Opening Pandora's Box

Opening Pandora's Box is the third episode of.

Day 7
As morning broke over Galang, the tribe gathered around the campfire, discussing Tyson Apostol’s cupcake belt buckle and joking about food temptation (“Who wants to take a lick?”). Colton Cumbie, however, tried to divert the conversation once more to strategy, wanting to plan ahead for who would sit out the upcoming challenges, but was quickly shut down by the rest of Galang. Later, Colton talked with Aras Baskauskas about his place in the game. Aras admitted that Colton was in trouble, but tried to persuade him that it wasn’t over yet as there was still an opportunity for someone else to make themselves a bigger target. Colton begged Aras for a second chance, but Aras said he couldn’t commit to that, leaving him with a simple directive to “enjoy yourself.” "galang"

- These people are nothing like the people I played with in One World. No one wants to talk about strategy. I mean, it’s like they just all want to sit around and hear each others’ life stories! And I’m so frustrated because it’s like I, like, love the strategy component of this game and apparently that’s threatening to people. And I think that’s why they’re scared of me.

"galang"

- Colton is a poison out here and he’s poisoning everyone’s mind. He doesn’t get this game. He thinks this game’s about creating chaos, so he might have dug his grave.

"galang"

- I know that my days in this game are numbered. Y’know, unless you’ve got people who are willing to roll with you, there’s not a lot you can do.

Later that day, the tribes convened at Redemption Island Arena for the second Duel. Galang got their first look at the new Tadhana tribe, with Rachel Foulger voted out at the last Tribal Council. Rachel, Candice Cody and Marissa Peterson then entered the Arena, ready to compete in the challenge. Jeff Probst turned to Tyson and asked him about his reaction seeing his girlfriend voted out. He admitted that it was probably a smart move if the other tribe was trying to lure him into taking her place at Redemption. Rachel agreed with the theory behind her elimination from Tadhana, and revealed that Brad Culpepper was controlling the votes on the red tribe. Jeff asked Tyson if he was going to take Rachel’s place, but Tyson told Rachel it was her decision. She told him that she felt he had a better chance in the game, and supposed that he was in a good place in Galang, choosing to stay at Redemption herself. Tyson then stood up, threatened Tadhana that if he ended up at Redemption, none of them would “have a chance in hell” and addressed “Mr. Football,” warning him that perceived strength only put a target on him.

Brad retorted that Galang hadn’t had to make the difficult choices of voting out peoples’ loved ones. Marissa interrupted him, arguing that the votes should have been easy, and that they should voted out the weaker players instead of their two strongest women. Brad tried to brush the comment aside, and Marissa cussed Brad out twice, eliciting a strong reaction from the contestants and prompting her uncle Gervase Peterson to warn her to tone it down.

Out of the blue, Colton broke down in tears. Jeff asked him why he was crying, and he answered that he didn’t want to be in the game anymore. Jeff pointed out that Colton had wanted to come back and rehabilitate his image, but he was doing the exact opposite. Colton responded that he didn’t care about his tribe and that quitting would be the best move for him, which Jeff defined as a purely selfish move. Jeff continued by saying that he believed Colton was quitting for a second time, having feigned appendicitis in One World, but Colton denied it, saying he had been treated for a bacterial infection after his evacuation.

Growing more distraught, Colton rationalised that when he was under pressure, he reverted to the unpleasant person he had been in his first season, but Tyson interjected that he had turned into that person “before his back was against the wall.” Tina Wesson then added Colton knew he had no chance to win the game, and was merely upset because the rest of the tribe didn’t want to play his game. Jeff then asked Colton definitively if he was quitting, and Colton confirmed it.

Jeff turned to Colton’s fiancée Caleb Bankston, who admitted that his heart was “crumbling” knowing that Colton was such a fan of the game. However, Jeff pointed out that watching the game and playing the game were entirely different things, adding that he believed Colton should never have gotten up off of the couch. A tearful Colton crossed the bleachers to embrace Caleb, and told Caleb that the latter had a chance to win whereas he didn’t. An unflappable Caleb responded, “If you need to do this, just do it. You know me, I don’t care.” An incredulous Jeff denied Colton the honor of burning his Buff (“We’ll keep that reserved for people who compete”) and dismissed Colton from the game, making him the second person eliminated from.

