In the last part of my “Surviving Kent State Diaries,” I, a then-sophomore English major, attended my first tribal council and pulled off my first blindside of a tribemate.
With a battle-tested alliance, my prospects in the game look strong, but round three will throw a wrench into my plans.
I arrive at White Hall for “Survivor: Kent State’s” third challenge, ready to redeem Vuaka. I am not ready for Kyle to announce that today we’ll be playing for two individual immunity necklaces.
Usually, survivors compete as a tribe for tribal immunity until there are between nine and 13 contestants left in the game. Then, the tribes merge, and players compete for a single immunity necklace. Every castaway will attend tribal council from the merge until the end of the game. Rather than whole tribes being immune, when individual immunity is in play, only players who wear the immunity necklace enjoy safety.
It’s way too early in the game for individual immunity. What is going on here?
Initially, I assume both tribes will be going to tribal council this round and eliminate one of their own members in separate councils. Kyle quickly squashes my hopes for a straightforward elimination of Maeve or Molly, the only Vuakas not in the “Smoothie Alliance.”
“Both tribes will be attending tribal council on the same day,” he says.
What does this mean? We exchange bewildered looks and clamor for more information. We ask if we’ll be watching the other tribes vote off one of their own? Will the entire cast be voting off one player? Will the tribes be swapping members?
With a gleeful smirk, Kyle says, “I can’t tell you that.”
I walked into this challenge with three proven allies on a tribe of six. Now, I may be part of a foursome against eight relatively unknown players. You’re never safe in Survivor.
Unless you win immunity.
Unfortunately, as soon as Kyle introduces the challenge as a duel to knock your opponent’s cup over without letting them knock down your own cup, which is balanced upside down on a plate, I know that I have no hope of winning.
My slow reflexes and short arms are insurmountable odds to my victory, and I’m the second player to be eliminated from the challenge and lose any chance at immunity.
I watch as Kaden, Molly and Mason are eliminated, leaving Maeve and Aiden to battle for Vuaka’s immunity necklace. I’m relieved when Aiden swipes Maeve’s cup, sending it careening to the floor. If I can’t be immune, at least my closest ally is.
On Rarama, a then-junior construction management major named Jake Nemec wins. He must be in charge over there, I surmise. Our winner, Aiden, is pretty much running the show here.
Vuaka wastes no time after the challenge concludes, gathering just down the hall to discuss our next steps. It’s difficult to strategize; there are so many possibilities for the next tribal council. We plan for a joint tribal council where both tribes vote for one elimination, but the idea that we may just be voting among ourselves looms heavily over the conversation.
In hushed voices, we throw out possible Rarama members who may be on the outs and assign our tribe members to meet with them and try to sway their vote in our favor. Molly and Mason will meet with Luke Adelman, a then-senior marketing major, and Aiden will reach out to Sage Arbogast, a then-sophomore recreation, park and tourism management major.
Kaden and I are jobless because we are the agreed upon obvious targets for Rarama to eliminate as threats (my first challenge performance is coming back to haunt me far sooner than I anticipated).
I leave White Hall feeling very uncomfortable. According to my tribemates, I’m in serious danger of being eliminated in the event of a joint tribal council.
I should’ve been worse at the challenge. I knew I needed to keep a low profile to make it far in this game. I knew it, and I just didn’t do it.
The next few days until tribal council are a whirlwind of conversations, strategy and plots. It’s difficult to keep up with who has spoken to whom and what they’ve told them. Plans change daily, and my anxiety grows.
As I try to enjoy my weekend before Sunday tribal council, I am plagued with anxiety. My fingers constantly twitch toward my phone. I can feel the futility of my constant checking for Survivor group chat notifications, but the importance of tomorrow’s tribal council cannot be overstated. Worry eats away at my focus. One missed notification could be the reason I’m voted out. I’m sure of it.
Earlier in the week, I learned that Maeve had told Jake of Rarama that we planned to vote for Izzy. As a result, Maeve is summarily placed up for elimination, if our tribe has to cast off one of our own.
“I need Maeve to keep her mouth shut about things I’ve said in this game,” Aiden tells me, “and the best way for Maeve to keep her mouth shut about the game is for her to not be in the game anymore.”
On Sunday morning, I join a group call with every member of Vuaka. We need to lock down our target in the event of a joint vote.
We throw around the names of Rarama members: Izzy, Sage, Ella Adam; a then-sophomore fashion design major, or Ginger Hickerson; a then-freshman art education major, and eventually settle on Ginger.
The tension is thick as all 12 remaining castaways sit down for tribal council. We give short, vague answers to Kyle’s questions, aware that our enemies are listening.
My heart soars when Kyle finally announces that we can only vote for a member of our own tribe. It’s brutal, but this is the best-case scenario for me — sorry, Maeve.
Kyle returns with the votes. “If anyone has a hidden immunity idol that they’d like to play, now would not be the time to do so. Today, we’re doing things a little bit differently,” he says. “Each of you has voted someone out of your tribe, but you have not voted them out of the game.”
I visibly flinch. What does he mean? I just declared to everyone that I want Maeve gone, and she isn’t gone?
“The person who you voted out will be switching to the other tribe, and they will pick two members of their old tribe to bring with them,” Kyle says.
It’s the dreaded tribe swap, just when my allies were secured, and I could see my path to the end. Suddenly, everything is shrouded in a fog.
With that, Kyle reads the votes. First, Sage is eliminated from Rarama with five votes. Vuaka’s story is much the same, as Maeve receives five votes. Maeve smiles and makes a joke about the misspelling of her name on a vote, but I can see the betrayal stings.
Sage and Maeve stand up and point out the tribe members whom they will bring with them. Sage picks Izzy and Ginger, and Maeve picks Kaden and Aiden. This is a disaster! My two closest allies are being stolen from right under me.
Later, in a confessional, I try to find the light in my dark, dark situation.
“I think it’s a good thing that I’m being forced to step out of Aiden’s shadow and make moves of my own. It’s nerve-wracking, though, having to reach out to everyone new by myself,” I confess.
I resolve to gather my old Vuaka allies to me, reaffirm my bonds with Molly and Mason and extend an olive branch to my new tribemates, Izzy, Sage and Ginger. On paper, our tribe is divided in half, but Sage was just publicly rejected by their tribemates. I hope that, if Sage is smart, they will ditch their traitorous former allies and join me.
Every Survivor player needs a list of their own moves they made in the game to show their fellow players why they should be the Sole Survivor. It’s time for me to start building mine.
Quinn Schafer is a web writer and copy editor. Contact her at [email protected].
