Last week, the Lairo tribe decided that a potential showmance was more dangerous than basically anything else, and since on one wanted to vote out anyone, it seems, Chelsea was voted out. What will happen this week? Who will be voted out next? There is only one way to find out, so let’s get to the episode!

DROP YOUR BUFFS? DROP YOUR BUFFS!

Mary: As always, we begin with the Lairo tribe returning from tribal, heads low, a blindside having just occurred. Dean is really confused about everything, and he begins becoming “Detective Dean” in order to figure out why his girl Chelsea is now out of the game. Dean made a whole thing of this new detective persona, and the editors really hammed it up, which was weird but enjoyable. How did you feel about Detective Dean, Todd? Did it rustle up fond memories of Clue? 

Todd: Honestly, the prevalence of Dean confessionals at the beginning of the episode started to feel like a sure sign that Dean was going to be voted out this episode. I consider myself a bit of a sleuth when it comes to the Survivor edit, but like many editing choices this season, the “Detective Dean” stuff seems like it was designed to keep us off the scent of the person who would really be sent home. Still, it was somewhat amusing, though I don’t really expect Dean to go super far--in fact, I’d be surprised if he makes it to the merge. But him saying that he, as his boys would say, “got got” is pretty close to Jack’s “Honesty would be chill” in terms of its bro-ness, so there’s that.  

More interesting to me is the continuing saga of Missy as the secret kingpin that no one seems to be aware is the kingpin. Dean is mad at her for voting out Chelsea, and Missy is basically like, Hey! I saved your life, dummy! And she gets the episode quote, so all in all not a bad episode for Missy.

Mary: We got to the challenge SUPER early this episode, AND BOY WAS IT A STRANGE CALLBACK TO OLD SURVIVOR SEASONS. First of all, and most importantly, everyone is commanded to drop their buffs and swap teams around.

Todd: Everyone from Vokai is shocked at the Chelsea boot, seemingly because they assumed Karishma would be sent packing, but before their shock can fade, Jeff says those fateful words and the tribes swip-swap around. And the tribes are pretty evenly switched up, for once. It seems like almost every season has had one tribe run the table on the early challenges and then dominate in this middle portion before the merge or get hoisted by their petards, and while that can be interesting, the fact that we have one tribe (the new Lairo) that is 5-4 in favor of old Vokai and one tribe (new Vokai) that is an even 4-4 split makes for a much more interesting dynamic. The new Lairo consists of Noura, Kelle, Jamal, Jack, Janet, Tom, Dean, and Karishma, while the new Vokai consists of Dan, Jason, Tommy, Lauren, and Missy, Elaine, Aaron, and Elizabeth. And once the tribes have swapped we head into the challenge, the first reward challenge of the season! Mary, take us away.

Mary: This week the reward challenge is for Applebee’s. You heard that right. Applebee’s, that chain restaurant notorious for its crummy food and big popularity in the 90’s. Applebee’s is one of those places that dredges up a weird amount of nostalgia for me; for years and years it was the only sit-down restaurant anywhere NEAR my tiny hometown, and going there was a special treat. But now I’ve, you know, eaten things that aren’t Applebee’s (and Applebee’s has a bigger rep for being a seedy night-life spot. For real, they have crazy drink specials and cheap food, but only at like, midnight, which is when I’m asleep). All that aside, all the contestants started losing their minds over the possibility of Applebee’s. Karishma gleefully yelled, “APPLEBEE’S IS MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!” and it felt very weird.

Did this remind you of old seasons, too, Todd?

Todd: Truly, this is a staple of any Survivor advertising stunt. Jeff totes out food from Applebee’s or Outback Steakhouse or Chili’s or equipment from Craftsman or Home Depot or comforts from Bed Bath and Beyond and all of the castaways do the most to show how much they love whatever brand it is he has brought out. It’s pretty obvious that by this point their brains are partly broken from not eating or sleeping and being in a mentally taxing state at all times, but even so the reactions are always ridiculous and outlandish and hopefully fun to watch. Also, having only been to Applebee’s a number of times, I had no clue what a Shark Bowl was, and I’m still not sure I do?

The challenge itself seems awful, but we also get to see Noura’s positive attitude in action as she and Karishma have to inchworm their way to the finish line, and Karishma seems like she is about to give up. Noura doesn’t let her, and in this moment I suddenly felt something akin to fondness for Noura, even if their tribe still ended up losing pretty handily to new-but-still-dominant Vokai. Mary, did anything stand out to you about the reward itself, besides everyone’s weird love of Applebee’s and Shark Bowls?

