It is clear in this episode of Survivor: Blood vs. Water that contestants’ true colors are starting to emerge. As Tyson said, survivors can only pretend to be a certain way for so long; after a while, the elements begin to wear you down, and your real character begins to show.
Colton is a prime example of this—known for his aggressive behavior in past seasons, he has tried to get along with other contestants and be a different player this season. However, after a few days, Colton’s already done being nice. He thinks his tribe is too “kumbaya” and they need to start playing the game. He even mentions that he would be willing to throw the next challenge, much to everyone’s chagrin.

Before we go into Colton’s demeanor, let’s talk about the game logistics. Tadhana, the tribe full of new players and loves ones of the returning players, lost the first immunity challenge. It is clear that the five guys on the tribe are bonding and making a solid alliance. One by one, they are planning to pick off the Tadhana girls.

Back on Redemption Island, Rupert and Candice greet the survivor voted out at the last tribal council: Marissa, Gervais’s niece. She emphatically complains about being the first one evicted, and Rupert and Candice remind her that no, she is actually the third player to be voted out of the game. When Marissa asks Rupert and Candice how they feel, they all agree that they are “pissed” and want vindication.

Before long, it’s time for the first three players voted out to battle it out and determine who will stay on Redemption Island and who will leave the game for good. They must stack seven coals in a pile—this challenge will test their physical strengths as well as their balance and concentration. Candice and Rupert pull ahead quickly, and both are near the end. However, Rupert’s moving too quickly and haplessly, and his pile ends up falling. Rupert must now start over.
Before long, Candice successfully stacks the coals, and is the winner of the challenge. Marissa only has a few left, and Rupert has fallen behind drastically. Marissa ends up coming in second and will stay on Redemption Island with Candice. Rupert, the fourth-time Survivor player and fan favorite, will now have to leave the island for good.
In a heartfelt goodbye with his wife, Rupert tells us that he loves the game and loves playing Survivor, but he loves his wife more.
Also, Candice gets a prize for coming in first place: she can now give a clue to the hidden immunity idol to anyone she chooses from either tribe. Unsurprisingly, she chooses to give the clue to her husband on the Tadhana tribe, John. This is both a blessing and a curse—it will be great for John’s game if he finds the hidden immunity idol, but it will also place a big target on his back if he does so.

Back at the Tadhana camp, the survivors agree they wish that Rupert had won instead of Marissa—it is obvious that Marissa is extremely resentful of the Tadhana tribe members that voted her out. The guys also begin to wonder how they can weaken the other tribe. They come to the conclusion that it may be beneficial to vote out Rachel, Tyson’s wife, in hopes that Tyson will take her place on Redemption Island. Tyson is a strong player, and if he took his wife’s spot, Galang would certainly lose a valuable player.

Back at Galang, Colton is already unraveling. He is trying to turn the tribe members against each other, and they are all beginning to pick up on his manipulative ways. He even calls out Kat unnecessarily in front of Tina, which raises a lot of eyebrows and causes other survivors to point out his constant scheming.

Eventually it is time for the immunity challenge. The contestants must roll one of their players in a barrel, untie different bags full of balls, and eventually roll the bolls into different holes. Both Laura from Galang and Katie from Tadhana do a nice job of collecting the bags, and it’s a close race the whole way through. When they get to the ball-rolling stage, it comes down to Hayden, the newbie, versus Gervais, the Survivor rookie. Hayden has an initial lead, but Gervais develops a strategy and begins to gain on him. Gervais eventually sinks all of his balls into the holes, and Galang wins their second consecutive immunity challenge this season.

So who will Tadhana decide to vote out? John is looking for the hidden immunity idol, and he has not shared the clue with any of his tribemates—not even the guys in his alliance. This immediately puts a target on his back. However, Rachel is still a concrete possibility—they agree they would like to see Tyson, a huge threat and asset to Galang, take her place on Redemption Island.
The votes are quickly revealed—John has received two votes and looks nervous and surprised. Next, Cierra receives one vote. However, the next three votes are for Rachel, and it becomes clear that Rachel will be the second survivor voted out of the Tadhana tribe. She will now join Marissa and Candice on Redemption Island.
When Rachel joins the girls on Redemption Island, she tells them that she thinks the boys vs. girls dynamic on Tadhana will begin to change now that John has become such a target. Is she right? Will things begin to change on the newbie tribe? And will they finally be able to pull out a victory? Only time will tell. Let’s see how it all pans out on the second episode of Survivor: Blood vs. Water next Thursday at 8/7c!