Survivor: Heroes v Healers v Hustlers - Episode 2 Recap
I'm a Wild Banshee
By Jim Van Nest
October 10, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Last week on Survivor, a bro-mance sprouted on the Hustler tribe as bellhop Ryan found a super-idol and he and Devon decided to pass it off to Chrissy (who didn't play the idol) when the Heroes tribe fell during the immunity challenge. Something of note here - the plan to give the idol to Chrissy was set up by the guys to hand the idol off to someone they thought was safe from the vote and who might be willing to work with them down the road. But Jim - wasn't she the one puking after the first challenge? Did they really think she was that safe? Well, faithful reader, according to the pre-season MVP Josh Wigler, who was on location watching the challenge, the Healers and Hustlers had already left the platform and headed back to camp when Chrissy dropped to her knees and lost her lunch. So, they had no idea it happened. Ok, with that settled up, what else happened?
Well, Joe and Mike discussed idol searches on Heroes beach - and really, that's all we saw of the yellow Healers tribe. It's the one downside to winning everything. If you don't go to Tribal, you don't get as much of the episode devoted to you. That being said, we spent most of our time with the blue Heroes tribe as they were preparing to attend the first Tribal Council of the new season. Alan Ball went bat shit crazy and demanded JP strip down to prove he didn't have an idol. Alan's crazy continued into the Tribal Council and it started to look like he would be the first casualty of the young season. As it turned out, the almost invisible Katrina Radke was unanimously voted out and Chrissy held onto her now-powerless Super Idol. Notice, I didn't say "useless". Chrissy is now in possession of the single greatest fake immunity idol ever in the game. One designed by Survivor's own art department. If she can't figure out a way to use this idol to her advantage, Mensa may come back and revoke her membership. (Yep - she's THAT smart.)
Tonight's episode promises that claws will come out at the Hustler tribe - crab claws, that is. And 2 new couples look to be emerging. Power couple Ben and Chrissy on the Heroes tribe and potential romantic couple Cole and Jessica on the Healers. Either way - forming a noticeable couple is never a good thing in Survivor. I worry for the future of Cole and Jessica, as the romantic couples always suck at hiding their couple-ness. Chrissy and Ben, however, both are pretty smart cookies - their union could be something of major note for the rest of the season.
There's only one way to find any of this out and that's to go ahead and start the episode!! We begin tonight at the Heroes tribe after Tribal. Everyone agrees to never go back to Tribal again. Chrissy tells us how heated and angry Tribal was and that her place in the game has greatly improved. Especially considering that she now has a decoy idol that she plans to use to move forward. Alan tells us about how intense Tribal was and that he was surprised that it got so heated. Um, bruh, YOU'RE the reason it got heated. He tells us he thinks he got what he wanted, which was some suspicion put on Ashley and JP. Um, bruh, that's not how this works.
Ashley tells Chrissy and Ben that it's impossible for her to prove that she DOESN'T have something. Ben and Chrissy tell her they're starting to believe her, but ultimately, Ben doesn't believe anybody right now. The "Core Four" from episode one is no more and it's already moved on to "every man for himself." Wow, that was quick. Gonna be real hard to play an individual game starting on Day 4. Something tells me he'll look to regroup in the morning. Oh wait, that was the preview!
We come back from break to check in with the Hustler tribe and we get a sweet montage of them...well, hustling. Ryan tells us that they've really settled into that hard working spirit associated with a hustler and that he is doing particularly well with his new buddy Devon. We get a quick conversation between the bros and they're all about being the best players on their tribe. Devon talks about how Ryan is the only one he can really talk strategy with and enjoy himself. He has to be serious with everyone else. Ryan tells us that he and Devon are pretty solid, but that he gets along with just about everyone. Only Simone seems to be the standout on their tribe. He says, "She's weird." Which is an odd way to describe her, I think. But ultimately, we learn that she's not fitting in all that well with the tribe and that the outdoorsy thing isn't really her cup of tea. We learn this as she celebrates her first "aqua dump." If you don't watch the show and only read this recap - sorry kids. If I have to hear it, YOU have to hear it. She tells us that she might be outdoorsy, but she's hard working and she's been "surviving" her whole life. She also is willing to try new things, including gutting and cleaning the fish.
