In a season filled with twists and turns, Wednesday’s episode of Survivor 51 may have been the craziest one yet. An immunity idol and two different Shot In The Darks were played, eventually sending home fan favorites Kilby and Kristin as part of the Tied Destinies twist. It’s a massive development in Fiji, altering this week’s Survivor power rankings in the process.
After this week’s eighth episode, titled “Load the Ark, Two by Two”, which names should fans be keeping an eye on going forward? Let’s take a look at who helped, or hurt, their chances at winning Survivor 51.
Survivor Power Rankings
- 1. Sharonda
- 2. Lewis
- 3. Carter
- 4. Cristian
- 5. Maggie
- 6. Thien An
- 7. Jelly
- 8. Devin
- 9. Mike
- 10. Eric
- Kilby – Eliminated
- Kristin – Eliminated
- Brady – Eliminated
- Ori – Eliminated
- Linnea – Elminated
- Alexis – Eliminated
- Jenna – Eliminated
- Patt – Eliminated
- Rob – Quit
- Ana – Eliminated
- Aaliyah – Eliminated
Biggest Risers
Cristian (+7)
Shoutout Carter, who also deserves mention. Still, this felt like Cristian’s coming out party. After weeks of getting next to no content, the former Savu seems to be coming into his own. Cristian’s big week kicked off with a pitch from Carter to join the Salt of the Earth pact (more on that later). Although Kilby is now gone, it’s never a bad idea to take part in a potential majority alliance. For someone that seems to have been left out of the old Savu inner circle, that alone boosts Cristian’s winner equity going forward.
That wasn’t the only big development in episode eight. Lewis and Sharonda, winners of this week’s immunity challenge, selected Cristian to go to Exile Island. There, he was given a chance to wager his vote and solve a puzzle involving buoys in the water. Cristian got the job done, winning a one-time only extra vote as a result. At Tribal Council, he opted to hand the advantage over to Eric as a show of trust. To boot, he and Carter successfully avoided elimination by getting ‘Safe’ on their Shot In The Dark. It was a bit lucky, but the two could have used Carter’s idol if the SITD play proved unsuccessful. In the span of one hour, Cristian has gone from afterthought to dark horse.
Carter (+3)
It’s been a wild ride for Carter this season. He started out as a key player on Savu, only to get blindsided during the Ana vote. Then, he decided to head over to Toka, setting in motion the remainder of his game. He’s someone that everyone else on the beach seems to get along with, always a plus in this social game of Survivor. Now, the Iowa native is beginning to make some massive moves of his own.
As previously mentioned, Carter is pushing for the Salt of the Earth alliance. To secure loyalty, he even showed a slightly hesitant Cristian his hidden immunity idol. Right now, nobody else on this season is aware of this advantage. The two were in lockstep during Wednesday’s episode, securing another week in this game. Just as important, they didn’t have to burn Carter’s idol. After a few quieter episodes, Carter is back on the radar as a potential winner pick.
Biggest Fallers
Thien An (-4)
Not a ton of content for Thien An, but what we saw from her was not exactly ideal. Sharonda, being the savvy game-player she is, was doing everything to save Helicopter Alliance friends Devin and Jelly this week. Thien An is on the opposite end of the island, but still has an interest in working with Sharonda. This is the Open Era after all; enemies can become partners in a matter of minutes.
The thing is, that level of aggressive, modern gameplay has a risk of backfiring. While a potential collaboration with Sharonda would be nice for Thien An, she essentially revealed the Salt of the Earth plan to Sharonda. As a result, Devin and Jelly were then able to play their hidden immunity idol. Even worse, it set in motion a chain of events that knocked off old Toka buddy Kilby. In an otherwise savvy game, Thien An shot herself in the foot during Wednesday’s episode. It’ll be interesting to see if she can bounce back from this setback next week.
Eric
Another episode of Survivor, and Eric remains at the bottom. To be fair, this wasn’t the most disastrous episode. For starters, he made a wise choice in partnering up with Thien An. It essentially kept the social pariah safe during this week’s Tied Destinies twist. Regardless, it’s difficult to get too excited. Eric continues to annoy everyone else, especially during this week’s immunity challenge. Based off of the edit alone, his winner chances are virtually zero.
Still, it’s not just socially where Eric struggled. As previously mentioned, Cristian entrusted him with the extra vote at the very last minute. Only good for one Tribal Council, it was a ‘use it or lose it’ situation. Still, Eric opted to pocket the advantage for himself. There might be a somewhat reasonable explanation here, but right now it comes off as nothing short of bizarre. The only way this makes a shred of sense is that Eric wants to use the parchment as some kind of decoy down the line. Even that reeks of overplaying your hand at best. It’s another puzzling move in a season full of them from Eric.
Survivor 51 FAQ
When does Survivor 51 Episode 9 Come Out?
The ninth episode of Survivor 51 comes out on Wednesday, November 18th, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will air every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET for the remainder of the season.
Where can I watch Survivor 51 Episode 9?
Survivor 51 Episode 9 will air live on CBS. It will then be available to stream on Paramount+.
