A new episode of Survivor featured a big blindside on Wednesday night. And it was a blindside that can only be blamed on the person who got voted out.
Tribal Council can be tricky, with votes likely to shift based on how people interact with host Jeff Probst. But sometimes, a plan is in place that will happen no matter how questions are answered.
During Survivor 45, Episode 10, the dynamics within the Dakuwaqa Tribe were the same as in recent episodes. Mostly. One change was who won the Individual Immunity Challenge. And that impacted who got voted out.
Bruce Perreault won two straight Immunity Challenges, putting him in positions of power during Tribal Council votes. He didn’t have to worry about the Immunity Idol in his pocket.
When Austin Li Coon won the Immunity Challenge in Episode 10, it put Bruce in a much different position. But he didn’t see the heavy hints people made around him at camp.
Bruce became the fourth member of the jury. He was blindsided by the vote at the Tribal Council and left Survivor with an Immunity Idol still in his pocket. But why did the tribe vote that way?
Breaking down the Survivor 45, Episode 10 Tribal Council votes
The votes were split at Tribal Council, with the non-Reba members missing an opportunity to put a dent in that four-person alliance.
Austin, Julie Alley, Drew Basile, and Dee Valladares were vulnerable due to the voting plan, but the other four castaways had their side missions. Katurah Topps and Emily Flippen became too focused on getting Bruce out.
Katurah, Julie, Jake O’Kane, and Emily successfully voted out Bruce. Drew, Dee, and Austin voted for Jake as the backup option. And Bruce placed that rogue vote on Julie after he was convinced to do so by Emily.
Now, the final seven features four former Reba members against three people in the minority. Reba has a clear path to the end, especially with the two Immunity Idols Austin holds.
More from Survivor
In a Survivor exit interview, Kellie Nalbandian spoke about blacking out after Tribal Council. She also mentioned lashing out at someone on production.
While on a talk show recently, Jeff Probst announced that Survivor quitters will no longer be rewarded. It was a bold move by the host.
CBS also revealed early Survivor 46 information, giving fans something to look forward to this spring.
Previous episodes of Survivor 45 are available for streaming on Paramount+.
Survivor 45 airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.