“Survivor” (Season 45, Episode 6)
Season 45 of “Survivor” was one for the books thanks to the return to 90-minute episodes, explosive arguments from the get-go, a head-scratching showmance and more. But the best thing about the season, despite that he was taken too soon, was Kaleb Gebrewold. Kaleb was the strongest player on a tribe heartbreakingly nicknamed the Lulu Losers, and was seen by many as the protagonist of the first seven episodes — certainly by the “Survivor” editors, who didn’t hesitate to cut together montages of him charming player after player.
Unsurprisingly, by Episode 6, everyone on the beach was terrified by how much they loved Kaleb, and decided they needed to vote him out sooner rather than later. Floundering, Kaleb made his first social faux pas: an ill-advised speech at tribal council about why people should vote for J. Maya instead of him, which only made the attention on him worse. Realizing his mistake, he decided to use his Shot-in-the-Dark, a new-era “Survivor” play that allowed him to sacrifice his vote for a one-in-six shot at immunity. In previous seasons, no one who has managed to luck out and gain immunity from a Shot-in-the-Dark ended up actually being the target of a majority vote, but Kaleb made history. After Jeff Probst announced that he had successfully become immune, it was revealed that every single vote had gone to him, and that he’d negated more votes in a single play than had ever been done before. Kaleb’s fellow players were too in awe to be upset at their foiled plan, grinning and laughing as they did exactly what Kaleb wanted them to: vote J. Maya out. — Selome Hailu