A lot can be said about new era “Survivor” sending its players on journeys. There’s too many, or they’re too chancy. Boring to watch, even. But in Wednesday’s episode, Steven went on the journey of a lifetime. No, I don’t mean his li’l excursion to Fiji to play the best reality TV game ever created. I’m referring to his feat of circumnavigating an entire rocky island, which is now one of my favorite side-quests, second only to the puzzle Rachel LaMont had to solve before it was dramatically flung into the ocean, advantage and all.
But Steven’s risk was a big one. The note the tribe received called it a “strenuous” task, and those “Survivor” gods don’t lie. (Well, except for maybe that one time.) It was a hefty task. One that saw him sweat, slip, slide, fall, stress, you name it! Not only did it look cool on TV, but it appeared dangerous, too, and I am seated for all that visual flair. No space facts were needed, as Steve-O raced back to the combination station, entered the numbers he retrieved throughout his jaunt, and swam out into the ocean to smash a jar and snag a Block-a-Vote advantage. It was thrilling to watch the guy go for broke and get the gold in a race against time and the tide. If we’re going to be stuck with these journeys for the foreseeable future, may they forever be “strenuous”!
The one aspect of this commotion that left me scratching my head: Why tell the group that he got the advantage? Lay out the task he had in front of him, sure, but why not let them speculate whether he completed it or not? Let ’em stew, I say! I don’t watch “Survivor” to watch a bunch of people tell the truth! Bring out the lies, deception, and the subsequent throat-slits! Alas, Steven reveals he has the advantage, but doesn’t tell them what it is. Dude clearly is not thinking about a potential Knowledge Is Power lurking in the jungle. It’s not what I would’ve done, but hey, I’m not Steven!
It’s-a me, Jeff Probst!
While Steven is feeling on top of the world, Sage is down in the dumps. Her No. 1 ally (Jawan) left the game, and she’s feeling hurt by Sophie With An E’s betrayal. Yellow Sophie tells us that the reason she sided with Savannah and Rizo is because Steven and Kristina always use her as an “assumption.” They assume they’ll have her vote since they all started together on the Hina tribe, but they never really bring her into their plans or share info with her. It’s a valid concern! Through a majority of this game, Sophie has seemed (at least from my comfy, cozy couch spot) to be a free agent of sorts. Flowing where the wind takes her. That’s not to say she hasn’t been strategic. She has. But the game has left her without her own number ones, floundering in the breeze in between immunity wins — and boy, have those been racking up.
Before the challenge, Blue Sophi says she know she has to turn on Rizo and Savannah eventually, it’s just a matter of when. She approaches Sage to chat about it, but Sage isn’t feeling very trusting at the moment. Sage, the emotional player that she is, only has one thing on her mind: Sweet, sweet revenge. On Yellow Sophie. It’s wild to think that her thirst for justice is so unquenched that she shuts down a “Let’s Vote Out Savannah” plan. (Man, she really must not be feeling well.) Even the two Sophs speak together about Season 49’s major Savannah problem. They need her gone yesterday, but it’s uncertain at this point whether Sage will want to get down.
The immunity challenge puts a new twist on an old classic. Stack some letters on a teeny, tiny perch and hop over some obstacles as you schlep back and forth. But as the players move up and down the course, that perch rotates, making for some very wobbly stacks. As if getting an advantage wasn’t enough, Steven also smashes this challenge, winning his second individual immunity. He also earns an Italian feast that he decides to share with Kristina and Rizo. Spa-GHETTI! Peeesto! Gaaarlic bread! Tiramisuuuu! Not only does it make me hungry, but I’m always entertained by Jeff’s ridiculous faux-Italian and borderline-sexual food diction. There’s also some stereotypical hand gestures, and even those three magical words I love so much: “Full tilt boogie!” Gotta love it.
In between bites of warm cheeeesy bread and creamy, rich tiramisuuuu, Rizo tries to place a target on someone else’s head. So who’s a common enemy that he and his might share with Steven and Kristina? Yellow Sophie. And as it turns out, pretty much everyone wants poor Sophie With An E gone, especially Savannah, who is not blind to the fact that her name’s also on the chopping block.
The Tribe Has Spoken
If you ask Kristina, she still wants to write down “Savannah.” Why? Because their personalities don’t vibe. She tells us via interview and she tells Jeff at Tribal Council, right in front of everybody. To Savannah’s credit, she’s completely unbothered by not being everyone’s cup of tea. No sweat off her back! (How “new era” of her!) But while Savannah’s all smiles, Sage can’t even look at Jawan without tearing up. That’s how hurt she is by his blindside. Sophie speaks up about feeling bad over Sage’s hurt feelings, but hellooooo, this game’s for a million smackeroos! Hopefully Sage is able to get her groove back in the season’s last couple episodes.
Steven smartly hangs on to his advantage, and no other idols or doo-dads are played. And as it turns out, Yellow Sophie really was public enemy No. 1: She votes for Savannah, but every other parchment comes through with her name on it.
Did Sophie ever stand a chance at this vote? You know what to do: Go Full Tilt Boogie in that comments section and let us know all your “Survivor 49” thoughts!