“Survivor 46” Recap: ‘Scorpio Energy’

HOLLYWOOD—Last week’s premiere for season 46 of “Survivor” was not must-see TV, but it did entertain me. This week’s episode, ‘Scorpio Energy’ witnessed members of Yanu picking up the pieces after their first Tribal Council, Bhanu at the core realized that he had to be critical of the people in the tribe as he didn’t trust everyone, and went to Kenzie who noted Bhanu is not a good liar and it concerned her. I agree, Jelinsky was the obvious vote, but you don’t want to allow people to know that. Kenzie is strong, but it was apparent for Tiffany and Q that Kenzie is a strong one and they have to watch out for her.

Back at Nami, the tribemates were cracking jokes, where it became obvious Venus was considered a threat, but Soda what the hell are you doing? You don’t toss away a potential number simply because everyone does not vibe with her. I felt Venus’ story that struck me at the core. Over at Siga, Ben was in tears because he created a fire for his tribe. Tim was stewing about Maria having that second vote, and the goal is to pull her in because that takes the guys numbers from four to five. Charlie realizes he has to carefully dance and find his ride-or-die. I like that duo, but something tells me there will be fractures sooner than later.

Venus was worried about her safety, so she started to search for the hidden immunity idol, and guess who else was looking for the idol, Randen, as well as Hunter. Oh, great, the person I want to find it is Venus, but we have Hunter likely going to be the one who finds it, but no it was Randen who discovered the Beware Advantage, which was a major risk, that required him to dig, and he found a box, similar to last week. So, the tribe has to lose the immunity challenge in order to get details on the key to actual safety.

Jess’ quirks were chatted about with her team, but we got to understand more about her as she chatted with Bhanu as she tried to build relationships with her tribe. Oh, oh, Kenzie realized that Q and Tiffany are a pair and it could be a move she has to make, but I think that is a big mistake. Jess was not open on that and I think Kenzie made an awful mistake with that conversation.

Charlie realized his social game was weak and he needed to build bonds with his tribe mates to improve his gameplay. It was fun for a minute with Charlie and Ben and their knowledge of Metallica and Taylor Swift. Liz is an enigma because I almost didn’t feel her presence last episode. Liz telling people you don’t need the money is not going to bode well with those who do and want the money. Looks like the target might be shifting to Liz. Randen doesn’t trust anyone on his tribe, which forced him to bond with guess who: Venus, the person he threw under the bus last week. It was good that Venus was willing to work with Randen and try to muscle back into the game. I do like this pairing.

Time for the Tribal Council, as the other teams joked about voting out a member of the other tribes. Some of the jokes were a bit tough, but it was only fueling the tribes even more. I will admit the puzzles on “Survivor” are a bit much. Can we get some challenges that doesn’t involve a puzzle at the end to determine the victor? “Survivor” has totally made this challenge almost impossible and too heavy to hold up. Nami was first to finish the challenge and Soda, you were doing a bit too much, but Yanu was really close to a victory, but it just didn’t happen and they are heading back to Tribal Council.

I do feel for Jess, but I cannot say Jess was the reason the team lost. They lost because as Bhanu stated the planning was not strong and that needs to improve if they want to win. These two hour episodes are way too long and a drag for me. Oh, I forgot there could be a journey this episode like last week which could shift the game a bit? Back at Nami, Venus was injured by the wagon that damaged her toe and the friction between Tevin and Venus is escalating. Soda is totally getting on my nerves.

Back at Yanu you could feel the dread people, as Tiffany broke down in tears and Tiff’s emotions were getting the best of her. I totally understand her grappling with the ‘Angry Black Woman’ trope. Wow, Kenzie you are really coming up with an elaborate plan to try to fool Jess, but I don’t think this is going to work. This plan is not believable at all. Jess should be able to see through this from a million miles away. Wait a second Q is actually playing the game. Could we see Kenzie actually get blindsided?

Yeah, Tiff and Kenzie are coming across as villains that you cannot root for. Jess is picking up that the idol given to her might not be a real one. Jess tossed to Tiffany that Kenzie could be a major threat. Jess is playing hard and Bhanu was triggered by that emotional comment he heard, which he responded by acting emotional. Q reassured Bhanu that he’s not going anywhere.

Oh, Tiffany you’re playing right into Q’s hands. This friction is building, and Tiff I don’t know if you made the smart move chatting. This was a tense Tribal Council. I like that Jess was not scared to point out that Kenzie is a social butterfly. Bhanu vented out how he felt about words being expressed about his emotional state, and it’s very tense and it is raising a red flag because he’s too honest. Even Bhanu has no clue who to vote for. Jess or Kenzie could have been going home, but jeez it now looks like Bhanu could be in trouble. Jess played the fake idol that was given to her and it was a shock when she discovered it was a fake and Jess got the boot, but after that emotional outburst it should have been Bhanu.

Yanu is a mess, I totally hope we’re getting a tribe swap because it will change the dynamics of all the tribes which would be exciting to witness. Next week could be a ton of fun “Survivor” fanatics!