Survivor: Caramoan, Season Finale – What a Finale!

Hello Readers!

It’s Finale Night! Yes, Survivor: Caramoan is wrapping up this season, and it does not disappoint. With five Castaways left, it’s anyone’s game to win. Since.it was the Finale episode, it was a two-hour show, then the Reunion Show where they announced the winner. Who has gained the respect of The Jury to be chosen as this season’s Sole Survivor? Read on and you’ll see!

After the last Tribal Council, Erik was not feeling well. He stopped walking, telling everyone his head was spinning and having fainting spells. Jeff Probst called the medic, and he diagnosed that he was very dehydrated and under nourished. The medic then decided to pull Erik from the game. Erik was upset about the decision, but also accepted it because he was not well. The rest of the tribe wished him well as he left the game in an ambulance.

Back at Enil Edam, while still reeling about Erik’s departure, Cochran was thinking about the Final 3 and who he should bring with him. He sealed a deal with Eddie by way of a hand shake, saying it would be the two of them and Sherri, leaving Dawn by the wayside. Eddie thinks that this combination will allow him to win the game.

Tree Mail arrived, telling them that they were going to have their final Reward Challenge. Once they reach where the Challenge was going to held, Jeff Probst explained what they had to do. Each Castaway had to build a house of thick wooden cards on a platform they were balancing with a rope on a pulley system with their other hand. The first to get their structure to a marked height without any wobbles would win. The Reward: an advantage in the Final Immunity Challenge which could help them win it and take them to the Final 3. After a few crashes, Cochran stacked his way to another Challenge win! So happy, Cochran! He was truly the threat everyone wanted to tale out because he has become so dominant at Challenges.

Back at camp, the scrambling for Final 3 had begun. Sherri and Eddie wanted to be with Cochran at he end because they were worried about Dawn using her home life as guilt and play the “sympathy card” to win over The Jury.

Cochran was having to hold Dawn’s hand to reassure her about their pact in the game. He was getting tired of her constant freak-outs, and was considering ditching her. Tree Mail then arrived telling them that they were going to go on the annual Rights of Passage Walk of Remembrance. The Castaways went along a path to pick up the names of players who had been voted out of the tribe, and then burn them in a ceremonial bonfire.

At the Final Immunity Challenge, the Castaways had to run up a three-story tower to untie and collect three bags to make a fire puzzle. First person to put the puzzle together wins Immunity. Cochran’s advantage was that he didn’t have to untie the puzzle bags from the tower. After squandering his huge lead, Cochran stepped on the gas and put the puzzle together to grab the final Immunity of the game.

Back at Enil Edam, Cochran was talking as though he had won the game. He was trying to decide who he was going to bring with him to the Final 3. He knew he was going to bring Sherri with him, but he was conflicted between Dawn and Eddie.

After Dawn became emotional with Cochran, Eddie plead his case to Cochran as to why they should ditch Dawn. Eddie said Dawn would use The Jury’s sympathies to gain their votes, while Eddie’s strategies didn’t really help his game, and he didn’t do much to affect the game. Cochran still didn’t know what to do.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst introduced The Jury (Michael, Phillip, Malcolm, Reynold, Andrea, Brenda and Erik). He and the Castaways then spoke about Erik leaving the game. Eddie said that Erik’s departure opened the door for him, and he also spoke of his plans for the end of the game that didn’t include Cochran. Eddie and Dawn both gave their reasons as to why Cochran should take them to the Final 3. Dawn said that everyone on The Jury loved Eddie, so the smart move would be to choose her. Eddie said he didn’t make many waves in the game as Dawn had, and that she would be harder to beat than he would, so Cochran should take him. Sherri basically said you’d better take me, or else!

At the Vote, it was 3-1 for Eddie to leave the game.

The next day, the Final 3 were talking about the final Tribal Council and about the celebratory breakfast left for them. Sherri said she was still there because she controlled the alliance she was a part of. It was actually the other way around. They controlled the way Sherri voted. Dawn said she was able to make her own decisions this time around, and she was happy to be at the end with Cochran. Cochran said he was becoming worried about his chances of winning the game. It was due to his lack of confidence he had in himself at that moment. He knew he had to pull himself together in order to clinch the victory.

At the Final Tribal Council, Jeff introduced The Jury (now with Eddie as its final member). Then the Final 3 plead their cases as to why they should win the game. Dawn said she was an emotional player, yet knew she had to play the game hard in order to get to the Finals. She had also played a good game and had made her own decisions this time around. Sherri said that she fought hard throughout the game, and she was able to be a part of various alliances in order to have made it this far. Cochran said that he has had a passion for this game for a very long time. He also confessed he was.socially awkward, yet he helped to calm others down when they needed it. Finally, Cochran told The Jury he knew he couldn’t out-strategize other players, but he was able to get.to this point in the game, so they should pick him.

The Jury got their chance to let off some steam by attacking, I mean commenting on how the Final 3 played the game. One of my fav comments came from Phillip when he kicked Sherri out of Stealth-R-Us!

Jeff Probst then turned to The Jury, asking them to cast their votes to choose a winner for the season. After the Vote was over, the show cut to the CBS studios in L.A. in order to announce the winner. Readers, it wasn’t even close. All of the votes were cast for…….Cochran! Hooray! I was so proud of him. He has come a long way from his first appearance on Survivor. Near the end of the Reunion Show, it was announced that Malcolm was voted by the fans as the Sprint Player of the Season! Lucky boy, he won $100 000!

Well, Readers, this brings to a close another season of Survivor. It’s kind of sad, but it makes way for the next season. Jeff Probst gave clues as to the twist for next season. I think it will have family members playing against strangers. I’ll be tuning in! I hope you’ll be returning to my blog, not only for my Survivor posts, but for my other posts as well. Next reality show posts will be for Big Brother which will begin on June 26th!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese!

Survivor: Caramoan, Episode # 13 – No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Hey Readers!

This episode was the second-to-last one for this season! Many tears were shed by the Castaways, and even by Jeff Probst himself!  Why were so many tears shed? It was the annual visit by a loved one episode! Ah, yes, now you can sort of see where I got the idea for this episode’s title, huh.  One Castaway learned the meaning of this saying the hard way, by being voted out.  Who was it?  Continue reading and find out!

After the previous episode’s Tribal Council. Cochran was worried about where he stood with the other players still left in the game.  He confided to the producers that he thought he was the next one to go because he was such a threat to the other competitors.

Strangely enough, Brenda and Dawn were talking about the same thing.  Brenda’s plans were worrying Dawn, as she and Cochran were working together.  She wanted to find a way to change her mind.  Erik confessed that he felt as though he was in the most beautiful prison, as he was longing to be off the island and back at home.  Tree Mail to the rescue!  It consisted of a Sprint smartphone which had recorded messages from their loved ones back home.  Yep, you guessed it! The next Reward Challenge was to win the privilege to spend time with a loved one!

At the Reward Challenge, Jeff Probst introduced the Castaways to their loved ones, then announced that they would be working together to win this Challenge.  Each pair had to unscrew the ropes with coconuts attached at their ends and rails for a ladder.  They then had to place the rails onto the posts and toss the ropes so they would hang onto the rails. First pair that did this three times would win a lunch on a floating barge off the coast of their island with their loved one.

Brenda and her father won the Challenge, and Jeff Probst allowed for Brenda to bring another Castaway and their loved one to share the Reward.  Feeling pity for Dawn, Brenda picked her and her husband.  Jeff Probst then threw a monkey wrench into the situation.  He gave another Sprint smartphone that had another recorded message from her sister and a second  group of loved ones.  Jeff told her that, if she wanted to, she and Dawn could enjoy their time with their loved ones, or allow for the other four Castaways to be with their loved ones, while her and Dawn would go away with nothing.  Brenda decided to be nice and allow for the others to have their time with their loved ones, punishing Dawn in the process.

While the other Castaways partied it up on the barge with their loved ones, Brenda and Dawn watched from their beach.  When the Castaways returned from their Reward, they all thanked Brenda for her selfless act of kindness.  Cochran was on the defensive about what Brenda did.  He thought of this as a million-dollar move on Brenda’s part, making her an even bigger threat that needed to be dealt with.

At the Immunity Challenge, each competitor had to stand on a ledge on a platform.  They had to hold onto a handle that was attached to a piece of rope that Jeff Probst would let out more of their line, making it harder to hold on to.  The last person standing would win Immunity at the next Tribal Council.  This was the order in which they bowed out of this Challenge: Cochran, Eddie, Erik, and Sherri.  Brenda and Dawn were left to battle it out.  Brenda refused to make a deal with Dawn, then fell in the water, making Dawn the winner!  After the Challenge, Brenda confessed that she let Dawn win, and had to make it look as though she wasn’t going to just let Dawn have it.

