Survivor: Maldives

by Lower Your Expectations

39 Days, 18 People, 1 Survivor! The show that's nearly spanned two decades finds itself with a new host and a new cast of 18 strangers as they embark on a life changing journey on a deserted island off the coast of Maldives. Who has what it takes to win the 1 million grand prize and the title of Sole Survivor? (Updates every other month)

1. There's No Way I'm Going First

Various shots of Maldives are shown. From bustling shots of people walking this way and that in a busy intersection of the King's Island, to large resorts with vacationers lounging, the country looks extravagant and beautiful.

"Maldives. One of the smallest countries in the continent of Asia. With a population less than half a million, the country is known for its lavish getaways and retreats."

The camera then cuts to a large expanse of water, before zooming in on an old ship. On it are various sailors, rushing around and performing tasks, keeping the ship at bay. Sitting and standing at the front deck are eighteen Americans, a majority of whom look very out of place and uncomfortable. At the very center of the ship is a man in a tuxedo who continues the monologue.

"These eighteen castaways will get to experience none of that."

The camera then cuts to multiple shots of swarming insects around animal carcasses, raging winds and water pouring down and ripping through palm trees, and sharks swimming through the ocean.

The eighteen continue to look around, some fascinated by the expanse of ocean around them, some focused more on the crew of the ship, and some giving judging glances towards their competitors.

"I'm Matthew Daniels, and this is Survivor: Maldives. For the next 39 days, these eighteen contestants will have to endure the less cozy side of the country, on two of the many uninhabited islands of the region. A lack of food, water, and shelter will be mixed in with a plethora of mental stress, physical exhaustion, and the environment around them. An even greater challenge, though, will be having to deal with the strangers around them."

The man moves as some of the crew start lowering the mast, and walks over to the anchor.

"The group will be divided into two tribes, who will battle for rewards and immunity in many challenges. The tribe that loses immunity is sent to tribal council, where they then must vote out one of their own. This will continue until the tribes merge, and tribal challenges will turn to individual challenges. At the end, two will face a jury of their peers who they voted off, and one will be crowned the title of sole survivor and a million dollar grand prize."

The man at the wheel starts bellowing orders, and the crew scatter in an even greater rush to get the ship stopping.

"These people come from different walks of life, but they must learn to overcome their differences in order to come together and adapt to the tropical wilderness. Who has what it takes to go all the way and win? Over the next month, we'll find out. 39 days. 18 people. One Survivor."

---

Theme Song Interlude

---

The anchor falls as people continue to scurry about. As the ship slows to a stop, a few of the contestants give their intakes on their ride in.

Lucas (Lawyer): "I haven't been on a boat before. I'm from Nebraska, where I'm from the closest thing we got to the ocean is a water tower, and you can bet I never took a dip in there."

Lucas is looking down at the small waves splashing up against the bottom of the ship, his hands gripping the rails for dear life.

Lucas (Lawyer): I know I was supposed to learn how to swim before I got here. I just sort of... forgot... often... about actually going over to a pool to, you know, learn."

As Lucas takes deep breaths in attempt to calm himself down, an elderly man is sitting cross legged watching the crew mull about. He is dressed almost as fancy as the host, sporting a tan three piece suit. A jarring addition to the ensemble was the skeleton mask adorning his face.

Quincy (History Professor): Hello, my name is Quincy Paramount Darrencrest III, but due to my physique and lack of mass, a few of my colleagues at the college I teach at resorted to calling me "Bones" when I began teaching there. I detested the nickname at first, but thirty years of hearing students use it as a term of endearment sort of makes it grow on a person. I even got this spiffy mask as a gift to take as my luxury item. I must say, between this or a fresher change of clothes, I'm glad I decided on this. No regrets here, no sir."

As a crewman scaled down from the crow's nest, a young woman in the crowd watched in impressed awe.

Isabella (Student Teacher): This is incredible. Seeing all of these sailors running around, doing all of this crazy stuff like heaving on some giant tarp or climbing up a fifty foot pole, I felt like running in and joining them, they were making it look like a blast."

Others were less impressed, such as the woman currently losing her lunch over the side of the railing.

Terri (Grocery Store Manager): I was sort of hoping sea sickness wouldn't be as bad as they make it look on TV shows. And it isn't. It's honestly worse. I hope I can provide a cautionary tale for the folks at home watching. Avoid boats. Avoid the water. Man was given feet, not flippers.

Eventually the ship stopped, and as the commotion died down, Matthew started walking towards the eighteen passengers.

"Welcome to Survivor, ladies and gents."

The reaction was mix of polite clapping from some and vigorous applause and shouting from others.

"For the next month, you will be marooned with nothing but the clothes on your back, as well as a machete, a pot, and what little the production team has decided to give to you. You'll have a well with fairly fresh water, and a compass and map to find it."

A very fit young woman in the crowd looks ecstatic.

Sofia (Park Ranger): "I can't wait to get this started. I've always enjoyed adventuring. For my 25th birthday, my girlfriend and I climbed Mt. Everest, and last year we went on a tour of the Great Barrier Reef. We both applied for this game, and she gave me the biggest damn hug when I told her I got nominated to be on. I'm incredibly thrilled to be here."

Matthew continued. "You won't have to face these problems alone. You'll have eight other people starting out with you, and together you'll be in charge of making a shelter to protect you from the elements and a fire to help cook food and boil water. Would you like to see who will be on what tribe?"

"Hell yeah!" shouted a short woman in the middle, with laughter and murmurs of agreement following.

"Alright. There are two canoes tied to a net that's cascading down on either side of the ship. Once the teams have been made, I'll toss you your map and buffs, which you'll wear at all times, and have you set off towards the beach." Matthew pointed off the bow of the ship towards the large island. The players could barely make out two bundles of supplies and two flags, one grey and one brown. "You'll take your supplies and follow the map to your new homes. Let's get this process started."

Matthew pointed over to the port side of the ship. "On the Pedang tribe which will always wear grey, is Otis."

An older gentleman with thinning grey hair walked over to grey mat, placed on the left side of the deck. He was a 58 year old Caucasian postal worker.

"Katrina."

The short woman who had shouted jogged over to the mat. Otis outstretched his hand to greet her, but instead she gave him a hug. He smiled and returned it. She was a 29 year old Korean-American marathon runner and artist.

"Marcus."

A large, muscular man made his way from behind the crowd, towering over everyone. As he got to the mat, he immediately received a hug from Katrina, which looked rather awkward as her head barely came up to his shoulders. He still returned the hug with a large grin, and kept it as he shook Otis's hand. He was a 31 year old African-American construction worker.

"Terri."

The large middle age woman left her misery at the railing for a second to go walk over to her new tribe. Otis and Marcus both looked a bit concerned, and offered pats on the back as well as handshakes. Katrina once again gave a hug, though this time a bit more gently. She kept an arm around her new teammate for the rest of the process. Her name was Terri she was a 42 year old Caucasian grocery store manager.

"Ahmed."

A slightly bigger balding man made his way over to the mat, shaking hands with everyone and receiving a hug from Katrina. He rubbed his black beard as he glanced through his teammates. He was a 43 year old Arabian-American bank teller.

Ahmed (Bank Teller, Pedang tribe): "I'm from Chicago, Illinois. I work at a bank. This isn't my first time on a boat, but what I'm doing on one so far away from home I couldn't tell you. My children told me to apply, and I did it more to humor them than to actually get on television. I'm not confident in my chances of winning, but I do hope to at least enjoy my time out here and do my children proud."

"Sofia."

The young woman walked briskly over to the mat, exchanging handshakes and hugs. She was a 27 year old Mexican-American park ranger.

"Julio."

A lean, shorter man walked up, chuckling as he immediately received a hug from Katrina and Terri, and a handshake from everyone else. He was a 45 year old Spanish-American newspaper editor.

"Harper."

A taller woman with long blonde hair underneath a cowboy hat walked up, giving everyone on the mat a bear hug. She was a 22 year old Caucasian farm hand and rancher.

Harper (Rancher, Pedang Tribe): "I'm from down south, I'm a rancher in Texas. I've herded cattle, I've been in rodeos, I've been driving a tractor since I first learned how tah use my legs. I'm a worker. I aint afraid to get down and dirty. Hell, this'll probably feel more like a vacation more'n anythin'."

"And rounding out Pedang, Tim."

A stick thin young man slowly made his way up, his eyes scanning the people on the mat as he shook hands. He was a 23 year old Caucasian cartoonist.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): "I'm stoked to be here, I've been watching the show since I was a kid. I'd be even more excited but... well, I'll go ahead and say it, we don't have a lot of winners on this tribe. We've got the lady who was blowing chunks, we've got most of the people over the age of 40, and we have the smallest guy out here, i.e. me. I'm a Survivor super fan, I know a losing tribe when I see one."

Matthew gestured to the brown mat on the right side of the ship.

"That means the other nine of you will be members of Lembing." They all walked over to the brown mat, exchanging handshakes and introductions.

"Victoria."

The youngest cast member flashed a cheeky grin to the people on the Pedang mat. She was a 21 year old Japanese-American student.

