Previously, on Survivor Canada
At an individual reward challenge Michelle wins an extra vote to cast, and almost has a chance to use it when she messes up the immunity challenge. Her tribe comes back and in a tie-breaker Tabatha brings home Paleo's fourth consecutive win. However, Nathan's grand plans prove too much for him and he is medevac'd, reducing the Paleo tribe to 9 members. Rob apologizes for his behaviour on Cree, and forfeitures leave Vince voted out 6-1-1.
Moonlight glints off of waves on the lake. A Raccoon pauses, glowing eyes looking at the camera, before scurrying away into the brush with its odd, humpbacked gait. Wind blows at the forest, swaying the crowns of the spruce trees. Twenty-five metres below, the growing storm is almost unnoticed on the forest floor.
Nathan's accident leaves Paleo shocked. They don't perform any camp chores that evening, and lack the energy to start a fire — a task usually taken up by their missing member. They hang around and talk with each other, and step aside to make a few confessionals.
Diana knows that it sounds pompous, but their winning streak had been getting boring. "Jon asked me if I was willing to throw a challenge when I stated that it wouldn't hurt us to lose one." And now they've lost Nathan without the formality of tribal council. But that might not be enough "dead weight" gone. "I found out Michelle is gunning for Dan, which makes me want to keep him around just for entertainment purposes." Diana doesn't want it to get too dull with everyone "all kissy-kissy and oh-we're-a-great-team crap" and prefers that the attention be on people other than herself. Overall, she does like her tribemates but she is playing the game, and better someone else than her.
Kelley does find that Diana is among those standing out. "Tabatha, Diana and Jon seem to be emerging as the tribal leaders in challenges... they are all great to work with and hopefully can lead the tribe to more victories to come."
Tabatha is a bit worried about appearing too strong in the challenges. "I am glad my tribe was happy I won the tie breaker — but am I targeting myself?"
Staton is watching the fire with Aiden when the storm can no longer be ignored. The wind shakes the treetops and branches rub against one another, knocking down dead needles and twigs. Some trees creak as they sway, waking in fright those who were sleeping underneath them.
Whatever rain had fallen before was more like dew dropping from the forest canopy. This night it rains in earnest. The canopy holds a certain amount and then it all comes down on the Survivors in heavy, cold drops that burst and splatter.
Staton adds fuel to the fire, hoping that it has enough heat that the cold rain won't quash it. Others try to hold the shelter together. Their roof is far from watertight, but the birchbark held between layers of branches is draining much of the rainfall away. Janei pulls some firewood into the shelter to keep it reasonably dry, while Karen checks on their food and drinking water.
Miriam joins Staton at the fire. His clothes are already soaked-through, and he has to keep close to the fire to stay warm. Staton and Miriam hold green branches over the fire, and try to shelter it and keep it burning. Somehow, they know it's only going to get colder.
The sun hides behind grey clouds as the rain continues in an icy drizzle. Paleo's shelter looks worse off than Cree's, and those in and around it are shivering, chilled to the bone. Dan looks beaten, and Eman is suffering from the climate. Shane and Rick try to start a fire.
Shane confides to Rick how upset he was at the last immunity challenge. He accuses Jon, Michelle, Dan and Kelley of ignoring him after he was invited to help, so he all but left — ignoring them and only working with Tabatha. Shane admits to being rude in turn.
Rick is neutral about it, and hopes that it doesn't happen again. "We are winning because we are a team... we can't start splintering off, or we'll start imploding, from within."
Shane admits that Rick is right. He thinks they almost have the numbers advantage where they can pick Cree off one-by-one after the merge. Rick thinks that Paleo should formally agree to that. They look at the numbers and, despite their streak, don't expect to win every challenge and figure they may end up losing Dan or Eman or both. Neither has done much in challenges or around the camp, though Shane points out that Dan has been rude to him.
"Dan has been rude to everyone," Rick tells him, conveying how Dan was short with Michelle.
Shane would rather keep Eman and vote Dan first, but says he will do whichever the tribe decides.
Cree are weathering the storm fairly well, the fire keeping them semi-warm and the shelter keeping them semi-dry. With everyone staying close to camp, Cree have a chance for more bonding.
As time progresses, Janei likes Miriam more and more. "Though my true alliance is with Karen and Rob, she is a favourite of mine." Janei is also becoming closer to Staton, while she sees Aiden and Mike to be poor tribemates.
