A new episode of Survivor 45 airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap here.
The Lulu tribe returns to camp after tribal council. They are in low spirits after Hannah quit the game. Losing Hannah was not the plan; Emily would’ve been voted out if Hannah didn’t quit. Sabiyah, Kaleb, and Sean were also bothered by how Emily painted a target on their backs, but Emily counters that she was on the chopping block. She was just trying to survive. In her confessional, Sabiyah says they are stuck with Emily since Hannah quit. Sabiyah says there is no way they can work with Emily since she doesn’t mesh with the group.
The next morning on the Reba tribe, J. Maya goes searching for an advantage. She realizes there’s a hidden message on the tribe flag that needs to be decoded. Unbeknownst to them, Austin found the Beware Advantage and has the parchment to help him decipher the clue. While everyone else is away, Austin uses the parchment to figure out the next clue: Dig at a fallen palm tree.
On the Belo tribe, the tribe is appreciating Bruce’s work ethic around camp. However, Katurah notes in her confessional that Bruce loves the attention. She feels like she’s the only one on the tribe not starstruck by Bruce.
Meanwhile on the Lulu tribe, the entire tribe goes searching for an advantage. Sabiyah, Kaleb, Sean, and Brandon just don’t want Emily to find the advantage. While everyone is searching at the same time, Brandon finds the Beware Advantage. He doesn’t want to open it, so he gives it to Sabiyah. Sabiyah reads the clue, which leads her to a tree. She and Brandon try to find the idol, but they have no luck. Sabiyah later shares the clue with Sean and Kaleb, and they all try to find the idol together. None of them realize the idol is hidden above in a branch. They can’t find it, so they’ll try again tomorrow.
A majority alliance forms on the Reba tribe. Dee and Julie are already close allies, and Julie pulls in Drew as their third. They then agree to bring in Austin as their fourth alliance member. All four are on board to work together, leaving J. Maya and Sifu on the outs.
Back on the Lulu tribe, Kaleb says Emily can’t get out of her own way, but he is open to working with Emily. He realizes it wouldn’t be the best idea to isolate her. He knows she needs allies, so he sees value in having her on his side. Emily realizes Survivor is an emotional game and she can’t approach it from an analytical standpoint. She wants to learn to be calmer and less aggressive, and she gets emotional during her confessional.
A boat arrives at each tribe’s beach. One person must get on the boat to go on a journey. Reba sends Drew, Lulu sends Brandon, and Belo sends Bruce. After they arrive at the journey, the three of them get to know one another. Afterwards, they individually compete for an advantage. If they choose to compete, they risk losing their vote. If they succeed, then they win an advantage. Bruce protects his vote, but Drew and Brandon play. They must solve a puzzle in three minutes. Drew succeeds, but Brandon fails. Drew wins Safety Without Power. The advantage allows him to leave tribal council without casting a vote. This advantage is good until 10 people are left in the game.
Brandon, Bruce, and Drew return to camp. Brandon tells them the truth that he lost his vote. Sean wonders if there’s anything Brandon can do well since he’s struggled on every challenge he’s competed so far. Drew also tells his tribe members the truth, revealing his Safety Without Power advantage. This makes Austin believe he can fully trust Drew, so he later reveals to Drew he found the Beware Advantage.
On the Belo tribe, Brando and Kellie are in the middle of the tribe. Kendra believes there is a female alliance with Kellie, Katurah, and herself. Kendra wants to bring in Brando as their fourth. Meanwhile, Bruce and Jake have an alliance, and they want to bring in Brando and Kellie to make it a group of four. Brando and Kellie agree they are solid with each other, but they know they’ll have to pick a side if they end up having to go to tribal council.
It’s time for the immunity challenge. Tribe members must dive into the ocean, climb up a platform, and jump and smash a plate to release a key. Afterwards, they must cross a balance beam and drop their key attached to a buoy into a basket. The next tribe member will go until they all have their keys. Lastly, they must solve a puzzle. The winning tribes will also win fishing gear. The challenge is fairly even, but Lulu falls way behind at the puzzle. Brandon and Sabiyah work on the puzzle for their tribe, but Brandon is not helpful at all. Drew and Julie solve the puzzle first, but Kellie and Brando solve it seconds afterwards too. Reba and Belo win immunity! Lulu will go to tribal council tonight.
The Lulu tribe returns to camp after the immunity challenge. Although Emily is on the outs, Sean says Brandon is a liability in every challenge. Emily and Brandon know they are on the chopping block. While they stay behind at camp, Sabiyah, Sean, and Kaleb go searching for the hidden immunity idol again. They find it this time after cutting a rope that releases the idol, but it’s encased in wax. They have no fire, so they can’t have the idol until the wax is melted away. As a result, Sabiyah still cannot vote at this upcoming tribal council. While the tribe debates keeping Emily or Brandon, Emily gives away her Shot in the Dark advantage to Sabiyah to build trust. Kaleb wants to keep Emily, but Sabiyah is still unsure if she can trust Emily. Sabiyah believes Brandon would remain loyal, but Sean says Brandon is too much of a liability.
It’s time for tribal council. Jeff asks about the tribe dynamic. They admit to Jeff that it’s between Emily and Brandon. Brandon says he’s loyal, and he shares that Emily has had issues with the tribe. Kaleb says loyalty is valuable, but they can be open-minded and take a chance on Emily. Sean says Emily has made an effort around camp. Both Brandon and Emily plead their case for why they should stay. Brandon believes there will be a challenge in the future he will succeed in. Emily says she can learn from her mistakes and tone down her harsh qualities. She wants to rebuild trust. Afterwards, it’s time for the vote. Neither Brandon nor Sabiyah can vote tonight.
The first vote is for…
Brandon
Brandon
Brandon is the second person voted out of Survivor 45.
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of Survivor. Thanks for reading, and come back next week for another live recap.
