Episode 1
Jeff introduces the concept of Exile Island
Terry comes in first in the reward challenge for the older men tribe; Austin in 2nd for young men; Ruth Marie in 3rd for older women; Danielle in last for young women
Danielle offers to stay on exile island, but the yougn women agree she shouldn't have to. So they play Rock-Paper-Scissors and Misty ends up staying
It's apparent to everyone that Cirie Fields is not made to be outside
Young men decide to play baseball on the beach and do weird hand energy thing with Aras rather than do anything productive
The young women can't decide on a place to make a shelter, and find a dead sea turtle that Courtney thinks is significant for whatever reason as Sally and Danielle awkwardly stare at her
Ninja Bruce samurai-chops wood and coconuts with his Ninja Machete-Katana
Dan and Terry form a pseudo-alliance where they pledge to be honest to each other, and Dan reveals he was an astronaught
Shane explains how his tribe is stupid and how cigarette withdrawal is already affecting him
Misty plans on pretending she has the idol when she gets back
Tina sits by herself, mourning the loss of her fairly recently deceased son. Her isolation rubs her tribe the wrong way.
Cirie goes to work convincing people to vote for Tina, since Cirie knows she's a potential boot
Despite her usefulness being emphasized at tribal council, Cirie turns out victorious as Tina is the first voted out of Survivor: Panama
Favorites: Sally, Misty
Episode 2
Shane desperately misses his son and questions why he came on the show
*TRIBE SWAP INTO 2 TRIBES* *CAPTAINS ARE RANDOMLY DECIDED AS TERRY AND DANIELLE, AND THEY THEN PICK NEW TRIBES*
La Mina: Terry, Sally, Austin, Misty, Nick, Ruth-Marie, Dan
Casaya: Danielle, Shane, Courtney, Aras, Cirie, Bobby, Melinda
Bruce is not chosen, so he is sent to Exile Island and will replace the next person voted out
Cirie and Melinda are overall outsiders in Casaya
Shane forms an alliance consisting of himself, Courtney, Danielle, and Aras
Terry brings in Austin and Nick into his alliance with Dan
However, Sally also forms an alliance with Austin, Nick, and Misty
Ninja Bruce practices Ninja Posing and Ninja Yelling on his Exile Shinobi Island of Solitude
Sally instantly loses the Hawaiian Sling in the ocean
Shane, still having a rough time, asks his alliance members to vote him off
Aras, however, manages to convince him to stay
Aras then hosts a public forum of sorts, saying it's nothing personal but he's going to vote for either Cirie or Melinda
Courtney gets pissed that Aras does this publically
After Cirie is open and cries over how much she wants to stay, the Casaya Four decide to send Melinda home
Favorites: Sally, Misty, Aras
Episode 3
Sensai Bruce tries teacing Casaya his Ninja water-filtering ways, but it rubs them the wrong way (especially Shane)
Ninja Bruce enlightens the viewing audience with how he is now on top of the tribe and everyone is happy to have him
La Mina catches many fish despite losing the spear, but most are poisonous puffer fish
La Mina, led by Austin, send Bruce back to Exile, since they claimed he was a big morale booster
Shane claims a stump as "Shane's Thinking Seat", and asks no one else to sit on it. Courtney questions why and Shane explodes.
"Because I picked it. You WANT THIS ONE??? I'LL GO GET ANOTHER ONE!!! I WANT ONE! THIS ONE! I JUST WANT MINE!"
Misty flirts with Austin and Nick, trying to sway them to work with her and Sally
Terry and Dan think Misty underperformed in the challenge, and plan to vote for her
Sally and Misty, since they figure Nick won't vote for Dan, target Ruth-Marie
As a side note, Panama has to have one of the coolest tribal councils ever
Austin and Nick end up siding with the other guys, and Misty is voted out
Favorites: Misty (RIP), Sally, Aras, Shane
Episode 4
Sally knows she's on bottom and works hard around camp to make a better impression
Dan extends an offer to Ruth-Marie to join the alliance of himself, Terry, Austin, and Nick
After spending all morning catching snails, Shane, Aras, and Kanegai-San get annoyed at the rest of the tribe for being lazy (Aras says in confessional he REALLY doesn't want to work with Courtney, but he gave his word)
Cirie plans to work hard and stay out of the drama, hopefully sailing by under the radar
Casaya and wins reward, sending Terry to exile (as Shane laughs)
Casaya decides to use their newly acquired outhouse to dryly store wood and towells. The Almighty Bob-Dawg first decides to take a big ol dump before they do that, though
Casay's plan to send Terry to exile somewhat backfires, as Terry finds the idol!
Shane calls out Danielle for not working hard; turns into fight
Austin pitches to Terry to vote off Ruth-Marie (to do better in challenges) as opposed to Sally
Dan, naturally as the one who actually made the promise with Ruth-Marie, is opposed to it (so is Nick)
Ultimately Sally is able to hang on as the men (other than Dan) vote out Ruth-Marie
Favorites: Shane, Aras, Sally
Episode 5
Ninja Master Bruce forms a zen rock garden instead of tending fire; Aras gets annoyed and scolds him
Aras pulls Bruce aside and makes amends with him
Ninja Bruce's katana skills are getting rusty, as he falls behind in the reward challenge when he fails to chop the head off a fish
Casaya manages to turn things around after Bobby swaps out for Bruce, slashin fish like tissue, and the tribe sends Terry back to exile
Casaya's camp floods, essentially turning the area into a pond
Nick and Austin experience some nausea after eating presumably undercooked beans
Bobby and Bruce drink all the wine in the outhouse at night, and Bob admits he's probably going to flip at the merge. The two promise not to vote each other out.
Courtney gets pissed at Bobby for the wine; Bobby basically just tells her to fuck off
The Casaya Four discuss who to vote out; Shane wants Bobby, Aras wants Bruce. Both for the same reason; lack of trust
Shane goes to Bobby, telling him that he was almost the vote due to doubt of his loyalty. Shane has Bobby swear on Boston Powers that Bob won't flip, and Shane swears he'll take Bobby to f6 on Boston aswell
Courtney does yoga in Bruce's garden, disturbing his shinobi vibes and therefore angering Master Kanegai
Danielle goes behind Aras's back and tries gaining the votes to send Bobby home anyway
As Shane flushed his vote, Cirie, Courtney and Danielle had the numbers to get Bobby out of the game
Favorites: Sally, Shane, Aras
Episode 6
Shane publically tells Danielle she made a shitty decision in getting Bobby out, and Shane admits he'd love to leave the alliance
Cirie tells Courtney about the incident (since she slept out of the shelter that night)
Cirie, Courtney, and Danielle decide they want to actually vote Shane out next
Shane asks Danielle and Courtney for his son's name back. They comply, and the Casaya Four officially end
Casaya sends Sally to exile, where she will be safe from the upcoming tribal council
Shane barters with a native for a cigarette LOL
Shane apologizes to Danielle over the reward, and Danielle seems to accept the apology
Dan is convinced the vote will be 2v2, but Terry is willing to go with the young guys
Terry informs Dan that he'll be the vote, and Dan accepts it
Dan does not get the 2v2 he still hopes for. The guys unite to send Dan Fuego home.
Favorites: Terry, Shane, Aras, Sally, Danielle
Episode 7
*MERGE*
Casaya gobbles down as much rice as possible when they see La Mina approaching
Casaya makes plan to stick together. Aras and Shane just worry about Bruce.
Shane believes Terry does not have the idol
Terry makes offer to Bruce to join the La Mina's
Aras and Shane make Bruce feel like the tribe leader, making sure he thinks they highly value him on their side
Ninja Bruce gets fit in the face by Nick a machete while building the shelter
Austin tries to get in good with Aras; Terry asks Shane to get Cirie and join his side
Terry wins first immunity of the season
Austin couldn't have won the endurance challenge anyway, but he makes sure to make himself look very weak in the end
The Casayas all very democratically discuss who to vote out, and the general consensus ends up being Nick
La Mina targets Shane, but it's unlikely to matter
Austin, for whatever reason, decides to reveal his "act weak in the challenge" plan at tribal
Casaya sticks together and Nick is voted out
Favorites: Cirie, Shane, Sally, Aras
Episode 8
The Casayas bond over the La Minas being senaky (mainly due to Austin)
After reward, Aras sends Danielle and Austin to Exile (He had to choose between Cirie, Courtney, or Danielle due to Reward teams)
Austin and Danielle bond fairly well over on Exile
Terry admits to Sally that he has the idol
Terry very narrowly wins immunity over Sally
Terry comes up with La Mina's plan; bring Bruce to their side, and give Danielle his idol to get her to their side aswell
Courtney wants to target Austin, but Aras says Sally is better and they bicker over who to vote
Danielle strongly considers Terry and Austin's offer
In the end, 3 things happen, all being probably the most dull option possible:
1. Danielle and Bruce don't flip
2. Cirie managed to calm Aras down and the Casayas went for Austin
3. Terry didn't give Austin the idol
Because of all these failed opportunities, Austin is Pagong'd out
Favorites: Shane, Sally, Terry, Cirie
Episode 9
Terry asks Shane and Aras where he stands at final 6. Aras and Shane tell him he's not in, they're staying together. Terry then passively claims he's just going to beat them in every challenge then.
Courtney, Danielle, and Cirie search Terry's bag for the idol, but they don't find it (Terry already showed Danielle the idol earlier)
Aras asks his alliance members to send him to exile so he can confirm if the idol has been found yet or not
Aras's team loses the reward (family videos) and he is sent to Exile
Shane has something wrong with his penis and makes Cirie examine it LOLOLOLOLOL (it's just irritated from being wet)
The survivors have the option to sit out and feast or compete in the immunity challenge
Only Aras, Terry and Sally actually compete LOOOOOL
Terry wins immunity again
Terry shows Bruce the idol
Sally goes around making people believe Terry is going to play the idol on her (it's been discussed between Terry and Sally but not confirmed)
Courtney somewhat considers actually going with Terry and Sally
Cirie is pretty certain Terry isn't going to give Sally the idol (as am I)
Sally is voted out, as Terry doesn't give her the idol
Favorites: Sally (RIP), Shane, Terry, Cirie
Episode 10
Bruce gets constipated and very generally sick in his tummy
The survivors make voodoo dolls of themselves for the reward challenge (the rope chop challenge, the one designed to reveal where loyalties lie within the tribe)
From the Casayas, Bruce is taken out first. Other than that it's fairly even.
Courtney and Shane bicker during the challenge since Courtney hit Shane twice, and Aras futiley tries to keep everyone happy
Courtney is the answer for just about every single negative question LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Cirie wins and sends Terry to exile, and brings Aras and Danielle on reward. Shane throws a big fit.
*Bruce is lying on ground in pain* Courtney: Can I sing a song of healing? Bruce: No. Courtney: ....... *starts singing* Bruce: Stop.
Bruce is officially med evac'd
Shane threatens to kill Courtney in her "shithole apartment"; Courtney more offended by her apartment being called a shithole
Shane realizes what a goatg Courtney would be, and they form a f2 deal
Shane and Cirie swear on their kids, and an alliance is solidified between Shane, Aras, and Cirie
Due to Bruce's med evac, there is no tribal council this episode
Favorites: Shane, Terry
Episode 11
Shane sits on Shane's Thinking Stump and plays on a piece of wood that he pretends is a Blackberry
Courtney, Danielle, and Terry send Aras to exile
As a hidden reward, Danielle Courtney and Terry then also get to compete for a new car. Terry wins it.
Terry offers to Courtney and Danielle to go to final four with Cirie
Cirie knows that Shane knows his only shot at winning is against Courtney, so getting out Courtney is imperative for Cirie
Terry and Danielle figure that, if they and Courtney are the final 3, whoever finishes 2nd in the final immunity challenge will get taken to final 2
Cirie tells Danielle that's stupid as shit
Terry wins immunity
Courtney actually wants to go with the Terry + Danielle + Cirie + Courtney alliance and they plan to vote for Aras
Shane and Aras plan to vote for Danielle
Cirie knows that most people want to take Courtney to finals, so Cirie wants her out now. Cirie tells Aras of Courtney and Terry's plan.
Cirie's plan: make Courtney and Terry think Aras is going home, make Shane think Danielle is going home, and meanwhile Cirie Aras and Danielle will vote for Courtney, majorly playing both sides, taking out her biggest threat to making finals, and giving her alliance of Danielle and Aras more leverage
The plan works, sending Courtney home
Favorites: Terry, Cirie, Shane
Episode 12
Aras instantly tells Shane the Courtney thing was Cirie's plan. Cirie and Aras make up the lie that the plan was made 5 minutes before tribal and they didn't have time to tell Shane.
Shane isn't really mad, as he believes that he, Aras and Cirie are solid
Since Danielle flipped on Terry, she is more or less dead to him
Terry wins reward, and gets to choose who gets what reward for the family visit
He picks himself and Shane to spend a night in a hotel with loved one, Cirie hor loved one staying at camp, Aras gets a hug, and Danielle gets nothing and sent to Exile
Terry wins immunity
Shane wants to get everyone to send Danielle home
Since Courtney is gone, Terry wants to bring Shane to finals
Since Aras found out Shane wanted to take Courtney to finals, Aras no longer feels any obligation to Shane
Cirie is the swing vote, deciding to vote out Shane or Danielle
Cirie ends up voting Shane out
Favorites: Shane (RIP), Cirie, Terry
Episode 13
Terry gets pissy at Cirie for accidentally putting he torch in front of him while walking; they fight and Aras joins in on Cirie's side
Aras and Terry's rivalry reaches it's peak in the reward challenge. They constantly try and block each other, and Aras tells Cirie and Danielle to block Terry at times. They push and shove each other, and Jeff almost has to step in.
Terry tries telling on Aras to Jeff for cheating. Jeff says what Aras was doing was allowed. Terry complains that he wasn't told that, and Aras runs past him yelling "SOMEBODY CALL A WHAMBULENCE, TERRY'S CRYING ON THE COURSE" (Aras wins the challenge and Terry throws a fit; Aras takes Cirie on reward)
Aras wins immunity
Aras apologizes to Terry for implying Terry was misogynistic
The vote will most likely be Danielle and Terry vs Cirie and Aras
Aras trains Cirie on how to make a fire and Terry trains Danielle
As it's the last night the idol can be used, Danille tries swaying Terry to give it to her
Knowing Terry has the idol, Aras and Cirie vote for Danielle. Terry didn't give her the idol, so Cirie and Danielle go to the firemaking challenge.
However, this episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the outcome of the challenge beign revealed next episode.
Favorites: Cirie, Aras
Episode 14
Danielle wins the firemaking challenge, sending Cirie off to the jury
Terry wins reward, getting a huge personal feast. (Typically reward wins aren't listed in Recaps, but as this is just about right before an immunity challenge, I thought it is relevant.)
Danielle wins final immunity
Aras aparently let Danielle win once Terry fell off
Danielle is more concerned with who she can beat in finals rather than who she has a pact with
Aras strong-arms Danielle a bit before Tribal Council and it rubs Danielle the wrong way
Danielle, in the end, thinks she has a better show against Aras and boots Terry at final 3
Aras falls while carrying a plate, severely cutting himself. He has to get stitches.
Shane has Danielle and Aras pick a number to earn his vote. Both performed OK at FTC.
In a semi-close-but-not-really vote, Aras wins Survivor: Panama
Closing Thoughts: Panama is a GREAT character season. It isn't that strong strategically, but it's probably the greatest trainwreck in Survivor, rivaled only by Gabon. Casaya will live in infamy as one of the worst tribes ever (despite being very successful). This season felt almost more like a cartoon than a reality show. There were so many over the top personalities, and they ALL clashed with with each other. I'll never know how Aras put up with them as well as he did. Overall, a greater casual season to enjoy.
Next season: Undetermined. Possibilities include Cambodia, Cook Islands, One World, and Samoa.
