More Whatnot

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Shirin had to eat a little crow, Sierra was pulled to and fro, Mike let a challenge go, and Rodney lost his favorite bro.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes as they currently stand…

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

We kick off the evening’s fun after last week’s shocking Tribal with Tyler congratulating the others on the blindside. So polite.

Then, Mike and Rodney go off on a little walk. Mike says he was worried that Joaquin was starting to play Rodney. Rodney says that wasn’t going to happen because he was acting and putting on his Deniro. Yeah, but like DeNiro on ”SNL.”

The next morning brings news of the merge. The final twelve are greeted by a catered lunch and new purple buffs. They’re also told they’ll be staying at Escameca beach…hmm…where there’s still an idol..

During the meal the former Escamecans explain that Joaquin was booted because of his bromance with Rodney. This worries Carolyn because couples are targeted and she’s close with Tyler.

Back at camp…there’s…no…camp! Production totally took all of their stuff! Probst is so mean. Oh man, all of Mike’s firewood…gone…

While Mike and Kelly are rebuilding Mike’s fire empire, they agree that the five blue players should stick together. Jenn and Hali see them talking and realize that Kelly probably isn’t with them anymore.

Later, Rodney somehow makes an alliance with Will, Carolyn, and Kelly. They’re going to infiltrate the Blue Collars and then kick them out to become the final four. Huh…what a random little group.

My head is spinning with all of the alliances and sub-alliances and de-alliances and pre-alliances in the last three minutes. Some White Collar should put together an org chart.

Next up, Dan is stung by a jellyfish in the foot. Jenn tells him to put it in boiling water. Well, that only works if you have plantar warts.

Also, Dan should consider staying out of the water.

The group starts discussing tribe names, and Mike wants to be called “Merica.” Well, it’s better than Augaracin.

Shirin hates it because it seems like a redneck way to say “America.” Dude, that’s why I love it. “Merica…(Expletive deleted) yeah!”

After the flag-painting ceremony, Mike tells Rodney that he wants to target Joe. Rodney agrees, saying this is their “make-up sex” and that he’s putting on his “hustle pants.” This guy is a hashtag machine.

Immunity Challenge Time: Players will climb up a  pole and hang on to it. Last person on their pole wins immunity.

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Gordon reaches into his “Survivor” joke file cabinet and removes a giant folder marked “’Survivor’ pole grasping jokes.” He then thinks better of it and puts it back.

We start off and Dan, Tyler, and Will are out of it quickly. Aww…Tyler forgot to congratulate the pole for eliminating him.

Sierra, Shirin, and Kelly are out next.

Rodney asks Carolyn if she’s got it. She says she does, so he drops out. Mike’s gone too.

We’re down to Joe, Carolyn, Jenn, and Hali.

Ummm…it seems like Jenn was stung in a…sensitive…area… She manages to hang in there though. Probably wishing she had some boiling water.

Hali’s out next, and then it starts raining. Well done, challenge producers.

Jenn is finally out fifty five minutes into it.

Joe and Carolyn battle it out for a while, with Carolyn eventually falling off. Joey Amazing wins immunity.

Back at camp, Mike gives everyone permission to talk strategy. That’s nice of him.

The former Escamecans want to target Jenn or Hali to get rid of a power couple. The plan is to tell Will they’re voting for Hali, then to vote for Jenn to see if he’s loyal.

Kelly thinks Carolyn will partner with them because she doesn’t like the No Collars.

Meanwhile, Shirin, Jenn, and Hali want to target Kelly because they’re worried about Blue Collar having the numbers. Yeah, but why Kelly? Mike and Rodney are probably bigger challenge threats.

Also…no talk of idols? At all? Not even a little bit, Jenn? This might be a big vote.

And just as I type that, Jenn tells Hali that they need to know who’s being targeted so they can use her idol. Atta girl.

That night at Tribal Council, Probst marvels that there are twelve people at Tribal.

Will jokes that things are so crazy that Probst might be voted out. Not funny, Will. How many Emmys do you have?

Kelly thinks that everyone is nervous and nobody is safe.

Joe says it’s a game and there shouldn’t be any hard feelings. Says the guy with immunity.

Will says his vote will tell people that he can be counted on. Says the guy who promised everyone sandwiches.

Tyler is trying to figure out where he fits in.

Carolyn says that the line will be drawn tonight.

Shirin doesn’t think she’s a swing vote. That’s a smart move. Let your alliance know you’re tight.

Rodney claims that he doesn’t know who has an idol.

Voting Time: No votes are shown. I’m giddy.

JPro tallies and returns. He asks if anyone wants to play an idol and…Jenn does! She doesn’t say “Hold up, bro” but she does play it for herself.

We’ve got one vote for Hali, seven votes for Jenn, three votes for Kelly, and the seventh person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Kelly.

Verdict: Wow. What a mess. But, a very entertaining mess. It’s nice to see everyone swinging for the fences.

The question now is; did Jenn’s move turn the tide like Russell’s did in “Heroes vs. Villains” or did it just delay the inevitable? If the votes stay the way they are, it’s still seven to four.

Who’s Going to Win? I’ve had Jenn as my pick for while, but it’s going to be an uphill battle. It doesn’t help that  everyone knows she’s a player now.

Power Rankings Results: We were way off. Josh had Kelly in spot four, Reed had her in spot three, and I had her in spot two. The current score is Team Josh 51, Team Reed 55, and Team Gordon 55.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: What do buffs, Lindsey, and Max have in common? They all got dropped.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes as they currently stand…

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Joaquin – Marketing Director, 27
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

The festivities kick off the morning after Tribal at Nagarote beach. Shirin asks Carolyn if they can still work together, but Carolyn doesn’t seem into it. She accuses Shirin of being Max’s puppet. Aww…if Max were still playing he’d have the perfect “Survivor: Fiji” analogy.

Later on, Hali tells Shirin that the others found her annoying. This reminds Shirin of her childhood where it was a struggle to get people to like her. Aww…Shirin… If it makes you feel better, I used to introduce myself to everyone as “Gordon Wood Holmes the Third” and then they’d call me “Gordon Wood Holmes the Nerd.”

