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For 39 days, 16 castaways were stranded in the South Pacific.  Every 3 days on the island became a 1-hour show.  14 episodes were produced.  The first contestant eliminated pockets $2500.  Each successive eliminated contestant wins more money, through the next-to-last Survivor, who receives $100,000.  The final Survivor wins a million dollars!

Images (C) 2002 CBS, Inc. and Mark Burnett Productions. This page is in no way associated with CBS, Mark Burnett Productions, or the Survivor production.

SHOW RECAPS - by Chico Alexander
Recaps are in sequential order.  Scroll to the bottom for the most recent episode.

Episode 1:  "Back to the Beach"
His name is Jeff Probst. He loves long walks on the beach and hosting game shows. And starting tonight, he's got 16 new friends.  Who will outwit, outplay, and outlast the other fifteen? It's either time for "Jungle
Fever: the Series," or...

SURVIVOR: MARQUESAS - Byte 1: "Back to the Beach"

Day 1: The Arrival.

Nuku Hiva, a lush garden in the Marquesas Islands, teeming of jungles, dolphins, surf, and sand... and cannibals. We CAN'T forget cannibals.

Neleh, can we at least wait until the opening credits to get seasick? Thanks.

Before we get to the game, let's meet the castaways who, for the next three days, at least, will call the island of Nuku Hiva home.

The Maraamu, tribe of wind, in the greenish yellow buffs, is:

Gina Crews; 29; Gainesville, FL
Hunter Ellis; 33; La Jolla, CA
Patricia Jackson; 49; Lugoff, SC
Peter Harkey; 45; Millis, MA
Rob Mariano; 26; Canton, MA
Sarah Jones; 24; Newport Beach, CA
Sean Rector; 30; Harlem, NY
Vecepia "Vee" Towery; 36; Portland, OR

The Rotu, tribe of rain, in the Carolina blue buffs, is:

Gabriel Cade; 23; Celo, NC (an alumnus of the compiler's college)
John Carroll; 36; Omaha
Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien; 47; Burlington, VT
Neleh Dennis; 21; Layton, UT
Paschal English; 57; Thomaston, GA
Robert DeCanio; 38; Queens, NY
Tammy Leitner; 29; Mesa, AZ
Zoe Zanidakis; 35; Monhegan Island, ME

The sixteen are dropped off on opposing sides of the island, but, unlike previous Survivor incarnations, they will not have the luxury of food, water, or fire. All they get are a knife, cooking utensils, a magnifying glass, and empty water jugs.  And so the grueling 39-day adventure begins.

As Rotu began the traverse to Rotu Beach, the struggle immediately brought them together and they began working as a team, counting their paddle strokes in unison. Arriving on shore, the group celebrated. "We were
thrilled, we made it the first part of the way," said Tammy.  Meanwhile en route to Maraamu beach, the other tribe spotted their flag and began their final paddle to shore. Sean saw Sarah (who by the end of this series will cement her role as the resident hottie) relax while the others paddled. So far, he's not pleased. "Sarah's arrival was almost like Cleopatra." The tribe quickly pulled the raft - and Sarah - to shore, and began to celebrate their arrival. Sean didn't know if they would ever make it. Surprised as he was, he went into the water and shared a baptismal and a prayer with Peter. They instantly bonded. In this, we'll see that Sean is a highly spiritual individual. "We didn't do this on our own, God's hand was definitely under the raft guiding us," said he.

Next order of business, leaders. A different strategy than what we're used to, as usually by episode 3, there is either a leader, a follower, an alliance, or a combination of the three. One thing doesn't change, though. Both teams are out for fire, using sticks, twigs, leaves, and magnifying glasses to try to ignite a spark. Kathy of Rotu started barking out orders to the others' dismay (think a female BB). Gabriel, on the other hand, noted, "Kathy is now the Skipper. Maybe it's her personality or the difficulty being out here, but I don't know. We don't need a Skipper out here." But all the bickering and barking was to no avail. No fire tonight. Which means no food or water for at least one night. We'll try again tomorrow.

Over at the Maraamu tribe, Hunter was frantically searching the supply box for some food. Not this time, chief. After the search turned up nothing, Hunter understood that time was of the essence and a fire was a must "I didn't want to be the leader," he said, "but I knew that things had to be done". His quick rise to "King of the Jungle" enamored Gina, who said that "he is a great person and we have so much in common. Hunter knows a little bit about everything." Giving new meaning to the phrase, "Come on baby, light my fire," it was yoga expert Peter who used his deep breathing to finally light the Maraamu flame.

Night 1:  Well, it's kinda like a fire...

Meanwhile... Sarah was trying to begin a fire of her own. And by the looks of things, she didn't need a magnifying glass. All she needed was a target: Rob.  Observing Sarah's stratagem, Vecepia noted, "Sarah has a very cute body and paid a lot for it, and if you have it, of course flaunt it.If she connects with the right individual, that'll help her get through." While the rest of the tribe slept near the fire, Sarah and Rob lay together on the raft getting to know each other. Hmm. Two fires for the same tribe in one night. What are the chances...

Day 2: Insert "Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" joke here.

Rotu's next task was finding a viable water source. Kathy decided to appoint herself, but it was a bit of a tailspin for her, as "she did not want to go into this thing the blonde bitchy type."  Following their map through the dense jungle, the Rotu ran into an exquisite, picturesque waterfall. Their discovery elated the tribe and led Neleh to joyously exclaim, "This is awesome!" (I have a feeling that this WON'T be the last time she says that). The tribe filled their water canteens as they splashed around in the new "sanctuary". Robert felt a kinship with the new discovery.  They found water, but they still need fire to boil and drink it. Kathy added, "Now we need that damn fire. I am going to work on it until it's dark."

Over at Maraamu, Rob discovers a fruit tree, but isnt' satisfied with just fruit alone. Hearing a rooster call, the asked his fellow tribe members, "Do you guys hear that? That's a turkey!" Rob went on a chicken run of his own, having caught a rooster in his sights. A chase ensued, taking Rob and Peter deep into the jungle. The rooster escaped from being captured as Rob exclaimed, "I had no idea that roosters could fly, but this rooster took off like a 747 and he was out of here and that was it."  Everyone elaughed at it except for Hunter, who believed that water, shelter and fire were of the utmost importance, not reenacting animated movies. Quoth Rob, "I realize that I am going to have to work to stay in the group now and that this is essentially going to be my fate."

Back at Rotu, the non-natives were getting restless, having found water and not being able to boil it.  Kathy, meanwhile, continued her slide into bitchiness. John declared, "Of course we know we need to start fire, but to have someone pushing you like Kathy did really started to become grating. I am Irish so I have a temper, and she sparked it. Now I became fixated with starting a fire to combat my outburst." Kathy was reduced to tears because of the argument. After a couple of failed attempts, the Rotu eventually had fire.  Kathy soon afterwards began to reveal a warmer side, as opposed to the brash firestarter that the team started out with.

The Maraamu, on the other hand, got fire and needed water, so the team decided to expedite the forest during day two for their watering hole.  Will lightning strike twice for our wayward players? Yes, and no. Maraamu found their watering hole, but it was just that. A hole.  But no one's complaining. Peter admits to being a workaholic, saying that he can't slow down and telling how Sean is telling him to chill. The two spend the rest of the day lounging on the raft. The rest of the tribe joined the two. Peter was elated, saying "It's nice to have a real conversation."

Quote of the night: Rob, on Peter: "He's a fruit loop."

I-CHALLENGE: Outrigger Fire Quest.

Jeff sends his first tree-mail on the island.

"You'll be in over your head to get to the flame.
The weak ones will dread the thought of this game.
It's a long, tough trail, avoid a rocky start.
Fail to work as a team, you may be the first to part."

Jeff reveals that this Survivor will have NO matches whatsoever, so this challenge is for the immunity idol only. Carrying an outrigger canoe and two torches, the tribes must swim with the canoe out into the ocean, where
a fire cauldron awaits. Then they must light the torches from the wok, race back to shore, and light a series of torches along the way. The first tribe to successfully light all the torches, set their boat on a perch, and cross the finish line wins immunity.

As the race began, both tribes struggled to get their canoe into the water as the waves crashed into them. Rotu took the lead as Maraamu's torch fell into the water. That lead was enough to carry Rotu to victory, celebration, and immunity for at least another three days. Maraamu didn't have it so lucky. One of them is going home tomorrow.

Day 3: Awaiting the First Vote.

Rob hits it on the head. "The game has begun." (What about "The game is afoot."  Oh wait...that's Sherlock Holmes Survivor... [JE])  Back at camp, it finally hits Maraamu as to the reality of this game, that they must make a decision about who to vote out at Tribal Council. Sean put the choice in perspective, "The party is over. We first got here, we started the fire, everybody worked, but now the reality is set in; somebody has to go." As the eldest female, and feeling vulnerable, Patricia, trying to avert the curse of the first (in the first three Survivors, the oldest woman of the tribe that lost the first immunity challenge - Sonja Christopher, Debb
Eaton, and Diane Ogden - were usually the first to go) pleaded her case saying, "I may not be twenty-five, I am twice that. I may not win a foot race, but I can be steady... I can endure." Next on the docket: Peter's
voting strategy. Some people, especially Gina, thought that his strategy of voting off the weaker players was rubbing people the wrong way.  Peter: "If you want to get the truth about a situation, just look into someone's eyes." Sarah commits her vote against Peter, saying that "he always looks like he's up to something."  Hunter even called him on an alliance ("An alliance right now means absolutely nothing."). Sean considered voting against Sarah, because of her obvious womanness... in more ways than one. So there are the three probables: Sarah, the "human flotation device"; Patricia, the oldest woman on the tribe; and Peter, the overstrategist.

Night 3: Tribal Council.

Okay, you heard this six times before. Say it with me. "At Tribal Council, we have a ritual. Behind each one of you is a tribal torch. I want you to take it, dip it into the flame, put it back on its perch, and have a seat. As you know, in the game of Survivor, 'Fire represents life,' and these torches will represent your lives, your identities at Tribal Council. As long as you have fire, you have life. If your fire goes out, so do you. Every Tribal Council is a ritual; every vote, a sacrifice, because here is where you are held accountable for your actions. Some may help you, some may hurt you. That's what the vote is about." Gina thinks it's rewarding to have to search out for your own food. Vee pointed out Hunter as the tribe's leader. Peter felt a bit uncomfortable. Sarah thinks that her role is a gopher. Gopher this, gopher that.  Speaking of which, time to gopher the vote.

Peter: TRICIA. "You deserve to stay."
Sarah: PETER. "He's a very nice person, but he did a couple of things that
threw us off today."
Sean: SARAH. "Love ya like a play cousin, but I don't think you're holding
up your end of the bargain."

So far, one for Tricia, Peter, and Sarah. Four more votes are read. One vote withheld, and THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. Peter breaks "the curse of the first," by becoming the first man to have the dubious honor, with a
massive amount of pity, of being the first one to go.

Final count: Peter is out with 4, Sarah gets 3, and Tricia has one.  One vote withheld. Sarah better hope for unanimous decisions from here on out, or else she may be the next Rotu taking the long row home.

Prediction: Well, last game proved that anything's possible in the Survivor universe, with not having been merged outright. But I can say that Hunter has the best chance of the Maraamu of making it to the merge. On the Rotu, it's too early to call an outright winner.

EPISODE 2:  Nacho Momma

Previously, the Survivor sixteen were dropped off on Nuku Hiva, aka Survivor Island v2.0. After finding fire, water, and love (Sarah, Rob, I'm talking to you two), Maraamu had to trek to Jeff's Tribal Council Hut o'Love (TM) to vote out Peter, much to the dismay of Rob.  If the franchise holds true to form, expect to see food and lots of it today on...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 2 - "Nacho Momma"

Night 3: The Tribe that Gives Shoulder Rubs Together...

So what did the Rotu do when the Maraamu were away at Tribal Council? Well, they were just one person and one step short of a 60s love-in. At the suggestion of Neleh, they all began to rub shoulders. Quoth Neleh: "We should do this EVERY NIGHT!" "I love being in this tribe. I love how they decide to interact with each other in positive ways," voiced Gabriel. As the group gathered in the Rotu Love Shack, Kathy separated herself from the others and slept next to the fire.  John, the astute detective himself, notes, "Kathy isn't trying to be one of us."

Day 4: Food Fight

Remember what I said at the top of the recap? Well, it begins. The Rotu are making crude weapons to hunt their game. Gabriel experiments with a bow and arrow type as the others make spears.  Meanwhile, Kathy, the iconoclast (every tribe has one, I guess) set out on her own fishing trip. A lack of protein led Robert to be sick, meanwhile. Gabriel quickly became concerned, saying that "being a big guy comes with eating a lot of food. I think Robert is taking the lack of food the hardest." Recognizing the need for food, John constructed a pig trap and made a prognostication of his progress in the game: "If I catch a pig, I might as well set my table at the Final Four."

Meanwhile, at Maraamu Beach, it was time for the island's favorite morning radio show, Good Morning Marquesas with Hunter Ellis and Sean Rector. Hunter gave the morning weather report (Partly cloudy, rising to 160 by afternoon); Rob delivered the day's menu (blueberry pancakes, bacon, and sausage); and on the request lines, it's Sean with "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." As spirits lifted, the tribe sang and danced as Rob explained, "The Morning Show is basically our break from the day. It's a little comic relief from the tolling world of Survivor here in the Marquesas." Meanwhile, Patricia picked up the torch that was put out last night and began to take charge, building and organizing camp. Observing the new attitude, Gina remarked, "Miss Tricia has definitely changed since last Tribal Council. In fact, the next morning she was up, she was collecting firewood, she won't rest. I think she is being herself now. She is comfortable." But Patricia's abrasive take-charge attitude led Sean to say, "She is doing too much talking to me. At first it was endearing but now she won't stop working. Quite frankly I am getting sick of it." Meanwhile, as the hunt went further, John was discussing his strategy, having just caught a prawn. "Within the tribe I am trying to develop a hierarchy. I want to be as high as possible. To do that I need to provide food, specifically protein." Hmm... That will win Robert's vote, at least.  Speaking of which, Kathy's signaling over to the group when she came across a cache of sea creatures. "It was so exciting to see food. Even though it was minute, I started losing it," she said.  The tribe collected the mussels, clams, and crabs that Kathy had found under the rocks of the shallow water. With mixed emotions, John later stated, "Inside it was like a mixed blessing. I am happy to have the protein, but
I just wish I was the one to find it." Kathy searched for compliments for her discovery as everyone ate it, but none were offered. Ingrates.

Chatting on the shoreline while the others swam, Sean and Vee realized that they had quite a bit in common. Vee explained, "What I call Sean is Malcolm-Farrakhan. He's that Malcolm X-militant-type- brother and the intelligent outspoken type." Sean later voiced, "She believes in God and I believe in God and we are bound by that, and that is a stronger bond than race could ever be."

