Survivor Cambodia: Second Chance - Episode Recap
Episode 9 - Witches Coven
By Jim Van Nest
November 19, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
We also learned that splitting the vote was discussed, but not seriously as NO one thought Kelley had an idol. She'd done a pretty good sell job on Deitz having it, and no one ever saw her looking for one - probably because she found the clue on day one and the idol at the first challenge. Kudos to her for being able to keep her mouth shut about it.
Anyway, if the Jeremy/Stephen alliance has any brains at all, the idol play should change nothing and the votes should go Kelley's way again tonight. Problem is, Stephen still has his game-boner for Joe and that could alter strategy. We know a couple things for sure: EVERYone will be looking for the rehidden idol and Jeff is offering up a chance to improve your standing in the game AT THE IMMUNITY CHALLENGE! Who will jump down for the chance to improve their standing? And who doesn't want to put that kind of target on their back? I guess we'll find out in just a little bit. So sit back, relax, grab a balut and enjoy the show!
We begin tonight's show after Tribal Council, and everyone is congratulating Kelley on the idol play. And here is where you see how much these people appreciate the game. Even though their plan fell through, they can still recognize an amazing Survivor move. She quickly apologizes to the group for her outbursts as the votes were being read. She said she got a little excited and was feeling a bit betrayed. Jeremy sums it up best. "It was a badass move." Keith acknowledges that any questions they had about idols have now been answered and Spencer asks her where she found it, which she quickly refuses to answer.
Wentworth goes on to tell us how amazing it was to be able to idol Savage out of the game. She's feeling pretty good, but not all is hunky dory in the Orkun tribe. Kimmi is talking to Joe, saying that the next vote still has to be one of the three girls. She says they have to break up the #witchescoven before they get in with Tasha and Jeremy. Stephen compares them to the witches of Macbeth and he's concerned about being one that's killed in the night. Okay, folks, for real. You still have an 8-3 advantage. If you want them gone, you can have them gone. I think we're a little concerned about a serious minority alliance that, oh by the way, just blew its idol in the last Tribal.
The next morning, we join Keith, Jeremy and Stephen on the beach talking about the move. Stephen suggests Kelley must have had a clue. I think he meant that she had a clue that she was the vote last night, but Keith and Jeremy take it to mean a clue to the idol. This gets them talking about the idol coming back into play. Jeremy tells us that losing Savage hurts his game as no one really liked him and he was another shield. He tells us he trusts Stephen, and even though Jeremy has an idol, he feels like he needs another.
And with that, the search for the idol is on as Keith and Tasha are looking around the well. Joe is searching for the idol as well. Now that he's won two challenges in a row, he needs it more than ever. As he searches, Abi Maria finds him looking. I'm not sure why this is a big deal. Of course he's looking. Anyone who isn't looking for an idol right now isn't playing the game. So Abi runs right to tell Wentworth that she caught him. Kelley tells us that she's glad to hear it, as it signals paranoia among the alliance of eight. She is sure hoping so, because she's ready to really start playing.
We come back from break to a seriously rainy Probst sighting! Today's reward challenge is a mother of an obstacle course. They'll be divided into two teams of five and they'll use wooden poles of different lengths to build a staircase. They'll work through a maze and down a slide. They'll then navigate a key through a rope maze and then use that key to open a chest. Inside the chests are puzzle pieces that when put together right will reveal the numbers to a combination lock. First team to get the combination and release their flag wins reward. And today's reward is the Survivor spa day. They'll get showers, a massage and a bunch of food. They all agree it's worth playing for.
They'll do a school yard pick 'em for teams, which means one person will not participate in the challenge. The pink team is captained by Tasha and she has Fishbach, Spencer, Joe and Ciera. The green team is captained by Wiglesworth. She chooses Keith, Kimmi, Jeremy and Wentworth. Abi was the person not picked. That had to be a blow to her ego. She thinks she's the best at everything and then is not chosen? Further, I can't wait to see the scorched earth once she gets back to camp after no one chose her for reward. Seriously, this could be the beginning of the end for her. I could see her totally blowing a gasket, causing everyone to vote her out next. But enough of that. Let's get to the challenge.
