Recap: Survivor 50 Episode 10: Another Celebrity Cameo, Another Insane Twist

It might have been the most high-stakes coin flip of all time.

Last week’s supersized episode of Survivor 50 had a 50/50 chance of being a thrilling season highlight or an all-time series low, and the only people luckier than coin-flipping contestant Rick Devens were the producers, who avoided a backlash that would have toppled the negative response to the Zac Brown-centered episode a few weeks back.

At every turn, the cast of Survivor 50 has mercifully managed to overshadow the cacophony of random twists and extraneous celebrity cameos to produce perhaps the show’s best season in years. This episode boasted more of the same, but the overdue return of a franchise favorite and an especially chaotic Tribal Council wound up working in its favor.

Going Once, Going Twice…

Introduced in the second season in 2001, the Survivor auction has always been one of the show’s most popular recurring elements. However, the introduction of advantages turned the simple joy of watching starving contestants get into bidding wars over burgers and margaritas into a frustratingly futile exercise in seeing players hold out for game boosters over snacks. The auction was shelved after 2015’s Worlds Apart until an unsatisfying “new era” revamp in 2023, in which one player lost their vote ahead of the next Tribal Council.

The Survivor 50 was essentially a return to form—the “comfort or chaos” theme wound up being a lot of fun, forcing players to eat grubs and sea slugs in order to enjoy more delectable fare. After each player spent $20 to secure a letter from loved ones, host Jeff Probst called over Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson, clutching a briefcase ominously labeled “Beware.” Its contents would be revealed at that night’s Tribal Council. From there, the contestants immediately headed to their next immunity challenge, won by Tiffany Ervin.

A Million-Dollar Coin Flip

Following a chaotic afternoon in which a multitude of contestants’ names were thrown out as potential targets, the players headed to Tribal Council, where the debate over who to eliminate continued. Probst attributed the intense gameplay to the uncertainty of Mr. Beast’s twist, but it truly was the product of 10 determined competitors trying to escape the axe, with Devens surprisingly laying out Stephenie LaGrossa Kendrick and Jonathan Young’s duplicity in front of everyone.

When it finally came time to reveal the contents of the briefcase, it was a (complicated) doozy. Inside was a coin that one player would flip. If it went in their favor:

• They would be immune that night
• They would receive an immunity idol for use at a future Tribal Council
• The prize pot would be upped to $2 million for the season’s winner

If it didn’t, the player would be automatically eliminated without a vote. With such high stakes, the players surprisingly allowed Devens to flip the coin without a fight. With about 20 minutes left in the episode, the outcome was obvious, though the conspiracy theorist in me finds it hard to believe the producers would have allowed the anticlimactic alternative to happen.

With Rick now safe, a further scramble took place right before the vote, but ultimately, Kendrick was voted out unanimously.

Survivor 50 Snubs

I’ll conclude each week’s column by spotlighting one man and one woman who were left off Survivor 50 but would have made for excellent inclusions. 

One of the wildest players in Survivor history, the quirky Greg Buis from the very first season in 2000 might be best remembered for his goofy “coconut phone” that was less about communicating with the outside world and more about befuddling producers and audiences. Perhaps Buis’s oddball charm would have diminished 26 years on, but the only way to find out would have been to include him on Survivor 50.