For this column, and possibly for the rest of this season, I will use the term “FWAP” as the sound of a somebody’s strategy radically changing course.

Last week, I said Christian was the star of the episode, and I stand by that conclusion. He was easily the most entertaining player. I also mentioned that Cirie bounced back well after being targeted in the first episode. But I undersold her role. I’ll put it in proper perspective now.

After the first Immunity Challenge, Cirie was in an absolutely horrible position. She put herself in a spotlight role and blew it. She killed her tribe’s chance to win Immunity. Jenna was coming hard for her, and it didn’t appear that Cirie could stop the momentum. She caught a break when Christian pointed out to others that Jenna could come after them as hard as she was coming for Cirie. Cirie had earned enough trust from Christian and Devens for them to warn her about Jenna’s move. And Ozzy stuck his neck out for her by all but refusing to vote against her. Then Christian swung the vote to Jenna.

There was little reason for Cirie’s status to change ... until Cirie went to work. In a Secret Scene, she advised Ozzy to get close to Christian. Then she said she and Ozzy shouldn’t hang out together a lot. Next, she strengthened her lines of communication with everyone on the tribe including her intended target Savannah. This paid off for her when Emily gave her the key information she needed to improve her position saying, “If I had to guess, I’d say Christian probably wants (to vote out) Savannah, Devens probably wants Joe, and I think I’d prefer Ozzy (she laughs). So, it’s gonna be up to you.” Cirie found out who everyone wanted to go and why. Then one-by-one, she talked Emily, Christian and Devens into believing Savannah and her possible Advantage was more threatening to them than Ozzy or Joe. And all three of them thought they’d made up their own minds. Once Christian was convinced, he came up with a plan to get Joe on board. Joe has no idea how Cirie controlled this vote. And on top of that, Ozzy gave his Extra Vote to Cirie! Cirie went from a possible majority first boot to controlling 6 of the 7 votes left. That’s nothing short of amazing.

But this is typical for Cirie. In her rookie season (S12: Panama - Exile Island), she was an obvious first boot but talked her four-person “older women’s” tribe (Cirie was 35) into booting their strongest member first overall. And in S16: Micronesia, she went from having no alliance at the first Tribal Council (when Fairplay quit), to controlling the five-person majority and booting her target, Yau-Man, instead of Ozzy’s target, Eliza. Later that season after a swap, Cirie and Ozzy found themselves on a tribe with Joel – the biggest player in the game (maybe as big as Jonathan). Cirie used the same argument against Joe last week that she used against Joel in Micronesia in this chat with Ozzy and Amanda:

Ozzy: “If Chet goes, we’ll still have Joel, we’ll have the numbers, we’ll be able to win Reward and decide who to send to Exile.”

Amanda: “Don’t you want to win Rewards too?”

Cirie: “Do you really think Joel is that great in helping us win? He didn’t help us win today. He didn’t hit one tile, as big as he is.”

Ozzy: “That’s true.”

Cirie: “Tracy is tiny, and she hit more tiles than he did. He didn’t do nothin’ but screw us up on the puzzle.”

Ozzy: “He’s still a mover and a shaker. Chet’s a nothing in a nothing.”

Cirie: “Joel is already playin’ the game. Chet’s not into playin’ the game like that. There’s so many pluses for getting rid of Joel. Chet is just a pawn. We can use Chet for whatever we need, whenever we need it. You can’t do that with Joel.”

Ozzy: “That’s true. That makes sense.”

Cirie flipped that vote from their weakest member (Chet) to their strongest because she knew she could influence Chet’s vote and couldn’t influence Joel’s. Joel was voted out next, 6-2. This is what Cirie does. She improves her position.

Cirie is the best manipulator Survivor has ever seen, period. She doesn’t do it with the Llama-impersonating flash of Tony Vlachos or the bully-confronting fire of Sandra. She just quietly gets it done without rubbing anyone the wrong way, which always keeps her in contention for every possible Jury vote. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to improve their position better than Cirie did last week.

And since CBS released photos of the new swapped tribes early, we know Cirie and Devens are being joined on Cila by Jonathan, which probably means she’s not going to Tribal Council anytime soon. She has time to earn trust from five new players, including like-minded manipulators Dee and Kamilla. And none of them know Cirie has an Extra Vote. I can’t wait to see them scheme and plot together! That’s probably bad news for Rizo and Charlie. If Kelley Wentworth, Ciera Eastin and Abi-Maria Gomes were the “witches coven” from S31: Cambodia, this trio could be the headmasters of the Survivor Witches Training Academy. Cirie just got rid of Savannah by using a “We don’t know anything about her” pitch. She can do the same thing to Rizo. If her tribe loses, don’t be surprised if she says, “Jonathan isn’t helping us win anyway.”