Turning back to the Duel, Jeff explained the challenge: ‘’Domino Effect’’. Each contestant would place a series of dominoes along a sloped platform, avoiding trip wires that could cause the platform to move and knock over the dominoes and force them to restart. The first two people to complete their row, and push them over like dominoes to release a ball to smash a tile, would remain in the game at Redemption Island. Additionally, the first place finisher would also be given the opportunity to give a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol to anybody still left in the game. The last person to finish the challenge would be permanently eliminated from the game.

All three women got off to a solid start as the blaring sun bore down on them. Candice pulled out to an early lead, and pushed down her dominoes, successfully smashing the tile and winning the Duel. She rushed to the bleachers to kiss her husband John Cody. Meanwhile, Marissa and Rachel fought for the last remaining place on Redemption. Marissa made an attempt to push over her dominoes, but it fell short. Rachel then tripped the platform, costing her almost half of her pieces. With moral support from their loved ones, the two women fought the heat, the panic and multiple failed runs and accidents. After 45 minutes, both women were only a few blocks away from completion. Marissa got her dominoes falling first, with Rachel only seconds behind. However, Rachel’s fell short whilst Marissa’s succeeded, earning her the last remaining place at Redemption.

Tyson entered the Arena to farewell Rachel, asking her if she had had fun during her time on the Island. Tearfully, she assured him that she had, and burnt her Buff as she departed the Arena, making her the third person eliminated from. Candice once again chose to give the Hidden Immunity Idol clue to her husband John, and she and Marissa returned to Redemption Island to await their next Duel.

As Galang returned to camp, Tyson assured his tribe that he was holding up well despite the loss of Rachel. Aras assured them that he’d made the right move to not take her place at Redemption. Conversation also passed over Colton’s unexpected quit, with the tribe agreeing that he simply couldn’t handle their unwillingness to play by his rules. Monica Culpepper, meanwhile, noted that she was only struck by the abuse hurled at her husband Brad, and in a confessional, Tyson noted the awkwardness of the situation, knowing that Brad had been responsible for Rachel’s elimination. "galang"

- It was hard to see Rachel at Redemption. I knew she was going to be there. It was the only move for them that made sense, really, if they wanted to try and win challenges. So now, I have to get all the way to the end or I would regret not stepping in for Rachel. When she lost, I got to ask her if she had fun. She said she did and for me, that was enough. ‘Cause it is a game, y’know? Too many people take it too serious and it shouldn’t be. And it ruins their lives and makes them angry and a good example of that is Colton. Right now, being here with Monica is a little weird. I mean, who wouldn’t be bothered by that? Y’know, I know her husband was the main reason Rachel got voted out. But he doesn’t know how to play the game. All he’s doing is creating a larger target on his back.

Meanwhile, at Tadhana, Brad asked his tribe if he was acting tyrannical, and they assured him that he wasn’t. He expressed frustration that the people they voted out still got a chance to air the “dirty laundry,” but in a confessional, revealed that he still felt secure in his game, despite being targeted by Marissa and Tyson at the Duel.

Later, John snuck out of camp to read the next clue for the Idol: ''The waterfall is refreshing, but not as refreshing as power in this game. Find the “serpent” in the trees and dig for the power to save your flame.'' Deducing that the Idol was buried on the way to the waterfall, John decided to share the clue with Brad, hoping to assuage any suspicions that he was being sneaky. On a water run, he told Brad about the location of the Idol, but when Brad suggested they work together to find it, John said that he was worried that if the two of them went out Idol-hunting together, it could arouse suspicion from the rest of the Five Guys Alliance. John suggested that he continue to look for the Idol on his own, prompting Brad to worry about John’s true allegiances.

Day 8
Monica returned to the Galang camp with Tree Mail about the upcoming challenge, revealing that it was to be a physical fighting challenge. The group discussed who they would like to fight, with Aras saying he would like to challenge his brother Vytas Baskauskas. The feeling was mutual, as on Tadhana, where Brad was doling out pointers on how to go into such a challenge, Vytas hoped to finally best his brother in a challenge. "galang"

- We read Tree Mail and it’s huge because my brother has been a bully in my life, to put it really simply. When I was a kid, my brother never looked out for me. It’s always been ‘Mom’s not looking,’ so if he could get a punch in, he was gonna take it. But this is a chance for us to compete on an even playing field.

At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff took back the Immunity Idol and then revealed the rules of Sumo Wrestling. One member from each tribe would square off against each other on a floating platform. Using padded bags, they would attempt to knock their opponent off of the platform to score a point. The first tribe to five points would win immunity, as well as a choice of comfort (a tarp, pillows, blankets, mosquito nets, hammock and rope) or fishing gear. To even up the tribes, Monica sat out for Galang.

