We're the Only Choice

**We're the Only Choice** is the sixth episode of *Survivor 41.*

## Story

Once Deshawn has been voted out of the game, things are much calmer around the Yase camp. Everyone sits around the fire, joking that everything feels so much quieter without Deshawn's constant paranoid gossiping. Voce is the first to go to bed, exhausted after thinking he was going home all day. The other three discuss the idea of working together moving forward, and Xander gets the other two to agree to voting off Voce next if they lose again. Once Xander heads off to bed, Brad and Sydney stay up to discuss the game further, agreeing that the two of them need to look out for each other no matter what. They add weight to their partnership by making a Final 2 deal, shaking on it.

As there is no Reward Challenge, the castaways have a day at camp, which naturally leads to some strategizing. On Luvu, the four remaining members agree that the merge is coming soon, and that it would be best for the four of them to try to stick together to pull together a majority alliance. Danny plans on pulling allies from Luvu while JD and Sara plan to pull allies from Ua. Evvie promises to leave behind her old allies and work with them at the merge, trying to get herself in the best position possible. It works, as the other members of Luvu agree that Evvie seems to be truly on their side. Things are less chummy on Ua. Liana has recently pledged her allegiance to Genie and Abraham, as Abraham made the move to show her his Knowledge is Power advantage to lock them in as a three. However, Shan works overtime to get Liana on her side, as Erika has told her she will go wherever the numbers lie. Shan talks to Liana about working together for the culture, also trying to emotionally manipulate her into keeping her around. Distraught, Liana feels caught between her game and her values, not knowing which side she should go to. Genie and Abraham are aware of this, trying to get her to push Shan away, but Liana struggles to keep the persistent schemer from getting inside her head.

At the Immunity Challenge, Ua loses by a landslide when Genie and Abraham struggle to keep up on the swimming portion and no one on the tribe can make accurate ring tosses. The growing conflict over Liana's vote comes to a head, as Shan pulls Liana and Erika off to talk the moment they get back from Tribal Council. Shan talks about wanting a woman of color to make it to the end, and how she believes her life will have little meaning if she falls out of the game she loves so early. Erika seems a little put off by Shan's overly passionate plea, but Liana feels trapped. Genie and Abraham can sense Liana's wavering trust due to the constant manipulation from Shan, and Genie decides to play her trump card. She reveals her Vote Steal to Liana, telling her she will be using it tonight no matter what on Shan, so even if Liana wants to flip due to Shan's campaigning, she cannot. Liana finally accepts that she must vote out Shan, pushing aside the manipulation. At Tribal Council, Shan realizes she is doomed when Liana does not reassure her about the vote, having an emotional meltdown about her performance in the game. Hoping for a hail mary, Shan chooses to utilize her Shot in the Dark, but it does not save her. Genie keeps her Vote Steal to herself, knowing Shan is going home. Having lost her ability to vote, Shan thus leaves the game in a 4-0 vote.

## Challenges

**Immunity Challenge:** *Kenny Log-Ins*

Starting on a platform in the middle of the ocean, tribes must swim to three further platforms on their way back to shore, collecting a bag of logs on each platform along the way. Back on shore, they will use the logs to push out smaller wooden pieces from a chute, then find the piece which had a key to a chest that would unlock three rings. The first two tribes to land all three of their rings on their target win.

**Winner:** Yase and Luvu

## Next Time on Survivor...

Liana recovers after Shan's emotional manipulation...

...and while it seems a merge is on the horizon...

...things never come that easy in this new era of *Survivor.*

## Trivia

The episode title was said by Genie Chen when telling Liana Wallace she was playing her Vote Steal, and thus Liana had no options for the vote besides working with Genie.