Gettin' to Crunch Time

Gettin' to Crunch Time is the ninth episode of.

The episode chronicled the aftermath of Josh Canfield's blindside, including Reed Kelly's discovery of Keith Nale's Hidden Immunity Idol and the decision by Jon Misch and Jaclyn Schultz to ultimately flip on their new alliance to oust Jeremy Collins.

Day 21
Huyopa returned to camp after voting out Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly expressed his anger about his boyfriend's blindside. Meanwhile, Jon Misch worried about how to interact with the rest of the tribe after he and Jaclyn Schultz had flipped on Josh and Reed to join the alliance led by Jeremy Collins and Natalie Anderson. Jon explained to Missy Payne and Baylor Wilson that he had "really led [Josh] on - this was thick," but they assured him that it was just part of the game. Elsewhere, Keith Nale, who had also been left in the minority along with his son Wes Nale and ally Alec Christy, confronted Jon and Missy about their flip against the couples, saying they'd been lying to him for eighteen days, and in a confessional, worried about his position in the game - and explained that he may have to concoct a plan to effectively use his Hidden Immunity Idol in order to save himself."huyopa"

- I'm furious that Josh is gone. Our game together has now officially come to an end. So, I'm not exactly sure who to turn to just yet but right now all I have to do is worry about me now. So I need to figure how to move forward being in the minority. "huyopa"

- The thing that really pushed me over the edge to join the alliance of Jeremy was when Jaclyn felt like she was being disrespected by everybody in the Josh and Reed alliance and I wasn't sure why but my instincts were telling me that that was not the right thing to do. If there's anything that I've learned from watching past Survivor is trust your instinct. "huyopa"

- It didn't go our way tonight. Jon and Jaclyn flipped over there again with them, and uh, we're in a bad place. They can pick us off one at a time. "huyopa"

- I have the Idol. Thing about that is playing it at the right time to maybe get one of them out. Maybe I can tell them to vote me off, they all put my name down, I play the Idol, done. I've had it with Jon, I've had it with Missy. That might not be a bad idea. It's gettin' to crunch time now.

Day 22
Jeff Probst welcomed Huyopa to the Reward Challenge: Shake It Off. In the challenge, the castaways would be divided into teams of five. One at a time, two players would square off on a wobbly beam over a pit of mud. The last person standing would win a point for their team, with the first team to a score of five would win an afternoon on a fishing yacht with a feast of sandwiches, cakes, soft drinks, cocktails and champagne.

The Blue Team consisted of Jaclyn, Jon, Keith, Missy and Wes. The Yellow Team consisted of Alec, Baylor, Jeremy, Natalie and Reed. As the rain began to fall, the first match-up began with Reed taking on Wes. Reed made the first offensive move, but as Wes tried to push back, he lost his balance and both fell off the platform, with Reed taking the winning point for Yellow. Next, Natalie and Jaclyn squared off. Despite Jaclyn's "long-ass arms," Natalie scored the point giving Yellow a 2-0 lead.

Next, Jeremy took on Jon. Jeremy made the first move, but Jon pushed back, sending Jeremy off the beam to score Blue's first point. Next, it was mother and daughter, as Baylor challenged Missy. The two tried shaking the beam, rather than physical combat, but once Missy reached over to pull Baylor off, she lost her balance, allowing Yellow to extend their lead 3-1. Alec and Keith were up next. Alec swatted at Keith, but the older firefighter stood back, relaxed and unfazed, before easily slapping Alec into the mud to score for Blue, 2-3.

Starting from the top of the roster, Wes and Reed faced off again. Reed caught some mud in his eye, and ultimately, Wes scored the victory to tie up the score at 3-3. Jaclyn and Natalie were up next, and when Jaclyn failed her offensive attack, once again, Natalie emerged victorious, giving Yellow a 4-3 lead. Jon won his rematch against Jeremy, after the latter lost his balance lunging at Jon, to even the score 4-4 at the match point. With the game riding on Missy and Baylor, the battle was evenly matched. However, it was ultimately Baylor who won the point, winning the challenge for the Yellow Team.

