Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 50 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.
Top 3 Moments
Who Took Out Ozzy?
Gia: There’s no doubt about it, blindsiding Ozzy with an idol in his pocket will be remembered as one of the biggest moments of the season. There is doubt, however, with whom credit is due for the move. Jonathan seems convinced that he is the one responsible for Ozzy’s ousting, but we saw Aubry be the one to put in the work to convince the others to vote with her. The edit seems to be Team Aubry as well, with her confessionals actively pushing against the idea that Jonathan should be given credit. That being said, it does not matter what Aubry thinks or what the viewers think, but rather what the jury thinks. I am certain that this will inevitably be a deciding factor in determining the eventual winner, provided that both Aubry and Jonathan make it there.
Rick Goes Idol Hunting
Gia: One thing about Rick Devens, he’s going to go idol hunting. This episode proved to be no exception. Knowing full well that his game was barely hanging on by a thread, Devens woke up before the sun to begin his idol hunt. This sparked concerns for the majority alliance, and Jonathan was put in charge of babysitting Devens during his quest. Sadly for us Devens fans, he was unsuccessful in his search and would be voted out unanimously at the following tribal council.
Tiffany wins a clutch immunity
Christine: Just before the final six immunity challenge, a new narrative emerged at camp: Tiffany was the biggest social threat left, and needed to go. I say “new” because this is certainly the first time Tiffany has been presented as a major threat to win, but I’m sure this had been mentioned on the island before this moment. With Tiffany as the clear boot, Joe, Jonathan, and Aubry worked together to try to beat her at the immunity challenge, to Jeff’s clear annoyance. Despite their efforts to beat her, Tiffany singlehandedly pulled out the win and secured her spot in the final five, foiling their plans.
Advantage Watch
Idols
Christine: Rizo’s season 50 game is turning out to be a repeat of his season 49 game, at least as far as the idol is concerned. Tiffany raised the alarm this episode about the danger of letting Rizo get to the final 5 with his idol, but no one else even seemed remotely concerned by this possibility. Rizo was less flashy with his idol this season, because from what we can tell based on the edit, it wasn’t nearly as big a topic of conversation this season as it was on 49. His castmates on 50 don’t appear to consider him a major threat to win, so they don’t mind letting him slide to the endgame with the idol for the second season in a row. With the idol being non-transferable, it removes any suspense for us as to what will happen at five. Rizo will be safe regardless, taking up one of the seats at the final four.Shot in the Dark
Shot in the Dark
Gia: Shot in the Dark officially expired at the final 7 vote, and Rick made the most of it by playing it as a last ditch effort to save himself. Sadly, it appears that his luck finally ran out, and this final shot failed to save him.
Top 3 Contestants
Aubry
Christine: Aubry had a quiet and less-than-stellar start to the game this season, but you can’t deny she’s done all the right things these past few episodes, even if it led to some of our favorites going out. She’s doing exactly what she needs to secure a spot at the end by taking out the bigger threats in the endgame. Her rough start to the game might just be what wins her the 2 million dollars in the end, because no one seems all that threatened by her as a player as we approach the end of the game. Her favorability in the eyes of the jury remains to be seen, but she at least doesn’t seem to have any major enemies on the jury thus far. Her biggest problem would be Tiffany winning immunity at final five, since Rizo would be able to play his idol and Jonathan and Joe would likely want to stick together. Barring that scenario, Aubry’s got a great shot at taking it all.
Rizo
Gia: Is Rizo going to beat his previous placement, or is he doomed to the same fate as last season? More importantly, does he even have a chance to win if he does make it to Final Tribal Council? I find it curious that while he has still managed to keep an idol for so long, only Tiffany seems concerned about it. With Aubry mentioning that jury members may be hesitant to give $2 million dollars to “a kid”, his chances of winning aren’t as high as they may first appear. I think Aubry may be onto something, and that Rizo may be fighting a losing battle from this point onward. That being said, you can’t help but admit that his current record is impressive.
Tiffany
Gia: Tiffany Nicole Ervin, you have been and will always be that girl. Her bluntness with her competitors and her courage to go against the grain in the vote makes her both an entertaining watch and a force to be reckoned with. That is to say nothing about her immunity wins, which now stands at 3, tying with Joe for the most for the season. I worry that her chances of making it to the finale are slim, but we’ve seen the seemingly impossible happen before. Either way, it has been a joy to have her on this season, I just wish production valued her time as much as her fans do.
Fallen Comrades
Rick
Christine: Rick certainly brought the joy and the entertainment this season, plus some fun conflict at times. What more could you ask for? Sure, his schemes with Emily didn’t work out in the end, but he kept this season fun for the time he was with us. It was a shame to see him go out in such a perfunctory vote as the first elimination in a double boot episode, but there just wasn’t much room for him to maneuver with no idol and his ally Emily out of the game. I wasn’t a huge Rick fan before this season, but he more than won me over on 50, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him again if the cards aligned.
Gia: Despite not beating his original placement from Edge of Extinction, I have to say that this showing of Rick Devens was his best yet. He took risks, stood out amongst the crowd, and rolled with the punches when some of his plans were less than successful. Most importantly, he fought for his spot in the game every step of the way. He is exactly the type of player I want to see return, and I hope more future All-Stars take notes from his game. It was a delight to see Rick once more, and while I knew he was on borrowed time heading into the finale, his absence from the final five is sorely felt and missed.
Cirie
Christine: Once Ozzy was blindsided, I knew Cirie’s days were numbered. She had a very specific win condition in this game, and that was fully reliant on Ozzy staying in the game for as long as possible. There really wasn’t much she could do to survive this episode other than go with the flow and try to keep her name off of the table, but once Tiffany won immunity, any chance of Cirie surviving dwindled to zero. You can’t blame anyone else – she’s the greatest to ever do it, after all — but it doesnt make the loss any less devastating. We were truly blessed with another all-timer run from Cirie, and despite my mixed feelings about season 50 overall, I’ll always be grateful it gave us another twelve episodes with Cirie Fields.
Gia: This was the one “Fallen Comrades” section I never wanted to write. What can I say about Cirie Fields that hasn’t already been said a million times over? She’s a legend, she’s an icon, and she has always been the moment. And despite what some might say, she’ll always have a place on my Survivor Mt. Rushmore. Perhaps the reality of the situation was that Cirie’s target was always going to be too big to get to the finale, but that doesn’t make it any less remarkable to watch her at work. I am devastated to lose her just before the finale, even more so due to the fact that this is more than likely her last season. That being said, I am grateful for every second we had with her. The woman, the myth, the legend- Cirie Fields.
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