Staton lies in the shelter and tries to sleep after staying up all night. He has a headache, maybe from the leaves he'd been eating or from borderline hypothermia. At one point, Staton wakes up and becomes conscious of his beard growth, freaking out a little that he's turning into a bear. (The only razors provided are reserved for the women to shave their legs.) But a shiver convinces Staton that the hair is there for a reason. With nothing to do, Staton chats with Rob while they rest in the shelter.
Cree receive treemail informing them of Nathan's departure from the game. It isn't the way they would have liked for it to happen, but finally Paleo has lost a member, bringing it to 9 people on Paleo and 7 on Cree. Cree hope it is the beginning of the end for Paleo.
"The game is going well even though Cree hasn't been winning the challenges lately," Staton says, "but maybe things will change soon."
The drizzling rain hasn't let up, and in a show of mercy the Survivors are allowed into a large, heated canvas tent for their reward challenge. Everyone is cold from the hike to the challenge, but some on either side are doing much worse than others — some can hardly stand. Cree notice this weakness in their competition and a possible opportunity to finally push for another win.
Survivors have their vocabularies tested in a challenge called "Letter Power." They are given a list of questions, and score points for answering with words which repeat letters — scoring progressively more points for each repeat. For the reward, the winning tribe will be able to hinder the opposing tribe at the next immunity challenge.
Tabatha and Shane are the only ones well enough to do the challenge for Paleo. Because time is the tie-breaker, they work quickly and put their answers in early. For Cree, Miriam, Staton, Rob and Karen put up the best answers they can think of between the four of them.
Zoe accepts the answers and tells them what they're playing for. The reward enables the winning tribe to choose one person from the losing tribe to sit out of the Immunity Challenge... leaving the opposing tribe one player short.
Paleo, who have dominated the game, winning the last four tribal challenges, have a total of 220 points. However, Zoe finds a problem with Cree's answers. "Northwest Territories" is a Canadian territory (not a province) so Cree is not entitled to those 35 points. Deducting those, Cree's total is 292, well above Paleo.
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Although they have finally broken Paleo's winning streak, Rob isn't exactly overjoyed. "We have lost immunity so many times I am not sure who is still around," he says. Clearly he's not at his best. He counts himself and his tribemates, and comes up with only six. "Am I missing someone?" Rob asks.
"Mike is still around also." Staton makes a gesture to indicate that Mike is attending to some bodily functions, "at the moment."
Diana admits to being a little confused about the reward challenge, and why Tab and Shane did the answers all by themselves when she felt ready to help. "Why all the secrecy? Hmmm... I'm sounding paranoid."
Diana's paranoia becomes infectious. When Diana "thanks" Tabatha for working so hard on the challenge, Tabatha picks up a hint of approaching trouble. "Do I see another target on my back?"
Paleo allow themselves an extra serving of rice, needing the food energy to help keep themselves warm. Without a word of thanks, Dan takes his portion and goes off by himself to eat alone.
Later, Shane is speaking with Rick and tells him, "I was approached by Tabby today asking for an alliance cause she doesn't have one ... how would you and Michelle like to make a 4 person alliance?" Rick says he's surprised but that he'll talk to Michelle about it.
In a confessional, Staton says that he's been talking mostly to Aiden and Rob lately. "Not having Vince around isn't much different 'cuz he was really quiet anyway." Staton feels that he hasn't been pulling his share in the challenges but credits himself for stepping up as a leader to win the last reward.
Staton is feeling a bit sick and rests some more. He's getting to find it boring hanging around camp.
The rain has finally let up and it is a beautifully bright and sunny day. Unfortunately, direct sunlight cannot penetrate the canopy to the forest floor where it remains cold and damp.
Diana worries that Cree is going to make her sit out of the immunity challenge; by random draw she was chosen twice already, and it tests her to rein in her competitive side.
Diana and Shane discuss possible votes should they be sent to Tribal Council. They both agree that it should be either Dan or Eman. Diana tries to ease Shane a bit, that he doesn't have to worry and she's true to her alliances. "We are allied, no?" Shane assumed they were, even though it wasn't spoken. Diana corrects that by saying it out loud for him.
Before going to the Immunity Challenge, Cree discuss which member of Paleo is their biggest threat to sit out.
Staton is thinking Tabatha or Kelley. Miriam agrees, as those two women seem very active in the game and with one of them out it could really hurt Paleo. Rob reasons that Tabatha is the bigger threat, though he'd be okay if they decided on Kelley.
Miriam puts in her vote for Tabatha. After all, Tabatha won the tie-breaker at the last immunity challenge. Janei adds her implicit approval, and wishes them, "Good luck, Cree!"
