Don't Be Blinded by the Headlights

Don't Be Blinded by the Headlights
Episode Information
Version	United States
Season	Philippines
Episode Number	2/15 (369)
Original Release	September 26, 2012
Viewership (in Millions)	10.31
Ratings/Share (18-49)	3.1/9
Episode Chronology
Previous	"Survivor Smacked Me in the Chops"
Next	"This Isn't a 'We' Game"
Subpages

Don't Be Blinded by the Headlights is the second episode of Survivor: Philippines.

Story

Night 3

After returning from their first Tribal Council where they eliminated Zane Knight, the Matsing tribe returns to camp, where Russell Swan thanks his tribe for sparing him after his poor leadership calls at the first Immunity Challenge. Russell promises to himself that he will step away from the leadership role and let the others lead him. Later, Roxy Morris notices Angie Layton and Malcolm Freberg snuggling up with each other to get warm as the rain pounds at them. Unknown to Roxy, Malcolm is just cautious with Angie. Not wanting to have a target on his back for a potential showmance, Malcolm carefully cuddles up with Angie so they can at least be warm over the rainy and windy night.

	Malcolm	“	When I first saw Angie, I kept having to remind myself 'Don't get booty blinded. Don't get booty blinded.' You're here to play Survivor.	”

	Roxy	“	With Angie, literally it's a booby trap and Malcolm is falling for it. Those two are dangerous together.	”

Day 4

As the rain continues to pound over the Caramoan Islands, at the Tandang tribe, RC Saint-Amour brings their rice bin over higher ground so that it will not get wet. She then inspects the rice to see if it got wet. Lo and behold, she finds a roll of parchment as she weaves through the rice – the clue to their Hidden Immunity Idol, but she cannot get the clue out with Lisa Whelchel behind her. As Lisa leaves the scene, RC. retrieves the clue and tells her ally, Abi-Maria Gomes, to meet her at the well. After reading the clue together, the two agree to keep the information to themselves and not divulge the clue to their male allies, Michael Skupin and Pete Yurkowski. Later that day, Abi-Maria sees RC talking to Michael, making her uncomfortable. Abi-Maria pulls RC aside and scolds her for having conversations without her knowledge. Though RC explains that Michael is merely her in-game father-figure, Abi-Maria snaps back, warning the investment banker not to "screw her over".

I notice that you and Mike are very close and it's stating to worry me. —Abi-Maria

Mike's like my father. —RC

This is a game. It doesn't matter if you like Mike or not. You go off together and whispering... —Abi-Maria

Yeah, but I feel the same way about you and Pete. —RC

But we don't switch conversations when people walk up to us. —Abi-Maria

	Abi-Maria	“	If she screws me over, that's it, she's dead to me.	”

	RC	“	I thought Abi was my number two. I thought she could handle it, but she can go off like that and that really makes me nervous.	”

At the Kalabaw tribe, who also struggle to stay dry during the rain, Jeff Kent uses the downtime to rest his left knee, which got injured during the marooning on Day 1. Sarah Dawson decides to play checkers with him, which frustrates Jonathan Penner, who is aware that their Hidden Immunity Idol is in plain sight, and wants to find it for himself.

	Jonathan	“	I've never had an [Hidden] Immunity Idol. I've never had individual immunity at all. This is a key to the game. I've got to find this thing before they get back to camp.	”

While the tribe moves to a nearby cave along with already weakened bonfire, Jonathan remains in the shelter to look for the idol. Dawson and Dana Lambert return to the shelter to get the flint, when they catch Jonathan trying to get something under their shelter. Jonathan explains to them he lost his contact lenses, so he was trying to look for his glasses. The two girls believe him and return to the cave. Jonathan continues to search for the idol, until he recognizes the lid of the ornate wooden rice container and its carabao-shaped token, which serves as the lid's handle. Jonathan yanks the token using the bolo knife, and finds a note stating that the token is indeed the Hidden Immunity Idol.

	Jonathan	“	For the first time in three tries, I have the Hidden Immunity Idol. It's fantastic.	”

Day 5

In another rainy morning at Matsing, the tribe sarcastically greets each other "good morning". Roxy again catches Angie and Malcolm cuddling in the shelter. Bent on breaking them apart, Roxy tells Russell and Denise Stapley about Angie and Malcolm's closeness. While Roxy is successful in making Russell worry, Denise, who is secretly aligned with Malcolm, is unmoved, trusting that Malcolm knows his limits. Meanwhile, Malcolm feels vulnerable after seeing his tribemates chatting from a distance, speculating that his closeness with Angie threatens them.

	Denise	“	I think part of it is just a 24 year-old guy snuggling up to something that is really nice to snuggle up to, but now it's like there's these huge targets on their back.	”

	Malcolm	“	They could see that as a threat potentially and if that's the case, we could be in trouble.	”

At Tandang, the tribe bonds inside the shelter to pass time, while Lisa sits quietly in a corner, listening to her tribemates' healthy conversation. Feeling like an outcast, Lisa walks toward the well and cries alone. With Lisa leaving the shelter out of nowhere, the tribe speculates that she might be looking for the Hidden Immunity Idol, given that she distances from her tribe a lot. The other five agree to vote out Lisa once they lose.

	Lisa	“	I'm an introvert by nature, so I don't do well with chit chat. I'm just not very good at that. It's hard being on the outside and maybe I'm just not able to play this game.	”

Day 6

With the rain battering them since the day they arrived at Caramoan, the Matsing tribe fortifies their shelter and tries to keep their fire going until Roxy, the smallest member of the tribe, starts crying and shivering. Russell gives her some words of encouragement. As the sun finally reveals itself, Roxy prays at the beach, making unintelligible chants, which disturbs Denise. Though respectful of others' beliefs, the sex therapist reveals that she would not rely on faith to move her forward in the game.

