Survivor Season 41 December 15 2021 season finale recap

“The pace has been relentless” says Jeff Probst, as he starts the episode by heaping praise on the season that’s coming to an end. He also tells us that for the first time since Season 1, the votes will be read on-site instead of back in the studio in the USA. That’s only sort of correct — he did read all the votes back in Ghost Island — but only because he knew they would be a tie, and then the tie-breaking vote was saved for the reunion show.

The final five get to their new beach at night. The main topic of conversation is DeShawn’s “truth bomb” from the prior night, and Ricard points out to us viewers that DeShawn made it impossible for anyone to work with him if he stayed in the game, which of course he did!

The day after Tribal Council, the players are each given a clue to a final advantage– they have to anagram some words, rearrange them, and find the location being referred to. Erika finds it and gets the envelope.

At the immunity challenge we find out what the advantage is — the first part of the challenge involves assembling rungs of ladders, and about half of Erika’s are pre-assembled for her. And she does indeed win the challenge, edging out Ricard on the final puzzle — if not for the time Erika gained with her advantage, Ricard would have won.

So now it should be an easy decision to vote Ricard out, right? He doesn’t have immunity and is the best player in the game. But Erika keeps telling us that she doesn’t want to keep DeShawn in the game because she can’t trust him moving forward. But who cares whom you can trust once you’re in the final four?

At Tribal Council, Xander plays his idol since it’s the last time it can be used, but he makes a mini-speech about how he doesn’t really need it and he’s used it pretty successfully for 20 days and he has used it to save several others along the way. Pretty shameless jury pandering. Anyway, the other players obviously have not lost their minds, because Ricard does get voted out.

So our final four is DeShawn, Heather, Erika, and Xander. I can’t say I expected any of them besides the latter to make it this far! They all want to get some sleep before the huge final immunity challenge, but alas there is a rainstorm, and since they are at a new camp they have no shelter. The next day Probst asks if they had rain since it rained where he was — I’m sure he was nice and dry in the concierge level at the Hilton!

The final immunity challenge is the one they seem to use every season now. Which I understand because it’s always dramatic. The players have to stack blocks while walking back and forth on a wobbly platform, and drama is guaranteed because a player can be inches from winning and have to start all over.

Xander wins, which means he has to decide who comes with him to the final three and which other two need to do a fire-making challenge for the third spot. Surely it’s a lock that he will choose Heather? Actually, when they get to Tribal Council he chooses Erika.

So DeShawn versus Heather shapes up as the lowest-stakes fire-making challenge to date, but it gets interesting. DeShawn seems to have a big lead but suddenly his flame is almost completely gone. By the way everyone on the jury except Naseer seems to be cheering for Heather, a bad sign for DeShawn if he moves on! Heather has a roaring fire going that burns the rope, and burns the rope, but somehow it doesn’t snap and then her fire goes back down! DeShawn has built his back up, and burns through the rope just seconds before Heather’s does.

So DeShawn, Erika, and Xander are the final three, and go to Tribal Council the following night. The most memorable moment is when DeShawn lists all of his moves and Shan speaks up to say everything he called a move, she called emotional pouting. The other clear trend is that the Tribal Council seems very pro-Erika. Xander must think so too, because when Probst says he’ll read the votes Xander has a grim expression.

There is a vote for Erika, one for DeShawn, and every other one is for Erika, who wins! The best player left, Xander, doesn’t get one vote! And it’s a fair assumption that Naseer was the one DeShawn vote.

Wow. That advantage Erika found in the woods was a million-dollar envelope, not that she didn’t make the most of it.

I’ll be back soon with final thoughts.

“How did they not see this coming?” Survivor Season 41 December 8 2021 recap

Let’s get this out of the way: no information is given on why Xander used his extra vote last episode.

What we do hear about from Xander is that now he wants to get Ricard out, or so he tells Danny.

Before the reward challenge, Probst describes the two kinds of food the winners can choose from — this is where for 40 seasons the producers have cut to whichever player looks most ecstatic about how wonderful said food would be. Instead, we get DeShawn saying he’s not that interested in either meal, how about some letters from home? Probst just chuckles.

While DeShawn, Xander, and Erika enjoy their reward meal, Danny goes looking for an idol. When he comes back he seems happy, so Ricard suspects an idol was found.

At the immunity challenge the thing that nobody else wanted to happen, happens: Ricard wins. I’m not rooting for him, but I think it is hard to argue with him being the best player of the season.

Back at camp, Danny’s comment to DeShawn is “Bro, how the [bleeped out] did they not see this coming?” DeShawn answers “They’re idiots, bro.”