Christian, Angelina and Mike White end up on the same Vatu tribe along with Emily, Ozzy, Q and Stephenie. It’s very likely the first three (who all played together in S37: David vs Goliath) will protect each other and bring in Emily. That could set up an intriguing 4 vs 3 if Ozzy doesn’t want to join them. Ozzy has already bonded with Q thanks to their overnighter on Exile Island. Q might want to bring Ozzy in with Stephenie. If anyone targets Ozzy and he picks up on it, he’ll be able to choose who leaves by playing the Idol. The only problem here is that Stephenie knows Genevieve sent that Idol to Ozzy, and there’s a good chance one of them told Q about it. If there ever was a time for Ozzy to learn good strategy from Cirie, this would be it. Do Q or Stephenie tell Ozzy they know he has an Idol? If so, can they convince Ozzy to break up the David vs Goliath trio? If that happens, I think Angelina is gone. Ozzy has the power on this tribe. He’d have more if he’d held onto that Extra Vote. I think the unpredictable Q might determine what happens here either intentionally, or by saying the wrong thing. And he doesn’t have a vote to work with, either.

I’m not excited about the new Kalo, which will have “integrity” players Colby, Coach, and Joe, inhibiting Tiffany, Aubry and Genevieve, with Chrissy remaining attached to Coach. If this tribe loses, they’ll likely target Aubry, who also has an Idol. That’s probably bad news for Genevieve, who is certain Aubry is unarmed because she searched Aubry’s bag before the Idol showed up. Genevieve could seal a move against Aubry by “guaranteeing” she’s unarmed, and Colby will back her up. If Aubry picks up on it, Genevieve is probably gone. But If Aubry gets blindsided while holding an Idol again (like she did in S38: Edge of Extinction), Christian will get an Idol.

Oh, the possibilities!

I can’t understate how excited I am to see Dee, Kamilla and Cirie together. Even if they plot against each other, it’s gonna be interesting for sure. Dee and Cirie are top 5 players for me and Kamilla is in my top 40. They could form a Mt. Rushmore of Survivor manipulators. Let’s see what they can do.

And away we go ....

---

Right at the top we see Q saying, “Aubry is dangerous,” and Dee saying, “Chrissy is mothering us too much.” I wonder if Aubry and Chrissy will be at Tribal Council tonight? Or maybe it’s a classic “previously on” fake out, and neither of them go.

Devens: “The (Idol hiding) heist was pulled off. I feel like Frank Ocean.” Uhh, Devens, Frank Ocean is a Grammy-winning singer/rapper. I think you mean “Danny” Ocean (played by George Clooney) from the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies.

Emily clocks the tribe swap from Treemail. Her Survivor instincts are getting better. Christian wisely wants to clue in Emily and Cirie. He also talks Devens into telling Cirie and Emily so he doesn’t stand out as the “leader.” Or as Christian put it in confessional, “It also keeps the stink of being the Idol finder off of me.”

Yeah, Cirie is an amazing Survivor player. She’s got Christian, Devens and Emily locked into a four-person alliance. They’re giving her valuable, accurate information. Cirie and Aubry got very close on S34: Game Changers.

Look at Christian feigning surprise. He’s becoming a good Survivor actor. Christian is killing it this season.

The players see three table mazes set up. These are smart players. They know this isn’t the set up for a six-person tribal challenge.

Wow, Probst is bustin’ out some rhymes! I wonder what S36 winner Wendell Holland thinks of this? Probst has got better bars than Chris Noble for sure, but that’s not saying much, is it? What should his rap name be? MC J.P.? Season 50 Cent? Will his debut album be called “Outhost, Outrap, Outrhyme?” Can he outrap Danny Ocean?

Emily gets important information from her alliance partners and is mad she’s getting information from her alliance partners? That doesn’t make sense to me. But Christian will be able to fill her in on it after the swap.

FWAP!!!!

Yeah, the women are grabbing from the tray in Probst’s right hand, and the men from the left. They want gender equality on the new tribes.

Immediately, Angelina screams “Christian!” as she waves her buff. There’s still zero subtlety to her game. She just confirmed where her loyalties are.

Look how excited Coach is to be with Joe. It’s an “honor and integrity” overload.

Sure enough, Joe and Coach are babbling endlessly about “core values, and “honor and integrity.

Joe unintentionally tells the audience why he won’t win this game when he vows to Coach and Colby “I won’t try to scheme.”

