Survivor: South Pacific 23.06 “Free Agent” Recap

The episode begins at Savaii on Night 14. The tribe returns to camp where Ozzy voices his displeasure at being blindsided. He confesses that he can’t trust Keith and Whitney. He announces that he is done playing in an “alliance way,” and is now a free agent that will be playing for himself. Whitney says the vote wasn’t against him, but Ozzy protests that they were keeping secrets form him. Dawn says he’s keeping stuff from them, and he replies that he has the Hidden Immunity Idol. “Screw it, I’m just going to let everything hang out there,” he says, finishing by saying that he always has Redemption Island if things don’t work out.

The next morning at Savaii, Ozzy is still dumbfounded that his tribe ousted Elyse. If the tribe wants to win Challenges, they need to trust him. Jim thinks his plan is going perfectly as Ozzy is throwing a hissy fit. In Jim’s opinion, Ozzy should apologize for his behavior. Cochran confides that Ozzy acting like a crybaby is great for him as it keeps him out of the spotlight.

Over at Upolu, Coach is psyched about having the HII, but he won’t tell Brandon because he is a loose cannon. For his part, Brandon wants to find the HII, and does find a clue. Albert affects surprise when Brandon shows him and Coach the clue. Coach tells the camera that thou they agreed to play as “Christian men,” withholding information from Brandon is not lying. As they “search” for the clue, Brandon gets a very Russell look about him. Albert advises Coach to not tell Brandon about the HII, as Brandon is likely to lose his mind (as if he hasn’t already).

On to the RI Arena. Christine and Elyse enter, with Rick, Sophie, Ozzy and Keith observing. Jeff asks Elyse about having people there watching who just voted her out. She says it is hard when she trusted those people. Jeff mentions that RI has become like home for Christine, who breaks down at that thought. She says she appears to be strong, but RI can break you.

For the Duel, they must compete in Survivor‘s version of shuffleboard. The object is to knock the opponent’s four pucks off the board. The last one with a puck on the board wins. Christine scores first, after flipping off Rick who was cheering for her. Elyse then scores. Christine knocks off another one, followed by Elyse knocking off her own puck. Christine has a chance to win, but misses. Elyse knocks off another of Christine’s pucks, then another. It’s a tie game. Christine scores the last one and stays alive! Elyse tells Jeff that she takes a sense of accomplishment away from the game because she gave her all. She throws her buff in the fire and departs. Christine doesn’t want to go back to RI, but as she leaves, Rick confesses that he can tell she will flip on Upolu the second she gets back into the game.

As they return to camp, Sophie and Christine talk about Christine flipping them off. Sophie thinks Christine would be the worst person to have back in the game for this fact. Edna has been cozying up next to Coach in an attempt to solidify her place in the tribe. Coach likes her and thinks she would give anything for him. So, Mikayla is the next to go, as Coach tells Edna.

Over at Savaii, Ozzy and Keith return from RI. Ozzy realizes that he made a mistake by having a tantrum. He talks to Keith about keeping their alliance strong. He then apologizes for his behavior to the rest of the tribe. He says he told them about the HII to be honest and prove his loyalty. Jim is fine with Ozzy staying on the tribe because he helps win Challenges, and then is a target after The Merge. Hopefully he won’t have to make a decision on ousting Ozzy after the…

…Immunity Challenge. For the Challenge, three members of each tribe must assemble a wheelbarrow, and then push it through obstacles to collect two loads of coconuts. Then, the other three tribe members must take the wheelbarrow apart to create a slingshot to be used with the coconuts to break six targets. The tribes are also playing for a Reward of a picnic at the Sliding Rocks natural water slide. Edna sits for Upolu. Jeff announces, “Survivors ready…go!”

The tribes are tied as they finish their wheelbarrows and head out onto the course, but Ozzy runs into a post. Upolu is the first to reach the first set of coconuts and dumps them into their wheelbarrow. Savaii is very far behind when Albert knocks down Upolu’s first target. Savaii finally finishes its slingshot. Keith scores for Savaii. Coach wants Mikayla to step out of the Challenge. Albert scores number two. Mikayla won’t use two hands to shoot the coconuts and keeps coming up short. Jim scores number two for Savaii. Albert gets three, as does Keith. Jim gets number four after Mikayla misses, and Keith gets number five. Jim hits number six and wins Immunity and Reward for Savaii! Coach says it was Mikayla’s fault they lost. If he is to coach the tribe, she needs to listen. She didn’t, so she should go home.