Mary: Honestly, it made Applebee’s look good, which is a hard feat, so maybe their marketing is working for them. I thought to myself, hm...fajitas DO sound good! It seemed like a lot of pro-Applebee’s propaganda. It’s also interesting because this is the first time this new tribe had to get to know each other, and they’re doing it over this elaborate meal (and whatever Shark Bowls are). For some of the group, they’re now put in the position to gloat over beating their old tribemates. It’s just a weird social spot to be in! That being said, I don’t think anyone really took advantage of having this time apart to plan, or even get to know each other! 

Todd: Right! I agree. Vokai (new, just as old) is in this weird place where because they aren’t losing very much they don’t have to think about strategy, but just as we have seen in previous seasons, that may come back to bite them in the end, as a more strategically-minded Lairo player might be able to sneak their way to the final 3 and claim the top prize!

Back at the New Lairo, Karishma thinks she is definitely on the chopping block and so she quickly lets the controlling old Vokai members know that she ready and willing to flip. She talks to Kellee and there is a nice moment where they hug!

Mary: It is a nice moment, but it’s also a demonstration of two different scenarios that have happened with these women. Karishma feels isolated, and has said so the past couple of episodes. She feels like she’s different from everyone else on her tribe--and that’s emphasized this episode in a scene where she talks about arranged marriage with her new tribe. Kellee is also a woman of color, so I’m sure that brought some relief to Karishma, because who wouldn’t want to see someone else who might have shared life experiences?! However, Kellee is IN THE GAME TO WIN. I think Kellee is nice (and I like her as a player on the show and what we’ve seen of her as a person), but I have no doubt that when she saw Karishma, she thought, OK, I can use this. 

Todd: Yeah, you are probably right. And almost immediately that seems to be the case. While Kellee is hugging Karishma we also see her almost at the same moment start to spark an alliance (or something?) with Dean, who she has a shared acquaintance with (Dean’s ex-girlfriend of many years who is now a schoolmate of Kellee’s). This is where Kellee’s prowess really shines, as she basically has Dean in her pocket in a way that Chelsea probably thought she did but without the appearance of any kind of showmance, as Kellee specifically says there will be no cuddling, to which Dean agrees.

Mary: There’s also this interesting dynamic between two other new Lairo contestants: Janet and Tom. Janet and Tom are both older members of the tribe, and they bond over that, more or less. Janet says in a confessional that she really likes Tom (Todd: Reader, I just want you to know that we are writing this while talking about dinner and Mary first wrote “Janet says in a quesadilla”. That is all.) and that she would like to work with him. But there’s a big catch. Janet tells everyone else (while they’re planning what to do at tribal) that she thinks he’s a good person, but that he’s too loyal. He’ll definitely flip back to his old tribe once the merge happens. 

And really, is she that wrong? Tom does strike me as this type of player, which is never a good thing. I’m continually baffled by the strategy to vote the other tribe off entirely, because once that’s done, then what? Yes, you might have some alliances within alliances, but it’s going to get messy, and I’d just rather it get messy earlier, I guess. I’m a chaos player. 

Todd: I mean, the number of times that one alliance has successfully knocked out an entire other alliance is not nearly as high as it could be, considering how often that is presented as a strategy. Eventually, the person who is on the bottom of the majority alliance realizes what is happening and, usually, tries to flip the game on its head, for better or worse. I really liked the moment when Janet, Noura, and Kellee are walking along the beach, talking about what they’ve been up to, and Kellee says she’s got Dean in her pocket and Janet says she’s got Tom in her pocket, and they all know that Karishma will do whatever they tell her to. It seems that old Vokai can do whatever they want with the remaining old Lairo players, which is good because even though the tribes have switched, Lairo is no better at challenges.

In the immunity challenge, Vokai once again jumps out to an early lead and Lairo has to play catch up. Dean, who later boasts that he played Division I basketball and should have done better than Tommy, can’t pull out a come-from-behind victory, and Lairo is once again headed to tribal council. 

Mary: THEY DID THE BEST THEY COULD, TODD. If next season, when we pick our favored teams, I get the super-loser team again, I will scream. With laughter. 

Todd: Truly, I would love a season where one tribe does not just dominate the other tribe, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen any time soon.

Mary: It always happens! 

Todd: *Sigh* Sad but true. 

Mary: Everyone returns to get ready for tribal. And the scrambling begins immediately. 

Todd: Most people, seemingly, want to get rid of Karishma. Jamal is anti-Karishma--he wants to win. And obviously there is no love lost between Tom and Karishma.

Mary: Nope, Tom still hates Karishma, truly, like she did something personally to him. Which she did not. Around this time, Noura begins telling the audience (via confessional) who she thinks they need to vote out. Who “we” need to vote out, she said. This is when I turned to Todd and said, “But she doesn’t even have a vote?!” Here I must ask, for the second week in a row, what is the deal with Noura?!