"Quincy."

The oldest cast member briefly took off his mask to stick his tongue out at his competition. He was a 61 year old Caucasian history professor.

"Jean."

The middle age woman was in the process of introducing herself to a fellow castaway, and ignored as the host kept going through the names. She was a 41 year old African-American nurse.

Jean (Nurse, Lembing Tribe): "I'm a registered nurse from Oregon. I have four children at home, but thankfully my husband is looking after them. I think I'm mentally prepared for this game, and I think I'm more than capable to go toe to toe with some of the people on the other tribe. I want this experience to not only be a rewarding one for me, but also something my kids can look to and be able to say 'That's our mom on TV.' I'm just here to make them proud, I guess."

"Lucas."

Lucas meanwhile was the farthest away from the edge of the ship, and his eyes would occasionally dart to the net they would soon climb down. He was a 34 year old Caucasian lawyer.

"Amber."

A rather petite young woman perked up at her name being called, but then readjusted her wide glasses and resumed in talking with her new tribe. She was 22 year old Arabian-American mechanic.

"Donny."

The second tallest man on the boat grinned as he stood almost a head over everyone on his tribe. He was a 33 year old Native-American firefighter.

Donny (Firefighter, Lembing tribe): "I can guarantee I'm the only person here from North Dakota. I can guarantee I'm the only person here who could even point out where North Dakota is on the map, let alone where Devil's Lake is. I think that may work as an advantage to me. People have stereotypes of people from Mississippi or Texas or California or New York, but the only people who ever trash talk North Dakota are South Dakotans, and those people suck."

"Delilah."

The woman wearing a thin jacket and running shorts was busy having a conversation with Donny and a rather short man with spiky hair and a gold necklace. She was a 28 year old African-American pharmacist.

"Nathan."

Nathan turned around to acknowledge the host before continuing his chat with Donny and Delilah. He was a 23 year old Chinese-American model.

"And rounding out Lembing, Isabella."

The large girl cupped her hands to her mouth and gave a great shout. "WOOT WOOT! WINNING TRIBE!" This was echoed by both Bones and Victoria, who had been talking with her. She was a 22 year old Puerto Rican-American student teacher.

"Alright, with that, our two tribes have formed. Pedang, here are your buffs and map."

Matthew chucked the supplies to the tribe, and the buffs were distributed.

"Lembing, yours as well."

Lembing also adorned their new accessories.

"Alright, have fun heading out to your new adventure."

Matthew went to walk back to the wheel of the ship, but stopped short and turned around to the contestants, who were just about to start going overboard.

"Oh, and one more thing. First person to lay their hands on it gets an extra bag of rice for their tribe. Little incentive to get moving."

As Matthew left, the two teams immediately started scurrying off the sides of the boat. For Pedang, Sofia, Katrina, Marcus, and Harper all opted to jump rather than climb down the net. Ahmed and Julio quickly scaled down as the four hoisted themselves into the canoe. Otis and Tim were both sluggishly making their way down the net, and Terri was having trouble getting over the railing.

Terri (Grocery Store Manager, Pedang Tribe: I just felt dizzy and nauseous and already fairly exhausted. We just started our first little sort-of-challenge, and already I'm lagging behind. Thankfully I don't think standing on those damn rickety ships will be an essential part of any upcoming actual challenges, but for right now, I feel like I'm not making the best first impression.

For Lembing, Isabella, Nathan, Victoria, Donny, and Amber all jumped overboard. As the five all swam up to the canoe, Delilah was the first to descend the net and make it in, Jean following right behind. Meanwhile, Quincy was preparing to jump the railing, when he turned around to see Lucas still inching his way towards the side of the boat.

"You there, Lucas, right? You may want to hurry, it looks like everyone else is already off."

Lucas looked over at the other tribe to see Terri had managed to get over the railing and was climbing down the Pedang net.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Lucas said, his voice shaking a bit despite his attempts to hide his fear.

"Well, move your legs boy. I don't want to have half portions come lunch time just because you felt like meandering on the boat." Quincy chided as he dived off the railing. Lucas trudged forward with great effort to the side of the ship. He looked down and grimaced.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): "It should've been easy, I should've just scaled down that sucker like it was no problem. But instead, I froze."

As Quincy pulled himself onto the canoe, Nathan shoved an oar at him.

"Alright, that's everyone, right?"

Quincy looked up. "Well if we feel like making our spiffy looking blonde friend swim to shore, then feel free to start paddling."

Nathan followed Quincy's gaze to see Lucas hesitating to bring his leg over the rail.

"C'mon dude, we gotta go!" Nathan yelled.

"Looks like the other tribe is pulling ahead." Delilah said, pointing past the front of the boat. Pedang had all nine of their tribe in the canoe, and were paddling rather slowly. "We still have a shot."

"You got this, bro! Hurry up!" Nathan yelled, hoping some words of encouragement might help.

"Do you need any help?" Donny yelled. Lucas shook his head and got both his legs over the railing, but was still having trouble letting go of it to climb down.

Meanwhile, on the Pedang canoe, Julio was guiding his tribe, trying to get everyone to row in sync. It was easier said than done, however.

"Guys, with my voice. Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!"

A majority of the tribe kept in rhythm with Julio, but there were three noticeable stragglers. Terri wasn't paddling quickly enough, still looking a bit winded. Otis kept finding himself either a bit before or a bit after everyone else, and kept accidently bumping oars with Marcus. Tim, sitting in the back, was hardly paddling at all, and instead was using his time to look over his tribe, and then look back at the other one.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): While everyone else was paddling, I wanted to take some extra time to really assess my tribe. We've got a few jocks, like Marcus, who is like three of me, and then there's Sofia and Harper, who are some kind of Amazons or something. Julio and Ahmed are both a bit older, but they bot look relatively fit, at least compared to me. The only people I see myself being more of an asset than in challenges are Terri and Otis, and maybe Katrina.

Tim gave a glance back at the other tribe and chuckled. "Guys, they haven't even started rowing yet."

"Are they tangled up or something?" Harper asked.

"One of them looks like they're caught on the net." Tim answered cheekily. "I bet they're loving him right now."

"Dude, we'll come up there and yank you down." Nathan asked. The rest of the tribe was either getting their oars ready or watching Pedang further the lead. Lucas was about halfway down the net.

"I'm good, I'm almost there." Lucas called down. He took a deep breath and climbed down to the canoe. As soon as his foot touched the canoe, his hands slipped and he fell with a great lack of grace into the water.

"Sh(censored)t! Help me in! I can't swim!" Lucas screamed. Donny immediately jumped out of the water to help keep Lucas afloat, while Quincy and Victoria reached out to try to help pull him on board.

Victoria (Student, Lembing Tribe): So some of the more colorful characters on my tribe include an old man in a tuxedo wearing a skull mask...

Quincy found himself yanking Lucas onto the canoe by the hem of his pants.

Victoria (Student, Lembing Tribe): ... A guy who looks like a reject from a 90's boy band...

Nathan meanwhile was getting his oar into position, staring right ahead at the other tribe.

Victoria (Student, Lembing Tribe): ... and a guy who signed up to stay on a deserted island without learning how to swim.

Lucas is finally on board, gasping and clutching his chest.

Victoria (Student, Lembing Tribe): This is my team... (Victoria sits in silence for a bit before sighing.) Yeah, ok, why not?

As Donny quickly pulled himself in, the tribe started rowing to the direction of Isabella, who used her booming voice to great effect.

"STROKE! STROKE! STROKE!"

Lembing was finally mobile, and were moving quickly. The entire tribe was able to match pace, and they seemed to be going almost double the speed of Pedang. Pedang, meanwhile, was still going at a fairly sluggish pace, not helped by the fact that a third of the tribe wasn't rowing. Terri was taking a minute to try and calm her stomach, Otis was giving his muscles a chance to relax, and Tim was more or less relaxing, keeping his paddle outstretched in case anyone would turn over to see him. However, the woman right in front of him seemed to notice a lack of movement out of the corner of her eye.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): I wanted to try and conserve energy, just in case there was some kind of advantage hidden on the beach. I could be wrong, but Matthew did say first person to make it on gets an extra bag of rice for their tribe. Why make it only one person has to get there to win something for the whole tribe? There's gotta be something more to it. So when the canoe got close enough, I wanted to be able to jump off and swim up ahead of the thing.

Harper (Rancher, Pedang Tribe): I don't know what sting bean's problem was, but he didn't seem to be paddling half the time. I dunno if he was tired already, I mean that oar looked about as big as him, maybe that had something to do with it? Like, at least with Terri n' Otis it looked like they were tryin', but Tim was just sittin' there like a bump on a log.

As Pedang was a good 50 yards from the shore, Terri took one more deep breath before resuming paddling, but it did little to stop the Lembing tribe from catching up to them. Watching them come up from out of nowhere put renewed vigor into castaways on both tribes, and even got Tim and Otis to start paddling. However, the added effort on Pedang wasn't able to match up to the unified effort of Lembing as they passed Pedang. Lembing quickly made the home stretch to the shoreline, where they found Matthew waiting by a large bag of rice sitting on a pedestal. Nathan and Lucas both jumped out of the canoe and rushed towards the bag of rice. Nathan got to it first, but stopped and let Lucas catch up. They both put a hand on it and raised it up in victory.

