Survivor 27, Episodes #6 & 7 – Have the Trust of Your Alliance Before Making a Big Move

Hey Readers!

I do have to apologize for running so far behind on my Survivor posts. That’s why I have been combining two episodes together, and writing about only the competitions and Tribal Council, so you would get the action bits of the show.

So, alliances between players are being tried more than on any other season of Survivor!  It might be because half of this season’s Castaways are returning players, while the other half have heard the war stories of the Returning Players.  No one truly went into this season with blinders on.  When the alliances have been true to each other, it always seems as though the person at the bottom of the totem pole made a big move on their own which went against the wishes of their alliance, resulting in their departure from the game.  Two players fell into this trap of thinking they had the support of their alliances, only to realize that they were the odd Castaway out.  Who were these two players?  Read on and you’ll find out!

Episode #5 – Redemption Island

After Jeff Probst introduced John, Laura M and Brad as the competitors for this Duel, he explained how the these three players had to race across a balance beam while untying 4 bags and collecting numbered tiles. With ea h bag, they then had to put the tiles in numerical order from 1-100. The player not to finish would leave the game, losing their chance at $1 000 000.

Laura M won the Challenge, while John came in a very close second.  You know what that means, Readers! Yes, Brad is out of the game! Monica was in tears as she said her goodbyes to Brad and watched his buff burn in the urn as he left the game.

Jeff Probst then announced that the living situation was going to be switched up a bit fir the Castaways.  They had to drop their old buffs, and blindly draw for new buffs.  Which ever buff they picked was the tribe they would be on.  Strangely enough, Galang ended up having 4 women and 1 man, while Tadhana had 4 men and 1 woman!  Here is the actual breakdown of both tribes:
Galang – Monica, Laura B, Kat, Tina and Vytas
Tadhana – Gervase, Tyson, Aras, Caleb and Ciera.

Immunity/Reward Challenge

Each tribe had to swim out and get 3 fish traps.  They then had to bring them back to the beach and use the wood from the traps as puzzle pieces.  They then had to put the vertical puzzle together first to win Immunity, and either Luxury Prize of a Picnic complete with meat, fixings and brownies, or they could trade it for the fishing gear Tadhana still didn’t have.

It went down to the wire, but Tadhana won the Challenge! Vytas was very upset because of his situation on Galang (being the only man with a bunch of women).

Tribal Council

Jeff Probst and Galang spoke about the following topics:
How the tribe was getting along since things had been switched up – Monica and Kat said it was hard. Kat said Monica was strategizing too much, and it was putting a strain on the rest if the tribe, shaking the trust of the other ladies. Vytas was playing humble, saying his name would be most if the ballets to leave.
Vytas and dealing with being only man on tribe of women – Vytas said he would be open with the ladies about who he was, and that everything else would be what it will be
Kat and the ladies’ trust in her since it came out she was gunning to try and get Monica out – Kat, trying to save her skin, said she could really be trusted by them. Vytas challenged her, saying it was not true. Kat was then begging the rest of the tribe to keep her, in spite of trying to get rid of Monica and ruin their alliance.

Here were the results after the votes were cast:
Vytas – 1; Kat – 3 (they didn’t show the last vote because it was enough to have Kat leave).

A very sad Kat then found her way to Redemption Island to await her fate at the Duel Challenge against John and Laura M.

Episode #7 – Redemption Island

Once Laura M, John and Kat the Redemption Island Duel Area, a crying Kat asked Jeff Probst if she could get a hug from her boyfriend, Hayden. Jeff Probst asked Kat why she was so upset. Kat answered it was because she felt as though she had let him down for being voted out so early in the game. She didn’t want him to think of her negatively.

After Jeff Probst asked Hayden what he thought, Hayden answered that their relationship was more important than how well someone played this game. Jeff Probst asked whether Hayden wanted to take Kat’s place at Redemption Island. Hayden and Kat took FOREVER to decide that Kat would stay where she was. If seemed for as though Kat was going to let Hayden take her few seconds. I would have been so pissed if she did, after the way she went after Monica, then tried to put the blame for her predicament on others.

For this Duel, the 3 players had to untie and cut through ropes, using a machete, to release puzzle pieces. They then had to put a difficult fire-shaped puzzle together. The player that didn’t finish the puzzle would see the the end of their Survivor game.

John blew through this Challenge, finishing it first. It was a close race between Laura M and Kat, but Laura M was able to figure it out where the pieces of the puzzle went quicker than Kat could, ending Kat’s time on the show. Kat said a tearful goodbye to Hayden, then put her buff in the urn and left the Area. John chose Monica as the recipient of the clue to the hidden Immunity Idol, and she, once again, destroyed in by putting it in the urn to burn.

Immunity/Reward Challenge

For this Challenge, 4 members of each tribe were tied together, and had to move together to untie bola pieces. They then had to work through a mini obstacle course to untie the other bola pieces. They then had to be the first tribe to toss 3 of them on a post to win the Challenge. The Reward for this Challenge was a fried chicken picnic with all the fixings!

