More than any other individual performance during episode 5 of Survivor: Island of the Idols, Applebee’s stole the show, both in the game and on Twitter!
If you thought the days of sponsors for Survivor were over, think again. The deliberate product endorsements that were fairly common in old school seasons are back! Applebee’s burst onto the scene of Island of the Idols in this week’s episode, taking over the minds of both the players and the viewers.
Despite some of the hate Applebee’s received from viewers, they proved that they could play this game! No one has been as effective at the mental game of Survivor this season as Applebee’s. Just the mention of “everyone’s favorite sit down restaurant” was enough to make most of the cast go absolutely bonkers.
Having the ability to drop castaways to their knees and make them look like they’re having an emotional breakdown is a testament to the power Applebee’s held over the cast. Not even Boston Rob or Sandra could pull that off!
Let’s not forget that it was with the energy the Vokai tribe gained from the Applebee’s reward that enabled them to win the Immunity Challenge. Their emotional state of mind was lifted, giving the reshuffled Vokai tribe a great start.
It didn’t take long for this blatant product endorsement to light up Twitter. Here are some hilarious examples:
The average family of four has not mentioned #Applebees in the last 10 years as much as the folks on #Survivor in the last hour.
— Doug C (@DougCorbett1) October 24, 2019
Even two-time player Stephen Fishbach took his jab at this tribal reward.
Tommy: "Applebees, I love you."
— Stephen Fishbach (@stephenfishbach) October 24, 2019
Producer, just off camera: ::holsters gun::#survivor
Despite some negative responses, former castaways were quick to come to Applebee’s defense:
Really wish I had some @Applebees right now...#Survivor #islandoftheidols
— Rick Devens (@Rick_Devens) October 24, 2019
Why is twitter hating on applebees I would both kill and die for their spinach and artichoke dip and wouldve bathed in queso when I was on the Island no question. #survivor #applebees @Applebees
— Victoria Baamonde (@veebaamonde) October 24, 2019
Screw all you Survivor younguns saying @Applebees is crummy food for a #survivor reward! I was so hungry in Micronesia I ate chicken feed, had to spit out the pebbles! And I was so hungry I gave away immunity to get to ponderosa! Newer seasons are spoiled!
— Erik Reichenbach (@ErikReichenb4ch) October 24, 2019
The bottom line is that for better or worse, Applebee’s took over this episode. To be honest, no one really had a notable individual performance. It looked like Janet steered the vote in Tom’s direction, but one confessional isn’t enough to give her full credit on a move that they clearly had the numbers for.
Tommy played well in the challenges and expanded his social game by bonding with Aaron, but that’s still not enough to separate him from the pack. This was just one of those episodes that are simply fun to watch but the only thing we’ll probably remember from it is Applebee’s.