We then head over to Escameca where Dan is telling his disappearing underwear story again. Rodney is sick of hearing these stories. He’s psyched that East Coast Joaquin is someone he can bro-down with. They vow to work together and vote for each other in the end. Ummm…so we’re not aligning till the end? These guys need to watch more “Survivor.”

Rodney then tells Joaquin that he doesn’t trust Mike because he doesn’t have sex. So that’s why nobody trusted me in college.

Reward Challenge Time: The teams will scramble to the top of a tower. Then they’ll launch sandbags at targets. The first tribe to hit all six of their targets wins a trip to a turtle sanctuary to watch a turtle migration and dinner.

Note: Joaquin was psyched that Max was gone.

Dan will sit for Escameca.

The challenge starts off and Rodney is a house of fire! He wants to see some turtles, bro. Escameca reaches the top of the tower first and starts launching.

Nagarote eventually joins them and it’s pretty even. In fact, it’s tied five to five when Jenn hits the winning shot for Nagarote.

As they celebrate, they chant “I believe that we can win.” It’s possible they were going to chant their tribe name, but they probably didn’t remember it.

Note: There’s a piece of paper at my side that reads “Nagarote = red, Escameca = blue.”

We meet up with the Nagarotans at their picnic lunch. They’re enjoying beef stew, macaroni and cheese, and other accoutrements.

Shirin is happy to get a chance to bond with the group and breaks out a solid Rodney impersonation.  Coulda used about 12 more “bros” though.

That night, they watch the turtles lay their eggs. It would’ve been so cool if production could’ve arranged for the turtles to lay an idol.

At Escameca, Sierra lets Joaquin know how much she dislikes Dan and the other previous Escamecans. He tries to get her to align with Rodney, but she isn’t sure if she can work with him. Hmm…so she holds herself to a higher standard than Joaquin…

Rodney swings by and seems to make peace with Sierra. He tells us that he can see his hand being raised in the end like Rocky Balboa. Um…back up there Rodney. You can have Tom Brady, but as a Philly guy, I’m going to need you to leave the Italian Stallion alone.

Fun Fact: “Rocky III’s” theme song was played by the band Survivor.

Later on, Rodney pitches the idea of throwing the next challenge so they can get rid of Joe. Mike is considering it as a way to keep Kelly safe. Wow.

Immunity Challenge Time: The players will have to memorize a series of items, then recreate it. First tribe to win three rounds gets immunity.

Round One: Carolyn beats Rodney.

Round Two: Hali bests Sierra.

Round Three: Joe defeats Will.

Round Four: Dan tops Shirin.

Round Five – Part One: Kelly and Mike both get it wrong.

Then, Mike admits to Kelly that he’s throwing the challenge.

Round Five – Part Two: They both get it wrong again.

Round Five – Part Three: Kelly finally wins immunity for her tribe.

Yikes, that was like a slow-motion trainwreck. Although, I’ll give Kelly a break because she had a recent head injury.

Back at Escameca, Mike and Rodney sneak out to talk strategy and it looks like they’re going with the get-rid-of-Joey-Amazing plan.

After that,  Rodney and Joaquin hug about a dozen times.

Mike and Dan approach Joe and let him know that Rodney is gunning for him. Joe says he thought Sierra was the swing vote, but that she hates Dan. Dan claims that he’s been trying to get back on her good side. Is that what it is when you accuse her of being terrible at challenges and then give her crappy apologies?

Later on, Mike and Dan pitch getting rid of Joaquin to Sierra.

That night at Tribal Council, Joe says that the old Escameca wasn’t a big happy family.

Dan agrees that there was dysfunction within the old tribe.

Tyler thinks the bad blood centered around Sierra.

Sierra felt like she was being picked on. Mike makes it a point to say that he didn’t pick on her.

Rodney admits that there were problems, and he’s going to look for his best opportunity.

Joe thinks he’s on the bottom because he doesn’t have anybody.

Sierra brings up Dan attacking her after their last Tribal.

Mike hopes that he can believe in the people he trusts. That’s deep.

Voting Time: Joaquin votes for “Joe Cool,” Joe votes for Joaquin, and the rest of the votes are secret.

Probst tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Joe, one vote for Joaquin, one vote for Joe, one vote for Joaquin, one vote for Joe, one vote for Joaquin, and the sixth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Joaquin.

Verdict: Well, that was…odd.

This season, man. It’s awesome because so many big, entertaining things are happening. Strategies and counter-strategies and blindsides…oh my!

But, who are we rooting for here? Joe? Shirin? I need a little more positivity from this bunch.

Who’s Going to Win? The merge is next week, which means Joey Amazing will be back with his surfer babes. I’m thinking Jenn for the win.

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Joaquin in spot ten, Reed had him in spot twelve, I had him in spot nine. The current score is Team Josh 47, Team Reed 52, Team Gordon 53.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: A pair of monkeys showed Shirin how they mate, Lindsey and Mike had a theological debate, and Nina tried to get down with the cool kids, but she was a little too late.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes as they currently stand…

The Masaya Tribe (wearing yellow)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Joaquin – Marketing Director, 27
Max – Media Consultant, 37
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Lindsey – Hair Dresser, 24
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

We kick things off after Tribal where Hali is psyched to have Nina gone and embers in the fire. She takes this as a sign that they’ve been through the worst. So, No Collars’ glasses are half full?

Over at Blue Collar, Mike cuts off the head of a snake. Not figuratively, you know…alliance-wise…he literally cuts the head off of a snake. He roasts it up and shares it with Rodney.

Huh…this is early for an immunity challenge.

Reward Challenge Time: One person from each tribe will stand on a tower and call out instructions while their blindfolded tribemates stumble out to get items. They’ll then put the items on a platform and hoist them up. Finally, they’ll have to retrieve a flag. First tribe to raise their flag gets some hens and a rooster, the second tribe gets some eggs.

Yup…eggs.

Tyler will sit for White Collar, Mike and Rodney will sit for Blue Collar.

Sierra, Joe, and Carolyn are our callers. Callers, not to be confused with Collars.

The challenge starts off and everyone is getting hit in the groin. It’s like an episode of “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

The No Collars have a lead, but the platform raisers keep dropping the platform violently. Probst warns them to take it easy. Foreshadowing?

