Survivor: Worlds Apart

As the game began, Jeff Probst asked each tribe to pick a representative, who would then choose another tribe-mate with whom to make a big decision; Joaquin and So stepped up for the White Collar tribe, Dan and Mike for the Blue Collar tribe, and Will and Jenn for the No Collar tribe. At camp, the pairs were given a choice between a big bag of beans or a smaller bag of beans and a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Only Joaquin and So decided to take the clue, subsequently lying to their tribe about their decision, raising suspicion. Dan and Mike told their Blue Collar tribe the truth about their decision, though Sierra was sceptical. At the No Collar camp, Vince bonded with Jenn over their mutual outlook on life but bickered with Joe over how to build the shelter.

The following day, the Blue Collar tribe also argued about the shelter, with Dan complaining over his tribemates' choices; Rodney and the women agreed that Dan would be an easy target to eliminate first, but Dan found an ally in Mike. At the No Collar camp, Joe earned his tribe's admiration by making fire without flint, particularly Jenn's. Vince took Jenn aside to make sure that she was still loyal to him, causing Jenn to doubt whether Vince was a viable alliance partner. At the White Collar camp, Carolyn suspected So was looking for the hidden immunity idol, but successfully found it herself, citing knowledge of past seasons' hiding spots as her guide.

Reward/immunity challenge: The tribes raced down a platform through a pile of hay and high stepped through an obstacle. Each tribe had to unlock a ladder; to release it, they chose to either untie a series of knots or unlock three locks with a ring of 20 keys. The tribes then used the ladder to navigate a platform and then retrieve one of three puzzles: an easy 50-piece puzzle, a medium-difficulty 10-piece puzzle, or a very difficult five-piece puzzle. The first tribe to complete their puzzle won immunity and a fire-making kit, while the second-place tribe received immunity and flint.

At the Blue Collar camp, Dan lost his underwear in the water after getting hit by a wave; his attempts to make light of the situation led Lindsey to further believe he was creating a character out of himself. On the White Collar tribe, Max and Shirin took off their underwear around camp, making Tyler uncomfortable. On the No Collar tribe, Hali and Jenn's attempts to get to know Nina were complicated by Nina's deafness, and tensions increased when Hali and Jenn decided to go skinny dipping without asking her, leading to a public outburst from Nina out of frustration.

While the Blue Collar tribe played makeshift basketball around camp, Mike insisted that the tribe continue to work, annoying Rodney in the process. At the No Collar camp, Vince voiced his frustrations about Joe to Nina, and Vince's attempt to talk to Joe about his behavior around camp only served to further their enmity. With an alliance formed between younger tribe members Hali, Jenn, and Joe, Vince, Nina, and Will considered sticking together.

Reward/immunity challenge: One tribe member at a time manoeuvred a buoy through a series of obstacles in the water. Once all five competing tribe members had retrieved their buoys, one member attempted to toss them into a cylinder basket. The first tribe that shot all five buoys into the basket won immunity and a large fishing kit, while the second tribe won immunity and a smaller fishing kit.

After Will's rogue vote sent Vince home, Joe questioned Will's loyalty while a teary Nina told the tribe that she knew she was next to go. Joe tried to make Nina feel comfortable, but she admitted that she was not as free-spirited as the rest of her tribe. At the White Collar camp, Shirin annoyed her tribe-mates with her tales of seeing howler monkeys having sex in the trees. The next day, the White Collar tribe sans Carolyn looked for the hidden immunity idol, but were unsuccessful as Carolyn had already found it. Shirin proposed a truce, but Joaquin didn't trust her and continued searching with Tyler; though Tyler knew that Carolyn had the idol and Joaquin was on the outs, he continued searching anyway to keep Joaquin's trust as he considered betraying Shirin for her behavior. At the Blue Collar camp, Dan's attempts to be funny upset Rodney after Dan jokingly insulted his mother. Later, Mike voiced his frustrations with his tribe-mates' work ethic, provoking arguments between him and Rodney, Sierra, and Lindsey, the last of whom insulted Mike's religious views.

Reward/immunity challenge: Each tribe carried a large bucket with holes to a water tower, filled the bucket, and raced back to a barrel to dump out the water. The first tribe to fill up their barrel won immunity and lounge chairs, blankets, pillows, and a tarp. The second tribe won immunity and a tarp.

