SURVIVOR RECAP
EPISODE 2
Since Cuz is busy with his family, I'll try to step into his shoes for a little bit, with these little size 7 feet.
Airai Tribe (Fans - Orange Buffs):
Alexis, Chet, Erik, Jason, Joel, Kathy, Mikey B., Natalie, Tracy
Malakal Tribe (Favorites - Purple Buffs):
Amanda, Ami, Cirie, Eliza, James, Jonathan, Ozzy, Parvati, Yau-Man
Losers:
Jonny Failplay, Mary
Blindsided! Nice! Now that's how you vote somebody out! Mary and her two friends depart from the game
On Day 6, the Airai tribe of Fans faced Tribal Council for the first time. Airai's plan of ridding the tribe of the weakest member, Chet, seemed set in stone, but in the final hours before Tribal Council, Joel stirred the pot. Threatened by Mikey's scheming, Joel had convinced the tribe to undercut his competition by voting out Mary, Mikey's closest ally. Shocked at receiving six votes against her, Mary Sartain, the 29 year-old Real Estate Manager from Emeryville, California, left us with her final words: "I have no idea what happened. I'm just totally blindsided. Not even a clue that I was going to be going home tonight. Maybe they saw me getting too close to some individuals and making friends with others. I'm definitely rooting for the Fans. They're all very strong individuals and one of the Fans will definitely win this Survivor."
The Bright Side
The Malakal Favorites head back to camp in the dead of night. Making their way along the beach, Ozzy reaches down and plucks a fish from the water with his bare hands. Malakal excitedly fries the fish over red-hot embers, and Ozzy rejoices in their good fortune: "Yes, guys, we lost Fairplay, but we did gain a fish. Maybe that's a good omen." With the delicious midnight snack, the Favorites grow determined to make a new start and beat the Fans. "Everybody knows that if we can continue to do what we're doing, we should be able to win," explains Jonathan. "We're just feeling confident that we can go in there and beat these guys at almost any challenge."
The Outsiders
Having won flint at the previous Reward/Immunity Challenge, the Fans eagerly attempt to make a fire, but quickly discover it's harder than it looks. As hours pass, the flint begins to wear down, and Airai is no closer to having fire than when they began. Anger flares, though, as Kathy, fed up with the effort put towards the fire, wants the tribe to work on a shelter instead, sending Joel into a rage: "Kathy, if you want someplace to sleep, do something!" Feeling unwelcome, isolated and outcast from the rest of the tribe, Kathy, Chet, and Tracy, build their own shelter away from the others. "Tracy, Chet and myself have pretty much been shunned by the other people," says a frustrated and teary Kathy. "You can't fight seven against three."
Couples' Alliance
At Malakal, with the daily chores completed, the tribe possesses an abundance of time for extra-curricular activities. Love blooms as Amanda and Ozzy cut open a clam and giggle together like teenagers. Meanwhile, Parvati and James flirt on the beach in full view of the rest of the tribe. Regarding the four lovebirds, Amanda says: "It's kind of like a couple-y alliance, but we have to be really careful because I don?t want it to screw up my game."
A Tale of Two Shelters
At Airai, the snubbed threesome of Kathy, Chet, and Tracy put the finishing touches on their shelter. The other seven members of the tribe are so impressed with the craftsmanship that they ask Tracy for advice on how to fix their own shelter. "I think I've earned a little bit of respect from [the other seven people]," sighs a content Tracy. With two sturdy shelters erected, Mikey and Alexis return to the task of fire and finally get a raging inferno going. The tribe's spirits lift and they cook up a celebratory meal of clams. "The whole dynamic of the tribe just completely turned around. We're much more unified as a tribe," exclaims Mary, excited about the fire, shelter and nourishment. As Mikey flirts with Mary on the beach, Joel watches them closely, suspicious of their tight bond. "Obviously, I'm going to keep my eyes on them," Joel discloses. "But my priority right now is to keep my tribe strong. So I think the three outsiders, Tracy Chet, and Kathy, will be out of here as soon as possible."
Sounds of Jungle Love
Under the cover of night, Amanda and Ozzy give in to their lusty desires in a steamy make-out session, as the rest of the tribe sleeps beside them. Their amorous efforts awake Cirie and Jonathan, who commiserate by the fire. "The four of [Amanda and Ozzy, and Parvati and James] together poses a problem," confides Cirie. "I don't know how, just yet, to dismantle that foursome, but I'm gonna try." Needing a fifth to lock in his alliance with Yau-Man, Eliza, Ami and himself, Jonathan offers Cirie a place in the alliance and she happily agrees to give it serious consideration.