Savaii goes to their Reward where Dawn confesses that the win couldn’t have come at a better time. Ozzy says that the win makes him want someone from his tribe to win the game. Cochran sheds his sweater vest to slide down the rocks. Back at Upolu, Brandon says they lost as a team. Will it be Mikayla or Edna going home tonight? Albert tells Mikayla that he will go to war for her with Coach. She is dumbfounded that she might be voted out because if they want to keep the tribe strong they shouldn’t keep someone like Edna who is smaller and twice Mikayla’s age.

Albert works on Rick by pointing out that they keep sitting Edna, so she’s no help in the Challenges. Besides, Edna knows that she is at the bottom, and she is smart enough to flip to Savaii the second she has the chance. Sophie is on board, but they need to convince Coach and Brandon. Brandon says he is beginning to trust Mikayla more because Edna is acting too sweet. Brandon says he will keep his word though, and vote out Mikayla, even if it means his own ouster.

Frustrated by Brandon, Albert and Sophie go to Coach to make their pitch to keep Mikayla. Coach says he lost the Challenge because Mikayla didn’t listen to him. Albert thinks Edna is playing them all, but Coach trusts her. Coach then goes to Rick to secure his vote. Albert then returns to Rick and says Rick is the swing vote heading into…

…Tribal Council. Jeff asks Coach what happened at the Challenge. He puts the blame on Mikayla. Edna, what message is the tribe sending her by sitting her out? Edna states that no one wants to be the last one picked at school. Brandon, is it important to have numbers? Of course, you need to have numbers headed into The Merge. Jeff then asks if it is more important to keep players who can help you get to The Merge, or players who will be loyal after The Merge? What if the person who will help you get there isn’t the most loyal? Albert says you need to get there first. Sophie says you need numbers period. Coach says the tribe is divided because loyalty is the most important. Albert says a player can’t fake strength, but one can certainly fake loyalty. Brandon says if they are talking loyalty, they all agreed to get rid of Mikayla. Brandon then says if they are not going to play based on loyalty, they should vote him out. He doesn’t trust either Mikayla or Edna, but he promised to keep Edna, so that is how he is voting. Coach says that it is possible to be too honest — sometimes, in this game, you must keep the truth hidden for a time. Brandon objects to the idea that they are “just playing a game.” Small little lies are still lies. It’s black or white.

With that, it’s time to vote. Brandon votes for Mikayla, and Mikayla votes for Edna. Albert votes for Edna, and Edna hopes Mikayla’s time on the show has helped her modeling career. Jeff gathers the votes. Mikayla and Edna alternate the first six votes. Jeff reads the final vote, “The sixth person voted out of Survivor: South Pacific…Mikayla!” Coach and Brandon say they love each other as Mikayla has her torch snuffed out. Jeff notes that for all the talk of loyalty, Upolu still split the vote. As great as loyalty is, it is not always the answer.

Next Time on…Survivor!!!

Ozzy says he will go to Redemption Island if need be. Coach asks God for rejuvenation and says he will get rid of Brandon if he must.

This was another pretty great episode of Survivor, even if one of my favorites was voted out. After last week when Savaii had a bit of a meltdown when Keith and Whitney decided to vote against their own alliance (and yes, not voting for Cochran was voting against Elyse), Upolu followed suit by dividing itself into two distinct camps. Albert seems like a smart enough guy to be able to say to Coach, “Look, we had a difference in opinion of how to keep the tribe strong, but we are still solid,” especially as he and Sophie (the two players on the outs with Coach due to their vote) are the ones who know about Coach’s HII. Whether Coach accepts that excuse, however, will be interesting to see.

If I was a betting man, I would venture the following: 1) Upolu will win the Immunity Challenge; 2) Jim, in an effort to show Ozzy he is with him (though he’s not), will agree to vote out Cochran; 3) Brandon will act like an ass, and now argue that Edna is trying to seduce him with the way she collects firewood; and 4) Coach, Albert and Sophie will make up. I am fully prepared for all of these predictions to be wrong, but I feel strongest about #3.

