The Yak had the opportunity to interview our last two Survivor castoffs this week. Both declare that they are huge fans of Survivor prior to being cast.

Dawn Meehan is a 41-year-old mother of six adopted children from South Jordan, Utah.
She is an English professor at Brigham Young University. Her hobbies include swimming with her children, writing/blogging and baking bread. Another passion of Dawns for the last 11 years was to become a contestant on Survivor! Dawn was actually cast for the Nicaragua season but was cut just prior to filming. She is ecstatic that she was able to meet Jeff Probst and relishes her “Survivor experience”. Dawn admits that she was out of her element on day one. “I was overwhelmed! The sky is falling!” She laughs when thinking about how that first day went. She’s rightfully proud in her ability to shake that off and become an extremely strong competitor and Survivor!

Whitney Duncan is a 27-year-old Country Western singer from Nashville, Tennessee. Her inspirations are Jesus and Elvis. “Jesus saved me and Elvis is the reason I started singing and performing.” Whitney was also set to star in the Nicaragua season ironically, however at the time she was under contract to Warner Brothers and it didn’t work out.

Another passion of Whitney’s is a tragic event that has happened to her family. In April of 2011 her beautiful, blonde 20-year-old cousin Hollie Bobo was abducted from her home in Tennessee and hasn’t been seen since. Whitney wants to bring this to light and wears a pink “Bring Hollie home” bracelet in honor of her missing cousin. Under scrutiny right now, Whitney says that she wants to keep her private life private however she was forthcoming with the information that prior to Survivor she was in an unhappy and unhealthy relationship. She definitely fell in love with Keith on Survivor and they are now a couple. “Who would have thought I would fall in love on Survivor?” she exclaimed. “We have a lot in common, we come from similar families and we have similar values. He’s just a great guy!”

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The Yak: What did you think about Cochran flipping on your Savaii tribe and being voted off?

Whitney: Cochran said it best. If the debt is not repaid it goes down as one of the most idiotic moves in Survivor history. Well, that’s how I saw it. I saw that it was not a smart move and he even admitted that he was humiliated. I really hate that Cochran was that gullible to believe Coach’s line of B.S honestly. We knew he was going 7th. I wasn’t shocked when his torch was snuffed.

The Yak: What was your strategy if the merge had resulted in Savaii taking out Upolu instead?

Whitney: Well the great thing, I think the whole tribe would agree that Ozzy would have gone sixth. For sure we would have had to get him out because of individual immunity and all that. You need to take out the biggest threats. In my mind it would have been Ozzy, Jim. Cochran was actually the perfect person. In my mind I had him going to final 3 with me. Of course because of individual immunity I didn’t think he would beat me. I had a great alliance with Dawn and with Keith and I felt very secure in that.

Dawn: Jim and Cochran would have been my final 3. I know since the show has aired Jim has laughingly said “I’m not going to take the Mormon mother of 6 adopted children to the end with me, but Jim and Cochran were definitely my final 3. The 3 of us trusted each other a great deal since day 11.

The Yak: Dawn, after Papa Bear was voted out who were you closest to?

Dawn: Oh, P Bear, you know for me I’m really close to Whitney throughout the whole game. I guess that’s not something we see a lot of (on the episodes). It doesn’t show that we have tension either. Again, I was really close to Whitney in the game, Jim, Cochran, and Keith. We all had a good relationship. I think “Sliding Rocks” typifies for me what the game was like for us. We all had a lot of mutual respect for each other. We all wanted to play the game hard. We were all in it for ourselves but we wanted to work with each other as much as we could for as long as we could.

The Yak: What is your honest opinion of Coach?

Dawn: You know I’ve had a hard time knowing how to explain what I think. You know I am impressed based on his day one reception from Upolu to see how he has been able to turn around his position in his tribe from day one, it’s remarkable. I mean his strategy, his ability to outwit when I’m around him, it seems so transparent. When we were in the game at the merge, I’m surprised that everyone is listening and following it. He’s so convincing and persuasive. I don’t think that anyone on Savaii would have been influenced by him outside of Cochran; he’s just so transparent. I think that’s why Christine and Mikayla left is because they weren’t buying it. I do think he’s doing a great job of playing the game though.

The Yak: Did you try to find any chink in the armor at Upolu prior to being voted out?

Dawn: Had we had Sophie we would have at the very least gotten rid of Edna. We had Cochran, we had Albert. The goal was Coach. To me that was the goal. Whitney and I tried to make the argument to Albert and Cochran that Coach is going to win this. A jury is going to vote for him.

Whitney: These people are smart people; I don’t understand how they don’t see this coming. It’s shocking! They were not bold enough to make that move.

The Yak: Dawn any regrets on not outing Cochran to your tribe?

Dawn: I did approach Ozzy and told him I thought Cochran might waffle. Ozzy talked to him for about 15 minutes and said he thought we were ok, that I was worrying too much. It didn’t make any sense for him to flip. I did have a good handle on how Cochran was thinking though.

The Yak: Dawn we did see you considering switching sides with Cochran, what changed your mind?

Dawn: One, I won immunity. By having immunity I didn’t have to draw a rock that night. There were better odds staying loyal to our tribe. The second reason though, I was approached with a final 3 or 4 scenario by Coach. I never felt like it was a genuine or legitimate offer. I felt like it was just what it was; a way to advance their game. It was frustrating for me to see Cochran believe Coach and I spent a lot of time trying to tell him, “There is no way! They are just using you.” But Cochran really believed Coach, so that was hard and frustrating for me.

The Yak: You’re both so tiny, were you surprised at your strength?

Dawn: Yeah!

Whitney: Dawn’s amazing. She pulled off that weight challenge. I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I’m really proud of what we accomplished. I think we both played an impressive physical game.

Dawn: No question. This game makes you push beyond your limits. After a while you start thinking. Hey, why not me?

The Yak: Are you both looking forward to the reunion?

Whitney: Of course!
Dawn: Absolutely, it’s like family and we’re also excited to see the outcome!

The Yak: Do you consider yourselves bitter jury members? What will you base your vote on?

Whitney: Definitely not bitter. It’s who outwitted, outplayed in 39 days.
I took that job of giving someone a million dollars very seriously. I would never vote off emotion. It’s not about one aspect; it’s the overall best player.

Dawn: Personally for me it’s not bitter. For me it’s who outwitted, outplayed and outlasted in 39 days. I took that literally. Who best met the definition of sole Survivor.

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Join us in the Forum HERE for all things Survivor!

Hey Survivor Fans! Two weeks ago we left off on night twenty-seven! This Survivor season is winding down quickly. Will it be forever known as the Season of the Cult?

Te Tuna arrives back at camp after having just voted out Dawn and Whitney at Tribal Council. Coach says, “We’ve got seven left and really they’re all our family. So, now we got to start sending home some of our own.” Cochran admits, “Tribal Council was kind of alarming for me, because it was made clear that I was the person that was going at seven.” Unfortunately Cochran actually believed the honorable Coach when Coach masterfully manipulated Cochran into flipping at the merge. Oh how naïve a Survivor fan can be.

The next morning, Cochran calls a meeting with his tribe, conveniently leaving out Edna. Laying it out there he asks that they show him some gratitude for the move he made which kept them all in the game. Sophie says she does not feel indebted to Cochran and that she feels more loyalty to Edna. “I think he’s proud of the move he made and I think he still thinks somebody will take him to the end.” Cochrane likens the Upolu tribe to a cult. “Just hearing the word family over and over, you can’t help but think of Charles Manson and the Manson family. The family that committed so many heinous murders. I don’t want to be Sharon Tate in this scenario, or drink the kool-aid.” I don’t know what they teach at Harvard but apparently it wasn’t a class on cults. The Manson Family murders and the Jonestown massacre weren’t even in the same decade! But I digress, Te Tuna tribe then gathers together as Brandon leads them in prayer asking God to help them stay a family. Cochran notes that Brandon seems to be the most obsessively devote member of the family. Cochran mentions that it is his birthday in three days and he would love to celebrate it with them while still in the game. This tidbit of information turns out to be a lie. Cochran then offers to leave so they can discuss. Albert and Coach both say they agree with Cochran and support keeping him around for one more Tribal Council.

REDEMPTION ISLAND DUEL:
Ozzy, Dawn and Whitney enter the Redemption arena and it’s on! This is a nail biter. One will stay on Redemption and two will join the jury. Each contestant will balance ceramic dishes on the end of a long stick arm. The more dishes stacked, the more difficult it will be to keep them stable. When your dishes fall, you are out of the duel. Ozzy, Dawn and Whitney all successfully balance their first five dishes. After adding the sixth dish, Dawn almost drops her pile when she yawns. All three of them continue in the game until the eleventh dish is added. This proves to be too much for Dawn and she drops her pile of dishes and is therefore out of the game. Ozzy and Whitney are left to fight it out for the win. Just after adding the thirteenth dish, Whitney’s stack of dishes starts to wobble and she is unable to recover. Ozzy wins the duel and stays alive on Redemption Island. Ozzie hugs both contestants and says, “It’s been a pleasure ladies.” Before Dawn tearfully throws her buff into the fire and exits the game, she admits that she will encourage her family to pursue their dreams. “I love you Jeff Probst” Dawn says as she throws her buff in the fire. Don’t we all Dawn? Don’t we all? .” Whitney is proud that she proved to herself that she could survive 28 days in the game. As Ozzy walks out of the arena and back to Redemption he reveals, “From this point on, I’m even more excited to go into the duels and beat people that are my enemies in this game.” We then get some great eye candy shots of Ozzy at home on Redemption. What woman doesn’t want to see Ozzy coming out of the ocean dripping wet? The next day, Ozzy goes fishing on Redemption Island. Ozzy admits, “This is my home, Redemption Island. This is how I’m playing the second half of my game and there’s no one better suited to be out here than me.” Keep it going jungle boy!

Back at TeTuna everyone has a different idea of camp life. “To me this game is about doing well in challenges, creating a great strategy and playing a strong social game. So those are what I’m focused on. I leave the housework to Martha Stewart.” says Albert as he lounges in the hammock. Out in the ocean, Brandon is spearing fish and giving fish to Cochran to hold. Cochran feels proud to be part of the fishing team, even if it is just to hold the fish. “ Albert does pretty much nothing except lie around and eat fish and wait for other people to wait on him.” Edna tells Rick about Albert putting out the fire and getting the wood wet after having done nothing else that day. Rick vents, “That’s why I call him Prince Albert. It’s like, well I’m the Prince and you guys work for me.”
Later that day, Edna asks Coach if she is the next person to go after Cochran. Coach confirms her suspicions and reminds her that it is an individual game now. Edna admits, “I definitely have to shake it up right now, because sixth or seventh is not acceptable for me.” Coach feels that keeping Cochran and Edna would be a smart move for him, since neither one would vote him out. Coach is not sure which way to go and says, “Do I want to honor my word, be a man of integrity and stick with the five or do I want to go another route?”
Cut to Coach and Cochran doing Tai Chi on the beach. In Coach’s eyes Cochran has graduated from young grasshopper to a young warrior. Oh Please!!

