A new episode of Survivor 44 airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap here.
Tika returns to camp. Carson says it was relieving to see Helen get voted out. He likes working with Carolyn and Yam Yam, but he needs to smooth things over with Sarah. He tries to do damage control with her, but she admits his word holds less weight now. In her confessional, Sarah calls Carson the most dangerous player. Carolyn, however, is glad she put her trust in Yam Yam and Carson since she still has her hidden immunity idol.
Meanwhile at the Ratu tribe, Kane says morale is up. We learn more about Kane and Brandon’s backgrounds. Kane is a nerdy guy who hopes to be a hero to his tribe. Brandon goes fishing to bring back food for the tribe. He played in the NFL, but he says he’s a jack of all trades and can do more than just play football.
Over at the Soka tribe, Matt and Frannie have become an obvious duo and are currently on the outs. The other four agree to be a strong alliance against them. Afterwards, we see Danny plant the silver coin back into the birdcage and hide the key. Back at the Tika tribe, everyone is getting along. Sarah is worried since she’s at the bottom of the tribe, and the Tika tribe isn’t the most athletic.
The Soka tribe goes searching for the key to the birdcage together. Matt finds the key Danny hid, and he unlocks the birdcage. He takes the bag and pulls out the silver coin. Matt believes he has the hidden immunity idol, but the silver coin has no power. Matt tries to keep it a secret, but Danny knows Matt found the key. He confronts Matt about it with Josh present, but Matt denies it. Eventually, Matt comes clean to both of them about finding the key and what he thinks is the idol. He also tells Frannie he has an idol too. In his confessional, Josh says Matt having an idol changes plans. Now Matt and Frannie may not be obvious targets if they were to go to tribal council. Unbeknownst to Matt, Danny tells Heidi that Matt has a hidden immunity idol. Danny is in possession of the real immunity idol, and he hopes this keeps the target away from him.
At the Ratu tribe, Jaime stumbles upon the hidden immunity idol by the well. Matthew is there with her, and the two of them silently celebrate. However, we see a flashback that shows Matthew already found the hidden immunity idol. He planted a fake one, which was the one Jaime found. Matthew wonders if he can use this to put a target on Jaime’s back if they go back to tribal council.
It’s time for the immunity challenge. They must go out into the water to collect keys. Afterwards, they must go through obstacles on land and then complete a puzzle. The puzzle requires them to stack four cubes and make sure there are no repeating colors on either side. Along with immunity, the winning tribes will win a fruit reward. The challenge begins, and Ratu is the first to get a key. Soka is in second place with Tika behind in third. Eventually, Soka takes the lead at the obstacle requiring them to dig under a log. Matt and Frannie work on the puzzle for Soka, Matthew and Kane work on the puzzle for Ratu, and Yam Yam and Carson work on the puzzle for Tika. Ratu solves the puzzle first. Ratu wins immunity! The other two tribes try to copy Ratu’s puzzle. Tika solves it next. Tika wins immunity! Soka will go to tribal council tonight.
The Soka tribe returns to camp after the immunity challenge. Danny and Josh discuss targeting Claire. She has yet to participate in an immunity challenge, and they think she’s not very useful to the tribe. Matt cannot vote at this upcoming tribal council, but he’s not a target at the moment. The plan is to blindside Claire, but Frannie wants to keep Claire. Frannie brings up the possibility of voting out Josh tonight. Claire thought they were voting out Matt tonight, but she learns from Matt and Frannie that Josh and Danny want to vote out Claire tonight. Since Matt cannot vote tonight, Claire needs to get Heidi’s vote. Claire pleads her case to Heidi, but she admits she’s torn. Heidi goes back to Danny and tells him she’s the deciding vote to eliminate Josh or Claire. Danny says they need to win challenges. Heidi wants to make the decision that is best for her game. She has more of a personal relationship with Claire, but she admits Josh is more valuable in challenges.
It’s time for tribal council. Josh admits there was a lot of scrambling today, especially since this was their first time going to tribal council. Claire wants to make it clear that this was not the first time they started playing the game. Frannie agrees. She adds they can pretend they have been a happy family all along, but they all have been talking. Everyone’s name has been mentioned at some point. Heidi thinks it could be anyone tonight. Jeff asks if Claire is concerned since she hasn’t contributed in the challenges. Claire says she was putting the tribe before herself. Claire says tribe strength isn’t just brute strength. It’s trust and tribe unity. Frannie says tonight’s vote is a lot more complicated than participation in challenges. She points out how Survivor is a long game. Matt says Survivor is all about trust. Claire asks Heidi if she’s thought more about her vote. Heidi says she’s still doing what she said she’d do. Afterwards, it’s time for the vote.
Before Jeff reads the vote, Claire reveals she played her Shot in the Dark advantage. Jeff reads the scroll. Claire is “Not Safe.”
Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…
Claire
Claire
Claire
Claire is the fourth person voted out of Survivor 44.
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of Survivor 44. Thanks for reading, and come back next week for another live recap.
