I am the official substitute scribe for Pat who is off at some sort of soiree or something… probably a sand-bagging party. But at any rate, I am filling in this week, I hope to hit the high notes and keep you up to speed with Game 7 of the Bruins/Canadiens series as well.
So it’s night 27 back at the Murlonio tribe, and the first words that are uttered were ‘another crazy tribal council’… seems to be the norm in this Survivor.
Steve, however, being the bigger man offers up a handshake and apology to Phillip saying that no prejudice was intended in his ‘crazy’ comment that he had directed at Phillips and he insists that he just thinks that Phillip is well.. Crazy. Phillip doesn’t believe Steve’s apology, but Steve thinks that the issue is done with. Steve’s strategy at this point is to be nice and let Phillip’s behaviour get him voted off, but Rob wants to keep Phillip around saying that “as long as he keeps up his stupid antics, he will come with me all the way to the final.” (Please remember this comment for later).
Phillip the undercover something or other, has another vision. His grandfather came to him in a vision saying that his shorts were hidden near water. Phillip instinctively knows that the water in question is not the ocean, but he is confident it must mean their water supply. As I’m giggling to myself about ‘crazy’ Phillip.. he digs around one rock, then another… and you guessed it, he finds the shorts that Julie had buried. Go figure!! He prances around camp quite proud of himself for quite some time, quotes Nicholson saying, “the truth, you can’t handle the truth”… and something about not messing with a specialist. Alrighty then...
Meanwhile, back on Redemption Island, Mike, Julie and Matt are waiting for their challenge. Matt has great faith and has done well, but Mike points out that Matt is in a downward spiral and, in tears, Matt admits that ‘God is carrying him’. He’s been on Redemption Island 21 days out of the 28. The challenge on Redemption, with Phillip proudly wearing his new found shorts, is Survivor Shuffleboard. Pretty much the same version as people have played at home, minus the beer. First two Survivors to get 3 pucks in the end zone win and stay in the game, Mike is off to an early lead while Matt and Julie struggle, but then Matt finds the his groove to come from behind and score all three pucks in the end zone ensuring that God is not quite done with him yet, and he is staying in the game. Mike is soon to follow and will be staying, sending Julie home from Redemption Island. With Julie goes our own pool member Jan Ayer.
Julie however tells the story of why she entered Survivor, her house like many other American’s homes is in foreclosure and she was hoping to find a better life for her girls. She says she came away with very much more, that she is inspired by Matt and plans to start attending church. But before she can do that, Julie will become the second member of the jury.
Back at camp, Andrea is feeling bad about sending Matt to Redemption Island, but Rob valiantly points out that they all put him there, not just her. The strategy for the Rob/Grant duo is to send Andrea to Redemption. Grant does point out that timing is everything in this game, and he’s not sure if the timing is just right yet.
With the Immunity Challenge competitors compete in a log roll, the survivor who stays on the log the longest moves on to the next round with the loser being out… last man/woman standing wins immunity AND a chocolate cake and milk! Along with this is a ‘twist’ which was to be determined later at Tribal Council. Grant and Rob are first out and Grant takes it, moving on to the next round. Although, Steve did say he was in a log rolling league at home, Ralph easily takes him and so Steve is out. Also moving on to the second round are Ashley and Phillip. In the second round Ashley and Philip are knocked off first and the final consists of Grant and Ralph. Grant wins the final match and is allowed to pick another survivor to enjoy cake with, he of course, picks Rob. He is then allowed to pick yet one more Survivor and he picks Andrea, his logic in this is to lull her into complacency so that they can vote her out later. REALLY??? Is that ruthless or what!
6:00 minutes left in the Boston/Canadiens game… 3-2 Boston.. but I digress.
Back at camp everybody is guessing on the ‘twist’ from the top of the food chain, Rob/Grant, to the bottom… Steve/Ralph, but Andrea feels comfortable in her place in the tribe, probably because of the sugar high she’s on. Ralph is hoping the ‘twist’ helps him stay in the game because he knows that it will be him or Steve being voted out at Tribal Council. Rob was thinking the twist would be a vote for a 2nd survivor and so some discussion ensued on whether it would be Ralph and then Steve; or Ralph and then Andrea. Steve goes to Rob’s girls and says that he and Ralph are voting for Boston Rob saying that Rob will vote them out one by one and taking ‘nimrod’ (presumably Phillip) to the final (a reminder here of what Boston Rob had said earlier in the show). The girls tell Rob about Steve’s plan, being loyal to their leader. Rob’s not happy and reconsiders sending Andrea home and considers now sending Steve if there’s a second vote.
