Recap: Survivor 50 Episode 6: Blood Moon Rising

It’s never a good sign when Jeff Probst promotes a Survivor episode with the threat of an unprecedented, game-altering twist. The core game of Survivor is so inherently compelling that any modifications are met with immediate resistance, and most recent additions have been some combination of underwhelming and/or unfair. (It doesn’t help that Probst accompanies almost every twist with a self-indulgent monologue to underscore how amazing it is.)

Last week, Probst introduced the “blood moon,” essentially an unnecessary merge immediately undercut by a random division into three groups, each of which would vote somebody out. While a triple elimination has never happened before, the format is otherwise pretty familiar for modern Survivor and usually leads to either safe, predictable outcomes or unsatisfying, arbitrary ones.

If Reddit commentary is to be believed, it was the latest “worst episode ever,” following the Zac Brown-heavy installment from two weeks ago. It wasn’t true then and it’s not true this time either, but it was an overblown spectacle that hardly reflected the hype.

WWJD? (What Will Jonathan Do?)

The first Tribal Council of the night was also the most suspenseful, mainly because it was the only one that was remotely up in the air. Jonathan Young was caught in the middle with two pairs of women competing for his vote. Kamilla Karthigesu took for granted their kinship, especially one round after leaving him out of the loop on the Charlie Davis blindside.

Chrissy Hofbeck, meanwhile, appealed to Young from a simpler, more rational game-theory perspective: namely, he could team up with Karthigesu and Tiffany Ervin, but neither would ultimately vote for him to win. It was a straightforward and convincing argument, as Young voted to eliminate a shocked Karthigesu.

An Emotional Goodbye to a Fan Favorite

It’s hardly worth addressing the predictable second Tribal Council of the night, in which the longstanding feud between Aubry Bracco and Genevieve Mushaluk finally came to a head when the latter was unanimously voted out. (This one managed to fit into both the safe/predictable and unsatisfying/arbitrary outcome categories.)

Though its result was equally unsurprising, the third Tribal Council was easily the highlight of the episode. It served as a sort of eulogy for all-American fan favorite Colby Donaldson, with other contestants tearing up at the inevitable reality that it was his turn to leave the game. Donaldson first played in 2001’s The Australian Outback, winning audiences over with his wit, pearly smile, and admirable loyalty, ultimately finishing in second place. Subsequent appearances in 2004’s All-Stars and 2010’s Heroes vs. Villains were less successful, as Donaldson seemed like he would rather have been anywhere else other than the beaches of Panama and Samoa, respectively.

In Survivor 50, Donaldson demonstrated an unmistakable attitude of gratitude, despite the game not always going his way—early on, he lost his vote in a glorified game of Jenga and then lost a key ally when Kyle Fraser was evacuated. Donaldson himself nearly met the same fate due to a foot injury/infection. Nonetheless, he retained his optimism and appreciation, saying that he had more fun during his fourth appearance than in any of his previous ones. “Find the joy in this game,” he instructed his fellow contestants before wishing them luck.

When the Survivor 50 cast was announced last year, some fans argued that Donaldson’s inclusion was unwarranted due to his miserable attitude and poor performance in Heroes vs. Villains. I was not one of them, but I will confess my concern that we were in for a similarly underwhelming stint this time. But Donaldson absolutely redeemed himself and ended his Survivor journey on a high note.

Survivor 50 Snubs

I’ll conclude each week’s column by spotlighting one man and one woman who were left off Survivor 50 but would have made for excellent inclusions. 

Though Probst has always been critical of 2007’s Survivor: Fiji, he has named two contestants who kept it from being a total dud in his eyes. Fan favorite Yau-man Chan returned a year later in Micronesia, but Andria “Dreamz” Herd never got a second shot. A homeless street performer prior to his Survivor stint, Herd was used to fending for himself, and his brash attitude rubbed many of his competitors the wrong way. But he was also completely sincere and earnest, even if his social game was lacking. When Chan won a car in a reward challenge, he traded it for the promise that Herd would give him immunity in the event that he won a later challenge. At the last minute, a tearful Herd reneged on the deal and Chan was voted out.