A new episode of Survivor airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap here.
The tribe returns to camp after voting out Shan. Liana was blindsided by the vote and she wants an explanation. Danny and Deshawn throw Ricard under the bus; they say it was his idea. Liana says it was a bad move since they just took out one of their own numbers. Not only was getting rid of Shan bad for their games, but she also points out how Xander still has a hidden immunity idol. Meanwhile, Xander tells Heather, Erika, and Ricard he wants to go to the Final 4 with them. Deshawn is also annoyed how Shan called him a snake. After the votes were read, Shan called Deshawn a snake and told Ricard he has her vote for the million dollars. Ricard explains how he and Shan were candid with each other about how far they want to go in the game together. Nonetheless, Deshawn keeps complaining about how he was called a snake. He even continues complaining the next morning. He can’t let it go that Shan called him a snake in front of everybody.
Danny opens up about his father’s death. It’s been 25 years since he passed away, so today is a tough day for him. After the confessional of Danny talking about his father, the episode proceeds to the immunity challenge. Jeff teases a big twist that involves “deadly risk” for anyone who participates in today’s challenge. For today’s challenge, they must use handles to balance balls on cylinders. If the ball drops, then they are eliminated from the challenge. The last one standing wins immunity. Jeff then reveals the twist. The first person eliminated from the challenge will be forced to gamble his or her safety in the game in a “do or die” game at tribal council. If they sit out of the challenge, then they won’t have to gamble. Everyone makes their decisions. Erika, Ricard, Deshawn, Xander, and Danny choose to play in today’s challenge. Everyone else is sitting out. The challenge begins and Deshawn is the first person eliminated from the challenge. He will be forced to play a game of chance at tribal council. He has a 50/50 chance of being eliminated by the twist. The challenge continues, and Erika is the next one eliminated. After a tense showdown, Xander and Ricard end up dropping at the same time. Danny wins immunity!
The castaways return to camp after the immunity challenge. Deshawn is trying to be positive about the twist, but he acknowledges how today could be his last day on the island. Danny and Dehawn talk game, and they want to try to get numbers to vote out Ricard. They go campaigning for votes. Danny talks to Xander by the well. Danny says Ricard is super likable and a big threat to win the game. Xander plays along, but he admits in a confessional that he wants to keep Ricard around. Xander says if Ricard goes, then he becomes the next big threat. Xander would rather see Liana go home. Xander says his alliance with Heather, Erika, and Ricard has the majority. Later, Erika and Xander talk game. Erika contemplates if they should make the safe move and vote out Liana, or should they make a big move and blindside Ricard. Erika says she’s scared they won’t have a chance to vote out Ricard again. Meanwhile, Xander informs Ricard how Danny and Deshawn are targeting him. Ricard is worried, especially since he feels uneasy about Erika. Xander even reveals how Erika is torn about how to vote tonight. Elsewhere, Deshawn is promising Liana he will not write her name down tonight if he survives the “do or die” competition. Liana is still nervous since she’s vulnerable if both Danny and Deshawn are safe tonight. She contemplates whether she should play her “shot in the dark” tonight. She can give up her vote for a random chance at winning safety. Before they leave for tribal council, Erika believes she is the swing vote who will decide who goes home. In a confessional, she says it should be obvious to make the big move, but she realizes how important it is to keep allies around.
It’s time for tribal council. Jeff begins the discussion with talks about the “do or die” competition. He says today’s twist was all about relationships. Liana says she doesn’t feel safe, but she didn’t believe she would’ve won the challenge. Heather admits she felt the same way. Xander likes how this season of Survivor has high risks and high rewards. Danny says he’s glad to have immunity, but he’s worried about his friend Deshawn. Jeff also brings up how tonight is the last chance to play the “shot in the dark” advantage. Erika admits that she sometimes loves the game, but sometimes she hates it. She says she hates it today, and Jeff is happy to hear that. He says if they don’t have that feeling about the game, then it’s not pushing them enough. Deshawn soon gets emotional discussing his integrity in the game. He says he wanted to represent the Black community, so it was tough voting out Shan last time. He breaks down crying about the diversity of the cast and making the choice to vote out Shan. Jeff asks Liana’s thought about Black culture in the game. Liana agrees, and she says people always look at her as a Black woman first. She wanted the Black castaways to be a good representative for the viewers watching. Danny agrees with the points made, and he believes Deshawn and Shan will be on good terms after the game is over. Jeff asks for Xander and Heather’s thoughts. Xander says he doesn’t have to carry the burden they’re talking about, and Heather says they are growing by learning about their experiences. Jeff says this is what Survivor is all about as it brings people from different walks of life together. Afterwards, it’s time for the “do or die” twist.
Deshawn must pick one of three boxes. Two boxes have skulls and one box has a flame. The box with a flame inside means he is safe. The other two means he is out. He has a 33% chance at safety. Deshawn picks the first box and he picks correctly. He chose the box with the flame, so he is safe tonight. Afterwards, the castaways cast their votes.
Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…
Ricard
Liana
Ricard
Liana
Ricard
Liana
Liana
Liana
Liana is the twelfth person voted out and the fifth member of the jury.
And that wraps tonight’s episode of Survivor. Thanks for reading and come back next week for another live recap.