As the day grew longer and tasks around camp needed to be completed, the Maraamu begna to see Sean as a lazy good-for-nothing (funny, I thought that was Sarah's role). Reiterating what the others were saying, Gina complained, "Sean seems so strong physically, you look at him and you think - man, he is going to help us, but he's lazy." Running out of water, the tribe demanded that Sean trek to the water source to fill the empty container. Sean later noted (rather peevedly), "Everybody is gravitating towards Hunter, who is the leader, and wants to make sure he sees what they do and their value to him. I know it's part of the game, but I'm not going to do it. I ain't kissing nobody's butt."

Night 4: Revelation.

Rob is talking with Sarah on their love raft again. But this time, Rob reveals (not to Sarah, surprisingly), that it's like playing Survivor for two, saying that "she'll vote however I tell her to vote."

Day 5: Home Move-ies.

Feeling ostracized, Kathy attempted to redeem herself with a basket of food she found in the jungle. She called her tribe over to discuss what she had found and then strongly suggested they build a shelter. Her demand was a problem for several tribe members, who were dismayed by her demanding style. Tammy compared it to having a candy bar dangling over a kid's head and saying, "Now here's what I want you to do."  As emotions grew and tears swelled in Kathy's eyes, Gabriel coolly stated, "If having a shelter over your head is most important to you, then I will do my best to assuage your worries." Realizing that shelter was a priority for Kathy, the tribe worked as one to construct their new home. Paschal added a final touch, an American flag, over the top of the shelter.

Meanwhile, you got mail:

"You'll be left breathless if great depths you fear.
Remember to tread water for new fishing gear."

R-CHALLENGE: Do or Dive (Fishing Gear)

Each tribe must dive down and remove stones piled in boats sunk many feet beneath the surface of the ocean. Once the stones are removed and the boat surfaced, they must tow it to the dock and bail the remaining water out. Once completed, they must paddle the boat to shore and across the finish line. The challenge began and the tribes dived beneath the water to unload the heavy rocks. Gabriel gave the Rotu the early advantage as he unloaded a remarkable 19 rocks in one dive. Having their boat surface
first was all Rotu needed, as they never let up, winning the challenge.

With the unpredictable weather of the South Pacific, finishing the shelter was of utmost importance for the Maraamu tribe. Sarah complained (no surprise there), "I have been saying for the last two days that we need to put the palms on the roof to make it waterproof, and no one has been listening. Now all of a sudden Hunter has came up with this bright idea to do it and now it's going to get done." As the others either ignored or rolled their eyes at Sarah's suggestions, her frustration grew as her efforts went unnoticed.

Day 6: Mail:

"We are pleased to invite you to a special repast.
We are making fafaru; with luck you may last.
It may sound repulsive, but please don't feel queasy.
If the result is expulsive, the vote may be easy."

I-CHALLENGE: Marquesian Menu

"Today's theme is... Fafaru."  Fafaru is fish bones, crab legs, and lobster legs marinated in seawater, then left out in the sun for three days with raw fish, and according to Jeff, it smells "worse than a public
toilet on a hot summer day!" But if you want immunity, you're going to have to eat it. One at a time, each person eats their portion of fafaru, no hands allowed. The first tribe to have a member fail to eat loses. Each castaway, some more hesitant than others, stepped up and ate the Marquesian delicacy, which led to a tiebreaker between Maraamu's Rob and Rotu's Neleh. They both faced off in downing a bowl of fafaru. Neleh proved to have the stronger stomach as she scarfed down the fish. Rob just couldn't handle the foul odor, and chucked the fish (off screen, of course). Rotu wins the statue and Neleh hoists it up in victory. Maraamu, on the other hand, must now face yet another vote.

Night 6: Closer to the vote.

Back at camp, paranoia set in as the Maraamu tribe prepared for the impending night's vote. Knowing he let his team down at the challenge, Rob believed he could be the next to go. Having secured a bond with Sarah - and knowing she was also vulnerable to the vote - Rob had to rethink his strategy as he explained, "If Sarah goes tonight, then I have to decide if I am going to join Hunter and be the worker bee again, or go with Sean and risk looking stupid."

TRIBAL COUNCIL: Once again, Maraamu found themselves needing to unload some excess baggage.  First business. How was it being/having a mom in the tribe? Patricia, the self-proclaimed mom of the group, approved. Rob thought it was a pain in the butt, but it's worth it. In fact, the only dissenting opinion came from Sarah: "I think we're all adults and we all don't need someone telling us what to do. I'm 24 years old and my mom hasn't told me what to do in eight years. It's hard to take sometimes." She also dissented on the opinion of working, saying that she didn't come to the island to have a 16-hour workday (Oh, Sarah. All the spite of Rich and half the brain cells of Colby will get you nowhere in the game). Think I'm kidding? Let's see the count.

Vee: PATRICIA - "She's a great person, but the mom thing is getting pretty old in the camp."
Hunter: SARAH - "You know I love you, but the beach party is over. We're going to have to work hard. We're going to have to challenge hard. And you're being a distraction."

So far, it's a one and one count. Let's see the rest.

Sarah: MOM (Patricia)
Patricia: SARA(H)
Rob: MOMMA (Patricia)
Sean: PATRICIA
Gina: SARAH

4-3. Momma, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN.  Jeff followed the vote with one of the most ominous (note from Jason: and obvious) statements ever made on the show: "This is clearly a tribe divided."

---

Ed's notes: (note from Jason:  Who's Ed?  Oh...) Again, it's too early to tell, but Kathy's obvious self-alienation is painting a bullseye on her back. Meanwhile at Maraamu, if they don't pull out of this slump, then Sarah, who is already proving to be the worst Survivor player ever... EVER, is making the long row home.

EPISODE 3:  No Pain, No Gain

You cannot stop the Rotu, you can only hope to contain them. That's what we learned previously, as the tribe that love built not only dominated the challenges, but dominated the hunt as well, getting more than their daily allowance in ass-kicking. Can Maraamu break out of their slump? Or will Rotu send another of the other side home? We'll find out today as we venture back into Survivor Island, Nuku Hiva, for...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 3 - "No Pain, No Gain"

Night 6: Cold in More Ways Than One

After returning from the Tribal Council that sent "Mama" Patricia back to civilization, there was an airing of grievances. And what an airing, as Sarah confronted Hunter about the three votes cast against her, leading her to say, "This morning when I woke up and you guys were already gone, I knew you were talking about me not working, when no one even bothered to wake me up. If you guys need me to do something, damn it, wake me up!" To which Hunter replied, "You really don't need to be this concerned." To which Sarah replied, "Well, apparently I need to be." Sean felt disrespected by the inability to communicate, leading him to complain, "When you aren't communicating to me it's a form of disrespect, when you just assume that people are going to get up when you want to get up." Hunter felt aggravated by his tribe's poor work ethic and stubbornness, leading him to vent, "You know you signed on to do this survival game, but you still have to survive, otherwise you are just going to dwindle out, and you aren't going to have any energy."  To which Vee randomly quipped, "There is just too much DRAMA in this tribe!" Nail on the head, Vee. Nail on the head.

Day 7: Sunshine and Rain, Joy and YEEOOOWCH!

By the way, last night was cold, wet, and stormy. As a result, the Rotu Love Shack (TM) is leaking.  The tribe quite chirpily agreed that fortifying the shelter with more leaves was the tribe's main task of the day. Gabriel noted, "There is something about this tribe. We get a lot of strength in the kind and the strong spirits that we give each other." In the process, two tribal nicknames arise. Here's Paschal with the story of one, calling Neleh "Sweetpea": "Neleh, she just has that little 'pixie' look. Her vivaciousness just reminds me of my two daughters at home." Now Neleh with the story of Paschal's "Papa": "Paschal has the greatest heart. He is the father figure of the group. Of anybody on the whole team that I would have the toughest time voting off, it would be him."

Continuing with the hunt made possible by a generous snorkel from Mark Burnett Productions, John was abruptly halted when he stuck his hand where he really shouldn't have, namely in the south end of a northbound sea urchin. Wincing in pain, and holding onto his pricked finger not wanting the infection to spread, he relied on the only knowledge that so many years of registered nursing managed to sink in: if you want to stop the swelling on an infected finger, have someone urinate on it. He shouted, "I need somebody who has to pee, does anyone have to pee?" Running to the rescue, Paschal arrived to try and alleviate John's pain. But with the pressure on, Paschal couldn't deliver, but Kathy could, joking, "Paschal went out to pee, and yes he did have performance anxiety, and couldn't do it. At least I performed in the call of duty." After having performed the call of duty, John came to the sudden shock that his hand was between her legs. Now THAT'S what I call a love tribe!

Meanwhile, it's time to tune into the Morning Show with Rob, Hunter, and Sean over at Maraamu Beach, after having their grievances "washed away," as Vee put it.  Today's subject: no nos, in or out?  They're twice as hungry as mosquitoes, half their size, and as Rob puts it, "about forty-five thousand times worse than mosquitoes and there is absolutely no cure for them. They are the most miserable things I have ever encountered in my life." And their calling cards are all over the Maraamu, prompting a
"call in session." Vee prompted other tribesmen to "light her up," with such responses as "Well I think the no nos suck" and "The black ones are wor-(Sean: BRRRING! BRRRING! This is Al Sharpton! This is ludicrous!)"

For the next challenge, no mail. But Jeff arrived at each camp personally, with instructions and supplies to build a raft using bamboo poles, rope, and anything else they can use from the beach. The raft had to be secure enough to row the tribe members (and five supply crates) for their next challenge. As the Rotu unloaded the bamboo, Robert injured his foot when a rock got between his big toe and his flip-flop. Having sliced his foot open, Robert writhed in pain as John treated the injury (surprisingly enough without having to pee on it). "It's only pain. Pain is easy, life is hard," Robert preached as he mended his injury. Hindered by his injury, he proved his fortitude as he helped Gabriel take on the challenge of
designing and constructing the raft ("We're going for a Kon-Tiki boat"). As half of the tribe helped build the raft, the others spent time searching for food. John went into shallow water looking for food and found yet another injury, this time due to an eel bite to the finger. In pain, John was obviously scared, explaining, "It lacerated the underside of my finger and it just ripped it open." Tammy later added, "Everything can change in a heart beat. John has gotten hurt twice today. Things change just like that out here."

R-CHALLENGE: Raft Rescue (blankets, pillows, and lanterns OR the classic Survivor rice)

Remember those rafts the teams built? Now they're going out to sea in a race. The teams must cross a zig-zag pattern while collecting supply crates anchored to the bottom of the sea. Once all five crates have been collected, they must then race back to the plank. First one with all five crates back wins. It was neck and neck for most of the race, cultivating in a dead heat for the scramble back to the plank. As the Rotu raft cut through the water, they battled back to regain a lead lost to the Maraamu, and never looked back, winning the challenge, and choosing the pillows, blankets and lanterns as their reward.

Day 8: A Streak Worst Than That Carolina Slump Back in 2002...

Back at Maraamu, no one's happy about the loss, pondering what their problem was. Hunter probably had the right idea, but not the guts to say it to the tribe. "Winning is an attitude that you carry around, it's not something you turn on and off before you go to a challenge. If we were working together to accomplish things around camp first, the basis of teamwork would begin."

Meanwhile, Sean just screamed as he chewed on his coconut: "IWANTEDSOMERICE!"

And on the other side: Necklace Mail:

"Take turns at the helm; tell others what to do.
You'll work through the ups and downs to guide your tribe through.
It's time to learn the ropes; it's more than a game you're playing.
Be the first down the winding path if you plan on staying."

I-CHALLENGE: Coconut Maze Race.

Five players from each tribe must use a system of pulleys and their teammate's orders to navigate coconuts through an oversized tilting ball maze. First one to three sends the others to Tribal Council. Rotu had increased confidence coming from a four-challenge streak, to which Maraamu Sean quoted, "The weak shall be exhalted." We'll see. Maraamu began with an early lead as Vee barked out orders to her tribe. Rotu wasn't far behind, but going into the last coconut, it was a dead heat, with Rotu proving why if you rearrange the letters, you spell "rout", winning their fifth straight challenge and sending the defeated Maraamu tribe back to Tribal Council.

Day 9: Awaiting the Vote... AGAIN.

Gina gets to give the weekly vent: "It's scary knowing that we have to go into Tribal Council again tonight. I mean, this could be my last night! Or we could have to go back three days from now. It's just a difficult situation." Hunter and Gina discuss strategy again, this time possibly going after Sean, trying to rally Rob. Sean, on the other hand, is talking with Rob about Sarah's feelings toward him. Rob, on the third hand, is playing the tribe up for a bunch of fools. "It is important for me to have people on my team that are going to do what I tell them to do without knowing that I am telling them to do it," he said, quite smugly. Adding into it, a quote from the Godfather: "Fear, it's a tough principle, but fear keeps people loyal. If they're afraid they have something to lose, they will do what they are told to do."

Night 9: Tribal Council.
Well, after having cleared the slate and getting along, they discuss their inability to win a single challenge. Hunter's analysis invites teamwork as a rebuilding exercise, not knowing exactly what Rout's up to. Rob's analysis invites the notion of bad luck, because every challenge they lost has been a close one. Vee's analysis invites drawing upon inner strength. Sean's analysis invites just being sick of losing. But the vote will invite one player to get the hell off the island. So far, the players targeted are Sean (for his instability around water), Sarah (for her lack of activity within the past nine days), and whoever Rob wants gone, which I guess we won't find out until they're actually gone.  Here are the votes we know of.

Hunter: SARAH - "One, I don't think you're taking the game seriously enough, and two, this vote may help me protect someone I think is important."
Sean: HUNTER - "Look here, player.  Definitely a team player to a certain extent. Definitely the strongest player. But this is the game of outwit. Hope to see you on the outside, and no hard feelings. Peace."

So now we know who Rob was targeting. But do the other players fall prey?

Gina: SARAH
Rob: HUNTER
Vee: HUNTER
Sarah: H.E. (Hunter Ellis)

With the exception of Gina, yes. The count is 4-2, and in a shocker, Hunter, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN.  So he departs with a bitter, "Good luck."

---

Final notes: Well, the team's starting to come together, but they have to put that 110 into the challenges, or come the merger, it'll be Rotu and two other guys. But as "the game finally starts to get interesting," next week, anything can happen. I can't call for sure who's going next week, because honestly, I don't know. I can't picture anyone from Rotu going to council, and I can't tell whether Sean, Sarah, or Rob is off next.

