Survivalism

Survivalism is the fourth episode of.

Day 9
At the Savaii camp, as Ozzy Lusth and Elyse Umemoto lay in a hammock discussing the notion of "survivalism", Jim Rice looked on with worries that Ozzy's relationship with Elyse was stronger than his friendships with Jim or Keith Tollefson, with whom he was allegedly in a Final Three deal. "savaii"

- Kinda thinking right now that maybe Elyse and Ozzy have a tighter bond than is realised. I know the game well enough to know that a pair is very, very powerful. And the thing is, Ozzy's powerful enough as a physical presence in this game that you can't give him that physical presence and that voting presence because then he would run it like Rob did last year. So I start thinking, I'm not gonna get Ozzy out then Elyse has got to go. Jim then approached John Cochran about strategy, stating that if Ozzy were to vote Jim out, then Ozzy becomes invaluable as a challenge asset. Cochran countered that Ozzy was already seen as essential, but Jim noted the "rounding factor" of Elyse. Jim continued that by getting rid of a variable like Elyse, it opens up a spot in an alliance for Cochran and it would be a big "Survivor move." They lamented that Elyse was so attractive, and Cochran joked that he could "put on a seaweed wig." As the two men solidified the pact, Cochran gave a confessional: "savaii"

- The dude's kind've a sketchy character: he has this used-car salesman smile, pearly white teeth that are suspiciously white to me. But he wants Elyse gone next which is absolutely music to my ears. If Elyse goes first, that buys me another three days and who knows what Ozzy's gonna do.

On Upolu, Brandon Hantz felt remorseful about his behavior towards Mikayla Wingle. He sat down with her on the beach and apologised. Mikayla accepted, but showed concern about him in her own confessional. "upolu"

- This game, to me, is so jacked-up when it comes to people's feelings. I came into this game with good intentions but it was ruined by my pride. I let my pride get to me. I started gravitating towards lying to people and every day's a struggle. It's - it's - it's... I can't tell you tomorrow I won't get upset, but from here on out, I've decided to be a better person, a better player, a better survivor.

"upolu"

- Y'know, I understand that, like, you're doing the right thing by apologizing but dude, like, maybe two or three times before you talk. Because it's just like he does this thing he shouldn't have done and he apologizes. It just makes him look like a fool. But his uncle... Look who his uncle is. That's what always gets me: look who his uncle is.

Later, Brandon came clean with Edna Ma in the shelter about her position in the game. He stated that it was hard for him to tell her, but he cared about her, and informed her that the people she trusted (including himself) had been lying to her. Citing his actions as "the worst game strategy," he continued by saying that there was a core five within the tribe (not a core six as Edna had believed). Brandon apologised for his lies, and Edna meekly accepted, adding that she was disappointed but that "that's reality." "upolu"

- Brandon pulled me aside and said that I was actually not part of the alliance of six. He said that the other five people in the alliance have basically just tolerated me and that, given the opportunity, that I would be the next to go. It was a terrible feeling because you're believing that you're part of this group and... and it's easier to believe a lie sometimes than it is to accept the truth.

Both tribes were excited to receive their swimwear with tree mail, which Dawn Meehan noted as a big relief. However, when it came time to respond to the note and select two people to witness the Duel, nobody wanted to go alone with Cochran. Jim, seemingly reluctantly, accepted but worried it might hurt his strategy to be alone with Cochran. "savaii"

- Being Mormon, I've never felt comfortable swimming in my underwear and bra. I just have not felt comfortable doing that - I don't even know if mine are see-through!

"savaii"

- Cochran and I are leaving. I wanna go, but at the same time, I don't like Cochran and I going at the same time because nobody knows Cochran and I are together and guilt by association... Not a way to win this game.

As the Savaii girls flocked to the water in their new bathing suits (Elyse noting she was "happy as a clam") and the tribe waded in the shallows as Keith and Whitney Duncan flirted, Dawn expressed concern over her position in the game as a result of her age: "savaii"

- I honestly think the thing that's concerned me most in the game is my age. As I've looked at the other people that are going to be playing in the game, y'know, I was thinking to myself, "Am I Rudy on this tribe!?" I mean, I loved Rudy, but... For forty, I'm on the old side, but I feel like I have to show the Savaii tribe what I can do because I think that there are some really comfortable pairings and groupings and those may already be alliances, so I feel like it's absolutely critical for me to perform. No question. I can't be the weakest.

Before departing for the Duel, Jim approached Ozzy and Elyse in the shelter about strategically misinforming Upolu by presenting an image of the Savaii tribe as disfunctional and divided. However, Ozzy voiced reluctance to show weakness, fearing it would give the other tribe "fuel" and in a confessional, expressed that Jim was over-playing too early. As Cochran and Jim departed, Ozzy mocked Jim's eagerness for strategy, claiming they had weeks to go. Although Keith and Whitney agreed and laughed along, Dawn thought Ozzy was being hypocritical. "savaii"

- If you plan on going far in this game, you definitely try to think a few steps ahead but Jim is trying to play the strategy point too much.

"savaii"

- While Cochran and Jim are walking out, the first thing Ozzy said was, "We're not going to talk strategy!" and he was kind've mocking Jim. Y'know, "don't think too much strategy." But I'm not sure that's how I've seen Ozzy play the game in the past. I think he's strategizing, he's just done it somewhere else or at a different time and place, so he doesn't want us strategizing. And that just irks me to no end.

At Redemption Island, Cochran & Jim (for Savaii) and Brandon & Edna (for Upolu) met to witness the Duel between Christine Shields Markoski and Mark "Papa Bear" Caruso, who was voted out by Savaii at the last Tribal Council. Jeff asked Papa Bear what he thought about his former tribesmates witnessing the Duel, but Papa Bear was undisturbed, stating that as soon as he got back in the game, he would flip to Upolu and "give them anything they need." Brandon then said that he was happy to hear that, but acknowledged that Christine was probably feeling the same way towards her own tribe, as would he in their shoes. He then turned to address Christine and apologized for his "ruthless" first week and for the way he had handled himself at her last Tribal. When asked if she accepted the apology, Christine answered, "I accept it. Whether I buy it or not is a different story."

The two competitors then competed in the Duel: Sandbagging. The first player to land a sandbag on each of the ten crates positioned in the Arena would win the Duel and stay in the game. Christine gained an early lead with a string of successive hits, surprising Jim on the sidelines with her intensity. However, Papa Bear began to catch up, narrowing the gap between them until they were tied at eight sandbags each. Christine landed her ninth bag on the edge of a crate but it slipped off. However, she recovered soon after landing her ninth bag, but Papa Bear immediately evened the score again. Now at 9-9, the race to land the final sandbag was intense - Papa Bear's tenth bag rolled off the crate, opening the door for Christine to land her tenth bag and win the Duel.

As Christine and Papa Bear embraced in farewell, Papa Bear discussed the Survivor journey, stating he had always wanted to be on the show, and although his police colleagues had joked about his dream, he'd made it out to the Island in the end, and felt "blessed" by the experience. As his buff burnt, Jeff congratulated Christine on living to fight another day. "redemption"

- I want the spectators to see that I'm not out. At all. And I'm still in it and there's still fight left in me and they'll see it. That's what they wanna see? That's what they're gonna get.

Day 10
As the dawn rose at Upolu, the tribe gathered for morning coffee and Edna offered to do the day's laundry, noting in a confessional that she needed to up her social game. Coach Wade then asked her if she might massage his back by walking on it, a service she accepted and offered to anyone else who wanted it. However, Stacey Powell was not impressed by Edna's chirpy and talkative manner. Later, as the women washed clothes in the ocean, Edna's persistent enquiries about Mikayla's modelling background further annoyed her tribemates. "upolu"

- Knowing what Brandon told me is going to make me more cautious of trusting the other individuals in my alliance. So for me, it's important to be cordial and polite. It's a social game and I have to emphasize the social game aspect of my strategy, because physically I can't win against those people.

