Survivor David vs. Goliath: Best Tribal Councils of the season

2) Davie saving Christian and splitting a minority vote

Following that long wait of no idol plays, we were treated with a thrilling double idol Tribal Council. Everyone knew that Dan had an idol, thanks to Jeremy snooping in his bag. However, no one was aware of Davie’s idol.

The Davids were down five to seven in members, however, Nick’s strong relationship with some of the Goliaths swung this game wide open. Alec and Mike decided to tell Nick that they were going to vote for Christian. The Davids used that knowledge to their advantage. Davie decided to play his idol for Christian, and then they voted in a way that was unprecedented.

When we hear of splitting votes, we tend to think of a majority alliance getting half of their members to write one name, and the other half to write another name, in case someone pulls out an idol. A majority alliance can afford to do this because, on paper, they have the numbers. What about a minority alliance splitting the votes? Now that seems insane, but that’s exactly what the Davids pulled off.

They knew that all of the Goliaths were going to vote for Christian. They also wanted to flush Dan’s idol. They anticipated that if Davie played his idol, Dan might play his as well, choosing to save Angelina because she was a clear target. As a result, the Davids sent two votes Angelina’s way, and three votes John’s way.

After a very tense and controversial moment, Dan decided to save Angelina with his idol. He had no clue that the Davids thought that far ahead and decided to split the votes with John. This led to a shocking blindside that sent the first big physical threat to the jury. This vote changed the course of the season as it marked the start of three Goliath eliminations in a row.