Yup, Kelly gets hit hard. Like really hard. You can see blood pouring out of her blue buff. Medical is called in…and we go to commercial.

Boo…

It looks like she has a cut in her hairline. But, she’s so tough she doesn’t care. Go Kelly. They bandage her up and keep going.

The No Collars are the first to get their flag, winning the challenge. The White Collars claim second.

Man, that’s a lot of bruises for some eggs.

Back at No Collar, we learn that it’s Will’s birthday. Birthday poultry!

Jenn doesn’t want to eat the chickens. She goes off while Hali and Joe take care of business. Jenn makes the most of this opportunity by going on an idol hunt. That’s actually a very solid alibi.

Eventually she find a unique tree and finds herself a unique idol. Way to be, Jenn!

Over at Blue Collar beach, Kelly says she got six stitches, one for each member of their tribe. Good thing it didn’t happen at the merge.

Later on, Sierra, Rodney, and Lindsey are discussing the differences between the sexes. Rodney shares some sexist views and Lindsey says if Rodney was her son, she’d break off his jaw and feed it to him. How’s he going to eat his jaw without a jaw, Lindsey?

This conversation seemed to start off fun, but it gets heated. Rodney thinks women should hold themselves to a higher standard because men want angels. Or college professors…or babysitters. Lindsey gets mad and storms off.

At White Collar, Shirin tells everyone that she slaughtered a rabbit before coming on the show to practice. Hey, she’s prepared.

While Shirin is away, the other four discuss who to sit out in the next challenge. Max doesn’t want to sit Shirin because they don’t want her to feel like she’s on the outs. Carolyn doesn’t like this idea.

When Max leaves for a bit, Carolyn pitches getting rid of Max because Shirin is drinking his Kool-Aid. She says he’s the head of the snake. Figuratively, this time.

Immunity Challenge Time: All four players from each tribe will be tethered to a rope. One by one, they’ll travel along an obstacle course. Once all four members are at the end, they’ll use poles to create a staircase. From there, they’ll stand on a balance beam and use ropes to maneuver balls along a hole-filled course. The first two tribes to put three balls in their places will win immunity.

Dan and Lindsey will sit for Blue Collar, Shirin is out for White Collar.

The challenge starts off and Will is terrible. Rodney isn’t doing a great job either.

The Blues are the first ones to the ball maze, White Collar is right behind them. Joaquin gets the first ball in, he’s followed by Joe. Then Mike gets one in.

Carolyn gets White Collars second ball, Jenn sinks one for the No Collars, while Sierra hits Blue Collar’s second.

It’s down to Kelly, Hali, and Max.

Hali gets the third ball in and wins immunity. Kelly gets really close, but she loses her balance. Rodney takes her place.

Max lands the third ball to win it for the White Collars. KOOL-AID MAN! OH YEAH!

As we head to commercial, Sierra lets us know that she wants Rodney gone. Oh…didn’t see that coming.

Back at camp, Lindsey says that no matter what, she’s really happy that she ended up on a mat with them on day one. That’s kinda sweet.

Dan and Lindsey head out to talk strategy and she wants Rodney gone too. Dan says he’s going to listen like a woman, which apparently means emphasizing. He agrees with her.

He also says he’s smarter than he looks. I don’t know what to do with that.

Later on, it seems to be Dan, Rodney, Kelly, and Mike as a solid foursome. How’d that happen?

Rodney compares himself to Tom Brady, which is a cool comparison because they cheated in that first challenge.

That night at Tribal, Dan says that Sierra and Lindsey are super close.

Rodney admits that he doesn’t get along with Lindsey because they’re like chicken parm and tuna fish. She says “potato” and he says “(Expletive Deleted).”

Lindsey thinks Rodney has no morals.

Sierra thinks Rodney is vulgar and demeaning.

Kelly wants Rodney to shut up sometimes.

Rodney says he loves his mother and she thinks he’s a sweetheart. He also thinks women should be held to a higher standard and respect themselves.

Rodney had better hope his mom makes the jury.

Lindsey still thinks a Blue Collar is going to win the game. Mike finds that very inspiring. Well yeah, he’s a Blue Collar.

Voting Time: No votes are shown. Uh oh…

JPro tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Rodney, one vote for Lindsey, one vote for Rodney, one vote for Lindsey, one vote for Ciara (?!), and the final vote is for Sierra. Three-way tie!

Voting Time Part Deux: No votes are shown.

Jeff tallies again. We’ve got one vote for Lindsey and the fourth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Lindsey.

In other news, my pre-game rankings always suck. There goes my pick…

Back at camp, Sierra is not pleased. Mike tries to make nice and calmly tells her why they split the vote.

Dan takes another approach by sitting her down and telling her all of the terrible things she’s done during challenges.

Challenges they won, by the way.

Reward Challenge Time: Psych…we’re swapping.

Buffs are dropped and it’ll be just Escameca and Nagarote from now on.

Probst hands new buffs out and we’ve got Joe, Dan, Sierra, Tyler, Joaquin, Mike, and Rodney wearing blue and Shirin, Carolyn, Jenn, Hali, Will, Max, and Kelly wearing red.

That’s…not…even…

Reward Challenge Time: A player from each tribe will launch balls into the air, first tribe to catch five balls wins kitchen supplies. They’ll also win the White Collar tribe’s previous rewards.

Round One:  Max catches one, Joe catches the other.

Round Two: Joe snags one, Tyler gets the other.

Round Three: Joaquin lands one, the other falls to the ground.

Round Four: Will gets the first one, but Mike gets the other one to win reward.

So, all tall dudes were catching the balls. Great.

At Nagarote beach, Hali wants to get Kelly on their side immediately, but that’s not a very No Collar way to be. Dude, no more collars.

Shirin wants Kelly on her side too and it seems like Kelly is into it.

At Escameca, Mike is psyched that the former Blue Collars have a majority. Yeah, until Dan tore  Sierra apart last night.

When Sierra gets a minute alone with Joaquin, Tyler, and Joe, she tells them that she hates her former tribe.  Tyler smartly sees this as an opportunity.

Mike begs Dan to apologize to Sierra. Dan agrees and then does a terrible job. In fact, Sierra might be madder now.

Back at Nagarote, Shirin is singing the National Anthem for some reason. Then she whistles. Then she talks about poop.