As the challenge begins, Jeff explains that while the poles are all different lengths, the depths of the holes are also different, so the tallest pole doesn't necessarily mean it will be the closest to the platform. As the teams trial and error their way through, Spencer and Joe have the pink (why does Jeff keep calling them purple?) moving pretty well. Green is in trouble. As pink finishes the puzzle, everyone climbs up and starts the maze. Next up is to slide down the little bamboo slide and they are WAY out in front. Joe takes on the key rope maze and gets the key free while green is still working on the steps. Spencer and Ciera take the key and begin to work on the puzzle. Spencer and Ciera have the puzzle almost finished as the green team finally figures out the poles.
Jeremy takes on the key maze and tears through it. Spencer and Ciera finish their numbers, but don't know if they have them in the right order. Spencer enters the code. If they have it right, they win. And Spencer...Is...Right! So, Spencer, Joe, Stephen, Tasha and Ciera will all head to the Spa and everyone else gets to go back to camp to deal with Hurricane Abi. As we head to break, Jeremy tells us how badly they lost. He considers today to be a complete waste. It was embarrassing and he's just not happy with how things have gone over the last 24 hours.
After CBS pays the bills, we join the winning team as they arrive to their spa day. The table is full of amazing food and lemonade. Joe tells us how important this meal can be for the next challenge. Ciera tells us that she is pretty excited to be there with different people to talk game. As Joe showers, she asks the group, "So are we talking strategy at all, or is it food only?" Tasha wants to talk game, and I'm pretty sure Spencer does as well. Stephen tells us that when you have so few votes, you need to be looking for anything you can get. He suggests that Ciera and Abi being on the bottom are going to be working harder than anyone else.
Ciera tells the group that if any of them are planning to go to the end with Jeremy, they're gonna lose. Hands down. Tasha actually looks surprised to hear that. Stephen tells us that everyone sees the hierarchy of the alliance and they're trying to flip it. He suggests that the old way of playing, where an alliance of five gets together and stays together with little mini alliances within is just not going to hold this season. Tasha asks what everyone thinks about Wigles. Ciera says if she gets to the end, she'll win because of the first season thing. Tasha tells the group that Kelly is very social; talking to everyone and that everyone loves her. Stephen tells us that there doesn't seem to be alliances anymore, but rather voting blocs - and that today's voting bloc may not necessarily be tomorrow's voting bloc.
Time to check in with the losers of the challenge. Wiglesworth is cooking some lunch and Jeremy is pissed off. He is mad about how terrible they did in the challenge. Since there are only five other people and they're all cooking, he heads off to find the idol. So, he heads over to Tree Mail and starts digging around this huge tree and voila - he has found the idol. Um...wait a second. Not so fast. He's found a clue to the idol - again. The clue this time is not for an idol at a challenge, though. This time, he's given a map to where he'll find a lantern and the idol, but he has to get up in the middle of the night - tonight - to go get it. And here is where sleeping arrangements and placement in the shelter will be huge.
But we're not gonna wait for it; we're going straight to night time. Jeremy tells us that as soon as the moon went down, the Spa day team comes back to camp. He was expecting this to be easy, with everyone all ready for bed. But not this night. Oh, no way. This night, they're all hanging by the fire and no one is ready to go to sleep (except Keith), and Jeremy is stuck. He finally decides to just excuse himself to go to the bathroom and high tails it toward the path. Now he's walking in complete darkness, following this trail, until he sees a light in the distance. He hurries over to it and hanging from a rope next to a lantern is a new idol.
He is PUMPED, buddies! He mentions to us that it seems that no two idols look alike this season, but he has the paper to prove it's a real idol. He calls this one Val's idol, then he gives her the other one too. As he's telling us this story, he starts to break down and tells us how he wants to make things easier for Val and his kids. He wants to make it easier for the new baby. He doesn't even know if it's a boy or girl. He tells us that he has to be very careful because he knows they're going to come for him and he has to use these idols at the right time.