Back at Enil Edam, Brenda was happy that Eddie was going home.  Cochran was beginning to scheme against Brenda, confessing that Brenda was a threat because of giving up her Reward, and how good she was at Challenges.  Cochran then went to Sherri to share his thoughts, promising her that she would be guaranteed fourth place if she went along with is plan.  He also told Dawn about what he wanted to do.  Dawn was worried about this plan because it left the door open for Eddie to win the game, and she liked Brenda because she had been so nice to her.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst introduced the Jury (Michael, Phillip, Malcolm, Reynold and Andrea).  He and the Castaways then spoke about Dawn winning the Immunity Challenge, and how Eddie needed to win to stay in the game.  They also spoke about Brenda and the Reward Challenge. Once everyone wrote down their names for who they wanted out of the tribe, Jeff Probst reveled the results of Vote. It went like this: 1-Erik; 2-Eddie; and 3-Brenda!

Another blindside was successfully carried out. I guess that is what happens when you try to be nice to others in this game.  They vote you out!  I believe this would be the third one since the Jury had been formed.  Brenda looked so shocked and hurt, especially after what she did for them at the Reward Challenge.  Dawn had better watch out if she makes it to the Final Three.  With Brenda gone and no longer in her corner, if Dawn does make it to Final Three, I’m not sure if Brenda will give Dawn her vote to win the game.  Well, Readers, this is shaping up to be an interesting season finale on Sunday night.  Who’s going to make it to the Final Three? Who will win the million-dollar prize and be named this season’s Survivor champ?  My fingers are crossed for Cochran to make it to the Final Three.  He’s the only interesting Castawayleft.

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor: Caramoan, Episode #12 – Feeling Too Comfortable Can Cause Your Exit to the Game, Again!

Hey There, Readers!

I guess the producers at Survivor decided to take the game up a notch this week (or they realized they were running out of time) because there were two Immunity Challenges and two Castaways voted off during this episode! This meant there was less tribe life seen, but it also gave way to more action, which is always good entertainment. In this episode, both players that left the game became too comfortable in where they stood amongst their tribe mates, and one of them made the mistake of not learning from their past experience on the show. Who was this person? Read on, and you’ll find out!

After the last Tribal Council, Reynold was upset that Malcolm was out of the game, but, he was also very confident about his strength against the other competitors still fighting for the million dollar prize. He confessed that all he had to do was to continue winning Immunity Challenges, and that it would not be that hard because he thought he was the best at them now that Malcolm was gone. Cochran and Andrea must have sensed hat this was what Reynold was thinking, as they were discussing how they knew the next step would be to take Reynold out to prevent him from getting to the Final Three. Tree mail alerted Enil Edam that they wouldn’t have to wait much longer.

At the first Immunity/Reward Challenge, the Castaways had to balance themselves on a floating triangular platform with narrow footholds. The last person standing would gain Immunity from the next.Tribal Council. The Reward portion of this Challenge was that they would earn information about the game which could prove invaluable to the winner.

As the Challenge began, Jeff Probst offered people the opportunity to forfeit in order to snack on some doughnuts and milk. Eddie and Erik felt safe enough in their positions in the game that they jumped off of their platforms and swam over to collect their snack. At the 15 minute mark, the competitors went to the second level on the platform. Jeff Probst offered another treat for people to quit: Hotdogs and soft drinks. Cochran leaped at the chance to eat, giving up on winning Immunity. At the 30 minute mark, the rest of the Castaways moved to the top of the platform. This, along with the wind proved to be the undoing for Dawn and Sherri.  Reynold tried holding on, but after some very close saves, fell into the water.  This left Andrea and Brenda in the Challenge.  The ladies couldn’t agree on a deal for both of them to end the Challenge, and were able to stay balanced and afloat for over three hours! They even came up with a new rule for the competition. They lifted their left leg to see who would be able to stay up the longest. Brenda wobbled, and fell off, leaving Andrea as the winner!

Back at camp, Andrea and Brenda began seriously seeing each other as a threat to winning the game. They both pitched ideas to their alliance members  to blindside the other one, and how the other one was untrustworthy. Andrea also shared  her Reward with her alliance members. It was directions to another Immunity Idol. Erik found the Idol, and gave it to Andrea instead of keeping it for himself. Maybe Erik should have kept it for himself. This set off alarm bells for Cochran, making him suspicious of Erik’s actions.

At,  the first Tribal Council, Jeff Probst introduced Michael, Phillip and Malcolm as the Members of the Jury.  Then he and the Castaways spoke about the Immunity Challenge, and why Brenda and Andrea stayed so long in the Challenge after Reynold was out. Brenda’s excuse was that she didn’t  wanted to win by default. No one believed her. Reynold then reminded his tribe mates that they could use him for whatever purpose, he just wanted to be kept in the game.
After the votes were cast, Jeff announced that it was a 3-2-2-1 Vote to have Reynold leave the game (the other votes went to Eddie, Erik and Sherri in that order).

Back at Enil Edam, the scheming continued, as Andrea and Brenda were continuing to plant seeds of doubt against each other to their alliance. Cochran heard both sides, and decided that Andrea was the more dangerous of the two ladies, since she’s more of an independent thinker than Brenda was. He’s right, and by players thinking for themselves and not always sharing their game-plans with you all the time means they may have plans to eventually get rid of you sooner than later.

At the second Immunity Challenge, the Castaways had to go through an obstacle course and untie several knots on a post to retrieve a key that opened up a chest. This chest held a ladder puzzle where they had to figure out which rung belonged where on the ladder. The first one to finish would win Immunity. Erik blew passed everyone to swiftly win Immunity.

Back at camp, Andrea and Brenda were still trying to convince their alliance to get rid of each other. Andrea knew she should be worried about what could happen at Tribal Council, but she felt that she could trust those in her alliance to get rid of Brenda. Cochran was very unsure of Andrea and her motives, especially since, when she spoke of her plans, they seemed not to include him. He spoke to Erik and told him of his plan to potentially split the Vote and have Andrea go home. Erik said he would think about the plan. I agree with Cochran, again! If your plans don’t include me, then maybe it was time for you to go. Andrea also spoke to Eddie, telling him he would be safe from the Vote. Eddie said it was the first time since he’s been out there that he could breath a sigh of relief at Tribal Council.

At the second Tribal Council, Jeff let in the Jury again, which now included Reynold. Jeff and the Castaways spoke about Eddie being on the outside of the tribe, and about how and when a big move should be made in the game, especially since there were only seven of them left. Brenda said that if no big move was made now, it will eventually be made. They also talked about being lied to in the game. Cochran said he knew he’s been lied to, but at the same time, he’s also done some lying of his own. Andrea also admitted to the same offense, and if she felt paranoid, she would use her Idol to save herself. These words were telling, and maybe Adrea shouldn’t have felt so confident in her alliance, as they voted her out of the game with a Vote of 3-2-2 (Brenda and Eddie got the other votes).

Andrea even had an Idol, and she chose not to use it!  This happened to her the last time she was on the show. She trusted those in her alliance, and they turned on her. When you have an Idol, and you know someone is coming after you, you use the Idol to save yourself, no matter what anyone tells you. It was sad to see her go, since she was such a good player. Only two episodes left, and with six people left in the game, it should prove to be interesting as to who will stay loyal to who, and who will fall by the wayside.

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor: Caramoan, Episode #11 – Oh, No! Not You, Too!

Hello Readers!

Survivor: Caramoan did it again! Another great episode aired, keeping viewers, like myself, glued to the screen until the Castaway voted out had their torch snuffed out. Yes, another Survivor giant has left the game. Who was it? Check it out my post and you’ll find out!

Stealth-R-Us was still reeling from Phillip’s impromptu departure. On the other hand, The Outsiders (or as they are called on the show, The Three Amigos – Malcolm, Reynold and Eddie) were elated that their plan worked so well. They couldn’t stand Phillip being at camp, and it may also help them get further in the game with the head of Stealth-R-Us no longer trying to call the shots. Erik was also assessing his position in the game. He felt that he would be able to get further in the game if he became a swing vote instead of being loyal to Stealth-R-Us.

The next day, Brenda was crying. Her tribe mates rushed to her side to see what was wrong. She told them it was the reality that Stealth-R-Us was no longer in control, and the fear of not knowing who was in the driver’s seat upset her. I wish Brenda would get control of herself, and keep her eyes on the prize, not cry over things that may not happen.

The Castaways were happy when then received their Tree Mail. It had colourful envelops for each of them. Yes, Readers, it was Survivor: Caramoan’s day for their annual Auction as their Reward Challenge!

At the Challenge, Jeff Probst told the competitors that each of them had $500, and that the bidding would go up in $20 increments for each prize. As well, no one was allowed to give another person their money or share their prize (unless Jeff Probst stated otherwise). This was how everything went down:

Malcolm spent $20 on a blind item which turned out to be two ice cold beers.

Reynold spent $80 another blind item. Jeff Probst then gave him the opportunity to trade it for two other blind items. He stuck with his original item which turned out to be a slice of pizza. He turned down a coconut and the remainder of the pizza. Sherri scooped that up with her $500.

Dawn bought a whole cooked chicken with her $500.

Information in the game was the next prize to bid on. Malcolm spent the rest of his money ($480) to win this prize. It turned out to be directions to find the hidden Immunity Idol. He had 60 seconds to memorize the directions, and he took in all of the details he could.

