Australian Survivor has returned for its twelfth season, and this season is different for two big reasons: JLP is no longer the host, and Survivor legends are returning for redemption.
Replacing JLP in the role of host is none other than three-time playing, sole survivor winning, the Golden God himself, David Genat. We spoke with David ahead of this season. The fandom wasn’t convinced with the casting, putting some pressure on David, but he’s determined to prove the fandom wrong.
“I like the pressure,” David said to The Weekly. ” I didn’t quite expect as much blowback from the fans. But, I like proving people wrong, and I like people thinking, “Oh, you can’t do something”. People didn’t think I could win Survivor either. And I 100 per cent know I’m going to do the same with this.”
Here’s everything that happened last night on Australian Survivor: Redemption.
Australian Survivor: Redemption continues Monday-Tuesday at 7.30 pm on Channel 10 and 10play.com.
Warning: SPOILERS below!
Episode 18
The episode begins with the castaways discussing the fallout from the Ben blindside.
Jackson is claiming the move as his own, as “The Kaput alliance” of Brooke, Simon, and Keeley continue to stroke his ego.
Meanwhile, Caleb is quick to call him out for his “delusion”.
Reward challenge
At the cinema reward, Cameron, Brooke, Simon and Jackson watch video messages from their families while enjoying some popcorn and snacks.
Brooke manages to snag another idol, that was stuffed into the cushion of the sofa, but not before Cameron spots her in the act.
Meanwhile, back at camp Loz proposes an all-women’s alliance to Keeley, saying they should join forces with Sally and Brooke.
When they return to camp, Brooke makes Cameron promise not to tell anyone about her immunity idol and he agrees, knowing it will make it easier for him to work with Brooke in the future.
Tribal council
At Tribal Council, Keeley suggests to Brooke that they should put their votes on Loz and then save her if the votes are tied.
The votes come in at four for Simon and four for Loz and David instructs the players to vote again.
The underdogs put their four votes on Simon, while Simon, Keeley, and Jackson vote again for Loz. In the end, Brooke flips, putting her vote on Simon.
Simon takes his ousting in his stride, hugging Brooke and delivering another speech on his way out.
Episode 17
The episode begins with Simon celebrating that he has reached 100 days of playing Survivor.
Later, Ben tells Caleb, Loz, and Sally that he wants their group (plus Jackson) to be the final five, and they all agree.
Immunity challenge
The castaways go head-to-head in another speed-and-endurance challenge. Simon takes an early lead, and while Loz gives him a bit of a run for his money, Simon once again wins immunity, frustrating everyone else in the process.
Simon then decides to give a speech of encouragement to his fellow castaways, which just further isolates him from the group.
Back at camp, the newbies once again decide to split their votes between Brooke and Keeley.
Tribal council
At the Tribal Council, Ben motions to Simon to vote for Brooke, which he then relays to Brooke.
Ultimately Ben is sent home in a blindside, when he receives four votes after Jackson flips to go through with Simon’s plan of targeting Ben at the last minute.
Ben and Jackson embrace as Ben recognises that he got outplayed in the game.
Episode 16
The episode begins with most of the castaways celebrating Mark’s torch being snuffed out at the last tribal council.
The underdogs praise Caleb for switching the vote from Simon to Mark and putting himself in the swing vote position. However, Ben believes the move was actually all down to his and Jackson’s doing.
Meanwhile, Keeley and Brooke, who have lost a valuable ally in Mark, sneak off to the well to steal a decorative chain to put on Keeley’s fake immunity idol, after she tells Brooke about it.
Reward challenge
At the Ikea meatball reward challenge, Simon suggests that two players who are willing to jump from the majority should join himself, Brooke, and Keeley and force a five/five rock draw.
He evens suggests that he’ll choose two rocks from the bag himself, guaranteeing one person would remain safe.
However, his proposal seems to fall on deaf ears as Caleb poses a toast to Operation 99, the code name for the plan to take Simon out before he reaches 100 days at camp.
Immunity challenge
After a 40-minute showdown with Loz at the immunity challenge, Simon wins his second individual immunity necklace of the season.
He breaks down in tears, relieved that he will make his 100 days after all.
Tribal council
Cameron arrives at Tribal Council wearing Sally’s hoodie, immediately putting a target on his own back.
Brooke pulls out her fake idol, kisses it, puts it around her neck and immediately hides it under her hoodie so the other castaways can’t look too closely at it.
They decide to split the votes Brooke 3/Keeley 4 but then Keeley pulls out her real idol and the rest of the castaways realise both Brooke and Keeley will remain safe.
Ultimately, Blanche is sent home as David puts out her torch.
Episode 15
Lines were very much drawn after last night’s tribal council. The returnees have revealed that they are in an alliance, and the newbies are out for blood, especially after losing one of their own.
Caleb has a reputation as “Chaotic Caleb” as he’s loud and loves a bit of chaos. However, he says it’s actually a bit of a front, and he’s sick of being underestimated. Mark loves Caleb and believes they’re 100 per cent on the same page. But really, he has also underestimated him. It’s only a matter of time before Caleb shows his true colours.
Reward challenge
Another team challenge tonight. Again, the tribe is split into two teams, and the winning team gets the reward, which is a fancy high tea complete with scones, Champagne and much more. Because there’s one extra person, someone has to sit out. But whoever it is can bet on which team will win. If they choose correctly, they also get to go to high tea. If they don’t, well then they miss out. They draw rocks to find out who is sitting out, and it’s Cameron. He bets on the Green team with Simon, Jackson, Keeley, Ben, and Loz.
And he picks correctly, as their team had a commanding lead the whole time and wins the reward!
However, there’s a twist with the high tea. They can only go into the high tea room one at a time. They must choose the order themselves. Furthermore, they can ring a bell when they want to start eating, which ends the turn of the person in front of them. There’s also a sand timer (filled with rice), and when it runs out, the time runs out. They draw sticks to decide who goes, and Loz goes first, and Keeley is last. There is plenty of panic, stuffing their faces and scrambling to find an idol or an advantage. Because they panicked so much and rushed through the turns, Keeley has plenty of time to search. She realises that there’s something in the rice timer: An idol!
She tells Mark when she gets back to the camp. Even though…she should maybe keep that information to herself. Mark correctly asserts that Simon is willing to flip on the returnees, so it’s good timing for him.
Immunity challenge
Another balance challenge tonight! They have to balance on a narrow beam and balance a ball on a bow. At regular intervals they will move forward to progressively narrower beams. No one drops at the first stage, but after they move to the narrower section, Keeley drops. Sally, Caleb and Loz drop soon after her. At the next stage, Blanche quickly drops, Ben follows, and then Cameron. Mark falls after moving to the next stage, then Jackson. So it comes down to Brooke and Simon. But then Simon loses his balance, and Brooke wins individual immunity again! The newbies missed their chance to vote her out last night…
But David has something new to share: The person voted out will be the first member of the jury!
Tribal council
Mark tells Ben and Jackson that he wants to vote out Simon. The newbies have a majority, and they are happy to vote for Simon. However, Jackson tells him that he’s not in trouble. Caleb sees an opportunity for chaos. He says he’s over it, over being underestimated and being treated like a number.
He lies and tells Ben that Mark wants to vote Ben out. Then, he goes to Mark and tells him that Ben is actually going to vote for Mark! It works, and the newbies switch the vote to Mark and split it on Keeley (which Caleb suggests). Mark and the newbies decide to vote for Ben. And as Caleb predicted, it comes down to him as a split vote, and so he gets to decide who goes home.
So Ben thinks that it’s his vote, but really Caleb has created this whole situation. Mark is convinced that Caleb is 100 per cent on his side and will vote with him.
