Survivor Nicaragua - October 27th Episode Recap

What Goes Around, Comes Around

The last episode recap opened with some insight - once the teams were switched up the younger members both adopted a feisty mother figure - Espada has Holly(crazy-pants) and LaFlor has Jane - leaving the rest of the older members out in the cold.

Espada - Night 15
-The tribe returns from voting out the (apparently) threatening Yve - Dan says he feels like the "Teflon Dan" having escaped elimination yet again.
-Chase Rice! is hoping it doesn't bite them in the ass if Dan loses them challenges.  He's talking to NaOnka & Holly - says next they have to get rid of Alina - she's too smart and NaOnka has never trusted her - They all fist-bump on Alina to go next (Really?  In Obama's America the fist bump has replaced the handshake.)

LaFlor - Night 15
-The tribe gets back after voting off Kelly B and Marty is congratulating himself for the huge cojones he showed by holding onto the idol (He's going to be insufferable.)
-Marty and Jill aggressively confront Sash about him lying to them about who they were voting.  "We would have voted who you wanted" - why the votes for Marty (Marty really does think they are all stupid.)  Sash straight out tells him they were trying to flush the idol.
-Marty is seething about Jane voting for him - He tells Jill that she will have to be dealt with. (Hmm, he still thinks he's in control there - amazing.)

LaFlor - Day 16
-Marty is talking to Jane - outlining some truths to her: I've never lied to you - I've never written your name down - I never proposed voting for you - blah, blah, blah (the undercurrent was: how dare you not do what I want even though I've never made any attempt to include you)  He's taken on a cajoling tone saying he thinks she voted for him...
-Jane just laughs and says nothing (good girl - if you can't deny, deny, deny - saying nothing is just as good.)
-Marty tells Jill he talked to Jane and isn't sure if he should have... (couldn't have hurt, she already hated him anyway.)
-Jill says they hope Jane will come back (back?) but they are really scrambling here.

REWARD CHALLENGE - Square pool of water
 - One person from each tribe will be The Defender and up on a perch in the water.  Members from the other tribe will leap off the platform and try to throw a ball (bit smaller than a volleyball) past The Defender into the net behind them (smaller, soccer-type net).  First tribe to score 5 points wins a Nicaraguan farm experience - includes horseback riding and a fresh breakfast including milk that they will collect themselves.
LaFlor sits out Jane.
The Defenders are Fabio and Chase Rice!
-There is only one net so they switch out tribes on every attempt - NaOnka gets first point past Fabio - Jill gets one past Chase.  Benry scores, Marty misses but Chase Rice takes one in the rice balls if you know what I mean - Holly misses and Kelly Purple ties them up at 2-2.
Dan throws the ball then jumps in the water - doesn't count, he's supposed to throw in mid-air - doesn't go unnoticed by his tribe - NaOnka says he can't even jump. (The ball was nowhere near going in anyway.)
-Sash hits the crossbar - Alina scores - Espada up 3-2
-Brenda misses low... and Fabio pees in the pool - classy... Then NaOnka is the next one that has to jump in (ha ha, okay, it makes some more sense now.)  She scores though so it didn't work out - Espada 4-2
-Jill gets another point making it 4-3 but it's Game Point to Benry and he makes it - ESPADA wins reward.
-Okay, it's the first time (I swear) they've ever shown Purple Kelly talking to the camera  - she is complaining they won't get to milk their own milk... (yeah, better she doesn't speak.)

LaFlor - Back at camp
-Jane is bummed they lost the reward but it just makes her dig in and do more - she's fishing, gathering wood - says she can do more than Marty & Jill give her credit for - she's okay with the younger folks lounging around, as long as they feel Jane's important.
-Sash says the older people can work their butts off and feed him all day - He loves it. (Oh, I would be bitter and no way would I feed that bum.)  He gives the older folks credit for their work ethic but it's not how hard you work - it's how loyal you are to me.

