'Survivor 47' recap: Shots are thrown into the dark

Players make a radical deal with Jeff Probst.

“I am not throwin' away my shot
I am not throwin' away my shot
Hey yo, I'm just like my country
I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwin' away my shot.”

Or… you know… maybe I will! Because this ain’t Hamilton and this ain’t 2015, y’all! This is 2024 and this Survivor, where players willingly give up their Shot in the Dark for a few scoops of rice. And while this was absolutely terrible negotiating on the part of the players, I’m going to explain how the real losers in Jeff Probst’s rice negotiation are likely to be us, the viewers.

But first, let’s back it up to recap exactly what happened. Probst introduced this week’s immunity challenge and then morphed into Monty Hall to offer a deal to the contestants. If four players would sit out, he’d give the tribe a bag of rice. The players asked if he would accept three people sitting out instead. Probst didn’t budge. They then asked if he would accept two people giving up their Shots in the Dark. Probst didn’t budge. Then Kyle asked if he would accept all their Shots in the Dark for the rice.

Wait… what? WHO TAUGHT THESE PEOPLE HOW TO NEGOTIATE?! How do you go from just two to all the Shots in the Dark? Where’s the incremental raise? That has to be some of the worst negotiating on record since the Boston Red Sox traded the best player in the history of baseball for some money to finance a musical called No, No, Nanette, and no, no, I am not making that up.

Related: Survivor 47 cast share their most embarrassing moments ever (exclusive)

Maybe there were rounds of negotiating that got cut for time. And perhaps the players realized it would be inequitable for some people to lose their SITDs and not others, especially if they were all going to be eating the rice. Regardless, Hostmaster General Probst — who earlier this season generously gave away eggs in exchange for chickens a tribe did not even want — got his biggest bounty yet.

And while you may say that wiping SITDs out of the game was a win for whoever was in a position of power to take the Shots away from vulnerable players who might need the Tribal Council Hail Mary, here’s the thing: The people in positions of power are the same ones who are vulnerable. Nobody was more adamant about getting rid of the SITDs than Gabe, who had to convince and cajole last holdout Sam to agree to the deal. You think Gabe wasn’t regretting that move a few hours later once he heard his name was out there? Genevieve certainly was, and told us so.

But really, who cares about the players? Because it’s all about us. And with that in mind, I’m going to say something that may sound shocking on the surface, but I actually think is pretty irrefutable. So here it is: The Shot in the Dark is not only the best twist of Survivor’s new era, it’s one of the best Survivor twists ever.

I know! That sounds crazy! Especially coming from the guy who is constantly complaining about people that are voted out having a chance to get back in the game with twists like Redemption Island and the Edge of Extinction. But the Shot in the Dark is much more like a hidden immunity idol with really bad odds than those two regrettable back-from-the-dead game mechanics of yesteryear. It’s actually even better than a hidden immunity idol because it is completely equitable in that every single player gets one, and it is not something just randomly hidden in a bowl of French fries.

But here’s why the Shot in the Dark is truly great. Ever notice how we have waaaaaaaaay more Tribal Council blindsides than we used to in earlier Survivor seasons? Well, you have the Shot in the Dark to thank for that, and I’ll explain why. It was hardly ever shown on screen, but in old school Survivor seasons, when it was clear that a certain tribe mate was going home, someone who either felt really bad about it or was looking to curry jury favor would often let the person know beforehand. That sapped some of the energy from Tribal Council and heavily muted the reactions of the snuffee since they already had a pretty good idea they were the one to go. I can’t tell you how many times I would talk to cast members after they were voted off, only for them to tell me, “Oh yeah, I knew it was me.”

And even back then, if someone did not directly tell the player they were a goner, they certainly did not work as hard to make them feel as safe as possible. Now, with the Shot in the Dark in play, contestants have to really convince victims they are safe so they don’t screw up the plans by forgoing their vote for a scroll. And because those victims have now been aggressively assured of their safety, they are that much more hurt (Aysha, Anika, Tiyana, Sierra) and confused (Kishan, Rome) once publicly rejected by their peers. AND THAT MAKES FANTASTIC TELEVISION!

Now that all of the SITDs are out of the game, do the shocks and surprises leave the game with them? Just this week, Gabe and Genevieve both knew it was one of them set to go, so that’s not a great start. Hopefully that is not the case moving forward, but even if the players themselves rejected their Shots in the Dark, and even if, as longtime viewers, we are weary of any big changes to the show we know and love, it’s time to give respect where respect is due. Are you a fan of the Shot in the Dark? You can weigh in with the comment section below while we get into everything else that went down on episode 10 of Survivor 47.

Related: Survivor 47 finale to air over 2 weeks (exclusive)

Taking Teeny’s temperature

Ten weeks in, and I’m still pissed nobody else in the cast adopted the nickname Tiny for the remainder of the season, but I’ll let that go as we get into what was a very eventful episode for Teeny. We got some snippets of stuff we didn’t see on last week’s Tribal, including Andy clueing Teeny in that the vote was on Sol and that it was all Genevieve’s doing, as well as Teeny promising “Everything I do from now on will be to avenge you,” while voting her biggest ally out of the game.  Oh my God! That’s so badass and Shakespearian! I love it!

