Survivor: Ghost Island - Season Finale and Reunion Show Blog Party

I will try my best to post the major events of the show as it airs here on the East Coast. I'm still having some back issues, so please bear with me. Refresh the page to get the latest! The real "party" is in the comments -- I hope to see you there.

I probably won't be updating this much once the reunion show starts. But I'll still be around!

Lifeguard Laurie has once again kept up with updating the pool all season (yay, Laurie!) and here's where we stand going into tonight's finale ...

POOL
Domenick Abbate - Donna in Alabama, Janice 
Donathan Hurley - Becky, Terry is a Texan!
Angela Perkins - monty924, Karen JC 
Laurel Johnson - PDX Granny, Donna in FL 
Sebastion Noel - Indiana Jane, Shannon, Jackie 
Wendell Holland - Skyriverblue, Jennasmom 

JURY 
Chris Noble
Libby Vincek 
Desiree Afuye 
Jenna Bowman 
Michael Yerger
Chelsea Townsend
Kellyn Bechtold   

Six are left. Who will be the sole Survivor tonight? 

They open the show in Los Angeles with a hyped-up Jeff Probst pointing out the eliminated before jury, the jury as it stands right now and the six remaining on the show. Into an expanded look at each remaining castaway.

Returning from Tribal, both Wendell and Dom are a bit in shock over Donathan's betrayal during the evening. Sebastian is also tired of being in Wendell and Dom's shadow. Meanwhile, Wendell and Dom seem to be thinking that Sebastian is the next to go. Hmm.

It's right to an Immunity Challenge -- a giant skull maze collecting puzzle pieces and then solving the puzzle. Reward is also offered -- a steak dinner with all the trimmings.

Sebastian was the leader through the maze with Donathan not finding his bags of puzzle pieces. But ... Wendell beat out Sebastian with the puzzle.

Wendell wins his first official Immunity win! He gets to pick one person to go with him ... chooses Sebastian. Another person ... he chooses Angela. When asked about his choices, Laurel is vocal about him being strategical. She tells us she's mad that he chose her two biggest enemies and now her gloves are off. 

Tonight is the last night Sebastian can use his Ghost Island extra vote advantage. He thinks he'd like to use it for a big move although his reward mates seem to be thinking Donathan.

Dom sees how upset Laurel is over Wendell's chosen reward people. He wants to calm her down. Sebastian tries to talk Donathan and Angela into making a move against Dom, even if it only brings out his idol.

Oh, geez. Angela tells Dom that Sebastian has an extra vote and he's gunning for him. Oy! Now Dom definitely wants Sebastian out. Now Dom is worried. Donathan tries to convince Laurel to vote Dom with him.

Time for the first Tribal Council of the night! Jeff asks his Probsting questions. Sebastian tells Jeff that Donathan might be the target. Dom questions Donathan about whether he's targeting him or not. Sebastian admits to the extra vote which Dom brought up. Dom shows his real and fake idol. He lies and tells them the fake one now has power. Donathan is actually quite calm. Uh-oh, they're calling each other bro but it ain't no bromance. 

Dom gives Jeff the fake idol, pretending it's power, before the vote. Will they buy the lie?  

The tally ... Dom gets up. He reads about his idol being used to fool another. Any votes for him count.

Dom, Donathan, Sebastian, Sebastian, Sebastian.

My pool boy is voted out. He tells us he didn't use his extra vote and it might have been a million dollar mistake.

In CA, Jeff introduces Erik and James and their bad decisions.

Whoa! We're right to the second Immunity Challenge! Swim to platform, climb up, slide down, obstacles, puzzle pieces, solve puzzle. This time Wendell is in the lead with Laurel on his tail and it's Angela lagging.

WENDELL WINS IMMUNITY AGAIN! 

Will this drive problems between the two top dogs? Hmm. 

When Dom asks him, Donathan says he would take him to the final three. Dom thinks that Laurel is a bigger threat because she's won challenges. Laurel talks to Wendell and Dom. She tells them she wants Donathan on the jury for a vote for her and she goes with them -- Wendell and Dom -- and the vote gets split. Dom doesn't trust her. He talks to Wendell and they think Laurel might be the biggest threat. Wendell is still telling us he'd like to make a big move. Hmm.

