…
Day 17
Quit Like Jimmy Johnson
Camp
Men: Joe, Killua, Kirito, Kyon, Spike
Women: Alice, Haruhi, Jasmine, Konata, Michiru, Mine, Misty
Everyone comes back from Tribal Council at midnight completely stunned by the result, Men and Women together.
"Wow," Kirito says.
"That was nuts," Joe says.
"What just happened?" Jasmine wonders.
"Their alliance beat ours, that's what!" Misty exclaims angrily. "They got the upper hand on us thanks to those advantages!"
"With Ami gone, we're doomed," Misty says. "It's three of us against four of them. Not even two idols could save us now. That stupid Idol Nullifier ruined our entire game!"
"Let me explain the finer details of last night's blindside," Alice says.
"No, don't," Killua says. "That's just going to put a target on your back."
"Go ahead," Michiru says. "I don't mind."
"Yeah, just let her say it," Konata says. "Everyone deserves to know!"
Misty shakes her head in resignation. "Fine, go ahead, Alice."
"Okay, so here's how it went," Alice says. "Mine had lost her vote, but then she bought a steal-a-vote. I had an extra vote, as did Haruhi and Konata. But these two over here…"
She points at Konata and Haruhi.
"…refused to go along with the plan. They were supposed to vote for you, Misty."
"Me?" Misty says.
"That's right," Mine says. "But instead, they went rogue and voted Michiru."
"And that's where the Idol Nullifier came into play," Alice says. "They put it on Ami because they knew she had to have one. The idea was, if one person was immune, then the other wouldn't be. So, if Michiru hadn't have played her Shot-in-the-Dark, she would have gone home."
"But because she did, and was immune, she's still in this game," Mine says.
"Wow, Ami was brilliant," Michiru says. "She told Jasmine and me to play it just in case."
"Ami being out of this game is heartbreaking," Michiru says. "I know how bad she wanted to win this game. She couldn't get past the finish line yet again, and now Haruhi has wrested away the record for most days played. I'm so sad for her."
"You guys played that perfectly," Alice says. "We just got lucky that Konata had the Idol Nullifier. Without it, we would be toast right now."
"I can't believe how close the JAM alliance was to getting their way," Alice says. "The Shot-in-the-Dark worked perfectly for them, and they had two idols to go along with them. But Konata had that Idol Nullifier, and because of that, the entire game has changed. Now, we have the power. We have our choice of which of those three goes home next."
"Well, that's it for me," Spike says. "I'm going to sleep."
"I really don't feel like playing this game anymore," Spike says. "I'd like to just go home before I die again. Dying kind of sucks and I feel as if it wouldn't be so fun the second time around."
The other players keep talking after Spike goes to the shelter to sleep.
"Are you all out of advantages?" Jasmine asks Alice. "Or do you have more up your sleeve?"
Alice chuckles. "If we were, do you really think I'd tell you?"
"Maybe."
"Sorry."
Jasmine laughs. "It was worth a shot."
"Alice is running this show," Jasmine says. "She's got total control over our entire tribe. She owns that alliance over there with herself, Mine, Haruhi, and Konata. And she now owns us, because we are only three to her four. And to top it off, she's got a friendship with Killua, who has the majority alliance in the Men tribe. In short, Alice is the queen of this game. And until someone overthrows the queen, things will just keep going her way."
Misty pulls Michiru aside.
"Do you think Ami bequeathed any Fire Tokens for us?" she asks. "Because if she did, we may yet have a chance in this game."
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow morning," Michiru replies.
"I really hope Ami gave us some Fire Tokens, or we're screwed," Michiru says. "We need to buy an advantage that will help us out of this sticky situation."
Before going to sleep, Killua manages to pull aside Alice.
"You did well," Killua says. "Now we both are a leg up in our alliances."
"That's right!" Alice replies. "But now we're exhausted of Fire Tokens."
"What does it matter, now?" Killua asks. "Aren't they out of Tokens too?"
Alice shakes her head. "I'm not sure. But if they have some, they can make a BIG MOVE and get back in this game."
