Survivor Episode 12: Liars Club

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From Reality News Online:

It’s a given that there is going to be a lot of lying on Survivor, but this episode proves that you can’t tell the players without a scorecard. How many people has Jon promised to take to the Final 2? Who is Burton taking with him? What is Christa up to? Oh what tangled webs they weave…

It’s Day 31 at the Balboa tribe. Burton is heading out to fish. Christa and Sandra are… well, I’m not really sure what they’re doing. It looks like they’re panning for gold, but I rather doubt it. In any case, they are talking and it appears there is some doubt in their minds about Jon’s sincerity. Jon? Insincere? Say it ain’t so! Where would they ever get a bad thought like that about Jon.

Christa says voting out Tijuana was a last-minute decision. Jon had told them that he would take them to the final four with Burton. But Christa doesn’t know if she can believe him, so she makes him swear on his grandmother’s grave. That would be his grandmother’s non-existent grave, for those of you not paying close attention. To emphasize this point, he privately repeats his comparison of breaking lies to a fat woman and wicker furniture, still not getting the metaphor right. Christa says she really hopes he’s telling the truth, but probably not. She figures she and Sandra probably have a better chance of getting ahead with the four women.

Sandra says she’s tight with Christa, but she can’t do anything without knowing where Darrah stands now. She figures Darrah voted for Burton the previous night, so she should have no problem doing it again. Yeah, Sandra, I’m sure she’ll just ignore the fact that you roped her and Tijuana into an alliance and then immediately backstabbed them, sending her pal, Ti, out of the game. I’m sure she’ll trust you completely – just like you should trust Jon.

Sheesh.

Anyway, Sandra talks to Darrah, who plays it pretty noncommittally. She privately says that she’s sure everybody will be coming her way and she’ll listen to them all and then make a decision from there. Sandra goes on about how they want to get rid of Burton and then Jon. Burton first because he’s a threat, and Jon’s like a girl. Heh.

Meanwhile, we’re back to Burton fishing as the music from Jaws plays. I expect to see that shark that would hang around when Rupert was fishing come out of nowhere and tear Burton to pieces, but nothing nearly so exciting happens. Burton just spears a stingray. Oooh. He returns to shore with the ray and a bunch of other fish just as Jon shows up with treemail about the next reward challenge, which will treat them to some luxury.

They show up at the challenge to find two boats. Hey, I thought tribal challenges were over. Well, in this case, it’s competing in two teams of three, drawn randomly. It’s a water obstacle course. One player from each team starts on the first platform and has to cross a balance beam. Then they dive in and untie two paddles. From there they swim to another platform to join the second team member and untie three barrels. They get the third person off another platform and untie another paddle. Then they all swim to shore with the paddles, push the boat off the beach, and row back to the starting point.

The reward is an overnight stay at a spa. They will be flown to a remote resort island, get a massage, order anything they want off the menu for dinner, wake up and have a big breakfast, etc. There is also a swimming pool, so they get their swimsuits from the suitcases they left behind oh so long ago.

They draw randomly for teams – and also for positions. Sandra, who hates swimming challenges, draws the first position and needs to do the most swimming of anybody. Then Christa is second and Burton is third on their team. For the other team, Darrah goes first, then Lill, then Jon.

Right off the bat, Sandra is in trouble as she falls while going across the balance beam and slams her chin into the connecting platform. Ouch! Darrah is ahead and stays that way. Darrah gets to the second stage and Lill while Sandra is still working on the second paddle. And working. And working. Burton stands on the third platform, unable to do anything, obviously annoyed. Darrah dives back into the water her top (a buff) pulls down). Thanks to pixelation, it’s just a blur, alas. It’s no distraction to her, though, as she gets the barrels untied while Sandra is, yes, still working on the second paddle. Burton is pulling his hair out. Darrah and Lill get to Jon and all three swim to shore. But they begin having problems pushing the boat off the beach. Must be ‘cus Jon is like a girl. Anyway, Sandra finally gets that second paddle untied and gets to Christa. They get the three barrels taken care of and Burton is finally involved in the game. They swim to shore, hoping the other team has lost enough time pushing the boat, but no way. Darrah, Lill, and Jon win!

