Survivor Gabon, Ep. 10

Alright! Heading into Sunday night’s conclusion of Survivor Gabon, we get the best episode of the season.

Last week Bob and Corinne were on the outside of an alliance Kenny had assembled that included his main partner, Crystal, and the remaining survivors; Suzie, Sugar and Matti. Kenny out-thought himself in an audacious fake immunity idol bluff that Corinne and master fake idol craftsman Bob concocted. The result was that Corinne was voted out, and Kenny was exposed as untrustworthy. So we go into this week’s episode with Kenny in the hot seat. Has the professional gamer jinxed himself by declaring to the camera that he controls the game? Or is he that rare Richard Hatch type who will manipulate his way to the grand prize?

Night 33.

The tribe members return to camp from evicting Corinne. Matty tells the camera, “The vote tonight was 3 votes for me and 4 votes for Corinne. I believe I received a vote from Kenny and he wants me out of the game.” Matty confronts Kenny, who has spent the past few episodes evolving from an underdog you root for to a conniver it is hard to like. Kenny tries to weasel out of the target Matty is placing on him, but Matty is pissed and will have none of Kenny’s weak-ass bull. Kenny tells the camera, “I have been calling the shots out here since day one. I am the mastermind,” but he isn’t bragging; he’s worried. He knows the only way to be a successful Machiavelli is to remain behind the scenes, and he’s just blown his cover.

Matty explains his anger to the camera: “Kenny’s playing a game.” Duh.

Sugar tells Kenny and Crystal that she’s for evicting Matty next if Bob wins immunity again, and they agree. Crystal admits to the camera that “writing down Matty’s name (h was the stupidest move I have made so far.” Kenny convinced her to split their votes last week and I admit I still don’t understand what the logic was behind that move.

Kenny confronts Bob on Corinne’s failure to play the immunity idol and Bob admits the idol was a fake. Kenny whines that he has betrayed his alliance and now he is vulnerable. It’s no true – he still has Crystal, Sugar and Suzie. But Bob is a man full of guilt and he accepts the blame and utters the stupidest phrase on can speak in Survivor (‘I am the mastermind’ is #2): “If I win the next immunity, I’ll give it to you.”

Day 34.

We start right at the challenge: race across a small swamp through a series of obstacles (like the swamp isn’t obstacle enough), retrieve three balls and race back. Hoops have been set up in a Skill-Ball type set-up and the first survivor to sink all three balls wins a helicopter ride to a gorilla sanctuary (is that like what we call the NHL?) where they will eat and shower and watch gorillas.

The guys blow the girls out of competition and it’s Bob, Matti and Ken lined up and trying to get the last basket before somebody else triggers the buzzer. Bob wins – his 3rd straight challenge victory. Surprisingly (strategically?), he selects Kenny and Crystal to accompany him on his reward. What is he up to?

At the gorilla sanctuary the three chow down first. While they eat, they converse:

St. Bob: “I wish I could have invited everybody.”
Kenny (ever the weasel, I see, now that he has lost the underdog status and I can diss him): “If Matty had won he would have invited Susie and Sugar. I think if Matty doesn’t win tomorrow, it would be a good thing.”
Crystal: “I hope the next move is Matty, because if not Matty, it’s going to be one of us.”

Bob chews on a toothpick and looks inscrutable (pondering the revelation that Sugar and Suzie evidently have an alliance of such power that all are helpless before them?). Bob asks if they can get Sugar on board for evicting Matty. Cut to Bob telling the camera he thinks he has gained the trust of Ken and Crystal. For a physics teacher, he’s not too bright.

Kenny pushes things too far even for Bob when he tells him, “If you win immunity, I could take a risk. You don’t have to give it to me the first time.” Bob pulls back and spreads his arms in a “Gimme a break,” move. He says, “If I don’t give it to you I’m not a man of my word.” Then, incredibly, he agrees to let Kenny decide when Kenny feels he needs immunity. I’m losing my respect for you, Bob. Your stupidity is making you a chump despite your integrity. They clean up and mount an observation platform to watch the gorillas. There’s a cut to Bob addressing the camera and telling us about the connection he felt with the great apes and I’m thinking, “That’s because you are one, you gullible dummy.”

Cut to exile Island. Did I mention Bob sent Susie to the Island as part of winning the challemge? She has been a non-entity in recent episodes and is easy to forget. She seems happy getting some fresh fruit, a hammock and some time to herself.

Back at camp Matty works on Sugar. She offers no support, telling him that he better win immunity because he’s the biggest threat. So Bob, winner of the past 3 challenges, is chopped liver? Sugar confirms she is with Kenny and Crystal, but at the same time admits Kenny maybe taking her for a ride. She also mentions that the next tribal council will be her last chance to use the hidden immunity idol she has been dragging around with her forever. Matty hints she’ll be safe and he sure could use her immunity. She tells us, “Screw that. I’m using my idol to make sure I’m in the final 5.” For a player with so little game, she has gone farther than ever thought she would. Matty tries to convince her that Kenny and Crystal are in their own alliance and are using everybody else.

