A new episode of Survivor: Koah Rong airs tonight on CBS. Read a live recap and join the discussion here.
The episode begins with the tribe returning to camp. Joe explains to Tai that he had to side with the alliance since no one wanted Jason to still be in the game. Tai is in shock that his plan fell through. He feels like he wasted his advantage. Michele and Tai try to clear the air in front of everyone, and Tai tells her he is confused where she stands. Michele tells Tai that he is the one who has flipped on people three times. After a back and forth between Tai and Michele, Tai tries to explain how he never saw her as one of his allies, but Michele is not interested in discussing the matter anymore. However, Tai is especially hurt by Aubry; he feels she pulled a fast one on him since she agreed that Michele was a bigger threat. Tai and Aubry talk alone, and Aubry said that everyone else was against Jason. Tai still wishes Aubry would have at least given him a heads up that she was not going along with his plan. Tai asks Aubry is if she is with him or against him. Tai says he feels alone and doesn’t know who to trust.
It’s time for the reward challenge. They will collect sandbags and toss them onto targets. The first person to get five sandbags onto the targets will win an overnight spa reward. However, they only have a limited number of sandbags. The challenge begins with the castaways racing through the jungle to collect the bags of sandbags. They must collect three bags one at a time. Cydney is currently in the lead, followed by Michele, Aubry, and Tai. Joe is in last place. Cydney is the first to score her first sandbag, and she’s followed by Aubry and Michele. Tai missed all of his shots with his sandbags, so he must go back and collect another bag. Joe also misses all of his targets from his first bag. The girls return with another bag each, and it’s close between Cydney and Aubry as they toss their sandbags. Aubry manages to take the lead as she has three sandbags onto the targets while Cyndey has two. Aubry then gets a sandbag on her fourth target. However, she misses with her last sandbag. She is out of sandbags, so now she has to wait and hope no one gets five targets with the sandbags they have. It seems to be going her way as Cydney, Tai, and Michele run out of sandbags too. However, Joe manages to land three sandbags onto targets. He also has one bag left, so he could still win since everyone is out of bags. Everyone waits as Joe collects his last bag and launches his sandbags. He only has one sandbag left and only one target left too. If he misses, everyone else will have a chance again. However, Joe lands his last sandbag. Joe wins reward! He is allowed to pick one person to come along, and he chooses his former Brain tribe member Aubry. Jeff says he is allowed to take one more person. Joe is torn, but Aubry whispers to Joe who he should pick. Joe lets Aubry make the decision, and she chooses Cydney. Only Tai and Michele will be left out of the reward.
While Joe, Aubry, and Cydney enjoy the food on their reward, they talk strategy too. Joe mentions that he and Cydney will be happy to go to the Final 3 with Aubry, even though he thinks she has played a better game. However, Aubry realizes that Cydney is a threat too even if Joe doesn’t realize it. Since Tai has a hidden immunity idol he can play at the upcoming vote, Aubry now seems to want to target Cydney.
Meanwhile, Tai and Michele talk together. They will be alone at camp while the other three are at the reward. Tai tries to clear the air with Michele, and says that he felt a stronger connection with other people than with Michele. Michele understands that, but she tells him that she was always open to working with him in the game. Afterwards, Tai gives Michele a massage, and Michele is amused at how they are bonding after being against each other earlier. However, they both realize they are on the outs and are open to working together in the game. Tai brings up the idea of using the hidden immunity idol to their advantage. Tai feels betrayed by Aubry, and he doesn’t think anyone would predict he and Michele would work together moving forward.
The next morning we hear a confessional from Tai. He says Survivor is the hardest thing he has ever done. The camp life wasn’t hard, though. He enjoyed the physical aspect of the game, but the emotional aspect is what has really taken a toll on him. The struggle of figuring out who to trust and not to trust is what has got to him the most. Afterwards, we see Joe, Aubry, and Cydney return to camp. Aubry says in her confessional that she wants to go to the final 3 with Tai and Joe, so she wants to make amends with Tai. Tai and Aubry then talk privately to clear the air between them. Aubry assures Tai she is with him, and Tai breaks down in tears. He says the game is so crazy, and he feels good about sticking with Aubry from here on out.
After Aubry and Tai finish talking, Cydney notices how chummy they seem to be carrying water back to camp. She thought Aubry wanted Tai gone, so she is very suspicious. Cydney and Michele then talk privately and agree to stay loyal to one another. They want to pick and choose which one leaves between Joe or Aubry.
Meanwhile Joe is feeling a lot of discomfort in his stomach. He tells the tribe he has bladder problems. Aubry is worried since Joe staying is essential for her game. The whole tribe believes Joe is in worse pain than he is admitting to, and there is speculation that Joe could be pulled from the game. Medics eventually do come to camp to check on Joe. He tells them his issues about how he is constipated and has stopped urinating. The medics tell him this could be a problem caused by the food he ate at reward yesterday. They tell him his situation could harm his kidneys, and if so he may be pulled from the game. The medics give him some medicine, and Joe feels a bit better after they leave. However, he doesn’t think the medicine is working since he has stopped urinating again. The tribe is tearful for Joe since they feel bad for his condition after he has been so strong all season long. Joe asks to see the doctor again, and they arrive at camp later that night. The medic informs them that there is risk for long term kidney problems. Therefore, Joe is pulled from the game. Jeff tells Joe that he is an inspiration and it has been a pleasure to watch him play the game. Joe thanks him for the opportunity before he says goodbye to his tribe members.
And that wraps up tonight’s episode of Survivor: Kaoh Rong. Thanks for reading, post your thoughts in the comments section below, and come back next week for another live recap.