Immediately, the three of them head out on a boat for a tour of the island. From there they head to a small plane. Among other things, they view the camp from above. Sandra waves and says to herself, “I wish it was me.” Heh. They see whales, etc., and Jon realizes that the islands and ocean are big. Wow. Brilliant guy, that Jon.

They arrive at their hotel and find a huge living room, bedroom, and bathroom – which has mirrors. They look at themselves for the first time in a month. Lill says that first look was shocking. And we’re treated to seeing Darrah shower behind a sheer curtain. This is just Nude Darrah Night, isn’t it?

With everybody dressed again, Jon says this is the best reward they could get. He can talk to Darrah and Lill without worrying that Sandra and Christa will overhear. Plus it gives him a chance to heal up his war wounds. War wounds? Give me a break.

The three of them get massages with skin lotions and cucumber slices on their eyes and the whole works. Jon says the Pearl Islands are considered “paradise,” but it sucks with the bugs, the food, and some of the people (um, like you?). But this really is paradise. Well, yeah, except Jon is there…

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Christa and Sandra ask burton if he’s going to screw them over. Burton tries to get out of the discussion by saying he has not talked to Jon. Christa and Sandra inform him that Jon promised them the final four. This appears to be something of a surprise to Burton, as he doesn’t really know what to say. Privately he says he’s lied so much already that a little more shouldn’t be a big deal, but they will be on the jury and he wants them to vote for him at the end.

So he tries to act like Sandra and Christa didn’t really save his butt at the previous Tribal Council. He says the only reason they voted with him was because Christa was on the chopping block next. Sandra gets annoyed that he is not giving them a straight answer, while Christa says there are too many lies. Burton says everyone is lying to everyone and you only know where you stand when the votes are cast at Tribal Council. Suddenly, Burton is the wise man.

Privately, Christa says it was an enlightening discussion. It’s every man for himself and they’re not here to make best friends, but to play a game and get as far as possible. Whoa, slow down there! You mean this is a game?! Wow. Good time to come to that realization – a month into it.

Back at paradise, it’s silk pajamas for everyone. Woohoo! Then for dinner, they can order from the menu. One of them talks about getting clams and I have to agree with Jon when he says they’ve been living off of food from the ocean for a month now; it’s time for something different. Jon actually orders for them, which Lill enjoys. Jon says he’s a great date and has extensive fine food knowledge. He adds that there are a few more sides to Jonny Fairplay than they knew – he’s more than just a pretty face. Wow, there is so much I want to say to that. But my mother always taught me that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. OK, so I usually ignore that, but in this case I’ll just let it pass.

As the talk turns to strategy, Lill tattles on Sandra and Christa, saying they want to kick out Jon and Burton. She says she knows Jon promised them a lot to get rid of Ti, but she didn’t know exactly what. Jon tells the tale of how he swore on his grandma’s grave, and Lill seems positively shocked that he would do such a thing. But he then claims that one of her last wishes was for him to win the game. Gag.

They jump on the bed a bit and then discuss more strategy. Jon says something to hurt Lill’s feelings by, as Lill says, talking down to her like some idiot. She thinks he wants to show he’s in charge. She’s seen it before. Maybe it’s his way of separating himself from her. In any case, she goes to bed while the other two stay up.

The next day, at camp, Christa and Burton go looking for mussels and she tells him she fears Darrah after the previous challenge. She says she is willing to make concessions to get farther in game, which he says is good to know. But he still says he hasn’t talked to Jon.

However, he does ask her if she would vote off Sandra next if that were decided? Yes, she will, if they want her to. But from a strategic standpoint, she says Darrah is more likely to win immunity. Burton says nothing. But privately, he says Christa would stab Sandra in the back if she needs to and it might not be bad to have Christa in the top four. That way if Jon pulls anything, he’s pretty sure he could take Christa to the final two and beat her because she’s rubbed people the wrong way. Burton tells her he will do what he can to get her to the final four.

