Episode 8, Bye Bye Bobby Jon

Koror again win Reward and Immunity ('sound familiar?); at Tribal Council Bobby Jon loses an individual immunity challenge to Stephenie.

After the recap of last episode: Stephenie is glad that Bobby Jon kept his word and voted for Ibrehem. Stephenie says it's weird being down to two. Over at Koror they are dealing with rats. They've left food (coconuts and shark pieces) too close to camp and the rats are helping themselves. Coconuts especially are left all over the campsite. In private Coby is a work martyr. He tells us that he's the only one that really works. He complains about everyone leaving food and trash around attracting the rats. He complains about Tom's shark head (he hung it from a tree too close to camp). Coby says Janu is on her "eighth straight day of I wanna go home."

Reward Challenge
Competition: Balut eating contest
Reward: 55 gallons of fresh water with a shower head and soap, shampoo, etc.
competing for Koror: Tom and Ian

Balut is basically a duck fetus. A fertilized duck egg is allowed to develop but before it hatches it is eaten. It sounds delicious. There were four rounds. First round each Survivor (one from each tribe) had to eat 1 Balut, second round 2 Baluts, third round 3 Baluts and fourth round 4 Baluts. These rounds were not timed.

Here's how they competed:

Tom and Stephenie each ate 1 Balut
Ian and Bobby Jon each ate 2 Baluts
Tom and Stephenie each ate 3 Baluts
Ian and Bobby Jon each ate 4 Baluts

Tie Breaker
5 Baluts timed

Tom wins, but it was close. Koror wins Reward!

Maybe the fact that Tom had eaten only 4 Baluts before the tie breaker and Bobby Jon had eaten 6 Baluts made a difference?

Afterwards at Koror Tom (left) wants to save the fresh water for drinking instead of taking showers. Everyone grumbles a little but agrees. In private a lot of people complain about Tom regarding this. Alone Tom and Ian are worried about Gregg and Jennifer. They talk about an alliance with Stephenie that Gregg and Jennifer don't know about (but Katie does).

At Ulong Bobby Jon is pissed at losing again to Tom. Bobby Jon reverts to being a caveman in front of Stephenie. He coughs up something and blows his nose in front of her (the lean your head back and blow mucus straight out kinda way). He probably was farting right in front of her too. With only two players left they are shown struggling to put the outrigger canoe into the water. On the bright side, Bobby Jon catches a decent sized fish so they eat well. In private Stephenie breaks down and cries while telling us how hard it has been.


Immunity Challenge
Competition: swimmimg and puzzle
competing for Koror: Coby and Gregg

Four platforms are floating in the water, each farther out than the one before. They are connected by a plank. Under each platform (underwater) is hanging a bag of puzzle pieces. Also underwater there is a rope connecting each puzzle bag.

In turn a Survivor swims out to the first buoy, then dives and pulls himself/herself to the nearest bag of puzzles. They surface with the bag and walk back along the platforms and planks and then swim back to the beach (starting line) and the next competitor goes to get the next bag farther out.

After all of the pieces are collected, then the tribes must assemble the word puzzle and circle the listed words. Letters that intersect words are then used to spell a three word phrase. Whichever tribe gets the phrase first wins Immunity.

Ulong manage to get all of the puzzle pieces first with a healthy lead. However Gregg and Coby win by completing the puzzle very quickly. Koror wins Reward! (The three word phrase was "Victory at Sea.") Jeff Probst tells everyone that there will be an Individual Immunity Challenge at Tribal Council to determine who leaves and who stays.

Afterwards in private Coby (left) cries and tells us how hard life has been for him. Kids in school picked on and made fun of him (for being gay), he was always picked last in sports etc. It was so bad that he quit school. He's proud to be doing so well in Survivor.

Is this Coby's Rupert Moment? I think everyone started to root for Rupert after he revealed what an outsider he was as a kid. Will it have the same result for Coby?

"We suck at puzzles" says Stephenie. She also says it's been scary with two people it will be even scarier alone. Bobby Jon says nothing has worked but he's prepared to go it alone. It's Team Bobby Jon now.


Ulong at Tribal Council
(paraphrased)
Probst: What are your thoughts? (or some such chit-chat)
Stephenie: Whoever wins Immunity deserves to stay.
Bobby Jon: There's still a lot left to do.
Probst: Bobby Jon what has been the highlight so far?
Bobby Jon: Catching a fish today. I proved to myself that I can live off the land.
Probst: What's the one ability you need to survive?
Stephenie: Making fire, catching fish, gathering coconuts and fire wood. A lot of which I learned from Bobby Jon.
Bobby Jon: Stephenie can do what a man can do.
Probst: What is the key to living out here?
Bobby Jon: Fire, being able to make and keep a fire going.
Stephenie agrees.

Individual Immunity Challenge
Make a fire big enough to light their torch. The torch end is about a foot and a half above the fire area. (Fire is, once again, the symbol of life on Survivor.) Stephenie mumbles that she's not that good at building fires. She also wishes Bobby Jon good luck. They are each given 25 matches and kindling; the first to light their touch wins Immunity.

It was close but Stephenie wins Immunity!

Bobby Jon is removed from competition.

Alliances
Tom, Ian (left), Katie and Stephenie - is anyone else in this alliance? Will there even be a merge to bring Stephenie into it? I doubt there will be a merge. How is the Soft Alliance (Gregg, Jenn, Coby and Janu ) doing? Janu can't last much longer. She's breaking down emotionally and physically. If Koror goes to Tribal Council she's most likely a goner.

Heroes and Villains
Stephenie (left) is still my favorite and I hope that she makes it at least as far as the jury. No one really stands out on Koror, but Ian is my favorite (I guess). I kind of like Coby but he whines too much. Tom is likable but he's bossy sometimes. I don't really dislike anyone on Koror yet, but I'm sure that will change soon.

Official Episode Title: Neanderthal Man

Won Reward: Koror
(55 gallons of fresh water with shower head and soap, shampoo, etc.)

Immunity: Koror

Voted Off: Bobby Jon
(no votes, he lost an individual immunity challenge to Stephenie)

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