Survivor: David vs. Goliath recap: One player’s paranoia leads to a major blindside

On Survivor: David vs. Goliath, the Davids deal with the aftermath of Jessica’s unexpected exit. Bi sets her sights on Gabby. Jeremy clashes with Natalie.

After Tribal Council on Survivor, Davie, Bi, and Carl feel blindsided. Davie gives credit where it’s due. At least he’s got an idol in his pocket, but that doesn’t eradicate the sting of being completely left out of the vote.

Davie confronts Christian, who throws Gabby under the bus, fingering her as the evil mastermind behind the whole thing. The Mason-Dixon alliance (Christian and Nick) are in a great position. Bi, Carl, and Davie can’t risk crossing them, and the girls believe they’re an alliance of five strong.

Jess’ departure hits Carl hard, who begins to really suffer from homesickness. But being a David means having the ability to claw your way up from the bottom. Bi’s ready to really start playing the game, abandoning her initial plan of just going with the flow. She expected loyalty from Gabby, so Bi takes being left out of the loop personally. In a perfect world, Bi would like to see Gabby go home.

Nick is on the same page. He’s a bit worried about how tight Gabby and Christian are, and the best way to keep Christian close is to get rid of Gabby.

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Paranoia Will Destroy Ya

The mood at the Goliath camp is considerably lighter. This enables John to work on his social game. He’s focusing a lot of time and attention on Natalie, who he thinks could be a great ally if she survives long enough.

Mike and Jeremy are bonding. Jeremy reveals his father has Alzheimer’s, and he regrets his dad can’t comprehend the man Jeremy has become. Mike is proceeding with caution when it comes to Jeremy. He believes Jeremy’s sneakiness could be his downfall, and Mike doesn’t want to be dragged down with him.

Even though nobody from the Goliath tribe is strategizing, Jeremy becomes incredibly paranoid whenever he sees other people having any kind of side conversation. He holds a tribal meeting and basically orders everyone to slow their roll.

This doesn’t stop Jeremy from scheming. He begins telling everyone Dan has the idol.

Natalie Steps Up and Falls on Her Face

The weather takes another nasty turn just in time for the Immunity Challenge. One member from each tribe maneuvers their way through an obstacle while three others work together to untangle ropes to get themselves to finish. Next, they must hook a sled and use the pieces on board to solve a pyramid puzzle.

In addition to safety, the tribes are playing for comfort items (blankets, chairs and pillows). Goliath sits out Angelina and Natalia.

The tribes are neck and neck going into the puzzle. It’s up to Gabby and Christian from the Davids, and Natalie and Alison from the Goliaths. The Davids win Immunity for the first time. On the downside, Bi, who has had ongoing issues with her knee, suffers an injury.

Angelina Thinks Long-Term

Natalie was on the chopping block before the competition, and her poor performance has her scrambling to try to find some support. She approaches Jeremy, who tells her it will be an uphill battle to keep her safe.

Angelina doesn’t view Natalie as a threat, so she campaigns to get Jeremy out. Angelina predicts if she can make this happen, it will be just the first of many shining moments for her. Angelina faces a lot of opposition. Mike has really bonded with Jeremy, and the others are contemplating the damage Natalie could do if there’s a tribe swap.

Natalie and Jeremy butt heads when Natalie tries to plead her case to her tribemates, excluding Jeremy from the discussion. His paranoia won’t allow him to relinquish one moment of control.

Going into Tribal Council, it seems Natalie’s exit from the game is a done deal. The friction between Natalie and Jeremy continues. He emphasizes Natalie’s abysmal social game. He tops off his rant by claiming if he were to die, as opposed to Natalie, their entire tribe would come to his funeral but likely be no-shows for Natalie.

It quickly becomes the pile-on Natalie club as everyone makes it clear Natalie has rubbed them the wrong way. Natalie uses the only argument she can: she’s a senior citizen and in no way a threat to anybody’s game.

Natalie also promises if there’s a tribe swap, she’ll remain true to Goliath. Jeremy receives six votes and leaves the game with an idol in his pocket.

Survivor: David vs. Goliath airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS. Tune in to see who gets voted out next.

Did Angelina make the best game move by getting rid of Natalie? Will Natalie stay true to her word? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.