Survivor Cook Islands: Episode 4
Previously, it was four-become-two time as the four tribes are merged into two tribes that have the same numbers of males (four) and females (five). Somehow the tribal shuffle managed to avoid splitting up Becky and Yul, who ended up on the new Aitu. This became important when Aitu lost Immunity. Candice, Yul, Jonathan, and Becky decided to have an alliance with Flika being roped in as the fifth wheel to give them an advantage in numbers. However, Candice was banished by the new Raro to Janu Island and she would miss Tribal Council, so this left Yul, Jonathan, and Becky with one crucial vote short come Tribal Council. When Cao Boi and Ozzy moved in on Flika to get her to boot Becky, Jonathan and Yul scrambled to work their voodoo on Flika and Cao Boi. They seemed to fumble somewhat, but in the end both Flika and Cao Boi pulled through for Yul and Jonathan. To the collective surprise of Ozzy, Sundra, and Cecilia, Cecilia was booted much to the dismay of people who are into ladies who watch this show. Well, who will be booted next?
Night eight, a rat-infested Aitutaki. The Aitus are coming back from the Tribal Council where Cecilia was booted. Ozzy looks like dead man walking. Yul sees Ozzy sulking alone and he mutters aloud that the situation sucks. Sundra overhears him and tells him that the situation is bound to be "not nice". It is perhaps worth pointing out here that Sundra voted for Becky in the previous Tribal Council, so by right she could easily be joining Ozzy in sulking by the fire. Instead, it seems as if there is no bad blood between her and Yul at all. Meanwhile, Becky tells the camera that oh yes, she received three votes in the Tribal Council. Oh, Becky, some of us who watch this show can actually count, you know. She also adds that she trusts Yul "for sure", Candice, and Jonathan.
Back at camp, Yul is cutting up a hermit crab and offers it to Ozzy as a gesture of reconciliation. Ozzy turns it down, saying numbly that he doesn't like hermit crabs. I hope Ozzy is not going to spend the rest of the episode acting like a big baby. Anyway, he tells the camera that he is an outsider now so it sucks. Well, at least now he can relate to Billy. How does them apple feel, Goldilocks? Ozzy then complains that he and Cecilia set up the camp the way it is so the others are enjoying their efforts. Back at camp, Flika asks Ozzy whether he wants to go catch crabs tomorrow. I hope she's asking him to join her and not asking him to go catch her some crabs. Ozzy is prompted by this to tell the camera that if the other Aitus want to boot him out, they'd better do it soon because he doesn't want to keep providing for them! Ah yes, the stupid "I am deserving because I fish for all of you!" argument. Maybe the other Aitus should listen to Ozzy and boot him quickly. We don't want to tire him out or make him feel exploited now, do we?
Day nine, still at Aitutaki. The boat bringing a dramatically-posing "FHM, call me-eee-eee, baby!" Candice back from Janu Island reaches Aitutaki. Watching her waving at them from the boat, Sundra wonders aloud to the others why Candice is waving like that. Someone, Cao Boi, I think, asks Candice, "How was it?" and she doesn't pretend to misunderstand the question by saying truthfully, not that anyone there but Yul will know for certain of course, "No Idol!" Yul looks like he's so sad that Candice doesn't have the Idol. Of course, he can very well look like he's feeling guilty because he is keeping a secret from Candice and the others but I'd like to think of Yul as a smart and strategic player because I'm biased that way.
Flika now asks Candice why Candice thinks the Raros sent her to Janu Island. Candice says deftly that perhaps it's because she's the youngest, which could mean that she's considered a weak link that can slow down the Aitus. "Whatever," Candice concludes. Flika really seems to have an ax to grind this morning because she now "says" in a tone of bewilderment (which I hope is put on for show) that Flika is very certain that Adam and Parvati were behind the decision to send Candice to Janu Island. Flika then continues to wonder aloud, saying that she can't figure out why those two would do that... Unless they wanted to protect Candice and they thought the Aitus would boot Candice, she concludes as Candice can only squirm in discomfort. Sundra stops doing whatever she is doing to give Flika a look of bemusement at this point. It is as if she is thinking at that moment, "Wow! Girlfriend is seriously playin' today!" If Flika is pretending to be dumb as she rips it good to Candice in this scene, I'd revise all my opinions of her in the previous recap and set a chicken free in her honor. Candice laughs awkwardly and pretends that she hasn't considered that possibility at all. To the camera, she admits that Adam and Parvati wanting to protect her is most likely the reason she was sent to Janu Island but she needs to downplay her bond with her old tribemates for now.
