Last week on Survivor: Island of the Idols, the tribes swapped up, leaving the new Vokai divided evenly 4-4, and the new Lairo divided 5-3 in favor of Vokai. Seemingly, this switch offered Lairo a chance to get out of their losing streak, but they were not able to capitalize, and ultimately Tom was sent packing. Will Lairo lose again? Or will Vokai be forced to draw rocks? You can only know if you read the rest of this recap, coming up now!

COME ON IN, GUYS!

Todd: Can I start by saying that this is a really good episode? It’s a really good episode, probably the best of what has been a pretty good season so far, and has the potential to be a great one before all is said and done. A lot of that has to do with the cast (and the editing, which I feel like we have been giving a lot of love to this season), but it is still worth saying up top.

Mary: The editing deserves all the praise we can give it! And yes, I agree this is a great episode--they all have been so far, more or less. It’s a really good season! 

Todd: Okay, we return to the Nu Lairo beach and Dean is just standing on the beach by himself. The rest of the tribe is basically saying that Dean should go next, which makes sense, but then Noura realizes (or remembers?) that she doesn’t really like Jamal and Jack, and so she goes to talk to Dean, basically laying out a plan to get Jamal out next. If almost any player besides Noura had presented this idea to Dean, he might have gone for it but because it is Noura, he immediately runs to tell Jamal, and they both spend way too much time talking about how “crazy” Noura is. Is Noura seemingly unstable, based on what we have seen so far? Yes. Does that mean that her ideas are automatically bad? No, it does not. And tying yourself to a person that nobody else in the game would vote for in the end is not the bad idea that Dean makes it out to be here. Still, Jamal is ready to vote out Noura now, and Dean seems like he is in a better position.

Mary: I’m ready for Jamal to vote out Noura.

Todd: Hah. Well, what do you make of Noura’s move here? Did she approach Dean too soon? What should she try to do, moving forward?

Mary: I think Noura isn’t planning anything. Rob said, when she went to Island of the Idols, that she was too impulsive, and I agree. This week’s episode had me thinking a lot about Noura’s impulsiveness, or what it means to be impulsive versus what it means to take risks. This week we see Elaine go to Island of the Idols and perform very similarly to Noura; she immediately accepts Rob’s challenge before she’s heard what it is, and when he questions her on that she says something along the lines of, well, I’m here to play and have an experience. When Noura reacted similarly, Rob interpreted that as her not thinking things through. I’m not sure I entirely know what the difference is between Elaine and Noura’s decision making processes, but I do agree with Rob. It seems like Elaine is willing to jump in and do things, but she also thinks things through. Even when making quick decisions, she seems calm. Noura, on the other hand, stutters through her “mission” to her tribe, lies really unconvincingly, and has permanent crazy eyes (sorry, Noura fans). Did you think about the comparison between Elaine and Noura at all?

Todd: Those are all really good points. I think Boston Rob recognizes the impulsive nature of Elaine, saying that being impulsive is a “double-edged sword.” I think a couple things work against Noura and work for Elaine here, the first of those being the almighty edit. It seems pretty clear that the producers saw that they could give Noura a Philip Shepard-esque edit, making her seem crazier and more annoying than she probably is. 

Mary: That’s true. You’re kind of doomed once you get a Philip Shepard/Coach edit.

Todd: Truly. Just ask Angelina from David vs. Goliath.

I also think that Noura’s demeanor is the exact opposite of Elaine’s. Noura wants everyone to like her and wants to be a part of the larger group, while Elaine is happy to just be herself and if people like her, then that’s great, and if not, well she’s fine with that too. So while Noura’s impulsiveness comes off negatively, like she is trying to fit in, Elaine’s ends up feeling more positive because people just inherently like Elaine more. Sandra even compliments Elaine, saying that she’s “balls-to-the-walls.” Indeed, Sandra.

