Watch this week’s episode of Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites, "Kill or Be Killed" here. (Skip to the last minute to check out a preview of next week’s ep, "Persona Non Grata")
With Reynold’s alliance down to just him and Eddie, the duo was pretty pissed that Matt’s alliance has turned on them twice. “[The Gota tribe] got rid of Hope tonight because she was the prettiest one here and she was a threat to everyone because of that,” Eddie said, angry that Laura, who performed poorly in the last challenge, was not up for elimination.
In a reward challenge, tribes competed for a chance to hang with a local bushman (later described as a “Filipino Gollum.” Nice.) who will show the survivors how to live off the land, then cook them a meal. The competition ended with all eight tribe members having to balance on a tiny platform in the water. It appeared everyone on Gota was on the platform except Matt, who was never quite able to get his foot above the line.
Fans lost for the third time in a row Andrea from the victorious Bikal tribe recognized that this reward would have been especially helpful to the down-and-out fan team, and that "really boosted the morale of our tribe even more.”
Back at the Gota tribe, Shamar continued his narcoleptic behavior and insisted that in order for him to continue the team must serve him rice every day. Once again, Shamar’s bad attitude and laziness gives both Gota alliances something to agree upon — dude has got to go. But would they actually follow through? The night just got rougher as storms and a flock of rats made their way through the camp. By morning, it appeared Shamar was ready to throw in the towel — for real this time. He claimed some sand had scratched his eye and after some dramatic scenes of Shamar holding his head in his hands, host Jeff Probst and a medical team came to his aid. As a medic checked for abrasions on Shamar’s eye, holding his lids open and poking around, Probst found it was a perfectly good time to have a heart-to-heart and discuss Shamar’s “ups and downs.”
After a quick examination, the medic discovered multiple abrasions on Shamar’s cornea that would affect his vision. She advised him to leave the island to get his eye treated by a doctor at home. The tribe was called in to get the news and everyone pretended to be really sorry the big baby would be leaving.
In a separate immunity challenge, the fans got off to a slow start, but Matt definitely pulled his weight.
Go Go Gadget Arms! © CBS
It was a close finish, thanks to Reynold’s carnival game skillz, but the team’s lagging start caused them to lose. Again. Although Reynold and Eddie are on Matt’s opposing alliance, Matt recognized that they are the two strongest players. He approached members of both alliances to suggest they all vote off the weakest player, which is obviously Laura. The women are nervous that, in turn, they will be picked off one-by-one and Eddie and Reynold straight up don’t trust Matt. Did our dude just become a target?
At tribal council, Reynold finally played the hidden immunity idol he found a couple episodes ago. But it turns out he didn’t even need to, because at least four out of the seven members voted for Laura, sending her home. Hopefully this is a smart move that will help the Gota tribe win a damn challenge.
One thing Survivor is sorely missing is more one-on-ones with Matt. Check out this unaired gem:
Be sure to follow Matt "The Beard" Bischoff on Facebook for previews, episode photos and info about watch parties with The Beard himself.