Immediately, Natalie asked Jeff if she could give up her place on the Reward, and when permitted, gave her spot to Jon. Jeremy followed suit, sacrificing his place for Jaclyn. Jon and Jaclyn were near tears with gratitude as they took a place on the winning platform. Natalie explained, "When somebody shows you that they're loyal to you, I feel like the only thing to do is to show back just some love and respect." The "winning" team were then instructed to send someone to Exile Island. Rationalising that Jeremy was already packed to go, they sent him away to Exile as the rest of the group disbanded to camp or the yacht. In a confessional Baylor noted that she hoped that Jeremy would find the Idol on Exile as it would benefit the whole alliance."huyopa"

- We chose Jeremy to go to Exile just because I'm positive that there is an Idol on Exile and it would be better for our alliance to find it.

Back at camp, Keith, Missy, Natalie and Wes washed up from the challenge, as Natalie discussed her decision to give up her reward, clarifying that it was designed to solidify her alliance with Jon and Jaclyn. Keith commented that the move would earn Jon and Jaclyn's loyalty to Natalie "for life," as Wes lamented that the couple were now firmly in the other alliance. Wes asked Natalie to inform him if he was next on the chopping block, claiming he didn't want to be "hashtag-blindsided." She agreed, commenting that her next target was Reed, but Keith added that it was clear the opposing alliance would become the Final Six. However, in a confessional, Keith revealed that the comment was intended to be a subtle play to try to get a heads up in advance of using his Idol for himself of Wes."huyopa"

- We ended up getting the W but I decided that I would give up my spot to Jon. I just wanted to do this so that he knew that I appreciated him siding with us last night at Tribal but also just to make sure that moving forward I could always count on Jaclyn and Jon to trust me and Jeremy and, you know, this is going to be leverage for me down the road. "huyopa"

- Natalie and Jeremy traded places for the Reward. It was a big time strategic move. I mean, Jon and Jaclyn ain't going to flip now. I congratulate 'em for it. Touché for 'em. "huyopa"

- Wesley was letting Nat know that he didn't want to be blindsided. I don't know if they took that hint. It was kinda just a little subtle hint really. That way we get a little bit of heads up on playing the Idol or passing the Idol between us two.

At Exile Island, Jeremy arrived confident in his play to give up the Reward, and hoped that going to Exile would yield the Idol. He received the new clue: ''The path to victory is a rocky one. It's hard climbing the ladder of success. But with Immunity in your pocket, you might feel a little bit less stress.'' Before going to look for the Idol, Jeremy washed off in the ocean and spotted the Reward yacht on the horizon."huyopa"

- Jon and Jaclyn joined our alliance and I appreciate that so giving up our Reward for them is the least that I could do. I came to Exile because I want to find the Idol so I can protect myself and I could bring it back to my alliance and say “look what we have” and then now everybody feels like we can trust him. So when I make a move, they don't expect it but first I need to find this Idol.

On the yacht, Alec, Baylor, Jaclyn, Jon and Reed feasted on sandwiches and watched the dolphins following the boat. The five toasted with champagne as Jon explained how wonderful the experience was. Meanwhile, Reed was frustrated to have Jaclyn and Jon on the Reward, and was irritated by the transparency of Natalie's play to give up her place. In a confessional, he resolved to wreak havoc at camp in the hopes of saving himself."huyopa"

- Going out on a yacht, seeing dolphins jumping. It was really cool. Being able to share that with Jaclyn was incredible. It was a very good way for Jeremy and Natalie to show their gratitude. We're very thankful for it but you do have to realize that this is a social game and that was a very big play on their part. "huyopa"

- I love food and I love Rewards but Jon and Jaclyn were not supposed to be on the Reward. Natalie is just trying to ingratiate herself to everyone by, “Oh, I'm going to give up my spot for this and I love you so I'm going to give up my spot for that”. It makes you want to hurl because it is so transparent. Yes, it cements Jon and Jaclyn into their alliance but in the end does it really mean anything? Not if I can help it because I don't have anything to lose right now. I might have to go stir up a little bit of chaos to stay in the game right now. It may end up being the last nail in my coffin but it's a risk I'm willing to take at this point.

