Coming off of what might’ve been the season’s best week, Week 9 of Australian Survivor 2018 had a lot to live up to. As much as I hate to say it, this week wasn’t up to par with the other weeks. While not a top notch week of episodes, there’s still some thing to talk about here.
Overall Thoughts
Brian gathers in Shonee (far left), Monika (left) and Fenella (right)
One of the things working against this week is that there was an episode with no elimination. Now AU have done non-elimination episodes before. However with this week, it felt like the show was trying to fulfill whatever contracts they have with the network in order to meet a certain number of episodes. So with that in mind, the show introduced a new twist: Dead Man Walking. At Tribal Council in Episode 19, the contestant were told to vote for someone to carry the title of Dead Man Walking. The person left as the Dead Man Walking would not be able to vote for the next two Tribal Councils. If the player is able to make it after those two Tribal Councils, the title is then removed. By the end of Episode 19, Steve was voted the Dead Man Walking. In Episode 20, he ended up being the next person voted out. While I give kudos to the show for trying something different, I don’t think this twist needs to be repeated.
Still, this week had a story to tell: Brian now had a rise in power with Shonee, Fenella and Monika. Shane, Sharn and Steve tried to stick together and tried to take down one of Brian’s new allies. This is probably my favorite part of the two episodes: a case was made for why Brian might end up losing in the end. The other Champions didn’t think he deserved to be there- which potentially makes for three people who wouldn’t vote for Brian in the jury vote.
Stand Out Contestant
For this week, I will pick just one person. Come next week, I will evaluate all of the contestants remaining.
Of the six remaining, I think Shane has the best shot at winning. Looking over the possible final two scenarios, the 63-year-old former Olympics swimmer would probably win against anyone. She’s gotten a fairly positive edit throughout the season, with little to no bad things shown about her. If anything, she was shown to be an oddball on the Champions in the first several weeks. Some people seem to have underestimated her. I think she’s been playing a great game.
I’m still liking Shonee, Fenella and everyone else but for this week- I’m picking Shane.
Favorite Challenge
Once again, I didn’t think the challenges were all that special this week. For my favorite this week, I’m going to go with the immunity challenge from Episode 20. In this challenge, contestants have to walk through several obstacle courses while trying to hold a hole balancing a pole. While challenges involving balls and poles are nothing new to Survivor, watching the challenge had me on the edge of my seat. Steve was pretty close to winning the challenge before Brian could beat him. It was exciting to watch.
Voted Off
In Episode 20, Steve “Commando” Willis was voted off and became the fifth member of the jury. There was a three way tie at first between him, Fenella and Sharn- but in the end, it was Steve who was the one voted out. Even with the title of Dead Man Walking, the fitness trainer was a threat in physical challenges. While he couldn’t vote for two Tribal Councils, the guy could still potentially win challenges. Steve wasn’t as featured as the other contestants in the season. Personally I found Steve to be funny in small doses, whether it was because of something he said or did.
Final Thoughts
Six people are left in the game. It looks like we have two more weeks left of the season. It’s anyone’s game at this point. This should make for an exciting finish.
See you all next week!
next: PCB Australian Survivor Recap Week 10
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.