In the first round, Brad took on Gervase. Gervase made the first move, and held up a fight, but Brad bested him to score the first point for Tadhana. Next, Laura Boneham took on Katie Collins, where Laura bulldozed Katie into the water to even up the score at 1-1. John then challenged Aras and won out in the evenly-matched pairing to give Tadhana a 2-1 lead. Ciera Eastin and Kat Edorsson blew kisses to each other before the challenge, but when Kat knocked Ciera into the water with a single push, she once again evened the score.

Hayden Moss and Tyson shook hands before their bout. Hayden hit hard with his first push, and Tyson immediately jumped into the water, giving Tadhana a 3-2 lead. However, Tyson revealed that he had heard his shoulder pop during the challenge and the Medical Team was called in to examine it. Dr Ramona assessed the injury as a popped shoulder with a potential torn tendon. However, she noted that these injuries did heal quickly and although he couldn’t compete in the challenge, he was okay to stay in the game. "galang"

- When Hayden hit me, I knew that I’d hurt myself. I really couldn’t move it at all and I thought my whole game’s screwed.

In the first loved ones matchup, Katie and Tina squared off, with Tina trying to make her daughter laugh to throw her off. Katie gained an early advantage, getting Tina on the ground, but the mother regained her feet and managed to push Katie in the water to even the scores once again at 3-3.

Brothers Aras and Vytas were next on the mat and Jeff quizzed them about sibling rivalry: Vytas said that Aras had been “afraid of [him] since he was a little kid,” and Aras admitted he felt like he was seven-years-old once again, but wanted to take on the bully. Aras gained an early advantage, with Vytas losing his balance and staying down. However, Vytas stayed firm, preventing his brother from rolling him off into the water. Eventually exhausted, Aras backed up, telling his brother to stand up and offering to start the bout again. However, Vytas took advantage of his brother letting his guard down and attacked Aras unexpectedly. However, Aras fought back and finally bested his older brother to give Galang the lead, 4-3. Jeff asked Aras about how it felt to win, and choking back tears, he explained that it was difficult, because he loved his brother and didn’t enjoy fighting against him, but was proud that he’d won out the battle. Vytas echoed the sentiment.

Once again, mother and daughter squared off, with Ciera taking on Laura Morett. Before the bout, Laura began to tear up, explaining, “That’s my baby. And to hurt your own child intentionally? It’s never fun.” Ciera gave her mother permission to fight hard and the battle began. Evenly matched, the two women locked up in the middle of the platform, though it was Laura who eventually won out to score the fifth and final point for Galang to win them comfort and immunity. The two women hugged in the water, with Laura asking Ciera if she was angry with her. Ciera told her she wasn’t angry and the two parted ways. Galang headed off victorious, but Tadhana had been defeated for the third time in a row, demoralising them.

Returning to camp, the tribe discussed the challenge, agreeing that they had been clobbered by the other team, with Ciera and Vytas particularly disappointed by being beaten so handily by their loved ones. The Five Guys Alliance met at the well, with John focusing on the poor challenge performance and noting the necessity for getting rid of the weaker women. He targeted Ciera for her lack of contribution in both challenges and at camp. The alliance agreed, but as soon as John left to walk back to camp (and search for the Idol), Brad suggested blindsiding their ally, fearing that he could reconnect with his wife Candice down the road and abandon them. Brad also shared the Idol clues with the rest of the men.

Back at camp, the men told Ciera and Katie about the plan to blindside John. However, Brad stuck his foot in his mouth when he bluntly told the girls that if John didn’t go, then they would, and overplayed his hand by telling them that he might still vote for Ciera in order to avoid burning his bridges if John ever got back in the game. Brad’s weaselling out of writing John’s name down did not sit well with the rest of the tribe. Later, Ciera expressed her worries about John’s Idol, and in discussion with Hayden, Katie and Vytas, considered turning the vote on Brad. However, the group worried that it could be more dangerous to risk keeping John and potentially give him more opportunity to find the Idol. Tadhana departed for Tribal with only one certainty: that a blindside lay in wait.

At Tribal Council, Jeff began by asking John about Tadhana’s losing streak, with John noting that the male brawn was one of the tribe’s strengths, but noted that everybody on the tribe needed to be capable of winning themselves. Katie was then asked about her second time losing to her mother, and she noted that it was unfortunate particularly because the gender imbalance had forced her and Ciera to have to compete multiple times. Ciera agreed that it had been rough, embarsassing and disappointing to the team.