Soon we viewers find out that Danny did not find an idol earlier, but that he hopes to benefit from the others thinking he has one. Danny and DeShawn figure it has to be one of them being voted out that night, and Danny reveals to DeShawn that he played in the NFL.

At Tribal Council, DeShawn announces a big secret will be revealed — no not Danny’s NFL career, but rather: “Erika will not be taking you to the end, Heather.” Which is probably true, but DeShawn said it assuming he would be voted out. Will he?

The vote is a 3-3 tie! We had heard Danny and DeShawn would vote for each other, but the others probably put their votes 2-2 just in case Danny and DeShawn were to vote the same and also play an idol.

Anyway, on the re-vote Danny is voted out. And Probst gives the players a surprise before they leave: the final five will now have to start over at a new beach with minimal supplies.

Idol/Advantage count: Xander has an idol.

Favorites: 1. Ricard, 2. Xander,

No chance: DeShawn, Heather, Erika

Jury and who I think they’ll vote for: Tiffany (Xander), Naseer (DeShawn), Evvie (Xander), Shan (Ricard), Liana (DeShawn), Danny (DeShawn)

“He’s the only one who made a successful move.” Survivor Season 41 Dec 1 2021 recap

Episode 11 begins on Night 19, with DeShawn wondering why Shan called DeShawn “a snake” while praising Ricard for doing the exact same thing … the same question I posed in my last blog post!

Soon we once again have Jeff Probst talking to us viewers just seconds before the players come in to start the immunity challenge … or so the editing would have us believe at least. He tells us there will be a “dangerous twist” … and he soon fills the players in.

This twist is called Do or Die — the first person who drops out of the upcoming challenge will have to play a game of chance at the next Tribal Council. If he wins it, he stays in the game and also has immunity that night. If he loses, he has to leave the game and no vote takes place. One can avoid any chance of being this person by sitting out the immunity challenge, but whoever does also will not win the immunity necklace!

When Probst presents the options, Liana and Heather opt to sit out (Heather later tells us that the only people she has beaten in a challenge are all out of the game in the meantime!).

Well, this twist certainly adds tension to the challenge. But we quickly know who the person will be ,as DeShawn fails to last even three seconds. Danny ends up outlasting Xander and Ricard to win immunity.

Now everyone must figure out who they’re voting for since a plan is needed if DeShawn does not leave the game. Danny and DeShawn want to target Ricard. Xander tells them Ricard is “the only one who made a move … a successful move.” However Xander has no plans to join them. His thinking is, as long as Ricard is in the game and the #1 target, people will not be targeting Xander! So he wants to stuck with his new alliance of Ricard, Erika and Heather … the only problem is that Erika is also considering targeting Ricard. She appears to be the swing vote.

When we get to the Council, Probst announces this is the last time the “Shot in the Dark,” i.e. the die roll, can be used. Liana had hinted earlier that she might go that route.

Time for DeShawn’s game. Probst puts three little wooden boxes on his podium and announces that two have images of skulls inside and one has an image of fire. Only choosing the “fire” box is going to keep DeShawn in the game.

Now wait a minute — when Probst was describing this earlier he only said it was a game of chance, so I assume the players assumed it was a 50-50 proposition. Maybe more would have sat this out if they’d known the survival chance was only 1 in 3!

DeShawn tells Probst he’s picking the box on the left. So Probst scoots it forward and then opens the box on the far right to reveal that one had a skull. You can probably guess what’s next: DeShawn is told he can stick with the one he picked or switch to the other unopened box, the one in the middle. So we have what they call the “Monty Hall problem” and the correct answer is supposed to be that at this point you switch your choice to the other unopened one (I’m sure there are 100 websites out there recapping the math if you’re interested).

Well, DeShawn does not do that — he says he has a good feeling abut the one he first picked, so he’s sticking with that. The box is opened, and it’s the flame. To say DeShawn is relieved is the understatement of the year!

But now there has to be a vote, and Liana is voted out 5-3 over Ricard. Yes, 5-3 — the closing credits show us that Xander used his extra vote, which still had power for one more week. Hmm, he must have thought there was a good chance Erika would vote with Liana, DeShawn and Danny against himself, Ricard, and Heather. But that would have just created a 4-4 tie and Ricard would have been out on the re-vote anyway. So we just have to hope this will be explained in the next episode.

Idol/Advantage count: Xander has an idol.

Favorites: 1. Ricard, 2. Xander, 3. Danny

No chance: DeShawn, Heather, Erika

Jury and who I think they’ll vote for: Tiffany (Xander), Naseer (DeShawn), Evvie (Xander), Shan (Ricard), Liana (Danny)