More Whatnot

Welcome to MoreWhatnot.com, my personal blog where I’ll be posting “Survivor” episode recaps all season long. For exit interviews with all of the eliminated players and the RETURN of the “Survivor” Power Rankings with Owen Knight, be sure to check out my YouTube channel!

Last Week: Matt and Jaime found idols with very little clout, Kane swung a sword while preparing for a bout, and after Tribal Council, Claire will permanently sit out.

39 26 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog

Let’s take a look at the tribes as they currently stand…

The Ratu Tribe (wearing orange)

• Brandon, 30 – Security Specialist
• Jaime, 35 – Yogi
• Lauren, 31 – Elementary School Teacher
• Kane, 25 – Law Student
• Matthew, 43 – Barbershop Owner

The Soka Tribe (wearing green)

• Danny 32 – Firefighter
• Frannie, 23 – Research Coordinator
• Heidi, 29 – Engineering Manager
• Josh, 34 – Surgical Podiatrist
• Matt, 27 – Security Software Engineer

The Tika Tribe (wearing purple)

• Carolyn, 35 – Drug Counselor
• Carson, 20 – NASA Engineering Student
• Sarah, 27 – Management Consultant
• Yam Yam, 36 – Salon Owner

Post-Tribal Wrap Up

We start off at the Soka tribe where Josh is clearly SO KAnfused. He thinks he’s close with both Team Mannie and Team Danny. Well, he’s half right.

Oh no, he’s not. Both couples are ready to boot him next.

At Tika Beach

The tribe is shocked, SHOCKED when they find a big red “X” made of sticks on the birdcage. Surely it must’ve been production, because who could possibly make an “X” out of sticks?

Nah, it was Carolyn. She hid the fake idol under a second “X.” Oh wow, Probst is so jealous he didn’t think of this first.

But wait, why the fake idol and not the key? Then what’s the point of the cage to begin with? Nevermind, this is Carolyn logic we’re talking about here.

Sure enough, Sarah finds the other red “X” and discovers the fake idol. And she buys it hook, line, and sinker.

Reward Challenge Time: Players will cross obstacles, then use a slingshot to hit targets. Each member of a tribe must hit a target. The first tribe to hit all of their targets gets a large tarp. The second team gets a smaller tarp. The winning tribe will also get to choose one player from each tribe to go on a journey.

Quick Aside: The losing tribe should receive a comically small tarp. Like a napkin.

Sitting Out: Frannie and Kane

Result: Soka takes first place easily, with Ratu taking second. Tika’s big problem seemed to be Carolyn-related.

Soka chooses Josh, Carson, and Jaime to go on the adventure.

At the Island of Excessive Advantages

The trio is quickly made to split up. They each receive an immunity idol that is good until all of the players are living on the same beach. (Note: It did not say “the merge.” You probably have to earn the merge again.) Also, the players will be going to a new tribe.

So, for those of you scoring at home, there are SIX immunity idols in the game right now.

Josh is going to Tika, Jaime is going to Soka, and Carson is now on Ratu.

At Tika Beach

Josh fills his new crew in on what happened. And he claims to be a physical trainer, which strikes Sarah as odd as he did the snake puzzle because of how steady his hands have to be in his profession.

Sarah and Yam Yam immediately pick this lie apart.

At Ratu Beach

Carson tells Ratu that he was probably the next to go and that Yam Yam is running the show over at Tika.

Matthew is bummed because he had done so much work to get Jaime on his side. He decides to share some knowledge with Carson to try to build a new bond. He tells Carson that Brandon played the idol at the first Tribal Council, and that Jaime found the idol when it was put back into circulation. 

(Wink wink.)

At Soka Beach

Jaime feels super comfortable because she has two idols. 

(Wink wink.)

Classic Soka is not thrilled because Josh was the next to go. They’re all cool with booting Jaime next as long as she doesn’t have an idol. Danny goes through her stuff and doesn’t find anything.

Immunity Challenge Time: One player at a time will dive into the water, climb a tower, and leap off to retrieve a key. From there they’ll race across a balance beam. The first two tribes to unlock and solve a manta ray puzzle will win immunity.

Sitting Out: Jaime and Matthew…aww…reunited…and it feels so good.

Results: Because Lauren couldn’t reach a key, Brandon had to go twice. Tika and Ratu were both hampered by Yam Yam and Kane’s inability to get across a balance beam. Soka easily claims first place, with Ratu taking second. 

Pre-Tribal Politicking

Josh is an early favorite to send home, while Yam Yam is very nervous that he’ll be the target if Josh plays an idol. When Carolyn asks why he thinks he’s such a big target, he tells her it’s because nobody thinks she’s a threat.

Carolyn does not love that she’s the decoy vote.

Sarah and Yam Yam try to bring Josh on board for the ruse. But, Sarah is very worried that he’s going to play an idol.

Sure enough, Josh tells Carolyn that he can play his idol for her and then they can get out Yam Yam or Sarah. 

What’s the song about idols, kids? “Don’t tell…don’t tell anyone…about your idollllllls.”

It seems like Carolyn is into this idea to get rid of Sarah. She hates that Yam Yam is telling her what to do.

Tribal Time

Yam Yam and Carolyn are getting into it, but it’s unclear how much of it is genuine. Josh isn’t quite sure what to believe.

Voting Time: No votes are shown.

JPro tallies and returns. He asks if anyone wants to play an advantage or an idol and…Josh does. He plays his idol for himself. Sarah does not play her “idol.”

We’ve got two votes for Josh, one vote for Sarah, and the fifth person eliminated from “Survivor 44” is Sarah.

Buh-bye, Inheritance Advantage.

Also buh-bye, fake idol.

Verdict: Wow, for as clueless as Josh seemed to be on Soka, he really sniffed out some trouble on Tika.

And holy advantage-ageddon. We’ve got five active idols in the game right now. Add to that the three fake idols, an extra vote, and all the remaining shots in the dark and this show has more crap in it than a Five Below.

Power Rankings Result: Owen nailed it this week, having Sarah in spot fourteen. I wasn’t too far behind with her in spot twelve. So, the current score is Team Holmes 23, Team Knight 30. Check out my YouTube channel for the full episodes!

	Carson – I feel like he played things perfectly. Sit back and wait for others to come to you.
	Matthew – The only thing keeping Matthew from getting an A is the fact that it’s probably a bad look that he’s buddying up to Carson so quickly.
	Josh – I didn’t love how clueless he was about his standing with Soka or his telling Carolyn about his idol. But, he clearly did something right this week.
	Jaime – Matthew got the best of you, but there’s no reason for him to blindside you. You seem like a good person to keep around. Carolyn – Did Carolyn turn on Yam Yam because of some deep strategy or because he hurt her feelings? That’s the magic of Carolyn. You never know…
	Yam Yam – He did a terrible job of weighing Carolyn’s feelings and her…unique perspective.
	Brandon, Lauren, Kane, Matt, Heidi, Frannie, and Danny – I can’t grade you correctly if I don’t see your work.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

Tags: survivor

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