Privately, Christa says that stabbing Sandra in the back wouldn’t be personal – it would be doing the right thing to win.

Back at the hotel, they awake to coffee, bacon, eggs, banana nut bread, orange juice, fruit, etc. Jon says it’s yet another advantage over the others as they head to the finals. He also says Survivor is like a big “game of human chess.” This sounds almost philosophical… until you realize that it’s yet another line that he stole from a professional wrestler. In this case, it was Larry “The Legend” Zybsko, a guy who used to be big because he married the daughter of the owner of one of the promotions. He’s now a bitter old man who complains about how bad wrestling is today. See how enlightening RealityNewsOnline’s Survivor recaps can be? (Thanks to Mike DeGeorge, ‘cus I sure as heck didn’t know that information!)

Anyway, with Lill out of the room, Jon tells Darrah that he wants to take her to the final two because nobody can beat Lill in the jury. All I can think is, “What?! Surely she’s not dumb enough to fall for that! Of course anybody can beat Lill – she was voted out once already and the jury will certainly take that into account.” But Darrah just agrees with Jon. Privately she says Jon is a snake and lies a lot, but he tells the truth, too. Only by accident, Darrah… only by accident. She says she knows he’s not lying to her about the final two. Oy. I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again – Jon has the most incredible silver tongue I’ve ever seen. He shouldn’t be in wrestling, he should be in sales. This guy could sell sand in the desert and make you believe you got a great deal.

The three come back from their mini-vacation and Sandra immediately asks for all the details. Apparently she likes to torture herself. Lill says she wanted to play it down but Jon went ahead and told all, including that they sat and ate for four hours. Lill thinks the others seem to be taking it pretty good, but it’s all a front.

Jon and Burton head off to catch up on which lies they’ve been telling to which people. Jon discusses all the webs he’s weaved with Lill and Darrah, with Burton realizing that Jon promised enough to Lill and Darrah such that they won’t break with the alliance. Burton wonders who is next and Jon says it’s Christa. Burton looks a little say, but Jon says you can’t be nice when you’re screwing over people. He’s got a point there. But he says it’s not like they both have to be evil. Indeed, Burton privately figures Jon is the bad cop and he is the good cop, and hopefully in the end people will blame Jon and give Burton the big money. They reaffirm their top two alliance, just to be sure.

Later that night, Lill is up with Burton as they stare into the fire while the others sleep. Lill asks if they are still the final two. Burton says he doesn’t want to think that far in advance. She wonders if he is having second thoughts and he says no, but there are two Tribal Councils before then so they should just take them one at a time. Lill keeps pushing, saying she can’t help but feel he is having second thoughts. He says no again, but he’s just not as good a liar as Jon and it’s obvious that, in fact, he isn’t sure about going to the final two with her. She tells him she won’t screw him over. He doesn’t reply with a “same here.” In fact, he doesn’t seem to reply at all.

He tells the cameras later that he said he would never lie to her and would take her as far as he could, but he never promised her the final two. Lill privately says it pisses her off a bit but there is nothing she can do. The only thing that can save her at the end is to win the final immunity, and that may even justify her turning her back on him. So there! Except, um, that there is something she can do if she really feels that her position isn’t secure – she can switch sides and get rid of him now rather than waiting ‘til the very end. That apparently doesn’t occur to her.

It’s time for the immunity challenge. This one is refreshingly straightforward. Each player will fire a tradition pirate musket that has been modified to shoot flares. They have three cloth targets that they need to hit – the flares flame ‘em up nicely when they hit right. The first to hit all three wins.

Wow. Just hit your own targets? Not hitting somebody else’s targets and worrying about who will hit yours? It seems so… simple.

Christa is first and says she has never fired a gun in her life – and it shows. She has no clue how to hold it and Probst has to help her with the grip. Of course, on her first shot, she hits! Lill misses low. Sandra also misses low.

Jon is next and misses left. Darrah hits! Burton looks like he knows what he’s doing and hits. Sandra misses low again. Christa hits again! Lill is low again – obviously, shooting muskets is not a Boy Scout activity.

Burton just misses low. Jon misses low. Darrah hits a second time. So Christa and Darrah are tied at two.

Christa hits the wood holding the target, but not the target itself. So close but yet so far. Lill hits. Sandra hits. Darrah aims… and hits! So Darrah wins immunity for the second time in a row!

After it’s over, Christa privately says she almost won but it was not good enough. She feels vulnerable. Right when you think something is going one way, it goes the opposite. Hmmm. Yeah. Kind of like what Tijuana was feeling last episode!

Sandra says they want Burton gone because he’s the strongest out there. Really? Wow. If only you had that chance at last Tribal Council. Oh, wait. You did! She continues that she wants all females for an equal playing field. So Sandra asks Darrah if she will vote Burton off. Darrah says no. Wow. An honest statement. She follows by saying Lill is next. Darrah even says she thinks Jon is telling her now.

Well, Jon is talking to Lill, but he is saying that Christa will be going – he’s taken care of everything. But she doesn’t take it for granted and decides to pack her stuff, just in case.

Various conversations follow, but in the end it comes down to Christa noting that everybody is lying well.

Time for Tribal Council. Probst begins by asking Jon whether he would describe the game as friendly, mean, competitive, etc. Jon says it’s hope-filled. They all hope that the people with whom they are allied are telling the truth, hope that they can outlast them, hope that the person saying they will carry them to the end does indeed.

Burton is asked if the game gives him a license to lie. He says it’s part of the game – they are trying to fake out the others. So, Christa, have you lied? She says she’s lied a few times. She tried to have a philosophy of not lying and just saying nothing, though.

Sandra is asked who she does not want to go up against in the final two? Lill. She says everyone likes Lill as Lill gives an “awwww” kind of response. Sandra continues that it would be suicidal to go against Lill, and she is the only one left she feels that way about.

So Probst asks Lill if she is worried that as the oldest and a representative of the Boy Scouts and somebody that everyone loves, she will be booted? Lill replies pretty diplomatically by saying it worries her that the jury might base their decisions on that. There are other factors, like strategy, not just voting for somebody who is nice. On the one hand, it’s a good response to keep her around for now. On the other, if she makes it to the end, those words could come back to haunt her.

Probst returns to Christa and asks why she shouldn’t go tonight. Christa responds that she thinks she’s rubbed some people the wrong way (pause) a lot of people the wrong way. Heh. But I’m wondering why that would be a reason to stay. She finishes her thought by saying it might be a reason to stick around. In other words, have the less likeable person in the end. But she also adds that everything is completely unpredictable.

Probst goes through the line and asks if each person trusts their respective alliances. Each answers yes. Probst says they all talked about lying and deceit, but they all trust their own relationships. Hmmm. Well, let’s think about this. If I were sitting in Tribal Council and I were asked that question, you’re damn right I’d say yes. I don’t want my allies to think that I don’t trust them!

Probst says that they all trust each other and have no idea what the vote is going to be, so it’s time to find out.

We see only Sandra’s vote for Lill, with her saying Lill has been totally kind to her but the vote is strategic because she’d hate to go up against her in the end – Lill’s too kind a person and Sandra says she knows the jury would just hand the money to her, and Sandra can’t have that happen.

While we don’t see other votes, we hear from Jon. Yes, it’s another stolen wrestling quote. He says something along the lines of, “Whether you like it, or don't like it, learn to love it because it's the best thing going... TODAY! WOOO!” This quote brought to you by Ric Flair.

And we also hear Christa saying that hopefully everyone is doing the same thing and voting for this person.

Time to read the votes: Christa, Lill, Lill, Christa, Christa, Christa. So I guess the others weren’t doing the same thing and voting for Lill, as Christa did.

