Episode nine opens with our heroes and villains heading straight into the annual Survivor auction, an event usually reserved for later in the game when the tribes have merged into one.
But that’s not all, before the auction can even begin, players are told to drop their buffs and choose a new one from Jonathan.
Our new hero’s tribe is Ben, Gerry, George, Shonee, Matty, Stevie, Paige and Flick, whilst our villain’s tribe is bursting at the seams with muscle including Nina, Sammi, Liz, David, Shaun, Simon Hayley, and Jordie.
Shonee soon quips that she wants a refund because the so-called “spice girls” have been split up: ”I’m feeling stressed and depressed.”
The new villains tribe is muscle mania!
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Elsewhere, Jordie is exasperated that he continues to be stuck with Simon who immediately starts sucking up to the so-called “meat tray alliance” formerly of the hero’s tribe.
”We’ve got a lot of muscle in this tribe, being around that makes me very uneasy,” Jordie says.
”And I’m still stuck with Simon. Yay. Fantastic.”
Poor Jordie, he couldn’t muster anymore enthusiasm if he tried.
And he’s not the only one who is uneasy, the heroes knowing they will surely struggle in upcoming challenges with all the big boys now together on the one tribe.
But of course, George has to add his two cents in, telling everyone that ”physical strength isn’t the only thing that matters in this game,” a 360 from his attitude in Brains vs Brawns.
What the new heroes tribe lacks in muscle, they make up in brains (kinda).
(IMAGE: Ten)After everyone has settled into their new tribes, the auction begins, and boy do the items differ in quality.
Liz enjoys a cold beer with a burger and fries to match, there’s a bar of semi melted chocolate, Ben splurges on a singular brown onion, Flick foams at the mouth for beef tacos and a frozen margarita, Shaun wants a spag bowl with red wine and Jordie and Matty try to be the better man as they each encourage the other to bid on a call home (they’re both expecting a baby, after all).
After we’re treated to the whole, “no YOU should’, ‘no no, you’re too kind, it must be YOU’ routine, Jordie eventually relents and makes a call home to pregnant fiancée Sam Frost. And in perhaps one of the most heart-warming moments in Survivor history, Sam reveals to Jordie that their baby is a boy!
It’s just a happy moment for everyone all around.
George walks away the luckiest of all as he bids on a mystery uncovered item that ends up being a surprise Survivor party that he can bring any two tribemates too.
So of course, he brings Shonee and Liz, and the spice girls reunite (at least for now).
At the party, George ‘wins’ $60k in a weird gambling advertisement segment and the spice girls enjoy a premium charcuterie board complete with Persian feta and of course an immunity idol.
Three cheers to that!
George and Shonee ask God for guidance as to who they should vote out.
(IMAGE: Ten)Back at the new hero’s tribe, Paige says what we are all thinking: ”The new heroes tribe is a flop, we have no muscle,” before continuing in true Paige fashion to boss everyone around.
At the villains camp, Simon also describes what we are all thinking: ”this has to be the most stacked and jacked tribe in Survivor history.”
And he’s not wrong….
At the immunity challenge, the 1970s-pro-wrestling-level of bulk throwing down at the villains tribe secures them the win, sending the heroes back to tribal for the second night in a row.
Ben is public enemy number one after his antics at last night’s tribal, while George and Shonee ponder who God would want them to vote out, deciding that ”God doesn’t like Paige.”
Speaking of Paige, she’s keen to blindside George, with both camps relying on Gerry as the swing vote.
Come tribal, Shonee plays the idol from the surprise Survivor party for George just in case and Jillaroo Paige gets her torch snuffed.
Long live the king!
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