Last Week: The word “hantz” has many definitions…
1. To find an idol without a clue. (ex. Ozzy hantzed an idol.)
2. To say one thing, then do something else. (ex. Brandon really hantzed when he lied to Coach after telling him he was trustworthy.)
3. To be caught hunting for immunity idols. (One of the reasons Christine was voted out of the game was because she was hantzed on the first day.)
39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog
Here are the tribes as they currently stand…
The Savaii Tribe (wearing red)
Cochran – 24, Harvard Law Student
Dawn – 41, English Professor
Elyse – 27, Dance Team Manager
Jim – 35, Medical Marijuana Dispensary Owner
Keith – 26, Water Treatment Tech
Mark – 48, Retired NYPD Detective
Ozzy – 30, Slayer of Challenges
Whitney – 27, Country Music Singer
The Upolu Tribe (wearing blue)
Albert – 26, Baseball/Dating Coach
Brandon – 19, Oil Tanker Crewman
Coach – 39, Slayer of Dragons
Edna – 35, Anesthesiologist
Mikayla – 22, Lingerie Football Player
Rick – 51, Rancher
Sophie – 22, Medical Student
Stacey – 44, Mortician
Currently Residing on Redemption Island (wearing steely determination)
Semhar – 24, Spoken Word Artist
Christine – 39, Teacher
We kick this party off over at Redemption Island where Christine lets us know that Coach had it out for her from the beginning. Yeah, that’s on Coach. It was so weird when he forced her to call him a “temporary player.”
Meanwhile at Upolu, Mikayla is trying to figure out why Brandon is gunning for her. Her and I both. Also, Brandon is disappointed in himself for lying to Coach. He isn’t quite sure why he did it. He and I both.
Seriously though, Mikayla. He’s just threatened by your good looks. Happens to me all the time. OK, feel free to stop laughing now.
Next up, it’s Redemption Challenge time. Coach and Stacey are attending the festivities for Upolu while Ozzy and Elyse are the Savaii representatives.
Redemption Island Duel: Each player will balance a wooden totem at the end of a pole. At regular intervals they will have to extend that pole with another pole. The last person to keep their totem on their pole wins.
Note: This is very similar to the challenge Russell Hantz won to advance to the final three in “Survivor: Samoa.”
Before the duel gets underway, Semhar kneels and says a poem as if she was praying. Dude, she’s fun. I’m already considering her for next season’s Power Rankings so we can do rhyming captions.
Not a lot to describe here except for some super-intense balancing faces. In the end the calming poetry wasn’t enough to do the trick as Semhar’s totem crashed to the ground. Before Semhar is sent on her way, she broke down a bit and said she was very proud of herself for not giving up. I know a lot of people were worried she wouldn’t last by herself on Redemption Island, so good for her for hanging in there. She burns her buff on the way out in what may be my least favorite part of Redemption Island.
Afterwards, Christine tells us that she’d like to “Pull a Matt” and get back into the game. Well, that depends on if God likes her best.
Back at Upolu, Brandon explains that God and his family aren’t pleased with him because of the lying. Well, one member of his family might be cool with it. Brandon pays his penance for lying by taking off his shirt and showing off his Hantztoos to the rest of Upolu. Stacey has an Eliza Orlins-eque reaction to this news. I seriously thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head.
For some reason, this revelation isn’t enough to redeem Brandon in Mikayla’s eyes.
Coach thinks the grand reveal was a mistake. I agree. I’m not sure how it helps anything except for his tanlines.
Meanwhile over at Savaii, Papa Bear is worried that he’s the low man on the totem pole. Shortly after, Ozzy confirms Papa Bear’s suspicions.
Ozzy also lets us know that he completely trusts Keith. He proves this by telling him he found the idol. Keith then shows how trustworthy he is by promptly telling Whitney. And in an amazing moment, Keith lays in the hammock while Whitney rocks it for him. Am I reading too much into that? Is Whitney playing Keith?
Next up, it’s throwdown time over at Upolu as Mikayla takes Brandon aside to figure things out. Brandon, keeping to this week’s no-lying policy fesses up that he wanted her gone because of her super sexy attitude.
