Chrissy Sarnowsky has played an under-the-radar game, at least by the edit, thus far in Survivor 48. She has typically gone with the flow of her tribe, opting to stay loyal and go with the target of the majority alliance without making any waves or rocking the boat. This strategy has kept her safe, but she also kept her from being impactful or influential on the season.
That changed in episode 7, and Chrissy began to look towards the future. The tribes have officially merged, and by the end of the episode, the player voted out became the first member of the jury. Knowing that winning the game may require some big moves, Chrissy started thinking about her role in the game.
She was not thrilled with her reflection, as she decided to make headlines during Tribal Council. The question is, how much did her antics hurt her with her fellow castaways?
Chrissy makes waves at split tribal council
During Tribal Council on episode 7, Chrissy felt the time was right to speak her mind. When the tribe was talking about sticking together and staying loyal, she decided to add in her two cents. A focal point in the conversation was about loyal, solidified alliances that can move through the game for the long term. Honesty was also a central focal point.
It was this topic that sent Chrissy on her diatribe. She commented that honesty and loyalty in Survivor are essentially non-existent. "If you play honest, it's just not the game," she stated at one point. Joe called it out, suggesting history has shown loyal alliances sticking together to the end. Again, Chrissy disagreed.
"But, to me, you've got to make moves and you got to have that resume at the end of the game. And if we're all honest and loyal to each other, who's gonna have the resume? We're just all gonna be kumbaya walking in there, and the best guy with the best story wins? I don't like that, cause guys like Joe, guys like David are-are beasts... and they got great stories," Chrissy stated at one point in tribal.
Well, that will certainly open some eyes. And it did, at least between David Kinne, Joe Hunter, and Sai Hughley. Chrissy seemed to recognize that, because she tried to backtrack by saying her honesty and loyalty will have to end, "at some point" but tried to reassure that the time was not at that tribal. The problem is, the damage was already done, and Sai, among others, was very quick to point it out.
Chrissy survived the tribal council, as the tribe unanimously eliminated Sai. The words she spoke, however, may come back to haunt her.
Chrissy may be in trouble on episode 8
CBS recently released a sneak peek trailer for the upcoming episode, and it appears Chrissy could be in some trouble. She is instantly aware that she needs to do damage control, and wants to discuss with her tribe why she had said what she did at the tribal council that night.
According to Chrissy, all the words she said during the hours-long tribal were simply smack talk. She did not mean any of it, and she said she had to play some of it up to make it seem to Sai and potentially others that they were not as close to each other as it may appear. " I just want to let you guys know, whatever I say at tribal, don't listen to a word."
In a confessional, Chrissy admits that she meant every word. She says they need to stop being a big happy family and start playing the game if anyone else wants a shot at the million dollars. The big question is, did the tribe buy it? While they did not say it explicitly, it appears the tribe was not sold on the explanation.
If that is the case and they truly are not sold, then Chrissy could be in a lot of trouble. Directly mentioning players' names in Tribal Council and openly admitting she will be lying makes for a very hard uphill battle to get anyone to trust you again.
Is Chrissy right? Absolutely! Players need to wake up because only one can win. There is no eight-person final where everyone splits the money. If you are not the winning player, then you need to make a move to become that player. The problem for her is that you cannot say that to the tribe openly.
It is truly enjoyable to see Chrissy start playing the game and wanting to make moves. It gives the season something exciting to watch for. Hopefully, she can maneuver her way out of the sticky situation she finds herself in and make it deeper into the game, because watching her personality come out makes for exciting and intriguing television.