IMMUNITY/REWARD CHALLENGE: Jeff Probst explains the rules of this challenge, which we’ve already seen in Redemption arena this season. In the first round, each person will throw sand bags, attempting to land them on top of crates. The first three to get a sand bag on each of their crates moves onto the final round. In the final round, the three remaining contestants will use a large slingshot to fire coconuts at targets. First person to knock down all their targets wins immunity. In addition, the winner of this challenge will be treated to a nice Survivor spa afternoon. Back at camp, the winner will enjoy a bush shower and a massage. Albert, Rick and Sophie land sand bags on their three crates before the rest of the Te Tuna tribe and move onto the final round. Albert is the first to hit all of his targets with coconuts, winning both immunity and reward. Jeff tells Albert to choose one more person to join him in the reward. Albert wisely chooses Coach. Albert then asks Jeff if he can pick one more person. Jeff says no. Then Albert proceeds to ask if he can give up the reward for another person, Jeff says sure. Albert says he’d like to give his reward to Cochran as a birthday present. This is survivor dude, are you crazy??? Cochran wonders why Albert gave him the reward. He figures it is either to get his support for strategic moves, to suck up for a jury vote and come off as a nice guy or as a farewell gesture.
Cochran meets with Albert to thank him and to find out where he stands in the tribe. Albert tells Cochran that things aren’t looking good for him and that he doesn’t think that he can get Coach to change his vote. Cochran disagrees with Albert and tells him that Coach will vote for Rick. Cochran makes sure to tell Albert that Rick calls him “Princess Albert” behind his back. Albert is not happy to hear that Rick is calling him names and says, “I have a mind right now to get rid of Rick this vote.” Albert then gives Cochran his word that if Coach will vote for Rick, then he will too. Next, Cochran talks to Edna. He tells her about his conversation with Albert and the plan to vote out Rick next. Edna jumps on board immediately because if Rick goes, she gets to stay longer. Finally, Cochran talks to Coach. He invites Coach to join with Albert, Edna and himself to vote out Rick. As Coach weighs all his options, he admits, “My decision tonight and which way I go is going to determine the rest of this game.” Coach has to decide whether to stay with the original alliance of five or join his new alliance, which includes Edna and Cochran.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
. Cochran says, “I feel like I’m entitled to at least one more night in this game.” Albert and Coach then agree that Cochran did Upolu a big favor when he voted with them against Savaii. Edna admits that she is feeling emotional because she is next on the chopping block after Cochran; even though she was led to believe that she was an equal member in the alliance. Edna! Brandon told you weeks and weeks ago that you were not equal in the tribe! Edna says, “That doesn’t feel very good.” It’s like she’s just woken up from a long nap. Brandon doesn’t want to hear talk that goes against the master plan. and says tonight I vote for Cochran. Coach admits that Brandon is loyal but not malleable. Brandon starts to cry and reveals that he is human and wants to do wrong things but there is something stronger that won’t let him. Okay, I am officially creeped out. Cochran points out that Brandon is not good to talk strategy with, since he will not change his plans and therefore could be a liability to his alliance. Cochran finally sees the light and admits to feeling foolish in making the big move to support Upolu, because it will result in him being voted out seventh, which is a worse position then if he had stayed loyal to his original Savaii tribe. Wow Cochran, it took you a while to figure it out! Not too sharp in math apparently. He says, “I hope this doesn’t go down as one of the most idiotic moves in the history of the game.” Well Cochran, we’ll see what happens on Redemption but in my book it was a really dumb move. The votes are in. Cochran and Edna vote for Rick, while everyone else votes for Cochran, including his beloved Coach. Cochran can’t find the stairs, which was humorous, and he trots off to Redemption Island to battle Ozzy in a duel.

Finally Cochran is at Redemption. What will the duel be? Let’s hope it’s not a math quiz!!

Today the Yak was double lucky to interview both Jim Rice and Keith Tolleson. In Wednesday’s episode they became Jurors #1 and #2 after being bested by Ozzy in the Redemption Island Challenge. Both Jim and Keiths evictions were basically at the hands of their former tribemate Cochran who flipped to Upolu tribe after the merge, leaving only devastation for Savaii tribe. There bios are listed below:

Name (Age): Jim Rice (35)
Tribe Designation: Savaii
Current Residence: Denver
Occupation: Medical Marijuana Dispenser
Personal Claim to Fame: I’ve worked on Wall Street, won over 40 poker tournaments, started several successful businesses and earned my MBA at a top five school from the University of Michigan.
Inspiration in Life: My dad. The guy rocks and is responsible for who I am.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, playing poker and anything outdoors.
Pet Peeves: Close-mindedness and disingenuous people.
3 Words to Describe You: Ambitious, magnanimous and competitive.

Name (Age): Keith Tollefson (26)
Tribe designation: Savaii
Current residence: Edina, Minn.
Occupation: Water Treatment Tech
Personal claim to fame: I graduated college and moved to Hawaii for two years because that was my dream.
Inspiration in Life: My mom. She raised me and my sister with little help and eventually bought a house for us after saving for years. She taught me how to be a gentleman even while I was causing trouble when I was young. She instilled great morals, values and love for all those around me.
Hobbies: Surfing, swimming and long-boarding.

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The Yak: Hi guys, thanks for speaking with us today. This question is for both of you. Looking back Jim do you think that you created a monster by saving Cochran and soliciting Keith and Whitney’s vote to blindside Elyse? Do you regret your decision?

Jim: The move to get rid of Elyse was a sound decision. Ozzy and Elyse were tight. Ozzy could have recruited Cochran and had the numbers, that’s why I chose to get rid of her. On Survivor all you know is what you know at the time, we thought of self preservation moving forward.

Keith: I tried to talk to Elyse about game and strategy. There was nothing there. Whitney also tried to talk to Elyse about the game and she got nothing back. That led us to believe that Elyse was talking game with only one person and that was Ozzy. You could even see it in one of her interviews. She stated that she and Ozzy’s strategy was the same. She basically had no concept of the game so we felt that it was our best bet.

The Yak: This is anti-bullying week and we at Yakkity Yaks want to know if you have any stories, quotes, or thoughts about bullying?

Jim: I find it interesting that it’s anti-bullying week. Yes I do have something to say about that. The theme of bullying comes up a lot in the context of Survivor. Upolu looked at Cochran and assumed that he’d been bullied by our Savaii tribe without even knowing. It bothers me that any one of us could be considered a bully. You saw how upset Whitney was at tribal council when she said we had been “villainized.” This upsets me.

Keith: Coach’s propoganda made us out to be bullies. This was a smart play by Coach. I considered Cochran a friend, well not anymore, lol. They showed no bullying on the show because there was never any bullying!. Cochrane himself said he flipped for self-preservation not because of any supposed bullying.

The Yak: Jim since you’re a fan of the show how do you feel about slamming Cochran by calling him a coward?

Jim: I actually despise name calling, it’s so immature you stupid idiot.. lol.
I meant it when I called him a coward. I think he made his decision based out of fear and to me that’s a coward. I think he deserved it.

The Yak: What’s Ozzy really like?

Keith: Ozzy is just a really nice guy. Very down to earth, a beast in challenges. We became very close friends. He’s a very regular guy. We had a pretty good time on Redemption Island together, we fished every day, had coconuts and fresh fruit.

Jim: He was a real nice regular guy. I was only at Redemption Island for one night.

The Yak: How did you view Coach?

Keith: From my basic knowledge he was running the show. He was making his presence known as the leader. He was saying if you don’t listen to me or do what I say there will be consequences. I was completely creeped out by Coach. The honor, integrity and the shoulder rubbing just creeped me out.

The Yak: Why do you think Cochran flipped at the merge?

Jim: As a team we should have made a bigger effort to solidify our team. We should have stressed that we were all sticking together. We had the advantage. We had two immunities AND an immunity idol. It makes no sense whatsoever that Cochran would want to flip. Cochran basically had the best spot in our tribe. He had a final 3 deal with every person on our tribe. As a fan Cochran should know that you can piss off one person and still get jury votes in the end. By flipping and screwing over 5 people it’s 100% lose. I just don’t see how you can flip if you’re playing for the end game. it’s amazing to see someone so smart, going to Harvard, do something so stupid.

*(ed note: Don’t think Cochran will get Keith or Jim’s vote. lol)

The Yak: Keith what did you think when you found out Jim’s true profession? (Medical marijuana dispenser)

Keith: (laughing) I was shocked that he lied about it! It actually made me like him more! It doesn’t really matter, Jim was a real hard worker. I thought “why didn’t you tell us???”

The Yak: Keith can you tell us about your relationship with Whitney?

Keith: We became very close. I can’t answer anymore questions because she’s still playing the game. Hopefully at the finale we can talk about more things and give everyone answers they want to know.

The Yak: Any thoughts about the final challenge against Ozzy?

Keith: Well we thought it was one person going home so to find out it was two, that caught me off guard. During an endurance challenge like that one mental lapse and you’re done!

Jim: As a fan of the show I knew many of the challenges that I hoped to compete in and many that I was hoping not to compete in. As soon as I saw it I realized it was one of the ones I was hoping against.

The Yak: If Jeff Probst called you and asked you to play Survivor again, would you?

Keith: I don’t know (laughing)

Jim: Anyone would love to play again. Who would say no? You get to take off and forget everything, go to a beautiful place and compete for a million dollars!!

To see more Keith and Jim go to CBS.com and view their time on the “Ponderosa”!
The Yak: Thanks so much guys. It was great talking to you, see you on finale night!!

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Can you tell you they will be voting for by their interviews? Let us know what you think below, then come on into the forum HERE where we are discussing all our favorite reality shows!

The last two episodes of Survivor although promising twists and excitement, have become all too predictable. Last week we left off with Keith, Ozzy and Jim on Redemption Island after a double elimination. Tonight in the Redemption Island arena Ozzy’s superior challenge skills including agility, balance and strength, proved too much for his opponents yet again and Jim and Keith became the first two members of the jury. This seems fitting to me actually since Jim, who spoke of honor and loyalty last week, was the first person to turn against his alliance and join with Cochran, Keith and Whitney to blindside Elyse. Little did Jim know that he would create the monster that would take him out of the game. Karma’s a bitch Jim.

Ozzy is loving his time at Redemption Island. Once again he’s Mogli, climbing barefoot to the top of a coconut tree to survey his kingdom. He fishes daily in the reef and has ample food and all he needs to survive. In the meantime TeTuna is starving.

