Head of the Snake

Head of the Snake is the seventh episode of.

Day 16
After voting out Alexis Maxwell, Aparri returned to camp in good spirits with a six-strong alliance anticipating a merge. While Spencer Bledsoe revelled in the numbers during a confessional, Sarah Lacina asked the tribe who they wanted to target at the first merge vote. Kass McQuillen suggested targeting Trish Hegarty, and the group solidified their alliance to the Final Six. "aparri"

- I feel great after Tribal. Tribal bettered my game. Now everyone is buying into the Six. If we merge tomorrow, that’s the best news possible for this tribe, because right now we control the game. We have six and they have five.

"aparri"

- This group is allegedly a solid six. If we can all stay strong as a core, we can run the show and take out a less obvious target like Trish or Jefra. It sounds so simple, but the best-laid plans often end up sprawled out on a murder scene floor.

Day 17
The next morning, Kass and Sarah took a walk along the beach and discussed the alliance. Kass told Sarah she was confident in the alliance, and only thought that Sarah or Jeremiah Wood had the potential to flip to the Solana alliance. Sarah emphasised that she wouldn’t flip, with Kass said she believed, but Sarah still took offence to the remark. Sarah continued, theorising that the alliance’s demise would only be due to distrust amongst them. The two women shook hands to assure each other they were firm in the alliance, but Kass revealed in a confessional that she was still suspicious of Sarah’s loyalties. "aparri"

- It might get ugly around here. For her to accuse me of not staying true to my word hit a chord with me. People don’t like to be called a liar and, pretty much, I got called a liar without being called a liar. What more do I have to do to prove to you that I’m loyal? That’s where we’re gonna have a crack is when you guys stop having faith in me and I feel it. When I know that you guys think that I’m teetering, that’s gonna push me away.

"aparri"

- In my business, we go with the hard evidence. And just because you vote with us once one vote doesn’t mean I believe you’re true. You did what you had to do, in my opinion. That doesn’t speak of loyalty. That speaks of desperation and a wise move. You haven’t proven anything to me except you’re saving yourself. Show me blood on your hands from a former tribemate and then we’ll talk.

At Solana, Tony Vlachos noted his love for his new tribe as he and Woo Hwang retrieved Tree Mail. Tony read it to the tribe, inviting them to pack up their belongings and head to the Aparri beach. The tribe gathered for a group hug, further solidifying their bond. Before the tribe left, LJ McKanas and Tony retrieved their buried Hidden Immunity Idols. "solana"

- When I first started this game, I wasn’t having fun with my tribe members. Now I’m out here with the new Solana tribe and I’m having fun with everybody. Day Seventeenth and I’m having the time of my life. But it’s kind’ve boring to be honest with you because there’s no scrambling going on, there’s no trickery going on, there’s no spying. And that’s fun for me, y’know?

"solana"

- Now that we have a merge, it’s an exciting thing and it’s a nerve-wracking thing at the same time because it’s six against five and we could be in trouble. Thank God I still have that Hidden Immunity Idol in my pocket.

"solana"

- The feeling that I have with this Idol, I feel like it’s an extra person in my alliance. We have five, plus the Idol. If any of my tribe, Solana Five, need it, I’ll help them out. So I think we’re in pretty good shape.

Back at Aparri, Morgan McLeod read the Tree Mail notifying the tribe to tidy up for incoming visitors. Although Spencer speculated that it could be a Fake Merge, the tribe was excited for the next development in the game and planned to pagong the opposing tribe. "aparri"

- We are joining tribes. I think it’s a merge. I hope it’s a merge. But bottom line is, the other tribe is coming over. We’re all going to be living on the same beach. When those five get here, it’s us against them and I’m not going to let anyone forget that.

Arriving by catamaran, the old Solana tribe arrived at the Aparri beach, bearing the merge feast. The eleven castaways hugged each other in greeting as Jefra Bland realised her ally, and potential swing vote, Alexis had been voted out. Morgan read out the note officially welcoming the tribes to the merge, which also informed the tribe that Hidden Immunity Idols were still in play – as was another Idol with “different powers,” piquing the interest of the entire tribe. LJ joked that the special power was to send you home and Tony jested that he didn’t want that Idol. The tribe then received their new black Buffs, and suggested the name “Solarri” (a portmanteau of Aparri and Solana), which later became “Solarrion” (further incorporating Luzon), and the tribe sat down for the feast. "solarrion"

- When the boat pulled up, I was nervous to see my old tribemates. It was like, y’know, that friend that you have from high school that you haven’t talked to in years. Then they start handing their belongings off along with food. I’m like: Ah! (gapes in amazement)

"solarrion"

- I didn’t anticipate seeing my girl Alexis gone. Like, that was a shoe-in for me! We were like this - (crosses fingers) – y’know, and I could’ve easily persuaded her to be on our side. And I’m thinking: oh snap, what do we do now?

