SURVIVOR 41 (Episode 3)

Advantages, disadvantages, secret-sharing, and crash-and-burns. Did these players not rewatch ANY seasons of Survivor during quarantine?! ROOKIE MISTAKES!!!! However, there is something kinda fun about how messy/sloppy/kinda bad(?) everyone is playing. Jeff wasn't kidding when he said we were dropping the 4 and keeping the 1, because we're back to Borneo gameplay! Let's dive in...shall we?

• The episode opens up with CRYING (Liana, we feel you!) and a sequence of lots of advantage-findings. Tiffany is the first to wake up on Yase beach, and as they say... "The early bird catches the worm" and finds a BEWARE ADVANTAGE. I like that she did note in her confessional that had Liana and Evvie not been standing there, she would not have shared this information with them. (Finally someone who makes me believe that there are contestants in this game who have watched at least one episode of this 40-season show).

• Then there were some kinda cringey (just me?) Survivor impressions provided by JD over at Ua. While he's making everyone (pity?) laugh, Brad is in the center of camp tending to the fire when he finds his beach's BEWARE ADVANTAGE. He's a hardworking guy, so I'm happy that something fell into his lap. And apparently he's a big fan of high risk, baby!

• The final beach we visit is Luvu where Sydney is still stirring up the pot, throwing Naseer's name under the bus as someone who is targeting Danny. She seems to be a fairly smart player who is positioning herself right in the middle of the tribe, but as we learned last week, Heather ain't buying it. So we'll see how long Sydney can keep this up! But clearly she's doing something kinda right as she was the third and final castaway to find the BEWARE ADVANTAGE.

• Basically what the advantage-finders need to do is sneak out of camp in order to play another game of chance. Failure to sneak out will cost them their vote at the next tribal council. *SPOILER ALERT* they all make it on a boat.

• The editing for how the Ua idol was found was very clever. It was fun to watch JD and Shan struggle to locate the idol because this whole segment was told in reverse as Brad and Genie had already found it. After reading the note, both now understand what Xander was trying to do at the last immunity challenge. Brad's phrase that he needs to recite is, "I didn't realize this until now… broccoli is just a bunch of small trees." Which *SPOILER ALERT* he 100% botches this line.

• Brad then immediately runs off and tells Shan about BOTH of his advantages, so now HALF the tribe knows all of his secrets... why don't these people learn?!

• Don't get me wrong, I do like the idea of advantages and idols because there have been a lot of iconic gameplay moves over the years when they are played correctly. But when there are thiiiissss many so early on, it kinda feels like a gimmick? Have we finally reached the point where the game is now too oversaturated with advantages?

• CAN WE TALK ABOUT 👏BRAD'S👏MANNEQUIN👏, INSTANT CLASSIC!!

• Once Tiffany, Sydney and Brad all arrive at their Survivor summit, they are forced to make a decision. They could choose between two advantages: a tarp for the tribe or a steal-a-vote. If all chose tarp, they all got a tarp. If they all chose steal-a-vote, they all loose their next Tribal Council vote. But if there was a split, then some people would receive the steal-a-vote, and the people who chose tarp leave empty handed. Bottom line, Brad, the guy who we ALL want to see try and steal someone's vote gets the steal-a-vote and the girls went back with nothing.

• We get our first "Come on in" ...and I hate it. I vote we lose the phrase all together. It's not the same. It's missing that ...je ne sais quoi!

• Before the challenge we also hear Brad fully fumbling his phrase saying, "I feel like a broccoli. Broccoli grows little bunches on small trees." If a member of Luvu had found theirs, and said their phrase correctly, the idol still wouldn't be unlocked, right? I'm sure production talked over what would happen..but as viewers, we'll just have to wait and see...

• Another brutal challenge where these castaways are struggling...and for WHAT?! A couple of papayas?!?! JEFF, FEED THESE PEOPLE!!! Luvu wins as usual, Yase comes in not last for the first time ever, and it sends Ua to tribal council + no flint.

• We head back to Ua camp and the next sequence was literally handled like bird shit:

• JD sneaks off to go to the "bathroom"/gather his extra vote and comes back to camp with his advantage hanging out of his pants. Are they all this underfed? Are they just this bad at the game? What is going on?? Either way, Shan calls him out and the entire tribe has fully lost trust in JD. In order to repair whatever he can, JD offers Shan to hold onto his extra vote during tribal, to prove his loyalty.

• With Brad and Genie on one side, JD and Ricard on the other, it leaves Shan in the middle to decide if she wants to take out JD, stealing his extra vote in the process, or take out Brad someone she knows is loaded with advantages (and disadvantages). She votes with JD and Ricard, sending our early breakout star, Brad home. Which begs the question is this three-part idol ever going to be unlocked?!?

HOW DID THE LEAGUE DO?

Even though he was Blindsided, Brad went out in a flaming glory earning his tribes 18 points for all the advantages. The other two big point scorers were Liana (Named the episode! Cried!!) and Sydney (Risked her vote! Nude again!! - Is this a pattern?) each earned their tribes 17 points.

Because there were so many advantages/risks this episode, there were a bunch of shake-ups in terms of points! Brad wasn't anyone's sole survivor, but DMC has taken another hit to her tribe and is now only down to 2 castaways, plus her alternate (sorry, Mom!)

Leading our pack for a second week in a row is Brendan (108 total points). And hovering just under 100 points each are: Rachael (96 total points), Angela and Hanna (94 total points), Gracie (91 total points), In last place is still Petra (27 total points)...there's always next season!

'Til Wednesday..or should we say Vukelulu...

Your tribemasters,

Liv + Brian