Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 45 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 latest episode.
Become a Patron
Get exclusive content and features by supporting Inside Survivor on Patreon.
Top 3 Moments
Bruce’s idol lie
Gia: Somehow, some way, Bruce and Kellie came up with the same lie at different points in the game. However, Bruce was the one around to actually put it to the test. He told Katurah and Jake that Kellie was blindsided with his idol, which he gave her out of fear of Knowledge is Power. This was a lie, but only Katurah knew it was a lie, sending the entire tribe into a frenzy. Half the tribe believed one thing, and the other side believed another. Eventually, the truth came to light, and Bruce was blindsided as a result.
Girls Trip vs. Boys Night
Christine: At the Sanctuary – where good things happen! – Emily, Katurah, Dee, and Julie enjoyed a feast and some letters from home, leading to a particularly emotional moment with Katurah as she received a letter from her estranged mother. Meanwhile, the vibes were entirely different back at camp as we were treated to one of the most bizarre Survivor editing choices ever. The “dudes rock” montage set to Kenny Loggins’ “Playing With the Boys” was as hilarious as it was unexpected and is yet another example of how much fun the editors are having with these 90-minute episodes.
Drew vs. Jake
Christine: As the plan to split between Bruce and Jake emerged, Emily decided to fill Jake in on it to stay in his good graces. Jake, continually and understandably frustrated by his position in the game, immediately confronted Drew. The two got into a heated back-and-forth, with Drew saying Jake was acting like mobster. It’s good to get some (pretty harmless) Survivor name-calling without things getting overly personal, but it’s probably safe to say that we won’t see Drew and Jake working together anytime soon.
Top 3 Players
Emily
Gia: Love the move or hate the move; the matter of fact is that Emily had THE move of the episode. Not only did she win reward and give us some of the best confessional shots ever, but she was responsible for blindsiding Bruce with an idol in his pocket. There’s a debate on whether Emily made the right call or if she should have gone for a Reba member, but the move was impressive nonetheless.
Drew
Gia: Drew is running a tight ship over at Reba, but pulling in Emily as his ally may have been his best move of the game. It did lead to Jake trying to target him, but it never gained any traction to put him in any real danger. I’m still uncertain as to whether Reba will be in danger in this next episode, but we’ve been given very little to presume that he is going to find himself on the chopping block.
Katurah
Christine: Don’t be mistaken: Katurah’s game position still isn’t great as she sits on the outs of the majority Reba alliance heading into the Final 7. But this was a big episode for her as her Bruce rivalry finally came to a head, resulting in his elimination with an idol in his pocket. We also finally got to know Katurah more beyond her rivalry with Bruce with her emotional scene in the Sanctuary and subsequent (and very likely related) panic attack at the challenge. She has a tough road ahead to get to the end, but she’s still a major player in the narrative of this season.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Christine: Bruce’s idol loomed large in this episode, from his big lie to his ultimate decision to not play it. With Austin winning immunity this round, he goes into the Final 7 with one idol in his control. Julie is still holding onto his second one, though, which could make things interesting if Reba finally implodes in the next episode.
Fallen Comrades
Bruce
Christine: Oh, Bruce. From an episode one medevac to a shocking post-merge blindside with an idol in his pocket, it’s safe to say that Bruce has truly had a full Survivor experience. He had a rough time socially but made it deep with a strong pre-merge alliance and impressive post-merge challenge wins. It’s still shocking to me that he didn’t play his idol here, but I know making these kinds of calls is much, much harder when you’re deep in the game and feel like you can’t trust anyone, even if they’re begging you to play your dang idol. With this surprising blindside, it’s clear that Bruce was a great choice to have as a returnee, even if he couldn’t pull out a win.
Gia: Oh, Bruce, what a journey you had over these past few seasons. From first out via medevac to 8th place with two individual immunity wins, I think it’s safe to say that the season is stronger for him being in it. I enjoyed watching him throughout 45, and it’s always great to see a player who makes the most of every second he has in the game. I’ll miss his presence, but he leaves behind an incredibly strong cast across the board. And who knows, maybe the third time will be the charm?
Written by