Back at TeTuna camp, also known as the former Upolu tribe, Dawn and Whitney anticipate the immunity challenge because they know it’s their only shot at staying in the game. Coach mentors Cochran in Yoga and meditation. Ever the benevolent Lord, Coach keeps a sharp eye on his minions. “I’m drinking the Coach Kool-Aid—slowly, with delicate, ginger sips.” states Cochran. Could have fooled me Cochran and don’t get your hopes up on winning any challenges requiring balance after that poor excuse of a yoga session.

Immunity Challenge:

Survivors must balance a bowl of rice on their heads while traversing a course including a seesaw. When they get to the other side they must dump their rice in another bowl. The first person to fill that bowl wins immunity. If you drop your bowl or touch your bowl, you are out of the challenge. Sophie, Brandon and Dawn are far ahead of the others. With an overflowing bowl of rice balanced on her head, Sophie wins immunity. There is no reward. Jeff says that tonight’s tribal council will include a twist which he will not reveal until tribal council. Many speculate that it’s another double eviction.

Dawn and Whitney are frustrated that they didn’t win immunity. Dawn actually tells Cochran that she has regrets about not outing Cochran to Savaii when she had the chance. It’s a little late for that Dawn. She too has signed her own eviction notice by siding with Cochran and throwing Savaii under the bus. Dawn’s attempts at brown-nosing Upolu do not go unnoticed, however not to her advantage. Many Upolu tribe members including Coach, believe that because Dawn is well liked it makes her a bigger threat than Whitney. Dawn and Whitney don’t want to stand by and wait for the slaughter. Dawn wants Cochran to reciprocate in some way for not outting him. They decide that the only person who is not totally under Coach’s spell is Albert. Albert has talked about making big moves but he is stymied by Coach and Sophie thus far. Albert wants to harvest some Savaii jury votes and the only way to do that is to let them get farther in the game. He proposes voting out Edna. For all intents and purposes Edna is Coach’s maid and servant who, according to the Survivors, has brought nothing to the game. “This game’s not out-organize, out-clean and out-gather. It’s Survivor!”says Albert.
Edna is the epitome of someone playing “under the radar.”

Survivor Renewed for 2012-2013 Seasons

Coach is extremely nervous and believes that Albert is going behind his back with Whitney, Dawn and Cochran. Coach exclaims right before tribal council, “If anyone goes against the family, it’s instant death.” Pretty harsh words Coach, I believe Jim Jones said that, or was that Don Corleone? Coach insists that he handles his tribemates with coddling, reaffirmation and fear if appropriate.

At tribal council

there is a spirited debate about the importance of a big move. You can tell that Jeff P. wants to shout at these people, “Wake up and do something big!” Jeff must also know that it’s boring for the fans to know excactly in what order everyone is going to be evicted. Jeff asks Cochran if he feels he’s number 7 in the group, Cochran says yes, he’s come late. Jeff asks what his strategy is and Cochran basically says well he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it. “You’re going to be very, very late to a party where they’re not even interested in letting you in the door!” says Jeff.
Jeff asks Coach if he is the leader. Coach denies he is the leader of the tribe. He asks Whitney and Albert. They all but confirm that yes Coach is the leader. (If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.) After all the talk and banter it’s time to vote. Dawn and Whitney vote for Edna, Dawn is voted out and will join Ozzy at Redemption Island where he will cook her a lovely fish, treat her nicely and hopefully send her to the jury.

Surprise!

Jeff P. announces that they will immediately hold a new immunity challenge and another eviction vote. Well this is promising! Perhaps Whitney can win immunity? Then we would see Cochran slink off to Redemption Island. Could this really happen??? Jeff asks a series of questions regarding survival in the South Pacific. Edna and Albert get the first question wrong and are immediately eliminated. Brandon, Rick, Cochrane and Coach are eliminated and it’s down to Sophie and Whitney! The final question Whitney gets wrong and Sophie wins immunity. It’s time to vote. Who could it be? Will it be a blindside? No, it’s only Whitney who then joins Ozzy and Dawn on Redemption Island. It’s another Savaii reunion.

Although I haven’t mentioned Brandon or Rick (whose Rick you ask?), they’re still in the game. Brandon is still being as annoying as humanly possible and Rick is just a ghost that you rarely see and never hear.

What new twist is in store for next week? Will someone from Upolu finally turn on Coach? As Whitney said, “Seven people cannot win this game!” Will the duel on Redemption Island continue to be a threesome? Will Coach become Zeuss and eat his children??? Until next week, the tribe has spoken.

While Survivor’s 23rd season is fully underway (our recap coming soon!) and the 24th season is set to premiere in February 2012, CBS is not wasting any time in securing Jeff Probst and crew for season’s 25 and 26. Earlier today, CBS has confirmed that Survivor will be back for the 2012-2013 season with Probst at the helm. His syndicated talk show will NOT interfere with the plans to cast people away in the middle of nowhere and subject them to the social experiment many have come to know and love (or hate?).

Probst released a statement today in response to the news. “I am thrilled to continue working on the longest-running reality competition show with the world’s greatest adventure crew for two more seasons. We are so thankful for the supportive fans who remain with us every season, and we promise to deliver another year of quality television.”

Today the Yak had the opportunity to interview Christine Shields Markoski, the 39 year old teacher and Mom from Merrick, NY. Christine valued her 19 days on Survivor although she spent the majority of it alone on Redemption Island. Christine’s fans have dubbed her a “warrior” due to her ability to win 5 straight duels before being ousted by Ozzy prior to the tribal merge. Christine was the first person to be voted out of her Upolu tribe.

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The Yak: Christine, congratulations on winning so many duels. You spent so much time on Redemption Island can you tell us how you handled that?

Christine: I tried to keep busy. I had a hard time for a while. I started thinking about my family; my husband, my children, so that was difficult. I sewed my clothes with fishing line. I fished and hunted for food. I journaled and wrote “Redemption Island Sucks!” out of seashells on the beach. (laughs). i picked fresh flowers every day to spruce things up.

The Yak: When Ozzy came to Redemption Island did you buy his story about Cochran and the idol?

Christine: Well yes, it was totally plausible. This is Survivor and being blindsided is nothing new to Ozzy. Who would be asked to be voted off to come to Redemption Island? From what the previous castaways had told me it didn’t surprise me about Cochran?

The Yak: After seeing what Cochran did, if you had beaten Ozzy in the duel would you have stayed with Upolu and would you have taken the chance of picking rocks at Tribal Council?

Christine: I think I would have stayed with Upolu for a little bit and then maybe switched. I wouldn’t be comfortable picking a rock to decide my fate after all that time I spent on Redemption Island.

The Yak: Did you have the opportunity to look for the idol when you knew you were a target in your tribe?

Christine: I did look for the idol as you could see it was unsuccessful, but yes, I did look for it.

The Yak: Do you think you made yourself an early target with Coach by calling him a temporary player:

Christine: I think he took that comment and ran with it. I was calling him out on all his baloney. He said, “she’s calling me lazy and I’m doing a disappearing act, etc.” Stacey and I didn’t listen to his stories. We were not enthralled by his stories.

The Yak: Christine if you hadn’t been voted off your tribe how would you have reacted to Coach’s mandatory prayers and being told to get on your knees.

Christine: It would not have been good. If Coach had grabbed my arm and told me to get on my knees and pray it would not have been a pretty sight! I find it extremely offensive! You do not ever tell anyone that they should pray or not pray!! No, that wouldn’t have happened. That would have been a problem!

The Yak: All of the castaways that we’ve interviewed have stated that they wanted you to win after spending time with you on Redemption Island. Do you have any favorites?

Christine: Oh that’s so nice. I learned something valuable with every single person. I respected and cared for everyone that came through Redemption Island. Of course, I have to say I had so much fun with Stacey. I told her I’m going to write a book called “Staceyisms”. We just laughed so much and drank our coconut milk. It was like having a slumber party. I love the stuff she comes up with like calling Coach “ChuckytheCheese!”

The Yak: Since you were so highly regarded by the others do you think that you would have had a shot at winning if you returned to the game?

Christine: I absolutely would have had a shot at winning. Each person that came through gave me snippets of information that was happening in their tribes so I really felt like I knew what was going on in both tribes.

The Yak: Would you ever see yourself being friends with Coach?

Christine: No, he was my biggest rival. If I had returned to the game he would still be my biggest rival. Everyone else there I respected as a human being. I found Coach arrogant and omnipotent. He acts like he’s King Farouk, like everyone should bow down to him. I don’t see us being BFF’s anytime soon.

The Yak: In one episode during a Redemption Island Duel it looked like you flipped the bird to an Upolu tribe member, Rick specifically. Did you?

Christine: (laughing) I did give someone the finger but it wasn’t Rick.

The Yak: Who did you flip off?

Christine: Jeff! (laughs) This is what happened. I had been on Redemption Island for some time so I missed my manicure appointment lol. My fingernails were really dirty. Jeff Probst made a comment that my fingernails were filthy so I put my middle finger up and said, “Which finger Jeff, this one?” So i basically flipped him off! When my kids watched it they said “Mom, you can’t do that!”. I said, “No, YOU can’t do that!”

The Yak: Jeff Probst said that you were becoming a legitimate force to be reckoned with at some point. You responded that you’ve always been a force to be reckoned with. Tell us about that.

Christine: I’ve always been a very strong personality. I don’t back down from challenges. I say what I think. My mother said she never had to worry about me being bullied or standing up for myself. I’ve always had self-confidence.

The Yak: Would you consider doing Survivor again?

Christine: Absolutely, I’d like to play the Social game this time.

The Yak: Are you going to call Coach “Coach” at the finale, or are you going to call him Benjamin?

Christine: (laughing) I think I’m going to call him “Benjie!”

The Yak: Why Benjie?

Christine: Because he will absolutely despise that name even worse than Benjamin! (laughing)

The Yak: Who do you want to win? Not Coach I imagine.

Christine: Actually if Coach won it would validate me. It would mean that he should have been a temporary player and one of us could have been sitting there.

I think Dawn, she’s strong and she’s a mom, we have that in common.
Or Cochran, he’s been hanging in there and going through a lot.

The Yak: Thank you Christine! You are definitely a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to seeing you again on Survivor! Many Survivor fans are pushing CBS for a season of castaways that got voted off before the merge.

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So what did you think of what Christine had to say? What do you think about the way this season’s Survivor is going all together? Let us know below, then come on in and join us is the forum HERE for all the chat about your favorite shows!

When we left off last week Ozzy’s plan was in motion. He had by request, been voted off to Redemption Island. In anticipation of the tribal merge Ozzy felt he should go to Redemption Island and use his challenge prowess to finally beat Christine in the duel so that the Savaii and Upolu tribes would enter the merge with equal numbers. In Ozzy’s words “It’s either the stupidest thing I’ve ever done or the craziest, ballsiest thing i ever could have thought of doing.”

