Who was voted out of ‘Survivor 45’ this week?

This article contains spoilers for episode 12 of Survivor 45, which aired on Dec. 13 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

Survivor 45’s long-running dominant alliance was shattered last week, and in episode 12, the “Reba 4” finally lost its first alum.

We got two days of play during “The Ex-Girlfriend at the Wedding” and it featured the six remaining castaways preparing for the end game. Reba 4’s Austin Li Coon, Drew Basile, Dee Valladares, and Julie Alley had run the merge until day 21 when Austin and Drew concocted a plan to blindside Julie. But, the scheme was derailed after Austin told his showmance, Dee, that he, Drew, Emily Flippen, Jake O’Kane, and Katurah Topps were writing Julie’s name down.

As history has it, Dee informed Julie about the plan, Julie played her Hidden Immunity Idol at Tribal Council, and her sole vote for Emily was enough to send the financial analyst to Ponderosa.

Knowing Austin and Drew turned their guns on her, Julie took aim at Drew in episode 12. And, with some help, she didn’t miss. Drew was blindsided at the next Tribal Council and sent to Jury as its sixth member.

So, how did the 23-year-old grad student’s campaign for Survivor’s seven-figure payday end? Let’s take a look at days 22 and 23 of season 45!

Dee and Julie pretended to be a fractured duo and players hunted for a Hidden Immunity Idol

Wednesday’s 90-minute episode began as Survivor always does. The remaining players returned to their camp after Tribal Council to decompress and debrief about the happenings of the voting ceremony. Dee was the only player who knew Julie wouldn’t go home that night. But, she put on an Oscar-winning performance by pretending she didn’t as she wanted to avoid being accused of telling Julie about the plan.

It was clear that Julie remained public enemy No. 1 in Drew and Austin’s eyes. And knowing the latter still had his Amulet advantage, which had the power of an Immunity Idol for one more round of play, they were confident Julie only delayed the inevitable.

The next morning, Katurah woke early to hunt for an Immunity Idol. Typically when Idol is used in the game, another is hidden somewhere around camp. But, it was an unsuccessful hunt as Austin spotted her and she stopped looking.

We then got a clip of Julie and Drew talking. They agreed that Reba 4 should still go to the final four together. But, they were both lying to each other, and this was another indication that we were heading into a Julie vs. Drew showdown.

At this point, it appeared that the castaways looked at Dee and Julie as a fractured pair considering Dee voted for her the night before (which was all part of their plan). So, when they had time alone, they smiled and laughed about the situation. And then, they both agreed that it was time to slay Drew — someone they viewed as a mastermind and a major threat to win the game.

The six hopefuls then met host Jeff Probst at the Reward Challenge. In what was the best reward of Survivor 45 thus far, they competed for a picnic. But, it wasn’t just any picnic. They’d dine on a sandspit in the middle of the ocean. And to get there, they’d take a helicopter to soak in the stunning Fijian archipelago.

Austin ultimately won the challenge, which ended with a slide puzzle, and he chose Dee and Katurah to join him in the once-in-a-lifetime experience. Drew was noticeably upset about Austin’s decision to not choose him. But, from a strategic standpoint, the duo knew it’d be best if Drew stuck around camp and kept his eyes on Julie.

Back on Dakuwaqa’s beach, Julie and Jake found time to go off on their own. And that’s when Jake, a contestant who had been on the ropes for days, and Julie mutually agreed to look for the Idol. Jake said in a confessional that he had no interest in babysitting Julie — he had his own game to play.

And a little later, fortune struck when Jake searched for the Idol alone. He found a clue to it, and after stripping down to his underwear, he secured the game-saving power hidden in the tribe’s raft. Jake said that he knew he needed “firepower” to make a flashy move and bolster his resume in the eyes of the Jury, and using an Idol could do just that.

We spent time with Austin, Dee, and Katurah as well. The reward segment focused on the developing romance between Austin and Dee while Katurah enjoyed the helicopter ride and free lunch as a third wheel.

Austin and Drew’s bromance alliance was derailed the next day

All good things must come to an end, which includes Austin and Drew’s time on the island together.

Dee earned her second individual Immunity Challenge victory in season 45 when the six players dueled in a game that had them balancing one foot on a beam that supported a ball.

Back at camp, Austin and Drew confirmed with the others that it was time for “Mama J’s” Survivor escapade to come to a close. But, little did they know, Julie, Dee, Jake, and Katurah were cooking up a blindside. And Drew was the main course.

According to the edit, Jake approached Julie and pitched Drew’s name. Then, Jake locked in Katurah. The Bostonian originally didn’t want Dee a part of the secret pact believing she’d tell Drew and Austin about it.

But, Dee was roped in by the women, and she was all in on Drew’s departure. But, she was hit with a classic dilemma. Should she stay loyal to her showmance, or do what was best for her game? Taking Drew off the chessboard was the right move for Dee. But, for her to do it, she’d need to keep Austin in the dark. And that’s exactly what she did.

As mentioned, this episode focused on Dee and Austin’s relationship, which made Dee not telling Austin about the plan even more cutthroat. When the roles were reversed last episode, Austin told Dee that they were blindsiding her best friend. But, when Dee was cutting Austin’s best friend, she didn’t say a word to him.

She knew Austin’s Amulet was only good for one more Tribal Council. And if he had an inkling that Drew was going to be hit with the most votes, he’d likely play it on him.

So, after Jeff collected the filled voting urn at Tribal Council on day 23, Austin played the Amulet for himself, unknowingly sealing his ride-or-die bro’s fate. After reading off Austin and Drew’s votes for Julie, Jeff pulled out a parchment with Drew’s name on it. And then another, and then another, and then another. The duo was shocked, to say the least.

Drew was ousted in a 4-2 vote and remained silent while his torch was snuffed.

Next week is Survivor 45’s finale, and at this point, it feels like anybody’s game. Although Dee blindsided Austin, they may work together with Julie. But, with Jake’s Idol in the picture and the fire-making challenge on the horizon, anything can happen!