Andrea won a spaghetti and meatball dinner, along with garlic bread and a glass of red wine for $280. Jeff Probst then gave her the choice to either keep this delicious dish, or to give the tribe a whole sack of rice and beans, something they needed desperately. Andrea decided to help out her Castaways and chose the ride and beans.

Cochran came out of this Auction as the big winner with his prize. He spent $380 on an advantage he could use for the next Immunity Challenge.

Sadly, Brenda may gave been the loser of the Auction by winning a blind item which turned out to be pig’s brain that she had to eat immediately. She was so sad, and admitted she doesn’t eat pig meat outside of the game. Poor girl!

Letters from home was the next prize that Reynold on. He passed them out to the Castaways to read at their leisure at Enil Edam.

The final item of the Survivor Auction was won by Eddie. He won a huge bowl of peanut butter that he was allowed to share with rest of the tribe for 60 seconds. Everyone was covered in the sticky treat as they headed back to camp.

Back at Enil Edam, the tribe got together, still sticky with peanut butter, and shared what their lived ones had to say. Of course, many of them became emotional over these letters, but it also gave them the strength to keep going in the game.

Sherri was trying to change her fortunes in the game. She was thinking about leaving Stealth-R-Us to become an Amiga. Malcolm promised her at least fifth place in the game if she she came aboard. She didn’t sign on the dotted line, and told them she would seriously consider the change.

Reynold thought the next logical target would be Cochran. This was because he was a strategic thinker who was also becoming a threat at Challenges. Reynold thought that with Cochran, along with a few other strategic players, out if the game, that it would be smooth sailing for The Three Amigos for the rest if the game.

Malcolm went in search of the Immunity Idol in the cover of  night. He felt he needed this Idol in order to make it through another Tribal Council. His only trouble came in the form of Andrea and Cochran. They tracked him down in the jungle during his search, and pretty much stopped it cold. He didn’t want to have them find it, nor give away what the clue had told him, so he and Andrea just sat in the darkness until almost sunrise. Malcolm knew he wouldn’t be able to look around with Andrea on his heels, so he gave up searching and went back to camp with Andrea right behind him. I hope Andrea’s actions doesn’t put a target on her back.

At the Immunity Challenge, each Castaway had to hold a rope with several knots on it with one hand. The rope held a weight which represented a third of their body weight before they started the game. Every five minutes, they had to move the same hand down the length of rope until they were holding on to the tip of their rope. The last person to be holding on to their rope would win Immunity from Tribal Council. Jeff Probst gave Cochran his advantage in this Challenge that he paid fir at the Auction. He was able to move his hand two knots back up the rope at any point in the competition.

The first group who dropped out of the Challenge were Brenda, Erik, Sherri, Malcolm, and Andrea. Jeff Probst then gave encouragement to those left in the competition to keep going. Cochran then chose to use his advantage to make it easier for him to win. The next few people to leave the Challenge were Dawn and Reynold. This left Eddie and Cochran. Eddie looked over at Cochran struggling to hold on to the rope, and grimaced. This proved to be his undoing as the rope slipped from his hand, giving Cochran his second Immunity Challenge win.

Back at camp, The Three Amigos were upset that they could no longer target Cochran, so their next plan was o try to get two other people to flip over to their side. They went after Erik and Sherri with the promise that flipping to their side would help them stay in the game longer. Malcolm would take Sherri, while Reynold would work on Erik.

Malcolm made Sherri a promise that he would take her to the end if she flipped, as well as telling her of their voting plan to split the vote to take Andrea out of the game. Reynold told Erik of their plan to vote Andrea out, but Erik didn’t agree with it fully, as he intended to play both sides for the rest of the game.

The Favs were also talking about who they should vote out at this Tribal Council, and Andrea confessed to the group that she was suspicious of Erik, and she wanted him gone since she didn’t trust him.

Sherri secretly confessed that this was now her game since she was a swing vote. I feel that she should actually watch her back, as she is the weakest member of her tribe, and no one would want to take her to the end if the game since she has done nothing to show that she has done anything strategic, social or physical to impress anyone else left in the game who would be on the Jury.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst brought in The Jury with a very disappointed Phillip to observe the next Vote. Jeff and the Castaways first spoke about Phillip leaving the game. The Three Amigos were smug about what happened, and were sure they were in a good position to be successful for the rest of the game. Jeff Probst also touched in the topic of people flipping since it seemed as though Stealth-R-Us was fracturing. Andrea confessed she was nervous about this happening; but she then said she trusted her alliance.