The next scene is Simone and Ali off on a walk. Ali tells us that the biggest part of Survivor is dealing with all these different personalities and that while some people might brush Simone off as a diva, but she sees Simone's value and that she wants to pull her in and make her a trusted ally. She feels that since Simone is a fish out of water, so to speak, that she could potentially be a player that Ali could mold into whatever she needs. Yeah, so I know we're only 1 and a fraction episodes in, but I'd like to change my Final 4 to include Ali. She's got a good Survivor head on her shoulders and I think she has a good chance to go really far.
Ok, let's go see the Healers tribe. They keep winning, so we don't get much from them. Maybe we'll get an idea of some tribe dynamics tonight. And the music turns light and playful. Not quite dodo music, but not far from it. We join Cole and Jessica on a fishing trip. Jessica is having a hard time catching any fish. She is spot on, however, in catching a wilderness survival guide. But, she's, like, 30 and stuff, so he's probably just a silly kid to her. Or something like that. Either way, love is blooming. Back at camp, Mike and Joe are grilling Desi about being Miss Virginia. Joe suggests that he and Mike are on the wrong tribe, because they're the ugly ones on the Beauty tribe. Joe is really starting to like Dr. Mike, but he's still telling everyone that Mike has the idol. So, he must not like him that much. Also, he hasn't been able to have near the time to search for an idol like he wants to.
Eventually, Roark, Desi and Mike head to the well leaving Joe alone in camp. He quickly Vlachos his way out looking for clues and idols. After searching in all the obvious places, he's still empty handed. Looking around an interesting tree, he notices a treasure map drawn on the trunk. A CLUE!!! But Joe can't figure out what the clue says. It has a square drawing on it that is quite obviously the well, and suggests that the idol is 5 feet away from the well and buried. I can only assume Joe has not gone to get water yet, because he has NO idea the drawing means. He thinks it's a raft. And who's been out on the raft a lot? Cole. So, Cole might know and may have already found the idol. So, Joe runs off to Cole to tell him what he found. Joe explains the clue and it makes no sense to Cole who has not seen anything to suggest an idol anywhere. So, he has Joe take him to the clue on the tree. In like 2 seconds, Cole is like, "It's the well, dumbass." The idol is 5 feet from the well.
So, now Joe has an idol hunting partner and they make their way over to the well. After about 10 seconds of digging, Joe has an idol in his hand. He tells us that sharing the clue was a huge risk and that Cole knowing he has the idol could turn out to backfire on him, so he'll be watching Cole closely. The cameras are also watching Cole closely as he returns to the scene and machete's the clue off the bark of the tree, never to be found again by anyone. Ultimately, a duo and alliance can be made over an idol find. Look at Kyle Jason and Scot Pollard. But, I don't think Joe's cut out that way. Cole looks to be super loyal and a bit naive, which will make it that much easier for Joe to clip him the first chance he gets.
We come back from break to join JP on a fishing expedition. Doesn't catch any fish, but brings in a really nice looking lobster. It's a good thing he can fish, because he is about as dull a Survivor "character" as anyone ever has been. He's a walking sports cliché. If I had more time and space, I'd list a bunch of quotes and see if you could tell who is JP after catching a lobster and who is Tom Brady after throwing a TD. There's just nothing here. One game we do have time for though is to play the JP game, where you tag "and things like that" at the end of every sentence...and things like that. He tells us that he's still worried about being branded a "power couple" but he wants to talk to some of the other people and straighten that out...and things like that.
