Last week, the six-strong alliance of the former Ometepe tribe, having stuck with each other through thick and thin since voting out Kristina on Day 7, found themselves with no more Zapaterians to put the hammer down on, because they are all already on the jury or reside on Redemption Island. Torn between keeping loose cannon Phillip and a possible eventual victor in Andrea, Boston Rob decided that Phillip, for the time being at least, was the lesser of two evils. Andrea was send to RedIsle, where Ralph, Mike, and Ironman Matt await.
Murlonio, Night 32. Upon their return to camp from TC, Ashley admits that she loves blindsides, because she gets to watch someone’s face as it happens. She hugs Natalie and celebrates that they are the last two girls standing and they are BFFs and whatever. Natalie, on the other hand, isn’t feeling the “girl power” as much; stating that though she feels close to Ashley, she may end up having to choose Rob over her. And of course, Eagle-Eyes Mariano immediately asks Natalie what she and Ashley were talking about, and Natalie spills her guts about how Ashley has Natalie’s back and expects the same in return. Rob then tells Natalie to watch out for Ashley because she’s sneaky, and methinks that Rob’s inclination to vote Ashley out a few weeks ago just got moved to the front of his mind.
Over at RedIsle, Matt is not exactly enthused about seeing Andrea again, because he still blames her, his earliest ally, for bailing on him in the second TC instead of sticking with him to make a possible move. She gets into a heated discussion about exactly that, and the old reality show cliché “thrown under the bus” is used a couple of times. I don’t know why Matt blames Andrea; Rob’s decision to vote Matt out didn’t even involve her because he didn’t need her vote back then. It’s tough to watch, given how close they were getting, but then, I don’t suppose it matters in the long run, because they can’t both end up back in the game. The RedIsle shelter is a cramped one, and Ralph delights in making Andrea sleep on the ground, in retaliation for the way Ometepe treated his tribe after the merge. Whatever, dude. After your brilliant game collapsed around you, I guess petty revenge is all you have left.
Duel #10: Matt vs. Mike vs. Ralph vs. Andrea. Before the combatants get on with the business of the day, Jeff asks Andrea how betrayed she feels by her former alliance, and she tearfully says a lot. I sympathize, but if you never saw it coming, you’re not a good enough player to win, and that’s that. But, to the challenge: each player has to maneuver a handle through a table-maze to its exit point. After that, they will use the handle to smash a box that contains a bag of puzzle pieces, which they will then assembled into a rectangular picture with the phrase “one step closer to redemption” on it. First three to finish are still alive, and the loser is on the jury.
Ralph takes an early lead and is the first to start on his puzzle. Andrea starts off well but gets frustrated with the maze, and she is passed by the unflappable Matt and Mike. Eventually, however, it comes down to who can assemble the puzzle the fastest. Ralph totally sucks at puzzles and his early lead evaporates quickly. Mike finishes first, and Matt and Andrea finish seconds apart to stay alive, officially sending Ralph to the jury. Mike is now officially the only person left from Zapatera with a mathematical shot at the million dollars. Sorry, Bubba. Your one claim to fame is that you completely outplayed Evil Russell, and that ain’t hay, but there’s no prize for that. Also worth noting that Matt has now survived TEN duels. If he doesn’t win the “fan favorite” prize, I will be very disappointed. On the way out of the arena, Rob interviews that he doesn’t like the fact that RedIsle is one facet of the game that he can’t control, and that he wants it to be “over and done with” so that it’s not a factor anymore.
The next day (Day 34), several players bemoan the fact that they are running low on rice (because the Zapaterians, seeing the writing on the wall, ate as much as they could while they could), and Phillip coldly points out that there will be fewer mouths to feed over the next few days. Which is true, but leave it ol’ Phil to say it in the most jackass-ish way possible. They reason that the best way to not exacerbate their hunger is to not move around unless they have to.
Rob then needles Grant about the possibility of voting Ashley off next, and he seems down. He realizes that once Ashley is gone, Natalie will be helpless to do anything. For the millionth time, I wonder what Grant’s ultimate plan is regarding Rob. I know that Rob will have to get Grant out eventually, but is probably keeping him around to make sure that whoever returns from RedIsle won’t get immunity when they have to. Just then, Phillip gets into another heated argument with the girls, and it gets ugly quickly. He basically tells them that since they are of lighter build they don’t need as much rice as the guys, and Ashley interprets this as they won’t be allowed to eat, and blah blah fishcakes, people with dispositions like Phillip and Ashley need very little reason to resort to this. After it dies down, Ashley (correctly) reasons that Rob’s next move is to get either her or Natalie out, and therefore it is time to orchestrate a move that will get one of the guys out.
That night, Ashley probes Rob about the possibility of sending Grant to RedIsle, her reason being if Grant emerges victorious in the final duels, that would be ideal. Rob waffles, though, and says he’ll sleep on it. In interview, however, Rob says that Ashley’s plan has the proverbial snowball’s chance of working, so forget that nonsense. And when Rob tells Grant about Ashley’s brilliant plan, well, you can imagine Grant’s reaction. It’s obvious who will be going bye-bye next, barring a miraculous challenge win.
The next day, with another challenge looming, Ashley seems convinced that Rob is down with her plan after all, and that Natalie will have her back whatever happens. I think she’s in for a shock on both fronts. Rob then butters up Natalie, tell her that he hates what Andrea is “doing to her”, making her feel guilty about what has to be done. What a schmoozer.
