Australian Survivor 2017 Episode 7 Review: Out For Blood
Mark W is out for revenge, Ben breaks his silence, and yet another power couple is exposed: Tristan Kelly recaps all the big moments from Episode 7 of Australian Survivor…
The perception of power is a fascinating concept in the game of Survivor, and always a focus of pre-merge episodes; in a game that can be won by anyone, how do you decide upon the biggest threat to target first? Often it comes down to a toss up between the physical alpha male versus the overt strategist, resulting in the coasters in the middle actually becoming the bigger threats to sneak home a win… It’s all about balance and timing. In Episode 7, we see the emergence of several different types of power players at Asaga, in addition to some shark hunting, and believe it or not… Ben’s first confessional!!! These are the moments that matter…
Post Tribal Washup
At Asaga, Henry’s dreams have finally come true after successfully orchestrating the elimination of Sam, who he perceived as being the biggest threat to his game. Jacqui “doesn’t mean to be nasty” when she says that Sam brought it upon herself, whilst Mark W is using all of his self discipline not to “hammer” everyone on the tribe. He knows how to hold a silent grudge, and is committed to seeking revenge – the stage is beautifully set for an alpha male showdown.
Mark takes some solo time out to brood on the beach and then leads Kent to the water well for yet another interrogation session. Kent downplays his third-wheeling-power-couple relationship reasonably well, but Mark is still able to deduce from their conversation that Henry and Jacqui are the ones who are calling most of the shots around camp. Kent immediately updates the pair, who then separate for a private debriefing session.
At this point, Henry and Jacqui know that they have relative control of the tribe, but importantly they also understand the associated dangers and high likelihood of becoming targets themselves. Armed with the knowledge that Mark is on to them, they also retain the upper hand in regard to any countermoves that he might make. Henry is certainly playing an aggressive game to win, but has he started his run way too early? Only time will tell.
“Mark is my biggest threat right now because he’s one thousand times the better version of me… He’s just a guy that if I’m sitting next to at the end, everyone’s going to vote for him over me – so I need to get rid of him now while I’ve got a chance…” – Henry
Over at Samatua, for the first time in a long time it’s happy days, and we’re treated to some rare Ziggy time! She swims majestically underwater where all the “real stuff” happens in water polo, the very same concept on which she’s basing her strategic approach to Survivor. As she emerges onto the beach, she’s accosted by Tara and Locky, who want her to flip back to their side and take out AK. Ziggy wins the points from this interaction by being genuinely friendly to the outsiders, which could create options for her in the event of a tribe swap or merge. Not so much for Tara and Locky though, who continue their condescending ways:
“I’m just going to be proud of the game I play, and I’m not a sheep, and I didn’t follow someone who is taking me for a ride for their gain…” – Tara
Insulting the person you need help from generally isn’t a good approach to earning their respect… Ziggy would be mad to realign with Tara and Locky at this point, but keeping them in the loop is sensible play.
The Hunting Ground
The rain has arrived and everyone at Samatau is now looking miserable and hungry. Locky is sad that island life isn’t exactly paradise anymore, and is sick of eating rice and beans. He grabs the machete and with a crazed look in his eye sprints into the water on an inspired shark hunt. It’s Locky’s time to shine as he emerges from the shallows victorious, baby shark in hand! He lets out a strange howl as he proudly presents his catch to the rest of tribe. It’s the happiest he’s looked all season, boosting camp morale, and at the very least elevating him further ahead of Tara and Anneliese on the totem pole. Every single action matters in Survivor, and for Locky, this was his first little win in a while.
Meanwhile at Asaga, Luke is also on the hunt for produce after he hears the sound of a coconut falling from a tree… In keeping with Luke’s character, all he finds in the shrubbery is a swarm of wasps and a new batch of bites – Locky would take him to town in the ‘providing’ section of Who’s The Best Aussie Bloke? Luke doesn’t mind though, he just smiles, and keeps drawing upon the wisdom of Chumbawamba: “Knock me down, and I’ll get back up again…”
Interestingly it seems that the wasps may have injected some strategic venom into his bloodstream, sparking a revelation that it’s time to take down the new power couple of Jacqui and Henry. He approaches Mark W and points out the hypocrisy of Henry adopting the same “controlling” game style that made Sam a target. He wants to split the pair up and argues that Jacqui would be the easiest to take out now, whilst still serving the purpose of reducing Henry’s power. The current trend in voting provokes an interesting discussion for another time on gender dynamics in Survivor: why is the powerful woman generally targeted before the man? But anyway, the plot for the coup is hatched, with Luke proposing that he can get Sarah, Michelle, and Odette on board, before declaring himself to be the “referee” of the Mark versus Henry showdown.
Sumo Struggle
A bit of standard shock horror when Samatau discover that Sam is no more, before Mark refers to her loss as being a ‘day of reckoning’ for Asaga. JLP is “properly impressed” when he learns about Locky’s shark antics, and then the challenge is on! It’s the classic sumo battle, in which opposing tribe mates attempt to wrestle each other off a platform and into the mud. The first tribe to seven wins. The one-on-one duels are always great fun to watch, providing plenty of big hits and unlikely heroes. The bravery award definitely goes to Jarrad for taking on Mark W (not once but twice) and holding his own despite the criminal mismatch in size. Most improved is a lock for Kent, who finally succeeds in a challenge!!! He easily accounts for Peter, continuing his sneaky rise up the power ranking charts. Odette dominates Tara twice, but the MVP award has to go to Anneliese who outlasts Sarah in a massive match point struggle. As a result, Asaga are condemned to their second straight Tribal, and the ‘rumble in the jungle’ between Mark and Henry is on.
