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.

Episode 6: A merge half-empty

Survivor 43 Episode 6 recap/analysis

By Jeff Pitman | Published: November 1, 2022

While Survivor 43 made a wise decision in removing the hourglass twist, a game element that annoyed players and fans alike, it left almost all the other "new era" changes to the merge episode intact. As a result, we're left with only half the tribe merging, and the feeling that a big celebratory milestone has now all but disappeared.