Survivor Island of the Idols: Three stories to watch in episode 2

Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

With two dynamic tribes and another intriguing visit to the Island of the Idols on the way, tonight’s episode of Survivor has plenty of storylines to follow.

After an exciting, evenly paced premiere, we’re ready to see more from Island of the Idols. Watch for alliances being made in the next few episodes because they will be key in separating the outsiders who are in immediate trouble and the castaways who can go the distance. Here are three specific stories to keep an eye on in tonight’s episode of Survivor.

1) Can anyone beat a mentor?

Elizabeth Beisel took a big gamble last week by taking on Boston Rob in fire-making, and she lost terribly! The promo for this episode did reveal the castaway who will be sent to the island, but we won’t spoil that here. We also learned that the lesson and test will be less physical and more of a mental challenge.

It will be interesting to see how each lesson varies because I couldn’t see Boston Rob losing at physical challenges such as making a fire or catching fish. However, mental and strategic lessons are more abstract and depending on the test, I think a castaway has a better shot at winning. A smart, savvy player is going to the Island of the Idols, so I feel like they’re either going to refuse the challenge or possibly win it.

2) Will Dan Spilo remain touchy?

Probably the biggest storyline on the Vokai tribe was Dan Spilo’s physicality back at camp. Kellee Kim was one of the women annoyed by him, saying a line that I don’t think I’ve ever heard in Survivor before: that someone could be voted out for their lack of spatial awareness!

It did seem like Dan is a part of Vokai’s majority alliance, so if he learns his lesson and backs off, he might be able to salvage his game. If not, other outsiders including Jason Linden would be happy to join the women to throw someone like Dan under the bus.

3) Can the Lairo women take out another guy?

There was that one scene early on in the premiere where the five women on the Lairo tribe got together and began talking about an all-female alliance. I understand that there is talk about a women’s alliance nearly every season, but this time it was different. These five women were very subtle about it, and all of them seemed dedicated to this idea.

They were able to successfully change the vote from Elaine to Ronnie, taking out a guy without it looking suspicious. If they have to go to Tribal Council again tonight, watch for the women of Lairo trying to maneuver the target on another guy. If that happens, then there’s definitely an all-female alliance in the making.