Survivor HvHvH - Nov 29/17 Episode Recap

Buy One, Get One Free

Previously on Survivor - cracks began to form in the alliance of seven when Devon realized that Ryan was sharing knowledge of his idol all over town and the girls bristled at Ben's dictatorial ways.  However, it was Dr. Mike who decided he was going to make his mark by trying to lure votes towards himself at tribal (which didn't work) and then playing his idol (for no reason).  It was Cole who ended up on the jury, which was going to happen anyway, and Mike burned his idol still thinking he made a brilliant play.

Solewa - Night 24
He was disabused of that fact when they got back to camp and Joe starting giving him grief for going rogue and not talking to him about this "big move" beforehand. He lost his idol which no one knew about and they could have used to keep them around longer. Plus Joe was mad Mike was trying to steal his villain thunder.  Mike was steadfast in his belief that he had taken his game in his hands and he was now playing his own way... but he did end up going off by himself so they couldn't make fun of him anymore. (Poor Mike).

REWARD CHALLENGE
-It's the monkey feet challenge - they are all sitting on stools and can only use their feet to release a rope which will drop a bundle of block - they then have to arrange the blocks with their feet in a three level circle ending with the placing of a flag in the middle - Just with their FEET!  I would be so dead.  Reward is a seaplane tour of the sacred islands, then a feast of cheeseburgers, French fries and beer.
-Off they go and Dr. Mike is surprisingly limber with his feet, as is Lauren and Ashley - they are the front runners early.  Mike gets to the point of setting his flag but he knocked over one of the blocks that he had to reset - which allowed Lauren to take the Reward right out from under him.

-Of course being the singular winner of a Reward is she gets to choose people to go with her.  First she chooses Devon (her Hustler brethren), then Ben (her buddy) and Ashley (that surprised me.)
-Ryan is bitter but he pretends he's fine with it.  Lauren tells the camera that she picked these people for strategic reasons, she's ready to blow up their group of seven.

At Camp - the plane does a fly-by and Joe moons them (keeping with last episode tradition.)  Mike is very salty that he lost that challenge and is stuck at camp with the sheep of the seven alliance (in his mind) JP, Ryan and Chrissy.  He decides that he and Joe are going to have a fun afternoon by being two obnoxious jerks basically - they think they're funny but no one else does.  They dub themselves the Coco-nuts, since Joe is kinda brown and Mike is a male genital doctor... oy, that is the level of their humour.
-Ryan & Chrissy take some time to figure out how they want to vote once they are down to the seven, because of course Joe & Mike are the next two - then they are thinking Ben, then Lauren.  And they are 100% sure that they are going to get to the seven.

REWARD
While filling their faces, Lauren proposes that these four create their own alliance and use Mike & Joe to take out one of the seven - because Chrissy, Ryan and JP are fooling themselves if they think it's smooth sailing to the seven. 
-Lauren wants them to put all their cards on the table and then they can use their combined knowledge against the others.  Ben and Devon confirm that Ryan has an idol, Lauren tells Devon & Ashley about her extra vote advantage... Ashley is just blown away, she didn't know any of this stuff (welcome to the party, Ashley.) She realizes she has to step up her game (ya think?)
-Lauren tells Ben and Ashley they have to put their dislike of Joe aside because they need to keep him around for a while - this ain't personal, it's business.  They all agree this is now their plan and cheers with beers to solidify it.  Devon is shocked that Lauren is as good a player as he is (yes, I rolled my eyes.)

And then the find the letters from home hidden under the extra buns and it devolves into a cry fest as they read letters from their loved ones - and have even more reason to thank Lauren for picking them for this reward.

Back at camp
-Ben goes off on his own to read his letters (the one from his son in the huge childish writing even made me tear up) and on his way back he stumbles across a marked rock with a clue to the hidden immunity idol.  Yup, Ben finds himself a hidden immunity idol because the Marine in him had a mission with a map and objective... that little clay pot up in the tree didn't stand a chance.
-He sticks the idol in his boot and says he's not telling anybody about it because nobody around here can keep a darn secret (ha, he's right there.)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
It's the triangular float/balance challenge where they have their feet on tiny ledges on either side of the triangle, they move up at regular intervals and if they touch the platform with their hands or fall off they are out.  This one comes down to very light Ryan, desperate Dr. Mike and Ashley who rode that top of the float like a surf board and took the immunity.  Her fellow newly minted alliance of four actually sat out this challenge as Jeff offered a huge bowl of peanut butter and chocolate for those that sat out and Ben, Lauren and Devon took advantage of it - huh, that seemed a little too cocky to me, they just ate at the Reward... but whatever, it worked out for them.
-Chrissy, JP and Ryan didn't win and they don't suspect a thing.

Solewa - Day 27
-Ryan has a bit of a bad taste in his mouth with three of their alliance sitting out the challenge - but luckily Ashley won so they still can take out Joe or Mike.
-Six of them meet to discuss (where is JP?) who to vote for tonight and all are okay with either one of the two "Coco-Nuts" going tonight.  They decide the boys will vote Mike and girls will vote Joe, because won't it be fun surprising them with Mike leaving first.

-Lauren, Devon and Ashley meet on their own and discuss who they actually want to take out first, JP, Chrissy or Ryan... it's time for them to take charge of the game.
-Later Devon talks to Ben and Ashley and proposes that Ben vote for Mike tonight so that he can pretend he's not with their rogue four and can act as a double agent.  Ben is worried about this idea at first but he comes around and seems excited to play this role - but this also means that they need Joe & Mike to vote with them to actually take out whomever they decide to target tonight (they never tell us who it is.)

-When Lauren and Ashley approach Mike & Joe they act like of course this was going to happen, who doesn't love the Coco-nuts?  Mike, "All of a sudden the court jester has become Merlin and I'm going to make them disappear, one by one." (No you're not.)

TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 27
-Mike was hoping last tribal with him borrowing a page a Joe's book, maybe they would believe him saying the crazy things because he's a doctor. (what?) Then they do some more of their Coco-nuts routine, they are a package two vote deal, use us to break up the seven.
-Ryan is over their shenanigans and reiterates that it's just ridiculous, their seven is just too strong (oh realllyy?)
-Lauren knows this seven can only last for so long, but they aren't sitting around the fire discussing which of the seven will go first.
-When does this happen?  Ryan says it's happening when you don't know it's happening.  If you haven't been in on any of those talks, it could be happening to you.
-JP cautions that they can't get to Plan B before they get through Plan A and sometimes you can get caught looking too far ahead and end up the one going home (that would never happen to our in-the-moment firefighter - he's not two steps ahead of anyone, unfortunately.)
-They move on saying that you always have to be playing unless you can find people you trust and how can you trust people in a game with so much distrust (again, welcome to Survivor.)

Finally it's time to vote:
Chrissy votes for Coco-Joe
JP votes for Dr. Mike
Ben votes for Mike
But they don't show us how anyone else voted.

Tallying the votes:
No one plays a hidden immunity idol, though Joe jokes he might have one.

Votes:
Mike - 1
Joe - 1
Mike - 2, 3 - he looks around like, man.
JP - 1, 2, 3 - so that's who they targeted.
JP - 4 - Chrissy and Ryan are freaking out, what is happening.  Devon and Lauren are trying to hide their smiles and Ben and Ashley are much better actors.
JP - 5 -  and it's JP joining the jury.  He doesn't say anything a his torch is snuffed but walking away he says, "damn, they got me good."

So with JP going, that takes Shane B., Sharon R., and Susan H. out of the pool. 

And we jump right back in with our second hour... Yikes.

Solewa - Night 27
-They get back to camp and Chrissy is looking for answers, "Someone please explain what happened?  How did that play out?"  Joe tells her they're Coco-Nuts not idiots, they're not telling her anything.
-Ben even gets a lick in, "big talk for someone who said he'd never be a puppet." Oh yeah, he's loving the double-agent thing... and he was really good at it.  No one had any idea that Ben knew about this.
-Chrissy is genuinely upset that the three she sees as flipping (Devon, Lauren and Ashley) will not answer her questions. (They don't owe you anything) she feels like they treated her, Ryan and Ben poorly when they got back to camp because they wouldn't go over everything that happened and explain how they out-played her (?)
-Ryan was trying to be gracious, thanking them for keeping him around. He was actually infuriated that they got one over on him but he is falling back on his meek persona to try and keep himself there - underneath he is a seething cauldron of rage.
-Ben's next goal is to stay in with Chrissy & Ryan and get Ryan to play his idol.

