A new episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The episode begins with everyone reeling after the chaotic tribal council that sent Lauren to the jury after Ben played his hidden immunity idol. Ben is proud of the move he made; he says it’s a good feeling to be the single vote to send Lauren home. When Ben walks away to get water, everyone else on the tribe agrees to vote out Ben at the next tribal council no matter what. When Ben returns, Devon tells him that he voted out the wrong person. Devon says Ben should’ve voted him out instead of Lauren since Devon won’t be letting Ben win immunity. Ben is aware he has a tough road ahead of him due to not having any allies.
The next morning, Ben goes looking for a hidden immunity idol while everyone else is still asleep. While he is still searching, Chrissy wakes up and realizes Ben is gone and likely looking for another idol. She lets Mike know this, but she’s fairly certain Ben won’t find another hidden immunity idol.
It’s time for the reward challenge. They will be teamed up in pairs, tethered together. They will have to go through an obstacle course and then toss rings onto posts. The first pair to win will be rewarded with a night away with food and a bed. The three pairs are Ben and Ashley, Chrissy and Devon, and Mike and Ryan. The challenge begins, and Ashley and Ben take an early lead as they’re the first to complete the first obstacle. Chrissy and Devon move on to the next stage, but Mike and Ryan are still struggling at the first stage of the obstacle. Eventually, Chrissy and Devon manage to catch up due to Ben and Ashley getting tangled up, but Ben and Ashley keep their lead. They are the first to start tossing rings, but Devon and Chrissy are right behind. Devon is the first to land a ring, putting him and Chrissy in the lead. Mike and Ryan manage to catch up and they start tossing rings too. Everyone is landing rings, making it a very close challenge. However, Devon is the first to land all the rings for his team. Devon and Chrissy win reward! They’re allowed to choose one person to come along with them, and Chrissy advises Devon they should pick Ryan. After they choose Ryan, Ashley is visibly surprised by this; she is shocked Devon didn’t pick her to come along. Before the commercial break, we hear a confessional from Ben. He hopes Ashley being angry at not being chosen to go on the reward will work to his advantage.
After the reward challenge, Ben, Ashley, and Mike return to camp. Mike and Ashley are bothered by the fact that Ryan was chosen to go on the reward. Mike says Ryan was the least deserving to go on a reward, due to getting to go to the previous reward and being the youngest person in the cast. Ben asks who should they vote out next, but Mike candidly tells him he still wants to vote out Ben. Ashley says no one wants to go to the Final 3 with Ben, so Ben suggests using him for a vote at this upcoming tribal council since he doesn’t want to be voted out next. Later, Ben tells Ashley that Mike shouldn’t be trusted, and she and Devon don’t have the upper hand like she believes they do. Ashley is still noncommittal to anything Ben says, although she admits in a confessional that she thinks Ben is accurate to an extent. Since Ben doesn’t feel like he’s making any headway with Ashley, he continues to search for a hidden immunity idol.
At the reward, Chrissy suggests the three of them should go to the Final 3 together, and Ryan and Devon seemingly agree to this. In a confessional, Devon admits Ryan was originally his closest ally before becoming his biggest enemy. However, he’s open to going to the end with whomever he believes he can win against. In her confessional, Chrissy says she wants to split up the Devon and Ashley duo. She even wants Ashley to get voted out before Ben.
It’s time for the immunity challenge. They will have to race through an obstacle course and then complete a puzzle. The first person to complete the challenge will win immunity. The challenge begins, and it’s fairly even as everyone is at the same stage untying sand bags to toss into a basket. Ashley takes an early lead as she is the first to land her sand bag into a basket, but Ben soon overtakes her. It’s still a close challenge, with Devon in last place. Nonetheless, they are all working on the puzzle at the same time, making it anyone’s game. Everyone is struggling figuring out the cog puzzle, but Chrissy and Ben start making headway. Chrissy is the first to solve the puzzle. Chrissy wins immunity!
The tribe returns to camp after tribal council. Ben is lamenting the fact he lost the immunity challenge, but he’s still determined to find a hidden immunity idol. Ashley just wants them all go to tribal council now to vote out Ben. She is still worried about a possible hidden immunity idol, so she suggests splitting the votes between Ben and Mike. However, unbeknownst to Ashley, Chrissy wants to get rid of her next. Chrissy suggests to Devon and Ryan to vote out Ashley tonight, but Ryan and Devon disagree. They make it clear Ben needs to be the next one out. However, Ben finds a clue to the hidden immunity idol. It’s buried under the tribe shelter, and he wants to wait until no one is looking before he starts digging for it. And we don’t see if he retrieves it or not by the time tribal council starts.
At tribal council, Ben tells Jeff he is still the #1 target. He says Mike is the swing vote between the two tight pairs of Ashley/Devon and Chrissy/Ryan. The talk turns to Final 3 deals, and they all admit they have Final 3 deals except for Ben. Ben says he’d go to the Final 3 with anyone. Mike points out how Ben has lied to a lot of people, but he believes Ben could still get his way tonight due to being a smart and tricky player. Ben says it’s hard to play with people unwilling to make big moves. He says coasting along may get you to the end, but it won’t help you win. Devon calls out Ben’s comments, and he says voting out Ben would be a big move. Devon says Ben is going home tonight, but Ben pulls out his hidden immunity idol. Chrissy thinks Ben’s dramatics with how he pulled out the idol was ridiculous. Devon says that just because the idol is around Ben’s neck, it doesn’t mean he’s going to play it. Ashley is at a loss for words, but Ben suggests to Ashley to vote out Mike. Devon is unconvinced Ben will play the idol, so Ben stands up and hands the idol to Jeff. They’re all aware that plans will have to change, and there is a bit of uncertainty before they go cast their votes.
Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…
Mike
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley
Ashley is voted out and the sixth member of the jury.
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of Survivor. Thanks for reading, post your thoughts in the comment section below, and come back next week for a live recap of the season finale of Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
