Survivor Redemption Island - March 2/11

We find our Ometepe Survivors returning from Tribal Council having just bounced Matt (my guy) over to Redemption Island. Rob wonders whether Andrea, knowing she has just been double crossed, will hold it against him (not likely, she wanted to hold it against Matt but you sent him away!!

At Redemption Island, Matt and Francesca find tree mail announcing their upcoming duel. One will stay and the other will go home for good. The two main camps are also reading their mail. They are all asked to pick a stone from a bag. Two people from each tribe receive a coloured stone that entitles them to go on a road trip to Redemption Island to watch the duel. Ashley and Andrea go from Ometepe, and David and Steve from Zapatera. Andrea is hoping she will have an opportunity to tell Matt she didn't vote for him. Rob is hoping that Andrea gets no such opportunity.

On with the duel which isn't really a duel at all (in case you were picturing pistols blazing at forty paces). Francesca and Matt must use rope and sticks to make a long stick (where is Red Green with his duct tape when you need him?). With the stick they are to reach through a wooden fence to retrieve three keys hanging on hooks. Once they have all three keys they can open the door of their little wooden cage and call themselves the winner. Francesca goes into the early lead as Matt suffers from an embarassingly flaccid stick. However Matt (my guy) gets it together just in time and wins the competition. So Francesca heads home, along with our own Kathy who gets her 10.00 back for being the first eliminated. Cheer up Kathy. Being first eliminated is way better than being the second!

Back at camp Ometepe, Rob is trying to woo Andrea by downplaying his role in getting Matt kicked off. He assures her that she is still in their alliance. Andrea agrees but privately tells us that she doesn't believe Rob. At camp Zapatera Steve and David tell Russell that Francesca defeated Matt in the duel. Their thinking is that they will send Russell to Redemption Island next and oh won't he be surprised when he finds Matt there instead of Francesca. Russell though, is concentrating on finding the idol. He and his minions are reviewing the clue and searching but the clue is ambiguous. Of course, Ralph already has the idol and watches the search in amusement. Not to be undone, Stephanie suggests they pretend to have an idol. If they can convince the others that they have the idol it may be as good as actually having one. Stephanie begins carrying her purse around camp, guarding it closely. Sure enough, the others notice this change in behaviour and suspect she has the idol. Steve worries that Stephanie and Krista will do anything Russell asks and tells us that they must all stay on their toes until the cancer that is Russell is cut out. Well Russell may not have cancer but he does have some kind of funny shit growing in his armpits. Apparently he manscaped his arm pits and now he a pimply rash. Even with these pus pockets all over his armpits, Russell still has a way with the ladies. Steve notes that he sits in the shade with concubines all day, sucking in all the energy and light around him like a black hole. Steve concocts a plan to throw the next challenge so that they can get Russell out as soon as possible. He pitches the plan to the others. There is general agreement except for Julie who doesn't feel quite right about throwing a challenge. They decide to wait until they get to the challenge to make the call. One thumb up means that they are going to throw the challenge.

For the challenge three tribe members are strapped to a giant water wheel. Three others spin the wheel, causing the others to go underwater every few seconds. They have to catch as much water as they can in their mouth, then spit it into a tube. Enough water in the tube releases a ball which signals a 7th member of the tribe to begin making a maze puzzle. Once the puzzle is complete, the ball is rolled through the maze to complete the challenge. Acting on their pre-arranged signal the Zapaterians drag their heels through the challenge and Ometepe goes on to win reward (chairs, a tarp, pillows and blankets) as well as immunity. Russell suspects his tribe-mates threw the challenge and is none too pleased.


When the Ometepids return to camp with their swag, Rob busies himself looking through the reward items for the clue that he knows must be hidden there. He looks everywhere until he notices Phillip snoozing on one of the new chairs. Telling him the chair looks crooked, Rob moves Phillip onto another chair. Phillip promptly closes his eyes and resumes his snooze. Rob examines the chair and finds the clue he has been looking for. It was under Phillips assets the whole time! It turns out the clue isn't terribly helpful, but Rob decides he is not going to tell anyone else he has it.

The plan for Tribal Council is beginning to unfold at the Zapatera Camp. Steve's plan is to split the votes between Russell and Stephanie to flush out the imaginary idol and get rid of Russell or one of his alliance. Smelling a plot, Russell suggests that Stephanie talk to the "old lady" (Julie) and see if she can turn her to their side. Stephanie does talk to Julie. Russell has experience, says Stephanie. We have the idol, says Stephanie. Julie seems convinced that her future lies with Russell and his concubines. The plan for this new alliance of four is to vote for Ralph. At Tribal Council Stephanie rants on about numbers and how they should never have thrown the challenge. When the votes are tabulated and it comes down to a three way tie between Ralph, Stephanie and Russell, she is much quieter. And when a second vote is held and Russell is being snuffed Stephanie looks stricken. She tells Julie (who obviously didn't do her part in the conspiracy) that "the storm's a-coming". So the mighty Russell is heading to Redemption Island where he expects to find Francesca but, in fact, finds Matt. Tune in next week to see if Russell beats Matt (my guy) and comes back to exact his revenge on the Zapateroids. Until then..

Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt bring on the evil garden gnome Elrod)