Night 23
On Night 23, Jeremy struggled to get any sleep at Exile Island, sitting up for half of the wet and thunderous night. The next morning, he was exhausted and headed back out to have another search for the Hidden Immunity Idol. When he failed to find it yet again, he theorized that Jon could already have found it. He was disturbed by that idea, and frustrated that he had been sent to Exile when the Idol was already in their alliance."huyopa"

- I hate Exile. Its just a long night, you know like, there's no shelter, you're sleeping on rocks next to the fire, its just like, its just not fun. I stayed up most of the night and now I'm feeling real lethargic this morning, you know. I feel like I got hit by a train. Not fun. This time I wanted to find the Hidden Immunity Idol and I didn't find it. I climbed this all day yesterday and I can't find it. The only thing I'm thinking is if Jon already found it. If Jon came out and found it that be great, you know, but he should had told me he found it and then I wouldn't be out here for two days, you know. I'm dying over here, I'm tired.

Day 24
Back at camp, as Jon and Jaclyn collected water, Jon shared his concerns that Jeremy could deduce that he had the Idol. He was further worried about the repercussions in the alliance, commenting, "Either people are going to think [Jeremy's] extremely stupid and is trying to pull off that he couldn't find it, or they're going to think I was lying this whole time.""huyopa"

- This is one of those times where I hadn't really considered what's going to happen when Jeremy does comes back and says he can't find the Idol. My entire cover would be blown and then I could be in very big trouble.

At the Immunity Challenge, Jeremy returned to his tribe, evidently exhausted after his time on Exile. Jeff took back the Immunity Necklace from Jeremy and then revealed the challenge: The Game is Afoot. Each castaway would unspool a rope to release a bundle of blocks which they would then use to assemble a three-tiered tower (seven blocks on each tier). The first castaway to place their flag in the center of the tower would win Immunity. The challenge contained a twist, however, as all parts of the challenge had to be completed using only one's feet.

Keith was the first to release his bundle of blocks, followed closely by Jon, Missy, Natalie and Baylor. Wes and Reed caught up soon after, with Jaclyn, Jeremy and Alec bringing up the rear. Once it got to the assembly of the tower, however, Reed quickly pulled out into the lead. Keith and Jeremy were keeping close behind, whilst Jon struggled and Missy moved slowly with "no panic." Baylor and Natalie were also moving fast, but Reed maintained his lead, completing his first tier and moving onto his second.

Working on the second layer, Baylor, Keith, Natalie and Wes were keeping up behind Reed. As Alec was falling out of the competition, and Jeremy began his second level, Reed and Keith completed their second tiers. However, Reed knocked over one of his blocks, losing a few others in the process. As Keith took the lead, Natalie and Baylor began work on their third layers. Wes began his third row, but lost several of his blocks, setting him back, and Jeremy began on his third level.

Reed recovered from his set-back, and once again, it was Keith and Reed in the lead, with only a few blocks left. However, as Keith went to place his final block, he knocked down several blocks, leaving the victory wide open for Reed. As Baylor and Natalie fought to catch up, Reed worked to place his final block, but it fell. Natalie lost a number of her blocks, as Reed again struggled to place his final block. Moving methodically, Baylor caught up to Reed and after a narrow battle, she managed to place her final block first to take the lead. She carefully placed her flag in the center of her tower, and in doing so, emerged victorious to win Immunity.

As Alec and Jeremy commiserated over the difficulty of the challenge, Baylor received the Immunity Necklace and Huyopa headed back to camp. In a confessional, Jeremy noted his disappointment at losing, but was relieved that the Immunity Necklace had stayed within his alliance."huyopa"

- Exile zapped me. If I was, you know, 100% that would've made a difference. I always want to win but as long as one of our alliance members won I'm happy how it turned out. "huyopa"

- I didn't win Immunity today which I came close to. I'm a little bummed about that because I felt that was a custom made challenge for me and now I'm thinking my chances of being here tomorrow are pretty slim. I may be going home tonight so I will, you know, light this camp on fire on my way out. So I was like I want to see what Keith has in his bag. I want to see what this old coot is sitting on. So I'm going through his bag and I'm looking and he's got the piece of paper that was folded up and creased over there. It is the directions on what to do with the Hidden Immunity Idol. Keith left a paper trail and I was like “it's a big rookie mistake, don't leave stuff in your bag that you don't want people to find”. So I did it and I always thought oh I hate it when people go through people's stuff but um desperate times call for desperate measures. "huyopa"

- I know Reed is scrambling but Keith really has an Idol. Its not good at all. You know quite frankly, it may be something that we should think about. "huyopa"

