Rotu Tribe, which would always wear blue, consisted of Gabriel Cade, John Carroll, Robert de Caino, Neleh Dennis, Paschal English, Tammy Leitner, Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien and Zoe Zanidakis.
Maraamu, thrilled when they finally saw their flag, had a different situation brewing. Firstly, Sarah didn't seem to do much but "pose" on the raft or wherever she was. When they finally got to the beach, Sean acted quite strangely and then went into Prayer with Peter. By now, the tribe realized they had no food, no water or matches. So they started getting to work on the fire, mirroring the other tribe. They were successful and there was much rejoicing.
Both tribes found their water holes in the new day and Rotu finally established a fire. Both tribes found plenty of food in roots and fruits and were all in fairly good spirits. There were personality clashes along the way in minor instances, but one got the feeling that they had all seen Survivor before and were really guarding against obvious mistakes.
The first tree mail for the first Immunity came and had the teams take an outrigger canoe outfitted with two torches. The teams had to swim out and light the torches, then light a line of floating torches on the way back, get the canoe into it's cradle and light the final torch at the finish line. Rotu won, sending Maraamu to the first Tribal Council. Peter Harkey was voted off the island.
Over at Maraamu, we discovered that the tribe created their own radio station and start each morning with a weather report from Hunter, a food report from Rob and music from Sean. This particular morning's tune was "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and it had some of the tribemates dancing along. Patricia changed her attitude and became "Mama" to the tribe. She was like an energizer bunny, running around, organizing and building a chicken pen... just in case. While Patricia ordered folks around as to where they need to go and what they need to do, everyone noticed how Sean did little more than sit on the beach. Sean and Vee sat on the beach and Sean spoke about being the only black people in the tribe and how they have a secret communication going on that no-one else could ever possibly understand. Hunter finally asked him to go and get some water when he had some time (HA!) and Sean eventually meandered in the direction of the watering hole.
The Reward Challenge came up and it was for fishing gear. The tribes had to swim out to where their boats had been sunk with 250 rocks. They had to dive down, get the rocks out, bring the boat up to the top, bail the water out and paddle it back to shore. Whomever got their boat on the mat on shore first would win the Reward. Rotu won the reward easily and went back to camp with a snorkel, mask and fins.
Next came the Immunity Challenge. As per usual, episode two brings the disgusting food challenge. This little delicacy consisted of fish bones, crab legs and lobster legs made into a marinade by letting it rot in sea water for three days. Then they take slices of fish and let it sit in the marinade in the hot sun for a couple of hours. Jeff commented that it smells worse than a public toilet on a hot summer day. One at a time, the tribe members had to go up and "bob" for this delicacy and whichever team ate the most would win Immunity. It looked pretty bad for a couple of the contestants, but eventually they all choked down their piece. It came down to a tie breaker in which each team had to choose the most squeamish of the other team to eat a bowl full of this stuff. Rotu chose Rob and Maraamu chose Neleh. It was a tough go, but Neleh won for Rotu and sent Maraamu back to Tribal Council for the seond time.
This Tribal Council was interesting. A definite split appeared in the tribe's voting strategy. Prior to voting, as Jeff had them all seated before the fire, his questioning was pointed and the responses were surprisingly honest. Patricia said that she thought the tribe wasn't yet 100% productive but she likes to be the "Mama" of the tribe. Jeff then asked Rob how he felt and he said that sometimes she was a pain in the butt but other times she was always there for them. Jeff then asked Sarah, who said, "I think we're all adults and nobody needs to be told what to do and no-one needs to be barked at." Jeff asked about the daily routine. Sean commented that the work every day was wearing his energy down. Sarah said that she works 16 hours days at home and didn't come here to do that. Jeff asked her what she did come here to do. Sarah: "Came here to play the game, meet cool people, have this adventure and... I will admit I do less of the work, but I'm trying to save my energy. I don't want to personally be the one to lose a challenge because I don't have enough energy..." Then Gina spoke up. "I totally disagree. If I have to expend more energy to take up for somebody who's not working, then when I go to a challenge I'm going to be twice as weak as I should be because I had to pull somebody else's weight." There is a definite split here, both in thought and action. In the end, the vote was split right down to the last name. "Mama" Patricia was voted off the island.
Over at Rotu the next morning, there was much complaining about how wet everyone got through the night. No-one slept well so the job of repairing the shelter was on. Everyone seemed to have accepted Kathy much more as well. It seems she's changed her attitude and has *finally* decided to go with the flow and now, they truly are one tribe. They've begun to give each other pet names... Neleh is now "Sweet Pea" and Paschal is "Pappy". It's like a love in with these folks. While out with the scuba diving equipment, John stuck his fingers with about 12 sea urchin needles and this man was in agony. Being a registered nurse, he knew that he needed someone to urinate on the wound to take the pain and swelling away. Paschal tried but couldn't so Kathy did it for him. It seemed to help.
Jeff showed up at each of the beaches with 50 stocks of bamboo and 300 feet of rope. The teams were to construct a raft strong enough to hold all of the tribe members plus some supplies they had to pick up along the way. This was for the reward challenge. While Maraamu stood around in dumb-founded silence, Rotu got right to work on their raft. Unfortunately, Robert got a rock in his sandal and it severely cut into his big toe. John rendered first aid and they continued to build their raft under Gabriel's direction. While the raft construction continued, a few of the Rotu went out to the water to collect food and as John stuck his hand under a rock to turn it, an eel bit him. The tear went straight through his middle finger, right through the nail. Not John's day. Over at Maraamu, no-one seemed to have any direction. There was no clear plan for making the raft but most of them pressed on while others complained or sat around (you know who I'm talking about) - (in case you don't, Sean and Sarah).