Redemption Island Duel:

All tribe members are present at the Redemption Island arena. Christine and Ozzy appear for the challenge. Coach looks surprised to see Ozzy. Ozzy explains his eviction by telling the fraudulent story of Cochran blindsiding him with the idol. His acting is less than stellar. Albert and other members of Upolu are not buying the story. The duel begins.
Each person must build a pole long enough and strong enough to reach key rings hanging from posts many feet from the bamboo gate they stand behind. There are 3 key rings. Whoever retrieves them first and uses the keys to unlock their gate goes back in the game not to Redemption Island! The loser goes home. How can I root for Ozzy and Christine at the same time? I was hoping for a Survivor twist that allowed the loser to stay on Redemption Island. Christine deserves a shot at coming back into the game, but then again, Ozzy is also great at challenges and made a big move. In an anticlimactic challenge Ozzy retrieves all three keys before Christine even has a chance to get one and wins the duel. After nineteen days, most of them spent on Redemption Island, Christine’s Survivor life is over. She said it was a great fortieth birthday present. Jeff surprises everyone by telling them to drop their buffs! They are now merged as one tribe. So Ozzy’s big move paid off exactly as he had planned. He went to Redemption, won the duel, the merge happened and now the new tribe of TeTuna includes six former members of Savaii and six former members of Upolu.

Savaii’s plan is to have Cochran infiltrate the Upolu tribe and act as a spy. Savaii doesn’t know that the Upolu tribe has not swallowed the Ozzy eviction story so they think they have a shot at Cochran seemingly gathering information and indicating that he’s willing to flip, while all the while gathering information for Savaii. Ozzy is elated about his win and the merge and hopes that Cochrane can infiltrate Upolu in order to bring his tribe to victory. Jim says “It’s six on six, everybody’s looking for an in!”
The tribes are given their merge feast and everyone gobbles up the food and drink making small talk and introductions. Cochrane decides to talk with Coach alone. Cochrane starts by telling Coach how badly his Savaii tribe has treated him. Coach says, “Let me tell you how it is. Our tribe isn’t budging and I feel like you are trying to play us. Okay you guys came up with a story. You guys sent Ozzy to Redemption. You’ve got an idol in your pocket and knowing Ozzy would win redemption.” Coach pretty much nails the entire scenario. Cochrane looks stunned. Coach works his magic on Cochrane who is an easy target. Coach tells Cochrane that he is an incredibly intelligent guy. He says he knows what it’s like to be picked on and made fun of. Sure, he’s the dragonslayer now but when you are superior in one way to people and they know it, they find ways that you’re inferior to cut you down. Cochrane immediately joins Coachtown and spills the beans to the entire Upolu tribe. Cochrane lets hope you never get a job in government espionage. Cochrane says that he considers himself a mastermind but not an evil mastermind. Wow, I must have a misconception of what a mastermind is. He says he finds the Upolu members solid and completely honest. This is Survivor! No one is completely honest. He finds it exciting that he gets to decide how Survivor South Pacific takes shape and possibly ends. I think it’s apparent at this point that Cochrane’s agenda is to be remembered on Survivor, not to win the game. Cochran talks to Dawn about the possibility of him slipping. He tells her that he feels trust and safety with the Upolu tribe. Dawn cries (again) and says that she feels she should have protected Cochran while Savaii was showing him no respect. They discuss the possibility of drawing rocks and leaving the game to chance. Neither of them are comfortable drawing rocks to decide their fate.

Immunity challenge:

The challenge is to balance on a small perch while holding a coconut between 2 ropes. At intervals the rope will get longer. If you drop your coconut or step off of your perch you are out. Round one starts and immediately Edna and then Cochran are out. Round 2 starts and Whitney and Sophie are out leaving Dawn winning immunity for the women.
Round 3, Coach is first out followed by Rick, Jim, Keith, Brandon and Albert. Ozzy wins immunity for the men. So two former Savaii members win immunity Dawn and Ozzy.

Back at camp former Savaii decides to vote for Rick. Ozzy makes sure to ask if everyone is solid and if everyone is prepared to stay the course and pick rocks. Savaii feels like they have the odds. Only 4 of them will pick rocks and if they give Whitney the immunity idol, only 3 of them are in jeopardy of leaving. All 6 former Upolu are in jeopardy of leaving. Cochran immediately goes to Sophie and tells her what Savaii is doing and that they will give the immunity idol to Whitney and that they are going to vote for Rick. Sophie will not tell Cochran who Upolu is voting for. Sophie and Coach are confident that Cochran will flip and they will bring him into the fold which is full of unicorns and rainbows where he will be honored and respected. (Did that sound sarcastic?) Cochran tells Coach he’s going to get eaten alive after tribal council and asks where he will sleep tonight. Coach said you can sleep between me and Edna. Gee that sounds fun….Dawn talks to Cochran. After winning immunity she’s changed her mind about the loyalty to her tribe. She says she cares about them and has experienced wonderful things with them. She urges Cochran not to flip but swears she will not out him to her alliance of former Savaii. She is hoping he won’t flip. Cochran is in a dilemma. Does he stay with people he feels are rude or flip to Coachtown?

Tribal Council:

Jeff immediately asks if there is a strong possibility of a tie at tonights tribal. Yes, everyone agrees there will probably, initially be a tie. Jim is asked if anyone from his tribe would flip. Absolutely not he says. “There’s no point to it, we have the numbers.” Smirky smiles abound from former Upolu tribemates. Former Upolu members cast doubt on Ozzy’s story of his vote out and wonder if they’re going to see an idol tonight. Ozzy immediately admits that yes he has an idol and that it might get played tonight. At this point they are positive that Cochran has told Upolu the truth. It’s time to vote.

Ozzy decides to play the idol for Whitney so no votes for Whitney will count. Because of Cochran, Upolu already knew this, so they decide to vote for Keith. All former Savaii including Cochran vote for Rick. No one has given Rick an idol to play. This would have immediately sent home Keith but why should Coach waste an idol when he’s got Cochran right? The second vote is taken. If this results in a tie, rocks will be drawn. When the votes are counted it is 5 votes for Rick and 7 votes for Keith. Before Keith’s torch is even snuffed out Cochran turns to Jim and Ozzy and says “I swapped, I’ll explain it.” Keith is sent to Redemption Island. Jim calls Cochran a coward twice. Brandon, now Cochran’s crazy bodyguard tells Jim not to talk to Cochran that way. He says that’s what you get for talking to him like that. The tribes get up to leave and Brandon says to Cochran “Stay close to me.”

Well that’s it Survivor fans. Whether you’re a fan of Coach or not, he has his own little cult following. The kumbaya tribe can’t hold out forever. Does this make Cochran the 7th in an alliance of 7? Wouldn’t he have been better off being 6th in an alliance of 6? Did you love the drama and want Cochran to prevail or do you want Cochran to be beaten up when he gets back to camp? Just KIDDING people!!

Until next week. The tribe has spoken….!!

Wow Survivor Fans! I found tonight’s episode to be riveting and crazy all at the same time!

Redemption Island Challenge:

Christine our resident duel winner on Redemption Island and Mikayla both voted out of the Upolu tribe, face off in the Redemption Island arena. The challenge is to dislodge boards from a crate and use those boards to build a bridge. After your bridge is built you must then disassemble your bridge and flip the boards over to find a design. All boards with a design are then pieces of your puzzle which you must put together to resemble the Redemption Island arena logo. Christine is slightly ahead during the bridge building. Mikayla catches up and believes she has finished her puzzle. “NO” Jeff says, “it’s not right!”. This gives Christine a chance to complete her puzzle and win her fifth challenge in a row! Mikayla throws her buff in the fire and her Survivor experience is over.

Walking back to Savaii camp Ozzy tells Cochran that he thinks he needs to go to Redemption Island and beat Christine in a duel so that their tribe has the numbers in the merge which they feel is coming extremely soon. Cochran is thrilled to hear this because it gives him one more life in his nine lives.

Back at Upolu camp Coach is praying and meditating saying that his tribe “Needs a boost.” He’s decided to lie to his tribemates and tell them that they must find the idol before going into the merge. He gathers his tribemates for a prayer asking the Lord’s help in finding the idol (umm he has had the idol for quite some time now), and the Lord’s guidance in helping his tribe win the upcoming challenge. Coach’s plan is to go get the idol and let some of his unknowing tribemates think that the Lord led them to it. Okay this is creeping me out. First of all how many times have I said that I don’t believe God watches Survivor! He’s kind of busy! Coach is also making God an accessory to his lie in my opinion. Yeah, Coach, think you’ve past the point of no return with me.
Everyone scatters to look for the idol and Coach and Sophie go off to actually obtain the idol where Coach has stashed it. They also check tree mail and see that they have a challenge today. Coach and Sophie rejoin their tribe and say they have two pieces of great news! They’ve found the idol! Surprise! Brandon is elated that the Lord has led them to the idol. This is going to do additional damage to his psyche when he finds out the truth, I’m quite sure. Brandon is sure happy to be on a tribe that is being protected and led by the Lord. Really? Really? I’m ready for a season of atheists thank you very much. Coach and Sophie then read the clues to the immunity challenge.

Immunity Challenge:

Both tribes must pair up as twins. They must paint themselves as warriors and dress alike. The challenge will be completed in pairs. There is an obstacle course that each pair must go through blindfolded while one pair is the caller. The calling pair will direct their tribe pairs through the obstacle course to obtain bags of masks. After retrieving all of the bags the last pair must then put the masks in pairs by feel. The tribe that completes this first wins immunity and a special reward. The reward is a trip to the Survivor Cinema where they will see a sneak preview of the new Adam Sandler movie “Jack and Jill” and have all the movie treats their hearts desire. The competition is close until there’s literally a snag. Cochran has hooked Ozzy and Whitney to the rope the wrong way. They become tangled and it impedes them from being able to retrieve their bag of masks. They must stop and Ozzy has to unhook and rehook themselves to the rope while blindfolded. Savaai loses the challenge to Upolu because of Cochrans error. Was this really an error on Cochrans part or did Cochran sabotage his own tribe because Ozzy said he’d go to Redemption Island? Coach who has been praying to the Lord during this challenge immediately demands that his tribemates get on their knees and pray to God to thank him for leading them to victory. Ok, I’m uncomfortable at this point, seriously. He’s lucky I’m not on his tribe! Ozzy is furious at Cochran’s error or sabotage and starts throwing karate kicks at the wall. Jeff asks Ozzy what all the high emotion is about. Ozzy says it’s just so frustrating that they lost the challenge when they were so close because of Cochran’s stupid mistake.

