Thursday, May 03, 2007

'Survivor 14: Fiji' - Ep. 12 -or- "Hunks of Meat on a Rope"

Since the promos for this week's episode had concerns that Yau-Man would be voted off, I figured he'd be safe tonight. As the show went on, it definitely looked like he should start worrying, but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Seven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

The show opened on Night 30 as the tribe members returned to camp after voting out Mookie in Tribal Council. We all know Alex saved his own butt in the game by casting the deciding vote for his pal Mookie. But Dreamz is confused, trying to crunch numbers with his fingers.

Earl was very uncomfortable with the split vote and mentioned it to his alliance. He thought either Mookie or Alex might swing the vote and, sure enough, that's what happened. He thought Alex was much more of a threat and now he's with them. I think Earl's right about the threat value. Alex is definitely a smart player and will do just about anything to stay in the game.

Meanwhile, Alex thinks his best plan is just to lay low, listen, play a "Ninja" game, and perhaps try to plant some seeds of distrust. He hopes that there will be dissension in the ranks and he can slip himself right in. Since Yau-Man has the hidden Immunity Idol, he attempts to make folks think Yau-Man can't be trusted.
Survivor Fiji - Dreamz Goes For a Big Bite
The Reward Challenge was a bit um... primitive. Yeah, that's the best way to describe it. Hunks of pork (cooked, thankfully) were hanging by ropes. The tribe members had their hands tied behind their backs. They had to take bites out of the pork, then deposit the mouthfuls on designated plates. Blech. They looked like crazed zombies going after the meat. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway... they made pigs of themselves going for the pork.

The challenge was timed and Jeff weighed the results. Boo had bitten off literally more than he could chew - 8.9 pounds. Dreamz and Yau-Man were runners-up with 6 pounds each. The winner, Boo, and the runners-up won a helicopter trip which dropped them off to whitewater rafting.

Boo also won a bag which would "put him at an advantage" for the upcoming Immunity Challenge. He wasn't allowed to open it until then. He chose to send Earl to Exile Island. I personally think that move was more so Earl could get another clue to the newly-hidden Idol, but I may be wrong. Maybe he did it to punish him or something. I really don't know.
Survivor Fiji - Helicopter View of Exile Island
In the helicopter, Yau-Man and Dreamz had window seats and both were taken in by the amazing scenery. They spotted Exile Island and even thought they could see Earl there. Boo sat in the middle and talked. And talked... and talked. Both Yau-Man and Dreamz seemed to be silently cussing him out or imagining they could gag him somehow.

Back on Exile Island, Earl read the latest clue to the newly-hidden Immunity Idol. He already knew the Idol was back at their own beach because Boo had shared his clue with him. (My reasoning for thinking that Boo wanted to send Earl there in hopes that he/they can snag the new Idol.) The new clue said the clue was in a normal path, in a tree by a rock. Large rock? Maybe.
Survivor Fiji - Whitewater Reward
The Rewards Trio had a ball whitewater rafting, then checking out truly breathtaking scenery with some fantastic waterfalls.

Their reward was far from over, though. They had a feast and, when they were through eating, they were each handed envelopes. Letters from home! Boo's family eats well. Yau-Man's son got a good report card. And, the most tear-jerking letter was the one to Dreamz from his sister. It gave him resolve and determination to know how much his sister thought of his opportunity.

After they returned to camp, Alex was pleased that they seemed to be down on Boo for being so loquacious (love to throw in big words now and then, I do). He uses the seed to throw in his two cents, working on Cassandra, Dreamz, and Stacy... trying to spread his distrust of Boo and Yau-Man. But he tells us that if Boo wins Immunity, he knows he's in trouble. I'd say he's dead meat hanging on a rope, even.

The Immunity Challenge was in two rounds. It turns out that the bag Boo won in Reward bought him an automatic in to go directly to the final round. It contained three climbing steps. All of the others had to dig in sand for buried steps, within their own marked lanes, and find them one at a time. Cassandra basically gave up, but Yau-Man and Alex really worked it.
Survivor Fiji - Boo Wins Immunity Challenge
Alex made it, along with Dreamz, to the second round. In that one they had to use the climbing steps to climb twelve-foot high poles planted in the water. The first one to get all the way up and grab his flag would win immunity.

Alex tried his best, but Boo won Immunity.

Uh-oh, Alex. You better pedal hard now. And, he did. He tried to get Dreamz, Cassandra, Stacy, and even Earl against Yau-Man since he couldn't work the Boo angle anymore.

