This week on Survivor… Tyler is really impressed with the true blue spirit of the blue collars, but he’s not incredibly happy about; he’s on the bottom rung of the ladder, but at the top of the hit list. Rodney isn’t nearly as upset as I thought he would be about Joaquin’s blindside; I have to give the guy some credit for being able to stay calm and collected. When he got back to camp he didn’t get angry and waited for someone to make a move to talk to him. Smart! Mike makes that damage control move and they have a chat. The conversation between these two alpha males is absolutely hilarious. Mike takes on the “we were trying to protect you” role and Rodney takes on the “I was playing THEM” role when he’s told they were worried about Joaquin playing Rodney. Both clearly have no idea what the other is thinking, but they are both flying into each other’s web; it’s great. And they are both extremely over-confident…
Merge time! Clever trick, though, the tribes get notes that make it seem like they are heading into a reward challenge. Talk among Nagarote turns to loyaties. Kelly says she’s down with her new tribe, but she’s really just working under cover. Of COURSE she’s still loyal to Mike. At the beach there is no Jeff and yes, it’s time to Merge. Everyone is super excited for the Merge feast and super happy that they get to go back to the Escameca beach. Tyler is super glad personally because his game has completely changed; he can better control his fate now. Joaquin and Rodney’s Bromance is brought up; Mike and Dan are not shy about boasting how it needed to be broken up, which puts up red flags for Carolyn. Since she is working with Tyler and he’s the only person that knows she has an idol, it’s really important they keep their alliance on the down low. When the newly merged tribe arrives at their merged camp…
They have to build a new camp! As Carolyn puts it; it’s their first team building exercise. Workhorse Mike is ON IT and asks the White Collars for some direction. lol Fire and water! Mike and Kelly reconnect while gathering firewood; they are so happy to be reunited, it feels so good. Mike is certain that the Blue Collars are five strong now. Jenn and Hali aren’t feeling so great about their positions within the game; Jenn saw Kelly go off with Mike and she’s certain that Kelly has no loyalty to the No Collars. They need to pull some White Collars, though, and they are willing to put up with Shirin. Joe is happy to be back with his old tribe too; he confirms for Jenn that he doesn’t think Rodney is very smart. Meanwhile, Rodney is schmoozing up to Will; he is going to play up the blue strong thing, but he wants Will, Carolyn and Kelly to help him dissect that tribe. I have to say that it’s not a terrible plan and Will seems to be on board; Kelly, as we know, will not be on board for this, but she keeps her mouth shut. Smart! Carolyn is happy to be asked to be part of a Final Four, but she also has her Tyler…And they will end up being the swing votes this week because the Blues definitely need them both to have the numbers and Carolyn is tight with the No Collars.
So… The next day Dan gets stung by a jelly fish. Jenn tells him to put hot water on it; she was a life guard, she knows it’s the best thing for it. He plays it up that the hot water helps more than urination on a jelly fish sting when he gets back to camp. ::eyeroll:: He’s way smarter and tougher than he looks for sure. And… This tribe name… Merica. Thank you, Shirin, for agreeing that it’s the stupidest merged tribe name ever. Mike and Hali love it; it was Mike’s idea. MOVING ON! Before the Immunity Challenge, Mike and Rodney discuss that it’s definitely Joe they will be targeting. He’s the biggest threat from the No Collars since Rodney has Will on his side. Mike really buddies it up with Rodney, but Rodney is still bitter about the Joaquin blindside and he has every intention of blindsiding Mike.
Come on in, guys! It’s time for Immunity and it’s a Survivor endurance classic. Players will have to hang on to a tall pole and use a series of foot and hand holds to help them. Up to now, three men and three women have won this challenge. Dan and Will, the two biggest guys, are the first to drop. Tyler hits the sand not long after they do followed by Seirra, Shirin and Kelly. After twenty-five minutes pretty much everyone starts to show signs of struggle. Carolyn is fine, though; Rodney asked her if she was good before he dropped, but Mike drops before he does. And we’re down to four: Joe, Jenn, Hali and Carolyn then Jenn gets stung by a bee or something, WHERE HER HAND IS, JEFF! lol Hali falls shortly after that and as the wind is picking up, Jeff remarks that it looks like rain… And AS IF ON CUE… #DownPour. I mean, seriously… After 55 minutes, Carolyn starts slipping, but Jenn is the next to drop. After a gritty, grueling battle, though… JOE wins Immunity, completely dashing the plans of Mike and Rodney.