We come back from break the next day as Stephen sees Wiglesworth and Joe on the beach talking. He tells us that they seem to be really close, like big sister, little brother close. And it scares him. We listen in on what they're saying and Wigles is saying that she trusts Joe, Kimmi and Keith but doesn't trust the three girls at all. Stephen goes on to tell us that he is concerned that no one seems to want to get rid of either Joe or Kelly and they're just content to let them stick around and be awesome. He says he thinks he might try to make a deal with the three witches to go after them.
So, Stephen goes to the girls and begins the talks. He mentions that he's sure that none of them trust each other and he doesn't want to come over and tell them what to do. Ciera tells him that being on the bottom; she's ready for anything right now. She tells him that the three of them will vote for whoever he says to vote for. Then she asks him if he wants to get rid of Joe. Stephen says that everyone wants to take Joe out and that maybe Wigles is the way to go. Abi agrees, saying that Kelly is playing a great social game and is talking to everyone. Ciera says that she'd vote for Wigles. Stephen goes on to say that the way people are playing right now is dumb, and that if they make this move it's a chance to totally change the game. And just like that, we have a little four-person voting block heading into the next...
Probst sighting! Today's immunity challenge is one we've seen a couple times. This is the balance on the dog house challenge. The platform is in the water, so it's very wiggly. They will start on one set of wood blocks and after 10 minutes move up. Last one standing wins immunity. He mentions that they played this challenge in Tasha and Spencer's season, and both of them lost. As they begin the challenge. it is flat pouring down rain, so that can't possibly make this challenge any easier. Everyone seems to be doing well and Probst starts randomly taking about being on Day 24. He talks about how success in this game can sometimes depend on you making the right decision at the right time...which means it's decision time - as promised in the promos.
And with that, he pulls out a machete, cuts a rope and a whole set of buoys bounce up out of the water, about 50 feet from where the players are standing. Jeff lets them know that the first one to jump in and touch their buoy will win an advantage in the game. And instantly, Fishbach and Spencer jump in the water and the race is on. They are neck and neck the whole way, but Stephen is the first to touch his buoy and will have an advantage. Spencer -got nothing for ya. I think this was a pretty easy decision for Stephen and an odd one for Spencer. The chances of Stephen winning this or any other challenge are so slim that I can definitely understand why he took the chance. Spencer is in at the end of every challenge, so giving up the shot at immunity for this doesn't make a lot of sense for him.
Oh yeah, there's still a challenge going on! The 10 minutes are up and everyone moves to the top part of the doghouse, where they will stay until only one of them remains. Wentworth, Jeremy, Ciera, Kimmi and Tasha cannot make the transition and all fall in right off the bat. This leaves Keith, Joe, Wiglesworth and Abi. They'll stay here for 20 minutes and then...um, what, Jeff? There's nowhere else to go. Joe's having trouble, while Abi and Kelly are showing no signs of losing it. And just like that, Keith falls in leaving us at three.
As the rain continues to pour, the water is moving more and more. Jeff finally tells us what the next transition will be. They will stand on one foot. This is a live transition - no touching. So the lifting of the foot had better be smooth. I wouldn't expect this to last more than a minute. Wiglesworth is not able to make the transition in time and bows out of the challenge, leaving Joe and Abi to battle it out in a challenge that is definitely made more for the smaller person with smaller feet.
Abi has been looking so strong through this whole thing, but she finally shows some sign of weakness. Joe is all over the place but holding his balance. And just like that, Abi tries to ease the pain a little and loses her balance, leaving Joe to win immunity for third straight time. Everyone applauds as Jeff puts the necklace on Joe and hands over the advantage to Stephen. It is a scroll he is to read alone when he gets back to camp. As we head to break, Stephen tells us how cool it is to have Jeff say that he won something. He also says that the Wiglesworth thing is happening, no matter what he has to do to make it happen, including using his advantage!