"Lembing, comes from behind to get the extra bag of rice!" Matthew announced. Pedang made their way to the shore as the Lembing tribe huddled around their new prize, all of them congratulating each other and celebrating. Nathan and Isabella both detached from the group to give handshakes to the other tribe. They were accepted by everyone, except for Tim who was busy surveying the beach for anything out of the ordinary. The two tribes eventually gathered up while Matthew gave them parting words.

"Alright Lembing. Nice win on the rice. Both tribes will now follow their maps to their respective camp sites. You'll have the rest of the day to get your camp situated to your liking, and I'll see you tomorrow for your first reward challenge. Have fun." With that, the two tribes collected their things and walked in opposite directions.

---

Pedang Tribe -Day 1-

Sofia repositioned the tribe flag on her shoulder as she walked with the rest of the group. She offered to carry it and the tribe pot. Marcus and Harper were carrying the canoe on their shoulders, Ahmed had the machete, Julio had a bag of a rice, and Tim had a bag of beans. Despite everyone's spirits being a bit damped by losing out on the extra food, Sofia was determined to try to keep a positive outlook.

Sofia (Park Ranger, Pedang Tribe): A loss right at the start of the game isn't good for morale, and we're gonna need to get some of that energy we had on the boat back if we're going to want to get a productive first day.

Sofia shielded her eyes from the sun as she peered up ahead. The map showed their campsite would be on the beach, with a very large leaning palm tree as an identifying landmark.

Sofia (Park Ranger, Pedang Tribe): As soon as we get to camp, I want to get everyone together in a group. We're going to need to be unified if we're going to get anything done.

As the tribe kept moving, Katrina noticed that Terri seemed to be walking away from everyone else, closer inland. She walked over to the older woman and put a hand around her.

"Feelin any better?" She asked.

Terri smiled at the gesture. "Yeah, not near so nauseous now that I'm on solid ground, thanks."

Katrina gave a large grin. "Glad to hear it. Was that your first time on a boat?"

"Yeah, and if I have anything to say about it, it'll hopefully be my last time." Terri grimaced, glancing back out at the ocean.

Katrina smirked. "What, you mean after all the fun you just had, you're not eager to try again? How about me and you take the canoe out right away, we can get some fish to fill up that hole in your stomach."

Terri couldn't help but like the plucky young lady's attitude.

Meanwhile, Otis was hanging around the middle of the group, looking ahead.

Otis (Postal worker, Pedang Tribe): I had offered to carry something, anything, over to the camp, but everyone else already had it covered. I felt like I should've been doing something, I really dropped the ball during that first little challenge. Once we get to camp, I'll make it up there and really get some work done.

After what seemed like an hour of walking, Sofia finally spotted what looked like the landmark.

"Guys, I think we got our beach!" She yelled.

---

Lembing -Day 1-

As Pedang was arriving at their beach, Lembing had already gotten to theirs. The tribe had come together for a quick meeting to try to get the day's schedule straightened out.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): Before I got on Survivor, I was the owner of a small law firm. One of the best ways to get a productive group together is to have a leader that gets right down to business.

"Alright," Lucas said, trying to get everyone's attention, "let's decide right now what we want to make a priority. We've got no clean water right now, we've got no shelter, and we've got about another... five or so hours before we run out of daylight. What should we do?"

"I think fire should be a top priority, we're gonna need some water fast, and I'd like to be able to cook up some of our extra rice." Donny said, smiling as he gestured to the two large bags of rice and bag of beans that sat by the flag.

Victoria frowned. "In most seasons I've seen, they usually hand out flint after the first reward challenge. Maybe we could focus on the shelter tonight, and then try and win the flint tomorrow. Saves on wasting effort on trying to start a fire with sticks."

Quincy raised his hand. "If it pleases the court, I'd like to interject." A few odd looks were given to the man who was still wearing a skull mask. "You say it'd be a waste of effort trying to start a fire with sticks. Well, I've started fires with less, so how's about you give me about an hour and I'll see if I can't get a bonfire blazing. How does that sound."

Nobody responded immediately, but eventually Nathan let out a chuckle. "Sounds good, man. If you need any help, you can give one of us a call. I'm up for whatever."

Lucas rubbed the back of his head, the meeting not really going where he'd imagined it. "Alright, how about this. Raise your hand if you want to work on the shelter."

Victoria, Isabella, Donny, Delilah, Jean, and Amber all raised their hands. Lucas also put up his hand after a bit.

"Alright, sounds good. So Nathan, you can go help, uh... I'm sorry, what's your name again?" Lucas found it difficult to take his elder tribe mate seriously while he still wore the mask.

"Quincy, but you can just call me Bones, it's what my colleagues refer to me as." Quincy answered.

Lucas resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alright, go try and get a fire started."

'Bones' gave the thumbs up. Nathan couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Nathan (Model, Lembing Tribe): I friggin love this guy. I was so worried everyone was gonna be all serious and only want to work and stuff, but we got a geezer wearing a skull on his head and he's tallkin about how he'll get us fire, and he's got this fancy way of talkin.

Bones and Nathan walked off to go collect firewood. Bones called over to Nathan as they entered the expanse of trees. "Remember, only the finest mahogany!" Nathan cracked up at the order.

Nathan (Model, Lembing Tribe): I had no idea cartoon characters were real, but we've got one in our camp, and his name Bones.

The two ventured off inland, collected an assortment of twigs and logs, and brought them back to the beach, ten feet away from where the other seven were building a shelter frame. As Nathan plopped down his latest load of wood, Bones walked up to him holding a coconut and the machete.

"Nathan, I'm going to need to ask a favor of you. I've got this coconut, but I don't exactly trust myself with a machete to try and open it. Would you do the honors?"

"Uh, sure thing man. You thirstin for some coconut milk, or...?"

"Hm? Oh, no, this one is probably all dried out. But it has some coir fiber inside that'll be essential in the fire-making process."

Nathan smiled and nodded, taking both items from the old man. He set the coconut on the ground and gave it a few good whacks. After peeling the inside out, Bones took plenty of coir from inside and moved it to a large bundle of twigs. Nathan walked over to watch Bones work.

"How exactly you plannin' on starting this thing?"

Bones didn't say anything, but just tapped a finger on his head, which was still adorned with the flimsy mask. Nathan didn't know whether or not to take the response seriously, but smiled nonetheless.

"Would you mind running the machete back to the others, young man?" Bones asked.

"Sure thing, buddy." Nathan said, grabbing the tool.

...

After getting the machete back, Donny and Lucas returned to the other five, who had gotten a nice area cleared.

"What were those guys doing with the machete?" Delilah asked.

"I guess the old man got hungry, Nathan said it was for a coconut." Donny laughed.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): I was worried I would stand out after nearly causing us the loss at the challenge today, but it's hard to be too noticeable when you've got a 60 year old skeleton proclaiming he's gonna give us fire and the using the tribe's machete to get himself a single coconut. At this rate, I don't think I've got much to be worried about being an easy first boot.

"Should one of us go over to see if he needs any more help?" Isabella asked.

"Nah, leave him. Isabella, go check to see what Nathan is doing. I think he dropped off the machete and then just went off into the jungle." Lucas said.

Isabella nodded, and left to go look for Nathan. She searched around a bit, heading further and further inland, until she eventually heard a rattling noise from above. As she looked up, she saw a shape falling towards her which she barely managed to dodge. She looked down to see it was a small fruit. She looked back up to see Nathan standing on a thick branch, plucking more fruit from the top of the tree.

"Hey Nathan!" Isabella hollered up at him.

The young model looked down. "Oh hey, what's up Isabella?"

"Not much, just was wondering what you were doing. Having fun up there?" Isabella couldn't help but feel impressed. She doubted she could scale the tree, let alone balance on a branch, but Nathan looked fairly comfortable up there.

"Tons of fun. Found a bunch of mangos, was planning on bringing back a few for the tribe. Wanna help me carry some?"

"Sure thing, just be careful up there. Don't want you falling face first." Isabella cautioned.

"I hope not, my face is my money maker." Nathan yelled back. He then plucked a few more mangos and let them drop before deciding to scale back down. As he was climbing, he felt one of his hands start to slip. Before he could readjust, his feet also gave way and he fell about ten feet. Isabella ran over to try and help him up.

"You alright, buddy?" She asked, looking him over.

"Yeah. I didn't squash any mangos, did I?" Nathan replied with a dopey smile. As he got up, he winced as he put pressure on his left leg and fell back down.

"Easy there, pretty boy, you went and hurt yourself. Here, I'll help you up."

Isabella pulled Nathan onto his feet, and put one of his arms around her.

Isabella (Student Teacher, Lembing Tribe): Nathan isn't the brightest guy in the world, but he's far from the most boring. I think me and him are gonna get along just fine, so long as he doesn't go and hurt himself again.

Nathan tried putting some weight on his leg, and found it a bit uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

"Alright, I think I'm good. Let's start gathering up these suckers."

As Nathan and Isabella were busy picking things up, very little progress was being made at the shelter.

"I think we're going to need the roof to be at an angle. That way rain isn't just piling up and spilling through the top." Amber said, trying to explain her design for the shelter.

"I think we're going to need more of a horizontal roof. If we go more diagonal, what's to stop it from sliding off if the wind picks up from the North?" Lucas asked, pointing towards the setting sun.

"First off, that's West. Secondly, If we build a sturdy enough frame, we won't have to worry about that." Amber said.

"I don't know about that." Lucas said. He was about to elaborate more, but then his eyes drifted to Isabella and Nathan, who had just gotten back to camp.

"Where have you guys been?" Lucas asked. He mentally reprimanded himself for sounding too strict.

"We got some snacks for everyone," Nathan answered, unrolling his shirt and letting several mangos fall out. Isabella did the same. Lucas looked surprised to see all the food.

"Oh. Good job. Did you guys remember where you found them? We could probably assign someone to go get them tomorrow."

Nathan made a face. "Assign someone to fruit duty? Really?"

"What's wrong with that?" Lucas asked, his brows furrowing.

"You're making it into a chore. It doesn't have to be an assigned thing, or a daily thing. If anyone wants some mangos, I'll just go get them some mangos, or I can show them where to get some mangos. It doesn't need to be a job." Nathan said, sounding a bit irritated.

Lucas put his hands up. "I'm not trying to make a job out of it, I'm just saying it would be good to get a routine going of someone collecting food so we have a good amount of food laying around, that's all."

Nathan huffed. "Alright dude, all I'm saying is you're starting to get kinda bossy."

Lucas glared at him. "How am I being bossy? All I said-"

Isabella got between the two. "Hey, hey, let's all calm down a bit. Let's everyone just take a breather."

Both Nathan and Lucas relaxed a bit. That's when Lucas noticed Nathan was standing a bit awkwardly.

"Is your leg ok?" He asked. Nathan rubbed it a bit.

"Yeah, just a bit sore. Fell out of a tree gettin' the fruit." Nathan replied nonchalantly.

Lucas looked dumbfounded. "Are you sure you're ok, man? Do we need medic to look at it or anything?"

"Whoa, whoa, easy bro, I'm alright. I'm fine." Nathan said.

"You have to be more careful from now on, Nate." Lucas chided. "If you end up hurting yourself, that's really going to hurt us in challenges."

Nathan sighed. "Well it's not exactly like I fell on purpose."

Lucas shook his head. "Oh don't give me that immature crap. Take this seriously!"

At this point, the camp more or less stopped working as they listened to the two bicker. Jean, who had been gathering leaves and palm fronds for the roof, rubbed her forehead.

Jean (Nurse, Lembing Tribe): I'm not sure how, but Lucas managed to find a way to get angry at Nathan for going and finding us food. If this is his reaction to someone giving him fruit, I amlost hope we don't win any more rewards, he might just explode.

The two eventually ended the argument and went back to work. There was a fair bit of tension that hung in the air for a while afterwards, but it was ignored once everyone started doing different tasks.

Donny (Firefighter, Lembing Tribe): I like Lucas, I think he's a good enough guy. I think he's used to being in charge, though, and it certainly comes off that way when he speaks. If he doesn't learn that we're his teammates and not his employees, he might find himself in trouble real quick.

---

Pedang -Night 1-

The night was calm on Pedang beach, with very little wind and no clouds in the sky. The tribe lay sleeping in the shelter, except for one castaway. Katrina carefully got out of the packed shelter and wandered down towards the beach, sitting down in the sand and gazing up at the stars.

Katrina (Artist, Pedang Tribe): Our first day got so much better once we got to camp. Julio got everyone's attention and he started directing people to do specific tasks. Marcus and Harper went off to go cut some trees down, Sofia and Julio were in charge of getting the fram and measurements right, Otis and Terri and I were in charge of weaving palm fronds and getting leaves for the roof, and Julio and Ahmed were working on the fire, but they sorta gave up on that and instead went to go collect food. I think that was supposed to be Tim's job, but he was just out roaming around for most of the day. Come to think of it, I don't think he brought back a single coconut or anything.

Tim had come back rather late, and was laying at the end of the completed shelter. He was having trouble sleeping while he reflected on the day's events.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): I looked everywhere on this stinkin island for a hidden immunity idol. I checked every tree, every bush, turned over every rock, and I've got nothing to show for it. On top of that, I'm still bitter from earlier today. Not from the little mini-challenge, I'm more or less pissed off at the tribe I was given. The two people who are the closest in age to me are a butch Mexican woman and a brawny farmer. Believe me when i say I'm not looking forward to any conversations with them. But I'm going to need to talk with someone, because I need to get an alliance formed.

For all of his complaining, Tim was still impressed by the shelter the tribe had managed to make on the first day. Not only was it sturdy, but it was well covered. Marcus and Harper had gotten an excess amount of wood and bamboo, so Sofia had the idea to build two diagonal walls on the left and right side of the lean-to, giving more protection from and rain or wind.

Tim eventually went to sleep, and soon Katrina got back from her star gazing to find a place to snuggle in with her tribe.

Katrina (Artist, Pedang Tribe): I think the two people who haven't really done much talking are Otis and Tim. Otis has sort of been keeping to himself lately, but he's at least been working. Tim... well, I'm sure he's doing something and I'm just not seeing it.

---

Lembing -Day 2-

Delilah woke up with a groan. She was about to start her day with some back pain and a headache.

Delilah (Pharmacist, Lembing Tribe): We managed to get a floor and the start of a roof made yesterday, but then Amber and Lucas started arguing about how the frame should be built, and then Isabella and Nathan went off to go explore the island without telling anyone. They came back with some mangos and Nathan came back with a bit of a limp, I guess he fell out of a tree or something. Lucas ended up scolding him, and while I don't like the way he handled it, I agree with what he was trying to say. An injury is the last thing we need. We need to keep the tribe strong, and we already got Bones not bringing much to the table. Speaking of, Bones didn't help a damn bit with the shelter. I almost didn't want to let him sleep on it last night.

As Delilah got up out of the shelter, she looked to see who else was still asleep. Donny and Lucas were sprawled out at the far end, Victoria, Amber, and Jean all cozily cramped in the middle, and Nathan and Isabella both sleeping with their legs dangling out of the elevated floor. As she had suspected, Bones was back at his little pile of sticks.

Delilah walked out to the trees to go find some coconuts. As she walked, she noticed a funny looking statue on the ground sitting next to a decaying log. On top of the statue was a piece of wood with a note stapled on it, labeled "Tree Mail". She read the message written on it and then took it off and headed back to camp.

"Rise and shine everybody, we've got a challenge to go win." Delilah announced as she strolled in to camp. Everyone in the shelter awoke groggily and Bones got up from his pile of wood. Delilah stood in front of everyone, and then read aloud the contents of the piece of wood.

"To win your first challenge, it's ammo you need, careen yourself towards it, to stay in the lead. Have a good arm, get ready to throw, winners get fire, a loser must go."

"One loser must go?" Donny asked. "I thought this was just a reward challenge."

"Eh, who knows. Either way, let's get another win under our belts." Amber said. The tribe muttered agreement as they made an attempt to fully wake up.

Amber (Mechanic, Lembing Tribe): Our tribes been having some problems from the get-go, but I think another win might be just the boost we need to start getting some positivity around here!

---

Reward Challenge -Day 2-

Matthew was standing on an empty beach as the two tribes came in from different directions. He waited until both tribes were on their mats before beginning.

"Who's ready to start the first challenge of the season?" Matthew asked, getting a few cheers for a reply. However, one castaway responded with their own question.

"If this is the first challenge, what the hell was that thing yesterday?" Lucas asked.

"That was just the standard Survivor welcome." Matthew answered with a shrug. "Before we get to the first real challenge, let's see what you're playing for."

Matthew pulled out a block of flint from his pocket.

"You'll be playing for fire, in the form of flint. Fire is certainly a necessity out here. On top of that, the winning tribe will also receive another reward, but we'll discuss that after the challenge." Matthew then went on to explain the challenge.

"On my go, five players will use a small raft to paddle out into the ocean to retrieve four bundles of coconuts. Once you have all five, you'll paddle back to give them to the other four who will be waiting at a throwing station. Each of the four tribemates not on the raft will be responsible for knocking down one of four statues that are sitting on pedestals 10, 15, 20, and 25 feet out. First tribe to knock down all statues with their coconuts wins reward. Sound good?"

The contestants nodded.

"I'll give you guys some time to plan who'll be doing what, and then we'll begin."

After some time went by, both tribes had a game plan set.

"Alright, for Pedang it's Katrina, Tim, Otis, Julio, and Terri on the raft, Marcus, Ahmed, Sofia, and Harper throwing. For Lembing, it's Quincy, Amber, Delilah, Isabella, and Donny paddling, Victoria, Jean, Lucas, and Nathan throwing. Survivors ready? Go!"