Tyson won this Challenge for the mostly male Galang tribe, sending Tadhana back to Tribal Council.

Tribal Council

Jeff Probst and Tadhana spoke about the following topics at Tribal Council:

• Laura B taking it upon herself to tell Vytas he was going home – Vytas said is was discouraging, milking sympathy for how bold Laura B came across when she let her bombshell go off.  Monica shared the sentiments of the tribe, which was that what Laura B. did was very risky, especially since she did not have the tribe’s trust or approval to go and tell Vytas about his fate.  Vytas added that lack of trust in a Castaway was the reason why Kat went home, making Laura B’s case look worse in front of the rest of the tribe.
• Tina played Devil’s advocate, saying that Vytas could be saying all of these things because of the situation Vytas is in right now (only man on a tribe with 4 women).
• Vytas and his lot on Tadhana – Vytas said he was in a good place within his old tribe, now he’s in a lot of trouble because he’s the only man on a tribe filled with women.
• Vytas and Aras relationship – pleading to stay, Vytas said he wanted to continue to work on mending the relationship he has with Aras, and that the best way to do so would be to stay in the game.  Laura B wisely warned the rest of the tribe that to keep Vytas and Aras in the game would be dangerous because they were not only a pair, but that both of them were also good players and could win Survivor.
• Laura B’s story –  Laura B felt as thought this experience, especially without Rupert around, has allowed her to come out of her shell more, improving her self-confidence, and live outside of Rupert’s shadow.

Here are the results of the votes: Vytas – 1; Laura B – 3.  Laura B then left to join the other on Redemption Island.

Well, Readers, players, both returning and new to Survivor, must be aware of where on the totem poll they sit when in an alliance.  In Kat and Laura B’s case, they thought they had enough support to overthrow other alliance, only to find out too late that they were the ones in need of the support.  Where Vytas is concerned, even though he’s the lone man amongst a pack of women, it  it looks like he’s doing well for himself…for the time being anyway.

Will the merge happen soon? Will the alliance hold now that Kat and Laura B have left their tribes?  Who will be the next Castaway to leave the game?Pop back to my blog to find out!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese

Survivor 27, Episodes #4 & 5: Your Cockiness Was Your Downfall!

Hiya Readers!

Paraphrasing from Jeff Probst, Survivor is a game of knowing when to make big moves that will get to to the end of the game.  Most players of this game make big moves but they may not be at the opportune moment, or let their cockiness get in the way of their judgement, getting them voted out of the game.   Two players have fallen into this trap during these two episodes, and should not have been surprised by the blindside they got at Tribal Council, essentially ending their game.  Who are they, you ask?  Read on and you’ll find out!

Redemption Island (Episode #4)

Jeff Probst introduced Galang and Tadhana to Castaways competing in the three-way duel  – Candice, John and Marissa.  Jeff Probst then asked Candice how she felt to see her husband show up at Redemption Island, to which she said she was upset because there was one person really responsible for sending him there.  Paraphrasing what she said, it was Brad.  Monica, standing by her man, says that more than just Brad is responsible for John being at Redemption Island, meaning the rest of the Tadhana tribe.  Actually, both women are right.  Sure, most of the time, it takes more than one person to vote a person out of a tribe.  But it only takes one person to place a seed of suggestion in the minds of everyone else in the tribe to want to have that person leave as well.  John then said that every time a person had to leave their tribe, Brad “muscled” his opinion around as to who this person should be.

For this duel, the players had to race across a ladder-rope with a key that was attacked to the ladder-rope.  They had to use this key to unlock bags containing puzzle pieces.  They then had to put the puzzle together.  The first two to do this would still be in the game, with the loser having to leave the game.  As well, the winner of the duel will also get to choose a Castaway to get a clue as to where the hidden Immunity Idol was located.

John won the duel.  Candice came second, leaving Marissa to have to say goodby to her uncle, Gervase, as well as to the game.  Jeff Probst asked Gervase what he thought of Marissa’s performance in the game.  Gervase said he was impressed with what Marissa could do, especially since she really didn’t get a chance to play much.  He also said her leaving also gave him more incentive to win the game.

In a strategic move, John chose Monica to receive the clue for the lost Immunity Idol.  They chose her in order to put an even larger target on her back.  Brad immediately told Monica to burn it.  She listened, and threw it into the fire that Marissa dropped her buff into, making this the first time anyone has destroyed a hidden Immunity Idol clue!

Immunity/Reward Challenge

5 members of each tribe had to paddle out inn a canoe to where two crates lay at the bottom of the ocean.  Each tribe had to then bring them back to the beach ad use them as steps up to a platform.  The other two members of the tribe had to then put the puzzle together to get the combination to unlock a flag that signaled the tribe was finished the Challenge.  First tribe to finish would win Immunity, and the choice of a Luxury Reward of an awesome tea and coffee party, or they could trade it for fishing gear.  When Galang were asked to sit two people out, and Tyson wasn’t one of them, Jeff Probst asked why he was competing with his injured shoulder.  Tyson replied that he thought he could, and that he was better than anyone on Galang with 1 arm!  Jeff was shocked, but let Tyson compete.

It was a close battle, but, once again, Galang won the Immunity Challenge, taking their luxury tea and coffee party prize with them.  A sad looking Tadhana had to face Jeff Probst for another Tribal Council, where one of them would then be sent to Redemption Island.

Tribal Council

Jeff Probst spoke to Tadhana about the following topics:

• Has Tadhana lost firsdt 4 Immunity Challenges because of lack of strength or lack of puzzle-solving ability? – Tadhana flip-flopped about this topic.
• How Tadhana was going to vote this episode – Jeff Probst asked they were going to vote based on who’s left in the game on the other side. Brad said it would be great to vote people out from those whose “blood” (partner/family member) is gone.
• Trust – Caleb announced he wasn’t going to vote the way Brad thought he originally said he would.  Ciera was slated to go home, as per Brad, but Caleb didn’t like how Brad was operating, and that he was going to vote for Brad to leave the tribe. Brad started back-peddling, trying to maintain his grip on the tribe.  Brad even said he wasn’t going to write Caleb’s name down.

The votes were cast, and, after a second tiebreaker vote between Ciera and Brad, guess who left the tribe…Brad!  After displaying all of his cockiness, especially after John was blindsided, it was now his turn to feel what it was like to have the rug pulled out from under himself.  Jeff Probst even commented that this may have been the biggest shifts of power in Survivor history, and this may have been one of the biggest move in Survivor history!

Episode #5 – Redemption Island

Castaways on both tribes were very worried about their safety in the game, and they were doing what they could in order to ensure they were not the one voted out.

Redemption Island

Jeff Probst introduced Candice, John and Brad as the competitors in this episode’s Elimination Duel. Monica wanted to take Brad’s place in the Duel, but Brad told her he could handle it.

Each player in the Duel had to create a bridge out of a crate and then cross it. They then had to dismantle the bridge, flip over the bridge pieces, and use these bridge pieces to put the puzzle together. The first two players to finish would remain in the game. The player not to finish would leave the game.  The winner of the Duel would get to give a Castaway watching the Duel a clue to where the location of hidden Immunity Idol on their island.  John was the first to finish the Duel. Luckily, Brad finished his puzzle before Candice could, knocking Candice out of Survivor.  John chose to give Monica the clue for the hidden Immunity Idol, which she burned, again, saying it was too dangerous to have this sort of power. Candice then said goodbye to her husband, and threw her buff into the urn, signifying the end of her game.

Immunity/Reward Challenge

Castaways on each tribe had to take turns racing down a slide, then tossing a ring onto a post. The first tribe to score five points would win Immunity, and could win either a Luxury Reward of a steak and veggie feast, including spices and a wok, or trade it for the fishing gear.

It was a close one, but Tadhana finally won their first Immunity Challenge! Instead of choosing to take care of themselves for the rest of the game by taking the fishing gear, Tadhana chose to celebrate by taking the Luxury Reward. Maybe this boost of confidence may be clouding their judgement!

Tribal Council

Jeff Probst and Galang spoke about the following topics:

• how hard his Blood vs Water twist was for the players this time around. Galang said it was hard because your decisions could impact your
• how easy of a vote it would be for Galang to get rid of Laura B because she was the only member of Galang not to be a Returning Player, so she doesn’t share that bond like the rest of them do.

Once the votes were cast, guess what, Readers? Yes, another blindside went down! Laura M was voted out of Galang because the tribe felt she was not trustworthy, was a bit too cocky, and trying too hard to be friendly with every one in their tribe.

Oh, Readers! Brad really dodged a bullet at Redemption Island, and Laura M didn’t see herself being voted out so early in the game.  It seems as though nothing is following the usual routine of Survivor this season.  Will Brad’s fate finally be sealed by losing in he next Redemption Island Duel? Who will be the next Castaway to be voted off of their tribe? What else is in store for the Castaways this season? Find out all of this and more during my next post on Survivor: Blood vs Water!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor 27, Episode #3 – Drama, Action, Blindside!

Hey There, Readers!

This episode of Survivor had three basic components: drama, action and blindsides.  Well, I guess this can be said about every episode of almost any reality series, but this episode of Survivor really had all three elements.  There was a blindside that even Jeff Probst didn’t see coming until it happened!  How does all of this happen, you ask?  Well, read on, Readers, and you’ll see!

The episode began at Galang, where the Returning Players were sitting around enjoying each others’ life stories without a care in the world…everyone except for Colton.  He really couldn’t take how laid back the rest of the tribe was at this point in the game.  He wanted to strategize about what was happening at Tadhana, who to sit out at the next challenge, and he also wanted some drama to happen on his tribe.  No one else on Galang wanted to deal with Colton’s “worries,” and Tyler told him to relax.  Colton was going crazy with the amount of people telling him to relax.  This was not the game Colton signed up to play, or the tribe he wanted to play the game with.  Colton, no one gets to set the type of tribe you get to be on!  An important part of this game is to go with the flow and adjust your game to how the game is going, not force people to play your way.  Soon, you’ll get your wish when/if Galang fimally losses an Immunity Challenge.

Both tribes were instructed to go to Redemption Island to watch the end of another player’s game after losing a hard fought challenge. Tyson was really upset to not see Rachel with Tadhana. He said he thought Tadhana voted Rachel out to try and get rid of him. Rachel agreed with Tyson’s line of thinking.  Jeff Probst asked Tyson whether he would like to take Rachel’s place and have her join Galang in his place. Tyson asked Rachel whether he should take her place. Rachel said he would have a better chance at winning the game if he stayed with Galang than to take her place. Tyson took her advice, and let Rachel stay. Tyson then issued a warning to Tadhana, saying that if Tyson ever ended up at Redemption Island that they’d better watch out for him, as he’d be taking everyone out and returning to the game.

Marissa then chimed in, saying that Tadhana was voting out its strong players in order to keep its tribe weak. She was directing her comment at Brad, and everyone knew it. Brad, feeling the heat of the situation and the target growing larger on his back, told Marissa that this was the game of Survivor, Babe!  Marissa told Brad what to do with himself (If you didn’t know, I try to keep my posts as clean as possible, just in case younger eyes are reading.).  Gervase told Marissa to keep focused on the up-coming task.

This is where the first blindside of the show happened.  Colton began crying.  Jeff Probst asked Colton what was with the water works, and Colton responded that he no longer wanted to be a part of the game anymore.  After a commercial break, Jeff Probst asked Colton if he was quitting the game, to which Colton responded, “Yes.”  Jeff Probst, taken aback, said Colton was doing the opposite of what he told the producers he wanted to prove in the game.  Colton explained that he didn’t want to play the game with the tribe he was on, so he wanted to quit.  Jeff Probst told Colton he was being selfish.  Colton replied that this decision may be selfish, but it may be the best move for him to make to make himself happy.  Tina then told everyone about how Colton shot himself in the foot by be over aggressive, and was worried he’s lost everyone’s trust in Galang, along with no one wanting to be catty like Colton was, so he no longer wanted to be a part of the game.  Colton slightly agreed with what Tia said.

Jeff Probst then used Colton as an example of the type of person who thinks they want to play Survivor that should actually just stay on their couch at home because they’re not able to adapt to changes or different personalities within the game.  Colton said he didn’t care about the insult Jeff Probst threw at him, and went over to Tadhana to say goodbye to his partner, Caleb.  Jeff Probst then told Colton not to throw his buff in the urn because it was reserved for players that wanted to play the game, had competed and lost, not for quitters, and to leave the game.  Well, Readers, I’m glad Colton left.  All he did was whine about not getting his way, then whined when he knew he screwed up instead of trying to fix what he broke!  I hope you are happier, Colton!

At the Redemption Island Challenge, the players had to stack bricks along a pathway that angled up and down while it lay on a huge spring and having trip bars along the bottom of it so players couldn’t race up and down the course.  The first 2 players to have all of their bricks fall down, ad have a ball at the end of the platform break a plate at the end of the platform would get to stay in the game, while the last person would see their game come to an end.  The person who finished the challenge first would also get to choose a person from any of the tribes to receive a clue as to where the hidden Immunity Idol was on their island.  Just as before, Candice finished the challenge first, leaving Marissa and Rachel to battle it out for their Survivor lives.  After some mistakes, Marissa pulled out a win over Rachel, sending Rachel to say goodbye to her boyfriend, Tyson, and watch her buff, as well as her chance at 1 million dollars, go up in smoke.  Candice then gave her husband, John a second clue to the whereabouts of the hidden Immunity Idol.

Back at Galang, Tyson was sad about Rachel having to leave the game, and was being consoled by the others on his tribe.  He vowed that he had to try and win the game to make up for not taking Rachel’s place, potentially keeping her in the game longer.  Tyson also confessed that he felt weird not being around Monica, as it was her husband, Brad, who had sent Rachel packing.  At the same time, he could not blame her because it was not her actually telling Brad to make the decisions he’s been making.  He also felt that it was a good move Brad because, if Tyson was in Brad’s shoes, he would have done the same thing.

At Tadhana, Brad was confessing that it  sucked being called out for the moves he made.  He didn’t like Redemption Island because the people you vote out of your tribe have the chance to let you know how your decisions made them feel, and they have a chance to get back into the game to exact their revenge on you.  He felt that he was taking some of the heat off of himself by making the others think voting certain people off was a group decision, not solely his.  Uh, Brad, most of the Castaways actually see you as the proverbial head of the snake.   They do see you as the decision-maker, not the rest of the tribe.