Back to camp, Sundra, having scented the blood drawn by Flika and not wanting to lose out to Flika in seizing a chance to divert the target from her back onto Candice's, reminds everyone that the person sent to Janu Island would be exempted from Tribal Council. Oh, I'm sure even Cao Boi can join the dots in that one. Candice goes, oh, she never thought of that, no siree! I hope she doesn't think she is fooling anyone by saying simply, "My mind..." After all, the issue here is not what she is thinking as much as what Adam and Parvati are thinking, no?
Over at Rarotonga, Jenny and Parvati are hard at work ripping off fronds from palm leaves, no doubt for the shelter roof, while Rebecca and Cristina are working around the shelter. Then comes the laughter from the four guys who are seated just a few feet away from them and discussing who knows what. Mutually admiring each other's pecs, I'd bet, and discussing their future award-winning movie roles. Cristina says simply, "Boys will be boys!" while Parvati laughs weakly and says, "I know." She sounds like she doesn't, heh.
Parvati tells the camera that the guys are just sitting around drinking from all the coconuts they can get their hands on. Ooh, I would suspect that these guys must have discovered the joys of palm toddy if they aren't drinking from the fruits, which rules out palm toddy since that wine is made from sap obtained from the bark. It's not that I can't envision these guys making the effort to tap the barks with their teeth to collect the sap needed to make toddy, I can't imagine all four of them having the brainpower to even imagine that they can make wine from coconuts. So the only excuse for their behavior, which Parvati describes to the camera as "starting to, like, ruling the roost a little bit", has to be sheer laziness. She concludes that the men must be very confident about their positions in the tribe since they believe that their almighty prowess is needed to win Challenges. During her confessional, JP back at camp cuts open one of the many, many coconuts piled up before them to get another happy hour going with the other guys. Can drinking too much coconut water make you drunk? I have never heard of such possibility but after watching these morons being so open about their buffoonery, I'm starting to wonder.
The four guys now gather around the boat to do He-man stuff, like Brad redoing the knots around the boat, JP lazing on one end of the boat and looking like a figurehead of some washed-up boat, Adam squatting over the other end and doing who knows what, and Nate wandering around the beach looking for a clue. Someone, Adam, I think, can be heard asking from off-camera whether the women are annoyed that the men are just sitting around admiring each other and measuring the length of their penises. JP says that the women can't do anything even if they are annoyed. After all, men are very important, you know. At this point, I'm surprised that Nate doesn't say anything since it's Hiki on episode one all over again: men in the minority so cocky in their delusion that they hold the upper hand over the female majority, with delightful consequences to ensue. I suppose Nate just isn't the kind of person that learns from his mistakes. Maybe he thinks the ladies booted Sekou because they wanted him all for themselves. At any rate, JP tells the camera the the four guys here are "way, way stronger" than the guys on the other tribe so clearly the ladies have better kowtow to these four almighty men if they know what is good for them. He then talks about a steady four-guy alliance who will stick together, blah blah blah. At the rate of their inactivity, I've no doubt they will one day end up stuck together, all tied up and tossed over a cliff by a bunch of enraged women.
The camera pans to Adam breathing through his mouth as he adjusts the knots on the boat. I love how this show is now using Adam as a placeholder usually reserved for "Isn't that stupid?" music after someone on the show has said some stupid thing to the camera. One look at Adam and nobody will mistake him for what he represents: the failure of human evolution.
Day ten. Since we now have two tribes rather than four, the show has time to conduct separate Reward and Immunity Challenges so it's now time for the Reward Challenge. Our host Jeff "There Is No Such Word As 'Irrelevant' In My Dictionary" Proboscis welcomes the tribes as the tribes file in and points out to Raro that Cecilia was booted in the previous Tribal Council. JP and Cristina are understandably not too happy with the development while Adam can be seen giving this really dumb all-teeth grin to Candice. What does she see in that man? The more Adam shows up on the TV screen, the more he comes off to me like a big dumb caveman.