Both rafts set out and started paddling, Lembing quickly pulling ahead. Under the guidance of Isabella, the five paddled in unison and made it to the first bundle of coconuts with relative ease. Pedang was struggling a bit, but was still managing to go in the right direction. As Pedang neared their first bundle, Lembing was already retrieving their second.

"Lembing in the lead by a bundle. Get those back as soon as you can, every second counts." Matthew said.

Pedang got to their second bundle in a bit quicker time, getting more used to the way the raft moved, but so were Lembing, as their tribe retrieved their third bundle and was on their way to the fourth. Pedang put even more effort in, and they managed to close the gap a little bit, picking up their third before Lembing could get their fourth. Lembing snatched the fourth bundle first, and started paddling back, though Pedang wasn't too far behind. Both tribes soon found themselves going back to shore.

Lembing arrived first, Delilah and Donny each picking up two bundles and carrying them over to the throwing station. Up first for Lembing was Victoria. She took a deep breath, and chucked her first coconut with great force. It smoked the statue on the 10 foot pedestal and knocked it off.

"Lembing with the first statue down. Pedang just getting back to the beach. You still have time, Pedang!" Matthew encouraged.

Julio, Katrina, Terri, and Otis each rushed a bundle to the station. Ahmed took the first coconut and shucked it at the closest statue, but missed. As he went to try again, Jean was taking aim with her first coconut. She lobbed it at the fifteen foot statue, and hit the podium it was standing on. The statue wobbled, but didn't fall.

Ahmed threw again, and this time connected, knocking the statue off of the pedestal. Just as Sofia was getting ready to throw her first coconut, Jean threw once more and this time hit her statue. It grazed the top, but it had enough force behind it to get the statue to tilt and fall off.

"Lembing leads 2 to 1." Matthew announced.

Lucas got up to throw for Lembing. He took aim and tossed, missing quite a ways to the right and a bit short. Sofia took a breath and then threw. Hers was a bit to the left. The two threw a few more coconuts each before Sofia finally connected with hers, a solid hit to the middle that knocked the statue off. Harper was up next. She took a coconut and hurled it without hesitation. The coconut found it's target and sent it flying off of the 20 foot podium.

"In no time at all, Pedang went from trailing by one to leading by one. They only need to knock down one more statue."

Lucas started panicking, throwing coconuts at a faster frequency and with much less impressive results. Nathan stood impatiently for his turn while Marcus went up to throw for the last Pedang statue. He gave a good toss, which ended up a bit to the right. Both men went to throw one more coconut. One of them connected, and that statue fell.

"PEDANG, WINS REWARD!" Matthew yelled.

The Pedang tribe cheered, rushing to the throwing station for a big group hug. As the Pedang tribe celebrated, the Lembing tribe walked up to the throwing station, giving condolences to the their throwers. Nathan then walked over to the Pedang tribe.

"Good job, guys." He said, shaking hands with Harper and Marcus. As Nathan walked back to his tribe, Lucas and Victoria were both giving him funny looks.

As the tribes settled, Matthew walked over and handed Marcus the flint.

"In addition to the flint, I'll now tell you what else you've won." Matthew pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to Harper. She took it and read it out loud.

"As winners of the reward challenge, it is now your duty to send someone from the losing tribe to exile island. They will stay there until the immunity challenge tomorrow."

The Lembing tribe looked shocked and disheartened. Pedang, meanwhile, looked thrilled.

"Pedang," Matthew said, "make your selection."

The tribe got together to whisper before seeming to come to a consensus.

"We've decided on Lucas." Julio declared.

The color seemed to drain from Lucas's face as Donny put his arm around him and Victoria gave him a pat on the back.

"Lucas, you will be sent to exile island immediately. As the note said, you'll be back in time for the immunity challenge. Come with me, we'll have the boat pick you up."

Lucas gave a few hugs to come of his tribe mates and then followed Matthew. Lembing looked absolutely heartbroken... except for Nathan, who shrugged it off. The tribes split off and went back to their respective camps.

Nathan (Model, Pedang Tribe): I got nothing personal against the guy, but he's been goin around, ordering everyone to this and that ever since we got to camp. Besides that, dude has been on my case lately, and I think it'll do everyone some good to relax a little bit when we go back to camp. Also, he's kinda the reason we lost today, so again, not too sorry to see him go.

---

Exile Island -Day 2-

Lucas stepped off of the boat and stood on a small patch of sand. He looked over in dismay his new home for the next day. Exile Island was not so much an island, but many small spots of sand surrounded by waste deep water. All in all there were about six dry spots, the largest of which was about 10x10 feet, and the smallest was about big enough for his feet to stand on without touching water, and that's if the waves were calm.

"You've gotta be kidding me? There's not even a tree or anything? This just seems like flat out torture." Lucas moaned. He then noticed a treasure chest out on the biggest island. He waded into the water and made his way towards it. Once he arrived to the chest, he saw a note taped on top of it. He plucked it off to read it.

"Protection or provisions? Comfort or control? Inside this chest sits the hidden immunity idol. The hidden immunity idol is a powerful tool that, when used at a tribal council, can stop anyone from voting for you. However, you will need to find the key to the chest to open it, and it is buried somewhere in one of the other islets. There is a clue to its location scrawled on the bottom of the chest."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair, a grin forming on his face, and he continued reading.

"However, if you wish to not seek out the idol, you will be given food and shelter during your stay at exile. You will, however, be forbidden from stepping foot on any of the other islets. Make your decision for which path you'd like to take by either flipping over the chest, or leaving it stand. A boat will come by shortly to see your decision."

Lucas sat down while he contemplated his decision.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): On the one hand, if I go looking for the idol, I will be starving by the time I get back, and I'll also most likely be exhausted. I'll suck at the challenge, and I'm sure that won't go over well with everyone, seeing as I'm the reason we lost the reward challenge and almost lost the extra bag of rice. That being said, I already know I'm making enemies on my tribe. An immunity idol would be the only guarantee for my safety at our first tribal council.

Lucas placed his hand on the top of the chest.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): The most important factor in my decision is this: Do I think I'm the lowest on the tribe totem pole? And the answer to that question seems simple to me.

Lucas took his hand off of the chest and waited for the boat to come see his choice.

Lucas (Lawyer, Lembing Tribe): I'm on a tribe with a crazy old lunatic who hasn't done anything around camp. There's no way I'm going first.

---

Lembing -Day 2-

The eight Lembing tribe members walked somberly back to camp. Many looked down at the ground, moping at the loss. Jean and Victoria went over to the shelter to lay down, both tired from the challenge. Isabella and Nathan went off to go collect more fruit, and Donny and Delilah went to go cut some more wood for the shelter. Amber sat by herself on the shoreline, staring out into the ocean.

Amber (Mechanic, Lembing Tribe): The loss today hit us harder than I would've thought it would. Lucas is bossy and a bit of an ass at times, but I still think it sucks that he got screwed over with the whole exile thing.

Amber got up, stretched, took off her glasses to splash some water in her face, and went to go back to her tribe.

Amber (Mechanic, Lembing Tribe): We can't afford to sulk too much. If we start acting all lethargic and mopey now, it'll be hard to get out of that mindset. We need to get our minds off of the loss and get them back to working together. We're a team, now let's put on our workin' boots and get that shelter done.

Amber walked up to the shelter, but before she could talk to Jean or Victoria, Bones walked up to Amber. "Mind if I steal some of your time for a moment?" He asked.

"Holy crap, Bones, what happened to your mask?" Amber asked, seeing the old man's face for the first time. He chuckled.

"Oh you'll see shortly. Anyway, would you like to help me start the fire? It won't take too terribly long."

"Uh, sure. What do you need me to do?" Amber asked, skeptical of any plan of his.

"I just need you to hold onto some coir fibers in your hand. I'll also need something else from you, but that should be the only real job on your end."

Amber shrugged, and the two went over to where he had set up a pit for a fire. As the pair went off, Jean and Victoria talked in the shelter.

"Might sound harsh, but I'm actually glad Lucas got sent to exile." Victoria said, resting her head on her arms as she lounged.

"Well, he did cost us the challenge today." Jean agreed.

"Right. I mean, I hope he's doing alright out there, but still." Victoria said, hoping not to sound too mean.

Victoria (Student, Lembing Tribe): If you were to ask me who I'd boot first in our tribe, it'd honestly be tough. I mean yeah, we got an old crazy guy who wears a mask everywhere and doesn't look that strong, but then we also got a younger bossy guy who shouts at people for bringing food and keeps tanking us in challenges. Between the two, it's honestly a toss up.

"It's alright, I know you don't wish him any ill will. Still it's nice to relax for a change." Jean said, trying to keep an eye on Amber and Bones.

"Heck yeah. I think the last time we took a break was after Lucas had his little rant at Nathan. Now that was just plain silly." Victoria said, closing her eyes as she got ready to doze off.

"No way..." Jean muttered, sitting up as she stared over at Amber and Bones.

