Go for the Gusto

Go for the Gusto
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	42
Episode Number	3/14 (615)
Original Release	March 23, 2022
Viewership (in Millions)	5.35
Ratings/Share (18-49)	0.8/7
Episode Chronology
Previous	"Good and Guilty"
Next	"Vibe of the Tribe"
Subpages

Go for the Gusto is the third episode of Survivor 42.

Story

“	One tribe attempts to recover after drawing a line in the sand at tribal council. Also, a castaway goes on a journey and must make a decision that could change their game, and one tribe stacks their way to victory, earning immunity and a fruitful reward.	”
—Episode Synopsis

Night 5

In a flashback, after returning from their first Tribal Council, Maryanne Oketch shares with her tribe the Extra Vote that she had received at the voting booth after risking her vote during the summit on Day 2. She offers to use it as a fifth vote for the remaining Taku foursome once they enter the merge.

Day 6

Taku debriefs from their previous Tribal Council where Marya Sherron was voted off, believing that the vote has made them stronger as a unit. Lindsay Dolashewich believes that Maryanne's Extra Vote will come in useful in advancing the foursome in the future.

	Lindsay	“	I'm happy that Tribal went exactly how we planned it to go. Me, Omar, Jonathan, and Maryanne all voted together and that made me feel really good because ultimately that was our main plan, was for the four of us to really stay tight.	”

	Lindsay	“	But last night, Maryanne told us she has an Extra Vote. I'm a little on the fence about how I feel about Maryanne and the Extra Vote, but if we stay as a tight four, hopefully that's for all of our advantage.	”

Maryanne then gathers the tribe for an idol hunt. After a collective search, Maryanne comes across a package labelled "Beware Advantage", to her shock. After some hesitation, Maryanne decides to open the advantage. As she reads the instructions in the package, she realizes that she has lost her vote, to her chagrin and to the shock of Omar Zaheer, who was accompanying her on the search. Maryanne then shares this information with Lindsay and Jonathan Young.

	Maryanne	“	I've watched every season except for six episodes of Tocantins, so looking for the idol, I know this thing would be hard to find. So like I'm looking at the nooks and crannies. Let me dig here; what about that hole? Let me dig there. My heart started pounding. I'm like freaking out, I'm like 'Oh my gosh, did I just do it? Did I just find an idol?!'	”

	Maryanne	“	I saw 'Beware' and a 'risk' and I'm like, oh my goodness, do I wanna take this? Because it could bite me in the butt. But I would rather take the risk and go down in flames, than let my own hesitancy be the thing that gets me out of this game. And the first thing I see is what every single person wants to see. (holds up idol) But then I look at the paper a little bit more…	”

	Maryanne	“	Are you kidding me? Not only do I not have an idol, but I can't vote at any Tribal Council until other people find their idol and say the secret phrase. Yo, I got bait-and-switched!	”

Over at Vati, Daniel Strunk is looking for his missing swimming shoes. Hai Giang and Lydia Meredith look on in amusement; Hai jokes that Daniel has lost his water bottle, shoes, and shoulder. In a confessional, Daniel states that he is in a comfortable swing position and has the knowledge of Mike Turner's Beware Advantage. He finds Mike and asks him for the instruction paper so that he can read the fine print. Mike is annoyed as he does not want knowledge of his idol to leak, but caves to Daniel's request so as to placate him. Mike instructs Daniel to return the paper as soon as he reads it. Daniel discovers that, contrary to his previous belief that the idols would expire if they were not activated, the idols would actually be activated at the merge regardless of whether Mike said his phrase. This throws a spanner in the works for Daniel's plan to blindside Mike.

