‘Survivor’ 45 Recap: Jeff Probst Shocked as Another Player Quits

Kelli Boyle October 18, 2023, 9:30 pm

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Survivor

Music to My Ears

Season 45 • Episode 4

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[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Survivor Season 45 Episode 4, “Music to My Ears.”]

Even a tribe swap couldn’t stop an original Lulu member from being voted out in Survivor 45’s fourth episode. If it’s any consolation, the new Lulu wasn’t sent to Tribal Council (the “Lulu loser” streak is over — they won an immunity challenge!), but an original bearer of a yellow buff became the fourth consecutive Lulu member to be voted out. And Jeff Probst (and viewers, no doubt) were not pleased when that player asked to be voted out like Hannah in the premiere.

Jeff gathered the three teams for what they thought was a challenge, but it turned out to be a tribe swap. Players randomly selected buffs wrapped in burlap from a bowl to create new teams. The results were Emily going to Belo (the only new tribe with members from all three previous groups), Kaleb staying at Lulu, and Sean going to Reba.

Emily benefited most from this change-up. Instead of leading with her cut-throat attitude as she did in the premiere, Emily decided to let her new team get to know the real her first, strained relationships with Lulu and all. That way, she looked like a team player to Drew and Austin, formerly from Reba, and Brando and Kendra, who remained from Belo. Drew and Austin, a strong alliance with an idol and an advantage in their favor, hit it off with the strategic Emily and immediately roped her into their alliance.

Kellie was right to make friends with the all-male and all-female alliances at Belo. With four former Belos switching to Lulu, she moved camps with almost all of her friends. Katurah, however, made her dislike of Bruce clear when questioning the story Bruce told them about the journey he, Kaleb, and Brandon went on earlier this season. Right there, Katurah became a target for Bruce, and Katurah — who’s been gunning for Bruce’s elimination since Day 1 — seems to be fine with that. Kaleb understood where the old Belo divisions lay when she warned of Bruce’s potential threat to their games.

Jeff Probst and players in 'Survivor' Season 45 Episode 4

Players pick new buffs in Survivor Season 45 Episode 4 (Credit: Robert Voets/CBS)

At Reba, Sean was the only new member. Everyone else — Julie, Dee, J, and Sifu — had been on Reba all season long. He quickly bonded with J, but Julie and Dee (with Sifu’s help) went through Sean’s bag looking for an idol to no avail. The women are convinced Sifu has an idol (he doesn’t; Reba’s idol left with Austin) and want him out, but for the sake of having enough physical strength for challenges, they want to keep Sifu and cut Sean.

'Survivor' 45 Recap: Emily Stages Major Blindside After New Idol Backfires

The immunity challenge was an ultimate test of teamwork. From standing inside a bamboo cage, the new tribes had to carry the massive structure from the water across the beach and precisely place it on a marked spot. Then, they had to dig a tunnel under the cage big enough for one player to crawl out. That player then untied and passed balls to their teammates in the cages, one of whom would try to shoot them into three baskets of different heights to win.

The new Belo and Lulu worked together well, but Reba, not as much. Kaleb snagged the win (and for the first time, flint) for Lulu with his shots. New teammates Kellie, Jake, Bruce, and Katurah celebrated his milestone victory, which made Kaleb tear up. Emily also cried knowing she wasn’t going back to Tribal Council and knowing this win further cemented a bond with her new teammates. Reba struggled with the loss, which marked their first trip to Tribal Council.

Through tears, Dee told Jeff there was no “excitement” going to Tribal Council. She admitted they had less physical strength than the other two new tribes. Given that Sifu was the reason they finished not far behind Belo, he seemed invaluable to Reba, but J told the cameras this was her chance to blindside Sifu and get him out. Dee and Julie also seemed to want Sifu out.

This episode is the first time since the premiere that viewers have seen more of Sifu’s personality and strategy. His confessional revealed self-awareness about the women’s alliance and the incorrect theory that he has an idol. But even with that knowledge, he had no idea the women had put him on the chopping block (given that he was the only reason the tribe nearly caught up in the immunity challenge, they probably should keep him around).

Sean in Survivor Season 45 Episode 3 (Credit: Robert Voets/CBS)

Reba spoke kindly of Sean during Tribal talk with Jeff. And in On Fire, the official Survivor podcast, Jeff revealed that every solo Reba interview for this episode told them that Sifu was going home. That’s why it was so shocking to Jeff when Sean made an emotional appeal to the team, asking them to vote him out, saying his true great “adventure” was his life with his husband at home.

Jeff couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Dee whispered to Julie not to give into Sean’s plea and vote for Sifu instead. Four votes went to Sean, sending him home as he asked, but there was also one vote for Sifu and one vote for Dee. As they hugged goodbye, Sifu whispered, “Did you vote for me?” Sean whispered back no, and Sifu knew that Reba’s trust had been broken. Sean told the truth: the credits revealed that Dee voted for Sifu, and Sean voted for Dee. Julie ignored Dee’s order and voted for Sean, separating herself from her closest ally.

Jeff said Sean made a huge mistake in the podcast, which drops new episodes after each new Survivor episode. He convinced himself he was on the outs, but Sifu was really the goal. Asking to be voted out sealed his own fate. The tribe swap certainly shook things up, but we’d be happy to never see a player self-eliminate again. Hopefully, asking for your own elimination won’t be allowed in the future. Otherwise, what’s the point of even competing?

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS