Previously on Survivor Hamilton: Old Meets New
The Merge started off with a bang, with Chris’ idol sending Chelsea to the Jury. That move sent ripples through Tendua, reminding everyone that any plan can fall off the rails at the last second. Now with 13 players remaining, and newly returned castaway Graham wearing the only Immunity necklace, who will become the 2nd member of the Jury?

Earlier this week Tendua met for their first Tribal Council, 14 players with different stories and Survivor Hamilton experiences, each trying to make the best decisions for their game. Choices that they’d hope would ultimately lead to them being named sole Survivor. For some, that vote had been an eye-opener. If not for Chris using his hard-earned Hidden Immunity Idol, Peter would be sitting alone on the Jury instead of Chelsea. Eight players had attempted to vote Peter out, with votes coming from both ex-Kobara and Ulloo players. But it was Nevala’s 4 votes that ended up counting.

Peter, and his closest alliance including Chris, James and Jon, would need to adapt quickly or else one of them could be next out. Chelsea’s exit interview had revealed that not only had she been working very closely with Sharon as expected, but Kyle had been her closest ally in the game. Her elimination was a definite blow to them both, and they would also need to pivot to regain the power they had worked so hard to achieve.

Though the rest of Tendua all voted for Peter, Ruth had had a different plan last week, and as often was the case, felt like she had to keep fighting to survive. Ruth had been battling all game with the label that follows all big-time players, that they are untrustworthy – but that always comes after someone gets blindsided. She would need to work really hard to get people on her side for this vote, and then build from there. One person she’d be most likely to have trust with is Sharon, whom Ruth worked with for 8 votes on Nevala. But would Sharon’s habit of partnering with other strong players (Chelsea, Kyle, Sharon) come back to bite her?

Then there’s the majority of 8 that came together on the Peter vote. Would they be able to stick together? Would they go right back at Peter, even though it’s a completely predictable move? How can so many big personalities spread across Ontario (and David C.!) find a way to agree on who to target? It’s not like they could simply build a democratic system of votes, checks, and balances to figure it out could they? Well one thing is for sure, the result tonight will be anything but easy to predict with so many plans out there. Watch Tribal Council below:

And now for a reading of the votes. But before that, we need to ask if any player is planning on using a Hidden Immunity Idol to block votes against them. Chris used one last vote, would someone use one today?

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YES!

Kyle decided to use the Hidden Immunity Idol he won on Kobara just over a month ago, and he’d be using it to save himself. Any votes cast for Kyle will not count! Let’s get to the votes.

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First Vote:

Does not count!

Second Vote:

Does not count!

Third Vote:

Does not count!

Fourth Vote:

Does not count! That’s 4 votes for Kyle that do not count. 9 votes left. 

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Fifth Vote:

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Sixth Vote:

That’s 1 vote Ruth, and 1 vote Peter. 

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Seventh Vote:

We’re tied. 1 vote Ruth, 1 vote Sharon, and 1 vote Peter. 

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Eighth Vote:

That’s 2 votes Ruth, 1 vote Sharon, and 1 vote Peter. 

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Ninth Vote:

2 votes Ruth, 2 votes Sharon, and 1 vote Peter. 

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Tenth Vote:

That’s 3 votes Ruth, 2 votes Sharon, and 1 vote Peter.

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Eleventh Vote:

We’re tied again. 3 votes for Ruth, 3 votes for Sharon, and 1 vote for Peter. 

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Twelfth Vote:

That’s 4 votes Ruth, 3 votes Sharon, 1 vote Peter, and 1 vote left…

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Thirteenth Vote:

By a vote of 5-3-1, Ruth is the 18th player voted out of the game, and joins Chelsea to become the 2nd member of the Jury! Ruth played a very hard-fought game, especially when you consider she only knew one player – Sasha – coming in. Down tough on a Nevala team with a pretty significant alliance forming, Ruth was able to use people’s lies and strategies against them to eliminate one potential threat after another. Unfortunately for Ruth and the others that made it out of Nevala, the Tribe Swap spread them all too thin to have a huge impact from that point on. Nonetheless, Ruth earned her spot on the Jury with some pretty big moves throughout the game, and will get a say when it comes time to decide on a winner. Congrats to Ruth on making it this far. It was great – and sometimes personally painful – to see you in action, and I believe you earned the title of “villain” in all the right ways; by playing the game harder than everyone else.

As for the remaining 12 players… Enjoy a Sunday off, and be ready for Monday’s Immunity Challenge. There definitely won’t be anything to pay attention for tomorrow. Definitely not. Why would I bother you on a Sunday?

Check out Ruth’s PLAYED! with Meg & Mike episode below:

MH

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