	Daniel	“	Shoulder aside, right now I feel good. The group dynamics on the tribe are basically two pairs of two, where you've got Jenny and Mike, and on the other side, Hai and Lydia, and then in between, is Chanelle and I, and I know that Mike has the idol. But, this one is a bit of a trick and so, like any good lawyer would, I need to look at the fine print here.	”

	Mike	“	I told Jenny and Daniel about my idol, but Daniel is a little neurotic. So of course he says to me, 'I need to- I need to read the note.' The thing is, I didn't wanna get Daniel pissed and I wanted to make him feel safe, so against my better judgment, I decide to let him read it.	”

	Daniel	“	Chanelle and I have been planning to backstab Mike. But, embarrassingly, as a lawyer, I missed the fine print. The idols will not die if we vote Mike out; we would've just voted out the only idol that our tribe has. This changes everything, and it saved Mike's life, frankly.	”

Daniel returns Mike the package in secret. A bemused Mike finds that the idol is missing and confronts Daniel about this, to which Daniel claims that he never received the physical idol from Mike. Daniel offers to take Mike to the spot where he was reading the note, believing that it would be empty. There, Daniel finds his lost water bottle and, embarrassingly, Mike's idol. However, Mike is still looking for the instruction paper; Daniel pulls it out of his underwear and hands it to Mike. Mike is affirmed in his belief that Daniel is all over the place, and Daniel apologizes for his gaffe.

	Mike	“	Daniel hands me the whole package. I open it up, and to my chagrin, the idol and the congratulation note is missing! I seriously almost stroked out right there. Get medical in here, that's what I was thinking about, get medical in here, I'm stroking out.	”

	Daniel	“	So Mike's like, (imitating Mike) 'Dude, dude, you lost the idol.' And I'm like, 'Oh my God, why, why is this happening?' I'm thinking, no way, you only gave me the piece of paper, so I take him down to the exact place where I read it. To Mike's credit, he was totally right, but I did drop the idol, that's on me. Again, another example of Daniel Strunk having an epic fail.	”

Day 7

The tribes enter the Immunity Challenge. Ika and Vati see that Marya has been voted out of Taku. Jeff Probst comments that Taku looks serious, and asks Maryanne for a comment. Maryanne uses this as her chance to say her activation phrase. She regales with a story about the bunny rabbit in the mailbox, and the rest of the cast looks on in confusion. However, Mike realizes that Maryanne has found her idol, but decides not to say his phrase, hoping that he can enter the merge with a secret idol.

“	You know, going to Tribal sucks, and it kinda reminds me of the classic tale of the bunny rabbit eating its dinner in the mailbox, you know that one?	”
—Maryanne

	Mike	“	I hear Maryanne recite her phrase. I was waiting for the other tribe to say something. I heard nothing, so I didn't say anything, because if I can go into the merge with this secret of mine, and never have to say the line, I have the idol, and nobody knows I have it.	”

Jeff takes the idols back from Ika and Vati. Jeff then explains the mechanics of the Immunity Challenge: Spiral Architect. The first two tribes win immunity; the first tribe to finish wins a big basket of fruit and a toolkit, while the second tribe wins a smaller toolkit and a smaller basket of fruit. The losers will attend Tribal Council and forfeit their flint. Ika sits Romeo Escobar out, and Vati sits out Daniel and Lydia.

The contestants start on pontoons that are visibly wobbling under the strong currents. The tribes swim to their rings, after which Jonathan makes quick work of diving and retrieving Taku's ladder. Lydia watches the contestants swim against the current, heaving a sigh of relief from the sit-out bench. As Jonathan carries the ladder on one shoulder and walks on the seabed, Hai and Tori Meehan struggle with the diving portion of the challenge. After Jonathan places the ladder by the post, he swims back to physically move Maryanne and Omar to the post. Tori finally releases the ladder for Ika, leaving Vati in dead last.

Jonathan single-handedly props up the ladder to support Lindsay up the post, allowing her to grab the key. Taku then makes their way back to shore, at which point Vati just manages to release their ladder. Lindsay unlocks the sandbags, and Jonathan quickly lands all five sandbags, winning Taku immunity before either of the other tribes has even retrieved their key. As Ika and Vati struggle hopelessly in the water, Jeff pauses the challenge and calls off the ocean portion. In an unprecedented move, he instructs both tribes to drag their ladders back to shore and gets crew members to retrieve their keys. The challenge resumes, and Ika and Vati are on even ground. Narrowly, Drea Wheeler lands the last sandbag for Ika, sending Vati to their first Tribal Council.