The Host informs Tabatha that she will be sitting out of the challenge, as per Cree's reward. To the others, Zoe describes the Immunity Challenge, which is a Scavenger Hunt with a twist: it's a shopping spree. The Survivors are informed that their task is to buy every personal luxury item of Survivor Canada 3.
As there is no Wilderness Mall for them to shop at, they'll be doing this the old-fashioned way. These lands were once the exclusive trading domain of the Hudson's Bay Company — the host points out a boat sailing toward them on the lake — but buying from a monopoly is not shopping. They may also trade with the North-West Company, whose great canoes come into view; the Algonquin Nation, in more modest vessels; and Whiskey-Traders, who had already set up shop and looked well into the bottle.
To conduct commerce with these merchants, each tribe is given an equal quantity of the traditional trade good: beaver pelts and the furs of hares, foxes and martens. The tribe which spends the least will win immunity, and the tribe which spends the most — or is least complete in their purchases — will be on their way to Tribal Council.
Karen doesn't feel she has her mind in the game for this challenge, so she guards Cree's furs while the others negotiate deals. Nine other survivors run out to the traders, even swimming to the boat which hasn't shored, and try to remember prices on the 20 items — complicated by barter and language issues. Often they have to mime what it is they want.
Paleo buy a couple of the big-ticket items right away, before a bidding war drives up the prices. Shane and Michelle help organize, and with good heads for figures help direct Diana, Jon and Emmanuel to where they can get deals. Janei gets a few low-prices for Cree, proving very efficient at the art of barter.
Shane and Staton each receive free bibles from a missionary travelling with the Nor'Westers. Staton tells his tribemates that he obtained a free lip-gloss from one of the paddlers, but won't say what he did to get it. Miriam secures a two-for-one deal on pillows.
Michelle has been wondering about the Algonquin Indians, who don't have any of the manufactured items they need. Suddenly she realizes the trick! With Jon's help carrying, she trades pelts for Bay Company blankets, trades the blankets to the Algonquin for wild rice and smoked venison, and then trades the rice and venison to the hungry Nor'Westers to get a great deal on a portable organ. Diana hails Michelle as a "shopping queen."
Cree aren't having as much luck. The only musical instrument they can find is owned by one of the Bay men. He is very reluctant to part with his personal property — in addition to the sentimental value, the Company pays him a significantly higher salary for being able to entertain and raise morale. Cree end up paying a stiff price to compensate the man for the loss of wages.
Kelley has managed to negotiate better deals on a few items for Paleo, but others have already purchased those items and they can't get refunds.
As the tribes bring their purchases forward for the Host's ruling, everyone can see that Cree don't have nearly as many furs left as does Paleo. But whether the furs they have are of high or low value cannot be told from a glance.
Zoe, The Host, starts off by expressing her surprise that both tribes finished so quickly. The dollar-totals of their shopping sprees are $128.40 for Paleo and $1415.84 for Cree. But that doesn't matter, because Cree failed to buy the luxury items of Dan and Michelle.
"Paleo, you won by a long shot. Congratulations on being the best shoppers!! Cree, it's off to another Tribal Council for you."
She adds, "Look for an announcement after Tribal Council results are posted."
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"Well poopy horse crap, I can't play in the challenge," Tabatha says in a confessional during the challenge. "I bet it was Staton who decided," she growls. "Pay back is a mother — is all I gotta say."
As she watches the challenge, Tabatha notes that Kelley had some good suggestions on prices if their tribe would have waited for her. "What a heap of Ding Dongs!" she calls her tribe. However, as the winner is announced and Tabatha is reunited with her tribe, she has to admit that they all did a good job.
"Great work tribe! I am so proud of us!" Kelley pipes in. "I love being a part of this team!"
Rick is a bit pissy about missing the challenge, because Paleo submitted more quickly than they needed. It's a knee-jerk reaction for which he later apologizes.
Diana thanks Tabatha and sympathizes with her; they both hate sitting out. Diana notes, "I think we're gonna merge soon, the message at the end of Zoe's results post tells of a surprise."
In a confessional, Diana says that she actually expected to be going to TC, eager to get rid of Dan. "Rick has got one heck of a temper, but I think I can handle him, he's a sweetie underneath all the foot-stomping and occasional hissy fits." Regarding Kelley's solutions in the immunity challenge, Diana says, "She should not have posted more favourable solutions [after the fact]. It seemed a little like saying, 'I told you so'." Diana decides that she's going to have to play a little more carefully from now on.
