I Vote You Out and That's It

I Vote You Out and That's It
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	Island of the Idols
Episode Number	1/14 (570)
Original Release	September 25, 2019
Viewership (in Millions)	6.29
Ratings/Share (18-49)	1.3/6
Episode Chronology
Previous	"Reunion" (previous season)
Next	"YOLO, Let's Play!"
Subpages

I Vote You Out and That's It is the season premiere of Survivor: Island of the Idols.

Story

Day 1

Traveling on two boats in the waters of Fiji, 20 new castaways are about to begin the adventure of a lifetime. They have already been separated into two tribes: Lairo and Vokai​​​​. What they do not know is that Rob Mariano and Sandra Diaz-Twine, two of the series' most dominant winners, are back. They are not competing as players, but are mentors to teach the new castaways various aspects of the game. They will live on the Island of the Idols, a Survivor boot camp. They will give a lesson to a castaway who is sent there, then give them a chance to test what they have learned in order to win an advantage. If they lose, they lose their vote at the next Tribal Council.

	Sandra	“	I'm the only person that's ever won twice, and I shouldn't even have to say it. You should already know this. But, I'm coming back because it's about time the queen teaches others some of her tricks.	”

	Rob	“	Survivor School is in session.	”

The game begins, but host Jeff Probst is not there to greet the castaways. Instead, they are left on their camp beaches right away. On Lairo, Karishma Patel is eager to live her dream as a castaway.

	Karishma	“	We're heading towards this beautiful island in Fiji, I couldn't be more excited. I mean, there are no words to describe; excited is, like, an understatement. I can feel all these, like, mixed emotions ready to just burst out, but I gotta keep 'em down, because as soon as I get off the boat, I have to be calm, cool, collected Karishma.	”

As the tribe arrives on their beach, greeting each other and heading to their camp, Chelsea Walker is happy, but unsure on what is going on thus far, due to the unusual start. Her confusion is only amplified when the tribe learns the name of their season from the logo: Island of the Idols.

	Chelsea	“	I'm so excited to see my tribemates, but then I was, like, "Where's my marooning? Where's Jeff Probst?" What is happening right now? I look at our tribe flag, and I saw Survivor: Island of the Idols and I'm just, like, "oh no". When people talk about idols in general, it's already paranoia, but that's what our season theme is revolved around? I have no idea what that means. My mind is blown right now. There's some twist out there, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for it, but this is Survivor, and right now we have to focus on the shelter.	”

Lairo begins constructing their shelter, and the tribe slowly begins to get to know more about each other. Karishma reveals to Vince Moua that her family came from India, and Vince in turn reveals his is Hmong. Tom Laidlaw reveals that he was a former hockey player, and Elizabeth Beisel reveals to the girls that she was a swimmer for the Olympics.

	Elizabeth	“	I am a three-time Olympic swimmer, and I am a competitor. It's basically embedded within my DNA, because I've been a competitive swimmer my whole life. [...] I stepped away from the sport a year and a half ago, and it was a very hard transition, because it's like you're at the Olympics and you're at such a high note, and then you wonder will I ever get there again. [...] This game has honestly made me as excited as I was for the Olympics, and I never thought I would feel that again.	”

Elizabeth and Missy Byrd quickly begin to connect, the former even joking that they may be the same person.

	Missy	“	We are having a good time, which is super cool, because I literally needed some happiness in my life. I went into the military at eighteen, and I played in basketball for the air force team, and then about three years in, I developed a brain tumor. As it grew, it got worse, and at one point I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk, almost died. We tried some medication, and I was really lucky, because right now the tumor's completely gone, so it's kinda like new life. That's why I'm here now; I gotta do something decently dope. I wanna be the Sole Survivor, like, I wanna be the S-O-U-L Survivor. It's just dope.	”

Meanwhile on Vokai, the tribe is also confused by the lack of a marooning with Jeff Probst, and Lauren Beck begins to speculate what the season's theme means.

	Lauren	“	The theme of the season is Island of the Idols, which really make your mind sort of go wild. [...] I'm thinking are there idols on this island? Is there another island that has tons of idols? So it's surprising, it's shocking, and it's cool.	”

Vokai begins to introduce themselves to one another, each from different jobs and backgrounds, and Molly Byman begins to get a good vibe from everyone as a whole.