The rain continues to pour as they arrive back at camp. There's congrats for Joe and Stephen. Kimmi tells us that Joe winning immunity is fine with her as she wants to take out the witches. Kimmi takes it to Jeremy, Tasha and Wigles that they should split their votes - five for Wentworth, three for Ciera. Spencer is now part of the conversation and they decide that since there are five guys and three girls, the guys will vote Wentworth and the girls will vote Ciera.
This becomes very interesting when you consider what Fishbach wants to do. He is a Wentworth vote that would flip to Wiglesworth, which would leave a 4-4 tie between the Kell(e)ys, with three votes for Ciera. However, when no idol is played, the revote would just turn into seven Wentworth versus four Wiglesworth. So, Stephen's gonna need some help here. OR, he'll need that advantage to be a vote doubler. And if it is, then he can show Dan from Worlds Apart how to successfully use the vote doubler...as his second vote would seal Wiglesworth's fate: 5-4-3. Very interesting.
And right on cue, we join Stephen opening up his advantage. He doesn't just have a vote doubler, he has a vote stealer, which means that whenever he wants to use it, he will call out a tribemate. That person will lose their vote and he will get to make it for them. Which makes tonight's move a guarantee, IF he chooses to use it. He tells us, though, that he doesn't plan to use it tonight. He's in no danger tonight and he can work out tonight's vote with wit and hustle, but this advantage could be a huge game changer for him later on.
We join Stephen talking with Wentworth and Abi to confirm that Wiglesworth is the target. Kelley says she's with him, but they need someone else. He says he is sure that he'll get the other vote. Wentworth is thrilled with this as she's hoping that after this vote (if it works) she'll have a new life in this game. So the next thing we see is Stephen trying to sell Wigles to Spencer and Jeremy. He tells them that the three girls want to vote Wigles and if they vote with them, it's a done deal. Spencer asks him where that leaves them after the vote. Stephen says that it leaves them in an alliance of six and allows them to stop playing from the bottom. Spencer says, "Honestly, are we on the bottom?"
Stephen replies, "Yes, right, here there's three of us. That is not the top on an 11 person tribe." Stephen tells us that he doesn't want to make an alliance with the people on the bottom and then get voted out with them. He wants to create a voting block that can move forward in the game. Spencer tells him that he would be thrilled if Wiglesworth was out of the game right now, but he's having trouble with what it will look like afterward. Also, they're counting on Wentworth, Ciera and worse - Abi to stick to the plan. He tells us that he would LOVE to take control of the game, but he's worried that it'll kill his chances.
Spencer and Jeremy try to confirm with him that the "witches" are all down for voting Wiglesworth. Stephen confirms that they are. He also tells them that this isn't an alliance and they don't necessarily have to keep counting on these girls, but they can take advantage of their need right now. Jeremy tells us that he doesn't know what to do. He trusts Stephen more than anyone else, but if they make this move, Kimmi, Tasha, Keith and Joe will be completely blindsided, and where will that leave him? He very much wants to make the right move here, and he's just not sure dumping Kelly Wiglesworth is that move right now.
Okay, it is raining as hard as I've ever seen it rain at Tribal. Everyone and everything is just soaked. Probst is soaked and so is the jury. Kass, by the way, greets the players with the one finger salute - again. Jeff starts with Fishbach, and they discuss the cold and how it's hard to think when it's this cold. Keith agrees that it's hard to concentrate right now with no sleep and no food. Jeff asks Wentworth about the votes last Tribal. She says that she hopes her playing the idol opens some people's eyes and they'll be ready to make a move. She says she doesn't think the vote is as clear cut as some people think it is tonight.
