When the Breakdown Turns Into a Breakthrough

One of my favorite things about Survivor is that sometimes you can find yourself rooting for a villain. You don’t do it in an ominous way—unless you do, in which case, that’s on you—but rather in a sick and twisted way where you’re curious to see how they do it. Sure, you don’t want to see good people get hurt, but in a wicked way you’re curious. Well, we’ve officially reached that level of darkness on episode 10 of season 46 of Survivor, so strap yourself in, because it’s about to get dark.

Before we get into that, just a reminder that all season long I’ll be recapping every episode of Survivor 46. Make sure you subscribe to the Parting Shot podcast and my newsletter For the Culture for all things Survivor-related. (And everything else entertainment-related.)

Allow me to catch you up to speed with where we left things last week. (For a full recap, read this.) Basically, all eyes have been on Q, who blew up the game—both his own and everyone else’s—in such a spectacular way that somehow he’s just become the pariah of the group. Recognizing this, plots have been thwarted to use the hatred for Q as a smokescreen to blindside other plays, which is exactly what they did last week. Instead of voting out Q, they took out the Survivor MacGyver himself, Hunter.

As they head back to camp after voting out Hunter, Liz is pissed. She was left out of the play to take Hunter out, instead sticking with the obvious target of Q. They try and explain to her that it was a last-minute decision—it was—but she’s not satisfied. She’s still angry about being pushed to the background of the past few votes and is eager for her moment. (Spoiler alert: She’ll get it in this episode, but not in the way you’d think.)

As they sit around the fire, it’s obvious that Q is the next target.

“That man, he flew too close to the sun, and his wings burnt off. And now he’s feeling the pressure,” Tiffany said.

She says this as Q sits by himself on the beach. Maria goes to chat with him and offers to bring him in if he’s willing to work with her. He is. The next day Maria brings Kenzie and Charlie into her plan to keep Q. Her next move is not to get rid of Q, but rather blindside Tiffany because she has an Immunity Idol. (We know this because Q told everybody about it a couple episodes ago.) Kenzie, Tiffany’s ally, is down to blindside Tiffany because she knows that’s the next big move for her Survivor resume.

Of course, this all depends on Q and Tiffany not winning the Immunity Challenge, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility because with Hunter out of the game, both Q and Tiffany are clearly the strongest physical players. (Although we learn later that Charlie is stronger than he appears.)

DAY 18 – REWARD CHALLENGE

But before we can see how Q and Tiffany fair at an Immunity Challenge, we need to first see how they do at a Reward Challenge.

Before they learn what it will be, Jeff Probst lays out exactly what they’ll need to do. They gotta race between a series of obstacles to get to a sack of sandbags. Then they’ll throw those sandbags into a net tunnel. Once all the sandbags are out of the tunnel, they’ll grab one last sandbag and crawl through a net. Once through, they’ll throw that remaining sandbag on a very tall target. The first person to finish wins… Applebee’s!

Yes, half of this episode turns into a wild advertisement for Applebee’s.

When Probst reveals the reward, Liz—who hasn’t eaten in weeks because she’s allergic to most everything they can eat out there, coconut specifically—yells out, “My Wednesday night ritual!” (Liz, a single mother, takes her daughter to Applebee’s on their Survivor nights.)

As Probst goes over all the available food, Liz starts talking about how much she loves the burger. She’s very transparent about wanting to win this reward, or even being part of it, since historically the winner of the reward gets to choose other players to join them.

As the challenge starts, Q and Tiffany take an early lead. Maria eventually catches up with them, but it’s really a race between Q and Tiffany. In the end, Q finishes first.

Q’s win is awkward, because literally everyone has a beef with Q and aren’t necessarily eager to actually eat beef with him. (See what I did there? Because of the burger. You’re welcome.)

Probst reveals that it’s not just a delicious meal, they’ll also stay the night there and Q will be able to bring three other players with him. This is where things get strange.

Right out of the gate, Q surprises everyone by picking Tiffany. After their epic fight at the last Tribal Council, this is a surprise. (It’s clear he’s trying to make up with his old Yanu tribe mate because, frankly, it’s his only path forward.) His next pick is Maria because she came and spoke with him after that last Tribal.

