Ticket here, and welcome back to a new chapter of "Survivor: Fight for Fiji"! In this chapter, we'll see the fallout of last night's shocking rock draw, a new plan being pitched to an alliance, and frustrations being let out. Plus, a reward challenge BY ITSELF for the first time!
Advantage List:
1. Fatu Camp Idol— Rehidden
2. Tribal Ticket— ?
Players: Sonic, Gordon, Luigi, Blu, Matt, Li Mei, Bandana Dee, Kano, and Kabal
Jury: Tremor and Little Mac
Nine are left, who will be sent to the jury next?
Merged Tribe
Night 27
The nine castaways return to their camp, leaning their torches on a tree. Sonic and Gordon could have left last night, but thanks to the Black Dragon, they're here to fight another day.
"That was a close one. But luck was just on our side. " Sonic mentions, noticing that Mac and Mei were against them after all. The chef, as much as he feels like being sour, chooses not to. "Can't complain, that's how the cards fell."
"If you wanna blame anyone, blame luck."
Sonic: We're not the best of friends, but I hope he's not taking it too hard. I'm just here to have fun, you know?
Cut to Gordon's confession…
Gordon: F*CK ME.
That's all he can use to describe the feeling. Mac was a big player on the Fatu side, saving Luigi in the first place. With him gone, they're at a disadvantage. He's not the only one who feels this way. Luigi and Dee are sitting in the shelter, and Luigi's shivering. Not just because of the cool temperature outside, but because the FaThree may be on their last legs.
"It's over.." The Italian says, resting his chin on a hand.
"Don't say that..we should still have Mei with us!" The bandana'd waddle dee responds, trying to cheer him up. It doesn't seem to be doing much for the plumber who's taken things hard enough.
"I'm trying to-a stay in it but..these past councils have been-a taking a toll..even the one we won on." The Italian responds. "Kano runs his mouth starting the merge, now we lose someone as cool as Mac…
..
"Am I whining?"
"No your complaining, but I get it. If we can just stick together as a four, we should be ok."
That optimism kicking in once again.
Bandana Dee: Nobody's happy about losing Mac. If Matt or Blu drew purple, we'd be fine but now Gordon's angry, Luigi's shaking, and I'm frustrated!
Frustration isn't just hitting the FaThree either. Mac's closest ally, Li Mei, also has her take about what happened. After all, she's been hit the MOST.
Li Mei: My closest lot was knocked out with rocks. I cannot just accept the fact the Black Dragon made the flip in the first place! If I want justice, the more reasonable players will certainly consider a target change…targets who will jump ship when they most desire.
She takes the idea of targeting Kano and Kabal again to Matt. He tried to keep Sonic and Gordon together for at least one more round, but there was no way it could have worked out last night. What does he have to say about this?
"I wanted to hold off too, but those two couldn't get on the same page. They're both stubborn." The Mii admits. "Thanks to that, Mac left. He didn't do anything to deserve the fate he got." She responds, and the Mii has just the fix for this problem.
"Nows the time to avenge him. If you want to slay a dragon, I'll help get the ball rolling." Matt promises, giving her an earnest look. "I appreciate you hearing me out on this."
"Friends or not, I'll listen to you over one of those guys. They could give me a piece of bad advice and all the Roku are done." Matt admits, ready to cut either Kano or Kabal out of this game.
Matt: Her and Mac were not fans last night, but it doesn't mean we just abandon her. SHE came to me first. I know she could be trying to play me, but those dragons caused a rock draw to send my boy Mac home! She's out for some blood now!
"Kano and Kabal forced the rock draw on purpose. They aren't loyal to anyone except themselves. At least we have proof the Fatu are loyal to someone…" Li Mei points out. "Even though I have had allegiances with the Fatu, Mac is gone and now I'll just be fourth over there." Good point from the kombatant.
"You don't need to worry about being number four over here. Can I be straight with you?"
"Yes."
"The Roku core itself isn't as tight as you think it is. Blu and Sonic are becoming a pair by the day." The Mii admits. "Sonic's still a big player but we need to keep him around. After alls said and done..I've got your back, and your back alone."
"I'll take any allies over none."
Li Mei: I will miss having Mac around. He was pleasant to have around, and even has potential as player..but with his demise comes my rise. Matt revealed that the Roku core isn't really a core, just an alliance that will break up near the end. It's a relief because I have more options, but got me thinking…
Thinking about what?
