SEASON 40: WINNERS AT WAR (Episode 11)

HELLO SURVIVOR FAM!!! Sorry we're a little late... Quarantine's been keeping me and Brian busy, I guess! But hopefully this is a good little recap before tuning in!!

Let's jump into last week's episode which really should just be titled something like "How To Be A Beast At Life Featuring Tony Vlachos." I MEAN COME ON!!! WAS ANYTHING BETTER THAN THIS EPISODE?!??!? I know I say that every week but SERIOUSLY. YOU CANNOT GET BETTER TELEVISION THAN TONY VLACHOS. 

All hail Tony Vlachos.

I guess we can talk about some other people too.... (but not really)

• The episode starts off at camp after the crazy tribal council where Jeremy left, Sarah stole a vote, Kim played an idol, and Tyson was sent to the Edge. Jeremy wants to know what happened at tribal and it doesn't seem like anyone is willing to give him that info. People are pissed. BUT Ben confirms that the plan was in fact to vote out Jeremy sooooo whether it made Jeremy look like a selfish jerk or not, he saved himself and really can ya blame a guy? 

• The confusion about where Michele stands in this tribe continues... In a confessional at the beginning of the episode, she says it's clear she's at the bottom of the tribe with Kim, Denise, and Jeremy yet she was somehow clued in on that Tyson vote!!! Is she masterfully playing both sides, or was that just a lucky guess? And did Kim and Denise not notice that Michele flipped? I need more info on this. 

• Then the fun begins... Tony gets up early to hunt for an idol and Nick isn't far behind him, but Tony convinces Nick to go search the area Tony already looked in to get Nick off his back (Epic Tony moment #1)

• Anyone else scouring the internet to find some original pieces from the Ms. Sarah Lacina Survivor fashion show? So silly. So fun.

• Tony goes straight into double agent undercover mode, and works on convincing Jeremy that he's on his side. (Epic Tony moment #2) And Jeremy TOTTTAALLYYY falls for it. (Kim sees right through it.)

• Next we're taken to the EoE where Natalie and Parvati stumble upon a clue (or a bottle of wine according to Parv). We're introduced to the extortion advantage which is actually a disadvantage for whoever receives it. Natalie and Parvati know exaaaactttllllyyyy who to target in order to get their ca$hhh moneeeyyy in fire tokens. Reenter: Tony Vlachos

• It was hilarious, sad, infuriating, and exciting all in one watching Tony fling himself to the ground, rip open his bag, read the extortion advantage, and realize it was being played against him. What a rollercoaster of emotions!  

• We then watch Tony go to WORK on rallying those fire tokens (Epic Tony moments #3, 4, & 5). He gets a token from Jeremy, Nick, AND Ben with what seemed to take almost zero convincing. HOW?!! Tony, who is clearly one of the biggest threats left in the game, went to 4 different people and revealed that he was at risk to not participate in an immunity challenge AND not have a vote at tribal - AND THEY ALL GIVE AWAY THEIR TOKENS TO SAVE HIM INSTEAD OF BANNING TOGETHER TO GET RID OF A MASSIVE THREAT!!!! LIKE WHAT? I don't know what these people are thinking but all I can say is... thank you all for keeping Mr. Tony Vlachos in this game. God Bless. 

• Side note: This season has really been mirroring our world's current crisis in a lot of ways. In reference to the cost of advantages on the island skyrocketing, Tony hit us with a classic Tony line: "Whoaaaa the price of milk just went up!" <--- Talk about a COVID-19 MOOD!!!

• Tony wins immunity for the second time in a row after never previously winning an individual immunity challenge!!! (Epic Tony moment #6) The hustle for those fire tokens paid off!

• We're back at camp, and it's seeming like Jeremy has no chance at survival. His allies, Kim and Denise, agree to jump ship and blindside him with the majority group so essentially he's screwed. Except.... here comes Tony Vlachos.

• THIS MAN DOES. NOT. STOP. At the last minute, he convinces Nick to join him in a left field blindside on Sophie because he doesn't like how close Sophie is getting to his partner Sarah. (Epic Tony moment #7). The editors do an excellent job of keeping us at the edge of our seats by really making it seem like Jeremy isn't buying Tony's new Sophie blindside plan. 

• Annnnnddddddddd he pulls it off. Sophie is COMPLETELY shocked. Jaw drop shocked. With an idol in her pants nonetheless. This was the DEFINITION of a blindside. (Epic Tony moment #8)

• I just need to reiterate how in awe I am of Tony Vlachos: I am in awe of Tony Vlachos. 

• I'm verrryyyyy curious to see how this massive move works out for Tony. Sarah looked PIIIIIIIIISSSEEEDDDD in the previews for the next episode. Will their partnership stay strong or will this be the thing that breaks them?

Fantasy League Updates: 

This week we had QUITE a wide gap in points distributed. Yours truly earned a measly 16 points, while Casey brought in 94 and Brian brought in 86 thanks to having some of this week's heavy point hitters like Tony and Sophie on their tribes. Matt and Joyce, two of our front-runners all season long, are seeing a bit of a dip in points this week due to nothaving Tony on their tribes. Ouch. This means our top 3 has shifted to Brian (608), Casey (565), and Joyce (550) with Matt (541) and Jill (540) trailing closely behind. This is gonna be a nail biter folks!

LET'S HANG OUT!!! (Virtually of course)

In the spirit of competition, we'd like to host a Survivor trivia night via Zoom. *Think the Survivor: All Stars challenge where tribe mates worked together to answer questions about previous Survivor seasons except you're doing this from your couch and you have no shot at winning a million dollars* 

We're aiming for Thursday, May 7th. Maybe around 7:30? Let us know if you're interested and if this date works and we'll nail down the logistics. And feel free to invite any of your other Survivor loving friends! All are welcome to channel their inner Mike White/Mr. Schneebly.

Your Tribe Master, Mrs. Olivia Jeff Probst P.S. Don't forget to tune into our very own Matt and Peter's new Survivor Podcast: Blindsided! P.P.S. HOOOOOOOOW do we only have 3 weeks left of this season?!?!??? It pains me!!!!!!!! May 20th will be a dark day.