Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 42 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.
Here, Christine and Gia break down all the action from the ninth episode.
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Top 3 Moments
Romeo Casts a Petty Vote
Christine: Last week, we saw Romeo throw a hinky vote on Hai out of frustration. In recent years, we’ve seen players go the “no hard feelings” route in response, but Hai took a page out of Rupert’s playbook and sought out the culprit. Romeo then took a page out of T-Bird’s playbook and tried to deny it, but Hai didn’t buy it. The whole vote debacle seemed to squash any chance of the two working together moving forward, but Hai ended up voting to save Romeo despite their lack of trust in each other.
A Guys’ Alliance is Made, then Broken
Christine: As the start of an (ultimately disastrous) attempt to make some big moves, Jonathan and Rocksroy spearheaded a guys alliance with Mike in hopes that Hai and Omar would join them. The latter two rightfully saw that they would be at the bottom of this group and turned the vote onto Rocksroy at the first split tribal. It’s unclear how Hai managed to get Mike on board with the move, but hopefully, we’ll get insight into how that unfolded in the next episode.
Drea and Maryanne take a stand
Gia: Rocksroy’s blindside shocked all of the blue team, but we were able to see Drea processing what this vote-out meant to her in real time. With this vote came the unfortunate pattern that two Black contestants were voted out in a row. This trend didn’t sit well with Drea and Maryanne, but they were able to explain their points incredibly well despite the unnecessary pushback they got from Jonathan. In the end, they played their idols together in solidarity, and Tori was voted out as a result.
Stand-Out Castaways
Omar
Christine: Omar continues to be one of this season’s most strategic players, and it seems like no one has caught on to how well he’s playing yet. Even as he left the game, Rocksroy seemed to give all the credit to Hai and Romeo despite Omar playing a critical role in his vote-out. Moving forward, Omar is well-insulated in the Taku alliance. If he can stay relatively under the radar, he has a great chance of making a run to the end.
Rocksroy
Christine: Rocksroy played the game like it was 2003, and I loved him for it. His old-school gameplay was flawed from the start. With a weak social game and blunt approach to the strategic side of the game, it ended up sending him out after his push for a guys’ alliance backfired. Still, he was a fun casting anomaly as a type of player we don’t see much these days in a sea of enthusiastically strategic superfans.
Drea
Gia: We have come to know Drea as a bold yet calculated player. She has held her own throughout the game and has always managed to keep her emotions in check. However, this episode, the game shifted for Drea. Jonathan’s convoluted plan already set off alarms in her head, but seeing Rocksroy on the jury solidified her concerns. I’m in awe of how Drea bravely spoke about her concerns and why having Chanelle and Rocksroy on the jury were game-changers to her. She’s turning her game around in this episode, and I hope it’s for the better.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Gia: In a powerful moment of solidarity, Drea and Maryanne played their idols to ensure neither of them would be voted out. It was an impossible situation for both of them, but I can’t fault them for wanting to push back against an unsettling trend. Only Mike has an idol now, but Drea’s Knowledge is Power advantage could change that very quickly.
Advantage Amulet
Christine: One of the amulets came close to going out of play with the attempted Drea blindside, and another one was in danger of going out with Lindsay during the live tribal. All three remain after these two close calls, but with two idols now out of the game, the amulets will likely start getting more focus, especially if one of the three amulet holders decides to throw the others under the bus.
Extra Votes
Gia: Drea and Maryanne may have both used their idols, but they both have an extra vote to use if they feel they may need it. With the numbers dwindling and Do or Die in sight (not that they’re aware of it), they better use it while they can.
Knowledge is Power
Gia: Drea did not use her Knowledge is Power advantage this week. In fact, it wasn’t mentioned at all. However, now she is without an idol, and Mike is the only person to still have one. Or perhaps she will use this opportunity to steal a part of the Advantage Amulet from Hai or Lindsay…
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