"solarrion"

- Wow, there’s a Hidden Immunity Idol with special powers!? I mean, it’s powerful enough on its own, but now it’s special powers? There’s only one way to find out what these special powers can be, and I guess that person that finds that Idol is the only person that’s going to know what those special powers are. Of course I’m going to go look for it. I’ll spend, two, three, four days looking for it!

Over the course of the feast, Trish asked about Alexis’ boot and Jeremiah told the group that she’d turned on him, so they’d voted her out. Meanwhile, Tony worried that he needed his former ally Sarah to rejoin them or else their alliance was doomed. "solarrion"

- It’s like Christmas frickin’ morning. Part of the excitement of being at the merge was just shock that I made it. Y’know, I was at the bottom of a tribe that was one of the worst tribes in Survivor history and somehow I’m here at the merge and I have new life. I’m in the driver’s seat. Now I’m tight with Sarah, I’m tight with Jeremiah, I’m tight with this group of six that could potentially run the game of Survivor after the merge.

"solarrion"

- We might be in some trouble. Six against five is pretty tough, so the only hope that I had, personally, was Sarah ‘cause Sarah was an old Aparri and she swore on her badge to me, telling me that she wants to be with me. But my biggest fear is that if Sarah doesn’t flip, we’re done; I’m done. I don’t want to be done.

Day 18
The next morning, Trish taught a Pilates lesson on the beach to Kass, Morgan, and Tasha Fox. As LJ, Tony and Woo watched from a distance, planning a fishing trip, Tony asked who they thought was “the head of the snake,” and they all agreed that the Brains as a group were leading the opposing alliance. Tony told them he’d try to swing Sarah back to their side, and the other emphatically encouraged his success. "solarrion"

- As it stands right now, there’s a group of five which is my alliance and there’s a group of six where it’s half Brain and half Beauty and then you have Sarah. That makes the sixth person. We need one person to come on our side and it’ll flip the script and make it six my side, and five their side. So Sarah... I’m hoping Sarah’s the missing link to this. My goal is to make Sarah believe that I want to sit at the Top Two with her, just like we mentioned. Two cops sitting in front of the Jury. So I’m gonna promise her, I’m gonna guarantee her, I’m gonna do whatever it takes to reassure her that I’m not lying to her, that I really want her to come on our side and move forward with the game as opposed with the other tribe.

Tony then pulled Sarah aside to ask where she stood. She told him she was “floating” and Tony proposed a Final Four deal with the original Brawn tribe, and placed her above Woo for a Final Three deal. Sarah agreed that it sounded good, but when Tony asked her to swear on her badge that she was in on the plan to take out either Spencer or Kass, she told him she’d have to think it over first. "solarrion"

- I am in the best spot that you can be at in this game because five and five and guess what? I’m in the middle. It’s a Sarah sandwich! It’s perfect! I never expected to be the decision maker, so it’s... It truly is a predicament, but whichever side I go, I’m sitting pretty because I will decide the fate of this game.

Later in the day, Sarah pulled Jeremiah and Kass aside to fill them in, and argued that LJ did not have an Idol and suggested they vote him out if he lost Immunity. However, Kass thought he might have an Idol, a view shared by Jeremiah who argued that he didn’t have the Beauty Idol, so the next likely option was LJ. Jeremiah continued, suggesting Jefra was the better target, but Sarah insisted that the vote had to be for either LJ or Woo. Jeremiah and Kass countered that LJ might have the Idol, and if Woo won Immunity, suggested Trish. Again, Sarah called it a “terrible idea” and proposed Tony as the back-up vote for Woo, insisting that they take out one of the men as Trish was not strategic and was hooked to Tony, and Jefra was not a threat. The argument persisted, with Sarah saying she felt bullied, that she’d never agreed to vote Trish first, and threatened them that Tony had told her that she could decide the vote if she flipped to Solana. Kass was riled up by Sarah’s accusations and threats, and in a confessional, revealed her continuing distrust of the cop. "solarrion"

- I don’t have no Hidden Immunity Idol, so I’ll be honest with you. I think LJ’s got it and that’s what worries me. It’s what’s making me really nervous about this game.

"solarrion"

- I think it’s completely idiotic to pick a fight with me. I’m not saying, “Let me be the princess” and walk around on eggshells around me, but the last thing oyu want to do is piss me off. I can do whatever I want, y’know. You want to pick a fight with me, I’ll flip over with those other guys, so don’t test me because I will put you in your place and send you packing.

