Paradise

by tracelynn

In a post apocalyptic world, the TV game show Survivor has been reinvented to help members of the industrial leftovers of civilization get the chance to live in heaven! A bimonthly competition called PARADISE has been instituted by the government. Each winner receives a tropical island and a million dollars to call their own, while the others return to their lives. Who will win?

4. Ata Noho (Season 4)

PARADISE: ATA NOHO (SEASON FOUR)

NAVY TRIBE: MATAU

Louise Hamilton, 25 - Insurance Seller - Single (Gaspee, Jakely) {Victoire Hamilton's younger sister}

Cress Brooke, 36 - Professional Linebacker - Engaged (New Des Moines, Stevenson)

Talula Citadels, 42 - Lawyer - Married with 2 children (Pointe, Pointe)

Spence Iryda, 24 - Sous Chef - Dating (Ellistere, Frigmund)

Cornelia Muttano, 56 - Archaeologist - Married with 1 child (Cuyahoga, Frigmund)

Jolyon Ericson, 29 - Computer Analytics - Single (Commugher, Platte)

Emilia Hinderlie, 28 - Ornithologist - Single with 1 child (Button, Jakely)

Dane Ramirez, 41 - Professional Baseball Coach and Retired First Baseman - Married with 4 children (Penn, Jakely)

GRAY TRIBE: PUNGA

Kinsley Praudins, 34 - Portrait Painter - Dating (Ardenelle, Frigmund)

Sulien Gavins, 38 - Machinist - Married with 1 child (Upper Jainatown, Jakely)

Tatiana Musgrove, 19 - Student - Engaged (Galla, Platte)

Tungsten Scotte, 48 - Roofer - Married with 9 children (Josephsburg, Jakely)

Calliope Hedgers, 26 - Fundraiser - Dating (Gaspee, Jakely)

Breccan Sandburg, 21 - Student - Single (Janson, Aschund) {Maline Sandburg's son}

Florine Allerdyce, 31 - Boutique Owner - Single (New Madison, Aschund)

Jenson Castile, 33 - Mechanical Engineer - Engaged (Jaccardy, Stevenson)

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EPISODE ONE: THE RACE BEGINS

Reward Challenge: The first reward challenge was very simple. The castaways on both tribes would have to carry a canoe on the beach into the water, and then row it out a half mile into the sea to a platform where Halcyon was waiting with the maps to their camps and their reward, fishing supplies. The first tribe to get all eight of their members on the platform would win the fishing supplies reward! The challenge began, and the tribes were neck and neck the entire time, hitting the water only a second apart and rowing beside one another. However, under the precise leadership of Tungsten, Punga managed to pull a little ahead. They had three members off by the time Matau arrived, and despite the navy tribe's best efforts, Punga managed to get all eight of their members on the platform first, and they earned their reward!

Immunity Challenge: For the first Immunity challenge of the season, four members of the tribe would have to cross an obstacle course on the beach consisting of a balance beam, a ramp, a climbing wall, and a line of tires. At the end of each obstacle, they would have to untie a bag full of puzzle pieces. Once they had crossed all four obstacles and had all four bags, they would then give them to the other four castaways, who would use the pieces to build a table puzzle of the season's logo. For Matau, Louise, Cress, Dane, and Spence would do the obstacle course, while Talula, Cornelia, Emilia, and Jolyon would work on the puzzle. For Punga, Tatiana, Breccan, Sulien, and Calliope would go on the obstacle course, while Florine, Jenson, Tungsten, and Kinsley would work on the puzzle. Matau pulled into an early lead on the obstacle course, but Punga refused to relent, staying close to them throughout the whole ordeal. Matau finished the obstacle course five strides ahead of Punga, and their puzzlers had the slightest lead. They managed to sustain it, finishing the puzzle three pieces ahead of Punga's savvy puzzlers! Matau was safe and got flint, while the first boot of this season would be off of the Punga tribe.

Matau Events:

Matau celebrated their win, and morale was up as they built a good shelter and used their flint to build a fledgling fire that would do well for now. There was no clear hierarchy forming in the tribe; everyone got along well, and while people made bonds with one another, there were no clear alliances. Louise became good friends with Jolyon and Dane, while Spence and Cress bonded. Life around Matau wasn't insanely interesting and there was no drama.

Punga Events:

Upon returning to camp, the castaways agreed to build a shelter before plotting and such. As soon as they had finished erecting a mediocre shelter, they immediately began to scheme. Florine and Breccan quickly became good friends. Tungsten took control. His leadership had gotten them through the Reward easily, and he had a domineering and leading personality. Sulien and Jenson collected behind him quickly, and others followed. Meanwhile, Tatiana was loud and talkative, and she knew that Tungsten would be a large threat. She tried to form a majority of her own, saying that she was a better asset in challenges than Tungsten, while Tungsten argued that he was a better leader and more loyal and predictable than Tatiana, and also more hard working around camp. Only time would tell which way the castaways would go.

First Tribal Council - Punga

Halcyon happily welcomed the Punga tribe to their first Tribal Council. They dipped their brand new torches into the fire, lighting them and placing them behind their seats. Then they sat, and Halcyon asked various questions about how their camp was going before leaping onto the strategy portion of the game. She quickly found out about the power struggle between the oldest and youngest member of the tribe. Tungsten and Tatiana both made their cases, and they did most of the talking. After a pretty long Tribal Council, Halcyon brought about the voting, excited to see who the others would side with.

Tatiana - "I vote Tungsten."

Tungsten - "I vote Tatiana."

Sulien - "I vote Tatiana."

Calliope - "I vote Tungsten."

Breccan - "I vote Tatiana."

Florine - "I vote Tatiana."

Kinsley - "I vote Tungsten."

Jenson - "I vote Tatiana."

"Tatiana, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 5-3, Tatiana Musgrove has been voted off.

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EPISODE TWO: EQUALING THINGS OUT

Reward Challenge: For the Reward Challenge, both tribes were instructed to send forth their smartest member. Jenson was quickly nominated by the Punga tribe, but there was debate on Matau if they should send in Jolyon or Cornelia. They decided on Jolyon, and it would be a duel between Jolyon and Jenson over comfort items! The winner of this challenge would get pillows, blankets, a tarp, and a hammock for their tribe! Two blackboards were rolled out onto the beach, and a series of equations were scribbled all across them. This was these two's prime area; Jolyon was a computer analyst, while Jenson was a mechanical engineer. The first member to find the correct final solution would win the reward for their tribe! They both began computing quickly, and after fifteen or so minutes both thought that they had the correct answer. Jolyon reached Halcyon first, shouting, "29.45!" Halcyon informed him that that was incorrect. Jolyon ran back to his board, checking his calculations, while Jenson ran up to Halcyon and said breathlessly, "34.643!" Halcyon said that Jenson was correct! Matau had won the reward!

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity Challenge, four castaways would have to swim out to a buoy one at a time and retrieve a bag of puzzle pieces attached to the buoy. There were four different buoys at different lengths from the shoreline. Once all four bags had been collected, the other three would use the pieces to build a table puzzle out of the pieces, which were shaped like jungle leaves. The first tribe to complete the pattern would win Immunity! For Matau, Louise, Cress, Spence, and Dane would be swimming, while Cornelia, Jolyon, and Emilia would work on the puzzle, while Talula would be sitting out. For Punga, Kinsley, Breccan, Calliope, and Sulien would be swimming, while Tungsten, Florine, and Jenson would be working on the puzzle. Matau took an early lead in the swimming and sustained it throughout that portion of the challenge. While Sulien was swimming out to get the fourth and final bag for Punga, Spence was carrying all four of Matau's up to their puzzlers. They began right away and worked hard. However, Emilia set down a bag of pieces, and some of them poured into the weeds. When she picked the bag back up, half of the pieces were gone, but they didn't notice. They put in all of the pieces they could, but they realized around twelve were missing. At this point, Punga was very close to finishing. Talula screamed that they were in the reeds, and as they searched for them, Punga finished the puzzle correctly! They were safe, and Matau was heading to their first Tribal Council!

Matau Events:

Upon returning to camp, Talula angrily went off on the fact that Emilia had lost the challenge for them by losing her puzzle pieces. Emilia sadly pleaded that it was a simple accident, but Talula also cited her not phenomenal work ethic around camp and lacking physicality as reasons to dismiss her from the game. However, Emilia tried to save herself, turning everything against Talula, stating that she was violent and unpredictable despite her strength in both mental and physical capacities. The other six seemed to form a unspoken alliance as they weighed whether to send out Emilia or Talula. Most of the people on the tribe came to the same conclusion, and that would be revealed at the Tribal Council.

Punga Events:

After Tatiana had been voted out, Tungsten demanded to know who had voted him out. Kinsley remained silent, truly frightened by the intimidating man, but Calliope shared that she had because she had believed Tatiana had garnered enough support behind her, and that she wanted to keep the group strong. This severely angered Tungsten, and he tried to alienate her from the rest of the tribe. This pissed off Calliope, and she turned to her friend Kinsley and others and talked about how dangerous Tungsten was, and about how he needed to leave soon. Despite being safe, the Punga tribe was bubbling with turmoil.

Second Tribal Council - Matau

Halcyon was delighted to see the vast array of drama that had swept up the Matau tribe after they lit their torches for the first time and put them behind their seats. From no clear alliances yet to Talula and Emilia taking each other head on to a struggling camp life, there was plenty to delve into, and Halcyon spent her sweet time stirring the pot and creating more drama and more stress. She finally eased up after one of the longest Tribal Councils ever, and let the frightened castaways of the navy tribe vote.

Talula - "I vote Emilia."

Emilia - "I vote Talula."

Cress - "I vote Emilia."

Cornelia - "I vote Talula."

Jolyon - "I vote Emilia."

Dane - "I vote Emilia."

Louise - "I vote Emilia."

Spence - "I vote Emilia."

"Emilia, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 6-2, Emilia Hinderlie has been voted off.

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EPISODE THREE: STICK AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES

Reward Challenge: For the Reward challenge, the quickly-becoming-classic gross foods challenge had come around! There would be at most seven rounds; all fourteen castaways could be competing. Each round, both castaways, one from each tribe, paired up for that round would eat the same "local delicacy." The first person to finish the disgusting food would earn a point for their tribe. The first tribe to get to four points would win the challenge and the reward, a rack of spices and cured meats! The first round was Dane vs. Tungsten, and Dane won, getting a point for Matau. The second round was Jolyon vs. Jenson, and Jolyon won, getting Matau at a 2-0 advantage. Punga managed to win Cornelia vs. Calliope, but Matau won the fourth bout of Louise vs. Kinsley. The fifth round was Spence vs. Breccan, and Spence managed to gulp down his entire duck embryo and open his mouth a second before Breccan, winning the challenge for Matau!

Immunity Challenge: The Immunity Challenge was not very complicated. Three castaways would have to cross a suspended rope holding onto other ropes, then hop down to a balance beam and walk across that. Once they got off the beam, a fourth castaway would carry a crate full of puzzle pieces across a slippery mud field to the final three castaways, who would be building a 3-D puzzle of a hibiscus flower! For Matau, Spence, Louise, and Dane were doing the obstacles, Cress was carrying the crate, and Cornelia, Jolyon, and Talula were working on the puzzle. For Punga, Calliope, Breccan, and Sulien were crossing the obstacles, Tungsten was carrying the crate, and Kinsley, Jenson, and Florine were working on the puzzle. Matau pulled into an early lead, going across the rope faster and all of them staying on top of it while Sulien fell off for Punga. Spence was leading Matau, and he went to jump down to the balance beam. His foot got tangled in the rope, and he fell to the ground with a loud snap. Halcyon immediately screamed for everyone to pause as she saw blood seeping across the ground. The medical team rushed out to examine Spence. Louise and Dane watched in horror as the medical team exposed Spence's ankle. He cursed. The broken ankle bone was literally sticking out, and blood was gushing everywhere! The head doctor made the executive to medically evacuate Spence, fearful that they might have to amputate his foot if they kept him there. Spence refused, but for his own safety the medical team forcefully removed him from the game. Spence was officially the first person to leave Paradise without being voted off, and he had placed 14th. Halcyon informed them that the rest of the challenge and the Tribal Council had been cancelled, and they somberly returned to their camps.

"Spence, the tribe has spoken."

By a medical evacuation, Spence Iryda has left the game.

Matau Events:

Matau heavily mourned the loss of Spence. Not only was he one of their best physical competitors, but they were now down one compared to Punga, which was a big deal, especially as the tribe shuffling approached. They did enjoy their reward however, and had a filling dinner of spiced fruit and cured meats to commemorate the loss of Spence. As Louise was popping off the cork of the cinnamon jar, she found a small note rolled up inside. She stashed it in her bra and continued to eat, and later she read the note to herself and began to search. By sunrise, she had located the idol near the well. She celebrated and hid her prize. There were still no apparent divisions within the Matau tribe, and Talula cooled off with Emilia gone and became rather comfortable and funny. The tribe seemed to be getting along great.

Punga Events:

Tensions were at new heights around the Punga camp. Despite the fact that they were now one up on the Matau tribe in terms of numbers, the internal power struggle between Calliope and Tungsten was still waging hard. Calliope tried to keep to herself, talking to everyone privately except Tungsten and his closest ally Jenson. Tungsten raged on about how disrespectful and nasty Calliope was, and he began to rub many the wrong way. However, Tungsten was a great leader and many trusted him. Only time would tell who would win out, or if they would reconcile their differences and learn how to work as a team.

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EPISODE FOUR: BUTTING HEADS

Reward Challenge: For this challenge, only three castaways would be competing. It was a simple challenge; one castaway would be crossing a basic obstacle course, another solving a number code puzzle, and a third throwing balls at jugs full of rice. The first tribe to break all six of their jugs would win a reward of extra tools like a saw and a hammer to help improve their shelter and living experience! There was a twist, however: the opposing tribe got to choose who would be doing each task. Punga chose Cornelia to do the obstacles, Cress to do the puzzles, and Jolyon to break the jugs for Matau. Matau chose Tungsten to do the obstacles, Sulien to do the puzzles, and Florine to break the jugs for Punga. The challenge started, and it was obvious it would be a long one. Tungsten and Cornelia both struggled on the obstacle course, although Cornelia managed to pull ahead of Tungsten somewhat. At the puzzles station, things evened out, as Sulien made up the distance facing Cress. Then it was nearly even as Talula and Florine went to throw the balls. Florine's throws all missed terribly, while Talula did surprisingly well, smashing jug after jug with her powerful throws. Soon Talula obliterated her final jug while Florine was breaking her first, winning the challenge and reward for Matau!

Immunity Challenge: The immunity challenge would occur as so. The castaways would pair off, one from each tribe. They would be on a circular floating platform, each holding large punching bags. They could do whatever they wanted, but they had to get the other person off of the platform. The first person to knock the other off would earn a point for their tribe! The first tribe to three points would win Immunity and would be safe from the vote. The first matchup was Cress vs. Sulien. The two muscly men fought their hardest, but Cress's professional football skills lent him the win. Matau was up 1-0. Punga barely won the next two matchups of Jolyon vs. Breccan and Louise vs. Calliope, leading 2-1. Talula evened the score, beating out Kinsley. The score was tied at 2-2; whoever won the final duel would win Immunity! The final match up was Dane vs. Tungsten. Tungsten fought hard, but he was pushed off by the kind hearted but ferocious in challenges Dane. Dane jumped up and down in glory as Matau celebrated! Punga would be heading to Tribal Council that night.

Matau Events:

Matau was settling in together. Everyone was getting along rather nicely, the camp was functioning well, and there were no altercations between the Matau castaways. However, no clear alliance had yet to be established. While many tribes that got along well formed post-merge alliances at this point in the game and verbally committed themselves, there was no semblance of that here. It was a strange thing to see, with no commitment from anyone to stay one unit going forward, and there was a similar situation on Punga. It was unlike any season yet, and it was rather interesting.

Punga Events:

That night would be the culmination of the feud between Calliope Hedgers and Tungsten Scotte. The two had been bad mouthing each other and preaching why they should stay and the other should go for almost a week now, so inherently they were the two on the chopping block that night. Tungsten went on a tirade, rampaging through the camp and spluttering reasons why he should stay and why Calliope needed to leave. Calliope tried to stay placid and calm as she shared her reasons, but one especially scalding retort from Tungsten sent her over the edge. They began to verbally fight, and it was about to start physically as well before Breccan separated them. This tribe, which had little allegiance to one another (the only true alliances in the whole game were Tungsten and Jenson, and Florine and Breccan), would be voting off either Calliope or Tungsten. Time would tell which of the duo it would be.

Third Tribal Council - Punga

It was a feast for Halcyon when Punga marched into Tribal Council. Ever the amplifier of drama, she amplified the drama of Calliope and Tungsten, which needed no more amplifying. Violence quickly entered the Tribal Council area, and the two had to be separated once more. Tungsten, the one who had started it this time again, sat in the jury section, while Calliope sneered at him from the normal sitting area. Halcyon, while she loved the drama, realized quickly that she wasn't going to get much more from them, and that the rest of the tribe was bored of hearing this, and it would be beneficial to just get onto the voting.

Calliope - "I vote Tungsten."

Tungsten - "I vote Calliope."

Breccan - "I vote Tungsten."

Jenson - "I vote Calliope."

Kinsley - "I vote Tungsten."

Florine - "I vote Tungsten."

Sulien - "I vote Calliope."

"Tungsten, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 4-3, Tungsten Scotte has been voted off.

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EPISODE FIVE: MIX AND MATCH

Tribe Swap!: Before the fifth reward challenge of the season, Halcyon called for all of the castaways to drop their buffs! The tribes were going to be all mixed up, and only luck would decide who would be on either tribe as the castaways randomly selected the covered buffs. Once they had all taken a new buff, Halcyon told them to unwrap them. The castaways divided into New Matau and New Punga.

