This week, “Survivor” returned after a short hiatus for Thanksgiving. After convincing Shambo to vote with them at the last tribal council, the Foa Foa four found themselves in the lead. The question in this episode quickly became as to how they would flex their muscle.
On each season of “Survivor,” Probes plays the role of auctioneer as the castaways bid on comfort items and food. This has always been one of the favourite episodes. This year, the first item up for bidding was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. With five hundred dollars apiece to use for the purchase of auction items, Natalie opened the bidding at two hundred dollars. I am quite certain that this is most likely the most expensive peanut butter sandwich in history. I suppose when you have gone twenty-nine days without comfort items, peanut butter and jelly must feel like a little bit of home.
Jaison spent five hundred dollars on a significant advantage in the immunity challenge. John earned the displeasure of the tribe when he refused to give up a slice of apple pie that he had purchased for two hundred dollars. It may seem like a small thing, but in the game of “Survivor,” goodwill has the potential to lead to three more days in the game. John, in the meantime, purchased a clue to the location of the hidden immunity idol.
Upon return to camp, the castaways decided to cook one of the chickens. This greatly saddened Shambo, who had been taking care of the chickens since Dave won them for the former Galu tribe. Shambo decided to turn the chicken into a soup, which frustrated Dave because he was worried that it would turn the meat to rubber. Shambo took this as a personal affront. Later that evening, Shambo had a dream about Dave being voted off the game, causing her to attempt to enlist Russell in her elimination plot. Even though strategically Russell did not feel that this was the best decision to make, he decided to go with Shambo’s leanings, because he determined Shambo to be unstable.
In conversation about Shambo’s plan with Natalie, Russell said:
“Shambo had a dream that they voted of Dave, I said that’s a sign Shambo, that’s a sign. It’s like God talking to you. [laughs] So she has her dream who she’s voting and off and then that’s who it has to be. When you got somebody unstable like Shambo as long as she votes with you instead of her emotions. If you make her mad at somebody that’s it, she’ll vote for them. Once Dave’s gone, we have the numbers. I’ll run it all the way to the top”.
The immunity challenge was once again based on physical strength. Shambo and Russell were the first two to be eliminated. Having received an edge in the game, Jaison was not under as much physical strain as the other contestants. Natalie was the last woman standing, much to the surprise of the castaways and Probes. In the end, it came down to Dave and Jaison. It was clear that Dave felt that he was threatened, because he struggled for some time to remain in the game until he slipped, making Jaison the winner.
Back at camp, John used the clue to the hidden immunity idol to begin his search. After looking in the spot where it clearly should have been hidden, he confronted Russell. Knowing that it was senseless to deny possessing the idol, Russell affirmed John’s suspicions. He chatted with John about eliminating Mick, in terms of the agreement that he made with John before the last tribal council.
Alone with the camera, Russell admitted that he had no intention of honouring his agreement. Based on the fact that John now knew without doubt that Russell was in the possession of the idol, Russell decided to target John for elimination. In conversation with Dave, Russell made it clear that if Dave did not agree to vote for John, things could go badly for Dave. Dave quickly agreed. When Russell approached Mick with the idea, Mick agreeed that John would be a good selection, because of John’s obvious strategic play. Yet he was worried about how that would affect Shambo. Jaison also expressed the same worry, because of a fear that Shambo would feel unappreciated.
Since the unification of the two tribes, each elimination has been a blind side. When the two tribes were first aligned, Galu had planned to eliminate Foa Foa one by one, yet in-fighting quickly lead to a loss of the lead, leaving the former members of Galu scrambling. As Dave probed the castaways at tribal council, it was clear that no one knew for certain who was going home, despite the scrambling and strategizing that had taken place. When asked if he was willing to use his immunity idol to protect someone else, Jaison quickly declined. After the smoke cleared, Mick, and Dave each received one vote, but it was John who would have his flame extinguished.
From day one, Russell made it clear that he planned to run the game. Like a lion, Russell has lead the lambs to slaughter and they have continued to follow his lead, though he has not shown any real faithfulness to anyone. Even his fellow Foa Foa members cannot see that he is positioning them so that he will end up in the final two. Every single person that has ever challenged him, or, for that matter, made him aware that they recognize the game that he is playing, has been eliminated. At this point, unless the castaways act decisively, it is almost certain that Russell will be sitting in the final two. John was the only person who seemed to have the intelligence to act strategically, and he is now stuck in the jury.