-Ryan goes and talks to Devon to find out what the heck happened, he thought they were in it to the end.  Devon told him that he no longer trusted him because he told Ben about his idol - it's that simple.  Devon's plan to win a million dollars no longer includes Ryan.

Solewa - Day 28
Devon is feeling like his whole game has now become clear and honestly it seems to be going to his head.  He's talking to Ben like he's now running the show - just one more vote and they'll have the majority and can be out in the open with Ben - Ben reminds him they have Lauren's extra vote so they do have the numbers - Devon, "Oh yeah." and then he tells us nobody knows he's as good at this game as he is... (Oh boy, this sounds like an invitation for Survivor Karma to bite him in the butt.)

REWARD CHALLENGE
-They are divided into two teams of four.  They start out on a platform in the water - on Jeff's go they have to jump in the water and then get in a boat, then paddle the boat to three other platforms gathering very heavy bags of logs along their way in to shore.  Once at shore they have to carry the heavy bags to their mat then start pushing the logs through a tunnel, pushing puzzle pieces out the other end.  Once they have all the logs in the tunnel, and all the puzzle pieces out the other side, they can start on the puzzle.  They have to arrange a bunch of narrow boards of varying lengths to form the picture and theme of this season - Heroes vs Healers vs Hustlers.
The Reward they will win is Survivor Spa - a nice shower, massages and food of veggie wraps, chicken, fruit and pie.

The teams are not evenly divided muscle-wise, its:
Red: Lauren, Ryan, Mike and Chrissy
Blue: Ben, Ashley, Joe and Devon

Gotta give Lauren props, she was able to step up and muscle the logs into the boat and through the tunnel (the bag weighed more than Ryan and he couldn't lift it into the boat.) But the Blue team was just too far ahead and had more time with the puzzle - which brought them the win.

REWARD
They are filling their faces and Ben has to continue to play his role of betrayed king with his disloyal knights - Joe is eating it up.  Secretly Ben is loving messing with Joe, especially since he doesn't even know it's happening. Any chance Ben has to mess with Joe he's going to take it.
-Ashley thinks Ben's performance is awesome, maybe too good though.  He's selling it so well, she is realizing just how dangerous Ben really is... and it's kinda scary. (Uh oh - Ben is my guy in the pool, so this talk is not good.)

Solewa - Day 28
-Ryan decides he's got to talk to Mike and try to endear himself to him, with their similarities... but Mike is having none of it.  He tried to worm his way in with Ryan a number of times and Ryan wouldn't give him the time of day, now the tables have turned and Mike could not be less interested in playing with Ryan at this point. "Isn't it just a buck late and a dollar short?" (Uh no, that's not the expression - A day late and a dollar short - but regardless, Ryan was Denied!)

-Chrissy found the same brick wall up when she tried to talk to Lauren.  Everything she said, Lauren just uh huh'd her - she was not having any of it.  Chrissy said that she and Ryan had talked strategy together prior to yesterday (how is that supposed to make Lauren want to talk to you now?) and they talked about going to the end with Lauren (no you did not) - but Lauren's no dummy - if Chrissy wanted to work with her she would have talked to her weeks ago, not after an epic blindside.  Too bad, so sad.

Solewa - Day 29
It's a cold and rainy morning and Chrissy just can't seem to get herself out of bed - she's convinced that she, Ryan and Ben are the next to go and this game is just kicking her butt.  She gets some rice and snaps out of it - she just had a moment because in her real life she is in control of everything and out there she is stripped bare and not in control of her own fate.  This has been her dream for 16 years and she's going to use her actuarial brain to think of all the possible scenarios to keep herself there.

Day 30 - IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
This is a new one - they have to push what they call a Survivor driving wheel (kind of a plank with a wheel at one end, a handle at the other and a very small platform surface in the middle) they have to balance a clay pot with a key attached on this wheel, take it over a teeter-totter, over a zig-zag balance beam and then unlock puzzle pieces (12 of them) that they will then have to transport over a number of small mogul like triangles to the finish.  Once they get all the pieces to the end, they have to arrange them vertically on a tall post and arrange them to spell a single word. 

Ben and Devon were leading to the end, Ashley caught up by being able to carry more puzzle pieces to the end but then they had to solve a word puzzle and everyone caught up.  It ended up being Chrissy who was able to figure out the word very quickly in a huge come-from-behind win.  Chrissy just fulfilled a dream of winning individual immunity (so you can go home happy now?)

Solewa - Day 30
-Now they just have to get to gettin' and figure out who they are voting out next.  Ben, Lauren, Devon and Ashley get together and Ben wants to vote out Joe next, they don't need him anymore and let's face it, Ben just doesn't like him much.
-So they all agree it's Joe tonight but what are they going to tell Mike & Joe?  Devon devises the plan to tell them that Lauren is going to use her extra vote and they will split their votes three for Ben and three for Ryan... and they'll just vote for Joe.

-Joe is ecstatic hearing this plan, they will flush out Ryan's idol and Ben going home... and getting rid of Lauren's advantage - things could not look better for him right now. (Oh, they really could.)
-Mike is looking forward to Ben going home, he's the biggest threat out there and he's betrayed Mike numerous times - fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me... (Shame, Mike, Shame.)
-Chrissy, Ryan and Ben are talking and she's telling Ben whichever way they slice it, she's pretty sure it's going to be Ben tonight.  He's playing up the "oh shucks, why me" while urging Ryan to play his idol - it'll make sure to get him to day 31.  Ben says the play acting is taking it's toll on him but it will all be worth it when he can sit like a kid in a candy store and watch Joe get his torch snuffed.

-Lauren goes and talks to Ashley and they are thinking that maybe this could be the time to vote Ben out (WHAT?? Noooooo! Okay, it would be smart, hell even they would vote for Ben to win in the end - but he's my guy in the pool.) Ashley talks to Devon and tells him they are considering taking Ben out tonight and he's shocked... and intrigued.  It's between Ben & Joe and it's not an easy decision to make - you want to be bold, but smart.

TRIBAL COUNCIL - Night 30
JP got a haircut since the last tribal council and Ashley is eye-banging him as he comes in, keep it in your pants lady.

-Mike and Chrissy are just loving living their Survivor dream.  His tribe is vibing him and he's vibing his tribe (is that a thing people say?)  For Chrissy she's been trying to get on Survivor since 2001 so finally being there is a dream come true and winning individual immunity will let her stay a bit longer so she can't help but be joyful.
-Joe says Tribal is exciting because you want to see how strong alliances are; see if they are going to play it safe or be risky.
-Ben plays along that he, Ryan and Chrissy were blindsided by his three rogue knights and the two court jesters forming up - and it looks like he's probably going home tonight.
-Ryan starts talking about that happening because maybe they became complacent but Joe is shaking his head and lays it all on Ben thinking that he was King, when he had kings and queens around him.  He put his guard down and look what happened.  He's taking a lot of joy in this.
-Ben wants to point out that Joe had made a habit of calling everyone else puppets and goats and sheep when now he's calling his alliance kings & queens when he's still on the bottom.
-Mike and Joe are just on the other side now - just because they are the newest members doesn't mean they are the least important, everyone has an equal say... and they are best sticking together.
-Ryan points out that is exactly what they criticized about the alliance of seven.
-Mike says he looks at it like two surgeons performing the same operation - the outcome is different because the surgeons are different. Just because the old alliance didn't do it right, doesn't mean the new alliance won't do it right. (Boom.)
-And they keep talking (why???) gotta keep vigilant, lots of ups and downs, gotta look for cracks, Ryan says it's like prom. Joe says this is the most comfortable he's felt, he trusts his alliance and Ben says that is what every comfortable alliance says, and yet they all get blindsided like he was.

Let's just vote already.
They don't show how anybody voted.

Tallying the votes:
Anybody want to play a hidden idol?  Yes, Ryan does.  He hands over his idol and plays it for himself.