(THE NEW) MATAU

Florine (Punga)

Dane (Matau)

Jenson (Punga)

Louise (Matau)

Breccan (Punga)

Jolyon (Matau)

(THE NEW) PUNGA

Calliope (Punga)

Cress (Matau)

Talula (Matau)

Sulien (Punga)

Kinsley (Punga)

Cornelia (Matau)

Reward Challenge: For the reward challenge, three castaways would be roped together with harnesses. They would have to swim out into the sea to a platform, grab a crate of puzzle pieces, and bring it back. Once they put the crate down on the starting mat on the shore, the other three, puzzlers, would have to carry the puzzle up the beach to the puzzle table, where they would have to spell out a famous Paradise saying. The answer to the puzzle was "The tribe has spoken." The first tribe to spell out the phrase correctly would earn a reward of a canoe to help in fishing voyages! For Matau, Dane, Breccan, and Louise were swimming, while Jolyon, Florine, and Jenson were working on the puzzle. For Punga, Calliope, Cress, and Sulien were swimming, while Talula, Kinsley, and Cornelia were puzzling. Matau pulled into a quick lead as Cress struggled a little in the water, and they maintained it up to the puzzle. Punga's puzzlers were formidable, but they were too far behind Matau's also skilled trio, and they lost the challenge as Matau solved it in under two minutes. Matau would have a canoe waiting for them at their camp!

Immunity Challenge: The Immunity challenge was a simple obstacle course. Comprised of a balance beam, two ramps, and a rock climbing wall, along with a stretch of land between the last obstacle and the finish line through a muddy field that would have to be run, the set up wasn't terribly confusing. However, who would be competing was confusing. One tribe would start out, and they would select someone to sit out. That person would then choose someone from the other tribe to sit out. That person would then choose someone from the first tribe to sit out, and it would go on until there was only one person left for both tribes. Then that person would randomly choose someone to do the course with them from a bag. The producers had wanted to spice up a dull challenge at the last minute and had added this twist. After a random draw, Matau would be picking someone off first, and they eliminated Sulien. Sulien in turn eliminated Louise. It went on and on, and eventually only Florine was left for Matau, while Cornelia was left for Punga. They then both randomly selected a token that had a tribe members name on it. Florine pulled out Jenson, while Cornelia pulled out Cress. The challenge began, and while Florine had to urge Jenson to keep up after he quickly got out of breath, Cress was Cornelia's savior. He picked her up on his shoulders and barreled through the course, finishing quickly and winning the challenge for Punga! Matau would be heading to Tribal Council.

Matau Events:

Upon returning to camp, one would expect the 3-3 Matau and Punga divisions to hold strong. However, no hard connections and alliances had been made among the six on the tribe besides the pact between Florine and Breccan. Florine and Breccan acted quickly, approaching the three Matau. They had quickly learned that their tribe was not for sure sticking together after the merge, and Breccan had the brilliant idea to mix and match members for an alliance. No one would suspect all of them to be working together really. The Pungas proved their loyalty by vowing to vote off Jenson, and the Mataus liked the idea and formed a Final Five pact with them, planning to pull in one more castaway at the merge to gain a majority. However, Jenson was not down and out, and he went on the attack, proposing a pact of his own between himself and the Mataus, promising that those four, Sulien, and one of the other Mataus could stick together. He proposed voting off Florine and eliminating one of the tribe's weaker competitors to ensure they didn't return to Tribal again. Only time would tell which side the Matau Three would side with.

Punga Events:

The fluidity of this season persisted in Punga. No one really discussed alliances much, and they just got along rather amiably, improving the camp and not doing much else. However, an exciting event occurred on the tribe. As he was sifting through the rice to get some to eat, Cress spotted a little rolled up piece of paper. Elated, he sneaked off into the jungle and opened it, finding it to be an idol clue! He searched actively with his close friend Cornelia, and by nightfall he found it in a rotted stump peppered with luminescent fungi! He stashed the idol away, planning to use it at a later date. However, would Cress use it correctly, if at all, in the days to come?

Fourth Tribal Council - Matau

Upon arriving at Tribal Council, Halcyon finally sensed divisions in the air, and she loved it! She delved into the drama and deals that were swarming the sextet of castaways, revealing that the Matau Three of Louise, Dane, and Jolyon were on the top spot, while the duo of Breccan and Florine were vying for their votes and trust against the sole force of the intellectual Jenson. It was a dramatic and interesting Tribal Council to watch, and Halcyon was reluctant when she finally called it time to vote, wanting to explore more but not wanting to make the Tribal unbearably long.

Florine - "I vote Jenson."

Jenson - "I vote Florine."

Jolyon - "I vote Jenson."

Dane - "I vote Jenson."

Breccan - "I vote Jenson."

Louise - "I vote Jenson."

"Jenson, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 5-1, Jenson Castile has been voted off.

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EPISODE SIX: ALMOST!

Reward Challenge: For the reward challenge, two people would be harnessed together and blindfolded. They would have to venture out into a field full of obstacles like beams, fences, and barrels to retrieve four wicker baskets wrapped in a cloth matching their tribe's colors. They would have to take them back to the starting area one at a time. There, they would have to drop it onto a raising and lowering platform controlled by the third and fourth castaways, also blindfolded. Up in a tower above them all was a fifth castaway, the caller, who was instructing them on how to do everything and also collecting the baskets once they could grab them and place them in their tower. The first tribe to get all four of their baskets in their tower would earn a reward of new clothes! For Matau, Dane was the caller, Louise and Jolyon were lifting the platform, and Florine and Breccan were getting the baskets. For Punga, Talula was the caller, Cress and Sulien were lifting the platform, and Calliope and Kinsley were getting the baskets. Cornelia was sitting out. While Dane was a pretty good caller, Talula was amazing, instructing her tribemates impeccably around the field. Punga had all four baskets in their tower while Matau was still retrieving their third! Punga celebrated their win and reveled in new, not stinky and salty clothes, while Matau headed back to their campsite without anything new.

Immunity Challenge: The last Immunity Challenge before the merge was arriving, and it was a rather simple challenge. One at a time, the castaways would have to cross a balance beam and then run up a ramp. Once they got to the other side of the ramp and hit the ending mat, the next person on the tribe could go. The first tribe to get all five members onto their finishing mat would win Tribal Immunity! Punga tried to sit out Cornelia, but Halcyon informed them that since Cornelia had sat out at the Reward Challenge, that they had to sit someone else out as you could not sit out the same person twice in a row. They tentatively sat out an annoyed Talula, and then the challenge began. Louise pulled into a quick lead for Matau, beating Sulien by a few seconds. From there, the only hiccup was Florine, the third runner, who almost got passed by Calliope. The fourth matchup was Cornelia and Jolyon, and he passed her by a ton as the older woman struggled. Matau managed to retain their lead by a few strides until the very end, when Breccan landed on the mat ten strides ahead of Cress. The New Matau Five were safe, while New Punga was heading to its first Tribal Council.

Matau Events:

Upon returning from the Immunity Challenge, the newly minted alliance of five celebrated their victory. They had worried that they would have to drop another member, and Breccan and Florine had been especially worried, as they'd have expected the Mataus to vote them off if it had come to that. But they were safe, and it was time to bond. Breccan suggested that he and Florine implement themselves more into the alliance, and they soon became good friends with each individual, and the group worked dynamically as a team. It was still to be seen if the first true alliance of Ata Noho would hold true after the merge, however.

Punga Events:

There was much commotion once the six members of Punga returned to their campsite. There was not even a semblance of tribal allegiance left on the tribe. The only true pair was Cress and Cornelia, and those two scared the rest of them because they had such a strong bond. While looking for her bag, Kinsley found Cress's, and inside she found his idol. Astonished, she ran to Calliope and shared the news. The two plotted; they had been planning to vote Cress, but now there was the possibility that he would play his idol. They shared the news with Sulien and Talula, and now it was up to them to decide who would be heading off; would they take the chance and eliminate the physically dangerous but socially hapless Cress, although there was the possibility of him playing his idol, or would they vote off Cornelia, his weaker sidekick who posed little threat despite in mental competitions, but could become a Sari or Treasach-like character. Cornelia and Cress planned to vote off Sulien, who they viewed as a big challenge threat, and they shared this with the women, pleading their case since Sulien was also rather socially adept. Only time would tell which way Punga would vote, and if the side that would come out on top would even stick together at all after the merge!

Fifth Tribal Council - Punga

Halcyon could sense something was stirring in the tribe when the six came to the Tribal Council area and sat. They were all looking frantic; since there were not many clearly established lines drawn in the sand, everyone felt unsafe at that Tribal Council. Halcyon churned their unrest and anxiety further, bringing people to sweat and shake and look around nervously, looking at those they planned to vote with, hoping to affirm their makeshift allegiance through eye contact. It got to a point where Cress pulled his idol out of his bag and put it around his neck, declaring that he would play it and no one should vote for him. Halcyon was intensely excited to see what would happen when this group would vote, ready to finally see some alliances forming. She called for the vote to begin.

Cress - "I vote Sulien."

Talula - "I vote Cornelia."

Kinsley - "I vote Cornelia."

Sulien - "I vote Cornelia."

Cornelia - "I vote Sulien."

Calliope - "I vote Cornelia."

"Cornelia, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 4-2, Cornelia Muttano has been voted off.

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EPISODE SEVEN: LINES ARE DRAWN

Merge!: The castaways all excitedly headed down the beach from their opposite tribal campsites to the place where the reward challenge was being held. Upon arrival, they found a small basket with two notes inside. The first told them that they had made the merge! The second was a map telling them the directions to the area where they would build the merged tribe's camp! They all marched there and had a hearty merge feast, and no scheming went on as they enjoyed the first day as a merged tribe. Their merged tribe's color was yellow, and they decided to follow the tradition established by the castaways from the previous season by making the tribe's name from both starting tribes and the island's name. They decided to name the tribe Atangatau!

