Episode 11: “As Snaky-Ratty As It Gets”
Surviving Fiji, Episode 11: “As Snaky-Ratty As It Gets” by David Bloomberg -- 04/27/2007 Alex and Mookie are on Survivor life support. Can they save themselves? What are they willing to do to continue in the game? How low can they go? And even if they go that low, will it help or hurt them in the end? Last week, we saw an awful lot of strategizing and scrambling. Dreamz, Stacy, and Boo all switched sides, and then Stacy led the Earl-alliance (I’ll just call it the Earlliance) in switching targets just in case Dreamz was playing a triple-agent. In the end, Edgardo left, Alex and Mookie were probably not too thrilled at Dreamz, and Dreamz was probably wondering what the heck happened to switch things. Let’s see what everybody is doing this week! When the tribe returns from Council, Mookie and Alex quickly come to the conclusion that they’re dead meat and Dreamz double-crossed them, and was probably playing them all along. The double-crosser, meanwhile, tells Stacy he’s not a liar. She says they were just afraid the others were feeding him misinformation. Uh huh. He buys it, and even says, “That was smart.” He tells us he’s comfortable with their explanation. Earl talks about how “brilliant” the move was (OK, I do have to give them credit – it was pretty good) and says the power is on their side. I really hope he doesn’t get too comfortable, because after only two more votes, if that, the Earlliance is going to have to turn on itself, and it might not work out so well. Stacy says Mookie and Alex’s days are numbered so they don’t even have to stress out. “They’ll be lucky if they get fed.” Good to see she’s still the same Stacy we all know and, well, hate. Alex supports her for his entire time on Moto, and then ensures she stays while Michelle goes, and she’s ready to see him starve. Nice. The next morning, Alex and Mookie are still complaining to each other about Dreamz. They say he is “a true traitor” and it would be nice if he’d at least come over and say, “Sorry, but it’s a game.” Yeah, ‘cus I’m sure that would make them feel soooo much better and they wouldn’t lash out at him or anything. Then Dreamz does wander over and ask why they aren’t hanging out together anymore. Alex is like, “Why do you think?” Dreamz claims they all were outwitted the previous night. Alex says Dreamz turned on them, but Dreamz denies it. He admits to voting for Mookie, and says something about how when the Earlliance had the Horsemen, he’d have to go with them… or something. I really don’t understand what he’s saying or whatever logic he’s trying to use. But he insists he didn’t turn on them, that much I know. Dreamz explains to us that he told them a story about him not knowing what was going on. I still don’t understand how that plays with him voting against Mookie, though. Anyway, Dreamz says as much as he wants them gone, he’s going to need their votes at the end, so he wants to remain friends. We are quickly whisked away to the reward challenge, where the players are randomly divided into two teams. One person from each team will be on a platform, launching balls into a mud field, where one of their teammates will attempt to catch it in a “catch basket” that looks a bit like what is used to play jai alai. You can also catch the other team’s ball, of course. First team to five wins reward, which is: stuff to get nice and clean. But they won’t take it to camp – they’ll board a seaplane and fly to a luxury spa resort, where they will shower, sleep in a bed, and return in the morning. Of course, the winners also send a loser to Exile Island, where they will find a new clue to the rehidden immunity idol. The teams are: Orange, consisting of Yau-Man (launcher), Boo, Cassandra, and Mookie. Green, consisting of Stacy (launcher), Dreamz, Earl, and Alex. And they’re launched! Yau-Man launches his too long, while Stacy waits a few seconds and Earl has it… but loses it. Next launch, Boo outgrabs Dreamz to get an Orange point from Yau-Man, and then Mookie steals one of Stacy’s to get a second point for Orange. We see several misses, including one in which Cassandra puts a choke hold on Earl! Earl complains and Probst says it’s up to them to determine how physical they want to get. Oh, then Cassandra better watch out. Dreamz scores the first Green point with a deep one from Stacy. In the next launch, Boo and Alex are moving for the ball together, with a little bit of pushing going on (I’d say professional basketball level). Boo slips in the mud and starts yelling in pain. He can’t stand up and says he thinks it’s his ACL – his knee. That doesn’t sound good, and Probst calls for medical attention. He stands up and moves it around a little and we can hear it pop back into place! Everybody shudders – I don’t, ‘cus my knees are like that, so I’m used to it. He bounces around a little bit and declares himself fit and ready to continue. The injury doesn’t stop Boo from trying to get the next Yau-Man launch, nor does it stop Alex from knocking his arm away and making sure he misses. Dreamz scores another for Green, tying the score. Yau-Man launches a short one for Mookie, who catches it to put Orange back in the lead. Then Dreamz easily catches another Stacy launch, tying it again. Stacy shoots one towards Alex, but Cassandra trips him. Yau-Man hits Mookie again, so Orange is only one point away from winning. Mookie breaks left and Yau-Man fires, but Alex sticks in his basket and steals it to tie things up! Boo misses Yau-Man’s shot, but Stacy goes after her favorite target and Dreamz catches it, winning reward for Green! He raises his hands in victory – and really, he was the Green team. Green sends Boo to Exile Island because he’s been “living the life of luxury” since he arrived (so has Stacy). Although I think it’s really because they don’t think he’ll find the immunity idol. Then they all pile onto the seaplane as they are, full of mud. On Exile Island, Boo finds the new clue. It says the idol is back at their beach, close to a single tree and easy to reach. Despite the fact that he got back into the game, Boo says his knee does hurt. Plus, he’s out of water and nearing heat exhaustion. Meanwhile, as the seaplane heads to the spa, Alex tells us the first thing he plans to do is try to wiggle his way “back” into the alliance. Um. “Back”? He was never in it! Anyway, he knows he’s in a bad position, but he’s going to give it his all. When they arrive, it’s time to hit the shower and use a lot of sponsor products. They have dirt and mud everywhere. Then it’s time for dinner, which looks good! Stacy tells us everything was good, but it was “extremely awkward to have Alex there.” Alex himself starts talking about what a gentleman he is in playing the game, minimizing showboating, etc. Stacy adds in, “sometimes.” God, she really is a bitch, isn’t she? Alex and Earl go rest after dinner, and Alex asks him what the voting order will be. Earl says he can’t reveal that information because the game isn’t over. Alex says he thinks Mookie wants to go, and Earl says that’s why he might not go first, because he wants to go first. Way to turn the tables on him! The following morning, the seaplane returns the winners to camp. Mookie says they all smell like apples and strawberries. Heh. He’s sure their trip was great, but he hates hearing about it. And even though he seems like he’s dead meat, his heart is still in it and he’s constantly thinking about it. Later, Mookie and Dreamz talk, with Mookie theorizing that Yau-Man found the idol, as he’s the only one who always sticks around camp and thus has plenty of time. Good guess! Since Yau-Man is actually out fishing for a change, Mookie and Alex decide to go rummage through his stuff. Mookie finds it in his bag and Alex wonders what they can do with that information. Elsewhere, Stacy and Cassandra are toasting “a long and prosperous game together” with pineapples. Knowing how Stacy previously treated Cassandra, I feel like I want to throw up. Mookie and Alex wander nearby, talking about Yau-Man’s idol, and the women duck into hiding. I would think the cameraman standing nearby filming them might give them away, but apparently not. The men continue discussing how they can use this information to their advantage. It sounds like they want to turn people against Yau-Man by revealing that he has the idol and hasn’t told them about it. In fact, Mookie’s idea is to wait until Tribal Council and ask him if he has the idol. He would like and say no, and Mookie would push for him to empty his pockets and prove it. Then, when it was shown he lied, everybody would turn on Yau-Man. While this sounds good in theory, I think it’s a plan that’s destined to fail – and not just because Stacy and Cassandra are listening in. Rarely does a vote actually get decided at Tribal Council, no matter what is said there. Yeah, people might get mad later, but it is very doubtful they’d all instantly turn on an ally like that. Alex figures that even if they get voted out, though, it would still be great – going out swinging. But then, Stacy shifts and snaps a branch. How many times have you seen that in a movie? But she really does! Mookie looks up and notices the two of them. Whoops! As Alex says, “We’re screwed.” Yup. Time for Plan B. They leave the spied-on area and say they’ll walk up to Yau-Man and ask him if he wants them to reveal to everybody