The 'Survivor' Moment We Didn't See that Makes that Meltdown All the More Awkward

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 2, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 2, 2024 |

Spoilers for this week’s episode of Survivor

After an excruciatingly slow start to the season, the post-merge Survivor has turned into one of its more compelling seasons thanks, in part, to arrogance and hubris from arguably three of the best and most likable players of the season: Tevin, Hunter, and Tiff. Each believed that this season’s villain, Q, would be voted out, and each was ousted instead, as Q was used as a smokescreen to vote out three of the biggest threats.

What’s even more remarkable is that the last two, Hunter and Tiff, went home with idols, so sure they were that the tribe would not turn on them. Alas, they didn’t abide by the first rule of Survivor: If someone is telling you not to use your idol, use your idol. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times? What the hell, Tiff?

The blindside, however, was not the most exciting moment of this week’s episode. That came earlier in the episode, after the reward challenge, which Q won. The reward was the biggest of the season: A bunch of food from Applebee’s served in the Applebee’s sanctuary.

There must have been so many reasons not to cast Liz in this season of Survivor: She’s not that compelling and she’s apparently already rich, but most of all: She’s allergic to much of the available food on the island. She’s even allergic to coconut water. It’s so bad that after 18 days, Liz had barely eaten anything.

And here’s the best reason for the producers to cast Liz: She loves Applebee’s. I didn’t know it was possible for anyone to love Applebee’s, but Liz does. She goes every Wednesday night and eats at Applebee’s with her daughter before watching that week’s episode of Survivor. Do you know how I know that? Because she repeated it several times during the episode. “I get the burger, she gets the pizza, and then we go home and then we watch Survivor.” Applebee’s got its money’s worth for the product placement, because not only did Liz go deep on how much she loves Applebee’s, and not only did Jeff spend three minutes going over the goddamn Applebee’s menu, but when Liz wasn’t selected to go on the reward, she had the meltdown of all meltdowns. She lost her shit over Applebee’s burgers.

The entire tantrum was essentially a promo for Applebee’s. “Here’s what happened when one Survivor contestant didn’t get her Applebee’s burger!”

But this is what makes that moment even funnier/more awkward: According to a deleted scene posted by EW, Liz had been lobbying hard for that reward even before the reward challenge. “I know my body is in starvation mode, and so I would really, really love not to win the food reward,” she said in the clip. “But to have someone give me a pity pick and pick me for the reward. So hopefully, I get picked, or I win, and we can get some food in my belly, get the digestion going, and get the game going.”

Most of the tribe apparently felt so bad for her that they promised to take her to the reward if they won the challenge. But not Q. Not only did Q reject Liz, but according to Tiff — in an interview with TVLine — he wouldn’t even let other players give up their spots for Liz.

I need to get your take on Liz’s meltdown. How hard was that to watch in person?

I don’t think it was hard, but it was awkward as hell. I’m like, “I don’t know what to do,” and I’m just a naturally awkward person. It was even more awkward because both Maria and Kenzie volunteered to give up their spot so that Liz could come and Q was like, “No, I don’t want her to come. We’re going to Applebee’s and I chose who I chose,” and I was just there like, “Oh, this is so awkward!”

That was evil, but it’s probably also part of what led Tiff to believe so ardently that the tribe would vote out Q. But how many more times can they use Q as a smokescreen? The man is a wrecking ball, and if he can put together a couple of immunity challenge wins, he may just make it to the end. Against the exact right people (Venus, Liz), he could maybe even win.