Espada - Reward
Horseback riding - Chase Rice! is loving the riding, says it reminds him of home and his Dad - they had horses until his Dad died - so this is the best reward he could ever get out there.  They get to the farm and the farmer teaches them to milk the cow - Dan does alright but NaOnka says she's not a farm girl (No!)  Now she can say she touched a cow's nipple... (Ah - that's not... sure, go with that.)

LaFlor - Day 17
Jane's been up since 5:30am catching fish and she's starving - she decides she's going to cook one of the fish just for herself.  She builds a small fire back in the trees and cooks the fish.  She says they sat her last challenge and lost the food Reward, so this is her little food reward. (I think Jane is so cute.  She's the one that did all the work so why shouldn't she have her own fish - and you know it'd never happen in camp.) "Bon Appetit!"

Espada - Reward
And they're EATING!  Holly & Alina have some sort of religious experience - well, there is crying, they are all emotional about eating and bonding (I swear Dan rolled his eyes). 
-NaOnka played along, she was even able to manufacture some tears but she wasn't buying it - she thinks Alina is fake and just trying to keep herself in the game by putting on this act so NaOnka puts on an act as well to keep herself in the game (does she see the irony there?  I doubt it.)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE - Once again, it's tribal immunity up for grabs.
-Two members from each tribe will be at the top of a tower and will roll cannon balls down a long, steep chute.  The four other members will use ropes to aim the chute so the cannon balls break the other team's surfboard shaped tiles in the field.  First team to break all 5 of the other tribe's tiles will win immunity.
-Sash volunteers to be sat and they did some weird pause thing before Jeff acknowledged it - trying to make it dramatic I guess - just makes me think Sash is lazy.
-Espada has Benry & Alina up top directing the four rope pullers to aim the chute - Benry gives lots of aiming direction and moves down a level on the tower and uses the small ball... and misses. (Hmm, this could be tricky.)
-LaFlor has Brenda & Kelly Purple up top - with little direction they let go their first ball and smash a tile. (Oh, that doesn't bode well.)
-Espada hits one on their next try though and go on a tear - they get the hang of the aiming and are up 3-1.
-LaFlor gets one more break but Espada pulls ahead 4-2 and ... ESPADA wins Immunity!

LaFlor - Day 18
-Marty hangs his immunity idol back from the tree branch - (Always with the mind games,  he is such a douche.)
-The younger members and Jane talking in the shelter - Fabio thinks they should split the vote 3 for Marty, 2 for Jill so he'll have to play the idol and Jill will go home.  (Fabio's not as dumb as he plays.)
-Jane will happily vote for Marty again - she was the ugly ducking over at Espada and she's a firm believer in What goes around, comes around.
-Jane feels like she's gained the respect of the younger tribe members and she never had that in the old tribe.  She wants Marty gone but it'll put the icing on the cake if Jill goes.  She wants to have her cake and eat it too (I love it - it's like [Stephen King's] Carrie (without the pig's blood) - they were mean to her and she'll have her revenge - watch out for wrath of Jane.)
-Sash wants to tell Marty they're voting 3 for him and 2 for Jill... or he can guarantee he'll stay if he hands over the hidden immunity idol to him - so he can make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands (riighht... who's buying that? Wrong hands my butt - he just wants the Precious.)
-Brenda & Sash strategizing - should they ask Marty for the idol and still vote his ass out?  Sash says then Jill won't trust them.  Brenda - They're never going to trust us anyway... (Way to justify heinous behaviour.)
-Marty approaches Sash and Sash tells him they're saying they're going to split the vote to flush the idol or Marty can give Sash the idol and he'll look him in the eye, shake his hand (no fist bump?) and guarantee Marty's not going tonight.
-Marty says he'll just go next time.  Sash tells him again he'll look him in the eye and shake his hand and promise if they lose immunity again he'll give him the idol back (sure you will.)  Either way he says it's Jill going home tonight.
-Marty says he's not voting for Jill - Sash tells him he wouldn't expect that (they don't care who you vote for dummy).  (Or, Marty could really be a good man and give the idol to Jill, she is the one that figured out the clues after all... yeah, I'm not going to hold my breath.)
-Marty tells the camera - he feels powerless in every way, shape and form (aw, poor ass hat) - He has to give the immunity idol to someone tonight - either Jeff or Sash and he chooses... Sash!  Marty says if Sash is a man of his word, Marty could make it one more cycle and that may be enough to get to the merge, then it'll be wide open again... (Huh, I didn't think that would work.)
-Sash is then cocky to the camera - "I don't have to dig for idols, I just have to ask for them. Marty just made his biggest mistake in the game." (Precious, my precious.)