Votes:
Ryan 1, 2 - does not count.
Ashley - 1, 2 (who voted Ashley?)
Joe - 1, 2, 3, 4... That's right, finally JOE is out and the Ben stuff was just a red herring, phew.

So with Joe leaving us, that takes Scott M., Lynne B., and Robert L. out of the pool.

Next week the loved ones will be visiting and Ben gets the feeling that there is something going on in his alliance of four, when he comes upon the other three at the waterhole, without him.  He's making a fake immunity necklace and giving it to Devon (oh yeah!!)

Joe's final thoughts: It was a good call on their part, we had an alliance of five and obviously they didn't want me in that alliance.  But he played how he said he was going to, gave 120%, found some idols and he played his game, he didn't play anyone else's game (until the end there).

There are only three episodes left people - the final episode is the week before Christmas so someone's going to have an extra happy holiday ;)

Have a great weekend,

Coleen




























 

Survivor HvHvH - Nov 22/17 Episode Recap

Fear of the Unknown

Last week a strong alliance of seven was solidified when the former Heroes and Hustlers voted together to take out a Healer - but confusingly took out Desi instead of Joe. 

Solewa - Day 22
-Dr. Mike has decided to start throwing the other Healers under the bus to try and keep himself there a couple votes longer.  He tells people about Cole telling everyone's secrets and stealing peanut butter... and everyone already hates Joe. (He better be careful though, being the guy throwing out the names can backfire.)

-Lauren was super stoked that she was able to use pull off the secret non-vote so she'll have two votes sometime in the future, with no one any the wiser - because apparently no one bothered counting the votes.  Ben is the only other person that knows about it and he's actually kept it to himself, keeping their little secret pact going. They are focusing on getting to the seven, then they'll have to make some hard decisions.

-Devon and Ryan are talking also about what they're going to do when they get to seven, Devon's worried but Ryan tells him not to, because he has an hidden idol in his pants.  Yes, bellhop Ryan was able to dig up the idol before everyone starting wrestling under the flag last week, but now he's decided to share the knowledge with Devon - who tells him no one else can know - of course he agrees... (uh, doesn't Chrissy know too?)

REWARD CHALLENGE - Day 22
-They will be divided into two teams - out on platforms in the water - on Jeff's go, one person from each team will swim out to the next platform and a tall ladder, up the ladder then jump into the water and dive down to untie a buoy with a key attached that they will then have to swim to the final platform.  Once all three buoy/keys are on the platform the other two team members will use the keys to unlock a chest with balls inside which they will have to use to score five baskets in five nets.  First team to get all the baskets wins the Reward of an afternoon on a luxury yacht with food, including a huge chocolate cake.
Teams:
Blue: Ben, Devon & Ashley in the water, Ryan and Lauren on the keys.
Red: Chrissy, Cole, JP in the water, Joe & Mike on the keys.
Off they go and it's a bit back and forth through the water section.  They get to throwing the balls and Joe is able to get the baskets ahead of Ben - giving Red the win. (Dang it! I don't like it when Joe gets anything, he's insufferable.)

REWARD - Day 22
Chrissy, Cole, JP, Joe and Mike are enjoying the beautiful yacht and of course the food. Cole says he's only lost one challenge since being out there (Reward challenge I think he means) and now, with a full belly, he'll have a better chance at winning the next immunity.  Then out comes the chocolate cake and Joe starts cutting it up though it seems like everyone is too full to eat it but Chrissy calls him out - he`s looking for a clue.  Joe makes no show of hiding it after that, he starts looking under things, all over the boat for a clue.
-They do a drive by of the camp and the captain blows the horn to get the attention of the tribe on the beach, who lines up and moons the boat!  HA! It was pretty good.

Back at Camp:
-Ryan takes this opportunity to pull Ben aside and tell him that he has the idol in his pants. (What - Ryan is trying to gain favour with Ben but not realizing he`s betraying Devon - it`s all about the power in his pants going to his head.)
-Ben is ecstatic, because now he knows that Cole doesn`t have it... but this also means that Ryan is out there to play and he`ll have to keep an eye on that.

Solewa - Day 23
-There is Joe, digging for an idol under the flag... the idol that`s not there.  Joe`s thinking that he`s got no choice at this point but to start pushing buttons and getting everyone to hate him so they won`t worry about voting him out because they can take him out at any time... this will give him time to make a move.
-Mike finds Joe strangely entertaining but Chrissy and Ashley do not find him entertaining in any way.  Joe shows up and starts needling Ashley telling her she`s a goat and she doesn`t have to do anything because she`ll make to the end as a goat.  She tells him she has respect for his game but he should show the same respect for others and he twists it that he is showing her respect but telling her these things to her face (Arrrghhh!! I feel her anger and frustration and it`s even worse because you know he`s doing it on purpose but you can`t help but react to him.)  He takes shots at Chrissy and Ashley until Chrissy just has to get up and move away from him, Ashley opts for telling him to Shut Up!
-Ashley doesn`t understand his thought process, he`s so unpleasant to be around, that she is going to be pushing for them to vote him out next, before Cole. (But the men would say she`s thinking emotionally, Ben wants to keep Joe around because he is so unpleasant, no one will vote for him to win, so Joe is actually the goat in this scenario.)

Solewa - Day 24
-Ben takes Devon aside thinking that he needs someone to team up with him and Lauren and he thinks that Devon has a good heart.  Ben shares a secret with Devon to show he trusts him - he tells him that Ryan has an idol.  (Boom! Devon`s head explodes) He is shocked and Ben thinks it`s because he didn`t know about the idol but really, it`s because he trusted Ryan hadn`t told anyone else and now it seems like he`s been blabbing all over town.  Now Devon`s thinking he can`t trust Ryan and he`s going to go forward with Ben.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
This one made my back and thighs hurt just looking at it.  They will be standing on a crate with two bars resting on their shoulders.  Suspended at the end between the bars is an urn filled with water - if they stand up straight, the urn will fall dousing their fire, if they crouch too low, their flag will pop up - either way they are out.  So they have to crouch in this horrible position, not too high, not too low... I`d have to just take a pass I think.
-Off they go and Ashley was quickly out (kind of surprised there, swimmers have strong legs usually - but it`s just learning the range on this one, she went too high and that was it.)  Dr. Mike quickly followed, then JP. 
-Ashley made a comment to Chrissy, telling her that her form was perfect and just moving their heads to look took out Devon and Joe.
-Ben, Chrissy, Ryan drop which leaves it to the final two: Lauren and Cole.  Cole is blowing kisses to the peanut gallery who are holding their breath.  Ashley is giving Lauren warnings about not going to high, they are all trying to help her win and it does pay off, as Cole`s urn falls and LAUREN wins immunity.

-Cole is hoping that everyone`s dislike of Joe will save him tonight.

Solewa - Day 24
-The round table alliance of seven all go for water - to discuss the vote tonight.  Ben dictates that they still have to worry about an idol so they will have to split the votes.  He wants four votes for Cole and three for Mike (wait, what - still no Joe)
-Ashley is pissed - she argues to take out Joe tonight, he`s very slippery and has already found two idols, he`s always looking, she thinks he is much more of a threat.  Lauren tells her she just has to let it go and Ben just totally discounts her argument all together - he dictates it is four for Cole and three for Mike. 
-Ben`s my-way-or-the-highway attitude does not go over well with Ashley, she`s talking to Chrissy, Devon and Lauren, telling them it`s going to kill her not to vote for Joe (again) - Chrissy agrees, she and Devon have her back and they want to tell Ben this is not a dictatorship.

-Mike asks Ben who he should vote for and he tells him it`s Cole, just don`t tell Joe.  Dr. Mike also not so happy to be dictated to - he wants to try and flip things to get Ben out.  He talks to Joe and tells him they are being holier-than-thou, saying Joe`s so awful, but then not voting him out.  Mike is going to make their world implode by playing his idol tonight - but who to give it to? (Oy, this doesn't look good for Dr. Mike.)

-Chrissy now talks to Ben questioning why it has to be Cole tonight instead of Joe.  Ben says something about wanting to flush an idol but he`s just over it, he doesn`t have the patience to even explain why, because his answer would be that it`s better for his game.  Everyone already dislikes Joe so, he wants to keep him around.  Ben sneers to the camera that people are playing with their hearts and morals and that doesn`t win you a million dollars.
-Chrissy tells him that people are starting to feel a little bit steamrolled by him and he says, No, no their not.  (Uh, yes, yes they are, and you should listen.)