On the hike back to camp, Rick is shunned by Dan again and tells Diana that he's about to give up trying on Dan. Diana understands, saying, "Zoe should just kick his ass out." Rick laughs; he'd prefer the satisfaction of voting Dan out. Eman made the last challenge, so Rick thinks it's very clear who they need to get rid of. Diana asks if Rick is going to campaign for Dan's elimination, but Rick doesn't want to look paranoid — and Diana doesn't want to look controlling. Diana feels pretty sure that they, Michelle and Shane would definitely vote for Dan; to save himself, Eman would make a fifth vote.
Staton considers where the game is going. "My main alliance is with Aiden and I'm still with him, all the way. I have friendships with everyone. The only [ones] I'm not sure about that might cast a vote for me is Mike or Janei. I really trust Aiden and Rob but I don't know if they are using me." Staton adds, "I haven't talked to Mike in a while, though, so I don't know what's up with him."
Miriam has similar alliances. "I like Staton and Aiden. Actually, I like them all, but trust Staton and Aiden." She pauses. "I just know things will become difficult soon. When there isn't anyone not participating it will get even harder to choose who to vote off."
When Paleo get back to camp, Diana is snubbed by Dan once again and has finally had enough. She demands to speak to a producer. Zoe is summoned and listens patiently as Diana has a little tirade about Dan, concluding, "This is my vote to get rid of his lazy butt."
"Wow, Diana!" Rick exclaims as Zoe steps aside to consult with her staff. "I wasn't being so public about it, but I asked Zoe the same thing — what say the rest of the tribe?"
Now that it's out in the open, Shane supports Diana's motion. "I've complained about him, too."
"Well no need to vote or anything!!!" Tabatha agrees. "I tried several times to get him to 'talk' — no do!!!" Laughing, she adds, "Won't hurt us any!"
Feeling like an outsider, Jon slips aside with Diana to find out what's going on. Diana tells him that their three-way alliance with Dan is history, and Dan has been pissing everyone off, but that the two of them are still okay. Jon asks if Diana has any other alliances, and if he'd be one of the next three gone from the tribe. Diana replies that she doesn't think so; she says she's been friendly with Michelle, Shane and Rick but says nothing of her final two alliance with Rick.
Zoe and her staff speak with Dan and quickly realize that something is wrong. Some support staff are called in; among them Paleo recognize one of the medics who treated Nathan. A few minutes later, Dan is quietly packing up his gear. Dan is no more talkative than before, so Zoe explains:
"Dan has painfully inflamed gums. It could be an advanced periodontitis condition which worked down from the gumlines, a cavity which went down the root into the bone, or the infection might have begun through an injury. A proper diagnosis will require x-rays, so Dan is being evacuated. An infection like this can be fatal, and in a primitive situation probably would have been. Dan is unable to continue in the game, so he is hereby disqualified."
Paleo realize that that was why Dan was quiet and irritable, and probably why he lacked the strength for the challenges. Dan is too sore and upset to make any final words.
Rick sums up his feelings to the remaining Paleos. "I am sorry that this tribe needed to come to this, but we have fought hard for what we have gotten in this game, and it seemed that everyone was saying, but only a few were willing to make any moves towards it," Rick says, referring to the thoughts of throwing immunity. "Either way, it is done. I am glad we can all move on now."
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Welcome to the fourth Tribal Council of Survivor Canada 3. Send in your votes and I'll tally them. Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person will be asked to leave tribal council immediately. Here are the votes:
MIKE
Simply eliminating those who haven't been around much.
(Janei)
MIKE
He hasnt been around for over a month. So Hasta lavista
(Karen)
AIDEN
self-vote
MIKE
Because he hasn't been around hardly at all for me to talk to him or to participate in many challenges
(Rob)
MIKE
He hasn't made ALOT of the challenges and I haven't even talked to him in over a week. Mike, you seem like a nice guy..just not able to be as active as we need. Good luck to you.
(Miriam)
MIKE
Ok sorry mike but this vote is for you b/c i havent seen you in like forever. So thats all i have to say. hope everything is going ok but my vote is for u best of luck.
(Staton)
MIKE
self-vote
The tribe has spoken. Mike, you are eliminated from Survivor Canada 3. You missed 3 out of 4 challenges, Mike, and I just wanted to tell you that you would have been taken out of the game had your tribe not voted you out. I wish you the best in life.
CREE TRIBE
| Name | Received Votes from |
| MIKE | Janei, Karen, Miriam, Rob, Staton, self |
| AIDEN | self |
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