One castaway struggles with betraying their allies. Power in the game is up for grabs when one castaway is chosen for a journey and must decide if the risk is worth the reward. Then, paranoia runs rampant when a castaway knowingly tries to stir up chaos.
So, tonight at Tribal Council, Star went home instead of me. I'm gonna miss Star. Every time that I form a relationship with someone and get close with them, they get voted out. I appreciate you all, really. It happened with Stephanie and it happened with Kevin. It happened with David and it happened with Star. And it is really demoralizing. So, I have to crawl out from this pit all over again. But I always fall back on the fact that, yo, Mary, if you're still here, you're here for a reason, so you can't give up.
So we get back from Tribal Council, and then Mary… she's like, 'hey, I have something I want to pitch to you.' She wants us to keep her around and immediately get rid of Joe or Eva. And I was thinking about this plan. I'm, like, I mean, it make sense because, like, they're a pair, and they have the most power in this game. So, I'm really liking this plan that Mary pitched.
At this point in the game, like, we all see the writing on the wall here that Joe's been dominating this game, and we got to do something. We're at the final seven, and time is running out. So, we need to get Kyle or Shauhin to flip. Like, we have to make a move soon, or else Joe is gonna run away with the season.
Our inner four group… myself, Kyle, Eva and Shauhin are in a great spot because we have solidified through true emotional connection. My thoughts on bringing all of us as a four to the end was very simple. It's exactly what I would want my kids to do. You want to pick the toughest opponent. You want to take that hardest path because then, if you win in that situation, you can prove it to yourself that you really can do anything.
I'm working with Joe, Eva and Shauhin. That's a final four that we've said pretty concretely. But I have anxiety every day about, maybe they have something a little tighter than I do. But on top of that, I have to ask myself, 'can I beat Joe at the end?' Joe is a really strong player, and… One could say that Joe has been in control. He's also got a really strong number one in Eva who seems to have every single advantage in this game, so, these are all things you have to consider. And when I'm at seven right now, such a crucial point in this game, I have to think, 'do I take a shot at Joe?' Is that move the right idea? Is this the right time? Is it too early? These are all considerations that you have to make or to at least think about.
Mary's plan is 'use me. You know, use me as a number, get rid of Joe, and then you can get rid of me whenever you want.' It is very tempting because this probably is the last chance that I could have a clean-cut shot at Joe with the numbers on my side… Given that there's seven and that Mary would definitely be willing to make a move. And Kamilla and Mitch would definitely be willing to do so as well.
Mary doesn't need to know that I'm thinking about taking out Joe because I don't know that I can trust her entirely. But every minute of downtime I have in this game, when I'm not having a conversation, I'm thinking about this.
I'm pissed because, like, I pitched an amazing idea to Kyle, but he basically tells me that he's at a crossroads. He's not sure which way he's gonna go, which to me, sounds like a no to my pitch. So, I get it now, when people go out in flames, because they realize that there is, like, no chance. And, like, for me, right now, that's how I feel. So, this morning, I had a machete and a coconut, and I was like, 'yeah, let me get out some of my anger.' And, yeah, I don't even want to eat coconut anymore, but y'all are pissing me off.
We have very limited number of coconuts left, and Mary has been just chopping 'em open left and right and eating them all for herself. She clearly is just being spiteful and knows she's going home, and so is trying to screw us all over.
Mary decides, 'I'm gonna go crack open another coconut.' She obviously knows she's on the bottom, she's told me she wants to flip it on Joe and Eva. But no one's gonna want to work with someone or keep someone around who's eating all their food. Like, it's 100 percent hurting her game. No one's gonna want to keep around a person who doesn't know proper coconut etiquette.
My path to the end is try and get Joe out at the next Tribal Council. And, apparently, Mary's already pitched this idea to Kyle, and Kyle is considering it.
Me and Kyle have spent the entire game together, like, all 20 days with no one knowing that we're working together. We are number ones, but no one sees it.
