The Sele tribe needed a win badly coming into yesterday’s episode of Survivor: Winners at War and the intense showdown in the Immunity Challenge made it one to remember.
Week after week, this talented group of castaways are proving that you don’t need new ideas to make a Survivor challenge entertaining. Episode 4 of Winners at War featured a challenge that we recently saw in Edge of Extinction, but it was the competitive nature between these two tribes that made it fun to watch. Here’s a deeper look into yesterday’s Immunity/Reward Challenge.
Immunity Challenge Overview
To begin the challenge, four tribe members are attached to a boat with the three others inside. The four attached will have to propel the boat forward to a platform by swimming. Once at the platform, the three in the boat will have to climb up a tower and jump off to grab three sets of keys. With all of the keys in their possession, the tribe can get back into their boat and swim to the final stage. The keys unlock puzzle pieces, and the first tribe to finish their puzzle wins immunity and four egg-laying chickens.
You know a season is good when you have drama even before the challenge begins. For the third time in four challenges, Sandra sat out, and no, she isn’t breaking any Survivor rules. To honor Parvati’s recommendation, Jeff renamed the bench “Sandra’s sit out bench”, and Tony joined her since Dakal had a two-player advantage.
Thanks to Tyson’s strong swimming ability, Dakal got their boat to the tower first. Although Sophie missed the first key, with Kim’s height and Nick’s athleticism, they were able to get all three keys fairly quickly. Sele didn’t share that same success.
Denise and Parvati both missed, while, Adam grabbed the first two. Then it came down to that final key that nobody could reach. With three castaways who aren’t very tall attempting to reach a key without the opportunity of a running start, this wasn’t an easy task. Parvati and Adam missed it again and again. With the support of his tribe members, Adam got ready for one last try and finally made it.
By the time Sele got their pieces out, it looked like Dakal had around half of their puzzle completed. Plus they had Nick on their tribe, who succeeded at solving this same type of puzzle in David vs. Goliath. However, you should never underestimate the blooming duo of Michele and Boston Rob. The two gained momentum and were getting their puzzle together quickly. Meanwhile, Nick and Sarah ran into difficulties and had to start from scratch. Needless to say, Rob and Michele finished the puzzle and completed an outstanding comeback.
Challenge Takeaways
Although Rob had the one puzzle where his unorthodox strategy didn’t work, he proved why he’s won so many tribal and individual immunities. In Survivor: All-Stars he had that remarkable knack for winning both physical and mental challenges, and he hasn’t lost that ability. Michele has also quietly showcased her strong puzzle-solving skills.
In terms of Nick and Sarah’s puzzle meltdown, it happens. I don’t think they’re terrible at puzzles now, but it does put doubt in their ability to come up clutch when their tribe needs them to. Tyson automatically becomes a favorite to return now that he joins Natalie as two of the most athletic players on the Edge of Extinction. Besides those castaways, there weren’t any other significant performances that stood out. It was just another stellar challenge in a stacked season. It feels like these winners have a stronger determination to survive, and that creates more exciting challenges.
Immunity Challenge rankings:
Creativity: 2/5
Difficulty: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 5/5