Wait did that just happen? it was a shock filled tribal council that saw a massive player exit.
After making it through the last tribal council by the skin of his teeth, Benji came to the realisation he needed to eliminate head-honcho, Mat, if he was to survive another week. With Fenella and Shonee on his side, Benji planted seeds of doubt into the minds of Monika and Brian, in a bid for them to ditch their original Champions alliance.
The three-stage Immunity challenge saw the contestants burrow their way under a log, solve a puzzle and use a pool-cue to sink three balls on a Survivor snooker table. After a clue revealed to Sharn a hidden immunity idol would be concealed in one of the snooker tables, she was desperate to snag herself an idol.
Benji’s sharp shooting saw him win the challenge and secure the Immunity necklace. After the challenge, Sharn managed to sneak away and collect the idol undetected, but was left red faced when the idol fell out of her pants, for the whole tribe to see.
Growing cautious of the close relationship ex-footballer Brian shared with Fenella and Shonee, Mat and Steve were sceptical of how trustworthy he could be and pinned him as the next castaway to be sent packing.
Working tirelessly to get all his ducks in a row, Benji spun an intricate web with both core alliances. While reassuring Mat he was committed to sending Brian home, he encouraged Sharn to play her idol at Tribal Council and compelled Monika and Brian to turn their backs on the Champions alliance and vote Mat out.
At a tense Tribal council, Mat acknowledged that although he was confident in the people he had trusted, alliances in the game of Survivor cannot last forever. With the conversation changing to hidden idols Monika acknowledged that holding an idol could prematurely paint a target on a players back, and that Sharn should be worried of tonight’s vote.
After the votes were cast, Sharn announced that she wanted to play her idol on Mat’s behalf. With their takedown of Mat seriously threatened, Benji called out to Sharn, urging her not to “gamble your life” and to instead play the idol for herself. Benji was able to successfully convince Sharn she was on the chopping block, leaving Mat without the protection of a hidden Idol.
Falling victim to Benji’s deception, Mat was voted out of the competition with a hidden Idol in his pocked, leaving Sharn deeply shaken and the core Champion’s alliance bloodthirsty.
On leaving the island Mat said: “I guess I probably got a bit over confident. But you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I’ve got no hard feelings towards anyone. At the end of the day their can only be one sole survivor. It’s not going to be me. Good luck to Sharn, I hope she goes all the way.”
