Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Survivor Blood vs Water - December 11/13 Episode Recap

Out on a Limb

Last week Hayden and Ciera shook things up at tribal council by calling out Tyson and forcing a tie vote that resulted in Tyson, Ciera and Katie drawing rocks to see who would leave... unfortunately for Katie, she got rocked and joined her mother on Redemption Island.

Redemption Island - Night 32
-Tina is happy to see her daughter but not under these circumstances - since only one person can go back in the game, they are seriously competing against each other.  Tina tells Katie that she would not be opposed to letting her win but Katie says they should both just try their hardest (exactly.  Laura's going to beat you both anyway, who are we kidding here?)

Kasama - Night 32
They return to camp and Hayden is jubilant that his crazy scrambling worked and he is still there.  He was fighting for his life and the next thing he knows they are drawing rocks... What just happened?
-Tyson is not so enthused, he plays lip service to being excited to have been a part of the rock drawing but, somehow, I don't believe him.  Then he pointedly calls out Gervase for telling a crazy person he's the next going home (that being Hayden.)  If you tell someone they're next to go, they have nothing to lose and they can blow up the game - see, last Tribal Council.
-Monica is being Monica, as usual, she can't stop talking, she's strategizing Gervase's ear off: What if they have an idol?  How do we split the votes to flush it out?... Tyson is fed up and tells her he has the idol.  That shocks her enough to celebrate a little but she catches a breath and is back at it.  Tyson tells her to shut it down and she gets a little miffed.  Monica says she's in tight with Tyson and Gervase but she doesn't feel like she has any respect and she was hurt that Tyson kept the knowledge of the hidden immunity idol from her. (Lady, you don't shut up, he can't trust you with information, sheesh.)

Kasama - Day 33
-Ciera feels like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders after last tribal council - she knew she was #4 and at least she made a move and tried to improve her lot - it didn't quite pan out but the great thing about her position now is she has nothing to lose.  Their strategy going forward is to try and find the hidden idol, win a challenge, try to drive a wedge between the other three... and wait for mama Laura to come back in the game again to give them the numbers. (They've got their work cut out for them.)

REDEMPTION DUEL
-Jeff asks Tina what this is like for her. 
-She says this is by far the hardest day, the finality of it hasn't stuck in her mind (huh?) so she's going to play today and make that decision in the moment. (Throwing the challenge is not going to help your daughter stay, if she can't win on her own, she's doomed anyway.)

Duel: They will use sticks and ropes to fashion a long pole then use the pole to retrieve three keys.  Once they have all the keys they will use them to unlock a door - first two people to unlock their doors live another day, last person is out for good - but on the jury.  Winner will also get to give out another clue to the hidden immunity idol.

Off they go: And Tina is telling Katie how to best construct her pole.
Laura gets her first key.  Katie gets her first key.  Tina's short.  Laura gets her second and third key... and she wins the duel again. (Ciera is gloating a little, Gervase does not look amused.)
-Tina retrieves one key and Katie drops her second key in the sand...
-Tina gets her second key and Katie is unable to get her key out of the sand.
-Tina gets her third key and she is asking Katie if she's okay with this [as she's unlocking her door] Katie half-heartedly tells her it's alright.  Tina is the second person to open her door, eliminating Katie... and then the waterworks started (man, why am I crying?)  Tina was adopted and she had never felt a bond like what she feels with her daughter - Katie is so incredibly proud of her mom and feels being able to do this together was the greatest gift. (Sniffle, how embarrassing, I'm such a sap.)
Oh, and eliminated from the pool with Katie are: Roxanne S., Carol-Anne D. and Lynne B.

-Laura gives the clue to the hidden immunity idol to Ciera - and Tina tells Hayden to win the challenge. (We know where their jury votes would go.)

