Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 46 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
Tiffany vs. Q
Christine: In the fallout from Q leaking Tiff’s idol last week, the pair treated us to not one but two great conflicts in this episode. We got the immediate post-tribal nighttime debrief at the top of the episode, but the real fireworks happened at tribal when the two aired out their dirty laundry in front of a very entertained, popcorn-munching Jeff. To top it all off, both survived this vote, meaning we will get more of this dynamic for at least one more episode. Survivor 46 has been a season full of Certified Haters from the get-go, and these people just can’t stop hating!
Post-Challenge Scramble
Gia: Never ask a woman her age, a man his salary, and the Survivor 46 cast who they’re voting for. Hunter losing immunity opened up a world of possibilities for the contestants, and they did not disappoint. While Q was the clear, easy vote, blindsiding Tiffany with her idol was too tempting an opportunity to pass up. When she confided in Charlie that she planned to flush her idol this round, the plan quickly shifted to Hunter. Hunter then revealed his idol and suggested that they blindside Ben. I wish I could say that the drama ended there, but tribal council deserves its own mention in the round up.
Tribal Council Gone Wild
Gia: Where do we begin with this one? Even Jeff was prepared for the mess, bringing his own cushion and popcorn for the occasion. Tiffany did not hold back in her frustration with Q, but Q did not shy away from the opportunity to defend himself. Just when things finally settled down, the vote was initially a 4-4-1 tie between Q and Hunter (with Ben catching a stray vote from Q). Neither Tiffany nor Hunter played their idols, and Hunter left with his in his pocket.
Top 3 Contestants
Kenzie
Gia: We’ve seen glimpses of Kenzie’s strengths as a player, but here it was displayed in full force. Her social game has drawn in Hunter and Ben as confidants, as well as the capital to suggest a Tiffany blindside with no repercussions on her end. Even when the plan fell through, her game remained unscathed and she was able to bounce to the Hunter plan fairly quickly. I was skeptical in the first few episodes, but a Kenzie win seems more and more likely every day.
Charlie
Christine: Charlie and Maria continue to be a power duo in this merge, and Charlie, in particular, has been getting more and more of the spotlight with every episode. His impressive immunity win over Hunter paved the way for this vote to unfold after he stood his ground and refused to throw the challenge. Charlie and Maria are always in the mix of the strategic scramble, often talking to people together, and yet neither of them are getting targeted. Charlie is one of the least threatening people out there, and he’s socially well-positioned to more or less guarantee himself a final five at minimum.
Tiffany
Christine: What an episode for Tiff! I predicted last week that Tiff would (and should) burn her idol this week, but she proved me wrong. She publicly bluffed an idol play at camp and killed any chance of the votes falling on her, kept her idol, and landed on the right side of the vote. And to top it all off, she gave us some fantastic TV, thanks to her clashes with Q this episode. She’s still got a massive target on her back, and having her closest ally, Kenzie, target her this week spells bad news for her chances of surviving much longer. But by keeping her idol, she’s put herself in a position where she can at least buy a little extra time next round if she needs it.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Hidden immunity idols were a main character in this episode in more ways than one. Tiffany made it clear to everyone that she planned on flushing her idol this vote, successfully deterring everyone from blindsiding her. Hunter, on the other hand, revealed his idol in the final hour, which was just enough time for his competitors to make him comfortable enough not to play it. Needless to say, Tiffany survived another round, while Hunter was blindsided in a 6-1 revote.
Fallen Comrades
Hunter
Christine: Hunter had a promising start this season with his social connections and challenge strength, but everything really fell apart for him in these last two episodes. Losing Tevin clearly tipped him off to the fact that he wasn’t in a good position anymore, and when he lost immunity this round, it seemed obvious that he would play his idol. But then he made the massive mistake of leaking his idol right before tribal and the even bigger mistake of not playing it after doing so.
Now, even if he had been able to successfully idol here, I don’t think it would have made much of a difference in terms of his long-term survival, and he likely would have needed to rely on immunity wins or other idol finds to make it to the end. Hunter just had too big of a target on his back and couldn’t shake it. But this round could have gone very differently for him if he had kept his idol to himself and trusted his gut a little more rather than let himself be reassured by his tribemates right before the vote.
Gia: Hunter was a clear standout from the pre-season, and for good reason. He was a challenge beast and a core member of the Nami majority before everything fell apart. Undisputedly this season’s Survivor MacGyver, he was a clear fan favorite to many and will definitely be a highly requested returnee candidate. The end of his game may have been far from perfect, but that’s what makes this episode all the more memorable.
Written by