Game of Chicken

Game of Chicken is the ninth episode of .
==Story==
===Night 16===
Shortly after the Kula Kula tribe returns from Tribal Council, Romeo Escobar thanks the tribe for keeping him, saying that he has no hard feelings for anyone. In reality, he is upset at his tribemates for deceiving him. 
Meanwhile, an incensed Hai Giang interrogates his tribemates to find out who cast the stray vote against him. Tori Meehan denies it, leading Hai to his prime suspect, Romeo.
Although Romeo also refuses to acknowledge that he cast the vote, he admits in a confessional that he intended to make Hai uneasy with the stray vote, which worked.
Romeo uses this opportunity to shed a light on Hai's paranoia and tries to persuade Hai's allies to turn on him, citing that Hai is only getting skittish because he has lied to numerous people.
===Day 17===
				
				
The next morning, Rocksroy Bailey strategizes with Hai, Jonathan Young, and Mike Turner at the water well. Hai is adamant on voting out Romeo for his paranoia and for lying about voting against him. However, Rocksroy puts forth another suggestion. In the interest of taking advantage of the men's 6-4 numbers' advantage over the women, he proposes a men's alliance with Hai, Jonathan, Mike, and Omar Zaheer for their mutual protection. Jonathan and Mike are keen.
Mike and Rocksroy bring Omar into the loop, but he is wary, especially given his lack of prior association with Rocksroy and his doubt that he can win immunity against Jonathan or Mike. Similarly, Hai is put off by the idea and by Rocksroy's approach to strategy, but gives his affirmation to placate Rocksroy.
At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst takes the Immunity Necklace back from Tori. Jeff then explains the mechanics of the challenge: Bermuda Triangles Case. Then, he reveals that the tribe will be divided into two teams of five—one member will win immunity, and one member will be voted out in a Double Elimination. The last person standing overall will win a reward of beef and vegetable kebabs for their team to enjoy at camp. The winner's team will also vote second, gaining the advantage of knowing who was voted out at the first Tribal Council. Assigned to the blue team are Jonathan, Tori, Drea Wheeler, Lindsay Dolashewich, and Maryanne Oketch. Assigned to the orange team are Hai, Mike, Omar, Romeo, and Rocksroy.
Within seconds of the challenge starting, Maryanne, Rocksroy, Omar, Mike, Drea, and Tori drop out in rapid succession as a result of the strong waves. Barely a minute in, Romeo touches his pyramid and exits the challenge, giving Hai the win on the orange team. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Lindsay fight against the swells on the blue team, managing several recoveries before Lindsay eventually drops out, giving Jonathan immunity. Then, Jonathan outlasts Hai to win reward for the blue team. Jeff gives the necklaces to the two men and sends the orange team to the old Taku camp, while the blue team returns to the Kula Kula camp to enjoy their reward. Mike relishes in the fact that Romeo is vulnerable, allowing him to stick with his men's alliance as intended.
The orange team walks into the old Taku camp, and Omar shows the men around.
Hai comments that the teams have been isolated from each other, preventing cross-communication for the next three to four hours. Rocksroy gets the team started on settling food for the afternoon. Mike and Rocksroy go off on a walk, where they affirm Romeo's certain elimination. Rocksroy thinks the men are unlikely to waver, and believes this will carry him forward.
Omar sees Rocksroy's rigidity as a disadvantage of keeping him around. He goes to Romeo, exposing the men's alliance and proposing that they sway Hai into disposing of Rocksroy. However, Romeo has no trust in Hai, fueling his worry.
Omar shares his plan with Hai, who agrees that Rocksroy is getting difficult to work with. Hai has his reservations and wants to be open about the plan with his number-one ally Mike so that they keep trust. Hai has a conversation with Mike, conceding that Romeo is untrustworthy, but admits that he pales in threat level to Rocksroy. Mike is wary, believing that taking out Rocksroy at this stage will break trust with the majority alliance. Regardless, Mike decides that he and Hai will come to a consensus together and make a move based on that agreement.
