Survivor: Cagayan - Episode 4 - Recap and Results - Odd One Out
Recap and results for Survivor Cagayan - Episode 4 - Odd One Out:
Welcome to the recap and results for Episode 4 of Survivor: Cagayan -- Brawn vs. Brains vs. Beauty, “Odd One Out”! It's time for a tribe swap! But will one castaway's choice on Day 1 lead to elimination?
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 tapping out how you feel about the episode with the BuzzDial:
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Credit: CBS
Let's get this show on the road!
AFTER TRIBAL COUNCIL
-So apparently the Brains really aren't as clever as they seemed at tribal council last week. According to Kass, the decision to keep Spencer and dump J'Tia was a choice they made at the last minute, since they felt they could no longer justify keeping her. Frankly, I have no idea what to say to that. If Kass and Tasha were seriously considering ditching Spencer, then they sincerely deserve to get chopped off one-by-one.
-Kass, for her part, still isn't happy with her tribe, feeling it's the "Crap for Brains" tribe. I'd argue Spencer has a lot to offer to a tribe worthy of him, but Kass and Tasha just come across as dead weight, to me. Of course, there's a very real possibility that Spencer won't have to remain yoked to Kass and Tasha for much longer, because...
REWARD CHALLENGE
...DROP YOUR BUFFS! Yes, it's time for a merge. The Brains, Brawn, and Beauty tribes are no more. Sarah is disappointed because she feels she has to start all over again, after having taken six full days to figure out who she could trust. Come on now, Sarah. Adaptability is the key to a great Survivor strategist!
Credit: CBS
-Okay, looks like Spencer, Tasha, and Kass WILL be stuck with one another after all, which is just about the most hilarious thing that could have possibly happened. Or the luckiest. It's hard to tell at this point whether having two people like Tasha and Kass on his side will prove an asset or a liability to Spencer's game. (Can you tell I'm rooting for Spencer?) The tribes are:
Aparri: Spencer, Sarah, Morgan, Kass, Tasha, Jeremiah, Alexis
Solana: Woo, Cliff, Trisha, Jefra, LJ, Lindsey, and Tony
-Sarah voices her opinion that she's the odd one out, since she's the only Brawn member who stayed in that tribe. Meanwhile, Jefra is hoping that she and LJ can find in-roads with their new group, since they're the only Beauties in the bunch. Cliff suggests that this changes the entire game, as thought processes shift around.
-Probst reveals the reward to be a bunch of sweets, including cookies, cinnamon buns, and bagels (what? Bagels can be sweet!). The challenge, however, is a tough one. It's the one in which one tribe tries to pull a member of the other tribe off a post, and drag them to the endzone to score a point. Basically, it's one of the most physical challenges in Survivor's considerable challenge repertoire.
-The challenge is fairly lopsided, since Cliff is virtually impossible to drag from the post, while Sarah is all too easy, although she gives a hell of a fight (against Tony, coincidentally enough). Both tribes score in the early going, but it's Solana that easily ends up securing the win.
SOLANA WINS REWARD!
-Spencer is understandably frustrated that his losing ways haven't stopped just because of the tribe swap. Seemingly everything associated with the Brains ends badly, and I could easily see the remaining Brains getting the blame if it comes down to an immunity loss. Maybe that three-person alliance will help the former Brains after all.
TRIBE LIFE
-LJ sees the reward challenge as a good news/bad news situation. Sure, they won the food reward, but now he and Jefra are down 5-2 against a bunch of Brawns. If he wants to stay without having to play his idol, he'll have to work at finding in-roads with the existing group. Luckily, LJ has an immediate connection with Trisha once she finds out he's always from Massachusetts. Even better, Trisha finds him incredibly charming and attractive (although she swears she's not "Mrs. Robinson"). LJ plays it up a bit, and Trisha gets flirty, which annoys Lindsey something fierce. It bugs Cliff too, who declares his intention to keep an eye on those two.
-Over at Aparri, a funny thing goes down: Sarah reveals that the Day One choice was between rice and a clue to the hidden immunity idol. This essentially outs Morgan for lying, as her tribe never even knew about the rice. Alexis is incensed about this, and wants to flip on Morgan immediately. She approaches the three former Brains and proposes a majority alliance, which pleases Spencer immensely, since she spills a bunch of intel without even being prompted. "The Beauty tribe is a very gossipy tribe. They're almost like high schoolers," Spencer says, and muses that they could potentially play the Beauties against each other. Hell, even Jeremiah wants to work with the Brains! This sets up a perfect 2-1-2 formation for Spencer, if he wants to go in that direction, since this has always been the ideal formation for Survivor play, in my opinion. You find one solid, "take to the end" ally, and rope in a third reliable member who might not necessarily be part of the endgame plan. Then you add two others you can swap out at anytime, should a better situation present itself. Of course, this was the ideal formation prior to the implementation of a final three. So the Brains might be better served taking on a 3-1-1 approach, keeping their core alliance together while allowing both Jeremiah and Alexis to think they're #4.
-Trisha is beginning to worry about her spot in Solana, and I'm wondering if she might not be better served jumping ship and forcing one of the other four to become a swing vote, since it takes the heat off of her somewhat. Unfortunately, the side effect of this is that she's boned if the swing vote picks the other alliance and not hers.
Credit: CBS
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE
-Cute bit with Probst getting rid of the smaller immunity idol ("the little brother") and keeping the bigger one ("the mama. Or the daddy. I'm not sure."). It's one of those rare humanizing moments for Probst, who too often comes across as needlessly harsh and intrusive on the process of the game.