	Roxy	“	Right now, I'm encountering Christ all over again and it's not easy.	”

	Denise	“	I don't pray for anything. Anything that's going to get me to the end of the game is going to be to me.	”

After receiving Tree Mail, the three tribes meet host Jeff Probst for their next challenge, which is again for reward and immunity. With one extra member, Kalabaw and Tandang both sit out one tribemate, benching Abi-Maria and Dawson respectively. As the tribes strategize, Russell informs Angie and Roxy that either of them should pull the sled twice. Both girls excuse themselves from the task, with Angie saying she cannot go twice, while Roxy complains of dehydration. Kalabaw and Tandang both take an early lead, with Jeff and Carter Williams for Kalabaw and Michael and Pete for Tandang. Meanwhile, Matsing struggles with Angie and Russell pulling the sled. Kalabaw and Tandang closely contest the lead, while Matsing continues to bring up the rear. Matsing later bridges the gap at the puzzle-solving leg, thanks to Denise's instruction. In the end, Lisa and Dana secure their tribe's second consecutive victories, sending the still-winless Matsing tribe back to Tribal Council. In a fit of rage, Russell slams the puzzle piece he is holding, frustrated at some of his tribemates' lack of cooperation, pertaining to Angie and Roxy's decision not to go twice with the sled.

Returning from the challenge, Russell apologizes for his cursing. Later, the tribe is torn between two dyads: Angie and Malcolm against Roxy and Russell, both vying for Denise's vote. Though Russell knows that Roxy is her ally, he is doubtful of her ability to survive, yet the returning contestant feels that his safety will be compromised if the seminary student gets voted out. Roxy tells Russell that Angie is a liability, both for her poor performance at the challenge and her growing closeness to Malcolm. Meanwhile, Malcolm knows the crosshairs are on him because of his constant cuddling with Angie.

	Malcolm	“	Now, I'm nervous that that might come back to bite me.	”

	Denise	“	At this point, Roxy and Russell are definitely aligned, and I know Malcolm and Angie are aligned, and I'm caught in the middle of all of it.	”

At Tribal Council, Jeff Probst interrogates the tribe on what went wrong at the challenge. Russell starts by explaining his emotions after losing. Roxy complains that the tribe overworks at camp, so they are weakened whenever they compete in challenges. Denise replies, saying that they need to perform camp chores to have the well-being they need to win challenges. Probst asks Angie on what could possibly change the tribe. Angie responds with "That we could have....cookies," startling Probst and her tribemates. Russell chastises Angie, telling her to be serious. Roxy then calls out Angie and Malcolm and their alleged growing relationship, explaining how dangerous a pair is in the game. Malcolm rebuts that he was only trying to get warm and nothing else. In the end, with four votes to one, Roxy is sent home for her questioned ability to survive.

Challenges

Reward/Immunity Challenge: Manila Folders
Four tribe members will be divided into pairs and will alternately pull a sled to retrieve foldable puzzle pieces. Once all pieces are collected, the last tribe member will act as a caller, instructing his/her tribemates to form a puzzle. The first two tribes to complete the puzzle win the challenge.
Reward: The first placing tribe will receive a tarp, blankets, and pillows, while the runner-up will receive only a tarp.
Winners (according to finish): Tandang and Kalabaw

Tribal Council

Tribal Council 2: Matsing
Voted Against	Voter
Roxy (4 votes)	Angie, Denise, Malcolm, Russell
Angie (1 vote)	Roxy
VOTED OUT: Roxy Morris

Voting Confessionals

	Roxy	“	(voting against Angie) I have to call a spade a spade. If you want to pretend like it's something else, go ahead. God bless you and shalom.	”

	Angie	“	(voting against Roxy) I can't stand you, and I won't miss you.	”

Final Words

	Roxy	“	It's been six days, but it's been six long days. I think that the relationship between Angie and Malcolm will impact the game of Denise and Russell. At this point, there's no place to hide and every single one of them better be superstar Olympians. I have some good ties to that group, but if they believe they've made the best decision, then God be with them.	”

Still in the Running

Zane 18th	Roxy 17th	Abi-Maria Tandang	Angie Matsing	Artis Tandang	Carter Kalabaw	Dana Kalabaw	Dawson Kalabaw	Denise Matsing
Jeff Kalabaw	Jonathan Kalabaw	Katie Kalabaw	Lisa Tandang	Malcolm Matsing	Michael Tandang	Pete Tandang	RC Tandang	Russell Matsing

Trivia

Behind the Scenes

• Jeff Kent describes Kalabaw's shelter as having a leaky roof. He expresses his concern over the bad weather wearing down his tribe. The tribe finds a cave, but it is too small to fit all of them. In another confessional, Jeff affirms his mission to not let any of the returning players win the game.
• Roxy Morris shares her obsession with cleaning clothes. She says that by boiling laundry, it lessens the chance of infection.
• Lisa Whelchel expresses her happiness after winning the Immunity Challenge. Lisa lauds her male tribemates for their strength, which gave Tandang an immense lead early on. With the tarp and blankets, she believes that bad weather can be more bearable.
• Artis Silvester praises his Tandang tribemates for their challenge performance despite 6 days of fatigue, even calling Kalabaw's first place win at the first Immunity Challenge as "lucky". Artis empathizes with Russell Swan following his outburst at the challenge, saying he understands him not living up to his impressive leadership record during his time on Survivor: Samoa.
• On her "The Day After" interview, Roxy stated she and Angie Layton could have been an incredible alliance.
• This is the last episode to use the original Tribal Council voting music that had been in use since Survivor: Borneo.