"upolu"

- Oh, Edna's like Ricochet Rabbit. The girl go on and on and on and on. Does she have an off switch? I don't think she has an off switch. She needs to be disconnected, that's what she needs to be. Disconnected.

"upolu"

- Edna asks so many darn questions. At one point, you wanna just answer to just shut her up. Y'know, yesterday Rick was talking about just how he goes hunting and how he shot, like, a, y'know, buffalo. "How many times did you shoot him? What did you shoot him with?  Where do you aim for?  Da-da-da." Are you really, Edna, ever gonna go shooting for a buffalo? No! So don't worry about it. Zip it! And her little laugh. (exasperated groan) It's gonna haunt me when I get home.

"upolu"

- (mimicking Edna's laugh) Hehehehe! Hehehe! Shut. Up. Oh my god.

Meanwhile, at Savaii, Cochran asked Dawn if anything had happened back at camp whilst he and Jim had been at the Duel, and Dawn confided her concerns about Ozzy's derision of strategy and her suspicions that he had a gameplan that he wasn't putting out. Cochran asked her who she wanted to take out next, and Dawn answered Ozzy, he revealed the plan between himself and Jim to target Elyse, to which Dawn was seemingly receptive. "savaii"

- Jim and I developed a good partnership moving forward, but numerically, it doesn't seem completely straight-forward that we're going to be able to get rid of Elyse 'cause right now, there's only Jim and I who are on board with voting out Elyse. So we're gonna have to find somebody that's gonna be willing to do this or else we're screwed. And it turns out Dawn is also kind've on the same page and wants Elyse out and for somebody like me who thrives on, y'know, big strategic moves and loves seeing that in a game like Survivor, you know, I've been dying to be a part of something like this. Getting rid of Elyse is going to devastate Ozzy and it might make the other pretty people feel a little bit less secure. This is finally going to be the time when the Savaii tribe makes a move that's going to change the course of the game and is gonna surprise a lot of people.

Day 11
The next day, the tribes met for the combined Reward & Immunity Challenge: the Survivor classic, Shoulder the Load. Three members of each tribe (two men, one woman) would bear the weight of sandbags that could be strategically distributed by the other tribe, with the last person still standing winning immunity for their tribe, as well as a reward of several live chickens. Dawn, Jim and Keith represented Savaii, whilst Albert, Brandon and Stacey bore the weight for Upolu. Both tribes adopted simiilar strategies early on, distributing the weight across all three weight-bearers. After 26 minutes, Keith was the first person to drop out of the challenge, at which point he had been holding 180 pounds. As the next round of sandbags were added, Albert lost his balance and fell from the platform, at 180 pounds. Leaving two load-bearers for each tribe, Jim and Brandon now equaled the challenge record of 220 pounds (as set by Rupert Boneham, Brendan Synnott and J.T. Thomas ). However, both men claimed a new record in the next round to bear 240 pounds. Jim was dropped out, followed soon after by Brandon. With only the women remaining, it was a fight between Stacey and Dawn. Both women saw their poles slip down their back, but at 140 pounds, it was Stacey who dropped out first. Dawn was embraced by her tribemates in celebration of Savaii's win. "savaii"

- I've been through a tough Day One, Day Two. Came back feeling really strong and like I had a lot to contribute. And then to be the last person standing in that challenge today, I almost didn't believe it. It felt so good. I couldn't breathe.

As the defeated Upolu tribe returned to camp, Stacey worried that she could still be on the chopping block despite her strong performance in the challenge, for which Coach congratulated her during a group debrief. Meanwhile, Edna, too, feared she might be targeted as a weak player. She approached Stacey, seeking her advice on what to do, but Stacey brushed her off. "upolu"

- Challenge we didn't win, but I think I did just fine. I held up 140 pounds so I do believe I proved to them I have strength. More than any one of the girls. But, y'know, last Tribal Council, I got some votes, so it could me, could not be me. That's what a blindside is. I could be blindsided.

