Thirty-eight days ago, eighteen people hit Fiji to compete for a shot at the million dollar prize. There's been blindsides, rivalries, and moves, but in the end, only four are left to claim the prize.
Kabal. He started out on Toka and immediately took power with Kano. After the swap he looked like he was in trouble, but played an idol to save himself and take out Toriel. After Kano's departure, he took the middle position and made up with Blu…only to stab her in the back at the final seven. Ever since Kano left, Kabal's been on top, but can he seal the deal?
Sonic. He and Matt controlled Roku, and made progress in the swap. He made an alliance with Blu, but at Gordon's expense. This reckless play started a rivalry that's still ongoing. He and Gordon have went back and forth, knocking each others allies left. At five, Sonic took Dee out thinking he was a double agent, but it ended up upsetting everyone else. Can he get to the end?
Li Mei. She played from the bottom and made a deal with Little Mac. In an effort to make a deep run, she's been staying quiet, and now with Kabal as her ally, and Sonic and Gordon sticking out more, can this be her winning strategy? Or will it end up being her biggest weakness?
Gordon. Known for his temper and stubbornness, he controlled the pre-merge until Sonic wanted to make a big move. He's was loyal to his Fatu, but lost them all thanks to the Roku side of the beach. His grudge against Sonic has led him to the final four now, getting rid of Matt and Blu to weaken him at this point. After his ally was accused of being a liar, and taken out, how will Gordon recover? Will he at all?
Night 38
Gordon Ramsay, Kabal, Li Mei, and Sonic The Hedgehog
When the final four gets back to camp, the fan is hit immediately. Sonic made another bold play, but it didn't come without its backlash. The chef? He's not happy. Baffled is the best term.
Before that, a Sonic confessional airs.
Sonic: I had Gordon dead to rights, but let's be real: Dee had more pull! He was talking to Gordon AND Kabal, he was connected! It could have been Kabal if he didn't steal the necklace, but he had to go and clutch it, making me piss off the Brit instead. There's Li Mei but she's not making waves so what's the point of taking her out?
"So you try to get the ball rolling against Li Mei, only to take out my friend?" Gordon asks, face starting to get red. "What were you even doing?"
"I said he was playing double agent, and got him out of here. He had the most people I wasn't letting him get to the end." The hedgehog explains.
"He was my friend mate, am I supposed to just accept you've d*cked me over?" The chef asks.
"You wanted a reason and I gave one. I've got nothing against you anymore, I could have ended you but I didn't." Sonic responds.
Kabal can't help himself and jumps in. "You're a known liar. You can't manipulate or seduce anyone into doing what you want this time."
"None of you are my type."
"Doesn't change my sentiment." He's sticking to his guns.
Kabal: Gordon can wait, Sonic's my vendetta. If I didn't win immunity, that would be ME. There's no room left for that hog.
Yet the hedgehog isn't done yet. "I was literally hiding behind a bush dude. You were checking up on Dee, and from the looks of it you were going to clip Gordon at four anyways."
"Why should he trust your word when you've shot at him a million times?" Kabal questions. "Your word is moot."
"MY word? You've blindsided people too! You took out Toriel! You and your buddy forced a rock draw on purpose! You've FLIPPED twice! Don't you dare say someone has your word." Sonic's punching back, tearing down his game.
"I did all that out of necessity. You screwed yourself over by being flashy. That's your Kryptonite."
"I'd rather be flashy than not do anything at all."
Li Mei watches this whole debate go down.
Li Mei: I'm getting sick of these two going back and forth for one night. Yet it still works for my agenda. Sonic continues to be a threat, and Kabal damages his reputation with a future jury member. If we can remove the other two, then one of us is bound to win. My chance is better than his.
While she spectates, Gordon crawls into the shelter. Kabal and Sonic seem to be dying down with their argument.
"You may think Gordon will come to you, but the only thing coming is a dose of karma."
"Hmph. I'll be waiting."
Kabal: He plays scatter-brained, messes up, then pretends to be so confident and untouchable. I can see right through you. You aren't an Elder God, you're Sonic. So fast, yet so slow.