Upolu heads off to enjoy their evening at the movies and Savaii returns to camp. Everyone points the finger at Cochran for losing the challenge. Cochran says he’s sorry and he feels terrible about his mistake. They all decide that Cochran is the weakest link and tell him that he must go to Redemption Island to beat Christine and redeem himself. Cochran has no interest in Redemption. He feels that if he goes, Christine will beat him in the duel. He wonders what happened to Ozzy’s idea about going to Redemption Island. They give Cochran a “see ya later” pep talk and tell him he has to believe in himself and basically atone for his sin of screwing up the challenge. The next morning Ozzy wakes up and says he has a headache. He’s decided sometime during the night that he will take a bullet for his tribe and go to Redemption Island in the hopes of beating Christine and tying up the numbers for the merge. Apparently Savaii has no idea that Christine has little or no interest in re-merging with the Upolu tribe. She’s made it quite clear that she doesn’t like her tribemates. Ozzy puts on the immunity necklace and joins his tribemates where he tells them his plan. He wants them to vote him off so that he can go to Redemption and tell Christine that Cochrane was going to be voted off but pulled out the immunity necklace and bye bye Ozzy. He says this will throw everyone off at the merge. He then plans to beat her at the challenge and return to the game the next day assuming there will be a merge. His tribemates consider this and Keith, Whitney and Jim don’t like the idea because they are worried that the merge is no guarantee and they know they are at a disadvantage in a team challenge with no Ozzy.

Tribal Council:

Jeff asks what happened back at camp after the challenge and everyone tells Jeff exactly what is going on and Ozzy’s plan. Jeff is dumbfounded and asks, “what if the merge doesn’t happen?” They agree it’s a chance Ozzy is willing to take. Jeff asks Ozzy if he loses to Christine will he look like an even bigger fool than he did his last season when he didn’t use his immunity idol? Ozzy says yes, but again he wants to make big bold moves in Survivor and this has never been done before. It is definitely a first! Ozzy gives his immunity necklace to Cochran of all people and Cochrane agrees to save it for Ozzy. Are you kidding me? Has Ozzy ever watched Survivor?? At this point I’m screaming NO, NO to the television but it’s a done deal. The votes are cast and Ozzy readily and happily scoots off to Redemption Island. Is this the coolest Survivor move ever or the dumbest thing Ozzy’s ever done?

Will the merge be next week? Will Christine win her sixth duel or will Ozzy prevail? Will Cochran keep the immunity necklace? Until next week….The tribe has spoken!!

The Yak had the chance to sit down with Elyse Umemoto ,the 27-year-old Dance Team Manager from Las Vegas, who was previously the second runner up in the Miss America pageant and holder of the Miss Washington title. Elyse was the 4th castaway to exit Redemption Island after being beaten in a duel by Christine Shields Markoski a 39-year-old teacher from Merrick, NY. Unlike other survivor castoffs Elyse was unique in the fact that she admittedly has not watched one episode of her Survivor season. Calling herself, hypercritical she blames that on being in the pageant circuit. “I critique myself. I don’t think I could handle all the stress of being back there. I’ll probably watch before the reunion. I want to take it all in at once.”

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The Yak: Do you think that the relationship you had with Ozzy was detrimental to your status in the game?

Elyse: Ozzy and I both should have made a conscious effort to play down any relationship.

The Yak: What exactly was your relationship with Ozzy?

Elyse: Definitely not romantic; very friendly. I meshed with his personality the best.

The Yak: What was your strategy coming in?

Elyse: I didn’t get into Survivor until right before the show. I had a non-strategy. I was going to take it minute by minute day by day.

The Yak: Did you know who Coach and Ozzy were?

Elyse: I had heard of Coach because my parents are big Survivor fans. I knew who Ozzy was because his season in Micronesia is one of the few I watched.

The Yak: During last nights episode what did you think of Ozzy’s reaction to your being blindsided?

Elyse: To be honest I haven’t seen last night’s episode, I haven’t watched any of the episodes. It was nice to know that he was displeased that I was gone.

The Yak: What did you think of Keith and Whitney’s decision to cast their votes for Dawn?

Elyse: This is where I start second-guessing myself. It was a passive way to send me home. Jim orchestrated to send me home. Why didn’t I target Keith and Whitney?

The Yak: What is your impression of Jim now?

Elyse: My impression of Jim is the same as it was when I met him. He seems like a slimy used car salesman. He told us he was a high school teacher. Why didn’t we question that? We should have known he was lying when he couldn’t tell us at what degree water boils.

The Yak: What do you think of Cochran?

Elyse: Savaii is definitely underestimating Cochran. He reminds me of Jimmy Neutron. He’s silly and goofy and seems harmless. As a group we didn’t give him credit. He’s definitely not harmless.

The Yak: What was your experience on Redemption Island like:

Elyse: Redemption Island is the loneliest place on the planet. You’ve just been punched in the stomach and now you have a duel coming up. It was fantastic to be able to spend that time with Christine. She is smart, intelligent and a fighter and if I could pick one person to win Survivor South Pacific, it would be Christine.

The Yak: Any Regrets?

Elyse: One of my biggest regrets in the game is the fact that since I had no idea I was going home, I didn’t pack the night of tribal council and left my favorite swimsuit back at camp, never to be seen again! I am still not over that!

The Yak: Would you return to Survivor if asked?

Elyse: I don’t know if I would. It’s too much too soon.

The Yak: What do you look forward to now?

Elyse: I’ve pretty much resumed my normal activities but I cannot wait for December and the reunion! It’s going to be priceless! I hope its drama!

The Yak: Thank you Elyse, we hope its drama too!

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Well, what did you think about what Elyse had to say? Let us know below, then come on in and join us in the FORUM to discuss all your Reality favorites!

Survivor night 14 starts off with Savaii’s return from tribal council where Elyse was just voted off. Elyse and Ozzy were completely blindsided by the eviction orchestrated by Jim, the 35 year old medical marijuana dispenser from Denver, CO.

“I’m pretty pissed off. Keith, Whitney and myself, we had a good thing going and they just went behind my back and voted someone out without telling me and made me look like an idiot. How can you trust somebody when they go behind your back? It goes against everything that an alliance is supposed to be,” Ozzy said.

“I’m a free agent now.” Ozzy, it’s great to be a free agent in professional sports but this is Survivor! Nobody’s going to pick you up. Dawn accuses Ozzy of holding out information from the rest of his tribe and he blurts. “I’ve got the idol, how about that?”. Man Ozzy what are you thinking? Way to play emotionally. Ozzy said there is one thing you guys are forgetting about, “Redemption island.” Keith said, “Well if you want to go, just tell us”. This doesn’t bode well for Ozzy. Ozzy distanced himself from his tribemates, fishing and spending time alone, while his tribemates discussed his childish attitude and called him “a little bitch.” Cochran is thrilled about this turn of events and says that Ozzy’s “hissy fit” just makes him a bigger target and helps keep Cochran in the game longer. Jim, the orchestrater of Elyse’s eviction thinks Ozzy could not be playing a worse game right now. “I kind of thought Ozzy would wake up this morning and realize he needed to apologize to everybody. That wasn’t the case.” said Jim.

Redemption Island Duel:

Ozzy and Kieth represent Savaii and Rick and Sophie represent Upolu. Christine and Elyse enter the Redemption Island arena. Christine gets emotional when Jeff asks about her long stay on Redemption Island. She says “Redemption Island can break you.”. The duel is “Survivor Shuffleboard.” Each person has 4 pucks with their name on it. The person with their name remaining on the Shuffleboard wins. Christine is first on the board deflecting one of Elyse’s pucks off the board. Elyse shoots one of Christine’s pucks off the board. Christine misses. Elyse accidentally hits one of her own pucks off the board. It is now 3-1 with Christine winning. Christine misses her next shot and Elyse manages to shoot one more of Christine’s pucks off. It is now 2-1. Christine takes a final shot and wins another Redemption duel! This is Christine’s fourth challenge that she has won while being isolated on Redemption Island. Jeff asks Elyse for her final thoughts on her Survivor experience. Elyse says that she is really proud of herself and is stronger than she thought she was. She kisses her buff and throws it into the fire. Bye Elyse!

Rick and Sophie return to Upolu camp and tell Coach that Christine is a formidable opponent and that it’s the last person they want to see come back into the game. Rick had shouted words of encouragement to Christine at the duel only to be on the receiving end of her middle finger. Upolu tribe is nervous that the first person they voted off is still on Redemption Island possibly coming back into the game. Brandon decides that it’s time to start looking for the immunity idol. Coach has only told Albert that he has the idol. He withheld that information from Brandon because Brandon is a loose cannon. Brandon quickly finds the third clue to the immunity idol and talks to Coach and Albert, splitting them up in search of the idol. Coach is in a dilemma. He’s promised Brandon to play as honest Christian men, however is the sin of omission a lie? Well I can tell you Coach that in parochial school it is definitely considered a lie, but this is your moral dilemma not mine! Coach allows Brandon to search for what seems like hours for the idol. Albert says that at some point Brandon is going to consider that someone has already found the idol. Brandon asks Coach, “Do you think someone already has it?” Coach replies, “I don’t think so.” Really Coach? You’re getting in deeper and deeper oh most honorable dragon. You at least could have said, “I don’t know.”

Immunity Challenge:

Both tribes must assemble a wheelbarrow. After assembly the wheelbarrow must be pushed through a maze. You must untie knots and release a load of cococnuts into your wheelbarrow. You must then continue through your maze and dump those coconuts into a trough. The remaining tribe members must then disassemble the wheelbarrow and turn it into a giant slingshot. You then use your slingshot to catapult the coconuts to knock down targets. Initially Dawn, Ozzie and Cochran do badly in the challenge. They hit a log in the maze which slows them down. The wheelbarrow is difficult to navigate. Upolu tribe flies through the maze and has their coconuts ready to be fired quickly. Coach, Albert and Mikayla fired the coconuts for Upolu. Savaii finally gets their slingshot in position and Keith and Jim fire coconuts for Savaii. Upolu has an early lead but Mikayla is missing all of her targets. Coach asks her to step back and allow Albert to fire the coconuts. She says “I’ve got it Coach.”. Well apparently she doesn’t have it because she’s continually missing and Keith and Jim are hitting all of their targets. Savaii wins challenge! They not only win immunity they win another clue to the hidden immunity idol and a day of fun at Slide Rock which is a waterfall with moss covered rocks that is a natural water slide. In addition they get to enjoy a bountiful picnic lunch. Savaii takes off to enjoy their reward cavorting at Slide Rock and enjoying the beautiful day, a sense of cameraderie which was much needed after the last tribal council.

Back at Upolu there is controversy. Coach take a stance against Mikayla. “It’s Mikayla’s fault we lost. I gave her directions in the challenge today and she wouldn’t take it. If I’m going to coach this team, I need the people in the heat of battle to listen to me. She’s a problem. Mikayla should go home,” Coach said following the Immunity Challenge. Albert and Sophie campaign to get rid of Edna who is not strong physically and sat out of today’s challenge. Coach is loyal to Edna and sees her loyalty as a bonus when the merge comes. Albert and Sophie approach Brandon and ask him to vote out Edna. Brandon not wanting to talk strategy says he needs to talk to Coach. Albert and Sophie tell Mikayla that Coach is after her and Brandon tells her that he has her back and that he can make Coach listen to reason. Brandon interviews and has this to say: “I would not vote Mikayla out of this tribe. I’m uneasy about Edna. She’s got this look on her face like she’s playing people and I don’t like it. I’m starting to trust Mikayla more because Edna’s just acting too, too sweet to not be playing us. I don’t know. Brandon seems to have a new target for his paranoia at this point, jumping from Mikayla the “evil one” to Edna.

