Idle Idol Punishes Palesa In Survivor SA: Philippines

There are few more painful ways to exit Survivor South Africa: Philippines than being voted out with an unplayed Hidden Immunity Idol in your pocket – but Palesa suffered just that fate this week (12 July) after being blindsided by her Araw tribemates.

Palesa outlasted Katinka in this week’s Reward Challenge to scoop the luxury of spending a night in a real bed on the island after enjoying a tapas feast, complete with a bottle of red wine. She surprised all her tribe mates when she selected sworn enemy Tom as the person to share her reward with – but she had a plan in mind. That plan received a further boost when she explored the bed which had been set up next to the Araw shelter and pocketed another Hidden Immunity Idol – her second of the season.

While enjoying the welcome meal with Tom, Palesa mined him for information about the ‘Mindanao Strong’ alliance he found himself part of and made him promise to tell her when she was set to be voted out, under the guise of being able to enjoy her last day on the island – but really, she was hoping to use him as an indicator of danger which would allow her to deploy her Idol at the opportune moment.

The Johannesburg-based Radio Presenter declared during the first episode that Survivor South Africa would be a walk in the park for her – and a combination of luck and smart play kept her in a powerful position in the game up to the point where she was blindsided. She lost out to Tom in scoring an Hidden Immunity Idol in episode 3 after failing to capitalise on information contained in a clue, but didn’t make the same mistake a second time as she stepped up to Nico Panagio’s plinth at Tribal Council in episode 5 to claim a lifeline in the game. Her third shot at an Idol at this week’s reward site seemed almost too good to be true.

At the Tribe Shuffle, she joined new tribe Visayas along with former Luzon members Vusi, Tom & Chané and sole former Mindanao member Murishca – siding with Vusi against Tom & Chané. While they lobbied for Murishca’s affections, she sat back and waited for an opportunity, which Tom duly presented when he described Murishca as ‘dead weight’ – and also after an altercation with him over food. After an eventful Tribal Council, Chané approached Palesa and Vusi to join forces against Tom, but a combination of inspired Immunity Challenge performances – including a memorable partnership between Tom and Palesa to win the Steers Reward – and sheer blind luck, robbed them of an opportunity to do so before Merge.

With the blues still ruling the roost at post-Merge tribe Araw, Palesa, Vusi & Chané left their approach to Tom, too late, and he was taken in by the Mindanao bloc. That left them vulnerable and ultimately saw the trio picked off in three consecutive weeks.

This week’s Immunity Challenge saw the Castaways toiling to build word puzzles on teetering platforms at the end of long ropes. After the lead changed hands several times, Werner prevailed to claim the Immunity Necklace and give himself a one in seven shot at the R1 Million prize and the title of ‘Sole Survivor’.

After checking in with Tom just before Tribal Council and being assured that she was safe for another week, Palesa chose not to play her Immunity Idol when host Nico Panagio gave the Castaways their chance – and could only glance around, bewildered, as her name was read out five times to send her to join Vusi and Chané at Ponderosa.

Having challenged the Castaways to use the information gleaned at Tribal Council to take their game to a new level, Nico sent them back to the Araw beach to consider their next move. Tune in to Survivor South Africa: Philippines next week (Thursday 19 July, 19:00 on M-Net 101) to see which of the Castaways can find another gear in the game.

Also make a note to catch the fun-filled YouTube episode of Live After: Survivor South Africa on the DStv Online YouTube page, where the voted-off castaway will be in conversation with host Phil Mphela at 20:05 each week, directly after Survivor SA airs on M-Net 101. Want to ask a castaway a burning question? Tweet using #LiveAfter and @survivorsa and Phil could get it answered in the ‘Ask Me Anything’ segment of the show.

There are also some magnificent prizes up for grabs on the Survivor SA: Philippines website:

  • A Huawei P20 Pro phone valued at R15 499.
  • A Cape Union Mart voucher valued at R10 000.
  • A delicious Steers Wacky Wednesdays voucher for one year, valued at R2 800.

All you have to do is to go to www.mnet.tv/survivorsa and answer the weekly quiz question. Every entry then also goes into the draw for the grand prize of a tropical island holiday experience for four, brought to you by Cathay Pacific and Club Med. And, if you’d like to earn additional points, explore the island and find the Huawei P20 Pro phone in our 360 VR experience and explore  the Survivor SA islands, living area,s as well as each challenge site, as the weeks progress.

Survivor South Africa: Philippines is also streamed live on DStv Now and is available on DStv Catch Up within 24 hours of the live show. You can also catch the repeat on Sunday afternoons at 17:00 on M-Net Channel 101.

Survivor SA is powered by the Huawei P20 Pro and is produced by Afrokaans Film & Television.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb