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Survivorneeds to bring back the loved ones visit. It’s time. The letters from home simply don’t hit the same. Sure, we get the drama from the players who don’t get them. But imagine that multiplied by 100 if the players’ actual family members were on the island. And with 90-minute episodes, we would still have plenty of time for the players and the strategic maneuvering we need to see. Come on, Jeff, I need moreColby yelling at his brother moments!
I don’t know if anyone has ever been riding higher than Sue, after finally seeing Kyle sent to the jury. It was a hilarious one-sided rivalry. You never know what else is happening on the island that doesn’t make it to air. But it sure seems like Sue was just simply annoyed by Kyle and let that cloud her game. Luckily, though, Kyle also just so happened to be a big threat.
Sam, however, is not so thrilled. Kyle had been a valuable shield. As long as Kyle was in the game, he was likely going to be seen as a bigger threat than Sam, if only because of his (perceived) challenge prowess. Sam has been in a tough spot for a while, and this doesn’t help.
Caroline views her and Sue’s partnership as the one that is secretly running the game. She thinks the two of them complement each other perfectly and is eager to go to the end with Sue. Well, yeah, duh. Sue is an easy zero-vote finalist should she make it to Final Tribal.
Survivor 47 Episode 11 Recap — One Player Stacks Wins in a Dominant Episode
Last week, Genevieve called Andy’s game into question, saying he was being dragged along. And, while correct, she realizes it was a poor social move, given her current standing in the game. She apologizes to Andy, hoping to mend fences and maybe find a small hole to wedge herself into to further her game.
Genevieve is probably the best pure player left, but her position in the game makes her seem like less of a threat. She should be a high-level target, and not just because she’s outside of the current majority alliance.
Genevieve pitches to Teeny about Rachel being the actual biggest threat. And that’s probably the truth within the current dynamics. Genevieve even tells Teeny Rachel would win at the end, which Teeny doesn’t take kindly to. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again (and I’m sure I’ll say it in future seasons too). Awareness, and specifically self-awareness, might be the single most valuable trait to have if you’re going to be onSurvivor.
You need to know where the relationships are, and you have to be able to recognize how the other players view you and your game. Teeny doesn’t see that she’s done next to nothing, especially when compared to Rachel. Rachel would win in a rout against Teeny at the end.
Reward Challenge
We’ve got a solo reward challenge this week. The castaways race through a series of obstacles, retrieving a ball from a net tunnel. They next have to get a second ball and crawl under a net to the finish. They have to land the two balls on a two-level perch. The winner earns an Italian feast (well, at least as much of a feast as new-eraSurvivorprovides) at the Survivor sanctuary.
Rachel gives up a huge lead, and Sam wins.Probstalso reveals Sam will be spending the night at the Sanctuary, complete with blanket and pillow. He also says he’ll get his letter from home and that he can choose one person to come with.
Sam says there was one person who had promised to take on a reward, and he follows through and decides to take Andy. And of course, Sam gets to pick one more. He chooses Genevieve.
After the three leave, Jeff asks Teeny how this affects the game. Teeny thinks it’s a death knell for Sam’s game. Once again, players take the loved ones visit/letters from home waaaaay too seriously. Which is why I love it. Everyone who doesn’t get picked gets so up in their feels about it, letting it cloud their vision for what actually matters in the game.
It’s also why throwing reward challenges can be a viable strategy. Just based on numbers, there’s a decent chance you’ll get picked anyway. And if you don’t, who cares. The other player is now taking all the heat, whether they were a potential target or not before winning the reward.
For the record, Rachel agrees with Teeny’s larger sentiment, but she knows enough to not actually be upset about it. She just knows how it will be perceived and received by the others and is ready to use that to her advantage.
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Beka/Reward
Sam makes a move to get back on Andy’s good side. He talks about how much respect he has for what Andy’s done in the game, coming back from the lowest of lows at the beginning of the game.
Teeny is furious at Sam. Like, what? Sure, she can be upset about it. But she is letting this get to her so much. Teeny has now anointed Sam as the next vote. Caroline takes advantage of the situation and agrees to Teeny’s pitch of this group as the final four. I think they all get washed by Rachel, but Caroline is clearly running in second. So if she can cut Rachel at the right time, she would (should) have it in the bag at that point.