At the tribal council, Brooke and Simon point out that because the newbies are voting as a block, it is a risk for their resumes. Not everyone can claim the same move.
Keeley doesn’t play her idol. When David calls out the votes, Keeley cops two, and it comes down to an even split between Mark and Ben with one vote left…and it’s for Mark!
Caleb says sorry and admits he couldn’t beat him at the end. As Mark hugs Brooke goodbye, he tells her about Keeley’s idol. The tribe gives him a standing ovation as David puts out his torch.
Episode 14
Cameron and Caleb are fuming after last night’s vote. Mark tells Caleb that because his alliance doesn’t trust Blanche and Caleb is close to her, they kept him in the dark. So, Caleb decides to hide how frustrated he is with them and plans to flip on all of them.
The next morning, Mark says, “Uh-oh” as Blanche pulls Sally into a private chat. He and the rest of the returnees are “sitting pretty,” he says with Keeley as their adopted returnee. This would be the perfect time for the newbies to strike, but will they?
Elsewhere, Simon also pulls a fake-idol ploy. He kept the canvas that their buffs came in and thinks it could replicate the material used to wrap idols. He swims out to the coral, finds a circular piece, and makes a coral idol (a bit of an upgrade on the cookie idol, amirite?). Simon is also keen to remove some of Mark’s power, so he isn’t sold on voting out Blanche because that will bring Caleb back to Mark.
Immunity challenge
The tribe is split into two groups, the winning group of the first stage will then battle it out for individual immunity. The green team is Caleb, Ben, Keeley, Loz, Simon and Jackson. The purple team is Mark, Blanche, Brooke, Cameron, Sally, and Rich. Green has a strong lead until Ben gets stuck in a net. Purple catches up, but then Mark falters on a throwing challenge. Green lands all their balls and wins the first stage!
The second stage involves building a jigsaw ramp and then rolling balls up the ramp and land it on the top. Ben and Simon start rolling their balls first, but Jackson quickly catches up. But in the end, Simon lands all three, securing individual immunity.
Tribal council
Ben thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to vote out Mark. The newbies all conspire with one another and plan to dump all the votes on Mark. But sadly, Rich decides to tell Simon. He knows that Simon and Mark have some kind of truce, so maybe he should have left him in the dark. Instead, he tells him, and then Simon tells Brooke. She is the only one who knows about Mark’s idol. She tries to tell Keeley, but Caleb joins them, so she keeps quiet. However, she’s not ready to vote out Mark. Keeley also doesn’t want to vote out Mark; she tells Sally to fetch Simon so that they can speak with one another. It’s also wild that Keeley is so tight with the returnees when they are a threat to her game. Doesn’t she want a good resume?
Brooke gives Mark a look, and he (rightly) interprets it as meaning he’s in trouble. At the tribal council, Brooke warns Mark that the newbies have the numbers to vote him out. Simon then whispers to Mark that he has a fake idol and plans to use it to bluff before the votes. Mark pulls Ben aside and tells him that he has blown up his game and says he’s going home. When he sits back down, Mark flashes the fake idol, and Ben’s smile fades. News spreads, but surprisingly, they don’t make a new plan, like switching it to Brooke or Keeley.
Sally pulls Rich aside and asks what they should do; he gives her a non-answer. Loz trips over herself as she speaks with Caleb and Blanche. But it sounds like they aren’t switching. But you know who does? The returnees! They decide to switch the vote from Ben to Rich. Mark tells Caleb, who doesn’t share with the rest of the tribe and votes first.
Before the votes are read out, Mark plays his real idol. Mark turns to Rich as the votes are read out and asks him if he flipped, and Rich says he’ll tell him later. Mark then asks, ” Will you?” Before David reads out Rich’s name. Thanks to Mark’s idol play, Rich cops the most votes and goes home. Another big move for Mark’s resume.
Episode 13
It’s the thirteenth episode, unlucky for some, lucky for others. Tonight, we made it to the halfway mark, so it’s time for merge!
The episode opens with Keeley reeling after her number one ally (Faith) was voted out in a blindside. However, she’s really thinking about how she’s going to one-up Mark. She and Mark have a one-on-one chat about why he flipped, and she tells him that it was such a good move. But we know she’s playing him.
At the reward challenge, Mark admits to the other tribe that he orchestrated the Faith vote. Could that make him a target?
David then announces that they’ve made it to merge. Simon immediately cries with relief, and when David asks Mark how he’s feeling, he also gets very emotional.
Reward challenge
As usual, when we get to merge, there is a massive prize for the first reward challenge. This season, it’s a brand-new Mahindra seven-seater four-wheel drive car. To win the challenge, they have to balance on a barrel using ropes to steady themselves and keep a spool balanced on the barrel as well. Keeley, Blanche and Mark drop very quickly. A few of the tribemates really need a car, as their current vehicles are in need of repair.
In the last stage of the challenge, they have to drop the ropes and balance with their core alone. Everyone drops one after the other, and Sally is the last one standing! And she wins the car!
But David doesn’t leave it there. He also announces that waiting for the new tribe back at camp is a traditional Samoan feast, the first meal many have had for days.
At the feast, they come up with a new name for their tribe. Turns out, Rich has done some research, and the Samoan word for redemption is “togiola.”
Also, at the feast, the tribe gets to know one another. Richa has gone to nine out of the 12 tribals we’ve had so far and is keen to make some new friends. Lottie tells Mark that she was rooting for him during his season, and she also would be keen to work with Sally, who is in the market for new friends as well. Caleb is thrilled to have made it to merge. To celebrate, he goes swimming with Ben and actually catches a fish with his bare hands!
That night, the remaining returnees, Mark, Brooke and Simon reaffirm their truce. They call their alliance the “boomerangs” because they keep coming back.
The next day, Keeley works her social game and flatters Rich and Simon, telling Rich that he’s her number one (he’s not) and telling Simon he’s so smart, “like really, really smart”. But he’s not smart enough to realise that she’s flattering him. She strategises with Simon that they should vote out Lottie.
Immunity challenge
The tribemates have to hold up a bar that’s 10 per cent of their body weight using a rope. No one drops after 25 minutes. At regular intervals, they have to move down the rope. After the first transition, Lottie and Loz drop. After the next transition, Sally drops, then Jackson, then Cameron. Mark then starts to struggle, and he drops. Keeley follows him. Ben loses control and drops his bar. At the final transition, Blanche, Rich and Simon drop, so it comes down to Caleb and Brooke.
Brooke is known as a challenge beast; in fact, she has won every first individual immunity challenge post-merge on her Australian Survivor journey. It’s another great notch for her resume.
Tribal council
Jackson makes a pitch for his Beauty and the Beast alliance to vote out Blanche. However, Loz wants to work with Lottie and agrees that Jackson should go next. The majority say to her that they are going with her plan. However, Keeley is aiming at Lottie to protect the returnees (which is a weird strategy, as the returnees have a better resume than she does). The better move would be to work with Lottie as the newcomers have more numbers. But maybe off-camera, Keeley and Lottie didn’t get along.
Simon and Mark use their influence to convince the swing votes (Sally, Loz and Rich) to vote out Lottie. Rich and Loz talk about it, and Loz rightly points out that it could give Mark more power. Sally also isn’t pleased that she has no agency.
So it appears heading into tribal that they will stick to the Jackson vote. Which he can feel, so he goes idol hunting.
However, when it comes to tribal council, the newcomers flip on Lottie and vote her out. She’s blindsided, and Keeley and Mark are in a stronger position. However, in the preview for tomorrow night’s episode, it looks like Caleb will be out for revenge for being lied to, yet again.