For the reward challenge, the teams had to paddle their rafts out to the five boxes floating above anchors, unhook them and put them on their rafts. The first team to make it back to the start would win the reward, which was a choice of a tin of rice that would last a week OR blankets, pillows and three lanterns with fuel. The race was neck and neck almost all of the way. Since the boxes were floating in a criss-crossed formation, the rafts collided a couple of times. Right down to the very end, the rafts were dead even, but Rotu won in the end and chose the blankets, pillows and lanterns.
A VERY disheartened Maraamu returned to camp. Vee called them the Loser tribe since they'd lost four in a row (immunity and reward challenges). Hunter commented that the team had to have a winning attitude 100% of the time. Teamwork begins at the camp and that's just not there.
The Immunity Challenge came up next and the tribes had to maneuver a huge puzzle held by pullys on 4 sides. They had to get a coconut through a maze and into a hole by pulling the sides up and down with one person instructing who had to raise or lower. The winner would be decided by whomever got three coconuts into the hole at the end of the maze. It really looked like Maraamu was finally going to win one this time, but as their third coconut circled and circled the hole, Rotu came through at the last second and won Immunity, sending Maraamu to Tribal Council for the third consecutive time.
Tribal Council had the distinct feel of bitterness. The team were so tired of losing and could not figure out what it was they had to do to win. It turns out that Rob had very quietly begun an alliance of his own and while Hunter and Gina voted to boot Sarah off the island, all the rest of them voted for Hunter. Hunter was voted off the island in a huge surprise ending. I don't normally do this, but I thought I'd quote the final words this time. Bitter? You bet.
Hunter: "I really don't understand the logic behind it right now, but hey, you got me. I was camping with a bunch of knuckle-heads and I'll tell you that to your face when I see you again. And I will phone the Red Cross and let them know where you guys are so that you can be air-lifted out of there after you die of starvation and dehydration after the next couple of days. Hang in there, Gina, and I wish you guys the best of luck out there."
At Rotu, the love-in continued. The hugging and back-patting went on and the tribe members continued to gush about each other. They did each other's hair, sat on the beach and talked, and the unity of the "family" was commented upon by everyone. This little family was soon to be in for a big surprise.
Tree mail came and had the teams meet Jeff in a little clearing. This was not a reward or immunity challenge. Jeff called this an activity. All they had to do was pick a disk on the ground and stand on it. Then, one by one, they flipped over the disk to reveal their new bandanas... representing their new tribes. Zoe was first to go and look of utter horror and shock on her face expressed very well what we were all feeling. Survivor had thrown a wrench into the works again. In the end, the tribes were as follows:
ROTU: Zoe, Gabriel, John, Vecepia, Rob, Sean, Robert and Tammy.
MARAAMU: Gina, Neleh, Kathy, Sarah and Paschal.
Jeff then sent them all on their way, with special emphasis on the fact that this part of their destiny was planned long before they even got to Marquesas.
Back at Maraamu camp, the three new members were ecstatic to see fruit trees. They all spoke a bit about themselves and Gina found that she had a lot in common with Kathy. Gina was thrilled to be with new people who actually had a work ethic, while it didn't take the three new-comers long to realize that the tribe, as it had been, was basically lazy. The hike to the water hole shocked the new tribe mates since they were used to the waterfall. But everyone (except Sarah) got into it and filled canteens and looked for food sources. While on a hike, the tribe got lost and couldn't find the trail. While trying to find their way back, they found a brook with shrimp. So they all (except Sarah) started trying different ways to catch shrimp. Sarah decided to leave and go back to camp. She wasn't out of earshot when she got lost and had to go back to the tribe and wait for them to return.
At Rotu, it was a happy group that introduced the three new members to their new camp, but they expected everyone to get right to work. And that did NOT sit well with Rob, Sean and Vee. They were SHOCKED that they were expected to do anything and they actually sweated in the sun with this new tribe. Rob made a whole lot of distasteful comments about the new people he'd just met (to the camera, not to them) and he showed himself to be very vulnerable and out of place. Sean commented that he felt like he was being treated like a slave. "I can hear the 'ROOTS' theme as we speak here." He decided he'd had "enough" of this as he sat on the beach, complaining to Rob. So he walked up to Gabriel and blasted him. "We're not going to over exert ourselves knowing we're coming into a situation where we may get voted off anyway...we're not going to run around like slaves to prove anything to anybody. We're going to rest when we want to rest..." The look on Gabriel's face in the aftermath of that was priceless. We all knew who number one on HIS list was right there and then. Vee told them it was just too much drama for her. She's with them, but she wants to be left out of the drama.
The Immunity Challenge came up for the new tribes. Kathy speculated that Rotu might back off the challenge in order to get rid of whomever they might not like in their new tribe. Time would tell. The challenge was to move a giant woven tapestry around until it formed a picture. It needed teamwork. Something apparently still lacking in Maraamu. While Rotu went about it with the zeal we have always seen them go at a challenge, Maraamu basically stood around while Kathy and Gina did the work on one piece at a time. Kathy commented to them that everyone else had to work, too! But they didn't. Rotu won another Immunity and sent a dejected Maraamu back to Tribal Council.
I called the vote before the vote was cast. There was absolutely no doubting, whatsoever, what this vote would bring. Sarah was voted off the island 4-1 (she voted for Kathy) in a NON surprise ending. BUH BYE SARAH, Won't miss ya.
Over at Marramu, the remaining four tribe members were joined together in prayer, led by Neleh. These people seemed to be really enjoying each other's company and the good vibes that surrounded them. Paschal commented that he heard crabs at night, going after their basket. The tribe decided to go crab hunting and they easily came up with 12 of them. They cooked them down and ate a really big crab dinner. All were satisfied and happy at the peace and companionship within the tribe.