Immunity Challenge: The first individual Immunity challenge of the season was a simple mental one! Each tribute would stand on a platform with a large wooden twelve sided die. On each side of the die was a different symbol related to the islands and the season, from a palm tree to a boat to an anchor (Punga's symbol) to a fish hook (Matau's symbol) and more. A series of symbols would be shown, and then the castaways would be asked to show the nth symbol from the series. If they got it wrong, they were eliminated. The series would get longer and more complex as the challenge went on. The last castaway standing would earn the Immunity necklace and be safe from the vote! Cress was eliminated at the first round, while Sulien and Dane fell at the third round. Louise and Calliope were not far behind, falling out at the fourth round. Breccan fell at the sixth round, and Kinsley was eliminated at the seventh round. Those left were Talula, Florine, and Jolyon. Talula was eliminated at the tenth round, and it was just Florine and Jolyon. Florine stumbled in the twelfth sequence, showing the wrong answer, and Jolyon won the Immunity necklace!

Atangatau Events:

Upon returning to the camp, the members of the New Punga were surprised to see how tightly the members of the New Matau had bonded. It was a 5-5 split between the two sides, and New Punga's shaky unspoken ties quickly dissolved upon seeing how unshakable the New Matau Five acted and spoke. Calliope and Talula were the first to jump ship, quickly siding with New Matau and leaving Kinsley, Sulien, and Cress in the dust. The group coined themselves the Atangatau Seven, as their members were from both Punga and Matau. While Talula and Calliope were on the outskirts of the alliance, the original New Matau Five didn't think about sending them off. They soon learned of Cress's idol, but Sulien was the most dangerous of the three outsiders. Cress was socially hapless and could be eliminated whenever if he didn't win Immunity. However, he was one of the most physical players left, and his idol was a true danger. They told Cress and Kinsley that they were voting off Sulien, and if they did so that they would be welcomed into the alliance and others would be voted off. Both too trusting castaways believed this, but Cress felt a little off. Would he play his idol and save himself, or had the Atangatau Seven calmed him enough to keep it in his pocket?

Sixth Tribal Council - Atangatau

The castaways arrived at the first merged Tribal Council, and they all sat in their seats. The jury benches were empty, but from this point onward, they would be occupied by an ever rising number of (at least a little) bitter, voted off castaways. Halcyon quickly discovered about the Atangatau Seven, who seemed strong and mostly unified, and then the New Punga Three who were on the chopping block. She noticed how the Atangatau seemed rather relaxed and hinted that they were targeting Sulien, which visibly calmed Cress and infuriated Sulien. Soon it was time to vote after a rather eventful Tribal Council.

Kinsley - "I vote Sulien."

Calliope - "I vote Cress."

Cress - "I vote Sulien."

Breccan - "I vote Cress."

Louise - "I vote Cress."

Dane - "I vote Cress."

Sulien - "I vote Louise."

Florine - "I vote Cress."

Jolyon - "I vote Cress."

Talula - "I vote Cress."

Cress felt complacent and happy, and decided not to play the idol. The look on his face was priceless as the high stakes blindside was flawlessly executed.

"Cress, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 7-2-1, Cress Brooke has been voted off.

---

EPISODE EIGHT: LINES DRAWN ARE TESTED

Reward Challenge: For the reward challenge, the castaways were separated into three groups of three by a schoolyard pick. Florine, Louise, and Kinsley were randomly chosen as the team captains and chose in that order. Florine chose Breccan, Louise chose Dane, Kinsley chose Sulien, Florine chose Talula, Louise chose Calliope, and Kinsley chose Jolyon. The final teams were: Florine, Breccan, and Talula. Louise, Dane, and Calliope. Kinsley, Sulien, and Jolyon. The challenge had three parts. One member would have to swim a long distance from a starting platform in the water to the shore. Once they reached their team's mat on the shore, the second member would have to carry a large crate full of puzzle pieces across a long stretch of beach to the third member of the group, who would use the pieces to build a 3-D puzzle of a volcano. The first group to finish would win a reward of enjoying a spa day! They would get a shower, a massage, two luxurious meals, and a nap in a real bed. It was definitely worth fighting for. For the first group, Breccan was swimming, Talula was carrying the crate, and Florine was doing the puzzle. For the second group, Louise was swimming, Dane was carrying the crate, and Calliope was puzzling. For the third group, Kinsley was swimming, Sulien was carrying the crate, and Jolyon was puzzling. The third group quickly fell behind as Kinsley struggled to swim anywhere near as fast as Louise and Breccan. Louise beat Breccan by a small margin, and soon Talula and Dane were lumbering off, lifting the huge crate. Dane did well, but Talula came out of nowhere, blazing forward. She would later reveal she was so desperate for a shower that she had accidentally shown her physical prowess, which she had been hiding. She beat Dane to the puzzle table by several seconds, and at that point Sulien was just moments after getting his crate. The third team was out of it; it was now between Florine and Jolyon. Florine was determined to not let Jolyon outsmart her once again, and she beat him out by a single puzzle piece! Talula, Florine, and Breccan went on their much needed reward and formed good bonds while the others returned to camp, dirty as ever.

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity Challenge, the castaways gathered in a circle on the sand. They were each given a notepad and a pen. They would be asked a question like, "Who is the biggest target?" or "Who is the nicest?" pertaining to their fellow castaways. Once everyone wrote down an answer, they would share them. Whichever answer came up the most was the winner of that superlative, and whoever wrote down that name would get to put a point against another castaway. When a castaway had two points against them, they would be eliminated. It went like this:

Round One: "Who is the nicest castaway?"

Winner: Florine (Breccan, Talula, Sulien, Calliope, Louise) ((Dane and Florine voted Breccan, Kinsley and Jolyon voted Dane))

Breccan and Talula put points against Sulien, eliminating him. Sulien puts a point against Louise. Calliope and Louise put points against Kinsley, eliminating her.

Sulien and Kinsley are out

Louise: I

Round Two: "Who is the biggest target?"

Winner: Sulien (Louise, Florine, Dane, Breccan, Talula, Jolyon) ((Calliope voted Louise))

Louise and Dane put points against Calliope, eliminating her. Florine and Breccan put points against Jolyon, eliminating him. Talula puts a point against Louise, eliminating her. Jolyon puts a point against Talula.

Sulien, Kinsley, Calliope, Jolyon, and Louise are out.

Talula: I

Round Three: "Who is the smartest?"

Winner: Jolyon (Florine, Dane, Talula) ((Breccan voted Florine))

Florine and Talula put points against Dane, eliminating him. Dane puts a point against Talula, eliminating her.

Sulien, Kinsley, Calliope, Jolyon, Louise, Talula, and Dane are out.

Since Breccan and Florine have no points against them and it would be impossible to have a majority from 2, those voted off decide who should win.

Round Four: "Who should win this challenge?"

Winner: Florine (Sulien, Kinsley, Calliope, Talula) ((Jolyon, Louise, and Dane voted Breccan))

Atangatau Events:

After the Immunity Challenge, the Atangatau Seven congratulated Florine on her win. She was very jubilant, and the Atangatau Seven was very comfortable as they walked around camp. Kinsley tried to appease them, being as kind as possible and especially hard working around camp, cooking a nice meal from crabs she caught with the help of Dane. Sulien, however, tried no such tactics. He knew he was doomed, and he went out searching for an idol. Meanwhile, Calliope thought that this was the opportune moment to pull a blindside. She assembled Sulien and Kinsley and told them of her plan to vote off Dane. She said that he was very socially adept and very good in challenges, and they agreed. She also pulled in Talula and Florine, showing that the three that had voted for Breccan in the Immunity Challenge were together with him in a Final Four pact, and that Florine especially was just wasted space for them. She said that Calliope, Talula, and Florine would be the first cuts once the Atangatau Seven were the only ones left. Talula was totally in, but Florine was hesitant. Calliope made good points, and only time would tell if Calliope had played hard enough to get her blindside to actually work, or if it would fall apart. The decision rested on Florine's shoulders.

Seventh Tribal Council - Atangatau

At the Tribal Council, things seemed perfectly normal at first after Cress entered as the sole juror. The Atangatau Seven talked about their grand plans for things and how they were staying strong and picking off Kinsley and Sulien before seeing where things would go from there. Calliope and Talula sat there saying the same things, pretending as if nothing was amiss. However, Florine was deep in thought and not paying much attention, still trying to figure out which side she was voting with. Halcyon asked her what she was thinking about, and Florine replied, "I am thinking about what I should do tonight." This spooked Louise intensely and to a lesser extent Jolyon, while Dane and Breccan mistook her comments as just thinking about voting off the hard working Sulien. With Louise starting to realize something was amiss, Halcyon announced that it was time to vote.

Breccan - "I vote Sulien."

Louise - "I vote Sulien."

Kinsley - "I vote Dane."

Talula - "I vote Dane."

Dane - "I vote Sulien."

Sulien - "I vote Dane."

Jolyon - "I vote Sulien."

Calliope - "I vote Dane."

Florine - "I vote Dane."