"You don't think so?" Victoria asked, not really paying attention, "I just found it to be a little over the top. Like, there's being strict, and then there's just being a-"

"Victoria, look!" Jean shouted, shaking her tribe mate. Victoria sat up, opened her eyes, and caught a glimpse of perhaps the last thing she expected to see.

"WE'VE GOT FIRE, BABY!" Amber shouted as she hurried over by the shelter to collect some leftover wood from around the area. "Go get Donny and Delilah, tell em to start chopping some wood! We're gonna make a barbeque!" Amber continued to rush around, collecting anything she could find to toss into the small flame that she and Bones had been able to produce.

Victoria immediately was on her feet running to where she suspected Donny and Delilah to be. Meanwhile Jean stumbled over to Bones, who was sitting next to the fire with the widest grin she ever did see. She picked the man up from the ground and hugged him. After putting him back down, she asked the only question that would be on anyone's mind at the moment.

"How?"

Bones merely replied by tapping on his head, or more specifically, the rims of his glasses that had been covered by his skull mask.

'Bones' (History Professor, Lembing Tribe): The mask I was wearing was specially made by some of my students... chemistry students... who told me that it was, quote: "Lit." They then clarified that, on top of being new aged slang, they also meant that they made it with a highly flammable substance that burns very easily. I got all of the necessary materials, and then got my lighter, also known as dear Amber's spectacles.

Donny and Delilah arrived at camp, both of their mouths hanging open in shock as they looked at the small fire not ten feet away from their shelter. Each rushed over to add some wood to it, carefully placing it in a tipi formation to let the flame grow. They both hugged the old man, who was still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Victoria soon came back with Nathan, Isabella, and a full pot of well water.

Donny (Firefighter, Lembing Tribe): You know, I had my misgivings about Quincy, or Bones or whatever you want to call him, but at the end of the day, we got fire. We got fire without having to win flint. That's pretty awesome. So yeah, the guy might be eccentric, and he might still be a bit too weird for my taste, but he's the reason I finally get to drink some clean water, so he's good enough in my book.

---

Pedang -Evening 2-

At the Pedang tribe, the tribe was also hanging around a pile of wood, however this one had been lit ever since the tribe had gotten back. It hadn't been easy, as Julio, Marcus, and Sofia all tried to get something going with the flint, but eventually Terri took a turn with it and was able to get a few sparks to turn into a flame. Seven of the nine members of Pedang were swapping stories and jokes around the campfire. Otis was a ways away, chopping some coconuts for everyone, and Tim was a ways away in the shelter.

Julio (Newspaper editor, Pedang Tribe): For the last two days I've been sort of managing the tribe, giving out tasks and trying to get work done. I think it's really helped keep the tribe organized and productive. We've got a shelter, we've got fire, and so tonight I suggested that we take a bit of a break, bust open some coconuts, and have ourselves a little bonfire to celebrate two good days of work.

"So, my children see this bear at the zoo," Ahmed said, in the middle of one of his stories, "and they're enamored with it like they were the last five or six animals we'd seen that day. So my eldest, who was five at the time, she goes on an on saying she wants a bear, she loves bears now. So at the end of the trip, we go through a gift shop, and as a treat I get them all something, and for her, I got a stuffed bear. I give it to her, she takes one look at it, and throws it on the ground."

"Aww, what was wrong?' Terri asked, smiling at Ahmed's gestures as he spoke.

"That's what I was wondering. I asked, what's wrong with the bear? I thought you loved bears. And what does she say?" Ahmed's voice rose as he imitated his daughter. "That one doesn't look like you. I want one that looks like you!" Ahmed laughed, as well as some of his tribe mates. "So I ask her, why do you want a bear that looks like me? Do I look like a bear to you? And she replies, very serious, 'other dad calls you a bear all the time'."

A majority of the tribe chuckled at the punchline.

Ahmed (Bank Teller, Pedang Tribe): As a bank teller, I have a very social job, and I think the skill of being able to relate to people. I think, no matter where you are, it's an important skill to have. People notice you if you don't do anything, respect you if you do your job, but appreciate you if you take time to get to know them. Times like this, I think being appreciated is the kind of attention you want.

Ahmed called over to Otis and Tim. "Boys, come on over, you're missing some family bonding time!" Tim shuffled over while Otis kept on cracking coconuts.

Julio laughed as he put the remaining water in the pot into a canteen. "Alright, we've filled up about half of them. Who wants to go out on a water run?"

Katrina's hand shot up, and it was soon followed by Tim's.

"Alright, have fun you two." Julio said as he handed Tim the pot. Tim merely nodded and then left. Once the two were out of hearing range, Julio looked back to the rest of the tribe.

"That's the first time I've seen the boy do any work. Too bad my personal item wasn't a camera, or I would've taken a picture." Julio joked.

Meanwhile, Katrina and Tim walked down the path in silence. Tim looked back, making sure they were far enough out, and then decided that now was the best time to put his plan into motion.

"So, Katrina, who on the tribe would you say you trust the most?" Tim asked.

Katrina paused, trying to think of an answer. She eventually listed a few names. "I guess I'd say Terri, Sofia, and Ahmed."

Tim nodded. "Alright. Here's what I was thinking. I want to make an alliance between me, you, Terri, Sofia, and Ahmed. That'd be five people, we'd have a majority on the tribe."

Katrina said nothing and just kept walking, so Tim continued. "Then the first time we lose an immunity, we can vote off Otis, and we're all safe. If we lose any more besides that, then we just keep voting off people from the other three."

Katrina shrugged her shoulders. "Alright."

Tim smiled. "Alright, glad we had this talk. Hopefully you can talk to the other three for me and soon, we'll be running the tribe."

As the two reached the well, Tim extended his hand, and Katrina hesitantly shook it. Tim then waited while Katrina got the water from the well and poured it into the pot.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): This is, to my knowledge, the first alliance made on this tribe. To my knowledge I'm the only person to have gone out to look for an idol. To my knowledge, I'm the only person out here really playing the game. Everyone else has been busy trying to get shelters built or get fires started, but we'll see whether or not they'll be around to enjoy them later.

Katrina (Artist, Pedang Tribe): Our first conversation, and you're gonna start with that? Really? Man, why would I even trust you to be down for any of that? I hardly know you! I mean yeah, alliances are good, but I'd feel a lot better if I was in one with people that have had more than one conversation with me.

The two walked back to camp to rejoin in the merriment that lasted all through the night.

---

Immunity Challenge -Day 3-

Matthew waited in a jungle clearing for the contestants to arrive. The two tribes made their way in from opposite sides and stood on their tribe mats. They looked at what looked like a primal obstacle course on the clearing. Matthew then gestured behind him.

"Now entering, Lucas from Exile Island."

Lucas looked fairly happy as he casually walked up to the Lembing mat. He received hugs from everyone.

"Lucas, how was exile?" Matthew asked.

"Oh, it wasn't half bad. Send me back any time you like." Lucas said, turning to the Pedang tribe and giving his biggest grin.

"Alright, is everyone ready for the first immunity challenge?" Matthew asked both groups. He gestured to a small marble statue of a coconut tree with a nest of birds in it.

Cheers were given from both mats.

"Here's how it'll work: On my go, each tribe will race through a vertical net crawl, slide down at the end, and then cross a balance beam over a pool. Once all nine tribe members have crossed the balance beam, one will be in charge of going to the final station. You'll be given kindling, sticks, a small block of flint, and a knife in order to make a fire big enough to burn and snap a rope that's strung above the station. First person to snap their rope wins immunity for their tribe, and safety from our first tribal council. I'll give you guys a minute to get ready, and then we'll begin."

As the tribes situated on their mats, they discussed who would do the fire station. On Lembing, Nathan and Amber both tried volunteering Bones, but he declined, saying he didn't trust himself with a knife. Jean volunteered herself, and the tribe agreed on it. Meanwhile on Pedang, Terri received nominations from Marcus, Julio, Sofia, and Otis, so she accepted. The tribes then got ready to begin the race.

"Survivors ready? GO!"

The tribes were off, ducking into the first part of the net crawl. A few tripped and stumbled on the wobbling floor. Marcus and Nathan were the first of their tribes to climb up to the second section. Marcus stuck around to help the others climb up.

"Tribes are neck and neck so far going up the net crawl."

The tribes continued to crawl, some getting stuck here or there while others flew through the course. Nathan and Victoria were the first to get through the top of the crawl and slid down the ramp at the end. They waited on the mat for the rest of the tribe before they could start on the balance beam. Bones, Isabella, and Amber were trailing the rest of the tribe, and looked to be having a difficult time.

Sofia and Harper were the first over for Pedang while Marcus helped Terri and Otis along. Tim was struggling near the middle section, getting his foot stuck in the net. The rest of the tribe seemed to be fairing better.

Lucas, Donny, and Jean made it over for Lembing as Ahmed made it over for Pedang.

"Lembing with five people over, Pedang only with three. Marcus electing to stay behind to help some of the stragglers, will teamwork prove crucial in this challenge?" Matthew observed.