Todd: It’s especially weird because she reminds us she lost her vote and then talks about who “we” should vote out...IN THE SAME CONFESSIONAL!? Like, I could understand if she didn’t remember herself that she had lost her vote, but she clearly does know and still is acting as if what she thinks will matter at all? I think mostly she is just happy to have gone from the bottom of her tribe to the middle, thanks to her tribe’s majority in this new configuration of Lairo.

Mary: By the time we go to tribal, I still don’t know who’s going to go, and it seems like the tribe doesn’t either. Hat’s off to those editors once again! 

Todd: Indeed! It seems like a toss-up between any of the old Lairo members, and the tribal council itself complicates things as the old Vokai members are compared to people hiring for a new position at a job who are just sitting back and letting the old Lairo members come to them. Jack says they are open to a conversation with the old Lairo members but it may not change their mind. Also, at one point, Noura laughs maniacally at Jeff before he even finishes asking a question. So, there’s that. This leads Sandra to say, “I love Noura.” Sure, Sandra.

Mary: Then Noura nervously laughs, and says something about how Jeff is trying to figure them all out with these questions as if he doesn’t do this every week. And he says, “Well, I’ve got plenty more questions.” It was delightful. I get it though. I’m a nervous laugher, too, sometimes. 

Todd: Maybe Noura is secretly the Joker?

Mary: Maybe! They all argue about who’s best at challenges, who’s best at puzzles, and no one can come to a conclusion on anything. At one point, Janet gets irritated because Dean says he’s talked to everyone and tried to form personal relationships, but, Janet says, “You haven’t talked to me.” A true burn moment! I like Janet a lot, and this only makes me like her more. She’s decisive and smart, but not mean. Just to the point.

Todd: Kellee has a great quote about how in Survivor many truths can exist simultaneously. “It’s about if you can trust the people you put trust in,” she says, which leads Sandra to say, “That’s my girl, Kellee,” which gave me strong proud parent vibes, and once again emphasizes how great Kellee is. Go Kellee!

Mary: Everyone votes--except Noura, who just pretends to vote I guess--and TOM GOES HOME. This was truly shocking to me, because I thought Tom had some staying power. Dean seems more athletic, but I thought Janet’s affinity for Tom would keep him in, at least for a week or so. Also Karishma going was a big possibility! Tom was the last person I would have thought would go home. Did this shock you at all, Todd? 

Todd: It wasn’t a complete shock, but it definitely signals to me that these players are thinking about the long term over what will help them next week. Assuming that the merge happens in a couple of weeks, that means the Vokai majority of Lairo still has Dean, Karishma, Noura, and maybe Jamal that they could vote out and still feel happy about where they are, especially because both Noura and Jamal were on the outs of Vokai before the swap. 10 or 15 seasons ago, Karishma would have long been voted out, while people like Tom or even Ronnie (remember him?) stayed in long past their expiration date. I am happy to see these players prioritize strategy over tribe loyalty or “keeping the tribe strong,” which always seems like a veiled way to talk about patriarchal white supremacy, to be honest.

Who are your favs and not-favs this week, Mary?

Mary: Well! I am glad to finally say Kellee is my FAVORITE OF ALL. Now that she’s on my team, I can officially claim her. She’s been smart the whole time, and I really believe she can win this whole thing. You have my Elaine now. Treat her well. My least favorite this week was Dean. He made a lot of dumb decisions and got way too invested in figuring out who voted Chelsea out, when it didn’t really matter. I think they’ll keep Dean around for his physical abilities for a week or two more, but when they’re ready to get him out, he’ll go quick. 

Todd: I guess I will pick a favorite, but to be honest, I am still attached to some of the old Vokai folks who moved over to Lairo. Still, of this new Vokai, I will say Missy is still holding strong, and I cannot wait to see what happens if both she and Kellee make it to the merge. Will they join forces? Will they butt heads like Boston Rob and Russell Hantz? I can’t wait to see! I will hold your place here and say that Aaron is my least favorite this week. His dumb “we are both strong dudes” alliance with Tommy seems destined to blow up as soon as it is given the chance.

THE MERGE

Todd: This episode was pretty straightforward, and so will this section be. Not a lot to say here, except to mention that New Vokai gets a fun moment where Elaine and Missy wrestle and we are reminded that people see Elaine as a threat and Missy and Aaron say “Orange is dead” in a way that is not super convincing.

Mary: I thought it was interesting that we didn’t get an Island of the Idols bit this week! 

Todd: Agreed! I didn’t really miss it, because of all that was going on with the tribe swaps, and it is good to see that the producers aren’t dedicated to shoehorning it into every episode.

Well, that’s all this week for

SURVIVOR:

ISLAND

OF

THE

IDOLS!