Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance Recap
Episode 6: Bunking with the Devil
By Jim Van Nest
November 3, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Previews have shown two major events happening this week. The first is that Probst makes an odd visit to one camp in the middle of the night. Kass is seen and heard saying, "To have someone have to go home like this, it's worse than anything you can imagine in Survivor." So, someone is leaving the game and I wager it will be early in the episode. I say this because it sets up the other major event. Those three game-changing words are back again, "Drop your buffs."
The way I see it, someone leaves early, which leaves the game with 14 players and an escalated tribe swap. One other thing that's for sure...once all the evac and tribe swap thing is settled, we're going to have my absolute favorite challenge in Survivor. That's right, kiddies, gross food is back!!! In fact, I'm so excited about it, I'm done here. Let's get to the episode.
The episode begins NOT at the Bayon camp after the vote, but rather at Ta Keo on that same night. While everyone sleeps, except the rats, a boat makes its way to shore and out jumps Jeff Probst. This is not ever good. For Probst to come to camp, something bad had to happen. He makes his way to the shelter and searches out and wakes up Terry. He asks him to come to the beach with him. As it turns out, they've received a call from Terry's wife. His 16 year-old son, Danny, has taken ill and has been hospitalized. The doctor's and Terry's wife feel that this situation is serious enough that he needs to come home immediately. And just like that, Terry goes back to the group, gets his bag and tells them what's happening. He thanks them all for being there and that he couldn't have been with finer people. Kass tells us through tears that the devastation of getting a call about your child being sick when you're that far away is unimaginable. Keith tells the group that they need to "bring it home for him." We head to break with Kass hoping that when he gets there, everything will be okay.
Now is as good a time as any to get into this. Apparently, back in the spring, Danny was diagnosed as having bronchitis. He had really bad shortness of breath, among other symptoms. He started to feel better but that shortness of breath never went away. He went in for tests on his lungs in June, only to find that his lungs were perfect, but he had an enlarged heart. There is a measurement called "ejection fraction." This is a measurement of the percentage of blood that is being pumped by the left ventricle with each contraction. A normal heart has an ejection fraction between 55 and 70. 40 indicates heart failure. Danny's was 8. So, this was not a decision for Terry to make. It was not presented as a decision by his wife or by Probst. It was, "You're outta here and the sooner the better." In his weekly chat with Dalton Ross, Probst said that from the moment the call came in at 1 a.m., there were roughly 40 people working to get Terry home. And for one of those rare moments in Survivor - the game stopped.
We come back from commercials to a Probst sighting! Jeff brings in Angkor first, since they're the only tribe with no changes. Then he calls in Bayon, minus Monica. At this point, both tribes are a little confused as to why Ta Keo isn't there. Then he calls in the Ta Keo bunch. Spencer's jaw drops as only five people walk in. He says, "No Terry." Jeff explains that Terry had to be pulled for a family emergency as one of his kids is sick. He asks Savage about it. Andrew says he'd run to the airport if he had to. The game is big for all of them, but not that big. Wiglesworth suggests she'd jump in the ocean and start swimming if something were wrong with one of her kids.
Jeff asks Joe how it affected their tribe. He says that it took the wind out of their sails for sure, but they're here now to do Terry proud. And Jeff switches to the other tribes to see where their heads are at. Jeremy says that the Baton tribe is a nice little family and Savage talks about how tight the Angkor four are now and they're looking to continue their winning streak. Oh, really? Well, look around you Andrew, because there are only two lanes set up for this reward challenge and neither of them is yellow. "Drop your buffs." Everyone gets a box with a new buff in it and when they reveal, people kinda move all over. Let's break it down:
Current Ta Keo:
Kass (original Bayon) - Stays in Ta Keo
Ciera (original Bayon) - Stays in Ta Keo
Joe (original Bayon) - Goes to Bayon
Keith (original Bayon) - Goes to Bayon
Kelley Wentworth (original Ta Keo) - Goes to Bayon
Current Bayon:
Jeremy (original Bayon) - Stays in Bayon
Stephen (original Bayon) - Stays in Bayon
Kimmi (original Bayon) - Stays in Bayon
Spencer (original Ta Keo) - Goes to Ta Keo
Kelly Wiglesworth (original Ta Keo) - Goes to Ta Keo
Current Angkor:
Tasha (original Bayon) - Goes to Bayon
Andrew (original Bayon) - Goes to Ta Keo
Woo (original Ta Keo) - Goes to Ta Keo
Abi-Mari (original Ta Keo) - Goes to Ta Keo
I put original tribes in parenthesis to show what a completely jumbled up mess this cast has really become. As it is, the three tribes existed longer than the original two tribes. For instance, Tasha and Savage have spent more time with Woo and Abi then their original Bayon tribe mates. It really blurs the line and confuses who can or will be loyal to whom. I mean, just 30 seconds ago, Savage told the whole group that it was amazing how tight the Angkor four had become. Now, three of them move to Ta Keo and join up with Kass and Ciera - who used to be Savage's allies. Interesting. His three new besties kinda outnumber the two old Bayons. So, what's the dynamic on this tribe going to be now? I love the multiple shakeups. Nice job, Jeff!