Kasama - Day 33
-Ciera shares the clue with Hayden and they start looking in the trees.  Hayden's up the big tree where he's sure the idol should be when Monica comes strolling along, so he's frustrated that everyone's going to know it's up a tree... but when he realizes that there is nothing in the tree where he's sure it should be and he pretty much knows that Tyson must have the idol.
-Gervase is trying to make sure that nothing messes with his 3 person alliance but he doesn't have the finesse needed for this game.  He demands of Monica how much she trusts them on a scale of 1 to 10... so of course she says she trusts him and Tyson a 10 (what else is she going to say?)  And this reassures him (oh, he's not good at this game.)
-Monica feels like her two guys put themselves on the line for her last night drawing rocks instead of turning on her but, she says, she's  got to know the difference between real life and this game, and she's playing for Monica, not Tyson or Gerv - Monica.
-Hayden and Ciera are talking about their next play, and that is to start working Monica.  Ciera's going to throw the guys under he bus, tell Monica they were talking crap about her, that she's dumb and they are leading her around like a puppy... (join the dark side Monica, they have cookies :))

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-They will dive off a dock into the water and push a buoy along a rope, through an obstacle towards shore.  Once they get to shore they have untie a bag of puzzle pieces and use them to solve a classic Survivor phrase.  First to finish wins immunity and reward - they get to order from a special menu and have it delivered to camp.
Off they go: Hayden & Tyson are leading the way through the water - Ciera is bringing up the rear (she's even slower than Gervase and he can't swim) - Tyson is first back to shore, followed by Hayden, then Monica and Gervase - Ciera last.
-Everyone is working on the 8 word phrase... it could be so many things... but it's something Jeff says often... and it's CIERA that wins Immunity with "You are going to have to dig deep."

Ciera, of course, gets to choose someone to share her lunch and she picks Hayden.  They are not allowed to share with the others (but somehow I don't think that will be a problem.)