Odds to Win

So, my Odds to Win took their first big hit with the ouster of Mikayla. Now, despite her Challenge performance this week, I still think she is a very capable physical player. That combined with Christine’s growing weariness, I would place my money on Mikayla triumphing in the next Duel. Besides Mikayla being voted out, the rest of Upolu has been rocked by the split vote. Add in the Ozzy saga back at Savaii, and there is some decent movement on this week’s Board. Let’s take a look:

Whitney: 7-1. As you can see by the numerical value of Whitney’s odds, this season is becoming more and more wide open. It appears that she and Keith have weathered the storm brought on by voting against Ozzy, but Whitney’s place is a bit more suspect. Keith has at least solidified a new alliance with Ozzy. Whitney will likely do the same, but until she does, her odds have to remain high for a favorite. Then again, if Savaii loses the next Immunity Challenge, would Jim rather mobilize his three against Whitney, or sacrifice Cochran or Dawn. Let’s assume that Savaii will want to have every opportunity to go into The Merge with even numbers and wouldn’t sacrifice Whitney before the final tribal Immunity Challenge.

Keith: 9-1. I said last week that I think Keith is smart. I stand by that statement as he made a nice move in agreeing to realign with Ozzy. Keith had to see that if he didn’t, he’d be on the minority side of Savaii with Jim, Dawn, Cochran and likely Ozzy against him and Whitney. By welcoming back Ozzy, he at least has a 3 on 3 chance. The trick for him will be to get Cochran or Dawn out at the next Tribal Council instead of Whitney or Ozzy. He can then take Ozzy down at will post-Merge.

Albert: 11-1. Oh Albert, you made a move, a very smart well-thought-out move, but saw it blow up in your face when Rick became scared of the Dragon Slayer. Now you find yourself on the short side of the tribe, but hold out hope. Make the play I spoke of above: tell Coach you were voting for the strength of the tribe, not against him. Really, Mikayla or Edna was sacrificeable at this stage of the game, you just thought Mikayla could help more in Challenges. She’s gone now, but you are still solid with Coach. Coach will respect that kind of honesty and game play, and should welcome you back into the fold easily.

Dawn: 12-1. It may seem, at times, that Dawn is floating along in this game, but I think she’s playing it perfectly. After her Day Two meltdown (and truly, how many players actually have meltdowns a couple days in because of the shock to the system being pulled out of your everyday life is? I bet it’s way more than they show us), Dawn has been solid mentally, and was the hero of the Immunity Challenge a couple episodes ago. I can’t see Savaii voting her out before Cochran, which should pretty much guarantee her making The Merge in two weeks. From there, she will likely be overlooked in favor of voting out “stronger” players (whether that be stronger physically or stronger gameplay). One of my preseason favorites is looking pretty good at this stage of the game.

Sophie: 17-1. Sophie, like Albert is now on the wrong side of her tribe’s alliance. Also like Albert, however, I think she can rationalize with Coach that she voted based solely on keeping the tribe strong for Challenges. What Sophie needs to do now though, is make a move against Brandon. Yes, he will be a target post-Merge due to his perceived strength, but I have a feeling that he could take the whole Upolu ship down with him. If Upolu must vote out someone again before The Merge, she must convince her tribe that Brandon is a greater threat to be unpredictable than anyone else, despite his protestations of loyalty above all else.

Rick: 19-1. Well, Rick made a decision. A decision, that to be honest, I am a bit surprised by, but not as surprised as I would have been had you told me he’d make said decision at the beginning of the game. In rick’s preseason interviews, he said that he didn’t respect Coach and would try to vote him out immediately if he found the Dragon Slayer on his tribe. Now, I understand that things change during the game, and expediency is the most important thing, but when Rick sided with Coach by voting out Mikayla, he said to everyone, “I’m scared of Coach.” For such a fan of the game, there is no way Rick thought Edna was more beneficial to Challenges than Mikayla; he voted out of fear. Of course, voting out of fear is completely legitimate, I’m just a tad surprised the cowboy is playing like that.

Coach: 23-1. He’s got them. He’s got them right where he wants them. Coach was able to bend the will of his tribe in his favor, and in doing so, has made sure that Albert and Sophie will fall back in line next week, lest they find themselves on Redemption Island. All this, and he has an HII, too. Coach is going to make the Jury, if not farther. What a turnaround for someone who looked dead in the water when he landed on the beach Day 1.

