Shooting a Finger Off

**Shooting a Finger Off** is the ninth episode of *Survivor 41.*

## Story

Returning back from camp, Danny's majority alliance is thrilled to have taken power, having a solid majority on the tribe now with only ten players left. However, they are less thrilled that their intended target of Abraham played his idol, happy to have gotten rid of an idol but worried about the three Yase's still being in the game. Many of the members of the alliance suspect Genie of having leaked the vote to him, although no one approaches her about it at first since she did vote with them. JD is nervous to have gotten votes, but Danny and Sara both soothe him, reminding him that their group is now in power. Meanwhile, Abraham, Liana, and Xander are also thrilled to have survived, but they are upset with Genie for not voting JD with them. Genie apologizes profusely, promising she still wants to work with them but felt trapped in the middle. Her distrust of Erika outweighed her relationship with JD from Ua. The three relent, telling Genie they will work with her, but once she leaves they all agree they need to keep an eye on her.

Distraught that her decision may have been wrong, Genie goes to sit on the beach, and Brad follows her. The two discuss the game, with Genie apologizing for using the information he gave her about Abraham against him. Brad says it's alright, and the two agree that they need to take control while they still are in the middle of the tribe. Reaffirming their trust, Genie reveals the idol clue she found on the sit out bench at the last Reward to Brad, and the two agree to begin idol searching the next day. The next morning, the two are shown waking up before everyone else. They follow the clue to a grove of oddly shaped trees, where Brad discovers the idol. The two celebrate before hiding the idol and agreeing to use it to help their games forward.

Later in the day, the ten remaining castaways gather for what they believe is their next Individual Immunity Challenge. However, Jeff reveals a twist. The ten castaways of Viakana will be split into two teams of five for the round, and each team will attend Tribal Council, with one person from each team being immune. Whichever castaway lasts the longest during the challenge will win their team Reward, sending their team to Tribal first so they can watch the other team's Tribal while enjoying a feast. The castaways draw rocks, revealing their groups.

Sydney and Danny are the last ones left hanging for their groups, ensuring themselves Immunity. Danny manages to outlast Sydney, winning the Reward for his group. Afterwards, the two teams are split up. On the Green team, Danny finds himself with three official members of his alliance along with Genie, who has been working with them so far. This means the group will be forced to turn on itself. Quickly, Genie is singled out as the only non-official member of the alliance, with Danny, Evvie, and JD agreeing she is the easiest target while allowing their alliance to remain strong. They try to pull in Brad to make it unanimous, but Brad is unwilling to see Genie go after they found the idol together. He tells her she is in the hot seat, and the two agree they must try to break the group. They decide to target Evvie, as she has some connections to the Yase's who are in the minority, and they do not think JD or Danny would flip on each other. Danny and JD seem unreceptive to any advances to vote out Evvie, trying to convince Brad to stop rallying for Genie. Things seem at an impasse, as Brad and Genie cannot find someone to vote with them. While she doesn't like being targeted, Genie knows she has some tricks up her sleeve due to her advantages that could save her. Before it is time to vote at Tribal Council, Genie stands up and declares she is playing her vote steal on Evvie, which shocks everyone besides herself and Brad. Evvie is heartbroken, knowing that without a vote her fate is sealed. Danny and JD recognize the same thing, knowing their two votes will not be enough to save Evvie. Thus, Evvie is voted out unanimously 5-0.

Meanwhile, on the Yellow tribe, only two members of the majority alliance can be found: Sydney and Sara. They find themselves in the new position of being on the bottom, as the three Yase's that have been pushed in the minority (Abraham, Liana, and Xander) have by luck remained together. Sara's life in the game seems to be over, as Sydney is immune and the other three members of the tribe are nearly inseparable allies. Sara mopes a little, doing her best to be kind to everyone but not knowing how to save herself. However, Sydney does not want to see Sara go if she does not have to, as she wants to keep her majority as strong as possible. She tries to convince Xander to flip with her and Sara, talking about how the other Tribal will fracture her alliance, and that the two of them can run the game from the middle with Sara as a number. She also talks about how Abraham is a massive threat after saving himself last vote. While Xander is tempted to make a move, he does not want to get rid of Abraham who he now views as a shield, and his trust in Sydney is dwindling now that they are on separate sides of the game. Thus, at Tribal Council, Sara is predictably voted out 4-1, with Sydney deciding to vote for her as well in hopes of not alienating herself completely from the Yase's.

## Challenges

**Reward/Immunity Challenge:** *Vampire Bats*

The castaways will hang from a bar for as long as they can. After twenty minutes, they will be allowed to use only their legs to hold them up. Once they drop from the bar, they are out of the challenge. Last person left hanging from each group wins immunity.

**Additional Stipulation:** Whoever lasts the longest will send their group to Tribal Council first, allowing them to enjoy a feast while viewing the other group's Tribal.

**Winners:** Danny McCray (*Green Team*) & Sydney Segal (*Yellow Team*)

## Next Time on Survivor...

After the chaotic split Double Tribal...

...some try to pull their ruined plans back together...

...while others are ready to play their own games...

...and the only certainty is that there is nothing certain in this new era of *Survivor.*

## Trivia

The episode title was said by Sydney Segal when talking about how voting off Sara Wilson felt like shooting off her own finger because Sara was a useful ally, and her going would weaken Sydney's game.