The Dead Can Still Talk

The Dead Can Still Talk is the fifth episode of.

Day 10
Tadhana returned to camp, still in shock after the unexpected blindside of Brad Culpepper. In a confessional, Ciera Eastin said she was shocked by the events at Tribal Council, but was glad to still be in the game. Katie Collins asked Vytas Baskauskas if he was upset, but said that he wasn’t mad, but admitted that he and Hayden Moss had been completely unaware of Caleb Bankston’s intention to force a re-vote. Caleb noted that he hadn’t planned the move, but that his dislike of Brad had “festered,” prompting him to make a last-minute counter-attack. "tadhana"

- What the heck? Tribal was unreal. Now I kinda see that Hayden and Vytas had no clue Caleb was going to do that. So if I can get Caleb to switch over with me and Katie, me and Katie have the numbers. But either way, I’m happy to be here another day.

"tadhana"

- Y’know, going into Tribal, I thought, “I don’t really feel good about Brad anymore, I’ll never trust him again.” So I just... I just brought it out.

"tadhana"

- Caleb pulled a fast one and in doing so, kinda like screwed me and Vytas. I don’t know if that means now he’s with the girls, and Vytas and I are on the outs. I have no clue where I stand right now in the tribe.

At Redemption Island, Brad arrived and woke Candice Cody and John Cody, waving a white flag. Candice and John were excited to see their nemesis get the boot, but listened to Brad’s apology in which he pointed out that it was a game and that one’s real alliance was with one’s spouse. "redemption"

- Well, Caleb made a good move. Kudos to him. He knows the game. Guess he learned a little from Colton. I was a little bit nervous, ‘cause I knew John and Candice were here. I’d blindsided John and Candice had choice words for me the last time I saw her.

"redemption"

- I was dead asleep and I hear the sweetest voice I ever wanted to hear on Redemption Island: Brad Culpepper.

"redemption"

- I expected to see Brad out on Redemption Island at some point. People make decisions, they try to make bold moves, and sometimes it bites them in the ass. And it looks like it did bite Brad in the ass, so at least I feel a little bit of vindication there.

"redemption"

- Brad came in, trying to say, y’know, “No hard feelings.” But his wife voted me out on Day 1 and he voted John out when John trusted him. So, I have no love for him. Brad can say all he wants, but in this game, it’s kill or be killed and he’s on our island now: Redemption Island. So I have my chance to put him out of the game for good.

Meanwhile, at Galang, Laura Morett gave Aras Baskauskas a massage in the shelter. In confessionals, Laura M. revealed that she believed she was in an alliance with Aras, but he showed that she was on the outs of the majority alliance. Meanwhile, Laura B. was still struggling to find her place in the tribe as the only first-time player, and was finding the isolation difficult to deal with. "galang"

- In this game of ‘’Survivor’’, you need to get a group of people that you trust and you need to get people to like you. And that’s what I’m trying to do in this game. I like Aras and we like being around each other because we can just calm each other. I hope that Aras has the same feeling and has the same trust in me that I have in him.

"galang"

- I think Laura M. somehow thinks that she’s playing me by cuddling up next to me, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m not thinking, “Okay, thanks for flirting with me, now I’m gonna go ahead, keep you in my alliance.” Right now, essentially my core alliance is me, Monica, Tina, Tyson, Gervase. So that’s three people that aren’t in the five: Kat, Laura B. and Laura M. I think Laura M. – she’s smart, she’s perceptive, I think she knows that she’s on the outs so she’s doing whatever she can to get herself in the good graces of the people she thinks will help her get further in the game.

"galang"

- Ah, night time at camp. All of the veterans on the tribe have this unspoken bond. They’ve all done ‘’Survivor’’ before. I have not. I’m still slowly getting to know everyone. I don’t have that total emotional connection that they all have and I still do kind of feel like the outsider. Y’know, the new girl in town. Makes this game very difficult.

Day 11
The tribes convened at Redemption Island Arena. When it became apparent that Brad had been voted out, the Galang tribe reached to comfort Monica Culpepper. After Brad, Candice and John filed in for their Duel, Monica apologised to Brad and asked if she could take his place. He said that she didn’t need to and he would fight his own battle to get back in the game. Jeff Probst asked Candice about her frequent commentary on both Brad and the game at large, despite having been on Redemption since the first day. She said that she had merely been repeating what the people who had been voted off were telling her, saying it was their word against Brad’s. Brad said that it was also their word against the people who were still in the game. Monica interjected that Candice’s obscene comments about Brad had hurt her feelings, but Candice interjected that Monica had hurt ‘’her’’ feelings by voting for her on Day 1.

Jeff then revealed the Duel: A Game of Bridge. Each contestant would take apart a crate and use the planks to build a puzzle bridge. Once crossing the bridge, they would take off the planks and find twelve planks with a painted image on them. Eight of those planks would be used to solve a final puzzle, with the first two to finish remaining in the game, whilst the last place finisher would be permanently eliminated. Additionally, the first-place finisher would be able to give a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol to anybody still in the game.

Candice and John began solving the bridge one plank at a time, whereas Brad pulled out all of the planks from the crate first. Candice pulled out to an early lead, with John close behind. However, John made a mistake, allowing Brad to catch up. Candice’s pace slowed and soon all three competitors were neck-and-neck. John was the first to finish his bridge, but Brad was close behind, with Candice falling into last place. However, soon all three were dismantling their bridge, but it was John who finished first, followed by Brad (who received a round of applause from the Galang tribe). John made quick work of the puzzle to place first in the Duel. Candice and Brad were both very close behind, but it was Brad who managed to pull out the win to stay in the game. This left Candice, who became the 5th person eliminated from.

Candice said the hardest part about losing was the fact that she was leaving her husband behind. John added that it was “miserable,” particularly in light of his decision not to take her place earlier in the game and now being the one to send her home. The Codys hugged farewell, with Candice telling John, “No more tears, okay?” She bid the contestants – and Jeff – goodbye and good luck, and threw her Buff in the fire as she departed the Arena.

John was then given the clue to the Idol, and once again, he chose to give it to Monica. Again, she and Brad decided to burn the clue. Brad and John then headed back to Redemption Island, whilst the tribes returned to camp.

Back at Galang, Monica thanked her tribe for their support. She hoped that he would be able to win his way back into the game, which Tina Wesson believed was possible. Later, the two women discussed the situation in private, with Monica assuring Tina that regardless of what happened with her husband, she was going to remain loyal to the five-person alliance. However, in a confessional Tina noted that Monica’s true loyalties were uncertain. "galang"

- Today was probably the most demoralised I’ve been out here. I didn’t think Brad was going to be there. But he’ll be fine. He’ll pull himself up by his bootstraps and he’ll come off that Redemption Island and we can meet up and scramble our way to the end.

"galang"

- Brad and Monica are a very tight couple and that’s very threatening. I think Monica’s realises she doesn’t have her guy out here as a back-up anymore, so I think she’s gonna step up her gameplay a little bit. I can’t say I one hundred percent trust Monica: she’s either going to be a big threat or a great asset. I just haven’t determined which one of those she is yet.

Meanwhile, at Tadhana, the tribe recounted the difficulties of survival – including scarce food and numerous injuries. The main feature was Katie’s loss of several toenails after developing tinea). The tribe’s losing streak was also demoralising the group. "tadhana"

- The game of Survivor has so many layers to it. I mean, there’s the basic layer of having to survive, y’know, having to find food, having to find shelter, dealing with the heat. I haven’t brushed my teeth and then to have on top of that, injuries, whether, y’know, scrapes on our legs. I’m covered in bug bites – I’ve never had so many on my face, on my neck, on my back. We’re beat up. I don’t know if it could get any worse. At this point, we’re losing, we’re, y’know, slowly – our bodies are, like, disintegrating. We’ve had it rough!

"tadhana"

- From wearing wet shoes all the time, I got tinea. It’s like Athlete’s Foot. So, it burns. You get, like, little sores and they can be very painful when you walk. And it gets, like, under your toenails.

"tadhana"

- I feel like you could break her toes off. That’s what it looks like. They’re red, they’re crusty. Her nail – her toenails – are falling off.