I have successfully played the middle of this game, and I've made competing commitments to people that are real. And I just feel like I'm in between a rock and a hard place. On one side, you have Joe, Eva and Shauhin, who have put their unequivocal trust in me. We've shared things so intimate about ourselves that to betray them is to betray those conversations that you've had. But then on the other side, I have Kamilla, who I've been with from the very beginning of this game. Every time I get to talk to Kamilla, I feel like I can take a breath of fresh air. Like, I'm talking to the one person who I'm really, really being real with. I don't want to betray her, either, and, so, it is really, really hard. At this point, my hands are tied. There's no moral escape for me. At one point in this game, whether it's this vote or the next, I will either be betraying Kamilla or I'll be betraying Joe and Eva and Shauhin. In real life, I'm a problem solver. I always can find the path to get to where I need to go. And probably for one of the first times in my life, if not the first time, with the biggest stakes in my life, every single path harms someone. And… I just can't. I can't… I - I don't want… I don't want to hurt people, even if it's at my… Even if it's for the benefit of my family.
If you'd have asked me that I was making it to Day 20, a week before I came out here, I would have said yes. Foolish. Like, so crazy to think about, like, that version of myself versus this version of myself. Knowing what I know now, if I could, like, talk to that person, this game is so much harder than that person would have possibly thought. Study it all you want, but I had no clue what it actually means to be out here. No clue what it actually means to make friendships, real tight friendships with people that you've never met before. No clue what it takes to then vote those people out. What type of grit and determination and how much it might hurt.
Heavy day for me, lots of decisions going on, and, I figured, you know, I haven't had a chance to go out and snorkel yet. I've actually never snorkeled before in my life. But Shauhin and I had planned to go fishing, and, Mitch decided to come along, too. So it was a great day for the boys to go fishing. Felt like I needed to just sort of calm things down a little bit, like, take advantage of the island. And when you're just floating there, you don't really think about anything. And then… pow… caught my first fish. It was awesome.
It's frustrating because I know I'm on the bottom. But being out here and getting to share this experience with the boys truly is something I will look back on forever.
I'm taking a nap and I, like, literally sprint out of the hammock, come running down. And we're like, 'Oh my God. A journey is about to happen.' But the thing is, we've discovered if you go on a journey, you could possibly lose your vote. But you also get the opportunity to gain an advantage. So that's something that is very scary, because I hold a lot of power in this game and a boat pulling up potentially gives somebody that's not in my alliance the opportunity to gain power.
I really need this. I don't even really care about losing my vote. It's not like anybody's gonna vote with me. Like, I just want an advantage, I want something that can help me out. I know that everyone is gonna be voting for me. Pretty much, unless a miracle happens, my life is on the line in a way that it's never been before.
I'm the last one to pick, and boom… I'm the one holding the purple rock. I feel so pumped because, yeah, I might lose my vote, but I have two advantages, so I know I'm safe regardless. But the thing is, in a tribe of seven, when I'm in that majority alliance with four people, we can run the game. But if I lose my vote, then it's three and three, and anything could happen.
I'd lost my vote, so, I desperately need to make sure that I have a vote for the next Tribal. And this challenge is standing in my way. So, I'm locked in.
Knowledge Is Power is very scary because everybody knows that I have an idol and a Safety Without Power. At Tribal Council, someone could ask me, 'do you have an idol?' And I would have to give it to them. So, it's extremely lucky that I got sent on this journey and nobody else did.
I'm stacking and spinning, and I know it's just gonna get harder as I go up. And so, that's-that's difficult. But as long as I don't knock it over, I'm set.
As I'm getting higher, stacking on now slightly wobbly tiles, I'm struggling, but I have the ability to be fixated on a goal. I have this mindset of not giving up and getting so focused on something.
I get to that level four, and I'm like, 'yup, got my vote back.' I have a lot of power, and the idea of having even more power is very nice, so I don't want to quit now. Maybe I should go for that eight. Maybe I could do it.
But the thing is, if the tiles fall down while I try to go higher than that level four, I'm going to lose my vote. Do I go for that knowledge is power so that I can be the most powerful player in the game? Or do I stick with my vote, knowing that I can help my alliance?
