LJ McKanas / Credit: CBS

NOTE: Spoilers

I had to watch the last ten minutes of Survivor from behind a blanket this week. I was worried for the first time in the season that one of my pre-game picks was going to be booted.

But let's rewind to the beginning of the episode. We instantly kick things up a notch when Jeff tells the tribe to drop their buffs - they're going to be forming two new tribes.

Luckily for the Brains, they all managed to stick together on Aparri and were joined by one member of Brawn (unlucky, Sarah), and three members of Beauty, and just like that, the entire game was flipped on its head.

Spencer Bledsoe finally found himself in a good position / Credit: CBS

Kass, Spencer and Tasha found themselves at the top of the pile as the members of Beauty - particularly Alexis and Jeremiah - started scrambling from the outset and throwing one another under the bus.

Meanwhile, Sarah who initially thought she was screwed over by the twist seemed to find herself floating by without being targeted.

Over on the other new tribe (Solana), we have the remaining two members of Beauty - LJ and Jefra who actually seem to be sticking together - along with the divided five members of Brawn.

Trish Hegarty has been treated poorly all game / Credit: CBS

Trish immediately warmed to LJ (who can blame her?), and was thinking of still going forward with Tony's earlier plan to get rid of Cliff.

Sidenote: Why wouldn't Trish want to break away from the rest of the Brawn tribe bar Tony? They've treated her poorly and attacked her for absolutely no reason, and she's probably feeling the unwarranted tension. We even heard her claim that Cliff hadn't spoken a word to her from the day they set foot on the island. Good on her for playing her own game and not going along with those who want to push her into making decisions they agree with.

Anyhow, back to the game. The reward challenge plays out and of course the Solana tribe win doughnuts because let's face it, trying to move Cliff would be like trying to move a forklift truck with an elephant sitting on top of it.

Kass McQuillen found herself at the top of the pack / Credit: CBS

Then comes the immunity challenge, and it seems like it's one for Solana to take home again, but when they come to the puzzle part of the task, they fall short and it is in fact Aparri who take home the genderless idol. The luck of jubilation on Spencer's, Kass' and Tasha's face is something special. They're sitting safe for another three days and they couldn't be happier.

Now though, LJ's in big trouble. Cliff and Lynsey think he's a massive threat to their game, and with their numbers of 5 to 2, surely there's no way he can get out of being sent home, even if Trish flips?

Wrong, because what they don't account for is:

A) LJ having an idol
B) Trish being so influential
c) Tony being a genius

Tony Vlachos was ready to make a major move / Credit: CBS

So, when they arrive at tribal council, everybody's sitting pretty and I'm sat worried that LJ is going to become the next Garrett and be sent home with his idol firmly in his bag, as he doesn't stand up to deliver the precious item to Jeff.

Luckily, there must have been more game talk that we didn't see, because Tony decided he would go with Trish and take out Cliff - a decision that many are questioning.

In my eyes, it was the best move he could have made. Tony also has an idol which nobody knows about, he now also has numbers and he probably has a good idea of Sarah's safety over on the Aparri tribe, seeing as she's the swing vote from an outsider's point of view.

Cliff Robinson was sent packing / Credit: CBS

If he makes it to the merge, he has his Solana alliance of four, plus Sarah which makes five. His final five is all laid out.

What I'm a tad worried about is the discovery from LJ and Tony that one another have idols. They won't like finding out they're not the only one with a bit of extra power in the game, and it could turn the two now-allies against one another. I hope not, because they'll make one hell of a team.

With Cliff eliminated, I'm hoping Lynsey is next to go, and by the looks of things from the teaser clip below, she could be leaving the island by choice, or be booted off by producers as Jeff promises a "Survivor first".

Survivor Cagayan airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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