The latest episode of Beast Games had the ultimate Survivor twist! After episode 3’s cliffhanger was resolved, we picked up with the announcement of the next challenge being a chance to compete for a $1.8 million private island. No one would be eliminated this round, but only 10 of the contestants would get to play for their own personal island and villa.
Mr Beast on Instagram
The elimination round required all twenty remaining players to search for one of ten cannonballs, which they would fire off to secure their spot in the challenge.
Sue Smey, Survivor 47 finalist, booked a spot to compete
Almost like it was destiny, Sue Smey —Survivor 47 finalist and Beast Games season 2 contestant — was the first to secure her place before being joined by nine more of her fellow competitors.
After everyone loaded into a car to move to the challenge location, the aesthetic of the entire show suddenly shifted into one very familiar to Survivor fans. A slow-motion drone shot of a Fijian island, a close-up on wildlife, then a fast zoom in on a boat in the distance, carrying our “castaways” as they make their way to the beach.
Waiting for them is none other than Jeff Probst, who welcomes them to Survivor: Beast Games-style. Sue is the first to jump from the boat and gives the beloved host a big hug. When asked, all the contestants said they were shocked to see Jeff, and he immediately calls Sue out for not recognizing the island after previously living on it for 26 days. She claims she now has the home court advantage before everyone makes their way into the jungle.
Survivor and Beast Games share the same synergy, according to Jeff Probst
Before the challenge begins, Jeff explains that Survivor and Beast Games are, at their core, created for the same purposes: social experiments to see what people will do for money.
An obstacle course is set up at the open-court arena, featuring familiar Survivor challenges. Relay style, in teams of five, after navigating the twisting net tunnel, one player at a time will have to score keys by throwing coconuts in a basket, matching tiles to reveal a lock combination, tossing a ball to balance onto a narrow ledge, completing a tabletop ball maze, and finally putting together the iconic Survivor standing puzzle (but this time branded for Beast Games).
Similar to how the earn the merge challenges have been going, the first team that finishes moves onto the next individual portion of the game while the other are eliminated from the running for the private island.
Jeff suggests they do a schoolyard pick, and MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) asks everyone who thinks they should be a captain to step forward. Half the contestants volunteer as captain — the Beast Games season 1 winner, a world-champion strongman, an American Ninja Warrior, Sue, and a professional wrestler — and as they’re explaining why they should take the lead, three step back, agreeing Sue should have ownership of the experience, taking the captaincy for the pink team.
Right off the bat, the yellow team (filled with strength over smarts) takes an early lead, a full obstacle leg ahead of the pink team. But after a big comeback on the last couple of legs, in true Survivor fashion, they finally catch up at the puzzle. But it doesn’t matter, yellow takes the win on the first course and moves onto the individual portion.
Deeper in the jungle, Jeff reveals that the second challenge is one of the most iconic in Survivor’s history: Get a Grip. Players cling to a pole for as long as they can. In Beast Games, they’re looking for the two players who can hold on the longest. They will then sit before a jury of their peers (the 8 other losing players) at Final Tribal Council where it will be decided who gets the private island.
The two largest guys drop out pretty quickly, but the remaining three last are keen to hang in there. After a while, Jeff—in an attempt to give the Beast Games contestants the full Survivor experience—says this is about the time they’d try and tempt players down with food, offering a burger and fries as a negotiation. None of them want it, so Jimmy tells Jeff to give it to the losers, understanding the stakes are different for the two games.
So instead he has them bring in a wheelbarrow of cash as the new bribe, offering $50,000 to anyone who comes down in the next ten seconds. The stablest of the three remaining players decides to take the money at the last second.
Now, in the fastest game in Survivor history, the eliminated players must vote for someone to win a $1.8 million private island.
Our final two players are Ian, an American Ninja Warrior, and JC, a returning player from Beast Games season 1. Jeff explained the traditional format of Final Tribal Council — opening statements, opening up the floor to the jury for Q&A, closing statements, final voting — and then Ian kicked things off.
He talked about how full circle a moment this is because he grew up watching Survivor and winning this moment is more important to him than winning all of Beast Games. He used the opening statement as a chance to foster alliances more so than anything else. JC on the other hand shares about his experiences of never winning (specifically season 1) and how this is his chance for redemption in both his eyes and others.
The jury spent most of the time going after JC while some clearly lobbied for Ian, but Jeff pointed out how this jury’s decision will be guided 100% differently than a standard game of Survivor. In most circumstances, a jury member has lost and no longer has anything to gain from choosing a winner. But in Beast Games, the jury is still fighting for $5 million and is trying to figure out which of the two players in front of them is most likely to help get them there.
In a unanimous vote, Ian walked away with the $1.8 million private island.
At least JC got the full Survivor experience, and Jeff snuffed his torch—though he’s not eliminated from Beast Games. And as the runner-up, Jimmy surprised him with a different prize, something he claimed is arguably more valuable than the island. He opened a box to reveal a $10 million coin, stating that if JC makes it to the final 6 contestants, he has the power to flip the coin for a chance to double the total prize pool. But getting eliminated also eliminates the coin from potential play.
And as the episode wrapped up, the Survivor fans watching were left wondering how MrBeast’s appearance on the island is going to fold into Survivor 50 and how far into the game we’ll be before he shows up.
