Survivor 47 Episode 4: Smokescreen or Shock?
It's too obvious to be anything other than a smokescreen, right?
The shock of tonight’s episode brought the biggest smile to my face. After last week’s Survivor saw Aysha voted out of the game, the writing was on the red wall if Lavo (red tribe) went back to tribal council. Survivor 47 episode 4 highlights the conflicts within Lavo, while also giving a greater perspective on the group dynamics of the other two tribes.
Within all three tribes, there appears to be potential cracks to navigate should any one of them lose the immunity challenge. Whether it be Rome threatening to steal Sol’s vote so he can’t use his “Shot in the Dark,” or Sierra’s middle position on Gata (yellow tribe) where Andy spills the beans to Sam about her role in the women’s group of the “breadwinners.” Sam clearly sees Sierra as his number one ally, but she chose to tell Andy about this side alliance and not him. Ruh roh!
And that’s what makes Survivor magical. Nothing is ever certain until those votes are read aloud by host Jeff Probst.
On the Tuku (blue) tribe, Sue is telling castaways she’s 45-years-young rather than 58 – and she finds a “Beware Advantage” while searching for idols under the radar. Do you know what’s not under the radar? Using the clue given with the advantage that shows the location to the idol to then cut a rope laying against a tree, which then drops a jar from the tree, leaving a bloody scene akin to The Shining. Not only was there red paint and broken glass everywhere, Sue had to “bust a move” to clean up before being discovered.
Did Tiyana and Caroline find her at the water well with paint on her cheek, hair, and who knows where else that wasn’t aired? Yes, but props to Sue for cleaning up that massive mess in any amount of time without leaving a gigantic sign saying, “I found an idol.” Yes, Tiyana is skeptical of Sue now because she might not believe the “I cut myself by biting my tongue” story, but that was still a job well done at getting an idol and remaining calm under pressure.
To Threaten or Not to Threaten – That is the Question on Survivor 47 Episode 4
Here’s the deal: I’ve never been a fan of the bullying, threatening mentality some players bring to the table. It’s not the style of play that’s enjoyable and it sucks to see it come back into play in Survivor 47 episode 4. After losing the immunity challenge HORRIBLY in the final puzzle stage, Rome tells Sol (as a ploy), you have to give me your shot in the dark to work with me; otherwise, I’m using my “steal a vote” to take your vote so you can’t use your shot in the dark and then you’re getting voted out.
Sol’s reaction of, “Is this real life?” is absolutely fitting in this moment. At what point was Sol supposed to believe that Rome would work with him and that he wasn’t going to vote him out anyways? And this was after telling Sol it was a bad look to be searching for an idol when he’s on the bottom. It was such an aggressive posture from Rome that left this armchair-critic really despondent by his actions, let alone for Sol’s future in the game.
On the other side of things, Kishan being the crafty player he is, told Rome to throw out Genevieve’s name to Sol, knowing Rome would steal Sol’s vote. Then, he tells Genevieve they should vote out Rome because of his antics. Even if Teeny lost her vote on the post-immunity challenge adventure (which she did), Kishan and Genevieve could vote for Rome, while Rome’s two votes (his and Sol’s stolen vote) would both be for Sol.
In a 2-2 tie, Kishan and Genevieve would revote and vote out Rome.
Don’t Count Your Chickens Before the Votes are Cast
Survivor 47 episode 4 in its entirety felt like one enormous smokescreen. The Rome and Sol conflict, which felt very real, made the sudden “Rome plan” an obvious distraction from the vote that was going to happen as soon as Aysha was voted out last week. Genevieve trying to get Rome and Sol to then work together to blindside Kishan, because he is crafty and threw her name out there without a second thought, was just a momentary blip before Sol would be sent packing.
Rome even said he would steal Kishan’s vote to then vote twice for Sol. It seemed inevitable that Sol would be the next person voted out and nothing seemed remotely possible as a certainty beyond that. And that’s what makes Survivor magical. Nothing is ever certain until those votes are read aloud by host Jeff Probst. And in this particular episode, magic happened. Rome did not steal Sol’s vote (he stole Kishan’s) or vote for him (he voted twice for Kishan), and by Sol’s vote not being stolen, Sol did not vote for Rome. What?!
Kishan was voted out. A player who probably could’ve sustained for quite a while, causing quiet chaos possibly to the end, was caught double dipping and voted out for his treachery.
WOW! Sol seems like a solid dude and I did not want to see a back-to-back vote where he goes after Aysha. This magical ending, which also included a Rome apology to Sol for how he approached him, that’s the stuff that makes Survivor the best reality TV show.