John felt as though he had an even bigger target on is back because Candice chose him to have another clue to the Immunity Idol.   He felt that the smartest thing to do was to let Brad in on its location, and he liked Brad enough that he didn’t mind Brad knowing about where it was.  John asked Brad not to let anyone else know where the Immunity Idol was.  Brad agreed with John, but he was also testing John’s loyalty because of his past actions (originally not sharing the clue with him, and his ties to Rachel).

At the Reward/Immunity Challenge, it was a sumo wrestling-like battle where one member from each tribe had to try and push a member from the opposing tribe off of a floating platform over the water.  For each win, the player’s tribe got  a point.  First tribe to 5 points won Immunity from Tribal Council, and the choice between a Luxury prize (pillows, blankets, a tarp, mosquito netting), or they could trade it for a fishing kit like the one Galang won at the last Immunity Challenge.

During one of the showdowns, Tyson popped his arm out of its shoulder socket, and could no longer take part in the challenge.  He didn’t want to leave the game, though.  In the end, Galang came away with a 5-3 with over Tadhana, winning Immunity, and taking the Luxury prize with them.

Back at Tadhana, they went about their regular consoling ritual, losing their 3rd Immunity Challenge in a row.   The guys got together to talk about who should leave the tribe this time, and they spoke about how Katie lost to her mother who was well into her 60s.  Then they went over what the last two women on their tribe bring to the table.  Katie cooks all of their meals, while Ciera doesn’t do much of anything.  After to the conclusion that Ciera was leaving, John went to go look for the Idol.  Once out of ear shot, Brad got the rest of the guys together to talk about Jon becoming a bigger threat to their game, and getting rid of him.  These were Brad’s arguments as to why John needed to leave sooner than later:

• John was a strong player
• John would be controlled by Candice should she return to the game and the tribes got to the Merge, not by them (by them, Brad really meant himself).

Vytas didn’t really trust Brad’s reasons as to why they should get rid of John.  He felt Brad was acting a bit shady, and that Brad was making everyone do their dirty work for him.  Vytas voiced his concerns to the ladies of the tribe, who seemed receptive to what Vytas was saying.  Hayden was torn as to what he wanted to do, but was sure that someone would be leaving by way of a blindside at Tribal Council.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst and Tadhana brought up the following topics:

• Why the men were the only ones who scored at the Immunity Challenge – Katie said it sucked she was not able to beat her mom at two different Immunity Challenges (not sure if she was smart to have voiced her concern at that moment).
• What Trust meant in this game – Vytas said trust was the currency of the game.  The more you ca trust someone, the further you could go in the game.
• John having 2 clues to the Immunity Idol – Candice’s comment about how John knew “what to do with the information” really wasn’t helping John’s chances at staying.  Hayden said they had to trust that John was telling them the truth about not having the Idol.  Brad chimed in, saying that at some point, you have to lie in the game, so how could they trust John now?

After Jeff Probst asked Tadhana to write down who they wanted to vote out, he went to count the votes.  This was how it all played out:

Ciera – 1; John – 4 (we didn’t get to see the rest of the votes, as all a person needed was 4 votes to leave).

John didn’t see this happening to him, and he felt betrayed as he meet up with Candice and Marissa on Redemption Island.

Oh, Readers!  I think Tadhana made a HUGE mistake, again!  Or maybe this was Brad’s plan to weaken his tribe.  This move, in the end, I think, will only hurt his game. He’s losing any trust with Tadhana, since they can’t trust him when they say they’re safe.  Galang, besides his wife, are beginning to hate him because their loved ones are leaving the game at his hand.  I think he is putting a huge target o his and his wife, Monica’s back for making these decisions.  If, for some reason, Galang was to lose an Immunity Challenge, she might be the first player they vote out to get back at Brad.  Will Tadhana finally win their first Immunity Challenge?  Will Tadhana blindside Brad?  Who will be the next player at Redemption Island to leave the game?  We’ll find out in the next episode of Survivor: Blood vs Water!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

Survivor 27, Episode #1: Someone Else’s Actions Could Hurt You

Hey Readers!

It’s back!  It’s back!  It’s back!  Survivor 27 has finally started, and this season already has some interesting twists.  Most people knew about the Blood vs Water variation on the show, but how the producers did it was kind of neat.  Then there were the other curve balls they threw at the Castaways at the beginning of the game that got me more intrigued about how this season was going to play out.  Oh, they brought back Redemption Island, where voted out Castaways have the chance to compete to win their way back into the game.  Another hard part about this season is that you have to be careful of your actions, as they can then be reflected onto your loved one.  Two Returning Players, one for strategic reasons, one for payback, had their loved ones affected because of their actions, past and present.  What do I mean by this, you ask?  Read on and you’ll see!