	Molly	“	Everyone on our tribe seemed really, like, smart and bright and social, and everyone just seemed really excited to be there, which I think is a positive thing. Like, we were very much just kinda like, "We're gonna get to work".	”

As the tribe agrees to start building a shelter, Janet Carbin has an idea. She wants to try to make fire. She says she has been able to start fire with just bamboo in the past.

	Janet	“	Coming into the game, I am worried about being an easy vote-off because of my age and the stigma of the older person, especially the older woman, so I need to stand out to break out that stereotype, [...] and there's no better way to come into this game and make an impact than make fire.	”

The tribe eagerly waits to see if she can do it.

	Janet	“	I'm a chief lifeguard. I have 130 lifeguards working for me. [...] It's been my experience in life that if you prove who you are, people don't care what your gender, what your age is. [...] If you prove who you are, then you can become part of them.	”

To everyone's joy, Janet is able to start a fire.

	Janet	“	It was really cool to break the mold on the older woman. I showed my tribe that I had a special set of skills, and I knew how to use them.	”

Back on Lairo, Vince is chopping down wood, and the other tribemates appreciate his work ethic. Vince explains why he has a good work ethic in a confessional.

	Vince	“	I'm the first Hmong person to ever be cast on Survivor. The Hmong people are a very small Southeast Asian group who came over as refugees after the Vietnam War, so I grew up low income. I was the first of my family to go to an institution like Stanford. So I've always been that type of person who does the work.	”

Tom is impressed by Vince, and the two of them grow very close. He is also impressed with Elaine.

	Tom	“	The guy that totally surprised me was Vince. Vince definitely knew what he was doing with tools. Like, you know, I come in, growing up in a farm. You know how to use a saw and all that kind of stuff. So he's, he's been excellent. [...] Elaine, she's not all prissy with the dress on, all that kind of stuff. She's got the work boots on and the hat and the whole bit, so we hit it off right away.	”

They also find a bond with Elaine Stott, and the three of them become close. While gathering wood, they agree that they like the tribe, and hope that it can get them to the merge. Tom believes that they would not get far just with the best athletes; they need to be able to work together as a team.

	Tom	“	When I played in the NHL, I was a captain for every team I ever played on, and for me, if you're on a team, and you want to win, it isn't all just your physical strength. You know, Wayne Gretzky wasn't the biggest guy, but probably the best player to play the game. [...] My whole world is all about discipline and hard work, and Vince, Elaine, and I, I think we all think the same way.	”

However, the absence of the three makes the rest of the tribe wonder if they are doing more than just gather wood. The seven remaining Lairo members—Chelsea, Elizabeth, Karishma, Missy, Aaron Meredith, Dean Kowalski, and Ronnie Bardah—decide to become a majority, leaving the other three on the outs.

	Aaron	“	There's three people missing: Elaine, Tom, Vince. They just left. So everybody at camp says "7-3, we're good", and those three immediately painted a target on their back.	”

Back on Vokai, their shelter is making good progress, everyone is working together well, and Jamal Shipman is happy about it.

	Jamal	“	The Vokai tribe is doing awesome; it could not be going more well. We check all the boxes. We have a shelter, we have fire, good morale, high spirits, fun… we're chillin'.	”

While everyone is putting the finishing touches on the shelter, Jason Linden has other ideas as he wanders off by himself.

	Jason	“	I'm thinking to myself, "This season is Island of the Idols, so you got to be an idiot to not actually look for an idol."	”

Unfortunately for him, the other tribe members begin to wonder where he is, and Dan Spilo sees this as a good opportunity to keep the target off of himself.

	Dan	“	Jason just disappeared. It was the cliché Survivor mistake of searching for an idol on Day 1. So when I notice that Jason is gone, the goal is to say "Where's Jason?". [...] I mean, I look at my job as though I play Survivor every day. I'm a talent manager, and I run a talent management company in Hollywood, and I think working with actors is very similar to Survivor because I have to get a bunch of very passionate, aggressive people to make the decisions that I really do believe are the best decisions for them and for me, so there was complete strategy in noticing that Jason had just wandered off, [...] and all I wanted was just a first vote to be created that isn't me, and I mean I got to tell you, it was joyous to watch! Oh, he's done! It's over, so it is impossible now for Jason to dig himself out of that grave.	”

The other castaways discuss Jason's absence, and they all agree that Jason is acting suspicious.

Later, Jamal, Molly, Jack Nichting, and Noura Salman are relaxing in the water, and Jack finds a giant clam, to their amazement. When getting a closer look, the clam suddenly spits out water, leaving everyone in surprise and laughter.

