Survivor: Cagayan -- Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty merged the Solana and Aparri tribes and concluded with the new Solarrion tribe voting out Sarah Lacina.

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Sarah, a 29-year-old police officer from Cedar Rapids, IA, was voted out of her Solarrion tribe at the season's seventh Tribal Council session during Wednesday night's broadcast of the CBS reality series' 28th edition.

"I was sitting there calm as can be, waiting for [Jeff Probst] to pull out that last name, and I'll tell you what, when it said Sarah, I was, 'Huh?!' We thought we had a solid set of six. I don't know why [Kassandra "Kass" McQuillen] flipped, but they got me good," Sarah said with a laugh following her ouster.

The Solana tribe was comprised of the following members: Trish, a 48-year-old pilates instructor from Needham, MA; Yung "Woo" Hwang, a 29-year-old martial arts instructor from Newport Beach, CA; Tony Vlachos, a 39-year-old police officer from Jersey City, NJ; Jefra Bland, a 22-year-old former Miss Kentucky Teen USA from Campbellsville, KY; and LJ McKanas, a 34-year-old horse trainer from Boston, MA.

The Aparri tribe was made up of tribemates: Sarah; Kass, a 41-year-old attorney from Tehachapi, CA; Latasha "Tasha" Fox, a 37-year-old accountant from St. Louis, MO; Spencer Bledsoe, a 21-year-old student from Chicago, IL; Jeremiah Wood, a 34-year-old male model from Dobson, NC; and Morgan McLeod, a 21-year-old former NFL cheerleader from San Jose, CA.

Survivor: Cagayan -- Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty's sixth episode began on Night 16 with Spencer saying he felt great after voting out Alexis Maxwell because it bettered his game. In case a merge was coming, Spencer and his tribemates -- Kass, Tasha, Jeremiah, Morgan, and Sarah -- made a pact they'd be the Final 6 since the other tribe only had five members.

The Aparri tribe thought they'd target either Jefra or Trish first.

On Day 17, Sarah and Kass talked as they walked along the beach. Kass admitted she was worried about her and Jeremiah flipping to the other side, but Sarah insisted she wasn't going to betray them. Sarah was pissed off her tribe was questioning her loyalty and not putting their trust in her. She felt like Kass was calling her a liar. However, the pair still shook hands and promised they were with one another.

"In my business, we go with the hard evidence, and just because you vote with us one vote doesn't mean you're true. You did what you had to do in my opinion. That doesn't speak of loyalty. That speaks of desperation and a wise move. You haven't proven anything to me except you're saving yourself. Show me blood on your hands from a former tribemate and then we'll talk," Kass said in a confessional of Sarah.

Meanwhile, Tony was having fun with everyone on his tribe unlike his former Brawn tribe. He noted there was no scrambling, trickery or spying going on because it just wasn't necessary.

Both tribes then received Tree Mail, revealing the merge was upon them.

Tony planned to be five strong with LJ, Trish, Woo, and Jefra. However, LJ worried about the six members -- three Brains, two Beauty and one Brawn member -- on the other side that appeared to be tight. Sarah seemed to be the odd person out in that tribe although she had promised loyalty to them multiple times.

However, both Tony and LJ had hidden Immunity Idols they could play. Tony believed his idol was like a sixth alliance member because he could use it for anyone on his tribe and save them.

Meanwhile, Spencer was feeling confident and was ready to battle, while Sarah was nervous about the merge. Sarah said the merge was going to be like reuniting with old friends from high school whom she hadn't spoken to in years.

Once the two tribes got together, Jefra noticed Alexis was gone and was sad to see that. She assumed her tribe could pull her over to their side because they had been very close in the game prior to the tribal shuffle.

Everyone then enjoyed a feast and learned another idol would be hidden near camp with "different powers." Tony intended to look for that idol even though he had one of his own already. The discussion over lunch resulted in the tribe wanting to call themselves "Solarrion," combining both former tribe names.

"Part of the excitement of being at the merge is just shock that I made it. I was at the bottom of a tribe that was one of the worst tribes in Survivor history, and somehow I'm here at the merge and I have new life!... I'm tight with this group of six that could potentially run the game of Survivor after the merge," Spencer said.

Tony was convinced there was hope in getting Sarah back on his side because she had previously sworn her loyalty to him on her police badge. He said she was their missing link, and if Sarah didn't flip, his new alliance would be done and so would he.

