Did you miss last week’s important double-elimination during “Sinking Ship?” Check out a recap here.
This season’s penultimate episode begins after Danielle’s admission of closeness to Parvati, and subsequent ouster. The Yin Yang tribe returns to their beach and Parvati telling Sandra that she thought Rupert was going to go home. Rupert confides that with Danielle going home, his chances are getting better and better at winning (really, Rupert? Someone else being eliminated makes it better for you to win? You don’t say). Parvati and Jerri discuss what must have been Russell flipping and voting out Danielle. He uses “scare tactics” according to Parvati. However, as much as they don’t trust Russell, they still need to get rid of Colby and Rupert. Parvati tells the camera that Russell is the biggest villain ever, but she needs to use him to get rid of the remaining Heroes. Russell, trying to preserve his standing with the women, insists to Jerri and Parvati that Danielle was, indeed, targeting Parvati. Russell notices Parvati’s nervous reaction to him, saying that she had to have been working with Danielle because she’s now scared of the revenge Russell will exact on her. The next morning, a box arrives in Tree Mail. The box is marked with a huge Sprint logo (Blatant Product Placement Alert!), and contains the new Palm Pre (BPP!) inside. Colby turns the phone on, where he is instructed to open the “Messages,” and then the “Videos” section. Jerri coos about how cool the Palm Pre (BPP!) is as Colby finds the videos of the players’ Loved Ones. The Loved Ones have just arrived on the island and will be seeing the players soon…
…at the Reward Challenge. Jeff asks if the survivors found their new, amazing, it-will-cure-cancer Palm Pre (BPP!) and the videos contained within. He says the winner of the challenge will go to the famous Samoa Blowholes, and enjoy a feast with their Loved One (this is the same location from which Jeff recited the introduction to Survivor: Samoa last season). Further, now that they know how awesome the Palm Pre (BPP!) is, they can take the phone with them to take pictures and record video of this incredible experience. Jeff then introduces all of the Loved Ones: Parvati’s Dad, Jerri’s sister, Russell’s wife, Colby’s brother, Rupert’s wife and Sandra’s uncle who was with Sandra’s mom when she died recently. For the challenge, each of the Survivors will run into the ocean with a bucket and fill it with water. They will then throw the water to their Loved One, who will pour the ater caught into a bucket. Once the bucket is heavy enough, it will raise a flag. First to raise the flag wins Reward. Survivors ready…Go!
Russel and his wife Melani, and Jerri and her sister Jennifer jump out to a lead. Colby can’t sync up with his older brother at all, and resorts to just yelling at him. Parvati and her dad have no luck either catching any of the water. Russell and Jerri are running away with the challenge as they have the smartest Loved Ones: Melani is squeezing the water from her hair into the bucket (even spitting into tit too!), while Jennifer wrings the water from her shirt into the bucket. Russell’s bucket begins to move, but Jerri gets back with another bucket of water first. Jennifer pours it in, the bucket lowers and the flag raises. Jerri wins Reward! Of course, the reward would be boring to do alone, so Jerri gets to pick another survivor to go with her. She chooses Parvati and her father. Jerri then begs Jeff to choose another survivor, and Jeff assents(!). Jerri chooses Sandra and her uncle, leaving Russell just shaking his head. “She’s in trouble now,” he mutters to Rupert as they say goodbye to their Loved Ones and head back to camp.
The ladies and their Loved Ones head to the blowholes where a local shows them how to through coconuts into the geysers and watch the water shoot them 90 feet in the air. The survivors take some pictures with the super-duper-incredible Palm Pre (BPP!), and then settle into their feast. Sandra explains that her uncle is there because her mother recently died and her husband is in Afghanistan. Jerri says that she’s scared of Russell’s reaction to not being brought on the reward, but Parvati astutely asks, “What can he do?” Sandra adds that for Russell to win, he has to get rid of Colby and Rupert, who will surely win if they make it into the Top 3. Back at the camp, Russell continues to mock Jerri’s strategy. He has been taking care of Jerri this entire game. He saved both her and Parvati’s asses. Russell then approaches the remaining Heroes and, admitting that he’s lied in the past and is a Villain, he would like to go to the end with Colby and Rupert. The three form a triangular handshake and agree to a new men’s alliance. Rupert confides, however, that he doesn’t trust Russell. He doesn’t trust him, but knows that if Russell is in the Top3 with Rupert, Rupert will win the million dollars. Russell tells the guys that they need to oust Parvati, so he will try to pull Jerri back in and get rid of Parvati.
