A special two-hour edition of Survivor: Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The castaways return to camp after tribal council. Joe told Mike it was stupid for Mike to play his hidden immunity idol, but Mike believed he was going to get votes coming his way. He also didn’t want to risk going home with an idol in his pocket. Joe believes Mike and him could have used the idol to their advantage to both stay in the game, but now they don’t have a hidden immunity idol to save themselves with. However, Mike is still optimistic, and he believes the majority alliance of seven will break up soon.
It’s time for the reward challenge. They must use their feet to build a circular structure with blocks and place a flag in the center. The winner of the challenge will win a flight on a seaplane and a meal. The challenge begins with Lauren taking an early lead, but Mike surpasses her. Mike keeps his lead, but he knocks down a block as he tries to place his flag in the center. This allows Lauren to catch up and place her flag in the center of the structure first. Lauren wins the reward challenge! She’s allowed to bring three people on the reward with her, and she chooses Devon, Ben, and Ashley. In a confessional, Lauren says she chose these three people for strategic reasons and doesn’t believe the majority alliance of seven is as tight as people claim it is.
While Lauren, Devon, Ben, and Ashley are enjoying the reward, Mike and Joe jokingly talk about their bad position in the game in front of Chrissy, Ryan, and JP. They dub themselves The Coconuts and laugh about it. Later, when Mike and Joe go down by the beach, Ryan and Chrissy talk about whom to vote out after Mike and Joe. They agree that Ben is a threat and should be the first one gone from the group of seven.
Back at the reward, Lauren wants the four of them to be the majority within the group of seven. She thinks Chrissy, Ryan, and JP are sitting too comfortably in the game, too. They also talk about how Ryan has a hidden immunity idol and how Lauren has her advantage. Lauren wants to strike against the group of seven before taking out Joe or Mike. They all agree on a Final 4 deal, too. Afterwards, they are given letters from home, and they are all very emotional as they read the messages from their loved ones.
The next day, Ben stumbles upon a clue to the hidden immunity idol. It tells him to look for a clay pot, and he spots it sitting atop of a tree. He knocks down the pot, and Ben finds the hidden immunity idol.
It’s time for the immunity challenge. It’s an endurance challenge that requires them to balance on a triangular perch floating in the ocean. The last person standing wins. Before the challenge begins, Jeff tempts the castaways with peanut butter and chocolate. If they want the snacks, they cannot compete for immunity. Ben, Devon, and Lauren choose to sit out of the challenge; everyone else is competing. The challenge begins, and, after a while, JP is the first person to fall. The challenge progresses to the final stage (balancing on the very top of the perch), and Chrissy is the next one to fall. She’s followed by Joe, leaving three people left in the challenge. Ryan falls off next, meaning either Mike or Ashley will win immunity. Mike falls off his perch. Ashley wins immunity!
The tribe returns to camp after the immunity challenge. Ryan is annoyed Ben, Lauren, and Devon sat out of the challenge, but he’s glad Mike and Joe both lost immunity. There’s discussion about the vote, and they agree to split the votes between Joe and Mike with Mike being the one to get voted out. However, unbeknownst to Ryan and Chrissy, there’s already a plan to break up the trio of Chrissy, Ryan, and JP. Devon wants to retain control, and he comes up with a plan for Ben to vote for Mike so the others won’t know Ben knew about the blindside. Later, Lauren and Ashley tell Mike and Joe about the plan, and Mike and Joe are eager to vote for whomever they tell them to.
It’s time for tribal council. They talk about how the Healers are still in trouble; Joe and Mike are on the outs. Joe and Mike say they could be swing votes, but Ryan doesn’t believe they are needed since the group of seven are so strong. Jeff asks about the group of seven and if this is the calm before the storm. Lauren says it’ll be the perfect storm, and she points out there are only three seats at the end instead of seven. Joe once again mentions how he and Mike are two solid votes, and they should be concerned about their position within the group of seven. Chrissy, Ryan, and JP admits that there is a possibility the group of seven would turn on each other, but you don’t know it until it happens. Ben says trust will get you to the end, but it’s hard to find trust when there is so much distrust in the game. Chrissy says her closest allies have proven their trust to her, and she feels good about them. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.
Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…
Mike
Joe
Mike
Mike
JP
JP
JP
JP
JP
JP is voted out and the third member of the jury.
The tribe returns to camp, and Chrissy demands to know what happened. Joe refuses to explain what happened, and Chrissy is upset about how people are treating her. She thinks they are being too snarky and rude by not giving her an explanation. Ben also pretends to be on the outs as he asks why they voted JP out. He’s enjoying being a double agent. Ben tells his true allies that he is going to continue to play the role of a double agent and get Ryan to play his hidden immunity idol. Later on, Devon explains to Ryan why he turned on him. He didn’t appreciate it when Ryan lied to him about the information about Ryan’s hidden immunity idol. Ryan told Devon he was the only other person who knew about it, but Devon found out he had told other people about the idol.