The Reward Challenge came up and Jeff stressed that this challenge needed teamwork and trust. Each team had four tiki totems that had been deconstructed and the pieces scattered around the area. Three of the tribe members were blind folded and one was to direct them toward the pieces. Once all 14 pieces were back at one place, the blind folds could be removed and the four members had to then re-construct the tiki totems. Whomever got their four tikis constructed first won the reward. The reward was that the winning tribe would get to visit the losing tribe's camp and raid it. For the first time, Maraamu won a challenge, and they got raiding rights.
Maraamu were taken by boat to Rotu's camp and given their instructions. They were to leave one water jug, one knife, one cooking pot, the magnifying glass and they were not allowed to take any personal items. Having lived their island lives in Rotu, Kathy, Paschal and Neleh knew exactly what to look for. They had two minutes to do the damage... and they did. They got pillows, blankets, limes, a knife, the cutting board, bamboo, lanterns... almost everything Rotu had won in previous reward challenges. The Rotu tribe were left dejected, but Vee put a positive spin on it by saying that this will strengthen them and make them work together to start anew.
At Camp Maraamu, there was joy and celebration. Neleh commented that this win was especially sweet because Gina had never experienced a win before and this was a big one. Kathy commented that this win was better than any she'd had with Rotu. The bond was getting tighter and stronger.
At Rotu, we saw Sean's influence rising again as the tribe sat around and listened to Gabriel do the Rotu Rap, while Sean made the "music" behind him. Later John took Gabriel aside and put him on the spot about their previous alliance. Gabriel seemed to have changed his opinion a bit in that he was not all about getting the old Rotu tribe back together and going forward from there anymore. And this upset John in a big way. So John went to Robert, asked for his solidarity and got it. Then he went to Tammy and Zoe and got them in his alliance. He still needed one more person to outnumber Gabriel and whomever he had with him. So he took a walk with Sean and asked for his help, with the other former Maraamus, to vote out Gabriel.
The Immunity Challenge came up next and it had the tribes create an SOS that a boat would see and respond to. Maraamu scored big time with all of the blankets and things they procured from the Rotu Raid. They went to work immediately on their SOS with teamwork. At Rotu, only four people were allowed to participate in the challenge... the four that were left out of the Reward Challenge, and they were, Sean, Rob, Vee and Zoe. In the end, Rotu placed a black tarp over a raft, attached red life vests to it, put a white "X" in the middle of the tarp and flew the Rotu flag above it. Maraamu stretched a white blanket across a bamboo square and put a big red circle in the middle of it, made of material from their life jackets. Paschal carried his American Flag up and down the beach while Neleh waved the Maraamu flag. Maraamu won the Immunity Challenge thanks to their use of color, specifically the red, and the American Flag helped a great deal, waving as it should be. Rotu would soon experience their first Tribal Council.
Rob went to Gabriel and laid his cards on the table and told him that he had been approaced to vote against him. It looked like Gabe was going to have to change his strategy. He saw this as another chance and John saw them together. This was definitely going in an entirely different direction. Jeff's pre-vote patter was typical and the responses from the tribe members were upbeat and optimistic. But the shock came when the first five votes read out all had one person's name. Gabriel was voted off the island. The game had changed. Rotu had lost it's first member.
At Maraamu, the tribe went crab hunting again and came up with some very large ones. With teamwork, they got a nice lunch out of it and ate well again. They speculated on who was voted out at Tribal Council the previous night and they all agreed it was probably Rob or Sean.
The Reward Challenge came up and the reward was clearly food. Rotu was very excited about this because they were eating so poorly. Kathy had said that they only ate one meal a day at Rotu and that was dinner. Rotu were hungry to win the challenge (pun intended). The Maraamu Tribe arrived first and stood on their mat, watching to see who was missing from Rotu. Kathy, Neleh and Paschal were shocked to see that Gabriel was gone. The competition was a jungle relay race. One member from each tribe had to race through the jungle until they found a paddle, tied with knots. That team member had to untie the knots, grab the paddle, tag the next team member and they both had to reach the second paddle, untie it and run to a bunch of coconuts. One of the coconuts had a key in it. They had to smash them until they found it and then take the key and the paddles to the other two team members who had to unlock the outrigger canoe, get in and paddle it around a buoy, pick up their flag from it and get back to shore. Whomever got their canoe back first and planted their flag would win. Rotu had a bit of a lead but they seemed to fall apart when they were in the water, unable to paddle the canoe correctly. This gave Maraamu the chance to catch up. They got back to shore first but Maraamu forgot their flag so as they ran back to get it, Rotu raced ahead and planted their flag... but Robert wasn't with them when they planted it so Maraamu protested and wanted Jeff to check that Rotu had won. One of the rules was that the canoe had to be put on shore within the length of the chain that it was locked to. Maraamu's was there... but Rotu's was not and Robert was not with the tribe when they planted the flag. Maraamu won the Reward Challenge and went to chow down.
Maraamu ate chicken, salad, fresh bread, quiche, cookies... more food than they had seen in over 2 weeks. They spoke about wanting this win more to keep Rotu from eating than anything else. A hungry team is a weak team. They wanted to keep Rotu weak. Then the conversation turned to their shock at Gabriel being voted out. It was a great shock to them as they described him to Gina, who had never known him. Paschal eventually got very misty-eyed about it and had to excuse himself. He thought of Gabe as the son he never had. Don't worry, Paschal, you'll see him again.
At Rotu, they ate coconut and some seafood and worked really hard to convince each other that they really would not have been happy eating all of those other foods. Robert said he hoped Maraamu choked on it. Later on, Rob decided to do some investigating. He asked Zoe outright if she, Robert, John and Tammy had an alliance. She said they have a friendship, not an alliance. Rob knew she was lying. So he went to the group and asked. John said of course there was an alliance! But he also gave his word that, at the merge, the Rotu as they were then, would go through and get rid of the current Maraamu tribe and keep this tribe together. Rob gave him his word that he would do the same thing. He'd stick with this tribe and get rid of the others... but that's not what Rob was planning at all.