Survivor took the Castaways and the viewers back to the Philippines for their 27th season of the show.  Viewers were introduced to each of the 10 Returning Players vying to win the million-dollar prize, along with their Loved One, and how they were related.  They separately spent their first night alone with each other in various locations on an island to get acquainted with the surroundings.  Some of the Loved Ones were a bit disappointed with the lack of survival skills their Returning Player partner had when first out there, but they all seemed to make it through the night,

They then met each other on the beach the next morning.  Jeff Probst welcomed the group to the Philippines, as well as to the game.  It was here that a twist o a twist was revealed to the players.  They found out that the Returning Players would be on a different tribe from their Loved One for a part of the show.  This shocked some of the Castaways, while it made other pairs even more ready to play the game.  Once separated, they were told their tribe names and given their buffs.  The Returning Players were called Galang, while the Loved Ones were called Tadhana.

Now that the tribes had been formed, Jeff Probst hit the Castaways with another bombshell.  Each tribe would be voting one of its members out of the game right then and there.  Whoa!  My jaw dropped at this bit of news!  I had a prediction about Rupert’s wife, Laura ( I will call her Laura B , as there is another Laura, who I will call Laura M) being voted out first because Rupert is Survivor royalty, and he plays a very emotional game.  You know, Readers, to mess with his head.  Well, it happened!  Tadhana voted her off because of Rupert’s past actions and to weaken his game-play. Galang voted Candice off of their tribe.

After the two votes were taken, Jeff Probst informed the Castaways that these players were not necessary out of the game yet, as they were resurrecting Redemption Island.  The twist on this twist was that, at this point in the game, was that the loved one of the Castaways who were just voted out could take their place, possibly giving up their chance to play the game so their loved one could experience more of the game.  Without batting an eye, Rupert said he would take his wife’s place on Redemption Island.  He did this for two reasons:  he said he would protect his wife however he could this season; and Rupert wanted his wife, Laura B, to have a true Survivor experience.  Let me tell you, Readers, this is why viewers and players have fallen in love with Rupert!  Despite the rough exterior, he’s truly an awesome person.  This moment made me an even bigger Rupert fan!  Candice and her husband, John, discussed the situation, he decided to let Candice go to Redemption Island because he felt she could beat Rupert and return to the game.

At Galang, the Returning Players got down to business.  They had their fire going, their shelter almost built, water boiling, and rice cooking away.  Laura B, felt out of place because she was the only one who didn’t know what to do.  Se also felt as tough the rest of her new tribe mates thought she would be like Rupert because they were married.

Monica was becoming weary of Colton.  She didn’t want to be burned by him like she was during their last meeting on Survivor: One World, where a power-tripped Colton back-stabbed Monica, sending her out of the game.  She said that he was mean and vindictive.  She was going to keep a close eye on this wily character!

Colton shared with Galang his intentions this time around in the game.  He said that he had turned over a new leaf since meeting his partner, Caleb.  Colton went on to say he has matured, and will be less insecure about himself, you know, be more like the true Colton he really was.  He wanted people to understand him.  He then started crying.  Monica started to soften her stance on Colton due to this display of waterworks.  She said the tribe shouldn’t be too quick to judge him unless they’ve walked in his shoes.  Hopefully, she keeps an eye out for Colton.  He seems as though he could be a wily one.

For the Loved Ones at Tadhana, things aren’t as optimistic as they are at Galang.  They were having trouble building their shelter and making fire.  They were all expecting to have their other halves with them to show them what to do.  Readers, this is one of my pet peeves about this show.  You know you are going to be on Survivor, and the first thing you should do at home, in the woods, somewhere, is to learn how to build a fire!  This ability may save your butt in this game!  Come on!  Especially when all of the Loved Ones have a personal connection to a former player of Survivor.  This really annoys me!

Brad started doing what smart players of this game do once they arrive at their tribe: form an alliance.  Since there are 5 men and 4 women, Brad thought it was only natural for the men to band together and pick off the women if they had to go to Tribal Council.  He went and did a hard sell on all of the guys in his tribe.  Some were on board, while others were sitting back on the idea.

At Redemption Island, Rupert and Candice had different ideas about how to get things done around their camp.  While Candice toiled around camp, pretty much doing everything to make sure they would get through their night, Rupert lounged and watched Candice wear herself out, living off of the spoils of Candice’s work.  Wow!  That doesn’t sound like the Rupert we all know and love!  Well, Readers, here’s the thing.  This was all a part of Rupert’s plan to beat Candice and return to the game.  He figured that by Candice tuckering herself out around camp, she wouldn’t have enough energy to beat Rupert in a head-on challenge.  He admitted this may have been why he lost so many challenges whenever he went out and played the game.  Oh, Rupert, you mastermind!  Candice, not catching on to what Rupert was doing was complaining about Rupert’s laziness, as well as the Returning Players who voted her out.

At the Immunity Challenge, the tribes had to send 6 of its members through a obstacle course in the water, untie a boat once all it their members reached their designated platform, and then row their boat back to shore which contained pieces to a ship’s stirring wheel.  Once they reached the beach, the remaining 3 members had to work together to put the wheel together, then put it on a crank to let their tribe flag down, signifying they were finished.  First tribe to accomplish this would win Immunity, and gain flint to have fire at their tribe.

