Survivor Nicaragua - December 8/10

We rejoin our Survivors as they return to camp, ears ringing from Dimples' beratement of NaOnka and Kelly. Chase, Holly and Jane are as thick as watermelons at a Rider game. Dan, Fabio and Benry also have a tight alliance. Sash, having lost his alliance, is now the swing vote. Since everyone knows he has the idol, Sash tells the others he is going to play it at the next Tribal Council. "Get rid of it", says Sash, "and I'll remove the target from my back". Sash also has a private chat with Chase where they agree to go to the end together. They also agree that Holly should go on the next reward challenge as a thank you gesture for her sacrifice after the last challenge.

And speaking of challenges, cue Dimples with a three part challenge. Survivors must first slime their way through a mud pit to retrieve a bag of balls hidden in a pile of hay. They then bounce their ball off a shield and into a basket. The first four Survivors to get all their balls into the basket move on. Chase, Jane, Benry and Holly are the lucky ones. These three must now use a long stick to retrieve an overhead key. The key opens a chest containing four sandbags. They must then toss the sandbags onto the top of a barrel. Chase and Benry win this one and move on to the final. Here they use a paddle to dig up three rope rings buried in the sand. They must then be the first to throw these rings onto hooks on a board. Chase comes out the winner and wins a trip to a resort for a shower, a massage and a meal. Of course, he isn't going alone. He can take two people with him. He takes Holly because of her sacrifice at the last challenge. Several pairs of puppy-dog eyes are on him as he decides who his second pick will be. Each Survivor is willing Chase to pick him. Sash believes it should be him based on his earlier conversation with Chase. Benry is also hopeful. Dan? Well even Dan must realize he hasn't done anything to deserve a reward in 31 days. Of course, Chase being Chase, he picks none of these. Instead he sticks with his alliance and picks Jane. It is only later, while the winning trio are enjoying their reward, that Chase slaps himself in the forehead and realizes what he has done. A snubbed Sash has been left behind to connive with the other alliance. Ooops! Wisely deciding there is nothing he can do about it now, Chase opts to enjoy the reward and do damage control the next day.

Of course, back at camp, Sash is, indeed. conniving with Benry, Dan and Fabio. Dan and Benry don't really trust Sash but feel they have no choice. Fabio has a couple of moments of insight but they melt away as fast as ice cream on a hot day. Since they are missing out on the reward, they decide to kill and eat the chicken (recently named Kelly-Nay). Apparently the chicken missed a day of egg laying. Wow. Tough crowd.

When Jane and the others return to camp Jane is heartbroken about the chicken. She sets up a little shrine and sheds a few tears over her avian friend. But you can only take so long to mourn or the game will move on without you. Holly, Chase and Jane have a quick meeting where they decide they have to convince Sash that he can trust them again. A lot of back and forth stuff happens but the constants are that no one really trusts Sash and no one believes they can beat Jane in the final three.

For the Immunity Challenge, Survivors are attached to a rope wound around a hitching post. They must unwrap enough of the rope to be able to reach a bag of coins. The first three to reach their bags move on to the next level where they must complete a puzzle from stacks of coins. Benry is completely stumped by the puzzle. Fabio has the sense to copy Sash's work (one gets the sense he probably made it through school doing this). But Sash is the ultimate winner. So Sash is on top of the world. He has an immunity idol, he has just won a second one and he is an unrecognized physical threat. He has, he tells us, been sandbagging the challenges.

Day 32 is spent in strategizing. There is a plot afoot to get rid of Fabio while telling him that Holly is the one to go. But Fabio feels he can trust Sash. "I'm just going to sit back and be cool. We'll see man!". Benry is also on the hit list. Meanwhile, Sash is working the crowd like a politician at a church picnic. But when the votes are counted it's Benry who is getting polished up for jury duty. With Benry goes our own Lorelee. If I am not mistaken Lorelee was Benry in both pools that she participates in. I think that deserves a moment of silence. But if we mourn too long the game will move on without us. Until next week...

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Jill didn't even make the flippin' jury Behm)