"Well, let's assess things after the next immunity challenge," Killua says. "A lot can change between now and then."
"I'm trying to calm down Alice, who thinks that the other alliance is going to pull something off that ruins her alliance's leg-up in the game," Killua says. "But at the same time, I realize her fears are real – the others very well may have Fire Tokens. She's got to be careful, and if she isn't, I lose my best ally in this game."
That morning, Kirito and Joe start talking about what is coming up next.
"Are we going to still have reward challenges? Or will it just be immunity challenges the rest of the game?" Kirito says.
"Beats me," Joe says, putting his hands out. "All I know is, we gotta win."
"Yeah, I agree," Kirito says. "But I don't want any more of these charity cases where the Women just hand us a victory. I want to actually win one fair and square."
"I'm not used to losing, but that's all we've done out here," Kirito says. "And the losing has gotten so bad that the Women are literally just giving away immunity. It's kind of like how Pittsburgh Steelers fans think that the reason they lost Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers was because they just handed them the game. While that's not at all true, that's what they say. In the same vein, I don't want the Women to just hand us the game."
Later in the morning, Michiru wakes up and finds two extra Fire Tokens in her bag. She immediately goes over to Jasmine and Misty and wakes them up. They then scurry over to the jungle.
"I got two Fire Tokens!" she exclaims.
"I got one," Misty says.
"I got one too!" Jasmine says.
"So, how many does that put us with?" Misty asks.
"Let's see…" Michiru says. "I now have three."
"I've got two," Jasmine says.
"And I have two as well," Misty says. "We put them together, that's seven."
"Do you have your Fire Token Menu with you?" Michiru asks. "I left mine in the shelter."
"Yeah, I have it," Jasmine says, pulling it out of her pocket. "Let's see… for seven Tokens we can get Safety Without Power… or steal-a-vote."
"We've got to steal a vote!" Michiru replies. "That would flip the vote from 4-3 them to 4-3 us!"
"Excellent thinking," Jasmine says.
"But who's going to buy it?" Misty asks.
"Michiru has the most Tokens, so she should buy it," Jasmine says.
"Okay," says Misty.
Michiru walks over to a producer and hands him all seven Fire Tokens. The producer hands her back a piece of parchment with a paper with the rules to the steal-a-vote along with it.
"'This entitles you to steal a vote from any player you choose,'" Michiru says, reading the note. "'It may not be used once your tribe is down to four people.' Okay, I've got to use this right away. I have no more Shot-in-the-Dark to keep me safe. I will use it in the next vote. The question is, who will I use it against, and will we be headed to Tribal Council or not?"
Alice tries talking to Killua, only to find herself interrupted by Mine.
"So, whatcha talking about?" Mine asks.
"What do you think?" Alice replies. "Strategy, of course!"
"We were particularly talking about getting you out of the game," Killua says.
"What?!" Mine exclaims. "You two are a bunch of-"
"Relax, I'm joking," Killua says. "We were simply talking about what a good BIG MOVE the two of you made last night."
"Yeah," Alice says. "In fact, you were the catalyst for making it happen. You convinced me to vote out Ami when it could have easily been a different player."
"Eh, I was just lucky," Mine says.
"That could really help your resumé at the end of the game," Killua says.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Mine replies.
"Now that I made a BIG MOVE by helping taking out Ami, there's a large target on my back," Mine says. "I'm sure that even Alice is contemplating taking me out. If they're talking resumé, then they're thinking I'm a threat to win it all. I've got to make sure that Alice doesn't pretend she's Brutus and stab me to death."
"Mine and Alice are a power pair," Killua says. "Fortunately, I don't have to worry about them, since they're on the other tribe, and the only way they prove a problem is if my tribe gets dissolved. But I've got to split them up and get Alice out so I can get her to win me over votes at the Final Three. If that means helping the JAM alliance, so be it, Jedi."
Spike and Kyon, though, aren't talking BIG MOVES or strategy at all.
"I'm ready to go home," Spike says.
"Why?" Kyon asks.
"It sucks being out here. Plus, I died. If I have to die one more time, I'm going to kill myself."
"Don't use that type of language."
