Welcome back, Survivor-inos, to our coverage of Season 40, Winners at War! Last week, Adam blew up his game, and this week, he spent a lot of time groveling. But what happened this week? Well, there is only one way to find out. And that is by me telling you that (Spoiler Alert) Tyson got voted out! And a lot of other interesting things happened. Read on to find out, but also know that Mary is still leading our fantasy league, by many points!

TODD’S MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Todd:  It is not often that we have spent time talking about the challenge portion of any given Survivor episode over the course of our reviews. Not, mind you, because the challenges themselves are uninteresting or not entertaining, but more that they have a sort of bland familiarity once you have seen enough of them: puzzle pieces, flags, BALLS, whatever it is, it looks “involved.”

So imagine my surprise when the challenge this week ends up being one of the most interesting aspects of the episode, mostly because it manages to weave together all of the other storylines in a way that is fascinating. What do we make of Sandra and her newly christened bench other than she feels like she is in control (or at least not in danger) over at Dakal and so feels no need to flex her challenge muscles any more than she has to. (Remember that in the 1st challenge, which Dakal won, she didn’t participate either.)

Or consider this: Adam, due to his height and the weird rules around who could grab the buoys in this challenge, is left to jump again and again for that final buoy. At the same time, we have spent most of the episode up to that point watching him try to get back into the good graces of the rest of Sele. If his tribe loses because he can’t get the last buoy (or, in fact, all of the buoys), then he is almost certainly going home, at least if the regular rules of Survivor are in play. 

Or just consider this: Dakal jumps out to a seemingly insurmountable lead, what Jeff calls one of the biggest routs in Survivor history, then, Nick and Sarah can’t solve a puzzle that Nick has solved before. Chalk that up to 10 days of little food and sleep, I guess. But however you slice it, this challenge, in which Rob (with Michele’s help) was finally able to redeem himself for his poor puzzle-manship so far this season, is one for the Survivor history books. Dakal, unfortunately, I’ve got nothing for you. See you at tribal!

MARY’S MOMENT OF THE WEEK

Mary: My moment of the week was an unexpected one for me, and it focused on Ethan. Although Ethan is already technically out of the main game, he’s still over on Extinction Island, doing his best. For me, Ethan was the sleeper-winner of Survivor: Africa; he didn’t play aggressively, or resort to meanness, and after his Survivor win he went on to start a charity project to help people in Africa. His story coming back to Winners at War is even more spectacular--considering that he survived cancer twice--and if he makes it to the final tribal, he will most definitely win. We saw a little bit of Ethan’s determination this week and, I argue, he began really building a resume for the possibility of going to final tribal. No, Ethan didn’t make any big moves or try to get someone out of the game. Instead, he almost gave up when tasked with hauling twenty logs down a big hill one at a time. Twenty individual trips took a toll on Ethan’s body, and he felt like he couldn’t go on. Each of his fellow contestants on the island stopped to encourage him, and they all went with him on his final journey. Ethan gave a confessional on the experience, talking about how much their support meant to him, but also that he felt like he could conquer anything because he conquered cancer. Ethan is setting himself up to act as an inspiration for others, and while I might have mixed feelings on that (from a disability studies standpoint), I think it’s a strong case for his overall success in the game if he makes it back into the game.

PLAYER ON THE RISE

Todd: Uh...Yul? I mean, duh, Yul. It is honestly surprising how effectively Yul seems to be running things at Dakal, without anyone (except the newly ousted Tyson) even beginning to suspect! This episode, he listens to everyone (including Tyson) without exposing what his actual plan is, and while it seems like Sandra might be in the middle of a 4-4 split, it turns out that the entire tribe backs what Yul’s side wants. While Wendell and Nick may also be formidable social players, they cannot hold a candle to the light that Yul is shedding. Sophie would also fall into this category if not for the fact that she told us she knows Yul is her “Nerd Shield,” and so staying in Yul’s shadow seems to be a part of her strategy for now. Regardless, it has been very fun watching Yul completely run things on Dakal, even while building relationships with everyone (those celebratory Day 10 hugs were very cute, okay!). Go, Yul!

Mary: No one really impressed me this week. It seemed like more of the same from the contestants. Yes, I know there was plotting in the vote, but it wasn’t really surprising. Do better, team! I don’t want to just say Yul and Rob are the top guns every week.

PLAYER ON THE EDGE...OF EXTINCTION!

Todd: Nick? I guess? I mean, it honestly feels like it might still be Adam, since no one on Sele trusts him, but with a swap (probably into 3 tribes of 5) on the way, anyone could be on the Edge and it seems like no one outside of Nick’s alliance of 4 trusts him. He’s unconnected from other players, and has a certain sheen of unknowability since he is the most recent winner. 

While Nick didn’t necessarily impress me in his winning season, it will be interesting to see if he can maneuver his way out of a bad swap (if that happens) or consolidate his power if the swap goes his way. His defining characteristic so far this season has just been “fanboy,” and that will only get you so far, as Adam can attest. Similarly, because no one really knows Nick, it seems like he would be an easy boot before the merge if his tribe loses. For that reason, Nick could be on the outs.

Mary: Nick seemed to get more screentime this week, so that means one of two things: he’s going to go far or he’s about to go home. Although I hate not to change my pick for the week, I really do think Adam is not doing well. He seems to be on the brink of destruction at all times. He’s made some poor moves and broken trust with more than one person. The thing is--if he ends up going to the Edge, I don’t think he’ll be welcomed there AT ALL.

Join us next week for more

WINNERS

AT

WAAAR!