And just as predictable, Chrissy immediately gravitates towards the men. I think it’s ironic that Coach is telling someone that others are annoyed by their behavior. This is exactly what Tyson tried to tell Coach in S20: Heroes vs Villains. He didn’t get it.

Chrissy is vowing to change up her game. I don’t think she can do it. In S35, Ben told Chrissy she talked too much, and she’s doing it again this season.

Hmm, Jonathan wanted Dee gone but suddenly he needs her to help boot Cirie. I don’t think it will happen unless Jonathan throws a challenge. I don’t think he’ll do that.

Dee says her friends at home said she should get rid of Cirie ASAP. Cirie has to change minds again. I’m never betting against her. Most people who’ve held an Extra Vote haven’t figured out how to make it work. My my count, 18 players have held one, but only four (Shantel & Xander from S41, Maryanne from S42) used it to make a difference in the final vote. Kyle also used one in S48, but he played an Idol to save himself, so technically, he didn’t need that Extra Vote, as Thomas would have left by a 2-0 margin if Kyle had kept it.

Mike is a regular at Ozzy’s restaurant? This is part of why I say returning player seasons are next to impossible to predict. Ozzy has some built-in safety with Mike White.

As predicted, Q goes straight to Ozzy to bond. But he screws it up by telling him Genevieve will get the Idol if he’s blindsided with it. But did Q tell Stephenie?

Emily wanted Ozzy gone at two straight vote but now she wants to work with him?

FWAP!!!!

Christian and Devens brought Emily in, and immediately she targets Christian on this new tribe?

FWAP!!!!

Why the hell would Emily tell Ozzy and Q about Aubry’s Idol before getting more info from Christian? I thought she was smarter than that.

FWAP!!!!

But Ozzy was smart for not telling anyone he gave an Extra Vote to Cirie. Wait, did I just say, “Ozzy was smart?”

Emily realizes she’d be working FOR Q and Stephenie instead of WITH them. So, she blabs to Angelina. Emily doesn’t seem to realize it, but she’s creating reasons for people to want her gone. Everyone will find out she can’t be trusted with information. Just like in her rookie season, Emily can’t figure out how to keep her mouth shut.

FWAP!!!!

And now Emily decides she doesn’t like being ordered around by Q and Stephenie, so she comes clean to Angelina.

FWAP!!!!

Emily in confessional: “I’m so terrible about keeping information to myself.” Is there an echo in here?

And now Emily admits everything to Christian? Can she ever figure out who she wants to play with?

FWAP!!!!

Christian is a fool to trust Emily with any advanced information in the future. Just don’t get caught whispering to Devens or Cirie at the challenge.

Emily just turned herself into the player you can’t give info to until the last possible moment. These were Abi-Maria-level mistakes.

FWAP!!!! FWAP!!!! FWAP!!!!

My feelings exactly.

Christian figures out a way to mitigate the damage done by Emily. He knows she needs him now more than before.

Genevieve is playing almost as aggressively as Jenna L. was. I see a backfire coming. And sure enough, Tiffany warns Aubry. Aubry has no excuses now. If they go to Tribal Council, she HAS to play her Idol.

Genevieve tries to lobby Tiffany against Aubry, and Tiffany immediately warns Aubry. Genevieve’s aggressive play just provided Aubry with the motivation and method for blindsiding her.

FWAP!!!!

MAN there’s a lot of sloppy play going on in this episode!

Rizo is working Charlie’s weakness. Rizo is a smart strategist. He spills the info Q gave to him and exposes Ozzy’s Idol. I’m pretty sure Q didn’t want that to happen.

FWAP!!!!

But Charlie wants to make sure Rizo isn’t on the Jury because he didn’t vote for his #1 ally Sophi B. Does Charlie have the pull to make a vote happen on this new tribe? He will if he joins another “Charlie’s Angels” alliance with Dee, Kamilla and Cirie. Rizo didn’t see that coming. He thought he’d just locked up an ally in Charlie.

FWAP!!!!

I love it when Survivor does these flashback segments.

There’s so much strategy happening in this episode, I’m about to explode! This one is approaching Edgardo blindside episode levels for me from S14: Fiji. That’s my all-time favorite Survivor episode. I’m loving this, even with all the sloppy play.

I know it’s a Survivor classic, but I’ve grown tired of the blindfolded challenge. Even though we don’t know who will win, it’s very predictable. Someone will get hurt, someone like Coach will distract their caller by yelling “I can’t hear you!” and the prize is often too minimal, like a bowl of fruit. They’ve already given out fishing kits, tarp and hammocks, so what’s left besides food? Is the entre tribe gonna go the the Sanctuary? At least this one is for Immunity.