Probby explains how this Challenge will be done and it's another recycled one in concept if not direct application. Two tribe members from a tribe are cuffed to a rope that is wound up, round, and down an obstacle course made from a network of poles in a complicated manner and the other tribe members will have to "unwound" the two cuffed tribe members as they move along the obstacle course. At the end of the obstacle course is a table that contains some numerical code. A tribe member has to swim out and retrieve a "decoding wheel" at the bottom of the sea. The tribe will then use the "decoding wheel" to decode the message. The first tribe to do this will get "warmth and comfort": three blankets, two pillows, and one hammock. Oh, and the winning tribe will of course also earn a chance to send someone from the losing tribe to Janu Island. There is no skipping Tribal Council for the one sent to Janu Island this time around though. Raro sits out Stephannie and cuffs Cristina and Jenny while Aitu cuffs Becky and Candice.
This Challenge is hard to describe - it's one of those Challenges where you have to watch it to appreciate how fiendish it can be. Anyway, the Aitus get a lead while moving Becky and Candice over and around some pole structures but they get stuck for a while trying to get the two women under a log. To do this, the others have to either lift the log or dig a hole under the log. The big brawny Raro men manage to dig a hole to get Cristina and Jenny under the log while the Aitus end up having Yul drag each woman from under the log by the feet like he's a midwife who's determined not to have his patients undergo Caesarian even if it means he will yank those babies out feet first with his own bare hands. Yul for a starring role on Grey's Anatomy! Poor Becky gets a mouthful of sand while Candice ends up having Yul yanking at her legs in a way that has to be painful. Becky tells the others to have a care with Candice only to have Cao Boi hush her up by telling her to focus on her "job" and don't worry about other people. It's easy for Cao Boi to say that when it's not his leg they are trying to dislocate. Jonathan tells Yul to be gentle and not to "kill the girls". Jonathan for a starring role on Grey's Anatomy as well! Cao Boi says that they can always throw some pillows to the ladies when they win. Cao Boi for the role of the "A crane fell on me!" victim on Grey's Anatomy!
At any rate, nobody else is paying attention to those two men, not even when Jonathan also assures the Aitus that they are doing fine. In a way, they still are. The Raros manage to catch up with the Aitus thanks to the Aitus' more inefficient woman-dragging antics so the two tribes are now neck-to-neck with Aitus still having a chance to gain a lead over the Raros. The two tribes are neck-to-neck for the rest of the obstacle course until at one point where the Raros stumble when they try to push Cristina over a pole. Cristina starts admonishing the other Raros for not "pulling up slack" and you know how the Raro men are. Oh no, how dare that woman tells them that they are not doing something right! As the Raros tries to get Cristina over that pole, the Aitus are at their code table and Ozzy runs impressively like a cheetah or something straight into the sea. I can only imagine what Probby must be feeling as he watches Ozzy at work. As the Raros now struggle with Jenny, Ozzy retrieves the clue. His shorts are slipping off but like I've said, I've seen everything he has to offer so it's not like, say, Yul's pants falling off where it's then time to bring out the champagne and invite all the friends along to admire the Yul log. Then Ozzy is back with that stupid-looking "decoder wheel" and the Aitus are using it to determine which alphabet corresponds to each number in the code.
The Raros manage to catch up as the Aitus work on the puzzle (Jonathan is handling the "decoding wheel" while Yul is telling him the numbers to watch for on the wheel) but they waste time determining who will swim until Brad is picked for the task. Brad brings back the "decoding wheel" and the Raros get to work. Amusingly enough, JP tries to eavesdrop as Yul does something that I find is so much like something a nerd like him would do: he says out loud what letters the tribe has decoded using the "decoding wheel". Everyone else especially Ozzy and Becky who are flanking Yul can't go "Ssssssh!" loud enough to shut Yul up, ha ha. The decoded message reads: "Last castaways back cast one away". I don't know about anyone else but if I'm faced with this awkwardly phrased sentence, I'd think, "Oh no, that's not right!" and work on the "decoding wheel" again. And then the Raros will catch up and beat me and I will kill myself for losing a puzzle challenge to a tribe like Raro. I suppose this Challenge is designed to accommodate the collective brainpower of the Raro tribe as well.
