It was great television — don’t get me wrong. But, was Emily Flippen leading Bruce Perreault astray during Survivor 45‘s 10th episode the right move for the investment analyst?

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First, here’s a reminder of what happened during “How Am I the Mobster?” that led to Bruce’s elimination.

On the heels of back-to-back Immunity Challenge wins and with the power of a Hidden Immunity Idol in his back pocket, Bruce remained the biggest target out of the eight castaways remaining on day 18. His direct and zany personality had rubbed several of the contestants the wrong way, and since he was outside of the “Reba 4” power structure, his time in the game was running out.

After he lost in a head-to-head duel against Austin Li Coon during day 19’s Immunity Challenge, the opportunity to flush Bruce’s Idol finally presented itself. Remember, Bruce had only been to four Tribal Councils up to that point, and he was immune during three of them.

So, Reba 4’s Austin, Drew Basile, Julie Alley, and Dee Vallares hatched a vote-split plan, which Emily Flippen and Katurah Topps were apparently all in on. The idea was to throw their votes onto Bruce and Jake O’Kane. If Bruce played his Idol, Jake was a goner. But, if he held onto it, then Bruce’s torch would be snuffed instead.

Well, Bruce had been openly adamant that day about playing his Hidden Immunity Idol.

Enter Emily.

She approached Bruce and convinced him that night was the perfect opportunity to blindside the Reba 4 by ousting Julie. They rallied Katurah and Jake around the plan as their four-person voting block would be enough to pick off Julie since the others were splitting their votes between Jake and Bruce.

As a viewer, it seemed like the perfect plan. Reba 4 has dominated the merge thus far, and considering they’d have the majority in the final seven, one of them needed to go. Right? Wrong.

Emily didn’t see it that way. She wanted Bruce so comfortable that he didn’t play his Idol, and it was him that left, not Jake. Well, her convincing worked. Bruce didn’t use his advantage, and he caught four votes, while Jake was hit with three — the only vote cast against Julie was Bruce’s.

So, Emily got what she wanted. The guy she called out on the barge on day 1 was finally out of the game. But, the Survivor community isn’t sure it was the best move to bolster her odds at winning the $1 million.

The original Reba players now have the majority, and Emily’s okay with that?

The Reba 4 have been connected all game. Bruce is the third original Belo to be sent to Jury, and with him out of the picture, Julie, Dee, Austin, and Drew’s alliance now has the numbers advantage. Emily, Jake, and Katurah are the only players left to oppose them — something that Emily seemingly could’ve avoided.

Yes, Emily has a close relationship with Austin and Drew, and she grew her bond with Julie and Dee during episode 10’s Sanctuary visit. But, the four have shown nothing but loyalty to each other (as far as the edits go). She’s also said on a few occasions that she wants to take a shot at Reba 4’s women.

So, why did Emily purposely put herself at a numbers disadvantage? Well, the most prominent theory floating around social media is that there was no way for Emily to team up with the three former Belos. Katurah deeply disliked Bruce, and she’s been champing at the bit to vote out the insurance agent.

Even if Emily wanted to take out Julie during the vote, it’s not clear if Katurah would’ve been on board — her negative feelings toward Bruce may have been too strong for her to holster. By silencing Bruce, she could scoop up Katurah and Jake, and then hope one of the Reba 4 members jumps ship during the final 7.

And if they don’t, they’ll eliminate one of the two former Belos, not the ex-Lulu.

Regardless, Emily’s betrayal of Bruce has been criticized by the Survivor community. Survivor: Guatemala’s Brian Corridan chimed in on X after the episode aired on November 29, writing: “Love me some Katurah and Emily but celebrating putting yourself into a minority is the opposite of a flex.”

Survivor podcaster Shannon Guss also posted on the platform about the potential blunder.

“I’m so confused by Emily in this episode. She brilliantly executed a difficult plan… against her interests. She had clear knowledge, won a powerful reward, enacted all the tactics for a blindside & took all this ammo to swing the wrong way & bury herself.”

She also shared a post and meme that encapsulated the feelings of numerous Survivor fans. Take a look:

Emily tells Bruce this ideal plan to take out a core Reba who is apparently also a huge jury threat over the top of a pivotal split vote opportunity. Incredible plan!

Emily to us: I am lying straight to Bruce's face!

How? Why? #Survivor #Survivor45

— Shannon Guss (Gaitz) (@ShannonGaitz) November 30, 2023

Although her social tactics nearly ended her game on day 3, Emily regrouped and turned things around in a big way. She’s been one of the best situated players in the individual portion of the game, and has flexed her strategic might in multiple instances. At this point, all Emily’s fans can do is have faith in her. Bruce’s blindside was fueled by a lot of conviction, and we’ll see if that pays the investment analyst dividends in episode 11.