At Tribal Council Andrea pipes up saying they are ‘rock solid’. Ralph figures it will be him being voted out, and Steve agrees saying that Ralph is stronger in challenges, and poor Steve is so weak, blah blah blah. Jeff points out that’s the smart thing for Steve to say, take attention away from himself and Steve brings up the Survivor All Star episode where Rob enlists the help of Lex to keep Amber around and then sends Lex home the very next chance he could, but he did also say that he remained loyal to his alliance with Amber. Rob at this point pipes up and says that it is an alliance that he is “loyal to this very day!”. Gag.
So, votes are cast, and no surprise, it’s Ralph who is sent to Redemption Island to join Matt (Pat’s guy!)
But wait.. there’s more. The Twist! Another immunity challenge and another vote immediately following. Every survivor gets a stack of cards. Jeff holds up cards in a particular order and the Survivors have to pick the correct card in the correct order. At this point, regulation time in the hockey game is over, we’re going into OT and Survivor is doing a double Immunity challenge.. what to watch.. what to watch, but I decided to stay loyal to you Survivor fans, and so we continue…
Jeff holds up a series of cards, about 7 in total and I lost track of which ones he held up. The survivors all get the first 2 or 3 right, then Natalie and Phillip are wrong, they’re out, then Grant and Andrea soon after. The final card Ashlee and Steve hold up a picture of fire, Boston Rob holds up a picture of a cooking pot and Rob is correct and wins immunity.
Another vote is cast immediately without allowing any time for one of Phillip’s speeches/visions/rants or whatever else falls out of his mouth… and this time it’s Steve voted out and going to Redemption Island. (Not a huge surprise). But Jeff points out that now that all the former Zapatera members are gone, now the ‘rock solid 6 Ometepe’ have to start turning on eachother, and now there’s nowhere to run or hide.
Back on Redemption there’s a getting to be quite a crowd, Matt (Ometepe), and three Zapatera members; Steve, Ralph and Mike are all out there.
So, Boston Rob wins immunity and Boston Bruins take the series in Game 7 at about 5 minutes into the 1st overtime… Canadiens are sent golfing.
Until next week..
Your unofficial scribe (Donna… never wants to be associated with Phillip unless Rob takes him to the end… Hodel) in lieu of Pat (21 day Matt Elrod)
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Survivor Redemption Island - April 20/11
As we rejoin our trusty pack of Survivors, Ralph, Julie and Steve are the last remnants of Zapatera. Mike and David have gone off to co-habitate with Matt (my guy) on Redemption Island. And speaking of Redemption Island, Matt is having a one-on-one dialogue with God about whether he should be there. He is, by his own admission, a broken man (Matt, not God...God is fine...I guess). David and Mike are confused too, but not about God's devine purpose. They are more concerned about what Mark Burnett has up his sleeve regarding this latest twist in the game. They are also trying to answer that age old question "can you have a dual with three people?"
At the main camp, Steve is just grateful that he is still around. But it isn't long before the good vibes are gone. Zapatera and Ometepe each arrived at the merge with their own rice. Because there are only 3 Zaps left, they have lots of rice to eat. Ometepe, because they keep insisting on voting the other guys out, have more mouths to feed. Phillip takes exception to the amount of rice Zapatera is eating. Apparently, even though Ometepe won't even talk to Zapatera, they expect them to share their rice. The rice situation really goes to pot (hehehe) when Ometepe discovers maggots in their rice. They spread the rice on a blanket to pick out the maggots, then have no container to return it to. Phillip demands that Steve let them put all the rice in Zapatera's container. Steve says he doesn't think so. Phillip goes off on a rant during which Steve calls him crazy (an idea probably reinforced by the fact that Phillip was muttering in some made-up language earlier in the show). Phillip's rant then goes down a dark path where he accuses Steve of racism and equates the word crazy with the "n" word. Rob and the other Ometepites are cringing. Phillip is so agitated that violence seems like a very real probability.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First we have to deal with the dual at Redemption Island. Everyone is present to watch as all three castaways attempt to assemble an 8 foot tower out of wooden tiles. The last one to do so will become the first member of the jury. Mike and Matt (my guy) finish their towers first and David is sent off to clean himself up for jury duty. With David goes Mitzie from the pool.
After the rice debacle, even Rob is thinking it might be a good idea to get rid of Phillip. Many of his tribe mates agree. In Rob's words, "Phillip has become public enemy #1, the only question is who will be public enemy #2?".
The immunity challenge involves a puzzle done in two stages. In stage one Survivors must lean on a circular board screwed into a post and spin on it until it comes loose. This circle then becomes the base for the puzzle. The first six to complete the inner circle of the puzzle move on to round two. Rob, Julie, Ralph, Andrea, Steve, and Grant all move on to the second stage where they must complete the exterior ring of the puzzle. Rob wins this round and immunity.
Zapatera may not have immunity but they do have that rice and they are stuffing themselves as they discuss a strategy. They need to sway two of the Ometepes to vote for Phillip. Steve even broaches the subject with Rob who doesn't really say anything one way or the other. Meanwhile, Julie decides to have a little fun at Phillip's expense. She takes his swim trunks and buries them. This provokes another rant from Phillip. Now I would be mad too, but this man is as nutty as an Oh Henry Bar. He threatens, then says he doesn't threaten. He tells Steve he can "go off just like that". So off to Tribal Council they go with Phillip's words ringing in their ears. Of course Dimples sets Phillip off again at Tribal Council. Phillip says he knows (because of his training in the CIA) that Steve took his swim trunks and that Steve is a racist (I am paraphrasing here). Julie confesses that it was actually she who took the trunks, thus proving Phillip's training was....well...flawed. Phillip looks a little sheepish and actually shuts up. When Dimples tabulates the votes, Ometepe has stayed true to Phillip and it is Julie who is going to Redemption Island, taking our own Jan with her. There are now 11 Survivors left (including the two on Redemption Island). Will Matt survive anothe duel? Will the rest of the tribe survive Phillip? Should they have cooked those maggots with the rice for additional protein (I'm just sayin'!)?
Until next week,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat aka (Matt I didn't know God was so into this game Elrod)
At the main camp, Steve is just grateful that he is still around. But it isn't long before the good vibes are gone. Zapatera and Ometepe each arrived at the merge with their own rice. Because there are only 3 Zaps left, they have lots of rice to eat. Ometepe, because they keep insisting on voting the other guys out, have more mouths to feed. Phillip takes exception to the amount of rice Zapatera is eating. Apparently, even though Ometepe won't even talk to Zapatera, they expect them to share their rice. The rice situation really goes to pot (hehehe) when Ometepe discovers maggots in their rice. They spread the rice on a blanket to pick out the maggots, then have no container to return it to. Phillip demands that Steve let them put all the rice in Zapatera's container. Steve says he doesn't think so. Phillip goes off on a rant during which Steve calls him crazy (an idea probably reinforced by the fact that Phillip was muttering in some made-up language earlier in the show). Phillip's rant then goes down a dark path where he accuses Steve of racism and equates the word crazy with the "n" word. Rob and the other Ometepites are cringing. Phillip is so agitated that violence seems like a very real probability.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First we have to deal with the dual at Redemption Island. Everyone is present to watch as all three castaways attempt to assemble an 8 foot tower out of wooden tiles. The last one to do so will become the first member of the jury. Mike and Matt (my guy) finish their towers first and David is sent off to clean himself up for jury duty. With David goes Mitzie from the pool.
After the rice debacle, even Rob is thinking it might be a good idea to get rid of Phillip. Many of his tribe mates agree. In Rob's words, "Phillip has become public enemy #1, the only question is who will be public enemy #2?".
The immunity challenge involves a puzzle done in two stages. In stage one Survivors must lean on a circular board screwed into a post and spin on it until it comes loose. This circle then becomes the base for the puzzle. The first six to complete the inner circle of the puzzle move on to round two. Rob, Julie, Ralph, Andrea, Steve, and Grant all move on to the second stage where they must complete the exterior ring of the puzzle. Rob wins this round and immunity.