that he has the idol or if he wants to do it himself. But they realize they need to do it before the women get back. I guess they just want to do whatever they can to stir the pot at this point. They run back to the beach as Stacy tells us that they really didn’t hear what the guys were saying, other than the odd word here or there. Ha! That’s hilarious! Mookie and Alex thought they were busted, but they weren’t, and now they’re going to bust themselves! Indeed, they get to Yau-Man and give him their big ultimatum. He tells them to do what they need to do, but he doesn’t think it will really change anything because he’s past the phase where he absolutely has to have it – he’s in the majority alliance. Still, Yau-Man decides he does need to tell the Earlliance about it. First up is Stacy, as he describes how Alex is “blackmailing” him. Stacy is offended that they went through his bag – specifically, Alex is blamed, even though it was Mookie who did it. Stacy tells several of the others that her “heart is hurting” because Alex did this and “threatened” him. Cassandra is pissed that they went through personal belongings and then tried to bully him. Earl seems to find it amusing that people are mad about what Alex and Mookie did rather than that Yau-Man has the idol! He is still upset that everybody now knows what only he and Yau-Man knew before, just because when lots of people know stuff, bad things can happen. Indeed, Dreamz says it changes things because anybody with an idol is dangerous. So himself, Cassandra, and Stacy will be on a different level because of it. “It’s gonna change a whole bunch of stuff.” Yau-Man seems to see the potential in this, saying the worst thing that could happen is if Alex or Mookie wins immunity and they get Dreamz and Boo to their side, making it a four-four split. I’m not entirely sure what one of them winning immunity has to do with anything, though. With that, we’re off to the immunity challenge! Probst welcomes them and brings back Boo. This challenge requires memory and strategy. They will each secretly choose three squares on a five-by-five grid. The squares have to line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally (we are shown a graphic of squares lighting up to illustrate this, for those of us who aren’t smarter than a first grader). Then they attempt to knock out opponents by selecting coordinates and bombing squares one by one. Ah, basically a game of Battleship! The last person to still have a square on the grid wins. OK, but what if the last two people have the same square? I guess we’ll bomb that bridge when we come to it. We are shown who picks what squares. Dreamz and Boo pick the same ones, with Earl sharing two of those also. There are a few other one-square overlaps as well. Dreamz fires first, D3, hitting Boo, Earl, and himself. Smart move, there. Cassandra goes with C3, hitting Yau-Man and herself. Wow, these folks are just freaking brilliant, aren’t they? Mookie picks E4, hitting Earl only – not himself, what a concept! Earl goes with B4, hitting Alex, Mookie, and Cassandra. Yau-Man hits Boo, Dreamz, and Earl with C2, knocking Earl out of the game and making it clear where Boo and Dreamz’ final square is. Stacy picks up on that and goes with B1, knocking those two out. Alex chooses D2 and whiffs completely. Cassandra goes with A4 and also misses. Mookie hits Cassandra with A5, knocking her out. Yau-Man tries C5, hitting Mookie and Stacy. Alex misses with B5. Stacy forgets that A4 was already picked and misses again with it. Mookie hits buddy Alex with C4. Yau-Man knocks out Mookie with A3. So Alex has only one left, while Mookie and Stacy have two remaining each. Alex fires at E5 and hits Yau-Man. Stacy picks D4, which is occupied by all of the remaining players. That means she knocks out both of her opponents in one shot and wins immunity! Back at camp, Alex finds some fruit, which he gives to Mookie and says he’s not going to share with the others. He tells us he’s up against the wall and doesn’t have many moves left, but he’s going down swinging. They’re going to be completely honest and cause some hell. Alex says he’s a lawyer, so he knows what it’s like to cause hell! Oh, wait, he doesn’t quite say that. He knows what it’s like to negotiate with people and work strategically. He’s going to point out at Tribal Council that they’ve aligned themselves with untrustworthy people, including Yau-Man. Elsewhere, Dreamz and Earl debate who should go. Dreamz says it should be Mookie because Alex at least helps around camp. Earl, who is thinking more clearly, says Alex has a better chance of winning immunity, while Mookie has mentally checked out of the game. Dreamz