After voting out Nina, the No Collar tribe affirmed their loyalty to each other, though Will felt he would be the next to go if they lost again. At the Blue Collar camp, Rodney noted his respect for Mike despite their previous disagreements.

Reward challenge: One member of each tribe acted as a caller while two other blindfolded tribe members navigated the course to retrieve five items and a flag, eventually working with a third blindfolded tribe-mate to hoist the items up to the caller's platform. The winning tribe received three egg-laying hens and a rooster, while the second-place tribe received ten eggs.

During the challenge, the Blue Collar tribe's platform dropped on Kelly's forehead; after a brief medical examination she was cleared to continue in the challenge. The No Collar tribe finished in first place while the White Collar tribe took second. The victorious No Collar tribe celebrated Will's birthday by eating one of their chickens from the reward. Jenn, a vegetarian, felt uncomfortable with the killing and roasting; she went searching for the hidden immunity idol, which she found, while the tribe feasted. At the Blue Collar camp, Kelly received six stitches from her injury at the challenge, but her bravery throughout the ordeal earned Mike's respect, and the two affirmed their alliance. Rodney's remarks that women should hold themselves to a higher standard than men caused a heated argument between him and Lindsey. At the White Collar camp, Shirin continued to alienate her tribe-mates with her behavior, which caused Carolyn to consider betraying Shirin and her closest ally, Max.

Immunity challenge: Each tribe-mate was tethered to a rope; one at a time, they navigated through a series of obstacles; once all four tribe-mates completed the course, they grabbed a bag of balls, and used them to navigate a vertical maze. The first two tribes to get all three balls to the top of the maze won immunity.

After receiving two votes and losing her closest ally, an upset Sierra felt isolated from her tribe; Dan's attempts at justifying voting for her only upset her further. At the reward challenge, the three tribes were redistributed into two tribes of seven: Blue Collar tribe members Dan, Mike, Rodney, and Sierra were joined by Joaquin and Tyler from White Collar, and Joe from No Collar to form the new Escameca tribe, while No Collar tribe members Hali, Jenn, and Will were joined by Carolyn, Max, and Shirin from White Collar, and Kelly from Blue Collar to become the new Nagarote tribe.

Reward challenge: Two tribe-mates from each tribe alternated launching balls from a slingshot while the remaining five tribe-mates had to catch the balls with handheld nets; catching a ball would score one point for their tribe. The first tribe to reach five points won a box of kitchen supplies, including pots, pans, oils spices, and sausages, and all of the rewards from the now-abandoned White Collar camp.

The new Escameca tribe quickly won the challenge, five points to Nagarote's two. At the Nagarote camp, the former No Collar and White Collar tribe-mates, three people apiece, vied for Kelly's vote; the No Collar alliance took a more laid-back approach, while former White Collar Shirin acted quickly. Later, Shirin's behavior got on her new tribe-mates' nerves. Max was stung on both feet by a stingray; after putting his wart-covered feet in the tribe's cooking pot on Jenn's advice, he was perceived as selfish. At Escameca, Dan, Mike, and Rodney realized that Sierra had all the reason to abandon them for their new tribe-mates, and attempted to bring her back into their fold. Sierra indeed vocalized her desire to align with Joaquin, Joe, and Tyler, though Joaquin and Rodney began to bond. Later, Dan attempted to apologize to Sierra for his previous behavior, but again only further alienated her after ignoring Mike's advice on how to approach her.

Immunity challenge: Two members from each tribe placed pots on a sled and dragged it through a series of obstacles, placing the pots on stands at the end of the course. Once all eight pots were in place, one tribe-mate used a wrecking ball to smash the pots. The first tribe to smash all eight pots won immunity.

The morning after Max's blindside, Shirin, his closest ally, attempted to figure out why Carolyn betrayed them; Carolyn claimed that it was because the two excluded her from strategic conversations. After Hali admitted that it was because the two were annoying, Shirin vowed to reintegrate with her tribe. At Escameca, Rodney and Joaquin aligned based on their common lifestyles.

Reward challenge: The tribes raced up a tower and through a series of obstacles. At the top, one tribe-mate at a time launched sandbags from a catapult toward targets on the field below. The first tribe to hit all six of their targets won an overnight trip to a turtle sanctuary and enjoyed a feast.