At any rate, Aitu wins the Reward despite being pectorally-challenged according to JP and they get all the goodies. They also get to send someone to Janu Island and they pick Adam. Since Yul already has Waldo, I suppose the Aitus can send whoever they want to Janu Island, even if sending a potential Immunity threat to Janu Island is always a bad idea unless you know that fellow cannot get his hands on Waldo. Besides, the idea seems to be mainly Ozzy's and Cao Boi's and heaven knows those two can be such strategic geniuses.
Adam takes off in the boat where he is seen once again doing that monkey grin of his, the Aitus take off with their goodies, and finally, the remaining Raros take off as well. So much for the Power Pecs Alliance of Raro, hmmph.
The Aitus are understandably pleased with themselves as they make their way back to camp. Flika is pleased as she tells the camera how the Aitus felt threatened at first by all that "brawn" and "beefiness" of the other tribe. This victory, therefore, is an amazing one according to her.
It's now Ozzy love time as the show moves on to a montage of Ozzy catching fish. Now, this "provider" edit means that either Ozzy will end up being a loser like Burtman, Terry, and Hagrid of previous seasons who had similar "master of the sea" showcases or he'll win like Tom back in Palau. Tom however is the exception so far rather than the norm. Since history favors Ozzy being a loser based on his edit, I'll go with that. Anyway, Ozzy goes off to catch some fish and Jonathan, watching from the boat, sucks up to him by telling him how great he is. Ozzy tells the camera that he caught nine out of the 11 fish caught today so he is the "sole provider" of the camp. So, does this mean two fish surrendered to the Aitus after seeing Ozzy's display of hunting virtuoso with the other nine fish? Ozzy goes on to say that he has the most "power" in the tribe now because he is the sole provider of any food that doesn't magically show up around the camp. I have to say: Ozzy has the gameplay strategy part down pat. The whole "I provide food so I will win!" argument always works for previous winners of this game. As the other Aitus try to get Ozzy to cheer up and make smiley-faces again, Yul suggests that they should all call Ozzy "Poseidon". Sundra goes, "Yeah!" and then hilariously says, "Maybe Neptune!" Oh well, we can't all be expected to know that Poseidon and Neptune are pretty much the same god. Ozzy must be wondering which name sounds better for his porn film career. Neptune Poseidon or Poseidon Neptune, hmmm?
The Raros on the other hand are understandably not happy about the way things turned out during the Reward Challenge. Words like "frustrating" are being bandied around while Nate says that they should be humbled by their defeat. Ooh, that is a deep one. Do you think he believes the things he is saying at that moment? Oh, and some Raros also claim to feel bad for Adam, who must be right now peering at a coconut husk and wondering whether he has found Waldo. JP tells the camera pretty much what the Raros have told each other: defeat bites. To the Raros, he starts giving orders to them to cook the tribe something to eat. JP eats up lounging against a log like he's a king on a throne telling the women how to set up the fire, et cetera, and then he and Nate act as if it is the women's fault that some rocks are missing over the fire and therefore Jenny can't balance the pot over the fire. Neither he nor Nate make any move to get some rocks. Parvati doesn't look happy. She tells the camera that JP is being "very demanding in a sly way", if by sly she means "very obvious". She explains that JP is pretty much sitting around the camp "all sprawled up" and "reclining on the throne" while getting the other Raros to wait on him. giving orders but doing nothing. I wonder why JP thinks he can get away with being lazy. Didn't he and Ozzy orchestrate the Billy boot because Billy was said to be lazy? Maybe JP doesn't think he is capable of doing anything wrong, hmm.
Anyway, JP tells Parvati to go get him a machete. Parvati picks up the machete. All JP needs to do if he wants the machete is to reach over his shoulder. But no, Parvati has to walk across the camp to pick up the machete and hand it over to him. Parvati's face does not look happy as she hands the machete to JP, although she carefully makes sure that she doesn't look directly at his face so that he may see how she is really feeling at that moment. Parvati tells the camera that such behavior from JP doesn't "really fly" with her.