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Fabio, back to back losses - does Espada have momentum?
 - Yeah.  I think their spirits are up and they're a strong tribe but we're also strong - it'll be an even playing field next challenge.
Jane - last tribal was crazy - how was camp before this one?
 - Those of us that mesh really well got together and made a decision.
Is it obvious who doesn't mesh?  Do they know it?
 - Uh huh, I think so.
Marty, do you feel that?
 - Yeah, clearly - some of us did more of a flip flop (obvious dig at Jane) and the rest tried to incorporate ourselves where we fit in. (No, you tried to take over, that's not fitting in.)
Who flip-flopped?
 - Jane is a flipper - we tried to remain strong and fit in where we could... (ugh - he's just jealous no one likes him.)
Jane, fair criticism?
- Well when we became yellow - I became yellow.  That's the way I looked at it. (She's smart, the less said the better.)
Brenda agreed- Jane didn't try to infiltrate them, it was just a natural fit.
Jill, do you feel the separation?
 - Definitely - there is still an old/young division but it's up to me to play out of it if I can.
Marty, there was lots of talk last time about the idol - you had it, would you play it or not. Did it come up again? (What do you think?)
 - Marty again paints himself as the gutsiest player in Survivor history by holding on to the idol.  He may have put himself as a disadvantage tonight but he TRUSTS someone's word... (Marty's hitting all the buzz words, trying to sway them with his rhetoric.)
Brenda, do you know where the idol is?
 - She says she doesn't know physically where it is but she thinks Sash has it.
Sash pipes up and says he has it in his pocket.
So Marty, what happened?
-Marty confirms he agreed to TRANSFER the idol to Sash (hits transfer because he didn't give it to Sash)  He continues - it could go down as one of the stupidest moves ever - but you never know in this game.
-Brenda looks SOOO smug - Jill looks betrayed.
Fabio, reasonable for Marty to be concerned?
Of course, we could easily vote him out but we have the idol so we come out on top.
Brenda, interesting he said WE...
 - No, that's how much we trust Sash.
Sash, you think this makes perfect sense yet you have it in your pocket.
 - If the time comes and I lose faith in them - I mean, they lose faith in me...
WHOA - Jeff makes a big deal about this Freudian Slip - condescendingly asks Fabio if he knows about the psychologist Sigmund Freud...
- Fabio gets a bit pissy and shows he does have a brain- tells Jeff is well versed in Freudian Psychology.
Jeff's being a bully - makes sure Brenda's noticed the slip (give it a rest already, they don't need your help stirring up drama, Dimples.)
Jane, was it a mistake for Marty to give up the idol?
 - Anytime you watch this game and you give up the idol it comes back to haunt you...

And with that cryptic statement... It's time to vote:
Jane votes Marty,
Marty & Jill vote Jane...

Tallying the votes:
Jane 1, 2 - Jill 1 - Marty 1 - Jill 2 - Marty 2... and the final vote is (Jill or Marty, Jill or Marty) it's JILL!

So, with Jill leaving - Ian G, Julie T and Gillian H. are out of the pool.

Jill gives a boring exit speech - grateful for the opportunity, blah, blah, kids will root for Marty now, blah, blah, made me appreciate husband and children (zzzz.)

Next week - It's the Merge and NaOnka goes all hood again and steals a bunch of their Merge food. (Nice.)

Have a great rest of the week - and Happy Halloween all.

Coleen