Back at camp, Keith was saying “Dadgum this…” and “dadgum that…” but I don’t recall what he said. What I did understand is that he has an idol, and it’ll be nice to hold on to it until the merge, so he can reconnect with Wes. Rather than strategize with others how they’re going to vote, he decides to take a nap. Must be nice. Does he even know what he’s doing?
Dale, on the other hand, decides to up his offer and tells Jon that he’ll give him his Immunity Idol if Dale is not voted out tonight. “As soon as that torch is snuffed, I’ll hand you my idol.” The plan is to vote out Missy, and then see what happens. It’s tempting for Jon, and he needs to consider it, but he also needs to consider the other parts of this puzzle and see what makes the most sense. So when Jon, Jaclyn, Missy and Baylor are off together, Jon reveals Dale’s plan to them. And while everyone is kinda skeptical about it, they decide to throw 3 votes at Dale and 2 at Keith, and let one of them go home. As long as these 4 stay tonight, justice will be served.
Once Jon and Jaclyn are alone, they debate what’s best for them. Should they side with Dale? Vote out Keith? Get rid of Missy? Dale’s ruse is evidently weighing heavily on Jon because he tells Jaclyn he thinks it’s real, so the notion of having an idol post-merge is very appealing to him. And just before they head to Tribal, Jon confesses that it may be best for them to side with Dale, because Jon’s biggest motivation is for him and Jaclyn to become the show’s “power couple.” We’ll see about that. Something tells me that a bunch of s**t is gonna happen at Tribal and someone is not going to be happy…
Tribal starts with some tepid questions from Jeff, but then we get into the meat. Baylor is asked about being on Exile, which elicits an emotional response from Missy, which elicits an emotional response from Baylor, and here we go again with the waterworks. Jeff says that Blood vs. Water seasons are different than regular seasons because of the built-in alliances, and things have gotten very interesting now that Kelley is gone and Dale has to trust those who voted her out. Now, his vote could be a welcome gift, knowing that it could help someone’s cause. And if Jon and Jaclyn are now considering working with Dale, than that raises a flag to Missy (and Baylor).
It then becomes a pissing match between who’s more loyal: Baylor or Dale? And when Jaclyn says that one of those two has never done her wrong and one of those two flipped on her, the writing could be on the wall that they’re sticking with Dale. Who knows? And what I find most odd is that not one question was asked of Keith. So is he feeling safe, or is he feeling on the outside of both of these alliances? Perhaps it’s made him comfortable enough to not play his idol tonight? We’ll find out soon, it’s time to vote…
Jeff returns and asks if anyone wants to play an idol. The fact that Dale is not playing an idol should be an indication that he doesn’t have one, because would he really feel safe enough to NOT play it? And surprisingly, Keith doesn’t play his either, because he probably felt that everyone forgot he was in this tribe and wouldn’t remember to write his name down. He’s either a very astute player, or the next John Rocker, so let’s see what happens…
Dale
Keith
Missy
Keith
Dale
Dale!
So, he was wrong! He didn’t need to see his name written down 4 times to leave! You see what the show does to you? It sets you up and makes you say things and then it’s only goal is to prove you wrong. Curse you, Mark Burnett!
Or…Dale wasn’t bright enough to realize that 3 different people would be voted for at Tribal so it’s an honest mistake. That said, Dale heads to Ponderosa and Keith is looking better every episode. Because you know he’s going to play his idol the next time they’re at tribal, which means some crazy s**t is going to go down then. Who knows if that’ll be next week, or the week after, or if he’s able to make the merge and throw together some crazy new alliance with Wes. Can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
So next week’s tease reveals we’re getting the merge, which means throw away everything, we’re starting from scratch. One big tribe means big moves will need to be made. Who will align with whom? Just off the top of my head, it could play out like this:
Jeremy
Julie
Natalie
Baylor
Missy
Vs.
Josh
Reed
Wes
Keith
Alec
Power Couple
Jon
Jaclyn
Jon & Jaclyn are in the middle for now, since they’re obviously a “power couple.” I think with all I’ve seen/read about Jon’s hidden alliance with Missy that they’ll stick together, even though the show is mysteriously keeping that from us. Maybe it bodes well for them? Man, so many possibilities exist for next week; I can’t wait to see what unfolds.
That’s all for tonight, as I have to keep it a bit shorter and sweeter. Got things to do tomorrow…
Have a fantastic week and please let me know your thoughts on the recap, the season, the NFL, or anything else that floats your boat. I hate pleading for your support, but it’s the only way I know you’re reading. Okay, maybe I could ask Reality Steve for traffic numbers but that’s no fun! Enjoy TAR, the NFL, and TWD this week. Utopia can suck it…
Fish
Email: bryan.fish.fischer@gmail.com
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Dale’s whole idol plan fell apart when he offered to give it away, if you ask me. Why the heck wouldn’t he just play it if he had it? John didn’t even fall for it, which is pretty telling since he is not the brightest tool in the shed.
Thanks for the great recap 🙂
If Jeff would have really said “You’re starting over bitches” no one would complain that this season is boring. And if Alex Gordon would have just gone for it, might have been a different story today.
(realitythis) You’re very welcome! Yeah, Dale’s plan had holes all over it. Not sure tomfoolery is his best line of work…
(erica) Hi! I think Probst’s faith gets in the way of him being a real asshole, sometimes. Would be nice to see him cut loose once. Give us a bleep, Jeff! And Gordon looked like he was running in slo-mo. I saw that he was at third when the cutoff reached the shortstop in shallow left, so he would have been clearly out. With a perfect throw. And how awesome would it have been to end the World Series on a collision at the plate where they had to use the “new rules.”
Thanks for your support!
Great recap as always! I read Stephen’s posted on People each week, but these last two columns he has phoned it in. Especially for someone who was on Survivor who could offer some insights…
I like your column the best and always look forward to reading it.
Thanks, addicted. I wish I knew how to get my columns some additional attention, but there are so many folks recapping Survivor the chances are slim. I don’t read other recaps and I’m not trashing anyone, but just because you’ve been on the show, it doesn’t make you a good recapper. I’m not trying to live up to anyone’s standard, just trying to tickle a few funny bones. And in the process, indulge my own inner Survivor dork and discuss my thoughts. I’m just glad some of you are enjoying them. Now, if Yahoo would pick up on my columns…