Episode 13: Everything's ending here

Survivor 43 Episode 13 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 20, 2022

A surprising ending to Survivor 43 confounded the audience, although it probably shouldn't have (which we'll recap). Either way, there are structural changes the show should consider making soon, which we'll also go through. Feel free to forward these (and your own) to the SurvivorShoutOut email bin.

Episode 13: Looking back on 43

Survivor 43 Episode 13 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 19, 2022

With the Survivor 43 finale and aftershow in the rearview, Brent takes stock of five key scenes during the season that correctly forecast long-term important points, along with one that seemed predictive, but was misleading.

Episode 13: An enigma

Survivor 43 Episode 13 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 16, 2022

Ryan tries to make sense of a confusing Survivor 43 finale, one that cut its main characters before the final three. Then he throws those attempts in a swiftly-made fire, crowns a Player of the Season, and looks ahead to a rock-loving 44 pre-fave.

Episode 13: Stats (some meaningless) for a finale

Survivor 43 Episode 13 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 15, 2022

Well, Survivor 43 is certainly over. Damnbueno rolls out his reactions to the action as it unfolds, and his immediate attempts to understand the ending. (It's mostly jaw-dropped Jeanine face.)

Episode 12: Dawn of a new champion

Survivor 43 Episode 12 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 13, 2022

After 11 episodes of working from the shadows, Jesse finally decloaked and made a potentially game-winning move in front of everyone in Episode 12 of Survivor 43. It's still not a sure thing, despite having the protection of an idol, thanks to forced final four firemaking (which was supposed to save good players), but it was a thriller of a move and an episode as a whole.

Episode 12: Top five, baby!

Survivor 43 Episode 12 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 12, 2022

It's that time of year, when the column title is the same as the column name, and Brent looks at the top five (baby) of Survivor 43 in his final pre-finale column, and projects which of the quintet has the best chances of getting that money (baby, also).

Episode 12: Sugar cracked out

Survivor 43 Episode 12 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 11, 2022

While Ryan lost another favorite character in Episode 12's epic blindside, he's excited to see how the Survivor 43 finale turns out, and indulges in his semi-annual predictions of how the season's end might unfold.

Episode 12: This is why I LOVE Survivor!

Survivor 43 Episode 12 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 8, 2022

Survivor 43's second-to-last episode features plans on top of plans on top of plans, and Damnbueno is excited about every last second of it, particularly including Jesse's glorious double idol-flushing (neither his own) pièce de résistance.

Episode 11: The comic relief before the storm

Survivor 43 Episode 11 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: December 6, 2022

Finally, thankfully, Episode 11 of Survivor 43 departed from the already well-worn patterns of its two preceding seasons, and ditched the "Do or Die" twist, albeit replacing it with a new advantage. But at least that advantage was minimally destructive, and featured a humorous free-for-all camp search, which was mostly played for laughs.

Episode 11: Plots + schemes + underdogs = fireworks?

Survivor 43 Episode 11 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: December 5, 2022

Brent looks at all the still-unresolved scheming and plotting in Episode 11 of Survivor 43, notes the well-stocked armory of unplayed idols, and puts a massive firework display at the top of his pre-finale wishlist.

Episode 11: In deep water

Survivor 43 Episode 11 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: December 2, 2022

Ryan laments the Episode 11 surround-and-drown-ing of one the more dynamic players of Survivor 43, leaving a looming power struggle and a bunch of politeness and forced analogies at Tribal plus maybe five or six more advantages.

Episode 11: The agony of the follow-up

Survivor 43 Episode 11 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: December 1, 2022

Damnbueno runs through Episode 11, which follows his favorite episode of the season, and celebrates Survivor 43 ditching Do or Die in favor of a clean Final Seven vote, but then notes the show backslides into a possible Advantagegeddon redux in the process.

Episode 10: Lurking idols, planted seeds, and players on the outside

Survivor 43 Episode 10 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: November 28, 2022

As the majority alliance crumbles and rebuilds, there are just three votes left in the game and three idols still in the mix, creating opportunities for those on the outs to mix things up. Brent highlights five key scenes and items from Episode 10 that may play into how Survivor 43 finishes up.

Episode 10: Ugly cry on national TV

Survivor 43 Episode 10 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: November 27, 2022

Episode 10 of Survivor 43 featured a lot of hero worship that quickly boomeranged, and some fun editing techniques that Ryan yearns to retroactively see applied in past seasons. That and more that has Ryan beaming in this week's recap.