Li Mei: Did we move too early? Had Mac still been here, we could have targeted Matt and Sonic at four and five, and had a final tribal spot. There is no room for me in the Fatu, they are inseparable. Don't get me started on why I'm hesitant about the Black Dragon. We should have taken much more time to think about this, but now I'm a woman on an island who needs to time her moves carefully.
Merged Tribe
Day 27
It's a new day, almost FOUR weeks into the game. Any new developments on the island so far? YES, because Matt takes the plan Li Mei pitched last night, and does what he promised…
Consult his people at that comfy water well. A hedgehog, specifically.
"And yes, that means we'll have to get Gordon." Matt states, and Sonic lets out a sigh. "We saw how this went last time..can't we just put four on someone and call it a day?" Careful Sonic, your recklessness is showing.
"We'll be starting more fires than we need to. The only way we stop Fatu from getting an upper hand, is linking up and leaving Toka in the dark." The Mii hits back, but the blue blur has another question.
"Are you sure Mei's not just using you? She flipped once, she could do it again."
"Her number one was sniped. Said she'd rather stick to people she knows in a time like this." It's true, but there's another part that's hidden for a reason. "It's not smart to join three people who have been together a long time."
"You're…right." The hesitancy on that 'right' tells Matt all he needs to know.
Matt: Sonic usually puts up fights for fun, but that boy doesn't trust Mei at all. I can't blame him, I DON'T even think she'll take me to the finals. But that's not stopping me from working with her again. Maybe I'm just a robot, I get this way coaching my son too.
The Matt we know isn't an emotionless robot…right?
Regardless, the hedgehog's not a big fan. "I always knew something was wrong with her…but you know what Matt?"
"What?"
"Let's use the power of friendship."
Sonic: Look…even IF I don't want to get the band back together, Matt's right, and that's why I like the guy! Letting Mei go gives the Fatu more people, and if that happens: This hedgehog's toast!
There's something else to think about.
Sonic: Taking Mei's the easy part! What comes next…is the hard one.
Before any mention of working together again comes up, there's a different side to consider in this: the losing one.
On a raft, floating in the ocean, are the FaThree. They're recapping their L from the rock draw last night, losing a useful ally in their group.
"We lose…again." Luigi mutters, staring at the blue beneath him. After Mac gave Fatu a hand, Luigi always wanted to keep him around. But, it wasn't meant to be. His sadness is blatant, so the waddle dee steps in once again.
"You should go on a reward. Without that reward, I would have taken Toriel's exit much harder." Dee admits, and yeah it DID impact him. She was kind of like a mother to him, who would never turn her back on him. Then the Black Dragon got the better of them. Speaking of..
"I thought we had the better pitch for them. But no. They screw-a everything up as usual." Luigi blurts out, angry for seemingly the first time on the island. "Toriel…Mac..who's-a next?" He knows well that Kano and Kabal are snakey, out for themselves and themselves alone. Their alliance with Roku doesn't automatically mean that they're sticking to them the whole time.
Knowing the nature of someone like a Kano, alliances never last forever.
Throughout all this, Gordon's been silent. What's his take on this?
Gordon: I like Luigi, I can respect anyone who works a job like he does. One issue: the pessimism isn't needed right now. I'm not happy about losing the draw, but you don't see me whimpering about it.
True..usually he's just onto the next one.
Gordon: He's always jittery. Maybe it comes from a lack of confidence, but he needs to know that so he can improve. The same goes for Dee, he needs to make more plans, because if they come for me first, those two will be left in the trenches. I can flip the switch from Gordon to Chef, but Gordon's the one who needs to cook. They won't like listening to the Chef.
He pipes up. "Young man, losing leaves a sour aftertaste. I've been where you are. Worried, panicked, thinking about what's next. But the key to making it out of this is focus. I didn't blow up like I did by sitting there and whining. If you sit and complain about your predicament, it's only going to get worse." A smart take from Ramsay. Usually you'd never see this side unless you watch MasterChef Jr.
"…sorry."
"You don't need to apologize, I'm only trying to help. Besides we all need to hear criticism, because the times coming when we need to take advantage of it. We aren't going to be safe forever." Gordon points out.