EPISODE 4:  The Winds Twist

Previously, there was a stress for teamwork, with Hunter manning the push. But for each push comes a pull, and Rob was pulling everyone to vote Hunter out of the game. Will the move be the final nail in the Maraamu death bed? The winds, they are a-changing, today on...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 4 - "The Winds Twist"

Night 9: The after-vote.

The Maraamu returned from Tribal Council after voting out Hunter. Rob smugly proclaimed that it was his game. Gina had to ask why they had made such a stupid mistake. The others were unable to explain the reasoning behind their vote, and Gina expressed her own thoughts on the situation: "I think the reason is because Sean and Rob were tired of having someone else in the leadership role. That was their main motivation in voting Hunter off." She told the tribe, "I am glad I'm here, I'm just shocked that you voted him off." In one foul swoop, Gina found herself with the crosshairs.

Day 10: Break-up to shake up, that's all we do...

As morning arrived, the Rotu awoke in good spirits and embraced each other to begin the day. Paschal noted, "This tribe is a family. I don't know if the mood around here can be any better. There is just a really calm, peaceful feeling. It's just family pride, and I don't think the other team has that." At ease with his tribe and the surroundings, Gabriel explained: "This tribe is unbelievable; it's an amazing experience to see eight people coming together every single day to provide for each other," citing the unity and love.  Kathy proved Gabriel's sentiment by cooking a new snack for her hungry tribe. She chopped up coconut and fried it in a pan, creating a new delicacy for the already happy group. Everyone loves toasted coconut. With the American flag in the backdrop, Tammy summed it up: "We have become a second sort of family."

Back at Maraamu, it was a different story, as the day's mail arrived. Mail:

"Challenges of brain and brawn are nothing compared to this,
Your world will turn, your head will spin, when you stand upon the disk."

Ideas flew around, but they just decided to see and wait. "Who knows?" said Vee. "This is where the game gets really interesting," echoed Sean. Are you ever right about that, brother, because it's time for...

R-CHALLENGE(?): The Survivor Switch

Jeff stated that this was not a reward challenge or an immunity challenge as he instructed them to each stand on one of 13 wooden disks placed randomly in front of them. (What our players don't know, however, is that under each disk is one of thirteen colored buffs: five Maraamu yellow, and eight blue Rotu). Soon, he told everyone to step off their disks and turn them over, starting with Zoe..

Zoe: Blue - stays in Rotu.
Gina: Yellow - stays with Maraamu
Gabriel: Blue - stays with Rotu

Then comes the first change.

Neleh: Yellow - switches to Maraamu
John: Blue - stays with Rotu
Vee: Blue - switches to Rotu. "God is still good regardless."
Rob: Blue - switches to Rotu. At this point, Sarah is looking with angst.
Kathy: Yellow - switches to Maraamu
Sean: Blue - switches to Rotu
Sarah: Yellow - stays with Maraamu
Robert: Blue - stays with Rotu
Paschal: Yellow - switches to Maraamu
Tammy: Blue - stays with Rotu.

The love tribe was now sectioned as tears filled Neleh and Paschal's eyes.  The Maraamu had the chance to start over, but Jeff parted by saying, "Some of you are looking at this as a reprieve; some as a sentence. It is neither. It's just a game." Easy for you to say, Mister Hosty-McHost-Host.

Returning to Maraamu's camp, Gina and Sarah gave their new tribe members a tour. Gina was excited about having new people in the camp, saying, "It was interesting, it was very exhilarating to actually see some people who didn't want to just sit around and be lazy." After seeing the plentiful fruit trees, Kathy joyfully added, "I just came from a tribe that would get up at dawn and check the pig-pit, then go out to forage for shells. So to us, we feel that we are at a four-star hotel with fruit on the table." Neleh would've just "chilled around here for the fruit."  Gina was just ecstatic to have something in common with Kathy. Then they decided to talk about Hunter, whom everyone (including the compiler) thought would make it to the end. As they toasted with fruit to "their new little family," they went about their day getting to know one another.

"At least it isn't the projects."  Such was the sentiment of Sean as the new Rotu made their way to the new camp. Tammy loved their old group, but she loved even more to have new people. Soon after exchanging introductions, the original Rotu members dived into their daily tasks. Vee claimed, "When we first arrived at Rotu, we truly felt it was a genuine welcome, but I also felt that their expectations were for us to just jump right in. We noticed immediately that these people were like ants!" Not accustomed to the Rotu work habits, she later added, "Right now we'd be chilling. Work done in the morning. Afternoon -- chill!" Rob worried about the numerical advantage the original Rotu members had within the tribe. He stated, "The biggest thing now is gonna be to see how I am going to bond with these other people. The game's changing, maybe for the better, maybe for the worst."

Back at the Maraamu, it's like seeing a whole new tribe, seeing, as Gina put it, three new tribe members that really kick butt.  When they voted Hunter out, it shocked the hell out of me." Maybe Gina was saved, she thought as she went to get some water for their new tribesmates.  Then Gina noted that there was a majority of new members to old members in this tribe, seeing a numerical disadvantage, and then saying, "I wouldn't mind if it happened at the other tribe; they deserve what they get."

The Rotu continued to work, as Rob said, "Pretty much life over here is about two degrees shy of hell." Sean shared Rob's sentiment, as he found himself shoveling and collecting firewood. As the day grew hotter, Sean complained, "I feel like we are doing too much labor on this island. I hear the Roots thing as we speak. By the end of the day, I am so tired I just want to lay down and sleep." All Sean and Rob could talk about was women of their former tribe with "big boobs and tiny bikinis" (read: Sarah).  Tammy noticed the poor work ethic of Sean and Rob as quite ironically she brought them food. "If Sean and Rob decide not to work, we will still feed them, but they're asses are GONE!"

Day 11: Shrimp and the Barbie

As the Maraamu became nono food, they set out for a morning hike. After an hour's trek with Kathy in the lead, the tribe found themselves off their path and lost, deep in the jungle. Contemplating which way to go, Gina could sense the tribe becoming crabby, and stated, "Neleh and Paschal were becoming irritated with Kathy. I think she gets on their nerves just because she is so aggressive and they are very passive. They are very irritate, because she wants to go on." Arriving at a deep rock pool, Neleh noticed that it was filled with shrimp. As the group tried to gather the slippery creatures, Sarah sat on the side, scratching her legs. Kathy observed as Sarah was getting herself lost, "Sarah likes to sit back. Neleh, Paschal, Gina, and obviously myself love to be curious."

Back at Rotu, Sean was hoping to get by by winning the next challenges. He toldfelt the original members of the tribe were putting too much pressure on the new members to work harder. He told Gabriel, "We aren't going to overexert ourselves, knowing that we are going to get picked off one by
one. We aren't going to run around here like slaves to prove anything to anybody. We are going to work when we want, and rest when we want to rest. If you don't kiss butt, then your butt is next! If y'all gonna vote us off, vote us off." (ed's note: Okay.) Vee wanted to distance herself from the situation, cautiously adding, "Stay drama free, that's the way to be. When the drama starts, I walk away. If my name's not in it, I'm not in it."

Meanwhile, mail. No tricks this time:

"Look for the pattern, or you may be leaving.
The key to victory is all in the weaving
You need to be wary of the time you are using.
Don't take too long; eviction is looming."

Someone wake up Sarah, it's challenge time.

I-CHALLENGE: Life's a Tapestry

Each tribe has a woven tapestry of interlaced pieces that were scrambled. The first tribe to unscramble the tapestry by sliding the pieces along a pulley system and to line them up correctly to form the original design wins.

Having three more members than Maraamu, Rotu Rob, Sean and John sat out to even up the sides. As the challenge began, Maraamu struggled (Neleh looked like a cow looking at oncoming traffic). Gabriel called out directions to Rotu as they frantically unscrambled the tapestry. Having little trouble with the puzzle, Rotu once again walked away victorious, sending Maraamu back to Tribal Council. Rob, Sean, and Vee finally knew the thrill of victory, while Neleh, Paschal, and Kathy would face the agony of the vote.

Day 12: And the (losing) tradition continues...

As the Maraamu tribe prepared for the upcoming vote, Gina thought that the vote would be a little unnerving because the old Maraamu are outnumbered.  Sarah stated, "It is so hard to say with the five people we have left who is going to go tonight, because we are all getting along so well."  She prognosticates that Kathy will be the next to go as does Neleh.

Night 12: Tribal Council

Neleh, Paschal, and Kathy get the "fire=life" spiel as they light their first council flames. Paschal was shocked at the switch, but soon it worked out for the bst. Gina loved the switch, as she thgouht she was the next to go.  Kathy was not happy with the Survivor Switch. "The range of emotions were just bad. It was just pulling the rope right out under me."  Neleh grew with the change. Sarah also grew, but will that come back to bite her in the ass? Let's vote.

Kathy: SARAH
Neleh: SARAH
Paschal: SARAH
Sarah: K(athy) O('Brien)
Gina: SARAH

Unanimously, Sarah, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN... Time to go.  Actually, it was time a LONG time ago. Next time, you'll use your head instead of your... yeah.
---

Final notes: It wasn't a matter of if for Sarah, but a matter of when. With the switch in place, anything can happen. The only thing that is sure, Rotu has a 2-to-1 advantage.  My opinion, the days of Rotu's Sean and Maraamu's Kathy are numbered.

EPISODE 5:  The End of Innocence

Before the recap, I just had a little poll set up. You'll see it at the end. But right now... Previously, a switch sent three Maraamu to Rotu and three Rotu to Maraamu, but it did nothing to curb their losing streak and, as a result, human flotation device Sarah was sent (on a boat, hopefully) on the long row home.  So the big question on the island now is

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 5 - "The End of Innocence"

Day 13: Game On? Game Over?

Push-ups. Swashing. Catching food. That's how day 13 began for six of Rotu (Sean and Rob were busy carving out their own personal butt grooves in the sand). Feeling vulnerable after having swapped tribes, Rob explained the reasoning behind said action once again: "I had everything in control at the Maraamu tribe and now we are pretty much in the minority - five against three." That wasn't to say that Rob was without a game plan. "I need to get in with this new tribe, make some kind of agreement or alliance." Picking up on the new dynamics in his tribe, Gabe regretfully professed, "People are worried about how long they are going to be here. These guys brought the game with them; it has started at our camp now."

While talking to John, Gabe was asked if he would lie to win the game. Gabe proceeded to clarify his reasons for being on Survivor, "I am not here to play the game. I am here to see if eight people from all around the country can come together and live and be happy here." Not trusting Gabe, John later stated, "Of course he is here to play the game, this is not a commune!"

So Rotu becomes a tribe divided, and Maraamu is the new tribe-of-love (Ed's note: Neleh must be the key. Keep her around). So far, the tribesmen have stumbled onto fruit, and now comes crab. Surprised by the abundance of crabs, the animated Maraamu tribe gathered up the creatures, but not without a little difficulty, as one of the crabs clawed Kathy. After boiling the crab in salt water, Paschal displayed why he should be on the next episode of Iron Chef, cooking up the boiled meat and serving it to his lovely tribesmates. With a full stomach and a new confidence, he said, "We are going to win today, and that is a promise!"

R-CHALLENGE: Tiki Towers (One free raid of the other tribe's camp)

An off-screen mail call sends the tribes to Games Beach once again, where Jeff waits.  Four team members, one calling and the other three blindfolded (as Jeff demonstrated later), must locate and recover fourteen tiki heads and reassemble them on their respective platforms. The team who does it quickest wins a free raid of the other tribe's camp.  Rotu held a brief lead in the middle, culminating in a dead heat later in the game. Or so one would think. It turns out that Rotu only had thirteen of the needed fourteen as Gabe sent another player to retrieve the lost piece. Meanwhile, Maraamu had all fourteen and the scramble to reassemble began. When all was said and done, Jeff said the two words that Gina was waiting to hear since day one: "MARAAMU... WINS!"  So the tribe in yellow has one in the W column.

Still Day 13: "RAAAAAID?!" **boom**

With a shocked Rotu watching, the Maraamu arrived at Rotu Beach.  Jeff instructed that Maraamu had free reign of anything on the beach EXCEPT one water jug, one knife, one cooking pot, and the magnifying glass for two minutes.  As soon as Jeff said "Go!" the Maraamu quickly snatched up supplies and any rewards won within the last thirteen days. At the 10 second mark, Neleh forgot to grab some supplies, and scurried back in time. And much like that crowd you had at that party during college, the tribe left the beach and headed back to their camp - without so much as a goodbye. Robert somberly added, "Everything that we had worked for and everything we had won is gone. It was like the rug was pulled out from under us."

Maraamu arrived back at camp, and the tribe relished their victory, especially Gina, who exclaimed, "This is the first time I have ever won here, and it's Day 13!" Taking inventory, the tribe acquired, among other things: fishing mask, snorkel and fins; pillows and blankets; lanterns; a cutting board; and all of their hot peppers. Now they can finally have hot and spicy crabs. "You know that old saying, 'they took everything but the kitchen sink?' Well I think we took the kitchen sink!" exclaimed Paschal.

Back at Rotu, the tribe needed a pick-me-up, so it's time for Sean and Gabe to bust a rhyme (look for it on Audiogalaxy or something). After a heated discussion, John, wary of Gabe's voting strategy, stated, "You know what he's done? He is not safe anymore. I have to get rid of Gabe right away." So it's time to put his plan in motion. John approached Robert to confirm their loyalties to one another, agreeing never to put each other's name on the paper. The alliance continued with Zoe and Tammy "Gabe is a wildcard right now, and he could turn the tables on me," John cautiously affirmed.

Day 14: Mail call:

"Ships passing in the distance when you're struggling to survive.
To get that ship's attention just might keep your tribe alive.
Build any signal possible, except no fire can you blaze,
If you hear the ship's horn sound, you just bought three more days."

I-CHALLENGE: Distress Signal II.

Simple task: using materials in and around your camp, build a distress signal on the shore of your beach. It should be easily recognizable from a boat out on the water. If, in the opinion of a boat captain and expert on rescue signals (I don't care WHAT the Prof says, a fair call's a fair call), it is easily recognizable and able to get the attention of a seafaring vessel, then Jeff would drop anchor, blow the horn, and unload a cargo that would bring three more days on the island to whomever possessed it. One of the thoughts that circulated around Rotu from Robert: "It looks as though Maraamu may win two challenges in a row, because a lot of the materials that we would have used for our signal to win Immunity are gone, especially the white blankets," referring to the previous day's raid of almost everything. That doesn't stop Sean, John, Rob, and Zoe from trying, though. As they finished making a signal out of their life raft and the Rotu banner, Sean looked upon their creation and called it the "Fat Albert and the Cosby kids of Distress Signals" (Ed's note: if you mean a piece of junkyard scrapheap that would make Robert Llewellyn or George Gray weep, then you got that right).  Meanwhile, back at Maraamu, the yellow foursome carved out their signal using the blankets, the life jackets, the padding inside the life jackets, and Paschal's American flag ("No matter where you go, you always recognize the American flag."). This tactic would lead Maraamu to immunity and Rotu to their first vote. The girls immediately swam to retrieve their "special cargo" dropped by Jeff.

