Review: Survivor, "Bull in a China Shop" | Season 43, Episode 7
An indulgent and immaterial immunity challenge crowds a chaotic post-merge vote
By merging earlier than ever, the first individual immunity challenge had the potential to be ungainly, but “Bull in a China Shop” has a solution. After forcing the merged Gaia tribe to pair off, a three-stage immunity challenge unfolds in heats, with two teams being eliminated in each round. It’s an effective way of eventually boiling down to an endurance challenge that we expect at this stage of the game while providing some more TV-friendly race elements.
But as the challenge progressed, it showcases the perils of an early merge. There was a lot of story happening in this challenge, in the end, but it was a generic narrative of perseverance rather than anything about each player’s vulnerability or strength within the strategic side of the game. The challenge stops fully to allow Jeff to focus on the tribes’ efforts to assist Jeanine and—especially—Noelle after they ended the first leg of the challenge stuck inside twisted nets, and the c…