Kasama - Day 35
-Ciera is so exultant that she won immunity.  "All you people who thought I was stupid to go against the mighty Tyson, In Your Face! cause I just did it!"  And she's also proud that she chose Hayden to feast with her, that shows she's not scared and trying to kiss up to Tyson.  Now that she knows how winning feels she's going to go for it every time. (Um, I'm confused. Shouldn't she have been going for it every time anyway?) 
-Here comes the food: Hayden gets pizza and Ciera gets a burger... and we get to see it being eaten as they are talking about their strategy with their mouths full (uh, yum?)
-Ciera is going to go hard at Monica, tell her the boys have been talking crap and get her to vote Gervase with them because they think Tyson has the idol.  Ciera thinks Monica is an emotional wreck out there right now and she is the crack they need to work in that alliance.
-Then we see Ciera trying to work her.  She says Tyson was talking mad crap, puppy on a leash, she'll do whatever I say - but she does throw in some truth - every time Monica talks he rolls his eyes at her. 
-Monica asks if that is true, why would he draw rocks to keep her there?
-Ciera says he only did that because if he flipped on Monica last night he would be next - because they would then have the numbers.
-And she makes Monica cry (oh Monica, so quick to believe the worst) - Monica says she's glad to have the information but it was like a gut punch and it hurt her.  She realizes that she's now the swing vote, both sides need her to vote with them and Monica is going to do what's best for Monica.
-Tyson is worried, he saw Ciera and Monica talking and Ciera walk away smiling - Gervase says he guarantees that Monica is not going to swing but Tyson is nervous... and despite his assured words, Gervase looks nervous too.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Jeff asks Ciera if there was still that division when they went back to camp after last tribal council.
-She says absolutely.  They knew it was them two against the other three and one of us had to pull out the win.
-Hayden pipes in - We're on he bottom Jeff, we get it.  It's two vs three and sometimes things don't go your way in the challenges but there are other aspects of the game you can control.
So then when you go back to camp do you say, "who can we get to crack?"
-Not necessarily crack, but we focused on the TRUTH.  There is one reason they're keeping Monica around and that is they both think they can beat her in the end.  Tyson drew rocks last time because he knows without Monica around he can't beat anybody else.
-Tyson - I drew rocks because I knew I could trust Monica to the end.
-Hayden - I'm sure.
-Gervase - Jeff, one man's perception is another man's reality (huh?).  What they perceive is a reality to them but that's not what's really going on. That is what you do when you're on the bottom. You start to throw as much trash against the wall as you can and hope that something sticks.
And Monica, last tribal council, it stuck.
-It did.
So, did they come to you Monica?
-Yes. Ciera came and filled me in on some unbecoming things that had been said by Gervase & Tyson. (The boys are looking shifty and nervous.)
How'd that sit with you?
-No one likes to hear negative things about themselves.
Do you think there's any truth to what she's alleging?
-Perhaps, and that's something I've been thinking about the entire way here. (Monica is playing it close to the vest, they all look afraid to push her one way or the other cause they don't know which way she's leaning right now... maybe she's better at this game than they've given her credit for?)
Tyson, does it concern you that Ciera could have been sharing secrets or making up lies?
-It does a little bit but when Ciera and I talked about who we'd want to go to the final three with, first person she said was Monica because she could beat her.  So, I'm sure she told her lies, that's the way Survivor is played but Monica knows what kind of character I am.
Hayden jumps in - She knows what kind of character you are to her face, not behind her back.
Ciera - Let me say this: I told Monica, woman to woman, let me tell you the people you are playing with and when you get to the final three and they beat you, and you watch this back and see the crap they talked about you, you will think what was I doing?  There were vicious, rude things [said] and if you make it to the end I'll still have the same respect for you but I thought you should know.
Gervase - It's funny how they're telling Monica this stuff now, why not tell her when it happened?  Because you're trying to use it to your advantage (exactly, that's how the game is played.)
Hayden jumps in saying that Tyson was controlling things before now and that gets Gerv all revved up again - he starts demanding to know who's controlling their alliance then yells, "THAT'S WHY YOU'RE GOING HOME ONE BY ONE."
Hayden, "Take it easy Gerv." (It's pretty easy getting a rise out of Gervase, and he falls for it every time.)
Ciera says she played along making fun of Monica when she was #4 but when she felt the chance for a shift last Tribal she took it and wanted Monica to know that vicious, evil things had been said.
How are you hanging in there, Monica?
-You know, it's the phrase of the day, "You're going to have to dig deep." And that's what I've done.  I'm 43 years old and I've found that space really deep and I'm doing it and I feel really good about it and if people can't respect that, I don't know what more I can do.  I like these people and that's what's so hard.  The things that Ciera told me today, did it hurt me?  Hell yes, it hurt me.  But I'm resilient and morality and ethical issues are going to bite you in the ass in the end.  (Both Tyson and Gerv look really freaked out - what were they saying about her I wonder?)
Gervase, does that concern you? (Ethical ass biting)
-Yes, no matter how sure you are in your alliance, when you hear things your mind starts to think about it and that's what happened with Ciera last week.  It plays on your mind and it can happen that fast.
And Hayden, that's what you rely on. Getting inside somebody's head and show them the better path where they could win.
-That's the truth.  Monica, Tyson and Gervase have played a superior game than you.
-I know.
-And the perception that I and Ciera have is that you're Tyson's lap dog and that he's using you all the way to the end.  Brad's going to see that, your kids are going to see that, and now is a time when you can show you're a strong independent woman and put your stamp on the game (Wow!  Hayden is a master with the mind tricks - pulling out her husband and kids, playing to her woman strength... genius.)
Tyson tries to turn it, "Monica, do I come and tell you what to do or do I ask your opinion and we talk through it?
Ciera butts in: Monica, I love you, I have respect for you and all I am telling you is that they are manipulating you.  You don't really have input, they've told me multiple times Monica's easy, she'll do whatever we tell her to do.  But this is a time, with your family watching that you can say you are playing Monica Culpepper's game. Not only that with a big move you could win, your family's going to be cheering. (Not quite so genius.)
Monica: Thank you.

Time to Vote:
Hidden immunity idol?  Tyson hold on to it (hmm.)

Tallying the votes:
Hayden - 1
Gervase -1
Hayden - 2
Gervase - 2
And the last vote... Hayden!  I knew it, she didn't have to stones to flip it. Ciera's final push might have laid it on a little too thick.

This Sunday, December 15th, is the 2 hour finale of Survivor: Blood vs Water.  One person will get back in the game (as they show us Laura's hairy armpits) and one person will win the title of sole Survivor. (Gervase really really wants it - aw, too bad, I don't see him winning - but I have been known to be wrong - almost every time.)

And still in the running in our pool:
Tyson Apostol: Tori K, Jenn G, Donna P
Tina Wesson: Don H, Ian G, Janine S
Monica Culpepper: Vikki M, Wendy E, Annemette J
Laura Morett: Susan N, Kim B, Shelley A
Gervase Peterson: Kevin C, Chandra K, Jessica C
Ciera Eastin: Fred & Gary M, Julie T, Robert L
Hayden Moss: Ritch G, Tamara J, Bob L

(There are still 7 Survivors in the running? Really? That's huge for the finale.)

Good Luck everyone,

Coleen
 

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