‘Survivor’ Fans Go Wild Over Contestant’s History-Making Move

Martin Holmes
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Survivor 45 tribal council
CBS

Since Survivor introduced the Shot In The Dark in Season 41, it’s safe to say it’s been a dud. The twist, which gives players a 1 in 6 chance to be safe in exchange for their vote at Tribal Council, has only landed on “Safe” one time, and in that situation, it wasn’t even necessary.

That changed on Wednesday’s (November 1) episode when Kaleb Gebrewold, a 29-year-old software salesperson from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, made history as the first contestant to successfully negate the majority of votes with his Shot In the Dark.

The season so far has been tough for Kaleb, who was part of the cursed Lulu tribe, who visited Tribal Council more than any other tribe in the pre-merge. He was almost blindsided at one point, as his tribemates plotted to vote him out, only for his ally Emily Flippen to clue him in at the last minute and help flip the vote.

Despite his charming ways and likable personality, Kaleb again became a target on Wednesday’s episode after the tribes came together on the same beach. The merged tribe was split into two groups, with only the losing group eligible to receive votes at Tribal Council, and, as has been the case all season long, Kaleb ended up on the losing side again.

Initially, he seemed safe, making his way around to different groups and forming new connections. It looked like everyone was on board to vote out singer-songwriter J. Maya, someone with no real close bonds.

However, returning player Bruce, who was medically evacuated in the first episode of Season 44, suddenly got nervous about Kaleb’s strong social game. He didn’t like how Kaleb was floating between groups and decided now was the time to strike.

After some back and forth with his fellow tribemates, everyone agreed with Bruce to take out Kaleb. Well, everyone except for Emily, who gave her long-time ally a heads-up that the votes were coming his way. Even though Emily couldn’t do anything herself to stop it, she at least wanted Kaleb to have the chance to play his Shot In The Dark.

And that’s exactly what he did. At a tense Tribal Council, Kaleb pleaded his case, throwing J. Maya under the bus in the process. But it was clear he wasn’t changing any minds, so he played his Shot In The Dark and hoped for the best.

Host Jeff Probst flipped over the parchment, and much to everyone’s shock, it read “Safe.” Kaleb literally jumped out of his seat and cheered while the rest of his tribemates looked on with their jaws on the floor. Some were happy for Kaleb; others looked like they’d just seen a ghost.

The successful Shot In The Dark play saw an unprecedented 11 votes negated, all of them for Kaleb. The previous record was nine votes voided when Kelley Wentworth played a hidden idol in Season 31.

Things didn’t slow down from there, though. With all the votes negated, it meant the tribe had to re-vote, with Kaleb no longer an option. Unfortunately for J. Maya, her fellow tribemates dumped all their votes on her, sending her home in a 10-1 vote.

Fans and former players were absolutely buzzing for Kaleb’s history-making move.

“We’re still buzzing over here. What an electric episode that’ll be talked about for years! #Survivor is the best,” wrote Survivor 43 runner-up Owen Knight.

“When they came up with the idea of shot in the dark this was there dream scenario. Have to feel for J Maya but it is awesome that Kaleb is still in the game #Survivor,” said one fan.

“After 45 seasons of #Survivor… You never place ALL your votes on one person. Come on now y’all but it can make great TV,” wrote three-time Survivor player Kelley Wentworth.

“Kaleb’s shot in the dark just led to the biggest moment in the new era of #Survivor,” said Survivor 43’s Jesse Lopez.

“That had to be one of the 5 greatest tribal councils in #Survivor history,” added another viewer.

Check out more reaction below.

Survivor, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS

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