The next morning, Ben and Devon talk game. Devon says they need to vote out one other person to gain majority of the tribe. Ben agrees, and he also mentions how Lauren still has her advantage. Devon says that either Chrissy or Joe should be the next one out. In a confessional, Devon says he’s in the best position in the game.
It’s time for the next reward challenge. They will be divided into two teams and required to get on a boat and paddle to different platforms with bags of logs. Once they get all their logs, they must use the logs to slide them through a tunnel that will release puzzle pieces. The first team to solve the puzzle will win a spa day reward. Before the challenge, they are separated into the two teams: Lauren, Ryan, Mike, and Chrissy on the Red Team and Ben, Ashley, Joe, and Devon on the Blue Team. The challenge begins, and the Red Team takes an early lead, but the Blue Team catches up as the Red Team struggle lifting the bags of logs. The Blue Team gets started on the puzzle first, but the Red Team manages to begin working on the puzzle before the Blue Team completes theirs. Ashley and Ben struggle on the puzzle, giving the Red Team a chance to catch up. However, Ashley and Ben manage to finally complete the puzzle. Ben, Ashley, Joe, and Devon win reward.
At the reward, Ben is still pretending he was blindsided at the last tribal council since Joe is there with him, Devon, and Ashley. Ashley is impressed by Ben’s acting, but she admits Ben is playing too good of a game. Nonetheless, she’s proud of being part of a big move, and she can’t wait to make more big moves.
Back at camp, Ryan is hoping to extend an olive branch to Mike. Since they both have been excluded from votes, Ryan is hoping that that would endear him to Mike. However, Mike candidly tells Ryan that Mike offered to work with him for a week, but Ryan kept choosing not to. Mike is not interested in working with Ryan. Elsewhere, Chrissy is trying to make a pitch to Lauren, but Lauren is disinterested in what Chrissy has to say. Chrissy gets emotional and admits in a confessional that it’s a new feeling to not have control, but she hopes she won’t be voted out of the game.
It’s time for the immunity challenge. They must transport a key through a series of obstacles to unlock puzzle pieces. The first to complete the word puzzle will win immunity. The challenge begins, and several people have to start over as their key falls off the wheeled mechanism they must maneuver through the obstacles. Ben takes an early lead, but Devon soon overtakes him. Devon is the first to start working on the puzzle, but Ashley and Ben are right behind him. Soon Chrissy and Joe catch up, but they are all struggling to figure out what word they are supposed to spell. Chrissy seems to know what the word is, though. Devon peeks at Chrissy’s letters, and he soon start changing letters. However, it’s too late as Chrissy solves the puzzle: the word is “invulnerable.” Chrissy wins immunity!
The tribe returns to camp, and Devon, Ashley, Ben, and Lauren discuss whom to vote out. They agree to vote out Joe. Devon plans to tell Joe and Mike to split the votes between Ryan and Ben to hide the true plan. He also wants them to believe Lauren will use her extra vote tonight. Mike and Joe learn the plan, and Joe is excited about it. Mike considers Ben the biggest threat, so he wants him gone. Elsewhere, Chrissy and Ryan pitch the idea to Ben to get rid of Devon or Ashley. Ben continues to play along with Chrissy and Ryan, and he even tells Ryan to play his hidden immunity idol tonight. While the plan to vote out Joe seems to be in place, Ashley and Lauren discuss the possibility of voting out Ben instead. They both know he’s a big threat in the game and would win if he were to make it to the Final 3. Later, Ashley brings up the idea of voting out Ben to Devon. She asks him his thoughts, and he says it’s a tough decision. He is aware Ben is a big threat, but he is unsure if it’s the right decision.
It’s time for tribal council. Jeff talks to Mike first, and he says he’s loving being in the game. Chrissy is also excited to fulfill a dream of winning an individual immunity challenge. The talk turns to what happens at tribal council, and Jeff says this is where the game happens. Ben says he believes he’ll be going home tonight (pretending to be on the outs), and Joe says Ben let his guard down and it’s why he’s on the outs. Ben brings up how Joe called people goats and puppets, but he points out how Joe and Mike are now puppets themselves since they are on the bottom of the totem pole. Mike says that just because the first majority did it incorrectly, it doesn’t mean Joe and Mike are playing the game incorrectly by joining a new majority. He feels they are playing it right. Jeff asks Joe if he feels comfortable tonight, and Joe says this is the first time he has felt comfortable at a tribal council. Ben points out that’s what people who get blindsided say. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.
Before Jeff reads the votes, Ryan plays his hidden immunity idol for himself.
The first vote is for…
Ryan
Ryan
Ashley
Ashley
Joe
Joe
Joe
Joe
Joe is voted out and the fourth 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 another live recap.