When Jeff Probst asked the tribes if they had fire yet, Tadhana lied, saying they had fire.  Galang just scoffed at them, not believing a word they said.  Tadhana didn’t want to seem weak in front of their new enemies.  Well, their bluff was blown when Galang came from behind (no thanks to Gervase’s stellar performance in the water, or the poor puzzle-solving work of Ciera, Katie and Rachel), to win the first Immunity Challenge of the season!  Gervase, who should have kept his mouth shut because he almost lost the challenge for Galang, was the loudest of the Returning Players to trash-talk their Loved Ones!  Really, Gervase, I don’t think that was the smartest thing you should have been doing at that moment.  I was surprised he had the nerve to say anything after his lack luster performance!

Back at Tadhana, the tribe was consoling each other over their loss to Galang.  Katie was becoming nervous because she barely touched the puzzle when she had earlier boasted she was better at putting puzzles together than her mother, Tina, was, and that she could help them win the challenge.  Marissa was also getting worried, as it was her uncle, Gervase who was the loudest trash-talker of Galang.  Could his actions affect her safety in the game?  That was something that was going through her mind a mile a minute.

Brad and John were talking about Katie and Marissa’s worst fears at that same moment.  They said it really didn’t matter which of the ladies on their tribe left, so long as it wasn’t one of the guys.  Vytas, wanting to be the nice guy to keep ties with the ladies on the tribe, told them it would be one of them leaving.  I’m not sure this gave any of them that much comfort.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst and Tadhana spoke about the following topics:

• The first Immunity Challenge – what their actions, or those of Galang, could sway people’s ideas of who to vote for.  Marissa and Katie both voiced their concerns.  Marissa believed she shouldn’t be judged by Gervase’s actions, while Katie believed she shouldn’t be judged by her poor performance at a challenge when it was their first one.  John haughtily said the vote wasn’t based purely on a person’s poor performance.
• Redemption Island – John felt guilty about not taking his wife, Candice’s place out there.
• Where the game was going from this point on – how voting someone off will effect the game of the Returning Players.

After their talk, Jeff Probst asked Tadhana to cast their votes.  After the votes were counted, Jeff Probst revealed the votes were 8-1 in favour of Marissa to leave the tribe.  Marissa was supposedly shocked by this, and gave her tribe an wordless, ugly glare as her torch was snuffed out.  So Marissa was also effect by Gervase’s actions in this game.  He’s not going to find out it until the next time the tribes meet again.  She then surprised Rupert and Candice on Redemption Island, awaiting their challenge to see who would return to the game, and who would go home.

It was an interesting season premiere, Readers!  You see how easy it is for a player’s game to be effected by another person’s  actions?  I think both votes for Laura B and Marissa were unfair.  They were both attacks against players in the game, not against anything they did themselves.  I’m not sure just how Gervase will take the news of his niece being voted out because of his actions.  In the promos for this season’s game, he said he would write her name down if it meant it would get him closer to the ed of the game, but I’m not sure if he even thought she would have been voted out because of him.  I want to see his reaction to her leaving in the next episode.  Which Castaway will win their way back into the game, who will go home?  Has Colton really changed his spots, or will he revert back to the Colton we all…well, know?  What other challenges will the islands of the Philippines have in store for these Castaways?  Come back to my blog and see what happens next on Survivor: Blood vs Water!

Until my next post, Readers!

Reese.

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 #10 – Phillip Finally Steps Up and Takes a Bow

Hey, Readers!

This episode of Survivor was one where I shook my head at certain parts due to the ups and downs the Castaways experienced. The situations of certain Castaways changed in an blink of an eye, which also kept effecting how people were going to vote at Tribal Council. Whose star ultimately rose, and whose luck went down the toilet, along with their chance at $1 000 000? Read on and you’ll see.

After Tribal Council, Malcolm, Reynold and Eddie were blindsided by Michael’s exit from the game. Malcolm thought he was the target, but since he was wrong about Stealth-R-Us’ plans, he knew he had to find a way to get on top of the totem pole of Enil Edam sooner than later.

The next morning, Phillip and Cochran were talking about how strong of a player Dawn this time around when a crazed scream could be heard throughout the camp. The scream came from none other than Dawn on a dock by their tribe, becoming hysterical with every moment that past by. Brenda asked what happened to Dawn, and Dawn told her that she had lost her retainer in the water while swimming. Brenda used the fishing gear to fish out Dawn’s retainer for her. Dawn did an 180, going from hysterical to gleeful, grateful to Brenda for her help. Brenda felt sorry for Dawn, confessing that, from this point on, she would try to have Dawn’s back for the remainder of the game.

At the Reward Challenge, the Castaways were split into two teams of five. Each member had to race through an obstacle course, slide into a mud pit to find a bag of balls, then go through a pit of rice. Once this was done by everyone on the team, they had to untie the bags of balls, and then toss them into a basket above their heads. The Reward: a trip to a resort with a smorgasbord of a lunch for them to enjoy for the afternoon. Below are the members of each team:

Purple                  Orange
Phillip                  Malcolm
Erik                       Andrea
Reynold              Sherri
Dawn                    Brenda
Cochran              Eddie

This competition wasn’t even close, mostly due to Sherri’s lack of confidence on the balance beam portion if the obstacle course. Her actions allowed for Team Purple to open up an enormous lead and win the Challenge before Team Orange could finish untying their bags.