This is where Liz starts to beg. It’s both moving and uncomfortable. And it’s about to get much worse because Q acknowledges Liz hasn’t been able to eat, but he decides to go with his other old Yanu tribe mate, Kenzie. Liz breaks down.

Liz turns away from everyone in tears. Probst then asks her what she’s feeling. There’s a long pause before Liz delivers an epic breakdown never seen before on Survivor.

“I’m pissed,” Liz screams. (Literally.) “I’ve seen you eat every day,” she continues. Everyone stands there stunned.

“But Liz you voted for me last night,” Q responds.

Uncomfortable.

Like I said, we’ve never really seen a breakdown like this before on the show. Part of me sympathized with Liz; I mean, she hasn’t been able to eat because of her dietary restrictions. Another part of me is like, well, why did she even come on the show? But then it hit me, producers knew this would lead to conflict, because nothing leads to more conflict than a hangry person who hasn’t showered in weeks. It’s perfect TV. (Although, concerning for Liz’s health.)

Uncomfortable, uneasy, and unsure what to do, Probst sends half the tribe off for their reward, and the other half back to camp.

BACK AT CAMP

Liz thanks them for letting her have her moment, but she’s not over it.

In a confessional, we learn that part of the reason why this reward meant so much to her is that she grew up without very much, often going hungry. So for her to be able to have those nights with her daughter, actually afford them, is a big deal to her. It’s not just about Applebee’s, it’s about what Applebee’s represents for her.

Now, usually when Survivor partners with a chain for a reward like this, it plays out in an expected way. The players talk about how much they love the restaurant and the food, and describe in detail their favorite dishes. But usually that’s reserved for the players actually eating the food, not the player longing for the missing burger. By Liz professing her love for Applebee’s in this way, she’s all but ensuring that she’s going to eat free at Applebee’s for the rest of her life. She may not have gotten the burger on the island, but she’ll get it at the one down the street from her house.

APPLEBEE’S SANCUARY

Meanwhile, at the Applebee’s Sanctuary, Q, Maria, Tiffany and Kenzie are eating well. Of course, the conversation naturally turns towards Liz. Q says it’s sad but it’s what he had to do, he needed to do this to get back in with Tiffany and Kenzie.

“I don’t owe Liz anything,” Q says.

But Tiffany and Kenzie aren’t buying it. They’re chatting with him when he’s around, but once he leaves they shift back to hating Q. They’re ready for him to go home. This makes Maria worried, because she’s sensing the hate for Q might be too strong for her to pull off this blindside of Tiffany. She also knows that it all comes down to the next Immunity Challenge.

DAY 19

The next day Ben, Liz, and Charlie wait for the rest of the tribe to return from Applebee’s. As they arrive, they talk about all the food they ate. Liz quickly picks up that none of them even ate the burger, feeling it’s almost out of spite against her. (She’s really hung-up on this burger.)

She decides to apologize to Q for her behavior, just to keep the peace. But then she reveals how she really feels.

“It’s the biggest lie I’ve ever said in this game so far,” Liz says in a confessional. “I’m super proud of myself for yelling at him.”

Meanwhile, Charlie and Maria chat strategy. Charlie is worried about Tiffany’s Idol.

“Everyone is saying, ‘Beat Q at all costs.’ But for me and Maria, Tiffany could be more of a threat,” Charlie says in a confessional. “We need to make sure Tiffany and Q lose this challenge.”

Let’s see if he can make that happen.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

It’s a classic Survivor challenge. They’ve gotta hold on to a handle connected to a bucket filled with water that makes up 25 percent of their pre-game bodyweight. As they fatigue, the bucket lowers, and when it drops, they’re out. The last person standing wins immunity.

But Probst decides to sweeten the pot a little. He offers them the option of four people sitting out the challenge in order to get rice. Only Kenzie steps out, so Jeff offers another option. Any individual who steps out gets their own individual thing of rice. This is when Liz then steps out.

