Each week, Christine Pallon and Gia Worthy will round up the previous week of Survivor 51 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
From Two Tribes to Three
Gia: So long, two tribes; it was an honor to see you again. Just as the storylines between Toka and Savu started to heat up, the inevitable episode 4 tribe swap hit our screens. This time, a third tribe (Dina) joined the mix, leaving us with two tribes of six and one tribe of five. Mike, Thien An, Maggie, Carter, Kirstin, and Brady made up the new Toka tribe. Ori, Devin, Jelly, Alexis, and Jenna make up Savu 2.0, and finally, Kilby, Linnea, Eric, Sharonda, Christian, and Lewis are the new Dina tribe. While I think this cast is strong enough to keep us entertained through the pre-merge, I will still side with most fans when I say I wish they’d kept the two-tribe format.
A Showmance is Brewing
Christine: On the new Savu, Jelly and Ori rekindled their Day One connection with Devin’s help, who played Survivor matchmaker. Our two lasagna lovers aren’t jumping headfirst into a full-on showmance just yet, but their flirtation was on full display for the whole tribe, leaving Jenna and Alexis little room to claw their way out of the bottom of this small swap tribe.
…And so is a Bromance
Christine: On Dina, Eric feels he’s finally found a kindred spirit in Kilby, who understands his nerd and theater-kid tendencies. It’s mutual, and the two bonded over Wario and Waluigi, but Eric was far more enthusiastic, vowing to protect Kilby from his dastardly original tribemates. Eric’s enthusiasm is making Lover Boys alliance a bit too obvious, though, and Kilby’s well aware of the danger that poses to his game.
Tribe Breakdown
Dina
Gia: The new Dina tribe is OG Savu strong, with Lewis and Kilby added to round out the numbers. But are the Savu numbers as solid as they look, or will Kilby splinter the group? He correctly guessed that Eric is the group’s black sheep and hopes to use his budding bromance to his advantage. Eric promises Sharonda and co. that he is still loyal to his tribe, but he’s already proven himself an emotional player (to put it lightly). Based on the next episode teasers, it looks like at least two tribes will vote someone out. A lot could happen on a tribe of six, and the majority alliance needs every vote they can get.
Toka
Gia: On the other hand, Toka 2.0 is majority… well, Toka 1.0. Carter mutinied to Toka in the previous episode, leaving Kristin as the only true Savu rep. They are the tribe we probably saw the least of this episode, and also the one most physically stacked. Thankfully, hope isn’t lost for Kristin, as she is doing her best to integrate into the tribe and has earned Brady’s seal of approval. It’s no secret the original Toka was a bit of a mess, so I’d say it’s safe to hope for her. The Blood Moon twist may force them to show their hands early, but if any tribe is going to be safe next round, my money is on them.
Savu
Christine: On paper, OG Savu had the majority on the five-person Savu 2.0 this episode, but Jenna was actually on the outs, even more than Alexis. Jelly and Ori’s connection meant that he was functionally in the majority instead of Jenna, who was still Devin’s perpetual target. With Ori in the majority, Alexis at least had someone willing to go to bat for her when it came time to go to tribal, leaving Jenna on the bottom. Alexis is surely cooked if this group goes to tribal again, so she needs to pray they can step up and win the next immunity challenge.
Top 3 Contestants
Kristin
Christine: Kristin played a fantastic game on her original tribe, using the larger tribe size to play a careful social game that let her build strong connections without being in the spotlight. This swap puts her in a tight spot as the only OG Savu (well, not counting our accidental mutineer Carter) on a Toka tribe. She’s playing this swap well socially and doing what she can to ingratiate herself with her new tribe, but Carter and his idol pose a huge risk to her survival if she tries to push an eventual vote onto him.
Carter
Gia: Carter’s mutiny has come back to haunt him earlier than expected. That said, with only Kristin swapping with him onto Toka 2.0, the accidental tribe switch may have been in his best interest after all. If this tribe loses immunity at any point, he and Kristin are the clear outliers on their new team. Even so, Carter is doing what he can to stay in the group’s good graces. He voted with the majority last round, and used this new opportunity to solidify a secret alliance with Thien An. While I don’t necessarily believe this means that Carter is safe in any circumstance, he’s definitely in a better position than he was even an episode ago. Not to mention he still has an idol in the event he senses something is afoot.
Ori
Gia: Ori is playing a fantastic game so far, and frankly his accomplishments are being undersold. Yes, his budding showmance with Jelly is undeniably cute, but his words and actions keep reminding viewers that his primary goal is still winning the game. His cross-tribal alliance came in handy during this swap, when he landed on a 5-person tribe with Jelly and Devin. Alexis trusts him implicitly, even though she shouldn’t, perhaps more because of circumstance than anything else. Most importantly, no matter which direction the tribe went this round, Ori was safe. He’s quickly building himself up as a fantastic hero of the season… now the question is whether his likability will be his inevitable downfall, like so many others before him.
Fallen Comrades
Jenna
Christine: Jenna didn’t have much she could do to survive here, other than go back in time and make sure Devin didn’t decide to dislike her. She was dealt a terrible swap on a five-person tribe after finally working herself into the majority last round and made solid pitches regarding why the majority should keep her over Alexis. But Jenna’s history with her OG tribemates, coupled with Alexis’ ally Ori’s closeness with Jelly, made surviving this vote very much an uphill battle.
You could point to slightly different pitches Jenna could’ve made, but I don’t think they would’ve changed the outcome. Devin wanted her gone, and the others on the tribe had very little reason to push for something else. That’s just the way things shake out sometimes on Survivor, and this vote is a great example of how hopeless a small swap tribe can be for players on the outs.
Gia: Jenna was a star since the premiere, and I’m so sad to see her go so early. Her commitment to staying in the game was nothing short of admirable, especially when she started on the outs almost immediately. Unfortunately for Jenna and her fans (I am one of them), this tribe swap couldn’t have gone worse for her. Her original tribemates, whom she shared this new tribe with, had already voted for her once and clearly had no qualms about doing so again.
On top of that, the Helicopter Alliance’s existence made it nearly impossible for her to form a tangible bond with Ori, and by extension, Alexis, meaning she had no viable way to save herself. Nonetheless, Jenna should feel so accomplished from her time in the game. Despite her rough start, she survived two tribal councils and inspired so many with her backstory. I hope she is feeling as proud of herself as we are.
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