S48, E7: The Ultimate Trust Fall

 

And just like that... she’s gone! I’m only somewhat surprised by how many people strongly disliked Simi Sai; I don't know a single person who didn't want to see her go. I didn’t love her, but I really respected her intense gameplay early on. The problem was, while she focused on eliminating her enemies, she failed to build any real alliances—leaving her a lone wolf when it mattered most. Her last-minute talk with Shahin was too little, too late.

She played hard, and part of me wishes she made it to the jury. But let this be a reminder to everyone: relationships matter.

Fun fact—I've been comparing her early energy to Boston Rob. In his first season (Season 4), he was the 7th person voted out. So was Simi Sai.

Takeaways

• After Charity left, Mitch realized he needed to open up more and build stronger connections. Unfortunately, that probably just made him a bigger target. As Joe asked, “Who wouldn’t vote for him?”
• Shauhin felt like he was in control, with Cedrek, Mitch, and Simi Sai all approaching him. I wonder how he feels now that two of them are gone.
• Peanut butter and jelly might be the best reward of all. If I ever get on this show, my first request is a PBJ with potato chips right in the sandwich.
• Eva, Joe, David, and Kyle went full beast mode in the challenge. David looked like he could’ve taken a nap without dropping his grip. For the record, I tried holding up my plate of nachos during that segment—I lasted just over seven minutes before I got bored.
• Mitch didn’t give up easily—his students will be proud.
• Also, CBS should let Shauhin do the soundtrack for an episode: “Oh, waka, see-a-no, maka.” Emmy-worthy.
• Kyle continues to question Shauhin: “At some point, I want to stop looking over my shoulder.” Um, this is Survivor—you should always be looking over your shoulder.
• Kyle and Kamilla are a dangerous pair. Kamilla helped flip the tribe on Charity, and now she’s planted the lie that Shauhin has an idol. The big question: will they ever turn on each other?
• I love a double tribal council. 
• I was shocked Mitch didn’t use his shot-in-the-dark. Blocking a vote helped, sure—but not if all four others wrote his name.
• Joe and Chrissy had a great exchange about loyalty. Joe wants to play with integrity: “There have been people who made it to the end with a tight alliance. It can happen.” True, but only one of those allies gets the million. At what point does loyalty cost you the win?
• Strategy and loyalty get all the airtime, so I appreciated David's mention of luck: “If you grabbed a different-colored rock, you might be sticking around for a very long time.”
• And hats off to the editing team. The shots of Kamilla smirking and Kyle giving Shauhin the side-eye had me convinced Shauhin was going home. That would've blown up their game with the rest of the Incredibles

Quotes of the Episode

• Sai:  "These people are absolutely obsessed with me."

• Eva: “I love competing against you boys."
  

• Star: "I don't want to make the jury. That's them suckers."

Questions

• Will Kyle or Kamilla coordinate a formal move against Shauhin?
• Will the less-strong players (Star, Chrissy, Mitch, Mary) realize that they need to form an alliance? 

Steve has spoken.