Edna: 36-1. That was a close one for everyone’s favorite anesthesiologist. In all honesty, Edna should have been voted out. There’s a reason her tribe keeps sitting her out of Challenges. She does, however, have the most important thing in the game: a protector. Coach knows that Edna is loyal, won’t rock the boat (at least not yet) and will do whatever Coach asks her to do. She really only needs to survive one more Tribal Council (assuming Upolu goes to one of the next two) to then have a really good shot at making it to the end of the game (pairs of alliances are very powerful post-Merge). The hardest part for her will be convincing Upolu that she shouldn’t be the next to go. That is a very hard sell to make at this point of the game, and the reason why I had to drop her down the Odds Board.

John: 44-1. The fact that I have Cochran this high is mind-blowing, and wholly a result of everyone else really having no shot to win (in my opinion). In all likelihood, Cochran will be the next Savaii member to be voted out (especially if they lose next week’s Challenge and Savaii will need to win the final tribal Immunity to go into The Merge with even numbers). The only reason he has lasted this long is that he is a warm body, a number that can be used by other people to achieve their ends. This does not bode well for Cochran, but stranger things have happened that could see Cochran into the latter stages of the game.

Ozzy: 77-1. Red alert! Red alert!! We have a full meltdown in progress!! Ozzy said that what was his undoing his previous times playing was his social game. He was determined to not let his mind get wrapped around a woman, and try to be aware of the personal dynamics of his tribe. Then he goes and completely melts down after Tribal Council and further ostracized himself from the tribe. Moreover, he told everyone he has the Hidden Immunity Idol!!! Now he has to scramble to make sure he has someone to side with him going forward. Most likely, Jim’s alliance will try flushing out the HII at the next Tribal Council, and Ozzy might actually find himself in the situation again where he gets himself voted out with an HII in hand! I just don’t see how Ozzy gets to the end of the game at this point.

Jim: 80-1. Only one outwardly super cocky person has ever won the game: Richard Hatch, and as he was the first winner, this was before people thought about alliances that can overcome personality issues (not that when Rob won last season, he was only cocky to the camera, never to his fellow players). Jim is an outwardly cocky ass who is just asking for his comeuppance. If Ozzy was smart, he’d get Keith and Whitney to tell Jim they should try to flush out Ozzy’s HII, but then the three of them should vote for Jim and get that troublemaker out of the game pronto. Even if they don’t, Jim’s mouth is going to be his undoing at some point prior to the Top 5.

Mikayla: 105-1. And one of my favorites bites the dust. It was bound to happen. The fact that it took until Episode 6 thrills me to no end. Mikayla was targeted from the get-go due to Brandon’s bizarre belief system and hallucinations, which was wholly unfair. She performed admirably in all Challenges until this one (though I have no idea why she insisted on using only one hand, especially after Probst called her out for it), and is certainly stronger than Edna. There was really no reason for her to go home outside Brandon’s hysteria and Coach’s ego. All that said, if there is anyone who can win a few Duels in a row and make a splash when she re-enters the game, it is Mikayla.

Brandon: 113-1. What a freaking lunatic. Seriously. I’m done apologizing for this guy. He’s a loon. He wanted to keep Mikayla but will vote her out anyway? And does he not have any internal monologue whatsoever? I can almost guarantee that Brandon will make the Jury, so we will be subjected to one of his religious rants at the Final Three, but for the love of all that is holy, can someone vote out this guy please?

Christine: 224-1. The tough New Yorker side is shining through for Christine. That lady is broken, beaten, tired, and has practically given up, but somehow, she still wins Duels. Granted, she really hasn’t had a worthy competitor, and she is primed to be defeated by the very capable Mikayla next week, but even if she is, she has had a very impressive run on Redemption Island. She’s still not going to win the game though!

That’s what I have for this week’s Survivor. What did you think of the episode? What did you think of that Immunity Challenge? Personally, I thought it was pretty badass. Good work by the production crew on that one. Will Coach welcome Albert and Sophie back into the fold? Would Savaii try to blindside Ozzy at their next Tribal Council? Is it finally time to kick out Brandon? Are you surprised Rick said more that two sentences?!? Please leave your questions and comments below. I’ll be back next week with another recap. Until then, I’m off to be a sparkling water person.

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