The women return that evening, and Jerri immediately seeks out Russell. He’s asleep, so she decides to go to sleep too. In fact, everyone goes to sleep, except for Rupert, who is tending the fire. Rupert starts sawing tree branches, and cracking them with his feet and rocks. The noise is ridiculous and wakes everyone up. Colby says that Rupert is just completely clueless as to what he is doing. Jerri goes further, saying that Rupert is plain inconsiderate. She wonders if this stems from cockiness or stupidity. “Definitely stupidity,” she finally confirms. Since everyone is awake, Jerri pulls Russell aside. She tells him that she was worried the whole reward trip that he was going to be mad. Russell assures her that he’s not mad, he just wanted to hang out with his wife. He then tells Jerri that he will do whatever it takes to get the two of them into the Top 3. He leaves, and confides that he isn’t going to tell Jerri about voting for Parvati until the last moment so she can’t run to Parvati and spill the beans. They just need to prevent
Parvati from winning the…
…Immunity Challenge. This is a simple endurance challenge. Each player will stand with two poles being held between an overhead board and the backs of the players’ hands. When one pole drops, the player is out. Last one with both poles up wins Immunity. Jeff starts the challenge, and says that if a player allows their mind to drift for a minute, he or she will be out. As Jeff concludes this statement, Colby drops one of his poles, only fifteen seconds into the challenge! Before the first minute is complete, Sandra falls out, too. A few minutes later, Russell drops out. Jeff remarks how solid Jerri looks, and she immediately loses one of her poles (Jeff, you’re a curse!). Seventeen minutes in, Parvati and Rupert are still battling. One of Rupert’s poles moves precariously to the edge of the overhead board, so he tries to adjust it. Parvati, too, has a pole move close to the edge. Rupert’s hands begin to shake, but Parvati’s pole moves right to the edge. Finally, Rupert’s pole falls. Parvati wins Immunity! As the players head back to the beach, Russell says that they just have to move to Plan B — Sandra is going home.
Back at camp, Russell tells Parvati that it’s time for Rupert to go home. Russell tells the camera that he has to flip on the guys because Parvati won immunity, implying he can’t motivate Jerri to vote for Sandra. Speaking of Sandra, she approaches Rupert and tells him she wants to get rid of Russell. Rupert then immediately runs to Russell and tells him what Sandra said. “Sandra, are you with me, or against me?” Russell asks Sandra in front of the rest of the tribe. He adds that if she is against him, she’ll be going home next. There is some banter back and forth, until Sandra says to Russell, “Loose lips sink ships.” Parvati asks who brought Boston Rob back into the game, with Russell quoting Rob’s most famous “with me or against me” line. This results in Russell calling them all stupid. Jerri tells the camera that the whole camp has turned into Crazy Town. She wonders why Sandra and Parvati are picking a fight with Russell, because if there’s one thing you don’t do, it’s riling up Russell (she’s scared of him. If Parvati had lost Immunity, I really think Russell would have been able to get her to flip on Parvati). Later, Russell tells Rupert and Jerri to vote for Sandra, but he confides that he doesn’t know how he is going to cast his vote. Sandra tells the camera that this is the last opportunity to use her Hidden Immunity Idol, but she feels so confident about tonight’s vote, that she doesn’t think she’s going to play it (WHAT?!?! She has to be joking!). The survivors head off to…
…Tribal Council. Jeff brings in The Jury and asks about what has been happening at camp. Sandra says that Rupert was trying to stir stuff up, and the two start to bicker. Jeff asks
Russell to talk about the argument between Rupert and Sandra. Russell says that Sandra was trying to throw him under the bus. He doesn’t fully trust her because she’s already voted for him twice during the game. Russell then says that he asked Sandra if she was “with me or against me.” Jeff asks Sandra how she responded. She had to respond that she was with him, right? Nope. She said she was against him, which shocks Jeff. He asks them if it is still Heroes versus Villains. Parvati says that it has always been her intention to have three Villains in the Top 3. Rupert suggests that maybe it’s time for a Hero or Villain to prove that he or she is the top Hero or Villain and turn on their original tribe-mates. Parvati pointedly looks at Russell, and insists that she considers herself a Hero. Jeff asks Rupert who he’s talking about. There is silence until Rupert finally says that any Villain should want to prove he or she is the top player. It’s time to vote, so they do, and Jeff retrieves the ballots. He begins to say that if anyone has a hidden…Sandra interrupts him. She says she wasn’t going to play it, but the conversation at Tribal Council has made her uncomfortable, so she plays her idol. Russell asks Parvati if she knew about Sandra’s idol and she swear her utter surprise is genuine. Any votes cast for Sandra won’t count. Jeff reads the votes. One for Rupert, then Sandra. Then Rupert, then Sandra. A third vote for Rupert. The next vote…”The fifteenth person voted out of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and the seventh member of our Jury…Rupert!” (The last vote was for Rupert also; Russell turned on Colby and Rupert.) Rupert solemnly brings up his torch, and stares down Russell. Jeff snuffs the torch, and Rupert marches off into the Blue Light of Death. Jeff tells the remaining survivors that they are the Top 5. They will have their final challenges and a Top 3 will be determined. The Top 5 heads off back to camp.
