New Friends

New Friends is the eighth episode of Survivor: The Australian Outback.

Day 21 (Night)
The newly merged Barramundi tribe return to camp having just attended their first tribal council, where Chelsie became the first casualty of the tribe. The four remaining members of Kucha slowly place their belongings down, feeling deflated now that they've ended up on the wrong side of the numbers. Curt and Clarity both relish this, as they once again find themselves in the majority of a tribe. Ned and Victor sit, feeling somewhat guilty for siding with Ogakor, who despite being their original tribe, continue to act in a manner which paint them out to be the antagonists. Farrell stands by Clarity and Curt, feeling as though he is siding with them fully for the first time in twenty-one days.

Neil and Reniero head to bed, with little to say on the matter before them. Alia and Carlson stay up late, with Ned also staying up having been unable to sleep.

Day 22
Neil and Reniero both get up early to go fishing, hoping that by proving their worth to the ex-Ogakor members, that they'll buy themselves six days, and that Alia and Carlson will be the next two members to leave. Ned begins making breakfast, whilst the other tribe members get up around him. Whilst emptying out the rice, the tribe realize that they are becoming seriously short on food.

Over by the shelter, Alia and Carlson sit and observe Ogakor as they argue. The two discuss the positives in seeing cracks, as it means there is the potential for members to eventually flip at a future tribal council. Alia continues to feel nervous in seeing Carlson deflated, hoping that her long time ally hasn't checked out of the game.

The tribe spend the rest of their day doing necessary chores. Alia and Carlson work around the camp, with Alia spending much of her time bonding with Victor, whom she feels a genuine connection with. Reniero and Neil return from fishing, having only managed to catch a small amount of protein. Ned continues to express his concerns with the food shortage, stating that something needs to be done fairly in order to preserve their supplies.

Day 23
Challenge: Return to Sender

Each person must stand inside a white circle of a target and throws their boomerang, aiming for the red flag in the center of the target.

Reward: A full course meal, shared with one tribemate

Winner: Victor (shared with Alia) After winning the reward challenge, Victor selects Alia to accompany him to the feast, with every other member confused as to why Victor would select someone from Kucha. Victor states his reasoning as "Alia almost won, so its the fairest thing". This decision appears to anger Clarity and Curt, who both let their feelings known before departing back to camp, leaving Alia and Victor to enjoy their food with the knowledge that the others aren't pleased with them. After everyone has left, both Victor and Alia sit down to eat, with Alia thanking Victor for selecting her, before asking why he picked her, being surprised with his decision herself. Victor claims that he knew he'd pick someone who had done well in the challenge had he won, leaving Alia and Farrell as his main options. He then states that he would rather share the experience with Alia over Farrell, as she has made a greater social effort with him. The two discuss the possibility of changing up the game, but Victor admits he's unsure whether he'd flip on his tribe just after they achieved a majority, and that it would make more sense to change the game up when only two or three Kucha members remain.

Alia begins talking with Victor about which Kucha member will likely go home next, to which Victor admits that it will likely be herself, Neil or Reniero, as Carlson is deemed the least threatening by the other tribe members. Alia asks Victor whether he'd be able to sway the vote onto Neil, to which he seems unsure, stating that he doesn't know how much influence he has over his tribe mates. The two finish up their feast, with Victor promising to try and help Alia out by going after one of the guys, but states that she shouldn't get her hopes up too much, as Farrell, Curt and Clarity all are aiming for her next.

Back at camp, the remaining seven members sit around the shelter all feeling either irritated or shocked at Victor selecting Alia for the reward. Curt begins to rant about how Victor is screwing himself over by making "new friends" and "sleeping with the enemy". Neil and Reniero both try to agree with Curt and the Ogakor members, once again attempting to get on their good side, whilst Carlson sits silently by the fire, observing each member as they talk.

Victor and Alia return to camp having finished there rewarded, being greeted coldly by their tribe members. Carlson goes over to speak with his long term ally Alia, whilst Victor sits with Ned, who appears to be the only member willing to speak with him.

Whilst talking to Ned, Victor realizes that his tribe are angry with him over his decision to reward Alia. Ned states that he himself is fine with the decision, and that it was mostly Curt and Clarity kicking up dirt. Victor talks to Ned about the Kucha members, stating that he feels Alia is generally a good choice to keep around, as after talking with her he realized she was willing to follow, and that Neil is a bigger threat due to his ability to lead. Ned claims to not have an opinion on who should go next, but that he himself is leaning towards Alia for the simple fact "its what the others want".

Day 24
The tribe is informed that they will be facing their next individual immunity challenge. All four Kucha members feel as though they need to win in order to protect themselves, whilst the Ogakor members wish to win in order to keep all Kucha members vulnerable, preventing any of them winning causing plans to change.

Challenge: Don't Fence Me In

The playing field consists of posts in rows of ten with ropes hanging from one side of the post. Survivors take turns connecting the rope of one post to another post in order to eventually make a square. The Survivor "owns" a square when he or she is able to close off the square upon their turn. The Survivor who "owns" the most squares wins.

Winner: Reniero The Barramundi tribe return from the immunity challenge, where Reniero held onto safety by winning his second challenge in a row. Neil and Alia, who both feel at risk going into tribal council, reluctantly congratulate Reniero, trying to hide their own disappointment. Curt attempts to gather his Ogakor members in order to discuss the vote, getting the decision quickly out of the way.

Over by the shelter, the four Kucha members end up discussing the vote while they're alone. Carlson raises a point that they cant give up and turn on one another, and instead they still need to attempt to remove Ogakor. Reniero agrees, claiming that Curt has continued to make threats against Victor, and that they could attempt to turn things on Curt. Neil and Alia both raise concerns, believing it to be pointless, but Carlson insists they try either way.

Alia and Carlson approach Victor whilst he is alone, frantically talking to him about Curt's comments. Victor doesn't act surprised, stating that Curt often makes comments like that, and that they shouldn't be taken literally, as he wouldn't actually act out on them. Carlson and Alia both continue to throw the vote onto Curt, claiming that if Victor waits around he'll look like a sheep, and that no sympathy will be given if the group turn on him. Victor says he understands this, telling them that he will not put his game in jeopardy for their benefit.

At tribal council, all four Kucha members express their disappointment at finding themselves at the bottom. Carlson admits that he was tempted to throw away the game, feeling as though no hope remained. Victor is questioned on his decision to take Alia on the reward, trying to explain himself whilst Curt shouts over him, calling him out for being two faced and fickle. Ned ends up defending Victor, stating although he personally didn't understand the decision, he doesn't feel as though it means Victor has swapped sides, as he is confident that Victor will remain part of Ogakor until the end. Clarity admits that Ogakor narrowed their decision down to two individuals, and that they were unsure which Kucha member should go next. Neil steps in, feeling as though he needs to plea for his safety. He begins to highlight that he is the hardest worker around camp, and that he offers little social or strategic value, meaning he cant pose a threat. Alia looks as though she wishes to speak, but decides to remain quiet, wanting to stay as under the radar as possible. Reniero decides to speak up, stating that he finds it amusing that certain members of Ogakor are willing to present themselves as sheep to the jury, and that they are blindly following a leader. Clarity then interjects, claiming that Ogakor has no leader, and that they take turns making decisions. As the vote comes in, Kucha are left disappointed to see their four votes against Curt count for nothing. Alia then breathes a sigh of relief, seeing that Ogakor had decided to remove Neil from the game in a 5-4 vote. Neil leaves looking disappointed, but waves goodbye to the entire tribe before departing as the first member of the jury.