SURVIVOR: BRAINS VS BRAWN VS BEAUTY – 3/26/14

The Reward challenge is up next and it’s one we saw back in Survivor: Philippines where castaways balance an idol on top of a little platform that they hold in their hand. I recall there’s a strategy where you can throw your idol up in the air as high as possible and knock your opponent’s idol to the ground before yours hits the ground, but let’s see if anyone else remembers that strategy. First team to 4 points wins reward and gets to raid the opposing tribe’s camp.

Before they get started, Jeff informs Aparri about the events at the Solana tribe and why they’re down to 5 players. Everyone seems completely shocked (and very elated) that two people are gone from the other tribe, especially Alexis, who’s happy that her two Beauties (Jefra and LJ) are still around. I wonder if anyone on her new tribe is paying attention to the fact that she’s still aligned with members of the other tribe…and so able to voice that opinion in front of everyone. This is a game, Alexis; you’d better hope your tribe forgets you just said that.

The matchup results:

Spencer beat Woo
Trish beat Tash
Sarah beat Jefra
LJ beat Jeremiah
Tony beat Coconuts (“don’t look her in the eyes,” he’s warned. But I would have suggested not looking at another part of her body…)

Some players even used the strategy I mentioned above (Spencer and Tash…with mixed results) but in the final matchup it’s Spencer against Woo, Round 2. Woo evidently learned his lesson (from Batman or Mr. Miyagi?) and took the final bout. Solana wins the challenge and happily gets to raid the Aparri camp. Tony and Woo are selected to go “grab some booty.”

Insert your own joke there…

Aparri camp, Day 15: as the tribe returns with Tony and Woo in tow, everyone’s a bit down having lost the challenge. Tony and Woo just want to get down to business, read their secret message from Jeff, grab that booty, and go. As they read the instructions, they’re told they can pillage 2 items from Aparri (they choose blankets/pillows and their fishing net – but are kind enough to not take Aparri’s tarp). They’re also given another scroll which contains a clue to the hidden immunity idol at the SOLANA CAMP. After having read it, Tony and Woo choose to give the clue to Jeremiah, strategically thinking they’re putting a target on his back. He’s the strongest player remaining at Aparri, and everything to Tony is working toward his endgame…

While Woo’s grabbin’ that booty, Tony takes Jeremiah aside and gives him the clue. While this is going on, we see Tash is a bit confused why Jeremiah is being given the clue, which may just put a target on his back (man, I just said that!). Jeremiah accepts the clue, but is a bit confused why he’s being given a clue to an idol at THE OTHER TRIBE’S CAMP that HE USED TO LIVE AT. And while he’s a bit confused at this whole situation, Tony suddenly realizes that they can’t leave the clue with Jeremiah, because – god forbid – he may, I don’t know, SHOW IT TO SOMEONE! It’s like someone put stupid powder in Tony and Woo’s well and this is what they get. Tony rushes back to retrieve the clue from Jeremiah, but I’m now wondering…

Why would Jeremiah give it back?

Back at Solana, Tony and Woo’s return brings much-needed joy to the tribe that’s had a pretty rough 24 hours. Evidently someone (tribe, crew, Jeff?) has written “Shame on you, Lindsie” (sic) bidding adieu to our hairstylist (and I’m guessing that Trish wrote it, since she was her biggest enemy) but Solana can leave all that drama behind. They’ve got pillows!

Tony reveals to the tribe the clues to the hidden immunity idol, and his ploy to put a target on Jeremiah. LJ is obviously not interested in the clue, since he already has the idol, but he is a little concerned that Tony reveals that he’s been lying to the tribe and he’s really a cop. Both LJ and Tony tell us in ITMs that Tony’s lies may be a little problematic, since it’s hard to prove how loyal you are after you’ve lied. However, Tony tells the tribe he’s “5 solid” for Solana, so let’s see if these guys can stick together. LJ, on the other hand, is more concerned that Tony’s revealing himself to be quite the player. One that he’ll need to keep an eye on, from here on out…

With all these revelations, Trish feels the need to reveal something too,

“I’m really a man…”

And in hundreds of thousands living rooms across the USA, I bet there was a brief few seconds as we all questioned whether she was joking or not… Seriously, you considered it too, right…?

At Aparri, Hansel and Gretel went down the trail to fetch a pail of water… Gretel (Alexis) tells Hansel (Spencer) that she’s wondering why the clue was given to Jeremiah. She thinks Jeremiah is the least trustworthy, and she wants to make it clear to the Brains she wants to stick around. Spencer thinks her conversation seemed rehearsed, which makes him think that she’s more interested in playing the game then she let’s on. And while he thinks Alexis is smarter than she puts on, he feels like she can’t be trusted, since she’s making some questionable moves…

In the next scene, Alexis, Spencer and Jeremiah are all conveniently together, so she asks Jeremiah why they gave the clue to him instead of Sarah. Jeremiah is pretty straight up about the game they must be playing on him, but for whatever reason, Spencer and Alexis are not buying what Jeremiah’s selling, so maybe the target that Tony put on his back is working. We’ll see what other scrambling Jeremiah needs to do to stay out of hot water…

The Immunity Challenge looks incredibly intense as there are multiple sections to the challenge. I won’t break down every aspect of it, but there are about 5 different stages to it. Whoever wins this will definitely earn their immunity. Tash and Morgan sit out for Aparri.

