Survivor Nicaragua - October 27/10

We rejoin our intrepid Survivors after Tribal Council. They have just watched Kelly B. leave and Marty is ticked with Jane for her comments at Tribal Council and because he has figured out that she voted for him. Jane is next, he tells us, almost as if he might actually have some say in who is going next. The next morning he talks to Jane and tells her that he has never lied to her and never voted for her. But when he suggests to Jane that her vote may have been for him at Tribal Council, Jane just giggles, pats him on the back and walks away. Jill admits that she and Marty are scrambling to stay in the game.

Dimples brings them together for a reward challenge. A member of the opposing tribe must stand on a platform in the water and act as the defender. The opposing tribe takes turns running off the end of a platform and, while in the air, throwing a ball past the defender and into a net. The first tribe to get five goals wins reward - a trip to a local farm where they will ride horses, milk cows and have a Nicaraguan breakfast of tortillas, cheese, fruit and milk. The most exciting part of the challenge is when Fabio holds up the game so that he can pee in the pond, much to everyone's dismay, especially Dimples. Even having so eased his burden, Fabio can't keep out the final goal that sends Espada to victory.

Espada heads off to ride horses and enjoy a hearty breakfast while LaFlor goes back to camp. The next morning Jane is fishing while the others sleep. "Let them sleep", she says, "as long as we continue to win challenges". As for the younger tribe members, Sash speaks for all of them when he says that he is fine with being watered and fed by the hard-working older tribe members. For him, he tells us, "its not how hard you work its how loyal you are to me". Of course there should be some reward for hard work, and when Jane catches a whole basket of fish, she heads off to the jungle to cook one all for herself.

Day 18 brings an immunity challenge. The individual immunities are put aside and they are back to tribal immunity. The challenge involves two tribe members rolling cannonballs of varying sizes down a metal trough, with the goal of breaking one of several ceramic boards on the ground below. The rest of the tribe are in charge of moving the trough into an appropriate bomb-dropping position using ropes. Alina and Benry are the droppers for Espada and are a calm smart team. They easily beat LaFlor who can't seem to get their angles and trajectories quite right.

LaFlor must again go to Tribal Council. Jill figures she will be the one to go home since Marty has the idol. As the strategizing begins a plan develops to give three votes to Marty and two to Jill in order to get Marty to play the idol. There would then be a tie between Jill and whomever Jill and Marty vote for. Jill would be eliminated in the resulting vote-off. Brenda then suggests that they ask Marty to give them the idol in return for a promise not to vote him off (after which they would promptly vote him off!). Sash approaches Marty with the idea and Marty gives him the idol**. At Tribal Council Marty tells an incredulous Dimples that he gave the idol to Sash. But somehow Marty has dodged a bullet because when the votes are counted Marty and Jane each have two and Jill has three. And so my Jill is going home to her Emergency Room duties and I will soon have to kiss this envelope of money goodbye. Grace and Lynn both voted for Jill to win the million -nuh uh!

And so, until next week when Lynn will be doing the honours....

Outsmart, Outplay Outlast
Pat (aka Jill bye bye Behm)

** Editors note: What is it about the hidden immunity idol...does it have some sort of radioactive emission that kills brain cells in the person carrying it!?