A racially charged discussion made for a dramatic end to Global’s “Survivor”.
On Wednesday night’s new episode, the contestants faced a double elimination, as the 10 remaining players were split into groups of five.
The first group voted out Rocksroy Bailey, which prompted Drea Wheeler to push back during the second group’s Tribal Council.
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Rocksroy had been the second Black contestant in a row voted out, and Drea had no intention of being the third, bringing up what she saw as a systemic issue within the show.
“It always happens where, at one point, the Black contestants get booted out,” she explained. “And then it’s exactly what this is right now. So, yeah, I’m pissed.”
Asked by host Jeff Probst if she thought it was a race-related issue, Drea said, “I think it’s just subconsciously a little bit of that, unfortunately.”
She added, “I’m not gonna let that happen to another one of us — point-blank. It’s a reset for me. This is a game-changer.”
Drea’s teammate Maryanne Oketch, who had planned on writing down Drea’s name, announced that she had changed her mind so as not to be a “part of a perpetuating problem.”
In any case, Drea was safe from elimination after playing her hidden immunity idol, and Maryanne joined her in solidarity, using her own idol despite knowing she wasn’t going to be a target for elimination.
“I need to play this so that people who are watching will know that I didn’t make it another day because of race,” she said. “I, a thousand per cent, Jeff, with a thousand per cent certainty, can tell you that if both of us don’t play our idols tonight, there will be someone watching and saying they used race.”
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Not everyone was happy about the nature of the conversation, though.
“I don’t feel like this is right, because y’all are coming at this as like, we’re racist,” Jonathan said, adding of their plan to vote out Drea. “It has nothing to do with race.”
Maryanne attempted to explain that anyone can have subconscious biases, but Jonathan responded, “That’s saying that I’m subconsciously racist, and that’s not true.”
Drea told him, “Just because I’m saying how I feel, at this moment, does not mean that you can make that your problem. This is my situation, my issue. I’m addressing it the way I wanted to address it.”
When it came time to vote, Probst avoided the “pomp and circumstance” of the voting ritual and instead, opened it to discussion.
With Drea and Maryanne both using their immunity idols, and with Jonathan already having immunity, the vote came down to Lindsay Dolashewich and Tori Meehan.
In the end, Tori was voted out, and despite using her Shot in the Dark to remain on the show, she wasn’t able to beat the 1-in-6 odds.
Tune in to “Survivor”, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
