Editorial note: This isn’t the timeliest blog post in the world — the episode was one month ago today. But if that bothered you too much, you wouldn’t still be reading, so let’s continue!
Very early in this episode, a rat jumps onto Karishma’s face and she is in tears. I’ve been a bit critical of Karishma, but in this case … who wouldn‘t have that same reaction?
The next day Karishma finds an immunity idol.
The immunity challenge has a concept we’ve seen before — players have to keep a ball spinning around the inside of a wooden hoop while balancing on a beam. Jeff Probst announces the players will be split into two teams for this. The winner for each team will have immunity, and each team will go to Tribal Council to have to vote someone out. Also, after the challenge has begun, Probst announces that whichever of the two winners lasts the longest will also win some food for their tribe.
Noura is the winner among her mini-group, however as soon as she becomes the last one standing she stops playing, completely forgetting about the added food reward aspect. So by default the other winner will get the food, and that person is Elaine.
Noura’s group has to spend the time between the challenge and Tribal Council at one of the abandoned camps, separated from the other group. Before this, players were talking about Janet as a target, but now Aaron’s name comes up, and everyone seems in favor of this except Dean, who is worried about being seen as the top athlete if Aaron is gone.
On the other tribe Karishma is the obvious choice … or is she? Missy is thinking more along the lines of getting Tommy out, that wasy Lauren’s tightest bond will be with Missy going forward (we’ve heard this plan before from Missy this season). Missy wants to get Karishma’s vote as part of her plan, but Karishma won’t listen to the younger woman’s pitch for more than a few seconds. Karishma tells Elaine that Missy wants Tommy out, whereupon Elaine says she’s voting for Missy.
Elaine goes to talk to Tommy who is suspicious of her, but Elaine says “Listen Big Red, I am not voting you.” It quickly becomes apparent that Karishma’s vote could well be the deciding one, and Karishma tells us that too … but a few sentences later she says she might play her idol. Say what?
Time for the first tribal council (yes, all of this is in a one-hour show). To cut to the chase on that, Aaron is the unanimous vote, and after his torch is snuffed Probst tells him to just take a seat with the jury.
The second group troops in, and Missy and Elizabeth are dismayed to see Aaron sitting on the jury. We hear a lot about Missy and Karishma butting heads … are they really still disagreeing, or is this all for show to lull Tommy into a false sense of security?
The first four votes are to for Missy, two for Tommy, and the deciding fifth vote is for Missy. Elizabeth is shocked. A bunch of different people hug Missy before she leaves. Karishma has some conciliatory words, and Missy tells her she would have kept Karishma to the end, whereupon a smirking Rob whispers to Sandra that everyone planned to keep Karishma till the end. Also, as Missy hugs Elizabeth she whispers “You realize now you gotta kill Elaine, you understand me?” And if you look at my rankings below you’ll see I agree with that.
Contender rankings: 1. Elaine, 2. Tommy, 3. Elizabeth, 4. Janet
No chance: Karishma, Noura, Dan, Lauren, Dean
Idol tally: Karishma has an idol.
Jury and who I think they’ll vote for: Jack (Janet), Kellee (Janet), Jamal (Janet), Missy (Elizabeth), Aaron (Elizabeth)
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