A new episode of Survivor: David vs. Goliath airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The David tribe returns to camp after tribal council. In a confessional, Davie notes the tension due to the blindside. Although he, Bi, and Carl were left out of the loop, he applauds the strategic play. He talks to Christian and says he is confused by the move since he considered Nick and him to be his closest allies. Christian throws Gabby under the bus and says this was her move. He claims she got the votes last minute. However, unbeknownst to Davie, Christian and Nick were the swing votes that sealed Jessica’s fate. Later, we see Nick and Christian excitedly talk about the move they made. They feel like they are running the game at the David camp. Meanwhile, Carl is lamenting losing Jessica in a confessional. He says Jessica was like a daughter to him in the game, and he’s now feeling homesick. He says he’ll need to turn the game around as he’s seemingly on the outs. The next morning, Bi says it’s time to play the game. She says you have to be adaptable and ruthless. We see her approach Carl and Nick, and she says she blames Gabby for the move. She says it’s personal; she wants Gabby out next.
Meanwhile, John catches a fish for his tribe. He says everyone is in a good mood at the Goliath tribe. John also feels like he’s improving his social skills too. He says Survivor is not just about scheming; it’s about growing as a person and connecting with people. We also hear him talk about his relationship with Natalie. Even though she’s on the outs, he feels like he can trust her and wants to keep her around. Later, we hear a confessional from Mike. He says he’s bonding the most with Jeremy and he likes him a lot. Jeremy opens up and talks about his father with Alzheimer’s disease. He’s emotional as he says he’s missed a lot of valuable time with his father. Mike appreciates Jeremy, but he notes how Jeremy is already going through people’s personal belongings and would do anything to win the game.
Christian and Gabby are bonding at the David tribe. In her confessional, Gabby says Christian cracks her up and she considers him to be her #1 ally. Meanwhile, Bi is plotting Gabby’s demise with Nick and Davie. Nick wanted Gabby to take the blame for Jessica’s elimination to protect his alliance with Christian, so he’s glad how this has played out. In addition, Nick wants Christian to be his #1 ally, and he’ll feel Christian will be closer to him with Gabby out of the picture.
Meanwhile, Jeremy is getting paranoid. He sees people going off into small groups, and he tells Kara that they’re all talking strategy. Later, we see Jeremy address the tribe by the fire. He says he doesn’t think it’s appropriate for everyone to go off into groups. He says they have nothing to talk about unless they lose an immunity challenge, and they have yet to lose immunity. Later, John and Angelina talk about Jeremy’s speech, and they believe Jeremy is just trying to protect himself by having everyone stick to the plan of voting Natalie out next. However, Jeremy is also bothered by a possible showmance between Dan and Kara. He tells Alec and Alison that it would be a big move to split them up. He even tells them that Dan has a hidden immunity idol, and he later shares this information with John. John notes in a confessional how all of Jeremy’s scheming is making the rest of his tribe distrust him.
It’s time for the immunity challenge, and it’s pouring down rain. Jeff is impressed by the excitement of the castaways despite the heavy downpour. He explains the rules of the challenge. They must go through a series of obstacles and then complete a pyramid puzzle. Along with immunity, they will be playing for blankets, pillows, chairs, and a hammock. After much discussion, Natalia and Angelina sit out for the challenge for the Goliath tribe after Natalie is adamant that she wants to do the puzzle. The challenge begins, and Alec and Bi are the first to make their way through the rope obstacle for their respective tribes. Alec gets stuck on the rope, but it’s still an even tribe after both he and Bi complete the obstacle. Mike, Jeremy, and Kara are next for Goliath, and Nick, Davie, and Lyrsa are next for David. The two groups of three have to work together to make their way through another rope obstacle, and the challenge remains even. John and Dan for the Goliath tribe and Elizabeth and Carl for the David tribe are now throwing a hook to a target to pull puzzle pieces towards them. Again, both tribes are even as they retrieve the puzzle pieces. All tribes are now working on the puzzle, which is a four-piece pyramid puzzle. Alison and Natalie are working on the puzzle for the Goliath tribe and Christian and Gabby are working on the puzzle for the David tribe. On the sidelines, Angelina notes how she sees how to solve the puzzle. And moments later, Gabby and Christian solve the puzzle. David wins immunity! Before the Goliath tribe returns to camp, Natalia says Angelina would’ve done well in the challenge as she recognized the solution to the puzzle. Before the commercial break, we hear a confessional from Natalia. She says Natalie is the reason they lost the challenge, and she’ll be writing her name down at tribal council tonight.
The David tribe returns to camp and happily set up their luxury items. Gabby is beside herself in excitement for helping solve the puzzle. However, Bi injured her knee during the challenge. She has it wrapped up, but she’s worried about it as the game moves forward.
Back at the Goliath tribe, Natalie is concerned she’s on the chopping block. She approaches Jeremy and says she hasn’t felt support from him. Jeremy says Natalie isn’t aware how she comes across when she talks to people. He tells her she has an uphill battle if she wants to stay in the game. Natalie assures him she won’t just give up and accept defeat. Meanwhile, Alison says Natalie has been digging her grave since Day 1, and she put the final nail in her coffin by failing at the puzzle. However, Angelina wants Jeremy to go first. She says Jeremy is a charmer, playing hard, and isn’t trustworthy, whereas Natalie is harmless. She shares her thoughts with Alison before approaching the rest of the tribe outside of Natalie and Jeremy. Mike is unsure about this move since he feels close to Jeremy. He’d rather Natalie be voted out tonight. Later, they talk about the vote again as a group inside the shelter (Jeremy and Natalie are elsewhere) . Natalia tells Angelina that they have less of a chance winning challenges with Natalie on their tribe instead of Jeremy. Alec also tells Angelina that Natalie is most likely to flip against the Goliath tribe if they swapped tribes. Angelina is still adamant that Jeremy should go tonight. Next, we see Jeremy and Natalie arguing with each other. Jeremy was having a conversation with people and he was bothered by how Natalie interrupted and tried to break it up. Natalie says she wants to campaign for herself and she has every right to try to save herself. She also tells him she wasn’t even going to talk about him, yet he made it all by himself. “It’s all about Jeremy,” Natalie says irritably as she walks away from him.
It’s time for tribal council. Jeff asks Angelina about living in the elements. She says they barely get any sunlight, but it makes them tougher players. Mike adds that his standards for comfort have decreased a lot since the game started because it’s so difficult. The talk turns to the vote, and Natalie says she knows Jeremy is targeting her. She thinks it’s uncalled for. Jeremy calls out Natalie’s communication skills. He angrily says she’s rude and doesn’t know how to talk to people. Natalie throws it back to Jeremy, and he says it’s disrespectful how he’s talking about her. Dan adds how Natalie can be condescending. He says they are not her employees. Alec says she set the tone in such a way to rub people the wrong way. Alison adds how they all may not get a second chance to make a first impression. Natalie says she’s stunned the tribal council has mostly been about herself. She says she will commit to all of them if they keep her in the game. She promises to be “Goliath strong” if there is a tribe swap. She says Jeremy should “get out of town.” Jeff asks the criteria for the vote, and John says it’s all about making the tribe strong. Afterwards, it’s time to vote.
Jeff reads the votes. The first vote is for…
Natalie
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy
Jeremy is the third person voted out of Survivor: David vs. Goliath.
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.