"Hey, you haven't died lately, have you? It's not a pleasant experience."
"I understand, but-"
"No, you've never died, so you wouldn't know."
"But if you go home, I go home right after you."
"Too bad."
"No, I refuse to accept that fate. You can't just up and quit now."
"I can quit like Jimmy Johnson. I can ask for everyone to vote for me."
"Whatever."
"Spike wants to quit, which is so stupid," Kyon says. "But if he chooses to quit the same way Jimmy Johnson did, it opens things up with my extra vote. Should the three of them vote Spike, then I use my extra vote and it's 3-3. We revote, and my two votes go up against their two votes. Then we can pick rocks. That's much preferable to having Spike exit the game and for me to me the next one out."
Immunity Challenge
"Come on in, guys!"
The twelve remaining players walk into the immunity challenge area.
"You guys ready to get to today's immunity challenge?"
"Of course!" Haruhi exclaims.
"First things first, I will take it back."
Killua hands over the Ranma idol to Jet. "See you soon," he says.
"'See you soon,' he says," Jet says. "We'll soon see about that. Once again, immunity is back up for grabs. For today's challenge, you will be playing each other in a game of team handball. This particular sport isn't so popular outside of Europe, but it is one of the most fun sports in the Olympics. The rules are simple: your goal is to throw the ball into your opponent's net, but you may not enter the restricted area in front of the goalie. You may pass it all you like, but no kicking of the ball as in soccer. First tribe to score 10 goals, wins immunity, safe from tonight's Tribal Council. Losers, Tribal Council, where one of you will be the next person eliminated from this game. In addition, you are playing for reward. Wanna know what you're playing for?"
"Absolutely!" Misty exclaims.
Jet pulls out a bunch of envelopes, along with some Fire Tokens.
"The winning tribe will be taken to the Sanctuary, where good things happen," Jet states. "There, you will get to read letters from home, while enjoying a nice lunch. Hot dogs, french fries, baked beans, and lemonade. In addition, each player on the winning tribe receives one Fire Token."
Some of the players shed tears hearing that they have the chance to win letters from home. Others are pumped up and excited.
"Worth playing for?" Jet asks.
"Yes!" Kirito shouts.
"Now, about the Medallion of Power," Jet says. "Since the Women won the last challenge, even though they gave immunity to the Men, the option to buy the Medallion of Power goes to the Men first."
"I don't think we have enough Tokens for it," Joe says.
"Neither do we," Michiru says.
"Very well then. Women, you have two extra players, you must sit out two people, and you cannot sit out the same people in back-to-back challenges. That means Ami, Jasmine, and Michiru may not sit out."
The Women discuss it with each other, then come to a conclusion.
"I'll sit out," Alice says, raising her hand.
"Same," Mine says.
"Very well then, sit-outs take a spot on the bench. I'll give you a minute to strategize, then we'll get it on!"
The players take their spots on the court. Kyon is back in net as the goaltender for the Men, with Spike and Joe on the wings and Killua and Kirito up front. As for the Women, Misty is the goaltender, Jasmine and Michiru are on the wings, and Haruhi and Konata are in the front.
"Men get the ball first! Survivors ready? Go!"
Killua takes the ball and passes over to Kirito. Kirito looks for a shot, but ends up passing to Joe. Joe goes back to Kirito, who throws it back to Killua. Spike looks disinterested, so Killua chooses to try a shot instead of passing to him. His shot goes off Misty's foot, and Michiru gathers the ball for her tribe.
"Men waste an opportunity to score!"
Michiru passes to Haruhi, who passes to Konata. Konata takes a good look at taking a shot, but she decides to pass it back to Haruhi. Haruhi then throws it as hard as she can at Kyon.
"The ball goes off Kyon's face… and into the net! It's a goal for the Women! 1-0!"
Kyon gets the ball out of his net, frustrated about getting hit in the face by Haruhi. He throws it over to Joe, who then passes to Kirito. Kirito looks at taking a shot, but he again passes over to Killua. Again, Spike appears to be napping, so Killua goes for a shot himself.
"This shot misses as well! Ball goes back to the Women!"