I have a strong team of people that I can go forward in this game with. I care more about my team than I do about myself in this moment. And so, I'm gonna keep my vote so that me and the three boys that I trust with my entire life in this game can make it to the final four together.
Coming back to camp, I knew I was gonna tell the truth. I knew that I had nothing to hide. I didn't gain anything. And, hopefully, they believe me because it is the truth. They have no reason to doubt me. I've always told the truth.
Eva steps foot on the sand and just blasts out everything that happened. She’s just honest as can be. And basically tells the group, 'I'm glad it was me because you guys would try to screw me over. If you would have went, you would have taken that and taken my idol, so I'm glad it was me.' And it's like, 'she's right.' So, I mean, good for her. She laid it out there. I don't think there was any questions.
Eva comes back from the journey, and it's basically like, 'yup, y'all might've needed it, but I don't, because I'm the one who has the idol.' And so, I'm kind of just, like, 'well, I'm blown.' 'Cause, like, this was everyone minus Joe or Eva's opportunity to get an advantage and to shake up the game. And so, I'm gonna continue to appeal to people's common sense by showing them why what's best for my game is also what's best for their game, because I have to keep fighting for myself.
So, Mary was basically pitching Joe and Eva, but we've been working together from day one. The problem is is that I know Joe is the number one threat to win this game. And everyone's kind of enamored with the big smile and the fireman and the big personality and the story, but I think I've played a better game.
At this point, I can choose whatever path I want. A path with Mary, where I get rid of the biggest perceived threat in the game, which is Joe. And I have that power because I have the relationships with everybody. I didn't close the door on anybody.
Obviously, the vote going with Mary is an easy one. So I could get rid of Mary and go with the flow or I could upset the status quo, exercise that power, feel what it feels like to be in complete and 100 percent driver's seat in this game. But that's the scariest place to be.
I finally won individual immunity. And so this is perfect, because I want Joe out. And it's possible that, if we don't make this move at seven, we'll miss our chance.
Today's challenge was unbelievable. Going against such muscular people, fit people, smart people, I was like, 'there's no way I'm gonna win one.' And somehow, today, I pull out this really narrow victory. It feels amazing because I won immunity and reward.
After not eating anything for, like, days, when somebody gives you that opportunity, it truly means so much. And it's crazy how excited you are to just see food.
When Jeff says you can pick someone, I'm like, 'Oh ****' I have never really given this much thought, because I never thought I'd win individual immunity. And so, immediately, I'm like, 'okay, yeah. Mitch hasn't eaten.' And then Jeff tells me I can pick another person. And this is where I'm like, 'damn.' I want to pick Kyle, but I don't want people to know that me and Kyle are working closely together. Instead, I'm like, 'okay. If I want to make a move on Joe and Eva, I need to keep them comfortable.' Joe… he's already a beast at challenges, and I don't want to fuel him. So it makes sense to pick Eva.
At the reward, we mostly talked about food. And it felt great to just be able to sit there and not have to stress about what was going on, because we know that, tonight, we're all voting Mary.
So we all agree, there's no point in keeping Mary around. She's causing too much chaos. We're getting her out tonight. This is exactly what I want Eva to think. And I give her an extra piece of my beef skewer. I'm just like, 'Eva, feel comfortable, feel safe.' But what Eva doesn't know is that I've been talking to Mary and Kyle and Mitch about flipping on Joe tonight.
Joe and Eva… they are a duo. And since Joe lost the challenge, we have a clear shot at him right now. Kyle knows that he has to make a move. And me and Mitch have been itching to make a move. So, at this point, it's just a matter of me and Kyle have to decide, is this the right time to do it?
I want to wear that immunity necklace so bad. I've been dreaming of Jeff saying, 'Shauhin wins immunity!' But… I cannot win a challenge to save my life. I've been in the lead the past two challenges and had a commanding lead. So this is a brutal experience for me. And the vibe at camp is like you're at a funeral. Nobody wants to talk to the dead person, 'cause if you talk to the dead person, then you might be catching whatever disease it is that they got that killed them. Because I don't think it's locked that it's going to be Mary.