Jeff hands Taku the Immunity Idol. Because they lost the previous Reward Challenge, Jeff gives them the right to exchange the fruit for the fishing gear, which they accept eagerly. Jeff then praises Jonathan for his dominant challenge performance before handing Ika the idol. Taku is then instructed to send one member of Vati on a summit. They select Chanelle Howell. They are then told to select one member of either Ika or Taku to join Chanelle; Omar steps up, and Chanelle and Omar leave for their summit. Vati hands their flint to Jeff before walking out. Despite losing immunity, Chanelle is excited to use the summit as an opportunity to forge new bonds. However, she is worried at being left out of the afternoon of strategy.

	Chanelle	“	I'm excited to make a connection across tribal lines, but that's a very scary thing to know that my tribe is back at camp scurrying around, scrambling, trying to decide a vote, and I'm not a part of it.	”

Back at Vati, Jenny Kim is exhausted from the challenge, and Daniel gives his tribe kudos for their perseverance. Jenny is worried that Chanelle might overplay on the summit and emphasizes the criticality of her vote. Lydia wonders what the "journey" entails, and Mike believes it is the same journey that Jenny went on on Day 2. While Daniel, Hai, and Lydia then walk off to get water, Jenny and Mike agree to target Lydia. Mike reminds Jenny that he cannot vote. Though Mike has faith in Chanelle, he is shaky on Daniel's loyalty. Jenny agrees.

	Jenny	“	Today's challenge was brutal. We end up losing and Chanelle being away right now definitely scares me a bit. I know there is a decision to make on the journey. Mike doesn't have a vote so I hope that Chanelle plays it safe. I can't stress that enough! I need her to vote with us.	”

	Mike	“	We pretty much have a game plan, we're gonna vote Lydia out. But, I have no vote and Daniel can get a little squirrely. So, obviously, I'm a little nervous that he would bail on us, he would go to somebody he thinks is stronger, he thinks that's what it's all about.	”

Hai and Lydia make a pitch to Daniel to target Jenny. Daniel tells them they are on board. To Hai, this Tribal Council will draw the line in the sand on Vati, and he hopes to be in the majority for the first vote.

	Hai	“	Right now I feel very comfortable with Lydia, Chanelle, and Daniel. But tonight will be the ultimate test of trust for us. This first Tribal will establish who's with who, and I just gotta make sure I'm on the right side of the numbers.	”

Daniel heads back to the shelter to talk with Jenny and Mike. He reveals that his conversation with Hai and Lydia was merely to keep up appearances, and exposes their plan to target Jenny. Daniel promises to be honest with Jenny and Mike, and intends to form a majority with Chanelle. Daniel tallies the numbers and realizes that the vote will come down to Chanelle's decision.

	Daniel	“	I would prefer Lydia to go home, because Lydia is someone who I'm less close with than Jenny. But Jenny and Mike only have one vote combined. Hai and Lydia have two votes, so Chanelle very much is the deciding vote right now.	”

At the summit, Chanelle and Omar make it to the top after a grueling climb. Chanelle jokes that Jenny undersold the climb, and Omar replies that the first group to attend the summit were probably less deprived. Omar brings up Maryanne's recount that there was a dilemma to go through, and Chanelle states that she cannot afford to lose her vote. Omar wants to build trust and prefers to avoid putting Chanelle in a difficult position. The pair agree to make the decision that benefits both of them. Before splitting off to make their decisions, Omar reaffirms that he hopes both of them can gain an advantage without losing their votes. Chanelle agrees, and the two part ways to make their decisions in private.

	Omar	“	I get good vibes from Chanelle, like it's crazy how much communication out here is non-verbal. Like, it's- it's unspoken, you can just tell who you may trust or vibe with. I trust Chanelle; she just seemed very genuine and honest, but smart. And I don't think she's more sneaky than me, which is what I want.	”

	Chanelle	“	Omar and I like each other and we wanna work together and we decided, if we can both protect each other and get something great, let's do it. If not, let's just play it safe.	”

Chanelle and Omar are confronted with a strategic decision to make: "protect" or "risk" their vote. If both players "protected" their vote, both players would walk away with nothing gained and nothing lost. If both players "risked" their votes, both players would lose their vote at the next Tribal Council. If there is a split decision, the player that "risked" their vote receives an Extra Vote, and both players keep their votes. Each player walks through their thought process in confessional.