Michiru passes to Konata, who tosses it over to Jasmine. Jasmine passes it over to Haruhi, who passes to Konata. Konata then takes a jumping shot.
"Goal! Women up 2-0!"
Kyon gives the ball to Kirito. He tries jumping and shooting, but at the last second he passes the ball away to Joe. Joe then gives it a shot.
"Joe's shot… misses!"
Michiru grabs the ball and passes to Jasmine. As Kirito and Killua try putting pressure on her, she passes it over to Haruhi. Haruhi then goes to Konata, who shoots.
"Sheeeeeeeeee shoots and scores! It's now 3-0 in favor of the Women!"
Kyon angrily tosses the ball to Kirito. With Haruhi bearing down on him, he gives the ball to Joe. Joe then leaps and shoots.
"It goes in! Joe scores the first point for the Men! It's 3-1!"
Misty gets the ball out of the net and passes to Michiru. She passes over to Konata, who fakes a shot but passes to Haruhi. Haruhi avoids being blocked by Kirito as she shoots into the bottom corner of the net.
"Score! 4-1 Women!"
Frustratedly, Kyon gives the ball to Joe. Joe tries shooting from long range, but his shot goes just wide of the net.
"Good try by Joe there, but not good enough!"
Misty picks up the ball and tosses it to Jasmine. She then tosses it over to Haruhi. Haruhi threatens to jump-shoot, but at the last second she passes it over to Konata. Konata then skillfully puts yet another ball in the net.
"This is ridiculous! 5-1 Women!"
Killua takes the ball from Kyon. He passes to Kirito, then calls for the ball immediately back to him. Kirito obliges, and Killua shoots.
"Scooooore! The Men are again on the board, trailing 5-2!"
Misty passes to Michiru, who gives it to Jasmine. Jasmine fakes a shot, before passing it over to Konata. Kirito is all over Konata, and Killua is all over Haruhi. So, Konata passes the ball back to Jasmine, who then takes a shot.
"It's good! And it's 6-2 in favor of the Women!"
Kirito gets the ball from Kyon, and he passes over to Joe. Joe fakes a pass over to Killua and instead takes a shot. Misty's eyes follow Killua for a split-second – just enough time for Joe to strike.
"Joe got it! That makes it 6-3."
Misty passes it over to Michiru, who gets the ball to Haruhi. Avoiding Killua's pressure, Haruhi puts a shot on goal, but this time, Kyon saves it.
"Nice save there by Kyon!"
Kyon passes over to Spike, but Spike isn't paying attention. It hits him!
"Ooh…" Spike says, as the ball bounces off his face.
Killua quickly scurries over to the ball and picks it up. He throws it across the court to Joe, who passes to Kirito. Kirito leaps into the air and shoots, and the ball goes past Misty's left foot.
"Another goal for the Men! It's 6-4."
Misty passes to Haruhi, and she dribbles the ball over to Konata. Both of them put their hands on the ball at once.
"What are they doing?" Joe wonders.
Suddenly, both players pull away, and Kyon can't catch which one of them has the ball. He guesses Haruhi, but is dead wrong, as Konata has the ball and fires it past him.
"A goal! 7-4, Women."
Kyon tosses the ball over to Kirito. This time, Kirito doesn't look to pass it. He simply dribbles it up the court and fires it right at the net.
"Misty does NOT make the save! It goes in! 7-5 now!"
Misty gets the ball out of her net, and she passes to Michiru. Michiru tosses it over to Jasmine, who hands it off to Konata. Konata fakes a shot, then passes to Haruhi. She shoots.
"Haruhi… MISSES!"
Haruhi pouts as Kyon picks up the ball and throws it to Kirito. Joe takes a pass from Kirito, and he then gets the ball to Killua, who shoots.
"Killua… MAKES IT! It's now 7-6!"
Misty fishes the ball out of her net and tosses it all the way to Haruhi. Haruhi jumps, fakes a pass to Konata, then releases the ball at the last moment before hitting the ground. The ball bounces right by Kyon's right foot and into the net.
"Another goal for the Women! They're up 8-6!"
