‘Survivor: Worlds Apart’ episode 9 review: You can’t win ’em all…

We’ll give some credit to “Survivor: Worlds Apart” tonight for giving us the most entertaining episode, given the circumstances, that you could possibly have. The moment that Joe lost immunity, you knew that he would be going home. There was just no doubt. The man looks and screams “Survivor,” and while he may have the social game, he may not have had the strategic game to back it up. The comparisons to Ozzy here are probably appropriate, though we see Joe as more likable, and in some way even that went against him even more. You can be too perfect at times for this game, and he was.

You know that you’re a big threat when someone like Jenn does everything in her power to get voted out over her. She throws a wasted vote at Dan, she tried to win immunity just to give it to Joe (Tyler won instead), and she even formed a complicated plan that in part involved Joe making a fake immunity idol in a last-ditch effort to actually keep himself safe. That ended up being a total non-factor, but him giving it to Mike and Mike trying to play it on Will was pretty fun to watch. Mike knew Will was safe, but maybe he still appreciated it!

It ended up being Shirin who made the deciding vote, knowing that social and strategic games matter. She kept someone in Jenn who she felt she could work with better, and got rid of someone she knew she would not beat in the end. She’s such a non-threat that it is not like her target grows with him gone. It was probably a good episode for her as a whole; her vote gets her in good with Mike, which means a number down the road to maybe target Carolyn or another threat. Mike is more aware of what Carolyn and Rodney are up to than we thought!

Also entertaining tonight? The chocolate-themed reward challenge, and also seeing Rodney impersonate both Dan and Mike pretty effectively. Rodney’s a loudmouth, but we’re starting to understand why there are moments when the other players like him, as well. He’s an interesting player, but so are many.

While tonight is probably a low point in some way in terms of drama, at least the show did everything in its power to make the Joe boot appear less obvious. Just like Joe can’t win every challenge, not every episode can be a complete winner, either. Grade: B-.

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