As for the chef, he's just laying in the shelter to get some shut eye. Li Mei enters as well.
"You ok?"
"..I need to rest. Badly."
In confessional, the chef just looks done with everything. Is he justified?
Gordon: Here I am, alone again, a man left on an island. This. Is. The. WORST! I would be in high hopes if I wasn't stuck pretending to ally with: a final two that won't split, or a hedgehog who has a wild history of getting me! I'm getting a raw ass kicking mentally.
Day 39
It's a gloomy day out. Unfortunate for any of the four who've been craving better weather. But after all the drama last night, there's still business to get to for one Gordon Ramsay…and little time to waste.
The chef treks the forest with Kabal and Li Mei by his side. Their four pact, which could have been a three instead, was just shattered by that hedgehog.
"If our agreements intact, Sonic's still number one on the hitlist." Kabal states.
"He's the only one on it." No mercy. Expected from Ramsay. "Pulling that…"
Li Mei goes in to help. "I get that losing Dee hurts. It hurts our chances of stopping him. Sonic is the only one who even benefits from this…confusing why he keeps accusing someone as loyal as Dee of playing you."
"Desperation. You've found idols, Gordon. Maybe he felt safe knocking Dee out first." Kabal points out.
"Well there's no more idols now so he'll need a good pitch to even get me to THINK about it." The chef admits. "You two may have flipped but you didn't lie about me. You just chose the side you had to."
Li Mei nods. "Whereas he has?"
"You're on point."
Gordon: Fact is, I don't trust anybody. Kabal and Mei have their agenda. They can just knock me out at three. But that's still a free pass. Sonic can talk about how they'll do it, but he still hasn't offered me anything better.
Sonic needs to get to hustlin, or else he's going to be left in the dust.
Immunity Challenge
Day 40
40. Days. In. Holy crap. The first time in forever for any Survivor series not Australian. What better way to kick it off than an important immunity, that may or may not determine the future of this game.
"Come on in!"
The remaining contestants enter the challenge area. Jeff can't go a freakin day without his precious necklace stand, so Kabal unhooks the necklace himself and hands it over.
"Thanks."
"Don't get too comfortable."
Jeff brushes his comment off, and hooks it on the stand, and faces the castaways for the pen-ultimate immunity of the season.
"Kabal, I respect the confidence, but immunity is back up for grabs. For today's challenge, you'll race to untangle a braided rope, a key coming down once you do it. Then you'll unlock a chest of ladder rungs and build a ladder." Jeff explains. "Then you'll use planks to build a staircase. Once you reach the top, you'll solve a Survivor slide puzzle."
A test of cardio. That always comes with "Jacob's Ladder."
"First person to solve it wins immunity, and has a guaranteed spot in the FINAL THREE. We're in the big time, let's play like it. I'll give you a moment to prepare and we'll get started."
The four stand next to their braided ropes, attached to little pegs. It's basically Puzzle Mania! With a combination of speed and skill of course.
"Here we go, for immunity. Survivors ready?"
.
.
.
"GO!"
They tackle their first task. There's not much to cover in detail except that Gordon's a little behind while everyone else is equal.
"One puzzle at the start, one at the end. If you aren't good at puzzles, it's GOING to show!"
Li Mei untangles her ropes first and catches the key! As she moves on to the chest, Sonic and Kabal earn their keys next! While those three move on to their chests, Gordon's almost done.
"Gordon's been lagging behind the challenges for some time. If he can pull this off, he can tell this story to his grandkids."
"Actual encouragement?"
"Being mean would get old if I did it all the time."
The chef untangles the braids, and his key drops! As he gets to his chest, the other three are already putting their rungs on! Sonic's got the lead with eight, Kabal's behind by one, and Li Mei's got six. Still kinda even.
"Everyone's around the same point, so it's still anybody's game!"
The hedgehog gets his last rung on and dashes up to the planks portion! While he sets his planks up to make the stairs, Kabal and Li Mei complete theirs and climb up! Sonic spots them both and picks up his pace, almost done already!
When he goes to pick up the last piece, Kabal sticks a foot out and trips him up!
"Somewhat personal, kid."