Caleb was asked about the precedent of sending women home set by the first three votes. He bluntly agreed that Tadhana was dominated by the men. Vytas countered that it wasn’t “quite as rudimentary as men versus women,” pointing to the element of trust as the deciding factor in the votes, and that every word or action contributed to that decision. Brad said that such thinking concerned him, particularly because he had been taking the heat for the votes at Redemption Island, and denied being the leader of the tribe.

Jeff turned to John and asked him about the second Idol clue. He said that Candice was a “student of the game” and would have known that the public nature of his receipt of the clue would make him a target, but evidently trusted that he was in a safe place on his tribe. Vytas noted that while the Idol could help one’s game, the fact that everybody knew about John’s clues was worrying, and concluded that he was glad he wasn’t the one holding the clues. Hayden revealed that John had not shared the clues with him, and said that it worried him a little, but at the end of the day, he had to take John on his word. Brad added that it was important to remember that in the end, it was an individual game.

Katie was then called to vote, with John and Hayden following. Ciera cast her vote for a huge threat. Caleb, Brad and Vytas concluded the proceedings before Jeff tallied the votes.

Nobody elected to play a Hidden Immunity Idol, and Jeff read the votes. The first fell for Ciera, but in a unanimous decision, John became the fifth person voted out of. He took his snuffed torch and left for Redemption Island. As he dismissed the tribe, Jeff observed that they appeared to be making votes based on the future, but in doing so, were also weakening their tribe.

John arrived at Redemption Island dumbfounded and awoke his wife, Candice. She asked him what had happened and he answered that he didn’t know. Trying to look on the bright side, John said that it was good that they were her reunited, but in unison, Candice and Marissa returned, “It’s not good! That’s not good!”

Duel
Challenge: Domino Effect

The three castaways each stack domino style wooden blocks on their separate raised courses. Once all of the blocks are properly stacked on the course, the castaway can then start a chain reaction by releasing a ball which travels down the course to the end and smashes a tile. First castaway to break their tile wins.

Winners (in order of finish): Candice Cody and Marissa Peterson

Immunity/Reward
Challenge: Sumo at Sea

Tribe members engage one on one sumo-style battles using padded duffel bags to knock their opponents off a platform raised over the sea.

Reward: Comfort items (tarp, pillows, blankets, hammock, mosquito nets and rope) or fishing gear.

Winner: Galang

Deleted Scenes

 * A deleted scene from EW.com showed Laura Boneham going on her second fishing expedition on Day 7, catching a fish and finding a small clam. In a confessional, she discussed her contribution to the tribe table, and hoped it would improve her stock in the game.

Other

 * The Duel Challenge, Domino Effect, was used previously in (Nothing Tastes Better than Five Hundred Dollars) and  (Don't You Work for Me?).
 * This marks the second time this challenge has been used for a Duel following its appearance in Survivor: Redemption Island episode Don't You Work for Me?, making it the second recurring Duel following Jail Break.
 * They were also the first two Redemption Island duels in the U.S. version of Survivor.
 * The Immunity Challenge, Sumo Wrestling, previously appeared in (Sumo at Sea),  (Love Many, Trust Few, Do Wrong to None) and  (That Girl Is Like a Virus).
 * This episode's title was said by Hayden while talking about how the vote (whether or not to vote out John) could either be a good thing or a bad thing.
 * The quote was also a reference to the Big Brother twist known as Pandora's Box.
 * This episode marks the first time during the season that a man was voted out, despite the fact that two men had already been eliminated.
 * This episode marks the first time a contestant has quit during a season with Redemption Island in play. This is also the first time a contestant on a season with Redemption Island is permanently eliminated prior to the finale without them having lost a duel.
 * Caleb Bankston is the only contestant (who did not sit out) not to participate in the Immunity Challenge.
 * John Cody received the most confessionals this episode, with four.
 * Caleb Bankston, Candice Cody, Gervase Peterson, Kat Edorsson, Katie Collins, Laura Boneham, Laura Morett, Marissa Peterson, Monica Culpepper, Rachel Foulger and Tina Wesson received no confessionals in this episode.
 * This marked the second consecutive episode in which Caleb, Candice, Gervase and Laura M. did not receive a confessional.
 * Ciera Eastin is the only woman to have a confessional in this episode.