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)