Mary: That’s true. Elaine is more low-key, more comfortable in her own skin, I think. Noura is definitely a people-pleaser, but also weirdly insistent that she’s AN ENTREPRENEUR who MADE IT FOR HERSELF. They both have a big energy, but one of them is annoying.

I talk big about how much I dislike Noura, but I’m sure she’d be fine if I met her in person. But Survivor isn’t really about who people are in their real lives, is it?

Todd: It is and isn’t, I think, in that, like most things, Survivor doesn’t change who you are so much as reveal who you are. At Vokai, Elizabeth is scared by a tarantula, and Tommy and Lauren (playfully?) mock Dan and Jason when Dan helps Jason fix his buff, comparing them to a dad and a son getting ready for prom, but in a way that, honestly, felt kind of mean as I was watching it. The old Lairo members, except for Elaine, basically admit that they will flip as soon as possible, and they are willing to offer Elaine up to Vokai if it means they can stay for a few more days.

However, the most revealing moment occurs at Lairo.

Mary: Yes! We have to talk about this. TAKE US AWAY! 

Todd: Okay. Jamal and Jack, formerly the King and the Jack of Lairo, are hanging out by the fire, cooking some rice, when Jack asks Jamal to use his “durag” to pick up the pot. This upsets Jamal, who immediately lets Jack know that this has upset him. Importantly, this occurs after a montage of Jack talking about how wise Jamal is, and showing us Jamal teaching Kellee a West African dance that he learned while he was in college studying West African culture. Jack is embarrassed about what he says and tries to apologize to Jamal, but Jamal calmly lets him know that he has upset him, and it is going to take some time for him to process everything.

Like many reality shows, Survivor initially billed itself as a social experiment, throwing people from all walks of life and regions of America together to see if they could form a new society (a new society that also depends upon the life essence of one person being sacrificed every 3 days, apparently, but still a new society). While that aspect of the game has decreased over time, there are still moments like in Survivor: Ghost Island where Donathan, a young man from Kentucky, seems happy to meet people that he would never meet in his hometown, especially people like Laurel, a black woman who becomes one of Donathan’s closest allies in the game. It seems like a similar thing has happened here with Jack and Jamal.

Mary: There are several things about this interaction and the editing around it that I think we should pay attention to--things that wouldn’t have happened even a couple of seasons ago. I’m wondering if Survivor producers are nervous after Julia’s blog post following last season, and want to represent race in a better (or more conscious) light.

Jamal immediately takes a moment and repeats, “huh, ‘durag’” to himself a couple of times. He then tells Jack why what he said was offensive, and they have a true heart to heart conversation on the beach later. Jack does seem to listen to Jamal, and tells him that he understands that he needs to be more conscious of how his words affect others. In previous seasons of Survivor, there have been arguments about race, but I’m not sure that I’ve seen a conversation where someone actually learned something. This wasn’t Jamal pointing a finger and calling Jack racist; it was Jamal sitting Jack down and explaining the situation. Jamal had every right to be angry, and it’s not his responsibility to educate Jack, but I think the way he handled the situation was excellent. This is something that Survivor viewers benefit from seeing as well. 

Todd: Exactly! Also, the way that Jamal breaks down the different pillars of identity and talks about how different people have privilege in the different pillars was great, and is something that anyone could use to help explain loaded terms like “white privilege” to family members or friends who may be skeptical of such ideas. This scene really shows a whole lot of grace on Jamal’s part and a willingness to learn on Jack’s that is essential when talking about such things. This is basically the exact inverse of Phillip Sheppard calling Steve a racist in Redemption Island, in that Jamal and Jack really heard each other and it did not just devolve into shouting.

Of course, part of that is probably because Jamal and Jack were already allies and so have a vested interest in not alienating the other person.

Mary: I also don’t think we can count out the role editing and producing plays in this. The producers could have very well encouraged in-tribe arguments in previous seasons (Lord knows they do it on The Bachelor all the time), or the editors might have chosen to leave in only the most heated bits. There’s no way for us to really know what happens on the island all the time, BUT I think choosing to leave in this conversation and framing it in the way it’s framed is excellent, and part of what made this such a good episode for me. It felt like progress on a show that can sometimes show people at their worst, or be a little regressive. 

