Survivor Panama Exile Island, Episode 13

The review of last week reminds me how truly lucky it is for Terry that he is really good at these challenges and has won immunity every time because he is so awful at trying to make alliances. He is so ham handed at diplomacy and manipulation it's not funny, but he does physically dominate the entire game. He's brawn, Cirie is brains. She is playing a much smarter game. Shane, Terry and Courtney were completely blindsided by her skillful game play last week.

On the way back to Gitanos camp from tribal council, Shane is questioning Aras about what is going on, and why the vote was changed without anyone telling him. Aras told him that Cirie had found out that Courtney was shifting her alliance to Terry and that they changed at the last minute. Cirie said they couldn't even tell Shane because they didn't find out until it was time to leave for tribal council and Shane was walking up with Courtney and Danielle and they couldn't talk to him without it being obvious they were up to something. Shane asks Cirie for her assurances again and she assures him their alliance is still strong. Cirie knew that Shane wanted to go to final two with Courtney because he was sure he could beat her. They discuss who goes next, and they agree if Terry wins immunity, Danielle goes next. Everyone admits that the camp is more peaceful without Courtney there.

Terry admits it was his 5th failure in trying to get people to vote as he would like. He is particularly angry with Danielle and says that if she is next to go, it won't bother him at all.
Reward challenge is a five stage obstacle course made up of some of the elements from previous challenges. First they must dig in the sand to recover a bag (presumably of sand) which they must carry with them to the finish line. The first four finding a bag move on to the second round where they must climb up a lattice of wood and untie a wooden snake, then run up and over a hill to finish. The first three people to reach the finish line with bag and snake go on to the next round. Round three consists of going up and over another sand hill and into a pond. In the center of the pond a rather large fish is hanging and must be untied. The first two people to finish carrying bag, snake and fish moves on to the final. The final head to head challenge consists of a series of wooden tunnels and towers that intersect at one point in the middle. The two finalists must carry bag, snake and fish with them through the entire course and cross the finish line first to win.

Jeff then tells them they are playing for love. He explains this means face to face interaction with their loved ones. The winner will be responsible for allocating who gets the most love from their loved one. They begin. Shane is out in the first round after Danielle, Terry, Aras and Cirie are the first four to pull their bags from the sand. Round two is the untying of the snakes...Danielle is first again, Aras is next and Terry gets the third slot, leaving Cirie out of the challenge. Round four, Terry drops his snake but makes up the time and they all get to the fish at the same time. Danielle is trying to untie the fish with her teeth but Aras and Terry finish first and second and move on to the final. The hardest part of the last leg of the challenge is keeping all the stuff with you, bag, snake and fish with you. Terry bullies his way through the intersection, but Aras catches up. Aras drops his bag and is out of it and unable to recover. Terry wins reward. He celebrates as usual.

Trish, Terry's wife is there, Aras' mom Teresa, Danielle's mom Denise, Cirie's husband Clarencio (H.B. which apparently stands for Honey Bunny), and Boston who brings his father, Shane literally to his knees in tears. They croak I love you's at each other. Then Jeff explains the reward. Two of the survivors will be taken to a private villa where they will have pizza and food and drink galore, separate bedrooms and an overnight stay with their loved one. One survivor will get to take their loved one back to camp with them overnight. One will be allowed a hug and that's it. The last person will have to wave from across about 20 feet separating them from their family member and then go to exile island. Terry, as winner of the challenge gets to decide who gets what in this reward.

I knew that Terry would take the overnight villa thing with his wife. He won the challenge, of course he wants to reap the benefits. I thougHB he would probably give the other husband and wife team, Cirie and HB, the other overnighter, but he selects Shane and his son, Boston instead. This may have been strategic, keeping Shane away from the others who are obviously all plotting his overthrow. It migHB be that Shane is the only one who hasn't shocked Terry by not voting as Terry planned. It could be just that Terry knows how desperate Shane has been to see his son. At any rate, he did give the overnight back at the Gitanos camp to Cirie and HB, so at least they had some time together. Aras got a hug from his mother Teresa. As they embraced he told her to have a table set for him with five meals on it when he got home and she responded promising him anything and everything he wanted. Danielle had to wave bye to her mother Denise and was taken away to Exile Island. Basically, other than the fact that I would have probably let Boston go experience the camp with his dad, Terry's picks were pretty much what I would have chosen. Down to the Aras and Danielle situation, either/or would have worked for me, but Terry was still stinging over the Courtney votes and Danielle lost out.

Danielle accepts her fate. She says she was disappointed but she knows that she is there in the home stretch. She chops coconuts and comments she is thinking about Terry's head. She says she is not going to sit and cry about not seeing her mom and talking to her. Terry will get his.
HB is SHOCKED at the primative conditions at the camp. He is definitely a city guy and he's amazed at how adept Cirie has become being there and surviving in these conditions. He eyes the water and says that it has dirt in it and Cirie laughs..."that's good for you." Cirie says that seeing him there and knowing how green he is, she is reminded how far she has come. She says she has underestimated herself for 35 years.

At the villa, there are four kinds of pizza, beer, champagne, and all sorts of snacks. Trish talks about how emaciated her husband looks and how tired he seems. Shane is thrilled to be with his son and talks nonstop telling him about wanting to quit and how remembering that Boston wouldn't want him to quit kept him in the game.

Trish very quickly gets very much into the game and when they all are sitting around talking, Trish very much gets into discussing strategy. Shane says she is even more competitive than Terry. Shane tells Trish that Danielle is going home next, for certain. Terry turns off the ligHBs and his wife says "be gentle with me." Terry says just snuggling with his wife was the most amazing thing.

Morning arrives and Cirie has HB doing all sorts of stuff, getting the fire going, finding food, and getting water. He complains but you can tell he is willing to do this. If nothing else Cirie explains that she needs to conserve her energy to win this game. He is truly impressed by the hardship of living in the camp. And all too soon, it's time for him to go. The boat arrives to take him away. HB cries saying that he is so amazed at Cirie and so proud of her. He tells her, "You are my hero." Cirie says she wants her family to have a wonderful life.
Aras and Cirie greet the boat. Aras says, "How was it, you guys, did you get a good night's sleep."

Terry responds, "There wasn't any sleeping on my part." It was sort of a slimy thing to say, IMHO. Like he was saying, sure I'm out here, haven't eaten in months, exhausted, have bug bites, etc, but I'm still a sex machine and did my wife last night. Maybe it's because I don't like him, or maybe it's because I just watched HB talk about his wife in what was truly a loving moment of pride and sincere admiration, but it came across as crass to me.

Cirie thanks Terry. Terry says that the choices were very clear to him. He says that Danielle is only 24 and "it was only her mom." Aras says, wait a minute....everyone out here is starved for news from home, everyone out here wanted time with their loved one just as much as anyone else. He says he's offended by Terry saying it was "just her mom." Aras fumes because he feels that Terry won his reward and got to see his wife, but Aras didn't get to spend any time with his mom and he thinks Terry needs to show a little bit of respect and compassion for those who didn't get time with their loved ones. Terry goes off on a tangent about if he had to choose between his wife and his mother, he would always choose his wife. I'm thinking well yeah, Terry, you can't "do" your mother and come back to camp leering about how you got to have sex. I'm really aggravated with Terry today, can you tell?

Aras says that his mother is his rock. He says that while Terry's wife is Terry's rock, everyone out there has their OWN rock and that Terry is making it sound like one rock is more important than another. I think at this point I would point out to Terry that if that man and wife thing is so critical and that parent child thing is not, he should have taken Cirie and HB to the villa and let the kid spend the night in campe with his dad.

Terry is offended that a 24 year old kid would lecture him and tell him that the bond with his mother is just as important as Terry's bond with his wife. Terry then tells the camera that he is glad that Aras came unglued and that he showed him a little crack that Terry might be able to take advantage of. Well, gee Terry you let the Grand Canyon of survivor waltz right past you over the last few weeks without taking any kind of advantage of it, why are you so interested in the "little crack" of Aras being offended by your arrogance. I realize, Terry, that you have won just about all the rewards and ALL of the personal immunities, but you haven't played this game all that well. People have been FORCED to endure you. It is highly unlikely that you are playing for anything better than second place. Of course, I've been wrong before, but I honestly think you are delusional if you think the jury will vote to give YOU the money over any of the other possibilities.

Aras says that the least he would have expected from a 46 year old man who talks about his age all the time and how he's older and wiser, etc., would be respect and he feels that Terry showed him no respect with his attitude. Aras says Terry is starting to fuel his fire...and the more he does that, the more Aras wants to beat him.

At the immunity challenge, Danielle returns from Exile Island. She says that the weather was beautiful and she really enjoyed her stay there.

After 4 straight immunity challenges where Terry has won immunity, the necklace is once again up for grabs. The challenge consists of standing atop a 20 foot pole on a small square perch, out over the ocean. Just in front of the pole is a hollow tube with a flag on a pole inside it. The flag has a float on the bottom so that it is floating inside the hollow tube. The survivors must pull a bucket up using a rope and then dump the water from their bucket into the open tube below causing the flag to raise as the water level inside the tube raises. Then they lower the bucket and get more water and continue until the flag is raised to a level where they can reach it and pull it up and wave it over their head. First one to complete this wins immunity. Feet must stay on the perch, no butts or knees may touch the perch.

Cirie is frightened but she knuckles down to the task at hand. Terry is quick of course, and is pouring quickly. Everyone is pouring but they aren't hitting the tube. Finally the flags start to rise, except for Shane who has apparently not understood the challenge and is pouring water all over. Aras and Terry about about half way through the challenge when Jeff says that Shane is STILL not moving his flag. Shane calls back across the water, "I was pouring into the wrong hole. That's never good, is it, now, Jeff? Thats....NEVER....good."

Aras is really close to catching Terry when Terry reaches down and grabs his flag to win the challenge. Terry, ever the celebrating winner, dives off his perch and calls out in victory. Shane says "SHUT UP" in that way you say shut up to someone who is just a total jackass being all happy and victorious. Shane bellyflops into the ocean, Aras and Danielle dive in and Cirie climbs down the ladder saying "No diving for me." Terry remains undefeated in individual immunity challenges. Shane then says, in a very Probst like way, "For one of you, the game will end tonight.. " and then sings a little ominous fanfare.

Terry tells the camera that winning immunity today was huge because it not only wins him a guaranteed spot in the final four, but in the final three as well since he as the hidden immunity idol. He says now he doesn't even have to show up for the next immunity challenge.
Shane is very pleased because Danielle will go home at tribal council. Terry doesn't mind Danielle going because she blew him off with her vote last week. Terry was saying last week that he really wanted to take Courtney to the final two. With her gone, he has decided that Shane would be good in the final two because...and I kid you not, this is his reason...Shane doesn't do as much work around camp. He actually thinks that all of those Casaya members that are beginning to populate the jury will vote for arrogant, no people skills, Terry over Shane because Shane didn't fish? I seriously believe that Terry is playing for second place at this point. I would LOVE it if he ended up out at third. Terry actually says that because he went and got firewood and water and fished even though he had a huge target on his back and because he won all those challenges, it's a nobrainer even for loyal Casaya members and they will vote for him to win over Shane.

Aras says that finding out that Shane wanted to take Courtney to the final two relieved him of any obligation to keep Shane in the game. He talks with Danielle who KNOWS that Shane wants her gone at this vote. Aras talks to Cirie. Cirie isn't stupid and knows that Terry is looking for who he wants for final two and suspects that it's Shane. Danielle and Cirie are really tight. Danielle says she trusts Cirie with her life and that she also has a strong bond with Aras.
Shane talks to Cirie and tells her, OK, Danielle this week, then Aras. He says he wants none of the last minute surprise thing that happened last tribal council. Shane says they must not make it look like they are betraying Aras because he will have a vote on the jury. Cirie nods through all of this. She says she is 100% with the plan. Shane says he feels good, that he and Cirie and Terry are probably good to the final three.

Cirie is thinking all of this over. She thinks that Courtney will not vote for her to win if she makes the final two with Danielle. She thinks that the friendship that Courtney and Danielle had will hold strong. She knows that Danielle and Austin had a bond on Exile Island. So, Cirie is unsure what to do. She believes that Aras and Danielle will vote for Shane. Cirie says she loves Aras but she will do what she has to do to get further in the game.

Shane says he has set himself up to be in the position he is in and he feels at this point, he could beat anybody. He really could. He is happy.

They go off to tribal council. Shane and Terry are planning to vote for Danielle. Aras and Danielle are planning to vote for Shane. Cirie is the swing vote and she has not committed on camera to either vote.

The jury files into the tribal council. Austin, Sally, Bruce and then Courtney, who is obviously NOT a happy camper. She does a little thing of kissing her fingers and glaring at the tribe. The camera shows us Cirie as if that is who she was making the motion toward. Could have been anyone.

Jeff asked if it was hard for Terry to decide who was going to get "love" after the reward challenge. Terry says he thinks it worked out ok and he doesn't think anyone will have any hard feelings.

Cirie talks about HB being at the camp and seeing what she had been doing for 30 days. She tells Jeff that HB is a city boy and that seeing what they went through on a daily basis left him extremely proud and that he told her that she was his "hero."
Shane says his day with Boston was magical and unbelievable. He said as the sun set he knew there was no place on earth he would rather be than there with his son.

Jeff talks about the fact that Terry has won all of the immunity challenges and that Aras always seems to come in close behind. Is that frustrating for Aras. Aras says he thinks it's just fun. Terry rolls his eyes and looks smug. Aras says that every time they compete he knows that Terry is playing for his life, that one crack and he could be gone (actually it would be two cracks because of the hidden idol). Jeff says, yeah, but when do you realize he's not going to crack. Aras explains that the game is more than winning challenges, that you must win over the people to win a million dollars. In the end, the JURY decides who gets the money. Terry continues to look smug and roll his eyes at everything Aras says.

Shane says he can be trusted absolutely at this point in the game, that he has played to this point without betraying anyone and he has maintained his integrity throughout. He has not lied to anyone. He has not cheated anyone. Now, we all know he has acted like a petulant little baby when he hasn't gotten his way and when he loses challenges, but he is still 100% trustworthy.
Danielle says that if she finds out someone is doing something sneaky behind her back, or just telling everyone that it's time for her to go home, that's when to make a move. The whole point of the game is to make moves to further yourself.

Jeff says that when he watched the immunity challenge today it was interesting that everyone was working hard except Shane who was pouring water in the wrong hole, making jokes. Shane thinks that he is safe because people want to take him to the final two because they all think they can beat him. Terry is the only one who told him that, but he apparently thinks they all think that. He says he guesses he would be easier to beat than Cirie who is the mother of three and an incredible person, or Aras who is the golden boy who could levitate home.
Danielle says it's tough being on Exile Island and not knowing what happened while she was gone. She doesn't feel safe.

They vote. Aras votes for Shane saying he is sorry. Terry votes for Danielle, as does Shane. Cirie casts her vote. Jeff reads the votes. 1st vote, Danielle. 2nd vote, Shane. Shane makes a face as if to say, what what???? nobody would vote for ME! 3rd vote, Shane. Shane looks mock terrified and then makes faces of disgust at the people he thinks voted for him. Fourth person voted out of Survivor, Exile Island....Shane.

Shane is shocked. His mouth flies open. He doesn't know whether to laugh or what. He says "WOW". The camera shows the jury and Courtney has her head in her hands. Terry has his hand over his face, he is also stunned. Shane brings his torch to Jeff and turn to the tribe and says, "Oh my God, I'm going to have a chocolate ice cream bar in about 1 minute." He leans very close to them. "One minute."

Jeff says, "Shane, the tribe has spoken, " and snuffed his torch. Shane starts to leave and then turns back.Terry and Aras salute him and he continues off down the path.
Jeff is shaking his head. "Well the last two tribal councils, the person voted out was absolutely shocked so if trust wasn't an issue before, it certainly will be now."

Next week, apparently Cirie stands up to Terry. We see her saying "What are you talking about???" Then she says "Make an attempt to talk to people like you want to be talked to." Good for Cirie. Terry and Aras butt heads, literally, at a challenge and Danielle apparently goes to Terry and they talk about an alliance for them to go to the final two. Danielle apparently thinks it is now time to align herself with Terry. I guess so, since if Terry's head swells any more, he will be able to compete as his own final two partner....Terry and Terry's swollen head.
GO CIRIE!!!! Vote for Cirie to win the Yukon. Cirie rocks!!!! Go to http://www.cbs.com/ and cast your vote for Cirie to win a Yukon and you might win one too.

by BC and Scott

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