“Survivor 45” Recap: ‘Brought a Bazooka To A Tea Party’

HOLLYWOOD—Last week’s premiere episode for season 45 of “Survivor” was a bit of a bummer for me. I had much higher expectations and that ending with Hannah quitting just sucked the life out of the game for me. So I was hoping this week’s episode, ‘Brought A Bazooka to a Tea Party’ would be much better. Back at Lulu, the tribe was commiserating at the loss of Hannah and the fact that their camp is dreadful. Sabiyah called out Emily on her antics and she got even more defensive. Yeah, Emily is testing my patience and I’m a viewer. Girl, you literally have the entire tribe against you.

Over at Reba, J. Maya was staring at the flag as THERE IS A CODE ON THE FLAG THAT HINTS TO THE IMMUNITY IDOL. Drew partook in assisting, as Austin sat back at a distance, as he is aware the flag is key to gaining that advantage to dig at a palm tree. Back at Belo, Bruce was proving to be a force starting fires and cracking jokes but stop trying to be a leader because it is annoying a few people like Katurah. Back at Lulu, Emily was searching for an idol, as she knows her game is in danger.

Everyone was aware so Brandon, Kaleb, Sean and Sabiyah started to search for her. With that said, Brandon decided he wanted to search for the idol himself to prevent Emily from hunting. Yeah, this tension between Sabiyah and Emily is palpable. Brandon found something which turned out to be the ‘Beware Advantage’ which means you cannot vote, and he was aware of it. Sabiyah, you are stupid, I would have not taken that.

Oh, this is a different clue, so I like this. She discovered the idol is located in a tree and she started searching for it and took Brandon with her. So, he will know she has a power. Why are you telling everybody about an idol? The less people know the better. Jeez, this groupthink mentality is driving me nuts. Dee and Julie are close, and she tried to build bonds with Drew. So, Drew and Julie want to align with the same people meaning, Sifu and J. Maya are the only 2 on the outs.

What, Emily and Kaleb connecting? This is interesting as he realizes Emily could be an ally to him in the game and this is smart move. Ok, this is the type of Emily I want to see. Let the guard down, you become likeable doing such. What is going on here, as a boat arrived at Lulu, Reba and Belo, where it looks like a trek journey for Drew, Brandon and Bruce meaning Katurah is going to use this to target him at some point.

Who the hell is Drew to dictate who should chat and what information should be given. Yeah, Drew your ego is a bit much, you might want to dial that down a bit. This is a game of risk, you win get an advantage, lose and you lose that vote. Bruce chose not to risk his vote, while Brandon and Drew decided to play for a risk. Jeez, Brandon lost his vote, while Drew gained an advantage. Jeez, I just realized at Lulu is only 3 people can vote (Sean, Emily and Kaleb at the moment), unless Sabiyah finds that idol.

Safety Without Power allows Drew to leave Tribal Council without casting a vote, similar to what Jeremy had at Winners At War that totally changed the game that season. Brandon returned to camp and disclosed that he lost the puzzle and Sean started to question if Brandon is valuable to his game. Drew returned to the camp, and he admitted he solved the puzzle, and he disclosed his power to his entire tribe, and plans to use it if they make it to the merge. Austin shared he found the Beware Advantage with Drew and I like the pairing of these two.

Back at Belo, Brandon felt out of loop with all the ladies, especially Kendra and Kellie. Those three could be an important pairing, and with Katurah, that is a foursome. Bruce realizing that he might be a threat started to talk with Brandon, who is open to working with anyone. That is smart Brandon.

Brandon, Kellie, Jake and Bruce could be a solid foursome, with Kellie being in a good spot that could be dangerous. Finally, we get to the Immunity Challenge which is absolutely water driven. Interesting, you can no longer sit out in back-to-back challenges, about time that changed. At least we have a new puzzle here, with Reba in a slight lead, and Belo made up plenty of time after falling back. Brandon, c’mon, you’re doing terrible on this puzzle. What the hell, Brandon isn’t even trying? Belo and Reba were victorious, which means Lulu is back to TC and there is no suspense here, it has to be a given Brandon is out.

Brandon tried to plead his case back at camp, it feels like Brandon might become a liability as Sean stated. Sabiyah wanted Emily to go home, so the decision is in Sean and Kaleb’s hands. Kaleb, Sabiyah and Sean went hunting for that idol and they finally discovered where the idol is located. These three were so ecstatic that they found the idol, but it’s encased in a candle, and it must be burned to obtain the idol. Twisted, totally twisted. Emily gave her Shot in the Dark as a sign of her loyalty to stay in the game. Something is telling me Emily is going to be Sabiyah’s downfall. Kaleb is smart for aligning with Emily; she will be an asset later down the line.

No suspense at this Tribal Council, where it was obvious Emily and Brandon were in trouble. I want a TC that is interesting; this is not intriguing when you have a clear idea what is going to happen. At least I can say Brandon is fighting for his life. Sean and Kaleb fought to save Emily at TC, which is further pointing to Brandon getting the boot. As expected, 3-0 Brandon got the boot from the game.

Ok, next week’s episode is looking REALLY interesting with some revelations that could shift alliances. Decent episode, nothing captivating, but momentum is moving. Until next Wednesday “Survivor” fanatics.