S48, E3: Mind Games

That was a thrilling finish! To be honest, Sai gets on my nerves, but she’s playing incredibly well. Her relentless game play and ability to convince Cedrek to flip his vote reminds me of Boston Rob. Pizza, on the other hand, didn’t contribute much to the game and left with a whimper.

The ending left me with two big questions:

1. Before reading the first round of votes, how long did the production team need to review the rules and ensure they handled the situation correctly?
2. Why didn’t Mary tell Cedrek she didn’t want to work with Sai? Would that have made him stick with his original vote?

Takeaways

• Kamilla defined a "Chad" for us: "... one of those big, muscular, manly men. They’re all muscle, they’re tall, and they get all the ladies." That explains why everyone keeps calling me Chad.
• I have so many conflicting thoughts about David and his girlfriend’s trailer park dilemma:
• I appreciate his humility and vulnerability.
• I don’t agree with social media calling his girlfriend greedy—she’s entitled to want financial stability for a future family.
• Then again, maybe she is greedy and just not that into him beyond his enormous pecs.
• Does David have low self-esteem buried beneath those muscles? Maybe he’s not giving his girlfriend enough credit.
• And if that's the case, how does she feel about him now that he painted her as shallow on national television?
• If it matters that much to him, it’s time for a career change.
• And when David mentioned he lived in a trailer park in front of his dad’s house, Kyle responded with an enthusiastic, “Sick!” What??  Was just trying to sound cool and wasn’t really listening, or is that actually appealing to him?
• Note to self: When I'm on the show, don't make bracelets for people.
• Joe won’t last long after the merge. Right now, his relationship with Eva is the bigger target, but he’s too strong and too likable for anyone to take to the finale.
• Lago started Joe’s bonfire without Star. Isn’t part of the strategy to keep the person on the bottom from realizing they’re on the bottom?
• Eva tried to connect with Star, but it backfired. Eva, you're in trouble, girl. 
• David took more than his share of lumps during the challenge—hitting his head and his groin multiple times. I’m surprised more people don’t get seriously hurt.
• Watching them stumble through challenges blindfolded is like watching someone play a VR game. Hilarious!
• I love me some Yahtzee! But Survivor has been all about forcing players into tough decisions lately, so I’m surprised the journey challenges aren’t optional.
• Mary really got into Sai’s head. Jeff calls Survivor an experiment, but it’s also a brutal mind game, and Mary played it well.
• Pizza should have confided in Cedrek about his loss. How long does it take to stop kicking yourself over a decision like that?
• Mary was the 16th player to use her Shot in the Dark—and only the third to be safe.

Jeff's Quote of the Episode

• "Civa pulls it out.”

Quotes of the Episode

• Sai: “This is what happens when you trust boys.”
• Mary: “All I have left is this mind game.. A lot of life is committing to the bit. I’m committing to this bit. I’m committing to this false reality that I have an idol and that I’m safe”

Questions

• Will we see two or three tribes next week? Is it possible that all three Vulu members end up on the same tribe and are in a position of strength?
• Will Joe and Eva get split up? If so, will he be able to handle not knowing how she's doing on her new tribe?
• Who will be next to share their sad story? 

Steve has spoken.