Li Mei jumps in and grabs Sonic's foot, trying to hold him down. Kabal's almost done with his planks, and Sonic swings his head to Jeff.
"IS THIS LEGAL?"
"As long as you're not killing each other."
Gordon climbs up his ladder and sees Li Mei tugging the hedgehog back. He just shrugs and runs to his planks while Sonic glares at him. "Oh come on!"
Kabal gets his last plank in place and gets to the puzzle! Seeing this, Sonic turns around and kicks Mei off! She lands on her bosom safely, and the hedgehog takes to his last plank. Gordon's still working on his, and the blue voices his displeasure.
"Thanks for helping."
"Oh please, you'd leave me behind if you were in my shoes."
"Fair."
The hedgehog hooks it on and moves onto the slider, where Kabal's still not there yet. "He's up, now we've got a challenge!" Jeff exclaims, knowing this'll go down to the wire. The blue gets to work, but recognizes there are specific movements needed for this.
"What's the matter hog? Stuck?"
"Oh man..where's Tails when you need him?" Sonic asks.
"Not here. It's just you and me…and you're too late." One movement later…
.
.
.
"I'm done!"
The host moves over to his puzzle, and throws his hands up!
"KABAL WINS INDIVIDUAL IMMUNITY!"
He turns to Sonic. "It's my turn to sweep." The kombatant walks right past him and all the way down to the necklace stand. Everyone has no choice but to follow, because if they walk away then production will be up their noses.
Jeff hooks the necklace around his neck, third time for him. "Congratulations Kabal, you're safe, cannot be voted out tonight. Out of 54 players, only six make it this far. You'll be the seventh." A nice flex for Kabal, who's had to act deviously to get to this point.
Jeff focuses on the three who missed the boat. "As for the rest you, Tribal Council tonight where one of you will become the eighth member of our jury. Head back to camp, I'll see you tonight." With that closing remark, the final four head back to camp. Three people are gonna be shaking in their boots. Imagine being cut right before the very last immunity. That has to hurt!
Sabotage is a great word to describe this.
In his confessional, Sonic is livid!
Sonic: Here I am, gotta overcome the odds yet again! I thought they were higher than putting their hands on me like that! Oooo, when the jury hears this, it's over for them. If I'm going down, they're gonna go down with me. Call me a walking kamikaze!
If he can't get Gordon, than Plan B sounds catastrophic for that duo. Like he said, walking kamikaze.
Camp
Day 40
The four arrive back at camp, Kabal having that necklace for a third time.
"You were quick at the puzzle." Li Mei states.
"It's easy to get a head start when someone, ya know, sabotages you." All eyes go to the hedgehog. "Don't stare at me, I have a right to be angry ya know?"
"You can stay mad. Just remember to actually fight." Kabal says, walking away before another argument can begin. Sonic's just left standing there, a chef right behind him.
"First time?"
"Haha. No."
Kabal still has no sympathy for hi.. He's not owing him any, Sonic's not entitled to it, but man that was a dirty play.
Kabal: If Gordon keeps his word, it's Sonic's last breath in Fiji. I'll be taking the immunities from here on out.
Kabal and Sonic will have to wait for screen-time, because Li Mei and Gordon are shown going along the Walking Path. It's obvious.
"If your not the target, he will likely be writing me down. I just need reassurance that your word is good." Li Mei explains.
"It's still Sonic. He'll still be the hardest to beat on a jury cause he's not a w*nker."
"Excellent. I also look forward to our final three. Hopefully there's a feast waiting for us. I do not really need it but it's a nice reward to finish out our time." Li Mei responds.
Li Mei: My fate's in Gordon's hands. It's weird I'm relying on him this time, but all I can do is pray this works out.
It's the chef's first time being a swing vote. Luckily instead of having six people pitch, all he has to hear is two. Ones down, but there's one left to go: Sonic.
The two are sitting at the shore together, maybe the most peaceful interaction they've had in some time.
"We know what we're about to talk about so let's get to it."
"Gladly."
What's he got?
"I don't know what deals they got over there, but mines even better."
The chefs brows shoot up!
"Final 2?"
"Final 2 baby!"
