If there’s no fire back at camp, and a player needs to burn something, Tribal Council is the place to do it. That was on the mind of some Survivor fans during season 45’s second episode on Oct. 4.
First, let’s rewind.
Although Lulu had a slew of disappointments through two episodes, it wasn’t all bad for Sabiyah Broderick. After the tribe returned from Tribal Council and honoring Hannah Rose’s desire to quit the game, the five players zeroed in on finding a hidden immunity idol.
The top priority was to ensure the initial target, Emily Flippen, didn’t find an idol, clue, or advantage first. So, they broke out into search parties and Brandon Donlon eventually found a clue to an idol. However, knowing he’d lose his vote until the idol was found, the 26-year-old underdog gave it to Sabiyah, who was beside him when he found it.
The first clue led them to a large tree near their camp. Knowing the idol or another lead was somewhere in or around the tree, they searched and searched but to no avail. It wasn’t until Lulu lost their second Immunity Challenge in a row that Sabiyah secured the package.
Brandon and Emily were vocal about the tribe’s dynamic; they knew one of them would be sent packing that night at Tribal Council. So, they allowed Sabiyah, Sean Edwards, and Kaleb Gebrewold to wander off and discuss the vote. The trio also returned to the tree to continue looking.
They eventually found a rope attached to a bag high up on a branch. They released it and Sabiyah came into possession of an immunity idol. However, there was a catch.
“Your idol is encased in wax,” an attached note read. “You must burn away the wax to take possession.”
“We have no fire,” Sabiyah said, laughing alongside Sean.
Unfortunately for Lulu, they hadn’t won anything up to that point. Flint has been at stake for them each time they’ve stood in front of host Jeff Probst at a challenge. But, they remained flintless five days in.
“Thanks, Jeff,” Sabiyah said facetiously. “Because Lulu hasn’t had a fire this whole time. So, I don’t have a vote and I don’t have my idol. My heart drops.”
There was plenty of fire at Tribal Council, Redditors pointed out
“In this game, fire represents your life. When your fire’s gone, so are you.”
That’s an iconic quote from Jeff to players who enter Tribal Council and light their torches for the first time. Fire and the voting battleground have always been linked, and the set is filled with flames.
So, why didn’t Sabiyah burn her waxed-out immunity idol at Tribal? Virtually everybody on Lulu knew about it and since it takes hours to film the segment, she’d have time to — at least — put a dent in the wax.
“During the second episode I joked with my brother that Sabiyah could have used the fire from tribal to burn her candle,” Redditor @luis9295 wrote on the Survivor Subreddit. If its allowed it would be a genius move because almost everyone on her tribe knows she has it, so she wouldn’t have to worry about revealing her idol. Realistically it wont melt in time but she can bring fire home and get a immunity idol in the process.”
Another of the platform’s users shared their take, commenting that they assumed production shot down Sabiyah’s attempt. However, all the clue stated was Sabiyah having to “burn away the wax,” it didn’t indicate that it had to be a campfire.
It could’ve been that Sabiyah didn’t even attempt to burn the idol at Tribal. Regardless, one thing is clear: Lulu needs to win the next Immunity Challenge to stop their numbers from dwindling and earn the ability to make fire.
Survivor 45‘s hidden immunity idols took more ‘ingenuity’ to secure
The longtime host and showrunner spoke with Entertainment Weekly ahead of Survivor 45’s premiere, and he confirmed capturing hidden immunity idols would be “more complex” because of this season’s supersized run time.
“Because we had 90-minute episodes, we now have the time,” Jeff said. “And fans are going to love it. Idols are much more complex in terms of securing them, and you’re going to see the ingenuity required. And maybe you have to pair up with somebody to be a lookout. But because we have the time, we can take you into the dirt with them. And it’s really fun to watch. I don’t think fans are even going to know the episodes are longer. It’s that kind of entertainment.”
Sabiyah isn’t the only player on a quest to take control of an idol. Reba’s Austin Li Coon found a clue and after using their tribe sign to decode a message, he figured out the next phase of his idol hunt. “Dig at fallen palm tree X,” the code read.
Catch Survivor 45 episode 3 Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 8 pm ET/PT on CBS and Paramount Plus.