Anyway, as the tribes get together on their new mats, Jeff asks Kass about staying in Ta Keo. She wastes no time saying she's worried about being on a tribe with Spencer. Spencer says, "Wow, we're already in it. Here we go." He tells us about the animosity between himself and Kass and he has no idea how that's going to work out for him. Jeff then asks Wentworth about being the only original Ta Keo on a tribe full of original Bayons. She's worried a little, but she did make some relationships with some of these folks. Ultimately, though, she just wants to win. Stephen tells us that he likes the way the shakeup went for him, but he still has the big strong guys on his tribe, making him nervous. And let's be honest - it's Joe. Stephen is scared to death of Joe. And he probably should be. There's not a person on this island that wouldn't rather hang out, play the game and ultimately vote for Joe over Stephen.
Oh yeah, we still have a reward challenge to run. So, our two new-look tribes will be competing in an old One World challenge. They'll get all oiled up and slip-n-slide down a course grabbing a ring as they go. They'll then have to get up and toss their ring onto a post. First one to hook the ring wins a point for their tribe. First tribe to score three points wins reward. Wanna know what they're playing for? After the challenge, the winning tribe will have a picnic lunch brought to their camp. Fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese and brownies are the three items Probst uses to get their attention. It's definitely worth playing for, so let's get to it.
First up is Jeremy vs. Savage. They take off and Jeremy blows Savage off the line and runs to the end and lands his ring just a split second before Andrew. Bayon up 1-0. Next round is Kass vs Stephen. Talk about an exercise in futility. Stephen throws a couple times and never even hits the post. Eventually, Kass lands the ring and ties the score. Next up is Abi vs Kimmi. Abi slides down the course, Kimmi kinda bounces down it. Kimmi throws first and it's on and off, no point. Abi takes her shot and scores for Ta Keo. The hopes of Bayon now rest on Joe's shoulders as he takes on Woo. They show you how this challenge is supposed to go. Both of them slide all the way to the end, grabbing the ring on the way. Both take their shot. Woo misses, Joe hits. Of course he does! And we're tied 2-2. Final matchup pits Wiglesworth against Wentworth. After exchanging misses, Kelly Wiglesworth lands her ring and reward for the Ta Keo tribe. As they head back to camp, Savage tells us how happy he is to have Abi and Woo on his new tribe and that if he can regroup with Kass and Ciera, he won't be going anywhere.
We come back from break to the Ta Keo picnic. Spencer tells us about how happy he is about the meal, but in the back of his mind, he doesn't know how the new tribe will work out for him. As they eat, they interact a little and talk about their previous tribe. Spencer says that he's trying to do whatever he can to work with Kass. Savage is just thrilled to be away from his hellhole in Angkor. He tells us how much he really likes Spencer, but he plans to use Kass's hatred of Spencer to get him out of the game.
We join a conversation with Kass where he tells her how tight he is with Woo and Abi and that they could totally dump Spencer and take control of the game. Of course, Kass is down for that as she has no desire to play the game with Spencer. At all. The next thing we see is Andrew locking this alliance down with Woo, Abi, Kass and Ciera. He tells them that Spencer is the target and that they'll need to tell him it is Ciera going home...that way he won't think anything is up. This sounds great to everyone but Ciera. She says that she is not thrilled about being the one thrown under the bus. She says she'll take one for the team, but this isn't one of those times. She wonders why he wouldn't suggest Woo as the fake vote, as he wasn't even an original Bayon.