"It doesn't feel like we've been safe at all!" Luigi responds, but the chef's not about to take that. "You're getting in your own head. We basically coasted up to the top ten. Is one piece of adversity going to get to you?" he asks, serving Luigi the cold, hard truth.
"…I.." The Italian sighs. "Yes…"
"Yes! So anytime increases the pressure, you sit there and panic? Mate, if I'm gone, and you panic, then the FaThree is screwed. You've pitched ideas before, but once I'm gone, they'll come for you two next, and you NEED to be creative." The Chef lays out, but he seems so certain he'll be gone soon. His target is pretty big right now.
"We'll do our best!" Dee says, saluting Gordon, but the chef's not smiling. "If you want to win the game, 'our best' won't cut it." The bandana'd dee lowers his arm. Gordon's giving his alliance some tough love for the first time. Where has THIS guy been the whole time?
"Sorry, I didn't want to offend you or anything.."
"Offend me?"
"You just look angry..I haven't seen that in a while!"
"You aren't offending me by existing. You two are frustrating me because of how passive you two can be. If it's going to be us against the world, we NEED to get aggressive! We can't lay down and let a super-majority walk all over us." Gordon points out, going for..what could be both of their biggest game flaws.
"Well…we won't let that happen!"
"Then SHOW me you can take charge.."
Bandana Dee: I don't know what got into him today! Did he stay up all night? Is he hungry? Do we need to feed him?
Not the point though.
Bandana Dee: I don't like how it came out of nowhere. But something inside of him must have snapped and..when I think about it: he's been working really really hard to keep us here. Are we really that bad? He's done a lot of the strategy talk but we should still be able to work with Roku. But..Gordon's talking to us like he's our DAD, and he's saying we have to leave the nest sometime! Doesn't everyone?
Reward Challenge
Day 27
Jeff's standing by himself in the area, no stand or cloth in sight. Just a bag of rocks in his hand. Another vacation for the winner(s)?
"Come on in!"
The final nine enter the challenge area, in a rare, solo, reward challenge. This is actually the first in the series! In another first, Kabal who was the last immunity winner, didn't have to bring his necklace back yet. It's not an actual immunity challenge yet, that's saved for a couple days later.
The castaways come to a stop, and Jeff's still hanging onto that bag. "Alright. REWARD is up for grabs. For today's challenge, you'll draw red and blue rocks to determine teams of four. Whoever draws the white rock, will get to choose which team they get to join. They won't compete, but if the chosen team wins..they ALSO get that reward!" Oh this has been done recently in the real series.
"As for the challenge: two members of each team will be tied together, while pushing another team member in a barrel, to a series of flagpoles. At each flagpole, the person in a barrel must grab a bag of balls. Once you've collected four bags, the remaining tribe member, or members, will attempt to roll their ball up a path, and land in a series of targets. First team to finish, wins reward."
Ok, the return of 'In The Barrel.'
"We'll draw rocks and get our teams." Jeff says, approaching them with the rock bag. One by one, they draw. Once they're all done, it's time to..
"Reveal."
They do, and the results are:
Matt draws the red.
Dee draws the blue.
Sonic draws the red.
Luigi draws the blue.
Kabal draws the red.
Kano draws the blue.
Gordon draws the red.
Li Mei draws the blue.
That means..Blu draws the white rock.
"Red team, you are: Matt, Sonic, Kabal, and Gordon. Blue, you are Bandana Dee, Luigi, Kano, and Li Mei." Then the odd one out. "Blu, you drew the white rock. Pick a team to join. If they win, you get to go on the reward."
The Yoshi looks at both teams, and well let's just say it doesn't take very long for her to pick which team she joins.
Blu: No offense to to my color, but the Red team looks WAY too good! It's like Yoshis versus Koopas!
"The red team." she says, walking over to the four, now making it a five. Unfortunately for the Blue Team, it's just luck of the draw. "Alright. Blu picks the Red team, making it five on four." Jeff says, before turning his attention to the team of four. "I hope you are ready."
"We're always ready!" Bandana Dee exclaims, but Kano clears his throat. "Just look at the other team."
"So? That doesn't mean anything!"
That makes Kano chuckle.
"Here we go!" Jeff exclaims, and this challenge is about to get started!