Back at camp, Mike tells everyone that it’s okay to go off talk. He would like to target either Jenn or Hali now and he and Dan have a little chat about it. They both think Jenn is the best person to vote out, but they are both worried about Will so they come up with a brilliant plan. Mike tells Rodney that they want to tell Will to vote Hali to see if he’s loyal, but everyone else is going to vote for Jenn. They both of them go have a little talk with Will; he’s down to vote out Hali. Meanwhile, Kelly and Carolyn have a chat; Kelly thinks Carolyn isn’t that cool with the No Collars and will be an asset to the Blue Collars. While THAT is happening, Shirin is chatting with Jenn and Hali about how much they don’t trust the Blues; Kelly is the one they trust the least. Shirin sees that there are five Blues and they have shown that even though they don’t really get a long, they will vote together; her White Collar is going to swing with the No Collars. If only she can get the other White Collars to swing with her, which is what Mike is trying to do with Tyler, but…
Tyler isn’t stupid. He is well aware that his head was the next one the Blues wanted to put on the chopping block and that they need his vote now. Mike really doesn’t say anything to put Tyler’s mind at ease, though. Later, Hali finds him and lets him know that the No Collars want to team up with the White Collars to get rid of the Blues. Afterward, Tyler finds some quiet, alone time with Carolyn. They can swing either way, but they can’t say anything to anyone. He lets her know that the No Collars and Shirin are targeting Kelly, and they are aware the Blues are going for Jenn. All they have to do is decide which way to swing. Before Tribal Council, Jenn tells Hali that they need to know which one of them the Blues are going for because she magically found an Idol. Jenn doesn’t WANT to play it with 12 people left in the game, but she will if she has any inkling that the vote isn’t going to go the way she and her alliance want.
Time for Tribal Council! Will warns Jeff that it’s so crazy around camp that HE, Jeff, might get voted out tonight and Will hopes Jeff has an Idol! LOL So, getting into the meat, yeah, there are twelve people and everyone is strategizing, everyone is nervous, no one is safe. Joe says everyone has a knife and it’s stab or be stabbed in this game; he loves it. Jeff points out the numbers: five Blue Collars, four No Collars and three White Collars: clearly the swing votes are the White Collars. Mike agrees and says that tonight’s vote will show people’s decisions. Tyler expresses that he’s looking for a home with an alliance and that the vote tonight will carve a line through the merged tribe with an ice pick. Carolyn agrees: lines will be drawn tonight and she hopes people choose the right side. Shirin agrees that lines will be drawn, but she makes it clear: Shirin is not a swing vote. She has made her decision and she’s sticking to it. Shirin will not be swinging from side to side.
Talk of hidden Immunity is brought up by Jeff; Rodney doesn’t know who has one or if they’ve been found or what. WE know that both Carolyn and Jenn have one, though, but only Carolyn is feeling really safe. Definitive lines are definitely going to be drawn tonight. Dan thinks that line will be drawn with a chainsaw. And with THAT it’s voting time! The votes are cast, Jeff heads off to get them then he asks if anyone wants to play an Idol and Jenn does. The looks on the faces of the Blues, Carolyn, Tyler and Will are priceless when Jeff confirms that it is a real Idol and totally valid. Let’s read the votes! Hali gets one so… Obviously Will has chosen to swing to the Blues. Next votes: It’s “Jenn-Does Not Count” over and over again until the Kelly votes start popping up and her torch is snuffed. And next week! #IDOLPARANOIA ensues! lol Can’t wait! If you like The Amazing Race… If you like Hell’s Kitchen… Bravo! If you like reality TV and if you like to laugh and make light of the world’s problems, stick with me and with Your Reality Recaps. And use this link to buy stuff on Amazon! It really helps us out! 😉
