Last Week: Chase sided with the ladies in a hurry, NaOnka unleashed some Tribal Council fury, while Marty was sent down to the jury.
39 Days, 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog
Here is the tribe as it currently stands…
The Libertad Tribe (wearing red with lovely white highlights)
• Benry – 24, Club Promoter
• Brenda – 27, Paddleboard Company Owner
• Chase – 24, Race Car Jackman/Country Singer
• Dan – 63, Real Estate Executive
• Fabio – 21, Student
• Holly – 44, Swim Coach
• Jane – 56, Dog Trainer
• Kelly S. – 20, Nursing Student
• NaOnka – 27, P.E. Teacher
• Sash – 30, Real Estate Broker
Quick Note: We’re working with Jeff Probst and the rest of the “Survivor” crew to elect the first class of the “Survivor” Hall of Fame. So, please swing over and vote for your favorite players of all time. Vote early, vote often!
We kick off the show with the Libertadians returning from Tribal Council. Brenda tells us that Benry, Fabio, and the InDanimate Object now know who runs the show. She claims that her and Sash are like the tribe’s king and queen. Except that she’s the king and Sash is the queen.
Somewhere Shannon just giggled.
Meanwhile, Holly’s trying to get Jane to get onboard with an alliance with her, Chase, and NaOnka. Wow…so much crazy in one group!
The next morning, the tribe decides to place their chests and other items around the fire to protect the fire from the rain. I can’t imagine how that could possibly go wrong.
Holly continues rallying the troops, making a play for Benry. They both agree that Sash totally stabbed Marty in the back.
Next we see Jane telling NaOnka Holly’s plan. Jane says that Brenda should go next because she doesn’t like to align with villains. The irony is apparently lost on Jane that she is saying this NaOnka.
Holly’s play for Chase isn’t as successful as Chase doesn’t trust Benry.
Reward Challenge: The teams will do a schoolyard pick to divide into two teams. (Guess they didn’t want to end up guys vs. girls again.) Using four barrels, two planks, and ten feet of rope, the teams will have to build a bridge to make their way across the beach without touching the ground. If one player touches the ground, the entire team has to go back. The first team to reach the platform wins a trip to an active volcano for some volcano boarding, pizza, and brownies.
Note: You know why I like this challenge? Cause they can pretend the sand is lava. I used to play that game all the time as a kid.
Another Note: Probst breaks away from his traditional color scheme and wears a green shirt.
The blue team is Chase, Purple Kelly, NaOnka, Jane, and Fabio while the yellow team is Sash, Holly, Brenda, Dan, and Benry.
The blue team decides to use only three of the four barrels. This strategy helps them get out to a big lead. The yellow team copies this strategy, but meets disaster when they all fall and have to head back to the beginning.
Unfortunately during the fall, Dan smashed his hand. Poor Dan, I’m convinced he had no idea what he was getting into.
The blue team kills this challenge, winning it easily. Benry does a flip off his barrel for fun. JPro calls this the “Loser dismount.”
JPro’s in rare form tonight. Must be his new green shirt.
A helicopter arrives to pick up our winners and give them a tour of a volcano. They enjoy a beautiful view before landing and partaking in some volcano surfing.
Yet Another Note: “Volcano Surfing” is somewhat of a misnomer. It was more like “Volcano Sledding.”
Back at camp, we get a lesson in what happens when you put wood really close to fire. Spoiler Alert: It burns.
The losing half of the reward challenge returns to the ashy aftermath. The chests are gone, the tarp on their shelter has melted away, and the machetes’ handles have burned off. Apparently one of the chests was holding what was left of their food.
Oh man, Colby’s gonna have to trade his Texas flag for a new container of rice.
Meanwhile…on a volcano…Fabio starts talking strategy. NaOnka, in a not-so-subtle move, (not that NaOnka’s known for her subtle moves) takes him aside and fills him in on the anti-Brenda alliance. As a peace offering, she hands him his socks.
Just kidding, she totally kept the socks.
When the winning side returns to camp, Chase makes a beeline to Brenda to give her the scoop. Brenda doesn’t seem very concerned.
NaOnka finds out that Chase talked to Brenda and quickly alerts Jane and Benry. Jane has a theory that Chase has a crush on Brenda.