An Eye for an Eye
The winds of change are blowing, hermit crabs are scurrying, and an ominous looking crow is watching over Asaga Beach. Like the editors, I’m also loving the mysterious shot of sun beams breaking through the jungle that seems to be popping up at regular intervals this episode. All in all, the stage is set for a moody afternoon of strategic scrambling. Henry is excited because he “loves Tribal” and the opportunity it provides to take another threat out. I can’t decide if this is the nerdiest Survivor comment of all time, or one of the most cunning. Either way it’s clear to everyone that Henry is a major player in this game. He makes his way around camp replanting the name of Mark in everyone’s minds. He obviously has his closest allies, Jacqui and Kent on board, but also believes that Sarah, Odette, Ben, and possibly Jericho will support him from the second tier.
Meanwhile, Mark is launching his counter attack with Luke, who suggests that Sarah (as usual) is the person to grab in order to change the tide in his favour. The strategic venom is still rushing though Luke’s bloodstream as he goes on to stress the importance of Kent being kept in the dark. Luke actually seems to have a pretty strong grasp on the strategic lay of the land at Asaga, and just maybe, is starting to grow into a legitimate contender for this season’s title. Stranger things have happened. He approaches Jericho and Michelle to continue the Jacqui seed planting expedition: Jericho looks slightly distressed, whilst Michelle pulls out the classic Sandra line of “I don’t care as long as it’s not me…” Mark’s hope for revenge is starting to grow:
“For me, if I take out Jacqui, it’s really an eye for an eye, and Henry’s going to feel what it’s like to have his mate knocked out and to be isolated…” – Mark
With all the focus on the opposing power couples at Asaga, everyone still seems blind to the fact that Sarah is actually the person with the most control on the tribe. Each episode she compiles a portfolio of information before making a final decision based on what is best for her progression in the game – she’s playing the swing vote to perfection. With Michelle in hand, she agrees to Luke’s plan, but then rushes to Henry and Jacqui to confirm her allegiance by warning them that they might hear her name attached to alternative plans. It’s a clever self protective move that also alerts Henry and Jacqui to the possibility that they might need to play their idol.
Odette and Ben become the last two cogs in Mark and Locky’s plan, but neither of them sound too convinced, although Odette does imply that she’d be fine with it so long as Sarah’s on board… And now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for… After seven episodes of silence, Ben finally strikes gold in his first confessional of the season by continuing the references to 90’s bangers:
“Luke has a problem with authority – not a bad quality to have, he just has too much of it, he doesn’t know how to tone it down… He’s far too spontaneous and bombastic…” – Ben
Who’s the real power couple now?
JLP wants to talk about the challenge, congratulating Sarah on a tremendous effort. Henry talks about finding balance in the tribe and how strength isn’t necessarily the most important factor for success. Odette is also beginning to change her perceptions of what qualities are important in the game – things aren’t looking good for Mark at this point. Jericho then lays it out to the tribe that the vote should not be based on “vengeance”, later reiterating that they should instead be getting rid of a “liability”. His behaviour throughout the episode almost suggests that he’s trying to throw Ben or Michelle under the bus to keep the tribe strong. Sarah then asks for the vote to be based on consistency, before Henry backs her up by saying he’ll be basing his on trust.
Mark eventually chimes in to break the facade of pleasantness, throwing Henry and Jacqui under the bus as the power couple and urging the passive voters in the group to take control of their own destinies before it’s too late. In a bold move he confirms that he’ll be voting for Jacqui and makes a solid pitch for her elimination. With idols in play it’s a very dangerous move, effectively reducing his chances of staying in the game. Henry and Jacqui passionately refute their status as a power couple, whilst Ben and Michelle declare that they’re still weighing up their options. Based on the edit at this point, if I was Henry I’d be playing that idol for Jacqui – the vote still appears to be ‘live’ and it only takes one or two of the passive crew to flip for a disaster to occur…
The ballots are cast, and after an excruciatingly long pause, Henry does not play the idol for Jacqui… No matter how confident they were of everyone’s trust beforehand, they must still be freaking out a little at this point! Jacqui receives three votes, but Henry’s instincts are proven to be correct as Mark receives the remaining seven, and is sent home much earlier than most would have predicted. Henry’s stocks continue to grow after another impressive performance at tribal, whilst it looks like Sarah has recruited her own secondary crew of passive pawns in Michelle, Odette, and Ben. The other power couple of Luke and Jericho now have some ground to make up to get back into this – the battle lines are drawn!
And that concludes another big week of Australian Survivor! Next week it looks like Luke and Jericho are out to cause some fireworks, and surely a big twist is looming on the horizon. Make sure you check back during the week to follow the progress of our Power Rankings Battle against Season 1 veteran Conner Bethune, and don’t forget to follow Jeremy Gorniak’s live twitter feed during every episode @TTHSau.
If you’ve missed any of my other episode reviews, you can catch up on all the action here. See you later in the week!
Tristan Kelly is a 28 year old ex-doctor turned writer, based in Perth, Western Australia. During his final year of medical school he famously watched and analysed every available episode of Survivor (all 368 of them at the time), probably making him more qualified as a Survivor commentator than he ever was a doctor. In between writing and editing short films, he now spends most of his time organising various schemes, and fantasising about one day winning the game.