Day 35.

Bob, Kenny and Crystal return from the sanctuary. Matty feels totally alone and annoyed at Kenny and Crystal and lets them know it. Cut to Kenny telling us that Matty is totally paranoid. Hey Kenny – you ARE out to get him, remember? Crystal says she’s going to “put a stink on Matty so everybody can smell it.” Crystal goes off on him and it bothers Sugar; surprising given her lack of qualms about not just evicting Randy, but intentionally humiliating him in the process.

Sugar finally puts it together. She talks to the camera and in a shocked tone reveals that she thinks Kenny and Crystal have been working together all this time to engineer the evictions of people they want out. Beautiful and smart, too; as in “too much to hope for.” Who in the game has not figured this out yet?

She gets Matty alone and, in tears, admits she now believes what he said earlier about Kenny and Crystal being in their own alliance. We hear Matty say, “You’re just fig…” He cuts himself off from finishing the sentence (i.e., “…uring this out now?”), wisely seeing that she’s now on his side so there’s no point in humiliating her. She tells Matty, “You’re not going.” Matty is shocked.

Day 36.

Suzie returns from Exile Island. The immunity challenge has the players blindfolded. A large square has been roped in a large square with a lane for each player. The lanes have various rope barriers they must cross on their way to getting 3 bags of puzzle pieces. Susie gets lost and wonders around out in the field, reminding me of the guy in Snatch, Benny the Blade, I think, wandering into traffic after he escapes with his hands tied and a hood over his head. Big yucks.

And what a shocker! It comes down to a race between Bob, Kenny and who’s that other one? Oh, it’s Matty. And Bob wins his 4th straight challenge.

This is getting monotonous. And, for the non-Bobs, dangerous. They simply cannot beat the 57 year old.

The strategizing begins:

Kenny now sees the mistake they have made in not evicting Bob earlier. He tells Crystal that if Bob does give him the Idol as promised, they need to double-cross him and vote him out. Crystal agrees.

Kenny goes to Bob and puts on his best lost-puppy face. “I’m feeling a bit scared tonight, Bob,” he says. In ways beyond the temporal (you can be scared about tonight, but you can’t be “scared tonight” in the middle of the day). Bob senses something is up (about freaking time, teach’) and says he wants to poll the others on how they are going to vote..

Crystal tells Sugar, Susie and Matty that Bob is going to give the idol to Kenny at TC and they are going to vote Bob off. Kenny arrives and tells the non-Bobs that Bob will be asking them who they are going to vote for and they should say they are going to vote for Kenny. Sugar pretends to agree but tells the camera she wants no part of double-crossing Bob. “I want to be with the good guys,” she says. Maybe she’d be interested in coming up to my apartment to view my halo collection.

Sugar tracks down Bob and alerts him to the scam Kenny is running on him. She suggests they vote for Crystal.

Matty plays dumb for the other non-Bobs, convincing them he is resigned to being evicted.

Sugar arrives and tells the others that she talked to Bob and she thinks he is going to give Kenny the necklace. Asked if she told Bob she is voting for Kenny, Sugar says yes. The others have been on the island for too long and they fail to twig that the conversation she has outlined makes no sense:
“Hi Bob, who are you voting out?”
“Oh, hi Sugar. I don’t know who to vote for. But you know, I’m thinking about giving my immunity to Kenny.”
“Gee, Bob, that would be swell. I’m going to vote Kenny off, so we could cancel each other out.”
“Ha-ha-ha. Isn’t Survivor fun?”

Matty tells Sugar that he thinks Bob is still “on board with Kenny and Crystal.” Sugar tells Matty, “Let me do the thinking. Just vote for Crystal.”

Night 36.

Tribal Council. The jury enters and Randy has gone Travis Bickle on us, Mohawk and all. Why am I not surprised?

Jeff stirs the pot. Bob admits promising Kenny he would give him the immunity necklace if he (Bob) thinks Kenny is in danger. “After we discuss all this, I’ll make that decision.” Asked why he feels he might be in danger Kenny tells Jeff, “I was in such a good position, now I’m on the outcast.” Earlier in the day he told the camera “Bob thinks I’m on the outskirts with him.” The word you’re looking for, Game Boy, is o-u-t-s-i-d-e.
Jeff remind the survivors that tonight is the last chance to play the hidden immunity idol. Jeff asks Bob if he is going to keep the necklace or give it to Kenny. Bob says he will keep it. Cut to the jury. They snicker, pleased as punch (and Judy).

The voting occurs. Jeff calls time for the immunity idol to be played. Long pause Sugar, who is wearing the idol as a necklace, takes it off and says, “Here, Matty. Take this cursed thing away.”

The vote goes 3 for Matty (Kenny, Crystal and Susie), 3 for Crystal (Bob, Sugar and Matty). Crystal is eliminated and Bob was right, Kenny wasn’t in danger.