We all know Survivor is about taking the measured risk, so it is only fitting to see what risk players would be willing to take now that Amber and Natalie are on the “Edge of Extinction.”
But surprisingly, the risks are few as the tribes take measured steps to readjust alliances and not over-react early in the game. While paranoia reigned, the question of the day is are you paranoid if you look in control?
Boston Rob is smart enough at the beginning of the episode to realize that getting a fire token meant that Amber had been voted from the game, and despite holding out hope it was Sandra or someone else instead that had been voted out, he soon sees that his first instinct was true when the first challenge of the day begins and Dakal appears without Amber. He keeps his cool when Jeff asks him how he feels, saying it is part of the game. Which is another reason why we love the show. He wanted to kick and scream and yell; yet the best revenge is measured and you don’t dare show your emotions. Rob knows this. Brilliant.
Back at Sele, Denise goes exploring with Ben and finds an idol that has two halves that has to be “activated” by playing both halves at once. She keeps a half and gives the other half to Adam. Of course, she first asks Adam if she should give the other half to someone else. I’m not sure if Denise is having a senior moment, but Adam sure reminds her by narrating “MY god I think that’s a TERRIBLE idea! Pavarati is one of the best players who have ever played” and isn’t trustworthy and Denise then just decides to give it to…Adam.
I’m not sure Adam is long for this game, but he has a very humorous narration style. He’d be a good reality show narrator.
And we have to give Ben credit for just being Ben. He doesn’t seem to care at all that Denise doesn’t offer to give him the half of idol even though he was with Denise when she found it. I guess he’s convinced that giving it to someone else brings a third person (and more numbers is more safety) to them? But it’s not really clear. He’s just… Ben. Not one really trusts Ben, but it’s not because Ben is shady. Ben’s just erratic. Which makes him interesting.
Meanwhile, on Dakal, Kim finds the same half idol and decides randomly that Sophie is someone she trusts and gives her the other half of the idol. This seems odd and kind of interesting until Sophie says, “Kim should be telling Tyson. I’m the last person Kim should be telling about this idol!” and implies that maybe Kim should go home soon.
Then, we barely see Sophie again which just makes Sophie seem cold. So, okay. Whatever.
I get the double-idol thing–with everyone already knowing everyone, the more we can build networks within networks of relationships the more the game can be intricately layered in ways that will make it even more difficult to prepare for and predict (for both the contestants and TV viewers). So all in all, it’s a good addition to the game.
What I’m getting very nervous about is the power of Edge of Extinction. As we head back to see the two contestants there mid-episode, we see Natalie and Amber read a long boring clue that doesn’t quite make sense and they don’t realize the first letters of the words spell out “water well” (a clue!) and after a day of stumbling around Natalie finds an advantage by checking the water well by accident.
Her advantage lets her choose a player left in the game (there are 18 of them) to exchange “Safety Without Power” for one fire token. This advantage allows a player to leave tribal council before the vote. She chooses Jeremy from Sele tribe.
The problem here (Yes, I’m repeating my real-time tweet) is now Natalie has become the most powerful person on Survivor. She was voted out first in the game and has sent Sandra an immunity idol for one fire token and sent Jeremy a safety advantage (pretty much an immunity idol token minus an ability to vote) for one token. She’s getting rich on fire tokens and significantly changing the game all because…she was voted out first? While it’s true other players will eventually be making these moves as Edge of Extinction gets more crowded, it just seems odd there’s that much power be awarded to voted out players. And I don’t like it. At all.
What I do like? Measured risks like Tony’s ladder building.
On Dakal, Tony builds a giant ladder. Apparently it’s to get breadfruit at the top of trees. (And the breadfruit are indeed 20 feet into the air at least). But I think it’s really because Tony is bored and really, really likes building things. And I wish they had a behind the scenes moment because this ladder is gargantuan. It honestly must have taken hours for five or six tribe-mates to build and piece together (but then again, what else do they do all day?)
Tony’s tribe helps and then watches in horror as the super shaky 20 foot, 150 pound ladder shakes and trembles and half-breaks as Tony climbs up gleefully, prompting the survivors to add this week’s amusing dialogue moment:
Sophie: “I don’t want to call it a ladder…It’s bamboo tied with flimsy twine.”
Tyson: “I know we signed waivers but I don’t know if there’s a ladder clause…”
Sophie: “It’s like playing with a kid…but for them it’s not make believe… “
Yul: “Do you want to be the first medical evac? How is this guy still alive? He does not give two cares…. Maybe he does believe he is a structural engineer.”
Strangely, Tony survives and now they have a few breadfruit, although everyone politely declines Tony’s offer that they can use the ladder any time they’d like. (They’d like to live after all).
And then we head to the Immunity Challenge, where Jeff proudly declares, “Everything tastes better with a Survivor spice kit” and the contestants cheer. (While true, they are probably thinking “I’d rather pizza and beer,” but spices are a close second. Or eighteenth. Or something like that. Of course, it’s for tribal immunity as well, so we’re in for a long, drawn-out scrimmage.
In a game involving assembling and disassembling and moving big chests with a puzzle at the end, Sele (particularly Rob) was terrible at assembling a dragon puzzle and is another player is headed towards extinction.
Danni gets nervous that the “old schoolers” aren’t talking to her enough and decides that Parvati is a threat and that’s unacceptable to Rob, who tells us “Parvati is my number one.” From there, it doesn’t look good for Danni. Ben panics a bit at tribal council and to prove the paranoia is quite high, we have another “Survivor First” of everyone opening their bags to prove they don’t have an idol (Denise manages to conceal the idol she does have under the flap of her bag). But while Adam and Jeremy ponder making a larger move and targeting Parvati or Rob, they go with the plan and Danni leaves for Edge of Extinction.
So, even the paranoia was rather measured in the end. A typical “early season” show on Survivor but with the crew of likable winners still plotting alliances and making early chess moves, it was another good week.
Survivor 40: Winners at War airs on Wednesdays at 8 pm Eastern / 7 pm Central on CBS. It can be watched online here: https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/
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