Later in the day, Caleb and Vytas took the boat out onto the ocean and discussed the social dynamics, noting that in their normal lives, Katie and Ciera, nor Caleb and Vytas, would have ever met, much less be friends. Caleb also said that he felt as though Ciera was like a “little sister.” However, Vytas was also worried about Caleb’s loyalties after his unpredictable behaviour at Tribal, so tried to keep himself in Caleb’s good graces by bonding with him on the boat. On the other hand, Caleb was enjoying his level of power in the tribe. "tadhana"

- I mean, it’s not something I choose to look at, because it just, like, sickens me a little bit, but I feel bad for the girl [Katie]. We’re all kinda licking our wounds, our egos are still a little bit bruised from all this losing and if we keep losing, y’know, how do I align myself at this point? How is this gonna shake out? And how do I make sure I come out on the other side as unscathed as possible. There’s no point in this game where anybody will ever be a hundred percent with Caleb after what he did. I mean, somebody that can turn on a dime like that, as Caleb did at Tribal Council, y’know, voting out Brad is somebody that you have to really finesse and make sure that they feel okay emotionally. I can read people pretty well, but I can’t quite get a read on Caleb. Y’know, this quiet woodsman from Alabama. So it’s important right now that I ensure Caleb is still with me so, y’know, like, of course I’m trying to be nice to Caleb.

"tadhana"

- Now after blindsiding Brad, I’m in a position where I can swing with the girls or I can swing with the guys. Do I feel powerful now? I think the word is, I’ve heard, “Big Kahunas.” So yeah, I mean, I think I hold a lot of power with my vote. Y’know, it’s good to be the swing vote.

Day 13
Two days later, Tadhana prepared for their next challenge. Atop a cliff overlooking the ocean, Vytas practised yoga and basked in the serenity of the locale, noting the unity of the tribe following Brad’s elimination. Later, the rest of the tribe met on the ridge to pep themselves up for the challenge. "tadhana"

- Since we voted Brad out, it’s been so peaceful. It’s just a different energy around camp. I like hearing the nature. I like enjoying this lagoon. And Brad... A lot of the noise he came with, like kind of polluted it. Just enjoying this peace and quiet is great, man. I’ve never been anywhere more beautiful.

"tadhana"

- I’m so nervous going into this challenge. We lose the challenge today and we have to come back here, it’s scramble-time again because every single week, I haven’t stepped up and this is my last shot. But to win this next challenge would just be sweet and perfect timing for us. Perfect timing!

At the Immunity Challenge, Jeff first took the Immunity Idol back from Galang. He then revealed the challenge: Slide Show. One member from each tribe would square off in each round: they would slide down a steep water slide and collect a ring. They would then race to throw the ring onto a post. The first to land their ring would score a point for their tribe, with the first tribe to five points winning immunity, as well of a choice of reward: either a steak dinner (including vegetables, spices and a wok), or fishing gear. To even the tribes, Galang needed to sit three people out. Kat Edorsson insisted that she wanted to compete, so Laura B., Laura M. & Monica sat out. As they took their place on the bench, Laura M. and Monica lamented not being able to compete.

In the first round, Caleb and Gervase Peterson squared off, with Caleb scoring a point with his first toss. Next, Tyson Apostol took on Hayden and scored a point to even the score at 1-1. Kat and Katie were up next, with Katie scoring the point. Brothers Aras and Vytas squared off once again, coming out dead-even from the slide, but Vytas scored on his first throw to push Tadhana out to a 3-1 lead. Tina and Ciera followed, with Tina scoring to narrow the gap 3-2 to Tadhana.

Restarting the cycle with new match-ups, Caleb and Tyson squared off, but it was Caleb who scored. With Tadhana one point away from winning, Hayden and Gervase followed. Hayden was the first to land his ring, winning Tadhana their first challenge. The tribe embraced in glee and chose to take the steak dinner for reward. Galang then departed for camp with their first Tribal Council looming.