The Immunity Challenge came up and had the teams tied together and making their way through a giant maze, picking up rungs for a ladder, numbered from one to five. Once the rungs were placed on the ladder, one person goes up and holds the flag up there. The loser goes to Tribal Council. With Rob in the lead, Rotu did this challenge very well and fast. He knew he had a lot to lose if they didn't make this With Kathy in the lead, Maraamu seemed to be hitting dead end after dead end. By the time Maraamu had one rung, Rotu already had three. Rotu easily won this challenge and sent Maraamu to Tribal Council.
One can only imagine how heartbreaking this Tribal Council was. There were only four of them and they had really come together as a team and family. While Rotu had lazy and unlikeable people to spare, Maraamu was a tight little group. In the end, the former Rotu's banded together and voted Gina off the island. A disappointing exit for Gina. She had the skills and personality to go all the way to the final four... But she graciously said that she completely understood the voting strategy.
Over at Rotu, Rob continued his complaining campaign. He commented on Vee being a fake. He called the tribe morons and said how much he hated it there. He was virtually powerless here at Rotu, he was basically an outsider, and he knew it. While the rest of the tribe relaxed and chatted, he sat with Sean on the outside and seethed. He decided that since he'd tried to go up one side of the mountain, then the other, he'd try to dig a hole right through it. Then tree mail came. One member from each tribe had to go on a hike, following the map attached to the clue, and that was all it said. At Maraamu, Kathy volunteered to go. At Rotu, after they all stood around in silence and stared at each other for an eternal amount of time, Rob volunteered. No-one else did, so he went on his way.
Eventually, Kathy and Rob arrived at a clearing called a "Tahua" which was a public meeting place. Jeff told them that any major decisions that had to be made during tribal life had to made there. This is what they were there for: To name the new, merged tribe, and paint the new flag. Jeff then presented them with pizza and beer to help them think clearly. Unfortunately, we didn't see any of the decision making that made them choose the name or how they decided which beach to live on for the rest of the game or even the painting of the flag. All we saw was Rob making Kathy paranoid about her former tribe mates. Deep into the night, 30 beer later, the two continued to talk about the others in the tribe and Rob continued to try and get Kathy to stick with him and form an alliance. Kathy was suspicious at how quickly Rob wanted to form this alliance so she kept guarded. But you could see she was unhappy about the Rotus.
Rob and Kathy arrived at Maraamu and informed Neleh and Paschal that they had five minutes to get everything onto the raft for their trip to their new camp. The four of them worked furiously and got the entire camp packed up and onto that raft in the allotted time. They then swam and paddled the raft over to Rotu Beach and the merged tribe was formed. Rob and Kathy presented the new flag and the new tribe name: Soliantu, meaning sacred allegiance to the sun. Vee led some of the tribe members in prayer as everyone got together and acted like a big, happy tribe again.
Meantime, Kathy was more than disturbed at the fact that she was probably going to be booted off the island. She confided in Paschal that Rob had told her that she, he and Neleh were going to be voted out first because they were no longer Rotu. Paschal was understandably upset by that but did not want to make waves so soon after being re-united with the Rotus. When Rob, Kathy and Zoe went on a food-gathering mission, Rob stopped them and asked them for a little talk. He asked them point blank who they were going to vote for. Zoe told him it was none of his business. Rob attacked Zoe for lying and announced that the Rotu's had a pact to get rid of the people from the other side of the island first - and that Kathy was first as soon as she got there. Zoe denied it and Rob dug in more. Kathy had enough and she got up and left. She practically ran to the waterfall and dove in, fully dressed. She stood under the falls for a long time and decided that, no matter what happened, she needed immunity.
The Immunity Challenge came up and the tribemates met Jeff by the shore. Each tribe member had to stand on a platform in the water. The last one standing had immunity. They were not allowed to touch the platform with anything but their feet. If they touched it, they were out. In the end, Kathy got the immunity she felt she needed so badly. She would be safe for another three days.
Back at camp, Rob came after John in a big way. He asked him straight up if the agreement was still on. Were they going to vote out the three from the Maraamu off first. John told him they discussed a lot of different options and he wasn't sure what he was going to do yet. Rob pounced and the yelling started. Poor Vee, chopping coconut, spouted her now famous line to the others with her: "Too much drama." Suddenly Sean jumped into the fray and started letting John have it with both barrels about the lying and the alliances. Then, when John walked away, Rob went to Robert and tried to stir him up. He couldn't do it. Robert said he was true to one person: Himself. And that was all there was to it. Rob moved on. Kathy stood on the outside of this thing and watched it in amazement... as did the other tribemates.
At Tribal Council, Jeff asked the usual questions and got the usual responses. Sean told Jeff that he felt like an outsider beause he still felt like he was not one of the tribe. Rob said he was happy about the way he'd been playing the game and admitted he'd lied to people, but everyone had lied to him too. Then Jeff told them about a new twist to the game. If a person won Immunity and felt sure enough about their place in the tribe that they didn't really need it, they could assign their immunity to someone else. Jeff asked Kathy if she wanted to keep Immunity or assign it to someone else and Kathy elected to keep it. She felt too vulnerable. Then the vote was on. Rob Mariano was voted off the island. Considering the ruckus he'd been raising over the past couple of days, it was not a surprise.
The reward challenge came up and it had the team making their own kites. First person to get their kite 300 feet in the air wins the reward. The prize was a Snickers bar and a deep sea dive. (I think the tribe was hoping for more food than that, but oh well). There were a lot of smile moments in this challenge. It was nice to see them just having fun for a while. In the end, Kathy won the reward. She really seemed to enjoy her scuba dive.