"solarrion"

- Dude, I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. I don’t trust the cop. When someone in an alleged alliance of six says, “I’m only voting for these people and I absolutely will not vote for this peron,” it lets me know that she’s not in the Six. She’s in the One. When you come to me and you say, “Well, if I go with them, who are my former tribemates, they’re gonna let me choose who goes out,” and she comes to us and says, “I’m telling you who I want out.” In my view, no one in this game should have that much power. Who made her queen? I can’t even look at her, I just want to punch her sometimes.

Day 19
As LJ and Tony went fishing, a passive aggressive fight broke out between Kass and Sarah at the campfire as Tasha and Trish looked on. As Trish noted the cracks in the rival alliance, Tasha later sat down with Kass and Sarah to try to mediate the dispute. Sarah told Tasha that they’d been feuding because they couldn’t agree on the vote, with Sarah again emphasising that targeting Trish was a terrible plan because she wasn’t strategic. As Tasha tried to smooth things out between the two women, her agreement with Sarah’s rationales rubbed Kass the wrong way, and she and Sarah continued to feud. "solarrion"

- I wake up this morning: Reeeaarrr! is what I heard. I heard all of a sudden a couple of girls going at it, between Kass and Sarah, I believe. The fight made me happy because that made me realise that they weren’t as strong as a six as I thought they were and they’re cracking before we even get to the challenge. It’s like woah. So obviously they’re all feeling a little bit paranoid.

"solarrion"

- When I heard about Kass and Sarah’s exchange, I didn’t care who was right, who was wrong. My main concern was getting those two back on the same page.

"solarrion"

- I totally think Tasha took Sarah’s side in the argument. What the heck? Someone in the alliance treats someone poorly, everyone panders to the bully? I felt like saying it to Tasha: well, what about me? How come you’re not being nice to me? What am I? Chopped liver? Oh, wait: you’re done with me. I got it. I know Sarah’s against me, I know Tasha’s against me. Y’know, I know where I stand but at this point, the Six are falling apart.

At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst took back the Immunity Idol and unveiled the Immunity Necklace. He then revealed the challenge: Bermuda Triangle. Each contestant would balance on triangular-shaped platform floating in the ocean, with only small footholds on the side of the platform to stand on. At periodic intervals, the contestants would move up to the next foothold, making balancing more difficult. The last person standing would win Immunity.

All the contestants took their places and gained their balance. After fifteen minutes, they moved up to the second foothold. Although everyone maintained their balance, the pain and discomfort was beginning to show with LJ, who bent hunched over his knees, and Tony, who commented on the lack of fun in the challenge.

After a total 29 minutes, everybody was still in the game, and were instructed to move up to the final narrow platform at peak of the triangle. As the wind picked up as the contestants moved, they began dropping like flies with Spencer, Kass, LJ, Sarah, Jefra, Tasha, Trish and Jeremiah falling out in quick succession. Leaving only three standing - Morgan, Tony and Woo – the challenge continued as the wind blustered across the water. Morgan then fell in, leaving only Tony and Woo. The two fought hard to keep their balance, with a couple of close saves by Tony, but in the end, he couldn’t maintain it and fell off as he congratulated Woo. With that, Woo won the Immunity Necklace and was safe at the vote. The Solarrion tribe then headed back to camp.

Back at the beach, Woo was congratulated for his challenge success, whilst Sarah decided to stick with the new Aparri tribe for the vote as they were less of a challenge threat down the line. The Aparri alliance then met in the shallows to discuss the vote, where Spencer and Tasha pushed for Jefra, but Sarah, confident that none of the opposing alliance had an Idol, was determined to target strategic and physical threat Tony, or LJ. Meanwhile, the new Solana alliance looked on, debating how to counter the majority. Recognising that Sarah had been put on a pedestal by the opposing alliance, Tony insisted he’d do the same and pull her back to them, though Woo and Trish were doubtful. However, Trish proposed approaching Kass, who she had a good relationship with and who she had seen fighting with Sarah. However, Tony wanted to talk to Sarah first, and worried that Kass would play Trish if she tried that alternative. Back in the water, the Aparri alliance decided to put their votes on Tony, when Sarah guaranteed that he didn’t have an Idol. "solarrion"

- There’s eleven people. We have a solid five, a solid five and me. I can make the choice. I think there are harder competitors on Tony’s side and I would rather go with the weaker side, so I am with the New Aparri. I think we’re solid. The only rift that we have is between Kass and I. I will make the decision on who goes home next. I get to decide. I’m the president right now.