Todd: Yes, and I think we should all show some love to Julia Carter, whose aforementioned blog post on this subject probably moved the needle on showing scenes like this. As fun as it is to watch people scheming and conniving, it is just as important for the health and longevity of a show like Survivor to be able to show some human moments between its contestants, and this one was really well handled on every side.

Mary: Moving on, there’s a reward challenge for chickens (which I always hate). Why do they keep giving tribes chickens?! It NEVER ENDS WELL FOR ANYONE--not the chickens, not the people eating the chickens. I want to note that throughout this entire sequence, I was worried about Jeff. He seems really tired this season. I truly worry he is getting ready to retire. His face doesn’t move as much as it once did.

Todd: That’s true. The most important thing that happens during this challenge is that Elaine is asked to sit out for Vokai, and is then sent to the Island of the Idols! 

One thing we did not mention before is that on the Island of the Idols, Rob and Sandra (but probably mostly Rob) are building a two-story shelter, which seems like a lot of work but also seems like a good way to keep yourself sane while you are on an island with one other person. 

Also, Rob and Sandra tell Elaine that her test is about Courage and that it has already started, and then they uncork a bottle filled with sand and tip it over, telling Elaine that she has to decide what to do before the bottle runs out of sand. She immediately says yes, before Rob can even tell her what the challenge is. Elaine has to grab an advantage in the middle of a challenge. If she grabs it, she can Block another person’s vote, but if she can’t get it, then she loses her vote. With Vokai at a 4-4 split between old Lairo and old Vokai, this could make or break Elaine’s game, literally, especially since Missy and Aaron seem ready to flip on Elaine.

Mary: I love that Rob and Sandra are just CHILLING on the island, hanging out and having fun building things. I think they wanted to come back to have a little vacation.

The voting this week stressed me out so much, because everyone seemed ready to vote for Elaine. Why do you think Elaine was the first to be offered up? She seems pretty competitive--was that threatening? It definitely doesn’t seem like a Karishma situation. Elaine holds her own! 

Todd: For sure! I think Elaine has the opposite problem of Karishma (and apparently this is the week I just say everyone is the opposite of Elaine), where everyone finds her very likeable and thus sees her as a threat. My main guess is that Aaron has always wanted Elaine out, and probably has convinced Missy that she is worth getting out before Elizabeth. As to why Missy wants Aaron over Elaine, I could not tell you. 

The challenge itself is also pretty stressful, as Elaine is able to grab the advantage but then fumbles trying to hide it in her shorts. It falls out on her first attempt, but she is then able to grab it again and hide it before anyone on her tribe notices. Then we have a down-to-the-wire challenge between Aaron and Jamal/Dean, where Lairo, led presumably by Dean’s 1A Basketball skills, is able to pull out their 2nd win of the season, sending Vokai to tribal council.

Mary: I’m glad Dean got to redeem himself and his basketball skills. 

Perhaps the wildest part of the episode to me is how Elaine handled her advantage. First, she tells all of Old Lairo about the advantage because, presumably, they’ll want to vote together and get one of the Old Vokai members out without going to rocks (sidenote: people always say they’re willing to go to rocks, but how often do they end up doing that?). The two factions go back and forth about how they want to vote, with Aaron telling Old Vokai (and specifically Jason) that he wants to work with them. 

This is where I have to mandatorily say, I dislike Aaron and how he’s playing. He seems to think he’s way craftier than he is, and he also seems confident that he’s “running things,” but is he?! I have my fingers crossed that he gets hoisted by his own petard.

Todd: I am waiting patiently for that day, but it seems likely he will at least make it to the merge and possibly become the villain that he is destined to be? 