The strongest offer he could make, he just made. Gordon's silent for a few seconds. He wasn't expecting a final two from THIS guy!
"I get it, your mortal enemy just offered to take you to the end. But those two aren't taking us! Instead of just waiting to get out, why not fend them off together?" Sonic asks.
"I'll take it. Sending you out would just set me in third. I'm not playing for third, and neither are you." The chef confirms.
"We'll take down whatever tiebreaker comes our way. I'm sure it'll work out. I'm always sure. Even when it bites me in the butt!" Sonic replies. "
Gordon smirks. "I can say the same."
Gordon: I see it like this: Sonic's deal is better than theirs. A final two versus a final three, I'd take the two..one problem. He can walk it back and send me out next time anyways. I'd look like an idiot if he was baiting me. But does it matter? I didn't get to where I am now by being a b*tch. Whatever choice I make will decide how my time here ends. Don't care if it gets me a win or a loss, it's f*cking crunch time.
Tribal Council
Night 40
The four enter enter to four stumps, a fire pit in front of it, and Jeff Probst standing there with his hands behind his back. They light their torches.
"In this game, fire represents your life. When it's gone, so are you.."
They take a seat, and look at the empty jury bench across from them. "Before we begin, please welcome the members of the jury. Tremor.." the clans enforcer enters and stares at Kabal's necklace. Is that a smirk?
"Mac."
"Kano." He enters and spots his ally with the necklace once again, and claps lightly.
"Luigi."
"Blu." She shakes her head yet again.
"Matt." He winces when he sees Sonic without that necklace.
"And the most recent member of our jury: Bandana Dee." The waddle dee enters and doesn't have much of a reaction at all. He sits down, and with all of the jury introduced, Tribal Council is set to begin.
"Alright. Final Tribal Council draws closer. Only two days away. Li Mei, is it still about the big threats? Or is it about who you sit next too?" Jeff asks.
"The less people we have, the more it becomes about who I sit next too. If I take someone like Sonic, I may lose. But if I take someone else, my chance to win will grow." she responds. "You do not want to go to the end with a big threat, so that is also still a factor."
"Kabal, does that sentiment sit with you?"
"Of course it does, I'm not a threat myself, why should I sit next to someone who'd get praised for fighting through the pain?" Kabal responds.
"Who are you referring to?"
"Sonic."
Balls back in his court.
"I don't fit in his plan. I'll tell you what he's gonna do: cut me, cut Gordon, take Li Mei to the end. That's why they keep talking threats, because you're looking at two right here." Sonic points out, gesturing towards Gordon. "If I'm gone, he's gone."
"Gordon, he just made a bold statement. Are you having second thoughts about voting Sonic out?"
"I've got a plan coming into here, and I'll stick to it. No spoilers mate."
Jeff nods and moves on. "Doesn't seem like there's much else to cover, so it is time to vote. Li Mei, you're up first."
She heads to the voting booth.
—
Li Mei: You've fought hard. But tonight, your fight is over. (Sonic)
Sonic: I never trusted you from the start. It's an honor to send you home. (Li Mei)
Gordon: ..F*ck the middle. (?)
—
After the votes are cast, the castaways get seated yet again, awaiting the vote count. They know what's coming next. "I'll tally the votes." Jeff says, leaving the castaways behind to retrieve the voting urn.
Li Mei and Sonic look on. Jeff returns to his podium with the urn. "I'll read the votes." No idols, it all comes down to four pieces of parchment.
"First vote…"
.
.
"Sonic."
.
.
"Li Mei."
.
.
"Sonic. That's two votes Sonic, one vote Li Mei, one vote left…"
The two look forward, accepting their fates.
.
.
.
"Li Mei. We are tied."
The jury gasps, while Gordon gives Sonic a side-eye. "You owe me mate."
"I..noted."
Li Mei turns to Kabal. "Looks like it'll come down to a duel."
"Beat his ass."
Jeff gives them the rundown of what's next. "On a tie, Sonic and Li Mei, you cannot vote. That means Kabal and Gordon..you two can either come to a decision, and if you can't? Sonic and Mei will be sent into a new tiebreaker, where the loser is eliminated."