Freaked out by what Florine had said, Louise hopped to her feet and played her idol. She was right in thinking that she'd been betrayed, but it was not her being voted off. Her idol was wasted as one of her allies was sent off.

"Dane, the tribe has spoken."

By a 5-4 vote, Dane Ramirez has been voted off.

---

EPISODE NINE: LINES ARE TESTED 2.0

Reward Challenge: The castaways were randomly broken up into two groups of four. The first group was Breccan, Florine, Calliope, and Talula. The second group was Kinsley, Jolyon, Louise, and Sulien. Two members would be strapped together and they would have to enter a small maze from opposite sides carrying a crate of puzzle pieces. Once they got to the center, the other two members of the team would use those pieces to build a table puzzle of the word "REWARD" on a jungle background. The first tribe to finish the puzzle would win a reward of going down natural water slides and having a beautiful luncheon of ham sandwiches, coleslaw, hash, and brownies. For the first team, Breccan and Calliope were doing the maze, while Florine and Talula were doing the puzzle. For the second team, Louise and Sulien were doing the maze, while Kinsley and Jolyon were doing the puzzle. The second group managed to navigate a little faster than the first group, giving their puzzlers the edge. Kinsley managed to place the last piece while Florine and Talula still had a half dozen, winning the reward for herself, Jolyon, Louise, and Sulien!

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity Challenge, the castaways would all be clinging to a tall wooden pole for as long as possible. If any part of their body touched the ground, they would be eliminated. The last castaway clinging to their pole would win Immunity! As soon as it began, everyone seemed to be doing well. No one was truly struggling at first. After about fifteen minutes, Talula's legs gave out and she was the first to fall. Jolyon and Sulien were not far behind her. Everyone else lasted over two hours from the start of the challenge. Florine dropped at two hours and three minutes out of nowhere, and her quick descent spooked Louise so much that she lost her footing and toppled to the ground. Breccan fell off soon after, leaving it between Calliope and Kinsley. Kinsley, while lacking in other physical areas, was beasting this challenge and seemed good at these, and she'd barely broken a sweat when Calliope collapsed to the ground. Kinsley had won Immunity!

Atangatau Events:

Kinsley was congratulated heavily by her tribemates upon returning from the Immunity Challenge. Then, it was time to scheme. It seemed as if it would be 5-3, with those that had left the Atangatau Seven sticking with the two members of the minority, making what was called the Five alliance. However, Calliope was not interested in this. She wanted to make stunning, large moves, and she planned to force a tie between whoever the Five planned on voting for and the minority remainders of the Atangatau Seven. Only time would tell what would happen to this crazy tribe. There was just one thing known for sure; Kinsley was the only one safe that night.

Eighth Tribal Council - Atangatau

After the jury of Dane and Cress entered, Halcyon could sense the discord and unease that was running amok through the collected castaways, and she couldn't wait to rip into it and cause it to intensify. She discovered that the Five believed that they were sticking together, but the Atangatau Three seemed to have a strange bullish hope with wide grins on their faces. This concerned and confused the members of the Five, and Calliope said nothing, just grinning the whole time. The entire affair was rather strange, and everyone was a little confused, even Halcyon, as the time to vote someone off arrived.

Florine - "I vote Jolyon."

Louise - "I vote Sulien."

Sulien - "I vote Jolyon."

Jolyon - "I vote Sulien."

Kinsley - "I vote Jolyon."

Breccan - "I vote Sulien."

Talula - "I vote Jolyon."

Calliope - "I vote Sulien."

It was a 4-4 tie between Jolyon and Sulien. The Five were shocked except for Calliope, who just kept grinning. Everyone narrowed their eyes at one another as things continued with a revote.

Kinsley - "I vote Jolyon."

Talula - "I vote Jolyon."

Breccan - "I vote Sulien."

Louise - "I vote Sulien."

Florine - "I vote Jolyon."

Calliope - "I vote Sulien."

Calliope had pushed them to rocks with a 3-3 tie. Jolyon and Sulien were immune, along with Kinsley because of her Immunity Necklace. Breccan, Talula, Louise, Calliope, and Florine all fearfully chose a rock from the bag that Halcyon extended to them. Four rocks were black, one white. If the rock was black, the castaway was safe. If the rock was white, a castaway was going home. When Halcyon told them, they opened their palms to expose their rocks.

Talula had a black rock...

Breccan had a black rock...

Florine had a black rock...

Calliope had a black rock...

Louise drew the white rock!

"Louise, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 4-4, then 3-3, and then a rock draw, Louise Hamilton has been voted off.

---

EPISODE TEN: THE CRAZY

Reward Challenge: It was time for the Paradise Auction! It was also time to see who felt comfortable in the game. It was nearly hilarious what happened next. Sulien was tempted by a rack of BBQ ribs and paid only twenty for them. After that, he knew he wasn't getting the advantage, so he drained the rest of his money, smashing all the food in his face while the other six waited for the advantage like vultures. When the advantage finally came, all six bet all their money. It was time to draw rocks for the second time in the season, but not to send someone home. In the end, Kinsley ended up with the white rock! She had the advantage now, which was called Steal A Vote. She could steal anyone's voted and cast it for whoever she wanted after the votes were originally cast.

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity challenge, the castaways would have to carry buckets of water on wooden yokes and dump them in a vast vat. Once the vat was full, a bag of puzzle pieces could be retrieved from a pole nearby. The pieces would be used to build a smaller figurine of Halcyon. The first castaway to finish their figurine would win Immunity! From the start, everyone except Breccan, Sulien, and Talula struggled. Talula pulled to the front, barreling along like an ox and filling her vat in due time. She then snatched the bag of puzzle pieces and was nearly done with her figurine by the time Breccan was the second to grab his bag of pieces. Talula snapped the last couple of pieces onto the statuette, and she then screamed that she was done. Halcyon checked her handiwork and declared that Talula was the winner of the Immunity challenge!

Atangatau Events:

At the merged tribe's camp, dissent was rampant. The Five was in disarray. Kinsley quickly took the reigns, wanting to get the gang back together. Florine was adamant about voting off Calliope for being so traitorous and crazy, a total strategist that had lost her mind out in the tropics, but Kinsley wanted to keep her around because she was a big threat that would draw attention from the rest of them. The Five was splitting at the seams about the decision. Meanwhile, Jolyon and Breccan looked on with joy, cheering on the division, hoping that they could worm back into the game. It seemed that the Five would not stick together wholly once again as the castaways prepared for Tribal Council.

Ninth Tribal Council - Atangatau

It was becoming even more obvious that allegiances were cracking and nothing was concrete in this season unlike the previous ones. The jury of Cress, Dane, and Louise entered and sat, with Cress interested, Dane a little bored, and Louise apathetic. Halcyon delved into the drama and unease that was perpetually plaguing this group of castaways, revealing that is seemed as if the two outsiders, Breccan and Jolyon, might not even be at the bottom at all! It was a twisting and turning Tribal Council that almost didn't make sense, and Halcyon ushered in the vote, exhilarated.

Florine - "I vote Calliope."

Sulien - "I vote Calliope."

Breccan - "I vote Florine."

Kinsley - "I vote Florine."

Calliope - "I vote Florine."

Jolyon - "I vote Florine."

Talula - "I vote Calliope."

"Florine, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 4-3, Florine Allerdyce has been voted off.

---

EPISODE ELEVEN: MAKE A SPLASH

Reward Challenge: For the Reward Challenge, the castaways would be competing in pairs. One wrist and one ankle would be bound to one wrist and one ankle of their partner, and the two would have to swim out to a floating platform in the water. There, they would have to untie the complicated knots to free themselves. The first duo that was fully free would win a reward of going fly fishing on a speedboat. They'd use their catch to grill a wonderful meal aboard the vessel! The randomly selected pairs were Breccan and Talula, Kinsley and Jolyon, and Sulien and Calliope. Sulien and Calliope were overall the strongest swimming pair of the three, and they pulled ahead as the others floundered about, trying to find a rhythm. Soon Kinsley and Jolyon managed to work together, while Breccan and Talula were in a tangle by the start. However, Sulien and Calliope had a sizable lead, and they managed to untangle themselves moments after Jolyon and Kinsley arrived at the platform, winning the reward!

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity Challenge, the castaways were all standing on a spinning foam log that was slathered in water and soap that spun above the water. There was a frame holding it up that suspended it above the water and also had six handbars hanging from the top. The castaways would grab onto the bars and have to balance on the slippery spinning cylinder by moving their feet. If you hit the water, you were out. Gradually, the speed would increase and the challenge would become harder. The last castaway left standing would win Immunity. Talula was the first to fall soon after the fifteen minute mark, and Jolyon was not far behind after slipping and plopping into the water. Sulien was the third to drop about a half hour in after losing his footing. The other three lasted well over an hour. Eventually Breccan's arms gave out, and the man collapsed into the water with a defeated shout. It was now just Calliope and Kinsley, and they both lasted to hour two. Kinsley had better stamina than Calliope, but then suddenly the cylinder started spinning much faster. Kinsley was got off guard and lost her grip and footing, careening into the water, while Calliope managed to stay upright, winning Immunity!

