‘Survivor 51’: Jeff Probst Reacts to Advantage Avalanche That Eliminated 2 Fan Favorites

Another player quit Survivor 51, but after they had made it onto the jury, making the two players voted out in Episode 8 the new first and second players on the bench. Jeff Probst announced to the Survivor 51 cast in Episode 8 that Brady Booker chose not to stay in Ponderosa and go home instead, right before he revealed that a double elimination was on the books for tribal council that night.

A slew of advantages used in tribal sent one pair packing in a heartbreaking turn of events. Probst regrets who got voted out in the double elimination in his Field Notes for the episode. Warning: Survivor 51 spoilers ahead.

Why did Brady Booker quit the Survivor 51 jury?

As Probst told the contestants, Brady quit the Survivor 51 jury so he could treat his injured thumb. Earlier this season, he chopped a chunk of his thumb off when cutting coconuts with a machete. It was only skin and nail, not bone, that were hacked, so Brady could stay in the game as long as no infection formed and worsened the injury. Production kept the bandages clean each day and kept the piece of skin and nail on ice.

The professional wrestler told TV Insider in our Episode 7 exit interview that he “get [his] dressing changed after challenges and usually right before evening started” each day, but the constant irritation to the thumb from the challenges, camp chores, etc. meant his thumb was throbbing constantly. It was a nuisance he could handle while still in the game, but he clearly preferred to prioritize the injury once he was out.

So, who became the new first member of the Survivor 51 jury?

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Who was voted out in Survivor 51 Episode 8?

The double duo partner twist from Survivor 50 returned in Season 51 Episode 8. In Season 50, the twist got Benjamin “Coach” Wade and Chrissy Hofbeck voted out. In 51, Players split themselves up into pairs, and then found out before the reward/immunity challenge that they would be voted out in pairs. Votes could only be cast for people paired together, not two people at random.

Lewis Kelley and Sharonda Cox won immunity, and Cristian Chavez won an extra vote on a journey that he could only play that night. Because the extra votes have to be used during voting, before Shots in the Dark are played, he had to make sure that no one up for elimination played their Shot. He also couldn’t use his extra vote if he wanted to use his Shot in the Dark.

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'Survivor 51's Brady Booker Reveals What Was Whispered During Live Tribal Council

The pre-tribal council talks were chaotic with last-minute pitches thrown in again. Another live tribal caused more tension. Cristian gave Eric Macksoud his extra vote and instructed him to play it on Devin Way and Jelly Loblack, but he didn’t use it.

Eric said he was going to trust that it wasn’t needed because there seemed to be a majority for Dev and Jelly, but Jelly played her immunity idol to protect them. The extra vote was only good for this tribal anyway, so there was no point in saving it.

Kristin played her Shot in the Dark, sacrificing her vote, but it didn’t work. Cristian played his Shot in the Dark, too. And this time, it worked — a rare win from this advantage.

With Dev, Jelly, Cristian, and Carter all safe, the only other pair on the chopping block was Kristin and Kilby. Every single vote but two went to Dev and Jelly, but they didn’t count. One vote went to Carter and Cristian, and that didn’t count either.

Kristin and Kilby were voted out with one single vote.

Robert Voets/CBS

Probst said this was “a very tough tribal” for the producers because “as dramatic as it was, we lost two very compelling players who were both fan favorites in their own way and they couldn’t have been more different.”

However, Probst said that seeing a beloved player voted out is “what makes [the Survivor format] worthy.”

“The stakes are real,” he said. “It’s very difficult to survive one vote, more difficult to survive several, and nearly impossible to survive them all.”

Robert Voets/CBS

Still, to see two players voted out by one single vote is brutal, especially when it’s two people who were quite good at the game. And Kristin has been applying for Survivor nearly every single year since Season 2. It’s a sad ending for both of them.

Stay tuned tomorrow for our exit interviews with the new jury members.

Survivor 51, Wednesdays, 8/7c, CBS