insists Alex can’t win immunity, but Earl rightly points out how much luck can play a factor in challenges (witness the one from mere minutes ago!). Now Boo is talking to Earl, saying Mookie and Alex could have found the other idol because it’s not hidden in a difficult spot. Um, okay, but they don’t have a clue (literally). Maybe Boo had a head injury, not just his knee. Earl agrees with me, saying it’s “impossible” for them to have found the idol without a single clue. But some of the others actually give credence to Boo’s wild-ass nonsense, deciding to split the vote between Mookie and Alex, just in case. God, what a stupid idea. Earl and Yau-Man once again agree with me, but I guess they are unwilling to say, “Boo, you are the dumbest man on the planet!” I’m not, though. Earl tells us the plan is to tie it up and then, once it’s clear there are no extra idols around, get rid of Alex, as he is the true target (presuming that there is a revote in case of a tie, rather than an immediate tie-breaker). They arrive at Tribal Council and the jury is brought in. Probst begins by talking about the reward challenge and asking Alex if he felt the game shift at all, what with the physicality and people yelling at each other. Alex says he doesn’t know if it changed the game, but it revealed something about the way people are willing to play games. The snakes and the rats, he said, have come out. What did Mookie notice? He says to some extent, they respect each other. But when it comes to playing and how they’re going to win, it’s a little different. He says there are two sides to the story, and I don’t understand how that plays into this discussion. But Probst wants to know about that other side. Mookie says there were two alliances, but one was completely destroyed last week with some backstabbing and trickiness. At that point, Mookie says, you feel yourself being an outsider. What do you do at that point? Mookie continues, saying he and Alex have their backs to the wall but they might have had a way they could get out through the immunity idol they found in Yau-Man’s bag. Probst is taken aback, saying, “Hold on! You found an immunity idol in Yau-Man’s bag?” Yup. “Found it?!” Probst notes that this is coming on the heels of Alex saying the snakes and rats came out. “That’s about as snaky-ratty as it gets.” Ha! Does Yau-Man think it’s fair? He says there is some expectation of privacy, but they are desperate and, besides, it won’t affect the outcome of the game for the next few rounds. Probst thinks that’s a “bold statement,” and Yau-Man says he may have to change his strategy later. Earl says he was pissed when he found out about them going through Yau-Man’s stuff. Dreamz avoids a question about trust to say when Alex and Mookie are gone, the remaining six will have to split up too, so he’s trying to figure out where he stands. Does Alex think there are people coasting in the game – people who are threats but aren’t seen that way? He says yes, and if he and Mookie are gone, whatever the others did to get to the final six will come back to bite them in the ass. Karma has a funny way of working in this game and it’s pretty immediate. With that, it’s time to vote. Hmmm. I don’t really see that Alex and Mookie did a lot of “going down swinging” here, so I doubt the votes will change any from the original plan. But let’s find out. Mookie votes for Boo, but it seems like he was just picking randomly. Surprisingly, Alex votes against Mookie, saying he’s just trying to stay ahead of the game! Did he know about the split vote? Whoa. Probst tallies and reads the votes: Alex, Alex, Mookie, Boo, Mookie, Mookie, Alex, Mookie. So much for the plan to vote off Alex! Probst says it appears the tribe has a core of six and Alex, which means either that Alex is in trouble or very valuable. With that, he sends them back to camp. In his final words, Mookie says he’s pretty relieved to be out of the game, but it would have been nice to stay if the alliances had worked out for him. He wants to be back there making everybody’s lives as miserable as his has been there. It was a great experience and he wouldn’t undo it for anything. Next week: Alex goes undercover and tries not to be seen or heard. Boo goes in the other direction, annoying everybody and refusing to stop talking. And the reward challenge “gets primal,” apparently eating chicken on a rope with their hands tied behind their backs. Another interesting episode. I never thought Mookie and Alex would turn the tide, and that was correct. But how the hell did Alex figure voting against Mookie would help him out? Great move. And dumb move for the Earlliance to split their votes. Why the hell would anybody listen to Boo? Sheesh.
