Was it not the late, great Whitney Houston who sang, “Didn’t we almost have it all?” And in “Survivor 51,” we truly almost did.
Wednesday’s episode took one giant step backwards when Jeff corralled the castaways on a new beach to announce that it was time to (say it with me now): Drop! Your! Buffs! And while I’m typically all gassed up about an ol’ switcheroo (I even spoke to “Survivor: Africa” winner Ethan Zohn about the show’s very first tribe swap), reverting the game back to a three-tribe format is… not so exciting. Making matters worse, since Rob decided to quit the game last week, the three tribes are starting out with uneven numbers: six, six, and five. Going from a Tribal Council of 11 players to one with five or six? A frustrating development to an otherwise excellent season (so far).
Alas, here’s how the swap shakes out:
* On Savu, we now have just five players: Devin, Jelly, Ori, Alexis, and Jenna — three former Tokas and two former Savus.
* On Toka is Mike, Carter, Brady, Thien An, Maggie, and Kristin — not great for Kristin, who is the sole former Savu player (though she does know Carter from Savu’s pre-mutiny days).
* The new red-buffed tribe is called Dina. Holding down the new fort (and building the new fort, because they’re starting over from scratch) is Kilby, Lewis, Sharonda, Eric, Linnea, and Christian — four former Savus and two former Tokas.
The game begins anew
From the jump, there are some interesting social developments on all three beaches. Let’s start with Dina. Eric is thrilled (which might be the understatement of the century) to finally meet Kilby and officially start the bromance he’s always dreamed of. And while the two oddballs do seem like instant homies, Eric’s Kilby connection is not only visible to his former Savus, but it’s making Sharonda particularly nervous. We only see one clip of Eric trying to placate Sharonda and convince her that he’s still with them, but we’re not privy to how much alliance acrobatics he really had to do post-swap. And in a game where having a bit of chill can go a long way, it appears that Eric’s got none. Zilch. Zip.
On the flip side, Toka’s Kristin is filled to the brim with chill, even despite having multiple broken foot bones! (Yes, “foot bones” is the technical medical term for her condition.) She knows she’s on the bottom, so she gets to work helping the tribe where she can with her impressive stockpile of jungle knowledge she’s learned in the 26 years it took her to make it on the show. Most of the tribe seems thankful to have her around, but Carter isn’t buying it. Kristin attempts to have a chat with her former tribemate and extend an olive branch, but based on his interview to camera, it seems that ship has sailed. He’s in tight with Thien An, who is in turn tight with Maggie. His game has taken a complete 180 since he last left Savu. Can’t blame him. You’ve got to keep it fluid and keep on swimming in the game of “Survivor.” Luckily for Kristin, Toka (and Dina) wins immunity, so she’s safe to slay another day.
The tribe has spoken
Forgive me, gentle readers, for burying the lead in this here recap of Episode 4 BECAUSE JELLY AND ORI ARE AT LAST REUNITED! If you were craving the return of a steamy “Survivor” showmance, well look no further. These two budding besties from the helicopter alliance can now bond over lasagna, test out pick-up lines, and search for heart-shaped shells to gift each other because they are both now officially Team Savu. But before the romance can truly blossom, the tribe needs to figure out WTF to do after a little game of Toss the Bucket sinks their chance at earning safety, and someone’s gotta go. (For real though, if a lasagna luncheon isn’t a reward at some point during “Survivor 51,” what are we even doing, Probst?!)
Ori and Alexis are the minorities, number-wise, but the chances of the tribe ejecting its biggest and beefiest male? Slim to none. Alexis knows she’s in the hot seat, and pitches a “Revenge of the Nerds” alliance to Jenna, who seems to be picking up what Alexis is putting down. But she’s working all angles, and elsewhere, Jenna tries to pave the broken roads with Devin and Jelly. Devin, if you’ll kindly recall, didn’t just vote for her in Episode 1 — he went scorched-earth on the poor woman! Dude swung for the fences and whiffed hard. I get why she’d want to at least try to fix things there. The first vote after a tribe swap is a scary one, and since the former Tokas have the numbers, why not “go for the lay-up,” as Ori once said.
But once Tribal Council hits (which, with only five players, leaves much to be desired), it’s obvious there are only two real options for the vote: Jenna or Alexis. And by a vote of 4-1, Jenna becomes the fifth person to exit Season 51.
Thoughts on Episode 4’s tribe swap? We want to hear ’em. Go full tilt boogie in the comments!