Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode 3 - Recap and Results - Opening Pandora's Box
Welcome to the recap and results for Episode 3 of Survivor: Blood vs. Water, "Opening Pandora's Box"!
Refresh throughout the night, as I'll be updating with results as well as my analysis as the night goes on!
After Tribal
-Instead of seeing the fallout at Tadhana, we start with the Galang tribe this week, as everyone discusses Tyson's cuppcake belt -- which annoys Colton, who wants to talk strategy. He's frustrated about how little people seem to want to talk strategy, completely unaware that it isn't that they don't want to talk strategy at all, they just don't want to talk strategy with him. He tries to secure promises from Aras, but the former winner has no interest in working with the ex-One World villain, instead encouraging him to simply enjoy his island surroundings (translation: "Have fun in paradise. You're not long for this game").
Redemption Island Duel
-Tyson is devastated to discover that Rachel has been voted out of Tadhana, and he wisely intuits that it was a strategic move to weaken Galang, as Tadhana knew he would seriously consider taking his girlfriend's place at Redemption Island, thereby weakening the undefeated tribe of returnees. Tyson leaves the decision up to Rachel, and in one of the more heartening moments of this game so far, Rachel insists that Tyson stay with his tribe, since he actually has a better chance in the competition overall than she does. With his girlfriend's decision set in stone, Tyson warns Tadhana that if they ever see him in a duel at Redemption Island, none of them will have a chance in Hell. This sets off Brad Culpepper, who gets loud and defensive (his only two modes, apparently) and shouts that Galang hasn't had to make the tough decisions.
Of course, this then sets Marissa off, as she says that Tadhana is voting out strong tribemates for no discernible reason, with Rachel adding that everyone is under Brad's spell (although I see it less as everyone being under some kind of spell, and more like the tribe recognizing that it's best to just let Brad keep burying himself -- a hate magnet like him is eminently valuable in a game like this, so long as he's well-handled and not allowed to run unchecked. When you let one big personality dominate the narrative of the game, you end up with a Heroes vs. Villains situation, where a genuinely great player like Parvati is penalized for having aligned with Russell in the first place, despite the soundness of her strategy in doing so.
Naturally, all the shouting prompts Gervase to tell his niece to calm down (which is pretty rich), and the stress gets to be too much as Colton somewhat randomly declares, in the middle of all this angst, that he wants to quit the game.
-After the opening titles, we get one of the more cringeworthy moments in Survivor history, as Probst puts Colton on blast for wanting to quit simply for things not going his way. He reveals to everyone that Colton never really had appendicitis in One World, he simply feigned a serious medical condition to get out of a game he no longer felt he could win. "We brought a quitter back, and you're quitting again," Probst says, as if to beat himself up for even considering bringing Colton back for a second playthrough. Tyson and Tina call Colton to the carpet for wanting to quit simply because things aren't going his way, with Probst adding that Colton is basically full of it for claiming to want to change, yet making a selfish decision that will hurt his entire tribe in a game where numbers are everything (oh, I don't know about that. Colton would have flipped faster than a dolphin the minute they got to the merge).
-Colton says he doesn't care anymore, and sits on Caleb's lap. Caleb doesn't get why Colton would want to quit, since he loves the game. But hey, you can love football all you want and still suck out loud when you find yourself out there on the field. There's more to actually playing Survivor than just being a fan. And this is a point Probst echoes, as he says that some people just aren't meant to get up off their couch (you can really feel how burned Probst is about this. It wouldn't surprise me if he was dead-set against casting Colton, but was overruled by higher ups). He tells Colton to take his stuff and get out of there, denying him "the honor" of tossing his buff into the flames.
COLTON quits Survivor: Blood vs. Water!
-And so we move on and get to the Redemption Island Duel. Long story short, it's a Domino Rally, in which each castaway must setup a row of dominoes in such a way that it will release a ball at the end and break a plate.
-It's a fairly straightforward challenge that Candice wins rather handily (and gives the second hidden immunity idol clue to John), while Marissa and Rachel duke it out for second place. It comes down to a photo finish, as Marissa just barely ekes out the win after Rachel's dominoes fail to fall at the last minute.
RACHEL is eliminated from Survivor: Blood vs. Water!
-Tyson says goodbye to Rachel, who seems sweetly resigned to her ouster.
Tribe Life
-Tyson breaks down when reflecting on Rachel, as he now feels he has to go all the way to the end, otherwise he'll regret not taking her place on Redemption Island. He tearfully states that their last words before parting was when he asked if she had a good time, to which she responded "yes." Tyson states that people take this game too seriously at times, and that they let it ruin their lives, but he resolves not to allow that to happen.
-Of course, for every person with a Devil May Care attitude about the game are two who see the game as everything. Case in point: John and Brad. John is concerned that he's coming across as shady, having received both hidden immunity idol clues and having not shared either with anyone. And so he ropes in Brad, who has become the de facto leader of the tribe for reasons I can't really fathom at this point, since it seems fairly clear that the man only thinks he knows what he's doing, but doesn't have much of a mind for strategy, since he's done little else but make enemies since getting there.
The irony of John choosing to come to Brad is that the NFL player still doesn't trust him, even after revealing the clue. Brad calls this hidden idol partnership "a litmus test" for whether he can really trust John or not, and all because John suggested that maybe they shouldn't go looking for the clue together, lest it become obvious what it is they're doing. Brad is already the most exhausting personality in this game.