Reward/Immunity Challenge: Smash and Grab
The tribes reconvene at the combination Reward and Immunity challenge, where Jeff Probst explains that they will be competing for fishing gear, a bamboo fishing boat and Immunity. Each tribe will select five swimmers, three puzzle-makers, and one key-master. First, the swimmers will race out, one-by-one, to a floating tower, climb to the top, and jump off while smashing a suspended tile, releasing a key into the water below. The swimmer must dive down, retrieve the key, and bring it back to shore. Once all five keys are collected, the key-master will open a series of locks on a chest containing puzzle-pieces. The puzzle-makers will use the puzzle-pieces to assemble a map of Micronesia. The first tribe to solve the puzzle wins Immunity and is safe from Tribal Council. The winning tribe will also select one person from the losing tribe to go to Exile Island, where he or she will have the chance to discover a Hidden Immunity Idol.
Ozzy, the first swimmer for the Favorites, makes quick work of the watercourse. He retrieves his key and returns to shore well before the Fans' first contender, Jason. Chet takes to the course for the Fans, but he loses sight of his key underwater and spends precious minutes searching for it, giving the Favorites a huge lead. As Chet flounders in the water, Joel screams at him to get off the course, and Jason is forced to retrieve Chet?s key lost somewhere in the water. The Fans are unable to recover from this stumble as James, the key-master for the Favorites, unlocks the chest containing the puzzle pieces, which Eliza and Cirie quickly solve, winning the Favorites Immunity and fishing gear. The Favorites debate who from the Fans to send to Exile Island and ultimately settle on Kathy. Before Kathy departs, Jeff Probst reveals that this season Exile Island has a twist. Not only will the Favorites, having won the challenge, send a person from the losing tribe to Exile Island, they must now select a member from their own tribe to join Airai?s Kathy on Exile Island, where both Survivors will have a chance to hunt for the same idol. Two Survivors. One Idol. The Fans watch anxiously as the stunned Favorites look amongst each other, deciding whom to send. Cirie volunteers to go.
The Search is On!
Kathy and Cirie arrive on Exile Island, where they promptly get to work finding the clues to the Hidden Immunity Idol. They start at Exile Island?s tower, where they read the first clue. Nervously considering her position between alliances at her own tribe, Cirie takes the lead: ?All I was thinking is, ?God, please help me find the Hidden Immunity Idol.?? Cirie and Kathy follow the trail of clues, climbing to the tops of hills, under tree roots and crisscrossing back and forth through the water to the small islands peppered around the Exile camp. ?Looking for the idol was absolute torture,? says Cirie, ?I?ve never worked so hard, walked so far in my life.? After hours of searching in the burning sun, and despite finding four clues, the two exhausted women are left with empty hands as the day starts to wane on Exile Island.
Who's Running the Show?
The devastated Fans return to camp, where it becomes clear the tribe is still very divided. "It's most likely gonna be one of the three older members of the tribe going home," explains Erik. "Probably Chet because he did very poorly in the challenge.? The seven younger members quickly settle on voting out Chet. But Mikey, worried that Kathy might find the hidden Immunity Idol on Exile Island, in addition to her own Individual Immunity Idol won on the very first day, begins throwing out complicated scenarios about splitting the votes in case an Idol is played. Joel becomes wary of Mikey's scheming. "Mikey thinks he's got it all figured out and I don?t like that," Joel says. "He's teamed up with Mary and now he thinks he has pretty much the entire tribe voting the way he wants us to vote." Joel proposes a plan to Erik and Alexis: to keep the tribe strong, and yet ensure that Mikey doesn't get too powerful, they will take out Mikey's close ally, Mary. Convinced Joel's devious plan will put them in a better standing in the tribe, Erik and Alexis get onboard. When Kathy returns from Exile Island, Joel reveals the plan to her, Tracy, and Chet. The three outcast Fans can't believe their luck. But as paranoia settles in, Tracy worries if trusting Joel is a good idea, and Joel also beings to fear that perhaps he may have strategized too hard, putting himself on the chopping block instead.
Tribal Council
At Tribal Council, Chet becomes the target of scrutiny due to his poor performance in the challenge. But when Jeff asks Joel the basis for his vote, it seems things aren?t so simple. "It's a game of loyalty, it's a game of deception," Joel admits. "And anybody can go at anytime and you'll never know who it is."
As the votes are read, Mary and Mikey are stunned as Mary's name is read. Mikey's mouth drops open and stays agape long after Mary's torch is snuffed. Receiving six of the ten votes, Mary becomes the second person voted out of SURVIVOR: MICRONESIA. Before departing Tribal Council, Jeff Probst tells the Fans: "Based on what I heard tonight, Mary never saw that coming. Congratulations, first Tribal Council, first blindside."
I'll post tonight's picks right after this.
Thanks for doing these every week, Cuz. I appreciate it a lot more now! HTML is a pain in the butt.