Survivor 43 episode 7 twists and turns players and advantages

For previous players who have lost at the infamous rock draw in the CBS reality TV show, Survivor 43 episode 7 might bring up some troubling feelings. For fans who love to see such a monumental moment in the game of Survivor, the introduction of the rock draw was not introduced by the producers of the show.

That’s right – the players introduced it, but for a completely different reason then the impactful reason of discovering who’s getting “voted out” from the season. After receiving “tree mail” at the beginning of the episode, the players realized soon they were not going to dive into the ritual flag painting. Instead, the 12 remaining players were going to have to split into pairs for the upcoming immunity challenge.

Not only did they not know what kind of challenge they’d be facing, but no one wanted to admit aloud who they wanted to team up with. So, in comes an announcement of “drawing rocks,” and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Survivor players would rather draw rocks to determine pairs than give up any intel on who they’d want for partners.

Survivor 43 episode 7 divides players into teams before breaking them apart

After arriving to the immunity challenge, the six pairs learned what the challenge would be – and it was no small feat. The teams would race to compete through a section of twisted netting in the mud. If each of the duo made it through, they’d dig through a sandpit for wooden planks. The first four pairs to accomplish this task would move on.

The four pairs would then be tasked with climbing up a netted ramp, and then use those three planks to cross a rope ladder. The first two pairs to make it through this section would go onto the final stage. Then, each of the remaining four players would compete individually for immunity by gripping a bar that held one-fourth of their bodyweight. The last person left standing and holding the bar wins immunity.

Not only did this challenge seem challenging in its structure – choosing pairs and then being eliminated stage by stage – the first section of this course was brutal. Players were literally having to crawl through a webbed tunnel, twisting their bodies in the mud to untangle the rope, and it was excruciating to watch. Players were stuck, twisted, seemingly defeated, but players did not give up. Noelle tirelessly worked to try and get untangled and even removed her prostheses to try and get through.

Even after the challenge was over and players were still stuck, tribemates went back to help them get unstuck. Host Jeff Probst commented on the moment, appreciating the communal support, “I love the love.”

Survivor 43 episode 7 shows what happens when a potential advantage makes everyone share their advantages?

After the challenge was over and Gabler won individual immunity, James noticed a bottle in the water well. In the bottle, a note tells him there’s an advantage hiding underneath their shelter back at camp. Good news: James knows about an advantage. Bad news: There were three other tribemates with him. James goes and gets the advantage, while the other players share the news with everyone else that he might have an advantage.

James earned the “Knowledge is Power” advantage, which gives him the power to ask another player if they have an advantage or an idol. In this case, they cannot lie and must give him said advantage if they have one. In preparation of this potential power, the other players start giving their advantages and idols to other players to protect themselves, in case James asks them.

What players had what advantages by the time they went to tribal council? The montage of players going to one another with their advantages made it seem like multiple players could’ve been holding multiple items, including Dwight holding Jeanine’s idol. Despite all of the twists and turns of who had what, the vote in Survivor 43 episode 7 came down to a simple measure.

Do I want to vote out James because he earned an advantage? Do I want to vote out Noelle for calling the shots? Or do we vote out Dwight because he’s a solid player and knows the game (who also happens to be aligned with Noelle)? If Dwight gets voted out, could that idol go back to Jeanine?

Despite the vote being a surprise (yet again), the castaways have made it clear they’re open to all options in this game. The former Vesi (red) tribe had a strong surge, winning pre-merge challenges once down to four players, but Jesse and Cody decided to make a move now to highlight the individual portion of the game. As Dwight received the majority of the votes, it’s safe to say allegiances as a whole are fractured.

What did you think of Dwight being voted out in Survivor 43 episode 7? Was the twisted net section of the immunity challenge one of the more difficult you’ve seen? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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