Jenn does not love this.

Ooo…then Max gets stung by a sting ray. Good thing he was clothed. Jenn knows exactly what to do, putting his foot in a pot of boiling water. After a while, we learn that Max has a plantar wart on his foot.

Hali does not love this.

So, wait…you don’t want a contagious wart in the pot that boils your drinking water?

Heh…boiling warter.

Also, Carolyn is getting sick of Shirin and Max. Man, they were so close after that first Tribal.

Immunity Challenge Time: Two members from each tribe will drag pots on a sled through obstacles. Then they’ll put the pots on pedestals. Finally, a tribe member will use a wrecking ball to smash the pots. First tribe to destroy their pots wins immunity.

We start off and Escameca jumps out to an early lead…and a middle lead…and a late lead…

Dan smashes all of the pots looong before Nagarote even gets to swing a wrecking ball.

Sooo…can we just merge next week?

Back at Nagarote, Max is excited to start playing the game. Famous last words?

Jenn and Hali want to boot Shirin. They’re sure that Will is still on their side.

Max, Shirin, and Kelly want to target Will because he’s bad at challenges.

However, Carolyn doesn’t think Kelly is the only swing vote. She approaches Jenn with the idea of flipping.

Oh man, now Kelly’s having second thoughts because the No Collars are so tight and Carolyn isn’t tight with Max and Shirin.

Jenn thinks they should vote for whoever is the most annoying. Haha, you can’t vote for me.

That night at Tribal, Shirin thinks everyone gelled really quickly. Then she laughs because Probst is making a face. Dude, back up, that face has fourteen Emmys.

Max points out that the swap was a disaster. He compares it to “One World,” because of course he does.

Jenn laughs at him for his “Survivor” recall. But, Max is proud of his knowledge.

Max says he has to force himself to relax. This bothers Will because he thinks it’s a strategy.

Hali believes the vote will make camp life better.

Shirin and Will think it’ll be a blindside.

Voting Time: Shirin votes for Will, Jenn votes for someone she wants to stop talking, and the rest of the votes aren’t shown.

Probst tallies and returns for the third time tonight. He puts the “pro” in Probst.

Jeff asks if anyone wants to play an idol. Max pretends like he’s going to, but doesn’t.

We’ve got two votes Will, three votes Max, and the fifth person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Max.

Verdict: I’m not a fan of swaps. Especially when they end up as lop-sided as that one. And double especially when it was an even season and all three tribes had been to Tribal.

Here’s hoping we don’t end up with an Escameca sweep until the merge.

Who’s Going to Win? Well…with Lindsey gone…and the No Collars all safe…maybe…Jenn?

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Lindsey in spot seven. Reed and I had her in spot nine. Reed has Max in spot four while Josh and I had Max in spot five. The current score is Team Josh 37, Team Reed 40, and Team Gordon 44.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Dan showed he had a lot of guts, Vince was sent back to his coconuts, and Shirin and Max exposed their rears.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes as they currently stand…

The Masaya Tribe (wearing yellow)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Joaquin – Marketing Director, 27
Max – Media Consultant, 37
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Lindsey – Hair Dresser, 24
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Nina – Hearing Advocate, 51
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

Aaaaand…we’re off. We begin with the No Collars making their way back from Tribal. Joe doesn’t understand why Will didn’t stick to the plan and now he doesn’t trust him anymore. Will plays it off saying he didn’t know who to trust. Oh boy, that’s not what your alliance wants to hear.

Will then claims to be playing chess while the others playing checkers. Yeah, you’ll have plenty of time for both at Ponderosa.

Nina, who knows she’s next, asks that they not make her an outcast.  Jenn is sick of Nina using her lack of hearing as an excuse. Be less deaf, Nina!

The next morning we meet up with Shirin while she’s talking to some monkeys. The monkeys respond by totally doing it. So, Shirin’s voice is a monkey aphrodisiac?

She shares the events with the rest of the tribe and they’re not terribly impressed. Tyler thinks Shirin is trying too hard to fit in and it’s painting a target on her back. Maybe someone’s just jealous that he missed all that sweet monkey lovin’.

Over at Blue Collar, Lindsey is psyched that they finally have water that tastes like water. Ooo…I’ve got to get that recipe.

During what seemed like some good-natured ribbing, Dan tells Rodney that his mother is a (expletive deleted). This does not go over well with Rodney.

Then someone named Kelly said something.

Over at No Collar, Jenn and Hali fashion some rudimentary boogie boards and go surfing. Hali claims surfing is her third favorite thing. She didn’t say what the first two are. I’m assuming crazy fringe bikinis are one of them.

Meanwhile, Joe takes Nina aside and expresses to her that she’s wanted by the tribe and not on the outs. He tells us that he knows sign language because apparently he’s freakin’ perfect.

Nina realizes she needs to change or she’s going to go home.

Later on, every White Collar except for Carolyn is looking for the idol. That’s…not…subtle.

Shirin tries to call an idol-hunting truce until after the challenge. But, Joaquin won’t go for it because he hasn’t trusted her since day one.

Joaquin eventually takes Tyler aside and shows him the clue. This means a lot to Tyler because it means Joaquin trusts him.

Tyler then says that the nudity and talking to monkeys has Shirin on the top of everyone’s voting list. You wanna vote someone out who can communicate with monkeys?!

At Blue Collar, Mike is annoyed with his tribe’s work ethic. He calls Rodney out in particular. Rodney lets Mike know that he isn’t his father or the tribe captain. Dan takes Rodney aside and calms him down. I thought Dan would be first out, but he looks to be turning it around.

Rodney is worried that he’s breaking his three Cs of staying “Cool, calm, and collected.” I would’ve bet money that one of those Cs was “Celtics.”

Rodney gets a huge armload of wood and chucks it at the pile.  While this is going on Mike, Lindsey, and Sierra discuss who’s thanking who around the camp.

Things get reaalllllly ugly when Lindsey asks Mike who’s keeping the fire going, “Your God?!” I didn’t expect theological debates from the Blue Collars.