TRIBAL COUNCIL
Dr. Mike leans over and whispers to Joe that he has to follow his lead tonight, just trust me.  (Joe`s face says it all, No f`n way is he leaving his fate in Mike`s hands.)

Oh, and Desi is the first person on the jury.  Hello Desi!

-Joe says the game is lost from his point of view - he and the other Healers are not part of the round table.  Mike laughs that he's the court jester.
-Cole is not laughing, he knows that he and Joe are first up on the chopping block and there has been no strategic talk with him.
-Chrissy says camp has been difficult, Joe came after Ashley and her with a barrage of insults that went beyond gameplay.
-Mike interjects that he is disappointed in the tribe - they have to play with moral and ethical conduct here and they are saying that Joe is offending them and painting him as a pariah, yet they are not voting him out which seems to say that behaviour is allowed and they are not playing the game with high moral character.  If me speaking up puts a target on my back, then so be it.  (He just confused Ben, he told us earlier, you don't win a million dollars with high moral fiber.)  Mike says if Ben is King Arthur at the round table, he will be the Statue of Liberty in America because they beat England in the end (oof, that was a tortured metaphor - Dr. Mike needs a better writer you guys.)
-Lauren just face-palmed and Dr. Mike is looking all smug with himself (Dude, it didn't land.) Lauren says she agrees with Mike except that they are playing Survivor - she doesn't act that way [in everyday life]
-Mike won't let her make her point, he is talking a page from Joe's book, talking over her and restating his position that they are showing low moral character by painting Joe as a pariah but keeping him around.  Lauren asks if he just wants to take the shovel and bury himself, because he is digging that hole deeper and deeper, and he didn't even need to open his mouth.
-Chrissy tries to bring them back on course by saying they have to vote tonight looking to the next tribal (yeah, don't you do that every time?)
-Joe says something about them living in a fantasy world, no one is playing until they reach the magical four.  Mike pipes up that once the Healers are gone there are 4 Heroes and 3 Hustlers, and three doesn't beat four.
-Ashley says you can do all the counting you want but this is not just a numbers game, you cannot calculate relationships, deceptions, betrayal, the game happens in every conversation.
-Ben says the 2 or 3 relationships you build will take you to the end, the thing that puts Joe outside those relationships is his mouth - he talks about the round table, the king and his knights - but he's the only one living in a fantasy world right now.  Joe and Mike are just laughing.
-Jeff points out that Cole has shrunk himself trying to disappear and Cole thanks him for pointing that out, he's hoping Mike's opening his mouth is good for him.
Meanwhile Ben is whispering with Lauren and Ashley and gets Chrissy's attention - yes, they're good.  Okay, finally time to vote:

Tallying the Votes:
Jeff asks if anybody has a hidden immunity idol they'd like to play - and Mike stands up says, "I think America's going to stay one more day" and he plays the idol for himself (huh? Wasn't he trying to get them to vote for Joe?? I don't understand, did he think they'd all vote for him?)  Well, they just successfully flushed Mike's idol.

Votes:
Ben - 1
Mike - 1, 2 does not count
Cole - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... that's enough, COLE is voted out and Mike looks so proud of himself.  But he could have kept his idol and not done anything and Cole still would have gone home.  Ben told him they were voting for Cole - and watching til the end - Joe & Mike voted for Cole too.  I guess Mike that he'd rile them enough to vote for him and then he and Joe would take Cole out?? Whatever, if it makes him feel like a big man, fill yer boots.

Oh, and with Cole joining the jury - that takes Lorraine F., Gillian H. and Manny W. out of the pool.

Next week: The alliance of seven starts to crumble from within - they show Lauren, Ashley and Devon wanting to talk to Joe & Mike... oh ho!

Cole - he hoped it would be Joe not him but they saw him as too big of a physical threat.  He was just grateful and thankful to be there and proud of how he played the game.  No regrets and he was glad to have met Jessica. (Ugh.)

Is anyone else having trouble liking anyone this season??

Coleen







 

Survivor HvHvH - Nov 15/17 Episode Recap

Playing With the Devil

Last week the Heroes and Hustlers came together to take out a Healer and, while Joe thought they would be voting for him and played his hidden idol for himself, they actually voted out Jessica (and we won't have to watch her make googly eyes at Cole anymore.)

Solewa - Night 19
-They return to camp and Joe is giving Ben props for blindsiding them with the Jessica vote - Cole is just pouty that everyone lied to him (grow up.) 
-Ben is still trying to downplay his part but he's riding high with his plan coming together.  He hopes he can keep the reigns on this Heroes/Hustler alliance and ride it to a seven but he's leery (okay, he said weary, but we all know that's wrong) of the individual part - all it takes is one individual to mess the whole thing up (uh, yeah, they're all out there for number one... and that ain't you.)

Solewa - Day 20
-Lauren's hammering a nail into the tree to hang something and it flies off so she goes to get another nail and finally notices the Secret Advantage that has been in with the nails since the merge.  She slips it in her pocket and slips away to read it.  The Secret Advantage will allow her to secretly not vote at the next Tribal Council, instead she will put the secret advantage scroll in the urn and take the blank voting parchment to vote twice in the future.  Her biggest worry is how to do this switcheroo without 10 other people noticing.  (My worry would be someone realizing there is one less vote than there should be - but that's just me apparently.)

Reward Challenge
They will be randomly divided into two teams.  On Jeff's go, one person from each team will race through a series of obstacles, up a tower to a huge slingshot where they will have to try and hit 5 targets.  Everybody on the team must go through the course at least once and then the people that are good at the target hitting can keep going until the targets are done.  First team to hit all the targets wins reward of: Spaghetti, salad, bread and wine.

There is one extra person as there are still eleven people so the odd man out will win the lottery, not have to participate in the challenge but still go on the reward.  And that winner is Joe (ugh, that guy doesn't deserve a reward - I'm hating on Joe tonight guys - if you like him, I'm sorry.)

We have the beefcake against the not so beefcake:
Blue: JP, Devon, Cole, Chrissy & Ryan vs  Red: Desi, Ashley, Ben, Dr. Mike and Lauren.
The blue team had people run through make one attempt at the target and head back down so that they met the everyone participating quota and could concentrate the ace shots to hit the targets.
The red team had everyone keep shooting until they hit a target before changing people out and this was their downfall when Ashley was up there a long time and Blue hit the fifth target before Desi even had her chance to try.

So Beefcake Blue won the Reward and Jeff tells them of another little twist in this Reward - the meal will be served family style - so all the food on one big plate or bowl - and they will eat one at a time (oh jeez, don't let Cole go first).  Joe, as the lottery winner, gets to choose the order that people get to eat as well.  Yikes.
-Joe doesn't want people to hate him even more so he chooses Devon to go first since it's his birthday and he says that he'll go last because he didn't do anything to earn the reward, he's okay with the scraps.

Devon gets in there and he eats a healthy portion, plus a bunch of salad and a pretty health glass of wine.  As he gets up to leave, they show us that there is just the bit of a letter peaking out from under the food - Devon ate all along one edge and didn't see, there is writing on the platter under the spaghetti.
JP gets there next and again proves he's not the sharpest tool in the shed - he eats a lot of the spaghetti but messed it up so he never saw the bottom of the plate - also missed the clue.
Cole was next and his first bite, he notices there is writing on the plate - he reads that there is a hidden immunity idol buried under the flag back at camp... then trying to figure out how to hide this from everyone else, he moves the food onto a towel and puts it over the plate so they can't see under the food.
Chrissy is next and she's immediately looking for a clue, eating is secondary (do you not think it's weird that the spaghetti is on a towel?) - finally she moves the towel and also reads the clue.
Ryan comes next and he finds the clue pretty quickly - he's not taking any chances on Joe reading it - he takes the platter and hides it in the bush under a log covered with foliage. 
Joe gets the dregs on a towel... but they don't show him eating - I'd be wondering what the heck?