	Jack	“	I'm 23 years old, which makes me the youngest person on the tribe, and I think that's good; I think my playful attitude will be without a doubt my biggest asset. [...] The goal in what I'm trying to accomplish is to be like it's for everyone; I want everyone to want to have a relationship with me. But I need to find a person, and person number one is Tommy. We're the two young dudes, we're very similar, and that just an obvious freaking pairing.	”

Jack and the others go back to the beach, and Jack goes looking for Tommy Sheehan. As Jack had hoped, he and Tommy grow close and comfortable being together. As it turns out, Tommy also has heart-to-heart talks with Jamal and Lauren, telling the latter that he is going to propose to his girlfriend later in the year after the game was over.

	Tommy	“	As a 4th grade teacher, my job is to make sure everyone feels comfortable around me. In this game, I'm doing the same thing, [...] and my strategy was to connect with people in one-on-one conversations and get to know who they truly are, [...] and it's really working. Everyone has been coming up to me, and I think I did a great job of connecting with people one on one, and I'm building a lot of alliances.	”

Dan, Jack, Lauren, Molly, Tommy, and Kellee Kim huddle in a group, and agree that they are a tight six, forming a core alliance within the tribe with Jamal as someone else they can turn to for help.

	Molly	“	Already, I can see the core group formed, which is great, because I don't wanna be that person on the outs, and I think we kinda just clicked. We just wanna have a good time. Like, we need to get rid of the drama. We need to get rid of, like, the sliminess. Like, this is a tribe game, like, let's make this easy. And Jason is the person who's running around trying to do something for himself; it's a little shady to everyone else, and it rubbed people the wrong way.	”

The core group and Jamal agree that Jason is on the outs, and are grateful that because they want him out, they feel united. However, Noura overhears this, and uncomfortable with the plan to vote out Jason, she warns him that the tribe thinks that he has an idol.

	Noura	“	After I hear that people are saying Jason's name, I'm thinking I like the guy and I wanna work with him, and he also feels familiar to me and he reminds me of an ex-boyfriend that I feel is a very authentic good guy that I could trust, and so I felt that, and it's like I wanna work with that. So what's the first thing I do? I go to him and tell him.	”

	Jason	“	Noura says "Hey, I just wanna give you a heads up". There's like talk and chatter that I left camp for thirty or forty minutes, so I'm concerned. Is there any person that would be more more of a liability and distrustful than somebody that would go search for the Hidden Immunity Idol Day 1? I am mortified. Am I gonna be the first one out? That is my nightmare!	”

Meanwhile on Lairo, Elaine begins cracking some jokes at camp, and the tribe plays along, happy to hear them, from the idea of going commando to not knowing what cumin is.

	Elaine	“	I've been different my whole life, and I got picked on a lot, so I use humor to deflect. I make 'em laugh. That way they're laughing with me and not at me.	”

While this is happening, Missy looks around, sizing up her tribemates.

	Missy	“	I try to be the most observant in this game, and looking around at the other players, I like the girls because it seems as though all four of the other women feel that they are not going to be subservient and they're not gonna do what people expect them to do. They're gonna do what most benefits them, [...] and in this moment, what benefits all of the girls is forming a woman's alliance.	”

As Elaine kookily swings on a branch, she, Chelsea, Elizabeth, Karishma, and Missy are gathered together in the woods. Missy brings up the idea of a women's alliance to them. The other girls are interested by the idea, agreeing that it may be best for their games, and the alliance is formed. The women go separate ways, and Missy walks with Elaine.

	Missy	“	Keeping the women strong is super important, [...] and I know that people think that Elaine, Tom, and Vince are together, and because of that, Elaine could possibly be in trouble.	”

Missy decides to tell Elaine about the seven-person majority that formed when she, Tom, and Vince left to get wood. Elaine points out that all the three of them were doing when they split off was helping Vince cut down trees.

	Elaine	“	That got me a little worried. When you first hear anybody say anything about your name, it makes your heart race a little bit. You don't want your name to come up like that in Survivor, ever, at all. So I need to start playing a little better game, because I'm not okay with going home.	”

Day 2

The next day, at Vokai, Dan decides to give Janet a massage. Most tribe members compliment Dan's skills, but Kellee is surprised by this. She also notices how Dan also gives back rubs to other castaways, and at one point laid on her leg as a pillow. She feels uneasy about it.