Episode 12
After no elimination on Monday and then missing an episode thanks to the excellent Matildas V China PR match on Tuesday (yay Matildas going to the final!), Survivor fans were gasping for an update. What would Redemption Beach look like? How were the remaining Bounty players meant to compete in a challenge?
Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long, as the episode opened with Keeley, Sally, and Caleb discovering Redemption Beach. It was very bleak. No shelter, coconut crabs everywhere, and then it started raining. They ended up spending the night under a tree, huddling together for warmth. The next morning, they try to make the beach more habitable and build a shelter. While exploring, Caleb discovers a hidden key. Back at the shelter, Sally spots a treasure chest which has a note attached informing them that they need a key to open it. Caleb tries his key, but it doesn’t fit! It turns out there are loads of hidden keys everywhere, in trees, under rocks, among roots. In the end, Keeley finds the correct key and inside the chest is an advantage. She won’t know what her advantage is until the tribal council.
Back at Bounty, Mark, Rich, and Faith are reeling after last night’s tribal. However, Mark is also a little giddy that no one voted for him, and he’s satisfied if Keeley or Sally end up going home. Faith speaks to Rich and tells him they should work together and maybe think about getting Mark out. Faith informs the audience that she knows Mark’s game, and she’s going to vote him out before they get to the end. But Mark finds an idol and does the smart thing and keeps it to himself.
Redemption challenge
Barren are shocked when they see a three-person Bounty tribe rock up. Instead of the two tribes competing, the three banished tribemates will compete to win their spot back in the tribe. The two losers will go back to Redemption Beach.
They balance on a see-saw beam and balance five blocks on the opposite end. Because of her advantage, Keeley only has to stack four. However, she doesn’t too very well at the challenge, so it’s not much of an advantage to her.
It starts to pour rain, and David adds some commentary, “My tee-shirt is clinging on for dear life.” I did say I wanted more of the real David to show up, so it’s nice (?) to hear.
The Barren tribe roots hard for Sally, to the annoyance of Faith and Mark, who start seeing her as a threat when it comes to merge. It comes down to a race between Sally and Caleb. But Caleb gets his hand on the podium first, earning his spot back in the tribe.
Immunity challenge
Whoever loses the challenge today will gain Keeley and Sally. However, neither of them will have votes at the tribal council. Both tribes strategise to throw the challenge so they can get rid of a threat. Faith and Mark conspire to vote out Caleb and Simon, and his alliance consider voting out Keeley after Mark informs Simon that she’s his ally.
Faith has a very frank conversation with Mark and informs him that she’s not taking him to the end. Instead, she’s going to put him on the jury council, so vote him out after the merge. Not something he wants to hear. The next day, he speaks with Caleb and Rich about flipping and voting out Faith because of what she’s said.
Over on Redemption Beach, the girls celebrate after successfully starting a fire. Sally then pitches voting out Mark for their resume. That night, Keeley does something devious… She grabs the machete and prises the wooden token off the top of the chest, making her own fake idol. I bet David is going to love that!
Will both tribes throw the challenge? It doesn’t look like it at first as Ben whips through the water to swim out to a boat and then rapidly fills it with coconuts and pulls it to shore with his teeth. However, Bounty is really going slowly. They clearly are throwing the challenge. To cement that idea, Mark whispers to Simon that Barren “needs to win”. However, all Simon needs to do is drop the baskets he’s holding to lose. That being said, Mark is struggling with his baskets before they even start throwing coconuts into his basket. He very quickly drops his basket. So the Redemption Beach ladies rejoin their tribe.
Tribal council
Sally pitches her Mark idea to Faith, which she says is a “dumb play.” Instead, Faith wants to vote out Caleb. However, Keeley and Faith talk about how much they are not aligned with Sally and her gameplay. So they decide to flip Faith and Mark’s vote to Sally. So much for the Wise Women alliance.
However, unbeknownst to them, Mark, Rich and Caleb are targeting Faith with the play they call “Operation Wave”, so they better make some good puns at tribal council. They are also going to put a vote on Sally, just in case Faith has an idol.
However, Keeley then tells Mark that Sally was pitching his name. Mark has a history of getting paranoid as soon as someone mentions his name. He also has a history of talking a big game and not following through. Will he flip to the easy vote and get rid of Sally, or make a big move for his resume and vote for Faith?
When David reveals the votes, there are two for Faith and two for Sally! Faith voted for her ally (which Rich and Caleb didn’t see coming), and Mark voted for Faith (which Faith didn’t see coming). So, there’s a revote. Only Rich, Caleb and Mark can vote again, and they can only vote for Faith or Sally.
Faith asks Caleb and Rich not to vote for her, but they both don’t engage. Well, Caleb makes a motion to slash his throat; he’s thrilled to vote her out.
In the revote, it’s a landslide for Faith. She didn’t think Mark would flip and says “you should have voted for me” as they hug goodbye. But he whispers back, “I did.”
And it was right on time, looks like it’s merge on Sunday night!
Episode 11
Blanche is reeling after Aisha got blindsided and left with her idol in her pocket. Simon is happy with the move and sees it as his redemption. However, Lottie is fuming, saying that Simon is “beyond dead” to her.
Loz has a chat with Lottie and Cameron and says that Simon just wanted Aisha out, and he is still on their side. However, they don’t buy it. Simon tries to mend the bridge between him and Lottie. He really hates it when people don’t like him. He wants to be the hero for everyone! She makes a case for taking her and Cameron to merge and actually throws Jackson’s name out. That’s the only way she will return to an alliance with him. He says he can “help” with that…
Over on Bounty, Keeley and Mark wake in the middle of the night to conspire against Mark. They are frustrated by his micromanagement. They are open to finding a new “sugar daddy” to replace him. There are only six people left on the Bounty tribe, which is making Mark very nervous. He feels like Keeley is conspiring against him…which she is! Keeley and Rich also solidify their secret alliance.
Immunity challenge
They have to race over a ramp, work together to get puzzle pieces out of a wire box, carry them over an obstacle course, then use a monkey fist rope ball to hook on a handle, open a frame and then solve the puzzle. Bounty shows great teamwork in releasing the puzzle pieces, whereas Barren struggles to work together.
Bounty ends up with a strong lead, but Caleb and Mark both falter when it comes to the monkey fist ball. Barren catches up, and Simon lands the monkey fist on his first try. Simon and Loz quickly solve the puzzle and win the challenge for Barren! When Blanche collects the immunity idol, she shows off her gymnastics skills with some cartwheels and high kicks!
Tribal council
Mark tells Faith that he’s keen to vote out Richard, but tells Rich that the vote is on Sally. However, Keeley and Faith are keen to vote out Caleb, whom they think Mark has a blind spot for. But Caleb isn’t happy with the politics of the tribe. He’s sick of being told what to do and being the split vote. So, Caleb goes to Sally and says they could make a move against the rest of the tribe. He’s not aware of the Three Wise Women alliance, but it doesn’t look like Sally tells them what he says.
However, David throws a spanner into the works at tribal council by announcing that there will be no elimination tonight! Instead, three people from the tribe will be going to Redemption Beach. Those three people will have to fight their way back to the tribe. David says that they will keep voting until three people are selected. His announcement sparks lots of whispers amongst the six remaining tribe members. Keeley suggests to Faith that they send Mark, so it would be the three men. Sally tells Caleb about the plan, and he tells her to “do it”.