"solarrion"

- The original agreement was play it cool, we’ll probably take out Jefra or Trish to get the numbers. Then let’s meddle with the big boys who might have Idols or strategies. But Sarah said it’s gotta be a Tony. She thinks she’s running the show. Does nobody see this? Am I the only one? I know she’s about to destroy the game. If she’s going to destroy the game, I want to have the pre-emptive strike. I want to destroy it.

Tony pulled Sarah aside to try to bring her back on his side, but Sarah didn’t want to give him a straight answer, saying she still needed to think about it. Tony tried to insist that once the other alliance had the numbers, Sarah was worth nothing to them, and offered to vote out whoever she wanted. Despite this, Sarah told him that she would make her decision at Tribal. Tony revealed in a confessional that he was confident that Sarah was not going to side with them, and planned to play the Idol. "solarrion"

- Listen, stupid, I know this. I’m not an idiot. Getting rid of Tony is nothing personal. It’s actually a huge compliment to him. Tony and I have a relationship because he’s a police officer and I’m a police officer. But he is the biggest threat in this game. He observes everything, he’s sneaky. He’s just like me and I would get rid of me if I could.

"solarrion"

- When Sarah’s telling me, “Let me think about it, let me make my decision at Tribal Council.” Are you kidding me? I couldn’t believe she said that! I look at her and you know what, they were right. I talked to Sarah and I got a good, strong feeling that she’s not coming on our side. So one thing’s for sure. If I can feel a little iffy-iffy, that Idol’s being played. I’m not going home with the Idol.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Trish talked to Kass in the shelter, noting that she’d initially thought Kass was at the top of the other alliance, but Kass returned that she’d “been replaced.” Trish observed that Kass would be the first out once they started eating their own, and asked her if she had any interest in joining them. Kass didn’t think they could pull it together in time, but Trish asked her who she wanted out. Kass told her she’d want Sarah gone, and Trish told her they would take her out if Kass switched sides. Trish then went to LJ and Tony, telling them to vote for Sarah in light of her conversation with Kass. The three of them agreed to vote for Sarah, and Trish went back to Kass to confirm that there would be five votes on Sarah and the door was open for her to join them to send her home, promising that they’d take care of her. Solarrion then departed for Tribal Council. "solarrion"

- Trish slipped me a little bit of the old mickey. She told me that they were going to vote for Sarah. Surprising to me, but maybe they’re smarter than I think. They’re probably smarter than my other five if they’re thinking Sarah’s the bad seed. So maybe I wanna switch allegiance. I love that Sarah thinks she’s running the show. New Aparri is voting for Tony at the bequest of Queen Sarah; Solana is voting for Sarah. I truly believe I’m the one in the middle. I think I have usurped Sarah’s throne tonight and once again, Chaos Kass will show up at Tribal.

At Tribal Council, Jeff first asked LJ about the mood of the new merged tribe. He said he felt as though he was in “the hottest seat in town right now,” anticipating that he could be going home in the “best worst compliment you could ever get.” Tasha agreed that this was the stage of the game where the biggest threats were targets, so he was right to worry.

Tony was asked about the dynamics of the tribe in light of the original and switched tribes. Tony observed that “you don’t move forward with an alliance of numbers; you move forward with an alliance of comfort.” Tony added that he was worried he could also be a target of the vote, but he still had “a little fire” in him. Kass agreed the LJ and Tony had a right to be worried, saying she’d feel the same if she was a strong male in the minority.

LJ was asked about Idols, and he proposed that since no Idols had yet been seen it could be “a big Survivor joke,” but Tony revealed that there were Idols and told the tribe that he had an Idol. Spencer challenged him to show it, and Tony obliged, revealing his Hidden Immunity Idol to the Solarrion tribe whilst also noting that he wasn’t necessarily going to play it for himself.

The Aparri alliance began discussing what to do, with Spencer asking Tasha if they should vote for “the other one” and the message was passed around. Meanwhile, the Solana alliance told each other to “keep the same.” Commenting that he loved it when a vote was “this alive,” Jeff called the vote.

Trish voted first, followed by Woo, Jefra and LJ. Tasha, Tony and Spencer voted next, with Morgan, Jeremiah, Sarah and finally Kass concluding the proceedings. Jeff then tallied the votes.

Jeff asked if anybody wished to play a Hidden Immunity Idol and Tony asked if Jeff would validate his Idol. Jeff told him that it was a Hidden Immunity Idol, and Tony chose to play it on LJ. As Jeff began his spiel about the votes, LJ interrupted him to reveal that he wanted to “cover Tony’s ass as well,” revealing his own Hidden Immunity Idol and playing it for Tony. As the Solana alliance grinned and clapped, the Aparri alliance glanced about in horror.

