RECAP: “Survivor 47” Episode 9
I’d like to start by acknowledging that “Survivor 47” has — 3/4 into the season — turned out to be a generally good season. I literally nearly quit around the mid-point because I could not stand some of the personalities (Rome), but I’m glad I stuck it out. I think we have some great players in this group, and I think the show is keeping them on their toes with some genuinely interesting twists. There is no room for complacency this season.
That was on full display in last night’s episode, which again got to the immunity challenge within 20 minutes. The majority of the episode was spent on the complicated strategizing for tribal, with at least four, possibly more, names being floated and dragged back before the vote. We got I believe our first “live” tribal this season. And we got an elimination that bummed me out, but which was completely deserved after that person fully screwed themselves after fumbling important information that was dropped right in his lap.
Read on for my spoiler-filled thoughts on Episode 9 of “Survivor 47”!
Since we’re down to just 8 players, I’m going to go over my thoughts on each player — how I feel they’re doing in the game, how they did this episode, and how likely I think they could win it.
Andy: Much to my chagrin, Andy has emerged as a critical player this season. I haven’t liked the guy from the beginning, and I don’t see that changing at this point. There is a desperation to Andy, coupled with a pettiness that he gleefully weaponizes. He said from the very first episode that he struggled to make friends in the real world. I believe that. There is a vibe to Andy that I suspect makes him very difficult to know/trust, and I think in this game, his only allies are people who are aware of that and are keeping him at arm’s length. I will give him credit for playing from the bottom better than almost any player I can think of (without relying on advantages, Ben). At this point I have resigned myself to him making it to the finale, but I would be stunned if he actually won. I don’t think anyone on that beach actually likes Andy. They may respect his game, but I would be surprised if they rewarded him with $1 million. Additionally, I think his generally terrible challenge performance — which continued this episode with plank bag ripping, leading to a brutal dismissal from Jeff — is basically karma repeatedly swatting him on the head. He’s “Survivor” Sisyphus.
Caroline: I like Caroline, I think she’s a shrewd player. But we are getting down to the end and she has yet to make really any moves. What is her pitch to the jury? “I was part of a group that called the shots?” That’s a lousy narrative. In the New Era, there’s always discussion of “Survivor” Resumes; Caroline’s is basically nonexistent. She’s too ensconced in the Gabe/Sue trio, and though she has made good bonds with Genevieve, again, she’s not doing anything on her own. She’s a +1 and I don’t see that being rewarded at the end. This episode, she lost her vote after that reverse-Jenga game, but she was one of the few players to openly question the boot plan being floated by Genevieve, which made no sense. So Caroline is smart. But she needs to start doing something, or she’s going to run out of runway. I guess the good news is that her threat level right now is zero.
Gabe: Gabe on the other hand is a threat, but personally, I don’t see it. Gabe has fancied himself a mastermind from the jump, and I’m sure that will only get worse now that he won individual immunity this episode (and celebrated it with a cringe-inducing TikTok dance — please do not make this a “thing,” show, I beg of you). Gabe does appear to be running the majority alliance, with Sue and Caroline very close, and Genevieve and Kyle also in his orbit. Sue is without question loyal to Gabe, blindly, in a way that is frankly quite stupid in the New Era. But Gabe has made himself a target. His name is very much out there right now. He has no protection, and there are other strategic players who see him as a threat. He’s loomed too large too early, and I would be surprised if he makes it to the end. I will be dismayed if he wins. I think he’s a buffoon.
Genevieve: Genevieve has been my favorite player for a few weeks now. I intensely disliked her initial No. 1, Rome, but I respected the strategy Genevieve had in attaching herself to someone with intense Main Character Syndrome, who would be an effective meat shield. And that worked. I thought she was playing brilliantly since the merge, building relationships with pretty much everyone in Beka. I think she made a mistake this episode. There was no reason for the Sol vote she pitched. I think Sol could be an endgame threat, but he was also in her alliance at that point, and there are several other big targets. This felt purely personal, as she has wanted Sol out from when they were back on Lavo. It will also strain her relationship with Teeny, which she knew would happen. She sacrificed one of her numbers while Tuku is still four strong, and that feels uncharacteristically stupid to me, especially since challenge beast Kyle was vulnerable for the first time since the merge. This vote felt like Genevieve flexing her social game, and playing for a Final 4 spot — which would be great, if we weren’t at Final 8. My fear is that Genevieve is getting lost in her power and is no longer seeing the game clearly. That’s worrisome.
Kyle: As previously mentioned, Kyle is the biggest physical threat in the game — remarkable, given that he looks like he weighs 120 soaking wet — but his social game appears to be nonexistent. Kyle has been on the outs with Tuku since their very first tribal, when he was blindsided and his ally TK went home. Sue has certainly never forgiven him for putting her name down. He doesn’t seem to have any real strong connections on that beach, and he has rightfully acknowledged that his immunity challenge win streak makes him a major target. But, apparently not, because Kyle was not a serious candidate for the chop this episode after coming in second in the immunity challenge. Caroline and Teeny seemed dumbfounded that they weren’t taking the opportunity to chop Kyle, but I do think Genevieve may have been on the right track — I don’t think Kyle is a threat to win this game. Yes, his immunity wins are impressive. But with seemingly no real allies in this game, he can have all the immunity wins in the world and this group won’t hand him $1 million. In fact, if he keeps winning immunity, it arguably makes it easier for the smart players to get out real threats.