Mark then speaks with Caleb, who shares their plan, and calls Keeley a “mole” for voting for her. She lies and says she’s not putting his name out there. She says Caleb put his name out, and Sally is voting for him. He whispers to Sally not to vote for him. Caleb then says to Rich that it would be good if Sally went to the beach because they could beat her (also, maybe he just wants some friendly beach time with his friend Sally). In the end, Caleb gets 2 votes, Sally gets 3, and the last vote goes to Keeley! Faith and Keeley immediately suspect it was Mark who voted for her. We don’t see who voted for whom, but Rich admits that he voted for Keeley, so maybe their alliance wasn’t so strong after all.
Episode 10
Mark is riding high on his alliance with his Head Office alliance with Keeley and Faith. However, he doesn’t like that Rich is getting closer to his alliance. Sadly for him, Keeley is keen to work with Mark, and they actually form a new alliance, the Board of Directors.
Over on Barren, Simon is thrilled with his performance last night. However, Aisha, Brooke, and Lottie are furious with him. They wanted him to throw the challenge so they could send Brooke home. So they will be looking to throw the challenge today to get another shot.
Reward Challenge
Today’s challenge is about “the art of deception,” says David. Castaways from each tribe will go head-to-head in a game of bluff. One is a bluffer, the other is the guesser. The bluffer looks into a box and has to make the other person guess what’s inside. The guesser then gets to choose which box to take. Caleb successfully bluffs Jackson and ends up with bacon and eggs, while Jackson gets a bold egg.
Ben goes against Faith; he tells the truth and says it’s a banana. However, she doesn’t like her parma, so they swap to Ben’s delight. Brooke bluffs against Sally. Brooke looks, immediately gets emotional, and says it’s something from home, like a letter. Sally reveals her box, and it’s a lime! Brooke apologises, revealing that she was bluffing and had actually got a lime tart.
Faith goes against Blanche, and Blanche comes away with a peanut butter sandwich, but there’s something extra in there: A clue to an idol!
However, back at camp, Brooke’s actions at the bluff game made her even more of a threat. Even her secret alliance member Loz isn’t sure she can trust her motives.
Over on Barren, Blanche opens her clue, which says “Take shelter from great power”. She deduces that there’s an idol in the shelter. However, she has not luck looking. So she tells Aisha so she can find it. Aisha does, and they open it up together. But Aisha holds onto it. Blanche says that they can use it together.
Immunity Challenge
The tribes will be tethered together, have to make their way under a net in the water, and then through an obstacle course. Then they can be untied, and two will pass a ball through a balance board table maze to each other to their target.
Keeley and Mark do the balance ball maze, but Keeley takes a few goes to get a good rhythm. Ben and Aisha go up for Barren. However, Aisha very obviously throws the challenge. Even Lottie is smiling and laughing as she watches. Brooke also calls it “obvious”. Bounty wins the challenge, sending Barren back to the tribal council.
Tribal Council
Blanche and Aisha plan to vote for Brooke and to split their vote on Ben in case she has an idol. Simon and Jackson act like they are going along with the plan; however, the Beauty and the Beast alliance plan to blindside Aisha. To the audience, Loz says she’s a bit conflicted. Elsewhere, Aisha accidentally tells Ben that she’s voting for Ben. Eeek. However, it looks pretty straightforward.
But Cameron starts feeling angsty. It seems too simple. Aismon is being too positive. He starts asking whether something is up.
Aisha and Blanche discuss whether or not to use the idol, but decide against it as it seems very straightforward to vote Brooke or Ben out. However, after casting their votes, Brooke does play her idol. This surprises everyone as no one knew she had an idol, not even her alliance. And when they come to count the votes, Aisha gets the most votes and goes home…with Blanche’s idol in her pocket!
Episode 9
After last night’s tribal council, Tez admits to Caleb in front of everyone that he voted for Caleb because he was told to. He also tells Rich that he was the new target at tribal. He doesn’t say who told him to vote for Caleb (Keeley) or Rich (Mark). The whole tribe is frustrated with Tez. Faith isn’t impressed that he keeps blabbing at tribal council. Tez maintains that he’s not a follower, and he wants to stir things up. However, he’s not putting forward any ideas…so he doesn’t have any clear gameplay.
The next day, he starts talking about making big moves. Sally points out to him that they don’t want to work with him if he’s going to blow up their games at tribal and at the beach (which he has done multiple times).
Elsewhere, Faith and Keeley start talking about having the numbers to vote Mark out. They don’t love that he likes to feel ike he’s in control.
Over at Barren, the tribe are worried about Rich. Aisha is keen to go to tribal so they can vote Brooke out. However, a new alliance is brewing. Jackson and Simon are both frustrated that they don’t get a say in the tribe’s plans, and neither does Loz. Under the darkness of night, a new alliance of Ben, Jackson, Simon, Brooke, and Loz forms: The Beauty (Loz) and the Beasts. They aim at Aisha; it’s tricky for Simon, who has a relationship with Lottie, but it’s better for his overall plans.
Immunity challenge
There’s no reward challenge today. However, there’s a twist today. The two tribes are fighting for individual immunity, not for tribal immunity. They compete in pairs (one from each tribe) to hold up a bar, the last pair to drop wins individual immunity. Then, both tribes will go to the tribal council, but only one person will go home.
Because they are competing in pairs from opposite tribes, it’s an opportunity to socialise and share gossip across the tribes. It comes down to Brooke and Richard versus Simon and Faith. Rich begs Simon to let him win, but Simon is incapable of doing a bad job. So Simon and Fiath win individual immunity.
Tribal council
Back at Barren Beach, Aisha is aiming for Brooke but has a contingency plan to vote out Keeley if both tribes vote together. If they aren’t, they will split their votes between Brooke and Ben. However, she doesn’t know that the secret Beauty and the Beast alliance are aiming at Aisha or Blanche. Simon shares a tall tale with Blanche about Mark agreeing to save Rich on condition. Lottie and Aisha immediately say it’s so suspicious. So they know something is up with Simon.
Over on Bounty, Tez really wants to play Survivor, but he doesn’t have anyone to play with. Caleb tells him he needs to start the conversations; he can’t wait for someone to chat with him. He also tells him he needs to make a case to keep him in the game. Mark allows him to pitch to him, but Tez doesn’t give him a compelling alternative. Instead, Mark suggests Rich, coaxing Tez into making a move, and he claims it, but it doesn’t really land.
However, Head Office plan to vote out Tez; they can’t trust him not to blow up their games, but they tell Caleb and Sally to vote for Rich as a backup.
But when they get to tribal council, things heat up between Caleb and Jackson. Jackson calls Caleb out for taking his fallen tribe mates’ clothes. Caleb says he’s just laughing and is surprised by Jackson’s anger. But David has another twist in store for the castaways…
Second immunity challenge
It’s not a simple vote tonight. Instead, the two tribes must choose a champion. Those two champions will then take part in a fire challenge. Whoever builds a fire that burns through a rope will save their entire tribe from the vote. Both tribes start scheming, and both tribes seem to want to throw the challenge. They take so long to decide, David says they will have to draw rocks, then calls them all to sit.
Simon asks if he can give Rich his immunity necklace. David says he can, but Faith immediately jumps and says that he doesn’t need to give it to Rich. So, Simon keeps it and goes head-to-head with Mark in the fire challenge.
At the start, it looks like they are both trying to throw the game. However, as mentioned, Simon is incapable of not doing his best. So he quickly gets a fire going, to Lottie’s annoyance. She even whispers to Rich that he was meant to throw it to save Rich. However, Simon protects his flame with a tarp and wins! But not only does he save his tribe, but he also asks if he can still give Rich his immunity necklace. Again, Faith pounces and says Rich doesn’t need it. But at this stage…why would he not? If he’s not the target, what’s the harm? Not really a sound strategy on Faith’s part. He still gives it to him, securing Rich’s immunity.