Back on the beach, Tammy informed us that she, Paschal, Neleh, Robert, John and Zoe were allied and they were targetting Sean for the boot. Meanwhile, Sean was telling Vecepia that he was well aware that he was next. He told her that he was going to talk to Kathy and Neleh about getting together and creating a bigger alliance. Kathy came back from her dive and shared the Snickers bar with everyone: a gesture which was appreciated by everyone. Sean then got ahold of Kathy and tried to convince her that they should form an alliance... they just needed to get Paschal and Neleh. So Kathy went to Neleh and tried to convince her. Paschal was adamant, though, that he wanted Sean off the island, so he was not willing to go that route. John was feeling very confident of his place in the tribe because of the support of Paschal and Neleh as well as his core group of Tammy, Robert and Zoe.
The Immunity Challenge came up and had the tribe members answering questions relating to life and survival on the Marquesas Islands. Each tribe member had three bundles of coconuts strung up to the top of a coconut tree. Every time the players got a question right, they got to cut down one bundle of someone else's coconuts. The last one to have some coconuts up in the tree wins Immunity. In the end, Tammy won Immunity.
Later on, Paschal and Neleh went for a walk and, because of the order in which the coconuts were cut down (Sean first, then Vee, then Kathy) it dawned on Neleh and Paschal that the core alliance of John, Robert, Tammy and Zoe really didn't give them any consideration at all. They realized they were not really involved in getting down to the end of the game... they were being used to allow those four to make it to the final four. Neleh was terribly upset about the way they went after Paschal in the game without a word to him and she was insistant that things had to change.
At Tribal Council, Vee told Jeff what the others were thinking. While John rolled his eyes, Vee said: "...It seemed to me to be a little bit of gloating as people were staying in the game and going on and it was apparent to several of us. At that point, alarms starting going off in all of our heads." The Immunity Challenge showed the true colors of the four who thought they were unbeatable. When all the votes were tallied, John was voted off the island and became the first jury member.
The Reward Challenge came up and had the eight remaining survivors split into teams of two (the pairings were random). The object of the game was to fill their three-foot-tall bamboo shoot to the top with coconut juice. The teams could either collect coconuts from around the beach area or swim out to a bundle of coconuts anchored in the water. The first team to fill their shoot wins. The reward was a helicopter ride out to a mountain where they'd be dropped off and given horses to ride down to an authentic Marquesean feast. In the end, the unlikely team of Sean and Paschal won the reward challenge.
As dawn broke over Soliantu Beach the next morning, the tribemates gave Sean and Paschal last minute instructions for their trip: Drink lots, Eat lots, Have fun, Be silly. The helicopter ride was spectacular and ended too quickly, depositing Sean and Paschal on a mountain where two Marquesean men arrived with horses. Sean looked nervous, and rightfully so... he is not much of a horseman. However, he soon settled in and they arrived for their feast. These men were spoiled with large drinks and a huge meal. They discovered that they really, genuinely liked each other and they grew increasingly close during the reward. The day ended with a dance around the campfire - which was kind of tough to do since they'd been stuffing their pockets with food for their tribe mates who were left behind. Seeing Paschal and Sean like this was eye-opening and very special. I think we got to see the real Sean in this episode and he's really a good guy.
All too soon, the helicopter brought Sean and Paschal back to camp and the food was shared... the tribe were ecstatic. Next day, Robert and Tammy approached Neleh and Paschal about how they were not really in the alliance with John. They were trying as hard as they could to save their hides at Tribal Council... trying to get Pappy and SweetPea to leave Sean's alliance and join with them. Neleh and Paschal were not listening, would not hear it. Robert, Tammy and Zoe could do whatever they wanted... they were now the outsiders. Zoe tried to buy everyone's friendship by making island jewellry for everyone.
Tree Mail came for the Immunity Challenge. There were stilts for them to practice on and no-one seemed to do very well on them.... except for Tammy. She seemed to already have a talent with them. So when they met Jeff for the Immunity Challenge, they were as prepared as they were going to be. Two at a time, they had to face off on the stilts and the first to fall was out. Each pairing had to face off until there were only two left. In the end, it came down to Tammy vs Vecepia. Tammy stayed on the longest and won Immunity from Tribal Council. Back at camp, there was very little discussion about who was going to go. It was either Zoe or Robert. When the votes were tallied, it was Zoe's turn to be booted from the island, making her the second member of the Jury.
At the Challenge site, Jeff explained the rules. Each tribe member had to dive down from a platform and get a conk shell off the ocean floor. There were only six of them for the seven people, so whomever came up empty was eliminated. Then they moved on to five shells for six people and so on until there were only four tribe members left. At that point, the four had to move their 40 pound rock from the dock to the shore, under water and place it at Jeff's feet to win the challenge. The reward was a room on a luxury cruise ship. The winner got to check in, have a long, hot shower and have a fresh clean set of clothes and then be treated to a full course meal... all on Jeff's VISA card. In the end, surprisingly, Paschal won the challenge! As he and Jeff were about to take off, Jeff told him he could bring one person with him. Without hesitation, he called out for Neleh to join him (no surprise there) and the two went away to the cruise ship.
If I hear Neleh say "OH MY HECK" one more time, I will surely make fun of her. LOL! Anyway, time for the big old love-in. Paschal thinks of Neleh as a daughter. This is definitely shades of Rodger and Elisabeth... and don't we wish Rodger and Elisabeth had been treated to this wonderful reward. Anyway, the two of them gushed, oooohed and awwwwed over their room, the shower, their cleanliness, the food... the wonder of it all. Back on the beach, the remaining tribe members speculated on what they were doing and eating with all due jealousy... yet hanging onto the firm belief that the two would surely bring them some food back... since everyone else had done it, without exception, in the past. Neleh and Paschal did not bring any food back AND Neleh went on and on and on AD NAUSEUM about their experience and how clean she was. This got on everyone's nerves... but it wouldn't have nearly as much if she had brought food back. So she offered them some of the mint OUT OF HER MOUTH... sorry, Neleh, you don't know how to do diplomatic.... AT ALL. Next morning, Neleh kept on about how clean she was and it became apparent that she really wasn't doing any work around camp. Oddly enough, it was Sean who pointed that fact out and he had the audacity to comment on it. Sean, who was the one who did nothing back on Maraamu and Rotu and complained the loudest about being made to work? Hmmmmm. Anyway, Neleh was shoved into the spotlight and not in a good way.
