New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

What are Ciera’s thoughts? She says that “It’s like, you come into this game and you make this whole plan out and this happens.” Brad tries to get across to Caleb that he won’t be writing down "Caleb," and Caleb says that’s fine, but he’ll still be writing down Brad. Vytas is shocked that his alliance is falling apart in front of him, but he tells Brad straight that he is not going to write Brad’s name down. Probst is actually excited to see what happens. Time to vote!

Caleb’s vote for Brad comes with the message “Sorry dude. You mess with the bull, you get the horns.” Brad votes for Ciera. Probst goes to “tally” the votes. It’s Brad, Ciera, Ciera, Brad, Ciera, Brad. A tie! How many seasons is it since we’ve had an actual tie? Not a tie engineered to flush an immunity idol, but an actual tie, where the tribe is actually divided and the vote actually matters. Everyone has been too afraid of drawing rocks. When was the last time anyone was forced to change their mind at Tribal Council? Time to re-vote! Brad and Ciera aren’t voting, and the other four can only vote for Brad or Ciera.

We don’t see any of the re-votes. Hayden is last, and he starts to write down Ciera, then gives this great sly smirk as he scribbles out the ‘Ci’. But he takes his time with the actual decision, and we don’t see it. Probst has to “tally” the votes again, and they are for Brad, Ciera (Hayden voted for her after all), Brad and... Brad. Wow. After seeing Hayden’s scribbled vote, I thought we’d end up with another tie and rocks.

“I’m not mad at you, I’m not angry, I made a bad move,” Brad assures the Tadhanas, “I’m not like everybody else,” he says on his way over to Probst. That’s great, but we have seen other examples of Brad taking things personally. Brad, the tribe has spoken. He’s looking forward to Redemption Island with Candice and John already! Probst says to the remaining Tadhanas that this could be one of the biggest shifts of power in the game ever. Well, if Tadhana had any power. Still, Katie looks completely relieved, as though God Himself is currently giving her a back-rub.

Next time on Survivor, Caleb is already in the catbird seat saying he can control of the game, when he has no close ally and is on a tribe down 8-5. But he thinks the word is “big kahunas." And Monica asks Brad if he wants her to take his spot at the Redemption Island duel! Based on everything we’ve seen this season about manly men and their duties towards their women, I can’t see him agreeing to that. Besides, Monica is in a good position, while at this point Brad has no chance of winning.

Arriving on Redemption Island, Brad wakes up John and Candice saying that he is “waving a white flag.” I think a better approach would have just been to bunk down and go right to sleep, just to see their faces in the morning. Candice is thrilled Brad is there, seeing a chance to put him out of the game for good. Doesn’t she want to get to know him better?

Well, that was a solid episode and a great tribal council. It would have been great no matter who went home, but while Caleb gets the credit I don't see this giving him long-term security in the game. If anything, Ciera and Katie are the big winners from tonight. Anyway, this season is looking a lot better that I dared hope at the first episode, with Rupert and Colton out of the game already, and a bunch of relative normals left in the competition. To sanity!

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5       6       7