While on the Reward, Reynold became even more annoyed by Phillip and his sense of entitlement as Phillip went into the pool at the resort without washing himself off from their Challenge first. Phillip didn’t care about what other people thought, and this bothered Reynold, hoping Phillip would leave the game soon.

When everyone was back at Enil Edam, Dawn was becoming very paranoid about her safety within the tribe. She confided in Phillip and Cochran that she thought Andrea was going to turn on them to go with Malcolm and the Outsiders (Reyonld and Eddie), make her a target, and get her voted out of the tribe. Phillip reassured her, telling her that Andrea wouldn’t do that, and that Dawn was safe. She went on like this for the rest of the day, annoying everyone.

The next morning a new Dawn grace the Enil Edam tribe. Well-rested and more focused, Dawn was back to herself. Stealth-R-Us had a meeting to discuss who would be the next to go out of the Outsiders. Phillip proclaimed that they would split their votes between Malcolm and Reynold, so if an Immunity Idol was used by Malcolm, then their target, Reynold, would be leaving. They also had to make sure one of the seven of them would win the next Immunity Challenge to make sure their plan was successful.

At the Immunity Challenge, each Castaway had to accomplish a series of the following: run along a platform with a ring, put it on a post, jump into the water, pull themselves along the bottom of the platform with a rope, then repeat the run again in order to win Immunity. The Castaways were put into two heats for the first round. Heat #1 had Reynold, Cochran, Dawn, Sherri and Andrea. Heat #2 had Brenda, Malcolm, Eddie and Erik. Phillip made Survivor history by willingly choosing to sit out of the Challenge due to a fear this Challenge made him remember. Reynold and Andrea moved on from Heat#1, while Brenda and Malcolm won Heat #2. In Round 2, the race was between Malcolm and Reynold. Malcolm just couldn’t get his afterburners going, allowing for Reynold to win Immunity.

Back at camp, Stealth-R-Us was worried about the outcome of the Immunity Challenge. They could feel the power shifting away from them, but felt that they could maintain their power if one of them found the Immunity Idol used at the last Tribal Council. Malcolm and his boys had the same idea. Suddenly, it was a scramble to find the Idol all over the jungle. Just as Dawn was asking Malcolm for a hint as to where the Idol could be, Eureka! Malcolm found the Idol hidden within a rock face within the jungle. This took more of the wind out if Stealth-R-Us’ sail, but their fearless leader, Phillip, said they would venture on with their plan to split the Vote, only their new target was Eddie. Poor Eddie was upset, confessing he was probably going to be the next one voted out of the game. I guess only Malcolm knew of the trick he was holding up his sleeve.

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst introduced Michael as the first member the Jury, and a silent observer to all of the following Tribal Councils. Jeff Probst and the Castaways then spoke about Malcolm and the Outsiders being the outsiders if the tribe, and about how Eddie was the intended target. Malcolm also let his tribe mates in on the trick he had up his sleeve: his secret Immunity Idol no one knew about. He then gave it to Eddie to keep him safe. Malcolm was forcing Stealth-R-Us (really Phillip) to play a game of chicken. They could all vote Phillip out, or they could call Malcolm and Eddie’s bluff, making them use their Immunity Idols, but it would still ensure that one of the seven of them would be leaving the game. Phillip chose to make Malcolm flinch, telling his operatives to follow through with their plan. He said he didn’t care if he was the one to leave tonight because it would have been due to strategic move, not because everyone wanted him gone.

After Jeff Probst asked if anyone wanted to use their Immunity Idols, Malcolm and Eddie reluctantly gave up their Immunity Idols, giving Phillip some satisfaction. The Vote was 2 for Malcolm, 4 for Eddie and 4 for Phillip to leave the game. Since Eddie and Malcolm were spared because of their Immunity Idols, Phillip was the one chosen to leave the game. I’ll say this about Phillip, he may be a bit eccentric, but he showed a lot of class as he left the Tribal Council area without a word of complaint.

Wow, what an episode! I didn’t see Phillip leaving so early. It was a pretty awesome episode! Now that the power has shifted towards the Outsiders, I wonder how quickly the others will begin to jump ship? Things move quickly in the game of Survivor, and if you are not careful, you can find yourself out of the game. Who knows, maybe the Outsiders will continue to be on the outside by the way this season is going.

If you’ve missed an episode, check out my past Survivor: Caramoan posts to get caught up. You can read my other non-Survivor posts to get a feel for my other interests. Also, check out my Facebook page (you can access it from my blog) for other Reese Speaks tidbits not in my blog, or follow me on Twitter (reesespeaksblog; you can also access it from my blog) to see what I’m up to!

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.