Instead, the tribemates all vote on Tez (except Tez, who votes for Caleb). Sorry you never got your chance to make an impact, Tez!
Episode 8
Keeley is absolutely thrilled following the results of the tribal council. Rich, Caleb and Mark are all upset that they had no idea what was going on. But Keeley is chuffed with herself for being a “silent assassin.”
Mark is beyond frustrated with himself for letting his power go to his head and not realising that Keeley had a plan behind his back.
“I got betrayed…I’m frustrated. I don’t like it when I don’t get my way. I’m a little boy,” he laughs with Faith, who advises him to go along with Keeley, who is on a power-trip for a while.
The next morning, Keeley and Faith start a new alliance called Head Office with Mark. Keeley is the CEO. So much for a silent assassin! Faith tells Mark that they are voting for Caleb, not Mark’s first choice, so he chats with Lyndl and Rich to see if they could work together. Rich and Mark hatch a plan to make it look like Rich is being targeted to encourage the other tribe to throw the next challenge…
Over on Barren Beach, Brooke is idol hunting, and Blanche is spilling secrets with the new Barren tribe. Aisha agrees with Blanche that Brooke is a massive threat, and they plan to vote her out. So Blanche goes with Brooke to hunt for idols, to keep an eye on her. However, Brooke finds one, and Blanche doesn’t notice!
Immunity challenge
There’s no reward challenge tonight! Instead, we go straight into the immunity challenge. Rich puts on a big show that his tribe are targeting him. Mark even wears Rich’s jacket and hat to seal the deal. Rich hugs Simon and whispers to him to throw the challenge. Later, he says it to Aisha as well. However, Keeley and Faith see this and realise something is afoot.
But during the challenge, it doesn’t look like either Simon or Aisha helps throw it in any way. Barren tribe have a lead throughout, but in the end, it’s a nailbiter anagram challenge as both tribes try to figure out what the hidden phrase is. Sadly for Bounty, Barren figures it out just before they do and secure their second victory and send Bounty back to the tribal council.
Tribal Council
Lyndl feels very secure in the new tribe. She is happy to be led by Keeley and Faith. However, Keeley tells Mark that she wants to vote out Lyndl. They had thought that Rich had pull with the other tribe (hence the theatrics), but after Barren didn’t throw the challenge, they aren’t sure if he has influence. Plus, Lyndl has an idol which Mark knows about. That being said, Mark still puts Sally’s name out because he feels he can’t work with her.
Elsewhere, Tez is feeling very on edge. No one is talking to him, and he’s not in any alliance. In any other season, that would make him the main target, and he has been pitted against Caleb a lot. He talks a lot in this episode about wanting to make big moves. He attempts to chat with Rich and Lyndl about possibly making a move, but he isn’t prepared. Rich asks him to name someone, and he says Faith. He immediately regrets it and goes straight to Faith. Not a great move on his part.
Keeley eventually tells Tez that she will tell him who the real target is at tribal, and until then, he should say his vote is Caleb. He doesn’t like this at all. Rich also starts feeling unsure about his position and goes back to Tez. The two have a very awkward conversation where they use a lot of unclear plans and intentions. It’s not really clear where they land.
At the tribal council, Mark whispers to Tez that he should vote for Richard. In the end, Rich and Caleb both get two votes, and Tex gets one vote. However, Lyndl doesn’t use her idol, and she cops the most votes and is sent home.
Episode 7
It’s tribe swap time! Something that can make or break a player’s game. The episode opens with the Barren tribe reeling from last night’s vote. Don is upset that he copped votes again last night. Elsewhere, Mark is unsettled that his alliance members are plotting things behind his back. Which they totally were, but they didn’t act on it last night.
The next day, the crew are met with a muddy reward challenge! The reward: meat pies. Cameron gets major redemption after successfully throwing his ball into a basket, catching it in time and throwing it into the target basket in one go! “I told you I could throw,” he shouts at this tribe.
In the end, Bounty wins the reward! Again! The camera pans to Ben’s face a lot when he realises he’s not going to be fed again. Sad.
But…David announces that it’s time for a tribe swap!
Tribe swap
The new tribes are:
- Bounty: Keeley, Faith, Lyndl, Tez, Don, Sally, Caleb, Richard, Mark
- Barren: Lottie, Aisha, Simon, Ben, Blanche, Jackson, Brooke, Loz, Cameron
So the tribes essentially swapped sides, bar one or two. Brooke, Ben and Blanche are outnumbered on Barren, and Rich and Lyndl are on their own in Bounty. Furthermore, the muscle is on Barren, so they could be challenge winners until the merge.
Back at the beaches, the winners of the reward challenge are given their individual meat pies. However, Jackson shares his pie with Ben!
Don sees this as a new opportunity to improve his social gameplay. Rich and Ben have a sweet moment on the beach. Rich shares that he has wanted to work with him, and the two have a conversation in Thai!
Immunity Challenge
Rain is relentlessly pouring down as the castaways rock up to their first immunity challenge in their new tribes. It’s another mucky one thanks to the weather.
They have to work as a team to get their tribe up a ramp. Bounty makes a human ladder out of Don and Caleb. Barren whip through the first stage, working easily as a team (plus they have a lot of the, as David calls them, “Big Boys”). Simon and Ben take the lead in organising their tribe, and they get to the throwing stage with a “commanding lead”, according to host David.
However, they lose their lead after Ben misses a lot of his shots. Jackson takes over and starts knocking them down. However, Don, who has been talking nonstop about his throwing prowess, takes up the coconuts and smashes every target one after another. But, sadly, it’s not redemption time for him; it’s redemption for Jackson. He manages to knock them all down faster. So, Barren is heading back to the tribal council.
Tribal council
Simon still thinks he’s in charge, but the new “Wise Woman” trio of Faith, Keeley and Sally are aiming for Tez. Even though Mark wants to vote out Sally, he agrees to “do the girls a solid” and vote out Tez. He tells Tez that Caleb is voting for him and then tells Caleb to vote for Tez (and he also says that Tez is aiming for Caleb). However, Sally is keen to vote out Mark. She says that to Don, not realising he’s in a secret alliance with him. And Don immediately tells Mark.
Don then goes to Faith and Keeley and tells them that Sally said they are voting for Mark. Then Mark joins, and they start talking about voting out Sally. Keeley hates that she’s being told what to do by Mark and that he’s getting his way again. However, whenever she tries to speak with Keeley, Mark interrupts them.
At the tribal council, Keeley pulls a big move. She sends whispers through the tribe and gets her secret alliance of Sally, Faith and newcomers Lyndl and Rich to vote for Don. She even whispers to Tez that they are voting for Don and tells him not to tell anyone. Remember, Tez thinks that Caleb is aiming for him (and even calls him out for it at tribal council). In the end, the votes fall 1 for Tez (from Caleb), 6 for Don, and 2 for Sally. So Mark gets blindsided again and loses an ally. Bye, Don Roberts, I mean Rogers.
Episode 6
After a blockbuster episode last night, my hopes were high for them to continue…but alas, I was left disappointed. I will say that it was nice to see more of David’s personality in tonight’s episode. So far, he hasn’t really been giving much to the cameras or the crew. Almost just being a human block, but tonight we saw some of the old Golden God return. I hope he continues that instead of being a taller, blonder JLP.