"upolu"

- I feel confident within my alliance, but at the same time, I have that little voice in me that says everybody perceives me as the weakest link in the tribe. And so, I just wanna make sure I'm absolutely safe. I won't feel safe until after Tribal tonight.

"upolu"

- Edna is, like, on an Easter egg hunt right now. She is scramblin' like scrambled eggs in a hot skillet right now. "What do ya think?" You ain't talked to me since Day 1. Now, all of a sudden, you wanna talk to me 'cause you know it's either me or you? They should vote out Edna over me. Look how much I lifted today. Could Edna lift twenty? I doubt it. Y'know, bones, bones, bones. Bones can't lift too much if it's just all skeleton with the bones.

Soon thereafter, Coach approached Stacey in an attempt to keep her spirits up by saying everybody was "bummed." Stacey agreed, but made it clear she didn't want to go home. She asked him where she stood in the tribe, and Coach admitted that the vote was between her and Edna. Stacey pointed out that Edna brought very little to the table, and although she might not have massaged Coach's back, she had pulled her own weight. Although Coach departed with a friendly "I really like you," Stacey didn't buy his schitck, gagging to the camera as he left. "upolu"

- I'm not buyin' Coach's B.S. at all. The loyalty game-playin' stuff? I don't... I don't buy that whatsoever but, y'know, I'm not giving up. It's like a job. I ain't quittin', so. I'm not a really big liar. I have to lie while I'm here. I gotta lie to kick it. And what that means is I gotta lie to try to get in to fit in. You lie to kick it with the next man.

Turning her game on, Stacey came to Brandon, and warned him to "watch them." When he asked for names, Stacey asked who he had "gone off on," and he listed Albert, Sophie and Mikayla. Brandon then ran to Coach, warning him of a "problem on [their] hands" in that Albert, Sophie and Mikayla were aligned and that it was the end of the existing Final Five deal. However, Coach exasperatedly told Brandon to "stop it!" He warned Brandon that the game was going to get much tougher, and if he wasn't able to trust the word of an ally over someone who was on "death row," then he might as well leave the game then and there. Brandon was hesitant to take Coach's word, and pointed out how many people Coach had trusted in his prior games, to which Coach rebutted that he'd had his "head in the sand" and wasn't playing clearly. However, as the tribe departed for Tribal Council, both Sophie and Coach expressed concern in confessionals that Brandon might be a detriment to their alliance. "upolu"

- Stacey came up to me and said, "You really gotta keep your eye out for Mikayla, Sophie and, um, Albert." I would really like to think that everybody's keepin' their promise as far as the Final Five, but it's Survivor. Everyone's out for their selves. It's a really selfish game, so you gotta do what you have to do to win.

"upolu"

- I thought I had a five-strong plus, y'know, Edna alliance going. And it seems like we're gonna have to do some reshuffling. Only because our alliance is based on trust and just because you're in it, doesn't mean we're always, y'know, gonna trust you. We'll trust you until you do something wrong. And right now, it looks more and more like Brandon is just a small, small, y'know, Russell Hantz.

"upolu"

- I think that Brandon is a great... guy. And I wanna be with Brandon every step of the way, but I'm worried that he's gonna kick over the kettle at the most inopportune time and ruin the game for everybody. And that's why I have to also protect myself. I have to remember that I'm here for the third, and possibly final, time and this has gotta be my game. And I can't let anybody or any thing mess it up.

At Tribal Council, Jeff first addressed the challenge, and Stacey's tough competition against Dawn. Stacey pointed out that she had performed strongly and that she had done a good job, and Coach further added that if they were voting tonight on a person's "warrior spirit" then Stacey would not be on the chopping block. Jeff then pointed out that the tribe had previously stated that they wanted to remain strong, and he asked Sophie how they planned to do that. She answered that it was a balance between physical strength and "strength in numbers," ensuring that you had people you could trust once the merge arrived.