Speaking of Bayon, we join them as Keith and Kimmi are getting reacquainted around the fire. He's telling her to not drop whatever is on the end of her stick and she's busy dropping whatever was on the end of her stick. We catch up with Joe and Wentworth talking about Kelley's position as the only Ta Keo on this new tribe. Joe wants to keep her, so he can have his numbers at the merge. He targets Stephen and Kimmi as potential votes, because they're weaker in challenges than Kelley. She tells us that she knows she's on the bottom, but she does have an idol, should she need it. However, if Joe is willing to shield her, she'll be happy to take cover.
The next thing we see is Joe talking with Tasha and Stephen. Stephen is trying to lock down the Kelley vote, should they lose. Joe suggests that maybe they try to stay strong and vote out Kimmi. This freaks out Fishbach. That's a huge red flag to him and he tells Jeremy that Joe wants to vote out Kimmi. Jeremy doesn't like that at all. Stephen tells Jeremy they need to get rid of Joe, immediately. Jeremy tells us that he needs Joe to be around for a while to use as a big, strong guy shield. Stephen leaves Jeremy with that thought and asks him to just think about it. He tells us that he's putting everything he has into winning this game. Sure, it may not manifest itself in challenges, but he is playing hard. He actually starts to get all weepy about this, which is kinda weird. Basically, it boils down to the fact that he didn't take out the golden boy last time around and he was shut out at the final Tribal. He's worried that if he doesn't take out the golden boy this time, he's just repeating the same mistake. He also just loves the idea of making the big move.
And we're back from commercial to a Probst sighting!! Today's immunity challenge is the good ole gross food challenge. This will be head to head challenge. First person to finish their item wins a point for their tribe. First tribe to four wins immunity. And actually, the first round is a two on two battle. Kimmi and Tasha are taking on Woo and Spencer. Their item? Not one, but two tarantulas. First pair to choke down both of their tarantulas scores a point for their tribe. Spencer is the first one done, followed by Woo. One for Ta Keo.
Next up is Jeremy and Keith against Ciera and Savage. They're eating huge water bugs. Savage and Jeremy both finish quickly. Ciera does her best, but she comes up short as Keith gets both of his bugs down. We're tied. Round three is a pig snout and features Stephen and Wentworth against Kass and Abi. Stephen finishes first, followed by Abi. As Kass throws hers up, Kelley finishes hers and wins the point for Bayon. Next up is Wiglesworth and Joe eating deep fried frog. And Kelly gets the point. We're tied again.
Next round is Woo vs Kimmi, and the item is a pig's brain. Kimmi hasn't eaten pork in 30 years and doesn't plan to start now. As it is, Woo takes his down in less than five seconds, so she had no chance on that one at all. So Ta Keo now leads 3-2. The next round features Ciera against Wentworth eating a scorpion. This challenge has been Ciera's nemesis going back to her first season, and it will remain her nemesis as Kelley gets hers down first and ties the score again.
It all comes down to this final round. It's Kass versus Tasha and the final item is balut. Duck embryo - absolutely disgusting. They each have trouble with it, but Kass just cannot get even a tiny bite down. Tasha digs deep and finally gets it all down, while Kass never got any of it down. Bayon wins immunity and Ta Keo gets ready to go to Tribal. On the way out of the challenge, Jeremy reaches up to the table and eats a bite of the left over balut. "I haven't eaten in 16 days, Jeff." As Ta Keo heads back to camp, Kass tells us how much she would love her first vote to be for Spencer. She leaves us with Jeff's infamous words from his Brains vs Beauty v Brawn cast assessment, "Spencer Bledsoe has a 0 percent chance of winning this game."
Naturally, we come back to the losing Ta Keo beach. Woo tells us that the plan is in place to take out Spencer. Savage locks the plan down with everyone else, including that the fake vote is for Ciera. Woo tells us that he is so happy to finally be in a good spot in the game. We join Savage telling Spencer that Ciera has to go. Spencer is very excited to be playing with Savage. He was hoping they'd have a chance to play together. Andrew tells us that he hates doing this to Spencer, but he's not going to let anything ruin his second chance.