Day 15: Umm... Who's pulling who again?

Rob doesn't believe John for a seoncd about his voting strategy. You know, Rob doesn't believe much of anyone for a second. Sean is far more paranoid: "Unless there's a shakeup, ether myself, Vee, or Rob are next." With the vote looming, Rob approached Gabe, realizing that he could possibly be the swing vote at the night's Tribal Council. Attempting to ally himself with Gabe, knowing full well that he may be the next one to go, Rob asked, "Are you a hundred percent set on how you want to play the game? If you can consider anything else, then maybe we can talk." John's thinking he might have overplayed his card. "[Tonight's vote] might be the biggest move of the game."

Night 15: Tribal Council

New tribe members get the fire=life spiel.  Jeff explains that the tribe was on a run, but fell at a most opportune time. Tammy still thinks that the mood is still upbeat.  Zoe says that Gabriel is the jester of the group. Gabe doesn't trust any of the tribesmen, saying that trust is fleeting. John thinks that he is the leader, which isn't necessarily a good thing as far as Jeff is concerned. But it does put you at risk. Rob is going to vote for whatever is in his best interests, saying that it's a matter of a personal vote now.

John: GABRIEL - "You just proved yourself untrustworthy and we're too far in the game to be wishy-washy."
Tammy: GABE - "You made it clear from the beginning that you are not here to play the game, and you don't care about the money. Well, I'm here to play the game, and I care about the money."

Two votes say Gabe. The other six...

Gabe: ROB (Mariano)
Sean: GABE
Vee: GABE
Rob: GABE
Robert: GABE
Zoe: GABE

Another unanimous vote and THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. Gabe, you're a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred, but five votes up and you're a Tar Heel dead.

EPISODE 6:  The Underdogs

Previously, I asked a question, and no one cared. Oh well. Them's the breaks. So, we move on to the island. Maraamu finally notched two wins, sending Rotu to Tribal Council. One would think that Rotu would vote Rob out because he's presumably pulling the strings, but it's Gabe's big mouth that gets him in trouble come voting time. So we have one round left before the big merge. What'll happen tonight? Let's go back to Nuku Hiva for...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 6 - The Underdogs

Day 16: Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls...

At the Rotu watering/swimming/bathing hole, the four remaining original tribesmen, Zoe, Tammy, John, and Robert, decide to take a page out of the Survivor playbook and ally. John, the self-proclaimed leader of the Rotu Four, said, "Everyone knows I am the leader, everyone knows I am running the show." But is he really? Robert, happy to have John lead the way and wary of being outspoken, explained, "Right now it's time for me to sit back and relax and let him take the grief. He's going to be the one to be the target." So is this really an alliance? Only time will tell.  Quite sure of his own role and wanting a fresh start, John tore another page from the original Survivor... as well as his pants as he leapt from the rocks and into the water below. "That was definitely a powerful moment. Symbolically it showed that we have reached another level of our relationship with one another. I would not have been comfortable doing that in front of the other three." Speaking of which, let's check up on the other three, as Rob, full aware of their numerical disadvantage in the Rotu, along with Sean explained that the only way they were to win is to win immunity and hope to make it through the merge. "They have four, we have three, and they are definitely going to take us out one at a time." Realizing that John was the ringleader of the Rotu alliance, Rob adamantly stated, "If I have any opportunity to get rid of John, I will. I just don't have an angle yet."

Meanwhile on the other side of the island, the Maraamu is one again hunting for crab. Kathy reflected on the attitude of her tribe, saying, "I was always concerned that with a small little band of women and one older gentleman it was going to make it very difficult to win. But now that I am here, it's about spirit and energy and desire." While the crabmeat cooked, the anxious tribe wondered who had been voted out at the previous night's Tribal Council, adding, "It's going to be a shock to us if it's one of our old Rotu members." As the tribe devoured the much-needed meat, giving them protein and energy for the day, Paschal acknowledged the sustenance of being superior to that of the Rotu. "The food over here on this side is so much easier to get than over at Rotu, it's like night and day. We don't need the food, they need the food. I am confident of that."

Mail call. Let's let Robert read it:

"It's time to visit a mystical place,
The perfect setting for your next race.
Across land and sea in the fastest time.
First tribe finished sits down to DINE!"

The last time I let HIM read it.

R-CHALLENGE: Jungle Relay (A Sierra Mist feast)

Before the challenge, the Maraamu scan the Rotu line: The two Robs, Sean, Vee, Tammy, John, Zoe... No Gabe.

Four members will compete. There are three legs. First leg: one tribesman will race into the jungle to find and untie an oar. Then they must find another tribesman who will help them locate and untie another oar. The two will then head to the second leg, breaking open coconuts to locate a key to an outrigger canoe on the beach. Then the two tribesmen will pass off their oars and key to two more tribesmen, who will unlock the canoe and start paddling to a buoy off shore. They must collect the Survivor flag, and race back. The canoe must be within reach of the locking chain, and both rowers must perch the flag atop a tiki. First team to do all that wins.

In the foot race between Rob against Pappy, you know Rob has the upper hand in his speed. That initial burst will hold out to the third leg. After completing the second leg of the race, it looked as though the Rotu tribe would stretch out their lead, as John and Robert started the last leg of the race well ahead of Maraamu's Kathy and Gina. However, the paddle portion of the race proved difficult for the two men as they struggled to maneuver their canoe. Seizing the opportunity, Kathy and Gina caught up with the men of Rotu as they paddled to the beach. Rotu's the first one with their flag on the pole, so they get the win... or DO THEY?! The boat wasn't near the chain and the General wasn't at the tiki when the flag was raised and that means only one thing... CHALLENGE!  Jeff spots both errors and awards Maraamu the product placement feast.

Night 16: Pappy's Poetry Corner.

As the sun set on Maraamu Beach, Neleh read a poem that her old tribemate Gabe had written. As Paschal was reduced to tears, Gina explained the connection that Paschal shared with Gabe. "Paschal and Gabe bonded like father and son. Paschal doesn't have a son and he has said repeatedly that if he ever had a son he wanted him to be just like Gabe." Paschal noted, "Things are different now, we are who we are, and the old Rotu was in the past."

Day 17: rrrrrrRRRRRRIGGED?!

The day began on Rotu Beach with Rob coming to a conclusion.  "I knew there was an alliance with those four other Rotu people, I just wanted to see if they would lie to my face." He asked Zoe there was an alliance. Irritated with Zoe's half-baked response, Rob sarcastically shot out to John, "Do I have stupid written on my forehead?" Later, John revealed more than just his allegiance with the others when he answered, "Yes, I am gay," to Rob's question about his sexuality. John later explained, "I am 36 years old, I have been out for a long time." After a weird look from Rob, John punctuated his statement by saying, "Do I have stupid written on my forehead?"

Realizing the importance of winning the upcoming immunity challenge and wanting to be able to control his own fate, Rob stated, "I'm not going to back down, I am going to participate. If we lose and this is my last one, at least I know that I gave it my best. Don't count me out."  So Rob has his determination, but the Rotu have different plans. In the meantime, John, who was feeling threatened by Rob, spoke with Robert and Tammy about the idea of throwing the next challenge in order to vote off Rob at the next Tribal Council. John urged, "Rob is desperate to do something. I think we sit in a much better place if we don't have Rob at the merge. He is a little bit dangerous." Hesitant, Tammy stated, "I hate the fact that I am in this challenge, and we don't want to win this."

I-CHALLENGE: The Maze

Using four tribe members who were bound to each other in a human chain (Rob, Sean, Vee, and Tammy versus the entire Maraamu tribe), each tribe must negotiate through a giant maze and collect numbered rungs to a ladder. The first tribe to gather the rungs in order, and to climb up onto the finish platform wins. It was probably Rob's drive to win and the convenience of him leading his tribe that led Rotu to victory. So they don't throw the challenge, and Maraamu goes to yet another Council.

Day 18: Two fires get extinguished.

Returning from the challenge, Gina realized that Kathy had inadvertently put the camp's fire out before leaving for the challenge. Gina explained, "Kathy said that at Rotu they put sand on their fire to keep the coals hot, but where I come from we put sand on a fire to put it out." Already concerned with Gina's strong relationship with the others, and knowing that Neleh and Paschal would not vote for each other, Kathy questioned whether or not the tribe would oust her at the upcoming Tribal Council.

Night 18: Tribal Council.

The tribe has one basic line of questioning, "Are you one family?"  Everyone seems to agree that there is no more former Rotu or Maraamu, and that they're one big happy family, and that voting off someone tonight will be hard. Here's where it stands. The seven remaining Rotu go into the merge with an advantage over the three Maraamu that survive tonight's vote.

Paschal: GINA
Gina: Miss KATHY
Neleh: GINA
Kathy: GINA

THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. Another unanimous vote sends Gina on the row home.

---
I'm surprised that Jeff did not mention previous tribal lines. But I can honestly say that the Maraamu are truly a family now. No one else can get away with stabbing in the back like that. Tomorrow, the tribes merge, and two days later still, Rob is getting the boot UNLESS he can buddy up with the remaining Maraamu. Otherwise, it'll be one of the most one-sided victories in the history of the Survivor franchise. Come on, Burnett, make it interesting!

EPISODE 7:  True Lies

Previously, Rotu had the choice of throwing the immunity challenge to oust Rob. But since Rob was leading the charge, defeat was not an option. And family ties was not enough to stop the former Rotu of Maraamu to vote the odd woman out. Gina takes the powder. But what of today's vote? Stay tuned, because the players have the urge to merge today on...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 7 - True Lies

Day 19: CSI Doesn't Start For Another Hour.

When vacationing on a tropical island, the last thing that you want to find is a human skull. Well that's just what happens to the remaining members of Maraamu as Paschal discovers several bones and a human skull which the locals call a paepae. He's awed by the discovery, while the others are somewhat freaked out. Kathy noted that they found "a Marquesian monument where they use to have ceremonies and even perform cannibalism." Better hurry up and catch dinner before you three become
dinner.

As the Rotu tribe performed their morning tasks, Rob observed that his new  tribesmen are "bunch of morons." Cooling off in the water, Rob and Sean took the opportunity to strategize together: "We don't know if they are keeping their word. Just as a precaution they might get rid of one of us, just so we can't form a new alliance."

Mail call. Another challenge? Well... Sort of.

"You'll be left in stitches if you sew up this reward.
Give this map to one Survivor; defeat you cannot afford.
Choose your one wisely, with long sleeves and long pants.
Don't send the wrong tribemate; this may be your last chance."

Within five minutes one person of each tribe's choosing must be dressed and ready to follow a map to an unknown destination. Rob volunteered for Rotu and Kathy was chosen at Maraamu. After a long trek, both representatives met Jeff at tohua, a meeting hall of sorts where opposing tribes came together to form treaties and truces and the like. It will be in this tohua that Kathy and Rob will be given (aside from pizza and beer) the responsibility to merge the two tribes, with such delegations as delivering new hot pink buffs, painting the new flag, deciding on a name, and choosing which beach the tribe would live on.Jeff explained to Kathy and Rob that they would be responsible for merging the two tribes. They would spend the night at the Tohua and discuss island issues, including the creation of the merged tribe's new name and flag.

While "pounding beers with this guy," Kathy discussed the goings-on of the Maraamu, while Rob revealed that within the Rotu, the teammates had allied to vote out the former Maraamu once the merge occurred. In her shock , Kathy vowed with Rob to never vote for her if Rob would do the same. Later, Rob added, "John Carroll thinks I have an alliance with the team, Kathy thinks I have an alliance with her. I have been lying this whole game." As night fell, Rob and Kathy headed for their sleeping area,
thankful for the comfortable accommodations.

Day 20: Your Five Minute Drill... Begins Now.

On Day 20, Rob and Kathy arrived back at the Maraamu camp to inform her two tribesmates that they had five minutes to gather everything around camp and place it onto the raft from episode three. After the tribe time-lapsed a gathering of supplies, fruit, and maybe a crab or two, they made their way (back) to Rotu Beach.

The name: Soliantu, meaning "sacred allegiance to the sun". The color: pink.

As the Maraamu arrived, they were greeted with open arms. However, due to Rob's divulging of information the previous night, Kathy was a bit hesitant at accepting her old tribe members' good graces. "I was aloof to Zoe, I didn't trust her. I didn't trust John. I didn't trust Tammy and I didn't trust The General (Robert Decanio). I was quiet and hanging on the outer rim," remarked Kathy. As the tribe gathered, Rob hoisted the new flag on what was once Rotu Beach.

As the newlywed tribe began to settle, the members quickly returned to their day-to-day chores of keeping up camp. A vulnerable Kathy spoke with Paschal, warning, "I am about to get axed. There are powerful people on this beach and they are playing us, just so you know." This stems from having felt guilty about Gina leaving at the end of episode six.  Later, as Soliantu had their first meal as a... well, dysfunctional, family, Kathy reiterated her feelings of guilt and how she thought that she was the next to go, saying, "I don't think lying fits into this game. Integrity is critical." Tammy, on the other hand, begs to differ: "This is a game about being the smartest person, outwitting, outplaying, outlasting everyone else, and you may have to tell a little white lie along the way. I went into this knowing that I was going to do what it takes to win the game." We knew that when you voted out Gabe, Tams...

Day 21: Where Have You Gone, John O'Hurley? A Lying Tribesman Sets His
Eyes On You.

Rob confronted Zoe as she and Kathy were out gathering food, asking, "Didn't you tell me the other day that you were going to vote out Kathy? The trust in this group is gone." Zoe took a moment to pause and deny Rob's allegations, once again setting the stage for another Mariano-induced "A Few Good Men" moment.  "I don't like to be lied to again and again and again. It irritates me." Kathy, remembering what Rob had to say before and after the merge, realized that the only way that she would survive would be to win the immunity challenge. "They're ALL lying to me."

Unaired mail call (courtesy CBS.com):

"No man is an island, or at least that's what they say.
Stranded out at sea, how long can you stay?
You best be sure-footed. Good balance you must show.
Lose control and take the plunge, and you may be the next to go."

I-CHALLENGE: Sea Legs

First of all, Jeff gives the spiel about group immunity gone to pave the  way for individual immunity. In this challenge, the ten tribesmen must stand on a floating island without (a) falling off or (b) touching said island.  Add waves to the mix and things can get pretty hairy. Last one standing, literally, wins.  Neleh became the first to take a dive when she, well, took a dive. Then came down The General, Pappy, Vee, Sean, Zoe, Boston Rob, and Tammy. In the end, it was a showdown between John and
Kathy. But it didn't end with a scream, or a whimper, or not so much as a splash down, but with a lean. John leaned his arm to his leg, inadvertently touching the pad and giving Kathy the hardware.