Teams:
Red Team– Matt, Sonic, Kabal, and Gordon
Blue Team— Bandana Dee, Luigi, Kano, and Li Mei
The blue team has Kano and Li Mei standing behind a barrel, with Bandana Dee inside. Luigi's waiting on the other end for them to retrieve their bags of balls. As for the Red team, Sonic and Kabal are going to push a barrel with Gordon inside.
"You know, after Jeff was done monologuing, i knew i'd rather be with you then against you." The hedgehog admits.
"With our speed combined, they'll be no match." Kabal has a point.
"Reward is up for grabs! Survivors ready?"
…
"GO!"
The pushers on each team get that barrel moving, but Sonic and Kabal's speed combined helps them take the lead and get to their first flagpole!
Gordon crawls out, and climbs up to retrieve the bag. He gets it off and crawls into the barrel!
"How're you doing in there?"
"You're gonna make me vomit, hedgehog."
The Blue team reaches their first flagpole, as Dee rolls out and goes for the bag. While he goes for that, the Red team hits their SECOND one quickly! Gordon crawls out slower this time, and climbs up again.
"Ugh.."
"Hang in there pal!"
He gets the second bag for Red, Dee gets the first bag for Blue, and barreling is back on the menu! Red reaches their third, and Gordon almost trips on himself getting out!
"Sh*t.."
Chef gets the third bag, and back into the barrel he goes..
Gordon: This was torture. I'm old, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm getting rolled by manchildren.
Bandana Dee gets the second bag for Blue, and rolls back into the barrel! However, Red reaches their fourth pole, and Gordon crawls onto the barrel, and covers his mouth!
"He's going to vomit." Kabal calls.
"Don't say that.." Sonic responds.
The chef's able to grab the fourth bag, and gets back into the barrel! Red rolls all the way to Matt, who extends his hand. Gordon tosses him the bags, and Matt sets his sights on those four targets. It's alll about the balls!
The Blue team gets their third bag, but Matt's already taking his shots at those targets. Like using a hand to play gold instead of a club…
Matt rolls his first ball in!
The blue team rolls towards their last bag..and Matt rolls his second one in!
"How does he do it?" Sonic asks, getting toasted by him in sports before.
"He's just that good." Kabal says.
Matt goes to roll that third one up…and it misses. While the Mii tries to recover, Kano and Mei push Dee to the last pole, where he gets that last bag! BUT Matt gets his third ball in that target! All that's left: is the last one.
"Red has had an advantage over Blue the WHOLE time! Can they mount a comeback?"
.
.
.
No…because Matt rolls the fourth ball in!
"RED TEAM WINS REWARD!"
The Reds cheer, except for Gordon who shakes his head to stop the dizziness! Meanwhile, Luigi just sighs on the Blue side. Dee walks up to the plumber. "We'll get 'em next time.."
"Sappy." Kano comments.
"It's what friends do." Li Mei responds.
"What are those?" Kano asks, with the loud sound of sarcasm.
The emotional support can't brush away the fact, that people like Luigi and Li Mei will be missing a cool reward. Dee and Kano already went on one, but another would be really nice for them. Nonetheless, the Reds are even more satisfied hearing it from Jeff himself.
"Red Team..congratulations on winning reward. A boat will be waiting on you tomorrow. You'll be taking it to your reward. And YES Blu, this reward is also yours!" Great news for the five who ended up winning. "Blue Team..I've got nothin' for ya. Head back to camp, good night."
With that, the four Blue Team members head on back to camp, with a sour pill to swallow. Everyone except for one woman.
Li Mei: You would think I'd suffer without a reward. Instead, this is a blessing in disguise. Kano is all alone, with two people who are against him. Little does he know, I'll be against him too.
Ok so Li Mei spoke a plan into existence, and now the Roku heads are considering it. This could go two ways: Kano and Kabal are targets again, or the FaThree are in a world of trouble. Speaking of them, Gordon got frustrated at being the "leader" and wants his boys to step up! With Li Mei approaching them first instead of the celebrity, can they rise to the occasion?
Also, that reward challenge was a SLAUGHTER. Just go back and LOOK at those teams, it's so unmatched! The luck of the draw once again hurts Dee and Luigi. No reward for Kano and Li Mei either.
Next chapter will include the reward winners time at their reward, AND the reward losers time alone on the island.