'Survivor' recap: Liana Wallace voted out after Deshawn Radden wins risky "Do or Die" game at Tribal Council

Survivor featured the Viakana tribe voting out Liana Wallace after Deshawn Radden won safety in a risky "Do or Die" game at Tribal Council during Wednesday night's Season 41 episode on CBS.


Liana, a 20-year-old college student from Evanston, IL who currently resides in Washington, D.C., was voted out of Survivor through a 5-3 vote instead of Ricard Foye, a 31-year-old flight attendant from Lynnwood, WA who currently resides in Sedro-Woolley, WA, on Night 21 at Tribal Council.

RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS) 

The five votes included the extra-vote advantage played to take Liana out.

"It was really cool to be a part of that Tribal. I'm just so happy to have been a part of this season and just so blessed to have been able to play this game. This was just the best experience of my life and I've learned so much about myself," Liana said in her final words.


"I didn't want any regrets walking out, and I feel like I played as hard as I could. So I'm happy with that, and I'm ready to eat!"

Survivor 41, Episode 11

The Survivor broadcast began on Night 19 at Viakana's camp.

The seven castaways remaining in the game at this point were Liana; Ricard; Danny McCray, a 33-year-old ex-NFL player from Houston, TX who currently resides in Frisco, TX; Deshawn, a 26-year-old medical student from San Bernardino, CA who currently resides in Miami, FL; Erika Casupanan, a 32-year-old communications manager from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada who currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Heather Aldret, a 52-year-old stay-at-home mom from Charleston, SC; and Xander Hastings, a 21-year-old app developer from Jacksonville, FL who currently resides in Chicago, IL.

The tribe had just voted out Shantel "Shan" Smith at the previous Tribal Council, and Deshawn and Danny apologized to Liana for blindsiding her and betraying their Final 4 POC alliance.

Liana couldn't believe the guys had totally left her out of the vote, but Deshawn insisted it was all Ricard's plan and their alliance had been "in the minority."


"They all turned on us," Danny said.

"How did they all turn on us?! We cannibalized ourselves, y'all by doing this! Now look what's over there!" Liana complained with frustration.

Footage then flashed to Xander bragging to the other players about how they had just moved from the bottom to the top. Xander was proud of himself for "pulling off a move" and being "part of the plan."

Xander and his group also still had an extra vote and hidden Immunity Idol in their possession.

"I'll do whatever, because this four is the four I want to be in," Xander told Heather, Erika and Ricard.


"All of a sudden, I'm in charge with a group of people that I actually trust and can work with. And we're saying Final 4! Oh my God, this is too good to be true."

RELATED LINK: 'BIG BROTHER' SHOWMANCES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHICH COUPLES HAVE SPLIT UP?? (PHOTOS)

Deshawn explained to the cameras that he only voted Shan out once he heard that she had thrown his name out as a target. And before Shan left the game, she called Deshawn "a snake" and announced that Ricard would have her vote to win the $1 million.

Deshawn didn't understand why Shan wasn't angry at Ricard considering he had been her No. 1 ally.

Deshawn therefore asked Ricard why he was so special, essentially, and Ricard explained that he and Shan had an understanding that they were gunning for each other. Ricard said they had an honest and open conversation about that and the only way to save his game was by separating himself from Shan.


"If I did not win immunity today, I would be gone," Ricard told Deshawn.

Deshawn called the whole situation "irritating" and congratulated Ricard on making a big move and being "the top dog," although his words came across a little sarcastic and insincere.

Ricard called Deshawn "emotional" and said he was blaming a lot of people for his errors in the game when it was Deshawn's fault for "being all over the place" and "unable to commit to any one person." Ricard believed Deshawn didn't know which direction to go in order to have a good game.

On Day 20, Ricard told Deshawn his energy at camp was coming off very paranoid and it would be in his best interest to chill out. Deshawn had been hoping to expose Ricard for his move, which may result in the group wanting to take him out next.

But Deshawn realized he had come off "accusatory" and so his plan didn't end up working out. If Deshawn could change the hands of time, he noted he probably wouldn't have said anything following Shan's ouster at Tribal Council.


Liana determined that she wanted "revenge" and to take Deshawn out next, adding, "That was a snake move. If you're a snake, then I'm going to bite back and I hope you're gone tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, Danny was struggling with the 25th anniversary of his father's passing. His dad had died in a car accident when Danny was eight years old, and Danny apparently grew up bitter and resentful about his dad not being around.

Danny decided he must change his thinking, forgive his dad, get rid of the shame he felt for being so angry for so long, and move forward and be happy. He set out to make his father proud.

On Day 21 of the game, the Viakana tribe met Survivor host Jeff Probst for the next Individual Immunity Challenge.

The challenge required the castaways to hold onto handles in attempt to balance a ball on a wooden cylinder. At regular intervals, more sections of cylinder would be added to make the task more difficult. If, at any point, a person's ball dropped, he or she would be out of the challenge.

RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)


The last person left standing would win immunity and be guaranteed a spot in the Final 6.