No firemaking?
"I'll give you some time to decide."
Gordon swings around to Kabal. "I'm not budging on this."
"..really?"
"Oh absolutely. I'm ready for a new tiebreaker."
Kabal tilts his head. "You're willing to bring your biggest threat to the end? That's suicide."
"It's suicide to go with an obvious duo."
The chef turns away, as the jury whispers to themselves.
"Good move." Matt comments. "He'd just get picked off if he chose otherwise."
"All they have is each other." Blu adds.
"It's about time." Kano murmurs.
Kabal faces Jeff, and gives his final verdict. "If he won't budge, I'm not. Send them in."
There. We. Have it. Sonic and Mei look towards one another, the hedgehog opening his mouth first. "May the best man win." She pauses for a second. "Hmph." Ooh, she doesn't seem happy. Her fate in the game, will be decided by a tiebreaker against another comp beast.
"Since they couldn't come to a decision…you're both going into the tiebreaker. I'll need everyone to get up, and follow me to a new area in our set." Jeff orders, leaving his urn. The eleven past and present castaways follow the leader.
The Duel
Li Mei vs. Sonic
Our tiebreakers for the night get a great view of a hanging ring, and two carabiners on a table.
"Li Mei. Sonic. You're about to step in and fight for your life in the game. For tonight's tiebreaker, you'll be playing in "Back Off." The goal is to rip the carabiner off your opponents back, and hook it on the ring behind them. If you can hook the ring, you'll score a point. There may be three rounds. First round will have Sonic with the biner on his back. The second, Li Mei. If you win twice in a row, that's it, you've made it to final three."
The attack sounds easy enough..but there's a kombatant and blue blur to deal with.
"As for the loser? They'll get their torch snuffed, and become the eighth member of our jury. Without further ado: Step in the ring."
The two enter across from each other. This could be a dogfight given how long they hold their carabiners. Both have won multiple challenges, so this can go either way.
"Here we go, for a spot in the final three. Survivors ready?"
.
.
.
"GO!"
They start grappling with each other. Li Mei goes beneath his legs to rip the biner out, but Sonic leaps OVER her, snags the carabiner, and hooks it on! First point, just like that.
"Sonic scores one, we'll move onto the next round."
The hedgehog hands Li her carabiner back. "Thanks." she says, turning to Kabal and Gordon who just get to chill for the night. Lucky.
The two get back in their positions. This may not be as quick as the last one.
"Second round. Game point for Sonic, but can Li Mei get on the board? Survivors ready?"
.
.
.
"GO!"
The two meet in the middle, but Li Mei flips Sonic onto his stomach and snags the carabiner! She goes to hook it on but Sonic wraps her legs around her foot and trips her! He goes for the carabiner but Li Mei turns around and launches him back!
"Don't let the first round fool you, it's hard on your body man!"
She is inches away from the hook, but Sonic grabs her hand! Mei pulls him in and downs him with an arm drag! She hooks her biner on!
"Li Mei scores, and these two are tied yet again!"
She hands Sonic his carabiner. "Don't go easy on me." she says, biner on her back. Sonic hooks his biner on his back, and the two come to the circle once again.
"Here we go. For ALL the marbles! Survivors ready?"
.
.
.
"GO!"
The two grapple yet again, desperate to claim the carabiner and their spot in the final three. Li Mei does a Legsweep that sends Sonic down, she goes for it, but he crawls backwards and evades her.
"This is where it gets intense! If you think this tiebreaker is a joke come do it yourself." Jeff exclaims.
Sonic leaps onto her back, clawing at the carabiner! Li Mei grabs his head and flips him onto his back! She turns him around and grasps his biner, but Sonic uses his force to push her back near the edge of the circle!
All the jury can do is whisper.
"Good reflexes." Matt whispers.
Mei snags his carabiner.
"..Ok he's still got the spirit."
While she tries to let him go, Sonic hangs on, and snatches her biner! Li notices it and starts lifting him! She walks towards the hook carrying a hedgehog and his item!
"The strength of that woman is underrated." Mac notes.
"She could have used that ages ago." Tremor points out.
"Doesn't make it any less nice to me."
She etches closer, but Sonic starts kicking the biner outta her hand! Her grip loosens and he slides out behind her! He rolls her up so she lands on her back…but she grips his arm and tries getting her biner back, but he starts dragging himself towards the hook behind him!
But she won't. Let. Go.
"She's a persistent one ain't she?" Kano asks.
"Won an endurance challenge for a reason." Tremor states.
He uses the last of his strength…
.
.
.
The hedgehog picks her up, and swings her to the side! She IMMEDIATELY jumps back up and goes for him..but he slides underneath her and hooks that biner on for a second time, sealing the deal!
"It's over, Sonic wins the tiebreaker!"
He takes a second to catch his breath, as the jury applauds the two. Even those who look like they don't want to be there. Gordon's smirking, while Kabal doesn't seem happy under the mask.
"Great…"
"Oh absolutely." Gordon can't help himself.
Li Mei gets to her feet, but Sonic approaches her. "That was really close. Eat like a Queen when you get there cause you deserve it after that fight," He offers a fist bump. She just stares at his glove for a second, but ultimately she bumps fists.
"I'll be over it later."
She walks right past him, and grabs her torch. She was a sportsman at the end of the day, however that sting is still with her. There's a chance she could have won this, and beaten Kabal at the Final Tribal Council. But one slide decided it all.
"Fifteen person eliminated, and the eighth member of our jury: Li Mei. Bring me your torch."
As she brings her torch to him, Kabal gets in her way. "It was nice doing business with you." She just nods. "Agreed." She says without much care, moving onto the chef. "Don't apologize. I understand why you chose to do this. Just hope it pays off."
"I am." he says with a stone face. Is that encouragement? A warning? Or both? Who knows.
She's said all she needs to, and finally gets to Jeff, who's raising his snuffer.
"You put up a great fight, but the tribe has spoken."
SNUFF…
"Time for you to go."
She leaves the set, and heads into the dark of night. Her under the radar strategy almost worked, but Gordon decided he didn't want to be third. Once she's gone, Jeff faces the last three castaways, and has some final words for them.
"We are down to the wire. You three have differing games and personalities, and I'm interested to see how that will impact the end of this game. Head back to camp, I'll see you tomorrow, where one of you will be cut right before the finals. Get some rest and fight hard." Jeff encourages, as the three grab their torches and leave the Tribal Council area.
The last challenge dawns on us, and if the final four immunity wasn't enough, this last one usually decides the game. Who will win it? Who will place third? All you can do is wait and find out.
Li Mei's Final Words
Li Mei: The fact Gordon was willing to save Sonic just to avoid getting picked off, tells me that idoling out Dee was a good move in retrospect. It upset Ramsay but he had no allies left, and knew me and Kabal were not splitting. Sonic must have had a better deal for him..I believe final two. Either one could ditch the deal, but it depends on how tomorrow plays out. As for Kabal, he needs to own his villainy, and take one of them out. It's a shame I'm not there to help, but life doesn't always go your way.
Confessional Count:
53– Sonic ( + 2)
51– Gordon ( + 3)
50– Kabal ( + 3)
Eliminated:
30– Li Mei ( + 3)
39– Bandana Waddle Dee
46– Matt
27– Luigi, Blu
33– Kano
22– Little Mac
19– Tremor
18– Toriel
12– Kristine, Monty Mole
10– Red
9– Infinite
5– Nelson, Claptrap
With that, Li Mei is done! I'd usually comment on how the strategy went, but she basically summed it up. She believes it's an optimal move for Gordon given his circumstances, but it's success depends on how these next couple days go. As for Sonic, he gets to live another day! That deal with Gordon really helped him out. Kabal though? Two of the three he wanted are gone, and Sonic had a role in both of those eliminations. Something tells me he won't be happy about that.
Besides that, a new character just dropped for Season 4! It's from Montgomery Gator (Monty) the FNAF series! This rockstar isn't gonna take anything from anybody as he packs his bags for…Borneo! The Season name itself isn't something like "Battle for Borneo" but another theme that'll be revealed soon!
Ticket out, see you next chapter!