Surviving Fiji, Episode 11: “As Snaky-Ratty As It Gets” by David Bloomberg -- 04/27/2007 Alex and Mookie are on Survivor life support. Can they save themselves? What are they willing to do to continue in the game? How low can they go? And even if they go that low, will it help or hurt them in the end? Last week, we saw an awful lot of strategizing and scrambling. Dreamz, Stacy, and Boo all switched sides, and then Stacy led the Earl-alliance (I’ll just call it the Earlliance) in switching targets just in case Dreamz was playing a triple-agent. In the end, Edgardo left, Alex and Mookie were probably not too thrilled at Dreamz, and Dreamz was probably wondering what the heck happened to switch things. Let’s see what everybody is doing this week! When the tribe returns from Council, Mookie and Alex quickly come to the conclusion that they’re dead meat and Dreamz double-crossed them, and was probably playing them all along. The double-crosser, meanwhile, tells Stacy he’s not a liar. She says they were just afraid the others were feeding him misinformation. Uh huh. He buys it, and even says, “That was smart.” He tells us he’s comfortable with their explanation. Earl talks about how “brilliant” the move was (OK, I do have to give them credit – it was pretty good) and says the power is on their side. I really hope he doesn’t get too comfortable, because after only two more votes, if that, the Earlliance is going to have to turn on itself, and it might not work out so well. Stacy says Mookie and Alex’s days are numbered so they don’t even have to stress out. “They’ll be lucky if they get fed.” Good to see she’s still the same Stacy we all know and, well, hate. Alex supports her for his entire time on Moto, and then ensures she stays while Michelle goes, and she’s ready to see him starve. Nice. The next morning, Alex and Mookie are still complaining to each other about Dreamz. They say he is “a true traitor” and it would be nice if he’d at least come over and say, “Sorry, but it’s a game.” Yeah, ‘cus I’m sure that would make them feel soooo much better and they wouldn’t lash out at him or anything. Then Dreamz does wander over and ask why they aren’t hanging out together anymore. Alex is like, “Why do you think?” Dreamz claims they all were outwitted the previous night. Alex says Dreamz turned on them, but Dreamz denies it. He admits to voting for Mookie, and says something about how when the Earlliance had the Horsemen, he’d have to go with them… or something. I really don’t understand what he’s saying or whatever logic he’s trying to use. But he insists he didn’t turn on them, that much I know. Dreamz explains to us that he told them a story about him not knowing what was going on. I still don’t understand how that plays with him voting against Mookie, though. Anyway, Dreamz says as much as he wants them gone, he’s going to need their votes at the end, so he wants to remain friends. We are quickly whisked away to the reward challenge, where the players are randomly divided into two teams. One person from each team will be on a platform, launching balls into a mud field, where one of their teammates will attempt to catch it in a “catch basket” that looks a bit like what is used to play jai alai. You can also catch the other team’s ball, of course. First team to five wins reward, which is: stuff to get nice and clean. But they won’t take it to camp – they’ll board a seaplane and fly to a luxury spa resort, where they will shower, sleep in a bed, and return in the morning. Of course, the winners also send a loser to Exile Island, where they will find a new clue to the rehidden immunity idol. The teams are: Orange, consisting of Yau-Man (launcher), Boo, Cassandra, and Mookie. Green, consisting of Stacy (launcher), Dreamz, Earl, and Alex. And they’re launched! Yau-Man launches his too long, while Stacy waits a few seconds and Earl has it… but loses it. Next launch, Boo outgrabs Dreamz to get an Orange point from Yau-Man, and then Mookie steals one of Stacy’s to get a second point for Orange. We see several misses, including one in which Cassandra puts a choke hold on Earl! Earl complains and Probst says it’s up to them to determine how physical they want to get. Oh, then Cassandra better watch out. Dreamz scores the first Green point with a deep one from Stacy. In the next launch, Boo and Alex are moving for the ball together, with a little bit of pushing going on (I’d say professional basketball level). Boo slips in the mud and starts yelling in pain. He can’t stand up and says he thinks it’s his ACL – his knee. That doesn’t sound good, and Probst calls for medical attention. He stands up and moves it around a little and