Survivor Recap: The Biggest Reward of the Season Delivers a Meltdown for the Record Books (2024)

Those allergic to fruit and coconut may want to rethink that Survivor application.

Although the game is now a shortened 26 days, hunger still clearly takes its toll as evidenced Wednesday by Liz’s absolute outburst of anger, desperation and misery. Not since Debbie Wanner graced our screens have we witnessed a meltdown so epic that it forever belongs in the game’s annals.

But before we get deep into the trenches of the reward challenge heard ’round the world, Maria is still figuring out how she can target Tiffany despite the fact that everyone’s locked in on Q. Kenzie wanted Tiff gone last week, so a temporary agreement with wild card Q may not be as crazy as it sounds. There’s just that one pesky little immunity idol that stands in Maria’s way. The ultimate wrench!

Oh, who are we kidding? The strategy talk’s gotta take a pause because Jeff surprises the castaways with a reward challenge, once again making the mere idea of food sound overtly sexual. (“That’s 100% ground beef, smothered in sautéed onions and mushrooms!”) Liz, who apparently isn’t allergic to food from Karishma Patel’s favorite sit-down restaurant, shakes with excitement and by the time this recap drops, someone better have turned that into a GIF! It’s the biggest reward of the season, but unfortunately for the starving Liz, Q lands the final sandbag and that piping hot chain restaurant meal. He picks Tiff, Kenzie and Maria to join him.

And that’s when Mount St. Liz erupts.

Yes, Liz is allergic to many foods on the island —including coconut — so she’s eating way less than anyone else out there. But she also knew that when she signed up for Survivor. She then throws AN ABSOLUTE TEMPER TANTRUM which makes it a bit difficult to empathize with her (he said from the comfort of his couch). And I’ll be the first to admit: I don’t know how hard it is to eat nearly nothing for 18 days, but Liz literally wrote down Q’s name at Tribal Council the night before! Screaming into the ether because Q “almost blew up my whole game” and “overshadowed everything I was trying to do”? Well… that’s Survivor for ya! She expects Q to give her a free meal when she was just trying to eliminate him from the game?! The audacity! No one is owed anything in the game of Survivor. Maybe Liz should’ve tried to sneak some beef jerky in or something.

Anyhoo, is there any better way to advertise food than by giving it to a bunch of starving people who are being filmed? But enough about Applebee’s already! Q wants to woo his former Yanus with the grub, but Kenzie isn’t buying it. She’s not willing to ignore the fact that Q kept her out of plans for half the game. No, sir. And unfortunately for Liz, it looks like these four were too stuffed to even eat the burger she so desperately craved. (Note to the show’s editors: The dissolve transition from the burger close-up to Liz’s face? Savage and I love you.)

IMMUNITY IS BACK UP FOR GRABS | Players must hold on to a handle connected to a bucket that weighs 25% of their pre-game weight. The last one standing wins. Jeff gives them another chance to earn rice, but the price has gone up. Four people have to sit out in order to win the bag. But he also offers up one individual jar of rice if just one person wants to step out. Liz obviously takes that deal. Tiffany looks like a lock to win the challenge, but when she drops out of nowhere, Charlie wins his second immunity necklace of the season.

STRATEGY | Tiffany tells us that since the only name she’s heard is Q’s, she thinks she can safely keep her idol for another vote. While Kenzie doesn’t think it’s worth the risk to gun for Tiff this time, Maria is all about “running the red light.” Q is game (mostly due to his lack of options), while Ben seems interested as well. But they only have four of the five votes needed. Which means they need Liz’s help in order to pull it off. Can she set aside her beef (pun very much intended) with Q in order to make a cutthroat strategic decision?

TRIBAL COUNCIL | The group acknowledges that while Q remains a good smokescreen for a potential blindside, it seems like his number is up. Jeff even rocks the boat a bit, grilling the players about a possible wonky vote, despite the fact that on the surface, Q’s torch is already snuffed.

Or is it? Tiff elects to not play her idol and it costs her: She’s voted out of the game by a vote of 5-3. And since Kenzie took her foot off the gas when it came to blindsiding her bestie, all of the glory this time around goes straight to Maria. (.)

Surprised that Q survived yet again? Thoughts on Liz’s outburst? Go full tilt boogie in those comments!