Mid-Day 21: "No More Drama." -Mary J. Blige

After the return to camp, Rob and Sean approached John to discuss who he  was going to vote out. The discussion became a heated screaming match, of which we only got to hear about 73 percent of. You know, with network regs and what not. Basically, Sean and Rob demanded an explanation about (1) breaking his word against them, and (2) talking utter bull (blacked out) about the game not really being about alliances. Things came to a head when Sean, in response to a remark about voting individually, belted out, "Don't tell me it's an individual vote when the four of you all vote the same way!" For those of you who were lost in the shuffle of the argument, Sean breaks it down at confessional:  "We have disclosed personally how it's like to be a black man, and what it's like to be a gay man, and what it's like to be isolated. We have shared moments that have nothing to do with the game. When you share moments like that, and he goes ahead and pulls this, it's hurtful."

They think it's all over. Not by a longshot. The argument gets transferred between the Robs, as Boston Rob accuses General Rob of the same thing.  The General answers back that he plays the game in an ethical way by listening to all sides and voting as an individual. Replay the scuff between Sean and John, and that's basically the rest of the story.

Meanwhile, Vee is eating and saying, "Too... much... drama."

Night 21: Tribal Council.

This isn't so much of a "how's the wife and kids" meeting as it is a  ruling meeting. Vee chimes in on the different mindset, Sean admits to his own isolation as he is surrounded by the old Rotu. Zoe tries to reassure that Sean isn't being odd man out and that the tribe are trying to make him comfortable.  Oh yeah, and Rob accuses everyone of lying as he admits to lying himself. But in retrospect, this Tribal Council was made for Jeff to introduce two points, one old, one new. The old one: Survive this vote and you are in the game until the end. The new one: whoever has the immunity necklace can choose to either keep it for themselves or pass it on to another tribesman (calling in favors, trying to win brownie points, what have you). After the last round, Kathy decided to hold on to the necklace. Here comes Soliantu's first vote.

John: BOSTON ROB - "I knew from the beginning that you weren't going to keep your word, so I'm more than happy to put this thing in here for you."
Rob: JOHNNY - "Hopefully if things swing right, you'll be gone. See ya on the flip side."
Sean: JOHN - "You dissed me and my boy. And if I'm the one voted out, I really don't give a damn, 'cause your time is coming. You definitely lied to us. That's for me and you, dog."
Vee: R(ob) M(ariano) - "We came into the tribe with not the right members, but I know you'll set up that debt for the Maraamu tribe with that pizza and beer. I'm looking forward to it."

So far, it's level pegging for John and Boston Rob. Let's see how the other players voted.

Neleh: ROB.
Paschal: ROB.
Kathy: ZOE.
General Rob: ROB.
Tammy: ROB.
Zoe: ROB.
Vee: ROB.

Jeff read off six Robs, and he didn't even have to (in the course, he also read off John twice, as well as Zoe, eliminating the idea of a tie. Jeff could've stopped at five. And by the look on Rob's face, he knew it).  The count is 7 for Boston Rob, 2 for John, and 1 for Zoe. Rob, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. It looks like the puppet stringer has been choked on his own wires.

---
This was a classic Survivor moment. Seeing the players interacting after having been separated by 18 days and watching the pot as it comes to a boil. Next one to go may be Sean if he continues with all the drama.

EPISODE 8: Jury's Out

Previously, Rob and Kathy met in a tribal marriage (not to each other, silly) of Maraamu and Rotu. The new alliance of the sun, Soliantu, quickly got wind of Rob's puppetry and sent him packing. The nine remaining are in until the end, so let's see who will be the first member of the jury to decide the winner of...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 8 - Jury's Out

Night 21: The Calm Before the Storm.

After voting out Rob not 24 hours prior, the Soliantu tribe gave each other congratulatory pats on the back for making it past the turning point. And now it's time for the new tribe to celebrate their newfound
togetherness and unity in a... Okay, who cut one?

Sean: Sorry, that was the first one that actually had substance.

Robert seemed to have an explanation, and he's not even the doctor! "This diet has played havoc with Sean's system. He does have a little flatulence problem. I sleep down at the other end of the tent and I am usually upwind from him, so I have been a little bit fortunate."

Meanwhile, Vee thinks that she did the right thing in not only voting out Rob, but telling him that he was beforehand. That and Sean's explosive diarrhea will get you anywhere in the world. Oh, did we mention that a storm was brewing?

Day 22: That... was a close one.

A few trees fell just past their tent.  Later that morning, as the wind calmed down, Kathy stirred up her own storm as she confronted Zoe. Kathy asked Zoe if she and the other three original Rotu (Tammy, Robert and John) conspired to vote her out. After Zoe denied having any plan to do so, Kathy claimed, "Zoe just lied to me and I think she has been lying from the beginning, and I just can't take that."

Wanting to purge themselves of any feelings toward the previous night's Council, storm, and happenings in general, the tribe went down to the watering/diving/what have you hole and took a dip. Kathy seemed invigorated and cleansed in saying that "I don't know why, but I get empowered by the waterfall. It's invigorating." Quoth Neleh: "For me, the waterfall cools me off and rejuvenates everything inside of me and I am ready to go again once I get out of there," added Neleh.

Kite Mail.
"You may be feeling grounded, but how high can you go?
Find the wind under your wings to see wonders down below.
Here're some items to build a kite, but you're not restricted to just these.
Make yours fly the highest, and you'll explore these exotic seas."

R-CHALLENGE: Kite Flying (Snickers and scuba diving)

As the tribe spent the day building their kites, Kathy continued to be focused on the game: "I think the next facet of this game is to eliminate the non-original Rotu people, but I would love to be able to vote out John or Tammy instead, but I don't know if I could get Paschal to listen." That's not for want of trying, as she confers to Paschal, trying to make them realize that the only way for them to stay is to break up the Rotu alliance. "I need to have them experience the turmoil, and to see how people act, then they might commit to understanding that the powerful people need to go," Kathy added.

With their kites in hand, the tribe went to Games Beach, where they saw Jeff, who told them that the kits that they built must fly 300 feet into the air. The first player to do so would get a king size Snickers and a deep sea dive into an exotic coral reef. Of course, the tribe all got a piece of Snickers from Jeff, so you're really just competing for a dive. After numerous crash landings, Kathy hoisted her kite into the air and, thanks to a strong tail wind, soared to victory.
 
The reward: Let's Dive!
Kathy headed out on her dive trip aboard a speed boat that took her out to the coral reef, where she put on scuba gear and dived in. If a dive in the waterfall invigorates her, then this may put her in heaven. "The feeling when you first go under water is like going from day to night. It's a whole other world down there. It was a vacation down there, getting away from the tribe. I feel like I am so far away from everything down there... No stress."

Meanwhile, Neleh and Paschal, not having had any diplomatic success with Kathy, agreed to vote with their original Rotu buddies at the next Council and vote out Sean. "The bottom line is that we go into every Tribal Council knowing who we are going to vote out and have a back-up person," explained Tammy. Paschal, intrigued by Sean's will to stay in the game said, "Sean is feeling vulnerable right now and he is trying to stir the pot. It's fascinating watching all this take place." Sean, on the other hand, is ready to bring the game to the alliance. (obKickingAndScreaming) But will he have to?

Kathy returned from her dive with her Snickers bar still intact. She divided it in eights and shared it with her tribemates. "The real motivational force for bringing the Snickers bar back was for peace of mind, so if they had any beef that I won a challenge again, then I thought the candy bar would entice good feelings for the tribe." Everyone's happy by the gesture... except for John. Sort of. "It's a sweet thing to do but one-eighth of a Snickers ain't gonna change my vote."

Day 23: Smug, are we?

Sean, with his head in the stocks ready for the axe to swing, tried to get on Kathy's side by playing her hatred of John with his hatred for John and seeing if the end result would be double hit points.  "If I can get Kathy on my side, maybe she can get Paschal and Neleh on our side.  We have a one in nine chance of winning and it's getting into crunch time." Kathy concurred, saying that "I think Tammy and John are playing the game so hard it's obnoxious."

Kathy, motivated by Sean's pep talk, once again set out to win Neleh and Paschal's favor by talking to Neleh. Neleh, shrugging off her advances, said that "there are always going to be alliances, and no matter how big a stink you make about things, the more vulnerable you are." Okay, let's try Paschal now. She stated, "I don't want to be a pawn to help Tammy and John get to the top. I want this game to be fair." Paschal replied, "Well this game's not fair." Paschal reiterated that Sean did NOT have his word in voting ("He doesn't deserve to win") and that John DID have his word.

A confident John revealed, "Neleh and Paschal are really supporting my success in this game. Knowing that you can rely on those two people is like having two free passes. This is an amazing experience. It's actually kind of mind blowing."

Sean is playing the every man for himself card. "Good luck to everyone means 'Good luck to Sean.'"

More mail over coconut and taro...
"You had time to learn this place; I hope you prepared well.
If you've done your homework, Soon we all will tell.
Use your information wisely; you can choose who to cut down.
But if you play nicely, it will help you stick around."

I-CHALLENGE: Survival Quiz IV

It's basically the same old quiz about survival, the Marquesas Islands, and survival on the Marquesas Islands. This time, each Survivor has three coconuts rigged up to protect them in the game. Once the coconuts were gone, so were they. All together now: "Last one standing wins immunity."

The questions are a moot point. But we learn:
1) Drinking coconut milk loosens your bowels.
2) Cannibalism is common as a means to seize power from the person being eaten.
3) Johnnie Cochran does not have an office in the South Pacific.
4) If there's no fresh water, you should refrain from eating.
5) A horse is a horse. Of course. Of course.
6) A sea cucumber is not poisonous.

As the game began, Sean was the target as his lines were cut first (John delivered a kiss of death... which Sean planted firmly on his ass), followed by Vee and Kathy. As the challenge progressed, the ousted Survivors began to spot a disturbing trend. "This is the order of how it's going to go," noted Sean, as Zoe, John, Robert, and Tammy all whacked anyone not in the alliance. When all was said and done, Tammy was the one, as she whacked the General's nuts... off of the tree. What did you think I was talking about?

Day 24: Oh, Big Mistake, John.

Back at camp, Vee explained the obvious: "At the challenge there was quite a bit of cockiness with Tammy, Zoe, Big Rob and John." Sean echoed that, saying that everyone saw how arrogant they were.

But what did Pappy and the kid think about it? Obviously after that challenge, a change of heart was in order. "They sent a signal to us today that there is a pecking order and that we were included in it," Neleh argued, "I have been nothing but honest to those guys and I would be lying to myself and to my heart if I went up there tonight and voted for Sean. We would be fools to. We have been here for too long and worked too hard, and I am not going to go out like that."

Paschal just said "I don't know how to play this game. I think I'm a fair and consistent player." (George Gray: That strategy reeeeeally worked.) Enough of that, let's vote.

Night 24: Tribal Council.

Vee tells Jeff that the pecking order was revealed at immunity and that it alarmed said targets. John says that despite all of the taunting, there are no hard feelings between himself and Sean. Given the framework of the game, Paschal is attempting to be as honest as possible. John says he came into the game as "Mister Integrity" but found that he had to tell white lies as part of the game. Sean proudly maintains that he has kept his word and not lied to anyone. "Stand for something or fall for anything." Then Jeff turned to Tammy and asked the question: keep immunity or pass it.  Tammy defiantly said, "I don't give a (crap) who won or lost, because I feel safe from the vote." She keeps that bad mother. And here comes the vote:

Robert: SEAN - "You told me you can't wait for a shower and a good meal. You'll be hanging at NYC soon. Later, bro."
Tammy: SHAWN - "You've been better the last few days, but I still don't think you pull your weight around camp."
Sean: JOHN - "Checkmate, bro. You thought you had me. Just remember when you go to Vegas, bet on black. We'll definitely have to have chicken and waffles when this is done."

So far, two to one against Sean. Let's see how the rest of the players voted:

Vee: JOHN
Kathy: JOHN
Neleh: JOHN(ny Baby)
John: SEAN
Zoe: JOHN (Ed's note: !)
Paschal: JOHN

Six to three, one vote withheld. John... THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN.

---
"Just when you think you had this game figured out, woops... Surprise. This game is up for grabs."  Sean, my hat's off to you. You probably figured out the best way to play Survivor, 1) Ally up. 2) Divide and conquer. 3) Be honest. 4) Stay under the radar. The Rotu Alliance may have overplayed their hand, because as signaled by the vote, a change is going to come. And Zoe, I think, may be the next one to learn that.

EPISODE 9:  Two Peas in a Pod

Previously, John had only one thing on his mind: "Sean thinks he's going to be the next winner of Survivor. I say that he's just going to be next." He felt so much so that he was willing to share it with the rest of the Rotu Alliance... during a challenge. Not soon after did said challenge finally turn on him and he was handed his walking papers.  Who'll be the next to go now that the powers that be aren't? You think you have things figured, and then suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame on...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 9 - Two Peas in a Pod

Day 25: It's Showtime at the Waterfall Minus the Kiki Shepard.

The day began as the counter alliance sang their praises in a round of "Brand New Day" from "The Wiz." "With John gone, and now that myself, Kathy, Vecepia, Paschal, and Neleh got together, now truly may the best man win with no alliance." Neleh agreed, with some degree of perkiness. "To turn around and beat them at their own game, I just think it's hilarious!" she said.

"They're sitting pretty. I mean, there are five of them." Tammy said. "It's our fault for trusting them. Unless something changes within the next few days, I'll be the next to go, because I'm like the leader
after John." Tammy was visibly nervous as she sat next to the General. Concerned with Zoe's true allegiance, Tammy approached her as they searched for food and asked what her intentions actually
were. Denying that she had ever formed an alliance with John, Tammy and Robert, Zoe revealed, "You want me to tell you, Tammy? From the get-go I didn't like you." Zoe disclosed that she was here to win and that she was distancing herself from Tammy.  "It was a pretty fruitless friendship." Zoe said. "She wasn't in an alliance with John, Rob, and myself, and it just wasn't true," Tammy said. Strike one, Zoe.  Speaking of which, Zoe had this to say: "As far as the game goes right now, I don't trust you." Zoe said. "I'm here to win. And if I had to say something to someone and do the opposite, that's just the way it is. That's just the way life is."

You got mail!

"Hard as a rock, sweet as a pea,
Tough to get into, as you soon will see.
You're going to pair up, but you don't know with who.
Full bellies and a party if you both can pull through."