Robert saw the writing in the sand... rather, he saw hoof prints in the sand... there was a pig running around the camp and he was determined to catch it. He and Tammy went and made a pig snare... determined to have pork chops and preserve their place in the tribe. Tree Mail brought the Immunity Challenge that day. Robert was frantic because he had been working all day and was certainly more tired than the others, who had been sleeping and resting all day. He worried that he'd never be able to compete... he thought the challenge wasn't due until the next day.
That night, they all met Jeff for the challenge. Jeff commented that this would be especially tough because it takes place in the dark. First they had to gather wood from the perimeter of the area, bring it back to their individual stations, make fire under their wok to heat some oil and make popcorn. As soon as the first colonel of corn popped, they had to move to another station where they had to make a fire at the bottom of a pyre. The first pyre to ignite at the top would win Immunity. It was a very close race between Robert and Vecepia, but in the end, Robert won much-needed Immunity and saved his place in the tribe for another three days.
Next day, at the waterfall, Robert was relieved that he had won Immunity, but fretted about Tammy being booted. Tammy was determined that she would do whatever she had to do to stay in the game. Kathy spent a lot of time speculating on exactly what she would do to change the outcome. Meantime, Sean was talking up a storm about Neleh and how little she did around the camp. If he and Vee hooked up with Rob and Tammy, they could be the final four, no doubt. They sort of left that hanging as something to think about as they all headed for Tribal Council. When all the votes were tallied, Tammy was the one who was voted off the island, making her the third member of the jury. As expected, Robert was very broken up as he watched her leave.
Kathy and Paschal went and got the tree mail for the Reward Challenge. When they went and met Jeff on the shore, Jeff congratulated them on still being there as they entered the second month but noted how they must be missing home. He then asked them how they'd react if he got them a phone call home. The tribemates were excited about that... but Jeff put the cell phone away and said, "I just wanted to know how you'd react. That's not going to happen. We've done one better...." And this was cool. I really liked this new twist in the game. In prior shows, one tribe member got to see their loved one and the other tribe members got to meet that person (Sean and his dad or Colby and his mom. This time around, every tribe member had someone from home there. Neleh's mom, Kathy's son, Robert's sister, Sean's best friend, Vecepia's husband and Paschal's wife. The tears that were flowing could have filled a lake... and not only in the Marquesas. I admit we were all sitting around here crying like idiots too. Anyway, on to the challenge. Each person (not the tribe members in this case, their loved ones) was to take a place on a giant puzzle. When it was their turn, they'd step off that piece onto another piece and flip over the piece they had just been on. The flipped over piece would be green to show they had already been there and they could not step to a green piece. Once the player was boxed in by green pieces, they were out of the game. The last person standing would win. Paschal's wife was the first one out of the game but before she had to leave, Jeff told her, "I'm not about to let you leave without a little embrace." And so Paschal and Beverly hugged and cried... and all of the tribe members cried... and we all cried... and the game continued. One by one the tribe members got to hug and hold their loved ones as they were put out of the game until Kathy's son, Patrick won the game. Now for the Reward (as if that wasn't enough) Kathy and Patrick would have some lunch and hang out and then Patrick would be a new, temporary tribe member for the night and into the next day. This was totally cool.
Back at camp, the tribemates were practically glowing from the Reward Challenge. Everyone had a renewed strength and determination. Kathy decided she'd put her son to work so she had him break the troca shells, then he fetched some firewood, tasted some of the tribe's food, went searching for taro root... all the while Patrick went along with it, but was clearly not impressed. He said he'd much rather be home watching television. Later, Kathy spoke to Patrick about strategy. It looked to her like she was in the middle of two very tight alliances: Paschal & Neleh and Sean & Vecepia. No matter who she went with, she'd be the first to be voted off. Patrick couldn't offer her any advice or help. Next morning, Patrick had to go home. There were lots of hugs and tears again, but the game had to go on. There was a lot of talking about who should go next and it seemed that everyone had something to say about Neleh.
The Immunity Challenge came up. Each of the players had a color coded hourglass shaped structure filled with sand set up. At the base of the structure was a tiki and above that, at the top of the structure, were tiles. Each tribe member had to use a slingshot to break the other tribe member's tiles, releasing the sand, which would spill down and cover the tiki. Once a tiki was completely covered in sand, that player was out. Whoever had a tiki left uncovered would win Immunity. First out was Paschal, then Sean, then Robert... and the women were left. There was a little "chick dance" going on which was cute with the island music... but it was time to get serious and get on with the game. In the end, Vecepia won Immunity.
Robert knew he was going. He said, "I came here with four things and that was pride, dignity, integrity and a knapsack and the only thing that's tattered right now is that knapsack. Everything else is in tact, plus the added extra bonus of the relationships and friendships that I have made here." At Tribal Council, Jeff asked about gamesmenship and how people are playing. There were no surprises in any of the responses, except Sean mentioned Neleh's name... probably to put the thought out there that she was in danger of being booted. When the votes were all tallied, Robert was the one voted off the island. He didn't say a word or look back.