Jeff next attempted some "group therapy," first asking Rick what the most annoying thing about Albert Destrade was. Rick was hesitant, but eventually admitted Albert snored. Brandon was then asked what the worst thing about Edna was, and he answered that "she had a lot to say about a lot." When Jeff asked her if she agreed with that assessment, Edna disagreed that she was opinionated. Jeff continued by asking Edna what the worst thing about Stacey was, and she answered that she found it difficult to engage her in conversation. Stacey rebutted that she had no problem opening up to people and that she gave people what they asked for.

Mikayla was then asked what was the most annoying thing about Brandon, and she answered that the Hantz connection was always in the back of her mind. Although Mikayla argued that Brandon was a good kid, the familial tie still concerned her as "blood's blood." Brandon continued by saying that although he was proud to be a Hantz and that he loved his uncle, he was going to play his own game. He began to grow emotional, and tearfully said that all he wanted to be was "someone God's proud of," he didn't want to hurt his family through the repercussions of the game and he wanted to reclaim the family name. Albert concluded the Tribal discussion by affirming that regardless of whether Brandon's emotions were real or manipulative, the vote tonight would be about trust.

The tribe then voted, and when nobody played a Hidden Immunity Idol, Jeff read the votes. One vote came up for Edna, but Stacey was unanimously voted out. As she rose to collect her torch, Coach encouraged the tribe to hug her goodbye. However, she coldly brushed off the attempt and strode towards Jeff, saying that the offer of a hug was "not real... everything was a lie that we seen today." Determined to make it back into the game, Stacey took her snuffed torch and headed to Redemption Island. Jeff dismissed the Upolu tribe with words of wisdom about trust and unity - although they were qualities that the tribe wanted to build up, they were some of the most difficult qualities to maintain in the game.

Upon reaching Redemption Island, Christine was shocked to see her closest ally voted out. While catching up on each other, Stacey reveals that Coach was running the voting dynamics of the Upolu tribe, much to Christine's annoyance. "upolu"

- Tribal was a joke today. And he talk about loyalty? You need to be loyal to nobody but God. They all gonna be loyal to their God which is Coach. When this Redemption trial comes, I'm gonna spill everything that's goin' on over there.

Duel
Challenge: Sandbagging

Competitors will toss sandbags attempting to land the bags on top of crates. The first person to get one bag on each of the ten crates wins.

Winner: Christine Shields Markoski

Reward/Immunity
Challenge: Shoulder the Load

Three members (consisting of two men and one woman) from each tribe will have a pole across their shoulders. Each round, weight (20 lbs.) will be added to that pole. The decision about which tribe member gets the weight will be made by the other tribe. When the weight becomes too much to bear, the tribe member will drop the pole and be out of the challenge. Last person left standing wins immunity for their tribe.

Reward: Tribal Immunity and three live chickens (two hens and one rooster)

Winner: Savaii

Voting Confessionals
Unavailable.

Trivia

 * This marks the first time a male lost to a female in a two-way Duel.
 * In an exit interview, Mark revealed that he found a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol, but it was not revealed onscreen.
 * The reward/immunity challenge, Shoulder the Load, is a throwback to the challenges used in Me and My Snake  and The Strongest Man Alive.
 * Both Jim and Brandon held 240 lbs. and broke the previous record of 220 lbs. held by Rupert Boneham, J.T. Thomas, and Brendan Synnott.
 * Stacey Powell had the most confessionals this episode, with six (including her final words).
 * Dawn Meehan had the most Savaii confessionals, with four.
 * Edna Ma received three confessionals.
 * Brandon Hantz, Jim Rice, John Cochran and Mikayla Wingle each had two confessionals.
 * Christine Shields Markoski, Coach Wade, Ozzy Lusth and Sophie Clarke only had one confessional.
 * Albert Destrade, Elyse Umemoto, Keith Tollefson, Mark "Papa Bear" Caruso, Rick Nelson and Whitney Duncan had no confessionals this episode.
 * The episode title was said by Ozzy Lusth in a discussion with Elyse Umemoto about his inspirations.