	Kellee	“	You know, in the game of Survivor, there's a lot of people that you're living with for the first time. Living with anyone is hard, and I'm a germaphobe when it come to other people's grossness. I think that's why I do sometimes get annoyed with Dan, because Dan is a really touchy person. He makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable, and I don't think he really realizes it. His lack of spatial awareness, for me being a germaphobe, but also a girl, I'm like "Dan, I don't want your head on my leg. That's just too much. I don't want your sweaty body on me, at all".	”

Kellee's opinion of Dan is also shared by Lauren and Molly.

	Molly	“	I was a little taken aback by Dan at first. He's like really touchy, and Dan does not know personal space. [...] I'm trying to be delicate about this because it is a game, and I don't want to ruffle feathers for as long as I possibly can. If you get yourself into a hole early, it's really hard to climb out of it.	”

Janet also notices this.

	Janet	“	The girls are very uncomfortable with Dan's physicality with them, and I've learned in my life as a woman, you need to say what you think.	”

Kellee heeds Janet's advice, explaining to Dan that she feels uncomfortable being touched the way he does with her. Dan understands, admitting that he needs to open to the fact that he cannot hug someone the way Janet could. The two of them mend their bond, but Kellee still has mixed feelings.

	Kellee	“	We're playing Survivor where it's about fitting in and connecting. Like, Dan being a touchy person-- it's a lot. We kind of talked about it and a really, really good conversation, but I feel like Dan's lack of spatial awareness I think is going to hurt him in the game.	”

On Lairo, Elaine is still giving the other tribe members a laugh with her sense of humor, such as giving Dean a mouth-to-mouth if he passes out from starvation. Many begin to like Elaine a lot, but Ronnie is worried that someone that likeable is a threat.

	Ronnie	“	Biggest tip I give to other poker players is sit down and watch. Watch what other players are bringing to the game. I can see that Elaine is extremely likeable, she's super fun; I like Elaine, but that can be dangerous. Because someone like Elaine from a town in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky, who's had hardship her whole life who works in a factory, sounds like a clear winner to me. If she's at Final Tribal Council and she's gotten that far with that story, they're gonna award her a million dollars. So yeah, she's somebody I wanna get rid of as soon as possible. It's important for me to give out good vibes, "Good-vibe Ron", to make Elaine feel safe.	”

Ronnie attempts to connect with Elaine, explaining that they both had struggles their whole life, and tells her that he has her back, that if her name is being thrown around, then he would tell her. Elaine tells Ronnie that she trusts him, but she privately does not believe for a second that he is being honest.

	Elaine	“	I literally knew from the minute that I had the conversation with Ronnie that me and him was like this (holds her fingers far apart). I knew it in my gut. He's a weasel, and he's somebody that I find a little shady. So I don't trust Ronnie, so to me, he has to go. It's duel time! You know what I mean? Guns drawn. Let's see. Let's find out.	”

Day 3

The tribes gather for the Reward/Immunity Challenge on Day 3, where Jeff officially welcomes the cast to the season. The castaways explain that they felt disappointed that he did not greet them on Day 1, but they agree that the lack of information adds a sense of mystery to the season.

When the challenge begins, both tribes start off strong, quickly climbing the net, under the crawl tunnel, and down the slope. Vokai gets a slight lead, but Lairo catches up, and both complete the obstacle at the same time. Dean and Janet begin tossing the grappling hook for their tribes. Janet hooks the target on her first toss for Vokai, and everyone begins pulling the rope to release their bridge, putting Vokai in the lead. Dean struggles, and opts out to let Ronnie toss, and he hooks it for Lairo. They catch up to Vokai, which has already begun making their human ladder. Jack grabs the high rope, dropping the lower ropes for Vokai. Dean follows suit for Lairo, and his tribe quickly gains momentum as Vokai struggles to get everybody up. They take the lead, causing Jack to go back down to help his tribemates. Chelsea, Dean, and Vince start working on the puzzle for Lairo, but are having trouble getting the first piece in. Vokai catches up, with Jamal, Molly, and Noura working on the puzzle. They quickly get their first piece in, giving them the lead once again. After finishing their second hut, Lairo finishes their first, still in it. Suddenly, Lairo's puzzle-makers get confused, unsure if they placed the right pieces on the huts, putting them at a standstill. To Jeff's surprise, they begin to disassemble their puzzle, putting Vokai at a massive lead. Lairo is unable to recover as Vokai places their last piece, winning immunity in a huge blowout. Jeff awards the Immunity Idol to Vokai, as well as flint for making fire. Once Vokai is gone, Jeff informs Lairo that the Island of the Idols is real, and someone is about to go there right now. He offers one person to draw a name from a bag; that person will be the first to go to the Island of the Idols. Elaine offers to draw, and she draws Elizabeth's name. Lairo heads back to camp, while Elizabeth heads for the Island of the Idols.