Episode 10: Hooray and goodbye

Survivor 43 Episode 10 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 26, 2022

Light and dark, success and defeat, and other things like reward and lack thereof, were all balanced pretty successfully in Episode 10 of Survivor 43. Better than the stacks of tiles, anyway. It was an episode where a majority alliance retained control, but was also starting to show cracks.

Episode 10: To the observant go the spoils

Survivor 43 Episode 10 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 24, 2022

A classic strategic catch-22 ensnares one player, while another gets the editors' full endorsement for an "anatomy of a blindside" explainer, all in Episode 10 of Survivor 43. For Damnbueno, was this a great episode, or the greatest episode of the season?

Episode 9: From many, two

Survivor 43 Episode 9 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 22, 2022

In a "twist" everyone should have seen coming, Episode 9 of Survivor 43 delivered the same split-IC/split-Tribal at Final 10 format as has been seen for most of the past eight seasons. Yet somehow, thanks to creative gameplay decisions and zig-zagging storytelling choices, it all worked, and even delivered double surprises.

Episode 9: Two wins, two out, eight left

Survivor 43 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: November 21, 2022

Episode 9 of Survivor 43 split the Gaia tribe back in half, but that opened up the game to some big moves (okay, one big move), and Brent examines the newly formed connections, in a projection of which of the alliances shown could go all the way.

Episode 9: Two heads for the price of one

Survivor 43 Episode 9 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: November 18, 2022

At long last, Ryan finally gets his two most-desired outcomes of Survivor 43 (Karla winning things and men being voted out), and he's mostly happy enough about it to relive it with you here.

Episode 9: Split-squad drama

Survivor 43 Episode 9 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 17, 2022

With one challenge and two Tribals, Episode 9 of Survivor 43 managed to pack in a surprising amount of conflict and big moves, with two key votes breaking up the majority Seven. Damnbueno recaps the big wins and blindsides.

Episode 8: Surprise idols, sketchy power, and fishing

Survivor 43 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: November 14, 2022

As Survivor 43 moves deeper into the post-merge, Brent sees a murky path ahead for one player, another whose hold on power seems suspect, and questions and surprise answers elsewhere. Whose path to the end (with votes) looks the clearest?

Episode 8: Safety first

Survivor 43 Episode 8 Recap/ analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 13, 2022

Episode 8 of Survivor 43 was a mix of big surprises, tooth-grindingly predictable twists, a Big Move by a big player that ended up sputtering into nothingness before Tribal, and the unsurprising outcome of yet another woman leaving. It was a result that made sense for the alliance in power, so it's hard to criticize them for playing logically, but the bland samey-ness of the season structure could use an intervention.

Episode 8: Tired of seeing women go home

Survivor 43 Episode 8 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: November 11, 2022

We've already had three post-"merge" episodes of Survivor 43, and this one was more of the same: Same format as the past two seasons, same dumb, *super*-surprising "twist," same outcome as most of the votes this season. There were a few fun surprises, and Ryan tries to focus on those.

Episode 8: A brief history of Survivor producer meddling

Survivor 43 Episode 8 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 10, 2022

In a two-part column, Damnbueno kicks off with a reaction to Knowledge is Power being thrust back into the game a second time, followed by his reactions to Episode 8, where idol-related antics continued. (But KiP was somehow forgotten?)

Episode 7: Moves, mud, and the AlliGabler

Survivor 43 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Brent Sullivan | Published: November 7, 2022

Episode 7 of Survivor 43 saw the arrival of individual challenges (sort of), a reptilian challenge winner, another original tribe splintering, and the return of an advantage everyone thought had been safely eliminated. Brent tries to put all the key pieces together to figure out where things are headed.

Episode 7: There's just no room

Survivor 43 Episode 7 recap/analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 6, 2022

One of the constants of Survivor over the years has been Jeff Probst's frequent complaints that there's just not enough space in the show's runtime to fit in all the elements that the producers and fans want for the show. Which is generally fair, except when the show makes choices like the ones it made this week with the limited time it does have.

Episode 7: This next minute's for Neil

Survivor 43 Episode 7 Recap/ analysis

By Ryan Kaiser | Published: November 4, 2022

Ryan tries to make sense of a Survivor 43 episode where a complicated vote took place, but most of the editing focus was on a ridiculously long challenge, while the thought processes of the shifting alliances were barely shown.

Episode 7: Survivor Blabbermouths

Survivor 43 Episode 7 recap/ analysis

By Damnbueno | Published: November 3, 2022

If there was a recurring activity in Episode 7 of Survivor 43, it was talking: Jeff Probst talking and talking through an extra-long challenge, Gabler doing the same in the final stage, James telling everyone in sight about his Knowledge is Power advantage. So Damnbueno is here to talk some more about that, and suggest the missing theme for the season.