However, the first vote came up for Jefra and instantly, Solana’s faces dropped, and it was Aparri’s turn to grin smugly. This was followed by a vote for Sarah. As Jefra grew increasingly teary, the votes switched back and forth – one for Jefra, one for Sarah – to culminate in a 5-5 tie with one vote remaining.

The final vote came up for Sarah and the Solana alliance exploded into applause as the Aparri alliance were shocked. As Sarah collected her torch, she asked the tribe who flipped and Tasha deduced that Spencer deduced that Kass had jumped ship. Sarah’s torch was snuffed and she departed Tribal Council, becoming the eighth person eliminated from and the first member of the Jury. Jefra leaned over to thank Kass, and the rest of the alliance echoed the gratitude. Meanwhile, a frustrated Spencer commented, “Kass: zero chance of winning the game,” to which Kass observed, “There’s a long way to go.” Jeff then sent Solarrion back to camp, predicting a “wild finish.” "solarrion"

- I was sitting there calm as can be, waiting for Jeff to pull out that last name and I tell you what, when it said Sarah, I was like, “Huh?” We thought we had a solid set of six. I don’t know why Kass flipped, but, huh, they got me good.

Immunity
Challenge: Bermuda Triangles

The castaways would stand on slanted slats on a podium over the water. At regular intervals, they would move up to a higher set of slats, making it harder to balance. After 30 minutes, the castaways would move to the top of the podium, where the last person left standing wins immunity.

Winner: Woo Hwang

Deleted Scenes

 * A deleted scene posted on CBS.com showed Trish Hegarty teaching Pilates to others members of the newly merged Solarrion tribe, and discussing how good she felt for being able to teach to the others what she knew. In a confessional, Sarah Lacina talked about how the viewers think it's stupid when people practice yoga on Survivor, but once experiencing it, it made sense to her. She added that she was feeling comfortable and relaxed, but her guard was not down about the game.
 * A deleted scene posted on EW.com shows Woo Hwang talked about how different it is to be watching the challenges from home compared to participating in one, adding that right after he gives the Immunity Necklace back, he would be trying to win it again.
 * Deleted confessionals from each castaway were posted on CBS.com:
 * New People Are Characters: Spencer Bledsoe talked about the Solana members being all characters and how you could know all about them only by looking at them: Tony is a "big and loud New Yorker"; Trish is a crazy person with crazy histories and a annoying laugh but she is fun to have around; LJ is a horse trainer from Boston, he doesn't really know who LJ is; Jefra is a "southern nice girl"; Woo is a "nice guy", but he is one of the biggest threats in the game, because he is athletical, social, and a observer.
 * 22 Eyes & 22 Hands: Tony Vlachos talked about he not being able to really enjoy the merge feast, because he was looking at everything and everyone trying to figure out if there was a clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol hidden somewhere.

Other

 * The episode aired on Lindsey Ogle's birthday. However, she was already eliminated at this point.
 * This is the first time that a male won the Sea Legs Challenge.
 * This is the only episode of the season where none of the Brain tribe members won Individual Immunity.
 * This is the fourth time that two Hidden Immunity Idols were used at the same Tribal Council.
 * In, Parvati Shallow gave Jerri Manthey and Sandra Diaz-Twine an idol, with Jerri's idol negating 5 votes, resulting in the elimination of J.T. Thomas in a 5-0 vote.
 * In Nicaragua, Chase Rice and Sash Lenahan used their themselves, negating Jane Bright's vote against Sash.
 * In, Malcolm Freberg negated 2 votes with his idol, and gave Eddie Fox a separate idol negating 4 votes, resulting in the elimination of Phillip Sheppard in a 4-0-0 vote.
 * This is the only tribal council at which two idols are played, and neither negates a vote.
 * Sarah Lacina had the most confessionals this episode, with seven.
 * Morgan McLeod and Woo Hwang did not give a confessional this episode.
 * This was the second episode in which Woo did not give a confessional, following Hot Girl With a Grudge (Part 2).
 * With Sarah's elimination, the first three castaways from the Brains and Brawn tribes to be eliminated were eliminated in alphabetical order.
 * The first two members of Beauty, alphabetically, have also been eliminated, but were not voted out in alphabetical order.
 * In a recent interview, Jeff Probst stated this is his fifth favorite blindside of all time.

Episode Title

 * The title of the episode was said by Tony Vlachos while talking to LJ McKanas about who was in charge at the Aparri tribe.