Marcus was able to get Terri and Otis over with Julio and Katrina while Delilah managed to make it over for Lembing. Marcus climbed back down to help Tim, who had managed to get his foot unstuck.

Amber and Isabella got over just as Marcus and Tim got over.

"Pedang, good to go on the balance beam. Lembing, still waiting on Quincy."

Katrina was the first on the balance beam, and she practically sprinted across it. Julio and Harper went next, each one able to keep a pretty quick pace across it. As Marcus started to walk across it, Bones finally made it over the net for Lembing.

"Lembing, you're good!" Matthew announced.

Delilah was the first to go, able to quickly walk across. Amber went next, and was able to make it just as Marcus made it across, who had been stumbling and nearly fell in once or twice.

"Lembing with two across. Pedang with four. Still anyone's game!"

Donny quickly walked across while Ahmed got on the beam. Ahmed made it a few steps before he started wobbling. He tried throwing his hands out to try to regain his balance, but he fell off of the beam and into the water. Donny safely made it to the other side.

"Ahmed falls in, has to swim back. Someone else walk for Pedang." Matthew called out.

Terri elected to go next, and tried going a bit slower. Lucas went up for Lembing and tried running through it like Katrina, but his left foot missed the beam on his second step and he crashed into the water. As he swam back, Jean started making her way across, taking a page out of Terri's book and going slowly.

"This part of the challenge may take a while." Matthew said.

-15 minutes later-

"Pedang, still waiting on Otis and Tim to get through. Lembing, waiting for Quincy and Isabella."

Tim was currently on the balance beam, trying to crawl on his belly. Isabella was shimmying sideways, stopping every other second to wobble back and forth and then regain her balance. Otis and Bones both were waiting back on their mat, out of breath and soaking wet, much like the two on the beams. The castaways that had already made it over ranged from energetic and encouraging to bored and irritated.

Finally, one of the young contestants made it across.

"Isabella across for Lembing, only Quincy needs to cross to get them to the final stage." Matthew said, quickly checking his watch before going back to look at the challenge.

Tim continued his slow and awkward belly crawl, 3/4ths of the way across, while Bones walked up to his beam. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and put both arms out as he took his first step onto the beam.

Sploosh!

Bones opened his eyes to see Tim had fallen in the water. He couldn't help but laugh, backing up so he himself wouldn't fall into the water. "How did he even fall?"

"Bones, hurry up man, we're still in a challenge. Let's end this already!" Nathan shouted.

"Oh right." Bones placed his foot back on the beam and slowly made his way to the other side. Otis also tried to slowly walk across, but he couldn't make it five feet without tipping over. Tim managed to get back on the platform and tried walking it, but this too proved futile and he hardly made it farther than Otis.

Bones meanwhile, managed to make it to the other side of the beam.

"Lembing, going to the final stage of the challenge!" Matthew shouted.

Jean quickly made her way over to the fire making station. She received shouts of encouragement from her tribe, while Pedang looked on with futility at Otis trying desperately to make it past the beam.

Sploosh!

And failing.

Jean got her supplies set up and started striking at her flint.

"Pedang still has time to catch up, but they're gonna need to move fast." Matthew warned. "Immunity from tribal council on the line."

Tim decided to go for a slower approach and shimmied sideways. As he got half way, Jean was able to get a spark to catch on her kindling, turning into a small flame. That flame soon became a large fire that licked at the rope above.

Tim, after about twenty minutes of failing, finally managed to make it across the beam. He weakly pumped his fist in the air as he plopped down on the ground. Meanwhile, Otis cautiously tried doing what Tim had been doing, but ended up falling in. It didn't really matter, though.

"LEMBING WINS IMMUNITY! SAFE FROM TRIBAL COUNCIL!"

The Pedang tribe turned their attention to Jean's fire, which had just burnt through the rope above it. The Lembing tribe all rushed to her, hugging and shouting in celebration.

Marcus summed up the feeling of his tribe in a short, muttered statement.

"Welp... sh(censored)t."

The tribes assembled on their mats. Matthew carried the marble statue over to Lembing, letting Jean hold onto it.

"Lembing, safe from tribal, you can head on back to your camp, get Lucas here caught up on camp life. Pedang, you can also head back to camp, but get ready for a trek to tribal council tonight, where one of you will be the first person voted out of Survivor Maldives. I'll see you later."

The tribes dispersed, Pedang a mixture of scowls and grimaces.

Otis (Postal Worker, Pedang Tribe): I definitely think I'm in trouble tonight. I'm the only person who didn't get over the balance beam today, Marcus had to help me up the net, I just put in a miserable performance. I just hope my work around camp has been appreciated.

Harper (Rancher, Pedang Tribe): We've got two big weak links on our tribe, an' they're the two guys that cost us the challenge today. Ol' Otis 'n Tiny Tim were just painful to watch, but what d'ya expect from a grandpa and a boy who looks skinnier than a fence post, and is about as talkative. One of them has to go if we wanna get anywhere in these challenges.

---

Pedang -Day 3-

The tribe gathered around the camp fire. Otis wanted to try and lift up his tribe mates' spirits before they went to tribal.

"Guys," Otis started, "it's been a pleasure playing with all of you. We just need to make sure this is the last time this happens. I'm confident that, after tonight, we won't have to set foot over at tribal until merge. Who's with me?"

The tribe agreed. Katrina looked around at her tribe until her eyes rested on Tim, who kept glancing between her and Sofia. As the tribe started dispersing, she gave a small nod to Tim before going over to Sofia.

"Hey, mind if I talk with you real quick?" Katrina whispered.

"Sure." Sofia replied.

The two walked into the jungle. Tim smiled as he watched them go.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): I'm not the best at talking to people I don't know, so I'm glad I'm able to have Katrina sort of be my lifeline. After this tribal, I'll probably try to start having more conversations with the people in my alliance, but for right now I'm more than happy to depend on Katrina to be my social link to the tribe.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Sofia asked.

"I just wanted to see where your head was at for voting tonight." Katrina responded.

"I was thinking Otis. He was the only one not to make it across the beam today, and I don't know how many challenges he'll be that good at down the road." Sofia explained, having given it some thought before the challenge. "I know Julio and Ahmed were kind of on a similar thought process."

"Cool, sounds good," Katrina said, "you've got good reasoning. However, I was thinking someone else."

"Really, who's that?" Sofia questioned.

"What are your thoughts on a Tim boot?"

Sofia raised her eyebrows. "I figured we'd just get him out afterwards. What makes you want to take him out now?"

"He's hardly done a thing around camp, he's about as bad as Otis in challenges, and he pulled me aside yesterday and sorta just put me on the spot, started asking me rapid fire questions about who I trusted and all that."

Sofia's eyebrows furrowed as she listened. "What led to that conversation?"

"Absolutely nothing." Katrina threw her hands up in the air. "I hardly even get the chance to say hi and he starts hitting me with a proposition for an alliance. It was like, the first time we'd spoken to each other."

"Well... points for enthusiasm on his part. So, you want to get rid of Tim first?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah, I just think I'd rather want someone who works instead of schemes hanging around."

"Alright, I'll think about it. I'm still not sure keeping Otis around longer is the right decision."

"The way I see it, if we lose again we get rid of Otis then. At least we don't have to worry about Otis going around trying to make spontaneous alliances."

Katrina (Artist, Pedang Tribe): Heading into this tribal, I want Tim gone. I know he says he has trust in me, but he made an alliance with me before we even really discussed much of anything else. He strikes me as someone who'd rather just make a bunch of options for himself than stay loyal to a deal, and I don't need one of those guys on my tribe.

Sofia nodded. "Well, I'll talk with Ahmed about it. If you really feel strongly about this, you might want to talk to Julio, he's the only other person that really felt strongly about booting Otis, to my knowledge."

The two shook hands, and departed.

Meanwhile, Marcus, Harper, and Terri were out sitting on the beach, enjoying the sights and taking time to relax before tribal. Terri looked back at camp, seeing Otis boiling water, Julio talking to Katrina, Ahmed and Sofia talking about something, and Tim lying down in the shelter.

Terri turned her attention to the two workhorses of the tribe.

"So, I was hoping, so long as you guys weren't voting me, I could vote with you on this tribal? I haven't really talked to anyone about it yet, so..." Terri trailed off.

"I haven't decided yet." Marcus replied.

"I aint got any idea yet, either. Definitely between the Oats n' Tiny." Harper said.

Terri had to remember which person Harper had given the nicknames to. After remembering, she nodded.

"Well, when you guys make up your minds, please tell me." Terri requested.

Marcus (Construction Worker, Pedang Tribe): So I've been fairly quiet these first few days. Not to the extent of some people, I still go out and make conversation with everyone. Main thing I've been trying to avoid is having an opinion on the vote tonight. I've been hanging around Harper because she doesn't mind at all at speaking for the both of us. (Marcus chuckles.) So even if something comes back to bite me in the butt, I can use the excuse that I just went along with what Harper said.

"We will. An' hey, if'n we can't make up our minds til tribal, how's about this: if we wanna vote for that one," Harper pointed to the left, "then I'll give you a thumbs up before we vote. If we go for that one," Harper pointed off screen to the right, "then I'll give you a peace sign."

