Survivor: Gabon Episode 3

Last week was a special two hour premiere event. In Survivor: Gabon Episode 1, the tribes started off with a school yard pick ’em. Kota led by Bob did not bad. Gillian, meanwhile, started Fang off on the wrong foot and ended up with one of the worst tribes ever. Following her complete inability to do anything useful at a challenge, her less than bright tribe voted out their physically fittest woman and kept Gillian around instead. Then in Survivor: Gabon Episode 2, they continued to get beat down in the challenges, and voted out Gillian a week too late.

Randy says his tribe sucks and that they’re complete idiots. Sadly, he’s pretty much right.

Fang is running out of rice. The tribe is willing to cut back to two meals a day, but GC isn’t interested in cooperating. He and Randy pretty well hate each other at this point, which is entirely intentional on Randy’s end.

Charlie hopes to get Bob as a fifth. Sugar and Ace appear to be working on a showmance.

At the reward challenge, one member of each tribe will be stationed at a post. Two members of the other tribe will take them from the post and drag them to try to score a point. Players can swap each round. They’re playing for blankets, a hammock, pillows, and a mat. Fang will sit out Ken. Kota will sit out Corinne, Jacquie, and Kelly. Dan is first on the post for Fang to be attacked by Charlie and Marcus; Ace is on the post for Kota to be attacked by GC and Matty. Dan is yanked off the post, but Ace ain’t budging. Kota scores a point, as Fang didn’t even get anywhere. Susie is on the post for Fang to be attacked by Bob and Sugar; Paloma is on the post for Kota to be attacked by Randy and Crystal. Paloma has no prayer here and is manhandled to tie the game. It’s back to the original matchup, except Marcus and Bob will attack for Kota, while Crystal and Matty attack for Fang. By some miracle, Fang wins the challenge. They send Sugar to Exile. She says they picked her because they think she’s dumb.

Kota’s not even waiting for the immunity results here. They’re already crossing Paloma’s name off the tribe.

Sugar opts for the clue instead of comfort. At least she gets a lot closer than Dan did, though. She grabs a clue, then uses it to find another clue, then uses it to find another clue, then uses it to find another clue (yeah, this could go on for a while)… eventually, she does end up finding the idol. Oh bloody hell. How easy is this thing to find anyway that the second person gets it? Just so we can see it used half a dozen times (to be immediately replaced).

Bob’s concerned that Ace is going to protect Sugar. Corinne offers Bob a deal: join them to make 5, and get rid of Paloma and Sugar, in whichever order.

The immunity challenge is for 6 people to slide down a slide, grab a puzzle piece, and bring it back. The remaining tribe member will solve the puzzle. Paloma and Sugar sit out for Kota. Bob and Ken will be solving the puzzle. Because of her height advantage, Crystal pulls ahead of Kelly to give Fang the lead. Corinne manages to pass Susie on the next go, though, giving Kota the lead. Charlie and GC go next, and Charlie extends the lead. Jacquie and Charlie are next, with Kota still dominating. Ace and Dan go fifth, with no change. For the final leg, it’s Marcus and Matty, with Kota a good half a leg ahead. It all comes down the puzzle, and the game geek beats out the physics teacher on this math puzzle. Fang wins immunity. Pretty unimpressive physical performance as usual, but at least they’ve got one team member with a brain.

Sugar, who may or may not be an actress, pretends she didn’t find it, but she tells Ace, who decides “This is ours.”

Everybody seems onboard with the Paloma boot. Paloma wants Corinne on her side, and just mentioning that she doesn’t trust Ace is enough to get her going.

At tribal council, Paloma doesn’t hold back, letting it be known Ace is not her hero and that she basically hates his guts and liver.

Votes
Paloma
Ace
Ace
Paloma
Paloma
Paloma
Paloma

Would have made a lot more sense to vote Sugar first, Paloma next to ensure the numbers, but the Paloma boot is hardly surprising.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Gabon episode 4 It Was Like This Christmas Morning, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.