At night, Parvati and Nate are having some quiet time chit-chatting about who knows what when Nate realizes that he's been trying to peel a hermir crab instead of a nut. Guess how he discovers his mistake, people. This leads Parvati to giggle to the point that she is this close to forcing herself to make snorting sounds of laughter. I can't help thinking that she's trying too hard at flirting sometimes. She tells the camera that flirting is what she does to "infiltrate" the "little group". (The "little group": Hey, we ain't little! Wanna see?) Still, Parvati seems to be doing something right since she gets Nate to reveal that the guys are in a "serious alliance" so more power to her, snorty giggles and all. Nate however promises Parvati that he's "got her back" and he won't allow her to be "swooped off". He makes it sound as if a hurricane is coming to blow Parvati straight off the island into the sea.
Nate tells the camera that he thinks Parvati is a "cool girl" and she's his "ace" because nobody has any clue how tight he and Parvati are. Damn, Parvati must be sneakier than what is shown on TV when it comes to her flirtations and romantic intrigues if the other Raros can't see what she is trying to do with Nate. Still, Nate tells the camera that while there may be "sparks" in the future, he doesn't want to end up thinking like a "dum-dum" so he's not going to go there because, as he says, "guys sometimes can't control themselves". So, let me get this straight: even though he says that he can trust Parvati absolutely, he can't form a close alliance with her because doing so will make him think like a "dum-dum"? Okay then.
At any rate, Parvati now lets Nate know that she doesn't think much of JP's antics earlier that day. Nate tells her that maybe it's best for all of the others if they let JP, the "king" as the two of them call him, "sit pretty" and Parvati says that's her motto too. To the camera, Parvati says that she doesn't want to upset JP but really, let the games begin, she says. Nate is of course dum-dum enough to feel flattered whenever a woman agrees with him so he goes on to tell Parvati that the "ball" is right now in JP's "pocket" but "it can easily leave". They both agree that it will be interesting should that happens. The camera pans to a sleeping JP, unaware that he isn't as pectorally perfect as he'd like the tribe to find him to be.
Day eleven, Aitutaki. There's a rainbow in the sky. Get it? A rainbow over Aitu, the tribe we are supposed to love forever and ever. Ozzy leads Jonathan, Flika, and Cao Boi to the "boobies" - birds, you dirty-minded people - he had seen previously. Sure enough, there's a booby nest among the branches. Jonathan innocently wonders how a booby would taste and this leads Cao Boi to go, "You wanna try it?" Jonathan says that maybe they can just collect the eggs or something as Cao Boi begins climbing the tree. Cao Boi tells the camera that he's climbing the tree because he's getting eggs for everybody. He doesn't need the eggs himself, you know. I wonder why he feels this need to reassure the audience of this.
Cao Boi ends up dislodging the nest with a stick and the nest takes this fall down to the ground. The four Aitus realize that there is a baby bird in the nest. And I do mean "baby" because the hatchling looks like it has just been hatched. Jonathan looks like he wants to cry as he gently cradles the baby bird to his chest. He's lucky the baby bird isn't itching for some payback and snaps its beak over his nipple or something. He tells the others that the bird is born, "like today" and it is "still covered in... in all of its stuff!" Everyone sounds aghast at the terrible thing they have just done and Cao Boi puts the nest with its occupant back up on the branch. Now, I love animals as much as anyone else but I am always amused at the double standards people can get over the meat they eat. They moan and groan over the idea of eating something "cute" but they nonetheless gorge happily on fried chickens and grilled turkeys and smoked hams without sparing a thought for the cute animals that have just filled their stomachs. Then again, I understand completely though. I personally delude myself into thinking that the chicken I eat grow on trees and are different from those cute flightless fatties in the farm. Cao Boi says to the camera that he feels really "bad" and "humbled" by once more acting without thinking first. Admirable sentiment, really, if I can believe that he has actually learned something like he claims he did.
Immunity Challenge time. Probby awaits the tribes in a clearing this time around and once the two tribes have filed in, he allows Adam to rejoin Raro. I think Adam is grinning in exactly the same manner that he was grinning when he was on the boat to Janu Island the day before. Someone superimpose the two scenes and let me know if I'm right, please. I can't believe I thought he was hot during the first episode! He now looks like an evil clown that eats puppies, sheesh.