Tribal Council:

At tribal council the big debate was on what was most important. Was it going into the merge with the bigger numbers or going into the merge with the most loyal tribe members. Albert and Sophie argued that going in with the highest numbers and keeping the strongest players was the best idea. Coah argued that keeping people who are not loyal doesn’t help you at the merge. Brandon is asked what he thinks. He decides to flip once again and says that because he is playing honestly he made a deal with Edna for the six that therefore he has to keep his word and vote Mikayla out. Upolu votes and Brandon’s vote sends Mikayla to Redemption Island. Coach once again persuades the majority of his alliance to follow his lead.

Will Mikayla finally give Christine a run for her money at Redemption Island? Will Ozzie have to use his immunity idol? Until next week…..The tribe has spoken.

Hey Survivor fans! YakkityYaks got a pleasant surprise when interviewing Stacey Powell, our latest Survivor castoff. Jeff Probst decided to stop by for a chat and a TOUT! Jeff was riddled with questions regarding the last episodes “pulled pork” challenge as well as his observations and opinions on several survivors from this season.

Jeff said that initially the “challenge guys,” the people who set up the challenges, had left the pigs fully intact on the spit. They included the head, the feet, the tails, every part of the pig. Jeff said considering that this was going to be viewed at 8:00 p.m. he thought it was just too disturbing and he couldn’t approve it. He said after they trimmed the pigs, they slapped some BBQ sauce on them and put cameras inside the baskets for a more graphic view. He said that fan response to this challenge was HUGE!

The Yak: Jeff, at the end of the challenge Ozzy had the entire pig in his mouth. Do you think this resulted in his jaw being dislocated?”

Jeff Probst: Absolutely! In fact, Ozzy made a case to the producers that he had the entire pig in his mouth when time was called, he wanted to know why he wasn’t allowed to place the entire pig in the basket. I don’t know why, it was just a production call.”

Jeff described Ozzy as an amazing player, fantastic in challenges but lacking the social awareness that is needed in his camp to keep tabs on what is really going on. Jeff said that Boston Rob, who stopped by last night, said you can think you are NOT going home, but you can never let them see that you think you might. It’s all about awareness, who’s talking to who, etc. Jeff said that Boston Rob was one of few people from Survivor that he considers a close friend.

Jeff was asked why Cochrane is still in the game. Jeff replied “Because he hasn’t been voted out. Not a lippy answer but that’s the game right there. He’s withstood the storm so far.” Jeff went on to describe Cochrane as someone who, with his albino legs and weak physical appearance, could make a compelling argument in the end to win Survivor.

Jeff talked about Stacey and said that it is extremely difficult to be a minority in Survivor. He said that Stacey has an amazing personality and that her redemption island speech alone was not in any way scripted. He said if that had been turned in as an audition tape she would have been cast immediately. Jeff loved her character, said she was incredibly aware of what was going on and she knew too much. Therefore her tribe had to vote her out. He said that Stacey and Semhar just didn’t fit in. He said Survivor can become homogenized and it’s difficult when you have nothing in common with others. He did say that he could see no one other than Semhar to be the first voted from her tribe. He said that Stacey is definitely one of a kind. We got the impression that Stacey may someday be asked back on Survivor.

Jeff answered questions regarding his own observations and ratings of the players. Jeff said that his initial impressions of the Survivors are just about as accurate as anyone else’s. He said he doesn’t have a better intuition than the normal fan of who is going to win.

Jeff then asked if anyone is interested in the new social media experiment – Tout. Jeff said that the interview was being “touted.” Touting is similar to tweeting, however it is in video format. You can take a 15 second video and post it or MSN to others, etc. Jeff is interested in all social media and is experimenting with Tout. The Yak was able to go to Jeff’s tout and watch the interview after it occurred!

Thank you Jeff Probst for the surprise interview! Your time is appreciated!

Interview with Stacey Powell

Stacey is a 44 year old mortician from Texas. She lost the Redemption Island duel to her friend Christine.

Q: Stacey, how glad were you that you didn’t have to compete in the pig challenge?

Stacey: I’m a southern girl and and I love me some pork! I would have eaten that pig and loved it!

Q: Stacey, why did Coach rub you the wrong way?

Stacey: Benjamin? You mean Benjamin? He came in to our tribe and played his little games and told his little stories and I wasn’t buying any of it. In the meantime he was controlling, lazy and greedy. He’d go on and on about his loyalty trip and I just got tired of listening to him while the others just ate it up and idolized him. The younger group held on to his every word. Edna was like a child around him hanging on to his coattails. He didn’t want anyone wandering off looking for the immunity idol; he watched everybody. When he wanted to look for the immunity idol everyone just let him wander off by himself because he said he was meditating. No, I never meditated with Benjamin!

Q: Stacey how did you feel about Brandon, and do you think he should have disclosed his relation to Russell Hantz earlier in the game?

Stacey: Brandon was OK. I didn’t think that Brandon had to disclose his relation to Russell at all. Brandon was not playing for Russell he’s playing for himself. He was ok, I didn’t have any problems with Brandon.

Q: How was Redemption Island with Christine?

Stacey: Oh, it was girl’s night out! We drank coconut juice and water and just talked and talked. She’s just a wonderful, caring person and I want her to win the game.

Q: When you watched the episode that depicted you walking right by the idol clue what did you think?

Stacey: Oh I was so mad I just about killed myself! I was right there and I missed it!!

The Yak: Stacey, if you had the opportunity to do Survivor again would you and if so, would you change your strategy?

Stacey: I’d be back like the roadrunner! Yes, I’d love to do Survivor again. I would definitely change my social game. I would play so differently inside the game.

The Yak: Stacey, you did so well in the weight challenge. Was survivor harder or easier, the same or different than you imagined?

Stacey: I can survive. The conditions are harsh, but I had no problem with that. It was so different than I imagined. I had no idea the social game would be so difficult. I met Christine and we hit it off and I didn’t really think far enough ahead to making alliances, etc. Benjamin immediately started the game playing and social workings. To see it on TV is one thing, being there is so much more difficult.

Q: How did you come to apply for survivor.

Stacey: I wasn’t really a big Survivor fan. I watched a few seasons. We had open casting here and I decided to apply I said “I’m gonna do this!”

Stacey was great fun to talk with as she has an exhuberant personality and a great sense of humor. She, like other ex-survivors, says it was a profound, exciting experience for her that taught her many lessons that she carries on throughout her daily life. When the Yak told her that she was one of the best “eye-rollers” ever, she laughed and said “Wait until I start my finger pointing!!” She thinks her expressiveness is why she was selected to compete on Survivor. That and telling it like it is. She certainly, like Jeff said, is one of a kind.

Thank you Stacey! Best of luck to you!

Well Survivor fans I am still recuperating from the most disgusting (and I mean disgusting!) Survivor challenge ever. More on that later.

Brandon Hantz mouths off about Mikayla being “classless” due to her comments at the previous tribal council regarding Brandon being a “Hantz.” More tears, more unbalanced mumblings from Brandon. Shall we move on?

Redemption Island Duel:

Whitney and Dawn represent Savaii while Albert and Mikayla observe for Upolu. Christine and Stacey enter the arena. Stacey, the mortician, decides to tell all the spectators that Benjamin (Coach) is running the Upolu tribe and that Albert is his right hand puppet. This gives information, whether correct or not, to Whitney and Dawn to bring back to Savaii camp. Stacey goes on her tirade regarding her lying, back-stabbing tribemates for quite some time and frankly it was difficult to understand all of what she was saying. She has a great eye roll though!! She refuses to call Coach anything but Benjamin. Jeff points this out, because she does not respect him as a coach. On to the challenge. The survivors must each put balls into a machine. The balls spiral down and come out either side. The players must then catch the balls and put them back into the machine. At timed intervals they must add another ball to the rotation. If a ball touches the ground, you are out. Christine and Stacey each do well with 1 ball each, then another ball is added and they have little or no difficulty. When the third ball is added after several turns Stacey drops a ball and is out of the game. Christine has won again! Stacey burns her buff in the fire and exits the arena. Albert is not happy to go back to Upolu and tell Coach what Stacey said at the challenge. He knows Coach will be pissed because it will put a target on Coach and Albert’s back at the merge point.

Back at camp Albert and Mikayla tell Coach what happened at the Redemption Island duel. Coach is very upset and says “Can this day get any better?”. Albert decides it’s important to look for the individual immunity idol at their camp. He finds clue #2. He decides to trust only Coach and Sophie with this information. They all three look for the idol. Coach finds the idol up a tree on the beach. He shows Sophie and Albert the idol and is extremely happy that he’s found it. (Albert this is not a team sport! What were you thinking?) We shall see how this plays out.

Back at Savaii Jim is still hot on getting rid of Elyse. He wants to weaken Ozzy’s position. Ozzy, Keith and Cochran go out to fish. Ozzy catches 11 fish for his tribemates. Cochran sits in the boat (this is about as useful as he gets). Cochran feeling full of himself and fueled by Jim and Dawn’s agreement to keep him and get rid of Elyse gives an interview where he says that Ozzy was once a “Mogli-esque” figure on Survivor and is now a middle-aged man who catches fish occasionally. I just must interject here. Ozzy is 30 years old and Cochran is 24 years old. If 30 is “middle-aged” heaven help us!! The jealousy spewing from Cochrane for Ozzy is pathetic at best. Ozzy’s looks, physical ability, knowledge of survival, etc. are so beyond the realm of Cochran’s abilities it’s laughable. But that’s not really what this game is about. It’s outwit, ouplay, outsmart.

Immunity Challenge:

Ok, I’m going to try and describe this, however my stomach is still churning and I might have to leave unexpectedly…..Both tribes are given a pig on a spit. The object of the challenge is for all tribe members to bite into the pig and rip off meat with their mouths and spit the meat into their tribes basket. All this must be done with their hands tied behind their backs! One, two, three go! They’re off. For the next ten minutes we get to watch people gnawing on a roasted pig, tearing and pulling the meat off and then spitting it into their baskets. Many of the survivors got pig meat stuck in their teeth which then had to be pulled out by another tribemates teeth. Oh, be right back……..OK I’m back. Sorry but as a mother all I could think about was the disgusting spit swapping and all the spit that was going into the basket. The photographers made it a point to show us as much graphic footage as possible!. In the end, Savaii pulled 22 pounds 12 oz. of meat. Upolu pulled 22 pounds 14 oz. of meat. Upolu wins by one mouthful of meat! Upolu also wins another clue to their immunity idol. (Coach already has that idol unbeknownst to everyone on the tribe except for Albert and Sophie) and an array of spices, oils, vetables, french bread, etc. Oh, and one more thing. Jeff announces at the end of the challenge that in addition to their rewards they also win all the meat they pulled from their pig. Wash off the spit and eat it, oh yeah! My god I am sick just writing this, sorry.