	Elizabeth	“	I'm freaking out. I don't wanna go, because me going to Island of the Idols puts a target on my back, and on top of that I'm missing very critically important strategizing time with the tribe, and I don't think Survivor gods are gonna make it easy. So it's scary, and I'm like, "What's in store for me?".	”

Elizabeth arrives on Island of the Idols, and does not know what lies ahead.

	Elizabeth	“	Island of the Idols... I'm trying to stay optimistic here. This beach is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, but I don't know what I'm going to walk into.	”

Eventually, she sees two huge statues of Rob and Sandra, leaving her in awe.

	Elizabeth	“	I see these two massive statues, and I'm like, "Boston Rob and Sandra!"-- two of the best players to ever play this game.	”

Then, from behind the bushes, out come Rob and Sandra themselves to greet her.

	Elizabeth	“	And out come walking Boston Rob and Sandra! [...] I was so excited, surprised, just in awe because they are idols! They are Survivor idols!	”

Rob explains to Elizabeth that he and Sandra are not competing to win the game; they are serving as mentors to teach her aspects of the game, then give her a chance to test her skills to win an advantage. Everything that happens here is intended to make her a better player. Elizabeth is eager to begin.

	Rob	“	Sandra and I have a pretty extensive Survivor resume. We've played over two-hundred days, seven seasons, we've both won the game, we've also lost the game. We understand every component of this game.	”

	Sandra	“	Whoever comes to Island of the Idols, we're definitely gonna sit down and talk to them, ask them about their Survivor experience thus far, then give ideas and strategy to help further their game.	”

Elizabeth tells her mentors that she feels that she is in a good alliance, and as for camp life they have a shelter, but no fire. Rob replies that since the tribe will get flint after Tribal Council, he can teach her how to make fire. Elizabeth immediately says yes. Rob explains that to make fire you need three things: fuel from wood, a spark from flint, and air. The flint has a spark side, and a magnesium side. You scrape the magnesium off to have a better chance for the spark to catch. Rob demonstrates, creating a fire in mere seconds. Sandra takes Elizabeth to a different spot so that she can try it on her own.

	Rob	“	Everything that happens on the Island of the Idols is a lesson. So even though Elizabeth comes in full of energy, ready to learn, in the back of my mind I know that the test is comin'.	”

After multiple tries, Elizabeth gets the hang of it, able to make fire. She and Sandra come back to Rob, where he has set up two fire-making stations. Rob tells Elizabeth that in order to get her advantage, which is a Hidden Immunity Idol good for her first two Tribal Councils, she must defeat him in a fire-making challenge. If she fails, then she loses her vote for tonight's Tribal Council. The question to her is whether she is willing to take the risk, or play safe and return to camp. Elizabeth is given a minute to think about it, while Rob tempts her, saying that her vote might not matter if she is in a good alliance.

	Sandra	“	Elizabeth against Boston Rob is a mismatch. No one knows the game better than Boston Rob and myself. But, this is Survivor. You never know what's gonna happen. She's learning from the best, so maybe she could beat Boston Rob.	”

Meanwhile, back at Lairo camp, the tribe blames nobody for the loss; they lost as a team fair and square. The tribe gets back to work, but Elaine knows that she is still on the chopping block.

	Elaine	“	I'm worried about going into Tribal Council, because I still feel like my name's out there. But I'm banking on relationships, on connections. That's what I'm banking on.	”

Chelsea, Elaine, Tom, and Vince gather at the well to think of a plan. The first name that comes to mind is Ronnie, as they do not trust him. They feel that they can get Elizabeth and Missy on board, but are unsure of Dean. Vince worries that he might get votes too, but Tom tells him not to fret; he believes that the other side does not have the numbers. As long as they have six, they can take out Ronnie.