Probby explains how this Immunity Challenge will work. Four members from each tribe will first assemble from some pieces a "stretcher" that they will then carry as they run through the "jungle" to the beach. Out there in the sea is one of their tribe members "shackled" to a "mast". One of the four Rescue 911 gang will swim out to the "mast", climb up a rope ladder to reach the shackled person, free her (any doubt that it will be a "her"?), and swim back together to the beach while holding on together to a life ring. Team Rescue 911 will then place the "rescued" person onto the stretcher and run back to the starting line. The remaining three tribe members will then build a "rescue fire" that will burn through a rope to cause the tribe flag to drop and unfurl. The first tribe to do this ridiculously convoluted Challenge wins Albert. I mean, all that nonsense about fire and stretcher just to save some idiot? Convoluted, man, convoluted. Raro sits out Cristina for this Challenge.
Probby gives the word to go. Candice and Parvati are the damsels-in-distress for their respective tribes while the Rescue 911s are of course Brad, JP, Nate, and Adam for Raro while it's Yul, Jonathan, Ozzy (Ozzy's shorts are falling off...), and Flika for Aitu. Raro assembles the stretcher first but their lead over Aitu is very small. By the way, the most hilarious thing about this Challenge is the sight of Probby running after Raro as he babbles away about who is doing what. When it comes to jokes about what white men can't do or look stupid doing, Probby is that white guy. JP hits the water and it becomes clear that he's wearing orange shorts underneath his shorts. Ozzy on the other hand as he hits the water for Aitu demonstrates that he is wearing nothing underneath his shorts. Ozzy quickly catches up with JP and even overtakes him before I know it. Ozzy and Candice hit the water first while JP and Parvati actually fall behind, or so according to Probby anyway.
It's still anyone's game however for the Raros catch up while Cao Boi, Becky, and Sundra begin working at starting a fire. Cao Boi is really working the magnesium for Raro and next thing I know, he has a fire started. Woosh! Cao Boi transfers the smoking husk he has started a fire on to the plinth where they will try to burn through the rope and he proceeds to wave a handful of dry husk around like he's some sinseh in a martial arts movie trying to exorcise evil spirits from our possessed heroine's body. Probby goes, "Cao Boi's either going to be a hero or very silly!" On the other hand, Jenny working on the magnesium cuts her own hand and Stephannie has to take over. But at this point Cao Boi already has a considerably big fire going for Aitu. The fire burns... burns... and Aitu has this one all wrapped up. I hope the guys thank Cao Boi for their victory because as annoying as he can be, he is one of the major key players in ensuring victory for Aitu in this Challenge. Probby reminds Raro that they will catch up on things come Tribal Council that night and sends everyone away.
Angry waves! Angry music! Er... angry Raro? Anyway, we're looking at a blue Raro as Stephannie states the obvious to the camera: someone has to leave after Tribal Council that night. The Raros commiserate as Parvati says about how it is just too bad that they faced off against a "Zen fire master" during the Challenge. Stephannie tells the camera that she's angry with herself because she feels that she could have started the fire faster. I don't know what she is thinking but I think she's going to embarrassed at least a little when she watches this episode and remembers that she wasn't the only one who couldn't start a fire in time and she certainly wasn't the one beaten on the swim back by Candice and Ozzy. There is only so much she can blame herself for, and martyrs are never a good role to play on this show. Back at camp, Brad was trying to make everyone feel better by pointing out that Cao Boi is always the one making fires even back on the Puka tribe and Nate adds, "That fool's been making fire since he was like two, so I ain't trippin'!" Trust Nate to run over someone else's commentary to make a fool out of himself in the process. Stephannie then announces to the others that she's the weakest link of the tribe that cost them the Challenge. I'm sure the others, like Rebecca and Jenny, must be thinking at that moment, "Oh, how nice, dear. Do you want me to collect wood for your public burning? That's the least I can do for deflecting the target off my back." Nate tells the camera that he doesn't understand why Stephannie feels that way. He then goes on to say that the two of them are tight because they have "Hiki hood love" and she is his "Supreme". I'll see in the upcoming days how strong Nate's "Hiki hood love" is, I suppose. At any rate, Nate says that if someone (Stephannie) has self-doubts and does not want to play the game anymore, he doesn't think that he wants to keep that person on.
