The previously segment focuses on Tony and Spencer. Tony is lucky. He has dominated the game and has not one, but two Idols. Including the Special Snowflake Idol. Spencer, on the other hand, wasted his only idol and paid $500 for a rock. All his allies have either flipped on him or been eliminated.
Needless to say, Spencer is hurt and confused by the tribal vote. He asks Woo and Kass to explain their flip. Why did they even bother lying to him? It’s not like he could have changed anything if they had told him the truth. Kass reminds Spencer that it’s a game. Tony laughs that they were toying with him. It’s Tony that has their loyalty.
Spencer interviews that the game is now down to him, Tony, and three people who aren’t even playing any more.
In the morning, Tony and Woo hold a strategy session in their boat. Didn’t I see this scene in The Godfather II? Tony promises to try and win immunity so that Spencer doesn’t get it. Woo just wants to sit next to Tony at the end of the game. We cut to Tony talking about how nice Woo is, and how sad he is that he’ll have to stab him in the back. I did see this scene. Woo is the Fredo of Survivor!
Jeff tells the players that the reward challenge is to jump into a mud pit, gather as much mud as possible (without holding it in your hands), and then scrape it off into a buck which is sitting maybe twenty feet away. They’ll have ten minutes to put as much mud in the bucket as possible. The winner gets pizza delivered to the camp.
But Jeff is lying. The challenge has nothing to do with mud. The challenge is whether or not you can resist the pizza and throw the game. Because you do not want to win this challenge. It’s a trap. The winner always gets to choose one (or sometimes two) to share the reward. And that betrays to your alliance just where they stand with you.
The only person who can safely win the challenge is Tony. Oddly enough, he does. By so large a margin that Jeff doesn’t even bother weighing the buckets. When Jeff pulls out the “guest” twist, Tony immediately picks Trish. And maybe he gets away with it, because he chooses her for being the skinniest (therefore, most starving) person.
And nobody seems to hold it against him. They all laugh, because they look like aborigines. Woo calls himself “Encino Man.” Kass is happy that Tony picked Trish because it allows her to snark about how they are acting like baboons. Alpha Male and Alpha Female baboons. Spencer calls the pizza delivery to Tony a metaphor for the game, because everyone is busy handing the million dollars to Tony on a silver platter.
As for Trish, she’s just worried Tony will throw up because he’s inhaling the pizza. In between gulps, Tony lies to her that his Special Snowflake idol has the power to be played at top four. That’s not a bad story, Tony. I approve of the sneakiness.
After the meal, Tony draws Kass aside and forgives her for trying to blindside him (which Woo told him about). He wants her and Trish in the final with him, and proposes that, if Spencer wins immunity, they all vote Woo out.
Kass interviews that Woo was stupid to tell Tony about the blindside. And now Tony was stupid to tell her. She immediately goes to Woo and tells him what Tony said. In front of Tony.
Tony goes ballistic, which is exactly what Kass wanted. Tony rails at her for “revealing secrets.” Now, Tony wants to get Kass out instead of Woo. Because she’s “an insult to the game.”
As soon as Tony and Trish go off for water, Kass (with Spencer’s help) starts working on Woo. “He promised on his wife and grave,” Kass tells Woo. Woo looks stricken. Kass’s story isn’t merely true — it’s plausible. Extremely plausible.
Kass and Spencer tell Woo that they have to vote Trish out, or else Tony and Trish will control the final elimination vote. Unfortunately, Trish overhears this conversation. She’s seething that Kass would turn on her after Trish being nice to her for so long.
Spencer interviews that he sees cracks but still needs to win immunity. Which won’t be easy. It’s a four stage challenge. The first bit is to unbraid three ropes to release a key. The key unlocks a chest with puzzle ladder rungs. The rungs have to be fit into two beams making a ladder leading to platform. On the platform are puzzle planks. The planks are fitted into beams, creating a staircase. The staircase leads to the final level, which holds a slide puzzle that must be solved to win immunity.
