Survivor 48's Tribe Swap Set The Stage For Another Juicy Blindside
There are three words Survivor fans just love to hear: Drop. Your. Buffs.
In Wednesday's episode, a much-needed tribe swap turned the game upside down, giving the old Vula players an actual chance in this game. After the switcheroo, Sai and Cedrek found themselves on Civa, joining Chrissy, Bianca and Mitch, while Mary linked up with Eva, Star, Charity and David. The swap turned out great for the (only) three players who were amped for it, and for the first time in Survivor 48, Cedrek, Sai and Mary basked in the sweet, sweet glory of immunity. Unfortunately for the new Vula tribe — Thomas, Shauhin, Joe, Kyle and Kamilla — they were heading straight to Tribal Council. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.
Kyle and Kamilla, two former Civas, did a bang-up job keeping their true connection a secret from their new tribemates, a ploy that the former Lagi members bought wholeheartedly. Not only that, but heading into Tribal, they were armed with Kyle's immunity idol and Kamilla's extra vote, which set the stage for fireworks, shocked faces and another jaw-dropping blindside.
During the first few moments in front of Jeff, Kamilla played up the fact that if one of them had to go, she wanted it to be Kyle. It was all a ruse... and Thomas, Shauhin and Joe were none the wiser. They looked and spoke as if they were sitting pretty, but it wasn't the walk in the park the three guys expected. When Jeff asked for idols or advantages, Kyle naturally played his idol for himself. (Of course he says, "I saw Season 46," and we all know what that means — no one wants to go out with an idol sitting in their pocket this season.)
As Jeff read the votes, Kamilla was already cracking a smile. The only two votes that counted were the only two that mattered: Thomas and his Steal-a-Vote advantage were ejected from the game thanks to Kyle and Kamilla's Oscar-worthy acting skills. And Joe and Shauhin couldn't have looked more devastated.
OTHER JUNGLE TAKES:
* A couple notes to future Survivor players, from a guy who's admittedly quarterbacking from his couch: Hide or bury your advantages! Forty-eight seasons deep, digging through someone's bag isn't the moral conundrum it once was. It's fair gameplay! Par for the course. So if you find some extra goodies in the jungle, don't put it in your bag and leave your bag unattended... KYLE!
And while we're at it: If you're going to try to one-up your tribemates by rifling through their belongings, might I suggest that you... RIFLE THROUGH their belongings? If Shauhin and Thomas had found Kyle's idol, a plethora of other scenarios could've played out, and more than likely, Thomas would've survived the night. I don't have any problem whatsoever with people searching others' bags! No, sir. But man, that must sting for Thomas, now knowing in hindsight that the idol was nestled safely inside Kyle's shoe, which was... right inside his bag.
* Did Cedrek make the right choice by kicking his island ally Justin to the curb? Last week felt like a true Sophie's choice moment for my guy Ced, but this week, hell hath frozen over! Sai and Mary are bonding?! Connecting? Bidding allegiance to one another! Sai even went so far to say, "Up until this point, me and Mary, we had been worried about what the boys were going to do, but now Cedrek has to worry about what the girls are gonna do." Post-swap, she even admitted and hoped that she'd be separated from Pops. Poor guy! Well, I guess any father/daughter relationship is bound to have some bumps in the road, but will Ced live to regret keeping her?
Check out our interview with Thomas here, then tell us: Were you surprised Kyle and Kamilla were able to pull off their big move? Go full tilt boogie in the comments below!