Survivor Micronesia - Episode 3

When last we left our intrepid band of survivors Fans strongman Joel had engineered the eviction of Mary, closest ally of Mikey B. Joel’s motivation in breaking up the Mikey-Mary alliance was simply to assert his own control of the tribe – strategically it would have made more sense to vote off someone who is a liability in the challenges, like Chet.

We pick things up with the Airia returning from tribal council. Mikey tries to explain to Joel the weakness in his reasoning, telling us in a voice over that Joel is playing a short game (angling for control of the tribe) when he should be focusing on the long game (keeping the strongest physical competitors until the merge, to keep the tribe competitive in the group immunity challenges). As Mikey talks, Joel looks blank and soulless, staring off into space, avoiding eye contact. Mikey doesn’t help himself by acting condescending and, with no power to back him, threatening Joel with dire consequences.

“You made a move that you didn’t have to make, necessarily,” he tells Joel. “And if you want to make up for it, you can.”

In the first place, Mikey, Joel’s an alpha dog. Like all alphas, his need to assert dominance overrules his ability to reason. So, psychologically, he didn’t make a move he didn’t have to make; he made the only move a stupid player could make – get rid of the smart guys. In the second place, Mary went instead of you because Joel recognizes you weren’t the smart guy in your alliance – she was.

Joel tells the camera, “I’d really, really like to see the look on his face when the baseball bat comes swinging up beside him and wakes him up to the reality that he doesn’t have this tribe in his back pocket.”

Over at Malakal the Ozzy-Amanda/James-Pavarati alliance works on Eliza. They are sitting around a campfire, and that always makes me nervous – how do you know some one is not outside the fire light, listening as you plot? Ozzy makes the argument that in terms of group strength, if they have to boot tribe members the pecking order should be Yau-Man, Jonathan and Ami. Hey Ozzy – Jonathan, in terms of strength – is far stronger than Eliza. You just told the player you are trying to win over to your side that you consider her expendable.

When Eliza asks about the Jonathan pick, Ozzy admits he’s not the weakest – he just “plays everyone.” But of course, that’s what Survivor is all about.

Eliza reports back to her alliance. Cut to Cirie, the swing vote who has supposedly joined the Eliza/Jonathan/Yau-Man/Ami alliance, talking to the camera the next day. “I haven’t yet decided which alliance is the best for me. If I trust you, I’ll go with you to the end. If I don’t trust you, you can’t believe a word I say.”

Ah, yes: trust. So important in situations where only one person can win. Kind of like a marriage, eh Cirie?

The challenge is a battle, complete with war paint and battle cries. The Fans do way better with the war paint. The tribes are at even strength, so everybody plays this one. Tribes square off in a very shallow lagoon (water a foot deep). The teams are each given 3 large, stuffed canvas bags. First team to get its three bags and two of the other teams bags into the opposite end zone wins. Will we get our first one-on-one between Joel and James?

The game begins. It is epic – wish we knew how long this lasted in real time. James and Joel butt heads once or twice, but there’s too much going on for them to tie up for any decisive confrontation. Hard hits everywhere. The Faves win the first luxury-only challenge. Immunity is still to come.

As the Faves laze about camp Cirie tells the camera that, as the swing vote, she thinks the two alliances should kiss her ass a little more. Pavarti and Amanda take Cirie out on the boat and let her know that they may have shomances going, both realize they do not want to go to the final three with either James or Ozzy. Excellent move, ladies. It is exactly what Cirie needed to hear. On the beach, Jonathan and Pavarti watch and try to figure out what has happened to make Cirie start comsulting with the other alliance.

Meanwhile Kathleen is back on Exile Island, this time with Fave Ami. After having spent her first visit to the island wading from island to island through chest deep water, Kathy, neither willing to do it again nor willing to reveal anything about the previous visit, plays dumb. We never learn any more about the trip, but it leaves you wondering what Ami made of the dumb act and whether she followed the clues on her own.

A storm hits that night. Once again the Fans’ shelter is not up to the task. Over at Malakala, the Faves, with their cave and tarp, get a good night’s sleep.

Immunity challenge time. Two large (like 6 feet deep and 3 feet wide large) rope-net baskets are suspended 12 feet off the ground. The baskets are held up by ropes that pass over a bar and down to the ground, where 4 team members must hold the basket up while 3 members of the other team shoot a little coconut hoops. The Faves have the size advantage on the anchor ropes, but the Fans are better shooters and damn, that Joel is a bull. The Fans win.

Back at Malakala the competition for Cirie’s vote goes into high gear. She decides to join the couples alliance and vote with them to eliminate Yau-Man. “He gets one trip to Exile Island and he’ll find the immunity idol,” she reasons. Jonathan confronts her and she doesn’t mince words. “You play everybody,” she tells him. “I don’t trust you.”

At tribal council Jeff goads the two of them into a further confrontation, and it is not pretty. Guess Cirie didn’t like what she saw of Jonathan’s game play on Cook Island, because, as she tells him again, “I don’t trust you as far as I can pick you up and throw you.”

Yau-Man gets the boot. I don’t think this means Cirie is now a permanent member of the couples alliance, but she for sure will not be a part of any alliance that includes Jonathan.