Probst asks Ciera about the fluidity of the game and how what happened last Tribal means absolutely nothing at this Tribal. She agrees and says that she thinks it woke some people up and they're thinking they need to play or get played. Jeff asks Joe about that comment. He says that if you think someone's coming after you, you need to go after them. Really? Is that so, Joe? Because last week, you KNEW Stephen was coming for you and the you ended up voting with him. Huh?
Jeff asks Jeremy about the fluidity of the game and mentions that even so, nine people voted together last Tribal. Jeremy says that it's a big alliance and that things are more like voting blocks and different people have different voting blocks. He says he's still trying to figure it out. Jeff asks Spencer about this and Spencer says it's true, but that doesn't mean you can't still build trust and that trust doesn't just disappear when you vote. And for the first time in I don't know how many Tribals, Jeff asks Kelly Wiglesworth a question. He says that Spencer just laid it out pretty well. The vote always tells the truth. She says that she hopes that everyone just does what they're supposed to do and she feels confident that they will.
When asked, Stephen says that it does seem to be a shift in the way people are playing the game. He says alliances aren't the same as they've been in the past and you need to be flexible with that and the others may need to flexible with you. Tasha jumps in to say that you still need the two or three people that you really trust because the voting block with the most trust will dominate the alliance and help you win the game. Jeff asks them all who feels seriously worried that it could be them tonight. Abi, Tasha, Stephen, Jeremy, Wentworth and Ciera all raise their hands. Jeff finds it interesting that more than half the group is worried tonight. Spencer says it's telling and that it's bold to admit that in front of your alliance and the people you trust. And with that, it's time to vote. This should be good.
We see Tasha's vote for Ciera, saying that she's voting for her as part of the plan and that she hopes it works. We see Keith's vote for Wentworth saying, "Sorry, girl." But you know if nothing else, Keith is gonna "Stick to the plan." Poor guy, he's got to be SO sick of hearing that. Anyway, we also see Wentworth's vote for Wiglesworth saying that there's only room for one Kell(e)y on this island. And that's interesting, because one way or the other, after tonight there will be only one left. It just depends on whether or not Stephen actually pulls the trigger on this and if he was able to get Jeremy and Spencer to go along.
Jeff goes to tally the votes, asks for any idols to be played and it's time to read the votes. First vote: Ciera. Second vote: Wentworth. Third vote: Wiglesworth. Ciera. Wentworth. Wiglesworth. Ciera. Wiglesworth. And it's three Ciera, three Wiglesworth, two Wentworth. This bodes well for Wentworth, as she got skipped in the rotation. And true to form, the next two votes are for the ninth person voted out and the third member of the jury: Kelly Wiglesworth.
With those votes Joe, Keith, Kimmi and Tasha just look confused. For Keith and Joe, they'll roll with it. I worry about how Tasha and Kimmi will take this. As top shelf members of the alliance, to be left out of a decision like this will not go over well. I can't wait to see how Stephen and Jeremy explain this away next week. Anyway, for the first time ever and some 15 years after this adventure started, Kelly Wiglesworth finally has her torch snuffed. With her and Woo gone, Stephen is the last person remaining that hasn't had his torch snuffed at some point. And the way it's going, he might actually be able to make the end again.
Next time on Survivor: the rain only gets worse. Stephen is shown breaking down. Keith tells us that when he's asked whether Survivor is fun, he says that it ain't fun. A cruise is fun. And the next immunity challenge has people making decisions and we see them with a white rock in one hand and a black rock in the other. I can only assume this is one of those, "you don't have to participate" challenges that lets everyone see who feels safe and who doesn't. For those who decide not to participate, it never works out. Never. The bottom of the tribe gets pissed and your alliance mates who stay in get pissed that you won't even try.
One thing's for sure, Joe won't be dropping out and he's the odds on favorite to win his fourth challenge in a row. And by the way...big programming note for Thanksgiving week - **While you might expect them to take a week off for the holiday, it's an #awesometwist for you. There will be two episodes next week. So, two fantastic hours of Survivor while you wait for turkey the next day. Enjoy!!**** 'Til next time, gang, take care!