we can hear it pop back into place! Everybody shudders – I don’t, ‘cus my knees are like that, so I’m used to it. He bounces around a little bit and declares himself fit and ready to continue. The injury doesn’t stop Boo from trying to get the next Yau-Man launch, nor does it stop Alex from knocking his arm away and making sure he misses. Dreamz scores another for Green, tying the score. Yau-Man launches a short one for Mookie, who catches it to put Orange back in the lead. Then Dreamz easily catches another Stacy launch, tying it again. Stacy shoots one towards Alex, but Cassandra trips him. Yau-Man hits Mookie again, so Orange is only one point away from winning. Mookie breaks left and Yau-Man fires, but Alex sticks in his basket and steals it to tie things up! Boo misses Yau-Man’s shot, but Stacy goes after her favorite target and Dreamz catches it, winning reward for Green! He raises his hands in victory – and really, he was the Green team. Green sends Boo to Exile Island because he’s been “living the life of luxury” since he arrived (so has Stacy). Although I think it’s really because they don’t think he’ll find the immunity idol. Then they all pile onto the seaplane as they are, full of mud. On Exile Island, Boo finds the new clue. It says the idol is back at their beach, close to a single tree and easy to reach. Despite the fact that he got back into the game, Boo says his knee does hurt. Plus, he’s out of water and nearing heat exhaustion. Meanwhile, as the seaplane heads to the spa, Alex tells us the first thing he plans to do is try to wiggle his way “back” into the alliance. Um. “Back”? He was never in it! Anyway, he knows he’s in a bad position, but he’s going to give it his all. When they arrive, it’s time to hit the shower and use a lot of sponsor products. They have dirt and mud everywhere. Then it’s time for dinner, which looks good! Stacy tells us everything was good, but it was “extremely awkward to have Alex there.” Alex himself starts talking about what a gentleman he is in playing the game, minimizing showboating, etc. Stacy adds in, “sometimes.” God, she really is a bitch, isn’t she? Alex and Earl go rest after dinner, and Alex asks him what the voting order will be. Earl says he can’t reveal that information because the game isn’t over. Alex says he thinks Mookie wants to go, and Earl says that’s why he might not go first, because he wants to go first. Way to turn the tables on him! The following morning, the seaplane returns the winners to camp. Mookie says they all smell like apples and strawberries. Heh. He’s sure their trip was great, but he hates hearing about it. And even though he seems like he’s dead meat, his heart is still in it and he’s constantly thinking about it. Later, Mookie and Dreamz talk, with Mookie theorizing that Yau-Man found the idol, as he’s the only one who always sticks around camp and thus has plenty of time. Good guess! Since Yau-Man is actually out fishing for a change, Mookie and Alex decide to go rummage through his stuff. Mookie finds it in his bag and Alex wonders what they can do with that information. Elsewhere, Stacy and Cassandra are toasting “a long and prosperous game together” with pineapples. Knowing how Stacy previously treated Cassandra, I feel like I want to throw up. Mookie and Alex wander nearby, talking about Yau-Man’s idol, and the women duck into hiding. I would think the cameraman standing nearby filming them might give them away, but apparently not. The men continue discussing how they can use this information to their advantage. It sounds like they want to turn people against Yau-Man by revealing that he has the idol and hasn’t told them about it. In fact, Mookie’s idea is to wait until Tribal Council and ask him if he has the idol. He would like and say no, and Mookie would push for him to empty his pockets and prove it. Then, when it was shown he lied, everybody would turn on Yau-Man. While this sounds good in theory, I think it’s a plan that’s destined to fail – and not just because Stacy and Cassandra are listening in. Rarely does a vote actually get decided at Tribal Council, no matter what is said there. Yeah, people might get mad later, but it is very doubtful they’d all instantly turn on an ally like that. Alex figures that even if they get voted out, though, it would still be great – going out swinging. But then, Stacy shifts and snaps a branch. How many times have you seen that in a movie? But she really does! Mookie looks up and notices the two of them. Whoops! As Alex says, “We’re screwed.” Yup. Time for Plan B. They leave the spied-on area and say they’ll walk up to Yau-Man and ask him if he wants them to reveal to everybody that he has the