Nine are left, who will be voted out (I mean sent to) Edge of Extinction (I mean Purgatory) tonight?

Episode 17 (Assistant Dragon Slayer)

• I might as well get the rant out of the way up front. I withheld judgment for far longer than a lot of viewers, but you can now count me in on hating how Australian Survivor is edited under the new showrunner. Last season, the super-unbalanced edit turned out to be justified, since the two players that the show focused so heavily on also turned out to be arguably the best all-around player and the best strategist in any version of Survivor ever, and these two huge targets improbably both got to the Final 2. This season, it’s safe to say that there are no players of that caliber, and yet the show is telling us that–barring some kind of Erika Casupanan scenario–it’s going to come down to a Final Boss battle with Josh on one side and Mark & Sam on the other. Nothing and nobody else matters.
• OK, onto the episode itself. Let’s see if Jordie can do something with his knowledge of Mark and Sam’s his-and-her idols.
• On the previously-on, we’re reminded that Jordie staved off certain elimination by winning the immunity challenge, but couldn’t round up the singletons to break up one of the remaining couples, and Shay got sent home to Purgatory.
• Shay does the typical Edge of Extinction Purgatory woe-is-me-ing, but then manages to build a fire pit and a nice shelter, and has time left over for yoga. No sign of an advantage or hourglass.
• Jordie is going to make a show of going after Mark, but really go after Sam.
• Jordie tries again with Chrissy and Michelle. Chrissy is wary of going against her allies Mark and Sam, but is also wary of “being a dog act” if it’s true that they both have idols, something she can only take Jordie’s word about because she can’t ask Sam, since she’ll just lie if she has an idol. It continues to be interesting to see Chrissy work out how to play Survivor on the fly.
• Jordie seems to be making a bit of headway with Chrissy, Michelle, and KJ, but that’s four out of nine. It’s not going to do any good unless he can sway one or more of Josh, Jordan or Dave.
• Sam is becoming paranoid, but it’s not paranoia if etc. etc.
• Reward challenge: Run bags of balls through a ropes course, then land five balls in goals on a frame. Reward is an Isuzu MU-X. Jordie wins the challenge, the car, and the car curse.
• Jordie also gets to take the car on a test drive to a drive-in movie reward. He gets a plus-one and chooses Jordan. I guess he’s the most pliable of the men Jordie needs to persuade. He then gets to take one more and chooses Dave. Again, makes sense, although it doesn’t seem like either Jordan or Dave are actually playing the game. Jordie gets one final guest, and chooses Michelle. At first I thought it was a mistake not to take Josh, but maybe it’s a good idea to make your pitch to Jordan away from the influence of his cousin. But maybe Chrissy would be a somewhat better choice than Michelle.
• After an extended infomercial for the MU-X, they settle in for the movie, and it turns out to be messages from their loved ones. Hilariously, Dave’s message is from his daughter Briana, who is back home after being voted out approximately six months ago.
• Jordie makes his pitch for getting rid of Sam, revealing that she swiped the idol from Jesse. I do like how this whole situation is an inversion of the disadvantage women historically have in finding idols because they can’t hide anything in their clothing.
• Jordan and Dave are having a hard time taking Jordie at his word, partly because Jordan thinks Jesse’s too smart to be tricked like that (weeeellll…). Michelle believes Jordie, but very disappointingly, she’s mad at Sam for “crossing the ethical guidelines” (puleeze).
• Jordie’s pitch is for them (and Chrissy and KJ, presumably) to put votes on Sam, knowing that Mark and Sam (and Josh, presumably) will vote Jordie. Jordie says that if Sam goes home because she doesn’t have an idol (or doesn’t play it), then fine, send him home next time, and on this vote he’s willing to take the risk of being sent home if Sam in fact has an idol and plays it. It’s a nice-sounding line but the logic falls apart immediately.
• Immunity challenge: It’s the boom mike challenge. It must be demoralizing to be the sound guy on Survivor and know that your whole entire job is tortuous enough to be made an endurance challenge. It turns into a protracted two-person battle between Jordie and Jordan, and Jordan wins, thanks in part to Mark’s coaching. This should tell you all you need to know about how successful Jordie’s pitch was.
• Back at camp, Mark and Josh have a conversation in which they seem to acknowledge that they have to go after each other eventually, but that making the move too early may very well backfire. Then Jordie finally makes a direct pitch to Josh, swearing on his dog’s life that Sam has an idol.
• We get confessionals from KJ, Michelle, and Dave about how Sam is running around and getting paranoid. But unlike KJ and Michelle, Dave could actually do something about it. Come on, Juicy!!!!
• But this is why Jordie’s pitch at the reward didn’t make sense. Even if you believe Jordie when he says that Sam has an idol, you can have it both ways by stoking Sam’s paranoia and still voting Jordie. If she has the idol and plays it, she idols out Jordie anyway and the idol’s flushed.
• Jordie and Sam have a conversation. Jordie says he can’t be blamed for trying anything and everything. Sam says he’s tried everything except working with her. He asks her how he can work with her after she backstabbed him and Jesse. Sam tries to gaslight him and tells him he doesn’t know what really happened. Jordie asks what’s even the point of having this conversation and folks, I’m trying not to see this as a metaphor for this episode and possibly this entire season.
• Tribal council: Mark notes that the jury seems to be one person short, but nobody questions it further. Blah blah juicy blah blah, no idol is played, Jordie is voted out. 
• BUT WAIT, JLP says it’s time to vote–again. Chrissy Chrissy-faces like never before. Mark and Sam again sit on their idols. For possibly the first time all season, KJ doesn’t receive one inexplicable vote–she receives five inexplicable votes, and joins Shay and Jordie on Totally-Not-Edge-of-Extinction.
• Should we fault the non-Mark & Sams for being timid, or should we give Mark and Sam credit for alliance management? Could Josh and Jordan be right to keep waiting to strike, the season’s entertainment value be damned, or will they run out of time and votes?
• I can’t believe it’s come to this, but if the players aren’t going to shake things up, I’m glad production introduced Purgatory.

Episode 18 (KB)

• Michelle notes that Shay did not come out with the Jury. It makes more sense why people didn’t want to blindside a big target.
• Michelle and Sam talk and Sam keeps saying “Jessie did not put an idol in my bag” which is the truth but like very barely.
• Sam goes to talk to Mark about moving her idol from her bag to Mark’s. She seems to pull it off.
• Josh has a terrible read that Sam doesn’t have an idol. But he and Jordan start talking about breaking from them.
• Marks hair is looking very nice and curtly.
• Immunity challenge is a race and land rings then landing fire balls in a pit. Still no puzzles. Top 3 is unsurprisingly Mark, Jordan and josh. Mark wins.
• This seems like a bad time to go for Sam as it’s an easy call on the idol. And they know about purgatory after JLP mentor it.  With purgatory you might as well vote out Michelle and minimise the chance of a Josh/Jordan return.
• Chrissy can’t remember purgatory. She’s excellent comic relief.
• The plan is a Dave/Michelle split.
• But josh and Jordan want to get rid of Mark’s idol. He says “it would be better for the idol to be gone and we can stay strong and we haven’t burnt each other” josh! If you make them burn the idol they won’t feel like you are holding strong!
• Josh goes to Chrissy and says the singles should vote Sam to get her paranoid to play her idol. The plan is to just make Sam as paranoid as possible. They aren’t talking to each other.
• Sam goes for a walk with the girls. Basically compassion about Dave.
• Sam talks to Dave. Dave says he wrote Mark’s name not Sam’s. Sam says the idol in their hands keeps it out of someone like Jordie’s hands.
• At Tribal there is lots of talk about Mark and Sam. Dave doesn’t go juicey as requested. He says that the 6 is strong.  Josh says everyone should be worried. Josh whispers to Mark that it should be Michelle not Dave.
• Sam doesn’t play the idol and the votes come in for Michelle.
• At Purgatory Jordie days he’s got his band off misfits. That whoever goes back needs to stick together and split up the strong 6.
• At the Challenge JLP announces that they will compete in a trial. The Katie Collins memorial ball balancing competition. THE TOP THREE WILL GET BACK IN. Good bye Michelle I guess.  Jordie, Shay and KJ won their spots back in.
• WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO BURN HER BUFF??
• Overall purgatory was really dumb but can get the game actually going. If Shay, KJ and Shay don’t actually get the 6 to split them what’s even the point of paying Survivor?
• I’m looking forward to Chrissy somehow winning.
• This season truly sucks, I’m sorry we all had to sit through 3 episodes to see just Michelle get voted out.