Back at Upolu camp, Brandon who was taught Cajun cooking by his family, whips up a feast for his tribemates who eat vegetables, bread, pig and spit. It’s a good day at Upolu!

Savaii doesn’t fair as well and they go back to camp with all kinds of injuries. Dawn lost a half a molar. Ozzy’s jaw is dislocated. The other tribe members have chipped teeth and cuts on their gums. Cochrane of course feels his teeth shifting as he hasn’t been wearing his retainer and headgear. (surprise!).
Cochrane decides to mention to the group that now they probably got herpes from one another. Thanks Cochrane!! Who has herpes they ask? He says didn’t you ever get a cold sore, that’s herpes. When they say no, do you get cold sores? he backtracks and says, “well I’ll probably get them from you now.” Just when your day couldn’t get any better here’s Cochran to the rescue, herpes and all.

Jim decides to approach Keith about voting out Elyse and weakening Ozzy. Keith readily agrees. Let’s refresh here for a moment. Keith and Ozzy were the first alliance at Savaii. Keith however immediately outed Ozzy to Whitney when Ozzy found the idol. Keith cannot be trusted. Keith and Whitney discuss their options. They want to find a way that they can get Elyse out and maintain Ozzy’s trust. Good luck with that you two, don’t think that’s going to happen.

Tribal Council:

At tribal council Jeff P. concentrates on Cochran and Elyse. Cochran is becoming quite cocky and tells Jeff he certainly doesn’t want to see his name go down tonight. Jeff probes (ha get it?) the tribe members about Cochran’s social graces or lack of them. He wants to know if he’s endearing or annoying. Well I vote for annoying but I’m not on survivor so I digress….. Ultimately everyone is trying to be nice and assure Jeff that although Cochrane is basically useless and has many idiosyncrasies he’s kind of endearing. It’s time to vote.

Dawn, Cochrane and Jim vote for Elyse. Ozzy votes for Cochran. Keith and Whitney decide to vote for Dawn. Elyse is sent to Redemption Island. She and Ozzie are both blindsided.

Can Elyse beat Christine at a Redemption island duel? Do Keith and Whitney really think Ozzy can’t see through their vote? Is Cochran now the leader of the tribe?

Until next week, the tribe has spoken.

Survivor opens with a tranquil scene at Savaii camp. Ozzy and Elyse are relaxing in the hammock, nothing intimate, just talking about family, etc. Cut to Jim, who strikes up a conversation with Cochran about Elyse and Ozzy getting too close. Jim doesn’t think it’s a good idea to vote Ozzy out yet (Jim is in a supposed alliance of 5 with Ozzie and Elyse). Yes Jim it would be a very bad idea to take Ozzy out at this point because you need his speed, strength and strategy in the challenges!! Jim proposes to Cochran that they form an alliance and look to take out Elyse to weaken Ozzy’s position. Cochran readily agrees of course, he’s just happy anyone is talking to him because now that Papa Bear is gone, he has no one. He knows he’s the odd man out! Jim and Cochran both want to make big moves in Survivor.

At Upolu camp day 9, Brandon is saying that the game of Survivor is “jacked up!” He says every day is a struggle between good and evil and he wants to show only the good. He decides to apologize, sincerely this time, to Mikayla, who says she accepts his apology. He then goes on an honesty quest. He tells Edna that even though she thinks that she’s in an alliance of 6, the alliance is only 5 and that she is expendable. He says he cannot lie to her face anymore. This makes Edna extremely paranoid. Instead of asking Coach what is really going on, she decides that she must be the social butterfly of the group. She asks questions incessantly, chatting it up about everything with everyone. Stacey’s interview regarding Edna is quite funny, immitating Edna’s annoying laugh and saying just “Shut up!”

The survivors all finally receive their swim trunks and swim suits! Dawn from Savaii is the oldest woman on the tribe being 40 years young. She was not comfortable swimming in her bra and panties so she is so grateful for her swimsuit. She says she showed weakness on day two and really needs to prove that she is strong!

The two tribes receive invitations to the Redemption Island challenge between Christine and Papa Bear. Brandon and Edna spectate for Upolu and Jim and Cochran represent Savaii. Upon arrival at the arena Brandon asks Jeff if he can make a statement to Christine. Brandon confesses to Christine that he lied during their tribal council and during the game and said he could no longer lie and asked for her forgiveness and acceptance of his apology. Christine appeared skeptical and said that she does accept his apology but buying it is another story.

Redemption Island Challenge

For the Redemption arena challenge there are 10 crates spaced intermittently throughout the arena. Each survivor must throw one sandbag on the top of each crate. The first person with a sandbag on the top of 10 crates stays in the game. Christine started out strong and the score was 5-2. Papa Bear makes a comeback and the score is neck and neck. With a score of 9-9 Christine throws her sandbag and it sticks! Christine wins the challenge. Papa Bear says that he told all of his cohorts at NYPD that someday he would be on Survivor. He didn’t know how he would do it but it was a huge dream of his and he feels blessed for being able to have his dream come true. With a final good-bye Papa Bear throws his buff in the fire and leaves Redemption island.

Back at Upolu Cochran has a conversation with Dawn about Jim’s idea of getting rid of Elyse. Dawn is totally on board.

Immunity challenge:

Three members from each tribe, two men and one woman must hold a pole across their shoulders. At intervals 40 pounds of weight are added to the pole. The last person standing wins immunity for their tribe. The contestants are Jim, Keith and Dawn for Savaii and Brandon, Stacey and Albert for Upolu. Two 20 pound bags are added on each end at a time. The men withstand 180-200 pounds before anyone weakens. The ladies stand strong with 100 pounds each. Keith is the first to go down with 180 pounds. Albert falls with 200 pounds.This leaves Jim and Brandon each staying up with a Survivor record of 240 pounds each! Jim falls, Brandon soon follows and it’s down to the women. The women each accept another 40 pounds. Stacey is balancing the pole on her butt at this point and Dawn has the pole awkwardly against her back but neither can get the pole back on their shoulders. (seriously I would have fallen at 40 pounds! I don’t mess with my back this late in the game.)When another 20 pounds is added Stacey finally falls and Dawn wins the challenge for Savaii! Dawn is jubilant having proven that she is strong and is valuable to the tribe in challenges! Stacey put up a great fight but couldn’t hold out against Dawn. Savaii wins immunity, another clue to their individual immunity idol and importantly a rooster and two hens. Eggs or chicken dinner, they make the choice.

Back at Upolu Edna is scrambling like a scrambled egg according to Stacey. Edna asks Stacey if she’s going home and Stacey says I don’t know. Edna asks Stacey if she should pack and Stacey says do whatever you want! Coach comes over to talk to Stacey and tells her that he likes her and what a good job she did today in the challenge. Stacey says she thinks she’s more valuable than Edna and Coach basically tells her it’s between her and Edna who gets voted out. When Coach walks away Stacey makes a gesture and says that Coach is full of B.S. Stacey decides she is not giving up so she tells Brandon that Albert, Sophie and Mikayla are out to get him. In truth they do think he’s a loose cannon and they think their alliance needs reshuffling. Brandon immediately seeks out Coach and says, “We have a problem.” Coach replies, “Another one?” Brandon tells Coach what Stacey said and Coach says “STOP”!!! Coach has about had it with Brandon’s paranoia and drama. They have a discussion about strategy and Coach admits he lost previously because he had his head in the sand and didn’t stick true to his alliances.

Tribal Council

At tribal council Jeff plays a little game to stir the pot. He starts asking Rick, “What is the most annoying thing about Albert?” Rick says, “He snores.” No drama there Jeff, sorry, move along. Jeff asks Edna “What is the most annoying thing about Stacey?” Edna says it’s Stacey’s inability to open up about herself. Stacey says I’ve opened up plenty just to others not you. Jeff asks Mikayla “What is the most annoying thing about Brandon?” Mikayla says, he’s a nice kid but he’s a Hantz basically. This starts a conversation with Brandon about Russell and his previous play. Brandon feels like he needs to be on Survivor to reclaim the family honor because of how Russell played the game. He starts crying when Jeff asks him what is upsetting him now. Brandon says he wants to be someone that God would be proud of. (Once again God has a strong hand in Survivor according to the contestants!). It’s time to vote. Stacey is voted out by her tribemates. Coach makes a showing of asking the other tribe members to stand as a sign of respect for Stacey and then he tries to hug her. Seriously Coach you just voted this woman out and now you think she’s going to hug you?????? Stacey says UH-UH when Coach tries to hug her and pushes past him. (OOOH SHUT DOWN!) Jeff says, Well your tribe wanted to hug you and Stacey retorts, “It’s a lie, everything they say is a lie! I’ll be back!” Jeff then sends Stacey off to Redemption Island where she will join up with her former BFF Christine. This ought to be one interesting challenge!!!

Can’t wait for next week! Until then, the tribe has spoken……

Apparently Brandon Hantz has mastered the clichés of reality shows when he spouts this gem. Haven’t we heard this saying in every reality show?  It’s right up there with “don’t throw me under the bus!” More on Brandon later.

Redemption Island Duel:

Tonight’s episode starts with the first duel on Redemption Island.  Coach and Stacey are spectators for Upolu and Ozzy and Elyse represent the Savaii tribe.  I think Elyse and Ozzy make a handsome couple by the way.

Semhar and Christine appear in the Redemption Island arena.  Jeff explains the duel.  Each player will balance a tiki totem on top of a pole.  At intervals another pole will be added to the bottom to extend the totem higher and higher.  The first person that drops their totem is out of Survivor.  Semhar decides that she needs to spout some nonsense, which she calls poetry, delaying the duel, while the spectators including Jeff P. roll their eyes and seem annoyed.  (Just wondering if anyone thinks “my boo” is poetic??) Consequently and to the relief of all who are tired of her “spoken word”,  Semhar loses to Christine and burns her buff in the fire pit.  Christine returns to Redemption Island.  Coach looks a tad concerned that she remained in the game.  She clearly doesn’t like Coach but stated that Coach clearly didn’t like her and came after her.  (Christine it just might have something to do with the way you initially greeted Coach?)

At Savaii camp, Ozzy decides that he needs to confide in Keith that he has the immunity idol.  Ozzy thinks this is important because he trusts Keith and he feels they have a strong alliance.  Surprise!  Keith immediately tells Whitney that Ozzy has the immunity idol and exclaims that he’s not happy about it because it gives Ozzy all the power.  He wants Whitney to know just in case Ozzy tries to pull something later.  He tells Whitney not to tell Ozzy that she knows about the idol.