“If I step out, I go home. I’m not dropping that bucket,” Q says, stating the obvious.

Kenzie then steps back in when she realizes nobody else is going to step out, leaving Liz on her lonesome. They all agree Liz should take the individual rice offer, she needs to eat. She takes it.

(If I were Liz, I wouldn’t have taken it. She had a massive outburst, which could easily mean she’ll be the next one to go. But then again, it’s not like she’d win this challenge, she hasn’t eaten in weeks, she has no strength. This, moments like this, is what makes Survivor great.)

Venus is out first. Then Ben. While on the sidelines, Liz, Ben and Venus all whisper “drop it,” to Q, taunting him.

“You never know when it’s your turn to go home,” Probst says. From the bench, Liz, Venus and Ben say, “Oh he knows,” referring to Q.

Just then Q’s bucket drops, followed by Kenzie and Maria. It’s a standoff between Charlie and Tiffany. Charlie needs to win this in order to pull off the blindside he and Maria have planned, but Tiffany isn’t showing any signs of struggle.

The one who is struggling is Charlie. His bucket drops, and then rises, and then drops, but then he lifts it back up to its original position, intentionally showing Tiffany he isn’t going anywhere. She looks fine, but just then suddenly she drops the bucket. Charlie wins his second Immunity Challenge in a row.

They’ve got Tiffany exactly where they need her, but now they need to figure out how they’re going to get the votes when everyone wants to take out Q.

PRE-TRIBAL

“Tonight is an easy vote,” Tiffany says. In fact, she spends the first couple of minutes of this segment talking about how Q needs to go. You see, when we hear this much from one player, it’s usually a bad sign. (I’m scared for Tiffany.)

Even though Kenzie is on board to blindside Tiffany, she doesn’t think now is the time. She wants Q out now, purely based on principal. This tells Maria she needs to figure out a new plan.

Maria is able to get Q on board—obviously, he has no other choice—and Charlie and Ben. She needs five votes to pull this off, and that comes down to convincing either Venus or Liz to vote for Tiffany. Charlie says it can’t be Venus, she’s too unpredictable, it has to be Liz. But after Liz’s breakdown over Q, can they even do this?

Maria talks with Liz, but she’s not quite on board. I guess we’ll just have to see what she does at Tribal Council.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

On the way into Tribal Council, Kenzie burns her hair. She’s fine, but is this a sign? Everyone wants Q gone, but is someone else about to get burned?

Probst starts with Q because it’s obvious he’s everyone’s target. He says he’s just keeping to himself.

“Right now, I have no power,” Q says. They all acknowledge that yes, he’s dead in the water.

Kenzie says Q has been a good smokescreen for blindsides, but now it’s his turn to go.

Probst then goes to this Q vs. Liz Applebee’s moment. She says she apologized to Q, but that her and Q can’t play together.

Playing his part, Charlie says that the calm at the camp is really just an indication that everyone is on the same page. (LOL, because we all know Charlie wants to pull off this blindside with Maria.)

After everyone votes, there’s a moment Tiffany could play her Immunity Idol. She decides not to, which, ultimately is her downfall, because she’s about to get blindsided.

In a 5 to 4 vote, the battle of Q vs. Tiffany played itself out, and Tiffany is going home. Yet again, just like last week, another player is going home with an Immunity Idol in their pocket. (This is becoming a trend with Survivor 46.)

Tiffany leaves shocked but calm. Kenzie is legit shocked. And yet again, Teflon Q remains in the game.

Who Needs to Get Snuffed?

I want to say Q because he’s the obvious choice, but considering he’s been able to stay on this long, I’ve got to kind of give it to him. Part of me wants to say Ben or Kenzie should leave, just because they’re clearly playing Maria and Charlie’s game at this point. I’m going to go with Ben, just because his game isn’t as strong as Kenzie’s.

Who Should be the Sole Survivor?

Considering Charlie’s double Immunity Challenge wins and he and Maria successfully pulling off these blindsides, I’m going with Charlie.

Watch Survivor every Wednesday on CBS or anytime on Paramount+ to follow along as I react to every episode this season.