This leads us to Ciera talking to Kass and Abi about how she doesn't appreciate being the sacrificial lamb in Savage's game. She tells us that she is not going to sit by and watch the game go past her. She is going to play and play hard. Kass tells them that she's plenty happy to vote out Spencer, but Ciera wants to target Woo instead. You KNOW that's music to Abi's ears (he voted for her twice, ya know). Kass then tells us that she does NOT want to play with Spencer and that this vote was like handing it to her on a silver platter. But Ciera is against it and maybe Spencer can be useful after all.
Now we get to what we've all been waiting for, Spencer and Kass alone on the beach talking strategy. Kass tells Spencer that there are some things going on that could benefit him. He tells her how much he likes Savage and trusts him. She breaks the news to him that Savage is targeting him and using Ciera as a decoy. This blows him away, but then Kass lets him know that a new plan is afoot - and that Woo is the target. He asks about numbers and she tells him that she has Ciera and Abi and he'd be the fourth. And on a seven person tribe, 3 + 1 equals In. Spencer tells us that he doesn't have too much of a choice at this point and that he's gonna be bunkin' with the devil and is going to have to play with Kass.
As Kass revels in camp about getting to vote out Spencer, she tells us that she's not exactly sure what she's going to do. And I have to take a second here to point out the obvious...once again; Kass has herself in the position of the swing vote. How the hell does she keep landing here? It's fascinating that no matter the circumstance, if Kass is going to Tribal, her vote will be the deciding vote. It's crazy that she can keep doing this time after time. Anyway, she tells us that she can very easily write down Spencer's name and really enjoy it. At the same time, she can throw a monkey wrench into so many people’s games by simply writing down Woo. So, who will show up to Tribal? Calm Kass or Chaos Kass? Even she doesn't know right now.
As we get to Tribal, Kass and Ciera have to dip their torches in the fire. After all, fire represents life on this island. Once your fire is gone, so are you. Probst starts with Andrew, asking him how it's going. He says he's been making relationships and he thinks he's found some good ones. Spencer says that he's all about making relationships this time around, though it's very hard. Woo admits that he'll have to be more cutthroat this time around if he's to avoid his mistakes of the past.
Probst asks Kass how you navigate all the layers of relationships. She says it's hard to say. She was with Savage early on - is he still Bayon strong? She knows Woo and Spencer from Cagayan. She's been with Ciera since day one. She just doesn't know. Jeff asks her if that's the new Kass talking or Chaos Kass talking. She says that she's honestly not sure which Kass is there tonight. Andrew says that he's been with Kass for a while and he's never seen Chaos Kass, all he's seen is a loving Kass.
Jeff asks how Ciera navigates all this. She says that she's very good with that part of the game and that she'll usually follow her gut. Savage says that he's not too worried tonight. He has no doubts about tonight. "My judgment is my judgment. If I blow it, that's on me." It is time to vote.
We see Andrew's vote for Spencer telling him he's just too good at this game. We see Spencer's vote for Woo saying, "My fate tonight lies in the hands of Chaos Kass. God help me." Jeff will go tally the votes. He asks about an idol, and no one has one. So, let's read the votes. First vote: Spencer. Second vote: Woo. And it's right there that Savage starts to show some concern. Then Spencer and Spencer. Then Woo, Woo and the sixth person voted out of Survivor Second Chance is...Woo! Spencer lets out a sigh of relief. Savage wonders what went wrong. And Kelly Wiglesworth is still amazingly absent from any kind of expression or comment.
I'm not 100% sure I agree with that move for Kass, but I'm not sure it was so much her move. Ciera made the call and they've been together from day one. Kass really had to decide where her loyalties lie and she decided it's with Ciera and not Savage. And she just gained Spencer's loyalty in the bargain. Overall, I think I like the move...but it could still blow up in their face, should Spencer ever get footing in this game.
Next time on Survivor: the merge is coming and we see the players sporting sweet orange buffs. Oh yeah, and Chaos Kass is back. As they show her laying it down for several people about who they want to align with, she tell us that they've "unleashed the beast." And for some reason, I'm actually looking forward to some Chaos Kass action. Also, it should be noted that Joey Amazing made the merge (something he didn't do last season). All the strategy in the world may be for naught if they can't get this dude to lose a challenge. No matter what, the merge is where this game starts getting good, so I can't wait for it. See y'all next week. Take care!
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