Once the votes were cast, Jeff Probst shared these results: Reynold got 3 votes; Malcolm got 3 votes; and Andrea got 3 votes. Yup, a three-way tie! Jeff Probst had the Castaways do a second vote where they could only vote for Reynold, Malcolm or Andrea. When the second set of results came in, it was clear who was going to be Juror #3…it was Malcolm! The Three Amigos are down to two. He was gracious when he shared his thoughts at the end of the show. He knew it was his fault that he was no longer in the game, and said he had a good time.

Yeah, I know, another heavy-weight is out! No Phillip, no Malcolm. Now I’m crossing my fingers and toes for Cochran to hang in there for the rest of the game. I think he has the brains to do it, especially with Malcolm out of the way. The only person he has to really has to worry about is Andrea, as she’s good at Challenges, and, hopefully, she’s learned from her last experience in Survivor. Only three more episodes left until the finale on May 12, 2012! I can’t wait to see how everything unfolds!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor: Caramoan, Episode #9 – You Snooze, You Lose!

Hey Readers!

It was another wacky episode of Survivor. This week so many people were jockeying for “Top Dog” status, that trying to keep track of who was with who was quite dizzying. It also showed that those who sat on the sidelines thinking they’re safe, without Immunity, of course, are the most likely to be voted out.

Enil Edam has split into two camps: Stealth R Us vs. the rest of the tribe.  Phillip was celebrating Corinne’s departure, while Reynold and Eddie were trying to figure out how to gain more power in the game. They thought that one way to accomplish this would be to get Andrea on their side.

Phillip shared a special event with Sherri. He inducted her into Stealth R Us as a new “double- agent” and gave her the name Tenacity. Sherri held in her laughter, but accepted Phillip’s wonderful gift. Sherri also thought that if she played along with Phillip, that he would confide in her about decisions, making her a bigger player in the game. I just laughed at this because Sherri just saw how Corinne’s ideas were ignored by Phillip, yet she thinks she has a shot of accomplishing this while being at the bottom of the totem pole. Now I’m not sure who’s more delusional between the two of them (Phillip or Sherri)!

At the Reward Challenge the Castaways were split into two teams of five. One person acted as the defender while the others had to throw balls into the net the defenders were defending. The team that reached four points first won the Reward.  This episode’s prize was a trip to a waterfall that they would have to repel down  beside to reach a picnic lunch set up for them to enjoy.

Here was the breakdown of the teams:

Purple                 Orange
Eddie                   Brenda
Erik                      Andrea
Reynold              Dawn
Cochran              Phillip
Michael (Def.)    Malcolm (Def.)

Sherri was not chosen to be on any team, so she automatically doesn’t get to enjoy the Reward. It was a tight game, but the all-male Purple team won Reward with a score of 4-3.

While the Purple team was enjoying their prize, Michael proposed that the guys should get together and create an alliance. Cochran was unmoved by this suggestion, yet he just smiled and nodded at the idea while he ate his lunch.

Back at Enil Edam, Malcolm was planning to add to his followers by looking at those who were at the bottom within the tribe, these people being Sherri and Dawn. When he spoke to Sherri, he told her that he would take her to Final Six. Sherri wasn’t all that confident in Malcolm’s promises.  Malcolm then turned to Dawn. She wasn’t crazy about Malcolm’s plan, either. Not knowing what else to do, Dawn turned to Andrea and told her what Malcolm was up to. Andrea didn’t like what she was hearing, either.

Malcolm then went to Phillip to spell out his plan to him. Phillip had his own agenda. It was to get rid of Michael as a way to clear any remnants of Corinne being in the game. Malcolm pretended to listen to Phillip’s plan, then walked away.

Andrea and Eddie were getting closer to each other in this episode. Andrea admitted that she liked Eddie, but she also wanted to use him to gain information and and a vote in case she makes it to the Final. Eddie admitted to liking her as well, but was using her to get farther in the game. While they were alone, Andrea asked Eddie if he would go so far as to vote the way she would tell him to vote. Playing along with her, he said he would. It will be interesting to see how far this “showmance” will go with the two of them being on opposite sides of the tribe.

This Immunity Challenge was a simple one: the last Castaway to be holding on to a grate in the water as the tide was coming in would walk away with the Immunity Necklace. Once the water began covering the bottom of their faces, people started dropping like flies out of this competition. This was the order in which they gave up Immunity: Phillip, Sherri, Erik, Dawn, Malcolm, Michael, Eddie, Cochran, Reynold, Andrea, and the winner of Immunity, Brenda! Jeff Probst had to get someone to tell her she had won because she was so calm. It looked as though she fell asleep!