idol or if he wants to do it himself. But they realize they need to do it before the women get back. I guess they just want to do whatever they can to stir the pot at this point. They run back to the beach as Stacy tells us that they really didn’t hear what the guys were saying, other than the odd word here or there. Ha! That’s hilarious! Mookie and Alex thought they were busted, but they weren’t, and now they’re going to bust themselves! Indeed, they get to Yau-Man and give him their big ultimatum. He tells them to do what they need to do, but he doesn’t think it will really change anything because he’s past the phase where he absolutely has to have it – he’s in the majority alliance. Still, Yau-Man decides he does need to tell the Earlliance about it. First up is Stacy, as he describes how Alex is “blackmailing” him. Stacy is offended that they went through his bag – specifically, Alex is blamed, even though it was Mookie who did it. Stacy tells several of the others that her “heart is hurting” because Alex did this and “threatened” him. Cassandra is pissed that they went through personal belongings and then tried to bully him. Earl seems to find it amusing that people are mad about what Alex and Mookie did rather than that Yau-Man has the idol! He is still upset that everybody now knows what only he and Yau-Man knew before, just because when lots of people know stuff, bad things can happen. Indeed, Dreamz says it changes things because anybody with an idol is dangerous. So himself, Cassandra, and Stacy will be on a different level because of it. “It’s gonna change a whole bunch of stuff.” Yau-Man seems to see the potential in this, saying the worst thing that could happen is if Alex or Mookie wins immunity and they get Dreamz and Boo to their side, making it a four-four split. I’m not entirely sure what one of them winning immunity has to do with anything, though. With that, we’re off to the immunity challenge! Probst welcomes them and brings back Boo. This challenge requires memory and strategy. They will each secretly choose three squares on a five-by-five grid. The squares have to line up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally (we are shown a graphic of squares lighting up to illustrate this, for those of us who aren’t smarter than a first grader). Then they attempt to knock out opponents by selecting coordinates and bombing squares one by one. Ah, basically a game of Battleship! The last person to still have a square on the grid wins. OK, but what if the last two people have the same square? I guess we’ll bomb that bridge when we come to it. We are shown who picks what squares. Dreamz and Boo pick the same ones, with Earl sharing two of those also. There are a few other one-square overlaps as well. Dreamz fires first, D3, hitting Boo, Earl, and himself. Smart move, there. Cassandra goes with C3, hitting Yau-Man and herself. Wow, these folks are just freaking brilliant, aren’t they? Mookie picks E4, hitting Earl only – not himself, what a concept! Earl goes with B4, hitting Alex, Mookie, and Cassandra. Yau-Man hits Boo, Dreamz, and Earl with C2, knocking Earl out of the game and making it clear where Boo and Dreamz’ final square is. Stacy picks up on that and goes with B1, knocking those two out. Alex chooses D2 and whiffs completely. Cassandra goes with A4 and also misses. Mookie hits Cassandra with A5, knocking her out. Yau-Man tries C5, hitting Mookie and Stacy. Alex misses with B5. Stacy forgets that A4 was already picked and misses again with it. Mookie hits buddy Alex with C4. Yau-Man knocks out Mookie with A3. So Alex has only one left, while Mookie and Stacy have two remaining each. Alex fires at E5 and hits Yau-Man. Stacy picks D4, which is occupied by all of the remaining players. That means she knocks out both of her opponents in one shot and wins immunity! Back at camp, Alex finds some fruit, which he gives to Mookie and says he’s not going to share with the others. He tells us he’s up against the wall and doesn’t have many moves left, but he’s going down swinging. They’re going to be completely honest and cause some hell. Alex says he’s a lawyer, so he knows what it’s like to cause hell! Oh, wait, he doesn’t quite say that. He knows what it’s like to negotiate with people and work strategically. He’s going to point out at Tribal Council that they’ve aligned themselves with untrustworthy people, including Yau-Man. Elsewhere, Dreamz and Earl debate who should go. Dreamz says it should be Mookie because Alex at least helps around camp. Earl, who is thinking more clearly, says Alex has a better chance of winning immunity, while Mookie has mentally checked out of the game. Dreamz insists Alex can’t win