-It's an obstacle course/puzzle, in which all tribe members must guide a log through a maze, smashing through several walls with it (the thing basically looks like a giant No. 2 pencil). All members of the tribe must remain with the log at all times. Tasha sits out for Solana, while a rock-paper-scissors draw leads to Morgan sitting out for Aparri.
-It's a pretty exciting challenge, as it's pretty evenly matched. Solana takes an early lead, while Aparri lags behind in disastrous fashion, unable to break down the first wall. But Solana loses ground on the second wall, allowing Aparri to catch up. Basically, it all comes down to the puzzle, in which the tribes must guide the notched log through a sort of interlocking maze. It's a real nailbiter, as Solana loses its lead and Aparri makes up the difference. In an incredible come from behind moment, Aparri finishes the puzzle and wins the challenge.
APARRI WINS IMMUNITY!
-Spencer congratulates the tribe for working together and communicating. Meanwhile, Tony is absolutely stunned, wondering how on Earth they lost that challenge, since it seemed tailor-made for Brawn. Of course, his next comment is to immediately throw one of the brawniest guys on the tribe under the bus, as he declares LJ a threat that has to be eliminated. Honestly, it's not bad reasoning, especially if LJ is making waves within the core alliance.
BACK AT SOLANA
-LJ is worried about his and Jefra's position in the game. And he should be, as both Cliff and Woo are all-in with Tony on getting rid of him, since Trish has taken too much of a liking to the guy. Factoring in his tactical thinking and his brawn, and LJ is a threat that it simply makes sense to eliminate, especially when the tribe has more than enough brawn to spare as is.
-Trish, for her part, wants to keep LJ and dump Cliff, of all people. LJ is confused, since Trish has no real reason to negotiate with him, since the Brawns are up 5-2. Basically, he doesn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but right now, he has no other choice that doesn't involve playing his idol. So he agrees to the Boston Alliance.
-Trish approaches Tony about the plan, saying that Cliff never does anything around camp, in addition to never having said a single word to her this entire time here. She adds that they'll have to get rid of him eventually, since he'll be a challenge threat in the individual portion of the game. Tony smartly counters by saying they're five deep, and don't need to be cutting their own guys just yet. He also adds that LJ is cleverer, and has the fire and passion to go all the way, which makes him dangerous.
-Cliff confronts Tony about the conversation with Trish, and he assures him that Trish doesn't have the numbers. Unfortunately, Cliff doesn't know LJ has an idol, so he doesn't know that having his name come up on the votes at all could spell the end for him if LJ plays it. It would have been smart for him to steer the conversation away from ditching LJ, and instead towards proposing they get rid of Trish. He comes really close to making that argument, saying that they need stability. Even by dumping Trish, they'd still have the numbers, and they'd eliminate LJ's only ally. For his part, LJ still isn't sure he trusts Trish, but when you're down in numbers, beggars can't be choosers.
TRIBAL COUNCIL
-LJ compares this new situation to being a guest in a new house, and he seems nervous to even be there (Jefra seems as adorably bubbly as ever, despite the pouring rain and the likelihood that one of her only allies will be on his way out). Cliff says that some people are allowing their emotions get in the way, and goes on to argue that the only thing that matters in this game is numbers. Trish, however, stupidly shows her hand by arguing that numbers only matter if they work or you. If they don't, you need to find other options. Everyone immediately gives Trish the stink eye, as Lindsey argues they all need to stick together. Cliff compares this to an NBA playoff game, as you never really know where people stand until you lose a game. For old Aparri, tribal council is a first. Tony closes things out by saying that this vote will determine whether they go with a new alliance or stick with their old one.
-Woo votes for LJ, saying he can't risk him making the merge and reconnecting with his Beauty tribe, which is funny since the Beauty tribe is notorious for not exactly getting along. Jefra votes for Cliff, saying he can't call the shots forever. Tony, whose vote we don't see, says "This isn't personal, just strategic." LJ decides not to play the idol, which is possibly the dumbest move in the history of ever, unless he knows something the editing didn't show, since I have no idea where he would have gotten a fourth vote against Cliff from. Probst reads the votes...
LJ
Cliff
LJ
Cliff
LJ
Cliff
Cliff
CLIFF IS VOTED OUT OF SURVIVOR: CAGAYAN!
Credit: CBS
-ANOTHER BLINDSIDE! Woo and Lindsey's reactions are almost enough to forgive getting rid of one of my early favorites. Of course, this begs the question of who the fourth vote was. Did Tony really see more value in hitching his wagon to LJ? Would a guy that paranoid really trust someone with as much potential to run this game as LJ? This is great for LJ, but I think Tony may have just screwed himself if he really is the one who cast the deciding vote against Cliff, especially since he's leaving for a less stable alliance that will not have been together nearly as long as the original alliance by the time the merge comes around. Then again, you never know which configurations will work until you try them. Still, never rock the boat if you don't have to!
-In his exit interview, Cliff says he thought he knew what was going on around camp, but he ended up getting blindsided anyway. He seems in relatively good spirits despite what happened. The vote count reveals that Tony was, in fact, the deciding vote. I hope this week's deleted scenes go into why he changed his vote, or show us a little more of the thought process that led to it, because this came across as really random, to me.
What did you think of the vote? Did the right person go home? What about the new tribes? Whose stock has risen, and whose has fallen? Sound off in the comments! Thanks for hanging out tonight!