By Alex Brooks
Staff Writer, Bear Wrestler

Welcome to the Reality Rehashed: Survivor Edition!

This week in Samoa, the newly formed Yin Yang tribe had just gotten back from the first unified elimination of JT. The Heroes alliance was now down to four members and the Villains were at four as well, with Sandra sitting on the outskirts looking to fit in somewhere. Russell was dumbfounded when he figured out that Parvati had hidden an immunity idol from him, but all was somewhat forgiven when he was brought back into the alliance.

With the Heroes on the outs, Rupert looked to bring the exiled Sandra into the fold to bring the numbers onto their side. Russell was happy to be back in the alliance with Danielle, Parvati, and Jerri, but he couldn’t help feeling distrust and on the edge of a sinking ship. Russell went looking to Candice for a new member to bring on to their side and someone he could definitively trust beyond all reasonable doubt.

Reward Challenge

The Yin-Yang tribe was placed into three random groups: Colby, Danielle, and Amanda; Rupert, Sandra, and Russell; Parvati, Candice, and Jerri. The challenge was Survivor Shuffleboard similar to the challenge from previous seasons in the Amazon, Vanuatu, and Tocantins. Colby won the game for his team with the final shot placing closest to the X on the board, which sent his team to Robert Louis Stevenson’s house for a night in a bed and a showing of  Treasure Island.

However, trouble ensued when Danielle stumbled upon the Immunity Idol clue in her popcorn bowl. She attempted to hide it under the bed, but Amanda saw her hide it and immediately jumped up and grabbed it before Danielle could get back to it. The scuffle between the two was extremely funny considering Colby continued watching Treasure Island until he was asked to intervene. Colby said that the clue was found by Danielle, so it technically belongs to her and Amanda should give it back. Amanda reluctantly gave up the clue and couldn’t believe Colby betrayed her like that.

Immunity Challenge

This week’s immunity challenge didn’t exactly mean much for the game because Jerri wound up winning and she wasn’t on the chopping block in anyone’s book. The castaways had to build a ten foot tall tower out of wooden blocks in the shape of playing cards. Russell came in second and realized that one of his alliance members had won, so it didn’t hurt him too much to lose.

Time Before Tribal Council

Danielle showed Russell, Parvati, and Jerri the clue to the Immunity Idol and they all went searching for it as a team. Unfortunately for the villain alliance, Russell found the idol and hid it in order to regain the upper hand and get back at them for hiding an idol from him. Russell re-confronted Candice, this time with the idol, claiming that if she joined him he could get her to the final five. Meanwhile, Sandra was coerced by Rupert to join the Heroes alliance which made the number back to four on four with Candice on the ropes this time. Sandra infiltrated the Villains as a double agent and  found out that they were looking to eliminate Amanda, but before she could think about telling the heroes about that Candice told Russell everything the Heroes were planning. The Heroes thought that Danielle had the idol and that Russell was going to be saved, so they switched their strategy to target Parvati instead of Russell.

Tribal Council

To save himself Russell’s nerves forced him to use the idol so the votes shook out like this:

• Votes for Amanda: Russell, Parvati, Danielle, Candice, Sandra, and Jerri
• Votes for Parvati: Colby, Amanda, and Rupert

Survivor Power Rankings

1. Colby Donaldson- He’s been floating under the radar and his performance in the Reward Challenge was stellar.
2. Jerri Manthey- No one is afraid of this Survivor veteran who just won her first ever Immuntiy Challenge, making her dangerous
3. Candice Woodcock- She holds a crucial swing vote for the next episode
4. Russell Hantz- Using the Immunity Idol hurt his alliance, but kept them aware of his power
5. Parvati Shallow- She lost the throne in her alliance after one week, but is still kept strong by Danielle’s loyalty
6. Rupert Boneham- Rupert is a fan favorite, but no-one has believed him or regarded anything he said as the truth so his time could be coming
7. Danielle DiLorenzo- Danielle made a mistake by sharing the clue and cost herself a chance to make a power move later in the game
8. Sandra Diaz-Twine- Sandra is on the outs between both alliances now thanks to her double crossing, she should be the next one gone