Back at Upolu Brandon is STILL battling his demons.  He decides that because he is such a lover of truth, a follower of the Lord and a believer in Jesus Christ he can no longer continue to lie to his tribe.  Is this the truth or is it just so damn hot he wants to take off his shirt? You decide.  Brandon gathers his tribe and takes off his shirt.  When no one notices his “Hantz” tattoos he announces to the tribe that he doesn’t want to lie anymore and that he is the nephew of Russell Hantz.  Stacey was shocked, Sophie thought it was interesting but it was anticlimactic to say the least.  Mikayla has mixed emotions; she doesn’t understand why Brandon wanted her out.  She asks him for a private conversation.  She asks Brandon, “Did you want me out because you don’t like me?”  Brandon answers “Yes!”  He intimates that others in the tribe don’t like her as well which doesn’t appear to be true, but he’s riding that slippery slope of  psychosis.  His paranoia reaches new heights and he once again gathers his tribe, (They must be getting tired of all these Brandon gatherings) to tell them that Mikayla has just confronted him and that he is done.  He says he wants no more drama!  Uhm.. excuse me Brandon but isn’t your name Brandon “drama” Hantz?  Thus far Brandon has caused all the drama in the Upolu tribe.  Coach and Sophie discuss Brandon losing his grip on reality.  Another reality show cliché, “loose cannon” is bandied about.  Mikayla now thinks that Brandon’s problem is that he is an evil Hantz and this makes more sense to her now.

The Challenge:

The challenge is set up on the beach.  Each tribe has a wheel of rope. The rope is tied to a boogey board. One member of each tribe must race out into the water with a boogey board while the team feeds them enough rope.  They then retrieve a bag from a platform.  Once they obtain their bag their team must reel them in like fish and they deposit their bag in a container on the beach. There are 5 bags. Each bag contains a piece of their flag.  After all the pieces are collected, two tribe members from atop a tall wall must pick those bags up with a grappling hook.  Once all the bags are on top of the wall the two tribe members can then untie them and remove the flag pieces. They must drape the 5 flag pieces in order to complete their flag. The race is close at first.  Coach’s grappling hook skills win the challenge for Upolu.  They also win a reward of coffee, tea, cookies, milk, etc. and an additional clue to the immunity idol at their camp.

Back at Savaii Jimmy who was working side by side with Mark, (Papa Bear) during the challenges, says that Papa Bear is their weakest link.  He feels that Papa Bear actually holds them back in challenges.  Granted we haven’t seen Papa Bear do much but lay in the hammock but is that just editing?  They tell Cochran that they are voting for Papa Bear but that they are telling Papa Bear the vote tonight is for Cochran.  Papa Bear thinks that they are lying so he runs out into the woods in an attempt to find the immunity idol.  Elyse sees him running off and asks Jimmy to go with her to see what he is doing.  He’s searching for the idol and they see him searching.  In a last ditch effort to not get voted out Papa Bear devises a fake immunity idol so his tribe will think he has it.  Ozzy knows this isn’t true because he has the idol and Keith knows and unbeknownst to Ozzy Whitney knows as well.  As Cochran narrates “ He came out of the woods with a big smile on his face and a big extra bulge in his underwear.”  Papa Bear actually told Jimmy he found the idol.  Jimmy is skeptical.

Tribal council:

Jeff P. asks Cochran how it was going back to camp after the last tribal council and Cochran says he’s trying to live up to his word to be strong for the tribe.  Jeff asks Papa Bear and Cochran who the leaders are.  Papa Bear says he’s a leader in real life but not on this tribe.  He says he has nothing in common with anyone and nothing is clicking.  He tries to draw Dawn into his threesome of Cochran, Papa Bear and Dawn being on the outs, but Dawn is diplomatic and vague.  She clearly is trying to survive on a daily basis with the rest of her tribe and worked hard in the challenge. Jimmy states that Papa Bear is just trying to stir the pot because he knows he’s on the chopping block.

Prior to the votes being read Jeff asks anyone if they have the immunity idol and if they’d like to play it.  All eyes are on Papa Bear.  He’s got nothing, just an extra lump in his pants that he can’t play.  The votes come back, one vote for Cochran (voted by Jimmy just in case PB had the idol).  One vote for Jimmy (voted by PB) and the rest for Papa Bear.  Papa Bear’s torch is snuffed and he’s off to redemption to battle Christine.

What’s up for next week?  Can Brandon get any crazier?  Is Ozzy’s strong alliance with Keith in jeopardy?  Will Papa Bear make a comeback or will Christine pull a Matt and go on a duel winning streak?  Until next week……the tribe has spoken!

Wow Survivor Fans! This season of Survivor South Pacific certainly isn’t short on drama.

Epi 2 starts with a quick recap of epi 1 where Coach discusses solidifying his alliance with Sophie, Brandon, Rick and Albert on the Upolu tribe. He has a subsequent private discussion with Edna. She pledges her loyalty to Coach and he vows to protect her. That’s another alliance of 2 for Coach so far.

Semhar arrives at Redemption Island feeling betrayed and abandoned. She’s the first evictee of the season awaiting her duel at Redemption Island. To soothe herself she begins reciting poetry or… what she considers poetry.

Back at Savaii after tribal council Cochrane (the Harvard law student) thanks his tribe mates for keeping him in the game and vows to make good on all of his promises. Even though his mother told him that she did not want him using a machete, unsupervised, Cochrane decides to throw caution to the wind and crack open some coconuts for his tribe mates. (Cochrane does your mommy allow you to cut your own meat?)

On day 4 Ozzy tells his tribe mates he’s going to go fishing and takes a little tour through the jungle. In true Ozzy “Tarzan” style he starts climbing trees as adept as a monkey, looking for signs of the idol or idol clues. As he’s walking towards the beach he sees what his trained “survivor eye” appears to be the perfect tree to hide an idol. Then he sees it, the rock! What is a rock doing in a tree? Ozzy knows that means the idol is under the rock. Day 4 and Ozzy has already found the actual immunity idol. He climbs high up into another tree and re-hides it. Keith and Ozzy had already decided to stick together and form an alliance. While fishing with Keith and Ozzy, Jimmy decides to approach the two men about having a strong alliance of 3+2. This would consist of the 3 men and the two women, Whitney and Elise. This would take them to the merge hopefully. Keith and Ozzy agree. Jimmy thinks he is the architect of this alliance not realizing Keith and Ozzy already have an alliance.

Back at Upolu on Day 4 Brandon and Coach take a walk and Brandon starts feeling deceitful about not being honest with Coach. He decides to tell Coach his identity and pulls up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal the word “Hantz”. Coach says, “but that’s not your name?” and Brandon says yes he’s Russell’s nephew! Coach is pretty blown away by this and realizes he’s in an alliance with the nephew of his nemesis! Brandon asks Coach to keep this info on the down low and Coach agrees. Brandon tells Coach he is a Christian and that he can trust him. Coach says that he was already duped by a Hantz. He’s either going to get duped again or this could be redemption for the Hantz family. They pray together at the watering hole. (Wow Brandon, you kept that secret for 4 whole days!!)

CHALLENGE:

The immunity challenge consists of 4 tribe members unbraiding a maypole to release the key at the top of the pole. Once the key is released one member of the tribe must unlock the other four tribe members and they must push crates out of the way in order to release the biggest crate that can only be pushed out one way. Ed note: If you have the game app “Unblock Me”, it’s just like that!

Upolu immediately takes the lead as the women unbraid the maypole with ease, as Savaii has considerably more trouble getting tangled up in the ribbons. When the maypole is unbraided and Upolu unlocks their other tribe members the men have a difficult time moving the crates in the appropriate order. In the meantime Savaii catches up and with the men on the tribe quickly and easily solving the puzzle, Savaii wins immunity, reward and a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Reward consists of the best survivor reward: Pillows, blankets, a mat and a hammock!! It’s rough sleeping on bamboo poles. I don’t know about you but that and toilet paper would just about do it for me.

Upolu returns to camp to ponder tribal council possibilities and this is where it gets interesting. Last week viewers saw a glimpse of Brandon and the demons that he battles. Mikayla is a very strong, attractive, sort of tomboyish member of Savaii. She works hard, does great in challenges and was one of the primary members to earn the challenge win for Upolu last week. Brandon continually says that he feels threatened by her. He says he’s a married man and he doesn’t want to battle temptation. He thinks she is using her feminine whiles to manipulate the men on the tribe. (Have any of you seen her doing this??? I sure haven’t.) Clearly Brandon doesn’t trust himself around women in swimsuits, bikinis or underwear, and he vows that he wants her gone! (Kind of creepy, yeah). Coach is discussing with his alliance that he thinks they should vote off Christine. Christine had already made a great impression on Coach by saying he was a “temporary player.” Christine and Stacey are tied at the hip and they are kind of on the outs with the rest of the tribe. Christine has been looking for the idol since day 1 and actually on day 4 she found the first clue to the idol but not the idol itself. She kept the clue a secret from her tribe. Coach having learned about flushing the idol decided that they should split their votes 3 for Christine and 3 for Stacey then if Christine has the idol one would go. They agree on this strategy and then all of a sudden Brandon chimes in that he wants Mikayla gone. He tells everyone that she’s a threat because she’s strong but confides in Coach that he’s married and he isn’t comfortable around her. Coach believes now that Brandon is battling demons. (Yeah I’d say so!). Brandon goes behind Coach’s back and decides to rally the troops to vote off Mikayla. Brandon tells Stacey and Christine that they are voting off Mikayla. Christine is totally confused and says it doesn’t make sense since Mikayla’s does so well at challenges and is strong. She knows something fishy is going on. Then Brandon tells Coach that Christine and Stacey told him they were voting for Mikayla! Brandon is adamant to press his agenda.

Tribal Council:

I forgot how great it is to have Coach at tribal council where he just spills the beans. Jeff tells him “It’s great to have you back Coach.”

Coach immediately says that someone told him Christine and Stacey were voting to evict Mikayla. Mikayla is shocked; this is the first she’s heard of it. Stacey and Christine are shocked as well because they never said that. Brandon told them to vote for Mikayla. Coach keeps his source (Brandon) secret and Christine and Coach argue for a bit. Christine reiterates that Coach is a temporary player and that he feels threatened by her.

During the vote Coach/ Brandon/ Sophie/ Albert (eye candy alert!), Mikayla, Rick and Edna split the vote and Christine is the second person to be voted off this season. She’s actually a bit shocked (apparently she wasn’t paying attention at tribal) and is sent to Redemption Island, with the first idol clue in her pocket.

Will Coach trust Brandon again? Will Brandon give into temptation or continue to battle his demons? Until next week… The tribe has spoken!