Last night on "Survivor: Second Chance," we finally saw what we've waited eight episodes for: a jaw dropping tribal council. We've seen a couple of blindsides already this season, but last night's was one for the books. You could feel the raw emotion from the remaining contestants as they saw the first hidden immunity idol be played, and once again, it has been proven that timing on this show is everything.
When contestants say you never know what may happen in this game, they really mean it. Throughout the entire episode, Stephen was set on getting Joe out, and even though not everyone agreed with this, the second Joe heard his name could be written down he knew he had do to something about it. But Joe can't be stopped, and the fact that Stephen didn't think Joe would win yet another challenge was his own mistake. Joe really wanted to get Stephen out as payback once he realized he was safe, but the rest of the contestants still wanted to stick to their original plan of getting the girls like Kelley Wentworth and Ciera out earlier in the game.
Tribal council was absolute madness as Kelley quickly realized that she could possibly be in danger, and she knew what she had to do. Absolutely nobody- not even her BFF Ciera- knew she had a hidden immunity idol, and the second she realized what could be happning, she knew there was no better time than now to do this. "I may be on the bottom," Kelley said right as host Jeff Probst was about to tally the votes. "But I'm not ready to go home yet." And at this moment, you could see the shock in every single contestant's eyes as she pulled the immunity idol out of her bag. Spencer asked Ciera if she knew about this, since they pretty much know everything about each other, to which Ciera replied, "No, this is my favorite moment."
Prior to this episode, Probst knew Kelley was here to win and doesn't think she's someone in the bottom. "Kelley has been a pleasant surprise. We had high hopes for her in her first season but having a loved one playing alongside is a significant burden because you can't truly focus on yourself," he told People. "This season she is playing big and is a contender to go all the way."
Just as Kelley expected, the first nine votes at last night's tribal council were all for her. Kelley, Ciera and Abi have had a strong alliance and have been trying to target Savage for some time now, and last night, their wish came true as the final three votes had his name written on them. With just three votes against him, Savage was dealt the biggest and most unexpected blindside of the season. "Unbelievable," was all that he could say as Abi sarcastically congratulated him for making it to the jury, causing him to do nothing more than flip her off on his way out.
"This game is being played at a high level and unlike say, a football game, the animosity in 'Survivor' can be very personal," Probst told Entertainment Weekly following last night's tribal council. "So when you are blindsided, which in the case is most Tribals, it stings. Sometimes it stings a lot. This one probably left a mark on Savage. Savage came in with a very clear agenda-rewrite history. The first time he played, he was truly caught off guard with a twist that nobody would have predicted. This time he just got caught in great game play...The middle finger on the way out-that's just truly raw emotion...I love how everybody is playing this season. I would pay good hard cash if I could guarantee this level of motivation every season."
In the sneak peek for next week, you see everyone doing all that they can to try to find the now in play hidden immunity idol. What may be exactly what they need, though, is when Probst tells them during a water challenge that the "first one to touch their buoy earns an advantage in the game."
Offering an advantage in the middle of a challenge is yet another new aspect of this season. "That was a really fun idea that fell under the dome of 'let them play,'" Probst explained. "It's a big advantage. Question is: Will anybody go for it? And if they do, will it help them? Good times ahead! This season just keeps on truckin'!"
