The Koror Tribe: Caryn, Coby, Gregg, Ian, Janu, Jennifer, Katie, Tom
The Ulong Tribe: Bobby Jon, Stephenie
The Losers: Angie, Ashlee, Ibrehem, James, Jeff, Jolanda, Jonathan, Kim, Wanda, Willard
I guess the producers are as tired as we are, because they opened the show with something different. Ulong isn’t returning from Tribal Council, they’re already back and sitting around in the cave, discussing how weird the situation is. Ibrehem and Stephenie are actually talking about how one of them could still win the game. Yeah Right!
Ibrehem leaves the cave and Stephenie immediately starts in on Bobby Jon. Ibrehem is next right? We’re still an alliance right? Stephenie is getting worried and Bobby Jon has the “haggard hubby” routine down pat. What’s the “haggard hubby” routine you ask? That is the nodding of the head mixed with the non-committal “yes Dear”, which we all know is hubby-speak for “I’ll say anything you want to hear if you’ll just shut up and let me be.”
The next morning at Koror, everyone is lazing about camp. Everyone, that is except Tom, who is doing crunches on the beach. And Ian, who is lugging a huge clam ashore.
After prying the calm open and cooking it up, Ian states to the camera that everyone had about a half pound of meat. (Is clam considered meat? Wouldn’t it be considered seafood? Wouldn’t someone who works at an aquarium and swims with dolphins know this? Am I just being too durn picky?)
Anyway, Ian then admits to polluting the ocean by leaving the clam shell full of blood in the water which naturally attracts a shark. Everyone runs around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to spear the shark with dull, blunt sticks. The camera cuts to Tom who nonchalantly walks up to the floundering shark, and whacks it in two with the machete. Actually, we don’t see Tom whacking the shark, we see the aftermath. Guess that would have been too much for the “politically correct sensitivities” of the SeeBS producers. Can’t offend PETA and all that don’t-cha-know.
Tom then provides more details stating “he jumped into the water, stabbed the shark, grabbed its tail, and pulled it out of the water.”
After another belly stuffing meal, the green envy flows freely at Koror. Ian comments about how Tom just upstaged him, by challenging his role of “food provider”, and Coby commenting about how it’s going to be a little harder to vote Tom out now.
The next day, Gregg and Jenn collect the Treemail. The Challenge is to build an S.O.S. type signal on your beach to be seen from a plane in the air. If your signal wins, you will receive a reward of food. Over at Ulong, the remaining three decide to burn their own shelter and tear apart the bathroom. (Ha! Take that James!) They then write their tribe name “ULONG” in huge letters on the beach, and burn that for their signal. (Question: If you were stranded on a desolate beach, and had to build a signal fire, would you waste time and energy spelling out a five letter word that only made sense to you? Or would you conserve your time, energy and resources and simply spell out S. O. S.? Or even a simple H. E. L. P? Yeah, I thought so too.)
Back at Koror, the group decides that since only three can build this signal, those three would be Gregg, Caryn, and Katie. This decision meets with Coby’s personal approval since “Gregg has the muscle, Katie has the creativity, and Caryn is a hard worker.” Thank you for pointing that out to us Coby. I’m sure we couldn’t figure that out without your approval and information. < /sarcasm>
Since they don’t have much of a shoreline there at camp, the Koror three decide to move their signal about 200 yards down the beach. Of course this means spending precious time lugging everything for the signal fire to the new location. They decide that instead of writing their tribe’s name they’ll write “Got food?” on the beach. OK, maybe I was wrong about Ulong using their name, instead of a simple S O S.
Anyway, the plane flies over Ulong’s first and Mark (the official judge for this challenge) comments about Ulong’s signal being far up on the beach, almost to the treeline. Unless you were flying directly overhead, you probably would not notice it.
The plane then flies over Koror’s beach, just as Koror’s fire sputters and goes out. Coby does what any mincing fairy would do, he freaks out. Mark comments on Koror’s signal saying pretty much the same thing he did about Ulong’s except Koror’s was set further away from the trees and closer to the shoreline. Koror wins and received the reward of MREs. (Meals, Ready to Eat! for those in Rio Linda)
Meanwhile, over at Ulong, the depressing threesome is yet again depressed.
Next morning at Koror, Gregg and Jenn are cuddling together in the shelter, while Coby tries to convince himself (and us I guess) that “he doesn’t care as long as he gets them on his side to vote.” Um, wasn’t it Gregg who first floated the idea about an alliance between himself, Jenn, Coby and another female to be named later? Yeah, I thought so too.
Anyway, it’s pretty much like any other day in paradise at Koror, Jenn tries to get Gregg to commit to their relationship and can’t understand why he would put “focusing on the game” over her wants and needs. While Tom comments to the camera about the two love birds and wonders “how one will react when told it is time for the other to go.” Coby just acts like typical Coby.
Over at Ulong, the depressing threesome is out fishing and Bobby Jon not only catches a pretty large clam, but the most disgusting looking fish, I’ve ever seen. They’re (of course) all excited cuz they get to eat and think all this protein will help them in the next challenge. (Did anyone else catch that ominous note of impending doom in the background.)
