'Survivor: Blood vs Water' (CBS)
Quick Note: We’re going to be bringing you all kinds of “Survivor” fun this season including episode recaps, exit interviews, and Power Rankings with Malcolm Freberg. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.
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Last Week: Colton threw in the towel, Marissa threw out some obscenities, Tyson threw out his shoulder, and Brad threw John out of Tadhana…
39 Days (well…technically 39.5), 20 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog
Let’s take a look at the tribes as they currently stand…
The Galang Tribe (wearing yellow)
Aras – Musician, 31
Gervase – Cigar Lounge Owner, 43
Kat – Full-Time Student/Sales, 23
Laura B. – Merchandiser, 44
Laura M. – Co-Owner of Morett Construction, 43
Monica – Homemaker, 42
Tina – Motivational Speaker, 52
Tyson – Store Manager, 34
The Tadhana Tribe (wearing red)
Brad – Attorney, 44
Caleb – Post Office Manager/Farmer, 26
Ciera – Cosmetology Student, 24
Hayden – Real Estate, 26
Katie – Hedge Fund Support, 25
Vytas – Yoga Instructor, 33
Our evening’s fun starts off at Redemption Island where we learn that Candice can’t recognize her husband’s voice in the dark.
John is bummed that Brad would turn on him. Dude, you married Candice Woodcock. Anyone who’s watched her play should know that sometimes you’ve got to switch allegiances.
Back at Tadhana, Brad thinks they need to start focusing on an alliance that has loved ones on the other side. For some reason this worries Caleb which is weird because Colton wasn’t voted out.
Wait…nevermind.
Next, we’re off to Redemption (Still Not an) Island. Candice greets Brad with a one-finger salute. Nice to see that her and Marissa have found so much in common during their time together.
Monica tries to defend Brad saying he’s not the only one who’s voting. Candice responds to this by accusing Brad of shushing all of the women. John says he never saw that, but Tadhana should consider knocking the king off of the throne.
Redemption Island Duel (ahem…Truel) Time: The players will have to maneuver a key through a ladder bridge. Once they get to the end they’ll use the key to unlock a bag of puzzle pieces. The first person to complete the puzzle gets to stay and give away an immunity idol clue. The second person just gets to stay. The last person will be out of the game.
The challenge starts and Marissa and John are neck and neck. Candice is only slightly behind them. John eventually releases his bag first with Marissa only a second or two behind.
Candice eventually catches up and all three are working on their puzzles. Brad starts giving John advice in the hopes of someday winning him back.
John pulls away and completes the puzzle first. Marissa grows frustrated and this allows Candice to sneak by for the win.
Candice tells John he should give the clue to Monica so Galang will turn on her. Oh…that’s evil. I like that.
Brad tells Monica to burn the clue…and she does! Brilliant! This season is insane!
Also…and sorry for thinking this…with a married couple alone on Redemption Island (or Camp Cody) this could be the first time there’s some…uh…funny business during the game.
If this shelter’s a rockin’…
Sorry, I’ll stop.
Over at Galang, Monica has a bit of a breakdown because of the abuse Brad is taking. Her tribemates are cool though and try to cheer her up. Gervase puts it in a good context, reminding her that it’s a game and somebody has to run the show. That’s actually an excellent example of how solid Gervase’s social game is. He’s funny and personable, but he can be real when he needs to be.
At Tadhana, Brad is considering getting rid of Caleb because he doesn’t have a loved one on the other side who’ll be mad about it. However, we then learn that Hayden, Caleb, and Vytas are tight and Brad is on the bottom. Man, that Five Guys alliance really is out the window.
Later on, we meet up with Tyson and Gervase as they’re sneaking off to drink coconuts. C’mon guys, that’s a serious breach of banana etiquette. James would be livid.
Apparently the “Coconut Bandits” have bonded over this deception and are now an alliance.
Immunity Challenge Time: The teams will take a boat out on a mission to retrieve some huge crates. Once they have them all, they’ll return to the beach and build a staircase. Then two players will complete a puzzle to get the combination to a key. First tribe to climb the steps, use the key, and raise their flag wins immunity and their choice of coffee and treats or fishing gear.
Tina and Kat will sit out for Galang. Look at Tyson toughing it out.
The challenge starts off and Galang reminds us that they still suck at rowing boats. Things eventually even out and Laura B. is really proving that she’s a heck of a challenge competitor. Rupert must be beaming.
Tadhana retrieves all of their crates first, but their boat tips over and Galang takes the lead.
During the stair-building portion, Tadhana manages to regain the lead. But Laura M. and Tyson tear through the puzzle much quicker than Ciera and Vytas. Tyson retrieves their key, raises their flag, and sends Tadhana to their fourth straight Tribal Council.
There’s a serious Ulonging going on here.
Once again, Mama Morett laid the smack down on her daughter. Will this be the one that sends Ciera packing?
After the challenge, Brad tells Ciera and Katie that they’re going to target Caleb. But after Caleb’s gone, it will be “nut-cutting time.”
Uh…
Caleb, Vytas, and Hayden are all ready to vote for Ciera, but the way Brad was talking to the girls has Caleb nervous.
That night at Tribal Council, Brad throws Ciera under the bus for being bad at puzzles.
Ciera admits that she isn’t as good at puzzles as she thought, but she’s not going to whine about it.
Brad admits that it’d be great to vote out someone without a loved one so he wouldn’t get heat at Redemption Island. Caleb didn’t love that comment.
Caleb feels like he’s the low man on the totem pole and didn’t like that Brad was campaigning against him.
Brad says it was just a discussion, not a campaign.
Caleb tells Ciera that he’s going to write Brad’s name down and everyone else is welcome to follow suit.
Brad tries to save face by saying he’s not going to vote for Caleb.
Voting Time: Caleb votes for Brad, Brad votes for Ciera, and the rest of the votes are lost to the magic of editing.
JPro tallies, then returns. We’ve got one vote for Brad, two votes for Ciera, one vote for Brad, one vote for Ciera, and…one vote for Brad.
A tie! This season is the greatest train wreck ever!
Voting Time Again: Katie votes for Brad, Hayden starts voting for Ciera….then scratches it out! And that’s all we get to see.
Note: Hayden, buddy…just grab another piece of parchment.
JPro tallies, returns…and we’ve got one vote Brad, one vote Ciera, one vote Brad, and the sixth person to be sent to Redemption Island is…Brad!
Oh his way out, Brad tells everyone that he isn’t mad at them. That’s actually a very smart strategy in this game.
Verdict: So basically, with his first strategic maneuver ever, Caleb made a better move that Colton did in two whole seasons. Good times.
This season is delivering in a big way. I’m hoping Jeff Probst isn’t the kind of guy to say, “I told you so.”
And who isn’t psyched to see Camp Cody square off against Big Bad Brad next week?
Who’s Going to Win? Buh…Vytas? Who knows…this season is nuts.
Power Rankings Results: Malcolm had Brad in spot 13, I had him in 12. Malcolm had both of the Codys surviving at Redemption, I only had Candice. So, the score for this round is Team Malcolm 15, Team Gordon 13. The current total score is Team Malcolm 56, Team Gordon 55.
Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes
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