Atangatau Events:

Kinsley united the remainders of her old alliance, solidifying herself, Talula, Calliope, and Sulien as a core group, a true majority. Talula and Sulien were hell bent on sending Calliope out due to her flip flopping and all bets are off gameplay, but she had won Immunity and was untouchable. Kinsley was also her advocate, wanting to keep her around as a bigger target. That left those four to turn to the two bottom feeders, Jolyon and Breccan. Jolyon was a mental and strategic threat, and would be dangerous at the Final Tribal Council. However, Breccan was a very strong physical and social player, and would be dangerous to keep around much longer. The quartet made their decision; meanwhile, Breccan and Jolyon stuck together, trying to get Calliope to turn the game again and vote Sulien with them. Calliope was fascinated with the possibility, but even one as reckless as her was cautious at times. What would she do?

Tenth Tribal Council - Atangatau

The swiftly growing jury of Cress, Dane, Louise, and Florine entered the Tribal Council area with varying levels of enthusiasm. Florine dead eyed her allies who'd sent her out, and while Kinsley shot an apologetic frown, Calliope just laughed at the girl's pissed off demeanor. The tensions were running high at this Tribal Council; Breccan and Jolyon were banking on the fact that they would be able to force the volatile Calliope to go to rocks with them, while the majority was trying to secure themselves a Final Four spot. There was many veiled comments and a little bickering, and it was a pretty entertaining Tribal Council until Halcyon announced that it was time to vote.

Talula - "I vote Breccan."

Breccan - "I vote Sulien."

Jolyon - "I vote Sulien."

Sulien - "I vote Breccan."

Kinsley - "I vote Breccan."

Calliope - "I vote Breccan."

"Breccan, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 4-2, Breccan Sandburg has been voted off.

---

EPISODE TWELVE: ROADBLOCKS

Reward Challenge: For the reward, the castaways would have to run along a small swerving path and go around roadblocks like boulders, logs, beams, ramps, and such. The thing was that if you stepped out of the trail's confines, you were instantly eliminated. The last castaway left or the first castaway to reach the end of the curvy course would earn a reward of ice cold beer and pizza to gorge on along with one castaway of their choice back at camp. The castaways were all salivating, and when the challenge started, they shot forward. Jolyon got knocked over at the start by his eager tribemates, and he fell off the trail, eliminated. Crossing the first obstacle, a balance beam, Talula was going so fast that she fell off off of the path, also eliminated. Kinsley, Calliope, and Sulien raced along, making it to the fourth obstacle, a ramp, without problem. Sulien was in the lead, but when he threw himself over the ramp, he lost control and skidded down, rolling out of the small path due to a sharp turn at the bottom of the ramp. Now it was just a Calliope and Kinsley footrace as they both slid down the ramp and sprinted towards the finish. Kinsley crossed a second before Calliope, winning the reward! She selected Calliope to share it with her.

Immunity Challenge: For the Immunity Challenge, the castaways would have to swim out to a floating platform carrying a chest full of puzzle pieces. Once there, they could unlock the chest using a ring of dozens of keys (only one worked) found there. Then they would use the pieces to build a 3-D puzzle of a lighthouse. The first castaway to finish their puzzle would win Immunity! From the start, Sulien and Calliope pulled to the front. Talula, Jolyon, and Kinsley all struggled in the water somewhat, and those two took the early lead by far. Sulien reached his platform about three seconds before Calliope. They both started trying to unlock their crates, and Calliope opened hers and had all of her pieces spread out by the time Sulien was unlocking his and the others were arriving at their platforms. From there, Calliope carried it the rest of the way, building the puzzle with determined prowess. She finished her lighthouse, beating out the others and winning Immunity!

Atangatau Events:

It seemed that an easy course of events was laid out before the castaways: the majority of four would send out Jolyon and then battle it out for the three Final Tribal Council seats. That was what would usually happen in a season with strict alliances and stringent allegiances, but this season was so fluid in that sense that it was no surprise that alliance boundaries were nearly forgotten. Jolyon sent a last ditch effort to Talula and Sulien, showing how close and dangerous Calliope and Kinsley were, correctly claiming that they were probably the two best game players left in the game and would not be broken up. He resolved that they needed to vote out Kinsley to weaken Calliope and hopefully get her out before the Final Tribal Council. Meanwhile, Kinsley told Calliope that they didn't want the underdog syndrome to afflict the jury; Jolyon surviving to the end would spell doom for any who sat beside him just because he'd been able to somehow navigate through a majority there like Kelvin had, only without the idols and Immunities. Calliope agreed dutifully after Kinsley explained it to her, and they decided to vote out the man. Talula and Sulien promised to vote Jolyon as well, but Kinsley sensed something fishy. It was her last night to play her Steal A Vote; would she use it, and if so, would she use it correctly? The outcome would depend on what Kinsley did with it.

Eleventh Tribal Council - Atangatau

The mostly complete jury of Cress, Dane, Louise, Florine, and Breccan had two more open seats once they sat down at Tribal Council that evening; one of them would be filled within minutes. Halcyon could tell that there was much more going on beneath the surface despite the proclamations that the majority was staying together for one last vote to send off Jolyon. In fact, Jolyon looked too hopeful to be in such a dire position, and everyone was tense and flustered. It was a pretty interesting Tribal with everyone bluffing when there wasn't much need to, as everyone knew what was happening it seemed excepting Kinsley's advantage. Then it was time to vote.

Kinsley - "I vote Jolyon."

Jolyon - "I vote Kinsley."

Sulien - "I vote Kinsley."

Calliope - "I vote Jolyon."

Talula - "I vote Kinsley."

Before the votes could be read, Kinsley stood. Talula, Sulien, and Jolyon all looked defeated and Calliope looked excited as she turned in her Steal A Vote. The rules of the advantage were explained to everyone (she could take someone's vote and use it to vote again, the original vote would not count), and the area was abuzz with talk about it. Kinsley decided to steal Jolyon's vote, and then she went off to cast her new vote.

Kinsley #2 - "I vote Jolyon."

"Jolyon, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 3-2, Jolyon Ericson has been voted off.

---

EPISODE THIRTEEN: THE FINALE

(IT ALL ENDS TONIGHT!)

Yet again, we have reached the finale episode of a season of PARADISE, this time for the fourth installment, PARADISE: ATA NOHO! The four finalists are promising, and despite this being the final episode, it seems as if there's still much game to play and lots to prove...

Talula Citadels has played a quieter game this season. An instant target for her brash personality on the first days at her starting tribe, Talula managed to recover her image, surviving the first vote and solidifying herself as a valuable number and calm person despite her early outbursts. Along with changing her image to avoid being voted off, Talula masked some of her skills to be less of a threat and has been on the right side of the vote nearly every time. Talula has played a good game, winning an Immunity as well, but many may think that she hasn't made enough solid, individual moves to earn her the title. Is this really true, and will Talula even make it to the Final Tribal Council?

Sulien Gavins has been one of the strongest physical players of the season. He was an essential part of a tribe during the tribal phase, helping his tribes win challenges and marking himself as a valuable castaway to have around with his good work ethic. Despite becoming an instant target after the merge, being in the minority and being a threat in challenges, Sulien has managed to survive all the way to finale night, albeit with 13 votes to his name. He has been on the right side of the vote a majority of the time. However, he has rarely been fully in control, and he has done little to establish himself as more than a number to vote out others under the direction of his allies. Has Sulien done enough to win, and can he survive to the Final Tribal Council?

Kinsley Praudins played a quiet game at the beginning, laying low and acting weaker than she truly was to become a non-threat. She faded from the radar of nearly everyone, and she stayed that way, hidden almost, until a couple of votes into the merge. Since then, she has assembled and controlled a firm majority alliance, won an Immunity, kept peace with most of the jury, kept around a larger threat in Calliope, and used an advantage to save herself and send the largest threat in the game to the jury. She has made plenty of distinct moves that mark her as her own player unlike some of the others that have arrived at finale night along with her. However, did she start playing the game too late? Has Kinsley done enough, and will she be voted off before she can make it to the end?

Calliope Hedgers has played a very, very, very flashy game, one of the most unpredictable and risky of all time. She has flipped and flopped between alliances and sent various people home all in the sake of making big moves and taking risks. She is unafraid to take control and betray and lie to swindle her way to the Final Tribal Council, and she has shown that aptly in the past weeks. She flipped the game completely, destroying the Atangatau Seven. She also is a huge physical player, having won the past two Immunities, and she is on schedule to probably win another if she can manage it. A large threat, she has managed to survive this long miraculously. However, is that due to the fact that Kinsley and others tried to keep her around as a shield? Or has Calliope actually kept herself afloat? She has played hard, but recklessly at times, so recklessly that it's almost gaudy. Will the jury reward Calliope's ability to take risks and her orchestrating of big game moves, or will they decide she has been too reckless and reliant to win? And will she even survive to flaunt her accomplishments at the Final Tribal Council?

Reward Challenge: The famed Loved Ones Final Reward Challenge had arrived to kick off the last leg of the voting off phase of this season of Paradise. The castaways would be playing for a powerful advantage in the Final Immunity challenge and a night spent with their loved one at their camp, so everyone was rearing to go before the challenge began. For the challenge, there was a new twist: the loved ones themselves would be competing in the challenge for their castaway! The set up of the challenge was explained. The loved ones would have to swim to shore from a floating platform. Once they reached the shore, they would have to untie knots to free a sled carrying bags of puzzle pieces. They would then have to pull the sleds across the beach to the puzzle building stations. There were only two, and the first two to their stations would be able to build the large table puzzle of their castaway surrounded by hibiscus flowers. The first loved one to finish their puzzle would win the reward for themselves and their loved one castaway!

