Following AJ's declaration of war, it appears the OG Brawns on the new Brains tribe have heard his hostage plan loud and clear and have responded by throwing a challenge of their own, picking off one of the most loyal OG Brains on their tribe: Max.
The primary school teacher had watched the show for years, and recalled sitting on the couch with his dad watching Season 20 of US Survivor and hoping to one day live out his dream of competing in the game.
"I just really loved the concept of it and how you have to use your brains, social strategy, dealing with people's emotions, doing challenges, and competing as a team," he told 10 Play.
But landing on the beach, reality hit him almost immediately. "It was really, really hard," he laughed. "I loved the social aspect of it naturally, I love being around people and I don't think my social battery drains easily... I really struggled with the physical aspect."
Barely sleeping for the first three nights, and surviving on rations of rice and beans, Max described the "magical hot mess" that emerged after the first few days on the island.
Before the tribe swap, Max was in a pretty desirable position. Surrounded by the Bomb Squad, and with solid relationships with most of the members of the Coven alliance, Max's social game was off to a strong start.
"I didn't feel at all like I was going to go home until Myles threw my name out," he admitted. "I think I got a little bit bored and wanted to cause some mischief and got handed this advantage which... all added up to that tribal council."
In the tribal council he's referring to, Max was handed an advantage allowing him to send two people back to the beach, meaning they couldn't vote or be voted for. Initially telling the tribe he'd send himself and AJ back to the beach, Max shocked the Brains by instead removing Karin and Laura. In an attempt to vote out Myles, Max's plan backfired and a sly new alliance blindsided Ally instead.
According to Max, he was aware of a plan to vote out Ally from AJ, Kaelan and Myles, and was under the impression that all the women would be voting for Myles.
"Sending two of the girls back to camp, I'd have three votes on my left for Myles, and three on my right for Ally. I wanted to choose as I was walking up to the urn who I wanted to go home," he explained.
"I wanted everybody on the edge of their seat which creates great cinema, but in terms of the game, I'm not happy with that move because of the devastation it did to my perception in the eyes of my tribemates."
While his social game was still strong, Max said the botched move meant there was always this perception that he was too chaotic, which followed him to the tribe swap.
After Myles had thrown his name out as a target, Max was blinded by revenge and his mission to vote out the 'Jungle Rat' saw him desperate to work with the OG Brawns that had joined the New Brains tribe.
But AJ's threats of taking hostages had shaken the game up, and when it came time for the immunity challenge it was obvious the OG Brawns were throwing the challenge. On top of that, the challenge puzzle revealed that there were two immunity idols hidden somewhere in each tribe's stack of sandbags.
"I knew they were throwing the challenge, I was up at the damn puzzle trying to get it done while they were all looking for idols. I knew but I still didn't put two and two together that I could be a target. I genuinely thought I was safe," Max admitted.
Things went from bad to worse when Max's number one target, Myles, was the one to stumble upon the sandbag idol. "My heart just sank, but I thought maybe we'd get rid of Zara," he added.
"I felt so safe with those boys... there was a moment around the well, and this was the moment I thought there was no way Jesse would flip on me, he shook my hand, looked me in the eyes and swore on his life. I felt it in his eyes he wasn't lying... but he was.
"I’m a lover of the game and understand it was a smart move to get rid of me, because of how I was playing, I probably would have done the same thing," Max added.
Heading into the tribal council, with Myles holding a very public immunity idol, the OG Brawns wanted to flush it but also saw an opportunity to blindside Max -- completely unaware Max had found his own hidden immunity idol earlier in the game. Assuming the plan was to split the vote on Myles and Zara, Max didn't even think to play his idol. Looking back, the signs were all there that he wasn't as safe as he thought.
"I remember tapping Jesse and trying to look at him. Usually, he'd smile at me or do something cheeky, but he wouldn't look at me," Max said. "At the time I just didn't read too much into it. The amount he sold me on it, I still trusted him.
"When you walk out and reflect on it, you see all these little signs and just wish you could go back and slap yourself, pull the idol out of your pocket and play it."
Looking back, Max said if he could have his time over he'd make a few changes including playing it cool when it came to his urges to shake up the game. "I do believe I played a great social game and made great connections with people.
"I wanted to make waves, I wanted to have fun and create some chaos but I went way over the top. I shot a bazooka instead of a pistol and I missed my target as well," he laughed.
"I had an idol, I had a chance to save myself and I think I was blinded by greed. You're always thinking, 'I want to get this to merge' or 'I want to get this to another vote'. You have to really listen to your gut and read those social cues.
And while he may have been blinded by revenge and burned by putting all his trust in Jesse, Ben, and the OG Brawns, he'd rather be someone who is a trusting person.
'I'll let people into my life and put a lot of trust in them until it's broken... I think it's a nice thing, but it's also detrimental when you're on an island of manipulative, bandana-wearing bandits," he laughed.
