From left to right: Cirie Fields, Aubry Bracco, Emily Flippen, Rizo Velovic, Jonathan Young, Tiffany Ervin, Rick Devens, Ozzy Lusth and Joe Hunter.Robert Voets/CBS
For the 50th season of the long-running reality competition show, TV critics Amber Dowling and J. Kelly Nestruck will convene their own two-person tribal council after each episode to discuss gameplay and drama.
Too long didn’t watch (TLDW) summary:
This double-elimination episode picked up right after the MrBeast coin flip doubled the Survivor 50 pot to US$2-million – a.k.a. “the great tribal of all time,” according to Rizo Velovic.
Rick Devens and Aubry Bracco were thrilling at the chaos they caused, while Joe Hunter was moping about their “gnarly” and disloyal mode of play. (As Cirie Fields accurately observed: “Joe lives on 500 Hypocrisy Hill.”)
As for Ozzy Lusth, he went to sleep and had a nightmare that he got voted out, once again, with an idol in pocket.
Jonathan Young earned immunity the next day after he was last to fall off a floating doghouse – the same challenge he had won in Season 42. The win came with a new “power broker” advantage that was worth much more than the get-out-of-tribal-free necklace because of a twist that followed.
Jonathan Young, left, and Jeff Probst.Robert Voets/CBS
The remaining players were split randomly into two mini-tribes: Rick, Emily Flippen, Tiff Ervin and Cirie on one; and Rizo, Joe, Aubry and Ozzy on the other.
Host Jeff Probst then revealed that two players would be voted out that night at separate tribal councils – with Jonathan voting in both.
With three idols (owners: Rick, Rizo and Ozzy) and an extra vote (belonging to Cirie) in play, Emily and Aubry seemed next on the chopping block.
But Emily started to work to convince Tiff, Cirie and Jonathan that Rick would play his idol on her, so that he could be blindsided. Meanwhile, she and Rick had a different plan: Vote for Cirie.
Aubry started work convincing her group to blindside Ozzy, after he gave her ammunition by prematurely starting jury management. Jonathan had a similar idea – but Joe would only go along with it if Ozzy’s ally Rizo was brought in. Rizo, separated from Cirie, went along with the plan – convinced Ozzy was, indeed, becoming too cocky.
From left to right: Cirie Fields, Emily Flippen, Tiffany Ervin, Rick Devens and Jonathan Young.Robert Voets/CBS
At the first tribal, Rick played his idol for himself and everything would have gone according to Emily’s plan – if Cirie hadn’t had an extra vote and sniffed out something suspicious. With three votes for Rick nullified by his idol, the results were two votes each for Emily and Cirie. On a revote, Emily was banished to the jury.
At the second tribal, Ozzy was voted out with an idol in his pocket as he had been in Survivor 16. “I can’t explain how painful this is to anyone,” he said, in the most sorrowful, wounded exit of the season.
Power player of the week:
Amber’s pick: Cirie. She sniffed out what Emily was cooking and made her own dessert. She reigns Survivor queen, whether she wins or not. Runner-up goes to Aubry, who turned Ozzy’s attempt at her jury vote into a chance to oust the Jungle Man.
Kelly’s pick: Cirie. What a sly player – and gets a great line in every episode. “The math ain’t mathin’,” indeed.
Whose torch is in danger of being snuffed next:
Amber’s pick: Devens. Now that his idol is gone and Emily’s torch is snuffed, Joe will be coming for him.
Kelly’s pick: Cirie. Sorry to say but the target on her back’s bigger than ever – and shortsighted but idol-protected Rizo just voted out the third member of their alliance.
From left to right: Aubry Bracco, Tiffany Ervin, Joe Hunter, Rizo Velovic, Jonathan Young, Cirie Fields, Rick Devens, Emily Flippen, Ozzy Lusth, and Jeff Probst.Supplied
The episode breakdown
Amber: Ozzy was playing such a great social game, and then he went and got ahead of himself with his big old mouth. I’m disappointed Rizo didn’t stick to his Top 3 and I’m sure Cirie will have something to say about that, but damn. What a terrible twist.
Kelly: I disagree! Normally, my least favourite Survivor twists are when the tribes are randomly subdivided (most recently, episode six a.k.a. the “Canadian Red Wedding”), but it worked here because of the amazing not-celebrity-branded power-broker advantage.
Though I was initially annoyed Mr. Jonathan would have so much power, it ended up being fun watching the big guy get his steps in going back and forth between sub-tribes and be managed and manipulated by Tiff and Aubry. Cirie even figured out how to get a message to Rizo through him (alas, to no effect).
Amber: Tiff had quite the night. She handled the challenge disqualification like a champ, even though it surely stung. Still, she’s a new power player and I’m disappointed in her edits; she’s barely had any screentime. I like her and want to root for her, but I still don’t know her. Now Jonathan? He could do with less screentime. He and hypocritical Joe have become my least favourite duo left.
Kelly: The edit giveth and the edit taketh away. As soon as Ozzy started crying about his father, I had a feeling his nightmare had been a premonition. Tiff’s had some decent moments in her edit – certainly compared to Erika Casupanan, the archetypical winner who seemed to come out of nowhere. Aubry’s edit has gotten a lot stronger in the last few episodes, I’ve noticed; I think she’d get more juice with a jury for Ozzy’s ousting than Jonathan.
Joe Hunter and Jonathan Young.Robert Voets/CBS
Amber: Aubry has absolutely become somebody to watch, between her edit and now this power move of getting Ozzy out, which, you’re right, she will get credit for. Last week’s auction was the first time I connected with her, and I loved her confessional explaining how no one is here to make the same mistakes twice. Well, except for Ozzy, I suppose, going home with another idol in his pocket. I wonder if that move will come back to serve or haunt Rizo in the end.
Kelly: It was justice for Genevieve, certainly! Will Billie Eilish pay the postage to ship her boomerang idol to Winnipeg? Rizo’s easy to underestimate – but he was good at holding on to his idol in Season 49 and is now the only person left with one this season. I’m going to guess we’ll see Devens on a mad tear next week hunt for any idols that might come back.
Amber: The players will certainly try to flush Rizo’s idol in the next vote or two, especially now that Ozzy is gone and Rick has played his. This isn’t Survivor 49 where no one is calling bluffs. These are pros and this has been a season to watch.
Kelly: My skepticism has been snuffed by this last run of episodes. This was one of my favourite instalments of 50 so far. Just a visit from standards and practices and some classic scheming. And I mean properly classic: Ozzy-pus Rex felled by his great flaw and a father complex, exiting the stage exactly as prophesied and blind(sided). What a Rizgod ex machina!
Next episode of Survivor: May 13 on Global and CBS.