By Dustin Rowles | TV | October 24, 2024 |
Spoilers for this week’s episode
Rome was booted from Survivor this week, and frankly, it was long overdue. Since the moment he snagged an idol and an advantage early on, he’s been strutting around like the king of the island, talking shit and acting invincible. Those perks saved him from a couple of tight spots during early tribals, but his mouth finally wrote a check his gameplay couldn’t cash.
But that’s not the juicy bit of this episode. The real story is how the Survivor producers didn’t even bother to drum up suspense during the Tribal Council. Normally, they’re masters at editing so there’s at least a flicker of doubt about who’s going home. They’ll even create a whole fake narrative to keep you guessing right up until the votes are read. If seven people vote for one person and one votes for another, they’ll make it look like it’s neck and neck, just for the drama.
Not this time. Before the immunity challenge even kicked off, Rome was stirring the pot, trying to light up the newly merged tribe. He wasn’t just trash-talking the other players; he was flat-out lying, claiming Kyle — who definitely belongs to some vegan-Christian-hippie cult — said things he never did. It didn’t take long for the whole tribe to catch on and decide they’d had enough of Rome’s antics.
Once Kyle — who rightfully led the “Let’s get Rome out” brigade — snagged immunity, it was game over. The tribe came together, agreed to boot Rome, and called it a day. Meanwhile, Rome was clueless, convinced he had everyone in his pocket. He started campaigning to take out Sol, and everyone just smiled, nodded, and said, “Sure thing, buddy.” The moment he walked away, they all rolled their eyes.
In his confessionals, Rome couldn’t stop boasting about how he was running the show, manipulating the tribe like a puppet master. At one point, he even faked some “crocodile tears,” claiming Sol had been mean to him, which, naturally, no one bought (Sol may not be winning this game, but he’s definitely the most relatable guy out there).
When there were 19 minutes left in the episode as the players headed to Tribal Council, I was suspicious. It felt way too easy. I expected some wild twist to pop up and save Rome at the last second. The lack of editing tricks actually made me nervous —- like the producers had some epic twist waiting in the wings.
But nope! Turns out, they were just letting Rome sink under the weight of his own arrogance. It was refreshing. When it came time for the votes, they didn’t even bother with the usual sleight of hand. We straight-up saw multiple people write down Rome’s name, leaving zero doubt about his fate. Rome was so cocky, he even threw a random vote at Sam, just to stir the pot. Hilariously, Andy wrote Rome’s name and, for reasons unknown, declared in German that he was voting Rome out “because he’s a very bad player.”
If Rome had shown even a shred of humility, maybe I’d feel bad for the way the producers let him crash and burn. But no — Rome had it coming, and no one is shedding any tears, crocodile or otherwise. So long, Rome! The jury won’t be any duller without you. The producers showed him no mercy, and after the way he’s behaved over the last several episodes, he didn’t deserve any.