It's pretty apparent to me that, like, they want me gone tonight. But I'm someone who is incredibly resilient. And, like, I'm not gonna give up. And if it looks like I am, it's just because that's part of my strategy.
I always have a little bit of fear that something could go wrong. Let's be honest. There's always a chance of someone in your alliance turning on you. And if they want to pull some type of blindside, maybe it's worth a shot. But the plan is still on for tonight, which is voting out Mary. So my job right now: Deep breath, don't get weird, don't panic. Just vote Mary out.
My decisions are starting to weigh more heavily on me. It's time to really think about how I can move forward in this game. What makes sense for me to do tonight and what makes sense for me to do moving forward?
Kyle, a lawyer. He's a great liar. But, honestly, I don't care. I like Kyle so much. I want one of us sitting at final three. We are truly number ones. I only want one of us walking away with a million dollars.
Kamilla has proven time and time again that she's with me, and getting that secret off my chest gives me a clear head. I rode the middle of this game, and I've waited to make a choice: Joe and Eva or Kamilla. But it's clear that Kamilla's my number one. Kamilla and I will be working together to the end of this game. We both have sort of come to the conclusion that we want one of us to at least be sitting at the final three.
This is where it gets scary. Sending home Joe means we keep Mary around for another day. I don't trust Mary at all, but both me and Kyle know we're gonna turn on Joe. It's just been a matter of when.
At this point, it's just my life on the line tonight. But I still have one more trick up my sleeve. I'm gonna pull a little bit of Russell Hantz, a little bit of villain. I'm gonna cause chaos.
I'm feeling… Not panic, not 'oh my gosh,' but a little unsettled because the plan is to vote out Mary. However, Mary is very smart, and a really advanced player would do that if they had an idol. If she throws my name down and has an idol and all of us go on Mary, I'd go home. So the only thing that made sense was to throw a vote on someone else.
Everybody is saying, 'she doesn't have it. Don't worry.' Nobody really had empathy with me in the moment, but I don't think Kyle or Mitch would have been as calm if they were in my spot.
If Joe writes down Mitch or Kamilla or whoever, that person's gonna be upset. You're showing them that they're next. And now it's pretty simple for Mitch to go to Kamilla and say, 'hey, this is our opportunity. All we have to do is tell Kyle.' And if they write down Joe's name, they can get Joe out.
This Tribal just got so much more complicated than it needed to because Joe got paranoid. It's like, 'hey, man, do what I did.' Twice. Twice, I had people writing down my name, and I acted cool as a cucumber. Mr. I've worn an immunity necklace three times, and now you're freaking out because one person's gonna write your name down? What that type of paranoia tells me is that he's willing to flip. He might be willing to write my name down at the end of the day, so… should I write down Joe?
I'm trying to make the right decision tonight. Making a move against Joe could maybe push me to the front-runner of this game. And if I were to flip, Joe throwing a hinky vote would be a perfect opportunity for me to sort of put the nail in the coffin here. Because that might get me the numbers to vote him out. But I just don't know if I can betray that trust. So it's really hard to figure out whether this is the time to make the big move.
”
Challenges[]
Reward/Immunity Challenge:Driving Wheel Castaways will drive a one-wheeled barrow carrying an urn with a key through a series of obstacles. At the end of the course, each castaway will use their key to unlock a set of letter blocks. The first person to build an arch that correctly spells out the word "UNFORGETTABLE" on both sides of the puzzle wins. Reward: Sushi Winner:Kamilla Karthigesu(shared with Eva Erickson and Mitch Guerra)
I just got voted out and I'm proud of myself. I fought the way that I knew best until the bitter end, but I have been living on borrowed time because I think everybody a little bit scared to sit next to me in the Final Three because they knew that I was the last Vula member standing, so I have no regrets.
As of this episode, all the original members from Vula have been eliminated.
Mary ties with Stephenie LaGrossa, Jefra Bland, and Emily Flippen as the lowest-placing contestants to be the highest-ranking member of their original tribe, with all four finishing in seventh place.
With Mary's elimination, Eva is the last remaining member of post-switch Lagi.
The episode title was said by Kamilla, referring to Mary's perceived inconsiderateness with eating coconuts.
