Survivor 43 episode 8 proves easy is not always easy

Survivor 43 episode 8 highlights a 7-person majority alliance and one simple notion: Do we turn on each other now or later? After last week’s episode showcased multiple people sharing their advantages to avoid the “Knowledge is Power” advantage, it turns out not everything is what it seems. At the start of Survivor 43 episode 8, people began to realize that Dwight was voted out with Jeanine’s idol in his pocket. The majority alliance was smiles all around, including Jesse, but for an entirely different reason.

Cody gave his hidden immunity idol to Jesse to hold for safe keeping, but apparently so did Dwight. Now, Jesse is currently in possession of two. Will he give Cody’s back to him? Since the pair have been working together from the beginning, it would seem to be the right move to hand it back when asked. On top of Jesse’s secret idol, Sami is playing both sides in an attempt to break up the big group and lay claim to his own game as he vies for the million-dollar prize.

All of that being said, it’s clear those on the bottom are Owen, Jeanine, Gabler and Noelle. The early consensus highlights Owen as the next to go, but if we’ve learned anything about Survivor, sometimes the easy play becomes a fork in the road where a straight path (to Owen) gets derailed.

Individual immunity saves Owen in Survivor 43 episode 8

On top of plans going sideways in Survivor, the show does an incredible job at highlighting players and the incredible life journeys they’ve experienced thus far. Although his tribemates and viewers might not see Ryan as a strategic threat, his angle as the provider is impressive on its own. Born with cerebral palsy, Ryan was expected to never walk and have his mother provide for him throughout his life. Despite the life-altering diagnosis, he was able to overcome such adversity to find himself playing Survivor and “catching fish in the Fijian water.”

Viewers also saw a discussion with Owen where he talked about being adopted at four months of age. Although he was born in Korea, he shared his desires of wanting to fit in leading to “rejecting [Korean culture] a bit.” Sharing his struggles on reality TV means allowing so many other kids and adults relating to similar experiences. “Being Asian was what made me different and I just wanted to fit in. I wanted to be a ‘regular kid,’ and just like get the same haircut…it was isolating.”

Players sharing such vast experiences makes Survivor an incredible experience, while also giving fans more to latch onto while they root for their favorite players. When Owen’s name came on the chopping block, it’s safe to say fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when he was the last person standing in the individual immunity challenge. So, the majority alliance’s easy vote should just shift to another easy target, right?

The majority alliance, spearheaded by Sami, aims to target Ryan and spare Jeanine who happens to be a member of his original tribe. Does the rest of the tribe see Sami being duplicitous as he talked to Jeanine and Owen – or has he mastered such subtlety where no one has noticed? Needless to say, the conversations on the beach started to flip flop, since some players felt like the easy play was taking out someone not in the majority.

There was enough back and forth within those talks, and what was shared at tribal council, to make fans wonder, “Who’s going home tonight?” We did see Karla in enough conversations in Survivor 43 episode 8 where it seems like she might be the ultimate player who is moving the direction of the vote. In this case, Jeanine earned the most votes becoming the first jury member, which does protect Ryan who is an original member of the Coco tribe with Karla.

With this vote, the original tribes’ numbers (even though we’re in the individual portion of the game) look like this: Coco (blue); four members left, while Baka (yellow) and Vesi (red) each have three members left. Was this a calculated move to ensure Coco has the majority amongst the three starting groups or was this just the majority alliance staying strong with their seven-person group? Perhaps, it’s both.

What did you think of Survivor 43 episode 8? Did you love hearing more about Ryan and Owen’s backstories? Who are your favorite players left in the game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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