Our live recap is below, so follow along with Survivor Season 31 tonight right here! Then don’t read ahead!
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This week, Collins and the rest of Bayon tribe came in last in both the rewards challenge and immunity challenge, which meant missing out on the prize of tarps, ropes, hammocks, and refreshing beverages back at camp. It’s an easy call and an easy vote, but Monica is trying to see a bigger picture than the short-term painting her tribemates are trying to construct.
Earlier in the episode, Jeremy and Spencer bonded while fishing after the rewards challenge.
But all three of them are pretty even when they have to roll the balls onto the board. It was a barrel and ball rolling challenge that ended with the winning tribe getting all six balls into a series of targets. First tribe done wins comfort items: chairs, blankets, tarps and much more. Third place gets nothing.
Bayon falls behind and Jeff Probst resorts to mocking Monica, who has the unenviable position of being tossed around in the barrel. Ta Keo and Ankgor came in first and second, respectively. Keith misses then tries again and nails the last target to win immunity for Ta Keo. Additionally, refreshments were waiting for them back at camp. Joe, Kelley, Keith, Ciera and Kass form an alliance. Terry is on the outside of this tribe. Spencer said he never saw himself as someone to go out and spear fish, but he is doing it and he is feeling proud. He tells the others that his mom was on a transplant list for a new heart. She thought he was just using it for sympathy or something to that effect. Everyone is happy for him, except for Abi, who later tells Tasha and Andrew that her grandmother and aunt weren’t as lucky.
Tasha says dealing with Abi is hard. One by one, the players must race up a tower and through the obstacles. At the top, they have to launch sandbags at targets. The first two tribes to hit all their targets won immunity.
Joe, Spencer and Savage head up first and Joe hits on his first toss!
Stephen apologizes for hitting the wrong target, but he’s not the one Bayon is focusing on.
One of the ways these strong narratives are helping the show is that because everyone has such a self-defined arc they’re shooting for, there’s a built-in place to go with these during every episode. Tasha hits on her first attempt and Woo finishes it off, as Angkor gets the win and they are beyond excited! Joe and Keith get the final targets and Ta Keo gets second place, so Bayon loses and will be heading to Tribal Council tonight!
Spencer has to tap in for Jeremy for Bayon which proves to be a smart move, he makes up a lot of ground to catch up to Woo who is rolling for Angkor. “Monica is playing for Monica”, Kimmi spills to Jeremy and Fishbach, suggesting maybe it’s Monica’s time to go. Spencer is freaking out, but trying to play it cool and take their word.
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Monica’s downfall is tragic in the sense that it seemed to stem from a few built-up annoyances that Kimmi had towards her. Monica mentioning an all-girls alliance shouldn’t have been seen as treasonous, as let’s face it, all of them are talking game out there on larger and smaller scales. It seems like a nice way for them to bond, but Kelly and Monica disagree on clam collecting. By the time tribal council rolls around, it’s all too obvious that Monica is going home. Watching him work out his journey during his confessionals can be overbearingly analytical, but it’s also fascinating to see someone so clearly self-aware and determined to change on a reality show. Jeremy says she’s going to mess them up. Monica thinks it is a sure vote tonight, which I think is true. She kept Woo in the game and if Woo dares cast a vote her way, he’s already voted for her twice, he’s indeed going to be a dead man walking. Any time a power alliance has gone against itself to vote a member off, it turns out badly. Jeff goes to count them and then comes back and asks for immunity idols. The two names being thrown out for elimination are Spencer and Wiglesworth, with Wiglesworth as the frontrunner to get voted out, since she allegedly has a countless number of connections on the other tribes. This is giving the season a strong backbone that-even though it’s as produced as any other Survivor season “twist”-feels far more organic to who these players actually are and their place in the game”.
