'Survivor' 44 recap: One Ohio player wins immunity, another becomes a target

Spoiler alert! Scroll down to see who was voted off this week.

There were some highs lows on the third episode of "Survivor" season 44, which aired on CBS and Paramount+ Wednesday. Did players Matthew Grinstead-Mayle, of Columbus, and Josh Wilder, from Cincinnati, make it another week?

Dispatch features editor Erica Thompson and Cincinnati Enquirer News of Now reporter Emily DeLetter recap the episode below.

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"Survivor" episode 2 recap:Columbus and Cincinnati players go head-to-head in challenge

Emily: Man, I love “Survivor,” but showmances (where two contestants have a romance) make me roll my eyes. Come on, people will recognize Matt and Frannie as a duo and make them a target!

Erica: As smart as they seem to be, they are not being very strategic. The rest of the Soka tribe is already against them. Danny, who also is in the tribe, is successfully keeping his idol secret. He even re-hid the key to fool someone else. I laughed out loud when he did a somersault while sneaking around. Was that even necessary?

There’s a lot of focus on the personalities of the cast members this episode, and I’m enjoying it. Kane, on the Ratu tribe, performed a decent version of Canada’s national anthem. A little birdie told me Columbus player Matthew Grinstead-Mayle is a fantastic singer. I hope we see it on the show!

Emily: On the Soka tribe, Matty found Danny’s re-hidden key to the decoy (fake) immunity idol. And so far, he has no reason to believe it’s not anything but real. And Danny calling him out for finding the key in front of Cincinnati native Josh Wilder? An amazing strategic move. Things (for now) are looking pretty good for Danny, and his tribe mates aren’t suspicious that he has the real immunity idol.

Columbus 'Survivor' player finds hidden advantage

Erica: Whoa! The trickery continues on the Ratu tribe. Columbus’ very own Matthew found an immunity idol and then created a fake idol, which Jaime found! She then told him about it, and they’ve created an alliance as “plant lady” and “plant daddy.” Too bad she’s being played. Bravo, Matthew! Bravo!

Emily: Claire making the decision to sit three immunity challenges out in a row is an interesting one. If the Soka tribe wins, no harm no foul. But if they lose, she’s an easy target because well, she didn’t do anything to help contribute to the tribe’s success.

Even with his shoulder injury, Matthew leads the Ratu tribe to first place in the challenge and thus, wins immunity for the episode! Soka wins the second immunity, sending Josh and the Soka tribe to Tribal Council for the first time.

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Erica: You called it, Emily! Claire is an immediate target, and I honestly have no sympathy for her. Sitting out three times just wasn’t smart! And now, Claire is really talking to Frannie, Matt’s “Survivor” girlfriend, about voting Matt out!

Ugh, and I hate that Josh’s name is getting thrown around.

Spoiler alert: Who got voted off on 'Survivor' season 44, episode three?

Emily: It seems like Heidi is the swing vote in this Tribal Council on the Josh vs. Claire voting decision. She’s conflicted about who to vote for, and I’m hoping she chooses to vote for Claire over Josh.

Erica: Gosh, it seems like Josh has no idea he’s a target. I’m getting scared.

Emily: Phew. By the skin of his teeth, Josh ekes by and makes it through his first Tribal Council. I was worried, too! This episode wasn’t as crazy as previous ones concerning advantages and crazy moves, but I’m glad to see our Cincinnati guy safe. On to the next!

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Erica: Yes, Claire played the shot in the dark advantage to no avail. I don’t think Josh is out of the danger zone, though. He might need to build better relationships with his tribe. Guess we’ll see next week! ‘Til then!

Emily: See ya!

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Survivor' recap: Did the Ohio players make it through the episode?