Survivor Gabon - Ep. 2

Kota, Day 7.

Marcus lands a fish. He hands it to smitten lawyer Charlie. On a small dock nearby the other 2 members of the Who Can Bed Marcus First Alliance, Corinne and Jacquie, applaud. In voice over Charlie tells us that he thinks, “Paloma and Kelly are really tight and Sugar is attached to Ace.” Bob is a floater and swing vote.

Paloma bad mouthing Ace to Kelly. “Everybody’s like bowing down to him. I just want to gag every time I hear his voice.” At a distance Ace and Sugar watch. “They’re over there conniving,” says Sugar. In voice-over she tells us that they have bonded and she trusts him. I say, “Ever hear the one about the snake asking some poor dupe for help crossing the river?”

Tree mail. The challenge prize is bedding. While others cheer, Ace says it’s not that important. He explains that they will have to rest two for the immunity challenge. They should save their strongest for then and rest them at this challenge. Bright boy. But it doesn’t impress Paloma.

For the challenge, one member of each tribe has to hold on to a post while two members from the other tribe try to pry them off and drag them across a finish line. Because the challenge requires a specific number of men and women Fang has to sit out one man while Kota has to sit out three women. Ken sits out for Fang; Corinne, Jacquie and Kelly sit out for Kota. So much for Ace’s idea to rest the strongest.

Dan is first on the post for Fang, Ace is first on the post for Kota. Ace yawns. Coming for him from Fang are GC and Matty, with Charlie and Marcus coming for Dan. I’m shocked when Marcus and Charlie beat GC and Matty. Ace looks good in the win. He sends out Paloma for the next round. This guy has so established himself as the authority that there isn’t a murmur of protest from anyone at this ridiculous idea, not even shocked Paloma. She is a tiny woman and she is going to get creamed. Compared to what Ace has just done in first round, she’ll look horrible. Ace has set Paloma up to look stupid.

Bob and Sugar go after Susie for Fang, Randy and Crystal go after Paloma. It’s no contest. I give her points for fight, but against a fairly big man and a woman who is a gold medal winning Olympic athlete, the outcome is never in question.

Tied 1-1, Ace and Dan go back on the poles for the final round. Marcus and Bob go after Dan, Crystal and Matty go after Ace. Crystal finally has her game face on and it is a good one. Call Tyra. She should see what fierce really looks like.

Battle is joined. Jeff says it comes down to which tribe wants it most. No it doesn’t. It comes down which of two individuals can hang on the longest. And this time, against these attackers, that’s Dan. Fang wins its first challenge. Is Ace engineering a trip to tribal so he can get rid of Paloma?

Fang sends Sugar to Exile Island, no doubt figuring the pin-up model will fail to find the immunity idol. After all, it bitch slapped lawyer Dan, didn’t it?

At Fang the tribe is reinvigorated, feeling like a team for the first time. At Kota Bob says the decision to rest the three women was planned. “We rested our strongest girls,” he says. Paloma winces. Out at the dock Marcus questions Ace’s decision to send out Paloma, but the objection is weak and not pursued. To the camera, Ace says Paloma has, “crossed and dotted the Ts on her contract of death.” This guy went to school where?

Over on Exile Island Sugar plays peek-a-boo with an elephant, sits on a red ant colony, tells us about her father dying 7 months ago and somehow stumbles across the crater referred to in the clue (see last episodes recap). This is isn't just hot; she's lucky, too. Three clues later she has the idol.

Bob tells the camera that Ace’s manipulations make him nervous. Corinne tells him not to worry. Bob can vote with her alliance and they can take out the other 4 when and as needed. And these guys don’t even know if they are going to tribal yet.

The immunity challenge involves sliding down a lawn slide into a lake and retrieving one of 6 number puzzle pieces. Arranged according to a complex formula, the numbers will yield the combination to a locked box. First tribe to open its box wins immunity.

Paloma and Sugar sit it out. Crystal gives Fang a lead, but Suzie gives it back against Corinne. Kota keeps the lead and gets the pieces to puzzle solver Bob. It looks like Fang is going to tribal council for a third straight time but then Bob gets the wrong solution and Ken gets the last puzzle piece for Fang. The two go head to head and gamer Ken beats physics teacher Bob.

Sugar tells Ace she has the immunity idol. They are looking strong. The machinations at Kota are edited to make it look like Paloma might be successful in engineering a coup and blindside Ace, which is probably a good strategy. But these guys have just won two challenges in a row and they are not going to get rid of one of their strongest competitors just yet. Paloma gets voted off the island by a vote of 5-2.