Though Escameca was first to the top of their tower, Nagarote came from behind to narrowly win the challenge. On the reward, Shirin bonded with her tribe-mates. The next day, at Escameca, Joaquin tried to align with Sierra; though Sierra was prepared to align with Joaquin and Tyler, she was perturbed by Joaquin's friendship with Rodney. Rodney later plotted with Mike to throw the immunity challenge to get rid of Joe for being a physical and social threat at the merge, which Mike considered in order to protect his closest ally, Kelly, on the other tribe.

Immunity challenge: One castaway from each tribe faced off to memorize a series of six items at a station. Once a castaway thought they had the series memorized, they pulled a handle, concealing the items. The two castaways then ran to a second station to recreate the sequence. The first castaway to correctly recreate the sequence scored a point for their tribe. If neither castaway got the series correct, the castaways repeated the process until one of them succeeded. The first tribe to score three points won immunity.

Left out of the plans to vote out Joaquin, Rodney felt betrayed by his Blue Collar allies. Mike informed Rodney that they eliminated Joaquin to protect Rodney from being duped, though Rodney claimed that he was trying to reel Joaquin in, not vice-versa, and berated Mike for not trusting him. The next morning, the two tribes were merged, and enjoyed a commemorative feast. At the feast, Shirin asked about Joaquin's blindside and was informed that he and Rodney had grown too close. Realizing that pairs were being targeted, Carolyn planned to downplay her partnership with Tyler going forward.

At the merged camp, Mike and Kelly celebrated their reunion as Kelly realigned with her former Blue Collar tribe-mates. Joe rejoined former No Collar allies Hali and Jenn, and the three brought Shirin into their fold. With Kelly noticeably realigning with her former tribe, the alliance of four attempted to align with Tyler and Carolyn instead. Will, the fourth former No Collar, was courted by Rodney, who proposed a final four deal with him, Kelly, and Carolyn. Rodney conspired for the four to initially vote with the Blue Collars but later betray Dan, Mike, and Sierra to avenge Joaquin. Amidst all the scrambling, Tyler and Carolyn found themselves the swing votes between the Blue Collar and No Collar alliances; Rodney and Mike plotted to target Joe first, though a vexed Rodney told Mike that they wouldn't be in this mess had Mike not spared Joe at the previous Tribal Council.

Immunity challenge: Each castaway held onto a 13-feet^[19] tall pole as long as possible without falling off. The last castaway remaining on their pole won immunity.

After Jenn's successful idol play sent Kelly out of the game, Rodney blamed Mike for changing the target from Hali to Jenn, and tried to convince Will, Tyler, and Carolyn to turn on Mike once the minority alliance—Hali, Jenn, Joe, and Shirin—was out of the game. Rodney later blatantly disrespected the minority alliance, and bickered with Shirin over food portioning.

Reward challenge: The castaways went across a balance beam to transport three bags of puzzle pieces to a platform. The first three castaways to transport all three of their bags advanced to the next round, where they used the pieces to complete a puzzle shaped like an anchor. The first castaway that completed their puzzle won an afternoon of ziplining followed by a pizza lunch.

Joe, Mike, and Hali advanced to the final round, where Joe won his second individual challenge in a row. Given the choice to take four other castaways with him on the reward, Joe chose to take swing votes Carolyn, Tyler, and Will, and Shirin—the only non-No Collar in his alliance—to earn their trust and bolster his minority alliance. Joe found a clue to a hidden immunity idol in a bottle Carolyn was drinking from; he managed to trick her into giving him the bottle and took the clue, but Tyler spotted him. The next morning, Joe shared the clue with Tyler, but Mike saw them sneak off and spied on them; Tyler told Mike about the clue to keep the Blue Collars' trust. Though Joe couldn't find the idol, Mike decided to frame him by claiming that he saw Joe find it, which sidelined Joe from continuing his search; Mike continued looking, and eventually found the idol. Dan attempted to align with Shirin over their shared superfan status, but his abrasive attitude and assertion that she had no chance of winning the game rubbed her the wrong way.

Immunity challenge: The castaways navigated a puzzle piece through three slide mazes, and then used that piece to complete a sliding puzzle. The first castaway to complete the slide puzzle won immunity.

After losing her closest ally in Hali, a despondent Jenn was ready to get voted out. Shirin, knowing she had to make big moves to make it to the end, told people she would vote for Mike to win the game in the hopes that it would turn him into a target. Later, she lobbied with Mike and Sierra to vote out Carolyn, who was perceived to have Rodney, Tyler, and Will on her side.

Reward challenge: Divided into two teams of five, one castaway at a time raced through a series of obstacles in the water. After all five teammates were at the end platform, one teammate at a time used a grappling hook to retrieve rings in the water. The first team to retrieve all five of their rings won an afternoon away from camp to enjoy a buffet of chocolate.

The teams were neck-and-neck at the grappling portion, but the team of Dan, Mike, Shirin, Sierra, and Tyler pulled ahead to win reward. Back at camp, the losing team ate one of the chickens, which again alienated vegetarian Jenn, although the mood was lifted by Rodney's impressions of Mike and Dan; Joe sensed, via his impressions, that Rodney wasn't fully onboard with his alliance, and considered plotting with him to overthrow Mike. Jenn told Joe that she would give him immunity if she won the challenge since she was ready to leave.

Immunity challenge: Castaways stood on a wooden frame, balancing a block between their head and the top of the frame without the assistance of their hands. The last contestant with their block remaining won immunity.

Rodney told his alliance of Carolyn, Tyler, and Will that it was time to target Mike; unbeknownst to them, Mike overheard the conversation.

Survivor Auction: Will bought a covered item which turned out to be a buyout from the auction, and was sent back to camp immediately. Shirin bought chicken and waffles, Jenn bought a large bowl of rum punch,^[26] Sierra bought beef souvlaki, and Rodney bought a steak. Sierra bought a letter from home for $20; everyone else was given the chance to buy their letters for the same price. Carolyn, Dan, Tyler, and Mike were holding out for a possible advantage in the game, but decided they would all buy their letters from home together; Mike sneakily reneged on the deal, but relented after he was called out. Carolyn, Dan, and Mike spent $480 on the potential advantage, and drew rocks, with the white colored rock determining who would get the advantage, ultimately being Dan.

Dan's advantage was that he had earned an extra vote at any Tribal Council of his choice up until the final five.^[27] Mike, having angered others by initially backing out on buying his letter from home to win the advantage, told his close allies that he had only done so because he had overheard Rodney planning his betrayal, which led to an argument between him and Rodney, and upsetting his allies Dan and Sierra; Mike later joined the minority alliance of Jenn and Shirin. Upon arriving at camp, Will found a clue that led him to a hidden box filled with rations, including electrolytes, and chose to share them with the rest of the tribe. Jenn, Mike, and Shirin suspected that Will hadn't given the tribe his full supply of rations, and suggested he was stashing food. Tyler informed Will, who subsequently lashed out at Shirin, verbally attacking her on a personal level.

Immunity challenge: Each castaway used metal tongs to transport a ball across a series of teeter-totters to a stand. The first castaway to get all six of their balls to their stand won immunity.

Dan and Sierra discussed Mike's claims that they were at the bottom of the majority alliance; Dan later attempted to comfort Shirin about Will's comments at the previous Tribal Council.

Reward challenge: Divided into two groups of four, the teams were given four barrels, two wood planks, and rope to cross the beach without any part of their bodies or the planks touching the ground, or else they had to restart. The first team across won a trip on a catamaran, complete with a feast of hamburgers and pie.

After the team of Mike, Sierra, Shirin and Rodney accidentally placed a plank on the ground, they decided to each roll on a barrel to make up time, but they were unable to do so and Carolyn, Dan, Tyler, and Will won the challenge. Back at camp, Sierra campaigned to Rodney to get rid of Tyler for being a threat and to take Shirin to the end because no one would vote for her to win, though Rodney neither believed Tyler was a threat nor trusted Shirin. On the reward trip, Carolyn, Tyler, and Will did their best to make sure Dan stayed loyal to them.

Immunity challenge: Each castaway held onto a rope handle attached to 25% of their body weight as of the beginning of the game. If the rope unspooled and the weight dropped, a bucket of water dropped on the castaway's head and they were eliminated; the last man and woman remaining won immunity.