Immunity Challenge Time: The tribes will carry a big bucket to a water tower. They’ll fill it then race back to a barrel while plugging holes in the bucket. First two tribes to fill their barrel wins immunity. The first place tribe will win chairs, pillows, candles, and a tarp. The second tribe will win a tarp. The losing tribe will get a date with Jeff at Tribal.

Lindsey will sit for the Blue Collars.

The challenge kicks off and the No Collars have a curious strategy where only four of them will carry the bucket. For some reason they send Nina ahead. I’m not sure I understand what they’re doing. Probst doesn’t either. I guess they think she’ll get in the way?

Anywho, the White and Blue Collars dominate with the Blue Collars picking up first and the White Collars getting second.

So weird…and Will is zonked.

Joe eventually says the plan was for Nina to plug holes later in the challenge. Wha-huh?

Back at camp, Joe takes full responsibility for his bizarre strategy. Nina is upset because she thinks he made the call because he didn’t think she could do it.

Will tries to make him feel better by saying they’re playing “Survivor” and not “Friends.” More things not to say to people you’re aligned with.

Backup Joke: If they were playing “Friends” then Jenn would totally be Phoebe.

Jenn thinks that Hali and Will suck equally in the challenges, but they think that Will is playing harder and they don’t trust him.

That night at Tribal, Joe says that he was worried about Nina stumbling, so he sent her ahead in the challenge.

Nina thinks they have no faith in her due to her disadvantage.

Probst points out that hearing had nothing to do with the challenge.

Will says that no matter how many times they try to cheer her up, she always brings up the disability.

Joe makes a good point saying she’s misunderstanding them as much as she feels misunderstood.

Will thinks he was fine in the challenge and it was a team loss.

Nina says they’d be crazy to keep Will because of how bad he is in challenges.

Jenn is worried that Nina has too many emotional outbursts.

Hali isn’t sure if Nina is living the No Collar lifestyle, man. She thinks Nina needs to be more No Collar if she’s going to fit in, bro.

Nina knows she can do it and wants to be a part of the tribe.

Voting Time: Nina votes for Will, Will votes for Nina, and the rest are lost to the magic of editing.

JPro tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Nina, two votes for Will, one vote for Nina, and the third person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Nina.

Verdict: Not shocking. But, I’ll have to admit I thought it was going to be Will there for a second.

Alright, time for Blue Collar to go to Tribal.  I wanna see Rodney throw down.

Who’s Going to Win? Lindsey is my pick, but that blow up in front of Mike has me nervous.

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Nina in spot 15, Reed had her in spot 14, and I had her in spot 16. So, the current score is Team Josh 25, Team Reed 27, and Team Gordon 30.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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Last Week: Carolyn snagged an idol, like you’d take a hat off a rack, Sierra didn’t approve of the size of Dan’s sack, and So went to Nicaragua twice and each time was sent back.

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes as they currently stand…

The Masaya Tribe (wearing yellow)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Joaquin – Marketing Director, 27
Max – Media Consultant, 37
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Lindsey – Hair Dresser, 24
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Nina – Hearing Advocate, 51
Vince – Coconut Vendor, 32
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

Things kick off over at the Blue Collar Bar and Grille where Dan has somehow lost his tiny undies in the ocean. No worries though, he made a new pair out of a shirt. He’s like an underwear MacGyver.

Lindsey thinks the underwear stunt is all a ploy to get back into the tribe’s good graces. So, Dan loses his undies and it’s strategy, but when I do it I’m a creep.

Later on, the White Collars are finally able to create fire. Max takes the opportunity to relax, strip off his shorts, and go skinny dipping. He claims to be honoring Richard Hatch, but the most recent player to lose their undies is technically Dan.

Backup Joke: Now that they have fire, let’s hope he doesn’t feel the need to honor Mike Skupin.

Everyone finds this amusing, except for Shirin who finds it inspiring. She drops her undies and shows everyone her Yahoo.

Over at the No Collar Commune, Hali’s trying to make friends with Nina, but Nina is having trouble hearing her.

Later, Hali and Jenn go skinny dipping themselves and Nina is upset that she wasn’t invited. This is like the nakedest episode ever.

Nina calls them out on excluding her and things get really emotional and uncomfortable. Will tries to cheer her up, but it’s obvious to him that there’s a target on her back.

Back at Blue Collar, everyone is playing a fun basketball game they invented…everyone except for Mike. He’s annoyed because there’s work to be done. C’mon people, those scorpions aren’t going to eat themselves.

At No Collar, Vince confronts Joe about their shelter tiff from last week. Boys, you’re both pretty. It looks like the lines are breaking Vince, Nina, and Will vs. Joe, Hali, and Jenn.

Immunity Challenge Time: A player from each team will navigate a ball through a series of obstacles. Once they get to the end, the next person will transport another ball. Once all five balls have been brought to the end, they’ll shoot them into a goal basketball-style. First tribe to sink all five shots wins immunity and fishing gear. The second team wins immunity, fishing line, lures, and a spear. The third tribe wins self doubt.

Kelly will sit for Blue Collar while Nina will sit for the No Collars. Probst thinks it’s odd that Dan is going to play, but Dan promises to prove his worth to his tribe.

The Survivors are ready and they go. Impressively, Dan manages to best both Vince and Tyler in the first round. Way to be, Danny.

The rest of the relay portion is pretty even until Will gets stuck in an obstacle and costs his tribe a ton of time.

The White Collars are the first to reach the final platform and start shooting. They sink their first shot right as the Blues join them.

The No Collars finally make it to the platform, but Joaquin is on fire. He hits the shots and gives the White Collars the win. Sierra’s right behind them, racking up all five baskets in quick succession.

See Mike, and you thought camp basketball was a waste of time.

Over at the No Collar camp, Hali points out that they’re going to have to make a decision and that isn’t a No Collar trait. Just be people. Be a person. You’re not a collar. Or a lack of a collar.

My head hurts.

Anywho…Vince thinks that Will is a target because he was too exhausted during the challenge, but it might be a good chance to blindside Joe.  You know, their best challenge competitor.

Meanwhile, Jenn pitches the idea of getting rid of Vince to Joe and Will. Joe seems into it, but he’s worried about Nina being the weakest link. They decide to split the vote between Vince and Nina and then vote out Nina if nobody plays an idol.