Killua gets the ball from Kyon, and he passes it to Joe. Joe passes over to Kirito, who passes back to Killua. Killua dribbles the ball and looks over at Spike, who seems nonchalant and out of focus. Angry at Spike's decision to quit on his tribe, Killua throws the ball at the goal with all his might. It ends up bouncing off Misty's side and spinning into the net.
"Men still in this thing! It's 8-7!"
Misty passes the ball out to Jasmine, and she tries passing to Haruhi. However, Killua jumps in the path of the pass and intercepts it. He then takes three steps before firing the ball at Misty. Stunned by the quick change, Misty isn't ready for the shot, and it blazes by her.
"An interception by Killua, and the score is tied, 8-8! What a comeback!"
Jasmine takes the ball from Misty, and she tosses it over to Michiru. Michiru is more careful than Jasmine was with her last pass, as she bounce passes it over to Haruhi. Haruhi gives it to Konata, and she fires at the goal.
"No goal! That shot was way off target!"
Kyon pump fakes a short throw to Joe, causing Haruhi and Konata both to stop. He then launches a long pass down the court to Kirito, who has broken open. Kirito takes three steps, then fires his shot at Misty.
"It's good! This is amazing! The Men were once down by four, but now they're up, 9-8! One more goal will do it!"
Misty throws the ball long to Haruhi, hoping that Haruhi will try a quick shot. Haruhi instead pulls up and passes over to Konata. Konata fakes throwing a pass over to Michiru, then shoots at Kyon.
"Kyon… makes the save! The Men are going to have a chance to win this!"
Kyon passes to Joe, who tosses it over to Killua. Killua fakes a shot, then passes over to Kirito. Kirito pump fakes, then throws back to Killua. He looks over at Spike, who looks totally disinterested.
"You want this?" he asks.
"No," Spike replies. "You do the work."
"Fine, whatever," Killua says.
As he is speaking, Haruhi grabs the ball out of his hand and charges down the court toward Kyon. She shoots at his right side.
"Haruhi…"
…
…
…
…
…
"…misses the net!"
"Why did you miss the net?" Konata complains to Haruhi.
As Haruhi pouts and Konata complains, Kyon throws long for Kirito. Kirito catches the ball and fakes a pass to Killua. He then fires a shot at the Women's net.
"Kirito…"
…
…
…
…
…
"…has his shot saved by Misty! This game is still alive!"
However, once Misty tries passing it in to Jasmine, Killua deflects the pass and gains possession. He then passes over to Kirito, who has a second chance to win it.
"Kirito can win it right here!"
…
…
…
…
…
"He does NOT…"
…
…
…
…
…
"…miss! He makes the shot! And that's it! Men win immunity!"
Killua leaps into Kirito's arms, and Joe joins the celebratory hug. Kyon rushes out of net, clapping his hands. Spike simply smiles, not saying anything. Meanwhile, Alice and Mine shake their heads at Haruhi and Konata, while Misty punches the ground in frustration.
"Congratulations," Jet says. "This is for you, Kirito. You made the game-winning shot, you get to hold on to immunity."
He hands over the Ranma immunity idol to Kirito, who hugs it warmly.
"You are safe at tonight's Tribal Council. You'll get to sit in the peanut gallery and eat some peanuts, while you watch the Women vote someone else out. Oh, and this…"
Jet pulls out the letters from home for the Men, as well as five Fire Tokens.
"You'll get to read these at the Sanctuary," Jet says. "Head on out, a boat is waiting to take you to the place where good things happen."
Killua, Kirito, and Joe give each other high-fives, while Kyon claps. Spike shakes his head while laughing, as the five of them walk out of the immunity challenge area.
"As for you, Women, you are going to vote someone out tonight, only a night after giving up immunity. You'd better have your answers ready for Tribal Council tonight, because you know I'm going to pepper you with questions about that. One of you will be voted out; you've got tonight to figure out who that's gonna be. I'll see you tonight for Tribal."
The Women walk out of the immunity challenge in frustration.
"We should have never given up immunity yesterday," Misty says. "Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but that was a huge mistake. Now we go to Tribal Council down four to three and we don't know what advantages the other alliance may have. We may have sealed our own fate."