Zapatera may not have immunity but they do have that rice and they are stuffing themselves as they discuss a strategy. They need to sway two of the Ometepes to vote for Phillip. Steve even broaches the subject with Rob who doesn't really say anything one way or the other. Meanwhile, Julie decides to have a little fun at Phillip's expense. She takes his swim trunks and buries them. This provokes another rant from Phillip. Now I would be mad too, but this man is as nutty as an Oh Henry Bar. He threatens, then says he doesn't threaten. He tells Steve he can "go off just like that". So off to Tribal Council they go with Phillip's words ringing in their ears. Of course Dimples sets Phillip off again at Tribal Council. Phillip says he knows (because of his training in the CIA) that Steve took his swim trunks and that Steve is a racist (I am paraphrasing here). Julie confesses that it was actually she who took the trunks, thus proving Phillip's training was....well...flawed. Phillip looks a little sheepish and actually shuts up. When Dimples tabulates the votes, Ometepe has stayed true to Phillip and it is Julie who is going to Redemption Island, taking our own Jan with her. There are now 11 Survivors left (including the two on Redemption Island). Will Matt survive anothe duel? Will the rest of the tribe survive Phillip? Should they have cooked those maggots with the rice for additional protein (I'm just sayin'!)?
Until next week,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat aka (Matt I didn't know God was so into this game Elrod)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Survivor Redemption Island - April 13/11
We have arrived at Survivordate night 21. Matt returns to his nest on Redemption Island. He is, he tells us, the most naive player in Survivor history. He has been blindsided twice by the same people. He has a long chat with God about what his intentions are.
The next day finds David and Mike admiring Rob's handiwork. Getting rid of Matt was done with the efficiency of a mob hit. Julie describes it as cold-blooded. Ralph is getting jumpy. He gave up his immunity idol and has suddenly stopped exuding confidence. He wonders if he is on the "chop" block and tries to talk to Natalie and Ashley about it. They tell him they can't talk to him. The reason they can't talk is that they are under orders from Rob. Nobody talks to anybody on their own. He institutes a buddy system where everyone travels in pairs so that no one can talk without being overheard. When Natalie comes to tell Rob that Ralph talked to her and Ashley, Rob become angry that Ashley didn't tell him about it, making Ashley a future target. But at the moment Rob is content to solidify his little troupe of six - himself, Grant, Phillip, Natalie, Ashley and Andrea.
Phillip shows up at the challenge wearing a feather on his forehead. He tells Dimples it appeared out of thin air while he was meditating. He later embellishes the story, telling us that his great great grandfather, a Cherokee, came to him in his meditation and gave him the feather. He told him that a member of the Ometepe Tribe would win the challenge and would survive a long long time. What a nob. Well great great grandfather Ezekial Nob Noggin was right about one thing. An Ometepe member does win the challenge. Grant fights his way through round 1 (digging a club out of the sand and using it to smash a tile), round 2 (spitting water into a tube) and round 3 (solving a block puzzle) to win immunity.
Zapatera knows they have a problem. They can't even talk to Rob's group because they are walking around in pairs, holding hands, peeing together and wanting to discuss nothing more than the weather. When Rob and company go off for a group walk, Mike and David begin to dig under the flag poles. They think a new idol may have been hidden around camp. Rob and company return to find them digging. They quickly grab shovels and start furiously digging too. Mike and David graciously step back, sly smiles on their faces. Mike thinks Rob is worried that they already found the idol and he is right. Rob admits that he suffers from Idol Paranoia and worries that the waters will be muddied if Zapatera has found an idol. At Tribal Council Dimples again provokes Phillip into a rant (the Survivor crew must go home at night and phone home to America about Phillip's latest antics). But when Phillip is done his rant and the votes have been tabulated, Mike is sauntering off to Redemption Island to join Matt. With Mike goes pool member Cheryl.
Now normally this is where I would say good night. But wait! There's more! That's right. Its a two-challenge, double elimination night. The second challenge allows Survivors to decide whether they want to eat cheese burgers or compete in the immunity challenge. Steve and Phillip opt to eat burgers. The others have to hang from a bar over the water. Rob goes in fairly quickly but the others hang on to the 20 minute mark. At that point they must hang only from their legs. David is the last Zapatera member hanging, but he goes in at about 45 minutes. The three remaining Ometepe women agree to drop together, though Andrea is the official winner.