Later that day, the Raros minus Stephannie and apparently Jenny discuss the possibility of voting Stephannie off since she's apparently acting weird all the time since they returned to camp from the Challenge. They agree that Stephannie should be told in advance that she is leaving and why she is leaving and Nate says that Stephannie will leave in a "red carpet". Boy, I'm sure Stephannie will feel honored by that. Knowing the men of this tribe, they'd expect her to unroll the red carpet first. Or even make one herself. JP then heads off to sleep, telling Rebecca to give him a holler if someone needs him to, I suppose, give them instructions on how to scratch their backsides or something. Later, Jenny returns to camp, looking like she's just came back from a bath, and asks Rebecca whether a decision has been reached by the tribe as to who to boot come Tribal Council. Rebecca informs her that Stephannie is going because Stephannie herself wants to go. Jenny says that Stephannie has made the decision for the rest of them easier by volunteering to leave and Rebecca wishes aloud that Stephannie has kept quiet because her departure will only weaken the ladies. You can see from Rebecca's face that she is plotting something rather than merely speaking aloud her thoughts and Jenny clearly comes to the same wavelength as Rebecca as she tells Rebecca that maybe they should go collect some coconuts. The camera pans on a snoring JP as the two women walk past the shelter towards their rendezvous.
As the two women walk, Rebecca tells Jenny that JP thinks he has the whole game figured out. To the camera, she points out that with five women and four men currently in Raro, this is the best opportunity to break up the alliance among the four men and help the women stay in the game without completely sacrificing all their brawny men in the process. Woo-hoo, someone is playing the game! Rebecca explains her thoughts to Jenny who agrees with her and they decide to target JP instead of Stephannie at the upcoming Tribal Council. Yes, please do! I can't wait.
Later that day, Cristina and Stephannie are having some quiet time together where Stephannie now regrets talking about being the weakest link and all because, as she explains to the camera, she was caught up in the heat of the moment back then and decided to be the noble martyr without really meaning to do so. She tells Cristina that she should have kept her mouth shut. Well, at least she realizes that now. Luckily for Stephannie, Jenny soon joins the two ladies and brings up the plan to save Stephannie and boot JP instead. Even before Cristina learns of what the plan entails, she's already telling Jenny she's with them. When she hears that Rebecca is already aware of the plan (hah, Rebecca initiated the plan), it's even better. But Cristina then points out the one loose cannon that Jenny and Rebecca may not have considered: Parvati. Will she join the women or will she tattle to Nate (so much for discretion, Nate, everyone knows about you and Parvati) in order to make herself closer to the guys? Jenny indeed has this "Oh, crap!" look on her face as she quickly gets on her feet and runs off after telling the other two ladies she needs to talk to Parvati. Cristina tells Stephannie that she thinks Parvati will tattle.
Jenny runs off to Parvati and lays down the plan to boot JP. Even after talking about having the advantage of numbers and all, Parvati can only go, oh, she's not sure that booting JP is the right thing to do for "their" best interests. Unless Parvati is talking about her best interest, she's being very dumb there. Parvati is pretty much as wishy-washy as Cristina predicted, telling Jenny she'll "think about it", and Jenny can only report to Cristina and Stephannie that the dim-witted octopus-munching bimbo is "just hesitant" to commit to the plan. Okay, so they need one more lady... Brad! Okay, that's a very bad and obvious joke, my bad.
Brad, conveniently enough, is walking up to the three ladies at that moment. Do you think the other guys sent him to spy on the women? Stephannie leans her head on Brad's shoulder and goes, "Babe, I need you!" Brad comes off as quite self-conscious and he actually sneaks a peek directly at the camera one time during this scene, which goes some way in explaining why he rarely gets any screentime nowadays. The editors will not favor showcasing a contestant who reminds the audience constantly that there are actually cameras around these Survivors and they are watching a real TV show and not some people living in an island where magical invisible cameras capture their every action unedited live to the TV screen every week. Many people don't even realize that filming of this season has long been wrapped up by the time the first episode made it on air and these people may not appreciate realizing that their "reality TV" may not be that "real" after all. Where some conversations may even be reshot a few times to get the most drama out of the exchange! Then again, maybe Brad is just shy around women, how cute, awww.
