One of the best things about the classic era of Survivor was always the strategic plotting and sneaky alliances. Moves like Cirie Fields convincing Erik Reichenbach to give up his immunity necklace or Ozzy Lusth making a fake idol—a stick with a face carved into it—that tricked Jason Siska are ones we still remember to this day because they are so iconic.
So much so in fact, that both those players were invited back to play four more times, including for this current anniversary season. But even with their alliance holding strong, there are two other masterminds that seem to be dominating the Cila beach in the most entertaining way possible.
Last week, at the end of Tribal Council, Christian Hubicki created a “distraction” by falling on his way to grab his torch while Rick Devens hid a fake idol by the fire pit. Going into the evening, they were both proud of their plan and ready to make it happen, but in a new sneak peek, the two are absolutely obsessed with how great the move was and how fun it was to perform.
Back at camp, everyone is checking on Christian, who claims, “Tribal Council makes me woozy sometimes.” And apparently, he’s 100% believable as someone who would trip, fall, and become slightly disoriented, because no suspicion was shared by any of his fellow tribe mates—only concern.
And when he and Devens come back together to discuss their execution, all they can do is giggle about the perfection they reached in attempting to do something that’s never been done before in Survivor’s 25 year history.
The most brilliant part of the move is that—while it’s never been done before—it’s absolutely something that could happen in a season as unpredictable as Survivor 50. Similar to when Ozzy’s aforementioned stick appeared on Survivor: Ghost Island as a full immunity idol, we’ve already seen a few things from Survivor past make an appearance this season (such as Exile Island). And every super fan knows that there was once a grand moment at Tribal Council when a hidden immunity idol attempted to be revealed.
Back in the last anniversary season, Survivor: Winners at War, season 33 winner Adam Klein saw a fleur-de-lis accent on the voting podium and was convinced it was a hidden-in-plain-sight immunity idol, even going so far as to “play” it despite not being able to get it off the podium. Host Jeff Probst confirmed it was not an idol, but that if it was, it would have been a historic moment.
So, considering how memorable that attempt at a move was, I don’t think it would surprise any of our players if the show decided to pay homage to the moment and hide a real immunity idol at Tribal Council. Especially since idols have been hidden during public events like challenges before, so that’s not unheard of either.
I mostly can’t wait to see how the “heist” unfurls into the season. Will the move be necessary to make pre-merge, or is this something that will come back much later in the season? Will Christian and Devens remain the only two that know, or will they loop in someone else who needs safety? So many possibilities!