After six episodes and six tribal councils, a man has finally been voted out of Survivor 51! There is only one problem, though. It is one of the most likable men on the cast, and the vote off itself is a very boring one. So, two problems, actually. This monumental moment for Survivor 51 is outshined by everything else that happens in the episode, while also being a reminder of why three tribe formats are so horrendous, especially in modern Survivor.
Eric + Kilby= </3
No one is more hurt by the Linnea blindside than Eric. He’s not necessarily sad that Linnea went home, I mean, who cares about her? He’s hurt that Kilby totally backstabbed him in order to save Lewis. He pulls Kilby aside and tells him that he feels genuinely hurt by his actions, to which Kilby simply says that Lewis was his friend and he didn’t want to betray him (ouch!). People had mentioned earlier how one sided this friendship felt and I definitely see it now. Kilby does not care at all that he betrayed Eric. He just sees this as all part of the game, while Eric genuinely thought him and Kilby had a special connection. Eric continues crying, even into the next day, so it seems like the bromance is on hold for now. In my opinion, this is an interesting dynamic and I hope it leads to an even worse betrayal at some point; Eric or Kilby being responsible for the other’s demise.
Everybody Hates Mike
It wouldn’t be an episode of Survivor 51 without a segment of Mike’s tribemates all crapping on him. This time though, Mike actually has something to say. He can feel the writing on the wall, his tribemates from old Toka are not vibing with him that much. He wants to jump ship and work with Kristin, the survival master of the tribe. Without any advantages, he needs to find some way to ensure her loyalty. He claims that he will vote for whoever she tells him to at the next tribal council they attend if she helps him survive a potential premerge tribal council. Although Kristin is not particularly interested in working with Mike, she does want to make sure he’s on her side, so she’s receptive to his offer. With this potential alliance, Mike feels he is either going home next or winning the whole game.
To put the cherry on top of the Mike hatred, the Toka tribe must select someone to go to a summit, where one person from each tribe will be present. Thien An is quick to suggest Kristin for the job, but Mike says that he wants to go as well. Not wanting Mike to have any chance of going on the journey, Maggie and Thien An agree that this decision should be a team vote rather than rocks. Kristin would make the most sense because of how good she is at negotiations, so they ignore Mike’s requests.
25 Years
Toka selected Kristin to go to the summit, but who did the other two tribes select? Through random draw, Savu sent Ori while Dina sent Sharonda. These three at a summit together. Interesting both in theory and in practice. Ori and Sharonda are part of the day 1 Helicopter alliance, but Sharonda also has a bond with Kristin that was briefly mentioned in the premiere. On this summit, we could not only see that relationship become relevant, but potentially see where Sharonda’s loyalty lies.
Once the three arrive at the summit, they find out what it’s all about. Two of them will return to their tribes as heroes, bringing back a plate of ribs for their tribemates. The other one will be stuck on exile island, but, they will receive a new advantage: the tethered idol. This idol is one that cannot be played for yourself, instead only being able to be used on one of the other two people at the summit. Kristin is instantly interested, thinking that having any kind of advantage could be huge, especially an advantage that could solidify bonds with two other people. Sharonda, on the other hand, does not want to stay on exile, but she can tell Kristin is interested. She needs to steer Kristin into agreeing to stay on exile and feel like it was her idea. It works, and Kristin stays on exile while Sharonda and Ori return to their camps with food.
Kristin takes the idol and goes further down the path, where she discovers another note. This note tells her that if the other two are voted out, then the tethered idol becomes a regular idol that she CAN play for herself up until the final five. This changes things for Kristin, but she’s not going to think about it too much for now. She’s focused on surviving the night on exile, but she is well-prepared. She’s been preparing for this for 25 years. She has been following and obsessing over the show since the premiere, so she’s had tons of time to practice everything. We see a beautiful montage of some of her audition tapes throughout the years, including her being told that she’s going to be on the show. It is a heartwarming montage and ends with a strong message: she’s waited a long time for this opportunity, so she’s going to experience it to it’s fullest potential.
Maggie vs. Swings
While Kristin’s gone, everyone at Toka beach are vibing. Carter has just built a swing for the entire tribe, they have a nice relaxing hammock, and things are going about as well as they can overall. Well, everyone except Maggie is having a fun time. She is frustrated. Frustrated with the fact that her tribemates are swinging around while they still have little food. So, she comes up with an excellent plan. She’s going to use the hammock as a fish net, which will be sure to catch many fish. With the help of Mike, she goes to the shore and catches… absolutely nothing. The hammock is absolutely drenched, reeks of saltwater, and is unusable. Brady is pissed. He’s already been annoyed by Maggie in the past, but this is the final straw. She’s so hard to live with and complains a lot, but her ruining the hammock is the final straw. At this point, she might have to go before Mike. Not a good look for Maggie.
The End of the Lasagna Lovers
On Day 1, Ori and Jelly immediately hit it off. They bonded over many things, including their shared love for lasagna. Unfortunately, they were put on separate tribes and we didn’t get much of them after that moment. When they were swapped on the same tribe, we got some subtle flirting moments, but still nothing substantial…
While Ori’s away at the journey, Devin and Jelly have plenty of time to bond. They’ve been through a lot on just 11 days of Survivor. They’ve been on the bottom and top of their tribes, always together. They’re Survivor soulmates, so Devin naturally asks her how she actually feels about Ori. She tells Devin that Ori’s cute, but she doesn’t love him like that. He’s going to get plenty of love from people outside of the show, but she’s too crazy for him. It seems like the lasagna lovers unfortunately won’t come to fruition.
It gets worse, Toka lose yet another immunity challenge, meaning the three helicopter alliance members must turn against each other. They are all devastated, at first, not wanting to vote each other out. Devin and Ori agree that they should all just play their shots in the dark and see what happens from there. Jelly, however, has an idol and she’s not going to go home with it under any circumstances. She tells both of them that she has an idol, so she’s not joining in on the plan. After that, Ori and Devin realize that they’re going to have to turn against each other now. It is brutal, as Ori desperately tries to convince Devin to turn on Jelly, telling him that she’ll never see it coming. However, it falls on deaf ears, Devin just being too close to Jelly at this point. At tribal council Jeff asks the long-feared question: “Ori, if this is your last day, then what’s the story?” He plays his shot in the dark as a Hail Mary, fails, and is voted out in a 2-0 vote.
Ori Jean-Charles: Football Analogist
Ori was a bright spot in the first six episodes of Survivor 51. He was always so positive every time he was on screen and despite never having watched the show, had a lot of potential. He had a ton of allies and it took a swap and losing three immunity challenges on a tribe of five to send him packing. His football analogies were a nice constant throughout the episodes, and now, we will never hear one again.
Conclusion: Onwards Toward the Merge!
Next episode is confirmed to be the merge through the sneak peak, so no more three tribes! As someone who likes to keep optimism high, I think this merge has a lot of potential. We have plenty of feuds, particularly on the Toka tribe, so it will be fun to watch those play out. Also, there is no obvious next boot! It feels like there are a lot of people who are fair game to be booted, but there is no clear answer on who is next. It should be an unpredictable episode that will hopefully not be ruined by any twist!
(As I’m finishing this review, I’m realizing that I forgot Christian was sort of relevant this episode. He seemed ready to flip to Lewis and Kilby’s side and expressed wanting to play chaotically. However, I feel it is fitting that I forgot to give him a segment, so I’ll keep his moment as a small note at the end of the review instead!)
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