The Koror Tribe: Caryn, Gregg, Ian, Jennifer, Katie, Stephenie, Tom
The Jury: Coby, The Quitter
The Losers: Jonathan, Wanda, Jolanda, Ashlee, Jeff, Kim, Willard, Angie, James, Ibrehem, Bobby Jon,
Well, here is your recap of last Thursday’s show. (And I promise I’ll try my best to keep my loathing for the quitter at a minimum.)
The show opens with flies buzzing around some spoiled leftover food. The quitter says she feels betrayed because no one informed her of the Coby boot. (um, if memory serves me correctly, last week they went directly from the Immunity Challenge to Tribal Council. So when exactly was someone supposed to inform her that Coby would get the boot? HMMMMMM!)
Anyway, Katie and Jenn have gab fest amongst themselves which the quitter overhears, and then proceeds to blow a gasket at Katie. During this tirade, Katie, twice tries to apologize but the quitter is on a role and will have none of it. Gregg tries to intervene but the quitter then cuts into him, saying that “they’re all going to end up tearing each other apart.” Is it any wonder why Katie, then cops a “What-ever!” kind of attitude.
Gregg then comments to the camera that even though the quitter has been a drag, that is no reason to get rid of her yet. In fact, he lets us in on his plan for Stephenie going next, saying “he’s not going to keep someone around just because they deserve to be there.” And that “the only way you deserve to be there is if you help his plan to win him the million dollars.” The typical “Hurray for me and crap on everyone else” type mentality which (lets face it) you need to have to win the game.
The tribe gathers for Reward Challenge. Jeff explains that the tribe will be “randomly” split into two teams of four. Each team will have six pieces of scaffolding that they must haul into the water and place on top of each other to build a tower. Once the tower is completed, one member will climb the tower, retrieve a flag, and then all four members will swim back to shore. The team that crosses the finish line first wins a Palauan feast and a meet & greet with the high chief of the area. The tribe is “randomly” split into Caryn, Gregg, the quitter and Tom on one team and Ian, Jenn, Katie, and Stephenie on the other.
Jeff says go and its pretty much neck and neck at the beginning. The quitter and Caryn let Gregg and Tom do all the work at first, but then the quitter decides to help which gives their team the lead and eventually wins the race. Jeff informs Ian, Jenn, Katie, and Stephenie that he has nothing for them and tells them to head back to camp. The winners are then whisked off to their reward.
Tom, Gregg, Caryn and the quitter meet the chief and are presented with flowers and other little trinkets and each is given a blessing from the chief. They then watch a traditional dance and are treated to their feast. No one talks strategy while they stuff their faces (or so says Caryn). The quitter suddenly gets up and says she has to make herself sick. Well, that just puts a dampener on the whole festivities.
The four then return to camp just as the other four are dishing up their meager seafood stew. Gregg tells them to stop eating that slop because they have brought back some real food. The four challenge losers are delighted to see that their fellow tribemates were thoughtful enough to bring them back some food. That is until the quitter snags a piece of the desert. (She didn’t get a chance to try it before, what with making herself sick and all, don’t-cha-know!). Katie’s claws come out, and snipes to the camera that the quitter and Caryn both have a lot of nerve bringing them back some food and then proceed to take it back.
The next day the tribe is called to Immunity Challenge. Jeff explains that in the water is a steel grate barrier. Each of them will take a spot under the grate and as the tide begins to rise, their breathing room will slowly decrease until they run out of breathing room. Jeff then explains that the first one to bail out will be taken to a new beach and abandoned there to live on their own for the night. They will be given a flint, a machete, water, and some fishing gear. (Oh wow! How ever will they survive? All alone, buy themselves, GIVE ME A BREAK!)
Anyway, Jeff says go and true to form, the quitter quits after only six minutes. She claims that the water is too cold and a night alone is preferable to freezing in the water. Katie makes a few snide comments that seem lost on the quitter.
The water continues to rise until, fifty five minutes later Caryn quits followed in rapid succession by Katie, Jenn, Steph, Gregg, and finally Ian. Tom is awarded the ugly necklace yet again, while the quitter is boated off to her exile island.
The next scene is the quitter trying to make fire and failing. Night falls and she still has no fire. Her comments to the camera while she is struggling with the fire indicates she needed the time away because it’s her against them. Just when it looks as if she will have to spend the night fireless, POOF! the embers flare up and lo and behold she has FIRE! She then starts dancing on the beach and one might actually believe that she wants to continue in the game.
The next morning back at camp, Gregg and Tom are discussing the upcoming tribal council and who is going to get the boot. Tom says that all the girls seem to think that the quitter will be getting the boot. Gregg counters with Stephenie should go since she is more of a threat. Tom tells the camera he is torn between Gregg’s common sense and his “final four” promise to Stephenie. They then go off and find Ian to continue the discussion. After some back and forth, Tom says to the camera that the vote is for Steph, but he heart isn’t in it. (Will he change his mind by Tribal Council? Only time will tell.)
The quitter then returns to camp to a round of “welcome backs” and “how’d it go?” She informs them that even though it took two and a half hours to make fire, she had a great time. The quitter then comments to the camera how two faced everyone was.