The Reward Challenge came up and a hint was written on a pair of stilts. Paschal was not happy to see them again. LOL! It said that they would be doing what they'd done before. When they met Jeff, he confirmed it. This Reward Challenge combined elements of past challenges. First, they had to search for parts of their individual tikis and assemble them. Then they had to break coconuts and pour the milk into a bamboo shoot until the coconut juice overflowed. Then they raced to where a pair of stilts were hanging from a tree. They had to untie the stilts and take them over to a "stilt walk". Once they walked 10 feet on the stilts, they went to another pile of coconuts. One of them had a key hidden within it so the coconuts had to be broken until the key was found. The key fit into a box that held a slingshot. They had to take the slingshot over to an hourglass structure with a tile in the center. The structure was filled with sand and, once the tile was broken, the sand would fall out and cover the tiki at the bottom. A nice mixture of a lot of past challenges. Once all of this was accomplished, the winner would get a Saturn SUV, fully loaded, waiting for the winner at home. In the end, Sean won the Reward Challenge with nobody else even close (Paschal might still be trying to reconstruct that tiki). So they all went to oooh and aahhh over the SUV with Sean sitting firmly in the driver's seat. Everyone seemed really happy for him.
Back on the beach, the lack of protein was taking it's toll on everyone. They were becoming dizzy, tired, dehydrated (Sean was even too tired to strategize). Kathy thought that going out to get Troca would help so she asked them to come with her. Sean agreed that if they all got a few, then it wouldn't be a ton of work for any one person. So they all went out to the water and gathered Troca. Back at the beach again, Vee and Paschal thought it would be wise to get everyone's thoughts and feelings out in the open later on that night since Vee noticed that Paschal seemed very down. At the after-dinner camp fire, Vee started off the conversation by asking Pappy what was wrong and to go ahead and address everyone about what was on his mind. The whole thing exploded into a five sided confrontation. Kathy sat listening to all of this because she was in a precarious position. She learned that Paschal and Neleh would never vote against each other and she further learned that Sean and Vee would deny any pact or alliance with each other and it should not be assumed that just because they're both black that they were automatically allied. At least, this was what she was hearing. Next morning, the exact same conversations continued about who Kathy (the swing vote) would go with. Paschal told Kathy straight up that Sean and Vee have duped and played everyone they've been in camp with, one way or another, and it really bothered him. Paschal did not like the dishonesty and was sick and tired of everyone's agenda. He tried to get that point across to Kathy as best he could. Kathy, feeling these tensions and having heard everyone's complaints about everyone, decided to go off and fly her kite. She really tried but couldn't make it fly so she came back to camp to eat and Sean got her ear again... trying to convince her that going along with him and Vee would be a much safer bet.
The Immunity Challenge came up next. This is one of those cool challenges that I'm glad they've kept running through the series. History Lesson Time, children. Gather round as teacher Jeff tells you a tale of cannibalism, war and Great Chiefs in the Marquesas Islands. Once Jeff finished the story, (about the Great Cheif Keikahanui) the contestants had to run to each of six stations and answer the question there. If they got it right, they got a tiki for their necklace. If they got it wrong, they got a bone that had to be taken down a "fire walk" and put into a fire as an offer of sacrifice before they could continue. The first contestant with five correct answers (five tikis on their necklace) would win Immunity. Neleh and Kathy both got five right and raced to Jeff... but they had both dropped a tiki in the dirt on their way so they had to run back and find the one they had dropped. Kathy came up with one first and won Immunity, sparing her from the vote.
I looked up at the clock as the tribe headed for Tribal Council and noted there was still 10 minutes left. Hmmm. I wondered what was going on. The answer was quick to come. Jeff asked Kathy if anyone had approached her about using her Immunity Necklace and forming an alliance. Kathy said no-one had approached her, which she thought was very odd. So Jeff asked them if anyone wanted to step up talk to Kathy about a deal for Immunity. Sean said he'd make a deal. If she gave him Immunity, he would not vote for her and they would go to the top. Jeff didn't understand that... they were only two... they would be outnumbered. How could that help? Sean started in on h is theory again that Kathy should join him and Vee against Paschal and Neleh. Paschal rolled his eyes and shook his head. Vee jumped in and said that if that was to happen, she would fall in line with that. Then Paschal said that everything Sean has been saying has been disingenuous. It got louder and more intense. The jury was clearly amazed at what was happening. Sean and Paschal then started going after each other and pointing fingers and accusing each other over what was known and not known. Eventually, Kathy just said, "Let it go. Just let it go" and amazingly, Sean stopped talking. They all stopped talking. Jeff sent them off to vote. As expected, Sean & Vee voted for Neleh... and Paschal & Neleh voted for Sean. We saw those four votes cast. So who would Kathy vote for? In the end, the old Rotu ties remained strong and true, and Sean was voted off the island.
The Immunity Challenge came up then, and this was the Survivor staple when they got down to the final four. The tribe members had to answer a series of questions relating to the other tribe members. The first person who got to ten points would win. The game was very close all the way down to the end. Vecepia won Immunity. Jeff then asked the rest of the tribe members if they had an offer to make to her. Kathy told her that if Vee make a vote alliance with her, then Kathy would take the heat for the tie breaker. Vee agreed and they had a deal. They then had to discuss openly who they were going to vote for and they agreed on Neleh. So, as expected, Vee and Kathy voted for Neleh... and Paschal and Neleh voted for Kathy. Tie. Jeff asked them to speak amongst themselves to try and make the decision for themselves. If they couldn't come to an agreement, he'd break the tie. They couldn't, so Jeff brought out a little bag with three stones in it. Two were yellow and one was purple. The three without Immunity had to reach in and grab a stone without looking. Whomever had the purple stone would have to leave the island. The bummer part of this was the fact that Paschal didn't have a vote, but he was now at risk. Paschal got the purple rock and was sent "home" leaving three women in the final three for the first time in Survivor history.
