and an even messier fallout, the trio has been anxiously awaiting to reunite with old allies and create new bonds. No sooner are they on the beach do they immediately start throwing each other under the bus, which ultimately leads to Josh being voted out and Yam Yam as the backup vote. We’re hoping Tika’s remaining players can stick it out long-term, but they have a lot of obstacles standing in their way.
Josh Has an Idol… Right?
Josh knew that his position would be compromised going into mergatory… even if he didn’t know just how vulnerable he truly was. No sooner is he the target does Josh let everyone who will listen know that he has an idol, and he plans to use it at the next tribal council. Naturally, this makes everyone else worried that their plans could fall through. That is, everyone except for Carolyn, who is certain that Josh’s idol is fake. Her assurance isn’t taken seriously, but the plan to target Josh works anyway because, once again, Carolyn was right.
Mergatory
Mergatory is back with very few changes from the previous season. This time around, the purple team of Brandon, Carolyn, Carson, Frannie, Jaime Lynn, and Matt were safe after Carson breezed through the puzzle. That left the orange team of Danny, Heidi, Josh, Kane, Lauren, and Yam Yam vulnerable at the vote. This led to a fairly predictable Josh boot, and while mergatory has certainly had its moments, I’m hoping the repetitiveness of it will push production to do something new in the future.
Top 3 Contestants
Frannie
Outside of her blossoming relationship with Matt, Frannie has been an understated player so far. However, I think her potential has started showing in this episode. She got her target Josh out without making herself a target in the process, and outsiders haven’t quite picked up yet on just how close Matt and Frannie are. Out of the pair, I think she is the more strategy-oriented player, and I hope to see her continue this momentum now that she has officially made the merge.
Yam Yam
In the rivalry between Yam Yam and Josh, Josh may have won the battle, but Yam Yam won the war in this episode. He remains as strategic and delightful as ever, and I’m hoping the merge will offer some new opportunities for him. However, he just barely escaped elimination this round, so I think it’s safe to still be cautious about where he stands.
Carson
Carson is such a complicated player to pin down, but he is nonetheless making an impact this season. He speaks about himself and his game highly (as players should), but all of his plans feel like he’s taking one step forward and two steps back. Yes, he has reunited with his two other Stooges, but he put himself unnecessarily in the firing line by telling Kane about him being the backup vote… which everyone knows about. At this point, Carson could be voted out next, or he could be the winner, and I wouldn’t be surprised either way. But I will continue to enjoy the journey no matter what.
Advantage Watch
Idols
When discussing idols in Survivor 44, we need to divide them into three even more distinct categories. First, there are the fake idols that the holders don’t know are fake. These currently belong to Jaime and Matt. Then we have fake or expired idols that players know are invalid, which currently reside with Brandon, Carson, and Jaime again. Finally, there are the two real idols that were found by Danny and Carolyn. Are you confused? Does your head hurt? Good, me too.
Extra Votes
Currently, the only other remaining (valid) advantage in the game which Lauren has after she banked her vote in the premiere. It hasn’t been mentioned for a while (and as a matter of fact, neither has Lauren), which I’m hoping means that we will start to see more of her soon.
Fallen Comrades
Josh
From the beginning of the season, I had been begging for more Josh content, and once we finally got it, I just couldn’t get enough. Josh is my favorite kind of Survivor player; he’s smart, funny, and confident, but he doesn’t always get his strategy off the ground. But no matter how many difficulties came his way (both in life and in the game), he never gave up. This speaks to the kind of player and person he is, and I admire him all the more for it.
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I agree. With u. But he should of played his shot in the dark.