Brad can only go "Wow!" when he hears the plan. Jenny tells the camera that she doesn't completely trust Brad but she hopes he will be on their side. I don't know what she means by Brad voting out JP for the "good of the tribe" though since Brad is already in the alliance of buff guys. Maybe Jenny is implying that if JP goes and Brad didn't go along with the plan, he's next? I don't know. At any rate, it looks like the four women, with or without Parvati and Brad, are going ahead with writing JP's name come Tribal Council.
Night, Tribal Council. Probby decides to steer the conversation towards leadership. Jenny, when asked, at first says that there is no leader in Raro but later admits that she feels that JP likes to "take command" but she doesn't see him as a leader. JP in a moment of unintentional hilarity agrees with her, saying that he always takes naps around the camp rather than leading or something! He concedes that he gives a few orders now and then though. Now the spotlight is on Stephannie as Probby asks why she, Rebecca, and Jenny were chosen to be the fire-makers. What, Probby actually expects the women to do all the tough running thingie when there are brave buff men around? Rebecca reasons that the three women are the ones who always work on the fire around camp, it's just that they didn't do so well in the particular Challenge.
Stephannie changes her tune now, saying that she doesn't think she should be singled out as the reason for the defeat in the Challenge since any one of them could experience the same problem if they work on the fire. Once more JP works his unintentional brand of funny by reminding everyone that he tanked in the swimming part of the Challenge to Ozzy while agreeing with Stephannie that votes should be based on "the big picture" and not who to be blamed for a defeat. JP claims that there is no reason to vote him off at all. That's what he thinks, that twit. After some chatter about trust and gut instincts, Probby sends the Aitus off to vote.
Stephannie votes for JP, saying that it's either her or him. Adam and Jenny vote next. JP votes for "Stephanie", wishing her well and wishing that she hasn't voiced out that she was the weakest link. Aha, so he's not voting for the big picture! Brad votes. Cristina votes for JP, saying apologetically that she knows that nobody likes to "get played". Of course, someone always has to. Rebecca votes. Nate votes for "Stephanie" - "Your wish is my command!" And finally, Parvati votes.
Probby tallies and rattles off the votes now. "Stephanie"! JP! "Stephanie"! JP (with a volleyball drawn next to the name)! JP! JP looks very worried now, heh. JP again! Nate has finally done the math and now he looks stunned. Parvati meanwhile has tears glistening in her eyes - she really looks torn up by her vote, which turns out to go to JP as well. So it's a 5-2 vote for JP, which means Brad, Parvati, and Adam cast a vote for JP as well. I suspect that Brad and Parvati must have told Adam something that clued him in on the way the votes are swinging tonight. It is also very interesting to see that Parvati may have clued Adam in but not Nate on the JP vote. If this is the case, Nate may want to reevaluate his standing with Parvati, Adam, and Brad, heh heh heh.
As JP gets up from his stool, he tells the others, "Holy crap! Dang, you guys outwitted me big time!" He gets his torch snuffed while Brad looks after JP like he has tears in his eyes, Parvati is unable to face JP, and Adam looks like he still doesn't have any functional brain in his head. JP turns to tell the Raros, "That was pretty good!" - I agree, we should do that again sometime, like a seasonal "Let's boot JP for the heck of it!" thing every Survivor - and then he's gone. Probby tells the Raros that they have voted someone who "appeared" to be one of the strongest people in the tribe and he hopes this means the Raros have a plan. After all, in Probby's mind, it is no plan if it isn't all about keeping his athletic hot boys on the show as long as possible.
JP is pretty pleasant in his final words, saying that there are no hard feelings on his part and he knows this is how the game is played. He says that clearly he didn't watch his own position in the tribe carefully. That's nice, ya big silly galoot. Now do us all a favor and go ask Ozzy to hook you up with producer friends that will help you make the best of an acting career.
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