On Relampago beach, we were nearing the end of the Fire & Ice battle that had raged on since January. From the beginning it looked like Hielo was going to run away with the game, but Fuego fought back while internal struggles surfaced at Hielo beach that would continue all the way until the merge. Through it all, Alex had been the consumate professional of the game. A top performer at every Immunity Challenge, and a strategic leader of the game’s strongest alliance, Alex did everything she could to see her side to a majority. But twice, when it really came down to it, Fire & Ice could not find common ground, and twice the tie resulted in her allies being eliminated (Bryan and Silas), and Fuego taking the numbers lead.

And so it was Alex against 4 original Fuegos. It was clear to everyone that Stevie and Meg had built strong relationships with anyone one their tribe right from the start, and that work had paid off as neither of them had received a vote against so far in the game. Rebecca and Jordan faltered in the challenges from the start, but they both have a redemption story as they survived vote after vote, seeing others’ write their names down. Of course their alliance with Meg and Stevie and the other Fuegos helped get them to this point, but with an Immunity win each, and a fair shot at the Final 4 and beyond, they should not be counted out at all.

It was almost 5 months to the day since the game started, and the weight of all the strategy, the lies, the late nights and early mornings was weighing on the Final 5 as they walked into the Tribal Council area, the Immunity necklace around Stevie’s neck. They were followed by the Jury as one by one Claudia, Jonathan, Bryan, Luke, Silas, Stef, Tyler and Graham took their seats across from the still-living.

They were all tired. But they still had to vote.

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If anyone has a Hidden Immunity Idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so…

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And someone did stand up!

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Unbelievably, Stevie said that she had found yet another Hidden Immunity Idol after the last one was played, hidden deep on a page on the website. With a wink at Silas over on the Jury, she said that she was going to play this idol, as this was the last week to play an idol.

And since Stevie already had Immunity around her neck, she played the HII for Meg.

Any votes cast for Meg WILL NOT COUNT. Let’s get to the vote.

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First vote…

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Second vote…

We’re tied, 1 vote Alex, 1 vote Rebecca.

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Third vote…

That’s 2 votes Alex, 1 vote Rebecca.

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*Opens Fourth vote*

By a vote vote 4-1, the 20th person voted out of Survivor Hamilton: Fire & Ice is…

And thus ends a very well played game by Alex. She came into the game knowing almost no one, but quickly built a few strong bonds on Hielo, and was unmistakably the most consistent performer before the merge, after which she won 2 Individual Immunity challenges to further bolster her resume. Well done Alex, thank you so much for your interest in this crazy game, we were lucky to have you!

For the rest of you – the Final 4 – another challenge awaits you tomorrow. Be prepared!

Go to Week 22