immunity, but Earl rightly points out how much luck can play a factor in challenges (witness the one from mere minutes ago!). Now Boo is talking to Earl, saying Mookie and Alex could have found the other idol because it’s not hidden in a difficult spot. Um, okay, but they don’t have a clue (literally). Maybe Boo had a head injury, not just his knee. Earl agrees with me, saying it’s “impossible” for them to have found the idol without a single clue. But some of the others actually give credence to Boo’s wild-ass nonsense, deciding to split the vote between Mookie and Alex, just in case. God, what a stupid idea. Earl and Yau-Man once again agree with me, but I guess they are unwilling to say, “Boo, you are the dumbest man on the planet!” I’m not, though. Earl tells us the plan is to tie it up and then, once it’s clear there are no extra idols around, get rid of Alex, as he is the true target (presuming that there is a revote in case of a tie, rather than an immediate tie-breaker). They arrive at Tribal Council and the jury is brought in. Probst begins by talking about the reward challenge and asking Alex if he felt the game shift at all, what with the physicality and people yelling at each other. Alex says he doesn’t know if it changed the game, but it revealed something about the way people are willing to play games. The snakes and the rats, he said, have come out. What did Mookie notice? He says to some extent, they respect each other. But when it comes to playing and how they’re going to win, it’s a little different. He says there are two sides to the story, and I don’t understand how that plays into this discussion. But Probst wants to know about that other side. Mookie says there were two alliances, but one was completely destroyed last week with some backstabbing and trickiness. At that point, Mookie says, you feel yourself being an outsider. What do you do at that point? Mookie continues, saying he and Alex have their backs to the wall but they might have had a way they could get out through the immunity idol they found in Yau-Man’s bag. Probst is taken aback, saying, “Hold on! You found an immunity idol in Yau-Man’s bag?” Yup. “Found it?!” Probst notes that this is coming on the heels of Alex saying the snakes and rats came out. “That’s about as snaky-ratty as it gets.” Ha! Does Yau-Man think it’s fair? He says there is some expectation of privacy, but they are desperate and, besides, it won’t affect the outcome of the game for the next few rounds. Probst thinks that’s a “bold statement,” and Yau-Man says he may have to change his strategy later. Earl says he was pissed when he found out about them going through Yau-Man’s stuff. Dreamz avoids a question about trust to say when Alex and Mookie are gone, the remaining six will have to split up too, so he’s trying to figure out where he stands. Does Alex think there are people coasting in the game – people who are threats but aren’t seen that way? He says yes, and if he and Mookie are gone, whatever the others did to get to the final six will come back to bite them in the ass. Karma has a funny way of working in this game and it’s pretty immediate. With that, it’s time to vote. Hmmm. I don’t really see that Alex and Mookie did a lot of “going down swinging” here, so I doubt the votes will change any from the original plan. But let’s find out. Mookie votes for Boo, but it seems like he was just picking randomly. Surprisingly, Alex votes against Mookie, saying he’s just trying to stay ahead of the game! Did he know about the split vote? Whoa. Probst tallies and reads the votes: Alex, Alex, Mookie, Boo, Mookie, Mookie, Alex, Mookie. So much for the plan to vote off Alex! Probst says it appears the tribe has a core of six and Alex, which means either that Alex is in trouble or very valuable. With that, he sends them back to camp. In his final words, Mookie says he’s pretty relieved to be out of the game, but it would have been nice to stay if the alliances had worked out for him. He wants to be back there making everybody’s lives as miserable as his has been there. It was a great experience and he wouldn’t undo it for anything. Next week: Alex goes undercover and tries not to be seen or heard. Boo goes in the other direction, annoying everybody and refusing to stop talking. And the reward challenge “gets primal,” apparently eating chicken on a rope with their hands tied behind their backs. Another interesting episode. I never thought Mookie and Alex would turn the tide, and that was correct. But how the hell did Alex figure voting against Mookie would help him out? Great move. And dumb move for the Earlliance to split their votes. Why the hell would anybody listen to Boo? Sheesh.