Double or Nothing // Everyone Will Be Shooketh! (S50: Episodes 10 + 11)

I seriously had been putting off writing this episode because I was so overwhelmed. Am I now a Mr. Beast fan?? Because that was HANDS DOWN the best twist/advantage/play we’ve had in like 10 years.

And why did it work? Because it was SIMPLE. A coin toss. Yes, the stakes were incredibly high, but it put the players in control of their fate. It forced them to make a decision and actually play out the twist, versus “here’s something really crazy, now deal with it,” like we’ve seen time and time again.

And yes, while this was kind of a perfect storm event (a player like Devens, who loves the big and flashy, being on the bottom and desperate to do anything), I still think this twist works. Also, lowkey why did CBS need Mr. Beast to bankroll the prize pot? Isn’t that a little embarrassing? Shouldn’t it have been $2mill from the jump?

And then for episode 11, a group of us got tickets to watch the epsidoe live(!!!) in a Broadway theater (The Town Hall!!) for a Rob Has a Podcast live taping.

Before heading in, ofc we hit up Times Square's sanctuary: Margaritaville

And the theater was ELECTRIC! It was the largest fan gathering for a Survivor watch party ever (1,500+ people!). One of my favorite parts about events like this is always seeing the audience’s reaction to the current castaways.

To no one’s surprise, Cirie was hands down the audience favorite, followed closely by the hometown hero, Rizo. Stephanie… not so much. And Joe/Jonathan got plenty of boos and laughs from the crowd.

This was a pretty crazy episode to watch, with Cirie’s Rizard of Oz alliance in big trouble. And the dramaaaa during the Emily boot was truly amazing.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/29d4da_8a7c1577033a420f883e36ffcd8c8963/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Regardless of the extreme disappointment of Ozzy not playing his idol, the live show was still a ton of fun. It was co-hosted by Parvati and Danielle D. (from Panama and HvV), both of whom played with Cirie and Ozzy.

Also, shoutout to Jonathan Penner, who was there during ALS Awareness Month and received a standing ovation for (no exaggeration) a least a fuuuulll minute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd2lD1piAoo

VUKELULU WEEK 10+11:

Rick pulled in huge points for his risk-worthy/immunity win/idol gain for episode 10 thanks to Mr. Beast, while Jonathan was the biggest earner for episode 11 thanks to the double header immunity/reward win (so sorry, Tiff!! I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!!!)

Amanda S. holds onto the top spot for back-to-back weeks, looking strong with an Aubry/Joe/Jonathan tribe heading into the penultimate episode. But hot on her heels (and someone who's been known to pull off a major upset) is Peach, who also has Aubry/Joe/Jonathan, but also R-I-Z-G-O-D baby.

This would be Amanda’s first Vukelulu victory, but if Peach pulls off the W, she’ll become just the second member in Vukelulu history to win the season twice (joining two-time champion Casey).

But we’ll have a finale bonus to shake things up, so an upset can still happen!

-Tribemaster Brian