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We pick up where we left off last episode with hunky district sales manager Chris taking the walk of shame after having his torch surprisingly snuffed at Tribal Council.
Chris decides to take the “Extinction Island” option and arrives at the rechristened “Whiner Island,” where he is warmly welcomed by earlier outcasts Reem and Keith.
Just kidding. Chris is mocked for being upset about being voted off, and warned that he’ll find no love from them as he played a part in their respective torch snuffings. The harshness of the island, as well as the misplaced self-righteousness of his island companions makes Chris turn introspective, admitting that he has a fear of failure and a need to be perfect. Now he has failed in trying to have a perfect game, he says, but it won’t defeat him.
Reem and Keith manage to be slightly less abusive when Chris catches two tiny fish for them all to share. Don’t worry. They went back to the nastiness once the fish was gone.
Back at the beach
Kama tribe is stunned to learn that Chris has been voted off, but they soon get another surprise. It’s a tribe mix-up: They’re being divided into three new tribes with five members each. The big shake-up turns out to be little more than a hiccup as the Kama tribe ends up with five original Kama members, Manu tribe has four Kama and one Manu, and the new Lesu tribe has the original five Manu players.
Wacky Wendy is the only player with so many new tribe mates and she’s thrilled to be on a tribe with Aubry, Gavin, Eric and Victoria. She quickly dishes the dirt on her former tribe mates and professes love for her new tribies, until they start talking about killing the chickens.
In the middle of the night, Wendy giddily sets the chickens free, only they aren’t so keen on freedom and keep making appearances near camp, tantalizing the hungry players. Wendy’s new tribe, like her old tribe, is none too happy with her and consider her an easy first vote.
That doesn’t happen, though, because even with the new Lesu name, the former Manu Five still can’t win a challenge, and David, Rick, Lauren, Kelley and Wardog end up back at Tribal Council. David and Rick want to vote off Lauren, who isn’t eating and keeps throwing up, and Kelley and Lauren want to vote off Rick, having named him Most Likely to Betray Them and Join the Other Tribe if Any of Them Make it to the Merge.
Wardog is the swing vote and while he talks a lot about the best move Wardog can make to benefit Wardog, he casts the deciding vote for Rick, who heads of to Whiner Island where Reem and Keith welcome him as warmly as they did Chris.
Next time: Aubry may have made an alliance with Victoria to vote off Eric, Lauren could still be on the chopping block, and at long last, something appears to be happening on Whiner Island.
Highs and lows
- Joe the Amazing is trying to make friends and believes he’s made an alliance with Educator Ron, but Ron is working with Julia to vote Joe off the first chance they get.
- We’re 12 days into the game and nine of 14 people have yet to attend a Tribal Council. Their torches are gathering dust.
- Kelley comes to the conclusion that Wendy is not normal. What gave it away? Her stealing the flint or her determination to save the chickens?
- Our favorite quote of the night comes from Rick, after the new tribal lines are drawn: “I could not believe we were all still together and Wendy is still on the tribe with her tightest alliance — the chickens.”
