Expect the unexpected. That should be the daily mantra of every contestant in M-Net’s “Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island”.
The producers have been unrelenting with the curve balls thrown in the game.
In Thursday’s episode, host Nico Panagio caught teams Vuna (orange) and Zamba (green) completely off guard when he asked them to drop their buffs.
This threw a spanner in the works of several alliances as comfort zones were no more.
Episode three kicked off with some individuals reflecting on Pinty’s blindsiding back at camp Vuna. Meanwhile, Santoni took Chappies into her confidence by revealing the clue to an immunity idol.
I’m still not convinced her strategy is a smart one. In this game, while such information can make you an asset, it can also be your downfall. After all, having an ace up one's sleeve and/or leverage is a much-needed lifeline.
Back at the Zamba camp, trust issues surfaced with the most awkward and heated interaction between Thoriso and several other female tribe members.
While the trio, as Thoriso referred to them, wanted her to join them, with some individuals even flexing their clout over having strength in numbers, she wasn’t prepared to be bullied into making a decision.
And she stood her ground, which I absolutely loved! She’s my dark horse as well as an underdog in the game. And I’m rooting for her to go far.
At the start of the Reward Challenge, jaws dropped as Nico revealed a critical game-changer - everyone had to choose a new buff. I’m sure the trio was stewing in regret at that stage.
This move threatened the status quo as six tribe members swamped camps on both sides.
There was another interesting development as well - Tyson was informed of the location of the hidden immunity island and, after finding it, filled his alliance members Anesu and Kiran in on the secret.
At Zamba, former Vuna members Carla and Mike tried to woo over their original Zamba members by tainting the reputation of Chappies and Paul.
Mike cautioned Carla against the move and decided to stay “Vuna-strong”. But it was a case of them being a little too late to the party.
Amy decided to align with the former Vuna outcasts, so to speak.
And when Zamba lost the tribal immunity challenge, Amy was sent to immunity island, where she lost a challenge, leaving the tribe vulnerable as Vuna is able to invade their camp and take three essential items.
Meanwhile, Carla and Mike’s attempts to backtrack on their former decision comes back to bite them as Mike’s torch is extinguished.
As Nico pointed out, it was “out with the old and in with the new”.
Mike was a graceful loser, though.
He admitted: “I’m a little bit sad and also just so grateful to have played the game. The tribe shuffle was a problem.”
And he owned up to his biggest blunder being a failure to maintain his alliance.
“They got me good, so best of luck,” he added.
“Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island” airs on M-Net on Thursdays at 7.30pm.