Upon arrival at camp, Laura B. was worried about her first Tribal Council experience. Although she told Gervase that she was going to take it easy (but pack her things anyway), she tried to throw shade and keep the target off of her. She approached Kat, along with Tina and Tyson, and told her that Laura M. and Monica had been “bitching about [her] doing the challenge.” Although Tina interjected that nobody enjoyed sitting out, Kat was baffled by Laura’s vague attempts to meddle with comments about women’s rivalries. However, in confessionals, both Kat and Tyson confirmed that Laura B. was the target for the vote. "galang"

- It is my first Tribal Council. These guys have experienced it, y’know, so there’s the nerves. First of all, going to Tribal Council, then the nerves of ‘Oh my God, it could be me.’ The first tribe ousted me right away and who’s to say this tribe won’t too. So, today my strategy is just being very aware, keeping my eyes open all the time on who’s with who, what’s going on, y’know, and just trying to mix it up.

"galang"

- Laura B. – I was like, “What are you talking about?” I looked to my left, I look at Tyson. He’s baffled. When you know someone’s at the bottom, all you can do is just accommodate their conversation. Make them feel better. She’s at the bottom, so she’s going to say whatever she wants to say.

"galang"

- We have the core alliance of me, Aras, Gervase, Tina and Monica. We’re a solid five. Kat also feels like she’s in that alliance of five. And Laura Morett has no clue what alliance is going on. But right now, the plan is to vote out someone the everybody is super annoyed with and that’s Laura B.

Meanwhile, Aras and Laura Morett took the boat out to cast the fishing traps and discuss strategy. Aras said that Laura B. would be an easy unanimous vote, which Laura M. agreed would mean a panic-less afternoon. Although Laura M. reiterated her trust in Aras in a confessional, he revealed that he wasn’t determined to take the easy vote. As he and Tyson lay in the hammock, he asked who they should send home. Although Tyson wanted to take out Laura B, Aras proposed sending Laura M. to Redemption Island as he thought she would have a better chance at beating Brad and thus, shore up Monica’s loyalty to the Galang Five. However, when Aras proposed the idea to Monica, she seemed hesitant and worried that Laura M would be a bigger challenge threat to her husband. Monica persisted with the idea of voting out Laura B, and as the tribe departed camp, Aras was torn between pushing his own agenda and blending into the tribe. "galang"

- Aras is the one that I completely, explicitly trust in this game. We don’t talk a lot of strategy, we don’t need to. Drop a name, tell me who it is and let’s go. Let’s do this.

"galang"

- Laura B. is a very easy vote-out. Everyone feels uncomfortable with her. But right now, easy votes are often the dumbest votes in this game. Just ‘cause it’s easy doesn’t mean you should do it. Right now, Monica’s got her husband on Redemption Arena and if Brad should lose at Redemption Arena and not come back in this game, she’s a wonderful asset to have, ‘cause she has nowhere to go. Laura M’s great at challenges, she’s great in puzzles. If she goes to Redemption Arena and knocks out Brad, then Monica is ours. So, Laura M just seems like the best choice right now.

"galang"

- Laura Morett’s name is being thrown around. Could she beat Brad at Redemption Island? That’s my worry. It’s an odd position that I’m in. Laura B would be an easy win at Redemption Island for Brad. Laura M – she’s gonna be a challenge.

"galang"

- Tonight, I want Laura M. to go home. But it’s not only my decision. It’s the tribe’s decision. And people on my tribe know that I’m playing the game and the more that I try and manipulate a vote, the more danger I put myself in.

At Tribal Council, Galang collected their torches and lit them. Jeff began by asking Gervase about the changes to the game since he’d first played thirteen years beforehand. He said it was “surreal” to be back, but all of his assumptions about how to play the game had gone out the window due to the aggressive play of modern Survivor. Tina agreed, adding that on Day 5, she’d felt as though she’d played more game in only a few days than she had over the course of the entire Australian season.