Later, Will lets us know that he doesn’t want to get rid of Nina and the vote splitting is their opportunity to flip the game. Wow…did not expect that level of strategy from a non-fan.

Vince kinda wants to keep Joe around because of his challenge strength. So, it looks like they’re going to target Jenn.

NOOOOOOO!

Oh wait, Nina tells Will that Vince is worried about Will’s health. This upsets Will.

So many twists. Like forty in five minutes.

That night at Tribal, fire still represents life.

Nina feels left out because she’s an older person and because of her hearing disability.

Jenn thinks it’s a game and she should deal with it.

Vince thinks he’s right in the middle. He also thinks he’s the glue that keeps the tribe together. But like a really safe organic glue made from ox tears.

Joe thinks the person who needs to go home will go home. Buh…

Jenn admits that her and Hali are bros. But, winning challenges is her top priority.

Will thinks she’s talking about him because water is a “black man’s kryptonite.”

Jenn thinks she could be on the chopping block, but she’s psyched to be at Tribal Council.

Voting Time: Nina votes for Jenn, Hali votes for Vince, Joe votes for Nina, and the rest are sooper secret.

Oh boy, the kids went for the split.

JPro tallies and returns. We’ve got one vote for Jenn, one vote for Vince, one vote for Nina, one vote for Jenn, one vote for Vince, and the second person to be eliminated from “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…Vince.

Whaaaaaaat?!

Verdict: Well, I certainly didn’t see that coming. When I was on location, it looked like Vince and Hali were buddying up.

As for this season…more! Bring me more!

Who’s Going to Win? Lindsey FTW.

Power Rankings Results: Josh had Vince in spot 10, Reed had him in spot 13, and I had him in spot 14. So, the current score is Team Josh 10, Team Reed 13, and Team Gordon 14. That second sentence felt really redundant.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

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I didn’t give “Survivor” host Jeff Probst a second to breathe after So was sent home. I stormed the Tribal Council set to get his thoughts on the season’s hot start, So and Joaquin’s questionable lie, and what he thinks will happen next…

Gordon Holmes: How are you feeling?
Jeff Probst: I’m feeling about as good as you can feel given that my life is already pretty (expletive deleted) good.
Holmes: I have written in my notes “Happy Probst.”
Probst: Yeah, I’m pretty happy. We’re on day three and I’ve been saying this since twenty minutes into day one, I think this is going to be an incredible season. How do I know that? I have no idea. But, if the first twenty minutes, first challenge, and first Tribal are any indication, we’re in good shape.

Watch the Season Premiere of “Survivor: Worlds Apart”

Holmes: Let’s talk about that first challenge; you’ve got the free spirits getting it done, the Blue Collars following their lead, and the White Collars failing.
Probst: I was initially surprised that the White Collars picked what most people would say is the easiest puzzle. But then, I realized, that probably makes sense because the White Collars do get the knock of making conservative, safe choices. From afar, I would think you have the biggest brain power out here, why not take a chance on the five piece and see. Spend two minutes on it, then switch. I think they made a tactical error and are afraid to admit it.
Holmes: I consider myself White Collar, any my plan was if I had a lead, I’d go with the 50 because I’d have time to barrel through it. I thought it’d just be a put-the-numbers-in-order puzzle.
Probst: That’s exactly what they thought. You were right in sync with them.

Holmes: Tyler seems like he’s the conscience of this tribe. They treat him almost like he’s an innocent. Everyone seemed like they were yielding to him and trying to make him happy.
Probst: Surprised me. Not only have I never seen anything like that this soon in the game, I had Tyler completely wrong. I thought Tyler would be trying to get in with everybody else. I was completely off on him. Whatever he’s doing is working.  They see him as some kind of moral compass. Maybe that’ll last another day, another 36 days. Who knows? He’s definitely one of the surprises. And it makes me happy because I’ve wanted him to be on the show for a while. He’s been through casting many times.

Holmes: As a producer, would you ever let someone make a neutral choice like So and Joaquin dreamed up?
Probst: I didn’t know about that until tonight. So, when I heard that they added their own element, I thought it was a pretty terrible lie.
Holmes: You guys don’t have twists so people can take the middle road.
Probst: That was their mistake. They didn’t go with a lie that made sense. But, I did feel for them because I think a lot of people would choose to deceive. Like Max said, I wouldn’t hold it against you.I don’t think So got voted out for choosing to deceive. I think she was voted out because she’s a pain in the ass.
Holmes: It seemed like she was rubbing people the wrong way when we visited the tribe camp.

Holmes: A lot of people had high hopes for So going into this season.
Probst: I think So herself is extremely disappointed right now. She’s looking for somebody to blame. I was surprised how things went with So, I thought she was going to be a very sharp firecracker out here. And I think she is in life, it just brings up one of the truths about “Survivor”; you make your play and it works or it doesn’t. She might come out again and play differently. The only thing I saw from So at Tribal that concerned me was that she never changed her approach. The entire night she kept defending. I don’t think there’s enough nuance in that for her to ever have a shot.
Holmes: I think the second Max admitted that he was lying to her that she should’ve gone into hyper scramble mode.
Probst: Yeah, she was trying to say there’s more to me than meets the eye. But, there are sometimes you just can’t change the vote.

Holmes: It’s such an impressive cast, that you can’t get too upset when one of your favorites goes home.
Probst: The way I would say it is; you can’t get disappointed when somebody good goes home, because somebody good is going to go home every week. We have the luxury of having seventeen other good people out there. So, I’m not going to be disappointed at all.
Holmes: No disappointment that the obvious “So Long” vote wasn’t made?
Probst: Somebody said, “So Much Drama,” that was good.
Holmes: That was Shirin.
Probst: OK, yeah, “So Long” would’ve been a great one. But, you’re a writer. You’d be good out here…for the writing part of it. Let’s be clear.
Holmes: Yes, the looks part and the challenge part would be a disaster.
Probst:  (Laughs) I didn’t say anything about looks!
Holmes: I told you, I’m not young enough to be a young good looking guy or old enough to be an old cranky guy…
Probst:  But didn’t you kick Parvati’s ass?
Holmes: That I did. But, she’s sick of hearing about it.  I’m not sick of talking about it.
Probst: I was just saying that I was there, you faced Parvati, and you defeated her.
Holmes: She had a significant lead, too.
Probst: You kicked her ass. But, you just said you weren’t good at challenges.
Holmes: People who brag about challenges don’t last long, Jeff. You know that.
Probst: Got it. Understood.

