Coming back from the last vote, Russell sees that he is no longer in direct control of the game, so he knows the first thing he has to do is regain a majority alliance.
First, he goes to Mike, which is easy, since Mike was as blindsided by the last vote as Russell was.
Then, he approaches Shambo and Yasmin, but they're not very forgiving. Yasmin says something along the lines of "You got outplayed; get over it!" Shambo is less vocal, but also says "no."
Russell then goes to Ashley, and asks her if their Final 2 deal is still on. Ashley is confused, since she betrayed him on the last vote, but she says "Um, sure."
The 7 players gather for what they thought would be the next Reward Challenge, but Jeff surprises them when he reveals that the challenge will be for immunity! He reveals another twist when he says this Immunity Challenge will be twice as important! This is because during the next Tribal Council, 2 people will be eliminated, one right after the other. The immunity will last for both votes. The players know that this will change their immediate gameplay.
Another surprise occurs when Ashley wins immunity, contrary to everyone's expectations. She will be safe for the double-vote in the next Tribal Council, meaning she has an assured spot in the Final 5.
Back at camp, the women re-affirm their all-female alliance, and they decide to vote off Russell first, and then Mike in the following vote. Ashley does not reveal that Russell tried to approach her earlier, but Shambo and Yasmin mention it and laugh at his scrambling.
Russell sees he still doesn't have enough votes, even with Mike and Ashley, so he finds a way to talk with Kelly, Monica, and Ashley privately. He plants what he refers to as a "Russell seed" when he subtly reveals that Yasmin "probably" has the Hidden Immunity Idol. (Kelly and Monica, of course, know that isn't true, because Kelly has the idol.) However, they decide to humor him, anyway. They ask him what they should do about it, and Russell suggests that they split their votes - Kelly, Monica, and Ashley vote for Yasmin while Russell and Mike vote for Shambo. Then, if Yasmin plays the idol, Shambo would be eliminated. He then says that whoever doesn't go that vote, they can vote off in the following vote.
Later, Kelly and Monica discuss this notion privately. They agree that Russell does need to go, but it might be better for them to use him to break up the Yasmin/Shambo pair, first. Monica then suggests that after Yasmin goes, then they could vote for Russell.
However, Russell has a second plan of his own. He tells Mike that he convinced the girls to vote off Yasmin, and then Shambo afterwards. Russell then says that in the following vote, they can try to blindside Monica (he doesn't want to risk voting Kelly, since she "might" have the idol). Mike is unsure about how much they can trust Ashley, and if they tell her the plan, then she could tell Kelly and Kelly could give her idol to Monica. Russell agrees, but that means they need to find another way to get an extra vote.
Later, Russell talks to Shambo again, and this time, tells her that Kelly and Monica are planning to vote off Yasmin the first vote, and then Shambo the next. Shambo doesn't believe him, and thinks he's just making this up. To counter this, Russell says, for the first vote, do whatever you want, but if Yasmin goes the first vote, then vote for Monica for the second vote, because otherwise, you'll be going home.
What they didn't know; however, is that Monica had overheard this conversation in the background, and she runs back to Kelly to reveal what she heard. They discuss whether Kelly should give the Hidden Immunity Idol to Monica, as well as the possibility that Russell knew Monica was in the background and he MEANT for Monica to hear (meaning he'd really be voting for Kelly). They wonder if he already has Ashley on his side - meaning they shouldn't tell her about their plans, and they also debate whether they should vote off Russell the first vote rather than the second.
All this strategic discussion from all ends comes to a close when the time for Tribal Council arrives. Jeff gets the votes, and nobody plays the Hidden Immunity Idol for the first vote, so Jeff starts to read the votes:
1st vote - Russell
2nd vote - Russell
3rd vote - Shambo
4th vote - Shambo
5th vote - Yasmin
6th vote - Yasmin
7th vote, and 14th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa and 3rd member of the Jury...
Yasmin!
Russell is relieved that the first part of his plan went through, but Shambo is confused at this, and concludes that Russell must have been telling her the truth earlier (at least to some degree.)
The 6 remaining players vote a second time, and this time when Jeff calls for anybody that wishes to play the Hidden Immunity Idol, Monica steps forward! Russell, Shambo, Mike, and Ashley are all incredibly shocked and confused by this.
Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Shambo
2nd vote - Monica (doesn't count)
3rd vote - Monica (doesn't count)
4th vote - Monica (doesn't count)
5th vote - Russell
6th vote, and 15th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa and 4th member of the Jury...
Russell!
The self-proclaimed puppetmaster has been outwitted, and there are now only 5 players left in the game - Shambo, Ashley, Monica, Kelly, and Mike. Who will be voted off next time, and who will win the million dollar prize?
Revealed votes:
1st time:
Mike -> Shambo
Shambo -> Russell
Russell -> Shambo
Ashley -> Yasmin
Kelly -> Yasmin
Yasmin -> Russell
Monica -> Yasmin
2nd time:
Mike -> Monica
Shambo -> Monica
Russell -> Monica
Ashley -> Shambo
Kelly -> Russell
Monica -> Russell
Upolu Tribe - Mike, Russell S., Shambo, Russell H., Ashley, Kelly, Yasmin, Monica
Coming back from Tribal Council, the alliance of Ashley, Kelly, and Monica is joyous, but they realize that Marisa's boot may have just delayed the inevitable, since the three of them still have a minority in the tribe.
Russell H., on the other hand, becomes extremely confident; believing that he can now get these other players to do exactly what he wants them to do. That very night, he announces to his alliance-mates, Russell S., Mike, and Shambo and Yasmin, that Kelly is the next to go, followed by Monica and Ashley. Shambo agrees, but she is worried that the men might stick together and vote off her and Yasmin afterwards.
At the reward challenge, the 8 players are randomly split into two teams. The Yellow team is Yasmin, Kelly, Monica, and Russell S. The Purple team is Russell H., Shambo, Ashley, and Mike. After a fierce showdown, the Yellow team emerges victorious, and they will visit a nice waterfall to have a picnic.
However, Jeff then announces another twist. The four members of the Yellow team will partake in another challenge, a test of throwing rocks to break tiles, and the winner gets an additional prize, a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol. Yasmin emerges victorious, although Kelly, Monica, and Ashley know that there is no Hidden Immunity Idol to be found, since Kelly already has it in her possession.
Back at the Upolu camp, Russell H. uses this chance to talk with Ashley alone and to try to get her on his side. He offers her a Final Two deal (which he obviously has no intention of keeping.) He tells her that as long as Kelly goes first, then anybody else except the two of them can go afterwards.
On the reward, Kelly and Monica take a similar opportunity once Russell S. steps off for a short time. They question Yasmin about her position in Russell's alliance. Yasmin tries not to reveal too much information, but she says she's close with Shambo, and she's open to suggestions. Monica suggests that they could vote off both Russell's and then Mike, and take her and Shambo to the top. They even say they can vote out Ashley once they get to the Top 5. Yasmin thinks this is a good idea, but she says she will have to talk to Shambo once they get back to camp.
The 8 players meet together again in time for the Immunity Challenge. Shambo ends up winning immunity.
Returning to camp, Yasmin reads her clue for the Immunity Idol and starts to search for it. Of course, she is unable to find it, because it is already gone. Yasmin still isn't sure that Kelly has it, but now she begins to suspect it.
Yasmin talks to Shambo about the possibility of voting out Russell S. tonight. She points out their inferior position in their current alliance, and she also mentions that Russell S. has already won 2 Individual Immunity Challenges. She says; however, that if Shambo would rather stay loyal to Russell H., then she would honor that.
Kelly lets Ashley know that Shambo and Yasmin would possibly flip on their alliance and vote out Russell S. She asks if they're sure, and they say not completely. Ashley doesn't let them know about Russell H.'s offer, but she believes that if Shambo and Yasmin didn't flip sides, then it would be better to stay on Russell H.'s good side and not vote out one of his allies.
Tribal Council comes, and Jeff asks if anyone has a Hidden Immunity Idol and wants to play it. Kelly feels confident enough, and she keeps her idol. Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Kelly
2nd vote - Kelly
3rd vote - Kelly
4th vote - Russell S.
5th vote - Russell S.
6th vote - Russell S.
7th vote - Russell S.
8th vote, and 13th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa...
Russell S.
Revealed votes:
Mike -> Kelly
Russell S. -> Kelly
Shambo -> Russell S.
Russell H. -> Kelly
Ashley -> Russell S.
Kelly -> Russell S.
Yasmin -> Russell S.
Monica -> Russell S.
How will Russell H. fare after one of his allies was just blindsided? Will Shambo and Yasmin stay with their new alliance, or are they at the bottom of that alliance as well? Next episode will be a double-elimination! Who will be voted out next... and who will win the million dollar prize?
Upolu Tribe - Mike, Russell S., Shambo, Russell H., Ashley, Kelly, Yasmin, Marisa, Monica
Coming back from Tribal Council, Russell H.'s alliance begins to gloat about their majority, Russell S. in particular. Monica is annoyed by this, but she still says she can pull through, since she has been on a minority alliance for the whole game, yet has made it this far.
Kelly later gathers Ashley and Monica and says they need to find away to get in control of the game. Ashley suggests that since trying to get them "with us" didn't work, they instead had to get them to go "against each other." They try to create a scheme to get Russell S. off the island.
When the tribe receives tree-mail, instead of a reward challenge, each player is given $500 to spend in an auction for food and other luxuries, as well as "certain things to help you in the game." Several food items are sold, such as a cheeseburger with soda to Mike, and a piece of chocolate cake to Monica. But things get interesting when Jeff reveals a bottle, and he says that this bottle will give one person a big advantage in the next immunity challenge. Bidding is tight between Kelly and Russell S., but Russell S. ends up spending all his money to buy it. The following item; however, is perhaps more interesting, as it is a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol. Kelly bids the money that she didn't have to spend on the last item to buy the clue.
Back at camp, Kelly goes aside and views her clue, which is stored on some random model of a Sprint Phone (with a cool touch-screen, OMG!). It shows somebody lifting a rock and placing the Hidden Immunity Idol under the rock. Kelly searches around and is able to locate it. She doesn't take it back to camp; instead, she buries it nearby and returns to camp without it; thus, everybody else would assume she was unable to find it. Later, she reveals to Monica and Ashley that she found it.
Trying to put their plan into action, Ashley goes to Marisa and casually complains about Russell S. She also points out that he's a big threat in challenges. Marisa agrees, although she isn't sure how they could vote him off, since Russell H. is the one really in control.
At the immunity challenge, it ends up being a showdown between Russell S. and Marisa at the end, but Russell S.'s advantage helps him out as he wins immunity. This saddens Kelly, Ashley, and Monica, since now they need to find another target.
Back at camp, Russell's alliance gathers and they agree to vote out Kelly this time. Later, though, Russell H. talks privately to Shambo, Yasmin, Mike, and Russell S. and reveals to them that Marisa has the Hidden Immunity Idol. They consider using this opportunity to vote her off and get the idol out of the game, but nobody is entirely sure. They also say that if Kelly has the Hidden Immunity Idol, she is likely to play it tonight and waste it.
However, what they didn't know was that Monica was listening in to their conversation in the background. She reports back to Kelly and asks if she should still use her Hidden Immunity Idol. If Russell's alliance ends up voting for Marisa, she says, then playing the Immunity Idol would be a waste, but if she doesn't play it, and Russell's alliance votes for Kelly, then she'd be out of the game.
Tribal Council comes, and Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Kelly
2nd vote - Marisa
3rd vote - Marisa
4th vote - Marisa
5th vote - Marisa
6th vote, and 12th person voted off and 1st member of the jury...
Marisa.
The blindside is successful, and Kelly gets to keep her Hidden Immunity Idol.
Who will be voted off next? And who will win the million dollars? Please comment!
Foa Foa - Mike, Russell S., Shambo, Russell H., Ashley, Kelly, Yasmin, Mick
Galu - Marisa, Monica
For Marisa and Monica, coming back from Tribal Council is very awkward, due to all the confusion and dissention for the past vote. When they get back to camp, they start discussing the vote, and Monica realizes that Marisa voted for her originally. Monica tries to play Marisa's guilt on this, but then Marisa points out Monica's secret deal with Liz. When Marisa asks what they're going to do with the merge, Monica snaps that she will vote with Kelly, and she doesn't care what Marisa is doing.
The next morning, both tribes receive their tree-mail, which gives them a map to a new camp. There is a feast awaiting them. They celebrate for a short period, and then they get to work creating the shelter. They name the new tribe "Upolu," after the island they're surviving on.
Monica goes to Kelly and they reaffirm their alliance. Kelly asks if Marisa would vote with them, and Monica said probably not, but she'll try again. Kelly says that she has Mick and Ashley, but they need at least one more person to make a tie vote.
Meanwhile, Marisa goes to Russell H. and reveals that Liz attempted to backstab her the previous Tribal Council, so she had to switch her vote to Liz. Russell asks if she is still in with his alliance, and Marisa says yes. Russell says, then, that they will target Kelly tonight.
Later, Monica approaches Marisa again and tries to apologize for the argument they had earlier. However, Marisa is only angered by this, and she says that Monica is only trying to make peace because she needs her vote.
At the immunity challenge, Jeff announces that 2 people will win immunity, one man and one woman. Russell S. wins it for the men, while Kelly wins it for the women.
With Kelly winning immunity, Russell H. says that the vote will have to switch from Kelly to Mick. They all agree.
Since Marisa is with Russell H., Kelly tries for a different angle to get a majority. She goes to Russell's expendable allies, Shambo and Yasmin, and tells them that they're at the bottom of the totem pole. Yasmin agrees that that is probably true, but Shambo is somewhat reluctant to switch from one alliance just to be in the bottom of another. They ask Kelly about this, and Kelly says they'll both get Final 5 for sure, if they vote off Russell H.
Tribal Council comes, and Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Mick
2nd vote - Russell H.
3rd vote - Mick
4th vote - Russell H.
5th vote - Mick
6th vote - Russell H.
7th vote - Mick
8th vote - Russell H.
...
9th vote - Mick
10th vote, and 11th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa...
Mick.
Revealed votes:
Mike -> Mick
Russell S. -> Mick
Shambo -> Mick
Russell H. -> Mick
Ashley -> Russell H.
Kelly -> Russell H.
Yasmin -> Mick
Mick -> Russell H.
Marisa -> Mick
Monica -> Russell H.
Foa Foa - Mike, Russell S., Shambo, Russell H., Ashley, Kelly, Yasmin, Mick
Galu - Liz, Marisa, Monica
The Foa Foa tribe returns from Tribal Council, where they voted off the other tribe's mutineer, Erik. Ashley, Mick, and Kelly are upset, though they are a little joyed in that Russell H. wasted his Hidden Immunity Idol. Shambo and Yasmin, on the other hand, start to worry about their own position on the totem pole, since Russell H. never let them know about his idol. Russell S., however; tells Russell H. that he voted for Erik anyway, and the two successfully rekindle their alliance.
On Galu, Marisa, Liz, and Monica meet together and discuss what to do after the merge. They are aware of two vague alliances... Russell H.'s alliance, and Kelly's alliance. They debate for a while, but they eventually agree that it's probably best to ally with the alliance that's in the minority, until the three of them can take charge and become the Final 3.
But that's not to say that Galu is clear on everything; Liz still has conflicting Final 2 deals with both Marisa and Monica, and nobody knows about Marisa's Hidden Immunity Idol except Russell H. on the other tribe.
At the reward challenge, the 3 members of Galu pull there 3rd underdog victory in a row! Tribe Leader Liz once again sends Marisa to Foa Foa to figure out more about the alliances there.
When at Foa Foa, Marisa starts by talking to Russell H. who he sees in the Final 5. Russell says himself, Marisa, Liz, Russell S., and Mike.
Marisa then talks to Kelly and asks the same question. Kelly seems relieved that there's a chance in this game for her, and she'd hope to bring Monica, Ashley, and Mick far in the game. However, Kelly says that unfortunately, she is on the minority alliance on Foa Foa, and could not possibly make all of her alliance survive the next vote. In order to make it to the merge, she tells Marisa that Galu must throw the next immunity challenge and get rid of either Liz or Monica, and Liz would be preferable.
Marisa noted that Shambo and Yasmin were not part of either Final 5, but she did not know what to think about that.
When returning to her tribe for the immunity challenge, Marisa decided to throw it, and made a few "mistakes" which caused Galu to lose.
Back on Galu, Marisa debates her two options... she could either get rid of Liz and ally with Monica and Kelly, or get rid of Monica and side with Liz and Russell H. She decided to ask Monica to vote off Liz and ask Liz to vote off Monica. What she didn't know; however, was Monica and Liz's secret deal.
Tribal Council comes, and Jeff asks if anybody wants to play the Hidden Immunity Idol. Marisa feels safe that night, and decides not to, so Jeff reads the votes:
1st vote - Monica
2nd vote - Liz
3rd vote...
Marisa! A 3-way tie! Marisa decided to honor her older alliance with Russell; she voted for Monica. Liz honored her Final 2 deal for Monica by voting for Marisa, and Monica chose her new alliance with Marisa by voting for Liz.
Jeff calls for a revote, and if the revote does not solve the tie, they will all draw rocks to determine who will go home.
1st vote - Monica
2nd vote - Liz
3rd vote, and 10th person voted off of Survivor: Samoa...
Liz!
Liz changed her vote to Monica, but Marisa changed her vote to Liz!
Revealed votes - 1st time:
Liz -> Marisa
Marisa -> Monica
Monica -> Liz
2nd time:
Liz -> Monica
Marisa -> Liz
Monica -> Liz
How will this affect the alliances going into the merge next episode, now that Monica knows that Marisa originally tried to vote her off?
Been a while since I posted the last one... finally getting around to this.
Current tribes:
Foa Foa - Mike, Russell S., Shambo, Russell H., Ashley, Kelly, Yasmin, Erik, Mick
Galu - Liz, Marisa, Monica
Galu now has only 3 tribe members left, and they have named Liz as their new leader. To avoid a purple rock last time, Marisa made a compromise with Liz and sent Betsy home. When they get back to camp, Marisa talks to Liz and they agree that Monica must go home next. However, Liz still keeps her Final 2 Deal with Monica in mind.
On Foa Foa, Russell H. debates with Russell S. about the next vote. Russell S. still requests that they vote off the weakest player, Ashley, but Russell H. says that Erik is a big strategic threat, and he shouldn't be allowed to make the merge. Russell H. then shows his Hidden Immunity idol to Russell S. as a bargaining tool.
At the reward challenge, much of Galu is shocked to see Betsy voted off instead of Monica... but Kelly, Erik, Mick, and Ashley are pleasantly surprised. In a stunning show, the 3 Galu women are able to pull off the win. Liz chooses to send Marisa over to Foa Foa.
Russell H. uses this opportunity to quesetion Marisa about Galu's decision to vote off Betsy instead of Monica. Marisa tells him that she wanted Monica gone, but Liz was persistent about getting rid of Betsy. Russell worries about Liz's loyalty, and he helps Marisa by getting the rest of the Foa Foa tribe away while Marisa searches for the Hidden Immunity Idol. She successfully finds it!
Marisa returns to her tribe for the immunity challenge, and again, Galu is able to pull off a win, which means the 9 members of Foa Foa will be going to Tribal Council.
Erik returns to Russell S. and tries to coerce him using the same argument as before, that if Russell H. can go first, then Ashley can go next. Russell S. tells him that Russell H. was trying to get rid of Erik, and that he has the Hidden Immunity Idol. Erik points out that this is an even better time to get rid of Russell H., since it will flush out his immunity idol when he isn't expecting it!
Russell H., however, sees Russell S. talking to Erik and he begins to worry. He confronts Russell S. about the conversation, but Russell S. uses evasive answers.
Tribal Council comes, and Jeff asks if anybody wants to play the Hidden Immunity Idol. Russell H. stands up and hands the Immunity Idol to him. Jeff announces that any votes for Russell H. will not count tonight.
First vote - Erik
Second vote - Erik
Third vote - Russell H. (doesn't count)
Fourth vote - Russell H. (doesn't count)
Fifth vote - Erik
Sixth vote - Russell H. (doesn't count) - at this point, Jeff says the best Erik can hope for is a tie with someone other than Russell H.
Seventh vote - Russell H., which means Erik is eliminated.
Revealed votes:
Mike -> Erik
Russell S. -> Erik
Shambo -> Erik
Russell H. -> Erik
Ashley -> Russell H.
Kelly -> Russell H.
Yasmin -> Erik
Erik -> Russell H.
Mick -> Russell H.
It turns out that Russell S. ended up not betraying Russell H., so in reality, Russell H. wasted his Immunity Idol. How will he fare without it now? Will Marisa be able to use hers to change the game?