Back at camp Rob tells us he is happy as long as his side wins and the other team is demoralized. Ralph discovers a bunch of dead fish in the net. Rob tells Ralph not to eat them but Ralph and the other Zapaterians go ahead and eat them anyway. Ever mindful of Rob's wrath, the Ometepens sit and watch, drool running over their chins. Finally Grant goes over and the Zapateruvians happily share the fish with him.Grant tells us he is his own man and makes his own decisions. Interestingly Rob doesn't really comment on Grant's breach of discipline. Rob has decided that either Steve or David will be going home. Phillip goes into another long rant about Stealth R Us at Tribal Council, but when the votes are cast it is David going to Redemption Island. Joining David, Mike and Matt on Redemption Island is our own Mitzi (lucky woman!)
So no one went home tonight meaning some of us can live in hope for another week. Until then...
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt How Naive am I Elrod)
The next day finds David and Mike admiring Rob's handiwork. Getting rid of Matt was done with the efficiency of a mob hit. Julie describes it as cold-blooded. Ralph is getting jumpy. He gave up his immunity idol and has suddenly stopped exuding confidence. He wonders if he is on the "chop" block and tries to talk to Natalie and Ashley about it. They tell him they can't talk to him. The reason they can't talk is that they are under orders from Rob. Nobody talks to anybody on their own. He institutes a buddy system where everyone travels in pairs so that no one can talk without being overheard. When Natalie comes to tell Rob that Ralph talked to her and Ashley, Rob become angry that Ashley didn't tell him about it, making Ashley a future target. But at the moment Rob is content to solidify his little troupe of six - himself, Grant, Phillip, Natalie, Ashley and Andrea.
Phillip shows up at the challenge wearing a feather on his forehead. He tells Dimples it appeared out of thin air while he was meditating. He later embellishes the story, telling us that his great great grandfather, a Cherokee, came to him in his meditation and gave him the feather. He told him that a member of the Ometepe Tribe would win the challenge and would survive a long long time. What a nob. Well great great grandfather Ezekial Nob Noggin was right about one thing. An Ometepe member does win the challenge. Grant fights his way through round 1 (digging a club out of the sand and using it to smash a tile), round 2 (spitting water into a tube) and round 3 (solving a block puzzle) to win immunity.
Zapatera knows they have a problem. They can't even talk to Rob's group because they are walking around in pairs, holding hands, peeing together and wanting to discuss nothing more than the weather. When Rob and company go off for a group walk, Mike and David begin to dig under the flag poles. They think a new idol may have been hidden around camp. Rob and company return to find them digging. They quickly grab shovels and start furiously digging too. Mike and David graciously step back, sly smiles on their faces. Mike thinks Rob is worried that they already found the idol and he is right. Rob admits that he suffers from Idol Paranoia and worries that the waters will be muddied if Zapatera has found an idol. At Tribal Council Dimples again provokes Phillip into a rant (the Survivor crew must go home at night and phone home to America about Phillip's latest antics). But when Phillip is done his rant and the votes have been tabulated, Mike is sauntering off to Redemption Island to join Matt. With Mike goes pool member Cheryl.
Now normally this is where I would say good night. But wait! There's more! That's right. Its a two-challenge, double elimination night. The second challenge allows Survivors to decide whether they want to eat cheese burgers or compete in the immunity challenge. Steve and Phillip opt to eat burgers. The others have to hang from a bar over the water. Rob goes in fairly quickly but the others hang on to the 20 minute mark. At that point they must hang only from their legs. David is the last Zapatera member hanging, but he goes in at about 45 minutes. The three remaining Ometepe women agree to drop together, though Andrea is the official winner.
Back at camp Rob tells us he is happy as long as his side wins and the other team is demoralized. Ralph discovers a bunch of dead fish in the net. Rob tells Ralph not to eat them but Ralph and the other Zapaterians go ahead and eat them anyway. Ever mindful of Rob's wrath, the Ometepens sit and watch, drool running over their chins. Finally Grant goes over and the Zapateruvians happily share the fish with him.Grant tells us he is his own man and makes his own decisions. Interestingly Rob doesn't really comment on Grant's breach of discipline. Rob has decided that either Steve or David will be going home. Phillip goes into another long rant about Stealth R Us at Tribal Council, but when the votes are cast it is David going to Redemption Island. Joining David, Mike and Matt on Redemption Island is our own Mitzi (lucky woman!)
So no one went home tonight meaning some of us can live in hope for another week. Until then...
