‘Survivor’ Recap: Who Was Voted Out in Season 47, Episode 12, After ‘Operation Italy’ Is Formed?

Things are winding down on season 47 of  Survivor . After the seven remaining players were able to vote out Kyle-- the biggest immunity challenge threat -- last week , it was time for them to start thinking about who they wanted to sit with at the upcoming final tribal council during the Wednesday, December 4, episode.

'Survivor' Season 47's Top 7 Alliances

With  Andy, Rachel, Caroline, Sueand Teenyin the majority alliance,  Samand  Genevievefound themselves on the outs. Caroline and Sue continued to solidify the strong bond they've had since the beginning, while Genevieve apologized to Andy for previously discrediting his game. Genevieve knew it was time for her to start laying low in hopes of getting the target off her back.

Genevieve approached her former Lavo tribe member Teeny and pointed out that Rachel is the biggest threat left in the game. The conversation led to some more tension between the two because it made Teeny realize that Genevieve didn't respect her game. Teeny led Rachel know that she was Genevieve and Sam's target, but since Rachel had a secret idol and vote block advantage in her pocket, she wasn't nervous.

Who Won the Reward Challenge on 'Survivor' Season 47, Episode 12?

For the reward challenge, the players had to untie sandbags, move a ball through a net tunnel, retrieve a second ball, navigate a net obstacle, then land both balls on a tall perch. Sam had a major comeback and won the reward, earning an overnight at the sanctuary, a big Italian feast and letters from home.

Because of the addition of the family letters, Sam got emotional while making a decision about who to take with him. Sam picked Andy to go with him because he previously promised to take him on a reward, despite them not being on the same page game-wise at the moment. For his second choice, Sam picked Genevieve, leaving Sue, Caroline, Teeny and Rachel headed back to camp with nothing. Teeny declared that Sam made a "horrible" decision because Sam choosing Genevieve to go with him only made her want to team up against them even more.

Which Reality TV Show Would You Want to Join?

On the reward, Sam told Andy he wanted to make things right after not being a good ally to him earlier in the game. Meanwhile, Genevieve got teary while explaining why she's been playing the game so closed off after blindsiding  Kishanearlier in the game. She realized she needed to start letting the others in if she wanted to build the necessary connections she needed to get winning votes at the end.

'Operation Italy' Is Underway

Andy approached Sam and Genevieve with a new plan. He suggesting building suspicion that Genevieve or Sam has an idol so that the other players would split the vote. That way, he could team up with Genevieve and Sam, giving them enough votes to target someone else -- namely, Rachel. The trio spent the night coming up with the specifics of their plan, which they dubbed "Operation Italy."

Back at camp, Teeny continued her tirade against Sam, slamming him for not trying to bring her onto his side with his back against the wall. She, Caroline, Sue and Rachel floated the idea of an all-women final 4, which would leave Andy out of the alliance.

When Sam, Andy and Genevieve returned to camp, Sam played up being on the bottom, while Genevieve created a fake immunity idol. Andy made sure to ingratiate himself in his original "underdog" alliance without letting them get any inkling that he was flipping. He also began fostering suspicion about Genevieve possibly having an idol.

Who Won the Immunity Challenge in 'Survivor' Season 47, Episode 12?

The immunity challenge required the players to navigate an obstacle course, beginning with carrying a ball on a stick across a balance beam. The next portion had them moving a double-sided stick through a metal maze, followed by the final stage, which was balancing a paddle and navigating three balls into tiny holes.

Rachel won the individual immunity challenge, earning herself a spot in the final 6. This left Andy, Genevieve and Sam with their main target off the chopping block. Sam and Genevieve still wanted to go ahead with "Operation Italy," but target Caroline or Teeny instead. It all hinged on the others believing that Genevieve had an idol, which is where Andy came in as he continued to push a split vote.

Genevieve also flashed Teeny her fake idol, leading Teeny to feel certain that the plan to get Sam out and flush the idol would work. Andy decided he wanted Caroline to be the target because of her tight relationship with Sue.

As Sam tried to convince the main alliance that he felt he was up against the wall, he told Caroline that he thought Genevieve was voting for her. This made Caroline wary since she knew that her name was being thrown around and Sue promised that she would play her immunity idol for Caroline if she had a bad feeling at tribal.

Rachel told Andy that she wanted to convince the others that Genevieve was going home so Genevieve would play her idol if she had one, but said she still wanted to load all the votes except for one on Sam. She also said she would play her block a vote if she felt like she needed to. A lot had to go right in order for the "Operation Italy" plan to work -- as Genevieve pointed out, "There are more ways this could go wrong than ways this could go right."

Who Was Voted Out in 'Survivor' Season 47, Episode 12?

At tribal council, Sam and Genevieve still tried to play up her having an idol until moments before the votes were read. The first vote was for Sam, followed by one for Genevieve, then one for Caroline. Sam and Genevieve then each received another vote, followed by a second -- and third --  for Caroline, sending her home. And "Operation Italy" was officially a success.