Of course, the really good stuff happened back at camp when Teeny confronted Genevieve and accused her fellow Lavo of trying to make her look stupid. “I cannot honestly believe that you would not include me on the plan,” she complained. “It speaks volumes to how you see me.” Unfortunately for us, the conversation did not devolve into petty name-calling and finger-pointing, so we will have to settle for Teeny attempting to serve her revenge dish cold.

But the strategic ostracization Teeny was feeling was also messing with her self-esteem, and she related the struggles out on the island to “stuff with my identity that I haven’t fully sorted out.” What really set this segment apart from many other new era “sob stories” that have filled our screens is that this was not a boilerplate overcoming-adversity backstory. Teeny was explaining how the insecurities she felt in her own skin had informed the type of social creature she had become.

“I don’t know exactly how I fit in in a sort of man and woman binary world,” Teeny explained, while adding that she felt really alone when processing her place in both the game and the world. That’s heavy stuff, obviously, but also draws the point home that Survivor is more than just moving chess pieces across the board. No one wants to feel ostracized, either socially or strategically, because it often can feel like the same thing.

I could go on and on about this segment because it was the most revealing look we have had yet of Teeny as a person… orrrrrrrrr I could talk about the burning bag. I think we both know which option I’m taking. Do you know how badly I wanted to lead with the bag on fire? But that would have made me seem like a monster if I didn’t at least acknowledge some big-picture emotional trauma, even if I just wanted to talk about the burning bag the entire time.

But what happened there? Why was Teeny’s bag so close to the fire to begin with? Was this sabotage? Or was she using the bag as a pillow while sleeping, coming inches away from burning her entire face off? And, if so, how was that her and not Andy? So many questions!

Related: Survivor 47 star Sol Yi reveals what we did not see at live Tribal Council

Dandy when sandy

Hey, look — a reward challenge! While the contestants were playing for wraps and cake, our reward was a vaguely disturbing slow-motion shot of Andy licking and biting a giant ball. The players were randomly divided into three teams and then had to slither up and down sand with their arms and legs bound while pushing a ball with their head and shoulder.

The blue team of Kyle, Rachel, and Sam dominated in a blow out, but the entire purpose of this challenge is not to determine a winner, but rather to watch people look as silly as possible while struggling to move a meter at a time. That’s right, I said meter. SHOUT OUT TO THE METRIC SYSTEM, Y’ALL! But this competition is always super fun to watch, even when it is not close.

I do, however, feel like it is time to take it to the next level. How about for season 49 you have people do it in pairs? So two people are bound like they already are, but then are also bound to each other by a rope between them, and each have a ball to push. So they keep having to veer off to each side to chase down their respective balls. That’s either the best or worst Survivor idea I have ever had. Possibly both.

Related: Survivor 47 exclusive deleted scene shows Rachel sick of being left out of the vote

Bat necklace bling

Truthfully, I don’t find the whole balancing-objects-on-a-disc challenge to be all that exciting, but I can’t really complain too much about any competition that forces Probst to say “It just got a whole lot harder with two balls!” (I swear, sometimes this recap just writes itself.)

After the players gave up their Shots in the Dark, that meant all would be competing for immunity, but in the end, it was Kyle winning his third-and-a-half individual immunity (sorry, he only gets half credit for the one where two people outlasted him). I don’t understand why both players and viewers all see Kyle as this massive threat that needs to be taken out at the first opportunity. I’ve already bombarded you with stats in the past that prove juries do not respect or reward challenge wins. I also have gotten the sense that while players (outside of Sue, who got an entire anti-Kyle montage all to herself) seem to like the guy, nobody really respects him as a gamer or strategist.

It's absolutely true that Survivor is a social game first and foremost, but you usually have to show at least a little game aptitude to get votes at the end, and I’m not convinced the other players see Kyle that way at all. And if all that is the case, then why the fervor to get him out? I just don’t get it. But after Kyle won immunity, he wasn’t an option anyway. Which brings us to…

Related: Jeff Probst explains that Survivor Tribal Council jury change (exclusive)

Who gets the credit for the Gabe move?

So much happens before a Tribal Council vote on Survivor that producers simply cannot show it all. And often, to simplify the story and connect the dots in a more easily digestible way, a player may get editorial credit in the final cut for a move that, in reality, was more nuanced and involved multiple parties.

That said, I have no idea who actually engineered Gabe’s ouster. After Kyle was safe, it became clear that Gabe and Genevieve were the two options for elimination. Rachel and Teeny both seemed to want Genevieve out, while Sam had his sights on rival Alpha bro Gabe (while also expressing worry about Genevieve).