	Omar	“	The hard part of this decision of playing it safe versus risking your vote is that I don't know what Chanelle's gonna do!	”

	Chanelle	“	I could either play it safe or take a risk and wager my vote to have an Extra Vote.	”

	Omar	“	Initially, my thought is just play it safe, but as I thought it through, in this game it's all about motivation; you have to know other players' motivation and what's best for their game.	”

	Chanelle	“	From my read on Omar, I think that he might play it safe. I think that he wants to protect me and leave me in a good place before Tribal Council.	”

	Omar	“	Chanelle made it very clear to me that she could not lose her vote tonight. And if she's playing it safe, that means I can get away with risking my vote.	”

	Chanelle	“	It's a massive risk considering that I'm facing Tribal Council tonight. In that voting booth, I do not want to see something that says 'No vote'. That would be devastating. But, I'm not playing a scared game, I'm playing a game for a million dollars, I gotta make big moves to get a big reward.	”

Omar decides to "go for the gusto" under the assumption that Chanelle cannot afford to lose her vote and will thus play defensively. Chanelle makes a big move, basing her decision off a wildly incorrect read that Omar would act in her interest by playing it safe. Because both players "risked" their votes, both players would lose their votes at the next Tribal Council.

At Vati, Daniel is chopping a coconut. Lydia considers Daniel an asset, and asks him about who Jenny and Mike are targeting. Daniel affirms Lydia that he is with her and Hai, and that he is merely playing double agent. Lydia believes that she has a majority alliance with Chanelle, Daniel, and Hai, but is nervous that Chanelle's absence has prevented them from strategizing together.

	Lydia	“	Daniel is an asset—he's a smart guy, you know. He went to Yale, he went to Duke, like, he can persuade, you know alliances. At this point, I know that my name is getting thrown out. It's really scary not having one of our numbers here to even just, like, talk to. Me, Hai, Chanelle and Daniel putting just four votes on Jenny, just hoping to God she doesn't have an idol and it potentially would be Mike and Jenny putting votes on me.	”

Chanelle returns to the beach from her journey. She expresses buyer's remorse, believing that there is a good chance she lost her vote at the summit. With potentially two votes gone, Chanelle is concerned about the numbers on her side. Daniel rushes to the shore to greet Chanelle and brief her on the Lydia plan. In order to prevent the lost votes from messing up the plan, Chanelle plans to deceive Hai and Lydia into splitting their votes. A confused Daniel learns that Chanelle might have lost her vote. A worried Daniel then proceeds with attempting to execute Chanelle's 2-1-1 proposition. Jenny also affirms the Lydia plan with Chanelle.

	Chanelle	“	I took a gamble. I risked my vote and so I might not even have a vote tonight. My first thought is: Mike can't vote, and that means our numbers could be completely messed up.	”

	Daniel	“	Chanelle might not have a vote. So the plan going in is for Hai and Lydia to split votes, where Hai would put a vote on Mike, Lydia would put a vote on Jenny, and then I would vote for Lydia so that my Lydia vote combined with Jenny's Lydia vote would be the majority. So it would be a 2-1-1 vote. The problem is, this plan at Tribal only really works if Hai and Lydia are both genuinely tricked into splitting.	”

Chanelle catches up with Hai. Knowing that Jenny and Mike are targeting Lydia, Hai plans for his four to split votes 3-1 between Jenny and Mike in case an idol is played. Chanelle questions the numbers, and counter-proposes a split vote: she and Lydia will vote against Jenny and Daniel and Hai will vote against Mike with the goal of eliminating Jenny. Hai is alarmed by Chanelle's uncharacteristic anxiety, as is Lydia when Chanelle tells her about the split vote plan.

	Hai	“	Chanelle is usually very calm, cool, and collected. However, when she came back from her journey, she seemed a bit frazzled. All of a sudden, she wants to vote girls Jenny, and boys Mike. This doesn't add up to me, and I could be over-speculating, but I trust my gut.	”

Chanelle then checks in with Mike, and they are solid. She is confident that she will have her way at Tribal Council, assured that her social game has laid the groundwork for her imminent success.

