Survivor: Ghost Island - Episode Eight Recap - Fear Keeps You Sharp
The merge has arrived, and war has declared. Did you miss this week's episode of Survivor: Ghost Island? I'm here to tell you all about it!
The Merge
This episode was too funny, to say the least. Let me save you some time; it was a complete episode dedicated to this season's feud, Chris vs. Dom.
Since Day 1, Chris and Dom have been at each other's throats. At the very first challenge of the season, Dom was not a fan of Chris and ever since they've been trying their hardest to get each other out of this game. Now that the merge is here, the game is ON. Immediately, the tribe splits into two sides. Who will be working with Dom and who's working with Chris?
At first, Dom was very open to settling the drama and make things work with Chris. He brings along Wendell, who is also ready to ally with the two. It was no surprise that Chris denied both Wendell and his enemy, Dom. At the end of the conversation, he actually runs away oddly from the two and explains that he's "too suave" for their alliance. His overly confident and cocky attitude indicated that Chris seemed pretty threaten by them. From the looks of it, Chris isn't playing a smart game of a Survivor, he's playing a bitter one.
At the Survivor merge-feast, there were fruits and snacks for everyone to feast on. The castaways ate their hearts out while they also each grabbed a new buff to represent their merged tribe. By the luck of the draw, believe it or not, it was Chris who picked up a different buff though.
The unique buff had a note stitched inside saying: "Shh, a secret awaits at tree-mail." This note was what Chris needed. He adventures off to tree-mail alone and finds a huge clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol. The coolest part about this episode is that the clue shared that the idol is located on the one and only, Ghost Island.
For Chris to receive the Idol, he would have to sneak off away from his tribe. The clue stated that there'd be a boat waiting for him at night, and will take him on a fast round trip to Ghost Island. Without hesitation, Chris doesn't turn this down. He knows his feud with Dom is too strong to pass this Idol up!
Ghost Island
Late at night, the haunting of Ghost Island awaits as Chris snuck off and cruised across the sea. Torches lit everywhere; Ghost Island welcomed Chris with a friendly, yet creepy vibe. It was spooky but just so cool. This sight reminded me of an old-school Survivor season.
In the middle of the night, Chris arrived and received the Hidden Immunity Idol he needed. This Hidden Immunity Idol was J.T's from Survivor Game Changers in 2017. J.T was blind-sided in the game and left this specific Idol back at camp instead of using it. Because of this, the potency of the Idol is only good for the NEXT Tribal Council. Like always though, there's a twist! Chris had the opportunity to risk his vote at the next Tribal, to make the Idol last longer than one Tribal Council. He took the risk and played a Ghost Island bamboo-game so confidently, but only made it cause the Idol to last for one-or-two Tribal Councils. This meant that although Chris' Idol would have power for two Tribal's, he would not be able to vote at this upcoming Council.
Individual Immunity Challenge
Tribal Immunity -- NO MORE! Individual Immunity is now in play.
Over their heads, each castaway had to balance a skinny pole with a statue at the end, all while balancing on a thin beam! This challenge was about arm strength, core, and complete balance skills. The last person to balance their statue and themselves, won Immunity!
The challenge was a difficult one, as mother nature is always an obstacle on Survivor, and the wind was quite strong. It was down to Kellyn and Libby, and it was Kellyn who won the first Individual Immunity!
Okay, now let's get back to the Chris and Dom drama...
Tribal Council
I'm so impressed with this season because everyone is strategizing! The castaways are playing this game hard. Not one person is sitting around, and strategy is spreading like a virus -- specifically in this episode, whether to side with Dom or Chris. I haven't seen this much strategizing on Survivor in years.
At one point, Chris excluded Dom and Wendell and took everyone to get water together, like he was herding sheep. This episode made me laugh all throughout Tribal Council as Dom was explaining the scene to Probst. Dom and Wendell are clearly an alliance, but it wasn't sure where the votes would lay with Chris. As we know, Chris has an idol, Dom has an idol, and Wendell has an idol, that no one knows about.
With Chris not being able to vote, he did all he can to push the votes onto Dom. There was a war at Tribal Council between the two, and both of them admitted that they were cool with competing in their showdown. While casting his ballet towards Chris, Dom yelled, "it was a pleasure serving you coffee these past 21 days." When Wendell voted for Chris, he said that Chris is a bad rapper and that he's trash/garbage at it. This Tribal Council had me cracking up.
You can tell by watching, that this tribe is having too much fun. Since Dom was nervous, he did use his idol, but it didn't matter after all. It was Chris' first Tribal Council and very last. Chris was voted out, making him the first person on the jury. Chris left by ending the war with a friendly hug with Dom, along with taking the Ghost Island Idol home in his pocket.
Who else is impressed by this tribe? It's hard to tell where this season is going and it keeps you on your toes watching! Everyone is playing their own game on their own journey. I'm curious what next week brings. All I do know is that there's going to be a lot of bugs... and I'M STOKED!
Tweet me @mick_cloudy and let's talk about this awesome season! Don't miss Survivor: Ghost Island Wednesday's at 8/7c on CBS and don't miss my recaps every week!