Meanwhile at the blue team, the women and Jonathan are cooking and enjoying their kebabs. Lindsay expresses her disappointment in losing the challenge, but is glad that her Taku alliance is in control on this team. The blue team speculates on who is going home on the orange team, believing that Romeo is the likely target for his earlier scuffle with Hai.
Jonathan believes the Double Elimination affords him the ideal opportunity to make a big move. He talks to Maryanne, and they agree that they should take out Drea and flush her idol. Jonathan proposes Maryanne as a decoy vote, but his condescending tone draws her ire. Against Jonathan's orders, Maryanne informs Tori of the plan, to her gratitude. Tori is aware that Drea has been targeting her since the merge, and is onboard with taking out Drea because it affords her a chance to stay alive.
Jonathan then coordinates the decoy vote with Drea. Drea agrees that it makes sense to flush Maryanne's idol, but is worried because she has been isolated from her allies. She is also concerned that Jonathan wants to flush idols, since she is in possession of one herself.
Jonathan then has a conversation with Lindsay. Lindsay is on board with voting out Drea to flush an idol and get the Taku four into the majority, but is alarmed by the fact that the secondary target is on Maryanne. She sounds off that, if Drea plays her idol, Maryanne will leave with her idol and her Extra Vote. Jonathan is taken aback when he realizes this hole in his plan. Lindsay believes she can convince Drea to vote against Tori instead, capitalizing on their bad blood, but Jonathan insists that Drea will compare notes with Tori. Lindsay is frustrated that Jonathan does not trust her; instead, his unwillingness to account for the social relationships he is unaware of is causing him to make a risky play.
Lindsay and Jonathan get into a strategic argument, with Jonathan confident that Drea will not play her idol and telling Lindsay to calm down. Lindsay is irritated, believing that Jonathan's power trip has blinded him to logic. Talking with Tori, Lindsay thinks Jonathan is being an idiot. Lindsay then confirms the Drea plan with an agreeable Maryanne before the blue team makes their way to Tribal Council.
Under a downpour, the orange team walks into Tribal Council, with Chanelle Howell sitting as the first member of the jury. Jeff comments that Hai is shivering, and Hai replies that he has no body fat left. Omar comments on the lifelong lessons that can be gleaned from these "sucky" moments. Jeff asks Mike about the dynamic on the five-man team. Mike summarizes that any calculated plans go out the door as soon as the Immunity Challenge concludes, leaving them with only hours to devise a new plan. Hai believes that everyone has to adapt to their circumstances, and that each player's destiny is frequently out of their control. 
Rocksroy comments that the men were mellow, mostly eating coconuts rather than strategizing during their afternoon together. Jeff wonders if this is like a "game of chicken", to which Rocksroy believes it is more likely that most of his team is already aware of the plan. Jeff brings up the Shot in the Dark and how that forces everyone to be in on the plan to minimize paranoia, and Mike believes that everyone on his team has played it safe instead of scrambling. When asked for a "label" on the afternoon, Romeo admits that the absence of women allowed the men to play by intuition, finding this dynamic interesting. Rocksroy agrees, dismissing that there was any big decision to make. He is confident his original plan is still at play. The men go to vote. When the votes are read, Rocksroy finds himself blindsided, 4-1, before walking to the jury bench to join Chanelle. Whispering to Chanelle, Rocksroy realizes that Hai and Romeo had conspired against him. He hopes they freeze.
Jeff then brings the blue team into Tribal Council. Seeing Rocksroy on the jury bench, the blue team members are all noticeably shocked. Drea expresses her surprise. When prompted by Jeff for what she thinks happened, she replies "I don't know," visibly lost for words. Lindsay declares that Rocksroy's elimination has thrown off the orange team's plan. Drea is unsettled by seeing Chanelle and Rocksroy on the jury bench, not realizing that they would be gone so soon, and admits that this will change her mindset going forward, but in a way in which she is not certain yet. Though terrified at the 1-in-4 odds of elimination, Tori admits that the Double Elimination has opened up the game, allowing new dynamics to form between previously unaligned individuals. 