Anyway, the scene cuts to Bobby Jon walking back to camp with Treemail. It’s on of those slider puzzles that we all loved when we were kids. Of course, most of us gave up on the puzzle after a few attempts and just busted the pieces out of the frame and reassembled them that way. I don’t think however Jeff will let them get away with that.
Jeff welcomes the tribes to the Immunity Challenge and proceeds to humiliate Ulong by asking them about fishing. They brag about their clam and (single, puny) fish feast. Bobby Jon comments about how he is glad he didn’t come across a shark because he’s afraid of them. Koror just snickers when Jeff then asks Koror about their fishing. Katie calls Tom “The Beastmaster” and explains how Tom killed a shark. Bobby Jon just looks around for a rock to crawl under.
Jeff explains the challenge. Tribes are to unscramble a “life size” version of the puzzle which is floating in the water. One person will be the caller while the other two will be in the water pushing the pieces. It is decided that Coby, Jenn and Janu would be the three from Koror with Coby being the caller. Bobby Jon is the caller for Ulong and Stephenie and Ibrehem are the swimmers.
Jeff says go, and Coby clearly takes a commanding lead, instructing Jenn and Janu on how to “slide” the pieces. Bobby Jon however, is totally clueless as a caller and halfway through, switches places with Stephenie. But it’s too little, to late, as Koror wins the Ugly Idol, sending Ulong to Tribal Council for the seventh consecutive time.
I wont bore you with a description of the dismal threesomes’ time back at camp or their humiliation at Tribal Council. Let’s just say, it was pretty much the same thing we have experienced for the last 6 tribal councils.
Probst says “It’s time to vote.”
Stephenie (votes for Ibrehem): Ibrehem, you're awesome. I'm just trying to stick with... uh... stick with my word. Hopefully, Bobby Jon stuck with his. Good luck whatever happens.
Bobby Jon (votes for Ibrehem): If this game was based on the quality of the individual, you'd be the winner of the million dollars, but I... cause you're top-notch. But, she's out-performed you and me both... she still deserves to stay. See you later, man.
Ibrehem (votes for Stephenie): Sorry, Stephenie.
Probst reads the votes and Ibrehem’s torch is snuffed. He takes that long walk of shame and makes the following parting words to the camera.
Ibrehem's Final Words
Uh what can I say, I totally didn't expect to be voted out tonight, so it's a big surprise for me. I thought me and Bobby Jon had something, a little loyalty thing going, but I guess I was wrong and anything can happen, and it happened to me tonight.
My experience playing this game is probably one of the best experience of my life, just being able to experience being in an area or in a situation where I pretty much had to fend for myself, you can't go out and purchase food, or buy water. You have to find it yourself, and prepare it yourself, just pretty much do everything. I don't know. Maybe one area that I guess I pride myself in is that I stay loyal, I say what I say and I do what I do, and I kinda stick to it. So I am glad I stayed that way through the game, even though, I guess, it kinda worked against me this time, but I figured I was doing the right thing because it worked out for me a lot of other times, but I guess in this situation it didn't work out.
I think I was really playing the game in my own personal way, I don't think anyone is supposed to play the game the same way, I think you play the game in a way where you think it is actually working for you. As far as I knew, it was working for me. And other people are playing it differently and they can be voted out the next week. It's kind of the luck of the draw too, you know, it's going to be in other people's hands and you do what you can do, what you feel is the best for you. I felt like I was performing well in all of the areas, and you know, I don't think it would have came down to this like it did, unless we have loss so much as a tribe, then it came down to who maybe could beat them in the future.
I feel like I gave it my all, but everything you do, that you don't toally, I'm not going to say I didn't succeed at it, but you don't just totally go through with it and win, you are always going to wonder and second guess if you can do it this way or that way.
Like I said, I'm a pretty honest person, and I played the game the best way I felt I knew how. I wasn't going to change my character to play the game because I just felt it was fake. So I played the game, I picked the best way I knew how, I competed as hard as I could, I did everything I think I could do without compromising my character. So I mean, I honestly have no regrets.
From this experience, I walk away with a whole new respect for life, not taking things for granite. I also maybe uh I don't know, not to be as trusting. Other than that, it was an experience I definitely enjoyed. I hate, with all of my @#%$, that it is over. I mean, I am still in shock because I expected to be on. I honestly did not expect to be the person leaving tonight, but hey, nothing I can do anything about it now, I guess.
I think I have learned that I am just a genuine person, I stick by my word. You know, aside from playing the game, I think it is important to do that. I think I just uh reiterated to myself that you know, i need to be who I am and not necessarily be who anyone else thinks I need to be, no matter if I am playing a game or whatever it is. I think the main thing that I got from this is just a lot of lessons about life, a lot of lessons about people, a big lesson about hard work, which I never did mind ::whistles::. I never expected, I never worked this hard. I worked in a steel mill, I worked all over, doing different stuff, I never worked this hard to stay alive.
The only final words to my ex-tribemates is uh good luck, I mean, I wish you well, no hard feelings. I just wish that Bobby Jon would have been more honest with me, that is about it, I'm straight up, I am a man about things, you know, I guess, like I said, I am not going to say something and don't do it. But a lot of times, people do that, forget it and it comes back and bites them in the ass. I beat myself and whoever else they need to beat, they beat themselves too.
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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