Previously on Survivor, we brought back three players that were medically evacuated in a past season. But seriously, how many times are we going to have watch the flashback of Michael’s skin melting off his hands? Sheesh, seeing it once 11 years ago was already too many times.
And it looks like even though the Philippines is beautiful with sweeping vistas and waterfalls, all of the rainfall is making it less-than-paradise and it’s getting to everyone.
At Matsing, inevitably the best-looking guy and girl, Malcolm and Angie, decide to cuddle up at night to “stay warm.” Roxy notices their canoodling right away and wants to split them up as soon as possible before anything of an alliance develops between them. She talks Russell into agreeing with her but Denise is less concerned.
Roxy is also letting the weather get to her. She feels alone and isolated from her friends and family, and despite her experience as a seminary student, she is feeling abandoned by God. Everyone else notices her lack of work around camp and her lack of spirit. She also speaks in tongues, which is weird and creeps everybody out.
At Tandang everyone is complaining about how cold and wet they are. R.C. happens upon a clue for the hidden immunity idol while scooping rice and plays it cool until Lisa walks away. Then she shares the idol clue with Abi, who she is already saying is her “number two” to take to the end.
Then things get weird with Abi. After R.C. just displayed her trust by sharing the clue with her, Abi gets crazy paranoid. She sees R.C. and Michael talking on the beach and she storms over accusing R.C. of plotting and whispering with him. R.C. assures Abi that it was just harmless conversation, but Abi doesn’t believe her and tells her if R.C. ever messes with her, she’s “dead.” Okaaay Abi, looks like you’re due back in your padded room any moment.
Meanwhile, Lisa is struggling with the social aspect of the game. She removes herself from camp situations because she feels like she is on the outs. R.C. plants it in her tribe-mates’ heads that she’s out looking for an idol, and that as soon as they have to go to tribal council they have to vote her out. She may be feeling insecure about her spot in the game, but can we all just take a minute to appreciate how good she looks? Miss Lady is on an island sans makeup and any kind of touch-ups and she still looks flawless. Get it Blair.
At Kalabaw, Jeff says that all of his experience playing Major League Baseball couldn’t prepare him for all the rain. His knee is also bothering him, but he decides he needs to push through it.
Jonathan is frustrated because he wants to look for the hidden immunity idol at camp but he can’t because his whole tribe has confined themselves to their shelter because of the rain. His tribe finally decides to try to stay dry in a nearby cave which gives him his chance. He realizes that the bull figure on the top of their rice container is the idol, and he’s right. He pries it off and is gleeful, considering he’s never had an idol or even individual immunity before in the game.
Challenge
The challenge requires three pairs from each tribe to retrieve three different sets of heavy puzzle pieces by dragging them on a sleigh contraption and then putting three different puzzles together on large tables. Another tribe member who can see the puzzles from above calls out directions to help the other tribe members put the puzzle together.
The first two teams to finish win immunity. The first tribe to finish also wins blankets, pillows and a tarp and second place will get a tarp.
Right off the bat, Russell and Angie fall behind for Matsing because Russell doesn’t know how to stack his puzzle pieces on his sled like a normal thinking person. Roxie and Malcolm make up a lot of time for Matsing but then Russell and Angie lose ground for them again in their second time out.
Kalabaw and Tandang are dead even when they start putting their puzzle together. Eventually Russell and Malcolm make up some ground by being quick to finish their first puzzle. Tandang pulls out in front and ends up finishing first. Matsing and Kabalaw are neck and neck until the last second when Kabalaw gets the last piece in just before Matsing. This means another trip to tribal council for Matsing.
Before going back to camp though, Russell finds time to throw a little hissy fit. He accuses his tribe members of giving up and goes off to Jeff about how if they don’t want to be there they should go home. That’s real rich, considering Russell was the one dragging them down for the most of the challenge and even blew it in the end by getting all panicky. But as usual, Russell doesn’t take responsibility for his own actions, but blames those around him.
Loser Camp
For the second week in a row we have a Matsing Loser Camp. Russell is convinced that Roxy is the weakest player on their tribe but he doesn’t want to get rid of her because he thinks he’ll be the next to go after her. And Roxy will not let up about the Angie/Malcolm Cuddle-gate. As far as she’s concerned, someone coupling up is literally the worst possible thing that could happen in the history of Survivor. Never mind the fact that there is still a hidden immunity idol somewhere around her camp that she could be trying to find.
Denise feels like she’s put in the middle. She’s wary of the Angie/Malcolm coupling, but she also feels like she has a strong connection with Malcolm and wouldn’t want to alienate herself from that alliance.
Tribal Council
The first thing Jeff Probst points out sitting down at tribal is something that they barely discussed when they got back to camp and that’s Russell’s post-challenge rant. Russell is lucky there is other drama going on at his camp because none of his tribe mates seem to be mad at him for acting like such an ass.
Then Jeff asks the Matsing members what they would like to change about their tribe. Roxy accuses the rest of her tribe of working too hard around camp and not conserving energy for the challenge which solicits plenty of eye-rolls. Angie tells Jeff that “cookies would be nice.”
Yes, girl just said “cookies” to Jeff Probst. Don’t you know that Jeff don’t play when it comes to tribal council? I hope someone somewhere in the great world of the internet makes a gif of the look on Jeff’s face when she said that. Yikes.
Malcolm tries to defend his new GF and that’s the perfect opportunity for Roxy to drop her Threat Level Midnight Couple Alert. She sounds a little like that crazy girl in her late 20s who is still bitter that she never got asked to the prom. She tries to convince the rest of her tribe that they need to split up the couple by getting rid of Angie but really she just comes off as paranoid and a little jealous.
After the vote, we find out that it’s another unanimous decision by Matsing and Roxy is out the door. Maybe some nice boy in her seminary school will ask her out for drinks (do seminary students drink? Maybe coffee then…) and she can let go of not being the one who’s getting some on Survivor: Philippines.
Gina Pusateri
Contributing Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