Maryanne comments that it is crucial to take into account Rocksroy's elimination. Drea agrees, but is upset at seeing two of the four Black contestants eliminated in succession. While Drea does not believe Rocksroy's elimination was race-related, she feels that subconscious biases could have been at play. This is her cue to play more actively, declaring that she will play her Hidden Immunity Idol to stay in the game so that a third Black player will not join the jury.
Immediately, Tribal Council goes live. Jonathan whispers to Drea, asking what she wants to do; she responds that she wants Tori out. Tori tries to talk Drea down, but Drea is unassuaged. Drea clarifies that playing her idol will allow her to play more strategically going forward. Tori finds herself left out of the whispers, and confesses that playing cool is her strategy. Then, Lindsay tells Tori that the split vote between Drea and Maryanne is still live, and informs Tori to vote against Drea. Maryanne then admits to Tori that, based on principle, she cannot bring herself to vote against Drea. 
 
An emotional Maryanne then brings a racial lens to the conversation, stating that outside factors are at play tonight, and both Drea and Maryanne refuse to perpetuate the cycle of Black contestants being voted out one after the other. Drea is resolute on playing her idol. Jonathan misconstrues the discussion as an attack on his character, believing Drea and Maryanne to be accusing him of racism. The women are quick to correct him, and Drea puts her foot down, telling Jonathan not to call her "aggressive"; Jonathan calls her "aggressive", upsetting Drea and drawing a shocked reaction from Chanelle on the jury. Maryanne informs Jonathan to be aware of his subconscious biases. She and Drea continue to insist that they are not trying to imply that his actions are racially motivated, only that this is how they are perceiving the situation. Drea also tells Jonathan not to center himself in this scenario, and is frustrated that Black people like herself are frequently silenced for speaking about race. She proclaims that her intentions of playing Survivor were for minority representation. 
Overcome, Drea states that, throughout the game, she has had to be hyperfocused on her conduct. She believes it is important, as representatives of the Black community, that Maryanne and herself do the right thing at Tribal Council. Maryanne agrees, believing that an incorrect narrative may be spun that the two women played the "race card", so she declares that she will play her idol alongside Drea. She speaks to the viewers, affirming that she does not want the perception that she made it another day "because of race". Lindsay empathizes with Drea and Maryanne's position, stating that she is on their side as far as the race discussion goes. 
Maryanne states her biggest fear is standing by in the face of injustice. Though she concedes that she is unaware of the circumstances behind Chanelle and Rocksroy's eliminations, she believes an injustice would be committed if she continues the pattern of putting Black contestants on the jury. Maryanne then talks about the importance of representation; some people are uncoupled from the burden of having to represent their communities, but minorities like Maryanne have to grapple with this burden. To her, these privileges and burdens distort the equal one-in-eighteen chance of winning the game. Jonathan clarifies his position and his love for his castmates. Maryanne affirms that there was no intention of accusing anybody of racism. Tori feels uncomfortable with continuing Tribal Council processions in the wake of the discussion, and Lindsay agrees. Jeff offers them the right to skip the "pomp and circumstance" of voting, instead keeping the vote verbal. 
Drea and Maryanne keep to their agreement and turn in their idols, granting themselves immunity de facto and leaving only Lindsay and Tori as available options. Tori wants to know why the rest of the team want to keep Lindsay; Drea states that Tori has been gunning for her since Ika, which Tori refutes but accepts as a reason regardless. Jonathan believes Tori has lied to her, and that he has a better relationship with Lindsay. Maryanne is left without options, and has to vote against Tori. The team agrees to unanimously vote against Tori, and Tori states that she will play her Shot in the Dark. Jeff clarifies that, should Tori draw the "Safe" scroll, Lindsay will go home by default. Tori walks up to the voting booth. In the meantime, Drea rests on Jonathan's shoulder and accepts his consolations.
