Survivor 49's Disadvantage Twist Was Pure Cinema, No Cap
"Annie, are you OK? So, Annie, are you OK? Are you OK, Annie?"
Kimberly "Annie" Davis thought she was a "Smooth Criminal," alright. The rock frontwoman with the pink 'do thought she was wheeling and dealing on the Kele tribe. Thought she was the big kahuna in her little slice of Fiji. She thought wrong! Annie set her sights on Jake, and sure, a lot can be said of big and beefy castaways like Jake. He's a classic Survivor archetype, but surely one that could be played to Annie's advantage. (Or not.) Keep the brawny dudes around to help you win early challenges (which, to be fair, wasn't happening), and after the merge, everyone will fixate on said dude's monstrous biceps instead of your rainbow colored hair. So what's the downside to a guy like Jake, and why is Annie so dead-set on making him walk the plank?
Those questions will remain for tomorrow when I talk to Annie one-on-one, because it was she who was unanimously voted out of Survivor 49 in Wednesday's episode. While I'm still scratching my head over some (OK, many) of her statements and incorrect reads in Episode 2, let's go over what went down in the episode including the season's very first journey... which came with a twist!
After all of the aforementioned Annie drama, Alex might be starting to rethink that Day 1 alliance he made with the pink-haired rocker. What a perfect opportunity for the island's shoe bandit to strike again! So after hearing that Annie is plotting his demise, Jake does what anyone else would do in retaliation: He hides her shoe? I'm all for a good ol' prank, I just wish this was... funnier?
At Uli, the vibes are vibing. And even though Nate doesn't speak Gen-Z, he's working on shifting his vibes to match the younger vibes of the tribe. I mean, life at Uli is pure cinema. Like, so fire, you guys! Maybe some of that rizz will rub off on Nate after all, once he connects with Rizo, who also wants to work with Savannah and Shannon — positive vibes, cinematic energies and all. But while that foursome seems to be solidifying, Jawan searching for idols is raising everyone's eyebrows, particularly Savannah who (checks notes) hates bugs. (Uhh, wrong show to apply for, maybe?) Jawan irks Savannah even further when he accidentally grabs her bag and puts a bunch of sticks in it. I guess Savannah won't be eating bugs or worms anytime soon, so it's probably a good thing she wasn't placed on the Hina tribe. Regardless, Jawan better work on his drip if he wants to fit in at Uli — no cap! (I'll stop now, but you can read what Probst had to say about Nate's quest to fit in here.)
JOURNEY | Matt, Jawan and Jake are the chosen three to head out for a special boat ride and challenge. The goal: Fill the other two players' buckets with coconuts so that their nets drop to the ground. The losers will go back to their camps, votes intact, while the winner wins a little something-something. (A tip I learned out on location? The greener the coconut, the heavier it is.) Jawan wins the coconut toss and has to make a choice. He can either help himself or help his tribe. To help himself, he can steal one of the losing players' votes, thereby securing himself an extra, or to help his tribe, he can give one of the other tribes a disadvantage at the next immunity challenge. When he gets back to Uli, he tells his tribe about his decision, revealing that he chose... the disadvantage. He says he loves his team and wants to be viewed as a team player. If only he knew how many people are gunning for him!
BEWARE ADVANTAGE | At Kele, Alex finds a Beware Advantage on the ground next to a rock. OK, so wait. We're just... putting them on the ground, then? Out in the open. Right at players' feet? I get that the Survivor Gods want the goods to be found, but c'mon!
Like in past seasons, Alex loses his vote until he finds the idol, but he won't get the clue to start his search until his tribe loses its first immunity challenge. More on that sooner rather than later.
IMMUNITY IS BACK UP FOR GRABS | Before the challenge kicks off, Jeff asks Jawan for the disadvantage. But first: An explanation. Whichever team Jawan selects must run the challenge with 20 pounds of coconuts on their backs. And that's not all! Instead of one key to open their locked rope gate, they must sort through 10 keys to find the correct one — a setback that could potentially waste valuable time. Jawan hits Hina with the disadvantage. Then, for some reason, Jake says he's going to "explode," and I really, truly hope that doesn't happen. Gross, man!
The challenge's elevated rope crawl does not look easy for Hina, especially with the added weight. Kele takes a fast and commanding lead, getting to the puzzle before either of the other tribes can make it through their rope gate and up the wall. But Team Blue ultimately squanders their lead, completely botching the puzzle as the other two tribes smoke theirs. With that, Kele is heading back to Tribal Council — and it's pretty dang obvious who's getting the boot.
STRATEGY SESH | Annie is sad to admit it, but if you ask her, Sophi was the weakest one in the challenge. Jake, however, tells us there's no way he's voting Sophi out. Tonight is Annie's funeral, he says. But can we talk about Jeremiah's maniacal laugh for a sec? That evil genius says he's voting Annie, so he lets loose a Disney villain-style cackle for the record books! Fantastic.
While J revels in Annie's demise, Alex, Jake and Sophi dig up the instructions to find the idol. They then have to lug around a heavy ball and chain (literally) while they search for a small box hidden in the jungle. Sophi finds the box, but doesn't want to tell the guys. She wants to circle back later and keep the idol for herself. Jeremiah stumbles upon them, so now he's in on it, too. Alex eventually finds the box, foiling Sophi's grand plan, but as they celebrate the find, Jeremiah mentions that he's always the last to be filled in on things — and he doesn't trust his supposed alliance. Though this doesn't come into play on this particular vote, could this bite someone in the butt down the road?
THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN | It makes for an interesting start to Tribal Council when no one can string together a full sentence. Sophi and Jeremiah can barely speak or remember Jeff's questions, putting into perspective for us viewers how depleted this tribe is after just five days and a gajillion losses. Annie says that trust doesn't exist in this game, but Sophi dissents. Even though she feels like she's in the majority, everyone acknowledges that it's "trust" — in quotes. For Annie, trusting her gut is the only trust she can count on. Finally, something she's right about. Alex doesn't play his idol and when the votes are read, Annie becomes the second person voted out of Survivor 49. (Read our Q&A with Annie here.)
Most obvious Tribal Council ever? What did you think about Episode 2? Go full tilt boogie in the comments below!