Warning: the following article contains spoilers from the ninth episode of “Survivor 44” on CBS — read at your own risk!
The April 26 hour ended in a bit of a shocker, as Kane Fritzler was voted out with Jaime Lynn Ruiz‘s fake idol in his pocket. Jaime had secretly given Kane her fake idol (which she believed to be real) earlier in the day, in order to prevent someone from stealing it thanks to a potential Knowledge Is Power advantage. For the record, no such advantage has appeared yet in Season 44.
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We know what you’re thinking: once Jeff Probst started reading Kane’s name aloud in vote after vote, why didn’t Kane pass Jaime’s fake idol back to her? Well, simply put, it’s not allowed. Last year, Probst addressed this exact rule with Entertainment Weekly when a similar scenario happened during “Survivor 43.”
SEE ‘Survivor’ deaths: Full list of castaways we’ve lost
“Once the reading of the votes begins, that’s it,” Probst confirmed in November. “That’s why I say, ‘If anyone has an idol or an advantage and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so.’ That’s your window. After that, you are basically handcuffed from doing anything other than hoping it’s not you.”
The longtime host also reiterated the following “Survivor” rule: “Once you’re voted out, you’re out of the game and any advantage or idols in your possession lose all their power. You must turn all unplayed idols or advantages over to us. You are not allowed to even sneak an advantage to a player so they could try to bluff with it.”
SEE‘Survivor’ winners list: All seasons
As a reminder, Jaime originally found her fake idol in Episode 3 after it was planted by Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, who later quit the show due to a shoulder injury. She believed it to be real for the entire duration of the game, and even brought it up in this week’s hour. “Can you believe that I still have my idol?” Jaime asked in a private confessional. “How do I still have my idol? I’m so happy I still have my idol!” #awkward
When Kane was ousted still holding Jaime’s fake advantage, he seemed genuinely bummed in his exit interview. “The only thing worse than going home with an idol in your sock is going home with your closest ally’s idol in your sock,” he told the camera. Incidentally, it’s possible Jaime ultimately left Fiji still thinking she had given Kane a real idol, and only learned the truth when she watched Matthew’s deception play out on television.
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