Survivor 48: Paranoia Raises Red Flags And Fuels The Season's Best Gameplay Yet
There was so much paranoia in Wednesday's Survivor, the whole shebang could've served as a pseudo music video for Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta." After all, David certainly felt like everybody was coming to get him! Why were Kyle and Shauhin working overtime to protect Kamilla? Something was up, he surmised, all of which led to some sizzling tension among the "Strong Five." And all of the turmoil churned up some riveting social gameplay throughout the hour.
Of course, David was right to guess that something was up with the Kamilla of it all. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it. Why had Kyle fought so hard to protect her ahead of the Chrissy vote? That thought kept haunting him as he approached the others to discuss this week's vote. But he made a misstep when he suggested that Joe went back on his word last week. No, Joe said. The group decided what was best for everyone, and he went along with it. David did say he didn't mean to offend his alliance-mate, but Joe's eyebrows hath been raised!
David also correctly suspected that Kyle and Shauhin seemed ready to flip. And that's mostly due to Kyle's behind-the-scenes moves. The day after the Chrissy vote, he talked to Shauhin about how Mary and David didn't trust them. ("I need to make this personal to Shauhin, so that I don't reveal just how close I am to Kamilla," Kyle told us.) At the end of their conversation, Shauhin was convinced: "That's why Kamilla needs to stay, bro." The best part: Shauhin thought that David and Mary were threatened by his relationship with Kamilla. Kyle continued, telling Shauhin that Mary was trying to undercut their position in the alliance by taking out the strategically savvy Kamilla. Kyle has been in a tight spot putting his neck on the line for his partner-in-crime, and this entire bit was some A+ maneuvering on his part.
But Shauhin is also deserving of some flowers! Knowing things were going south with David, he began planting seeds five days prior. He spoke to Joe about how Dave is playing a "Boston Rob-style game," where "nobody can talk to nobody" and "you have to sit here and babysit each other"; he spoke to Eva about David's growing paranoia; and he talked to Kamilla about David having too many people in his back pocket. All these seeds needed was a little watering.
Adding even more beauty to this whole charade was the fact that David and Mary wanted to vote for Shauhin but couldn't because they wrongly thought he had an idol — an idea that was given to them by — who else? — Kamilla and Kyle! Chef's kiss. The game is gaming, ladies and gentlemen, and it is a sight to behold.
At Tribal Council, David, Mary and Star shot at Mitch, but everyone else wrote down David's name. His silver lining: At least he can slam some chocolate milk at Ponderosa.
OTHER JUNGLE HAPS:
* Was it shady that Eva found an advantage clue nestled safely in her bowl of chips while on reward? And that the others on that same reward could never have found said clue because they all had assigned seating like it was the first day of Kindergarten? Well, yeah. Pretty sus if you ask me. Nevertheless, she snuck out in the middle of the night to play a little game where she could risk an Extra Vote for something bigger. She risked once, trading up for a Safety Without Power advantage. Then, she walked away without risking the advantage again. Having two advantages this deep in the game is a LOT of power! Should she have told Kyle, Joe and Shauhin about it? I guess we'll find out the answer to that question in the coming weeks.
* Joe and Eva remained tight with each other, but stayed flexible game-wise. I half-expected them to not to flip on David, in support of the whole "Strong Five till the end!" mumbo jumbo, but it was keen of them to recognize that David and Mary's paranoia was affecting their closest allies. It was a good move on their part, but one has to assume that them acting so publicly as a duo will eventually catch up to them.
* Not to make this recap all about Kyle (I mean, I do stan!), but him telling Joe about his troubled past was extremely smart. Whether it was gameplay or not, he related to Joe on a personal level with something he knew would speak to Joe's character. And that exchange of information pulled them closer together. And pulling Joe closer meant pulling him away from David. How much did this exchange help sway Joe's ultimate decision? Who knows? But add another feather to Kyle's cap. The guy's putting in some serious work.
Enough of me yapping! What did you think about that whole David debacle? Go full tilt boogie in that comments section, and be sure to check out our Q&A with the milkman, himself!