Tori returns with her Shot in the Dark scroll, handing it to Jeff. He opens it to reveal "Not Safe", and Tori is sent to the jury, accepting her fate before bidding farewell to her team. As Tori leaves the set, Jeff sends the blue team back to camp.
==Challenges==
Reward/Immunity Challenge: Bermuda Triangles CasePerched on a floating roof-shaped structure, castaways must stand and balance on narrow footholds. If at any point they lose their balance or fall off the structure, they are out of the challenge. The last person left standing from each team wins. The last person standing overall wins reward for their team.Reward: Beef and veggie kebabs and the right for their team to vote second.Winners: () and () (As the last person standing, Jonathan won reward for the Blue Team.)
==Tribal Council==
===Orange Team===
colspan="2" 	
VotedAgainst	Voter
 	
 	
colspan="2" 	
==== Voting Confessionals ====
No voting confessionals were aired in this episode.
==== Final Words ====
Rocksroy's final words were aired in the closing credits.
===Blue Team===
colspan="2" 	
VotedAgainst	Voter(Tori used Shot in the Dark and was not safe)
 	
 	None
 	None
colspan="2" 	
==== Voting Confessionals ====
Due to the verbal nature of the vote, no voting confessionals were filmed. Tori was shown taking her Shot in the Dark.
==== Final Words ====
===Still in the Running===
								
								
==Trivia==
===Secret Scenes===
*(Untitled): Romeo comes out to his tribemates and shares his coming out story.https://ew.com/tv/survivor-42-romeo-gay-deleted-scene/
*If You Don't Win You're Going Home: Tori reveals the importance of the upcoming Immunity Challenge to her game.https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/5RJDjfCw4DbDBgfJoRiajM9sasDwL5_Q/
*Jonathan Won For Us: The blue team from the Immunity Challenge enjoys a kebab meal together.https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/dUbzzRZ_s5PuvVl__yalBZcG4XGmf0O2/
===Behind the Scenes===
*In her exit interview, Drea stated that she was the only woman to be a part of Rocksroy's proposed all-male alliance.https://ew.com/tv/survivor-42-drea-wheeler-interview/
*In his exit interview, Omar claimed that he and Drea had agreed to eliminate Rocksroy prior to the Immunity Challenge.https://ew.com/tv/survivor-42-omar-zaheer-interview/
*Unaware that he was about to be blindsided, Rocksroy used Omar as a decoy boot to convince Romeo he was safe. After he believed the plan was settled, Rocksroy put the strategic discussions on lockdown, ironically sealing his own fate.https://robhasawebsite.com/survivor-42-omar-zaheer-interview/ (2:05:00)
===Other===
* This is the first episode of the season where nobody sat out of a challenge.
* This is the second episode, after , where one of the randomly-selected teams was comprised entirely of the same gender.
* The Immunity Challenge lasted 4 minutes, the shortest duration for any variation of Sea Legs.https://robhasawebsite.com/survivor-42-omar-zaheer-interview/ (2:03:00)
* This is the second episode, after , where a negating idol is played before the votes are cast.
** This is the first time that multiple idols were played before the votes were cast.
* Because of the verbal vote, Tori becomes the first contestant to play an advantage after the votes are revealed. However, her Shot in the Dark failed and had no power.
* Tori becomes the first woman to be voted out through a verbal vote.
* This episode ties for the fewest contestants receiving votes at a Double Elimination, with only 3.
* After this episode, Taku outnumbers both Ika and Vati for the first time this season.
* The episode title is said by Jeff Probst in a comment about the orange team's dynamics.
==References==
Category:Survivor (U.S.)
Category:Episodes
Category:Survivor (U.S.) Episodes
Category:Survivor 42
Category:Survivor 42 Episodes