Back at camp, Malcolm started making moves to ensure those he wanted for his uprising would be safe from the Vote at Tribal Council. His target was Andrea, as he thought she was the Machiavelli behind Phillip and Stealth R Us. To cover his tracks, he went to Andrea and Dawn and told them that they should get rid of Reynold. Oh, Malcolm! If you were only more convincing! Andrea knew he was lying about his suggestion, and Dawn didn’t trust him, either. To draw Malcolm out of his lie, Dawn asked to see Reynold’s Immunity Idol. Malcolm agreed as a.sign of good faith. Dawn then went back to Phillip and told him what she had learned. Malcolm then turned to Erik, and told him Dawn was on their side, and that Andrea was their mark.

As Malcolm promised, Reynold showed Dawn his Idol. He also threatened her by saying if he gets screwed by showing his Idol to her, she would feel the repercussions of his leaving until she was gone. Dawn didn’t like being spoken to that way, and wanted to make sure she didn’t go down the way she did the last time she was on the show.

Andrea and Eddie met in the jungle to compare notes. Eddie was trying to get out of her who Stealth R Us was voting for so he could bring it back to the guys. She wouldn’t tell him. Eddie then warns her that if Reynold plays the Idol, that it would be Eddie that was leaving. Eddie told her Malcolm’s plan to get rid if her and she her mind started racing to find a way to move the target off her back.

Andrea went to Cochran and told him what was happening. He wasn’t happy about Andrea wanting to break away from the Favs, but also wanted to keep her in the game. With Dawn joining them they decided that Michael would be their choice to vote out of the game, and to have Reynold think it was him in order to smoke out the Idol. Dawn was also shocked that Malcolm didn’t suspect that she was leaking information of his plans to the other side.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst started off their meeting by with the Castaways by talking about how a Fav, not a Fan, went home after the last Vote. Michael said that he was happy he was still in the game, and that he would love to be of use to any side…yeah, in order to save his butt and not be voted out!

They also spoke about what was happening at camp.Phillip informed everyone of his latest acquisition into Stealth R Us (Sherri). Eddie said he didn’t care because he didn’t want to be anyone’s puppet. Uh, Eddie, you may not have noticed, but you are a puppet for Reynold, Malcolm and Andrea. Too bad he doesn’t see this about his position in the game.

They also spoke about sticking together vs. breaking away from an alliance. Phillip believes a group should stick together for success. Andrea said you should try to flip if the numbers work and if the timing is right. Phillip then warned that if people flip, then they will be flushed out and be sent packing.

Before the Vote was announced, Reynold wanted to use his Idol on himself, but Malcolm convinced Reynold to use the Idol on him instead, just in case they were looking to get Malcolm out. Andrea’s plan worked!  With a 6-3-1 vote, Michael was the one to see his million-dollar dream crash and burn. He gave the finger to those remaining, and left the Tribal Council area. Three votes were cast for Andrea, and one vote, by Malcolm, was cast for Reynold. Oh, Malcolm! Double-dealing!

What sportsmanship, Michael! It’s sucks, but it happens all the time in Survivor. I’m surprised he’s surprised he’s gone since he did nothing to keep himself in the game, and he was Corinne’s ally. We’re one vote closer to knowing who will be the next winner of Survivor. I can’t wait to see what we’re in store for in the next episode. Come back and find out which Castaway is the next to get the ax.

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor: Caramoan, Episode #6 – Switching Things Up!

Hey Readers!

I know, I didn’t write about Episode #5 last week, but I did happen to catch what happened.  This week, though, Survivor decided to switch things up a bit to keep the Castaways, as well as the viewers, on their toes.  What was the switch-up? Read on and you’ll find out.

Back-tracking a bit, here’s what happened on Episode #4:

Reynold and Eddie were worried about their lives in the game because they knew they had no one to reach out to on the Gota tribe. On Bikal, Brandon went banana crazy, lashing out on Phillip and dumping the tribe’s only supply of rice all the beach. At the Immunity Challenge, Corrine announced that the majority of the tribe was going to forfeit the Challenge in order to go to Tribal Council to get rid of a tribe mate. Jeff Probst accepted Bikal’s resignation, and decided to have Tribal Council right then and there. Brandon explained why Phillip angered him, and Phillip tried refuting what Brandon was saying, but it only fanned the flames under Brandon’s butt.  After all the drama was dialed down a bit, Jeff Probst asked Bikal who they wanted out of their tribe. Brandon said Phillip, while the rest of the tribe said Brandon. Cursing all the way, Brandon left the Challenge area, and the tribes went back to their camps.

Back to Episode#6…

Bikal was all a-twitter when they returned back to their camp from their explosive and impromptu Tribal Council. Phillip confessed he wanted Corrine to be the next to leave, while the rest of the Favourites wanted Phillip out of their tribe.

