‘Survivor’ Season 42 Episode 5: ‘I’m Survivor Rich,’ Others Not So Much (RECAP)

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Survivor Season 42 Episode 5, “I’m Survivor Rich.”]

In Survivor Season 42 Episode 5, “I’m Survivor Rich,” two of the tribes got along much better than in the tense week prior, but one tribe’s cracks began to show.

While some struggled to gain popularity, others found themselves swimming in Survivor riches. And with the eventual merge approaching, improving alliances and proving yourself valuable is more important than ever.

Hosted by Jeff Probst, the episode aired April 6 on CBS. Here, we break down everything that happened in Survivor Season 42 Episode 5.

After Tribal Council: A Player Wins the Lottery

Following Swati’s dramatic elimination, Rocksroy — the only one who voted for Tori at Tribal Council — figured out why he was blindsided back at camp. As Romeo explains, Swati lost his, Drea’s, and Tori’s trust by playing both sides, telling everyone on the tribe they were her number one. Romeo says Rocksroy made it clear he wasn’t changing his vote, so they made their group choice without him.

He respected their decision and apologized to Tori, but Tori also wants Rocksroy out. In solo commentary, she says she will lie about agreeing to be a united front with the team and continue to try to get Rocksroy out in secret.

Will the Ika tribe find unity?😅 Find out tonight at 8/7c on @CBS!🔥 #Survivor pic.twitter.com/15VXUxMUoA

— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) April 6, 2022

Over at Taku, the team that has been unbeatable in the challenges is starting to fray. Jonathan is annoyed by how much Maryanne and Lindsay talk (judgmental, but OK), and a small, petty fight between him and Maryanne leads Jonathan to strategize with Lindsay about voting her out.

Omar knows better than to get on Maryanne’s bad side, as she has an advantage idol. He’s nervous about Taku going into the upcoming merge weaker than before.

At Vati, Hai reveals in solo commentary he doesn’t trust anyone on their tribe after Jenny’s chaotic elimination in Episode 3. Chanelle and Daniel, who were at serious odds after that same Tribal Council, agree to let “bygones be bygones” if they both make it through the merge. Hai and Lydia strategize about voting Chanelle out. They later point out to Mike and Chanelle that Daniel has been claiming he can’t compete in the swimming challenges because of the shoulder he dislocated in the season premiere, but is now fishing with a spear with that same injured arm.

When Mike asks if it was easy to swim, Daniel says he finds it “relaxing and meditative.” Fascinating. Back at Ika, Romeo and Drea find the last three-way shared immunity idol, but Drea grabs it first. Mike and Maryanne have the other two.

“I have literally checked every single Survivor bucket list here,” Drea says in solo commentary. “I have extra vote, my amulet, and my idol. Currency is everything in Survivor. I think I’m Survivor rich.”

Mike still plans on not letting the other tribes know he has one of the immunity idols. His whole tribe knows he has it, so if they can keep it secret through the merge, they’ll have a secret weapon. He doesn’t get a vote until then, but the idols activate after the merge no matter what.

If Drea and Maryanne reveal they have the idols at the upcoming challenge, Mike could strategically keep the secret, wait it out for the merge, and hope that Drea and Maryanne — strong competitors in their own right — are eliminated before the merge because of their lack of voting power.

Immunity Challenge: Bullseye

Before the day’s challenge, Maryanne says her immunity phrase again, Drea says hers, and surprisingly, so does Mike. And now, they all have their votes back.

“It was a game-time decision,” Mike says in solo commentary. “It was getting later and later in the tribe game, and I really thought my vote was essential.”

For the challenge, everyone will race up and over a tall net ramp. One player will then untangle braided ropes to release a key. That key unlocks a machete. The machete will be used to drop a load of sandbags. The sandbags will then be shot at two targets. The first two tribes to finish are safe from Tribal Council, and they’re playing for a reward: a large tarp and a smaller tarp. Daniel sits out again, saying he “has no value” in this challenge. Careful not to say that too often, dude.

It’s off to the races. The tribes work together well on the nets — a difference from last week. And Tori, Omar, and Chanelle get started on the braided rope.

Tori got the key and the sandbags for Ika first, and Drea took the first shots at Ika’s targets. Mike got the keys and sandbags and started with the sandbags. After Drea got the first target down, Omar was trailing behind. Rocksroy and Mike try next, both missing.

Rocksroy’s next shot wins the challenge for Ika, while Taku finally catches up to the sandbags and hits their first target before Mike gets Vati’s first. In the final moments, Mike and Jonathan are neck and neck. Jonathan hits Taku’s second target first, leaving Vati in last.

Before heading back, Jeff tells Ika to choose two players to go on a journey. They choose Lydia from Vati and Rocksroy from their own team.

“I’m actually really excited about losing today,” Hai says in solo commentary, “because now I get to trim the fat. Chanelle and Daniel are the fat of the tribe because I trust them the least. They led me on. When they drew the tribal lines, I knew the game was on.”

Back at the Beaches: Try to Save Face

At Taku, Daniel asks to speak with everyone individually, knowing he’s on the chopping block. Chanelle requests the same thing. Daniel and Hai decide they want to vote out Chanelle. Mike and Chanelle agree to vote out Daniel. His popularity on the team has waned more because of his absence in the challenges and the swimming display he put on earlier.

Hai and Mike then debate between Chanelle and Daniel. Mike says Hai and Lydia are his priority, which goes against what he told Chanelle. The only thing that could mess with this trio’s plan now is if Lydia loses her vote in the summit challenge.

Summit Challenge: Risky Business

Lydia and Rocksroy take their journey, and viewers learn more about their backstories. Lydia tries not to reveal too much about the state of Vati, but says she’s on the bottom. Rocksroy is trying to keep his cards close to his chest as well, but they exchange kind words.

“Rocksroy was being very cagey, and I feel like I was as well,” Lydia says. “I feel like we both wanted to protect our tribe because we don’t know where we’re headed to in this game.”

Now, it’s time to protect or risk their votes. If they both say protect, their votes are safe. If it’s split, the one who chose to protect their vote stays the same, and the one who chose to risk gets an extra vote. If they both risk, they both lose their votes. In the end, they both decided to protect their vote.

Before Tribal Council: Lydia’s Got the Power

Lydia gets updated on what she missed while on her journey, and everyone’s trying to get her on their side. She doesn’t trust Chanelle or Daniel, but it seems one of those two will be eliminated in Tribal Council. There’s no clear one person the majority wants to get out.

Tribal Council

At Tribal Council, Daniel plays nice and compliments Mike, but Chanelle says she sees that as part of his social game. It’s basically Daniel vs. Chanelle in the deliberation before the vote, but neither chooses to play their shot in the dark.

It’s tied between Chanelle and Daniel, and then one person votes for Mike, leading to a revote. Given the tie, the new votes can only be for Chanelle and Daniel, who can’t vote at all. It’s between Mike, Hai, and Lydia, whose three-way alliance is proving powerful. In the end, Daniel is voted out, which really isn’t surprising given his scarce contributions to the challenges and poor social game. The vote for Mike, however, is a shock.

“I kept my promise. Somebody voted for me,” Mike whispers to Chanelle after Daniel leaves. The credits reveal it was Chanelle who voted for him. Uh oh.

Next week, in a two-hour episode, something will make the players drop their buffs, but it won’t be the merge. Make sure to tune in to TV Insider for more Survivor recaps.

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS