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‘Survivor’ 50 Episode 11 Recap: Double tribal twist sends two players home following brutal blindsides

The remaining nine contestants were split into two groups, and each group had to eliminate a player

With the finish line now peeking over the horizon on Season 50 of ‘Survivor’, every vote matters. The May 6 episode, titled ‘Everyone Will Be Shooketh!’, proved once again that nobody is safe for long. The episode kicked off with what looked like a straightforward immunity challenge. It was an ocean-based balancing competition where contestants stood on a triangular pedestal that narrowed over time. Jonathan Young edged out the competition, but his win wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. At first, Jeff Probst announced Tiffany Ervin as the winner. But after judges reviewed the challenge, she was disqualified because she used both feet during the final stage when players were only supposed to stand on one. Jonathan officially got the immunity necklace after the decision was made.

Then came the real twist. Instead of one Tribal Council, the remaining nine contestants were split into two groups, and both groups had to eliminate a player. Notably, Jonathan also gained the power to attend both Tribal Councils and cast a vote at each. The first group included Emily Flippen, Rick Devens, Cirie Fields, Tiffany, and Jonathan. Emily quickly realized the spotlight was on her and tried to redirect attention to Rick. Her strategy was pretty simple: convince the others that Rick was too dangerous to keep around and pressure him into playing his hidden immunity idol. She campaigned to Cirie, Tiffany, and Jonathan, hoping the votes would stack against Rick. But Cirie saw the possibility of things getting messy.

She used her extra vote advantage to split the ballots between Emily and Rick, making sure one of them would leave no matter what happened. That move boxed Emily into a corner as her bluff didn’t land the way she hoped. Rick stayed protected, and the votes were cast against her instead. Just like that, Emily’s game ended on Day 21. The second Tribal Council then began, and it packed a punch. The group featured Aubry Bracco, Ozzy Lusth, Rizo Velovic, Joe Hunter, and Jonathan. Going into the vote, Aubry seemed like the obvious target. Ozzy, Joe, and Rizo appeared aligned, and Aubry seemed outnumbered. But Ozzy made one mistake, and it cost him everything. Feeling overly secure, he told Aubry about his longer-term plans, including wanting to go all the way to the end alongside Cirie. Apparently, he thought Aubry had nowhere to run with the information.

Aubry immediately spread the news, and suddenly Ozzy went from being a trusted ally to a looming threat. Even more surprising, Rizo decided not to warn Ozzy that his name was circulating. What made the blindside even more shocking was that Ozzy actually had a hidden immunity idol in his pocket the whole time. 'Survivor' fans who remember his earlier seasons probably felt a knot forming in their stomachs as history brutally repeated itself. Back in Season 16, Ozzy was famously voted out while holding an idol. By the end of the night, two major players were voted out, and Season 50's top seven officially took shape. The remaining castaways include Cirie Fields, Aubry Bracco, Rick Devens, Jonathan Young, Tiffany Ervin, Joe Hunter, and Rizo Velovic.