With Christa gone, Probst says that each of them said they trusted their relationships, yet on the heels of Rupert and Tijuana going, it was a third surprising vote. There are six days left and five clearly skilled liars still in it. Well said, Jeff.

In her final words, Christa says she was not quite expecting to get voted off tonight. All of the others fooled her every moment of the entire game. But she made really great friends in Sandra and Rupert, and it was the adventure of a lifetime.

Next week, the guys are feeling cocky as Jon talks about how they have the intellectual advantage. Meanwhile, the girls are getting fed up. And it all comes to a head.

So the game has taken yet another twist, with Christa immediately paying the price for trusting Jon the prior week. Of course, that’s not the entire story, which we’ll address in “Why Christa Lost.” See you there!

Why Christa Loss link:

http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article3880.art&page=1

Member

My take on last night:

Jump on the (Gasp) Darrah bandwangon cause it looks like she going to shock the other 5 by making it to the finals.

I picked Christa last night with Sandra being second.

The women are finally getting their act together thinking we should vote out the boys now more than evah if next week an indication.

The Immunity Challenge.c are becoming more and more mental and skills instead of physical to off set the advantage burton has, while Reward Challenge is becoming physical.

That Immunity Pirate knife almost bigger than Darrah.

Did you notice in the resort that Jon & Lil was doing of the talking, not once did Darrah have an on-camera moment.

Oh here's a spoiler:

THE FINALE

Sources have not revealed any dramatic differences in the finale, despite publicity claims to the contrary. Our information to date indicates the Finale is just a traditional one with the Final 2 being decided by the jury of seven. What might be different is that for the first time ever, a pre-merge boot will be in the Final 2. That's right...the older female booted pre-jury who came back from the dead made Final 2. Two women best a male player to become the final two.

Survivor: Pearl Islands
Episode 12 Title:
"Mutiny"
Airdate: Thursday 12.11.03

Survivor: Pearl Islands
Final Episode Title:
"Flames and Endurance"
Airdate: Sunday 12.14.03
The winner claims the cash prize.

S99

Member

Those women are an embarrassment to the sisterhood. Stupid, stupid, stupid. They could've had 5 women going into the final, but instead are stupidly voting each other out and giving away the $1M prize to the boys. Burnett should feed them to the sharks - spineless, whiny, stupid brats.

Interesting how Johnny Fairplay is being transformed. Through the miracle of editing he went from supah jackass to cunning, scheming, valiant player. I hate to say it because I will have to eat my running shoes but he deserves it at this point. He's masterfully playing EVERYONE and they all believe him.

BUT I SWEAR TO GOD, IF I SEE LILL IN HER GRANNY UNDERPANTS ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO puke

my boys could swim

crazy cat lady

Scorch, Thanks for the info!!!! VERY interesting...

Its really bugging me now mostly because I can't stand him ATALL that they can't see that Johnny is playing every. single. one. of. them. You have a common enemy, now vote him the fub off the island already. I can't stand him, so its really hard for me to get my mind around the concept that he's played this game brilliantly....If he wins I'll not only never watch again I'll join kid in a feast of running shoes with a side of fries.

Is peachy getting a little disgusted at the lack of ethics? I mean, the comments about "all you liars" etc...?

Member

my boys could swim

Member

crazy cat lady

Gone Fishin

Fantasy Survivor... Dancer expands her lead!!

1 Dancer 1537
2 coachs survivors 1204
3 jrjo-Riff Raff 1202
4 Happy2tri 1035
5 elkid-Outwit_RR 679
6 chair-uhls castaways 285
7 rtpd113 172

Right on your tail Coach Wink

my boys could swim

crazy cat lady

Gone Fishin

Oh yeah, you gotta trade off your members once they're off the show. When the final four comes around, we'll all have the same lineup, but the bonus points will make the scores slightly different. Your members score points when they've done certain things... read tree mail, win a challenge, win a reward.. a bunch of things.

I'd say it isn't Jon that's playin' this game masterfully.. it's Dancer!!

Member

crazy cat lady

Survivor Episode 12: Liars Club

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