It's been a couple of months since we wrapped Survivor 47 and people are still talking about the epic finale—as they should!—and if the upcoming season (Survivor 48) will live up to it. But when you rewind and revisit all the gameplay you'll see that season 47 was one of the first great new era seasons as a whole, not just at the end.
And yes, Operation: Italy was definitely a long-running portion of that, but there was so much that happened before that fateful afternoon at the sanctuary you might have forgotten about. So which gameplay moments deserved much more credit?
1. The fall of the Tuku 5
In the first episode post-merge, the tribe was split—half won a reward, and half went to tribal to vote someone out. While at the reward feast, Sol Yi opted out of nap time and instead subtly searched and found an advantage without anyone noticing.
He was able to anonymously send someone attending tribal one of two advantages and secretly passed along safety without power to Rachel LaMont. In using it, she was able to go back to camp before the vote, leaving the remaining Tuku 5 alliance to finally eliminate one of their own, ultimately sending Tiyana Hallums home without making the jury, and signifying the beginning of the end for the alliance.
2. The clue in Rachel's fries at the Survivor auction
Fans were excited when the auction returned in season 45, but there were notable changes. The biggest being Jeff Probst's announcement that there would be no advantages up for auction. This season, however, they snuck a clue for a hidden immunity idol into a bowl of fries that Rachel happened to be the highest bidder on. That was pure luck.
However, the fact that she then managed to cut open a tarp covering her camp's shelter in broad daylight with everyone underneath it to retrieve said idol without being seen? That was extreme skill and deserves much recognition.
3. Rachel's Shot in the Light
With an idol in her pocket and a clear understanding she was on the bottom, Rachel walked into Tribal Council with no clarity of whether or not to use her newly acquired advantage. Knowing her vote was not her highest power at that moment, she gave it up to play her shot in the dark, which did not lead to her safety.
But when she didn't immediately pull out her idol, she made it very clear that the purpose of the Shot in the Dark was not for safety, but for information. She used it to gauge how her fellow castaways reacted to decide if she needed to play her idol or not. She read the room correctly and was not sent home, keeping her idol for when she truly needed it.
4. Trading rice for all of the Shot in the Darks
With Rachel having just used her shot in the dark in a completely new and innovative way, the Survivor currency went up in value. So when Kyle Ostwald managed to get everyone on the tribe—minus Rachel who had already played her shot in the dark—to trade in a key advantage for a bag of rice, it was actually a far bigger strategic move than most might have realized at the time.
After the trade, Kyle won his fourth immunity necklace and, knowing Gabe Ortis was now completely powerless, finally had a clear shot at taking down the tribe mate he saw as his top competitor since day one.
5. Rachel's super-secret immunity idol
Having used her shot in the dark previously to protect her idol for later, Rachel not only held onto the hidden immunity idol she secured after the auction, but she kept it truly hidden. No one knew about the idol except for her and us at home.
This led to the epic moment where she "walked into her own funeral" and out-acted the masterminds of Operation: Italy by making them believe she had nothing left to keep her in the game. So when she pulled out her idol and blindsided Andy Rueda, who had just spent all afternoon telling her why he should win in an attempt to pre-dictate her jury vote, it was one of the best plays of the season.
It's no coincidence that Rachel was a key player in all of these dynamic moments. Nearly everything that happened post-merge was a game-winning move for her, adding further to her already incredible Survivor resume.
Now, the question is: will each season of the new era continue to deliver even more iconic and innovative gameplay than the seasons that came before it? We can't wait to find out!