The episode opens with Caleb arriving back at camp and excitedly telling his tribe that Harry went home. He also tells them that he’s thrilled that a returning player has gone home…which immediately sends red flags to Mark and Brooke, both of whom are his allies. The next morning, Caleb tries to smooth things over with both of them. But other members of the tribe see his antics as chaotic. Elsewhere, Johnson wants to get Mark on his side after Mark accused him of aiming for him (which he was). However, Mark doesn’t trust Johnson and doesn’t believe a word he’s saying.
Over at Bounty, Simon says that it’s bittersweet that Harry is gone, but he didn’t want to jeopardise his own gameplay. Elsewhere, Aisha shares that Lottie is her ally, but she’s not her number one especailly as Lottie was trying to save Harry the night before. It turns out she and Cameron are each other’s number ones and are turning their sights on Simon.
Reward challenge
It’s a water reward challenge. Two members of each tribe are in the water and have to grab a ball, using any means necessary. They then toss the ball to another player, who then uses it to knock the other team off a stand using a catapult. Kind of like dodgeball, just over water on a slippery bar.
Mark is on the slingshot for Barren and again shows his prowess at throwing (although at various points Don says to his tribemates that he should be throwing). In the end, Bounty wins a reward after Simon grazes Ben’s finger. Back at Barren’s camp, Don vents his frustration to Ben and Mark about how he should have been. It makes Faith and Keeley nervous and they start a new alliance with Sally with designs to weaken Mark by removing Don, Tez, or Caleb.
Over at Bounty, they enjoy the nachos (no secret advantage found), and afterwards, Lottie and Simon form their own secret alliance.
Immunity challenge
It’s another water challenge. One person swims out to unhook a key from a floating platform, which releases crates with balls which they have to carry to the shore and smash on the ground and then lift the walls through a vertical maze. The maze requires a lot of teamwork, communication and balance.
Ben swims out for Barren, and it takes him a minute to unhook the key, to which Don starts saying, he should have gone in his place. Mark tells him it’s a team challenge (essentially, “Calm down, Don!”). Bounty takes a quick lead, but Barren catches up quickly. Simon and Rich are in the maze for their tribe, and they are almost perfect, but drop the last ball. Mark and Johnson are in the maze for Barren and make their way through it swiftly, but their ball gets stuck on the last stage. That gives Bounty the time to win their first immunity in days! We finally get to see some tribal council action for the Barren tribe.
Tribal council
Back at Barren Beach, Mark is using his influence to get Johnson out of the tribe. Don offers to be the red herring. He’s at the bottom, so the rest of the tribe will believe it. Mark goes to Johnson and tells him the Don is voting for him. Johnson agrees to work with Mark and plans to vote for Don. However, Faith, Keeley, and Sarah have their secret alliance, and they decide to put their votes on Caleb. But they don’t have the numbers. So they try to get Brooke in on their vote, but she’s not keen, as Caleb is in her alliance. However, she’s a bit jumpy since he came back from last night’s tribal council and was happy that they voted out a returning player.
When we get to tribal council, Brooke pulls a power move that ultimately falls flat: She takes out her idol and wears it around her neck.
Immediately, the audience starts wondering if she is going to play it for Caleb, saving him and blowing up the girls’ plan, or if she could use it to save Johnson and send Don (who has been bothering most other tribemates) home.
Or could it be Mark, as Johnson has been gunning for him? However, in the end…she plays it for herself. Sadly, she gets no votes, so she just wasted an idol play before the tribe swap. It also transpires that Faith and her alliance decided not to vote for Caleb (perhaps they believed, as this author did, that Brooke would play her idol for him, and so they switched). Instead, the votes are split down the middle between Don and Johnson. However, in the end, Johnson gets the most votes and heads home.
Episode 5
It has been a long, long time since I was totally satisfied with an episode of Australian Survivor, but last night’s episode was absolute cinema. I wasn’t expecting the twists and turns, and the ending, and who went home…it was in a word: delicious.
The episode begins right after tribal council, with Harry congratulating them on blindsiding him. He shares that they have “awoken” something “terrible” within him. Dirty Harry is back. The next morning, Harry tries to form an alliance with Lottie. He pitches that he has the experience to take her through to the tribe swap. She says that she’s happy to work with him, and they plan to vote for Loz or Lyndl. Lottie shares that with Aisha, who also doesn’t trust Lyndl. Aisha also shares her advantage, that she can save someone from tribal council and invite someone from the winning tribe to vote in their place. They strategise who they could send and save…
Over on the Barren tribe, Don reveals his secret: he’s Don Rogers, not Roberts, and his brother is Australian Survivor legend, Matt Rogers. He had planned to keep it a secret, but I guess he decided it was a way to endear himself to the tribe (he’s not well-liked by the rest).
Caleb shares his strategy: “crazy but cautious”, he’s floating between two alliances and warned Mark that Jackson is aiming for him. Mark immediately says that to Jackson’s face, who quickly denies it. If they ever get to tribal council, things will likely get spicy between those two.
Immunity challenge
No reward challenge tonight! It’s a strength-based obstacle course. They have to push a carriage covered with sandbags along a track. However, Bounty’s carriage gets stuck on the tracks, losing them precious time. However, they catch up at the final stage: a puzzle. Richard and Aisha quickly solve the puzzle…or did they? David says, “Something’s wrong.” He can’t say what as the host. They’ve mixed up two letters and don’t resolve it in time, and Barren scoops the win.
However, Aisha stops the celebrations and shares her advantage. She chooses to save Loz (likely so that Lyndl will be the target) and invites Caleb to join them at tribal council. Loz leaves and spends the night at Barren’s camp. Caleb will join them at tribal. But there’s another twist…
Surprise Individual Immunity Challenge!
David says that they all have the opportunity to win individual immunity, right now, and a wall drops behind him, revealing standing pegs. They have to stand and balance on the pegs while balancing a ball. The tribemates drop quickly, leaving just Harry and Lyndl as the last two standing.
Lyndl is literally as still as a statue. Harry has faltered on this challenge before and fails to redeem himself, and he drops. So, Lyndl wins individual immunity, ruining Harry and Lottie’s plans… and likely making Harry the biggest target.
As soon as they get back to the beach, Harry and Jackson realise they are at the bottom. Jackson goes idol hunting, and Harry makes a pitch to the campmates. He tells Lyndl that she was the original target, which makes her paranoid. Lottie makes a pitch for Harry, arguing that he can help them at the merge, whereas Jackson can’t. However, Aisha and Cameron think it’s the perfect opportunity to get out of a big player. However, after Harry’s pitch, Aisha sways to vote for Jackson.
Jackson is frustrated that he’s been unable to make a pitch. But Harry isn’t convinced that he’s safe, but he can’t resist the temptation to be “Dirty Harry”. Simon asks him to hold the flint, and he pockets it. Why? He asks Jackson if he wants to “have some fun” and suggests they hold the flint ransom and tell the tribe that one of them has it, and so if they vote out either of them, they could vote out their ability to make fire (and eat). Jackson thinks it’s diabolical, but he loves a show and says he’s going along with it. Harry says they should push the vote on Rich.
Tribal Council
At the tribal council, they greet Caleb, and Harry gives him a rundown of their tribe’s politics. Caleb gives a pitch to vote out a “powerhouse”, and Simon is immediately on edge, thinking he’s at risk. Harry then asks Jackson to share his blackmail plan. Jackson does, and even David is impressed by the move (he’s the Golden God after all). Harry also lies and whispers to Caleb that Rich is actually the top of the tribe.
However, Jackson isn’t actually playing along. He points out that Harry is the most experienced player in their tribe, but he manipulates and blackmails. He then takes out the flint in his pocket and hands it to Simon, putting his trust in the tribe and exposing Harry. Dirty Harry’s face falls; it was a move he didn’t see coming. He even shakes Jackson’s hand and says to David,
“It turned out to not be my story in the end; it was someone else’s redemption story.”
