In an episode of Winners at War where names were flying out every which way, Kim Spradlin quietly broke a Survivor record that is worth talking about loudly.
This piece will discuss the events of Survivor: Winners at War episode 9, “War is Not Pretty,” including the events of the Immunity Challenge.
This season has been decidedly focused on the middle to new-school players, as Winners at War squeezed every ounce of greatness from the old-school players while they were still in the game. Players like Ben and Amber have had a bigger focus throughout the season, while legends of the game like Kim Spradlin have had minuscule, if not quiet, edits overall.
However, Kim Spradlin did something in Survivor: Winners at War episode 9 that should not be glossed over, especially in an hour of television that was very much rushed through. She competed in an Immunity Challenge with ten others, balancing on a buoy with increasingly narrow and more difficult balance beams. Of the 11 competitors, she came out on top with the immunity win.
There’s a lot more to it than that, however. By winning, Kim Spradlin secured her fifth individual Immunity Challenge victory throughout her Survivor history, breaking a four-way tie with Kelly Wiglesworth, Jenna Morasca, and Chrissy Hofbeck that had stood at four for the longest time. Alongside those players, Kim had previously won all four Immunity Challenges within the span of an individual season.
The previous challenges Kim Spradlin has won, in order from first to most recent, include “Slip Slidin’ Away” (slip down a slide, grab numbered balls and score a point in 1v1 matchups), “I Hold On” (hold onto a beam behind your back with increasing difficulty), “Balance Beam Maze” (series of maze and balance obstacles), and “Operation Balance Build” (stack wooden bowls by moving them through a metal structure).
She’s won a variety of Immunity Challenge, with a focus on dexterity, precision, endurance, and speed. The fact that she didn’t get the pomp and circumstance of breaking a Survivor Immunity Challenge record is the best thing that could happen to her, as it allows for her to continue an under-the-radar game.