Andy comes to Sam and Genevieve with a plan. He wants this to be the defining conversation of the season. He wants to come to Sam and Genevieve’s side. His plan is to build suspicion that either Sam or Genevieve has an idol, also revealing Rachel’s advantage.
So his big “defining moment” is to…come up with a plan (dubbed Operation: Italy)? Sure, Andy, do your thing. I mean, I like the general idea behind it. But he’s making it seem like some revolutionary plan that he’s a genius for coming up with.
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Returning to camp, Sam goes right to work. He plays up his bottom position, saying he doesn’t want to turn on Genevieve but has no issue doing so if it means he stays in the game. Sam also gives Genevieve his old idol, so she can make a new, fake idol.
Andy is complaining about the reward, telling the others they came at him aggressively, like they were trying to strong-arm him. He also puts his own fear out there that an idol might be out there.
The plan hinges on getting the five to agree to a split vote on Genevieve and Sam so they can actually get Rachel out. Andy has to make sure he’s in the group of three, so when he flips, his vote plus Sam and Genevieve’s will be a majority.
Okay, so actually a good plan. And if it works, sure, it could be the defining moment of the season. But it’s still funny how intense Andy was talking about it when really this is nothing we haven’t seen before. Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a good move, though.
Immunity Challenge
This week’s Immunity Challenge is an obstacle course relay. The first stage is navigating across a balance beam while holding a ball on a pole. After that, they maneuver two skulls through a metal maze. The third and final stage is rolling balls down a paddle, attempting to land three balls in three small, dimple-like targets.
Nobody else even lands a single ball before Rachel gets her third, winning her second consecutive Immunity. Looks like Sam, Genevieve, and Andy have to quickly settle on a new target.
Pre-Tribal
Sam and Genevieve talk, agreeing they now have to decide between Caroline and Teeny. They don’t even mention Sue. Hysterical. Even these two, definitively on the bottom, won’t even consider Sue.
With the other four, Andy is pushing the vote split, with the majority going on Genevieve. Teeny doesn’t fully buy the idol, and she desperately wants Sam instead. Teeny finds those two at the well, telling them the vote is currently on Genevieve. She decides to tell Teeny about the fake idol.
Teeny asks to see the note, and Genevieve plays it masterfully. She says she buried it but can go get it if she needs to. She plays up the fact that she was down by the water for so long that morning, and that was her looking for the idol. Teeny buys it hook, line, and sinker.
Operation: Italy makes Caroline their new target. She knows Genevieve’s vote is coming her way, and Sue tells her she will be prepared to play her idol for Caroline if she starts to feel nervous.
Rachel also has her vote block advantage. Ideally, she would save it for six, to make it an odd-numbered vote if needed.
Genevieve is hopeful but extremely wary of Operation: Italy being successful. She runs through a massive checklist of everything that could throw a wrench into it, where even one of those things happening could completely blow it up.
Tribal Council
And against all odds, Operation: Italy succeeds, seeing Caroline sent to the jury. And speaking of the jury, we see Sol saying, “That was Andy.” And Gabe replies, “Andy flipped again.” Even when Andy actually deserves credit for a move, the jury may not see it that way. Now, should he make it to Final Tribal — and depending on who’s on the jury to fight for or against him — he can try to swing it in his favor. And he deserves it after pulling this off.
Because that’s the thing. It was a good move by Andy. He finally recognized how he is being perceived and took decisive action to change it. Credit where credit is due, he played this flawlessly.
With the final six now set, and seemingly several legitimate contenders to win, we should be in store for a heck of a final two episodes.
Things I Liked
You can catch new episodes ofSurvivor47 every Wednesday at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CBS, and it is also available to stream on Paramount+.
Matt Hambidge
Film Critic
Articles Published :119
Matt Hambidge is a film critic based in Minneapolis, and is a member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance.You can also find him covering SURVIVOR on the Talking Llama podcast.
