Survivor 46 Episode 4 Gives Us "Miles and Miles of Heart"
The down and out tribe clearly needs to win, so they have to, right?
Survivor 46 episode 4 gives fans a reminder of how, sometimes, tribes can have the absolute worst luck when it comes to losing challenges. Sometimes, however, a depleted tribe gains a little life in the game. On the latest episode of Survivor 46, we see the Yanu tribe gain some life back. But, the ultimate question: Will. It. Last?
Quick side note: Great scenes with Tevin and Maria. Their shared experiences were emotional and worth every second on Survivor. From Maria talking about feeling like she has to be perfect, to Tevin telling us about cleaning fish for the first time without his dad, these were heartfelt moments for sure.
Tevin said, “The day after he passed, my phone didn’t ring.” These connections with the castaways are what makes Survivor so powerful.
Where Does the Yanu (Purple) Tribe Go from Here?
After last week’s episode, featuring Randen being pulled from the game for medical reasons, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for the purple tribe to change its stripes. And, they did, sort of. The team of Q, Tiffany, Kenzie, and Bhanu put their full efforts into the first challenge in episode 4.
It’s safe to say the reward challenge proved to be a challenging one. Each team had to paddle a boat to a floating station that had a key to untie. Unfortunately for the Siga (green) tribe, those platforms were not very sturdy. Tim reached the station, jumped on, and it flipped over upside down. The other tribes seemed to stay partially on the boat while untying the key, which gave them an added balance bonus.
It appeared to take quite a bit of time for Siga to situate this initial boating hurdle, but then there was the next obstacle. Once on the beach, each member of the team had to hoist a ring up and over a tall pole. It does seem like a difficult task to toss the ring just perfect enough to get it over the tall height of the pole, which led to the delay of Maria getting it over for the green tribe.
After getting the rings over the poles, each team had to dig and crawl under a wooden plank. On the plus side of things, the Yanu tribe was the first team to arrive to the final part of this obstacle. They arrived to the final station where they had to toss each of the 4 rings onto a very tall pole. Ask it and Q will deliver: Yanu wins their first challenge, earning them the best part of the reward challenge for finishing first. Then, Hunter from the Nami (orange) tribe delivers the win for the smaller reward portion.
Yanu Will Rebound After the Reward Win, Right?
I could go on and on about how perseverance overcomes all obstacles, or how never giving up will ultimately win the day, but that’s not always a reality. Yanu did win the reward challenge and there was value in that. They exchanged a very large fish reward, which they couldn’t cook because they didn’t have flint or fire, and received an earlier reward of a tool set that gave them other necessary items.
Beyond that, the purple tribe essentially (and unfortunately) took a nosedive into the immunity challenge. Yes, they were competitive in the challenge. Yes, they were close at the end and could’ve won immunity to avoid tribal council. And, as much as it pains me to see one tribe continuously go to tribal council, Yanu once again lost the immunity challenge. What’s even worse, they lost the challenge with enough time to realize there was too much time left before getting to said tribal council.
Fans watched Bhanu beg for help, whether to ask others to find an idol for him or to find ways to dig out of the hole he created. They also watched him lash out as he felt badly for feeling like he was next to go. Even Tiffany told him that she was writing his name down. In what would normally be unorthodox strategy, she knew Bhanu didn’t have a vote and he didn’t have a hidden immunity idol (because she has it). Though, what if there was another idol hidden on the island?
What Else Is in Store for Yanu on Survivor 46?
Survivor 46 episode 4 might be the last episode with the Yanu tribe intact. Will there be a tribe swap next week? Maybe. After tonight’s episode – and Bhanu’s unanimous vote-out – it is absolutely clear that no other player was going to be voted out tonight.
Regardless of Q’s efforts to coach Bhanu and help him tighten up his conversations that didn’t lead to spilling too much information, Bhanu had to go. Despite Kenzie being a possible target last week if Randen wasn’t medically evacuated, Bhanu had to go. It appears the weight of the best reality TV show left Bhanu in a place where his honesty left him stranded on an island without any allies.
Life on Survivor is never certain, so saying (or believing) a tribe swap is happening does not mean it will happen. The Yanu tribe has hit a major wall that they cannot yet climb over, so hopefully they find footing in the next episode in some way to get themselves over that proverbial hump.
Oh, if you’ve never seen The Replacements, that’s where “miles and miles of heart” comes from.