The Battle Between Head and Heart - Survivor 47 - Ep. 10

10 episodes down, only a handful left to go! I can’t believe we are this far into the season and it’s coming to an end in only a few short weeks. Every time I think a new era season of Survivor can’t be topped, another one comes around and I fall in love with it. This season has done just that and this past episode was just another glimpse of that greatness. So let’s talk about it. :)

Side note: This blog won’t be as long this week due to a time crunch with Thanksgiving coming around the corner. Happy Holidays to all out there!

(If you want to see some more extended content, check out my TikTok page! @RealityTVwithAlec)

They started this episode by showing Gabe’s Ray Lewis dance… and right there I knew he was doomed. Just kidding haha. However, I did find it interesting that they opened up with that and figured something had to go down with Gabe in this episode. 

Dare I say, I liked the fire that Teeny showed after the Sol vote out! Teeny has constantly been on the outs and betrayed in this game. Which, I am hoping this lights a fire under them to maybe pull off some big moves against big-name players (Actually… that literally happened when their bag lit on fire). Like Genevieve or Kyle!

Continuing with Teeny, I truly feel like this show of Survivor is the best social experiment out there. You bring in people of all different ages, races, backgrounds, etc. Then you force them to rely on each other in more ways than one! Then to take it a step further… after getting to know/live with these people, you have to vote them off for one million dollars. This game forces you to learn things about the people around you but also about yourself! What are things you still need to work on? What are things you are good at?

Andy, for example, learned that he can be confident in himself no matter the circumstance! Then you had Teeny in the past episode recognize that they are still trying to figure out their identity in Survivor but also life. Which is totally ok! I am very glad Teeny felt compelled to share that and be vulnerable.

So while I liked the fire Teeny showed towards Teeny… I also liked the emotions that Genevieve showed too. She claimed that she didn’t want to play with emotions and strictly focused on the strategic parts of the game. However, you could see the emotions creep in there when she backstabbed Teeny. 

I truly feel like the winner of Survivor is the person who can blend the emotional/social side with the strategic. If you are too strategic, you are seen as an immediate threat. If you are too emotional/social, you can be seen as a great person but not an amazing Survivor player. Considering she survived this vote, I am curious to see how Genevieve can work on that emotional side in the next couple of episodes. 

I thought Andy only continued to better his position in this game with his social alliances. We saw him talking with Sue, Sam, Kyle, Rachel, Teeny, etc. He has created so many avenues for himself and I truly feel like he is in the best spot socially at the current moment. Andy can go in any direction and has free reign over who to turn to. I think in doing so, he makes himself less of a target. 

Regarding the reward challenge, the editors have to chill lol. They keep doing Andy so dirty when it comes to these challenges with so many “frisky” moments. I just know the editors are sitting there giggling whenever Andy does legit… anything. 

Kyle, Sam, and Rachel absolutely dominated that challenge by the way. They powered through the sand where everyone else struggled. I am very curious as to how much sand gets in their mouths and eyes. 

Before we got to the Immunity challenge, we had the famous (or not-so-famous… depending on how you view it) Rice negotiation! Let’s just say, I don’t think any of us could have predicted that exchange. Everyone giving up their shots in the dark was not on my bingo card for this episode. I will be honest, I was okay with the trade-off because I always feel like the shot-in-the-dark usage dies off towards the back end of these Survivor seasons. You also have to recognize how hungry these people are too. They have been living off of coconuts and occasionally some rewards. They are due for rice!

I did find it funny how they shot themselves back into the pre “new era” of Survivor by getting rid of this twist. I wonder if any of them will end up regretting that decision. It looked like Genevieve might have at the end of this episode. 

This immunity challenge of balancing the balls on a plate is such a classic! It’s always fun to see Survivor Classic continue to come back and evolve. I do feel like this time around the wind played a big factor. They clearly weren’t able to last as long due to the whipping wind. You could see it in the trees in the background. Also, the fact that it came down to Sue and Kyle was awesome. What a showdown! You just know Sue wanted to win that one so badly and take him out. 

Considering Kyle once again won immunity, it felt like the obvious two options were Gabe and Genevieve. I wonder if any of them regret not getting Kyle out when they had the chance. Either you take out Genevieve who has come off strong by initiating a handful of the votes in the previous episode. On the other hand, there is Gabe who has been the person controlling the four remaining Tuku members. He has had a stronghold on what that group does and navigates through the game. So, it’s a chance to finally break apart that large group. I don’t think there was technically a wrong way to go. 

However, I won’t lie, I liked that Genevieve stayed because I find her storyline to be a little bit more entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, Gabe is great! He was such a strong competitor in challenges and a very strong strategic player in this game. 

I think my M.V.P. of the episode has to be Caroline! She broke off from Gabe’s control and she is starting to make a name for herself. There is a possibility that she might have burnt some bridges with Sue. However, if she hadn’t made this move, I think she would have remained in the background. 

I would be a fool if I didn’t mention Sol and Sierra coming into the Tribal Council. I mean… whoa. They looked powerful and my jaw dropped. Sol came out guns blazing. 

That’s all I’ve got for this episode! I know it’s a short blog but I will make up for it in the next ones haha. I am curious as to who is going to take on the position of power in the next few episodes. That million-dollar prize is still up for grabs!