Cassandra seemed iffy like she might swing and voiced her thoughts to that effect in confession. Dreamz is the surprise here. He seemed to buddy-up with Alex once again. Is this guy acting or what? He even told Alex that Earl was winking and everything as he (Alex) talked about voting out Yau-Man. I've decided that this kid is more loyal than his talk.

When Tribal Council's votes came down, all voted for Alex to go except Alex (voted for Yau-Man). So, the six voted as one and Alex is gone. Alex is right in that next week, it's going to get messy. The six will have to start picking each other off. I know Yau-Man and Earl are a pair. Cassandra waffles, although I think Dreamz wants to form a group of three with her and Stacy (didn't he dislike her before?). Boo is a bit of a wild card. I really think he wants in with Earl and Yau-Man... or at least in with Earl.

Next week should be good! Oh, it would be nice if Cassandra wore something else. She was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction throughout the show.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another good Survivor tonight.I liked both of the challenges and was surprised at who is winning the immunity one. I was almost sure that Alex was going to pull it off tonight and was pulling for either one over him. I so wanted him gone tonight. It was a little scary when it looked like some might turn on Yau,but as Jackie pointed out,that usually is what they try and make us think.

Now,I personally think that Stacy is the one I would want sitting by my side at the finals,or maybe even Boo. Anybody else and they might have a shot at winning. And I know I don't especially want Cassandra to win,but coat riders and low fliers have won the game before. And even Dreamz,I think some would admire him getting that far and figure he deserved it,even though he rubbed alot of them the wrong way. Earl and Yau both would be hard to beat,but many feel they are too smug and confident in their manner of play.It's getting down to the nitty gritty and it's getting good! I still would prefer Yau or Earl over any of the others at this point.

~~Silk said...

The Amazon? Um, isn't that in South America?

Deanna said...

I was kinda hoping that Alex would have won the Immunity Idol tonight. He hasn't been too awful of a guy on the show and if someone else would have gone it would have shaken things up a bit and made for a more interesting show.

As usual, the people in top power have taken on the "Godfather" mannerisms and are letting it all get to their heads. I have liked Earl, Yau-man and Cassandra from the beginning but their obvious sense of being in charge is obnoxious. It's as if we are watching Lisi & Stacy all over again. Sometimes people just cannot handle a bit of power without letting it get to their heads.

Im a bit of an underdog kinda gal, so I think Im gonna hope for a big turn around and hope Boo takes it all... ;)

Jackie S. said...

Silk - whoopS! Don't know what got into me! :-)

Anonymous said...

I agree Sharon what has Cassandra done....like the I/C last night did not even try. She sure seems secure with her alliance. Give that girl a BRA...they are hanging to the waist. Probably smacked her in the face when she was digging, (I know I am bad), she is a free-loader. It will be fun to see who turns on who now down to the SIX.

I caught Jackie's error too but left it go....Fiji not Brazil...no big deal. It was a river, imao.

Not sure who deserves to win, do know who does not....Cassandra/Stacey. For me the rest of the game is who turns on who and who wins the remaining I/C's.

Sydney said...

However strange it is, I could have sworn Jeff said they would take a helicopter to a rafting trip in the Amazon... That's puzzling. While we all know of the one in Brazil, is it not possible in Fiji they named their area Amazon as well?

I remember at one office I worked at, the Cannon copier repair man got mad when I called it a Xerox machine. Ditto Kleenex when other brands make tissues...

Anonymous said...

welll....whew....I totally bought in to all the promos Jackie...I was a nervous wreck...being in CA I ran to the computer more than once to check your Blog to see what realy happened...for some reason your page wouldnt download fast enough and I was running back and forth...I was tense,nervous,furious with slick Alex...and crawling up the walls,chairs anything to work out my tension.....well I was thrilled beyond belief when they all hung together...admittedly I did not trust cassandra or dreamz...but when they all hung together I was weak with joy and relief...........ahhhhhhhhhhh

Anonymous said...

Did anyone else notice how Cassandra kept saying that Yau-Man was "playing to win"? Aren't they all playing to win? Isn't that the whole purpose of being there? If you're not gonna play to win, then what's the point? For some reason that really rubbed me the wrong way and I was talking to the TV. "Well duh...you're supposed to play to win!" I don't like Cassandra and hope she goes soon!

Anonymous said...

I'm with you,Orkmommy,I thought that was an asinine statement...like she's not??? She seemed awfully interested in turning on Yau...or was that all an act for Alex.....somehow,I think not...cause......SHE wants to win!!!

