SURVIVOR: BLOOD VS WATER – 12/11

Day 35 (what happened to Day 34?) and it’s time for the Immunity Challenge! Time to put up or shut up. It’s a challenge where survivors have to swim…so we know Gervase ain’t gonna win! And I’m still wondering if Tyson’s arm will prohibit him from vying for the necklace. At the start, I’m thinking it’s Hayden’s to lose, but you can’t underestimate the Challenge Monster, Monica…

And surprisingly, Tyson is leading with Hayden a close second! I guess it’s been so long that shoulder’s already healed!? That’s the order they get through the swimming portion as they reach the puzzle portion. The remaining competitors are Monica and Gervase with Ciera a distant 5th. In the puzzle section, the players have to spell out a familiar Survivor phrase, so I’m not sure that anyone has an advantage. You could spend a lot of time on different combinations of letters, and be nowhere close to solving the puzzle.

So with everyone solving away, Ciera leisurely grabs her bag and starts solving. And with everyone stumbling after figuring out the first 4 words, Ciera suddenly finds herself in this challenge. And after trying a few different combinations, she suddenly gets it. There must be something in those Morett genes – besides an active baby maker – because Ciera just went from worst to first…and wins. Looks like someone is gonna be eatin’ steak and lobster tonight at camp!

…or pizza and cheeseburgers! Clearly, Hayden and Ciera and I have different palettes, because if I’m getting a final meal before they throw the switch, I’m wolfing down some 3 lb. lobsters…

So when the reward arrives, the two factions are clearly separated, so it’s easy to talk strategy. Hayden and Ciera will target the “emotional wreck” Monica (ouch!) and the Alliance of 3 are evidently going to stick together and vote Hayden.

And then in the most unbelievable conversation where Ciera makes up lies about Ty-vase talking s**t about Mrs. C, Ciera is somehow able to spin a web of lies to Monica and somehow get under her skin enough to even make her cry. Maybe she is an emotional wreck…? Seriously, who listens to this conversation AT THIS STAGE IN THE GAME and actually believes it? Who knows, maybe the sleep deprivation and minor degree of starvation does have an effect on the mind, but seriously? If you wanna flop, Monica, make a decision to flop. But don’t be dragged through the mud to make that decision. I hope she sticks to her guns and let’s Ty-vase have it Tribal, as she claims she’s going to do.

So we get to Tribal and the only ones letting anyone have it, is everyone BUT Monica. Ciera is calling out Ty-vase, Tyson is calling out Ciera, Hayden is calling out Ty-vase, and Gervase looks like he’s about to open a can of whup ass on Hayden (boy, I’d really like to see a Survivor fight, just once…) for the way Monica is being pulled away from Ty-vase. Gervase looks mad uneasy as he’s yelling at Hayden, and it just makes me wonder if he’s a victim of the same thing that’s afflicting Monica (see previous paragraph.)

So after all the drama, Jeff asks Monica how she’s doing and she can only respond that she’s been hurt by the things she’s heard, but she’s 43, and she’s resilient, and she’s gonna “dig deep” and get through this. And with one final effort by both sides to win her favor, it’s time to vote.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be so happy with the way that Ciera and Hayden were playing on Monica’s emotions to the point where they’re saying, “just think of how your family is going to view you when they see this…?” If I’m in that position, I think I would have spoken up toot sweet and let them know that NO ONE tells me how my family will view me. But…that’s my deal, and again, it doesn’t matter since I’m sitting here typing this in my Scooby Doo pajamas (What…?! They come in XL…) and they were actually at Tribal Council.

As Jeff is about to read the votes, he asks if anyone wants to play the hidden Immunity idol. And a part of me is wondering if Tyson will pull it out just to guarantee he stays in another few days. And then, when he doesn’t, I realize that that makes more sense, because A) he was never really targeted (based on Ciera telling Monica to vote Gervase) and B) he’s now almost guaranteed a place at the finals.

We get the obvious 2 for Hayden and 2 for Gervase, and then Monica’s vote is for Hayden. I guess Monica doesn’t give a s**t about what her family thinks of her, and she’s such an emotional wreck she thinks she can win against Ty-vase. Can’t wait to find out how it all plays out on Sunday night.

Please be sure to tune in, and then check out my column on Monday morning. Shoot, with a 2-hour finale and then the reunion show and typing the column, I may not get to bed before sunrise… Thank god vodka and Scooby Snacks taste so good together…

Finally, as we tease Sunday’s show, we’re not shown a whole lot to digest. With 4 players still in the game and one that’s returning from Redemption, we still have a couple Immunity Challenges before we get to the dreaded Final Tribal. I wonder if someone might go on a roll and string along some victories to break into that alliance of 3.

And when do they finally turn on each other? And more importantly, with all the displeasure that exists on the jury towards Tyson and Gervase, do either one of them actually have a chance of winning? Maybe Monica made the right decision and stuck to the 2 a**holes that were more interested in getting to the end rather than establishing a social game. Especially since everyone on the jury is not a fan of theirs. And, with the amount of time that the jury members are spending with each other at Ponderosa, you know they’re discussing strategists (Monica), who deserves it (Tyson), and who’s been the real lapdog (Gervase).

With that, I’ll leave you with this:

Fish
bryan.fish.fischer@gmail.com
Twitter: @BF_TheFish