'Survivor' Season 32: Why Did Neal Not Give Aubry His Hidden Immunity Idol? [VIDEO]
Neal Gottlieb was eliminated from Survivor: Kaoh Rong last night under unfortunate circumstances, but why didn't he give his Hidden Immunity Idol to his closest alliance-mate?
The Survivor medical team visited camp during Wednesday night's episode to assess various injuries and infections. And due to a cut on his leg that may have turned worse if left untreated, Neal had to be evacuated from the game.
Neal's closest ally in the game, Aubry Bracco, voiced some disappointment when Neal left the game without giving her the Hidden Immunity Idol he had found previously. So why did he choose not to give it her? The ice cream entrepreneur gave a particularly illuminating answer on Twitter:
@ldstarr18 when somebody tells you they'd slit your throat the night before you're less likely to give her the family jewels
— Neal Gottlieb (@nealhgottlieb) March 31, 2016
Survivor host Jeff Probst spoke with Entertainment Weekly after the episode about whether Neal would have been able to give his Idol to Aubry considering he was essentially eliminated from the game at that point.
"We were aware he had an idol and knew he might want to give it to someone, either in public or in private, we discussed this beforehand. Our decision was yes, he would have been allowed to give his idol to someone and here's why—he didn't know he was going to be pulled from the game," Probst explained. "The decision to pull someone is made by a doctor after examining in private and that's not anything Neal should be expected to anticipate. So once he was pulled, it seemed fair to let him do or say whatever he wanted on his way out. I actually thought he would do it. I was surprised, but that's why Survivor continues to be fun—you truly cannot predict what people are going to do."
It remains to be seen if Neal's untimely departure will result in a seismic shift in the game, though Probst is definitely suggesting that there may be some upheaval ahead.
"Sometimes one event can change everything and Neal's evacuation is definitely a turning point. You're going to see moves start to be made from here on out. And a great immunity challenge!" he teased.
Survivor: Kaoh Rong airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