We get to spend some quality time with Chrissy as she lays out her game, as she sees it anyway. She feels that making it through the first vote was huge and that she has a chance now. But she really wants to find a partner to work with. So, she starts analyzing her choices. She feels like JP is not smart enough to go far. But we see her chatting him up pretty well. She then shoots down Ashley as not trustworthy, as we see her cozying up to her. Third on the no-go list is Alan. He went nuts, so she's worried about how that would work. But we see her locking up some quality time with Alan. Ultimately, she decides on Ben as her strategic sidekick. She approaches him with that and he's all for it. They both feel like they can run the game together. In fact, Ben even tells us that they're in the "driver's seat". Oh shit - that's the kiss of death, isn't it? If nothing else, they seem solid for now. I will say that if Chrissy follows through on her actions - setting up little alliances with everyone - she could be in for a deep run. But, if she follows through on her words and has really completely negated 75% of her options on her own tribe, she could be in trouble. Survivor is a fluid game and rigidity is one of the classic downfalls. I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.
With Chrissy and Ben all settled, it's time to check back in with the Hustlers. We take a peek on Devon doing some meditation/yoga on the beach, but that is quickly interrupted by human cartoon, Patrick screaming about finding a crab. He's freaking out over the crab, which is pretty annoying to Lauren. What follows is basically a b-reel of Patrick acting like a fool all over camp. He seems to think that if he can be the jungle jester, people will keep him around. Lauren has pretty well had enough of him. She tells us several reasons why he bugs the shit out of her, but she doesn't feel like she's in the place to say something. She's kinda left out of the crowd and she worries that by singling him out, she'll ultimately put a target on her own back. Cut to Lauren and Ali chatting about Patrick. Lauren tells her concerns to Ali and Ali 100% understands, which has her 100% wondering if she did the right thing in aligning with Patrick. As we head to break, Ali lets us know that while she wants to work with Patrick, if the tribe decides he's too much for them, she'll have to cut him loose. Like seriously - can I please have my winner pick back? I'd like to change!
We come back from break to Day 6 and this episode's Probst Sighting!!! Today's challenge is a good one. 3 members of each tribe will have to dive down into the water, untie a pile of puzzle signs and then move them through an underwater cage to release them to the surface. Once all 3 sets of pieces are released and taken to the platform, the other 2 members of the tribe will work on a sweet sign post puzzle highlighting many of the locations Survivor has filmed on. Healers and Hustlers will need to sit someone out. Joe, who learned to swim just to be on Survivor, sits for the Healers while Lauren sits for the Hustlers. Also up for grabs on this challenge, a huge fishing kit for the winning tribe and a smaller fishing kit for the 2nd place tribe. Worth playing for? I know it is.
Diving for the Heroes: Ashley, JP and Ben. Diving for the Healers: Cole, Jessica and Roark. Diving for the Hustlers: Devon, Ryan and Patrick. And they're off and neck and neck getting to the buoy where they are to dive down. Devon goes down first for the Hustlers. Ashley and Cole also go down, but both come back up without a bundle. Devon, however, gets his bundle. And he goes right back down. JP and Jessica come up with bundles as Devon gets bundle #2. JP gets bundle #3 about the same time as Devon gets # 3. Devon has just destroyed the first half of this challenge. JP now comes up with the 3rd set of pieces for the Heroes - he ALSO has killed this challenge. The Healers are WAY behind at this point. Both groups are working on puzzle as Cole come up with the 3rd bundle of pieces for Healers.
The Hustlers are first to give it a go on their puzzle, but they're wrong. They have to switch some pieces out. Simone and Ali have completely lost the huge lead the Hustlers had. They try again and it's still wrong. Healers are starting to catch up and they spin their puzzle - and the Healers. Win. Immunity! All the way from WAY behind, the Healers win again. The Heroes have also caught the Hustlers and when all is said and done, the Hustlers just cannot figure it out and the Heroes win immunity! Hustlers heading to Tribal Council tonight. As we leave the challenge, Devon tells us that Simone is the easy choice tonight as she doesn't really fit in with the group and she obviously can't do a puzzle.