On Day 18, Woo asked LJ who the head of the snake was, and LJ said the Brains were a solid core. Tony then talked to Sarah about flipping, and she admitted she was "floating." Tony promised her that she would be a part of their Final 6 and they'd just exterminate the other tribe one by one.

"My goal is to make Sarah believe I want to sit at the Top 2 with her just like we mentioned before -- two cops sitting [in front] of the jury. I'm going to promise her, I'm going to guarantee her, I'm going to do whatever it takes to assure her that I'm not lying to her, that I really want her on our side to move forward with our tribe in the game," Tony said in a confessional.

Tony asked Sarah to swear on her badge she was with him and would vote for either Kass or Spencer at the next vote, but she said she couldn't do that at the moment. Sarah believed she was in the best spot in the game because she was in the middle -- a "Sarah sandwich." Tony told Sarah they needed to target the Brains and guaranteed they'd move forward together.

Sarah noted she was in a predicament, but she also felt like she was "sitting pretty" and would "decide the fate of this game."

Jeremiah thought LJ most likely had a hidden Immunity Idol, so he spoke to Kass and Sarah about getting rid of Jefra first. However, Sarah hated the idea and insisted they needed to get rid of Woo or LJ first because they were the biggest physical threats. In case LJ had an idol, Sarah told her alliance Woo needed to be their vote.

Kass suggested if it's not Woo -- in the case he wins Individual Immunity -- then it needed to be Trish. Sarah acknowledged that was an idiotic strategy because they needed to get rid of their strongest players first. Sarah refused go to along with Trish and declared that if it couldn't be Woo, they'd target Tony instead.

"I can do whatever I want. If you want to pick a fight with me, I'll flip over with those other guys, so don't test me. Because I will put you in your place and send you packing," Sarah told the cameras.

Kass didn't trust Sarah at all. She didn't think Sarah was in the six, rather, she was "in the one." Sarah told Jeremiah and Kass she didn't want to be bullied around, threatening she could choose who would go first if she flipped on them.

Because of that, Sarah figured she could make the decision on whom should go next for her current alliance. Kass didn't like how much power she had. Kass said she couldn't even look at Sarah and just wanted to punch her.

On Day 19, Trish noticed Sarah and Kass' bond wasn't as strong as everyone assumed because they were openly bickering. In attempt to do some damage control, Tasha stepped in and tried to mend the problem so there wouldn't end up being a fracture in their alliance.

Tasha wanted to get them on the same page so they could work together and be solid. Kass didn't like Tasha's approach to the conversation, telling the cameras it was evident Tasha took Sarah's side in the argument.

Kass wondered why everyone was "pandering to the bully" and she was feeling like "chopped liver." Sarah said aloud she felt like Kass didn't like her and was attacking her silently. The pair was clearly falling apart and Tasha knew Sarah was in a pivotal role that would decide everyone's fate -- including her own.

The Solarrion tribe then met Jeff, Survivor's host, for the season's first Individual Immunity Challenge.

For the challenge, each castaway was required to balance on a triangular platforms in the water with their feet perched on very narrow footholds on either side. At regular intervals, the players had to move up the triangle, making it more difficult to stand up. If a person fell off the triangle, he or she would be out of the challenge.

The last person standing would win immunity and be safe from the vote at the next Tribal Council session.

The order of which the castaways were out of the challenge is as follows: Spencer, Kass, LJ, Sarah, Jefra, Tasha, Trish, Jeremiah, Morgan, Tony, and finally Woo. Woo won the challenge.

After the challenge, Sarah determined that Tony's side of the tribe had tougher competitors, so she'd rather stick with the weaker side of the tribe in her current alliance. However, she worried about her relationship with Kass, or lack thereof. Regardless, Sarah felt like she was "the president."

Spencer and Tasha then suggested to their alliance they should oust Jefra first because they didn't think there was any chance she had a hidden Immunity Idol. They also believed there was no shot another tribemate would play his or her idol for Jefra at Tribal.

Spencer noted Jefra was the smartest one and therefore the smartest vote for them. Sarah disagreed and argued they needed to get rid of someone vital in the game. She said Tony was very smart and observant so they needed to get him out or LJ first.

Meanwhile, Tony's tribe was noticing that Sarah was calling the shots in the other tribe. Woo mentioned there was "no way" Sarah would ever leave that group because she was so acclimated with them. Tony, however, still felt he could persuade Sarah to jump ship because of her little cat fight with Kass. Similarly, Trish suggested she might be able to get Kass on their side.