-Chrissy can't help herself, she is whispering to Ryan asking if he saw the clue, wondering if Cole did (and he's right beside them) Cole knows they must be talking about the clue and asks them what they are whispering about - Oh nothing... (Chrissy just can't help herself I think.)  Cole's not too worried if they saw the clue, when push comes to shove he figures he can out-muscle these two and he'll go all out the an idol.

So they head back to camp and Chrissy, Ryan and Cole are the last three straggling by the flag.  They can't very well just have at it right away so they continue on to camp and make small talk answering questions about the reward - when Cole goes to take a pee and Ryan ceases his opportunity.  He slips over to the flag and quickly digs up the idol.  JP wanders by and Ryan quickly tucks the idol in his shorts and walks away - Chrissy comes out and he tells her he has it and she should cover up his digging - but I don't know if she heard him.  She seems to start digging and Cole has come back and sees her there and he sprints over to her bowls her over and starts digging - she's yelling at JP to help her, then Ben gets in on the fray... and Ryan is just standing there with the idol in his shorts watching these grown adults writhing in the sand.
-It does break up and Ben announces that Cole got it, he just saw him shove it in his pants.  Cole didn't get it but no one believes him and he just doesn't know what to do about it - he's going to have to try and win immunity.
-Ben doesn't like Cole and this little stunt just makes him dislike him that much more - Ben's trying to blow out Cole's game, he doesn't care. (Better watch out, people can turn on you if you become too much of a bully.)

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
They will be standing on a narrow beam while balancing a small statue on a board in front of them at the end of a very long pole.  At certain intervals, they will have to move back on the beam, having to use more of the long pole to keep the statue balanced on the board.  If at any time they step off the beam or their statue falls, they are out.  Last person and statue standing wins Immunity.
-Off they go and Dr. Mike is out immediately (he should have just let his shirt do all the work - that thing looks like it could stand up on it's own - gross) - they do start dropping pretty regularly, this one is hard.  Joe is next off, followed by Devon (which surprised me, surfer dude usually has great balance) - At this point Jeff remarks that he can see Ryan's heart beating right out of his chest and you can - OMG! This guy is so skinny you can literally see his heart beating under his ribs, that's so crazy.  Lauren is next to drop, followed by Ryan.
-10 minutes elapsed and they move back on the beam - Ashley drops her statue, Chrissy drops and we're down to Ben, Desi, Cole and JP... with all the guys wobbling... but it's Ben who falls next and then Desi (darn it! I thought she'd go all the way) now it's Cole vs JP and somehow COLE was able to pull it out of his butt and win Immunity.

Solewa - Day 21
They return to camp and Cole is preening like peacock about his win, so humble.  Yes, he is ecstatic he won immunity and saved his own butt, but he knows that the Healers are a sinking ship at this point.
-The Heroes/Hustlers are still solely focused on taking out the Healers, with Cole off the table they decide to split their votes between Joe and Desi in case there is another hidden immunity idol among them.

-Cole tells Joe and Mike that he does not have the hidden idol so he's not going to be able to save anyone.  They figure that the two remaining hustlers, Ryan and Devon, are the key to all of them sticking around so Joe goes and tries to get them to turn on Ben.
-Joe goes and talks to Ryan and Devon - and the best part of this whole scene is Ben hiding in the foliage behind a tree listening to the whole thing - Joe basically tells them they're stupid to allow Ben to call the shots and if they go to the final three with Ben, he's going to win.
-Ryan does agree that Ben would be hard to beat, he's a former marine, he's got a great story and he's just a really nice guy - but now is not the time for Ryan to make a move on Ben.

-Ben just really doesn't like Joe now either - and he postures up to him, "Jo-jo, what ya going to do tonight man? Play another idol?"  Joe plays it cool, "maybe"... until he doesn't.  Joe starts pushing buttons like Joe likes to do, he casually says that he's heard Ben swear on the Marines to people... and that was it, he found the button for sure - Ben gets really angry that Joe is lying or someone is lying about him using the Marine Corps (I'm not really sure why swearing on the Marine Corps would be so bad but anyway it was a trigger and it got loud.) I can't stand people like Joe, just stirring up drama to throw people off their game.  Desi hopes Joe knows what he's doing - this could reflect heat back on her with the Healers on the bottom.

-Lauren has to fess up to Ben that she won't be part of this split vote because of her hidden advantage that is allowing her not to vote so she can vote twice in the future.  Ben is trying to be understanding and supportive of Lauren using her advantage cause it could be used to their advantage when they down to the nitty-gritty, but he's not happy she could be messing up his plans tonight.
-Ben decides they need a Healer to vote with them and goes to Dr. Mike saying he can't stand Joe any longer and he needs Mike to vote with them (for Joe) or Ben could be going home.
-Mike doesn't get it, the numbers don't add up - but this could also be his chance to get off the bottom with the Healers by showing his alliance to Ben.  Mike goes and tells Cole (yeah, cause he's a great sounding board) but they know if Joe goes tonight, Cole would be next, then Mike.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
-Joe starts immediately saying that Ben is running the show.
-Ben says apparently he is a threat to Joe but his is not a one person alliance, they sit at a round table and they have each others back.
-Cole knows that the Healers are the targets for sure, he is not buying into the lies that his former Yawa people are still with them.  And Joes uses this as another chance to throw shade at Ben, saying he told them that they shouldn't have trusted Ben and the Healers were strong until they let Ben call the shots... (jeez dude, read the room)
-And Ben brings up that this is coming from a guy who said he swore on the Marine Corps which he would never do - He said Joe was pushing buttons as he likes to do - Joe interrupts, "I wasn't pushing buttons..." Ben asks if he could let him finish and Joe is still talking finally Chrissy tells him to just stop talking, "no one wants to listen to you anymore" (Yay, Chrissy was my spirit animal at that moment.)
-Jeff is impressed that one guy can get so many people emotional - Ashley says it's very hard to say if Joe is really good at playing this game or just really good at being very annoying - and Joe even interrupts that to say it's a bit of both - which annoys her that she can't even get her point out without him talking.
-Desi says something really articulate but possibly over everyone's heads - basically she thinks that Joe has been very consistent in his game play and he manipulates words so they could have two meanings... (whatever, his crap is splashing all over you tonight.)
-Mike felt betrayed by his Yawa alliance not sticking together.
-Ben has struggled since leaving the Marine Corps and he apologized not for Joe pushing his buttons but for him allowing himself to get so angry about it.
-Desi again, the most we've heard from her, says you could look at Survivor pushing people to be the best version of themselves but most of them would agree that lying isn't being the best version of yourself and everyone there has lied to some degree - it's where you want to draw your moral line.
-Then we go off on a little existential tangent about being stripped down and not able to be the being of light you're meant to be... Seriously?

Time to Vote:
So my husband was wondering if Lauren put the advantage scroll in her front pocket, how's she going to do this without them seeing and I'm like, it's in her bra ... and it was, she pulls it out of her cleavage and puts the blank one back in her shirt (bra, the magic pocket.)

Tallying the votes:
No one plays a hidden immunity idol.

Votes:
Ben - 1
Lauren - 1 (who voted for Lauren?)
Desi - 1
Joe - 1
Desi - 2
Joe - 2
Desi - 3
Joe- 3
Desi - 4
Joe - 4 - so we are at a tie with 4 votes each for Desi and Joe... and no one notices that there are only 10 votes between 11 people. 

Anyway - they will be voting again - Desi and Joe cannot vote, everyone else can only vote for Desi or Joe... and Lauren still has to abstain so this time she just pushes the parchment off the back end of the table.

I'm figuring this is a no-brainer, good-bye big mouth...
Votes:
Desi - 1
Joe - 1
Desi - 2, 3 (what is going on?) 4... 5 and it's Desi voted out. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? I do not get it. How could they not have taken this opportunity to get rid of Joe?? Just flabbergasted.

So with Desi leaving, that takes Sunnie C., Trish W., and Yvette S. out of the pool. (You were robbed I say, gone too soon.)

Next week: Lauren is armed and dangerous with her advantage - and Ryan has loose lips, telling Devon and Ben about his idol, then Ben telling Devon about Ryan's idol... which blows up Devon's game.

