Man Down is the second episode of Survivor: Guatemala.
| “ | One Survivor is appalled when a nest of ants are served up for dinner in a tribe desperate for protein. | ” |
—Episode Synopsis[2] | ||
Story[]
Night 3[]
Nakúm returns from Tribal Council, and Bobby Jon Drinkard talks in a confessional about how he has been there so often that it is as if he is living and paying rent there. He later begins to get nauseous again and runs off. Margaret Bobonich talks about how the men are all still physically spent from the hike to begin the game and then the Immunity Challenge, which is making morale plummet.
Day 4[]
The sun rises and crocodiles are swimming in the waters near Yaxhá, while the tribe settle in the shelter and talk. Brianna Varela talks about how Yaxhá is an amazing tribe with amazing people in her confessional, and Jamie Newton agrees as well.
 Jamie |
“ | We got the most diverse group ever. We got a bum (points to himself), we got a police officer (Amy), we got a magician's assistant (Morgan), we got a fishmonger (Lydia), we got a gay guy (Rafe), and we got a landscaper (Gary), and we all come together and it's brilliant. | ” |
Gary Hogeboom talks in confessional about trying to hide his true identity from the other tribe members, and that he was an NFL quarterback, and Stephenie LaGrossa agrees with Jamie and Brianna's sentiments that Yaxhá is full of great people that get along well and it was far better than her time during Survivor: Palau.
Back at Nakúm, Judd Sergeant comes back to camp with their Tree Mail, and Blake Towsley is talks in confessional about how hard it's been to recover with so little food and sleep. Margaret, herself a nurse practitioner, explains further that Blake, even for being so young and fit, has been heaving and struggling to breathe around camp and that it's a scary thing to witness. Brandon Bellinger wonders in confessional if Blake will ever be able to recover, or if Blake can even handle being in the jungle of Guatemala in the first place. Brandon does feel bad for him, however, but wants Brandon to suck it up and man up.
Jeff Probst brings in the tribes to the Reward Challenge, where Yaxhá learns that Jim Lynch was the first person voted out of the game. Probst reveals the reward, and both tribes are thrilled to see fishing supplies and bait. Amy volunteers to sit out. Jamie scores the first bag for Yaxhá. Cindy then helps Nakúm pull back to even with Yaxhá. Rafe struggles in the challenge, causing Nakúm to move ahead. The challenge continues to be neck and neck, where Blake manages to outdo Brian Corridan in collecting the eighth and final bag, winning the reward for Nakúm and promptly collapsing in exhaustion after crossing the finish line.
Day 5[]
Birds chirp and crocodiles peek out of the water as the sun rises on Nakúm, who are using the fishing supplies they won. Brandon was pumped to win that reward, and more than excited to go out and fish. Blake, in confessional, talks about how he is slowly feeling himself come back to life. The bait is working like a charm, and fish is being caught left and right. Meanwhile at Yaxhá, Rafe Judkins speaks in confessional about how desperate they are in searching for food, going so far as to eat some of the insects they find. Gary Hogeboom, in his confessional, talks about the tribe is working constantly, and Morgan McDevitt hasn't picked up her end of the workload, even though he likes her. Lydia Morales creates a small cove inlet and how she will use it to catch fish, which she hopes will provide some protein for the tribe. Rafe and Gary bring home part of an ant nest, and Stephenie comments in confessional how disgusting the thought of eating ants is to her. Rafe eats a few and says that they have a bit of a zingy taste to them. Lydia comes back with a small helping of minnows, 10 in total, which the tribe is happy to see as they share the minnows.
 Lydia |
“ | You know what they say, "A way to a man's heart is through their stomachs." | ” |
Back at Nakúm, Judd and Blake sit down as they curse the hot weather.