The next morning, before the sun rose, Jeff came to camp and woke the women up. It was going to be a long day. Jeff told them that they had one more thing to do as a team, and that was to assemble an outrigger canoe. Once it was built, they had to paddle it out into the sea and head for a specified beach. Once there, they had to celebrate a native tradition by tattooing themselves Marquasean style. Then they were to take a hike along a path, with the torches of their former tribe mates along it, and pay tribute to them. Finally, they had to cleanse themselves with a Marquesean purification bath before meeting him. After all of that was accomplished, the women met Jeff on the beach. The final Immunity Challenge was before them. In a test of endurance, they each had to place their feet on two logs and one hand on the idol. Whomever stood there the longest would win Immunity. Four hours into it, Neleh looked over at Kathy and told her to "watch your blouse" because apparently Kathy was in danger of over exposure. Kathy looked down and saw that she was a little exposed and made to adjust her shirt, lost her balance and stumbled off the log. Kathy was out. Vecepia then looked at Neleh and said, "I'll give you Immunity. I'll drop off if you keep me." Neleh agreed and Kathy had a huge "D'OH!" moment then as she saw the writing in the wall.
Back at Tribal Council, the jury was led in with one notable exception: Paschal was not there. Jeff explained that just before Tribal Council was to begin, Paschal collapsed. Jeff asked John, being a Registered Nurse, to explain what happened. He assured them that Paschal was showing signs of dehydration, but he was talking and alert and that he was in good hands and will be fine. After some strategic discussion and talk of Spiritual Beliefs, the vote was on. It was up to Neleh to cast the only vote and she held to her word with Vecepia and voted Kathy out. It was now down to the final two: Vecepia and Neleh.
Back at camp, the two remaining contestants started a fire and tried to enjoy their last night. Neleh said, "Oh my heck, we've got a fire, girl!" Hopefully that was the last "Oh my heck" we'd have to hear. Neleh told the camera that she had intended on taking Vecepia with her to the final two anyway if she won Immunity, and Vecepia said the same thing of Neleh. The women said a prayer and went to bed. Next morning, they happily planned their day of one more trip to the water fall, making some porridge and taking one last mud bath. After that, they started burning things like clothes that had been left behind. They drank in the scenery one last time and then they packed up and headed for the final Tribal Council.
First, Vecepia and Neleh had to address the jury and tell them why they should cast their votes in their favor. Neleh started (and said, "oh my heck" again) and went on and on and on about how she did everything she did for them because she loves them all so much, unconditionally, sincerely from the bottom of her heart. Vecepia went on about how she came in with a strategy and how she kept her vision clear every single day. She wanted to make three things clear while playing the game. First, to have a strategy. Second, she promised herself that she would develop relationships and she values each and every one of them. Third was to not ride on anyone's coat tails (shot at Neleh) but to prove herself with her Spirituality, her work ethics and gumption to go out there and be the ultimate Survivor. She felt that she contributed whole-heartedly, 100% to everything she did and that she puts her faith in God that the jury can see everything objectively.
Now it was the jury's turn to address the final two. (Paschal was back and looking well.) Tammy was first and had a little tirade about Neleh and Vecepia being hypocrites and how they constantly vowed they would play the game with morals and ethics and then turned around and lied, cheated, deceived and manipulated. She called them the two biggest liars on the island. Tammy was not happy. Sean stepped up and congratulated them on a game well played. He had a little tirade of his own about how people pick on Religion and he was very close to stepping up on a soapbox, but he stopped himself. He asked them if they gained a moral lesson from the game. (Neleh: To follow her heart. Vee: To think things through more carefully and not simply say yes and possibly go against her morals just to give an answer.) Next was Paschal, who commented that both women were completely deserving of winning the million and how they epitomized what America has to offer. He'd be proud to call either one of them his daughter. Robert The General stepped up and asked one question, looking for complete honesty. What decision had they made or action had they taken that would most adversely hurt them. (Vee: doing what she did the Kathy the day before. Neleh: going with Sean's alliance instead of staying with John's alliance.) It was then Zoe's turn. She congratulated them on getting to the final two and that was it. Kathy stepped up and asked Neleh at what point in the game she made her most dramatic, strategic move. (Day 24 when they allied with Sean) She asked Vee how she could go through the game adjusting to all of the different alliances and not feel she was part of the devious behavior. (Basically called herself a weasel and just went with the flow). John wanted complete honesty and integrity. He wanted to know, plain and simple, why should he give them his vote. (Neleh: basically, she INTENDED to go with John's alliance. That's why. Vee: Coming in with a strategy and playing it, whether it deceived him or anyone else was all part of the game and she played the game.)
Neleh and Vee were given a final opportunity to address the jury and respond to anything they felt they needed to. Vee: One thing to say. She hoped that their responses gave the jury a strong base upon which to make their decision. She hoped that they each got the information they needed. Neleh: She wanted them to please consider the way she treated them, the love she had for them, her compassion for them and she honestly and truly felt that each of them were deserving of the million... And the votes were cast. Jeff went to tally the votes, brought the container back and told them they had to wait five months when he'd meet them again... this time in Central Park in New York where the newest winner of Survivor would be revealed. He boarded a helicopter and that was that.
In a heartbeat, it's five months later and the stage is set to look like Tribal Council. Everyone is looking VERY good! Much healthier! Jeff tallied the votes. It was three for Vee and three for Neleh. The final vote was read and Vecepia Towery became the fourth SURVIVOR Millionaire.
© 2008 survivorshow2002@yahoo.com
Survivor, Survivor: Australian Outback, Survivor: Africa, Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: Thailand, Survivor: Amazon, Survivor: Pearl Islands, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Vanuatu, Survivor: Palau, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Panama Exile Island, Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Fiji, Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia is property of CBS, as well as any images, except where otherwise noted.
SURVIVOR WORLD LINKS
SURVIVOR WORLD MAIN PAGE
PULAU TIGA
AUSTRALIA
AFRICA
MARQUESAS
THAILAND
AMAZON
PEARL ISLANDS
ALLSTARS
VANUATU
PALAU
GUATEMALA
EXILE ISLAND
COOK ISLANDS
FIJI
CHINA
MICRONESIA
MARK BURNETT
JEFF PROBST