Desi is crying in her exit interview - it didn't go as she had hoped and it's truly heartbreaking. She is not used to losing but she wasn't part of anybody's plan to go forward so someone had to go home... and she had nothing else to say.  (I'm sorry we didn't get to know her better, I think I would have liked her... but she was too smart and quiet to make good TV, I guess.)

Have a great weekend everyone,

Coleen





 

Survivor HvHvH - Nov 8/17 Episode Recap

Get to Gettin'

Last week on Survivor, Bellhop Ryan and Actuarial Chrissy made the decision to keep clueless Firefighter JP and send Personal Assistant Ali packing... in one of the most unsurprising Tribal Council's ever.

Soko - Night 16
-Chrissy is basically patting herself on the back, said she had to keep herself from smiling when Ali went home because it was sad, but she was so freakin' happy.  Chrissy tells the camera the next day that she has been dominating the social game and thinks she's in a very good position as both guys are closer to her than they are to each other.  She thinks where she is right now is setting her up for a nice future run... which is the kiss of death right there, why would you say that?

Yawa - Day 17
-Cole thinks they are five strong and will stick together going into a merge.  They all do discuss it and agree if they got into a merge five strong they'll do alright, but Ben is concerned about Cole... and Jessica.  They are sitting down there playing patty-cake all night long, and it's just hard to trust that (plus he just doesn't like Cole.)

Levu - Day 17
-This is a divided and broken tribe - it's Joe & Desi and Ashley & Devon... and they are starving.  There is no rice, no food other than a little bit of sugar which they all get a little of for breakfast.  Something has got to get better for them or they are done.

They arrive for a challenge and Jeff tells them first things first - Drop your buffs! IT'S THE MERGE! (and the challenge set up was just a ruse.)  They are all hoping for a feast and Jeff tells them this season is different... there is no feast.  It's better, they have the Outback Steakhouse there for them - and they lose their minds... they get to go have steaks made to order, however they want them... and apparently they want three each and lava cake.

Ryan says they have made the merge which is what they have all dreamed of - now it's the play-offs. 

But first they feast and drink and feast some more... Cole is just stuffing his face, before going there he was eating 8K calories a day (what?) so food has been a huge issue for him.  He feels though that he's halfway up the mountain making the merge and that's how you conquer a mountain, one step at a time.
-Joe is being Joe, boasting about how many steaks he ordered (2) and 3 lava cakes.  Chrissy tells the camera exactly what I would be feeling, this is her first exposure to Joe and she can't help but be thankful she has played all this time out there without Joe. (Ha!) He's loud and obnoxious and she is not a fan.  However she is always playing and she chats him up to get info - he can't help boasting about finding and playing a hidden immunity idol already - which gives Chrissy pause and more reason to want to vote Joe out as soon as she can.  He found one idol, he could have another - and he even says he's going to find idols at every camp.

Jessica is embarrassed as a virgin to say that she loved the Aussie waiter's Thunder from DownUnder chocolate cake (hoh boy) but she leads us to the game kicking back in.  She hopes they stay 5 Yawa strong and she's hoping they can pull the former Healers Joe & Desi over to give them the majority.

Chrissy starts talking to Ben and he's trying to keep their connection on the down low.  She's whispering that she's glad to see him and he keeps warning her they're being listened to - she continues that the only person she's worried about is Joe and Ben is telling her to shut it.  Okay, they'll talk when they get back to camp - he adds, Secretly. 
Ben does not want it to seem like he and Chrissy are in a tight alliance, he's in full on Merge mode - it's all about him and his family from here on out, none of this camaraderie - it's going to be blindsides, lies and he's sure someone is going to cry.

Merged Camp - Day 17
-They got a lot of supplies to help set up their new camp and they get to building a new shelter. Cole is telling the camera that they even got these big nails (they show the bundle) and Cole goes on that the thought occurred to him that he should be looking for some kind of clue in the stuff... he grabs a nail, and there is a clue in the middle of the bundle of nails, we see it, they enhance it on the screen - and Cole says, "but I couldn't find anything." (Oh sweet Jebus! This guy is the worst.)
-Jessica and Desi go for a little walk and Jessica was pleased to hear that she and Joe were still working together and were open to team back up with the former Healers - Jessica feels like the queen bee at this moment (oh jeez.)

-Devon & Ryan also come together and they talk about a Hustlers/Heroes alliance to take out the Healers.  Ryan's close with JP & Chrissy, Devon is close with Ashley and then Lauren is the other Hustler and Ben the Hero... They know this first merged vote will set the tone and decide who will dictate the rest of the game.  Ryan says a Hustler doesn't wait, a hustler goes out and makes alliances.

Solewa - Day 18
-Devon is talking to Lauren like she's going to be on board with the Hustlers coming back together, he tells her they are sitting pretty in the minority because everyone is going to want their votes. He tells her the plan to team up with the Heroes to take out the Healers but Lauren tells the camera that she doesn't want any part of that.  She is bonded with her Healer/Yawas, especially Dr. Mike and she wants to honour her pact and stay 5 Yawa strong.
-Lauren goes and tells Mike right away what Devon told her about the plan to take out the Healers, while assuring him that she's still with them.  Mike is now expecting a war.

-Devon is sharing his plan with Ben & Chrissy too, telling them that he wants the three Hustlers and four Heroes to take out either Cole or Joe, makes no difference to him.  Chrissy is all on board to get rid of Joe, she could barely get through a whole lunch with him.  Ben plays it close to the chest but we know he doesn't like Cole, though he has a pact with Yawa.
-Ben tells the camera he is listening to everyone and he's got options - he can go with the Heroes/Hustlers or he can try and get the Yawa five happening... but the question is, can he trust Cole... who they show is now eating cinnamon sticks (Dude! Come on) which disgusts Ben all over again.  He thinks Cole is selfish and has no respect for anyone... and Ben goes and tells Jessica and Lauren at the beach that Cole is up there eating cinnamon sticks.
-Jessica gets it, Cole has made a big mistakes, especially with food.  He goes off by himself and eats by himself - you can't do that in Survivor when everyone is hungry - she thinks it's time for her to talk to him again.  And when he inevitably comes to sit with Jessica she tells him that he can't be eating the cinnamon sticks, and he starts getting little kid defensive, Lauren chimes in and tells him they are just trying to help him out here, don't do it.  And they tell him Ben said something.

-Ben goes and talks to Dr. Mike and tells him the Devon was in for voting out Cole or Joe and Mike tells him that voting Cole would destroy their alliance of five.  They can't do it.  Ben backpedals, says this is just theoretical right now - and Mike points out that they should take this one vote at a time and Cole right now, is on his side.
-Mike goes and tells Cole that the Heroes and Hustlers are gunning for Cole or Joe and Cole is shitting bricks - he is such a child - "You still have me right?" Mike assures him that they are still Yawa strong but Cole's worried and yet hopeful that his alliances will keep him around.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
This is the first individual immunity challenge and Jeff unveils the ugly necklace - oooh.

They will be standing on a narrow beam while spinning a ball in a circular wooden track.  At regular intervals they will have to move down the beam which gets progressively narrower, making it that much harder to keep focused and balanced.  If at any time the ball falls out of the track or if they fall off the beam, they are out.  Last person standing wins immunity.

Off they go and Ryan is out almost immediately.  This is not all that easy, if your rhythm of the spin gets out of whack, that ball takes off and then moving while doing it... yup, they fall off pretty consistently once they start moving down the beam - leaving the last two standing Ashley and Desi. They are both a little wobbly at the narrowest part but it's Ashley that loses her balance and DESI pulls out the first individual immunity win (has anyone else noticed that she is a challenge beast yet?)

Solewa - Day 19
Returning from the challenge Cole is feeling very vulnerable and decides he has to try and make up to Ben who he has offended with his eating habits.  Cole approaches Ben to apologize, basically saying he doesn't even think when he does stuff like eating all the food to himself and he wished that Ben would say something so he would know his behaviour was rubbing him the wrong way (he is not your mother, you should be able to pick up these things... I hate to say it, but fricken' Millennial man, you shouldn't need someone to tell you that the world does not revolve around you.) Ben tells him he appreciates him owning up to it but it doesn't really make him like Cole any better.  Ben knows that he has to think tactically and not emotionally and right now breaking with the Yawa five could backfire on him later on - so if he has to work with Cole to stay longer, he will.

