Hello! Hope you are staying safe and indoors during these strange times. Also, if you are anything like Mary and Todd, you are probably binging something. We have been catching up on Nick’s season, David vs. Goliath, and we have thoughts! What is your favorite season of Survivor to binge? Or just in general? Let us know on social media or in the comments below. In fantasy league updates, Mary is still in the lead, but Todd (and his dad! Hi, Dad!!) are tied for second. But now: onto our recap. 

MARY’S FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Mary: As the tribes swapped around, Michele and Wendell found themselves in an awkward predicament; Michele cringed at the thought of being on the same tribe as her ex-boyfriend, but Wendell seemed weirdly unperturbed. Michele got a whole confessional about how Wendell was not a good boyfriend and how she hoped things would be civil between them. Cut to Wendell, who says that yes, he and Michele “kicked it,” but not much more than that. From an outsider perspective, it seems that Michele thought she and Wendell had a meaningful relationship, while Wendell thinks they...kicked it. I desperately want more details about this relationship, but a quick search of the old internet didn’t get me much information. Did they actually have a relationship? Did Michele just think they did? It all seems strange, and even stranger that they have to out all this information on the island, on camera.

I don’t begrudge the pair for wanting to keep some things to themselves, but please! As a fan of such classic trash shows as 90 Day Fiancé and The Real Housewives, I NEED THE JUICY DETAILS! I’m curious how this will affect their play moving forward. Will Michele feel like trying to make an alliance with Wendell? Will Wendell feel okay voting Michele out? Will no one really notice? Only time will tell.

Todd: Truly! What. Is. Up. With. Wendell?? My dude, you can just admit that y’all dated! There is a lot of weird macho energy coming off of Wendell and Nick in this tribe, and I desperately hope that Parvati and Michele can flip the script on them if they go to tribal next week.

TODD’S FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Todd: On the newly formed green tribe of Yara, Boston Rob ends up with two “allies” in Ben and Adam, but as Sarah and Sophie quickly suss out, not everything is great between the three former Sele members. In fact, they all seem distrustful of each other. Before the immunity challenge, Sarah and Sophie talk to Adam and Ben and get the sense that there is no love lost between any of them. This makes them realize that they can probably split the three of them up, or, if worse comes to worst, they could use one of their two advantages to ensure that they stay in the game.

At the same time, Rob thinks, perhaps correctly, that if the three of them are given the chance to talk to either Sarah or Sophie before challenge, their threesome will in likelihood fall apart. And while I can understand why Rob thinks this--hey, it worked on his winning season!--he fails to take into account that Adam and Ben are nothing like the castaways from his tribe on Redemption Island. They are not content to let Rob control the game; they want to scheme and “really play,” as they often say. Nonetheless, they seem to go along with Rob’s plan, which leads to a pretty hilarious montage of the Yara members sitting in camp all day, talking about fried food and cookies and doing no strategizing whatsoever. From confessionals, we know that this ticked off everyone on the tribe not named Rob, and it seems pretty apparent that Rob is about to have his torch snuffed. It goes to show that sometimes it is better to have an adaptable game strategy, rather than simply relying on the same thing you always do. While I am somewhat sad to see Boston Rob finally head to the Edge, I am so glad for the 5(!!!) episodes that we got of him, episodes where he didn’t coast by but had an active role in pretty much every vote (even on the opposing tribe, where the players’ connections to him were deemed a vote-out-able offense). Goodnight, sweet Rob, and may flights of Red Sox sing thee to the Edge.

Mary: I am so sad that Rob was voted out. Really, he is one of my favorites. I wouldn’t count him out just yet, but then again, I’ve been saying that about everyone on the Edge. 

PLAYER ON THE RISE

Todd: Sophie has been quietly playing a great game all season, using Yul as her “Nerd Shield,” but even without Yul around, she is able to pull off a big move this week, along with the help of Sarah. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of all of this (besides the fact that she had to count on the votes of two people that she didn’t really get the chance to talk to) was that she found an idol and did not play it: a bold move that will hopefully serve her well in the coming weeks. Sophie seems to be well-placed in her tribe of 4, with a strong ally in Sarah and even stronger allies on the other tribes who seem to be in a good position as well. She is playing quietly while still building an impressive résumé. Good for you, Sophie!

Mary: Hear me out here. I’m going to pick Denise as my player on the rise, simply because she somehow managed to get her name out of the running for who to vote off next. Survivor is a game where things can change in an instant, and Denise is a great example of how a bad alliance (everyone was suspicious of Adam, and therefore Denise) can really bring you down. Now that she’s separated from Adam, Denise seems to be lying low and staying in the game. Sure, she’s not making big moves (Sophie really did do good this week!), but she’s hanging in there, which is all I can ask for my older women faves. 

PLAYER ON THE EDGE...OF EXTINCTION!

Todd: Tony? Yeah, it’s definitely Tony. Let’s run down how things are looking on his tribe. He is with Sandra, who would flip on anyone as long as it is not her (that strategy might as well be called “the Sandra Diaz-Twine Special” for how much she is associated with it); Kim, who he put on the outs with both of the votes earlier in this season; and Denise and Jeremy, who are tight. On top of that, everyone else has an immunity idol (or in Jeremy’s case, the stupidly named “Safety Without Power” advantage), which could lead to another Advantage-geddon and Tony’s ouster without a vote even being cast. That would be a pretty surreal way for Tony’s story this season to end (at least temporarily), but also oddly appropriate for a man whose winning season was complete with him finding idols and generally using his own “bag of tricks” to his advantage. Still, watch your back, Tony!

Mary: Oh gosh, I have to say Tony, too! He is wildly unstable and no one knows what he’s going to do next. I think he’s just as likely to get medivac-ed out as he is to get voted out. What if he builds another ladder and falls?! You’re absolutely right that he’s lacking the advantages that a lot of other players have right now, and that doesn’t look good for him. What I’m the most curious about is how Tony will act on the Edge. I think he’s probably going to annoy everyone so much. 

That’s all this week for…

SURVIVOR:

WINNERS

AT 

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

“Ya better get ready…”