R-CHALLENGE: Coconut Chute (a helicopter ride to a horse ride to a Marquesan feast)

The eight tribesmen are separated into four teams: Sean and Paschal, Tammy and Vee, Neleh and Zoe, and Kathy and the General. They must collect coconuts in order to fill a graduated cylinder to the top with coconut juice. In a throw to the Amazing Race (which, BTW has been nothing short of Amazing thus far, but that's Gordo's department), they must choose between cocnuts on the beach and coconuts in the water.  First team to fill their cylinders wins.

The teams frantically set out collecting coconuts or grabbing bundles to bring back to their bamboo shoots. Sean and Paschal took the early lead as Sean broke open a huge coconut and drained its juice into the shoot. Neleh and Zoe were close behind (and wouldn't it have been more interesting to see those two win?), but a healthy coconut led to a healthy lead for Sean and Paschal. "The old man and the brother" have the juice. And the win.

Day 26: Two Guys, Two Rides, and a Feast-a Place.

The morning silence is broken by a helicopter. Sean and Paschal were ready to go to the fruit of their reward challenge win. Once airborne, the two realized how lucky they were as they viewed the lush Marquesian landscape from above. "We're going to see this thing all the way through, buddy!" Paschal said. As they landed on the side of a mountain, two of the locals came up to them to eat them... err, offer a horse ride to their final destination. Sean, nervous around the horses, carefully approached the animal, saying, "The only horse I have been on before is the merry-go-round at Central Park!" Sean was really playing up his Fear Factor (Jason's saying "Wrong show!" right now, I bet)  (Jason note:  Hey, if you want to do Fear Factor next season...) Sorry. Anyway, Sean was a bit tempered by his horse. "Where's my other foot go?" Sean asked. "Nice horsey. How ya doin'?" Comic hijinks ensue. "My balls... it really hurts."

Leading up to an alternative plan for the four horsemen of the Marquesas.  "I'm chillin on a horse with Marquesian men, everybody knows we want to do it again." Word up, yo.

Sean and Paschal arrived on the shore and were promptly greeted by locals (several of them scantily clad with good-to-go figures).  "What'cha doin' afterwards?" They're led by beautiful Marquesian women to beach chairs and exotic drinks, where an excited Sean stated, "This is better than Gilligan's Island!" Sitting in a shaded area and presented with giant coconut drinks, Sean and Paschal toasted their new friendship. "Who knew that a little black boy from Harlem would be sitting here with a Southern white judge from Georgia," Feeling a bond strengthening between the two, Paschal noted, "He's honest. He's straightforward. We became much closer than we already were. That's what's good about this game - you never know what's going to happen."

Just then, the women told the two to "follow her".  You know what they say, when a woman says to follow her, you know what you gotta do.  As the two were taken over to their dining area, the Marquesian locals began a traditional tribal dance. Sean and Paschal said grace over a banquet of
plantains, potatoes, and roasted goat. Paschal explained, "I don't know how to put it in words, but for me to be here in the South Pacific and all the history it has, you just have to comprehend and savor the moment. This won't happen again for me in my lifetime."

Saying thank you and goodbye, Sean and Paschal headed back to camp, both in tears, realizing they had shared a truly touching moment together. "My pants were at their knees because of the weight of the food dragging them down." During the meal, Sean and Paschal snuck food into their pockets to bring back to the others. "Sean and I looked at each other; two guys from different walks of life, ten thousand miles away from home in paradise. I will never hear another tribal drum beat again and not think of this day. It will bring a smile to my face."  Paschal said.

As they arrived back to camp, As Sean and Paschal were greeted with open arms as they showed the group the food they had smuggled back. Sean explained, "Even though they may be the same people that vote you off, there is a human side that you do realize. It was exciting coming back and bringing food for the tribe because the best victories are the ones you can share." Yes, a touching moment of humanity. One we all want to see in a sea of lies and manipulation. But again, there's a game to play.

Day 27: Down, Down/back, Back, Punch. See, that's a desperation move right there.

"I felt absolutely desperate." The words of desperate Tammy as she conspired with Robert to get Neleh and Paschal back on their side. Meeting with both of them, Tammy and Robert said that John wasn't speaking for the rest of the once-powerful alliance. Paschal buffed off their offer, saying that , "It was like their last gasp. What Tammy and Rob were saying wasn't sincere and it just didn't make any sense." Neleh agreed, saying that they were caught in their own game and now they're trying to manipulate everyone else. "Rob's definitely pouty right now," she remarked.

Hoping to win over the confidence and friendship of the other tribe  members, Zoe made jewelry for everyone. "I have no intention of sticking with Tammy and Rob. I'm kinda off on my own." So she gave her creations to the rest of the tribe. And by the rest of the tribe, I mean "not Robert or Tammy."
Tammy sat by observing. "When Zoe sits there and sucks up, she's so fake and you know she's so fake. But I just don't understand why it's not so apparent to everybody else. "She's sucking up because she wants them to like her."

You've got Stilt Mail!

"Don't care if you're big; if you're not, you'll be taller.
Maybe strength will be a plus if you're smaller.
Practice does make perfect, so play with these all day.
Fail to heed this warning, and be the next to go away."

So they all practiced. And fell. And fell. And fell some more. Tammy observed, "It was fun watching everybody practice on the stilts, because they sucked!" Bringing the stilts to her end of the beach, she said that the challenge would make or break her.  She seems to be the best one on the stilts. That isn't saying much, though. "I'm not out of it yet."

I-CHALLENGE: Marquesian Stilt Fighting

A tradition on the islands, think sumo with stilts. Each player must fight another in a single-elimination tournament. Last one standing (literally) wins immunity. There wasn't much of a fighting element as there was a falling element. Let's look at the brackets.

Quarterfinal:
Vee versus the General: the General falls, Vee wins.
Kathy versus Pappy: Kathy falls, Paschal wins.
Tammy versus Neleh: Neleh falls, Tammy wins.
Sean versus Zoe: Sean is gone on go. Zoe wins.

Semi-Final:
Vee versus Paschal: Paschal falls, Vee wins.
Tammy versus Zoe: Zoe splits, Tammy wins.

Final:
Vee versus Tammy: Vee falls, Tammy wins immunity... and let's be honest: she really needed it.

Back at camp, Neleh and Paschal were discussing who to off next. "I think it's going to be either Rob or Zoe," Paschal noted. Neleh agreed, saying that "Zoe has been a hard worker from day one. But the way Rob has been lately, maybe it will work out better if he leaves tonight. No one wants to be around him anymore. We have to get rid of her, because her chance of winning immunity is a lot!" - Neleh

Night 27: Tribal Council

John comes in, clean shaven. No one can talk to him. John can't talk to anyone. Sean couldn't believe that he had come this far. Rob, on the other hand, has watched people change right before his eyes. Zoe is playing her "working/playing" card. But will it work? We'll get to the vote in a moment, but first, the matter of immunity. Tammy? "No chance in hell I'm giving this immunity up."

Okay. Let's see who you CAN vote for.

Zoe: ROB.
Rob: ZOE - "This will be my one valuable contribution to the tribe."
Sean: (hidden) - "Strictly a strategy move. See you on the other side."
Tammy: ZOE - "I just don't like you." Gee, that was harsh. Two to one,
Zoe. The others read:

Neleh: ZOE
Paschal: ZOE
Vee: ZO(e)
Kathy: Z(oe) Z(anidakis)

And Sean's hidden vote: ZOE.  Zoe... and we called this last week... THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN.  So Zoe joins the council of those who will ultimately decide who will be the Sole Survivor.

---
This was an episode to remember. Not only did we see the manipulative measures that Tammy and the General were willing to endure, but we also saw that through it all, they were just humans playing a puppet master's game. The only difference between them and the puppet master is that while the Burnett has intellect, his puppets have heart. As for the vote next time, count on Tammy to take the long row home if she doesn't win immunity. If she does, then the General will have to take her bullet.

EPISODE 10:  The Princess

Pigs, pigs, and more pigs last week. Tammy and Robert tried to pork it up with Neleh and Pappy to avoid getting the boot. Tammy and Zoe were in a hog fight about liking and not liking. And let's not forget Sean and Paschal being treated to authentic Kahlua pig. When all is said and done, Zoe hoards the votes and cries wee wee wee wee all the way home.  Who will be sacrificed to the butcher this week? Get yourself a ham sandwich, because it's time for...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 10 - The Princess

Day 28: Vee's Birthday.

"Eleven days to go." Tammy surveys the situation as the rest of the tribe wakes up and begins to complain of the lack of energy. As he was getting up, Sean questioned the sincerity behind all of the good feelings: "There are certain people who are genuinely affectionate and feel a family vibe. We spoon, we snuggle. But in a contest situation, can a love tribe truly exist?"

Then came the ordeal of food... again. Thing you have to understand is when you eat nothing but taro and coconut, the body just cries for some protein (anyone remember that episode of South Park?)  Tammy's obviously having trouble with it, saying that they tried to catch some more fish. "Our chances of catching a fish are diminishing." Well, of course they are if you keep catching them all. So let's go for the big kill. Kathy is determined to whack a shark. "Kind of taunting us. They would be great food."  Meanwhile, the rest of the tribe are having Bugs Bunny delusions about catching food, all to Tammy's angst. "It's fun, but I think the perversion is wrong. It isn't healthy. Been sitting around, talking about sweets."

Mail call.

"Should we just give you treasure? Don't hold your breath.
You're about to hit rock bottom if you're faster than the rest
The style of the rich and famous, pampered like a king.
Hot shower, clean clothes, great food; that's what victory brings"

Sean sings about as well as I do. And he doesn't sing. Lucky. "I know how much this means to be away from our homes and families. I just wanted to tell you happy birthday, sister, and I love you.We've been truly blessed to be here." It reduced Vee to tears. At that point I was kind of tough. It was a little special and a little sad as well. 

Meanwhile, iron chef Tammy is cooking as the two bring word of the upcoming reward challenge. The prize: a luxury cruise. Oh damn. 

R-CHALLENGE: Rock Bottom (or "Musical Shells")

It begins with six yellow shells at the bottom of the sea. The first six to retrive a shell move on, but the seventh is eliminated. This will continue for three heats. The next heat is an underwater race to bring back a rock on the ocean floor. The first one to drop that rock on ... err, near... Jeff's foot will win Jeff's prop Visa from Africa, which the winner will use on a luxury cruise ship for new clothes, a hot meal, and a nice warm shower.

Heat 1: Vee gives up, she is eliminated.
Heat 2: Despite a nice effort, Sean can't find one and is eliminated.
Heat 3: Neleh is eliminated before she can shell.
Heat 4: The race: "Paschal's pulling away," notes Jeff. And rightly so; Pappy brings home the rock, and rocks to the win.

The reward: The Looooove (Tribe) Boat...

Here comes Jeff with the boat. The General gives Paschal some last minute advice: "Just open up the menu and say 'Bring it on!'" Paschal meets Jeff out at the raft, where Jeff immediately suggests, "I'd hate for you to experience this all alone." He immediately turned around and shouted, "NELEH!" signaling for her to join them on the boat. Well, it is Vee's birthday, and she is a bit down about it, you know. Sean definitely was a bit mired about Pappy's decision. Paschal's quick decision irked Sean, "It was Vecepia's birthday, and she was feeling down. I would have picked Vecepia." Once aboard the cruise ship, Neleh and Paschal were taken to their luxurious rooms (Paschal: "Look at the view! How cool is this?") where they took a shower and Neleh finally gets a glimpse of herself. "It's a bit weird to look at yourself for the first time." Later, the two headed to an escargot dinner with all the fixings. consisting of fresh bread, escargot, steak and crme brul was set up. " I'm so lucky to be here with you," Neleh declared.

Meanwhile, back on the island. Everyone was comparing their lives to Pappy and Neleh's right now.

But enough of that, let's go back on board the SS Survivor. Pappy said, "I couldn't envision a snail would taste good." The end result: $312 charged to one Jeffrey Probst. Aren't you glad that "Finder's Fee" did so well and that Viacom is paying you so damn much? Aren't you? I mean, I'd kill to make that kind of money, but I digress.

Night 28: Returning to the Beach

"You think they're going to bring food back, you think they're going to bring food." Tammy's still hung up on this food thing. Neleh and Paschal arrive from the boat... empty-handed. Rob took one whiff of her and said, "Her hair smelled fantastic." That night, Neleh, in all her girl-next-doorness, described her experience onboard. Kathy, on the other hand, was getting a wee bit sick of it. "Neleh was going on a little too much about her shower and how clean she was.  She's so damn sweet." Neleh, having felt horrible telling the tribe of her adventure, offered the others a bit of ABC mint, much to Sean's disdain. "Keep your mint candy. That's like saying, 'Anyone want a piece of doo-doo?'"

Day 29: got pig?

The day begins as Sean complains of Neleh's surplus of energy, and lack of work. "Neleh is still on the clean kick and being the princess." Well, a cruise'll do that to you, but I digress. But will it do what Sean is proposing next? "I think Neleh has definitely snowed Paschal, and I think she is playing this game harder than anybody left on the island. She is playing girl-next door to the hill, and before you know it, she is in the finals. The more sympathy you have, the stronger this girl gets. It may be a sure bet that we may be in the final 4 if we hook up with Tammy and Rob. Then again, it might not be." Kathy, to an extent, agreed. "I think Neleh has sixty to seventy percent sweetness and about thirty to forty percent she is working it. And I think she is working it a little too hard."

Meanwhile Neleh and Pappy are still going on about the trip. Sean won't buy into any of it: "She's playing the same harder than anyone on the finals and they're going like 'I'm in the finals and I'm so happy, and Oh God... Ah, heck.'"

Meanwhile, a few more tribesmen are still worried about their place. Namely Rob. Rob's building a pig snare to catch food. Tammy's thinking it's his way to secure him for the tribe. "I'm the valuable member of this tribe, don't vote me out. You got immunity. I got pig."

Mail.

Race against the others until you're feeling hot.
The most basic skill of survival: show them what you've got.
Food, water, and protection, most important in this game.
You may as well pack your bags if you fail to strike the flame.

Night 29:

I-CHALLENGE: Virtues of Fire

Striking two piece of magnesium flint together, the tribesmen must first  find firewood, and then light it under a wok filled with popcorn. Pop one kernel, and you move onto the final leg: lighting a giant cauldron on the end of the island. All done in the dark.

The General gets popcorn first and moves his fire to the end of the beach where his cauldron awaits, but so does Vee. A close race ends with the General sporting the hardware.

In winning, he whispered into Tammy's ear: "You ain't going nowhere."

Day 30: Regarding Tammy.

The tribe is at the hole watering themselves. Of course, Neleh and Pas are somewhere together talking about... stuff.