Tony is the first to solved the rope braid, followed quickly by Trish and Kass. Spencer is fourth, and Woo brings up the rear. Tony gains time by solving the ladder rung puzzle first. Spencer is second, and Woo is third. Kass is a distant third.
Tony is working on his slide puzzle before Spencer even starts on the staircase, and he’s moving the pieces around quickly. It’s hard with a slide puzzle to know how close anyone is to solving it, because it can be hard to get that last piece in place. As Spencer finishes the staircase, Tony is moving the pieces like mad. Spencer takes the time to study the puzzle — and then hey presto! he’s done! Spencer wins immunity!
Now that he’s safe, Spencer can sit back and enjoy watching Tony’s Crew turn on each other. Trish wastes no time in going after Kass. In spectacular fashion. Her head splits open and a demon climbs out, spitting and hissing like a wet cat. Trish takes a moment to warn Spencer about what a lying, deceitful turncoat Kass is. You know what, Trish? I think Spencer knows that.
Even Tony is telling Trish to calm down. Which is like the deranged kettle telling the psychotic pot to take a breath. Finally, he and Woo take her for a walk. Maybe to calm her down — or maybe to hatch a plot against Kass? Spencer warns Kass that that’s what they’re up to. Kass nods and decides to take her own walk.
As Spencer predicted, Tony and Trish are persuading Woo to vote out Kass. Woo, still hurt about Kass’s story, wants to know the truth from Tony. Tony admits he promised final three to Kass, but that was before she turned on him. Woo complains that Tony never promised Woo the final three, so Tony promises on his “wife and grave” to take Woo all the way. Woo agrees, but his body language is saying, “I don’t know.”
Sure enough, Woo runs to Kass as soon as he gets back to camp and says he wants to vote out Trish. Unfortunately, Tony is spying on them (although not through the shack, I think). And, as soon as they’re done talking, Tony swoops in, trying to woo Woo back into his fold.
Woo interviews that he’s confused about the vote, and that he’s running out of time to make a decision. And now it’s time for the Tribal Council!
The jury enters, with Tasha coming in last. She’s looking fine and also disgruntled. However, she cracks up when Kass starts things off by calling Trish a “skeleton wild, blue-eyed banshee.” Trish counters that Kass loves to stir things up, but then turns around and pretends to be a victim. Spencer confirms that camp has been crazy the last few days. Since he has immunity, the alliance has to turn on itself.
Woo admits to Jeff that there is much animosity in camp. It’s the three Brawn vs. two Brains. Jeff jumps on that, asking if Kass is now back with Spencer? Kass doesn’t confirm that, she just calls Trish a psycho bitch.
Then Tony jumps in, whining that Kass revealed the secret plans he made with her. Kass informs him that it had the effect she intended, it made Tony reveal that he’s an ass. Tony goest ballistic, to the delight of the jury, railing at Kass and actually braying like a donkey.
Jeff observes that Spencer isn’t looking very happy as the majority alliance cracks wide open. Spencer sighs that it’s like living in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. “It’s time for meds!” Trish screams.
Woo puts it this way: Tony is like the dad in a dysfunctional family. Trish is the mom. Kass is the sister, Spencer is the brother, and Woo is the poor foreign exchange student who wants to hide in his room.
Jeff notes that everyone is laughing, but somebody will be going home tonight. Tony agrees, and says that the vote will be based on game strategy. With that, he pulls out one of his idol and places it around his neck. Spencer notes wryly that this the part where he usually advises everyone to vote Tony out. However, the idol complicates things.
The vote is taken. Tony plays his immunity idol, which was unnecessary, but smart. There’s one vote for Kass and Trish. But the final two are for Trish. Which doesn’t seem either good or bad for anyone at this point. It just is.
Next week is a two hour finale (plus reunion). The preview shows nothing, except a quick shot of Spencer falling into the water. Trish interviews that she was maybe too nice to play this game. She didn’t like stabbing people in the back. She’s grateful for her real life and ready to get back to it.
What are your predictions for the winner? Can Spencer win a third immunity in a row? Will Tony convince people that he’s immune at the next vote? Or pull some other crazy stunt? Tell me your thoughts!
See you next week, folks!