Next time on…Survivor!
The next episode is the season finale on Sunday, May 16th at 8:00pm EDT. Regular viewers will know that there will be two immunity challenges, two tribal councils, a really terrible montage where the Top 3 gathers the torches, or masks or necklaces or shoelaces of the defeated players, and the final Tribal Council. Here’s what I’m predicting. The next Immunity Challenge will be a physical one that Russell will win. They will eliminate Colby so Russell can say he’s stuck with his alliance and because he knows Colby would beat him in the finals. Then the final Immunity Challenge will be an endurance or meticulous one that Parvati will win. She will realize that her best chance to win is to go up against a former winner (Sandra) and Russell because everyone hates him, so she’ll eliminate Jerri. Each will make impassioned pleas, but Parvati will win the final vote 5-2-2, and become the first two-time winner. I have no spoiler knowledge or anything, I’m really just creating the above out of thin air.
Odds to Win
These odds won’t necessarily reflect the above prediction because above I’m making a guess as to the types of challenges, the challenge winners and how the players would vote if they arrive in those situations. The below is just based on the current state of the game.
Jerri: 5-1. If Jerri makes it to the Top 3, and doesn’t pull an Amanda-style Trial Council performance, she will win. She’s sympathetic as a long-time veteran of the game. Plus, she’s won two individual challenges, and will likely have won a third if she makes it to the end. In a race between her and any combination of a loathed backstabber, two former winners, and a nice guy whose heart hasn’t been in the game for a loooong time, Jerri comes out on top.
Parvati:10-1. Parvati won another individual immunity, and seems to have her hens in a row. I think everyone else will realize that it would be good to go up against a former winner because The Jury is unlikely to give her another victory. Parvati, however, is a master talker, and if there is anyone who can convince The Jury that she has played the strongest game, she can. She can point to her numerous challenge wins, bold double hidden immunity idol move, and the way she played Russell. I think she only loses to Jerri.
Sandra: 15-1. Sandra almost had a classic blunder by letting her pride get the best of her and not playing her hidden immunity idol. Yes, the vote was 4-2, so she would have been safe anyway, but if you have a hidden idol, and it is the last time you can use it, you use it! No questions asked. You can’t take it home, so why not 100% guarantee you’re not going home? Fortunately for her, she did play it. Like Parvati, I think other tribe members will think it wise to bring Sandra to the end because she is a former winner. Once in the Top 3, there’s no telling how Sandra, another master talker, will bend The Jury to her will. She hasn’t made as many great moves as Parvati has, so I think she’ll end up in second place.
Colby: 35-1. What the heck is wrong with Donaldson? With the exception of the one basketball-type game, he has performed terribly. The only reason he is still in the game is because everyone knows he can’t win a challenge. He has no allies, so his only play is to try to divide the four remaining Villains and be the swing vote between them. To be honest, though, I think he’s checked out and won’t even be able to recognize this strategy. Russell will recognize that it’s possible Colby could siphon off votes in the final Tribal Council because there are a lot of Heroes on The Jury, so he’ll get rid of him as soon as possible.
Russell:50-1. I believe Russell will get to the Top 3 because others will think he was so underhanded that he won’t get any votes from a bitter jury, but I just don’t see how he wins against any of the other four players. Jerri is more sympathetic and Parvati has, arguably, played a better game and is a better talker. His only chance is to go against Colby and Sandra, but even then, it will be a tough road. Add in his sourpuss at the Survivor: Samoafinale, and I think Russell is going to fall just short again.
Alright, that’s it for this episode. What did you think of the episode? What do you think of my prediction for the Finale? Any opinion on the new Odds? Please leave your thoughts and comments below. Remember, the season finale will be this Sunday, May 16th at 8:00pm EDT!! Be sure to check out TVOvermind for all of the latest TV news, and come back on Monday for a recap of the finale and reunion. Until then, I’m off to get burgers that taste like a million bucks.
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