Holmes: Alright, who’s going home next?
Probst: No prediction. I don’t even know what we’re doing tomorrow.
Holmes: Is White Collar coming back to Tribal without So?
Probst: I’m thinking what the next challenge is…
Holmes: I believe it’s the water basketball challenge.
Probst: Oh yeah. I’m going to say that White Collar is going to lose again.
Holmes: Who gets voted out?
Probst:  I think Joaquin needs to scramble fast. He’s got to work. And he’s at a disadvantage because he doesn’t know the game as well as other people. And at Tribal, he doesn’t speak so well for himself. I could barely hear him.
Holmes: He’s learning on the job.
Probst: If he can pick up the speed he’ll be OK. He’s a sharp guy. If I was him I’d go after Shirin, I’d leave Carolyn alone. But, at the end of Tribal, Max, Carolyn, and Shirin were all holding hands. So, who knows?

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes

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 Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@gordonholmes) for up-to-the-minute news and info.

Another Quick Note: I was on hand for the filming of this first episode, so be on the lookout for special Behind-the-Scenes Tidbits from my time in the Nicaragua.

And…we’re off!

The season kicks off with a trio of brightly colored trucks making their way through the Nicaraguan wilderness. The first truck, which is yellow, features a sextet of White Collar workers.

First we meet So, who claims to be the devil. Oh my goodness, Jeff Probst was calling her “vampire” and “she-devil” in all of our pregame interviews. He tried to warn us!

Then, Max’s beard tells us that he has no problem stepping on people to get what he wants. Well, good luck stepping on people without feet, Max’s beard.

Next up, we meet the hardworking Blue Collar tribe. Mike, an oil worker, says that you can’t win unless you get your hands dirty. He proves his point by showing us his dirty hands. So basically he’s already half way there.

Lindsey then claims that there is nobody on this Earth who is as mentally strong as she is. There’s a strong head/face tattoo joke in there. I’ll figure it out and get back to you.

To round out the tribe, Dan claims that we will not forget him. Well, I remember Wanda from Palau too…

Driving in last, cause they can’t be bothered to like…care…man…is the No Collar tribe.

Jenn starts off by telling us that she flies by the seat of her pants…while she’s wearing shorts! The lying already starts!

Hali is a law student, but she’s not an evil lawyer. I always thought “evil lawyer” was redundant.

And Vince says some stuff that text couldn’t do justice to. You’ve got to feel it.

Finally, a handsome guy in an orange baseball cap says something about…

39 Days, 18 People, 1 “Survivor” Blog…

Let’s take a look at these tribes…

The Masaya Tribe (wearing yellow)
Carolyn – Corporate Executive, 52
Joaquin – Marketing Director, 27
Max – Media Consultant, 37
Shirin – Yahoo Executive, 31
So – Retail Buyer, 31
Tyler – Ex-Talent Agent Assistant, 33

The Escameca Tribe (wearing blue)
Dan – Postal Worker, 47
Kelly – State Trooper, 44
Lindsey – Hair Dresser, 24
Mike – Oil Driller, 38
Rodney – General Contractor, 24
Sierra – Barrel Racer, 27

The Nagarote Tribe (wearing red)
Hali – Law Student, 25
Jenn – Sailing Instructor, 22
Joe – Jewelry Designer, 25
Nina – Hearing Advocate, 51
Vince – Coconut Vendor, 32
Will – YouTube Sensation, 41

The three trucks eventually pull into a clearing and everyone piles out.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: It was pouring down rain until it was time to shoot this. Mark Burnett must have some kind of evil weather machine somewhere.

Probst greets the three tribes and tells them they’ve been divided by career and approach to life. I like to think at this moment Vince thought he was surrounded by coconut vendors.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: The White Collars were very reluctant to say what they did for a living.

Dan agrees with Jeff’s assessment, saying that this country was built by Blue Collar blood, sweat, and tears. Rodney thinks he’s in the right tribe because he moves the office furniture that the White Collars sit on all day.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Will had a great line saying he works with White Collars and Blue Collars all the time because he’s a bartender and they all like alcohol.

Carolyn thinks the other tribes are giving the White Collars a bad rap. She thinks they work just as hard. Joaquin makes a good point, saying his 9-to-5 doesn’t define him.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Max didn’t like that Probst seemed to be using “White Collar” as a derogatory term.

Next up, the tribes have to pick one person to represent them. Max has seen too much “Survivor” to step forward. Joaquin, who has watched  next to no “Survivor,” is chosen.

The Blues choose Dan, while the No Collars are taking their time making the call. Max puts down his caviar to joke that a White Collar would make that decision faster.

The No Collars finally decide on Will. Jenn says they chose him because he promised them sandwiches. Probst calls him on this claim, but Will insists that he has a way to make sandwiches.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Will’s assertion that he could make sandwiches went on for a long time. At one point he claimed that he could make flour from the ocean.

For the second half of the twist, each of the chosen three will have to pick a partner. Dan picks Mike, Joaquin picks So, and Will picks Jenn.

When the tribes get to camp, the chosen pairs will have to make a decision for their tribe.

At No Collar beach, Nina tells everyone about her Cochlear implants. Nobody seems that concerned about it.

Jenn and Will head off to make their pairs decision. It turns out that they have a choice between a small bag of beans and an idol clue (Deceive) or just a big bag of beans (Honest). They decide to be honest and take the big bag.

At Blue Collar bar and grill, Dan and Mike think it’s too early to be villains and they decide to be honest too. When they return with the big bag of beans, Sierra does not buy it. She thinks they took the small bag. Well, Sierra is like 6’1”, so all bags of beans look small to her.

At White Collar Inc., they decide to hold a board meeting before getting down to work.

When So and Joaquin go to make their decision, they decide to take the clue. So comes up with the idea of telling the tribe that there were three choices, “Deceive,” “Honest,” and “Neutral.” She claims they picked “Neutral” because it seemed like the safe choice.

Carolyn doesn’t buy it. She thinks they have the clue, but she’d do the same thing.