As for Andy, I have no idea what the “smiling assassin” was actually wanting. As he talked about slinging a web of different alliances, we saw footage of a literal spider web, with the weaver about to consume its prey. Producers also superimposed other players’ faces onto the web in case we didn’t fully pick up on the metaphor they were putting down. I mean, that’s fine, but it would have been 18,000,000 times better if they filmed footage of those players acting scared and panicking that they had been caught in a spider-web and then used that footage instead.

Andy was also saying a lot of stuff that may or may not have been a bunch of phooey. He told Rachel that Genevieve said they needed to watch out for her, and informed Sue that Kyle referred to her and Caroline as Tweedledee and Tweedledum. (Could this be what Rome referenced in our exit interview? And did Tweedledee also lie about his age for no apparent reason?) I don’t know if this intel was legit or deception, the same way it is difficult to ascertain what people are actually making of Andy at this point in the game.

Related: Jeff Probst reveals type of players he wants for Survivor 50 (exclusive)

But it at least appears that the decision ultimately came down to Gabe’s own Tuku tribe mates, Kyle and Caroline. Kyle first expressed interest in turning on his ally at the Survivor Sanctuary, worrying that he needed to make a move on Gabe before Gabe made one on him. Caroline felt threatened by Gabe in another way. Displaying a remarkable level of self-awareness not always seen in a reality TV contestant, Caroline acknowledged that Gabe had played a better game than her, so she needed to get him out to reset her standing. That’s an impressive admission from Caroline to not just see herself the way she wants to be seen, but to see how others currently see her.

Even if Caroline and Kyle had not been in on voting Gabe, the others still would have had the numbers to take him out, but my admittedly uneducated guess is the vote may have then shifted to Genevieve if the Tuku twosome was not on board. Not only were Rachel and Teeny already keen to go that way, but it would have preserved their opportunity to potentially work with Caroline down the line. Of course, we’ll never know. But the other thing to consider is that… HOLY $#!&, WHAT IS SOL WEARING OVER ON THE JURY?!? Check out my main man going full shirtless with the vest! So bold. I didn’t realize we had steeped into Club Ponderosa, where the drinks are bottomless and the tops are pretty much naked. Such a clutch look.

Of course, the big story was Gabe’s last stand. I’ll admit that I totally had Gabe pegged wrong when the season started. His aggressiveness in early idol searching struck me as someone uneducated in the social nuances of the game, even as he built an early alliance with Sue and Caroline. But he proved to have both social and strategic chops in abundance. I also loved his comment at this week’s Tribal Council that “Survivor is a game where you build a community that is destined to be torn apart.” And therein lies the dichotomy we all know and love.

I truly did not know who was going this week until Kyle went up to the booth and… just kinda stood there. Maybe he was simply enjoying a little shelter from the rain, in no particular rush as he stood there warming his hands, and then proceeded to start voting… in slow-motion. All his voting angst and delay told me it was Gabe’s name going on the parchment, because there would have been no emotional indecision if that name being written down was Genevieve.

I’m not quite sure what to make of Gabe’s post-vote reveal comment to Caroline of “Got a little snake in you, huh?” Is that a sign of respect? Of anger? Perhaps a little from column A and a little from column B? But how about the cojones on that dude to go full Schwarzenegger and tell Probst “I’ll be back”? He’s standing there telling the GUY WHO RUNS AND CASTS THE SHOW that he will be asked to come back and play again. Was that some sort of Jedi mind trick he was trying to pull? And he wasn’t just telling Probst, later doubling down in his final words by announcing “I got a good feeling I will be back.” To which I say… maybe.

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Gabe’s probably not on the first ballot of new era must-have-backs that includes names like Maryanne, Carolyn, Yam Yam, Kaleb, Naseer, and Dee. But he is someone I totally could see the show bringing back. He played aggressively, gave good sound bites, and was not above performing an absurd dance after a challenge win. He’s certainly in the mix for a return appearance. But what do you think? Would you like to see Gabe again? Hit the comments section below to let us know.

But before you do that, I just want to acknowledge the tribute card at the end of the episode, which read: “Dedicated to Barb, the biggest Survivor fan of all time. See you on our next adventure.” That would be Barbara Probst, mother of Jeff, who passed away recently. I was fortunate enough to meet Barbara once or twice, and she could not have been nicer. She read these recaps and it was fun to hear her thoughts on my thoughts. But what I most remember about Barbara was how friendly and warm she was, and how proud she was of her son. Anyway, just giving a super sky point to one of the truly good ones.

Look at me being such a big softie! We’ve got extra goodies for you this week. We broke some news a few days that the Survivor 47 finale will be spread out over two weeks, so go check that out for all the scoop. We also unleashed the most embarrassing stories of each Survivor 47 cast member, and I cannot express how worth your time that collection of humiliation is. Of course, we also have an exclusive deleted scene from this week’s episode for you as well as our exit interview with Gabe, and Probst is weighing in, too. Okay, gotta go and get working on next week’s Thanksgiving scoop of the crispy!