-Joe goes and talks to Cole about the two of them being on the block tonight and Ben can never keep his fricken' mouth shut, he tells Joe that the Red tribe has a pact that all their votes will go to the same place.  Joe asks why they would have brought Ben in on that, he's going to flip on them - (Did Joe ever play with Ben?  I'm wondering why he would think that - unless he is just that good a judge of people, which he may be.)  Joe says he knows Ben is playing both sides and his former Healers have been compromised, "They seem to be sipping on the Ben juice right now" (ew.)
-Joe's not too worried, he has an idol and if he needs to, he'll play it at Tribal.

-Cole talks to Mike, Lauren and Desi to see what they are thinking. Mike says he thinks they should target Chrissy, she's way too smart and therefore a threat to them.  Mike thinks they will vote at least Healers strong and he trusts Lauren to vote with them.  The question then becomes, is Ben with them or against them.

-Lauren goes and talks to Ben saying they need to keep their Yawa five together for now - Ben says he thinks they need to take a Healer out but Lauren wants to keep their word to Yawa, this is the best way for them to look out for themselves in this game.

-Heroes and Hustlers meet up to discuss their voting strategy - their first target is Cole but Chrissy thinks they should make it look like they're voting Joe so he'll play his idol and then take out Cole... but what if Joe has an idol... and decides to play it for Cole - Plan B, take out Jessica - they want to split her and Cole up anyway.

-Ben is still torn - does he stick with his original alliance with Chrissy and take out a Healer like he wants to do, or stick with his new alliance with Yawa and vote out Chrissy?  Battle lines will be drawn tonight.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
This is the first time Cole, Jessica and Dr. Mike have been to tribal council so they had to light their torches (crazy, that's pretty far to get into the game without going to Tribal, good for them.)

-Ryan agrees they have the original tribe division still but they also have the other tribes they've been in for the past 8 days as well.
-Mike said the simple move would be to start taking out Healers tonight but what he saw is that people are thinking beyond to the second and third move and people are scrambling.
-Joe is having none of the pussy footing around - he only heard like, three names today, it's BS to think everyone is nervous.
-Jeff leads Cole into saying that he trusts his alliances and he's not worried (I also smell BS) Joe is laughing at him.
-Lauren said everyone was sizing everyone up, determining who was a threat, who they could play with and who just got on their nerves.
-Chrissy agrees that it's usually the physical threats that are targeted after the merge but this season they are looking at much more than just physical threats. (I rolled my eyes at that.)
-Joe hates the non-answer crap - and he basically says he's been honest, he's smart, he's physical but he's honest.  These people just talk and they may have your back this vote but next time your deuces (I don't know what that means.) 
-Mike says Joe is talking like he has all the Healer's back but he didn't have Mike's he's not reassured - he had everyone thinking Mike had an idol when it was Joe that found the idol - Deuces.
-Joe then stands up and says, my bad, did I say I found an idol, I found IDOLS - and then he pulls out the idol he found at the last camp and he babbles some more nonsense I didn't understand - and puts on the idol so they can all figure it out.
-Cole is thinking that Joe just put the nail in his coffin by revealing he actually has an idol, Cole says this could be his first and last tribal.  Joe says we'll figure it out (trying to save Cole too, like he might give it to him...)
-Jessica is hoping that she and Joe are still good - Cole says he's still thinking in his head, we're still good, I trust you.
-Ben decides this is a good time to speak up (why?) Battle lines are being drawn Jeff, we're going to find out who is aligned with who and someone is going home.

Time to Vote:
They didn't show how anybody voted.

Tallying the Votes:
Anyone want to play a hidden immunity idol now is the time... Joe makes it look like he's not going to play it but then does stand up and plays the idol for himself.

Votes:
Chrissy - 1
Jessica - 1 - she was shocked to see her name - Cole is confused and even Joe was surprised.
Chrissy - 2
Jessica - 2
It goes back and forth with them remaining tied to five votes each and the last two votes are for JESSICA! Cole still looks relieved that it wasn't him (yeah, great boyfriend you are) and Joe looks pissed that they didn't fall for his manipulation and actually voting out one of his.

So with Jessica leaving, that takes Cindi M., Brandon L., and Katie L. out of the pool.

Next week: The Healers future looks grim but they are not going down without a fight - and they show Cole digging under the flag with Chrissy physically trying to stop him and calling for help... oh man, this game makes you a little cray cray.

Jessica's final thoughts - She experienced the biggest blindside of her life, who knew a game could crush you, she thought only a guy could break her heart (ugh!) She will miss Cole, she hopes he makes it far and they can go on a date when this is over. (OMG, she needs to let that go - she is the girl that went to college to find a husband but probably took a chastity pledge and then went to an all girls school... thirty year old boy-crazy virgin. Hmm, jaded much.)

Enjoy your long weekend.
Lest we forget.

Coleen








 

Survivor HvHvH - Nov 1/17 Episode Recap

This Is Why You Play Survivor

Last week Soko went to Tribal Council and Bellhop Ryan voted with Chrissy (the Hero he gave his advantage to on the first episode) and betrayed Ali (his Hustler cohort) to take out Roark (the first Healer to leave this season)... and Ali did not take it well...

Soko - Night 14
- They get back to camp and Ali is openly, in front of everyone, berating Ryan about keeping her in the dark.  (I think Ali has 'pretty person' syndrome, she's not used to people not including her in things and things not going her way.)  Ryan tries to say he didn't trust Roark and how close Ali was getting to her and that's why he didn't tell Ali how he was voting... but really, he chose not to play with Ali and she knows it.
-Ryan's whole game is based on everyone liking him so with Ali's open hostility after this betrayal, he says she may have to go.

Yawa - Day 15
- They show someone swimming without flippers trying to do some spear fishing... oh, it's Dr. Mike and he successfully catches a couple little fish.  They may be little but they make Mike feel mighty!  He has provided for the tribe, maybe only a thimbleful each, but it's still food.
-While Mike is trying to cook his two little fish one drops in the fire and they all say "oh well" but not Mike, he is not losing that fish - he is able to pull it out of the ashes and he still eats it.
-Ben loves Mike's attitude.  He's out of his element but he's constantly trying his hardest and he's a genuinely giving person - he catches small fish and still shares them with everyone - unlike Cole, the pretty boy, who catches a big fish and eats it all to himself.  Cole's showing his true colours, and they're not good.
-Cole is not endearing himself to anyone with his constant state of hunger and his belief that he should be given more to eat because he has to keep strong to win them challenges. (No one deserves more food than anyone else in these situations, really dude?)
-Ben, Lauren and Mike are bonding over their disdain for Cole. They are just sick of him throwing fits when he doesn't get his way and the fact that Jessica and him are so close.  Lauren & Ben are hoping Dr.Mike will be more inclined to vote with them to take Cole out, if it comes to that.

Day 15 - REWARD CHALLENGE
- They will race out two people per tribe at a time, to a set of poles which they will have to use to carry a buoy between them across balance beams - if they drop the buoy at any point before they hit the mat, they have to start over.  Once at the mat, they have to put the buoy in tube that will release the clamp on the rope to their boat.  Then the second pair has to got through the obstacles (without the buoy) to meet them at the mat and they all race out to the boat.  Once in the boat they have to untie the knots holding it there and then pull the rope to propel the boat out to the platform where they will use a large slingshot to knock down two targets farther out in the water.  First tribe to knock down both targets gets 10 pizzas back at camp, second tribe gets one pizza to share and the last place tribe gets nothing (Oh, I hope that's Cole after the whiny baby had a food tantrum.)

Off they go and everyone looks solid, until Ashley & Desi drop their buoy and have to start over... more than once.  Unfortunately this puts them way behind... but everyone kind of catches up when they get to the sling shot phase...then the surf starts kicking up and it's almost impossible to hit the targets when the platform is moving up and down with the waves.  JP shows great patience and is able to win the 10 pizzas for Soko!  Cole is lucky that Ben won one pizza for Yawa.  And Levu is skunked.

JP voice over as they head back to camp is him saying he doesn't like to be in the limelight that much but after this challenge they have to realize they need him 100%, without him they wouldn't be able to get through any challenge. No way. (Oh, that is tempting Survivor karma right there.)