	Vince	“	So for the moment I'm working with Tom, Chelsea, and Elaine to vote against Ronnie. But, I feel my name is on the chopping block because the puzzle didn't come together, and that's where it gets me really worried.	”

In another part of camp, Aaron, Karishma, Missy, and Ronnie are talking about their own plan, when Vince shows up. Vince is invited to talk with them, and he learns that Elaine actually is in danger. Karishma, who is still in a female alliance, finds herself stuck between two sides.

	Karishma	“	I'm definitely concerned about Elaine. She is hilarious, and she's not here to be the comedienne; she's here to win a million dollars. But the first alliance that I made was with Elaine and the women. I am so torn right now.	”

Vince does not like the idea of voting out one of his most trusted friends, so he warns Elaine that Ronnie brought up her name, hoping to save her.

	Vince	“	They want to target Elaine. I don't want to go down that route with them. [...] I totally trust Elaine, and I think she has my back as well, so I need to make sure that Elaine doesn't get the short end of the stick here.	”

Tom still feels certain that they cannot vote Elaine out with little numbers, but they do know that they are targeting Elaine.

	Elaine	“	I knew it in my gut! I'm in trouble; I'm goin' home. I want to... I want to pray to stay! Even though I'm going to pray to stay and, and to pray that things work out, it may not be in God's plan.	”

Back on Island of the Idols, Elizabeth has to still make a decision.

	Elizabeth	“	Rob gives me the offer to basically go up against him in a fire-making challenge, and if I win, I get an Immunity Idol, and it's good for two Tribal Councils. But if I lose, I lose a vote, so it's a huge risk. Boston Rob is probably the best fire-maker in this world. He's done hundreds of fires, and in my heart, I am just thinking it's going to be very hard to win, but the competitor in me is ignited.	”

She accepts the challenge. Little does she know, Rob had something else had Elizabeth refused.

	Rob	“	She took the first offer, not even thinking to question if I might have something in my back pocket. I was prepared to up the ante, but like every new Survivor player, they bite at the first opportunity.	”

Sandra counts them down, and the duel begins. Elizabeth gets fire first, with Rob following behind. Rob gives his fire some air, quickly getting a bigger fire, while Elizabeth still has a small fire. In the end, Rob wins the duel easily, causing Elizabeth to lose her vote. Rob gives Elizabeth a moral: trust your gut, because if the deal is too good to be true, then it probably is. Before she leaves, Rob tells her to reach into a bag to select someone from Vokai to be the next person to come to Island of the Idols, but she will not know who. After choosing, Elizabeth heads back to camp.

	Elizabeth	“	I am leaving the Island of the Idols with some incredible wisdom from two of the best players to ever play this game, but I am more nervous going back to camp now, because I lost my vote. I made a foolish mistake. Hopefully, it doesn't destroy my game tonight.	”

Back at Lairo, Elaine is demoralized. Tom attempts to keep her calm as he feels that they can save her, but Elaine is mad that she is even on their radar to begin with, seemingly for no reason. Chelsea and Tom talk with Aaron and Ronnie about Elaine to understand why, when Elaine butts in, stating that she feels in trouble. She offers to vote anybody as long as it is not her. Aaron later explains the reason her name was thrown out was because of her likeable personality. Elaine feels that it is too soon to vote someone out because of that.

	Elaine	“	Aaron said that people love me, that I'm too nice. He was throwing every compliment he could think of at me, so I guess I felt better? It's completely understandable; I wouldn't want to sit next to somebody like me in the end. But these people have to realize that they have to make it to the end!	”

Aaron makes an offer to her to vote Vince instead of her, and Elaine says that she will do it. The group disbands, but Aaron is not actually set on voting Vince yet.

	Aaron	“	I looked Elaine dead in the eyes and said "it's not gonna be you tonight, it's gonna be Vince". But that decision hasn't been made yet. Is it Vince? Is it Elaine?	”

Elizabeth arrives back at camp, unsure of how to explain Island of the Idols to the other castaways.

	Elizabeth	“	Coming back to camp, I was contemplating the whole time in my head, "What am I going to tell my tribemates?" [...] I don't want to seem untrustworthy, and I don't want to lie, but Sandra and Boston Rob told me to trust my gut, and it's telling me that I'm going to have to because knowledge is power in this game.	”

She lies and says she chose an urn, and that the urn she chose did not have anything in it. Afterwards, everyone wants to talk to her about the vote.

