The tides are finally starting to turn in the fifth episode of Survivor: Blood vs. Water “The Dead Can Still Talk.” We left off on the last episode with Brad Culpepper’s surprising eviction. Caleb turned the tribe against Culpepper when he told the tribe members he would be writing Culpepper’s name down, and the two girls decided to join him after realizing their days on the island were probably numbered.
Culpepper now has to join the married couple, Candice and John, on Redemption Island.
Neither Candice nor John are fans of Culpepper, so he tells them he is “waving a white flag” as soon as he arrives on Redemption Island. He explains that he is sorry if he offended them in any way, and he does not want the couple to have a negative impression of him. Candice does not seem to be buying it, and she reiterates how badly she wants to beat Culpepper in the Redemption Island arena and send him home.
When it comes time for the Redemption Island challenge, the members of Galang are quick to console Monica once they realize it is her husband that was voted out at the last tribal council. Monica begins to cry, and tells Candice how much she hurt her feelings when she bashed Brad at the last tribal council. Candice replies that she was simply going off what other evicted survivors had told her, and it’s their word against his.
It is eventually time for the challenge to begin. Candice is off to a quick start. Will she dominate yet anther Redemption Island challenge? However, Culpepper and John are steadily starting to gain on her. John pulls ahead and finishes his in lightning speed. John is the winner of this challenge. Culpepper takes a little longer, and Candice begins to catch up again. It’s neck and neck between Candice and Culpepper, and members of Galang clearly appear to be rooting for Culpepper. And their wishes soon come true: in a close call, Culpepper is the first to assemble his puzzle and will be staying on Redemption Island. Candice’s time on Survivor has now come to a close.
John becomes emotional before saying goodbye to her, and they both admit it’s hard playing with your loved one this season. He feels guilty for not taking her place in the beginning. Candice remains strong and tells John “no more tears,” hugs her husband, puts her buff in the fire, and walks out.
Additionally, John gets the opportunity to give the immunity idol clue to anyone on either tribe. He again chooses to give it to Monica. Monica, realizing that the clue makes her more of a threat than anything else, decides to throw it in the fire for a second time.
Back on the Tadhana tribe, Vyas and Hayden tell us that they are afraid Caleb might now band with the girls after voting out Culpepper. Vyas tells us he can normally read people pretty well, but he cannot get a good read on Caleb. Caleb seems to be sitting pretty at this point, and tells us he feels pretty powerful after his big move at the last tribal council.
Meanwhile, at the Galang camp, Laura M. and Aras are beginning to flirt with one another. Laura wants to do everything she can to get people on her tribe to like her. Aras tells us that Laura is not ‘playing’ him. He thinks it would actually be humorous if she thought he was falling for it. Laura is still, overall, on the outs on her tribe. Monica, Tina, Gervais, Tyson, and Aras are a solid five-person alliance and Kat, Laura M., and Laura G. are in the minority.
Eventually it is time for the immunity challenge to begin. Galang has now won four straight immunity challenges in a row. Tadhana hopes that their team dynamic will be different now that Brad is gone. And now it’s time to see if they are correct.
The challenge consists of huge, tall slides that the survivors will have to slide down. Once at the bottom of the slide, they will have to retrieve a ring. They will have to throw that ring on a peg. The team that successfully lands their ring on a peg five times will win immunity.
Survivors face off one by one. Tadhana is doing shockingly well in the challenge. They quickly pull ahead, and it is the biggest lead they have had thus far in the game. It comes down to Hayden versus Tyson—a great matchup. Both take a few tries to sink their rings on the peg, but Hayden is the first to do it. Tadhana is the first tribe to land 5 rings, and they win their first immunity challenge of the season! Galang will have to take their first trip to tribal council and vote someone off of their tribe.
Tadhana can choose between fishing hooks and steak, vegetables, and other food for their reward. They choose to go with immediate gratification rather than long-term satisfaction, and take the steak. The Tadhana tribe members look elated as they leave the challenge.
Back at the Galang camp, tribe members think Laura G. is an easy target because she is generally on the outs of the tribe and makes people feel ‘uncomfortable.’ However, Tyson also points out that Laura M. may be able to beat Brad and John on Redemption Island, as she is extremely good at puzzles and challenges. Ultimately, heading into tribal council, it’s a toss up between the two Lauras.
When Jeff speaks to the survivors, it seems like a no-brainer that Laura G. will go home. As Laura M. puts it, “she is the only one who hasn’t felt the sting of getting their torch put out.” Laura M. clearly feels comfortable and does not realize she is potentially on the chopping block, too.
However, everything is unpredictable in Survivor, and when Jeff reads the votes, it is clear that Laura M. will be the one leaving tonight. Her face is that of pure shock—it’s clear she does not expect the votes, and tonight’s eviction is indeed a blindside.
Tonight’s episode proves that, once again, anything can happen in the game of Survivor. Nothing is a sure thing—anyone can win, and anyone can be voted out. And in the next episode, it looks like Jeff is ‘mixing things up’ already with the tribes. Is it time for an early merge? Who will be the next survivor voted out? We will find out next Wednesday at 8/7 on the sixth episode of Survivor: Blood vs Water!