Tribal Council was crazy. Ben tried to make a move on me, but Sophie went to the Edge. So there's hard feelings. Ben is pissed. He's not even talking to me. It's so crazy. He's such a child. Like, grow up, Ben. Come on, man. The game goes up and down. Just chill out and let's play.
To have Tony come up with this all alone, I'm absolutely infuriated with him. It's ridiculous. It's a two million dollar game. What are you doing, dude?! We were fine! And now do we even have the numbers? You think we do, but you don't know if we do.
Wow, man. Usually, you blindside somebody, you go back to camp, you hash it all out, and everybody's like, "It's okay. It's all good." Not this time. This time, it's like deep wounds, man. But, come on, give me a break. I'm playing the game, too, you know? This is war. Stop crying. Put your man panties on and go to war.
Tony's telling me about all his advantages and all his idols, so he's gaining trust. But I don't know if I trust him, because he's blindsided me hugely.
I still want Jeremy out next. A) He is a challenge beast, right? And B) He is a jury threat. He's gonna get all the votes. Like, there's just no way for me to work with Jeremy, so I am not talking to Jeremy right now, and I don't want to talk with Jeremy right now.
I made a big power move, which was blindsiding Sophie. The backlash was unbelievable, so I think I'm in trouble. My wife told me, "Tony, this time you can't play wild. You can't play crazy. You can't play flashy." But I got the itch, and now this is the time for another undercover operation. In my first season, season 28 in Cagayan, I made a spy shack, and it worked. And then, Game Changers, my second season, I made the underground bunker. It was a failure, but it was fun. Right now, my spying has evolved, and now I'm up in the air. It's called the spy nest. It's like a bird nest that I perch myself on, just like a bird, and I sit there and I wait to hear conversations that are going on. The only person that knows I'm undercover is my partner, Sarah.
If we were in the real world and Tony and I were partners, one of us would be fired, okay? Tony's back to the old Tony, and it's nonstop-- go, go, go. And he doesn't let up. He's got my back and I got his back and we're not gonna turn on each other. But if he's not willing to back off a little, then he's gonna get himself voted out.
Last night was emotional and a little bit crazy. And it's super clear people are thinking Jeremy's gonna go next. But, hell no. I mean, I'm not doing that. For me, it's really obvious that Tony and Sarah are a problem right now. But I still have a relationship with Sarah that can be salvaged. I'd so much rather see Tony go than Sarah. And I'm done with the sitting around, hoping that I'm on the right side of the votes.
Tony has been running the show, and we've been left out of the loop. We've been made fools of. And I think a lot of us are feeling that way right now. This game is about power. And this seems like a perfect opportunity to gain a little bit of control in this game and take out Tony.
I knew this challenge is gonna really, really suck. It's going to be a marathon, just like the log challenge was. And so I knew I wanted to pace myself.
I got out to the lead the first couple laps. It was probably not a good idea if I'm setting the pace. I should probably slow down and let somebody else take the lead.
The stakes are really high for this challenge. Only six people are gonna be able to win tokens. This is pretty stiff competition. Wendell's really strong. Tyson's an endurance athlete. Yul's really strong. Natalie is a superhero.
It was more brutal than I expected it to be. And when I see how fast these girls are going, I'm thinking, "I can't, even if I wanted to, keep up with them."
I slipped and fell and cracked my elbow. I just felt it. Like, I tried to shake it off, but, like... I knew I was done. That was it for me. I was toast.
Sophie was in the lead for a majority of the time, but I knew that I had a little bit more in the tank. I just pushed and I was like, "Why not beat her?" And I beat her. That was fun.
Once I got to those final coconuts, I'm like, "Okay, here I am. Pick up the pace. You've got to fight. You're further out than you thought you were. Go for it. You've got to go for it to get those tokens."
I just kept running and picking up the pace and thought I could catch Wendell, and I started to close the gap on him. Unfortunately, I started out way too slow and just couldn't gain enough ground. And I finished seventh, just one short of winning two Fire Tokens.
It was hard to see him still going to get those coconuts well after it was finished. That shows you that he's not a quitter... and that he's gonna keep on fighting.
The more people are fighting, the more there is a war, the more crossfire and friendly fire going on, the more I can really crank it up. Now is the time to start trying to figure out who I want to sit at the end with and finding a way to get everybody else out.
I'm done just making it one step farther. I got my eye on the prize at this point, and that's why I have to make big moves. I have to do something to stand out.
In my opinion, there's three people in this game still that certainly beat me at the end, at least three. That's Jeremy, Sarah, and Tony. We'll have to get rid of 'em.
Sophie went out with an idol. So now it's gonna be out here. I need to save myself. If I don't find it, if Tony doesn't find it, we could be in hot water.
There's been a mad dash already, and there's a lot of hands out here digging. There may be another Hidden Immunity Idol in the mix, which complicates everything all over again. Everybody's looking through the dirt and the cobwebs and digging around trees. We really want to get Tony out. So we need to get the Hidden Immunity Idol before Tony so that he doesn't have something else up his sleeve.
I found the idol. And the first reaction is, "Oh. Oh, no. Got to turn it around. Don't let anybody see." And then Tony's standing right there. He's like, "Come on, Ben."
You know, I was trying to hide it from Tony, right? Because I barely trust Tony right now. Kim wants to take out Tony, but Tony has an idol. So I need him to be comfortable. He thinks he has me in his pocket, and that's perfect, because I need to figure out what route I'm gonna take-- whether or not to go with Kim and start targeting Tony or if I can work with the guy, right?
What?! I won three in a row. Back-to back-to back. It's amazing, 'cause anything can happen. I could've sneezed at that moment. Mosquito could've bit me in the eyeball. So, thanks, Nick. One token for an Immunity Necklace? I'll take it. That's a bargain.
We'll have to put our plan on the back burner. I tried to do my best to win that Immunity Challenge, and I was falling off. At least I get one of Tony's Fire Tokens, peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. And Jeremy goes home, anyways, and there's no harm. So I think it's a win-win.
I am distraught. I've been close with Jeremy since Day 1 in this game. He's kind of been, like, my true family out here. But... I don't know how we get out of this pickle.
I'm talking to Nick, and he's looking at me, and he's fumbling his words. I keep asking him, "Nick, what's going on?" He's always lost. Like, come on, man. Nick is lying to me right in my face.
So, now I'm 100% worried about Kim trying to get these lower-tier threats together. So, if Jeremy goes home, we're screwed, 'cause the ladies are gonna stick together and possibly use Nick.
Everybody is voting Jeremy, and I don't think that I can shift the tides and save him. I have to write Jeremy's name down, but it doesn't mean that I can't try to throw him a bone to help him out.
I don't feel in control of my game. I have the 50/50 idol in my pocket. If all else fails, I can use that. But it could be an idol, it could be nothing. It's a flip of the coin. I might not be coming back to camp tonight.
The feeling of being voted out was weird, but I'm not sorry for trying to gather the troops to take out Tony. I think it was the right move, and the game's not over. I won't step down for peanut butter on the battle back.
”
Challenges[]
Immunity Challenge:When It Rains
Castaways must balance on a narrow perch while having one arm above their head with their wrist tethered to a bucket of water on top of a platform. If at any point, they tip their bucket, fall off their perch, or touch the structure, they are out. At random points during the challenge, the host may tempt the contestants with food items. The last man and woman standing both win. Additional Stipulation: Each winner will each receive two Fire Tokens. Winner:Denise Stapley and Tony Vlachos