After a little stumble at the beginning by Solana, the tribes are virtually neck-and-neck throughout the challenge. Woo overtakes Sarah in the bamboo maze section but Tony loses the lead unlocking a lock. As the tribes get to the final stage (a puzzle) it’s Sarah and Spencer just ahead of LJ and Woo. With the positioning and repositioning of pieces/boards, each tribe is showing signs of failure and success. Solana retakes the lead and eventually wins the challenge as LJ and Woo work well together. LJ is really living up to his own prediction of being a puzzle master; he’s definitely got something going on upstairs…

Tribal immunity for Solana… But in the celebratory team hug, Tony can’t seem to contain himself and keeps repeating, “Top five, baby, top five.”

Probably not a good thing to be uttering when you still have a lot of game to play. And possible tribe swaps, and the merge, and other alliances, and…just shut up! How many times do I have to say it? Just play the game and try to win! You can’t tell me that was a game move and not just an emotional reaction to winning. Tony, you’ve got to stop making all these stupid, emotional mistakes. You know those little outbursts will not go unnoticed (‘cause that’s why they showed it, right…?) And, sure enough, in the next clip, Sarah is disturbed at what Tony was saying and – believing she was in CopsRUs with him – she’s going to be in the market for a new alliance.

So the losing Aparri tribe returns to camp, and I’m wondering, “Do these guys ever NOT walk in a straight line?” What is this, first grade? Is someone from the show lining them up by height? I can’t think of a single time I went out in a group (as an adult) and walked in a straight line. Are there WWII landmines still buried on the beach? Did production give them a few Saving Private Ryan suggestions and tell them to walk in each other’s footprints? I’m lost…

And then, the tribe is jamming Tony for his “Top Five” boasting. But they simply can’t take it at face value; they need to read something else into it. Alexis, who’s always thinking (in this episode), that’s Tony’s “Top Five” comment REALLY means “Top Six.” Huh? Which means SOMEONE (hmmm…Jeremiah?) may be flipping to the Solana tribe after the merge. And since Jeremiah received that clue from Tony, he’s the only one who could flip over (…and what about that comment you made at the Reward Challenge, Miss Maxwell?). So as Alexis, Morgan, Sarah, Spencer and Kass are taking a dip in the ocean, Alexis presents the “Jeremiah flipping” scenario to the group, and everyone agrees (at face value) to get rid of Jeremiah. Sarah is especially vocal about not lying to the tribe, considering she’s on the low end of the totem pole…

Spencer, on the other hand, is happy to finally get to play the strategy game and tells us the remaining Brains will tell Alexis whatever she wants to hear, and then make the decision who they’re voting out. Could get interesting…

We then watch the Brains scheming about who to take/take out. Kass informs us the Brains are really running the show now, after having nearly imploded. Since the Brains will be voting in a bloc of three, they know they can virtually take anyone out. I wonder if anyone notices that there are 4 non-Brains…?

At Tribal Council, through Jeff’s questioning, we learn that while the tribe swap pulled the former Brain tribe together, it pushed the Beauty tribe apart. Jeremiah is called out a couple times for his past flip (against Brice) and for the clue he received from Tony. Crazily, he doesn’t defend himself that he might be getting played by Tony, but it doesn’t matter since Alexis is convinced that’s not what happened.

Morgan just seems content to sit there and not say anything, lest she become a target, and Sarah is vocally content to sit there as long as she’s not a target. Oddly, the only ones who seem to be targets are Alexis, Sarah, and Jeremiah, and Jeremiah seems content to just sit there and take his medicine… Where’s your game, buddy?

And with that, it’s time to vote!

As always we get a couple different votes to start – Alexis and Jeremiah – and then Jeff just flips Alexis…Alexis…Alexis…

Boom goes the dynamite!

And when Jeff snuffs her torch, you can see she’s about to break. The best – and truest – blindsides are the ones that hurt the most, and it looked like this one hurt pretty bad. Damn, they must have that walkway microphoned pretty well to hear all of Alexis’ sobbing. Poor girl… Even in her final words you can see how devastated she is…

In next week’s tease it’s revealed the tribes are merging (or are they?). And while it looks to be a 5-on-6 situation, Sarah tells us she’s the linchpin of the season. Whichever way she flips could dictate the rest of this game. Don’t toss those CopRUs shirts away just yet, my pretties…

And with that, we bid farewell to 2 more players. Only 8 episodes to go…