	Elizabeth	“	I am the most popular girl at camp right now. Everybody wanted to talk to me because they needed my vote. Aaron is telling me we're gonna vote out Vince, but Aaron wants Elaine. Other people want Ronnie. I don't have a vote; I wanna tell the people that I'm close with, but you don't tell them a thing. I wanna get to the end, and unfortunately it's gonna take me lying. I have the worst case scenario where I don't have a voice in tonight's vote, and now I have nine other people coming up to me telling me nine different stories that I have to keep straight in my mind. My brain is fried; my brain is scrambled eggs at this point. And the sun is going down, and I am heading into Tribal Council, and I don't know what is going to happen tonight; I honestly have no idea.	”

The tribe gathers their things and heads for Tribal Council.

Lairo arrives at Tribal Council, lighting their torches and taking their seats. Unbeknownst to them, Rob and Sandra are inside a hidden booth to watch the events unfold. Chelsea expresses the confusion she felt when they had no traditional marooning. Elaine explains how she got along with everybody, but is disappointed that she might be going home tonight. Karishma admits that Elaine is indeed in trouble, and that being likable can be a liability sometimes. Elaine interjects, asking why vote her out now when they could vote her out later, as the end is still far away. As it starts to rain, Ronnie states that he wants to keep the tribe strong by keeping the strong people. Elaine breaks down crying, stating she struggled throughout her life, and she is finally playing the game, and if she went home now, it would be heartbreaking. Ronnie tries to relate, as he worked at many places, but never stuck with them. Vince admits that it is hard to vote anybody out, as everybody has a story to tell, and that he is really unsure of where he stands. Aaron agrees that it is not easy to vote people out for him, though Sandra secretly comments that it was not hard for her.

The Lairo tribe cast their votes, with Elizabeth unable to vote. Aaron and Ronnie vote Vince, but after Elaine's honest speech, everybody turns on Aaron and Ronnie, blindsiding Ronnie in a 7-2 vote. The poker player from Henderson, Nevada becomes the first person voted out of Survivor: Island of the Idols.

Challenges

Reward/Immunity Challenge: Tower of Equality
Each tribe must climb up a net and go down a slide. One member must then use a grappling hook to lower a bridge. After crossing the bridge, each tribe must then climb up a tower and solve a village puzzle. The first tribe to solve their puzzle wins.
Reward: Flint
Winner: Vokai

Tribal Council

Tribal Council 1: Lairo
Voted Against	Voter (Elizabeth ineligible to vote)
Ronnie (7 votes)	Chelsea, Dean, Elaine, Karishma, Missy, Tom, Vince
Vince (2 votes)	Aaron, Ronnie
VOTED OUT: Ronnie Bardah

Voting Confessionals

No voting confessionals were aired this episode. Elizabeth was seen writing down that she had no vote.

Final Words

	Ronnie	“	I was blindsided pretty hard. I did not expect that. I thought I was contributing to my tribe and it just sucks. It's pretty embarrassing to be voted out first. It's pretty big disappointment to the poker world and to myself. But hey, I made some big mistakes and in the game of poker, you gotta learn from your mistakes. Coming on Survivor definitely wasn't about just the money. You know a million dollars is great, but you can't put a price on experience like this.	”

Still in the Running

Ronnie 20th	Aaron Lairo	Chelsea Lairo	Dan Vokai	Dean Lairo	Elaine Lairo	Elizabeth Lairo	Jack Vokai	Jamal Vokai	Janet Vokai
Jason Vokai	Karishma Lairo	Kellee Vokai	Lauren Vokai	Missy Lairo	Molly Vokai	Noura Vokai	Tom Lairo	Tommy Vokai	Vince Lairo

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• There was an unaired decision that each tribe had to make on Day 1. Lairo and Vokai were given a choice between a shelter-building toolkit and a basket of food; according to Karishma, Lairo chose the toolkit.

Other

• This is the first premiere since "Something Cruel Is About to Happen... Real Soon" where Jeff Probst did not meet the cast on Day 1.
• The name of the Reward/Immunity Challenge, Tower of Equality, references the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "The Power of Equality".
• The puzzle in the challenge is a small replica of Tribal Council.
• This is the most recent premiere where no advantages were acquired.
• The title of this episode is named after the line that is said by Sandra Diaz-Twine while watching Lairo's first Tribal Council when Rob Mariano asked if the voting at her first Tribal Council was hard. Sandra said no and jokingly tells Rob she would vote him out and that's it.