Shirin thinks they’re lying because there’s no way the producers would give a “Neutral”  choice. Smart.

Later, Shirin and Carolyn align over a hug. Adorable. It looks like Max is in too.

Over at Blue Collar, the hard-working, salt-of-the-Earth tribe is making fire. Lindsey is also showing off her many, many tattoos. Rodney likes that because it’s something they can bond over. Rodney tells Lindsey the story about his sister passing away to get her on his side. And it seems to work.

Meanwhile, Mike decides to eat a scorpion. Yup. This makes Mike really sick. Shocking, right?

At Casa de No Collar, Jenn tells Vince that she used to wear feathers in her hair. Apparently that’s enough for the two of them to form an alliance. He’s way into it, but she seems to be leading him on a bit.

Later, Joe and Vince butt heads over how to build the shelter. Guys, butting heads is such a Collar thing to do.

Apparently shelter building is today’s hot-button issue as the Blue Collars are arguing over it too. Dan’s not super subtle with his emotions as he tells the others their building ideas are “stupid.” However, he refuses to make a decision.

Rodney’s already sick of Dan, he tells Kelly, Lindsey, and Sierra that they need to get rid of “Harry Potter’s Grandfather.” Um…did Harry Potter have a grandfather? I’d bet Malcolm knows.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: When I visited the Blue Collar camp, Dan was singing, “All by Myself” in the shelter.

Back at the No Collar tribe, Joe makes fire without flint. Jenn is very impressed by that. Me too. However, Vince is not thrilled that his feather buddy is getting so close to Joe.

Vince takes Jenn aside and asks if she’s attracted to Joe. She claims she isn’t. But does she like him, like him? When it’s all over, Vince gives her a looooong hug to show that they’re still bros. A long, smelly hug.

At White Collar Headquarters, So puts together an action plan for fixing their terrible shelter. Meanwhile, Tyler and Joaquin are failing at making a fire. Joaquin wonders who knew it was so hard to make a fire. Well, people who watch the show, for starters…

Later on, So goes on a little idol-hunting trip. Carolyn catches her doing this and manages to find it herself. Go Carolyn. Yeah baby!

Immunity Challenge Time: All three tribes will start the challenge on a high platform. They’ll run down the platform  and into a pile of hay. From there they’ll high step through an obstacle. They’ll then have to choose between unlocking or untying a ladder. They’ll use the ladder to go up, across, and down a platform. They’ll then use the ladder to retrieve a 5-piece, 10-piece, or 50-piece puzzle. First tribe to complete their puzzle wins immunity and a fire-making kit. The second place tribe wins immunity and flint. Last place tribe has a date with Probst at Tribal.

The Survivors are ready, and they go. With three tribes, it’s hard to call the action, but know that Lindsey really smacked her head on the high-step obstacle. Both tribes try the locks, but So, Joe, and Mike eventually tag in and go for the knots.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbits: The Dream Team assured me that the locks were waaaay faster than the knots.

So blows through the knots, with Joe and the No Collars right behind them. Mike is way behind. (I feel you, Mike.)

The No Collars pass the White Collars during the table maze portion. No Collar goes for the 10-piece puzzle while the White Collars go for the 50-piece.

The Blues eventually catch up and go with the 10-piece puzzle.

Jenn starts the tree-shaped puzzle, but she eventually tags out to Joe who killllls it and wins immunity for the No Collars.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: This wasn’t an editing trick, Joe destroyed that puzzle.

Shirin is having serious trouble with the 50-piece puzzle, she swaps with Max. Sierra starts for Blue Collar, but Mike tags in and flies through the puzzle and wins it.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit:  Mike was totally copying off of the No Collar puzzle. In fact, when it was over he turned to the No Collars and said, “Thanks for the help.” The White Collars were not happy about this.

When it’s all said and done, Shirin thinks she’s in big trouble…and So agrees with her.

Back at White Collar International, the politicking seems to be Carolyn vs. Shirin. So thinks Shirin blew the challenge, but at least she tried while Carolyn didn’t.

Joaquin is cool with sending Carolyn home.

Later, So and Joaquin both tell Carolyn that her name hasn’t been brought up.

Tyler tells Carolyn that she’s in trouble. He then asks her what she knows about idols. She says she knows So and Joaquin don’t have it, because she does. She wants to target So.

She takes this plan to Max and Shirin and they’re on board. They approach Tyler, but he seems to be on the fence.

That night at Tribal Council, fire totally equals life.

Shirin wastes no time calling out Soquin for their “Neutral” lie.

Max isn’t angry at them for lying. He’s annoyed that they lied so poorly.

So thinks the four of them are really strong. Probst jumps right on that.

Joaquin claims it’s him, Tyler, Max, and So.

Carolyn knows she’s a target, but she knows Max and Shirin are with her.

So tells Carolyn that she’s the weakest link and they’re voting for her.

Carolyn doesn’t think she’s the weakest because So only opened a few knots.

Tyler is worried that they’ll be weak for the next challenge.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Nobody wanted to play the game too hard in front of Tyler. At one point Max even said, “Tyler is above the game.” It was almost like he was too innocent for the politics.

Another Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: So told everyone about Max’s “Survivor” course, but nobody seemed to care.

Max is psyched to be at a rainy, dramatic, first Tribal Council.

Voting Time: Carolyn votes for So, So votes for Carolyn, and the rest of the votes are secret.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Max voted like he was giving some kind of corporate downsizing announcement. It was funny, but long.

Probst tallies and returns. Carolyn does not play her idol. We’ve got one vote for Carolyn, one vote for So, one vote for “Cherilyn,” two votes for So, and the first person voted out of “Survivor: Worlds Apart” is…So.

Behind-the-Scenes Tidbit: Probst had to stop reading the votes to get confirmation from Joaquin that his “Cherilyn” vote was for Carolyn and not Shirin.

Verdict: Man, a lot of good Tribal stuff ended on the cutting-room floor. Shirin was on fire. Booo…release a director’s cut!

Anywho, I’ve been sitting waiting for chapter two of this story for months. I can’t wait for next week.

Who’s Going to Win?: I’m sticking with Lindsey. Looks like she has a solid Blue Collar group.

Any Questions? Drop me a line on Twitter: @gordonholmes