And as the snakes slither back to camp – oh, sorry, that was a real snake! – to discuss the shenanigans that Jeremy wrought, it’s evident the play was appreciated. As much as everyone likes to see their plans come to fruition, they also like to see awesome moves by great players, and that’s exactly what happened. Jeremy literally saved Fishbach’s life in the game, which means he’s owed something (as much as that means in Survivor), and he thinks it means he’s guaranteed to be taken to the end by Stephen (if that’s in Stephen’s cards).
As I said before, it may have been better to send Stephen to the jury, to possibly “guarantee” his vote at Final Tribal. And considering how the game reinvents itself each week based on who just went home, a move like this gives Jeremy some “wiggle room,” as he calls it, to make the next move. We’ll see if Jeremy’s (and my) theories hold water, because this game is moving like a freight train.
Jeremy tells Spencer they’re still fine, but Spencer is too savvy to believe someone who just surprised him at Tribal, and knows he’s got to keep his thinking cap on. He’s ready to jump ship to whomever is outside of Jeremy’s alliance, and will not hesitate to do so.
On Day 27, Stephen is feeling anxious again. You think? Aside from the fact he was saved, the realization he was almost about to go home and had no idea that was about to happen is telling. He’s got to get his head back into the game, and today is the day. He prides himself on being a smart Survivor player, and last night he was very dumb. To make things worse, his foot has swollen up to Elephant Man size, leaving him stumbling around camp. This guy is not having a good season…
Oooohhh, it’s a nighttime challenge up next! We haven’t seen that in a while. The challenge is a Survivor classic where Jeff tells the players a story and they have to run off into the jungle and read some questions. When they choose an answer, they grab a wrapped medallion and head back to their home station. If the medallion is metal, it’s right, if it’s wood…no go. First to answer 5 questions correctly wins reward, which is a helicopter ride to another island, where a feast of steak, chicken, booze, and other assorted goodies await. I anticipate other players being invited along, so let’s think about who could do well.
Jeremy – could do ok, but these challenges aren’t his forte
Joe – always a threat. Smarter than people give him credit for
Spencer – Should do well
Kimmi – nah…
Abi – AYFKM?
Kelley – maybe, proly not
Fishbach – would normally do well, but not with Rocky Dennis’s feet
Tash – does surprisingly well in these kinds of challenges
Keith – not his strongest category. And when he heard “chopper,” he probably thought the winner is being picked up on a motorcycle…
Jeff commences to tell a story about some Cambodian dude, but it wasn’t Pol Pot, so I didn’t pay much attention. Let’s get this challenge under way!
It’s not really much good to update every progress. So let’s just call out a couple pertinent things…
-yeah, Keith is not good at this
-Abi doesn’t need to exert herself to lose
-Wentworth finds a clue to a hidden Immunity idol, so yay, we get to see her another couple weeks at least!
-Spencer is taking the lead
-Abi takes the bait when Fishbach picks up the top of an incorrect urn (dumb b**ch)
With the clinching medallion just needing to be unwrapped, Spencer can taste those steaks. But wait, what’s this? The Boy Wonder is wrong! WTF? That opens the door for Rocky Dennis. As both race back simultaneously, Spencer arrives just a second before and starts to unwrap. For whatever reason, Fishbach is able to unwrap his faster and places the 5th and winning disc! And what does this mean…?
Jeremy is going to be eating steaks and chicken! And let’s hope there are peanuts on the reward for the Elephant Man.
But wait, who does Stephen pick to go with him to do some “damage control?” Tash? Okay, that may not be so smart. But thankfully, he’s given another pick and yes, it’s Jeremy, and thank heavens the Survivor Curse of being nice isn’t repeated. For all his efforts, Spencer gets nothing, even though he could almost taste those steaks and cocktails. And he’s also bitter from the choices Stephen just made, and Spencer confesses he now has his sights on Rocky Dennis.
Upon returning to camp, Wentworth is able to read her idol clue in the dark and it reveals there’s a Hidden Idol attached to the bottom of their swanky new shelter floor. However, it’s too dark to find it tonight, so she’ll wait until Fish/Jeremy/Tash are on their reward, leaving far fewer bodies to deal with. Sounds like a plan, let’s hope she can pull it off. And I’m talking about her bikini top, not the finding of the clue…
Arriving at a gorgeous resort on a nearby island, Stephen tells us all about why he wanted to bring Jeremy and Tash. Jeremy is a no-brainer, but he feels that Tash was one of his first alliances, and the fact she wrote his name down last Tribal means he needs to fix what’s broken.
He takes it upon himself to reveal to them what his advantage exactly is, which he didn’t need to do. I think this may come back to burn him in some way, but one step at a time. What’s agreed upon is the next opportunity they have to take out Joe, he’s gone. And all three are in agreement on that.
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving ! Lets talk SURVIVOR TURKEY ! I must start with a little venting ! Mr Probst with all due respect those were not blindsides !!!!! Cierra has been bottom 3 for a long time . Yes she maneuvered her way past a few tribals but her time was coming and she knew it . Fishbach got 5 votes the tribal before ! How in the hell is getting voted out the next tribal after having to be saved by someone else’s idol a blindside ? Come on Jeff ! You actually diminish the actual blindsides ( talking about you Savage ) when you call every other vote a blindside ! Ok Jeremy great freaking move . Guaranteed yourself the Fishbach vote plus put a huge move on your resume . However (this hurts to write ) the move of the night was old Fishy tricking Abi into picking the wrong answer ! That was priceless ! Stephen I mocked your tears but you made me shed tears of laughter with that move ! Of course you made me remember why I detest you with your smugness when you thought your vote was getting Joe sent home . Joe I must say disappointed me a bit letting Stephen tackle him . I will give Joe the benefit of the doubt as Fishbach s primal grunting may have distracted him ! That is it for me ! I was really trying for proper punctuation as the grammar Nazi (my boss ) has been pretty tough on me while reading my comments . But realized whats most important is sharing my twisted thoughts on our favorite twisted game !
