Reality Roundup: Nov. 27

After Kaleb Gebrewold’s incredible luck canceled out 12 votes, the newly merged Dakuwaqa tribe returned to camp with an aura of excitement following the historic tribal.

Kaleb knew the already massive target on his back grew even bigger after his Shot In The Dark play, but Bruce Perreault’s vendetta against Katurah Topps grew even larger as he questioned her voting motives in front of the Reba tribe. Kaleb, as part of the Bruce hate club along with Katurah, sees this as a potential saving grace.

Bruce’s target only grew bigger as he patronized Kaleb the following day and offered some pretty awful “Survivor” advice. Even Jake O’Kane said he preferred to work with Kaleb over Bruce and was willing to get rid of him.

The only obstacle in front of the ever-growing Bruce hate club is Kellie Nalbandian, who was not willing to vote off Bruce. This caused division within the Belo five, with most feeling like Bruce needed to go.

The immunity challenge once again had a twist (can we please get a normal merge tribal council?) The tribe would be divided into two squads of six, with one player from each tribe winning immunity. The squads would go to tribal separately and each votes someone out in a double-elimination episode.

The squad who won the challenge would also get to enjoy a nice food reward and go to tribal council second. This is significant because the person who gets voted out in the first tribal will not make the jury. High stakes for this immunity challenge.

The individual immunity challenge was pretty straightforward. Each player had to hold onto a pole until there was one person left. The women flourished in this challenge, using their flexibility to their advantage to sturdily position themselves on the pole.

Kellie and Dee Valladares were the immunity winners, and Dee was able to outlast Kellie to ensure her squad got to enjoy a meal and go to tribal second.

The losing team consists of Kellie, Bruce, Emily Flippen, Nicholas “Sifu” Alsup, Kendra McQuarrie and Drew Basile.

Drew was distraught as the squad learned they would be relocated to Lulu Beach because he left his bag with all his advantages at the merge beach.

However, despite him being a viable target as a strong player in a small tribe, Bruce and Sifu were quickly determined as targets.

Bruce was pitching the Sifu vote, which gathered steam quickly as Sifu had been a target for most of the game. Kendra, a member of Belo, wants to blindside Bruce.

As the only person who could stand Bruce in this game, Kellie knew she had to get Bruce and Kendra on the same page to take out a Reba member. She succeeded and proceeded to easily get Emily and Drew on the same page.

This tribal did not have a ton of suspense other than the question of whether Bruce would play his idol. He wisely refrained as Sifu went home in a 5-1 vote.

The winning team, consisting of Dee, Kaleb, Katurah, Jake, Austin Li Coon and Julie Alley, had much more drama.

Dee wanted to strike at Kaleb while he was down, and she easily got Reba members Julie and Austin on board.

However, Jake was willing to put his game on the line for Kaleb and saw Dee as a huge threat. He also identified Julie as her number one and planned to target Julie to weaken Dee.

This left Katurah in the middle, and Jake felt confident he could pull her. He acknowledged this would cause a 3-3 tie, but also felt confident that Austin would flip in the re-vote as he did not want to go to rocks.

Kaleb pointed out that Katurah does not know about Bruce’s idol he found on the New Lulu beach, but Austin does. He feared that Austin could use that information to lure Katurah to their side, so he and Jake proposed to inform Katurah about the idol.

Katurah did not take this well and was upset about everyone else knowing but her as well as the ring antics Jake pulled while searching for Bruce’s idol. She began to question whether or not Jake and Kaleb were trustworthy, as they were so quick to exclude her.

At tribal, the thought of a potential tie kept it very suspenseful. However, despite talking zero strategy with the three Reba members, Katurah decided to vote with them, sending Kaleb home in a 4-2 vote.

Katurah seemed to make an emotional decision after she was hurt about being lied to. Targeting Julie seemed to be the better strategic play, as Kaleb was a solid ally and shield for the Belo tribe.

Kaleb was smart enough to beat Austin to the punch of gaining Kaurah’s loyalty, but he could not predict her emotional reaction which was intense enough to switch her to Austin’s side nonetheless.

While Katurah displayed some power by taking the reins in sending Kaleb home, putting her pride first may come back to bite her as she is still a target of Bruce and an overall outsider. Kaleb’s gameplay showed that he may have been a more loyal ally for Katurah than Julie, whom she has no relationship with.

Jake was also shocked by Katurah’s betrayal, and a potential big move turned into a huge target being painted on his back. He immediately fessed up, knowing he had to do damage control.

It was commendable that Jake immediately laid everything out on the table and asked Julie to chat, rather than just hoping it would blow over.

Jake’s plan did not come to fruition, but he definitely showed his strategic prowess in this episode and climbed the ranks as one of the stronger players. His assessment of Dee as a massive threat and her relationship with Julie is one he may revisit.

The preview for the next episode revealed that, for the first time since Season 30, the “Survivor” Auction is making a return. Longtime “Survivor” fans will feel nostalgia as the iconic bidding war returns for the first time in nearly a decade.

Alex’s Player of the Week- Dee Valladares

Dee not only won immunity, but she also won the overall challenge and secured a much-needed food reward for her tribe. She also kept her alliance organized as they took out the biggest threat in the game, Kaleb.

The Reba Four is the most powerful alliance in the game, and it seems to be controlled by Dee. Despite the plethora of advantages Austin and Drew have, it is Dee calling the shots and putting herself in a great position.

With Kaleb gone, Dee is becoming the popular selection and the favorite to take home the Survivor 45 crown.

Rachel’s Player of the Week- Dee Valladares

Dee played an amazing game this week, excelling in both physical and social skills.

During the immunity challenge, Dee stayed the most calm and displayed confidence in her strength and flexibility, even telling her tribe “We’re gonna eat.” She even strayed away from the squatting position and impressively crossed her legs around the pole for the remainder of the challenge.

As the immunity winner, Dee had the other players wrapped around her finger and held all the power. She emphasized her desire for Kaleb to be eliminated and did not have to push any further.

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.

Rachel Fisher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email rlf5481@psu.edu