Vatu's Ozzy Lusth.Robert Voets/Supplied
This week, deputy arts editor Rebecca Tucker joins TV critic Amber Dowling to discuss gameplay and drama.
Too long didn’t watch (TLDW) summary:
Strategic talk dominated the conversations at Cila, Kalo and Vatu this week, partially because that’s what the new generation of Survivors do, but also because the players could smell another change on the horizon. Sure enough, after Ozzy Lusth’s temper tantrum over Mike White’s elimination and after Benjamin “Coach” Wade’s weird knighting of new ally Joe Hunter, host Jeff Probst dropped the bombshell: Only one tribe would be safe from Tribal Council after a gruelling immunity challenge. The other two tribes would each vote someone out.
Although Ozzy gave his all for Vatu, no one was surprised when they lost again. Cila’s loss wasn’t any more shocking given Kalo’s muscle in Joe, Colby Donaldson and Coach. That meant Kalo went off to celebrate while orange and red decided who would leave next.
At Cila, Charlie Davis continued plotting against Rizo Velovic, who finally caught on that Charlie doesn’t like him much. So he put operation “Bad Blood” into motion (in honour of Charlie’s favourite artist, Taylor Swift) and recruited Dee Valladares, Kamilla Karthigesu and Cirie Fields to help him. In a narrow vote decided by Kamilla, Charlie’s torch was snuffed, but not before “RizGod” made everyone nervous with his self-talk.
Survivor 50 episode 4 recap: Knife to the Heart
Meanwhile at Vatu, Ozzy laid down the law. Christian Hubicki needed to prove his trust after the Mike White blindside by giving Ozzy his Shot-in-the-Dark. Obviously Christian didn’t want to bend the knee to Mr. Survivor, but in the end he agreed and it was Angelina Keeley whose torch was snuffed.
Power player of the week:
Amber’s pick: Kamilla wins this week for her sway vote over at Cila. In Season 48 she was so frustrated by the muscle on her tribe and wanted to play with strategists. So it wasn’t shocking she picked Rizo and co. over Charlie and his allies, Rick Devens and Jonathan Young.
Rebecca’s pick: Christian. This guy, in many ways in spite of himself, seems to be playing an unbeatable game.
Whose torch is in danger of being snuffed next:
L to R: Genevieve Mushaluk and Jonathan Young.Robert Voets/Supplied
Amber’s pick: I will keep picking Ozzy until he goes. The man is unhinged this season and it doesn’t look good on him.
Rebecca’s pick: Again, Christian. With Ozzy getting his strategic head in the game, the scheming Dr. Spock is on the chopping block.
How many Canadians are left: Both Kamilla and Genevieve Mushaluk remain.
The episode breakdown
Rebecca: When I last stepped in as a guest-recapper, our TV critic J. Kelly Nestruck wondered how heavily past Survivor trauma would weigh in for this year’s contestants. I say: Wonder no further! From Rizo vs. Charlie to Ozzy’s grudge over last episode’s blindside bringing back memories of his blindside a decade ago, Survivor 50 is as much about past wounds as it is about present alliances. I have to say, though, that I would have loved to see the Rizo vs. Charlie rivalry play out for a few more episodes.
Charlie Davis.Robert Voets/Supplied
Amber: The trauma is real. Charlie played with his heart and not his head, which is why he’s gone. It’s surprising that Ozzy is still around and people are letting him call the shots despite being a big old baby, as Christian pointed out. For a guy who keeps coming back to Survivor because of his strength, it’s surprising that he’s been to every single tribal council.
Rebecca: Truly, if these recaps had a Biggest Loser category, it would be Vatu. I do still think this season is moving at a jarring clip, but I was glad it was a double-elimination episode, if only for the novelty of seeing another tribe end up at tribal council.
Amber: What was disappointing about Cila’s turn by the fire was that no one has discovered the pretend Immunity Idol that Christian and Rick planted several episodes back. I wonder if producers removed it or if no one has noticed it yet. If Christian does go home next week as you predict, it would be a shame to know his pratfall was for naught. For now, I guess we have Jeff Probst’s impersonations to look forward to. I’ll take those filler moments over another Zac Brown monologue.
Rebecca: Maybe I’m putting myself up for recapper elimination by admitting this, but I had completely forgotten about that idol. On the topic of forgettable gimmicks, what do you think are the odds that Survivor reverts to a 60-minute format next season? Between Probst’s impersonations and last episode’s Zac Brown segment, there seems to be an unusual amount of filler.
And what do you think about Kamilla positioning herself as a double agent over in Cila? Do you see her as a player to watch beyond this week, as the tribes get whittled down?
Amber: During her season, Kamilla got by thanks to her secret relationship with fellow Season 50 contestant Kyle Fraser and the fact that no one saw her as a threat. She tagged along until the very end, all while lamenting over the lack of strategic players during her confessionals. So I feel like she’s trying to prove herself and test her own game by aligning with Rizo, Cirie and Dee. The problem is that next week is the merge, and I haven’t seen much strategy or many alliances from her with others. I think that may make her an easy target, even with Angelina’s coveted jacket.
Who are you keeping an eye on next week when everyone comes together?
Rebecca: Since I can’t have a Rizo/Charlie showdown, I’m just dying to see how Ozzy and Coach get along – or not. Bring on the drama.
Next episode of Survivor: April 1 on CBS and Global.