The General was renewed after the victory. "The win was very big for me, bringing me back to life. I was feeling a little down and the win really made me feel good about myself. I'm a little bummed that I think Tammy is on her way out. She is like a sister to me, and I would like to do something to see if I can save her." Tammy is equally as determined, once again saying, "I'm not giving up on this game until I hear my name at Tribal Council"

Night 30: Tribal:

Jeff's question of the night: "What are you tired of?" Neleh's tired of being covered in dirt (Quelle supresse).  Kathy's tired of the beach, the monotony, and the grime. Paschal's tired of the daily grind, the monotony.  So how valuable was the reward: Paschal just said: 7,000,000. (on a scale of 1 to 10). Kathy was jealous. And as for the matter of immunity, Rob says, "Nah, I gotta stay."

So it's time to vote.

Kathy: TAMMY - you're one cool chick, but lethal competition. Take it easy.
Tammy: (hidden) - You don't seem to pull your weight as much as everyon pulls theirs. So that's why I'm vtonig for you tonight.

One against Tammy

General: VECEPIA
Paschal: TAMMY
Neleh: TAMMY
Vee: TAMMY
Sean: TAMMY

And Tammy's hidden vote: VECEPIA

One vote withheld, but four is enough. Tammy, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. For the girl who said "it ain't over 'til it's over", it's over. She'll be back next week on the jury. Hopefully, she won't bring stilts.
---
We called it last week. And here it was. Now let's see if we can do this again. Ahem. If Rob wins immunity, then look for Neleh to get the boot because of her prissiness. If not, then Rob takes the powder.

EPISODE 11:  Marquesan Vacation

When we last left our motley crew, two of their own were on the cruise of their lives as they won a reward. Sean is getting wary of Neleh, meanwhile. Aw, heck, Sean. Can't you leave her alone? Guess not. Anyway, Tammy, who had been channeling the spirit of Yogi Berra for the last three episodes, finally got voted out, leaving only the General as the sole remainder of the failed Rotu Alliance. Who will take the row home tonight? Let's find out, as a visitor enters...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 11 - Marquesan Vacation

Day 31: "Dear Mom, I Miss You."

The day began as the previous thirty have: with a lack of energy and a want to go home. Kathy began to cry as she said that everyone have been missing home. "It's just uncanny to see what's happening with our mental stability." While fixing the hut, Sean was trying to climb a tree and nearly fell, being deprived of energy. Luckily the General was there to ease him down.  Meanwhile, Paschal was pining for his family, saying that it's weird to miss home and to have a "home" here. "We are going to go back home where we really want to be, and I know what's going to happen -- we are going to miss others." Robert, on the other hand, is not pining for anyone. "I'm here to win this game."

Turtle mail call:

"Each step you take will decide your fate.
Which way to go, or should you wait?
It's all strategy now to get to the end.
Big night for the win, choose just one friend."

R-CHALLENGE: Turtle Shell Block Out - Honorary Tribesmanship

Jeff began by offering a reward of one phone call home, but realizing that that's been done already, he quickly takes back the offer, saying that he's going to do them one better. Soon enough, Neleh's mother, Rebecca, Kathy's son Patrick, Robert's sister Diana, Sean's main man Darryl, Vecepia's fiancee Leander, and finally Paschal's wife Beverly joined the six Survivors on the field.  They'll compete in the challenge (not the castaways).

Competitors would stand around the far edge of a hexagonal puzzle, reminiscent of Blockbusters. One at a time, the "sidekicks" must step from one piece to the next, flipping over the pieces as they step off. They can get help from the Survivors, as long as it isn't verbally expressed (Cue Neleh spazzing over what square to choose). As they become trapped, they are eliminated until there is only one. All together now: "Last man standing wins."  When the dust cleared, it was between Diana DeCanio and Patrick O'Brien. Both are blocked in, but Diana's blocked in first. So Patrick gets the win, a day with the tribe, and because we're nice about the whole thing, let's give him a Soliantu buff.

The reward: Meet Patrick

It's time for the tribe to meet their new tribesman:

Patrick O'Brien, 18, Kathy's son, Burlington, VT.

Kathy quickly mothered her son, asking, "How is the house? Have you been partying in the house, Pat?" She showed the tribe his tattoo, and, like my own mother, immediately put Patrick to work, starting with getting taro and cracking the coconuts. As Patrick struggled to crack the shells, he began to complain about "the whole damn thing" (Walt Disney, 1961.) "I've never been an outdoors person. I am a preppy from the East Coast. I like my TV and my couch!" Patrick continues to give credit for the living conditions, the food, the elements, and Jeff Probst constantly eyeing him.

Meanwhile, Paschal's seeing his wife realized "what's important." "For the first time I have come face to face with myself. I'm not really proud of how much I take for granted and what a wonderful wife I have. When I go back home my attitude is going to change."

Meanwhile, Kathy, still mindful that she may be gone, even in the midst of her being part of the Solinatu Alliance, starts to talk to Patrick about strategy. While going for a walk, Kathy explained that if she was in the final three with Sean and Vee (or Paschal and Neleh), they'd vote her out. Patrick, who just LOVES games, was unable to help. 

Day 32: Going Home... No, not yet, folks.

As morning dawned, Patrick complained that he didn't have his comfy bed with him. Okay, if I can digress for a bit... Patrick, you need to grow up. This sort of thing'll turn you into a man. So Kathy, if you're reading this, I suggest you sign him up for the Marines or some junk. "Have a good time," he said to Kathy before getting on the boat back to civilization and weakness (okay, I'm digressing again). Kathy tells us that she will do what she has always told her son and that is to finish what you started. As Patrick zoomed away from Survivor Island v2.0, Kathy screamed, "Peace baby, I love you!"

Back to the game. Sean and Vee, Paschal and Neleh, and Kathy and the General have gone their separate ways to talk about strategy.

Kathy and Robert: Robert's noticing that he is the last member of the Rotu Alliance still in the game and that Neleh and/or Paschal could wind up in the final four. Kathy asked if there was anything they could do to stop it.

Sean and Vee: Sean believes that Neleh is riding Paschal's coattails to the final four. Vee agrees: "Cute little Mormon girl, sweet little Mormon girl, doesn't have jack to do with this game!" Rob and Kathy agree. But will it play out in the vote? We'll see in a moment, but first...

I-CHALLENGE: Sands of Time

Another slingshot challenge. This time, each tribesman must aim for one of several sand compartments in an hourglass with a tiki below. Once your tiki was covered with sand, you were eliminated. All together now: "Last man standing wins."  Paschal, Sean, and Rob are picked off one, two, three, to which Kathy replies, "The chicks are in the final!" But Vee, perhaps with a little divine intervention, is the last chick standing with the hardware.

Day 33: Speaking of throwing stones.

Rob's decided that his affiliation with the Rotu Alliance has pretty much done him in. And he's going without a fight, pretty much. "I came here with four things: pride, dignity, integrity, and my backpack. Everything is still intact, plus an added bonus of the relationships and friendships that I have made here." He's not going to beg, plead, or scream. If it's time to go, it's time to go.

Night 33: Tribal:

Kathy still can't figure out everyone's motives as a result of everyone not really being themselves.  Vee insists that people who didn't start playing the game until later may have a trick to two (Neleh?). The General implicitly thought about Vee then. Sean goes on about Neleh playing everyone else for fools. Paschal agrees (!). Neleh divulges her strategy, falling under the radar and then becoming more vocal. If she wants to make it to the end, it won't be at Vee's expense; she won't give up the necklace.

Let's vote. No testimonial. No revealed votes. Here's how it panned out.

Robert: SEAN
Kathy: ROBERT
Paschal: ROBERT
Neleh: SEAN
Vee: ROBERT
Sean: ROBERT

By a vote of four to two, THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. The General has been dismissed.
---
Well, we sorta called it. And Neleh has revealed her true colors. Will that come back to hurt her? Probably. If she doesn't get immunity, look for either her or Pappy to take a knee.

EPISODE 12:  A Tale of Two Cities

Last time, we met Kathy's ingrate son. Well, he's not an ingrate, but he's definitely having a new appreciation for his couch. Meanwhile, Neleh divulged strategy, and the General was demoted to jury member. Now five remain in the game of...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 12 - A Tale of Two Cities

Day 34: The Almighty Race Card...

The day began as the previous thirty-three have, with people getting up weary and wanting to go home. Sean explained further: "At this point people just want to eat, get through another day, win some immunities, count down the days and see where the cards lay." Kathy woke up in between a rock and a hard place as the eventual swing vote between Paschal and Neleh and Sean and Vee. "It's going to look big, playing the race card, and I actually hadn't thought about that until Vee said that." Paschal  argues, though, that Vee is playing the race card, not Kathy: "Vee is coming to Kathy and suggesting that this is a race issue. I bet Kathy feels like an absolute fool being asked to even consider something like that."

Mail call... Not Another Pair of Stilts, coming to DVD:
(No poetry this week, b/c I recorded over it with a PYL I'm trading.)

R-CHALLENGE: Second Chance (or "Remember This One?")

Remember those challenges you failed so miserably at? Well, they're about to come back and haunt you. This challenge combines six elements from previous challenges. First, the tribesmen must complete a tiki a la Byte 4's RC. Then they must race to a group of coconuts and fill their column to overflowing a la Byte 9's RC. Then they must find a knotted pair of stilts and undo the knots a la Byte 5's RC. Then they must walk on those stilts a la Byte 9's IC. Then it's back to Byte 5's RC as they crack coconuts to find the keys to a chest which held a slingshot. That slingshot will be used a la last week's IC to crack open an hourglass. First one to cover their tiki with sand wins, and today's reward... a BRAND NEW CAR! A fully loaded 2003 Saturn VUE, to be exact. Kathy was the first to complete her tiki and move to the coconut stage. Then came Neleh, Sean, and Vee. Paschal never made it past the first stage. Sean was the first to complete the coconut stage and he never looked back. He's the first to the hourglass, and all he needs is one well laced shot to win the BRAND NEW CAR! To which Sean jubilantly exclaimed, "I can do all things through Christ!" Insert George Carlin bit here.

Back at camp, the tribe started to come together, as Sean noted that you become emotionally attached to folk. Paschal echoed that sentiment, as he noted that the last two or three days have been a real struggle.  So Kathy and the rest of the tribe head out to search for troca. "It's like a bathtub," said Kathy of the shallow end of the South Pacific. Sean found his first one. "Not bad for a brother from uptown." You know, finding your first one after 34 days really says a lot. And Kathy's saying it. "Sean's a city kid. What can you do?"

But back to the tribe's so-called struggle. Strength and morale are at all-time lows. Sean stated, "We are not in our right frame of mind right now. After five or six weeks of having to endure all of the aspects of the game, we don't know which way is up."

Night 34: Why So Crappy, Pappy?

Just as you think the tribe is coming together, along comes that rift. The tribe sat by the fire to just talk about said rift. Paschal revealed his allegiance to Neleh, which, by now, has become obvious to  everyone. Further opening up the floor, he claimed that he felt Vee and Sean had an alliance from day one. The two vehemently denied that said alliance existed, feeling that Paschal and Neleh were making assumptions about their allegiance simply because they were both African American. Barbs continued into the night. Neleh jumped in, saying that Sean and Vee share a very tight relationship, whether or not they want to call it an alliance. "The difference is that Paschal and I are being honest about saying up front that we formed a great relationship." Sean rebutted that just because Vee and him are African American, that they shared a bond that the rest of them wouldn't understand, but it doesn't necessarily denote an automatic alliance. "A few times Vee has flipped the script, and let me down." The spat ended eventually, with no agreement to disagree.

Day 35: "You cares just seem to go away when you're flying a kite." -Sherry Bobbins, "The Simpsons."

And that's just what Kathy's doing on Soliantu Beach. Flying a kite to relieve tensions of being the swing vote. Probably a sign of symbolism, the kite, hovering slightly above the ground, eventually deflated and returned to the ground. "Paschal thinks that Sean and Vee are definitely up to something from day one and they are making a fool out of me. But if I make it to the final three with Paschal and Neleh, I will invariably get voted out."

Night 35:
I-CHALLENGE: Total Recall IV: This Time, It's Marquesan

Five minutes from now, you'll know enough about Marquesan chief Keikahuna to win immunity if you were a contestant in this challenge. Jeff gathered the tribe at the meeting place from Byte 7. Because of some bandwidth issues at Stormseeker.com  (awww...always thinking of the site first...how nice...heheh) (and I still have to pack for my upcoming graduation from Carolina), I'll reduce the story to a Cliffs Notes version. Keikahuna, a Marquesan chief, went into another tribe's village to investigate a probable attack. He disguised himself by wrapping sea urchins on his foot and feigning a limp. Then he went into battle with the enemy tribe with his hair wrapped into two buns, killed the chief with a war club, and ate him. And then he abruptly seized retreat and reversed into viiiiic-tory.

Taking that information, the tribesmen must race to five terminals, each with a question and two choices. Each one must reach into the bag that signals the right answer. If they're right, they get a Hitman... err, tiki, to wear around their neck. If they're wrong, they get a bone to sacrifice to whatever deity is governing this game (we're guessing a Burnett). First one to get all five tikis and return to Jeff with them wins an equally important piece of hardware, the immunity necklace. Get immunity this time, and you guarantee a place in the Final Four for yourself or whoever you choose to give immunity to.

In the end, it came to Neleh and Kathy, who both answered all five questions and returned to Jeff, only to find that they lost one along the way. Kathy found hers first, and returned with all five for the win.

Day 36: As the Strongest Link, Kathy, You Have To Decide Who Goes...

Kathy has a hard time deciding which of the two factions to join up with. "I am the core fifth player, and I have four players on either side of me. Paschal and Neleh are on one side, and Sean and Vee are on the other. I've got all these different issues weighing back and forth and I have to make a decision which way to go." Enough said about that.

Night 36: Tribal:

Kathy gets asked about being the swing vote and eventually, to whom she will give immunity. Cue Sean trying to win Kathy's favor by offering her amnesty from his and Vee's vote. Cue Paschal butting in assessing this Monty-Hallism. He finds it amusing that Vee and Sean said they don't have an alliance, but are coming at Kathy with what looks to be an act of one. Suddenly the word "disingenuous" gets thrown around like a rag doll. Paschal to Sean, Sean back at Paschal. Sean claims that Kathy never knew of Paschal and Neleh's alliance, although as Kathy said, it's pretty obvious to anyone who was watching Byte 10 (recall the RC). Now cue Sean putting foot, heel, and knee in his own mouth.

Then comes Paschal pointing the finger at Sean's actions, while defending his own. Which, if you think about it, is really identical. Paschal basically tells Sean to shut up and listen, and Sean tells Paschal of his respect, but will not honor his request. Kathy ultimately decides to give immunity to no one. Remember, survive this vote, and you're in the Final Four. So Kathy has nothing to worry about. Let's see who does.