The loved ones came out, and the castaways were excited. Kinsley screamed jubilantly as her sister McKenna sprinted out onto the beach and enveloped her in a huge embrace. Talula began sobbing uncontrollably as her husband Regie walked out and kissed her sweetly. Calliope ran out to meet her cousin Mathias, and the two embraced tightly and cracked jokes. Sulien wept silently as his wife Lydia staggered out and hugged him extremely tight.

Once the visits were done, the four loved ones were told that they would be competing, and then the four shocked people were taken out to the platform. Once they were all set, the challenge began, and the four jumped into the water. Regie and Lydia struggled to keep up with the younger and more athletic McKenna and Mathias, and those two pulled into the early lead, neck and neck once they hit the shore far ahead of Regie and Lydia, who were swimming about ten feet apart with Regie having the slight lead. McKenna and Mathias started on their knots, and the two had their sleds freed by the time Regie and Lydia were hitting the beach.

Mathias had his sled free first, and he shot across the sand, taking a firm lead as McKenna's sled flipped after she tried to pull it fast. She righted it and rushed to the puzzle tables, closing the gap a tad. Regie and Lydia were both still working on their knots when Mathias, and then McKenna reached the duo of puzzle tables. The two older loved ones were now out of the challenge since there were no more puzzle stations left.

Mathias had the lead over McKenna, but like Kinsley, McKenna was good with puzzles. However, Mathias was notorious for being the smartest member of the Hedgers family, and things were neck and neck as the two fit their puzzle pieces together with startling speed. Halcyon commented in a loud shout as they both neared the end that they should try out for Paradise themselves! McKenna chuckled and lost her concentration a little, and got a little confused. In her lapse, Mathias slammed the last couple of pieces into place and jumped up and down, shouting. Halcyon ran over and announced that Mathias's puzzle was correct! He had won the challenge! He would be staying at the Atangatau camp for the night, and Calliope had won an advantage in the Final Immunity Challenge!

At the site of the Immunity Challenge, Calliope had only one option: to build a large 3-D puzzle of the Immunity Idol that had been used in the tribal phase of the game to signify that the winning tribe was safe for the time being for fifteen minutes. She worked diligently with some assistance from Mathias, and she had three fourths of the puzzle correctly completed by the time her time was up. She didn't see anything else besides a giant hill in the area, and it wouldn't just be a single puzzle, no matter how grand...only time would tell what the full extent of this challenge would be.

Final Immunity Challenge: The four castaways arrived at the site of the Final Immunity Challenge. They all stood at the base of the magnificently tall hill that Calliope had noted during her reward of building the 3-D puzzle for an advantage in this challenge. They found out that on the top of the hill were four large pits filled with leaves and other plant debris, and inside six bags of puzzle pieces were buried. A castaway would have to run up the huge hill, dig around for a bag, carry it down to their puzzling station at the base of the hill, and then go back up to get the next one. Once all six bags had been collected, the castaway could then begin building their 3-D puzzle of the Tribal Immunity Idol. The first castaway to finish their puzzle would win Final Immunity and would be guaranteed a spot at the Final Tribal Council!

The challenge started, and all four castaways ran their hardest up the hill. Endurance running was not one of Talula's strongsuits, and she swiftly fell far behind the others as they mounted the knoll. Sulien edged out an early lead a stride or two ahead of Calliope, and Kinsley managed to stay about five paces behind Calliope as they made their first ascent. Then they all jumped into their pits, rummaging around for a bag. Kinsley found hers first and threw herself down the hill moments after Talula had finally made it to the top. Calliope was second and Sulien third, right next to each other, and they raced down the hill. Sulien wiped out, and it took him a little to get back up. By the time he was continuing down the hill, Kinsley was already coming back up.

As the challenge continued, Talula remained far behind as the placements of the other three sporadically shifted as they went up and down the hill. On the fourth ascent, Kinsley was so tired out that she had to slow down, and she firmly fell into third in the footrace of up and down the hill, and she wouldn't go farther than that. Calliope and Sulien were the two now on top during the running section, and they were side by side. However, on the sixth ascent, Sulien edged out a small lead, and he was untying his puzzle bags and spilling out the pieces about five seconds before Calliope.

At the puzzle, Calliope's advantage was a mighty help as the girl, who wasn't amazing with puzzles, slid together pieces swiftly, quickly surpassing Sulien and maintaining a large lead, even as better puzzlers Kinsley and Talula arrived within minutes. Her familiarity with the puzzle lent her to victory, as she slid in the last couple of pieces and finished the puzzle far ahead of the others. Halcyon checked it over, and then declared that Calliope had won the Final Immunity!

Atangatau Events:

At the camp, the Final Four looked at each other uneasily. Kinsley, Talula, and Sulien had all discussed what would happen if they reached this point, and they'd all agreed to cut Calliope at the Final Four. But of course she'd won her third Immunity, and was safe from the vote, and would be attending the Final Tribal Council. That left the others to decide who would go out. Talula and Sulien agreed that Kinsley was the largest threat available, and they went to Calliope, begging her to vote with them to eliminate Kinsley, her closest ally. However, Kinsley had other plans, and she wanted to force a fire making challenge between herself and one of her opponents. Calliope was in a position of power, and she would use it to execute what she wanted to happen.

Twelfth Tribal Council - Atangatau

Upon arrival, the jury of Cress, Dane, Louise, Florine, Breccan, and Jolyon all had mixed reactions upon seeing the necklace around Calliope's neck, but none of them were very happy about it. They'd all been anticipating her joining them if she didn't win Immunity, which had been the case. Now they were interested to see what would happen, and so was Halcyon. The politics of the Final Four were delved into, and it was revealed that Talula and Sulien were firmly on one side, while Kinsley was trying to keep Calliope on her side and force a fire making challenge. Calliope looked delighted at being the center of everything at her last Tribal Council, and she would not reveal anything about who she was voting. Soon enough the last time to vote to eliminate came about in Ata Noho...

Kinsley - "I vote Talula."

Sulien - "I vote Kinsley."

Talula - "I vote Kinsley."

Calliope - "I vote Talula."

It was a 2-2 tie between Kinsley and Talula; Calliope had stuck beside her closest ally Kinsley to the final breath. Now Talula and Kinsley would be battling it out during a fire making challenge. Both women approached their stations, and when Halcyon gave the signal, they began to work feverishly. The race to burn through the string first was tight and both women worked efficiently and quickly. However, Kinsley managed to move a little faster after Talula accidentally knocked over her stack of twigs and lost her flint in it. The woman cursed and tried to pick up the pieces, but she was unable to recover for the lost time, and Kinsley's string was burnt through before Talula could burn through hers! Kinsley was safe, and Talula was the last person sent off in Ata Noho.

"Talula, the tribe has spoken."

By a vote of 2-2, and then a lost fire making challenge, Talula Citadels has been voted off.

THE FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL

Calliope, Kinsley, and Sulien entered the Tribal Council area and sat down on the three stools in front of the fire, all buzzing with adrenaline and anxiety. After they sat, the full jury of seven followed them in, taking their places on the jury benches in the order they were evicted after the merge. Cress, Dane, Louise, Florine, Breccan, Jolyon, and Talula all took their seats. A majority didn't seem extremely excited about the situation as they hadn't been allied with the three finalists, but they were all excited in some form for the culmination of their season. The jury questioning phase would begin after the finalists made their opening statements, and Halcyon signaled for them to begin.

Calliope was the first to stand, smiling brashly at the jury. "Hello those of you I duped. Courtesy is great, but we all know that's not how I played my game in the slightest. I threw caution to the wind and went into this thing head first. Bam bam bam, I was making moves left and right, advancing myself and changing the game to my liking. I got out threats like Dane and tried to eliminate one of my stronger allies by forcing a backfired rock draw. Before the merge, I swayed people and eliminated Tungsten, taking control of my alliance and taking out one of my biggest threats. I wasn't scared to come out and play like a lot of the people on this season. I was always a target for both my challenge skills and my loud personality. Everyone wanted to take me out whenever they could. I didn't effing let them. I manipulated my peers into thinking it was a good idea to keep me around, and when they started to realize that I should've gone home ages ago, I went on an Immunity run unequaled except by Kelvin. I played hard the entire game, and I didn't hide behind anything or anyone. Sure, maybe I was a little careless at times, but that's just my personality. I was myself, and I smashed this game to oblivion. Please write my name down tonight. We all know I deserve it the most."

Kinsley is the next to stand. "Good evening jury, and thank you for listening to everything I have to say tonight. Courtesy is great despite what my friend Calli says, and that's what I've displayed in my game. I've played calmly and strategically, trying to distance myself from my emotions the whole time and work purely based on what is the best game move. I was not insanely and unnecessarily reckless like Calli or reticent and following like Suli. I was in the minority for a better half of the game, yet I managed to navigate out of it and lead an alliance of four to the very end. After the merge, I started to really play. I won an Immunity and I won the fire making tiebreaker. I got the Steal A Vote and used it to send out the largest threat left near the end besides myself, Jolyon. And I kept around who I wanted to keep around. I brought Calli here. Sure, she won Immunities, but she was going home at the Final Seven. I wanted to keep her as a shield, so I got everyone to vote off Florine instead. Without me, Calli would never have made it here. Sure, I wasn't showy and gaudy like Calli, but I was careful and I played this game well. I ask for you to see that I played this game more masterfully than the others and vote for me to win this game. Sincerely, thank you."