Chickens. Yawn. I guess that counts as food. Lately they haven’t even been laying eggs. One tribe in Survivor 47 even returned their chickens in exchange for actual eggs.

Kamilla, Chrissy and Christian take the Spotlight roles at the callers. They’re all good at puzzles too.

Devens smacks the family jewels on a barrel. FWAP!!!! Colby slams his head on a log. FWAP!!!! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). If I’m a guy partnered with a woman, I let her go in front to protect my future offspring.

Christian screws up and directs Ozzy and Q away from their last ring. That could be costly.

Kamilla is still the puzzle master and takes first place. But she leaves her puzzle intact for others to cheat on. New Kalo is in the middle and Chrissy has an edge. It’s harder for Christian to see the completed puzzle.

Christian fails on the puzzle. If the DvG 3 + Emily target Ozzy, he’s got an Idol. Who does Ozzy want gone? Did Q tell Ozzy he doesn’t have a vote? Ozzy should follow the advice Cirie gave him and stay close to Christian.

Mike White tells Stephenie he’s gonna vote for her??? What is he thinking? NEVER tell someone you’re gonna vote for them!

FWAP!!!!

Ahh, but Mike really wants to boot Q. Never mind, Mike.

FWAP!!!! on me.

Ozzy: “Angelina is a strategic threat.” On what planet, Ozzy? Did you not watch her constantly torpedo herself in S37: David vs Goliath? She established her Goat status before they reached camp! Angelina is my #1 Worst Survivor Player Ever.

FWAP!!!! Sorry, that was me figuratively smacking Ozzy upside his head.

I haven’t watched The White Lotus, but that sure as hell looks like Dee sitting next to Angelina in this clip. I looked it up and it’s actually Kara Kay also from S37.

Emily wants to work with Ozzy now? Didn’t she just target Ozzy two times in a row?

FWAP!!!!

There goes Q asking people to vote for him again. Some things never change. He bluffs that he’s got an Extra Vote.

But I think Mike and Emily see through it.

Wow, look at Ozzy being open to voting out a physically strong player. Maybe he IS taking Cirie’s advice.

Emily: “Maybe I should try NOT listening to my gut.” Maybe we should call this episode “Emily’s Boomerang Strategy.” No, that’s a better title for this column. (DB scrolls up to the top and inserts the Headline).

FWAP!!!!

I wonder if Christian will make a move for that phony Idol just to freak people out?

Probst: “Ozzy, you have been winless in challenges this season.” I’m just as surprised. Did Ozzy take the girdle away from Colby?

I loved Mike’s voting confessional: “You told me to do this.”

Ozzy rolls the dice with his Idol again and holds on to it.

9:25. No tie vote tonight.

Ozzy takes credit for the move. But it’s too early. Q won’t be able to share this info with any jurors. Stephenie has to know she’s next.

---

Recap

I LOVED this episode. I’ll be doing more than my standard two rewatches on this one.

Strategically, this was the smartest move for everyone not named Stephenie. The chaos Q brings is the worst thing for anyone who wants to influence future votes. Angelina can’t win the game, but her vote can be manipulated. No matter how loyal Q says he’ll be, he’s never gonna give up his vote without a fight ... or at least extended negotiations. Q makes your game harder. Nobody knows this better than Tiffany. I’ll bet she’s happy he’s gone.

Just like Cirie did with Joel in Micronesia, Mike White got rid of the vote he couldn’t influence (Q) and kept the vote he could (Angelina). Mike was great tonight. He justified my top 40 ranking.

I have to give props to Ozzy too. He outwitted Q and tricked him into giving up his vote. And Q came away from it thinking he was the winner too.

Ultimately, Q was a victim of his reputation. As soon as he confirmed he was bringing the unpredictable behavior again, he was voted out for it. I get the feeling that’s gonna happen to a few players (Angelina, Chrissy, Joe, Genevieve, maybe even Emily) this season.

I’ll admit, I was touched by seeing how Angelina and Chrissy both broke down when they found out they’re still annoying. But I just don’t think either of them have any idea how to change that perception. They can talk about playing differently in their confessionals all they want. Their actions are the deciding factor. When they try to change things, they’re gonna hear a FWAP!!!!

What do you think? Did Mike White make the best move? Is Ozzy actually relying more on strategy than fishing this time around? Will Dee go after Cirie or will Cirie lure her in? Who is gonna win the Aubry vs Genevieve battle? Did Rizo unknowingly talk himself off the Jury? Will the world need earplugs from Eliza’s screaming if Stephenie leaves next?

Let me know in the comments.