Immunity Challenge. In this pivotal challenge, the players will be using interlocked fishhooks tied to a grappling line to retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces. They will then use the pieces to assemble an interesting puzzle in the shape of a giant fish-skeleton. And as an additional handicap, they will have to do this challenge with one hand tied behind their back. The winner gets immunity and something Jeff calls “room service”, in the form of a three-course meal delivered to them at camp. I fully expected Rob and/or Grant to take early command in this challenge, but it was actually pretty close between four of them most of the way through (with Natalie dropping back early). Ashley actually takes the lead about two-thirds of the way through, and this causes Rob to fall behind, leaving it up to Grant and Phillip to try and catch her. But they aren’t able to do it, and Ashley wins immunity for the first time. Oh, boy. Guess we’ll now find out what Rob’s Plan B is. Of course, enjoying a great meal is something no reward winner ever celebrates alone, so Jeff gives Ashley the chance to include someone else, and of course it’s Natalie. This could mean trouble for her now. Judging by the look of half-gratitude, half-“WTF do I do now?” on her face, she knows it too.
So Rob’s Plan B is apparently to now follow through on the plan he promised Ashley he would consider, which is to vote out Grant. In interview, Rob apologizes to Grant for what he must do now. He still intends to take Phillip and Natalie to Final Three, which only leaves one option. And then he proceeds to cover all the bases he possibly can: he tells Ashley and Natalie that it’s Grant, and then tells Phillip the same thing, reminding them all that they will have to keep their game faces on while he’s around. Then Rob goes to Grant – who still is 100% convinced that the two of them are set in stone – and asks him if he thinks it should be Phillip or Natalie. Grant favors Natalie because of her close relationship with Ashley, and Rob shakes his hand that it’s a done deal.
At this point, I hit pause on my DVR to wonder if Grant is really this dumb. I presume he knows just how friggin’ smart Boston Rob Mariano is, and that Rob will always, without fail, do what is best for Rob and only Rob. Grant has to figure that he and Rob have played by far the strongest individual games thus far, and that makes him Rob’s #1 threat to take his million dollars away. And no matter how many times Rob shakes his hand and calls him “bro”, Grant simply CANNOT accept what Rob is telling him at face value. If he continues to believe that Rob will have his back all the way to the end, then he, like Andrea last week, deserves to go. Grant is nothing more than a high-ranking officer in Rob’s game of Stratego. And that officer is going to run smack into a well-placed bomb.
Judging by the fact that Grant interviews about his absolute confidence in Rob’s plan, it seems clear that another blindside is imminent. Then some nattily-dressed waiters arrive with platters of food for the girls, and at least they are classy enough not to feast in plain view of the guys. And it looks fabulous – pepperoni pizza, chocolate lava cake, pasta, nachos, pretty much everything I swore off when I committed to losing weight (see my Biggest Loser recaps for more info). Of course, eating so much after weeks of eating next to nothing will give you a right nasty tummy-ache, and it’s not long before the girls get the downside of their “reward”.
Seeing how close the girls truly are gives Rob pause, and he elaborates that when two people are that close, it can be a truly dangerous thing. Wait… is he changing his mind again? Get rid of Grant, and it will be him and Phillip against Ashley and (possibly) Natalie, and if someone comes back from RedIsle, they are hardly likely to side with Rob and Phillip, aren’t they? This may not be a foregone conclusion after all! Yes, Natalie SAYS she’s with Rob, but who is she really with?
Tribal Council. Jeff opens the Q&A by asking Ashley how good it feels to have won immunity, and she responds that she felt that this was the one she needed to win, without really knowing why. Jeff then asks Grant how important immunity was for him, and he says it was crucial, given how big a threat he is. Rob says he also feels vulnerable (and I have to wonder just how many more TC’s he has left to play his HII… it can’t be more than two), and hopes that Grant is perceived as the bigger threat. Ashley is then asked why she picked Natalie to share her reward, and she replies that it shouldn’t be a big surprise given how close they’ve been the whole time.
Jeff then asks Phillip how dangerous it is to have two people be so close to each other this late in the game, and Phillip responds that it was doubtful that Ashley would have picked anyone else. Jeff then wonders that if Natalie and Ashley are so close, does that mean they vote together too? Natalie replies that that is a valid concern, and maybe the target’s on her back too because of it. Grant adds that having a strong alliance of two is a big deal with five people left, and only a similarly strong alliance can counter it. Jeff then throws out how much consideration is given to sending someone to RedIsle who can compete with the players already there, and Rob replies that it’s not even a consideration, because RedIsle is impossible to predict (except, you know, Matt always winning), and reiterates that he wants that aspect of the game to be done with already.
Jeff changes the subject and asks Rob what keeps him going, and he stands up, turns around, and shows the cloth-photo of his wife and daughter affixed to the back of his tank-top, that his sister dropped off last episode. He says that Amber has sacrificed a lot to let him keep going on Survivor, and that’s all he thinks about. He adds that no matter how close they are to the end, there’s still a lot of game left to be played, and one mistake can unravel all the work he’s done so far. Grant says that he draws strength from thinking about his fiancé. Jeff concludes by asking Rob how big tonight’s vote is, and Rob replies that tonight’s is the biggest one so far.
Voting time. Grant votes for Natalie. Ashley votes for Grant. That is all we see. Jeff collects the urn, and Rob is still not playing his HII, so I’ll assume that he still has time to use it. Out come the slips. Natalie. Grant. Grant. And… Grant. I’ll say it again… he should have staged a palace coup on Rob weeks ago, and now it’s all but too late. Wonder if this might cost Rob Grant’s vote, assuming Rob doesn’t just blame it all on Phillip. Grant’s torch is snuffed, and off he goes.
This Sunday: another season cometh to a close. One more duel, two more eliminations, and all remaining alliances break apart. Can Rob finally grab the brass ring that’s eluded him all this time?