The camera then cuts to Stephenie, who is having a crisis because she can’t get anyone alone to talk about the vote. She says that she thought everyone agreed to vote for the quitter but now she is beginning to sense that it’s her who is getting the boot. A feeling borne out when Ian clams up when she confronts him.
The tribe files into Tribal Council, followed by Coby as the first member of the Jury. Jeff asks the quitter about her night alone on her island. She says that she had a great time. He then asks her about the well wishes from the tribe before she was exiled. She says that she thinks half of it was sincere and half was “them just playing the game.”
Of course Caryn acts shocked at this revalation, but chalks it up to the quitter being herself. We are treated to some more of Jeff’s and the tribe’s back and forth, blah, blah, blah, with Stephenie, getting more and more uncomfortable. Jeff then starts in asking each member why they should keep him/her?
Katie replies that she doesn’t pose any type of threat right now. The quitter responds with “no reason. The can get rid of me.” When Jeff asks her to explain her reply, the says “If I were them, I’d be sick of me too.” Stephenie rolls her eyes, and Coby mugs to the camera as if to say “Girl, shut your mouth while your ahead!” Jeff points out that she almost seems like she wants to go home. She replies that a part of her wants to ask to be voted out, but she doesn’t know what they’ll do.” (Coby looks as if he’s about to bite his tongue in two.)
Jeff turns to Ian and asks him why they would keep someone who wants to leave. Ian replies “If someone really wants to leave they have the power to set their torch down.” Jeff then seems to realize that Stephenie is about to turn into a quivering mass of gelatinous mush! He tells her that “if looks could kill, the quitter would be dead on the ground right now.” She manages to mumble something in between the racking sobs about how “here she is fighting to stay in the game, and the quitter just wants to give up, and life’s just not fair!” Boo-Hoo-Hoo! She and the quitter then trade some more catty comments.
Jeff asks a few more pointless questions and then asks the quitter “If things went the way she wanted tonight what would happen?” She replies by saying she would ask the tribe to vote her out and keep Stephenie in. Jeff then asks her what is the difference between her asking to be voted out and her laying her torch down? She replies that “After reflecting there is none.” And she would be willing to lay down her torch so that Stephenie will have a chance to stay in this game. Coby looks as if he’s about ready to jump up and scream “YOU FOOL! KEEP YOUR DAMN MOUTH SHUT OR YOU’LL RUIN EVERYTHING!
Stephenie (who also hasn’t learned to keep her mouth shut) protests, saying “If she wants to lay her torch down, fine, but don’t do it on my behalf.” The quitter then says “She’s quitting and doesn’t want Stephenie to feel she’s doing it for her. It’s something she needs to do.”
Jeff, wanting to make sure everything is clear, asks her again if she is “on her own, quitting the game?” The quitter replies with a simple “Yes. I will lay down my torch this evening.”
Almost as if on cue, it starts to rain as Jeff snuffs her torch saying “Per your request. You can’t go home however, you are now a member of the Jury.” The quitter, says thanks, Jeff replies with good night and the quitter takes the walk of shame. Jeff then lays her torch down off to the side as Stephenie smiles.
The Quitter’s Final Words
Well here I am, the showgirl turned Survivor. Ummm biggest cards dealt me this opportunity and as my father said, it gave me endurance and my mother said, no matter what, you walk away a winner. I did lay down my torch today but no one will ever be able to take away this most unforgettable experience, no one.
This experience taught me that I can survive in any given situation, even though my body was depleting and my mind was just kind of going, I was able to gain something from down deep inside the fire that's inside my body and just run with it, and nothing can stop me, even thought I lay down my torch, I have walked away with something no one will ever be able to take away.
I take away an unbelievable experience of living like I have never lived before, without any essentials, without any anything, down to the very raw state of my being and being deserted on the island by myself, that gave me a whole other idea what life is, what things mean, and how important things are to me.
Throughout this whole game, I did feel that I needed to go home for whatever reason and I wasn't feeling well and what not, and I asked them to go home and it didn't work. And I started feeling as if I was a pawn piece in a chess game, unfortunately, I just made the last move, I decided to take myself out of the game, now they are going to have really think about what next move to make because they don't have me an excuse of me anymore.
I guess I have made the power play, not willingly, not wanting to hurt anybody but I guess I did make a major power play, and I guess I did ruin their plans so I they're just going to have to see how strong of a Survivor they are in order to continue.
Satisfaction because I was honest and straightforward from the very beginning and I didn't get that in return even though they claimed that they did, and now it's just the satisfaction that I was able to lay down my torch and walk away with this experience, them not touching it, and knowing now they have to be the ones to struggle.
Yes, it does feel good actually that I can still be in the jury, I can still have a voice in what's going to happen and see how this whole game plays out.
P.S. See my post #846 above for some more information regarding the Tribal Council and the quitters comments to a reporter.
Take care,
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body,
but rather to skid in broadside,
thoroughly used up,
totally worn out,
and loudly proclaiming....
Wow, what a ride!"
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