At Gota, Reynold and Eddie were happy about being spared due to Brandon’s exit, but were still stuck on how they were going to survive to the merge when they no longer have a social game.

Jeff Probst called both tribes together to announce that the game wpuld be shaking up by changing the faces on both tribes. This made some smile (Reymond and Eddie), and others grimace (Phillip). After having the Castaways break an egg with a coloured center on their body to reveal which tribe they were to be on. Here are the line-ups of the new tribes:

Gota                             Bikal
Malcolm                     Phillip
Brenda                        Cochran
Andrea                       Corrine
Eddie                           Matt
Sherri                          Julia
Erik                              Michael
Reynold                     Dawn

Each of these new tribes got new tribes received a container of rice, a new piece if flint, and new buffs. They were then sent back to their camps to bond and strategize.

At Gota, Reymond and Eddie have thrown away their “feud” with Malcolm, as they sought him out to gain his trust, and maybe create an alliance with him by telling him their story of woe of how they ended up at the bottom of the totem pole at the old Gota. Sherri had the same plan, and tried becoming friendly with Brenda and Andrea, giving her every bit of gossip about what happened within her old tribe.

Andrea and Malcolm compared notes on their new tribe mates, happy they were not close. Andrea also asked Malcolm if he had an Immunity Idol, and he boldly lied to her, telling her that he didn’t have one.

At Bikal, Phillip was acting like he was Cock of the Walk again by trying to flip Julia to do his bidding.  Julia just let Phillip flap his gums, taking in any bit of information he was giving her so she could try to use it in the future.

Corrine and Dawn were shaking their heads at Phillip and his attempts to try and turn Julia because they didn’t care about getting new recruits, they wanted the Immunity Idol to protect themselves against one of.the Fans possibly using it against them at Tribal Council.

At the Immunity Challenge, the tribe mates had to go in pairs to roll six crates across the beach.  The tribe then had to create a set of stairs out of the crates to a platform.  The winning tribe would be granted Immunity.  It was pretty much a blow-out for the Gota tribe as they rolled by Bikal to win Immunity.

When Bikal returned from the Challenge, Phillip was playing Papa Bear by giving a pep talk to the tribe about how well they worked together despite their loss.  Corrine was thoroughly annoyed with Phillip’s antics, but knew to remain in the game meant to keep Phillip around.  So she, along with the rest of the tribe, bared down and let Phillip run his mouth.

Phillip then took Matt and Michael aside to tell them Julia was going to be the one to go.  They agreed because they both wanted to stay on in the game. Phillip then felt they were worthy enough to be inducted into Phillip’s Stealth-R-Us group, giving them code names to seal the deal.

Julia spoke with Matt and Michael in the jungle about who they were going to vote for.  They lied to her, telling her they were going to vote for Dawn to leave. She was happy with this, and let them go.

The Favourites then got together to talk about who they really wanted to vote out. Corrine wanted Julia gone because she felt Julia brought no value to their tribe.  Cochran brought up the idea that Michael and Matt should be split up because they seemed too close, as though they had an alliance. This interested the other Favourites, but also made their decision harder.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst asked the Castaways about how the switch effected them and whether the Fans on Bikal felt as though they were in trouble.  All three Fans admitted they were sure one of them were going to be voted out. Jeff Probst also asked the Favourites what would it take to keep a Fan in their tribe. Corrine said that she had to be convinced of their intentions, and that none of them had or would use the Immunity Idol to save their numbers. Phillip added that if any of them had the Immunity Idol, that they should use it to save themselves because the three of them didn’t know which of them would be the one to be leaving the game.  It was also a way to flush out the Immunity Idol if they did happen to have it.

After the votes were cast, Matt was the Fan that was chosen to leave the game by a vote of 4-2 (Julia)-1 (Dawn).  I thought either Michael or Julia would be the one to go because Matt had more muscle than the other two.  They’re going to be sorry for getting rid of him when they are destroyed over and over again by the new Gota, who has just about every strong player in the game now.

Yes, Readers, it was another shocking episode of Survivor: Caramoan. Phillip is so lucky the Favourites have the numbers on their tribe, or else he would have been the one to go this week. Reymond and Eddie must also be thanking their lucky horseshoes because of this shake-up in the tribes.  All of the Castaways are hoping they can make it to the merge, then all bets will be off.  Will Bikal be desecrated with most of the stronger players being on the Gota tribe? Will Phillip notice that everyone is placating him and change his strategy? Come back to get the latest update on the Castaways and this season of Survivor: Caramoan.

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.