‘Survivor’ spoilers find that fans finally, FINALLY saw their favorite game be played properly this week. No advantages, no twists, no idols, just riveting game play and personal dilemmas provided fans with the best episode of the season by far.
Getting a name around town as The Mafia Pastor, Shan Smith has her fans and her haters and until this week, Shan held the game in the palm of her hand. However, when her all-black alliance clashed ideals with her original, two-person Ua tribe alliance with Ricard Foye, the castaways finally got a clue and turned on the puppet master- blindsiding her, voting her off the island (with an idol in her pocket) and opening the game up to almost any of the remaining competitors walking away as the $1 million richer Sole Survivor (sorry Heather Aldret, but it wont be you.)
‘Survivor 41’ Spoilers: One Shan-Tastic Blindside Later, Survivor is BACK
Of course, an extremely well executed and game changing blindside doesn’t just happen, even during this highly manufactured, Twistapalooza of a season. It was Ricard’s perfectly timed (and stone cold) flipping on his strongest ally that saw the eroding top-dog, all black alliance finally completely implode and side with Ricard, leaving Shan out in the cold. And it was glorious.
‘Survivor 41’ Spoilers: No “Cook Out” for Shan.
For those catching up– DeShawn Radden, Liana Wallace, Danny McCray and Shan all banded together in the same vein as Big Brother’s historic, all black and winning “Cook Out” alliance. Both of these alliances have been controversial, with one particular Survivor alum- proudly villainous and ‘unwoke’ Russell Hantz (a straight, cis gendered white man who has never identified with a marginalized group in his life)- becoming very vocally upset with the all black alliance that formed once the tribes merged.
This is the same man who, while wearing a Trump-pandering “Make Survivor Great Again” shirt panned the story of Erika Casupanan, who is of Filipino descent, when she spoke of the difficulties she has faced when trying to fit in throughout her life. Hantz declared Erika’s struggles weren’t believable as she grew up in Canada where “everyone is nice”. So…yeah…
Hantz, of course, wasn’t the only person upset by the all black alliance, but no matter what end of the spectrum your allegiance lies, the new “culture” layer that was brought into the 20 year old Survivor dilemma- “playing for my team or playing for me”- was the kind of twist that Survivor needs.
No bells or whistles, just the microcosm of the world the game has always claimed to be: with both Shan and DeShawn deliberating privately over wanting to deliver a united front and hopefully “a win” for their culture-who have seen so many setbacks, especially of late- or taking the game into their own, blood-soaked hands.
‘Survivor 41’ Spoilers: Now THIS is Survivor.
This week proved the ‘purist’ audience’s point. No one needs shots in the dark or goats on astro-turf. We need shots fired at Tribal Council and goat Heather being dragged to the end with no resume and no threat posed.
We need bottom rung Xander Hastings STILL hanging on and never having his idol flushed and we need to finally see what Erika and Danny’s game play is all about rather than having host, Jeff Probst explain yet another long winded twist that just isn’t adding anything to the game.
Survivor 41- you seem to have finally found your feet- and that is what we Survivor fans were truly thankful for this year- oh and for family and friends and good health and all that…
Watch Survivor 41, Wednesdays on CBS at 8pm ET.
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