Sean: NELEH - "Girl-next-door act don't work on me. You're just out here trying to win the million just like me, and I hope you go out tonight."
Neleh: SEAN - "Too much drama; I just can't stand it."
Vee: NELEH - "She's a great girl, but she started playing the game a little too late."
Paschal: SEAN - "A great competitor."

Looks like it'll come down to Kathy's vote, which is for... SEAN. THE TRIBE HAS SPOKEN. Kathy swings toward Pappy and the Princess, leaving Sean out of the picture.
---
Chances are Paschal would've been the one out had the events of today's episode not went the way they did. Kathy found herself in the middle by winning immunity, and Sean found his own way out of the tribe as he went on his tirade against the opinion that him and Vee were in an agreement over something. As for who will be the ultimate winner, if it was Borneo or Australia, it would be Neleh due to her shrewdness (Rich? Tina? Bueller?). If it was Africa, it would be the honest, hardworking one in Kathy. If this chapter holds true to past Survivor, and "Fallen Comrades" was the next immunity challenge, look for Kathy to win and a tie in the vote, leading to Vee's possible expulsion. Also look for
an endurance test of some sort, where Kathy may outlast the others and vote off Neleh. If that were to happen, the vote could go as such.

Sean: Paschal.
Vee: Paschal.
Neleh: Paschal.
Tammy: Kathy.
The General: Kathy.
John: Kathy.
Zoe: Paschal.

But then again, I could be wrong.

EPISODE 13:  The Sole Survivor

Three days ago, we saw past mistakes made up for in spades, as Sean used knowledge gained from previous challenges to win a BRAND NEW CAR! But that's all he'll get, as he speaks out in a heated tribal council, leading to him being shown the door. Now all that's left is a squeaky clean "girl-next-door", a semi-confused judge, a New England mom, and an office manager named after the twenty-second letter of the alphabet, and in two hours, one of them will claim $1,000,000, a new car, and the title of...

SURVIVOR MARQUESAS: Byte 13 - The Sole Survivor

Night 36: The Whole Damn Aftermath.

Kathy quoted on an interesting council. "Didn't like him. Too much pressure. Don't know if I did the right thing. I won't know if I did the right thing until two days from now." Neleh agreed on the tone of the last
vote, as she said, "I've never had confrontations like this in my normal life. I don't ever deal with this."

Day 37: The Final Round Begins...

Paschal is beginning to show signs of serious wear. "They're good, mentally. I look probably worse than I ever did right now." Kathy, of her low morale and physicality, noted that in the last couple of days, "you gotta stop thinking about it." To do this, Kathy and Neleh start singing. "I really felt super super close to Kathy, and I just trust her, you know?" Maybe we should just scream? "I HATE THIS PLACE!" Okay. Vee wants to give these two the gong, already: "Love'em. Had enough of 'em." About immunity, she said, "I am the only one who has to work for the next two or three days, and I will work."

Mail call:

"Sixteen have come, only four left.
I hope you've paid attention.
Their hopes, their dreams, their place of birth,
Immunity for your retention."

The tribe compares notes before the big test. "A lot of the stuff I wrote down in my book." Smart thinking, Vee. "Kathy may be a little worried right now. Either myself or her have to win immunity or else we'll go home." Paschal feels great. "Whoever gets immunity will be in the final three." Vee knows that if she doesn't win it, she's outta here, so she's just going to give it all that she's got.

Night 37: Tribal.

I-CHALLENGE:  Fallen Comrades IV

We've been through this before three times. You're going to be asked questions about the twelve players you voted out and events that transpired. Ten points wins. The council vote immediately follows.

1) What is the first IC that Rotu lost and who did they vote out afterwards? - SOS flag and Gabriel
2) What is the name of Sean's girlfriend? - Ingrid. Everyone tied at 2.
3) Dream job at the NY Times? - Tammy. Tied at 3.
4) What is Boston Rob's explanantion for his absence on Survivor - He said he was in Army training.
5) Who was the watermelon spitting champ? - Gina.
6) Who does this necklace belong to? - Tammy's right.
7) How many siblings does Sean have? - Zero.
8) Who's American flag belly ring is this? - John.
9) What is the name of Tammy's fiance? - Mike.
10) In which branch of the armed services did John train to be a nurse? - Air Force. Vee wins immunity.

But hold the phone: Kathy has an offer! She wants to go to the final two, if Vee doesn't vote for her. If it comes to a tie, then Kathy will take the bullet. Neleh is commenting on how it's going to work out. Paschal is chiming in on his opinion as Kathy and Vee discuss their plan to vote either Neleh or Paschal out. "Don't put me on the chopping block with your opinion!" Do they have a plan? Yes. The deal is done, but Kathy is still up on the block with Neleh and Paschal.

Paschal: KATHY. "Simply an amazing woman."
Neleh: KATHY. "I said I would never vote against Paschal and I'm definitely not ready to leave."

So two against Kathy. This may come to a tie-breaker. Let's see the rest of them.

Vee: NELEH.
Kathy: NELEH.
 
Tie-breaker! Usually, in moments like these, they'd revote, and if that was a tie, they would go to past votes, but for reasons unbeknownst to us, the four are given two minutes to discuss who should stay and who should go. If there is no consensus, then it comes down to a lottery: whoever draws the purple rock from a bag of yellow rocks loses. After two minutes, it's coming down to chance. The result: Paschal, THE ROCK HAS SPOKEN (insert the people's joke here).
---
I didn't expect that. So we know only one thing now: the winner will be a woman. But which woman? Tomorrow's a long day, so let's go back to the action.
---
Day 38: Begins in the dark...

It's 3:00 in the morning and Jeff issues his wake up call. Jeff then brings his outrigger boat which is in need of repair. Once it is repaired, then the three tribeswomen must sail out to Challenge Beach, where they will take part in a ritual Marquesan tattooing and cleansing while reflecting on their past tribesmates.

Vee leads the group in prayer as they head out to sea. They arrive and begin to tattoo themselves in symbolic fashion. Neleh's tattoo says "LOVE" for the love she felt for all she met. Kathy's tattoo has sixteen dancing tribesmates and the waterfall, a source of strength. Vee's tattoo has the thirteen ousted tribesmates in the order that they were eliminated. Afterwards, they hike to the top of a cliff, there they will pass their fallen comrade's torches: Peter, Patricia, Sarah, Hunter, Gabe, Gina, Boston Rob, John, Zoe, Tammy, The General, Sean, and Pappy. Neleh kisses the last one and says, "I love you." Reaching the final destination, the "chicks" must now wait.

The hike continues deep into the forest, as the last rite awaits the three members of Soliantu. This time, Neleh leads the group in prayer, upon which they cleanse themselves by covering themselves in some scented oil concoction. Afterwards, Neleh decorates the players in a batch of flowers. But a little further on the journey, and the surreal moment of reflection and sharing reverts to game mode once more.

I-CHALLENGE: Hands on the Idol IV

Three points of contact: foot on the first log, other foot on the second log, hand on the idol. Last one standing wins.

Hot day, Jeff egging on. After an hour and a half, all three are still standing. What else is still standing is the deal between Vee and Kathy. At the three-hour mark, they still stand strong... sort of.

3:30: Still standing.
4:00: Still standing.
4:30: Kathy slips, and she's gone.

Vee's making another deal: immunity for a place in the final two. Neleh takes it, and Vee takes a knee at 4:31. Onto Tribal:

Paschal is not among the jury members. John (in an exception to the jury not speaking to the players) and Jeff explain that before Tribal, he collapsed on his feet and was evacuated from the game. Luckily, he'll be fine and ready to go for the final Tribal.

About the challenge, Kathy blames herself for the fall. She's disappointed that Vee made the deal with Neleh, but "c'est la vie. What can you do?" Vee doesn't recall anything about carrying her. When she fell, Vee begins questioning her agreement. The best thing to do is stop this charade. Neleh was not going down without a fight. She saw and out and took it. Kathy does not discount faith or a memory of being by her father's bedside as he died.

Neleh is the only vote tonight. Any offers now? We'll see. Neleh casts her vote for... KATHY. This time, NELEH HAS SPOKEN. So it'll be either Neleh or Vee who wins the whole shebang. Nothing left to do but "drink it in," as Jeff points out that the game is now out of the tribe's hands.
---
Let's analyze the situation. Hypothetically:

Sean would vote for Vee. That's one for her. Paschal would vote for Neleh; one for her. Kathy may vote for Neleh after the deal she made with Vee. That makes two. The Rotu Alliance could vote as a bloc, but for who remains a toss-up.
---
Back to the action. Vee and Neleh blaze a fire and toast their finality. Neleh was planning to bring Vee with the final two anyway. Vee reveals that when Kathy fell, she realized that the remaining two would
just be going at it all day.  "Looking at both scenarios, I decided that my best shot at going to the final two would be with Neleh."  They share yet another prayer for forgiveness. Off to bed for the final time.

Day 39: The Last Shout...

Vee and Neleh plan out their day, including looking for apples and one final visit to the waterfall. They enjoy cooking popcorn and seeing the pig and chicken one last time. The two then bathe themselves in the water. They all burn their friends' unwanted clothes in the final bonfire. Vecepia quotes one more time. "And Christ said while he was hanging on the cross, it is finished, it is almost done."

"All I can do is say what I feel. I can say that I've been upfront and honest and hopefully that'll play out in my advantage." With that, Neleh and Vee begin the final processional into the Tribal Council hut, leaving the Rotu/Soliantu Love Shack behind to a montage of pre-edited confessionals from the jury.

Paschal: "I don't know what caused two Christian women to be in the end. Both of them played the game very well, because they both were in the end."

Kathy: "I can't even process the game right now. I haven't focused on who I'm going to vote for tonight."

Zoe: "To have an all-woman final is the best. Girls kick ass. They're both well deserved of the money. It's going to be a close call."

General: "Knowing that they got past me, but I'm one of seven who will decide who goes home $900,000 richer."

Sean: "I think the best person who played the game will win."

Tammy: "There's a huge feeling of power being on the jury. Basically, I have to think who played the game better than anyone."

John: "You got these Bible-thumpers out there and now I have to search myself which one of these creeps is going to get the money."

Night 39:  Final Tribal:

Neleh just spent the day sleeping (my kind of girl), after which she got a really big burst of energy. The last month and week have all led up to this. Seven votes. Neleh and Vee have one chance to appeal to the jury for themselves as they present their opening statements.

Neleh: "I have had the most incredible time here. I wasn't the strongest person, but everything I did I did sincerely out of the love of my heart. I just love you guys unconditionally."

Vee: "This has been a wonderful ride for me. When I came in here, I didn't want to ride anyone's coattails. I felt that I contributed 100% wholehearted. I put my faith in God that you'll look at this
subjectively. God bless you all."

Time for questions/comments from the jury.

Tammy: "I've been upfront about the way I played this game. You guys are hypocrites as far as I'm concerned. The person who deserved to win was the woman you voted out last night. So you lied to us, you stabbed us in the back.  You guys beat me at my own game. So congratulations.

(Ed's note: Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?)

Sean (nice hair, BTW): Congratulations, ladies. Is there some kind of moral message that you've gained from this game?
Neleh: Follow my heart.
Vee: I will think things through before I make my decision.

Paschal: Both of you ladies are completely deserving. You're the epitome of what this great country has to offer. I'm going to be a better person for knowing both of you.

General Rob: What specific decision that you have made could have an adverse effect?
Neleh: Turning my back on the Rotu alliance.
Vee: What I did to Kathy.

Zoe: I'm not going to talk about lies and deception. I believe both of you have good hearts, and you made it. Congratulations.

Kathy: Two questions: Neleh, at what point in the game did you feel that you made the greatest strategic movement? Vee, how can you go through the game without feeling these behaviors [of switching alliances] and still hold your strategy?
Neleh: Day 24. Sean had approached up about the alliance.
Vee: Having people approach me about their game plan. Everyone's constantly changing their game plan. Did I answer your question?
Kathy: No, but that's okay.

John: You know how I feel. I threw out the honesty card. I lost. Why the hell should I give you my vote? Knowing me, Johnny Pots-and-Pans, why should I give you my vote?
Neleh: Truly, I was going to join you guys, hoping in the end that I could go into the final two.
Vee: 1) I came in here with a strategy. 2) Playing the strategy, I played the game to the fullest.

Justifying the actions you condemn in others. Something to think about in the final statements.  Alright, you two. Last chance:

Neleh: Consider the way I've treated you guys. I think it's luck that I'm up here. Everything that happened before day 24 was truly out of my heart.
Vee: Some people just made comments, and I wanted to answer questions so you can have a strong base.

Time to vote:

John: VECEPIA - This was an unbelievably hard. You played the game, and I appreciated you answering the questions and ... you go girl.
Paschal: NELEH - Always completed the race whether she was first or last.
Sean: VECEPIA - Better you than me, sweety.
Zoe: NELEH IS THE SURVIVOR - Make this short and sweet: Vee is not for victory tonight. Neleh is the Survivor.

So far, it's tied, two-up.  Jeff grabs the votes and heads for NYC with them. The decision will have to wait...

Wow, that was quick. Jeff takes a moment to admire the Statue of Liberty as he holds tightly to the votes. Finally, he lands, some days after the final vote was cast, on a local tarmac and hails a cab to Central Park, where we will go live ... now.

But first, five months afterwards, Vee reveals that she was surprised about perception that people couldn't discern between bonds and alliances. Her and Sean have a social bond that they share. Neleh reveals that she didn't really become a target until she rolled up her sleeves and started playing the game. "If she's really competitive, then the sweetness must be a coverup." Time to see who the winner is. The vote to win is four. At stake, a new car, $1,000,000 and the title of Survivor. Let's get ready.

Vee. Vee. Neleh. Neleh. Neleh. Vee.

Jeff, take it.

"The winner of Survivor Marquesas is... Vecepia." And as Rosie pulls up on Colby Donaldson's Harley from S2, Jeff hails the nearest chopper back to Sony Pictures Studios to tape another six episodes of Rock & Roll Jeopardy!.

Final count:
NELEH - Paschal, Zoe, Kathy
VEE - Sean, Tammy, John, Robert
---

In my opinion, both players were really not as deserving as Ethan last season, but they were deserving nonetheless. It all came down to who played the game best. And the better woman won in that respect. But it's not all a loss, as Rosie gives them all new cars (I tell ya, if I was a contestant, I would've had it made!). This fall, the game continues in Thailand. In the meanwhile, I'll take up the reins for Mole 2 recaps for the site, starting with episode 4. See you then. Thanks for reading and, to quote Peter Tomarken on the Paranoia finale, "Stay in the game..."