Now’s the time to start scheming…
After last week’s close call at tribal council, Tai was visibly shaking with relief that he had escaped elimination. Tai told Jason that he had been so persuasive in telling everyone why Tai should get voted out that Tai really thought he would have to use the hidden immunity idol to save himself. Trying to build on that momentum, Jason suggested to Cydney and Michele that it was smarter to take him to the end instead of sticking with Tai and the others.
Proving his point, Tai, Aubry, and Joe formed their own alliance to go to the end. Tai also chose that time to share the truth about his advantage with them. With a hidden immunity idol and an advantage, Aubry became fearful of all the power Tai now possesses.
It seemed like she was right to worry, because Tai decided that Michele, a loyal alliance member and well-rounded player, was a bigger threat than Jason and should be voted out instead. Jason, though, wasn’t helping his cause. Frustrated because no one wanted to play the game, he resigned himself to being lazy around camp and not pulling his weight.
A really cool reward challenge…
The contestants were split up into two teams of three. They had to race through a series of obstacles to a floating maze in the water and then maneuver three balls into the holes in the center. At stake was a trip to the Wildlife Alliance, a safe haven where animals are rescued from poachers and traders. The winning team would also enjoy a picnic.
Joe, Aubry and Cydney took on Tai, Michele and Jason. The latter group worked really well together and practically ran away with the competition. Even though Tai was ecstatically kissing Jason’s shoulder during a group hug with Michele when they won, he admitted he was worried that the alliance would fall apart while he was off enjoying the reward. In a way, it did start fracturing. That’s because Cydney did not take too kindly to the fact that Joe was bossing her and Aubry around back at camp. That was the whole reason she had flipped on Jason and Scot when they were together on Brawn – she didn’t appreciate someone telling her what to do.
Back at the Wildlife Alliance, the winners feasted and then got to play around with Lucky the elephant and a cage filled with monkeys. Everyone had a really great time, especially Jason. He shared that his daughter really loves animals, so he was making the most of the opportunity for her. Both Tai and Michele were touched by his behavior, but Michele couldn’t forget about the machete/knife incident whereas Tai began warming up to Jason once again.
A nail-biting immunity challenge…
To win immunity this week, the contestants needed to pull on a rope that balanced a wobbly table while they stacked blocks to spell the word “Immunity” on the table. There were so many lead changes in this challenge, and it was truly anyone’s game right up until the last second. Joe led in the beginning, while Cydney was in dead last. However, when Joe was almost done, his blocks fell, triggering a domino reaction for everyone else who was on his heels, leaving Cydney in first place. Her glacial pace caused everyone to quickly surpass her once again (except for Joe who kept misspelling the word!) only for everything to come tumbling down each time they were nearly done. A last-minute drop by Jason led to Cydney’s first immunity win.
Wait, isn’t this a democracy?
Maybe in Tai’s eyes, but not to anyone else. Back at camp, Tai told the others that they should vote out Michele. Joe said that they had to get Jason out of the game now, but that it was ultimately up to the group. Aubry agreed with Tai that Michele was a huge threat, but she didn’t like the way he had broached the conversation. Cydney did not say anything and when Michele joined them, the subject changed to voting out Jason instead.
Confident the others would follow his plan, Tai told Jason to vote out Michele. Although he was excited to hear that he wasn’t on the chopping block, Jason still couldn’t trust Tai completely. Meanwhile, Cydney took Michele aside to tell her that Tai was gunning for her and that she would do what she could to ensure Michele stayed.
Everyone ripped into Tai at tribal council, particularly Cydney and Michele. Their aggressive arguments intimidated Tai because he just continued digging a larger and larger hole for himself, first spilling the beans that there was a smaller group within the larger alliance and then implying that Michele wasn’t really needed in the alliance. Michele pointed out her track record as a trustworthy person compared to Tai who had switched sides so many times in the game.
After the votes were cast, Tai stopped Probst and told him that he would be using his advantage. As per the confessional, he voted for Michele for the second time that night. Unfortunately, the rest of his alliance did not, sending Jason home instead like they originally intended.
So with that wasted advantage and the rest of his alliance against him, Tai definitely has a lot of work ahead of him next week!
What do you think?