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Another twist stormed the beaches of Fiji in Wednesday “Survivor,” as Emily unleashed a devilish plan, Devens and Ozzy played idol chicken, and Cirie desperately tried to control a vote at a Tribal Council she wasn’t even attending!
The big shocker this time? Two separate Tribal Councils with just five players each. And as the winner of the immunity challenge, Jonathan not only is granted safety, but the power to attend and vote at both Tribals! After a random draw, the groupings are: Rizo, Devens, Emily, and Cirie on one side, and Aubry, Ozzy, Joe, and Rizo on the other. Another cute little wrinkle: Jonathan could walk back and forth to both groups, and cross the streams with his strategizing, which led to some interesting developments and dynamics.
Before we dive into that strategy cluster[expletive], I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tiffany’s glorious second-in-a-row immunity win. Wait. What’s that? The show’s five judges and standards and practices rep are throwing a flag on the play? Is this a football game?
l love that they kept this bit in the episode. It shows just how much the show cares about keeping things fair and honest. Unfortunately for Tiff, that flag is a big one. When Jeff had called for the players to balance on their floating contraption on one foot, the judges clocked that she didn’t raise her leg fast enough. So when others were struggling and falling into the water, she still had two feet firmly planted on the plank. When Jeff reveals this news to the castaways, he even asks Tiff if she’s good, addint a “Do you trust me?” for good measure. She says “yes” — and the camera footage backs up the call — but it still must’ve been a tough pill to swallow after celebrating a victory. Bummer.
The win then goes to the person who falls into the water last. And that’s how Jonathan steps into the biggest power position of the episode.
Emily gets to work
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Overall, props to all nine of the remaining players. Watching the strategy go down in Episode 11 is a hoot and a half to watch, and if we didn’t know it before (we did), it’s crystal clear now: This group came to play.
Let’s start with Cirie’s group. A major concern all around is how many idols are left in the game, and Cirie herself knows all about leaving too many advantages in the game until the very end. (Look no further than her fate in “Game Changers” where she was eliminated solely based on not having any goodies to protect her.) Her and Jonathan’s No. 1 target: Devens. But Emily’s no dummy. She guesses that Cirie, Jonathan, and Tiffany will likely group together and vote her out, while Devens plays his idol on himself. But she knows she’s gotta try something. So she gets to work on Tiffany and Cirie, telling them that she can convince Rick to play his idol on her. Then, they can load their votes on Rick and he’ll be gone. Devens’ love for flashy plays helps sell her case. She even talks to Jonathan about it, and he laps up her plan like a thirsty puppy.
But it’s all a bluff! Emily fills Devens in on her real plan and it’s… kinda genius? If she can get everyone else to vote for Devens and he plays his idol on himself, then their two votes will determine who goes home. Their target: Cirie! According to Devens, she bailed on the Cila 4, so he’s fine to see her walk. “Let’s be stupid and have some fun!” Rick says. But will their risky gambit work?
All eyes on Ozzy
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As for the other half of the group? Ozzy, Rizo, and Joe are thinking their side of things is easy-peasy. The vote’s on Aubry, right? Well, nothing is ever that easy on “Survivor”! The madness starts when Ozzy decides to do a bit of jury management… with Aubry. Who is very much STILL in the game. He tells her about his close connection with Cirie. He tells her he gave Cirie an extra vote. He tells Aubry his entire game plan. So what does a shrewd, veteran player of this game do? She spills eeeverything. Everyone — and I mean everyone! — gets a cup of piping hot tea, brewed by Ozzy, yet served with vigor by Aubry.
This is all pretty wild, isn’t it? Ozzy’s not only a big target, but he’s also an idol-holder. Did he not think that Aubry was going to spill the beans as soon as humanly possible and use that hot goss to her advantage? Even Rizo, who’s aligned with Ozzy, can’t believe what Ozzy does here. And without Cirie around to protect him, did Ozzy just place a target on… himself?
Jonathan relays some of this to Cirie, who panics a bit. She won’t be at Tribal Council with Ozzy to play his game for him tell him to play his idol. But in order to get Oz out of the game, Aubry and Jonathan need to work together, despite the fact that they don’t trust each other one iota. And they need to sell Joe on the whole ordeal. Loyal, “stick to his guns” Joe. (Sigh.) Joe wants to bring Rizo in, which is music to Cirie’s ears. She convinces Jonathan to get Joe to loop Rizo in (did you follow that?), hoping that Rizo will then tip off Ozzy. But will he?
The tribes have spoken
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At the first Tribal Council, Emily speaks about feeling dreadful. It’s the same day she went out in “Survivor 45,” and she was disappointed that she lacked agency back then. “But today was a day of fighting. That means not waiting for other people to come to me with solutions, but to try to come to a solution myself. I genuinely believe to my core I have done everything that I can do tonight,” she tells Jeff. I’m happy to hear her say it, because at the end of the vote, Devens does, indeed, play his idol on himself. But after a tied vote and a subsequent revote, Emily is voted out of the game and becomes the sixth member of the jury.
At Tribal No. 2, it all comes down to Ozzy. Is he going to play his idol? Did Rizo tip him off? There’s discussion of Ozzy and Aubry both growing from their past games. Then Jonathan gives Oz some kudos, saying how in his first audition tape, he talked about wanting to play like the original Jungle Boy. But when Jeff calls for idols just minutes later, Ozzy doesn’t listen to his gut, nor does he take notes from a dream he had the night before. History repeats itself and just like in “Survivor: Micronesia,” Ozzy goes home with an idol in his pocket. And the guy looks absolutely crushed.
Thoughts on the votes? Go Full Tilt Boogie in that comments section — and come back to TVLine Thursday for our exit interviews with Emily and Ozzy!