I also thought Earl overreacted when they got back from tribal when he got in everyone's face and declared HE would not sanction splitting the vote like that again.That WAS kind of "godfatherlike" and not somthing that may sit well with the others.

I read in next week's TV Guide that this coming week,it's "car week" on Survivor and we all know what that evokes....the "curse of the car winning".The blurb also says that other things are offered and turns things upside down. Should be interesting!

Anonymous said...

jnvtaborkmommy,Yes I noticed and agree with you completely! I think Dreamz
maybe playing all of us with his
strategy. I'm waiting for Cassandra,Stacy and Boo to be gone!

putfer in fl.

Anonymous said...

Checked Fiji white-water rafting said Upper Navua Gorge and Waininkoroiluva. Jeff may have messed up because he could not pronounce the real thing!!!! IMAO

Anonymous said...

Agree with Orkmommy...what's with Cassandra faulting Yau Man for "playing to win." Duh! Just why did she sign on...so far she hasn't contributed much except as an alliance member whose vote could be counted on. I hope Earl doesn't turn on Yau. Or that a sub-alliance doesn't form to get rid of Yau. I always hate it when the good players are given the boot by the inferior ones...I'd like to see the final two be Earl and Yau and let the jury decide which one deserves the money. In my opinion they are the two best players even if a bit cocky. But Yau better watch his back and use the immunity idol soon. He's smart...frankly I don't think he tried all that hard to the immunity challenge because he didn't want to be perceived as the guy who "always" wins. That puts a target on your back and I think he felt safe this week. Cassandra is just a lazy slug who thought she was safe and didn't even want to participate. Wouldn't it be interesting if Earl found the other idol? I think most people feel that the top two players are Earl and Yau and if polled now the jury I think would say the same thing. But Survivor is always offering up new twists and turns and one or both of them could be out.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Earl finds the idol and this time not tell a soul about it. Maybe just when we think he's a goner, he'll come up with it. I hope so. I think Dreamz is getting way too much credit for strategy. He goes back and foth constantly but always seems to have some wierd resoning for his votes that has nothing to do with the conversations he's had. I taped the show and played back the reward challenge, Jeff said you'll riverraft the rain forest, one of the most beautiful places in Fiji. And later, the guide said something very quickly when giving his instructions that I didn't understand (even after rewinding several times) but I didn't hear Amazon. (he spoke so fast!) could have been one of the names Delee mentioned. But I can see where anyone could catch something different, Jackie. I'm pulling for Earl and Yau-man to win, too, cockiness or no.

Anonymous said...

Does Cassandra think Yau Man should be playing for her to win?

Sydney said...

I'm laughing at myself ... that the guy could say rain forest and I HEARD Amazon in my head! LOL
Thanks for the work to clear that up Joy!

Sydney said...

Hey Nancy in WA.! Yau Man not winning this time to have a target on his back is a great observation... whether he did it or not, he should have!

Sharon, It looked like In one of the challenges, Yao makes a deal with someone -- is he willing to trade the immunity idol for the immunity necklace... or something? Maybe that's what the article meant?

Totally agree with Orkmommy too. If people aren't there to win they should never have applied and given someone serious the chance.... (hear that Lisi?). I think it's clearly a motivation to target Yao, as he would win next to most in the final 2

LYSS said...

I'M GLAD THAT BOO WON THE IMMUNITY IDOL, BECAUSE I WANTED ALEX TO GO THIS WEEK..AND DONT GET ME WRONG I DO LIKE BOO...BUT COME ON WE ALL KNOW HE'S NOT GOING TO WIN THE MILL..SO LETS GET HIM CLEAN'D UP AND SOME FOOD IN HIM, SO THAT I CAN HAVE MY EYE CANDY BACK..LOL..I THINK THAT EARL AND YAU SHOULD TAKE 2 PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN BEAT AND LET THE JURY PICK THE WINNER..MAYBE STACY AND SOMEONE..I'M NOT SURE..MAYBE BOO..(IF I CAN'T HAVE MY EYE CANDY)..IM NOT A BIG FAN OF DREAMZ..I KNOW THAT IF HE WENT TO THE FINAL 3 HE WONT BEAT EARL OR YAU..AND THOSE ARE THE 2 THAT I WANT TO WIN..(DON'T TELL NE ONE..ON ALL THE OTHER SHOWS MY FAV.'S ARE BEING KICK'D OFF LEFT AND RIGHT..LOL)
LYSS

Anonymous said...

Sorry...off subject...Paris gets 45 days!

The final snub from the Parasite Princess was being late to her hearing was probably what slam dunked it as far as the Judge was concerned. Good for him for having the conviction (pun intended) and integrity to follow through!