 Judd |
“ | Let me tell you something about Blake. He does basically nothing at camp. I mean, the guy's a great guy, but he does nothing at camp. And then you got Margaret just nurturin' him all day... Every time I turn around, it's all I hear. "Sit down, relax, get some water. Sit down, relax, get some water." And I'm saying to myself "Damn! How much more relaxing does this dude need, man?" | ” |
Judd and Brandon talk about their frustrations with Blake being dead weight around camp.
Day 6[]
| “ | Blood, sweat, tears, and ... mud. Today you'll give it all.
Stretching, pulling, scraping, clawing. This could be a brawl. The hardest work since you've arrived Will happen here today You decide how much sweat to give. Tonight one more goes away. |
” |
—Tree Mail | ||
Bobby Jon reads Tree Mail, and Danni Boatwright talks about how Nakúm is full of athletic people, and that, as a sports radio host, she knows the other tribe has a former NFL quarterback, jokingly talking about how quarterbacks usually aren't as physically strong as some of the other positions on a football team.
Both tribes show up for the Immunity Challenge, and Probst explains the rules. Brianna volunteers to sit out. The challenge starts, and everyone is giving it their all from the start, especially Bobby Jon. Brian and Danni tug on the other tribes' ropes then get into a scuffle with each other. 15 minutes pass and no one makes it to the end of the mud pit, which prompts a one-on-one match between Judd and Gary. Danni cheers Judd on by saying that Gary is like a quarterback and Judd is like a linebacker, which Gary doesn't like hearing at all. Five minutes pass, and Judd wins the first point for Nakúm. Jamie and Brandon face off in the second round. Jamie makes a mistake, and Brandon secures the second flag for Nakúm outright. The third match is between Judd and Jamie. Jamie pulls out a huge surge of momentum, but with 15 seconds left, Judd makes a huge burst of power to pull Jamie away, winning Immunity for Nakúm.
Yaxhá return to camp and wash the mud off of themselves. The men comment about needing to keep the tribe physically strong, but also see Stephenie as a major threat. Word gets to Stephenie later on, and she comments in confessional about how stupid that is to want to get rid of her when she's the strongest woman on the tribe. As they settle down by the fire to eat, Gary is confronted with the intel that he may have been a quarterback in the NFL, which Gary vehemently denies. Brian tells the tribe about how he got the information from Danni, explaining that Danni is a sportscaster and she knows Gary as part of her job. Gary, in confessional, wonders why Danni is trying to muck up the other tribe and trying to tear them apart, while still being worried that if the secret gets out, he may quickly be voted out because of who he is, given that being in the NFL made him a fairly wealthy man. He also ponders on whether to vote for Lydia, considered a weak link in physical challenges, or Morgan, who is lazy around camp. Stephenie talks with the tribe majority about voting out Lydia. Brian pulls Gary aside and tries to plant the seed that Lydia is a hard worker at camp and has never been responsible for the tribe losing a challenge.
 Brian |
“ | Lydia's name came up because they think she's weaker 'cause she's older. She's pulled her weight in challenges, she walked 11 miles with everybody else. The woman can do the work. I told her, I said "Lydia, it's not looking good for you" 'cause she needs to know. | ” |
After being warned by Brian about the vote tonight, Lydia makes it her mission to talk to everyone individually to plead her case before Tribal Council while Brian continues to vouch for her. Rafe talks in confessional that going to Tribal sucks and no one wants to go there, but it's going to happen eventually.
At Tribal Council, Jeff starts by instructing the members of Yaxhá to pick up a torch and light them. Stephenie talks about, having previously played the game, wondered how she would fare with her tribemates, but has been relieved that everything has been just fine. Jamie reiterates Stephenie's point that she does know the game inside and out already, complimenting her on her more boyish qualities, specifically her physical strength. Jeff asks Lydia about appearing the least equipped to play Survivor, and that maybe that idea might be in her head. Lydia, however, rebuts that statement, telling him that she hasn't given up yet in the game and will continue not giving up. Morgan answers Jeff's question of how she feels about Tribal tonight, stating that everyone has been honest with each other and that voting someone off will be tough but has to be done. Rafe talks about basing his vote on keeping the tribe cohesively strong, talking about how the tribe has quickly become one big happy family, and that losing someone among them will be a crushing blow. Jeff then closes discussions and the tribe votes. Thanks to Brian's late attempt to flip the vote, and Lydia's determined speech at Tribal, Yaxhá decide to unanimously speak, voting out Morgan as the second person to be voted out of the game.
