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Previously on Survivor, “having a loved one seemed to be a blessing but it was turning out to be a curse.” After the merge, Tyson’s alliance “held all the power, taking out Aras’s couples alliance.” Vytas and Tina were voted out at the accelerated tribal councils, leaving Katie as the last one of her alliance. Eight are left, who will be voted out tonight?

There’s a python hanging around at camp as the castaways return from voting out Tina. “Sorry Katie,” says Tyson. “It’s all right,” she says. In interview, Katie is feeling the defeat. She has to find a way to get further in the game, but the seven of them are “so engrossed in their own alliance.”

Meanwhile, Laura? and Ciera bond over being the last pair left in the game. “So cool.” But in interview, Ciera talks about how it will make them both a huge target, eventually. But for now, Ciera tells Laura? that the plan is to vote for Katie next and if Katie wins immunity, Monica.

Day 25. Laura? is talking with Ciera about how when she was on Redemption Island, she felt that her game was completely screwed. But now she’s here and in a powerful position, with two votes! Laura? is so powerful, her own daughter is going to tell her she’ll be voted out next. Ciera’s advice to Laura? is to lay low, do whatever Tyson says and not have strategy conversations with anyone.

Ciera interviews that this is quite a role reversal, and she feels that she’s proven she is a better Survivor player than her mother while forgetting to mention that she had her clock cleaned by her mother several times at immunity challenges. Ciera feels she lived through all those tribal councils where the women were being picked off one at a time, while her mother was voted out at her first one. Fair point, but no gloating!

Laura? also interviews that it’s unusual for her to follow her daughter’s lead, but “I’m following my daughter’s discernment and judgment. That’s an amazing gift this game has given me.” “Just keep telling me my social game,” she tells Ciera. But Ciera’s social game advice is mostly “Shut up, mom. You’re embarrassing me,” which any teenager would be qualified to give.

Now we’ve established the theme for this episode, Ciera gives the interview money shot the Blood vs. Water season has been waiting for, where she says “if mom needs to go in order for me to win the game, she needs to go!” Roll credits.

Probst sighting! Time for the Redemption Island duel between Aras, Vytas and Tina. Probst explains that they will use a grapple to retrieve three bags. Each bag has a ball in it, and they will take one of the balls and guide it through a table maze – one of those mazes where you tilt and wobble the table using a rope-and-pulley arrangement to guide the ball through it.

Probst suggests that Tina not even considering to beg Katie to swap with her is all to do with the “mother-daughter bond,” but really it’s because any gesture would be pointless as Tina would be sent straight back to Redemption Island at the next Tribal Council.

The challenge gets underway, and presumed challenge-weakling Tina proves to be a grappling machine, having retrieved all her three bags before Vytas has even hooked one. Probst is super-impressed but doesn’t promote Tina to last-name status, while Aras asks for some encouragement from Laura?

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