Sulien was the last to stand, looking more than a little defeated. "Whew. You two ladies sure gave killer speeches. Wish I would've studied up more on mine." The jury chuckles at his comment. "Well, anyway, hey jury! I'll set it out to you like this: yeah, I wasn't all out there and half psychotic in my gameplay like Calliope, and I wasn't all evil mastermind-y, 'controlling' everyone's minds and whatever like Kinsley. But I was in the minority and I was a threat when we hit the merge. I had literally no one; Kinsley and Cress, my only allies, even flipped on me at the first post-merge vote. Yet I managed to make it here, which is miraculous, isn't it? Calliope had herself firmly in the majority before she decided to randomly screw them over, and Kinsley went all control freakish and whipped together an alliance that wasn't even totally loyal to her all of the time. I played lowkey, but that's because this whole season has been lowkey. If I'd tried to play very hard, I wouldn't have made it here. I convinced everyone that I wasn't a threat, and even though I have a ton of votes against me, that once again shows how I managed to survive hell and back to make here to the Final Tribal Council. I hope you see that I played the best overall game and that you vote for me!" Sulien sat with a goofy grin, and the jury questioning officially began.

Dane was the first juror to question the finalists. "I'll be totally honest; my vote is entirely up in the air tonight, and I think you all played great games. I can't decide who to vote for. I want all of you to tell me who you would vote for between the other two castaways and why if you were in my shoes."

"I would vote Kinsley," Calliope said. "She's my good friend, and she did do a ton of cool strategic bullshit that makes giant fans quiver with excitement."

"I would vote Sulien," Kinsley admitted. "I like his reserved game play and his strategy makes sense; I love you Calli, but you were too off the walls to get my vote."

"I would vote Calliope," Sulien laughed. "Completing the chain I guess, but it's true. She was bold and risked things, even if she was extremely reckless and rude in the way she did it. Kinsley played pretty well too, but I think I respect Calliope putting herself out there more."

"Thank you," Dane murmured. "I think I know who I'm voting for." He sat, and Jolyon was the next to stand.

"As a giant fan who quivers with excitement about 'cool strategic bullshit' according to our vulgar friend Calliope, I honestly think Kinsley played the strongest game here. She was a mastermind and managed to go from the bottom to the top in only a couple of Tribal Councils. I respect how you played Calliope, but there was no need to flip and flop like you did. I'm not bitter, it's just a fact. Without Kinsley, you wouldn't have made it here. You were too insane and offensive. Sulien, I like how you played, but it was too reserved. I wish you would've made more individual moves. That's why my vote's going to Kinsley, so I don't need to ask any questions of you all." Jolyon pranced back to his seat as Louise took the spotlight.

"From talking in sequester with everyone, I know that a lot of us value Kinsley and Sulien's composure and strategy more than Calliope's raw power. But she had raw power goddammit! She played a fierce social and physical game, and while sure, she was vulgar and fiery and reckless, that's who she is. I'm voting for this girl, and you all should too." Louise sat down as Calliope grinned rabidly at her. Florine stood next.

"We had a lot of strategic players this season, and we do nearly every season. It was refreshing to see someone play the game like Calliope. But Sulien and Kinsley both played their angles very well too. I have a question for all three of you: what was your biggest move in the game before the merge?"

"I got Tungsten Scotte out, for God's sake!" Calliope laughed.

"I laid low and had people underestimate me, which led me to be able to survive long enough into the merge to build my alliance and play the way I wanted to. I also found Cress's idol in his bag," Kinsley answered.

"I worked hard around camp and forged strong social connections that helped me get here," Sulien replied. Florine nodded in understanding and sat as Cress stood.

"I believe I know who I'm voting for, so I'll ask the stupid question: why do y'all need the money?"

"Everyone needs money," Calliope said. "Saying some piteous reason why isn't going to change how people are voting."

"I'm a starving artist in their 30s. Yeah, I need the money!" Kinsley chuckled quietly.

"I have a growing family that I need to support," Sulien told Cress.

"Alright, thanks everyone," Cress said before sitting. Talula was the next to come up to the finalists.

"Hello finalists! Congrats on getting to the Final Tribal Council!" Talula exclaimed. "You're all my good friends, and I'm excited to see you all here. I have a question for Kinsley and Calliope. Tell me the other's weakest point in the game."

"Kinsley started playing too late; she hit the merge with little to say about anything she'd managed to do besides finding a dumb idol that was going to get wasted anyway. Sure, she was a big player towards the end of the game, but she was too quiet about it and didn't get started early enough," Calliope remarked.

"Calli is absolutely careless. Her jury management has been anything but good, and she has flipped and flopped like no tomorrow for no good reason other than making big moves for the sake of big moves. She went too far and I had to half drag her to this point. She played too hard in the beginning and was reckless, marking herself an instant target," Kinsley answered swiftly.

"My mind is made up now. Thank you, and congratulations again." Talula sat, and Breccan was the last to stand.

"Hello finalists. Before I came onto this show, my mother Maline made me promise that I'd try to play her game, only better, and I really did. Therefore, tonight, to further her legacy, I'm looking to vote for the person that played the game the way I think is best, which is the way my mother and I played it. Kinsley, you take that prize, and you have my utmost respect for playing the angle I tried and failed at this season. I would love to see you win. Good luck to you Calliope and Sulien, and I hope you two do well too." Breccan sat, and then the questioning phase was complete.

"Jurors, it's time to vote for the winner of this season," Halcyon announced after Breccan had sat, smiling widely. One by one, the jurors strode out to the voting hut in the order that they'd been voted off during the season. Talula was the last one to come back from the voting hut. She sat, and the season was officially over! Everyone hugged in celebration as Halcyon retrieved the urn and thanked them all for the confusing but interesting season! They all were transported back to the Flat, and two days later, the castaways were all sitting onstage as the votes were read aloud to the nation by an eager Halcyon.

"Calliope."

"Kinsley."

"Sulien."

"Calliope."

"Kinsley."

"Kinsley."

"Kinsley! Kinsley Praudins, you are the winner of Paradise: Ata Noho!"

Kinsley screeched in delight, tears of joy streaming down her face as she accepted her check and land grant from a grinning Halcyon after hugging her fellow finalists tightly. Her parents, sister McKenna, and boyfriend Markus sprinted up onto the stage and crushed her in a large hug as the rest of the cast gathered around her and congratulated her. This season had been quite unpredictable up to its last breath, and everyone was happy to see Kinsley come out on top!

---

Florine, Breccan, Jolyon, and Talula voted Kinsley. Cress and Louise voted Calliope. Dane voted Sulien.

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SUMMARY OF PLACEMENTS

Winner: Kinsley, Atangatau (originally Punga, then Punga) {got 4 votes at FTC}

2nd: Calliope, Atangatau (originally Punga, then Punga) {got 2 votes at FTC}

3rd: Sulien, Atangatau (originally Punga, then Punga) {got 1 vote at FTC}

4th: Talula, Atangatau (originally Matau, then Punga)

5th: Jolyon, Atangatau (originally Matau, then Matau)

6th: Breccan, Atangatau (originally Punga, then Matau)

7th: Florine, Atangatau (originally Punga, then Matau)

8th: Louise, Atangatau (originally Matau, then Matau)

9th: Dane, Atangatau (originally Matau, then Matau)

10th: Cress, Atangatau (originally Matau, then Punga)

11th: Cornelia, Punga (originally Matau)

12th: Jenson, Matau (originally Punga)

13th: Tungsten, Punga

14th: Spence, Matau

15th: Emilia, Matau

16th: Tatiana, Punga

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STATS

Won most Individual Immunities: Calliope with 3

Number of idols played: 1

Number of ties broken: 0 (1 counting rock draw, 2 counting fire making challenge)

Number of rock draws: 1

Number of fire making challenges: 1

Quits: 0

Medical evacuations: 1

Number of votes against each castaway (does not count votes for winner, counts votes negated by idols):

Kinsley - 2

Calliope - 9

Sulien - 13

Talula - 4

Jolyon - 10

Breccan - 4

Florine - 5

Louise - 1

Dane - 5

Cress - 7

Cornelia - 4

Tungsten - 7

Spence - 0

Emilia - 6

Tatiana - 5

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Next season, two small twists...

Two castaways will be celebrities from the Flat...

And the Final Tribal Council will only have two castaways!

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A/N: Whew! That was a crazy season to write! Part of the unpredictability and stuff was due to the fact that the winner changed several times and I was debating who would win a little even while I was writing the end! Originally Breccan won, then it was Florine, then it was Calliope for just a little, and then it was Kinsley from when Florine got voted off and on. I hope you liked Kinsley and this season!

What did you think of this cast? Who were you rooting for?

Please review, I love to hear your opinions, good or bad!

Until Next Time,

Tracee