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Heading to the seventh episode survivor 51The Helicopter Alliance just lost a member after Devin Way and Jelly Loblack decided to band together to oust close friend Ori Jean-Charles. With only two tribe members, Devin and Jelly aren’t sure they can win on their own in Jeff Probst’s “open era,” so they can only hope that another tribal immunity challenge isn’t in store.
Tonight, their wish will be granted as the three tribes merge into one tribe of 13 players. Chaos ensues as tribal alliances begin to intertwine and secret plans are leaked as quickly as they are told.
Read on for a recap of all the big moments from Episode 7. survivor 51Titled “The Girl at the Prom,” it aired on CBS on November 4 at 8 PM PT. Then see what Jeff had to say about the decision to bring back the grub for the merge feast and why your “survival instinct” kicks in at Tribal Council.
The 13 players remaining in the game at the start of the episode are Angelica “Jelly” Loblack, Brady Booker, Carter Krull, Cristian Chavez, Danny Kilby, Devin Way, Eric Macksoud, Kristin Flickinger, Lewis Kelly, Maggie Nestor, Mike Pinsky, Sharonda Cox, and Thien An Nguyen.
absorption
It’s day 13 of the game when Jeff promises a traditional merge and gives players a new buff. But instead of allowing all 13 players to enjoy their first meal in two weeks, he offered the feast to the first 10 who could swallow both grubs. With the threat of three players missing their celebratory feast, most players slug it out to town as fast as they can, but Kristin and Cristian decide to bail instead. At the end of the mini-challenge, Sharonda struggles one last time to take them down, missing her chance at an actual lunch. In order to leave no trace of food, Brady asks Jeff if he has any leftovers and happily removes a few more grubs.
While everyone else eats more traditional fare from the feast, Kristin, Cristian and Sharonda make the most of the afternoon by laying the groundwork for a solid strategy of working together as a creative Savu. Kristin makes the calculated decision to be open and honest with Sharonda about the dynamics of the Tethered Idol by letting her know that once Sharonda is eliminated, Kristin becomes an idol she can play herself. In order to strengthen her partnership based on her loyalty with Sharonda, Kristin hands the idol over to Sharonda so that it is in her control and proves that Kristin will not come for her.
immunity challenge
In the first Individual Immunity Challenge, players must balance a statue on a narrow pole while using the pole to balance a statue on an uneven resting area. Nine players can reach the third and hardest stage of the challenge, but the final three are Mike, Kristin and Lewis. Kristin falls next and Mike outlasts Lewis to claim the first individual immunity idol in the Open Era.
tribal council
Already on the hot seat with his former Toka tribe, Mike’s win put him in the safe position he really needed. Looking to leverage his relationship with Kristin and the original Savu, Mike suggests that Kilby and Brady are the Toka leaders they should target. Sharonda and Eric are initially interested in voting for Kilby because of the way they burned the Kilby vote during the Linnea vote, but when Eric brings his name up to Brady, Brady begins to see Eric as a “red flag” player on his way out.
Instead of going along with Brady’s anti-Eric plan, Maggie mixes up Kristin’s name, believing her to possess the powers of Exile Island and viewing her as a major social threat overall. At this point, Brady still thinks Mike is on his side, but Mike’s connection with Jelly puts Mike in a middle position with her and Devin, who can decide whether to vote with the Savu or Toka bloc.
Fans were really left in the mud when Mike went to Kristin and warned her that Toka’s vote for Eric was a cover and that she should be worried. But Christine gets a poor delivery as a threatening dictator and goes to Brady to throw Mike under the bus. Brady’s distrust of Mike is rekindled and he has to push the Toka block back into voting for Eric instead of Kristin.
Despite a ton of secrets being leaked around camp and a very lively tribal council, no player chooses to take advantage during the vote. In a 9-4 majority vote that included his colleague Maggie (she was warned by Devin), Brady was voted out and became the first juror.
Jeff’s field notes
Given the production team’s extensive preseason planning, Jeff revealed in his field notes this week that there were two things they knew early on they wanted. It was a traditional merge feast with a grub twist from Season 1. The crew was rewarded for their decision when Brady and Eric showed excitement in wanting to eat grub “just for the experience.” “Eric connected that experience with the family connection of city hall,” Jeff said. survivor together. It’s another small moment in a long season, but a great example of two players taking risks on their own terms. i like it.”
Jeff goes on to explain that, like the food rewards provided to players, the grub is kept healthy and delivered fresh. “We have very good suppliers and I would like to tell you that from the moment we receive the grub, our team is looked after to ensure it stays healthy.” He added that for rewards like the Merge Feast, the reason players are guaranteed to receive food that is “fresh and hot when appropriate” is because “beyond trust, food is the most important thing in the game and if you get it, you deserve to be satisfied.”
As a witness to “every tribe that has ever happened,” Jeff believes that a living tribe is “what happens when the survival instinct takes over.” He told players, “If you’re sitting on the stumps and your gut is telling you something’s not right, you better listen… This is your last chance to do something, because if you ignore that feeling and get voted out, you can’t recover. And when you add that extra layer of being the first vote as a merged tribe, it’s pretty intense.”