Also, when it comes to actually drawing rocks, it has not happened very often. There have been many tie votes and re-votes but only 3 times in Survivor’s 39-season(!) history have contestants drawn rocks. That is...not very often. And honestly, it is a little egregious for contestants to claim they are willing to draw rocks when it has happened so rarely.

Mary: At tribal, after Aaron boasts that it’s going to be “live,” Jeff begins asking his 100 questions about who will be voted out. This is where things get even stranger. Elaine announces to the entire group that she has an advantage and wants to block Jason’s vote. Rob very astutely comments (from his secret box), “Just because you’re the target doesn’t mean you’re the mark.” This is such a smart move on Elaine’s part. She says she wants to block Jason’s vote because then, if Aaron decides to flip, everyone will know he did. Even if Elaine did get voted out, Aaron would likely be in danger after everyone found out how crafty he was. 

Todd: Jeff also goes down the line and asks each member of old Vokai what they would say if they are voted out tonight, which made me think that Elaine was certainly going to go home! It was a wild tribal and I do think that ultimately it was smart of Elaine to let everyone know that she had the Block a Vote advantage, for the reason you state above, Mary.

Also, it should be said that Lauren starts crying during the tribal council in a way that was really off-putting to me. Like, I understand becoming emotional, but it basically happens because she knows that she now has no power in the game, whereas previously her tribe had been running the table. As Elaine might say, suck it up, buttercup!

Mary: Yes. It was off-putting to me, too, but not because she was crying. It seemed fake, or a little exaggerated. I don’t think she was really crying, which made it seem manipulative, like a last ditch effort to get someone to vote her way. 

After so much walking around and whispering--the live tribal Aaron wanted!--Jason gets voted off the island. 

Todd: Truly, so much whispering, for so little reason. I thought Aaron might flip onto Elaine but he holds firm and Tommy glares at him with the heat of a thousand angry redheads. Please vote out Tommy next! 

Mary: Yes, I would love for Tommy to get voted out! This week, my favorite to win is...still Kellee! We didn’t see much of Lairo this week (which is good, in a way--Vokai needed some screen time), so Kellee is still the favorite in my books. Can my least favorite be Aaron even though he’s not on my tribe? I really dislike him and how he played this week.

Todd: That’s not how this works, Mary! 

Mary: Ok, Noura.

Todd: Fair. My favorite for this week is...Elaine! Look, if she hadn’t gotten the advantage, we would almost certainly be talking about how she went home too soon this week, but she did get the advantage and she used it to persuade her formerly pretty wobbly alliance that they should stick together. Will this alliance hold on? Maybe, maybe not, but for this week Elaine gets my favorite position.

My least favorite is Lauren, who I had previously thought seemed like a pretty canny player, but now seems like she was just coasting by on Vokai’s winning streak. Lauren could still bounce back, but things are not looking up for her this week

THE MERGE

Mary: Elaine and Elizabeth finally share the moment I’ve been waiting for this entire season. They tell each other what really happened on the Island of the Idols! 

Todd: Yes! I loved that Elizabeth asked, “Who did you meet?” Imagine the producers flying in other giant statue heads each week! Like, this week it’s Coach and Parvati! Truly would be wild.

Mary: Truly, is Jeff okay? So much hosting pressure has been taken off him this season (with Rob and Sandra taking up mentoring duties). As your dad pointed out, he doesn’t even say “Come on in, guys” before every challenge now. He’s tired. Do you think that Jeff and Chris Harrison ever get together and hang out? 

Todd: I like to imagine they do. They probably have the same plastic surgeon, right?

Also, added to the list of dumb things people have said this season that I love, Jason, upon being told by Aaron that he is willing to vote for Elaine, says “It’s all good in the hood here.”

Mary: I cringed so hard when he said that. So hard. 

Todd: Last thing, Vokai kills a chicken before tribal and Tommy was very freaked out by it, and that is the moment I most related with Tommy.

Mary: I would also be freaking out! 

Thanks for joining us this week, and stay tuned for more drama next week on 

ISLAND

OF

THE

IDOLSSSSS!