Back at Galang, the tribe is consoling Tyson and Monica for the crap they just had to deal with. Tyson is emotional about Rachel leaving (OMG, more tears! They should have just called this season Blood vs. Tears) and he figures he needs to make it to end to vanquish her departure. Monica gets a little sympathy for the manner in which the great Culpepper name was strewn through the mud, but she’s a big girl, she can handle it. And holy crap, does she have the whitest teeth you’ve ever seen! It’s like a toothpaste commercial every time she opens her mouth…
And here is where it occurred to me that if anyone on Galang is using their thinking caps, they’d know that any target on Brad, could also be considered a target on Monica, which are two targets not on YOU. So maybe those are just crocodile tears shed for Monica…
The Tadhana tribe returns from RI and are feeling the same as Galang. That. Was. Brutal. Brad makes the keen point that, in the past, when you went to RI, your dirty laundry went with you. Now, everyone’s dirty laundry is exposed to everyone ON BOTH TRIBES. So, listen up Survivors, you need to keep your yaps shut…! And while Brad may feel a little bad that he was called out so vulgarly by Marissa, he knows he deserves the title of Kingpin and all that comes with it. Evidently that’s okay with Hayden and John, who think Brad’s just the coolest guy on the island…
John goes off to read the clue, and to potentially keep any targets off his back, he tells Brad a little about the location of the idol but tells him he wants to go find it himself. It’s a tiny chink in the armor as Brad questions whether John trusts him, because if he doesn’t, then Brad can’t trust John…
Treemail arrives and we find out it’s going to be a Thrilla in Manila ! Okay, maybe not in Manila , but close enough. It’s an Owie in Palaui. In an ITM, we’re reminded of the lifelong competition between Aras and Vytas so maybe there’s a match we’ll look forward to seeing.
In the Immunity Challenge, the survivors will battle sumo-style on a floating raft as they attempt to knock each other into the water. I’m remembering last week when Brad said he’d love to knock Gervase on his ass, and guess what!? Brad and Gervase are going to get it started.
It’s not as dramatic as you’d think (Brad IS a former NFL defensive tackle) and he exacts his vengeance for all the trash talking Gervase did. The rest of the battles go like this:
-Laura Boneham defeats Katie
-John defeats Aras
-Kat destroys Ciera. Not even close!
-Hayden destroys Tyson…dislocating his shoulder! Ouch! What happened to the Tysonator!?
-Tina(!) defeats Katie…Family Feud #1
– Aras defeats Vytas…Family Feud #2… Interesting tactic by Vytas who cheats and tries to knock his brother off when given a chance to reset. Let’s see if that bit of chicanery comes back to bite him in the ass.
-Laura Morett defeats Ciera…Family Feud #3. Emotions running high…
Galang wins…again…and get to sleep on pillows tonight! Tadhana…back to Tribal you losers! And with a stinging comment from John about losing to a team of “mothers and grandmothers” it looks like Ciera might be on the chopping block.
Back at Tadhana, people are discussing the challenge but it comes down to there are two girls who aren’t pulling their weight. However, since Katie cooks all the meals, it looks like John was right and Ciera is going home. The 5-guy alliance heads off to the woods to discuss the same and agree that it’s Ciera. John ventures off (presumably to find the idol) and instantly Brad turns to the other three (Vytas, Caleb, & Hayden):
“We gotta vote John off, now!”
A bold move. And as I’ve always thought, you shouldn’t make such big moves BEFORE the merge. It just puts an unneeded target on your own back. Brad says he’s concerned about John and Candice hooking up after the merge, but who can guarantee that either of them will be around after the merge. Once again, Brad, you’re thinking too much.
With John still away, Brad and the other guys go back to camp and let the girls know the plan. “Hey, it’s either him or one of you two, so now’s the time to vote him off.” Hell, if I was one of them, I’d look at this as the only play to save your butts.
But…Brad has another twist. He’s not going to vote for John, because he wants to be able to “pull him back in” in case he returns to the game. That’s a bold call, and one that Vytas feels is just so “shyster-y,” so later, when Brad’s out of earshot, Vytas, Hayden and the girls discuss the possibility of blindsiding Brad as well.
So now we have a few interesting angles at play, just before the tribe heads to Tribal. I wonder if John found his idol…? Because now would be a good night to play it.
Jeff, as always, knows what’s going on with the tribe and is perfectly able to call out certain people, alliances, and motivations, but since we’ve already been given the 3 targets tonight, let’s just see how the voting goes. John chooses to not play the idol, if he has it…
And, it’s John. In yet another blindside that proves this tribe doesn’t know how to play the first half of the season. As Jeff points out, they’re voting based on how they see the future is going to play out, but they’re only making their tribe weaker. Something to consider pre-merge for all us future contestants! Keep your tribe as strong as possible in the early going!
John will now have to face the reality of competing against Candice next week. Let’s see how that affects their marriage. All I can say is it can’t be too good for Stink Eye…
So with the worst player of the season off the show, and with all the drama that we’re being spoon-fed, it looks like this season is starting to come together. Each week there’s sure to be some good drama as family members square off against each other, tribes become teams, not just alliances, and individuals begin to scramble. Hey, that’s the way it goes every season! Looks like the formula still works!
Next week, it looks like Brad’s in the hot seat again. Probably for something he said. Let’s see if his loose lips will sink his ship… Until then…
Fish
bryan.fish.fischer@gmail.com
I read something from Vytas that said the challenge was actually best of 3 gets the point – so when he did that fake out on Aras he actually got Aras in the water. Then, Aras won the other two rounds to get the point for his team against his brother.
Apparently the producers are not too upset with Colton since he is on the after show (Anyone watch it?) I LOVED that Jeff called him out and brought up that he faked appendicitis when he quit the first time! I just wonder if seeing his fiancé act like such a jerk on national television will have any effect on Caleb
erica: that’s very interesting. I didn’t consider that they’d cut out so much of the competition. I know that’s the show’s perogitive, but you’d think they’d at least tell us! I get it though… Where’d you read that from Vytas?
Bryan, I follow him on Twitter. I try not to read too much while I’m watching the show because I do like to just watch it for what it is. But, sometimes it’s interesting – he tweeted during the show last night. Are you on Twitter? BTW, enjoying your recaps – something I definitely look forward to the day after Survivor.
Deciding whether to hook up a Twitter account. It’s just SO MUCH WORK to maintain it the way it deserves. I do Facebook, but that’s a personal thing for friends and family. Maybe I’ll get a Twitter, just to post funny stuff. I’ll be the only one on Twitter with one follower. Thanks for reading, Erica… 🙂
Let me know if you do! Even if you just link to your Survivor post each week.