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First, we’re still coping with last week’s devastating vote that took Joe out of the game and exiled him on Extinction Island, also known as the Island of the Morose. But we’re not alone in mourning. Aurora is upset Joe’s gone, that her alliance didn’t tell her they were voting him off, and that they apparently don’t trust her.
She lets the others know of her dissatisfaction at every turn of the palm frond, even trying to leverage it in the Immunity Challenge to get Victoria to drop out and give her the immunity idol. It doesn’t work, but she prevails anyway.
And speaking of the immunity challenge, that brings us to our first fit of pique. Last week in the coming attractions and in ads leading up to tonight’s episode, “Survivor” featured dramatic scenes of Jeff Probst running toward someone and shouting for medics, and then the face of the worried Dr. Joe.
This game pushes people beyond their physical limits. To use someone’s medical emergency to get viewers is morbid and wrong, and it makes us feel uncomfortable, to say the least.
It was Lauren. Weak from hunger, the physical challenge of standing on her tippy toes, while trying to hold a block of wood between her scalp and a board overhead, causes her to black out. She mumbles that she’s getting dizzy, that she’s lost her vision and then she collapses onto the ground.
At this point, only Victoria and Aurora remain in the challenge, and they plug on while the medics work to revive Lauren, who is just fine and will continue in the game.
When Lauren tells Jeff Probst she feels so embarrassed, Probst says it’s a sign that she’s a warrior. And speaking of war, we’re left to ponder what sort of combat Wardog has engaged in to earn his nickname, because he was out of the challenge in less than 15 seconds — in less time than it took to read this paragraph.
With 12 people headed to Tribal Council and some hidden immunity idols possessed by a few folks, the plotting is intense. Eric and Ron, who claims to be a puppet master, try to keep the Kama Seven strong by reminding them it’s only a matter of time before they get to the family visit and won’t that be fun and special. It’s so ham handed, we’d be surprised if a deli doesn’t put it on its menu.
Kelley, Lauren and Wardog are in great risk of being voted out considering they are not Kama anything. Kelley apologizes to David for trying to vote him out, and suggests that’s water under the bridge. They need to work together now. David seems agreeable and they count their numbers. Kelley is sure they can convince Aurora to flip and David knows he can bring in Rick.
Except nothing is ever that certain in “Survivor,” which brings us to our favorite quote and response of the night.
Wardog welcomes Rick back into the Lesu fold and starts to lay out their plan.
“I’m dying to get back with the old Lesu,” Rick says, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. “And now that I know I can trust you guys, I really want to back you guys, except that I don’t (expletive) want to get back with you guys at all.”
Wardog’s puzzled response: “What do you mean?”
Meanwhile, over at the Island of the Morose, Joe wipes away a tear and swears to not let this defeat him. Chris shows up with an armful of wine bottles, each with a “Survivor” trademark rhyme.
Reem whines that she’d been hoping to take a nap and now she has to go looking for something she hasn’t got a prayer of finding. Sometimes this game can be so inconvenient.
As the others stumble around looking for the clues and climbing steps, Aubry, who apparently has taken to wearing her shoes at all times so she’s ready to leap into action, looks back and sees a small opening in the rock face. She discovers a clue that takes her to a practice set-up for the next challenge, and a gift: an extra vote to bestow on another player. She chooses Aurora, who with her immunity necklace is now sitting in the catbird seat.
Back at camp, Wardog actually manages to plant a seed in Julia’s ear that Ron and Eric are planning to use Rick and David to take out Kama players when all the Lesu are gone. To test the theory, Julia asks Eric what he thinks about taking David out at Tribal Council tonight. Eric doesn’t think that’s the right move, and now Julia suspects Wardog might know more than she thinks, which is probably much less than she knows.
Tribal council brings us our two favorite reactions of this episode, possibly the entire series, when Eric is voted out. Rick, so certain Lesu couldn’t pull off such a feat, is dumbfounded as the last vote is read, sending one of Livermore’s finest firefighters off to the Island of the Morose. And Ron, who sits stunned and glaring, is upset that some of his puppets have cut their strings.
Next time: Rick and David argue over custody of their jointly owned immunity idol, and something shocking appears to happen at Tribal Council.