Soko - Day 15
- They return from the challenge and fill their faces and glory in their win, the women pumping up JP's ego reliving the ease with which he knocked down those targets when everyone else struggled. 
- Ryan realizes that JP is a tank in challenges, no only because he's a firefighter but he's also naturally athletic.  Coming to the merge though, JP's prowess is that much more of a threat to guys like Ryan and the fact that JP has no social game at all may make it easier for Ryan to get him out before the merge.

Levu - Day 15
- This is a divided tribe, with Joe & Desi on one side and Ashley & Devon on the other.  Ashley & Devon are hoping they can work on Desi to flip on Joe if it comes to that.  Ashley does talk to Desi who says she trusts Joe to a point but she also says she'd definitely vote him out as well, because he could win this game if they don't take him out. Desi tells the camera that if Levu has to go to tribal council she is considering voting out Joe at this point.
- Joe, meanwhile, found an idol before at the Healers tribe so he has an idea where another might be at this beach... but he wants to find the clue and make sure.  Devon is keeping an eye on him to try and make sure he doesn't get another idol... but he doesn't do a very good job of it.  Joe does spot the clue on a tree while he's foraging with Devon, but he doesn't let on - then goes back to the well when everyone is sleeping and digs it up.  This time, no one is going to know that he has the idol - that power is his alone.  When he digs up that idol in the dark he gives us the title of the episode, "This is why you play Survivor."  He also humanizes himself saying that this isn't a game to him, this is work, he's there to win the money for his family and reinforce for his kids that nothing comes easy, you have to put in the work and it will pay off. (See, that's a good lesson, I wish he wasn't so ready to manipulate and step on people to win.)

Yawa - Day 16
- They are sitting around in the shelter, Cole lying on the ground, when his hand starts shaking - no biggy.  Then Cole stands up and passes out, cold - lands like a ton of bricks, almost looks like he smashed his face on the bamboo and he stuttered out some nonsense words... luckily for him he has a doctor and nurse practitioner on his tribe who jump into medical mode right away.  They get him to stay laying down, raise his feet, give him water and Jessica jumps on making him some food.  And I know the guy just passed out and everything but he seemed to love the attention and when she gave him her portion of rice, it kinda grossed me out how happy he was about it.  
-Jessica was worried for him and just wanted to hold him, she realizes she cares for him more than she let on and isn't ready to play this game without Cole. (I just want to slap her and tell her to snap out of it.)
-Dr. Mike, on the other hand, while wanting to make sure his patient is going to be alright, realizes that Cole has become a liability to the tribe and if he has to eat all their rice just to get along, they have to get rid of Cole.
-Then Ben wanders back to camp - where the heck were you? Dr. Mike is like, nothing happened while you were gone, Cole didn't pass out or anything.  Gasp! Ben tells him to take it easy and drink some water.  But then Mike & Ben go have a chat about getting rid of Cole - when he fell over he sealed his fate.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
Oh - this was a new one and it looked hard - I hope I can explain it.

So, four people per tribe, arranged in a half circle which kind of looks like spokes of a bike wheel - they will each pull on a rope suspending a disc in the centre, then working together to stabilize the disc. One by one, they will have to walk blocks into the centre and stack them up on the disc to spell IMMUNITY.  If the blocks fall, they have to start again.  Oh, and they are also balancing on beams, I forgot that part - so if they fall off the beam they could also make the blocks fall - yeah this was a hard one.
-Soko is the first to drop but it was early, learned a lesson there.
-Levu was the next to drop and they were close to finishing so that was harder.
-Then Yawa, looked like they were going to win, Cole just had to walk back after placing the last letter but he didn't make it, the stack dropped and they had to start again.
-Yawa had it figured out by then though, they had the three that were not placing the block hold the disc tight so the person laying the block could just keep their rope slack... and they were able to catch up. 
-All three tribes had the whole word complete and the last three that placed the I's just had to make it back to their places - Jessica was able to go fast with her slack rope and Yawa won the first immunity, this seemed to rattle JP and Soko's stack dropped, allowing Devon to take his time slowly inching back to his place and Levu also won immunity.  It was Soko heading back to Tribal Council for the second time in a row.

- Ali knows after her blow up at Ryan after last tribal that her name may have come up, she's more nervous than she's ever been.

Soko - Day 16
- Things are simple in JP's world - to him losing sucked but it just wasn't a big deal. Ali is next and there is nothing she can do about it.
- Ryan knows that Ali is the obvious next choice to go, but he also knows that JP is a huge physical threat and maybe this is his chance to get him out.  In order to do that though, Ryan has to make up with Ali.  So Ryan goes and apologizes and tells her everything she wants to hear so Ali is 100% in with voting out JP - and she goes to talk to Chrissy.
- Chrissy isn't stupid though and she knows what Ali is up to.  Ali goes a little too far, in my opinion, telling Chrissy that she is extremely loyal and thinks she can put the loyalty she previously had for Ryan onto Chrissy. (In what world is Ali loyal - her first alliance was with Patrick, who she voted out as soon as he became unpopular - now her Ryan loyalty is up for grabs too... sheesh.) Chrissy doesn't trust Ali as far as she can throw her.  She trusts Ryan and together they will make the decision on which of the two will go home tonight.
- Ryan doesn't understand why everyone wants to work with him, he thinks he's a weasel (pretty good judge of his own character there), "but the closer you are to someone the less they see you and the easier it is to go behind their back and backstab them." (Yikes, watch out for Ryan.)

TRIBAL COUNCIL
-Ryan tells Jeff how Ali wasn't pleased with him after the last Tribal.
-Ali agrees that she thought Ryan should have told her about how he was voting but they have both apologized and she thinks it's been swept under the rug.  JP smiles behind her back, thinking she's dumb if she believes that (he is kind of clueless.)
-Chrissy says they all know there is a merge that is imminent and they all want to make it.
-Ali agrees that they have to look at the merge coming and decide who they can trust moving forward and who will bring you numbers and fight for you as well as themselves.
-JP says he knows that traditionally this is around the time that the bigger physical threat guys start to get voted out (really? You realize that?) He said he is nervous they could be thinking about taking him out (no he's not... who wrote this stuff for him?) JP is cool as a cucumber but he's paying lip service to making the decision tonight on what's going to move your game forward.
-Jeff calls him out on his laid back nothing answer - and Ali bites, saying he's not making a case for himself, she has no idea what JP is thinking.
-Chrissy says she's played with JP since day one and he plays a very quiet game.  JP nods agreeing with that.
-Jeff again, prodding them along - my husband hates when Jeff drives Tribal Council like this, to the point where he can influence the vote sometimes - but anyway, Ryan says he agrees JP plays a quiet game but he sees him winning everything and does have to ask himself if he wants to go up against that.
-Jeff points out that JP is still sitting there like the piece of granite he appears to be chiseled out of, and JP says if it is him walking down that path tonight he may think that he should have played a better social game, opened up in the game more - but maybe this is a wake up call for me.
- And the wind sweeps through and there is thunder...
- Blah, blah, blah... Ali hopes she's done enough, Chrissy can think of ways everyone can help and hurt her game going forward.  And finally it's...

Time to vote:
JP votes for Ali - You have your game, I have mine, let's see who wins.
Ali votes for JP - Just have to get rid of the strong.

Tallying the Votes:
No one has a hidden immunity idol. (How cool would that have been?)

Votes:
Ali - 1
JP - 1
Ali - 2, 3 - and it's ALI leaving us tonight.  She says, "You're kidding me." and puts her head in her hands - I almost thought she wasn't going to leave - have a little millennial meltdown.  But finally she gets her torch and says, "good luck beating him." then tearily shuffles off into the night.

And with Ali leaving, that takes Shelley A., Alexis G., and Stacey L. out of the pool.

Next week - it's the Merge!  Battle lines are drawn and it's a scramble to gather troops.  Ben is gunning to take out Cole and everyone is taking sides. Fun!

Ali's final thoughts: She's pissed she let a twerp like Ryan ruin her game.  She called Chrissy the liar of all liars and, she wanted to play with her head but might have let her heart in too much and that's what got her. (Whatever - she proved inconsequential and now she's gone.)

Have a great weekend everyone,

Coleen