Survivor Redemption Island The Buddy System S22E09 (ABC)

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I understand why they compressed two episodes into one this week. It’s obvious what will happen next. The old Ometepe will kill off the Zapatera, one by one because Boston Rob has got complete control of the game right now. There are some really funny bits in this episode, including Philip wearing an idiotic feather on his head and making a diatribe about the Stealth R Us organization. It’s priceless and I’m including his complete quote.

I also understand why Rob wants to keep his sub-tribe apart from the old Zapatera. It allows him to control them and also stops them from forming new bonds with them. This is what usually happens after a merge and it’s not happening right now. With their strongest players gone, in Mike and David, they are going to fall one by one. Once the Zapateras are gone, it’s going to be interesting to see what will happen in the Ometepe tribe, as the other tribemates will realize that now, they are fighting for their own survival, not their tribe’s.

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Matt pulled the same move that got him evicted the first time: he flip-flopped. Matt is back on Redemption Island.

-I am reaping the benefits of my shame.
-I feel like a moron.
-Use my stupidity for Your Glory, Lord
Matt

Mike and David are talking about last night’s move. David thinks that it was out of a mob movie and that it was genius. Mike tells Rob. Julie still feels bad. The old Zapatera tribe is despondent. Ralph is talking with Ashley and Nat. He tries to ask them if he’s on the chopping block. He tells them that he will vote for them and not Rob. They feel strange talking to him.

Rob tells Ometepe that they are instituting the buddy system. No one of his tribe will talk with the other tribe without another one of them present and they’ll talk about unimportant stuff. Rob has it all figured out. He wants his group to hate Zapatera and shut them out. That’s why they are eating at different times and being arrogant about being superior. He wants his group to show that they hate Zapatera. He isn’t going to do this, because he wants their votes.

When Rob learns about the fact that Ashley didn’t tell him about Ralph’s plea, he sets his sights on her, albeit for later in the game. It looked like he was thinking about taking her to the final three, but now he’s thinking differently.

It’s time for the immunity challenge. For some crazy reason, Philip is wearing a feather on his head. He can’t even say Ometepe properly. Maybe he’s got a reading disability. The first wave includes digging down into the sand to retrieve a club and smashing a tile. The first six move on. Then, they must submerge their heads in a pool, take a mouthful and put it in a bowl. The first 3 move on to assemble a block puzzle. Grant, Rob, Ralph, Mike, David, and Julie move on. In the next round, Grant and Rob are doing well. Grant, Mike, and David move on. Grant and Mike are doing well in the puzzle. Grant finishes 1^st and wins immunity. Wow, very impressive. He rocked that challenge.

Mike and David start digging when they notice that a pole has moved. Philip immediately starts to dig in the same place. Rob’s idol paranoia has set in. Rob decides to split the vote. The names that they toss around are Mike, Ralph, and David.

At tribal, Philip is still wearing his crazy feather. David tells Jeff that Philip is on the bottom at the Ometepe tribe. Mike says that Philip has an insecurity problem.

Votes to Evict

Rob                        Mike
Nat                         Mike
Grant                    Mike
Ashley                  Mike
Andrea                 Mike
Philip                     Mike
Steve                    Phil
David                     Phil
Ralph                     Phil
Julie                       Phil
Mike                      Phil

Mike is evicted by a 6-5 vote, which went according to past tribal lines.

So this is a 2-1 episode. There will be another eviction. Rob tells Philip that he’s at the top with him.

Philip is not really crazy. He’s kinda playing crazy. But he’s a little crazy.
Rob

Rob thinks that Philip is at the top of his list, with Nat to go to the final three. Philip isn’t naïve, he knows exactly what Rob is thinking. He knows that he needs to make a move, but now isn’t the time to do so. That’s showing something, I guess.

Ralph wants to talk with the Ometepes. David tells him not to talk with the whole Ometepe, but he needs to make progress quickly with one of them. Ralph talks with Philip, but Philip rebuffs him and goes back to talking with Andrea.

It’s time for an immunity challenge. I like how Nat always has a big smile. They see some cheeseburgers waiting for them. Jeff says that everyone will eat them. They will hang from a bar for as long as they can. After 20 minutes, they will hang only by their legs. Each of them will take a white and black rock. Black rock means that they will play the game. The white rocks mean that they will eat. Philip and Steve are going to eat cheeseburgers. Everyone else is playing. Rob is struggling to get comfortable. Rob drops. It looks like he threw the challenge. I’m not sure. He can’t eat the burgers. Philip is giving a running commentary during the challenge. After 20 minutes, they switch to their legs. They have consumed 5 burgers.

Julie immediately drops. Grant and Ralph are out. It’s David against the three Ometepe women. It’s an interesting position to see the girls in. They are all of them in the same position, grasping their feet with their hands to lock themselves in. David drops off. The girls talk and Andrea says that she really wants it. Andrea wins individual immunity. I’m impressed with how the girls performed in this endurance task. It wasn’t easy.

Ralph decides to do check on the net. There are a lot of fish in them. Rob says that if they are dead, you can’t eat them. None of the Ometepe are partaking. Grant finally takes a bite from Steve and then Rob calls them back. It’s kind of a double-edged sword doing this. Keeping his tribe weak isn’t going to help them win challenges. Sure, he stops them from creating any bonds, but I think that he’s forcing the issue.

I’m running my tribe like the army. I’m the general, they’re the soldiers.
Rob

Rob is thinking about getting rid of Steve or David.

I am the Specialist. My principal responsibilities are to infiltrate and supplant inceptions into the former Zapatera (sounds like something from the movie Inception). Boston Rob is known as the Menralist (Philip is trying to say mentalist but utterly fails). Principal responsibilities, he develops strategies for challenges and develop strategic alliances that are impervious. Grant, the destroyer of aspirations, better known as the assassin. Principal responsibilities, to go out and compete destroying any competitor. And I forgot to mention the three degrees, who are highly effective, formidable, agile, and have supreme abilities to focus their minds like they did today.
Philip on Stealth R Us

Holy crow, this dude is living in his own world, but I guess we knew that. Philip talks about the buddy system. Julie says that they are never alone and it looks like a cult, not an alliance. David says that the odds are stacked against them and it might be appropriate to think about using Redemption Island as a way to get further in the game.

Votes to Evict

Rob                        David
Nat                         David
Grant                    David
Ashley                  David
Andrea                 David
Philip                     David
Steve                    Rob
David                     Rob
Ralph                     Rob
Julie                       Rob

David is evicted by a 6-4 vote. The vote went according to tribal lines.

* * * * *

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