Terri smirked. "How very dramatic."

Terri (Grocery Store Manager, Pedang Tribe): From what I gathered, I won't have to worry about it being me tonight. I think everyone has agreed to it being either Otis or Tim. I'm perfectly fine with either, though I'm a bit more partial to Tim, all things considered. If we start voting out the older bunch who aren't as challenge savvy, I may end up seeing my way right out after Otis. I agreed to vote with Harper and Marcus but... I'll be much more obligated to stay true to my word if they decide what I want to happen.

Tim lounged on the shelter, watching Katrina talk to Julio.

Tim (Cartoonist, Pedang Tribe): I don't think I need to be too worried tonight. I've got Katrina, who talked to Sofia and Julio. Sofia went and talked to Ahmed. I haven't seen anyone talk to Terri, but I'm sure Katrina will get around to it. It may be a bit risky to put all of my eggs into the Katrina basket, but I'm confident that tonight will prove I put my trust in the right person. Once tonight is done and Otis is gone, then it'll be time to really solidify a dominant alliance.

---

Tribal Council -Night 3-

The tribe marched single file up to a wrecked cargo ship. They entered through a large hole on the side of the hull, seeing Matthew sitting on the opposite side of a fire. They each walked up to the fire.

"Everyone dip your torches in and light them." Matthew ordered, and the Pedangs followed his instructions. "In this game, fire represents life. Once your torch is out, so are you."

After lighting the torches, they each rammed them into the sand as they found small stumps to sit on. After everyone was seated, Matthew gestured around.

"This is tribal council. Here is where the terrible deed of voting out one of your fellow tribe mates will occur. You will walk into that room." Matthew pointed to a small office with broken windows that contained a desk. On the desk was a marker, several blank parchments, and an urn. "You'll write down the name of the person you wish to vote out, hold it up, and then fold it and put it in the urn. Once everyone has voted, I'll go in, grab the urn, bring it out and tally the results. The person with the highest amount of votes will then have their torch snuffed and will immediately leave out the other side of the ship. Understood?"

The tribe all muttered agreement.

"Alright. So before we start with the votes, let's talk. Ahmed, are you disappointed that you guys lost the first immunity challenge?"

Ahmed chuckled. "Well it's not exactly something to be proud of, is it?" Some members of the tribe gave a small laugh to the response. Ahmed then went on to elaborate. "I think we're all disappointed, but hopefully it'll reinvigorate us to do better for the next challenge."

Matthew turned his attention to a different tribe member. "Sofia, what do you think your tribe has over the other tribe?"

Sofia took a moment to think before coming up with an answer. "I think we've got less friction over here. I might be misjudging, but it seems like there might already be some tension going on in the other tribe. I saw one of the guys smiling when we sent Lucas to exile, and it looks like they've got quite a few big personalities over there."

"Julio, what do you think this tribe needs to work on?" Matthew asked the older man.

"I think our strongest people are stronger than their strongest." Julio started, trying to be careful with his words. "However, our weakest people seem to be a bit weaker than their weakest people."

Matthew cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think the weak people of the tribe know they're viewed as such?"

Julio sighed, conscious what he said might not be taken well. "I think they do."

Matthew nodded, then went to address the whole tribe. "Who here thinks they're one of the weak links Julio mentioned?"

An awkward pause was had as the tribe sat in silence without moving, but it was broken when one person raised their hand.

"Me." Otis spoke in a neutral voice. This was followed up by Terri and Tim raising their hands.

"Are those the people you were referring to, Julio?" Matthew asked.

"Yes." Julio replied bluntly. He figured there was no walking around the bush at this point.

"So Otis, if you think you're one of the weak links, how do you try to prove to others that you still have worth?"

Otis sighed. "I've just been trying to do the best that I can. Whether it be at camp or in challenges, I'm always trying to give it my all. Sometimes what I've got just isn't enough, and there's not much I can do for that."

"Terri, how does it feel to be labeled as one of the weak ones of the tribe?"

Terri shrugged. "How do you think?"

Matthew snickered at the reply. "Not too good, I'd imagine."

"Yeah, not a fan." Terri said. She quickly added, "I can see where he's coming from, and I'm not saying he doesn't have valid points, but yeah, it's just not a good position to be in. I know it's nothing personal." Terri said, looking over at Julio, who nodded in return.

"Tim, what's the best way to get out of your position?"

"The answer is simple, Matt." Tim replied, as if it was an obvious answer. "Just prove to everyone that you're not the most expendable person here."

"Do you believe you're one of, if not the most expendable?"

"No, I don't." Tim smugly replied.

"Alright, looks like we'll soon find out who the tribe believes is, as you put it, the most expendable. It's time to vote. Otis, you're up first."

Otis walked into the room and uncapped the marker. He scribbled down three letters.

Tim

"Tim, you're a good kid. I feel it's going to come down to the two of us, so I'll wish you luck, but I'll wish me more." He put the vote in the urn and went back.

As Sofia and Ahmed took their turns voting, Terri made eye contact with Harper, who flashed her a thumbs up. Terri mimicked the signal in return, and watched as Harper went to go vote.

Marcus went after her, and then Julio went.

Julio uncapped the marker and wrote clearly the name of who he considered the weakest member of the tribe.

Otis

"This is nothing personal. I just don't want to come back here."

Tim went in next and voted the same as the previous person.

Otis

"Easiest vote of the season."

Katrina walked up next to cast her vote. She wrote in cursive and ended the name with a heart.

Tim

"Good idea for an alliance. Next time, put more effort into it, and maybe don't make someone else do all the work. Oh, and the heart is for making me get all the water and carry it back to camp. Thanks a lot, buddy."

Finally, Terri came in and cast the final vote. She paused for a brief moment before finally deciding on a name.

?

"I have a feeling this might cause me trouble down the road, but right now, it's what needs to happen. I doubt it'll make too big a difference, but you never know.

Terri walked back to her spot, and Matthew went to go retrieve the urn. He brought it back to his seat and placed it on there while he stood.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, player voted out will have to leave the tribal council immediately. I'll read the votes."

Matthew picked out a random parchment.

"First vote: Otis."

Otis sighed. He knew it wouldn't be the only one.

"Second vote: Otis."

Julio nodded. Tim smiled.

"Third vote: Tim."

Tim's smile faltered for a second, but he shrugged off the surprise. So Otis had voted for him? Big deal. It would probably be the only one.

"Fourth vote: Otis. That's three votes for Otis, one for Tim."

Harper looked to Marcus for confirmation, and he nodded his head. Harper tried to make eye contact with Terri, but she was staring at the urn.

"Fifth vote: Tim."

Tim was a bit more taken aback by this one, but he still tried to maintain his composure. He wondered who else had voted for him.

"Sixth vote: Tim."

Tim's eyes darted back and forth frantically as he tried to figure out who had voted for him.

"Seventh vote: Otis. That's four votes Otis, three votes Tim."

The vote seemed to get Tim to relax a bit, and Otis had a reigned look in his eye.

"Eighth vote: Tim."

Tim's relief flew right out the window as his panic came back in full force. Otis also seemed fairly surprised.

"Nice heart." Tim said, trying to lighten his own mood with a joke. Katrina tried not to grin too much.

"Where we stand right now is four votes for Otis, four votes for Tim, one vote left. If the vote isn't for either of you, it'll go to a revote, with Otis and Tim not being able to vote."

Matthew pulled the final parchment out of the urn.

"Ninth vote and first person voted out of Survivor Maldives is..."

Tim was sitting on the edge of his seat, Otis was making sure all of his stuff was packed for when he was booted, and Terri kept staring at the urn. Matthew unfolded the parchment and showed it to the tribe.

"Tim. Five votes, that's enough, please come bring me your torch."

Tim's mouth hung open as he slowly got up off of his seat and walked over to grab his torch. Harper looked back to Marcus, almost equally in shock. He merely shrugged. As Tim walked up to Matthew, he looked back to see Katrina smiling back at him and waving.

"Tim, the tribe has spoken."

Matthew extinguished the flame on Tim's torch. Tim looked heart broken, but put on a happy face as he turned towards his tribe.

"Thanks guys, it's been fun." He said, not sounding very convincing. He walked past Matthew and exited the ship from the opposite side.

"You guys talked about getting rid of the weakest member of your tribe. Let's hope that accomplished something. Head back to camp, good night."

The eight remaining Pedang members got up and left.

---

Next time on Survivor...

Otis might find his position in the tribe to rise significantly as the tribe questions the honesty of some members. Meanwhile on Lembing, two alliances form, with Jean and Victoria in the middle. Find out what happens next time on Survivor: Maldives.

Tim's last words: "I'm still stunned from what happened. I was so sure I had everything under control. Still, I love this show, I love that I got a chance to play... I'd rather take the bitter pill of being the first boot then never be on at all. I can take solace in that."

---

Votes for Otis: Tim, Julio, Marcus, Harper

Votes for Tim: Otis, Katrina, Ahmed, Sofia, Terri