Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode 9 - Recap and Results - My Brother's Keeper
Recap and results of Survivor: Blood vs. Water - Episode 9 - My Brother's Keeper:
Welcome to the recap and results for Episode 9 of Survivor: Blood vs. Water, "My Brother's Keeper"!
Can Vytas and his alliance recover from last week's blindside on Aras? Two immunity challenges and two tribal councils tonight! Keep refreshing throughout the night, as I'll be recapping all the happenings and adding my analysis on the game!
Credit: CBS
After Tribal
-We're back from tribal and Tina is FURIOUS about the Aras blindside, and she calls Tyson to the carpet for it, saying he should be ashamed for what he's done. Of course, Tyson says that the one person looking to backstab everyone in the game is now gone, so she should chill the hell out and quit calling him out for something he didn't do alone. He says, in a confessional, that he's been burned by Survivor twice, so he's going to play his own game, adding that if he could get away with playing like Tina, he'd win 100% of the time.
The next day, Tina is worried for Katie's game life, and I don't know, this entire conversation makes it sound like all the fight has gone out of Tina now that things aren't going her way. It's so strange.
Credit: CBS
Immunity Challenge
-Is this the earliest into a non-finale episode that we've ever gotten an immunity challenge? Not that I'm complaining. I suppose we're going to end with a Redemption Island duel, which seems to suggest Vytas will be next on the chopping block, because you just know they'd save brother vs. brother for the climax. Let's see...
-The challenge is the classic "gross food" challenge, done in heats between groups of five. In the first round, it's Tyson, Monica, Vytas, Laura and Katie eating meal worms. Tyson finishes quickly, followed by Monica. Vytas spits up his worms, but he picks them up off the floor and finishes before the other two to move on to the next round. In the second round, Gervase, Hayden, and Caleb advance.
-Pig intestines are up next, and Tyson amusingly asks how the pig intestines are prepared, to which Probst responds, "Beautifully." Tyson struggles in the challenge, spitting up while Caleb, Hayden, Gervase, Monica, and Vytas hurry to finish. Gervase impresses Probst by showing how much he's grown since tackling this same challenge in Season One, where he basically sucked out loud. He tears through the challenge, and he and Monica advance to the final. However, in a hilarious moment of Survivor irony ("Survirony"?), the final item is grubs, the very thing Gervase couldn't finish in Season One.
-Gervase's attempts to finish the grubs are outstanding, as he jumps up and down like a mad man while he stuffs the grubs into his mouth, with Probst rooting for Gervase to change history (and then rooting for Monica as well, perhaps realizing he's being more than a little lopsided). Gervase performs better here than he did in Season One, but it's still not enough to win immunity.
MONICA wins Immunity!
Credit: CBS
After the Challenge
The majority alliance wants to vote out Vytas, but Laura is worried about an idol, so she suggests splitting the vote. This creates a dilemma for Tyson: tell his alliance he has the hidden immunity idol so they don't have to worry about splitting votes, or keep it a secret? Tyson decides to keep the idol a secret for now, although Vytas quickly surmises he's next and goes pleading his case for at least one more round. Vytas learns the vote is between him and Katie, who explains in a confessional that she needs to think up a new strategy, whether that includes her mother or not.
Monica continues to be insufferable by scrambling to secure the vote, despite wearing the immunity necklace. Laura can't stand Monica's paranoia, and I really can't blame her there.
As for Vytas, he goes to Tyson and offers him his jury vote if he keeps him around past this vote at least. Tyson recognizes that if they send home Vytas, the women will have a majority, which could spell trouble if the women collectively wise up and form an all-girl alliance. So Tyson suggests that the vote needs to be Katie in order to keep the power with the men. However, he has a difficult balancing act, as he doesn't want to come across as the decision-maker. Kind of late for that, Tyson. Very few players are capable of controlling the game from behind the curtain, and I don't think Tyson is a subtle enough player to control the vote without being the obvious one in control.
Credit: CBS
Tribal Council
-Probst asks Vytas about his reaction to Aras getting blindsided, and he talks about how outraged he is that they voted out his little brother, saying "I'm my brother's keeper" and he's planning on doing the best he can to get back at the people responsible. He calls Monica out for her paranoia, saying that she was quick to flip on Aras simply because she's so nervous about her own game, calling her a "doormat". Monica rages against Vytas, stating that she continued to stick her neck out for him even after he flipped on Brad. It's chaos, but Vytas makes a pretty smart move by announcing that it would behoove the women to form an all-girl alliance if he gets voted out. In essence, this clues the women into the idea that they could have a majority, assuming they hadn't been thinking that way already. Now Tyson would probably have to keep Vytas, since the women are going to align the minute they send him to Redemption Island.
Vytas
Katie
Tyson
Vytas
Vytas
Vytas
Vytas
VYTAS is voted out and sent to Redemption Island!
Credit: CBS
Well, so much for keeping the male alliance strong. It was a bold play on Vytas's part to try and galvanize the women into banding together in order to force the men into keeping him, but I guess the central alliance was just too tight to shake. I do wonder who the lone Tyson vote was though.
Back at Camp
-Monica is proud of herself for voting for Vytas, despite it not being a part of the plan. The men were supposed to vote for Vytas while the women were supposed to vote for Katie. Gervase is furious at Monica for deciding to switch-up her vote at the last minute, because it could have meant him going home, or Tyson going home, if Vytas had been able to turn the vote against them. "Don't rock the boat!" Gervase says, when speaking about Monica in a confessional.
I'm really digging how far Gervase has come as both a competitor and a strategist. There's a lot to be said for how simply staying the course and not making any significant deviations from a plan could ensure that a castaway makes it far in the game. However, those castaways have to surround themselves with like-minded people who won't go into business for themselves at the drop of a hat. Gervase knows, perhaps from seeing Tyson do the same thing on Heroes vs. Villains, that deviating from a plan can lead to the accidental ouster of one's ally.
Credit: CBS
Redemption Island
-Vytas arrives and he and Aras spend the day arguing over whether they're still technically in the game or not, with Vytas saying they're basically in purgatory, while Aras declares that they aren't. "If I wasn't in the game, I'd be eating a cheeseburger right now. I'm not eating a cheeseburger, so I'm still in the game." It's like a buddy comedy waiting to happen. Of course, Aras says that while he loves his brother to death, Vytas thrives on negative energy, whereas he likes to remain positive. Naturally, it's easy to see how Vytas would have a hard time keeping positive at the prospect of facing his own brother for survival.
Immunity Challenge
-ANOTHER immunity challenge! Ah well, I guess we need to have two people voted out this episode so we can get to the three-person duel at the end that they're building towards.
This is the coin-balancing challenge, in which the survivors stack coins of different sizes on a pole each round.
-Gervase, Laura, Tina, and Monica are quickly eliminated, followed by Caleb. It comes down to Hayden, Tyson and Katie, whom Tina is rooting for in distracting fashion (in my opinion. Seriously, this takes concentration! Shut up, Mom!). Of course, I guess Tina isn't distracting enough, as Katie outlasts Hayden and Tyson, who pretty much drop their stacks simultaneously.
KATIE wins immunity!
Credit: CBS
-Her little "work it" victory pose is adorable, if only because of her complete lack of enthusiasm while doing it. She clearly doesn't believe in being needlessly showy, and I like that. Tina, naturally, is pleased as punch (a phrase I've never really understood, and still don't).
After the Challenge
-Katie and Tina celebrate Katie's immunity win in private, and then consider what they're going to do about the vote. Tina decides she's going to go looking for the hidden immunity idol, and she doesn't care who knows it. Tyson, Caleb and Hayden adopt the Andrea strategy from last season, following Tina in case she found the idol. Naturally, Tyson keeps it a secret that he has the hidden immunity idol since he doesn't want to become a target. Tina pretends to have found the hidden idol by keeping an object hidden behind her back. Tina wants to keep searching, but she worries they'll know she doesn't really have it if she tries.
-Monica worries about the vote, saying that if Tina has the hidden idol and Katie is immune, she could be the one going home. Tyson and Gervase worry about Monica becoming a loose cannon and going renegade again. Tyson feels she still has her uses, but she'd be dangerous if she discovered she was at the bottom of the alliance. After talking with Gervase, Hayden speculates to Caleb that it might be time to cut Monica loose after all. Of course, I don't actually expect this to happen, because that would be awesome. The show needs a villain, and Monica is the closest thing to a villain they've got.
Tribal Council
-Probst addresses the obvious, and states that Tina must clearly be on the chopping block. Tina says she had babysitters today, but she was able to get away twice today, implying she had time to search for the idol. Tina then stirs the pot by announcing that Monica is at the bottom of the alliance, and that she's always the one who is told last who to vote for at Tribal, since she just talks too damn much and it drives everyone crazy. Monica states that it's clear Tyson and Gervase are together, and Caleb and Hayden are together, but she's planning to work within the alliance of seven.
Hayden speculates that it could be time to get rid of "the bottom" in the event that Tina has the idol. Monica says this is the stupidest idea she's ever heard, since this alliance couldn't ask for a more trustworthy ally than her. For her part, Tina makes a strong case for why it would be smart to keep her and dump Monica, and then coyly speculates that she could have the hidden immunity idol. This was a great moment for Tina, if a little theatrical. After everyone votes, Probst asks if anyone has a hidden immunity idol they would like to play, and Tina feigns going into her bag for it before revealing "Jeff...I WISH I had found the immunity idol!" Ha!
Probst reads the votes...
Monica
Tina
Tyson (seriously, where is this vote coming from?! I'd assume it was one of either Tina or Katie, but you'd think he'd get two votes then)
Tina
Tina
Tina
Tina
Tina is voted out and sent to Redemption Island!
Credit: CBS
Tina says goodbye to Katie and then tells the remaining castaways she'll see them tomorrow at the duel. Tina arrives at Redemption Island and receives a warm welcome from the Baskauskas brothers. Well, as warm a welcome as a person could expect at Survivor "purgatory".
Thoughts
-Tyson's alliance continues to run the table, although the alliance is going to have to start cannibalizing itself sooner rather than later. Realistically, Monica is someone who'd be perfect to take to the end, but can she be trusted not to screw it up for the person trying to take her there? I get the feeling that no matter what promises a person makes her, Monica is going to continue to be paranoid about her place in the game, and that's a liability if the person can't get her under control. And Monica doesn't strike me as the kind of person who can be controlled.
Of course, as we know from Stealth R Us, controlling a seven-person alliance is always going to be a tall order, even for the most savvy of Survivor players, so Tyson and co. deserve some credit for keeping things together and sticking with the Tina and Vytas votes. With that said, I'm not really sure where the loyalties lie once they get down to seven, as the remaining castaways would presumably be Tyson/Gervase, Hayden/Caleb, Laura/Ciera, and Monica as the one outlier/swing vote. That's giving an insane amount of power to someone so mercurial, so even while she's a perfect person to take to the end, it might be better to vote her out to keep her volatility from making a mess of the game.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments!