A Blindside and an Embarrassment Made for a Thrilling Penultimate Episode of ‘Survivor 49’

Last night’s penultimate episode of Survivor season 49 ended in the best tribal council we’ve witnessed all season. Two players used their advantages, and somehow Rizo still held onto his hidden immunity idol. But the big news is that the fine print on one of those advantages — a new addition to the game — led to an upset with the other advantage. And then none of it mattered anyway, because the vote was never even close.

But let’s rewind. Last night’s reward was the letters from home, which Savannah won. She took Rizo, her closest ally, and Sophi B, who used the opportunity to finally reveal her Knowledge Is Power advantage and cement her place in their alliance. How Knowledge Is Power works is that you can use the advantage to ask another player if they have an advantage, or if they have an idol. If they say yes, you can then take it from them, but it only works if you know for sure the player has one or the other and ask the right question. At this point in the game, everyone knows about Rizo’s idol, and they also know Steven has an advantage, which they assume is either a Steal A Vote or a Block A Vote. So Sophi proposes that she use her advantage against Steven - but later, during a confessional, she reveals that she might take Rizo’s idol instead, to guarantee her safety.

Then, after a fierce test of endurance against Sage, Savannah also won the immunity challenge. I wonder how it felt for Savannah, who, moments after earning her third individual immunity, had to watch the whole tribe console Sage, who was in tears after losing. Probably pretty bittersweet, I’d imagine, though who needs hugs and congratulations when you have safety and a guaranteed spot in the final five?

At any rate, with Savannah off the table, the tribe had to shift its eyes to other targets. On the surface, the vote was shaping up to be a three vs three affair, with the Savannah/Rizo/Sophi alliance facing off against Steven, Sage, and Kristina. Steven decides to use his Block A Vote against Savannah, because the new rule is that the Block A Vote advantage must be played prior to arriving at tribal council. With Savannah’s vote blocked, he should have the numbers to take out Sophi, and thus remove Savannah and Rizo’s closest ally, assuming Sage and Kristina will work with him. Meanwhile, Savannah and Rizo are gunning for Steven, knowing he’s the next biggest challenge threat after Savannah.

At tribal, Sophi plays her Knowledge Is Power as expected, and she does decide to use it on Steven. But when she asks him if he has an advantage, he says he doesn’t, because that’s the loophole - he already played it! So Sophi just blew her chance to make a splashy move in front of the jury, which clearly came as a shock to her as she held her head in her hands in embarrassment. Savannah discovers her vote blocked, and Rizo, once again, stands up and pretends that he’s going to finally play his idol for himself, only to pocket it- and now everyone knows his idol is still in play, and didn’t expire. At this point, after all these reversals of fortune, it should be a nailbiter of a vote, so perhaps the biggest shock of the night is that the tribe blindsided Steven anyway!

For Sage and Kristina, the reasoning that Steven was the biggest threat left was apparently enough to send him packing, and they’re not wrong. He’s also well-liked by the jury, and sitting against him in the final three wouldn’t be pretty. However, Savannah is the actual biggest threat, and now she’s heading into the final five with her two closest allies. Steven was their best chance at beating Savannah at the next challenge, but now he’s gone.

Meanwhile, Sophi just blew her best chance at impressing the jury. So why didn’t she use her advantage to steal Rizo’s idol and really cause an upset? Well, Sophi went on Twitter this morning and explained that she was going to steal Rizo’s idol if she felt unsafe before tribal or if Savannah hadn’t won immunity, but she actually knew it would be a unanimous vote against Steven. Kristina even told her about Steven’s Block A Vote advantage ahead of time (though they didn’t know about the fine print). The edit made it look like she was in danger, and the theatrics at tribal were fun (at one point, Sophi seemed to be begging Rizo to play his idol on her), but she knew how the vote was going to go down. Not even Steven’s Block A Vote was going to save him, and even though pulling off her Knowledge Is Power play would have looked good to the jury, it wasn’t necessary.

Despite all of this excitement, with the season finale on the horizon, I have to admit that the winner looks clearer than ever. I’m ready to eat my words, but I don’t see a path to victory for anyone other than Savannah. Kristina is likable but hasn’t done anything notable game-wise, other than wasting her idol on Steven. Sage is stronger, but failed to capitalize on her many many chances to take out Savannah and/or Rizo. Sophi has done well playing the middle and holding onto that Knowledge Is Power, but unless she does something big next week, I think all the jury will remember is how badly she blew her advantage. Rizo talks a big game, but he’s a muppet. He’s bad at challenges, and though holding onto his idol this long has become an amusing running gag, the only reason he was able to hold onto it is because everyone else was so easily distracted. I do give him credit for spearheading the Alex vote, though. Savannah, on the other hand, has come this far by winning immunity over and over again. She’s always had a target on her, either because she’s strong or because she’s unlikable, and yet she’s still here. Unless the jury bases its votes on pure popularity, I just don’t see how they could give the million to anyone else.

Of course, that’s only if Savannah makes it to the final three. Guess we’ll find out next week!