When discussing their plan, Sarah guaranteed to her tribe that neither Tony or LJ had an idol. Everyone believed her and agreed with her, except for Kass.

"Sarah said it's got to be Tony. She thinks she's running the show. Does nobody see this? Am I the only one? I know she's about to destroy the game. If she's going to destroy the game, I want to have the preemptive strike. I want to destroy it," Kass said in a confessional.

Tony then promised Sarah a Final 3 with himself and Trish. He promised her she was ontop of Jefra, LJ and Woo. Tony then explained that no one on the other tribe needed her and she had nobody on that side.

Sarah told the cameras she wasn't an idiot and getting rid of Tony wasn't personal, it was actually a huge compliment to him. Sarah continued by saying they were both police officers but he was the biggest threat in the game because he was observant and sneaky just like her. Sarah said she'd want to get rid of herself in the game if she could because she was that good.

Tony insisted he wasn't conning her, and Sarah said she'd make her decision at Tribal Council. Tony realized right then and there Sarah probably wasn't with them. In a confessional, he noted that if he felt "iffy, iffy" at Tribal, he'd play the idol for sure because he didn't want to go home with it in his pocket.

Trish then made a last-minute effort to get Kass onboard with them. She gently offered Kass a place in their alliance, and Kass said there probably wasn't enough time to "pull it together."

However, Trish assured her there was and then asked whom she'd like to get rid of if the choice was hers. In reply, Kass said Sarah. As a result, Trish ran to LJ and Tony and declared they all needed to vote for Sarah in case Kass flipped. Everyone trusted Trish and agreed to the plan.

"Trish slipped me a little bit of the old mickey. She told me, 'We're going to vote for Sarah.' Surprising to me, but maybe they're smarter than I think. They're probably smarter than my other five because they're thinking Sarah is the bad seed. So maybe I will switch allegiance," Kass said in a confessional. 

Right before Tribal, Trish reminded Kass she should stick with them because they'd take care of her. Trish told Kass to trust her.

"I love that Sarah thinks she's running the show. New Aparri is voting for Tony at the request of 'Queen Sarah.' Solana is voting for Sarah. I truly believe I'm the one in the middle. I think I have usurped Sarah's throne tonight, and once again, 'Chaos Kass' will show up at Tribal," Kass explained to the cameras.

That night, Survivor: Cagayan -- Brawn vs Brains vs Beauty's Solarrion members arrived for their first Tribal Council session -- the seventh session of the season overall.

Tasha announced LJ should be worried because they were looking to take out the biggest threats. Tony was also worried because of that fact. Jeff Probst then asked LJ about idols in the game -- whether they had been found or in play. LJ replied he had heard nothing about idols, so he said it was a possibility there were no idols at all and it was just a big Survivor joke.

On that note, Tony openly revealed it wasn't a joke because he had a hidden Immunity Idol himself. Tony also announced he'd play it for his tribe. Spencer dared Tony to show it to everyone to prove he was being honest and wasn't bluffing. Tony listened, taking out the idol and putting it around his neck for all to see.

Tony said he planned to make a big move, and then Tasha and Spencer appeared to scramble in attempt to change their vote. Spencer announced his alliance needed to vote for "the other one."

Meanwhile, Tony's alliance agreed they should keep their vote "the same."

Before Jeff revealed the votes, Tony decided to play his hidden Immunity Idol by giving it to LJ. Tony was excited to see if he "read those people correctly." In a shocking twist, LJ then took out his own idol and gave it to Tony in return to "cover his ass" as well. Tony was thrilled about the turn of events and said he really appreciated it. Both men were exuding confidence.

Jeff then revealed the votes. Five castaways had voted for Jefra, while six players voted to oust Sarah from the game in a huge blindside.

Kass all but voiced she had flipped on her former Aparri tribe. Jefra then thanked Kass, as did Tony while they ferociously clapped their hands. Meanwhile, Spencer and Tasha's mouths had completely dropped in shock.

"That's right Kass. Good job. We lost two immunity idols but we'll get them back again," Tony noted.

A heated Spencer then declared, "Kass, zero chance of winning the game!"

Seemingly unaffected by Spencer's comment, Kass noted there's still "a long way to go" in the game.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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