Survivor Season 50, Episode 9
"I Deserve All of This"
Host: Jeff Probst
Cast: Aubry Bracco, Christian Hubicki, Cirie Fields, Emily Flippen, Joe Hunter, Jonathan Young, Ozzy Lusth, Rick Devens, Rizo Velovic, Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick, Tiffany Ervin
This episode of Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans should have been about shifting notions of who was in the middle and who was steering the game. Instead, it will be remembered for one of the worst twists the show has put forward in years all thanks to Jimmy Fallon.
The episode opens with Rick firmly in the crosshairs after his fake idol stunt. Ozzy and Rizo think it was reckless and while Stephenie is still reeling from losing Coach and Colby, she is ready to retaliate. But the most important perspective comes from Cirie, who recognizes the value immediately in Rick’s bold move. The news anchor just made himself the biggest target in the game, which lowers her own threat level. From her position, that’s a win.
Cirie continues to operate as the central hub of the game. She has working relationships with nearly everyone and she outlines them. She is closest to Ozzy and Rizo, but has ties to three other groups: Rick, Christian & Emily; Stephenie, Joe & Jonathan; and Aubry & Tiffany.
Meanwhile, Christian knows he’s in trouble. The perception is that he’s playing the middle, but the reality is more complicated. He tries to rebuild trust with Jonathan and Stephenie, even offering Jonathan his Shot in the Dark as a gesture. Jonathan sees right through this ploy, but is happy to take the totem. He and Joe already see Christian as dangerous and begin quietly preparing to take a shot at him.
Christian attempts to redirect the target onto Ozzy, correctly identifying him as the true player in the middle. He pitches this to Cirie, but little does he know just how close they are. It’s a testament to the game that Cirie, Ozzy, and Rizo are playing. Ozzy is part of her endgame. Christian, despite high on Cirie’s list of allies, isn’t quite high enough. He is expendable.
While some might say that Jeff competing in the immunity challenge could be quite silly, I genuinely found it quite endearing. I wish it was the only real twist of the episode. He offers up rice in exchange for five players beating him in the challenge. Ultimately, he’s argued down to just four and it’s Joe, Jonathan, Ozzy and Tiffany who outlast him to win some food for their bellies. Those four, plus Stephenie, end up being the final five in the challenge. It’s Joe who ends up winning, beating Ozzy in the end.
Joe must then select a player to send on the journey. He offers it up to anybody and after a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament, Christian is heading out. This worries Ozzy, who feels like this is the worst person to potentially win an advantage. The Jungle Man (as he’s donned in the episode) hopes he at least loses his vote. Oh just you wait, Ozzy!
Christian heads to a floating platform where he has to complete a puzzle. Win and he can bank a vote for Tribal Council. Lose and he receives an envelope he’ll have to read when he returns to camp. Lose he does, as his puzzle is dragged into the ocean before he can complete it. When he gets back to camp, he reveals to the others that he will be voting for himself at Tribal Council.
Christian seems furious over the rest of the episode. While it might be a bit of entertainment, there does seem to be a kernel of truth to his anger. I think most notably, it’s the fact that everyone knows he is voting for himself that is the real downside to the disadvantage. If he had to do it all in secret and the others didn’t know if he actually had an advantage, that might be more interesting. But the twist gives Christian no wiggle room to play. It’s a bad twist.
The argument around camp becomes about who the main target should be. With everyone thinking Rick has an idol, they need a back-up plan. The back-up plan then becomes the sort of real plan, assuming Rick will just play his idol. The first name thrown out is Christian, but if he becomes such an obvious target, maybe they should get someone else out. When Emily continues to drive the plan to get rid of Ozzy to Cirie, her name becomes enemy #1. Tiffany, especially, seems ready to cut bait on her.
Rick and Emily do vote for Ozzy, but nobody else follows suit. We get a split vote between Christian and Rick. Ultimately, it’s Christian whose torch is snuffed and he becomes the first player to have ever voted himself out.
This vote seems most dictated by Jonathan, who took Christian’s Shot in the Dark as collateral, and gave it back after the man had been voted out. We got a sequence where Jonathan laid out his plans moving forward earlier in the episode. It seems hard to not feel like Cirie also felt like Christian was the most dangerous of any of the other side. Rick’s idol gave him some cover, but he’ll continue to be seen as a viable option to go, and Emily can’t seem to keep anything secret. I think the game’s path, so far, bodes well for both of these players. The real danger will be whether or not anyone will start to see just what a beast Cirie is, and whether anybody can figure out how to get her out of the game.
But good news! After Jimmy Fallon’s involvement, it appears that next week will be a totally normal, down-to-earth episode of… Oh wait. Nevermind. I’m hearing that Mr. Beast will be here next week. Great.
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