	Chanelle	“	I've set up a great foundation in the days leading up to this Tribal. So, I think going into Tribal Council tonight is my call and I might not even have a vote. That is the power of my social game—I can direct the vote without even having one.	”

Jeff gets the Vatis to grab their torch and light it. Jeff starts the Tribal Council discussions by asking about Vati's first week in the game. Hai says that it has been a lifelong dream for him to play Survivor, but the lack of rice has caused the tribe to struggle in all faculties. Regardless, he is happy for the experience. Chanelle discusses her summit experience and lies that she chose to play it safe. Mike is willing to accept Chanelle's words "at face value", believing that he has weathered enough challenges with his tribe that Chanelle will not pull a "snow job" and screw him over.

Hai concedes that tribal lines will be drawn after the vote, but that the Vatis are strong enough to return to their "kumbaya" status. Daniel agrees. He then proceeds to explain why he will lose Survivor 42, believing that he is constantly paranoid and obsessing over numbers, which prevents him from trusting his gut. He values people that will calm him down. When prompted, Daniel names Mike and Chanelle as people that calm him, ostensibly alarming Hai. Lydia is terrified and excited of the vote in equal measure, but ultimately, someone has to go, and she worries it could be her. Meanwhile, Chanelle mouths "Lydia" to Daniel, who nods, again sounding alarm bells for Hai. Jenny agrees with Lydia's sentiments. She explains that she recounted her summit experience truthfully, but there is an inkling that her tribemates may not believe her. The tribe then goes to vote; Chanelle and Mike each discover that they have lost their votes and return to their seats. Hai contemplates the correct vote to cast.

Jeff returns from tallying the votes. It is revealed that there is a 2-2 tie between Jenny and Lydia; Hai backed out of the split vote and flipped his vote to Jenny. More importantly, the tribe realizes that only four votes were cast, confusing everybody. Hai and Daniel proceed to revote, while Chanelle and Mike return to their seats from the voting booth. The votes are read, revealing a 1-1 deadlock. Hai is confused by the apparent reality that two people did not vote.

“	Where are the votes?	”
—Hai

Jeff entertains a visibly bewildered Hai by first explaining the rules of the deadlock proceedings: Chanelle, Daniel, Hai, and Mike will discuss whether to vote out Jenny or Lydia. If they cannot reach a consensus, the four of them will draw rocks. However, because two people did not vote, Jeff is forced to get Chanelle and Mike to disclose that they had lost their votes. Jeff allows Chanelle and Mike to influence the discussion, but the decision rests on Daniel and Hai. When asked by Daniel, Jeff clarifies that all four of them will draw rocks even though only Daniel and Hai are responsible for reaching a consensus.

Daniel and Hai then begin the discussion. Immediately, Daniel folds, declaring that he does not want to draw rocks, preferring instead to reach a consensus. Hai demands to know why he lost Daniel's trust; Daniel explains that he was under the impression that Chanelle wanted him to vote Lydia. Chanelle gives a confused look and, when Daniel asks for her opinion, she evades by stating that she has no say. Feeling thrown under the bus, she clarifies that she, Daniel, Hai, and Lydia had had a discussion earlier before doubling down that she has no vote, leaving Daniel to fend for himself. Mike mediates, asking Hai if he would act in the tribe's best interests; Hai agrees and reveals that he had voted against Jenny. He explains that Jenny and Mike were focused on strength, and he had to protect his ally Lydia. Apologetically, he declares that he will not change his vote.

Lydia steps in, stating that she has never wavered from her intentions of voting with Daniel. Daniel explains that he wanted to work with Chanelle, and an upset Chanelle retaliates, hoping to take herself off the hot seat. In this moment, Chanelle and Daniel fight for Hai's trust. Hai asks for Chanelle's opinion, but Mike interjects and asks if Hai can possibly be swayed. Chanelle insists that she is with Hai, while Jenny and Lydia both plead their case. Jenny believes her elimination will fracture the tribe. Valuing his alliance with Lydia, Hai is unpersuaded. Daniel exclaims that he was backstabbed by Chanelle, and proclaims his allegiance to Hai. Hai and Lydia promise not to hold this against Daniel, and hopes to resolve this at camp. Under her breath, Chanelle brands Daniel a snake. Despite Jenny's futile appeals, Daniel reluctantly switches his vote, and Jenny is eliminated by consensus in a historic Tribal Council. Jeff sends a shaken Vati back to camp, uncertain if they are as united as they had purported.

