Loyal to the Soil (S47: Episode 10)

We got another JAM-PACKED episode of Survivor, with some really interesting moves at play. I know I’ve been a critic of the modern-era (post-Survivor 41) seasons for being a bit stale in terms of original tribal fluidity, but so far this season has been a pleasant surprise. Let’s dive in!

• The episode kicks off with Teeny calling out Genevieve for blindsiding them with the Sol vote. This is the first time Teeny feels quite young to me, while Genevieve comes across as more mature, able to separate relationships from gameplay. It definitely lights a fire under Teeny, who I feel has been coasting for the past few weeks.

• Teeny also has a bit of a “sob story” in this episode, but it doesn’t hit me over the head as hard as the typical sob stories we see. Instead, it’s a very raw telling of their coming-out journey, how it’s shaped them as a person, and how it continues to challenge them in the game. It’s a rare moment where the sob story truly aligns with what the player is experiencing in the game. Nice job, CBS!

  

• Sam is also struggling to get a grasp on his game. It’s interesting because two of the early faves—Teeny and Sam—who both seemed well-insulated and like power players, now seem to be falling behind. Sam tries to pick up some “bottom feeders” by teaming up with Rachel to form a new alliance, targeting power players like Gabe and Genevieve.

• Andy, Andy, Andy! Damn, this guy is getting messy! Hopefully, he can keep track of all these stories and alliances. If he can manage to paint a clear picture of his gameplay to the jury, this could be a great run for him. But I do worry that people still aren’t taking him seriously as a threat, which might make it harder for him to turn this into a W!

• I’m so happy they’re having more reward challenges!!! This is so good!!! But this was a little uncomfy:

  

• The 5-minute montage of Sue hating Kyle!?!? ...comedic gold!!!

  

• Ok, but the real moment this episode was the rice “negotiation.” I thought it was brilliant to offer up the Shots in the Dark... but how do you go from Caroline offering up just two, to Kyle offering up ALL of them?!?! I’m not sure if that’s strategy on Kyle’s part to level the playing field by offering everyone’s shots, or if it’s just a lack of awareness. He’s an interesting guy... haven’t really figured him out yet.

• When we get back to camp, it really feels like the game is wide open and could go either way: Gabe vs. Genevieve. And honestly, this feels so refreshing!! We haven’t seen this kind of uncertainty in the past 5 years, with the Shot in the Dark always lurking in the background.

• Sol Disney-bounding as Aladdin/Prince Ali to tribal council:

  

• Gabe ends up getting blindsided by Caroline, completely dismantling the Tuku alliance and leaving Sue isolated. (Will she be able to recover?!?)

  
  

VUKELULU VIBES:

The final advantages (and disadvantages) — aside from Coach Juju's — all needed to be played by this episode, so here’s how the final hits went down!

Mme. Bendoni switched his Sole Survivor pick to Andy, since his original pick (Sierra) had already been eliminated. Elissa, unfortunately, found herself at a disadvantage this week and ended up earning zero points.

The most interesting move came from DMC, who, out of nowhere, made a surprise bid with league-leader Ryan for the Steal A Tribe advantage. In the end, Ryan gave the advantage to DMC on the condition that she wouldn't use it against him. True to her word, DMC didn’t play it against Ryan, and in fact, she chose not to play it at all, saying she "had faith in her own tribe." Since she wasn't targeting Ryan with it, there ended up being very few league members who scored (only marginally) higher than her this week. Those people were: Allison K., Angela, Coach Juju, Marietta, Sarah T., and Tribemaster Liv.

Rookie Vukelulu all star, Ryan really is the headline this week as he skates by yet another episode with an untouched tribe - aka all five of his draft picks are still in the game (Andy, Genevieve, Kyle, Rachel and Sam). He scores a wildly impressive 105 points this week. The second highest earners in our league were Angela and Tribemaster Liv who both lost Gabe this week (and will now be down to tribes of 3) bringing in a cool 77 points.

The elimination of Gabe also means last year's league villain, Amelia becomes our first league member to host zero castaways on her tribe...sorry for you!

Amanda S., Christina F., Gracie, Nonna Nina and Paul join Ashley, Carolyn, Elissa, Nolan, and Sari all with tribes of one.

Enjoy tonight's episode!!!

-Tribemasters Liv + Brian