Great recap as always Mr. Fish. Love it! I hope things improve for you. Keep your chin up dude!! The 2 episode survivor was great. I’m so glad to see Ciera gone but think they were all really stupid to not get rid of JOE. WHY??? What do you think Fish? I know you like Adonis but why would anyone keep someone who is just getting better and better. Besides, that smug smirk he has on his face is really annoying. For some reason, FishBleck actually grew on me and I enjoyed watching him more than Mr. Personality (or lack thereof)-Joe. I’m hoping Spencer gets bonked on the head next week bc I like Keith much better. Yes, I agree with the poster above, Steven tricking dumb Abi was awesome. Love the comparison of Wiggles to Caitlin Jenner-YOU ARE CORRECT SIR! Nailed it. One observation, no matter how much they starve, Tasha’s thighs stay very jiggly. EWWW I am really rooting for Jeremy now, all the rest are just annoying.
Agree with everyone else – Fish tricking Abi was awesome. She is such a pain in the ass. Like it doesn’t matter what you do and say, she will be devils advocate and want the opposite. She’d probably vote herself out if everyone else wanted her to stay. I have to admit, I didn’t vote for ANY of the women for this season. I didn’t really like any of the options that they gave us. There have got to be better candidates to have returned this season.
What the HELL was Fishbach doing by splitting the votes?? Yeah, it wouldn’t have mattered anyways but still, what the eff was he thinking in doing that? He lives and breathes plotting to get rid of Joe, the opportunity presents itself, and he pussies out halfway through or what??? Whatev…
Thanks for the recap. Happy Thanksgiving!
I wonder if Fishbach was worried that someone might give Joe an idol so he gave one vote to Abi as a backup plan?
These 2nd chancers are making some bad decisions. Giving up an idol, splitting votes/not splitting at the wrong times. Oh well, who really knows what is going on with editing and all. I have read a few booted survivor stories, according to those people Tasha is getting a very favorable edit.
Ok, how was Fishbach able to run, when he could barely walk. he does not seem like the type to fight through the pain, but he also tackled Joe so who knows. Now, two times Spencer has been owned by Fishbach.
I am not a fan of challenges where the players physically fight each other and co-ed to boot. Come on Survivor, you are better than that. Two more immunity challenges that involve no movement. (OK some movement in the feet block challenge.
I thought someone mentioned days without food due to rain, true or embellished. On the to white/black rock, could the players have worked out who played/sat out to guarantee shelter?
After last weeks scramble for an idol, how come nothing this week after Jeremy used his?
Hey there, folks! Apologies for just getting around to this today, but I’ve had a bear of a time figuring out how to get around the Website Blocking firewall at work. I’ve finally figured it out, so I should be able to reply a bit easier. Thanks for your patience…
rick: I agree with you on the blindsides. Jeff is just overdoing the marketing hype a little bit, right? And I’m not totally convinced Fishbach tricked Abi. Take a look again (if you can) and see if you think he even had time to think about the answer before grabbing that middle urn. Yes, she probably just grabbed what he did, but I’m a little unsure if he consciously tried to trick her. Whatever, right? I’m just happy he’s gone. And don’t let your boss crack the whip too hard on ya. As long as your memos are proper, she should cut you some slack on Survivor comments. No grammar Nazis here…
kinb: Thanks for checking in with me today. Means a lot. I finally beat the firewall! Thanks for the comment. Why do you hate Joe so much? Doesn’t matter anymore, but how can you not love some Joe? And thanks for the recognition about Caitlyn/Wigles, it’s so creepy how much they look alike. I’m with you on Jeremy. I think I need to double-check my predictions again… Fingers crossed the season ends spectacularly… XO
bonnie: Agree with you on everything. And with as great as this season is supposed to be, there have been a lot of missteps. Wonder how it’ll play out. Happy Thanksgiving!
doc: Know what you mean about bad decisions. Just as I said above, there have been some questionable decisions… And you bring up a point about favorable edits and the editing. Do we think the people who make Final Tribal are given betters edits throughout the season, or is every episode treated like a separate entitly and made as good as it can be? Or are there themes the editors keep in mind, planted by the producers, with regard to how players are presented? I wonder. I actually know one of the editors, but I could never ask him this question… From what Varner said about Tash, maybe she is getting the Final Tribal favorable edit. She’s only been shown in a relatively good light, so maybe there’s some truth to the “good edit” theory. I think shoes make a lot of things easier to do. When I rip up my cracked heels and can barely walk barefooted, I can simply put on sneakers and not feel a thing. I guess… I don’t mind the co-ed challenges, gives an opportunity for some legal harrassment.Too bad no one ever goes for a boob. Do you consider last night’s “pole” challenge no movement? If so, I’m sorry… I do think there are a lot of challenges that could be revisited. I wonder if they’re always doing that? It’s gonna be a sad day when Survivor is on its last legs and starts looking cheesy. I am not looking forward to that… I think people exaggerate when they talk about “no food for days.” They just mean, not a big meal… Agree? I guess they didn’t have time to negotiate any white/black rock deals. That’s a good question. Maybe I can try to get someone to answer some questions. Your comment made me write about Jeremy’s idol in my column last night. Thanks for the inspiration!
Ok, folks, sorry again for taking so long to reply. Call me Anonymous now that I’ve hacked around the company firewall! Love ya…!
Fish