After he votes, Harry takes a minute to take in the set; he’s clearly preparing to go home. But will the tribe be diabolical and vote out Jackson after his power move? Or take the opportunity to vote out Harry? But they did it, Harry gets the most votes! He tells Lottie and Aisha that they are so good at the game. Simon also cries as he says goodbye. Harry also tears up as he says goodbye to the crew.
“I’m not that sad to lose, I guess it’s just the end of the story for me. It’s sad to say goodbye. It has been a big part of my life to play Survivor…I’m really privileged, and I’m really grateful.”
Episode 4
Jackson shares that Eliza’s elimination was the worst night of his life on Survivor. Back at the beach, Lyndl takes credit for the move and tells Jackson that she started the vote change to Eliza. She calls it her first “blindside”, but it looks like Jackson could be out for revenge. The next day, he and Harry have a sidebar. Harry is playing dumb about the Eliza vote so that he can still work with Jackson. Lottie has totally clocked his gameplay, and also knows that Paula was the one who pushed Eliza’s name, not Lyndl. So she plans to weaken Harry by aiming for Paula and tries to convince Simon it’s in his best interest to flip.
However, over on the Barren tribe, Don has a new project in the works, a fire shelter. He’s copped a few votes and still believes he’s a “popular guy”. However, other campmates have shared their frustrations with him. He’s also kept his name under wraps, going by Don Roberts, not Don Rogers, so that his tribe don’t connect him to his younger brother, the Godfather, Matt Rogers. However, he lets Mark in on the secret. Mark could use that to his advantage in the game. Mark later decides to use Don as a “shield” and bringin Caleb, who is planning to be a double agent for all alliances.
Reward challenge
It’s a tug of war challenge, and the reward today is chocolate cake! Three players from each team pull on a platform that’s holding a fourth campmate into the “throw zone”, from there they have to land a sandbag on a stand. Turns out a lot of the players are not very good at throwing sandbags…Cameron, in particular, runs into difficulties ( he doesn’t wear his glasses, which doesn’t appear to help matters). Despite that, Bounty still wins!
Back at the beach, they are greeted with a cake cut into variously sized slices. Rich picks up a scroll that explains that whoever reads out the scroll has to decide who gets which slice, and a final twist, there is one less slice than there are campmates, so someone has to go without. Rich decides to use a merit-based system and gives Harry and Simon the largest pieces for pushing themselves in the challenge. He hopes that it will put a target on their backs….but it might put the target on his own. He then gives himself the smallest slice and no slice to Cameron.
There’s something extra special in Aisha’s slice. Cameron blocks her while she digs out a scroll. Turns out there’s an advantage waiting for her at the well. The advantage allows her to save one person from the tribal council and choose one person from the winning tribe to vote in their place. She can use it in the next two immunity challenges and must present it to David after the challenge before the campmates go back to camp.
Immunity Challenge
Another classic obstacle course challenge. They have to work as a team to dig out and then move a large boulder, then use the boulder as a platform to untie balls from the net, then use those balls to knock over targets. Ben shows incredible agility and strength, jumping on top of the bouleder and being a human step ladder for the tribe. Knocking over the targets proves difficult for Mark, Keeley, Harry, and Loz. However, Mark again shows his aiming prowess and wins for Barren.
Back at camp, Harry is getting paranoid. He’s frustrated with his performance and believes he’s a target. He and Paula decide to vote for Lyndl. Paula tells Jackson that they are voting on Lyndl for the Eliza vote. However, when she tells Lottie and Aisha, Lottie starts scheming. Aisha tells Lottie that Paula told her to vote for Simon. We didn’t see this in the episode, but Lottie tells Simon, and he immediately starts spiralling. He talks to Harry, who is quite evasive and says that he or Simon could be on the chopping block.
Lyndl isn’t happy that she’s going to cop a few votes from Paula and Harry, but then Paula tells her that she’s voting for Jackson. So she’s feeling a bit on edge, but she has her idol to use if needed. Likewise, Jackson doesn’t know who to trust. Lottie tells him that Paula was the one who pushed the Eliza vote and also shares that Harry knew that Eliza was the target but wanted to save face. While all these chats are happening, Harry is convinced that the tribe are planning to blindside. He even tells Cameron that he’s heard his name…although the only person who actually suggested his name was Harry!
When it comes to voting, it falls just as Lottie planned. Lyndl gets two votes (from Harry and Paula), Jackson gets one vote (from Lyndl), and everyone else votes for Paula. Harry is fuming, Lottie has revealed herself to be a great player, and he’s now on the back foot.
Episode 3
Mark is feeling very confident after making a move last night. However, Johnson is feeling unsettled and says he is in “damage control”. Both he and Blanche start conspiring to vote out Mark, asking Caleb to join their side…
Over on Bounty, it’s a bunch of happy smiles and friendly chats. We get to see more of the writer, Eliza, who is in a strong alliance with Jackson; she even writes a poem for him. Harry still isn’t sure of his position and wants to blindside Lottie, whom he knows doesn’t trust him. So he sneakily hides some papaya and invites some friends to come eat it in the middle of the night. One of those is Jackson, and Harry tells him they are aiming for Lottie.
Reward challenge
The reward today is coffee and doughnuts! The contestants have to swing a heavy ball to knock down three large barrel targets. However, for the viewers at home, the challenge we are watching is Lyndyl and Brooke trying to swap idols. Brooke hides hers in a cap and gives Lyndl a meaningful look. Lydnl then starts digging in her bag…but her tribe wins a round, so she has to go celebrate. Brooke then puts the idol in the grass between their two tribes. But Lyndl doesn’t come for it, so Brooke takes it back. Luckily, after Bounty win the challenge, Loz suggests they be good sports and congratulate the other tribe on a well-played game. Brooke and Lyndl use the opportunity to finally switch idols.
In addition to the coffee and doughnuts, the Bounty tribe gets special mugs with a business side and a family side. On Simon’s mug, one side is a photo of his wife and child. On the other….it’s the fake cookie idol from his season.
After the reward challenge, Harry pitches an eight-person alliance to Cameron and Jackson, and says that the three on the bottom are Lyndl, Rich, and Eliza, which upsets Jackson. Elsewhere, Faith and Keeley have a chat about Mark, and while they appreciate his gameplay the night before, they are concerned that they could be his shields, so they discuss when they might get him out before they are a victim of his game.
Jackson tells Eliza that she’s on the bottom, and she decides to “blow up some people’s games”. Lyndl wakes up in the middle of the night because of the rain, and Eliza is already awake. Eliza tells Lyndl that she’s on the bottom, which Lyndl does not appreciate. Instead, she doesn’t believe it and aims at Eliza.
Immunity challenge
It’s another obstacle course that requires a lot of brute strength. We see some incredible feats of physical strength from Simon and Ben, but things fall apart for Bounty at the end of the obstacle course. Jackson is throwing coconuts to knock over barrels and misses a few, giving Barren the chance to catch up. Dom demonstrates his fantastic aim and wins immunity for his tribe. Jackson has a strong emotional reaction; he blames himself and is sad that because he didn’t do well, someone is going home.
Harry’s alliance decide on Loz as the vote. However, Lyndl says Eliza has her in a “tizzy”. She wants to get rid of her “energy”. She tells everyone about their nighttime chat and how it threw her ahead of the immunity challenge. Paula is very happy to vote out Eliza instead of Loz. Harry says he doesn’t mind, but privately to the cameras, he says that he wants to keep Jackson on his side, so he is going to play dumb at tribal council.