Challenges

Reward/Immunity Challenge: Spiral Architect
Tribes must swim out to a ring and dive to retrieve a ladder. They must then swim to a post and, using the ladder, retrieve a key at the top of the post before swimming back to shore. Once on shore, the tribes will then use the ladder to retrieve a bag of five sandbags. The first two tribes to land five sandbags on elevated platforms win.
Reward: Toolkit and fruit
Additional Stipulations: The losing tribe must forfeit their flint, though they can win it back if they win the next Immunity Challenge. Due to turbulence, the ocean portion of the challenge was called off after Taku's victory. For coming in first, Taku had the choice to trade their reward for the fishing gear they did not win from the previous challenge.
Winners (in order of finish): Taku and Ika (Taku sent Chanelle Howell and Omar Zaheer on a journey)

Tribal Council

• First Vote
• Revote
• Consensus

Tribal Council 3: Vati
Voted Against	Voter (Chanelle and Mike ineligible to vote)
Jenny (2 votes)	Hai, Lydia
Lydia (2 votes)	Daniel, Jenny
TIE: Jenny, Lydia (2 votes each)

Revote (Chanelle, Jenny, Lydia, and Mike ineligible to vote)
Voted Against	Voter
Jenny (1 vote)	Hai
Lydia (1 vote)	Daniel
DEADLOCKED: Jenny, Lydia (1 vote each)

Consensus (Chanelle, Jenny, Lydia, and Mike ineligible to vote)
Voted Against	Voter
Jenny (2 votes)	Daniel, Hai
Lydia (0 votes)	None
VOTED OUT: Jenny Kim

Voting Confessionals

After finding the Beware Advantage, Mike was not allowed to vote until the advantage is found and activated by a member of each tribe. After risking her vote at the summit, Chanelle found that she had lost her vote for this Tribal Council. No voting confessionals were aired.

Final Words

	Jenny	“	I thought we had it, but Chanelle did not have a vote to cast today, and I'm really disappointed in Daniel; he turned around and seemed to have embraced his relationship with Hai more than mine. You guys better look out for Hai because I think he going to be slitting all of your throats in the end.	”

Still in the Running

Jackson 18th	Zach 17th	Marya 16th	Jenny 15th	Chanelle Vati	Daniel Vati	Drea Ika	Hai Vati	Jonathan Taku
Lindsay Taku	Lydia Vati	Maryanne Taku	Mike Vati	Omar Taku	Rocksroy Ika	Romeo Ika	Swati Ika	Tori Ika

Trivia

Secret Scenes

• (Untitled): On Day 6 at Vati, Jenny tries to find a papaya tree she had seen earlier on Day 2.
• We Have to Win: Maryanne explains why it is critical for her Taku tribe to win the Immunity Challenge.
• Journey Struggle: Omar and Chanelle discuss their difficult climb up the mountain during their Survivor Journey.

Behind the Scenes

• According to Jenny's exit interview, Ika and Vati spent around an hour struggling with the ocean portion of the challenge before it was called off.

Other

• As of this episode, Survivor 42 becomes the first season where three different tribes attended the first three Tribal Councils.
• This is the first episode in Survivor (U.S.) where more than one person entered Tribal Council being ineligible to vote.
• This is the first episode of the season where multiple people received votes at Tribal Council.
• This episode marks the first 2-2 tied vote with a revote since "The Ultimate Shock".
• This episode marks the first pre-merge deadlocked vote since "I'd Never Do It to You", and the first pre-merge deadlocked vote since the introduction of the rock draw tiebreaker.
  • Occurring on Day 7, this vote is tied for the earliest vote to be deadlocked along with "Committing to the Bit".
• This episode marks the first consensus vote out where multiple people were eligible to draw rocks.
• No confessionals from the Ika tribe were aired.
• The episode title is said by Omar as he decides to risk his vote.