Tina also noted that the Blood vs Water twist added extra complexity. Monica agreed that the stakes were higher with loved ones in the game, pointing to her own stresses with Brad at Redemption Island and the overall uncertainty about people’s loyalties come the merge when they could be reunited with a loved one. Aras continued the discussion, noting that considerations had to be made about partners, but announced that he had to focus on his own game on Galang and let his brother Vytas do his own thing. Laura M. agreed that there came a time when “you have to cut the apron strings” and that the Galang tribe was each others’ “blood.” Gervase countered that despite Laura’s multiple defeats of her daughter in challenges, it appeared that Laura and Ciera were threateningly close, and the same threat could be said of anyone who still had their loved one in the game.

Jeff then asked Laura B. about her elimination from Tadhana on Day 1 and her need to fit in with veterans, bluntly asking if she belonged in the game. She said that she felt a part of the tribe, and did belong there. Monica agreed, pointing out that Laura B. had been with them since Day 1 and was a valuable fisherwoman, fire starter and part of the tribe. Laura B. continued by saying that she could still be an easy vote and despite the tribe’s welcoming of her, she had noted their disappointment at not getting to play with Rupert. Although Jeff noted that she wasn’t Rupert, she insisted that she fit in. However, Laura M. interjected that Laura B. had not felt the sting of being voted out in a past game and inherently didn’t fit into a tribe of veterans.

Jeff then called Laura M. to cast the first vote, which she threw towards Laura B. Kat, Tina and Gervase voted next, with Laura B. then casting her vote for Laura M. Monica, Tyson and Aras rounded out the votes. "galang"

- It’s been really great playing with you, but there’s only room for one Laura on this island.

"galang"

- I’m so sorry that somebody has to go home, but I’m real happy to have only one Laura on the tribe.

Jeff tallied and read the votes. Although the first vote was for Laura B, the rest were cast for Laura M. Thus, in a unanimous decision, Laura M. became the seventh person voted out of. Shocked and silent, her torch was snuffed and she departed for Redemption Island without even looking back at her tribe. Jeff sent the tribe back to camp, noting that he expected nothing less than a blindside at the first vote in such an unpredictable game.

Laura M. arrived at Redemption Island and greeted Brad and John. Brad was shocked that the veterans’ tribe had lost a challenge, but Laura was keeping her sights on the upcoming Duel, determined to stay in the game. "redemption"

- I was absolutely shocked. Blindsided. I trusted some people in the game that I shouldn’t have been trusting, but I’m still in the game. The game is not over. I gotta keep my wits about me. I have to win the Duel.

Duel
Challenge: A Game of Bridge The castaways disassemble a box and use the pieces as planks to build a bridge. Once they cross the bridge, they use some of the planks to solve a pattern puzzle.

Winners (in order of finish): John Cody and Brad Culpepper (John gave Hidden Immunity Idol to Monica Culpepper)

Reward/Immunity
Challenge: Slide Show

The contestants race down a giant water slide, grabbing a ring on the way down. Once they have their ring they run up to a mat and they throw the ring onto a cross. First player to get their ring on their cross scores a point for their tribe. First tribe with five points, wins.

Reward: Steak dinner (including vegetables, spices and a wok), or fishing gear.

Winner: Tadhana

Voting Confessionals
"galang"

- It's been great playing with you, but there's only room for one Laura on this island.

"galang"

- I'm so sorry that somebody has to go home. I'll be happy to have only one Laura on the tribe.

Trivia

 * No footage from Day 12 was shown in the episode.
 * In this episode, only people named Laura received votes. This is the first time people with the same name are the only people to receive votes.
 * This is the first episode of the season where a member of Tadhana wasn't voted out.
 * However, Laura B., an original member of Tadhana, received a vote at tribal council.
 * Ciera Eastin and Laura Morett received the most confessionals this episode, with four each.
 * Gervase Peterson was the only person to not receive a confessional in this episode.
 * This episode marked the only time Galang attended a tribal council pre-swap.
 * At the end of this episode, all 3 castaways that competed in the 1st duel this season have been eliminated at this point.
 * At tribal council, Laura M. says all the returning players have had their torch snuffed at one point. This is not true, as Aras won the only season he competed in, and therefore never had his torch snuffed.
 * Also, Colton was evacuated from his season meaning his torch was´t snuffed either.
 * The episode title was never mentioned by anyone in this episode.