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt How Naive am I Elrod)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Survivor Redemption Island - April 6/11
Night 18. Zapatera returns to camp full of good words for Serita and how she handled her blindside.As for Serita, she arrives at Redemption Island and proves to be a gold mine of information for Matt about the Zapatera tribe. Matt is happy it is Serita because she doesn't seem that tough. She also gets Matt thinking that maybe he should slide on over to the Zapatera side of the couch when the merge comes.
The morning of Day 19 tree mail arrives announcing a duel at the Redemption Island Arena. This time all tribe members are to attend, prompting suggestions of a merge. Rob suggests taking all their stuff in case there is a merge and they end up at the other camp. Phillip is reluctant to take even this sage advice from Rob, but does concede that he has learned a lot about Survivor from playing with Boston Rob.
Matt is quite concerned about the upcoming duel since he has cut the side of his foot. Specifically he is concerned about an endurance challenge where they have to stand on their feet for long periods. In a very sad coincidence the duel involves bracing themselves between two walls, standing on a very small ledge with each foot. Every 15 minutes they must move down to a smaller ledge. To pass the time Dimples asks Phillip what is necessary to be successful in such a challenge. For the next 15 minutes or so Phillip pontificates about Samurai. We see camera shots of passing clouds and the entire cast gets visibly older while Phillip answers the question. But back to the competitors; Serita seems to handle this challenge very calmly while Matt visibly struggles. But Serita suddenly goes down and Matt wins his sixth duel.There is, indeed, a merge and Matt (my guy) is now back in the game while Serita heads home along with Debbie from our pool. No one selected Serita as the ultimage winner.
There is the traditional merge feast and, while the newly merged tribe scarfs down the food and booze, Rob proposes a new name for the tribe...Murlonio. He tells them it means "from the sea" in Spanish. Everyone ooohs and ahhs about what a lovely name it is. Privately Rob tells is it means nothing at all and is simply the name of one of his wife's stuffed toy animals. Regardless, it is now the name of the merged tribe and is probably just as meaningful as most of the tribe names we have seen in the past.
The tribes try to settle in together but there is a distinct tribal division. When it rains on the first night, Ometepe sleeps under the tarp while Zapatera gets wet under the partially completed shelter. There is one thing that everyone agrees on though. Matt is a very important young man. Will he side with Ometepe, the tribe that sent him to Redemption Island in the first place, or will he form a new alliance with Zapatera? Zapatera desperately hopes it is the latter.Mike speaks to Matt promising him final four and access to Ralph's idol if he needs it. Matt knows he can no longer be a passive player in the game, but still wants to talk to Andrea before deciding. When he finally gets a chance to talk to her he proposes taking out Steve and Grant, then blindsiding Rob. At the mention of getting rid of Rob Andrea has a minor panic attack and wonders about the wisdom of jumping ship and siding with a "sketchy" Matt. The next morning Matt tells us he is morally conflicted. Does he make the big Survivor move or does he stay loyal to his former tribe? In the meantime Rob is getting very nervous about the Christian coalition that is beginning to form around Matt.
The first individual immunity challenge involves standing on a log while balancing a ball on a round disc. Every minute another ball is added. Phillip wobbles early (no doubt due to his unbalanced nature) but manages to hang around for a while. Julie is the first to go and one by one everyone drops out until only Mike and Natalie are left. Mike is rock solid but suddenly steps off his log leaving Natalie to win.
Mike is very worried that he is on the chopping block. He wants to take out Grant but needs Matt to do it. But Matt has decided that God has decided he should stay with his Ometepe alliance. He sits down to talk to Rob and tells him all about how he and Andrea were going to take him out but have now changed their mind. Rob is furious that Matt was plotting against him, and even madder that Matt was stupid enough to tell him. And now Andrea is uncomfortable because Matt also outted her to Rob. Rob tells us that Matt has just written himself a one-way ticket out of the game. As the day goes on Matt senses something is wrong and that he is being ostracized. Mike slips him a note telling him a vote for Grant will guarantee that he gets to the final three. Weird Phillip gets one more opportunity to spew at Tribal Council. Ralph plays the immunity idol on behalf of Mike (who gets no votes). The votes are split between Grant and Matt, with Steve also getting a vote. But when all is said and done, poor Matt is going back to Redemption Island and taking Rick and I with him. Well isn't this a sad turn of events? Will Matt get back into the game again or are he and I doomed? Will Phillip ever shut up? Will Ometepe wise up and turn on Boston Rob? Tune in next week. Until then,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt feelin like a yo-yo Elrod)
The morning of Day 19 tree mail arrives announcing a duel at the Redemption Island Arena. This time all tribe members are to attend, prompting suggestions of a merge. Rob suggests taking all their stuff in case there is a merge and they end up at the other camp. Phillip is reluctant to take even this sage advice from Rob, but does concede that he has learned a lot about Survivor from playing with Boston Rob.