Somewhere Shannon just giggled again.
Immunity Challenge: Each player will stand on a small platform that’s stationed over the pool that Fabio peed in. (I know, gross.) They’ll each hold onto a rope and lean back. After a while they’ll have to move further down the rope. When a person falls into the water, they’re eliminated. Last person standing (er…leaning) wins immunity.
Seriously? Another Note?: Jeff is back in a blue shirt. Classic Probst.
Not much to describe here except for leaning. Sash, Purple Kelly Purple, Holly, Brenda, Fabio, Dan, and NaOnka are all out before the first period is up. Benry, Jane, and Chase move down to the next knot. All three of them look miserable. Benry drops out first.
Looks like we’ve got Jane and Chase in the Battle of North Carolina.
Jane tells Chase that here fingers are hurting, Chase tells Jane that he’s doing well. Jane tells Probst that she’s going to quit. JPro talks her out of it.
Sweet talker.
The two go at it with Chase eventually falling. Jane wins immunity. Jane later tells us that clipping dog fingernails gives you strong hands. See, learn something new every day.
Politicking around Libertad is once again a case of Benry vs. Brenda.
NaOnka spills the Brenda plan to Sash. Sash tells us that this is the first time he’s felt worried in the game.
Chase tells Brenda that NaOnka is the one gunning for her. However, Brenda isn’t going to scramble because she’s worried her alliance mates will lose faith in her. She then makes a very smart move telling Sash that he will lose all of his numbers if they vote her out. She wants Sash to give her the idol so they can blindside NaOnka.
Sash contemplates giving his idol to Brenda, but NaOnka is convinced that he’ll keep it for himself.
The Mega Powers are exploding! (Sorry, that joke was just for the wrestling fans.)
That night at tribal council, Sash admits that he feels like he’s out of the loop.
Brenda tells Jeff that she regrets voting Marty out. Marty (complete with normal looking hair) nods his approval from the jury booth.
Brenda says she doesn’t have a problem trusting people, because she felt she had the strongest core alliance in the game. She then admits to being shocked that NaOnka would jump ship.
NaOnka could jump out of my TV right now, hide my cookware, smoosh my bananas, and steal my socks and I wouldn’t be shocked.
NaOnka denies that she was going to turn on Brenda. Chase disagrees.
JPro asks Kelly Purple to weigh in on these events with her “twenty years of wisdom.” Excited to speak, the purple one admits to feeling out of the loop for the first time.
Voting Time: Holly votes for Brenda, Brenda votes for NaOnka (and drew a sweet picture of the immunity idol she helped NaOnka find), and the rest of the votes will have to wait for the official reading.
Probsty tallies and returns. He asks if anyone wants to play their idol…and nobody does.
One vote for Brenda, one vote NaOnka, one vote Benry, three votes for Brenda, and the eleventh person voted out of “Survivor: Nicaragua” and the third member of the jury is…Brenda.
Chase and Sash voted for Brenda. Kelly Purple Kelly voted for Benry…guess she was right about being out of the loop.
Verdict: OK, who had Week 10 for the meltdown of the Minority Majority Alliance in the pool? We’ve lost two of our smartest players in back-to-back weeks. Not sure what that means for strategy the rest of the way. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that Fabio stays safe.
Who’s Going to Win? Did Sash jump ship early enough to make a difference? Maybe. If NaOnka’s next to go and then they start gunning for physical threats he could make a move.
Power Rankings Results: Team Dragon Slayer and Team Truth Seeker were both way off. Coach had Brenda in spot two, while I had her in spot three. The current score is now Team Dragon Slayer 109, Team Truth Seeker 114.
Follow me on Twitter for breaking “Survivor” news: @gordonholmes
What Do You Think? What did NaOnka do in the preview that has everyone so upset? Who’s the best strategic player left? Is Dan going to waddle his way to the million?
The Browns Are Hoarders 
Woodstock Eats Turkey 
Scientists in the UK have been working with a material known as Metaflex that has unique light manipulating properties. It is hoped that this will eventually lead to the creation of a functional invisibility cloak like the one in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter universe.
More Whatnot 