Brandon brings this little discussion back to the camp and gives a speech to the whole tribe that I simply couldn’t follow. Seriously, I rewound it three times. Either the editing was wonky or Brandon’s losing it.
Sophie does me a solid and tries to sort it out for us. She says Brandon is torn between following his religious beliefs and following his lying Hantz DNA.
Note: Man, we’re seeing a lot of Upolu this episode. Ten “Survivor” points says they lose the immunity challenge.
Another Note: “Survivor” points still have no cash value.
Immunity Challenge Time: One person from each tribe will race across a floating bridge carrying a body board attached to a long rope. When they reach a platform they’ll grab a bag and hang on to the body board as the team uses a wench to pull them back to the beach. Once all five bags have been retrieved, two players on a wall will use grappling hooks to retrieve the puzzle bags. Inside the bags are puzzle banners. The first tribe to put their banners in the proper order wins immunity, a clue to the hidden immunity idol, cookies, coffee, four calling birds, three French hens…
The first portion of the challenge was entertaining as the lead changed hands several times. However, Upolu took a slight lead at the end as Ozzy lost control of his body board.
Coach and Edna were on puzzle duty for Upolu while Whitney and Elyse did it for Savaii. Team Upolu got their bags first as Coach killed the grappling portion.
Then, Mikayla and Sophie shouted instructions to Coach and Edna helping them tear through the banner puzzle, thus winning immunity, reward, and an idol clue for Upolu.
OK, I owe you ten “Survivor” points.
Before we head off to break, Jim lets us know that Papa Bear is slowing them down. My “Survivor” editing training tells me there’s no way Papa Bear goes home tonight. Double or nothing on the “Survivor” points?
Politicking around Savaii seems to center on Cochran vs. Papa Bear. Apparently Dawn has earned some respect with her challenge prowess and is now Savaii’s Edna.
Cochran is worried that he’s in trouble because he’s not in “The Group.” Seriously? Worst allaince name ever. Since they’re not being creative, let’s call them Alpha Beta instead. That makes Cochran and Papa Bear the heads of Lambda Lambda Lambda.
The Alpha Betas have decided that Papa Bear’s time is done. They tell Cochran he’s safe, but he isn’t buying it.
Papa Bear, sensing he’s a marked man, goes on a wild hunt for the immunity idol. He has no luck, so he creates a fake idol. He does a crap job, too. Runaround Bob he ain’t.
That night at Tribal Council, Cochran makes a case that he held his own during the immunity challenge.
Papa Bear thinks that Cochran is a physical liability. He then calls out the Alpha Betas for not letting him into the clique. No big deal, just win the head seat of the Greek Council by winning the Greek Games. Doy.
Dawn feels like the Alpha Betas have been more open lately, Papa Bear disagrees.
Jim retorts, saying that Papa Bear is just being defensive because he feels like he’s on the chopping block.
Cochran makes the point that searching for the immunity idol makes it look like you don’t trust your tribe. C’mon, Mr. “Survivor” fan, you know that strategy cost Brenda in Nicaragua.
Voting Time: Jim votes for Cochran, Cochran votes for Papa Bear, and the rest are super secret.
Probst does his tallying business and returns; one vote for Papa Bear, one vote for Cochran, one vote for Jim, two votes Papa Bear, and the third person to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Redemption Island is…Papa Bear.
Seriously?! I owe you twenty “Survivor” points?!
Verdict: Not the most exciting or surprising episode, but it’s creating a solid build. I’m psyched for the next chapter in “The Passion of Brandon Hantz” and Keith is keeping things interesting over at Savaii. Good times.
Who’s Going to Win: I don’t know what it was about Whitney rocking the hammock for Keith, but it stuck with me. Watch out for her.
Power Rankings Update: Andrea Boehlke came back swinging, picking Papa Bear in spot sixteen while I had him in spot fifteen. We both earned a bonus point for picking Christine to win the duel. The score is now Team Boehlke 32, Team Holmes 33.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
Tags: coach wade, jeff probst, ozzy lusth, survivor, survivor south pacific
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