SURVIVOR: BRAINS VS BRAWN VS BEAUTY – 5/14/14

Jeff’s recap essentially pits Tony against Spencer and the paths both have taken. While everything seems to have gone Tony’s way this season, Spencer’s game has been an endless cycle of disappointment and failure. And just as a glimmer of hope appeared and Spencer sees a crack forming in Tony’s alliance, Kass ruins that by recognizing Tony has far too many enemies on the jury not to keep him around, sending Tash packing. So on Night 33, following that rainy Tribal Council, the Solarrion tribe returns to camp, wet, cold, and miserable. Spencer gets things rolling by asking Woo and Kass why they even made a “final 3” pact with him if they were just toying with him. “Why lie to me?” he asks.

Which, as we all know, is a part of the game, but he doesn’t seem to understand that now. Kass (of course) always “tells it like it is” and states that it’s “part of the game,” but Spencer doesn’t want to hear that. He believes he’s playing with the guy who’s running the game (Tony) and 3 people “who have no idea how to play it.” But, thankfully, that may work to his advantage.

Frankly, it occurs to me that NO ONE this season knows how to play the game… I made a comment yesterday that there is no “one way” to win the game. You don’t win by playing “your game,” you win by playing along with everyone else’s game while adjusting your game based on that. And then just keep your fingers crossed. And, if possible, find every hidden immunity idol, because those seem to help.

The next morning (Day 34) Tony and Woo are out on the canoe and are pumped for the next challenge. They both feel they have a chance to win it, but are comfortable either way, as long as Spencer doesn’t win. Tony explains that despite her issues, taking Kass to the end would be a good thing since nobody will give her a jury vote. So, it’ll be a toss-up between Tony and Woo, and “let’s see what happens.” Woo reveals to us that he did consider flipping on Tony, but since he’s been loyal to him from the beginning, it’d be “lovely” to sit with him at the end. (Yeah, how did that work out for Fishbach?) I don’t think Woo’s thinking about winning with that attitude, but for some players, the journey IS the destination, not the other way around. However, Woo is compelled to tell Tony about the deal he made with Spencer and Kass at the last Reward Challenge.

Hearing that Kass was plotting to oust him is a bit of surprise to Tony (or was it?) but all Tony can do is thank Woo for his honesty, his loyalty, and then tells us he’s going to feel bad voting out Woo, since he’s NOT the type of player he wants to sit next to at Final Tribal. Tony confesses his wife told him not to do anything stupid, and I think Tony is very savvy in trying to keep his wife happy. Happy wife, happy life… Maybe Woo should have gotten married before he left for the Philippines …?

Up next is the Reward Challenge and it’s one of my favorites. Jump in the mud and fill a bucket by scraping mud off your body. I recall this challenge from a number of past seasons, and what I recall is that players with big bodies (Tony) or big hair (Woo?) can carry the most mud. I don’t think Trish’s skin and bones are what this challenge requires to win, and unless Spencer can pull off another miracle, methinks Tony or Woo is getting pizza delivery to camp.

Sure enough, at the end of ten minutes, Tony’s bucket is the only one overflowing. They don’t even have to weigh the buckets, it’s a landslide. Jeff asks Tony to select someone to partake with him, and Tony is more willing to make the off-color joke that I wasn’t…

“Anorexia.”

So Trish prances her 87 lbs. of skin and bones over and celebrates one of the few “healthy” meals she’s been offered in 34 days (popcorn and candy doesn’t count…). Woo seems rather dejected that he wasn’t invited and Spencer and Kass knew they never had a chance. Let’s see how a little bit of nourishment affects Trish’s mood at camp.

As the tribe washes off in the lagoon, Kass tells us she’s glad Trish was picked, because it confirms that Trish and Tony are tight. So tight, that she’s surprised Trish isn’t picking tics off Tony, “like baboons.” Kass is simply a delight! A helicopter flies in with the pizza delivery and Tony and Trish head down the beach for their picnic.

As they attend to their food coma, Trish exclaims that they have to beat Spencer, and then asks Tony if he has the Tyler Perry idol. He tells her that he does, but he spins a story that he has both idols AND he can play them up until the final 4 (even though they’re only good ‘til the final 5). Trish then asks if he thinks they have a better chance in the final 3 against Kass over Woo, and Tony obviously agrees with that. Everyone knows Kass is hated by all, so it’s a no-brainer who to take to the end… The only work left for Tony to do is solidify a plan with Kass.

Day 36 and Tony takes Kass out for a walk in the woods. Tony tells her about the conversation he shared with Woo in the canoe yesterday about the Final 3 deal she made with Spencer and Woo at the challenge. But he says he understands why she did it, and he’s not holding anything against her, and he swears on his wife and his baby that he still wants to take her to the end. All is good…

Kass, however, responds a little different to Tony’s revelation. She thinks it was stupid of Woo to reveal that plan, but it’s more stupid for Tony to tell Kass about it. In her view, Tony is just a big bully, and she wants to reveal that to everyone, which will persuade anyone going to the jury to not vote for him at the end. It’s time to stir up a little trouble,

“Chaos Kass is back…”

Back at camp, Kass immediately spills the beans to Woo that Tony just told her about their conversation in the canoe. Woo denies it, but then Tony walks up, and she tells him that Woo denied the conversation took place. Rather than making this something between him and Woo, Tony goes off on Kass instead, “Why would you be investigating…?” He’s clearly pissed.

Kass defends her ability to ask other players about their positions, but Tony takes offense to anything she’s saying now and tells her she’s “sealed her fate in the game.” However, Kass isn’t going to sit around and take this lightly, she tells Woo that Tony shook her hand and “swore on his wife and baby” that she was going to the final 3 with him. Whether any of this is coming across as a reaction to Tony’s ire, it seems to be having an effect on Woo, who appears a tad surprised that Tony MAY be making final 3 plans with other people.

Kass likes to pour gasoline on a fire so she asks Tony facetiously if their final 3 deal is off, and Tony – ever the defender of Survivor honor – remarks that while it may be more strategic to take her to the final 3; it’s an insult to the game to do that. I wonder how he really feels…?