Next morning, there seems to be some tension in the air that’s exacerbated the moment Ciera and Tyson head off to collect tree mail. Hayden notices right away that she couldn’t even make eye contact with them; a sure sign that somebody’s got a secret to keep, in my book.
Back at Kasama, Hayden and Katie are discussing that Ciera’s body language seems to indicate that she may have spilled the beans to Tyson about “the plan,” so the majority against Tyson may be in jeopardy. Hayden is getting paranoid that he may now be on the chopping block, so it looks like things ARE going to be huge at the immunity challenge…
At the challenge, Jeff offers a twist where contestants who feel confident in their position or alliance can bypass the challenge and feast on steak, chicken, shrimp and a host of other things. Of the seven players, only Hayden, Caleb, Monica and Katie feel they are in jeopardy and choose to battle it out for immunity. Tyson, Gervase and Ciera are obviously so content in their position they don’t need to perform like monkeys…
With different weights needed to be held up by each competitor, I always wonder about how fair a challenge like this is. Shouldn’t you be rewarded for being a stronger competitor by being able to use that advantage in challenges? Shouldn’t a strong guy (or girl) just benefit sometimes because they’re a strong person?
When they have a balance challenge (like John on the totem pole) should his grooves be larger because his feet are larger? Should the balance beam that Brad had to stand on be a bit wider because his feet are bigger than Candice’s? I’m just saying there are times when strength should just be an advantage, regardless of gender.
After 10 minutes of battling, and eating, the banter between the competitors and the diners is beginning. Personally, I would be throwing barbs at them, attacking their confidence, rallying with the four contestants who CHOSE TO PLAY…
“Hey, we’re a majority right here. Let’s vote one of these pot-bellied pigs out tonight,” but alas, no one ever does the obvious…
Shortly after, Katie can’t take the heat and drops her bucket. A while later, blistered and bloodied, Caleb takes the fall. The battle is on between Hayden and Monica, who once again is proving that being in shape (and having low body weight) is a recipe for success in immunity challenges. But Hayden is putting up a noble fight, and is probably holding twice the weight Monica is (my guess is he’s holding about 60 lbs. to Monica’s 28 lbs.) however, those are just guesses…
After a few choice belches from Tyson, who’s littering the beach with his discarded bones, Hayden can’t overcome his blistered hands and drops his bucket. Monica wins her third challenge! See how well she does when she keeps her mouth shut!
Upon returning to camp, the tribe is more interested in hearing about the food that was eaten than how tough the challenge was. I think I’d be pretty annoyed if I had done a tough challenge and then have to hear that Tyson didn’t have to endure any gristle in his steak when he chewed it…
So Hayden and Katie go off and discuss how telling it is that Ciera chose to not do the challenge. “Maybe” it means she’s working with Tyson. Maybe? And maybe “I don’t think I can trust her.” Maybe? I think Ciera’s been very obvious which way she’s leaning. You just need to open your eyes and study her body language. Or better yet…go friggin’ talk to her! Regardless, Hayden is beginning to worry, so it may be time for him to “make a new plan.”
But rather than asking her what she’s thinking, Hayden and Caleb decide to do the next best thing. They decide to go ask Tyson what he’s thinking, and hopefully get a read off him, and if he doesn’t reveal enough, make it seem that Ciera is playing them against him and Gervase and go from there.
In the woods, the three guys are discussing how Ciera has spoken to both sides about linking up with them and voting out the other group. But while Hayden seems desperate in his desire to have Tyson believe him, Tyson seems a bit like he’s playing along with Hayden’s theory. He agrees that Ciera is kind of sneaky and may be capable of playing both sides, but I’m not sold that he’s totally down with Hayden and Caleb again.
A bit later, Tyson updates Gervase on what Hayden and Caleb had revealed to him. But here’s a question: Why does it seem like Tyson is rowing the canoe and Gervase is…the canoe? Does anyone come to him for anything? Talk about coattail riding…
So Tyson basically explains that either the guys are lying to him, or Ciera is, and there’s no way to discern who’s telling the bigger lie. Gervase tells us he’s going to go with his gut, which may not be a good thing. I hope something crazy comes out at tribal to throw this episode for a much-needed loop.
At Tribal Council, Jeff is bringing up every good question you can imagine:
-at a challenge, who decides to sit out?
-how do you feel about the ones who sat out?
-did anyone sitting out surprise you?
-how do you justify sitting out?
-how do you trust someone at this stage?
-does anyone feel uneasy with the trust that exists between other members of the tribe?
-would you be shocked to be voted out tonight?
-will there be a blindside tonight?
Just all the right questions, asked to all the right people. If you have a chance to view the scene again, check it out. Jeff essentially throws darts at everyone (except Monica, of course) who has surprisingly nothing to say tonight… With that, it’s time to vote…
And it appears to be either Ciera or Caleb going home as the tribe votes. Looks like Tyson may not need to use that hidden immunity idol after all, BUT…he decides to do it anyway and makes a big show of emptying his bag and pulling it out anyway. I thought there was a moment that he was just pulling our leg, but he does finally hand it over. So, at least THAT cat’s out of the bag…
And after a few early votes for Ciera, things balance out and Caleb gets the important 4th vote and is voted out. Too bad no one’s asking Monica if she’ll flip. At least Caleb will have a chance to redeem himself against “the moms” tomorrow.
So Hayden and Katie are now hanging by a thread, and Tyson and Gervase are still running the show. We know that Ciera THINKS she’s more powerful than she is, but I’m just wondering how the remaining immunity challenges will go, and more importantly, who will re-enter the game from Redemption Island? A Laura or Tina could turn things around again, but I’m also wondering when that person may return…
In the tease of next week, we see that Hayden is finally going for the throat and telling everyone they’re playing for 2nd against Tyson. “And it just might work” Jeff tells us… I just wonder how Tyson’ll fare without the Hidden Immunity idol in his pocket… With a new Redemption Island challenge winner, perhaps they’ll be another clue to give out (or burn!). That could raise the stakes a bit more. Tune in next week to see how it’ll play out…
And oh yeah, I finally motivated and opened up a Twitter account. Not sure how much I’ll be tweeting, but I’ll try to be inspiring or funny in 140 characters or less.
Until then… Namaste, bitches…
Fish
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Twitter: @BF_TheFish
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