We come back to Hustler Beach where it's time to play, "It's Anyone But Simone." Ultimately, I'm not sure how it could be anyone but Simone, unless Patrick is just THAT annoying. To her credit, Simone steps up and takes responsibility for the loss. On Survivor, that's a tough thing to do, so kudos to her for that. She tells us that she's feeling pretty much on the outside, but she knows that Lauren is tired of Patrick and she's going to try to work the narrative to booting Patrick. She gets with the girls and pretty well gets them on board for a Patrick vote. She just needs to get a guy to join them. Lauren is a little worried about it as Simone isn't very good in the challenges, but she signs on for Patrick. Patrick tells us that Simone is the one to go as the guys are all together and Ali's on his side. Patrick takes Ali aside to confirm that Simone is the vote. Ali, of course, is on board with that. And, she has very nicely set herself up in the middle of this vote as everyone in the tribe seems to be running their plans through Ali.
In an interesting conversation, we see Ali pow-wowing with Ryan and they discuss the benefits of keeping either Simone or Patrick. What's interesting here isn't really the content of the conversation, but the feel that Ryan and Ali are joining forces with Devon and are creating a really formidable threesome in this game. Once this vote is over, they'll have the majority on this tribe and depending on possible swaps, could be a very powerful force to be reckoned with. To his credit, as they prepare for Tribal, Ryan breaks down the choice tonight with pros and cons of both Simone and Patrick without really tipping his hand with how he's going to go. I still say it's Simone, but let's get to Tribal and see.
As this is their first trip to Tribal, everyone has to grab a torch and dip it in to get fire. Fire represents life on the island and once their fire is gone, so are they. Jeff gets right to it by asking Ryan what the vibe of the tribe is. He talks about how well everyone has bonded and then gets off on some sort of weird birthday party analogy. No one really gets it, but ultimately, I think he was saying that no one wanted to come to Tribal. Ali talks about how it's so hard to figure these votes out, because you can't only think about how the vote will affect the tribe, but how it will affect you personally. Patrick agrees with this assessment. He wants to keep the tribe strong and moving forward. Ryan makes a really nice statement here where he says that they all want to move forward with the best tribe possible, but ultimately, "there are 6 different agendas up here, but everybody thinks there's only 1 plan." Simone plans to vote to keep a group of people she can trust as that's the most important thing moving forward. Jeff asks Patrick about trust in the game and he says that he can trust most of the people up there. This gets everyone’s attention. Patrick tries to walk it back, but ultimately, if everyone is being truthful, they all feel that way. Someone is getting voted out, so there cannot be complete trust throughout this tribe. However, making that little blunder is the kind of thing that could change the minds of people on the edge. Although I'm not sure anyone is really on the edge with this vote. We chit chat a little more and finally, it's time to vote.
We see Simone's vote for Patrick, with no comment. We also see Patrick's vote for Simone with no comment. So, whatever happens, it'll be unanimous. No idols are played and Jeff reads the votes. First vote: Patrick. Second vote: Simone. Third vote: Simone. As are the fourth, fifth and sixth votes. The second person voted out of Survivor: HHH - Simone. And ultimately, as annoying as Patrick is, that was the right decision. You have a person not fitting in AND a detriment in the challenges? You have to send her packing. Especially since these challenges are combined in the early game of a 3 tribe season. When they lose, they not only have to go to Tribal, but they're losing some sort of reward that would make things MUCH easier.
Next time on Survivor: Looks like things with Patrick and Lauren are going to come to a head over at Hustler Beach. Cole and Jessica are getting closer over on Healer Beach. Close enough for Cole to tell her that Joe has an idol and start talking about getting rid of that threat. The Heroes? You'll just have to tune in to see. Until next week, thanks for reading and take care!
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