Rob Antonson tried voting for himself on Survivor 51 last week, and production had to step in and tell him he couldn’t do that. Now, he’s officially gone from the island, and he didn’t wait for another Tribal Council to pull his ticket home. Read on for more details.
Rob’s Self-Requested Exit
Rob opened the episode sharing his philosophy on leaving the game. Entertainment Weekly reported that Rob explained on camera, “I didn’t want to just quit. I feel like just quitting is ruining the game. If you’re going out for a medical reason, that’s totally different.”
The Survivor medical team examined Rob’s foot after he raised concerns about an injury, but Dr. Barry found nothing more than a “tiny cut.”
Nevertheless, Rob Antonson pulled himself out of the game, saying he was worried about getting an infection. However, the other contestants didn’t buy into his excuse.
TV Insider noted that the Savu tribe had some questions about it. Ori said, “My mom named me Ori, not Stupid. You’ve been fine for the past 48 hours, but the day things don’t go your way, now, all of a sudden it’s a medical issue. My opinion is Rob is looking for an easy way out.”
Host Jeff Weighs In
Jeff Probst posted his weekly Field Notes on Instagram to break down what happened with Rob Antonson.
He said, “Rob’s decision to voluntarily leave the game caught me off guard.”
He noted that Rob claimed he stepped on something in the water during an interview, but “never once asked for medical to check him out.”
Probst called that “unusual” since staff check on players regularly.
The Survivor host described what happened during the medical visit, writing, “When we finally had Dr. Barry give him an examination at camp, Dr. Barry couldn’t find anything wrong with Rob.”
Then he made sure to note, “To be clear, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t in pain. It only means we couldn’t find any medical evidence of anything wrong.”
Mentally A Hard Game
He acknowledged the mental strain of the game. Probst added, “Rob looked and sounded emotionally exhausted, which can happen to the strongest of humans.”
He noted that “Days four, five and six are often VERY tough for players.” He called this a “threshold point” that players must overcome to find their “second wind.”
Jeff Probst then connected the dots to the previous vote. He asked, “Can’t help but also piece this together with the previous Tribal Council where it appeared Rob wanted to vote himself out. Is there a connection?”
He pointed out that the rest of the tribe felt sure about what happened. Probst wrote, “Speculation from Rob’s tribemates was very clear,” adding, “they believe he engineered a quit.”
He also noted how much this hurts Savu. He explained, “This is a MASSIVE LOSS for the Savu tribe because anytime you lose a tribemember, you increase your odds of being voted out because you have one less tribemember. And in this case, they didn’t do anything wrong.”
A Surprise Mutiny
Things got worse for Savu soon after. Entertainment Weekly reported that Carter Krull decided to mutiny to the Toka tribe after realizing he lacked numbers.
Probst admitted that move blindsided him too. He explained that producers didn’t expect anyone to take the option.
The Survivor host wrote, “When I got the call that Carter had mutinied I was shocked.”
He noted that the last mutiny happened back in 2006 with Jonathan Penner and Candice Woodcock-Cody during season 13.
Survivor Fans React
Plenty of CBS fans commented on the Field Notes on Instagram. One person wrote, “Love these insights sm.”
Here are a few more responses from the discussion:
- “People still defending this cast or what lol. Add a quitter. And a guy who leaves the advantage letter on a platter for everyone lol.”
- “Rob’s little single tear 😢 what a waste 😂😂🤦♀️ man wanted to go sleep comfy in his warm bed.”
- “I love bad gameplay. Last 2 seasons before 50 were just boring. Nobody makes risks. This season will, and has, involved risks already.”
What are your thoughts on Rob Antonson leaving the game? Do you think Rob genuinely feared an infection, or was he looking for a way out? Drop your comments below and check back for all your Survivor 51 updates.