They don’t tell Jackson or Eliza (obviously) about the vote change. So when David calls out the votes, both he and she are completely blindsided. Harry kept his word to Jackson and voted for Loz, knowing that the rest of the tribe were voting for Eliza, and he puts on a great show of surprise. Eliza thanks the tribe for the best blindside and heads home, leaving a devastated Jackson behind.
Episode 2
I’m not sure why, but I missed JLP more tonight than last night. David is doing a fine job, and his voice has returned to his normal register. But I’m waiting to see how he’s going to make his mark on the hosting gig. JLP was known for his one-liners and puns; David appears to be doing something similar. I also missed the “1 – zip” for scoring that JLP did. However, I am still giving David a chance.
Simon and Harry have formed a secret alliance and plan to take over the tribe. Harry is focused on Lottie. She has clocked his game, and he has noticed that she’s making moves. Both are working on the other.
Over on the Barren beach, Johnson is frustrated by the barrenness of their beach. He’s focused on a strong social game. Johnson has gone around to everyone in the tribe and pitched an alliance to them, and wants to get everyone on his side. However, Mark calls his “obvious” and that clearly he’s bringing his skills from Big Brother, but that doesn’t fly on Survivor in the same way. Brooke and Mark finally have a chat; he is a huge fan of hers, and she’s happy to work with him. In fact, she tells him about the idol on the beach, and he helps her dig it up.
Reward challenge
The contestants go two against two in a ring in the water. They attempt to push past each other using padded bags to ring a bell on the other side of the ring. The reward is a trip to the Survivor Shop. Brooke sits out (in hopes she can chat with Lyndl).
After Barren takes a strong lead, Bounty close the gap. Finally, Blanche takes the win for Barren. Their tribe can send two people to the shop, and they choose Blanche and Ben. At the shop, there is everything from firewood to salt and vinegar crisps. They can only take four items back to camp. However, they are sensible and take home a massive swordfish, a tarp, a basket of fruit, and flint! So they can finally have fire!
Immunity Challenge
Another obstacle course that involves running out to a platform in the water, carrying heavy chests back to shore, unhook a key from a spiral using a pole. The key unlocks the chests, which have cubes with letters on them. They have to figure out the word and then place the cubes in order on a hanging timber frame. It requires lots of body control and balance. Then they have to knock all the cubes down with sandbags.
Simon climbs the timber frame for Bounty. It’s honestly incredible to watch.
“Simon activating cat mode, we’ve seen this before,” says David, a callback to JLP’s description of Simon’s body control from a previous season.
Simon starts a mantra to himself: “climb the scaff”, “don’t drop your tools” and then on his way back, “Down the scaff”. It’s so impressive and adorable in equal measure.
Bounty win, sending Barren to the tribal council for the first time.
Tribal council
Johnson sets his sights on Don, who has annoyed some of the tribemates with Tez as the split vote. However, Mark doesn’t like Johnson’s gameplay (He calls him the “Temu Habibi”, calling George the OG). So Mark pitches to vote on Johnson and split on Sally, and Don volunteers to be the name they circulate.
Earlier in the episode Cat says she’s going to “play the Aunty card” in the hopes that people underestimate her. Cat calls Johnson’s plan to vote for Don not strategic. She decides to throw lots of names out there, telling Sally she’s on the chopping block, she tells Tez that he’s a split with Don, and she tells Brooke that her name has been pitched. Her aim is that everyone will get anxious and paranoid and vote for Faith and Mark. However, it totally backfires. Brooke and Mark clock her strategy. She knows how to be sneaky…it got her to third place on The Traitors New Zealand. However…Mark watched that entire season and knows exactly what she’s doing. He flips the vote to her.
At the tribal council, Tez accuses Ben and Johnson of putting his name out there. Cat backs him up and tells Johnson that he put his own game on fire. Keeley and Mark stop proceeding and have a chat, then Keeley takes a couple of the girls aside, while Mark takes the boys aside. In the end, Cat gets the most votes and heads home.
Episode 1
Survivor is back! As a long-time fan, I am coming into this season with a fair bit of trepidation. I loved David Genat as a castaway (arguably my favourite player), but I don’t know if I can trust him as a host. Read my chat with David on his new role here. However, I am trying to be open-minded…
The premiere episode of the season has the tricky task of introducing us to the new castaways. In previous years, we’ve seen them arrive by boat and over desert roads. This year, they make their way through the Samoan bush to get to the first challenge.
First things first, David greets the new castaways, greeting old rivals and allies and introducing himself to newcomers. They are all then split into two tribes. However, the tribes don’t have a name…not just yet.
Reward challenge
They have to fight for a name: either Bounty or Barren. The winning tribe of the reward challenge will be called Bounty, the losers Barren. Bounty will get a camp with a built and secure shelter, firewood, fruit, and flint. The Barren tribe get nothing. Each tribe has two returning players (Simon and Harry on the purple tribe and Brooke and Mark on the green). The purple tribe quickly comes together and easily communicates and clinches the win.
The tribes are as follows:
- Bounty (Purple): Lottie, Jackson, Harry, Simon, Loz, Daniel, Lyndl, Rich, Aisha, Cameron, Eliza, Paula, Richard,
- Barren (Green): Ben, Blanche, Brooke, Caleb, Cat, Don, Faith, Johnson, Keeley, Mark, Sally, Tez
The tribes get to know one another
The two tribes head to their camps and get to know each other and get settled (and build a shelter in Barren’s case). Simon and Harry connect over at Bounty and plan to try to stay under the radar and be friendly helpers so the target doesn’t land on their backs. Also on the Bounty side, as they get to know each other, they share their party tricks. Rich’s is Shakespearean sonnets, which don’t appear to endear him to Harry, who starts to subtly target him. Lyndl found a club for an idol at the immunity challenge.
There’s an idol hidden under the tribe’s flag (right in front of the fire). She enlists Loz to help her find it. They do, but there’s a catch: it’s only valid for Barren use. There’s an idol hidden on the Barren beach. So she has to somehow befriend someone on Barren, communicate that message and swap idols. Seems like the production team is taking some inspiration from David’s winning season (although this time it’s two real idols and not fake ones).
Over on Barren beach, Don is keeping his Survivor connection under wraps (his brother was the legendary Godfather). However, when he takes charge and starts telling people what to do, it rubs certain people the wrong way. Brooke is playing a social game and making friends to appear not to be a threat as a returning player. Mark says that the Samoan forest “contains ghosts” of his former allies, whom he knows he didn’t do right by. He was all talk in his last season and waited too long to make moves. He starts an alliance with Faith based on their mutual love of punk rock music.
Immunity challenge and tribal council
In the immunity challenge, despite being the underdogs and underfed, Barren wins, sending Bounty to the tribal council. Lyndl whispers to Brooke that there’s an idol hidden at their camp that they need to swap.
Ahead of Tribal Council, Harry manoeuvred the tribe to aim for Rich. However, Cameron isn’t interested in being a follower and is focused on Jackson. Despite both of those plans, Daniel gets some names wrong and says he is voting for Jackson to Jackson’s face (he meant to say Rich, but he’s “terrible with names”). This makes the tribe nervous that he can’t keep a secret and flounders.
“Jesus take the wheel for Daniel,” says Lottie.
At the Tribal council it ends up being a landslide with everyone voting for Daniel, and he alone voting for Loz. So Daniel is the first to get his torch snuffed. Bye Daniel!
Australian Survivor: Redemption continues Monday-Tuesday at 7.30 pm and Sundays at 7 pm on Channel 10 and 10play.com.
Share this post