H♥lly

Anonymous said...

TY Holly for the Paris update. I had not heard that yet. She got what she deserved. I have never been pulled over and she was how many times and with no license to boot. She even signed a piece of paper that said her license was suspended. Guess she thought the rules to not apply to her. She'll learn now in her swanky cell!!!

Anonymous said...

I read in the NY Times that in California you can "book" a better cell in a "better" prison for things like motor vehicle offenses, drunken driving, etc. Bet the Hilton princess books herself a queen with en suite bath.

Anonymous said...

Paris update: Just read that the judge in her case specifically said she "cannot" book a room in one of the boutique prisons and pay the per diem. So off she goes, but she will be segregated from the general population for her safety.

Anonymous said...

I find it funny, she thought she would get away with it because of who she is. I think the judge did the fair thing. However, if they let some book a room why not her? I don't think she should be able to or anybody else for that matter, but why not let her. Will she learn her lesson? I think the rest of her gang needs to take notes on this though.

Anonymous said...

I went back and watched the whole show over again. Boo won the reward challenge and picked Earl to go to Exile Island, Earl rolled his eyes a little, but not really much of a reaction. I remember thinking, good, he'll at least have another clue to look at. When he was reaching for the clue box, he said 0000000000000'This is what I came here for." Ignore the zeroes, my error. But doesn't seem like he expected to be there? I'm wondering if he and Boo are maybe plotting together.. Like they might have decided beforehand that if Boo should win the challenge, he would send Earl to EI. Just wondering.

Anonymous said...

P.S. I know Jackie mentioned the above in her blog as a possibility. I forgot to mention in my last comment that her mention of it was why I looked back at that scene again. I really think she may be on to something there.

dla said...

Hi everyone!

I watched the show on Thursday, but with some distractions, so I just caught it again online. It was a good episode, with a lot of thought provoking angles.

My perception wasn't that Wow Man and Earl were cocky or arrogant, but just confident in their alliance. I believe everyone knows the rubber meets the road, so to speak, with the next tribal council, so it looks as though it should get very interesting.

I really get annoyed when the survivors don't work to win a challenge, and Cassandra did not even attempt to ACT like she wanted to win immunity, so that bothered me a bit. She has done one of the best jobs of simply flying under the radar and keeping everyone happy, that I hope they are onto her within the next elimination or two. I just don't know that strategy is enough for me to believe she is deserving of the prize.

Next week should be great!!

Anonymous said...

I know that I was yelling at the screen when Boo had to pick somebody to go to EI! I was yelling..."anyone BUT Alex"! I thought the best ones to send would have been Earl or Yau,because you couldn't chance Alex finding the II before tribal council. Boo did a good job. And I liked his hustle in the IC,he really wanted that win.

My pick to go home next would be Dreamz...why...he's very strong and capable of winning immunity and he's so hard to read. They also need to break up the bond between him and Cassandra and make her work to stay there.

Anonymous said...

Dreamz is a troublemaker not a strategist...and he's annoying to watch...hope he gets the boot next time out and hope Yau goes for the individual immunity...he may not realize just how much he needs it. Nobody, and I would doubt even Earl, would want to stand beside that man in the final two. He has been outstanding.

Anonymous said...

Yau Man only has a couple more TC to use the Idol. I think everyone should get together and tell Yau Man they are going to vote him out so he has to use the Idol. Besides, he's suppose to be sharing that with Earl if he needs it. Thus far, neither of them has needed to use it. The other tribal members should force the issue.

Cassandra was terrified she was going home early in the game before the split. Now she doesn't even bother participating in the immunity challenge. She's come a long way baby! Hope it doesn't come back to bite her.

And if Jeff hadn't yelled that Alex had skipped some "steps" going straight to the top, Boo wouldn't have know to hurry and Alex might have won immunity. I don't like it when Jeff gives away someone's strategy in the games but he seems to do it all the time.

Anonymous said...

I was glad to see Alex get the boot...Jeff always does a play by play of everyone's efforts...it's all part of the game.

Sydney said...

That's funny Jennifer!

And Jackie, great idea to start a planning group and have an announcement later in case others could join. I'll write ya... I think everyone who writes should mention what town they are from and something about where they could get to --just so we could start to get an idea and narrow down a meeting city.

Seems to make sense to do it inor near NY so Jackie could come. I know NYC can be expensive but there are ways around that. If staying in NJ (or Brooklyn) would make it easier to meet in "NY" would that not be as affordable as meeting in Philly? Just a thought.