Survivor: Winners at War arrived at the perfect time. Edge of Extinction was one of the worst endings of any Survivor season ever. Island of the Idols was a disaster for so many reasons, none of which need to be revisited right now. And, above all, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic due to COVID-19. Survivor needed a facelift and fans everywhere are looking for a much-needed distraction.
And so far, through six episodes, Winners at War has been a top tier season. It may only be one hour each week (or many, many more, depending how many of the great Survivor podcasts you listen to), but everyone needs something exactly like what Survivor is providing right now. In a time of so much uncertainty, hang on to anything you can count on. I’m very thankful to have Survivor right now.
Edge of Extinction
Most of the pre-immunity challenge action took place at the Edge this week. Tyson brings brings back a log with a message for the group, offering another chance to earn a Fire Token: “The more stones you turn, the more chances for success. Then again, sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time.”
Tyson eventually finds a package, happening across it in the low tide. He hides it in his “man panties,” waiting for a chance to take a closer look. When he has a moment to himself, he finds that it’s an Idol Nullifier. Tyson sends it to Parvati who instantly buys it. Tyson uses the Fire Token to buy peanut butter. The benefit here is two-fold. One, he gets the mental edge, having something other than rice to eat. And more importantly, it’s going to give him a physical boost before the challenge to get back into the game.
Immunity Challenge
The twist here is that only one tribe walks away with immunity. Both losing tribes will go to Tribal Council separately, each voting a player out of the game.
For the challenge, the players swim out to a boat to retrieve three bags of rice. Those bags are then forced through a small hole in an obstacle and are taken back to shore. Once there, they cut them open to find three balls. Those balls are then maneuvered through a table maze.
After Wendell duffed calling his shot (and being called out by Probst), Sophie sinks her third ball, securing the win for Yara.
Pre-Tribal
Sele
Parvati feels very vulnerable, and rightfully so. She and Michele are on the wrong side of the numbers, and she’s Parvati freaking Shallow. They see how tight Yul and Wendell are, and know Nick is likely their only real chance at breaking through that alliance. Nick already previously professed his love for Parvati…to Parvati, and goes on about it again here. Playing Survivor with Parvati has long been a dream of Nick’s, but could that be enough to get him to flip on his alliance?
Still exploring all options, Parvati talks to Wendell about other potential plans. Wendell offers his vote in exchange for both of Parvati’s Fire Tokens. Parvati doesn’t quite trust him and takes that info straight to Nick. Wendell could be in trouble heading into Tribal Council.
Dakal
Tony is technically still on the right side of the numbers. But he’s worried about Kim possibly flipping, or Jeremy or Denise having an idol or other advantage. And it begins, Tony goes full Tony. I suppose it was only a matter of time, but boy did he pick an inopportune time to do so.
Officer Vlachos sets up one his vintage spy shacks by the water well. But Tony should have known better. This is his third time playing, and his spy shacks were a huge part of his narrative in Cagayan. Everyone knows to be on alert for Tony’s tricks. And especially so when they all notice his extensive absence from camp. Not only that, but he actively removed himself from important strategic talks. Fantastic television, yes, but probably not the smartest game decision.
But even still, the vote looked to be headed Denise’s way. But then she and Sandra get to talking. Sandra still has her immunity idol, only good for this one last Tribal Council. Sandra doesn’t think she’ll need it, and she doesn’t want it to go waste. She starts bartering with Denise. Sandra offers the idol in exchange for Denise’s two Fire Tokens. Denise accepts, but not before negotiating Sandra down to one Token before Tribal, and the second after. And let’s not forget that Denise also still has an idol of her own at her disposal…
Tribal Council
Sele
Tribal was not a good look for Wendell. Openly talking about his willingness to stab people in the back and in the front, combined with comments like “Some people should appreciate it when people keep it real with them” and “I thought people respected realness” made for a less than stellar showing this week. It’s going to be interesting to see how Nick and Yul react to this back at camp.
And we’ll have the chance to see that reaction, as Sele votes out Parvati, 3-2. She bequeaths her tokens to Michele.
Even if Yul and Nick are feeling uneasy with Wendell, I think Parvati was the right choice. This vote leaves them in the majority, rather than at a 2-2 tie. If they lose immunity again next week and want to vote out Wendell, they should easily be able to get Michele on board.
Dakal
This was great. From Day 1, it felt like only a matter of time before Sandra was voted out. And I’m shocked she didn’t see this move coming. She may not have thought Denise had it in her to pull it off, but she handed her the possibility by giving up her idol. It only had one Tribal left to work, she might as well have kept it and guaranteed her safety.
Denise plays one idol for herself and the other for Jeremy. It makes you wonder if Denise told Jeremy about her plan. If not, he obviously felt very confident in not playing his Safety Without Power advantage here. Denise’s idol for herself saves her, while Jeremy received zero votes. The easy thing is to say that idol was wasted, but I think she was to play it. It guaranteed her ally stayed in the game, and only increased the chances that her plan would work. You can’t miss if you’re going to take your shot at the Queen.
At take it she did, as Sandra is voted out. Before heading to Extinction, she sends her token to Yul.
Final Thoughts
- Fire Tokens
- This episode started to show off how Fire Tokens can really be used
- There is definite potential for these to add some real fun to the game
- Could leads to a revised return of the Survivor auction?
- So much for “no big names are being voted out,” huh?
- Tyson, Boston Rob, Parvati, and Sandra all voted out in succession
- Big time move from Denise, will it put her too much in the spotlight?
- Winners at War continues to be nothing short of fantastic
- We can only hope the season keeps it up the rest of the way