Rachel: I really like Rachel, and she’s rising in my ranks quickly. That Shot in the Dark gambit she played last episode was brilliant. While she is on the outs right now, Rachel has a good read on the power dynamics in the tribe, even if she is not always in the know about what’s going on. I am concerned for her going on, as the dominant alliance did bring her in this episode…and then her spot was immediately blown up by Sam. (In Rachel’s defense, she didn’t tell Sam the Sol plan, she merely acknowledged that was the plan when he correctly guessed it.) I doubt Genevieve is eager to work with Rachel after that, but we’ll see. Rachel also has an idol that absolutely nobody knows about, and right now I don’t think the dominant players are looking at her as a threat. But Rachel has the power to swing this game if she plays well, and I think she has the potential to do so. If she makes it to F3 I think she has a pretty compelling narrative — but she needs to start pulling some moves.
Sam: Sam had a great fall last episode, realizing he was not in the majority alliance, and losing his No. 1 in Sierra (who btw seems pressed on the jury). Sam’s response to this is to outwardly seem calm and logical, willing to work with whoever will have him, but internally he is a sea of rage and a wanton agent of chaos. Love it. I don’t think Sam has a shot to win this game, I frankly doubt he makes it to the finale. After this episode he has burned both of his previous tribe mates in his desperate thrashing — how can Rachel possibly work with him after he immediately screwed her this episode? He is very much on the outs and is not being gracious about it, and given the absolute chaos he caused going into this tribal, I assume the planners (Genevieve, Gabe, Caroline) will need him out ASAP lest he continue to blow up their plans. We’ll see how many more bombs Sam can launch before they take him out. But I’m enjoying watching the drama!
Sue: I think Sue will make it to the finale, but as of now she has no shot at winning. She is doing an impressive job in the challenges. She’s a badass. But she’s basically invisible in camp life. We know that she continues to be completely beholden to Gabe, and she’s close with Caroline. It’s because of that alliance that I think Sue makes it to the F4. But Sue is not playing strategically, she’s playing personally. Her intense dislike of Kyle has been on display for weeks now, and based on next week’s preview, she goes fully nuclear (I’m guessing someone suggests that Kyle is the person who floated her name at tribal this week). Sue DOES have a hidden immunity idol, and it’s unclear who knows about it right now. So she’s got that going for her. But I don’t see Sue as a strong enough strategic player to win this whole thing. I do think she will leverage her actual age if she gets to Final Tribal, and that could be a compelling argument. But I still don’t think it gets her votes when she’s seemingly done so little in this game strategically. If this was early-season “Survivor,” maybe (the Tina Wesson approach). Nu “Survivor”? They won’t reward that.
Teeny: Teeny showed some flickers of awareness this episode, when she was brought in on the Sol vote and immediately asked, “How do they have the numbers to do that?” She was the only person we saw ask that question. The downside is, she was asking it to the very person who was betraying them, Genevieve. She also seemed to understand that the chaos at tribal meant that she basically had to write down her No. 1 ally’s name, because she would rather be on the right side of the vote and show that she’s willing to work with these people than stick up for someone who had written their own ticket to Ponderosa. Still, Teeny is 1) on the outs from the main alliance, 2) generally out of the loop of what’s really going on in the tribe, 3) playing on the defensive, as she has been almost the entire game. Teeny has had so many unforced errors in this game, I don’t see how she could realistically win. That said, if she can squeeze her way into the F3, she won’t have as much blood on her hands as pretty much anyone else, and she can use the “I was on the outs but I survived” narrative. That’s potent. I feel like she and Rachel both have the same arc, and I greatly prefer Rachel’s game.
Sol: Ugh, this was so frustrating. I’ve been rooting for Daddy Sol since Day 1 on the beach. I respect so much of what he’s done, and he seems like a genuinely good guy, and brought much-needed mature energy to a largely irritating bunch of men this season. But he really screwed the pooch this episode. As soon as Sol realized he was on the chopping block, he immediately set about putting into play a different move: Sue. OK, on board with that. Sue is not a bad call right now, less because she is a threat herself, but because removing her weakens the primary Tuku alliance (and Gabe had immunity, so he was off the table). Had he left it well enough alone, he could have probably skated out of the noose. But at tribal, he muddied the waters; some people seemed to think he wanted them to vote for Kyle, some for Sue, and he was doing a terrible job communicating. I get that all of this unfolded with mere minutes to go before heading to tribal, but even AT tribal he was fumbling the ball pretty bad. You could see the frustration on numerous people’s faces as the tribal went on, and the fact that EVERYONE voted for Sol, including Teeny, makes it clear that people were over him by the time they finally got to voting. A shame.
What do you think of Season 47 so far? What do you think of this cast? Drop your thoughts in the comments.