Tribal Council time yet again. Jeff asks about the pressure back at camp due to last night. They talk about not taking a person along who stands a chance to win the last Immunity Challenge.  

The tally ... Dom plays his real idol (it's the last chance to play it) --

Wendell gets up and plays his idol for LAUREL. She's safe!

Laurel, Donathan, Donathan, Donathan ... he's out! 

Jeff talks to Donathan on stage and tells him that singer Sia was so impressed with how Donathan is so supporting of his family that she's giving him $10,000. That's great! He got a lot further in the show than I thought he would and he made some really stupid moves (and talks). But I do feel the kid has a good heart. That money will really help him! 

Final Immunity -- standing on a wobbly platform holding a stack of disks and balls with a pole. Final one up with whole stack will choose someone to go with them to the finals and let the other two battle it out. Wendell is once again in the lead and then loses his whole stack. Angela in the lead now. She loses her stack. 

DOMENICK wins Immunity!

All four will go to Ghost Island where the three will plead their case for Dom to give them safety. They also should practice their fire-making skills. Wendell plans to do the latter. Jeff gave Dom an envelope not to open until he's alone on Ghost Island. 

Dom tells us that he can't give Wendell a free ride. He wants to pick the best of the other two to make fire in the challenge with Wendell. She doesn't even practice making fire. That loses respect from Dom. Angela tries to convince Dom that taking Laurel to the final will be dangerous.

He goes off to read his message. One decision. About wrong decisions made in other seasons. Three voting urns. Colby choosing Tina and losing. Woo chose Tony. Culpepper and Sarah. He thinks about giving Angela his necklace and he himself going against Wendell in the fire-making challenge. He chose the Woo/Tony urn.

Final Tribal Council time. 

Dom takes Laurel with him to the final three. It's Angela and Wendell to make fire. They switch places because Wendell is scared to be orange.

WENDELL wins the fire-making challenge! The final three are Wendell, Laurel and Domenick. 

The Jury Questioning Tribal is ON. 

Social part of the game --
Kellyn - Plan coming in with alliances and relationships. Laurel - played athletic at first and ended up social. She defends herself when Michael accuses her of riding with the boys. He thinks Dom played the best social game. Hmm. Wendell thinks his own conversations were more real. Desiree questions Wendell about that. Wendell brings up his damage control between Chris and Dom. Chriis wants to know who the real mastermind is of the three. Wendell thinks he was because he was the winning five and pulled in Laurel. Donathan speaks up for Dom. Dom tells why HE was the mastermind for his own game. (Master of his domain?) Laurel says she thinks she approached the two guys. Chris questions why the two didn't go after each other. Dom says he tried at the end. Wendell tried to get along with all. 

Outplay part --
Laurel won a challenge and gave a good run at others. She felt she didn't NEED to win challenges to stay in the game. Wendell talks camp life and all he built. Chris asks him about idols. He mentions protecting Laurel and loyalty. Dom talks about the night of the Sebastian vote. Sebastian didn't like how things went down. Hmm ... seems like Dom has some friction from the jury people about his "brutal" move. Michael thinks the move was brilliant. 

Outlast part --
Laurel up first. She thinks taking out the two early would have resulted her being gone and how her loyalty made Wendell save her. Dom mentions how a lot of his moves hurt people. Vote with your heart and who played the best game. He's proud of his game. Wendell wanted to build things, kind of athletic, smart and social. Tried to play a clean game. Thought things through and made strategic moves.

They show two votes for Dom, two for Wendell as they write them.

The tally right there ...

Dom, Wendell, Dom, Wendell, Dom, Wendell, Dom, Wendell, Dom, Wendell.

First time ever tie for the win.

Laurel becomes the final member of the jury and casts the deciding vote. That vote will be read in Los Angeles.

And ... WENDELL WINS SURVIVOR: GHOST ISLAND! 

New Survivor this fall -- David vs. Goliath. Kind of a superhero vs. underdogs season. Hmm.