-Tree mail time! We learn that the contest is the classic "Knock your opponent off a pedestal" challenge, and this prompts Aras to hope that he gets to face Vytas, since he was such a bully in their youth. "My brother never looked out for me," Aras said, adding that he always took shots the minute their mother wasn't looking. Vytas, meanwhile, hopes he gets to face off against Aras simply so he can win something for once.
Immunity/Reward Challenge
-The challenge is for immunity and a reward of either fishing gear or comfort items in the form of tarps, mosquito nets, rope, and other essentials. And so we get several pairings that are fairly one-sided, such as Aras getting handily bested by John, and Tyson getting mauled by Hayden, a match-up that results in Tyson popping out his shoulder and nearly getting pulled from the game. But some of the matchups are incredibly close, with Tina taking on her own daughter in a neck-and-neck contest, with Tina pugnaciously hanging on and knocking Katie out.
And then the matchup we've all been waiting for, as Aras squares off with Vytas. And man, these guys absolutely beat the s*** out of each other, working out decades of aggression with one another. Yet in one intense moment, Vytas feigns injury to lull Aras into a false sense of security, a ploy that nearly works, until Aras is able to turn the tables against his brother and send him into the water. Aras breaks down following his victory, saying that he loves his brother but that, essentially, this was a long time coming. Vytas, meanwhile, states that Aras was the college athlete and he was just the junkie, explaining the vast difference between the two brothers. It's the one family conflict on this Blood vs. Water season that has real teeth to it, as the brothers clearly love one another, but are cast at odds by their own competitiveness.
In the final challenge, Laura fights back tears at the prospect of having to sink her own daughter, Cierra. But Cierra basically gives her mother permission to do her best...and that's exactly what Laura does, putting her daughter in the water (and asking, afterwards, for her to promise that she isn't mad). John is frustrated that they've once again lost to a team of grandmas.
GALANG wins immunity/reward!
Back at Camp
-John is frustrated at Cierra and Katie's poor showings, saying that they both lost to their much-older mothers, and even giggled about it afterwards, which he finds unacceptable. When they discuss who to vote out, John floats Cierra's name, arguing that she's not only weak in challenges, but she does nothing around camp, whereas at least Katie cooks all their meals.
However, John makes the error of leaving the guys to go look for the hidden immunity idol, which gives Brad the opportunity to float his pick for elimination: JOHN!
Turns out he might actually have some idea what he's doing after all, as he states that Candice is rocking it on Redemption Island, and if she wins her way back into the game, he won't control John anymore, Candice will. Of course, for every sound bit of logic Brad displays, he makes a blunder to go with it: after his alliance settles on the plan to vote out John, he stupidly reveals that he's going to be the lone person not to vote for John, so that he has plausible deniability in the event that John wins his way back into the game. Vytas immediately sees this as B.S. "If we're going to make a move like this, we got a suck it up and do it together," he says in a confessional. It's this realization about Brad's duplicity that prompts everyone to suddenly start floating his name for elimination. "Could you imagine?!" Katie laughs, about the prospect of blindsiding Brad. Either way, it looks like the girls might actually be safe for this week (and props to Cierra for confirming that she's adopting Sandra Diaz-Twine's winning "Anyone but me" strategy).
Tribal Council
-Brad continues to put his foot in his mouth by saying he's at least partially responsible for putting the castaways on Redemption Island there in the first place. He adds that while he doesn't see himself as the leader of the tribe, that's clearly the perception among the others. He then declares that there can only be one winner anyway, and I'll be FLOORED if his fate isn't sealed after that.
-Probst comes back with the votes, and....
First vote: Cierra
Second vote: John
Third vote: John
Fourth vote: John
Fifth vote: John
JOHN is eliminated from Survivor: Blood vs. Water!
-John is devastated by the blindside, and though I'm AMAZED that Brad survived to another week, I can see the value in keeping such a shield around. He's a great potential lightning rod to take to the end, as I could easily imagine a jury opting to vote for just about anybody else but Brad. Not only would he end up taking the bullet for the decisions of the season, his ego likely means he'd own up to those moves whether he actually made them or not.
-Over the credits, we see John arrive at Redemption, to a stunned Candice. He says he fell for it all hook, line and sinker, and that he had the wool pulled over his eyes. However, he says that being here with Candice is a good thing at least (prompting Candice and Marissa to shout that no, this actually isn't a good thing at all).
-If the members of the Locker Room alliance can use Brad as a human shield to absorb all the hatred of the other tribe, then players like Hayden and Vytas might actually have a decent shot at going far, particularly if they're able to disavow any association with his decisions. As for Brad, I'm not sure how he could really turn the perception about him around short of possibly taking Monica's spot at Redemption Island, should she be sent there. It's not impossible for Brad to win, really, but his is the tale of a guy who decided that Survivor isn't a game of subtlety, but instead about how hard you play, and how soon. Sometimes a little restraint goes a long way. Getting rid of John was a smart move, but for every smart move he makes, he makes a stupid blunder like revealing his plans for keeping John in play post-elimination. He'll need to scale back his game if he wants to have a real shot at winning, yet it might be too late, since he's already perceived as the ringleader at Tadhana, and leaders have a tendency to have targets painted on their backs. That said, if you can get to the end despite still being perceived as a tribe leader, that adds to your case for the win. Again, it's not impossible for Brad to scoop up the win, but SO MUCH about his game will have to change before he can get to the point where it's a realistic possibility.