But first, Jeff announced some shocking news for the castaways -- another Season 41 twist.

"It's a dangerous one," Jeff began. "The first person to drop out of this challenge will be forced to participate in a new game called 'Survivor Do or Die.'"

Jeff explained only that one person would participate in a "potentially deadly game of chance" at Tribal Council that evening.

"If you survive, you're safe and you're in the six and we vote somebody out," Jeff explained. "If you die, you're gone and there is no vote. No one can save you and no idol can save you. Nothing can save you. You either live or you die."

Jeff therefore told the castaways they could choose to compete in the challenge or sit out.


If a player chose not to play, he or she was clearly ineligible to win immunity.

The castaways were given a gray or red rock and were able to make their decision in private. Red meant "competing" and gray meant "sit out."

Heather and Liana both chose to sit out of the challenge and not risk "Do or Die." Everyone else opted to play and risk being the first person to lose.

RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS) 

Within three seconds of the competition commencing, Deshawn suddenly dropped his ball. Deshawn was upset his fate in the game was no longer in his hands.

Erika dropped out next, and then she was followed by Ricard and then Xander. Both men dropped out of the challenge basically at the same time, and so Danny won immunity -- and he appeared to cry while on his hands and knees.


The tribe had been gunning for Deshawn, and so Ricard hoped Deshawn would just "die" in his game of risk.

Once the tribe returned to camp, Danny orchestrated a plan to take out Ricard, whom Danny believed was the biggest threat. Ricard had made a successful move and won two immunities as well as one reward. Danny also pointed out how Ricard was "super likeable."

But Xander told the cameras that Ricard was one of his own and he didn't want to see him go.

"Once Ricard's gone, I'm the No. 1 target around and I'm the one people are talking about as the guy who has a resume and the guy who's good at challenges. So they're going to get me out if they get Ricard out," Xander reasoned in a confessional.

Danny told Xander they'd look like idiots to go to the end with Ricard, and Xander just pretended to go along with the plan.

Xander said he trusted Ricard more than Liana, who had allegedly lied to his face more times than he could count.


Xander, knowing his group had the majority if they stuck together, didn't want to break up his allies at this point.

RELATED LINK: 'BIG BROTHER' SHOWMANCES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHICH COUPLES HAVE SPLIT UP?? (PHOTOS)

Erika said it made sense to vote out Liana because Liana had no allegiance to her and had written her name down before. But Erika acknowledged Ricard as "the biggest threat to win the game" and worried she may not have another opportunity to take him out.

"My head is spinning a little bit on this one," Erika admitted.

Xander then warned Ricard that Danny and Deshawn were voting for him, and the guys just hoped Erika and Heather were going to remain true to their alliance.

Deshawn then promised Liana that he would never write her name down, but Liana recognized she'd be an easy vote at Tribal Council. Liana considered playing "Shot in the Dark" as a result, even though it would mean losing her vote.


Suddenly, Erika became the swing vote, and she wasn't convinced this was the time to take out the biggest threat in the game.

"I'm rolling the dice just like Deshawn is, and whatever decision I make, I just have to own it," Erika explained.

At Tribal Council that night, Liana announced that she knew she was in trouble, and in regard to the Shan vote, Ricard insisted he had never created a lie to divide Shan's Final 4 alliance.

Deshawn started crying, saying he had been trying to represent the Black community as well as possible and it wasn't an easy move for him to turn on Shan and eliminate her.

Liana and Deshawn, as people of color, agreed they wanted to play the game and not just ride a POC alliance to the end, but at the same time, it was a struggle to target each other since gameplay and morals intersect in Survivor.

RELATED LINK: 'THE AMAZING RACE' COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER? WHO HAS SPLIT? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? (PHOTOS)


Danny said this season was about showing connections and diversity and it was never his intent to just work with POC until the end.

Xander and Heather announced they couldn't imagine playing the game from that position and there is always more growing and learning to do.

It then became time for Deshawn to play "Survivor Do or Die."

Jeff presented Deshawn with three wooden "Do or Die" boxes. Inside one of the boxes was a fire symbol that represented life in the game. If Deshawn picked that box, he would be declared safe and would automatically enter the Final 6.

Inside two of the boxes were a skull symbol, which represented death in the game and would mean his torch would be snuffed.

In the end, Deshawn followed his heart and actually picked the right box with the fire symbol inside! He was even given a chance to swap boxes halfway through, and he chose to stick with his original box.


A vote commenced as a result, and Jeff eventually read the votes aloud in the following order: Ricard, Liana, Ricard, Liana, Ricard, Liana, Liana and Liana, which included the extra-vote advantage.

"I really liked playing with all of you," Liana told the tribe on her way out. "Bye, y'all, play hard!"

RELATED LINK: 'SURVIVOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO'S STILL TOGETHER?! WHICH SHOWMANCES SPLIT UP? (PHOTOS) 

The episode's closing credits later showed that Ricard, Xander, Erika and Heather all voted for Liana.







About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski