Survivor: Cagayan - Episode 3 - Recap and Results - Our Time to Shine
Survivor Cagayan Recap - Episode 2 - Our Time to Shine:
Welcome to the recap and results for Episode 3 of Survivor: Cagayan -- Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, “Our Time to Shine”! Will the unlucky streak continue for the Beauty tribe? Will the Brawn tribe continue its dominance? And can the Brains tribe continue to hold it together?
Follow along as I'll be frequently updating the post with my recap and analysis! Just hit refresh. Also, add your thoughts in the comments or by using the BuzzDial below.
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Credit: CBS
Let's get this show on the road!
AFTER TRIBAL
-I don't know if it's all that smart for Morgan to call out Jeremiah in front of everyone for not voting with her. Sure, it might cause suspicion to fall on Jeremiah, but I think it has the added effect of making Morgan out to be a schemer in her own right, as it's clearly a manipulative play on her part to keep from being the next person sent home. Of course, I say this, but Morgan is quick to bring Alexis aboard the Jeremiah hate-train simply by telling her he wanted her gone. So maybe there's merit to her not-so-subtle anti-Jeremiah campaign.
-Over on the Brains tribe, J'Tia acknowledges that she's the reason her tribe is hungry, since she dumped out all the rice. So she's intent on redeeming herself in the reward challenge, practicing extensively with Tasha once they learn, via tree mail, that it will be one of those "blindfold obstacle course with caller directing their teammates" challenges. I find it interesting that tree mail is no longer being vague about what the challenge will be, since last week's challenge straight-up told each tribe what it would be. This gives each tribe more time to prepare, and I wonder if this is because tribes have been felled by the vagueness of past challenges. Then again, former castaways have stated that they can ask questions about the challenge after Probst explains the rules if there's anything they don't understand. But this seems more like an attempt to get things moving quicker, as each tribe comes in knowing what to do, for the most part.
Credit: CBS
REWARD CHALLENGE
-The reward is a crate of chickens, which means a potentially continuous source of food. The challenge involves two tribemates going through an obstacle course while blindfolded, retrieving various items along the way while being directed by a caller atop a tower. Once they bring the items back, they load them one-by-one onto a gurney, and then lift them up to the caller via pulley. The first tribe to get all their items atop the tower win chickens, second place gets a dozen eggs.
Credit: CBS
-The Brains tribe does a tremendous job keeping ahead of the Brawn tribe, although it's a neck-and-neck race with the Beauty tribe. It's actually kind of surprising how far behind the Brawn tribe falls, as they're just knocking into everything left and right. But things start falling to pieces after Spencer loads a spiral crate onto the gurney and it falls off during the lifting process, causing the Brains to fall behind. Even though the Brawn tribe is disastrously far behind, it's this mistake that costs the Brains serious ground. They eventually lose all hope of catching up to the Beauty tribe, and puts them at risk of falling to the Brawn tribe. Inevitably, it all comes down to the final item (the tribe flag), as J'Tia loads it onto the lift and it falls off. And somehow, she has an impossibly hard time loading it back on, for reasons I just can't understand. Ultimately, the Brawn tribe is able to come from behind, leaving Spencer to rip off his buff in disgust.
BEAUTY WINS REWARD!
BRAWN COMES IN SECOND!
NOTHING FOR THE BRAINS TRIBE!
Credit: CBS
-It sucks pretty severely for the Brains, and they're starting to seem even dumber now for their decision to have kept J'Tia.
BACK AT CAMP
-LJ is immediately annoyed by the discovery of a hidden immunity idol clue among the chickens. Of course, LJ's annoyance has less to do with the discovery of the clue itself, and more with the fact that it was discovered in front of everyone. LJ is relieved that he already found the idol, but the preciseness of the clue could lead to someone searching in the right spot and realizing it's likely already been found. And that could cause trouble. Although the tribe has plenty of trouble as it is, as Morgan is still angry with Jeremiah (even though he killed and cooked one of the chickens, to the delight of the tribe). She thinks he's dumb as rocks and isn't even that beautiful. I'm sure there are people who feel the same way about Morgan, at least in the brains department, whether it's a fair opinion or not.
-Over at the Brawn tribe, Sarah contemplates getting rid of Cliff, and approaches Woo, of all people. Yet what's surprising is that Woo actually is up for flipping on his closest in-game ally, on the principal that Cliff doesn't need the money! While they aren't exactly wrong, I wonder if it isn't too soon to be thinking about dumping a very physical asset to their tribe, as this smacks of "playing a post-merge game, pre-merge." It's dangerous to be thinking about the end this soon, especially when such thoughts lead to contemplating throwing a challenge. Tony, for his part, doesn't buy that Woo is entirely on their side, but he's willing to go in with Sarah anyway, swearing on his badge that he won't betray her. Naturally, in a confessional, Tony says that swearing on his badge means nothing to him, since he's here to "lie, cheat, and steal" and drive others' dreams into the mud in service of his own. Well, at least he isn't pretending to be a noble guy.
Credit: CBS
-Naturally, this talk of dumping Cliff is a bit premature, as the tribe learns that the immunity challenge will be basketball. Cliff talks about how he's played more games than Michael Jordan, and is considered one of the best to ever play the game, so Sarah's plot to throw the challenge isn't exactly going to be subtle. However, she feels it doesn't matter if it's obvious they're throwing the challenge, since Cliff is going to be gone anyway. This is outlandishly bad strategy, since the only thing worse than throwing a challenge is doing it obviously. It just paints the instigator in a terrible light, and it's hard to overcome a reputation as someone who'd potentially sink their tribe and put their alliance at risk over personal issues.
Trish is understandably iffy on the plan, and Woo is even less thrilled about it, as Sarah's entire rationale for throwing the challenge is a vague rumor that Cliff wants her out. So she's essentially letting personal feelings cloud her judgement, assuming that a tribe shakeup is forthcoming, meaning that Cliff could become a powerful enemy if he winds up with the opposition. This latter point isn't exactly a bad one, since they're about one or two tribal councils away from the point at which the tribes get mixed up. But why not turn Cliff into an ally? Is it so set in stone that he doesn't like you? Why not use Woo to get Cliff to come over to your side? Whatever happened to keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-So the challenge involves castaways swimming below water and untying balls from buoys, bringing them onto a small dock from which castaways then shoot the balls into a very narrow basket. So yeah, right up Cliff's alley. And it's one of the more even challenges of the competition so far. The Beauty tribe takes an early, commanding lead, but Spencer single-handedly keeps the Brains alive in the challenge with his insane swimming skills, untying each ball with tremendous speed.
-The Beauty tribe easily secures the win, leaving it down to the Brains vs. the Brawn tribe. Sarah's plan to throw the challenge is pretty difficult to maintain. By making Cliff the thrower for the tribe, the only way they can control the loss of the challenge is to have the people in the water take forever to retrieve the balls from the water if Cliff misses. Sarah and Woo try their damndest to help the Brains get a leg up on the challenge, but Spencer keeps missing the free throws, and J'Tia keeps losing the ball in the water. And so Sarah and Woo have no choice but to play along and give Cliff the balls. It doesn't take long before the Brawn tribe has secured the win.
BEAUTY WINS IMMUNITY!
BRAWN COMES IN SECOND!
Credit: CBS
-Sarah notes that she and Woo tried their hardest to help the Brains, but they just couldn't get it together. In Sarah's estimation, the Brains deserved to lose that challenge, after that performance. And it's hard to disagree there.
AFTER THE CHALLENGE
-Spencer is disappointed about the loss, and is worried about his place in the game, since there's a very clear female alliance. Kass and Tasha talk strategy with him, but he doesn't know if they're just blowing smoke or if they're actually intending to keep him around. Kass and Tasha talk it over and note that while, ideally, they'd get rid of Spencer, J'Tia seems incapable of doing anything around camp or in the challenges. It seems a clear decision, but then Tasha decides to be a moron and considers actually keeping J'Tia, rationalizing that J'Tia will be loyal to them if they keep her around, and in a game where Probst could throw a curveball at any moment, they need all the loyal soldiers they can get. Plus, Tasha feels Spencer will align with the men the minute there's a tribe shuffle. Kass is beyond annoyed with Tasha, who can't seem to make up her mind, or commit to a plan and "live with it." If these people actually vote out Spencer, they deserve to get Pagong'd, one-by-one.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
-So it's clearly between J'Tia and Spencer, as Kass and Tasha whisper with each other while Probst questions the other two. Spencer affirms his loyalty to this tribe, and says he would stick with them going forward. Meanwhile, Kass sticks up for J'Tia, saying that her decision to toss out the rice was an emotional response, and that she herself is a hothead. Of course, Kass and Tasha stick up for J'Tia even while admitting that she's been functionally useless to them in challenges. Spencer makes a good counterpoint to Tasha's "loyalty" argument by saying that unpredictability is every bit as dangerous disloyalty, adding that he'd never make a mistake as stupid as dumping out the rice.
-Probst calls out Kass and Tasha on their strategizing during tribal, and Kass notes that, as a lifelong fan of Survivor, she doesn't want to make the wrong decision. For his part, Spencer says that as a viewer, this would be exciting, but sitting right here in this spot, it's terrifying. And so there's a major decision the Brains need to make, and it's finally time to make it. We see Spencer's vote for J'Tia, and hers for Spencer. Probst then retrieves the other votes...
J'TIA
SPENCER
J'TIA
J'TIA
J'TIA is voted out of SURVIVOR: CAGAYAN!
Credit: CBS
-J'Tia wishes her tribe luck, while Spencer whispers to Tasha that he'll be with them to the end, and will prove that they made the right choice in keeping him around. From the looks on Kass's and Tasha's faces, they seem to be satisfied with their decision.
-In her exit interview, J'Tia says she isn't surprised since she dumped the rice and blew all the challenges. Half of her hopes the best for them, and the other half hopes they starve, but there's nothing she can do about it now, as all she can do is grow from the experience. Except, "I'm gonna grow outside the game."
-Well, thank GOD the Brains didn't keep J'Tia around. It would have been one of the most boneheaded decisions in Survivor history, in my opinion. That said, I'm not sure I entirely believe Spencer when he says he's committed to Tasha and Kass for the rest of the game, as I think he's the kind of guy who'd want to keep his options open. As a self-professed student of the game, I can't see Spencer wanting to lock out other possibilities this early into the game. By the same token, I think Kass would like a little more flexibility. Tasha, however, seems all-in with this group of three, and I wonder if she might not have blinders on, where the rest of her tribe is concerned. She wants to believe this is the right group of three, when I'm not certain there IS a "right group of three," regardless of whether she'd chosen Spencer or J'Tia to send home.
So what did you think of tonight's show? Is Sarah smart to be thinking of dumping Cliff? Did Tasha and Kass make the right choice in keeping Spencer? Sound off in the comments! And thanks for hanging out! See you next week!