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.
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Top 3 Moments
Emily Goes on a Journey
Gia: Before the plan to blindside Julie was in full effect, Emily had the luck of the draw with the latest advantage journey. As a result of her good fortune, she had the opportunity to win immunity for herself. The catch? She had to risk her vote to do so, and she had to successfully complete the Savvy puzzle from this season’s premiere. She chose not to move forward with it to protect her vote. That being said, given the results of the episode, perhaps this was a risk she should’ve taken.
Dee and Austin (Deestin? Ausdee?)
Christine: We’ve certainly got hints of it before now, but this episode fully confirmed the Austin-Dee showmance, Rob and Amber flashback and all. Whether their showmance will turn out as successful as Romber’s in All-Stars remains to be seen, but the Austin-Dee connection undoubtedly had a major impact on the gameplay of this episode. Austin’s critical decision to tell Dee about the Julie vote (and, in turn, Dee’s decision to pass it on to Julie) sealed Emily’s fate.
Julie Revenge Tour
Christine: Speaking of Julie, she was none too pleased to find out that she was once again a target and decided to “go rogue.” Immediately after Dee told her to play the idol, Julie attempted to pull in Jake and Katurah to turn the vote on Austin. This caused the majority to panic momentarily, and Dee pulled her aside to ensure she was still on board. Julie then pitched voting out Austin directly to Dee’s face as Dee begged her to stick to the plan of voting out Emily. Ultimately, Julie used her sole vote to eliminate our favorite financial analyst, but she delivered some classic Survivor scramble chaos in the meantime.
Top 3 Players
Julie
Gia: Julie has always been a star, but in this episode, she was undisputedly THE star. There have been times when it seemed like she was struggling to find her footing in the game, especially within the Reba alliance. However, no one can deny that this Emily vote is her move, potentially even the move of the season. There may be some debate on whether or not she should’ve taken a shot at Austin instead, but I believe she made the right call here. By keeping Austin, she maintains her relationship with Dee while ousting a player who would not align with her. Now, let’s see how she maneuvers the game idol-free.
Dee
Gia: Dee is running the game with an iron fist, and this past episode only solidified it. She was initially out of the plan to vote out Julie, but her connection with Austin (strategic or otherwise) reeled her back in and gave her the opportunity to take back control. Combine this with Julie voting out Emily instead of Austin and Austin having his idol expire next week; things couldn’t be looking better for her at this point.
Austin
Christine: Whether or not you agree with Austin’s decision to tell Dee about the Julie vote, it had a massive impact on the game’s direction. Austin made a major mistake a couple episodes back when he gave Julie his idol that expired later than the one in his possession. He put himself in this difficult situation this week by giving up that idol, but he somehow made it out alive with his own idol still in his pocket.
He’s one of those players who should be one of the biggest targets of the game, but he’s managed to insulate himself in a strong alliance and have two tight duos with Drew and Dee, respectively. He has guaranteed safety next week unless he decides not to play his idol, but I don’t think he’ll be able to make it much further before people start looking at him as a significant threat.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Gia: We finally got answers to the Tale of Two Idols. Two idols, alike in dignity, one expires at final five and the other at final six. As it turns out, Austin gave Julie the idol that expires at final five while he kept the less powerful one (formerly the Advantage Amulet). Julie never gave it back, and when the tides began to turn against her, she planned to play it and be the sole vote against either Austin or Emily. She ended up choosing Emily, and Austin decided not to play his idol, meaning he is almost guaranteed safety in the next round. Whether an idol will be replanted is yet to be seen.
Fallen Comrades
Emily
Christine: Emily stole the show from her opening confessional. Her personality cooled a bit after the premiere, and while I wouldn’t have minded a few more episodes of Chaotic Evil Emily, her quick social and strategic turnaround is what allowed her to make it this far and become a genuine threat to win it all. I want to issue a big “thank you” to Emily’s fellow Lulu Legend, Hannah Rose, for taking one for the team and making sure this would-be first boot could stay in the game a while longer.
Gia: Financial Analyst Emily Flippen, the legend that you are. No matter the season’s outcome, it can not be denied that she was an undisputed star of Survivor 45. Her arc throughout the season was impressive, from almost being first boot to being idoled out in 7th place by only one vote. The fan favorite will be remembered for her analytical mind and her personal growth. Survivor 45 wouldn’t be the amazing season it’s been without Emily, and I thank this force of nature for her time in the game.
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