Challenges[]
Challenge: Web Over Water
The tribes race one member at a time up a ramp and onto a rope spider web where there are eight bags for each tribe. Crawling underneath the web, they need to retrieve a bag. Once they have one, they must jump into the water below the net and make their way back to the start. The first tribe to retrieve all eight bags wins reward.
Reward: Fishing supplies
Winner: Nakúm
Challenge: Dragged Through Mud
Both tribes are attached to each other by a rope and must pull their way to the edge of the field to claim a tribe flag. Tribe members are free to stop pulling themselves at any time to physically interfere with their opponents' progress. If after 15 minutes neither tribe has retrieved a flag, the challenge will change to one-on-one showdowns between each tribe; each showdown will last 5 minutes, with the person closer to the flag by the end of each match scoring a point for their tribe. The first tribe to score three points wins.
Winner: Nakúm
Tribal Council[]
| Tribal Council 2: Yaxhá | |
|---|---|
| Voted Against |
Voter |
 Morgan (8 votes) |
     Amy, Brian, Brianna, Gary, Jamie, Lydia, Rafe, Stephenie |
Lydia (1 vote) |
Morgan |
VOTED OUT: Morgan McDevitt | |
Voting Confessionals[]
Brian |
“ | (voting against Morgan) Morgan, I'm voting for you because I overheard you tell Jamie that he can't trust me. And damn, if you tried to mess with my fishmonger; nobody messes with my Lydia. I hope to high heaven this works. I scrambled last minute. | ” |
Morgan |
“ | (voting against Lydia) Um, believe it or not, Lydia, this is gonna be one of the hardest decisions that I make while I'm out here. Um, you are a fierce competitor. You're a really hard worker, um, and you can do anything you put your mind to, but I made a promise, and I'm keeping my word. | ” |
Gary |
“ | (voting against Morgan) Morgan, you're a great girl. I think you did great in the challenges. This is all about camp life, and how much you work and contribute to our team... um, in the camp. Had to vote for somebody. | ” |
Brianna |
“ | (voting against Morgan) Morgan, you're a sweet girl. I truly did trust you. Did you really trust me? | ” |
Jamie |
“ | (voting against Morgan) I told you I was gonna do anything I could to save my girl Lydia. I'm sorry you couldn't listen and vote for Brianna. | ” |
Lydia |
“ | (voting against Morgan) This was not my choice, but, now, I know what you mean when you told me, "What would you do if you were placed in this position when someone had asked you?". | ” |
Amy |
“ | (voting against Morgan) I'm voting for Morgan. Baby girl, literally, this was a last minute team decision. Good luck. | ” |
Stephenie |
“ | (voting against Morgan) Um, Morgan, um, you did awesome out here, girl, but that's nothing against you, it's just that it's all part of the game. I'm going with the numbers. It helps my strategy. See you on the outside. | ” |
Rafe |
“ | (voting against Morgan) If someone told me on the first day that I would be voting for you now, I would have called them an absolute liar. You better believe that I'm gonna win this thing for you. Love you. | ” |
Final Words[]
Morgan |
“ | Wow. I just didn't really see that one coming...at all. I mean, I don't know why I got voted off. I just feel really naive. Either way, it was such an amazing experience. I got to live in Guatemala for almost a week. And I done a lot of things that I didn't think I could do. So the experience overall was worth every second. | ” |
Still in the Running[]
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Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first time in his two seasons where Bobby Jon has won immunity.
References[]