Matt is quite concerned about the upcoming duel since he has cut the side of his foot. Specifically he is concerned about an endurance challenge where they have to stand on their feet for long periods. In a very sad coincidence the duel involves bracing themselves between two walls, standing on a very small ledge with each foot. Every 15 minutes they must move down to a smaller ledge. To pass the time Dimples asks Phillip what is necessary to be successful in such a challenge. For the next 15 minutes or so Phillip pontificates about Samurai. We see camera shots of passing clouds and the entire cast gets visibly older while Phillip answers the question. But back to the competitors; Serita seems to handle this challenge very calmly while Matt visibly struggles. But Serita suddenly goes down and Matt wins his sixth duel.There is, indeed, a merge and Matt (my guy) is now back in the game while Serita heads home along with Debbie from our pool. No one selected Serita as the ultimage winner.
There is the traditional merge feast and, while the newly merged tribe scarfs down the food and booze, Rob proposes a new name for the tribe...Murlonio. He tells them it means "from the sea" in Spanish. Everyone ooohs and ahhs about what a lovely name it is. Privately Rob tells is it means nothing at all and is simply the name of one of his wife's stuffed toy animals. Regardless, it is now the name of the merged tribe and is probably just as meaningful as most of the tribe names we have seen in the past.
The tribes try to settle in together but there is a distinct tribal division. When it rains on the first night, Ometepe sleeps under the tarp while Zapatera gets wet under the partially completed shelter. There is one thing that everyone agrees on though. Matt is a very important young man. Will he side with Ometepe, the tribe that sent him to Redemption Island in the first place, or will he form a new alliance with Zapatera? Zapatera desperately hopes it is the latter.Mike speaks to Matt promising him final four and access to Ralph's idol if he needs it. Matt knows he can no longer be a passive player in the game, but still wants to talk to Andrea before deciding. When he finally gets a chance to talk to her he proposes taking out Steve and Grant, then blindsiding Rob. At the mention of getting rid of Rob Andrea has a minor panic attack and wonders about the wisdom of jumping ship and siding with a "sketchy" Matt. The next morning Matt tells us he is morally conflicted. Does he make the big Survivor move or does he stay loyal to his former tribe? In the meantime Rob is getting very nervous about the Christian coalition that is beginning to form around Matt.
The first individual immunity challenge involves standing on a log while balancing a ball on a round disc. Every minute another ball is added. Phillip wobbles early (no doubt due to his unbalanced nature) but manages to hang around for a while. Julie is the first to go and one by one everyone drops out until only Mike and Natalie are left. Mike is rock solid but suddenly steps off his log leaving Natalie to win.
Mike is very worried that he is on the chopping block. He wants to take out Grant but needs Matt to do it. But Matt has decided that God has decided he should stay with his Ometepe alliance. He sits down to talk to Rob and tells him all about how he and Andrea were going to take him out but have now changed their mind. Rob is furious that Matt was plotting against him, and even madder that Matt was stupid enough to tell him. And now Andrea is uncomfortable because Matt also outted her to Rob. Rob tells us that Matt has just written himself a one-way ticket out of the game. As the day goes on Matt senses something is wrong and that he is being ostracized. Mike slips him a note telling him a vote for Grant will guarantee that he gets to the final three. Weird Phillip gets one more opportunity to spew at Tribal Council. Ralph plays the immunity idol on behalf of Mike (who gets no votes). The votes are split between Grant and Matt, with Steve also getting a vote. But when all is said and done, poor Matt is going back to Redemption Island and taking Rick and I with him. Well isn't this a sad turn of events? Will Matt get back into the game again or are he and I doomed? Will Phillip ever shut up? Will Ometepe wise up and turn on Boston Rob? Tune in next week. Until then,
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast
Pat (aka Matt feelin like a yo-yo Elrod)
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