‘Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers’ Episode 7 Recap: Jessica Voted Off After Tribes Merge

Episode seven of Survivor: Heroes v. Healers v. Hustlers came and went, and left us with one fewer member of the Hustlers’ Yawa tribe.

SURVIVOR RECAP: THE TRIBES MERGE, JESSICA LEAVES

We start out with the Yawa (Hustlers) Tribe after Ali had been voted off. Chrissy is simultaneously saying she feels bad for Ali and also that she is “dominating” the game. After the tribe switch last week, it’s now time for a tribe merge. The producers tried hard to convince the contestants and viewers that there would be no merge, going as far as to set up a fake three-team challenge.

For some reason, this episode was sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, so for their merge feast, Outback was supplying the goods. Devon went to town on his bottomless mug of beer, which was admittedly a bad idea.

New strategies are being discussed as the teams head to their new merged tribe beach. Jessica says she feels like the queen bee because she has alliances with the most people. Ryan and Devon continue their bromance and want to make a Heroes and Hustlers alliance. Ben is on board because of his dislike of Cole, but Lauren wants no part of it. She spills the beans of the plan to Mike. As with any classic merge episode, the fun is in seeing who the contestants align with.

Then the merged tribe, called Solewa, heads to the first individual immunity challenge. The contestants have to stand on a narrow beam while spinning a ball on an inner circular track. The challenge ended up being a waiting game to see who would be the last one standing, and in the end it’s Desi with the win.

Back at the beach, Ben and Cole have an uneasy discussion, but it’s nothing compared to Joe and Cole’s. Cole warns Joe that he heard their names discussed, but Joe says not to worry – “Not to toot my own horn. I should be [out] one or two,” he tells him cockily.

At the vote, the Healers seem to be settling on Chrissy, though Ben and Lauren deserve a look-at as well. Joe is going on and on about how he should be voted out basically because he is the best one in the competition. But then reveals that he is in possession of multiple idols. “Did I say I found an idol? No, I found idols,” he says. “Every camp I go to I’m gonna find an idol. So let’s switch up the game. Let’s not talk about this vote. Let’s talk about next vote.”

Joe wears the idol on his neck, seemingly like a bluff, but he did in fact play it. Which ended up being a waste, because at the end, it was a tie between Chrissy and Jessica at 5-5. Ben and Lauren are the two to decide the vote, and they both came through and voted for Jessica, sending her home.