Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains went three whole episodes without mentioning hidden immunity idols. That all changed in episode 4.
Two immunity idols started altering the game in the fourth episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Whether or not it was for the better really depends on how you feel about idols in the first place.
The Survivor catalog (from Sears this time around) made a return for the reward challenge, allowing each tribe to choose two items apiece. To win, though, they had to score four points by slipping down a run, finding balls, and tossing them into a basket. Tyson and Colby had the last try, but Tyson brought it home for the Villains, getting them a tarp set and a toolkit.
Inside the toolkit was a clue for the hidden immunity idol, and Rob read it aloud to the entire tribe, with people agreeing that looking for it was a surefire way to go home. That, of course, included Russell, who said he was “going for a walk.” Everyone saw through it, and Rob sent Sandra on the case. She saw Russell idol-hunting.
The Heroes, meanwhile, discovered their own clue in the coffee jar, and J.T. did the same as Rob did. However, the Heroes all actually went looking. Tom succeeded in finding the idol, with Amanda catching him hiding it.
Having an idol, of course, matters most when your tribe is visiting Jeff Probst at Tribal Council. In this episode, whether or not that became an issue came down to a blindfold challenge — the Samoa iteration with the table maze at the end. Tom and Boston Rob did the work, but ultimately the Villains took the victory.
The complications of Tom’s immunity idol meant that the Heroes’ politics had shifted. Amanda went and told Cirie about the new Tom-spawned plan, which was to vote for Candice.
Cirie, being that she’s Cirie, pointed out that voting out Candice would not be the wisest idea, and J.T. saw it all. That’s how the target shifted to Cirie, at least for Tom and Colby. It therefore came down to J.T.
Tribal Council got a little combative with Jeff Probst pointing out that the Heroes’ balance between alliances and tribal strength. Tom threw his immunity idol out, tossing out three votes. Then came the Colby and Cirie votes … and Cirie ended up going home with three votes to two, meaning J.T. had flipped.
Of course, this didn’t all come from the immunity idol issue. Heroes vs. Villains, especially in the early episodes, focused a lot on previous knowledge of the games of its players. Cirie, in her last words after the vote, even talked about how “one of my moves” contributed to her leaving the game fourth.
Take a moment and consider. Wouldn’t Heroes vs. Villains not having immunity idols — or having fewer than it did — have made for a fascinating game?
But that’s just a thought exercise. Mostly I’m just bitter that Cirie didn’t make it further.
Quick notes:
- Since he played a pivotal role in Cirie’s elimination, “Tonight, We Make Our Move” was Tom’s name.
- The editors had a little fun with Coach’s latest tai chi session.
Next: The best seasons in Survivor
Next time, we’ll look at another painful, non-fun challenge as well as part two of Russell vs. Boston Rob!