- If what Reed says is true, freaking Keith, out of all people, has an Idol which is baffling. I would never think Keith would be the one to find it and be able to hide it this long. Who knows how long he's had it so its about to get crazy. "huyopa"

- I mean, that's my stuff. I don't like, I don't go through your stuff, I don't expect people to go through my stuff but people, them people got different values, I guess. So if word might be out that Keith's got the Idol then it might come in play sooner than later. "huyopa"

- A lot's going on. There's total mayhem right now on camp. Keith has an Idol so he's got a very good play in his pocket. Definitely complicates things. "huyopa"

- I think Jon has the Idol so my plan is I want to try catch him in a lie because Jon is like the worst liar. "huyopa"

- He's got to be lying but um, I got to trust him a little bit. Like we're all in this together, we're trying to get to the Final Six and then we'll see what happens. "huyopa"

- Sending Jeremy to Exile was a great thing at first but I think right now Jeremy actually does believe that I have the Idol and just hearing me saying that, so I need to do something and change the course of the game. "huyopa"

- I just got this information about the Idol and I'm very pleased to know that Jon is super aligned with me but he's got this look in his eye. Jon's saying Jeremy is a threat, Jeremy is a threat. Now may be the time to take out Jeremy but you know it's interesting because I've watched Jon and Jaclyn kind of barrel through people so far and they have no problem pissing people off and since I started this game, you know I've been aligned with Jeremy and Natalie from my old tribe. Jeremy and I initially were together, you know, full fledged so for the first time is like a little bit cloudy and at the end of the day is like, OK, are we making the right decision? I think maybe a better way to do it is split the votes Keith/Reed, try to flush the Idol, stay together six strong just because, you know, we rock the boat too hard one of us is going to fall off.

Reward
Challenge: Shake It Off

The tribe will divide into two teams. They will face off one on one (must be of the same gender) on a wobbly beam over a pit of mud. The goal is to knock the other person off the beam into the mud, which scores a point for their team. The first team to five points wins reward.

Reward: Board a luxury fishing yacht, cruise down the coastline of San Juan del Sur while enjoying sandwiches, pastrami, soft drinks, cocktails and champagne.

Winners: ( and  gave up their reward to  and ) (''exiled )

Immunity
Challenge: The Game is Afoot''' ''' Each person will begin by unspooling a rope, which will drop blocks into a basket. The first person to get their blocks stacked and their flag in the middle wins, but there is a twist. For the first time ever in Survivor, they will use the entire challenge only using their feet. They will use their feet to untie their rope and put their puzzle together. The first person to place their flag wins.

Winner:

Voting Confessionals
"huyopa"

- (voting for Keith) Happy retirement, buddy.

Final Words
"huyopa"

- They got me, they pulled a fast one on me. I did not see that one coming at all. I was so forthcoming with everything with my alliance. I thought we were all set. If I knew that we were going to be like this I would have taken that last Reward. I don't know, I don't have an alliance obviously. I'm just shocked, that's all. It's too bad. Good guy lost, good guy lost this time.

Life at Ponderosa
Josh welcomes Jeremy at Ponderosa, who was also in awe after how Tribal Council went on. Josh speculated Reed voted for him, but Jeremy erroneously dispelled his postulations. Jeremy noted Josh's eagerness to play even at Ponderosa. As the conversation continued, Josh found irony in the situation, having himself voted out by the very person who got voted out next.

The next day, Jeremy woke up with a better mood than last night. he admitted he took notes from past seasons for the last eight years and he regretted he gave up his reward. As a juror, Jeremy stated he would respect a finalist who would own their game and look at him in the eye.

Other

 * Day 22 was filmed in June 24, which was the date of Caleb Bankston's from  passing.
 * The name of the Immunity Challenge is an allusion to 's Tarzan Smith's catchphrase, "The game is afoot."
 * The Immunity Challenge was the first challenge using only their feet, making Baylor the first person to win an Immunity Challenge with solely their feet.
 * Baylor is the only member of the Yellow Team who was not a part of Hunahpu at any point pre-merge.
 * All members of the Blue Team were on Coyopa at some point pre-merge.

Episode Title

 * The title of the episode was said by Keith Nale about the possibility of using his Hidden Immunity Idol to eliminate someone from the majority alliance.