Sanctuary
Men: Joe, Killua, Kirito, Kyon, Spike
The players arrive at the Sanctuary and immediately go over to the table of food. There, they begin stuffing their faces full of food. Killua goes after the baked beans, Joe the French fries, and Kirito the hot dogs. Kyon takes a large drink of lemonade, while Spike goes around taking a bit of everything.
"Yeah, I know I gave up on my tribe," Spike says. "But come on, it's been depressing losing all these times. I didn't expect that we could actually win a challenge fair and square."
"The way Spike gave up on us in this challenge… absolutely brutal," Killua says. "Yet I'm not so sure we should even vote him out next. I think Kyon is scheming and working with Haruhi and Konata. I think he's a bigger threat. Spike may be trying to get us to vote him out, as part of some strategy that involves Fire Tokens. I'm not going to eat that bait."
"So, what do you think about the Women's strategy of giving up immunity yesterday?" Kirito asks his tribemates. "Not looking so smart today, is it?"
"I'm not celebrating anything," Kyon says. "I feel as if anything that happens is some sort of plan by Haruhi who always gets what she wants."
"But she doesn't always get what she wants, because she's never won in three tries," Joe says.
"Believe me, I go to school with her," Kyon says. "She always gets what she wants. Even when it doesn't look like it."
"My plans of winning this game rest in Haruhi's hands," Kyon says. "I know that my fate lies with her. I've got to hope that she wants to help me. Even if she gets voted out, there's some sort of reason for it."
"I think we need to figure out the best way for one of us to win, rather than scheme against each other," Kirito says. "What do you think is the best way to do that?"
"Get three of us in the Final Three," Killua answers.
"Besides that," Kirito says.
"You know, it doesn't matter much to me," Spike says. "I'm ready to quit this game anyway."
"Quit? After making it this far?" Joe says.
"That's right, I'm sick of this game," Spike says. "Who cares about the 100 million Woolongs? I shouldn't have accepted the invitation to come back in this game. I want to go out like Jimmy Johnson. Everyone, please vote for me."
"As you wish," Kirito says.
Killua, though, looks at Spike suspiciously.
"There's a reason he's doing this," Killua says. "There's a method to his madness. He's doing this on purpose. He wants us to vote for him, because of either an idol or some other advantage. I'm not that dumb, I wasn't born yesterday. No one plays half the game and then quits. Well, unless you're Purple Kelly."
After the players are finished eating, they all grab their letters from home and read them privately.
"Dear Joe, this is your beautiful and perfect wife speaking," Joe reads. "I've become so bored from beating everyone at the Pokémon League that I've got the itch to play your game again. So, tell Jet that the next time there are returning players, I'm in. Our daughter Synneva is healthy and slowly learning the ropes toward becoming a Pokémon trainer. In due time, she'll be as good as you! But not as good as me, of course. I miss you and can't wait to see you again, but only if you win the million. If not, don't bother coming home. Just kidding! I love you! Love, Giselle."
Joe breaks down in tears after reading his letter.
"Giselle… I love her so much," Joe says. "She's my reason for being out here. She always pushes me to be better. She is the catalyst to my success. And I want to take care of our daughter Synneva, so I want to win money out here playing this game. I'm not so sure Giselle could ever win this game… she rubs people the wrong way. But I'm playing for her. I want that million bucks just so I can present her with that check. And she'll claim that she earned it! Oh, I love her so, so much."
Killua has several letters to read, coming from Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Canary. He has a hard time keeping himself from crying after reading them.
"Gon and I went through a lot together," Killua says. "To see his encouraging words, it makes me feel like I have a second wind. Leorio and Kurapika also sent their best wishes. And Canary… no one knows that we're in love, but we are. It's so special to read her letter to me. This all gives me more motivation to go out and win this game."
Kirito also breaks down after reading letters from Asuna and Suguha.
"Asuna and I have a special bond," Kirito says. "One day we will get married, but until then, I've got to provide for us, and that means winning this game. Suguha, or Leafa, my cousin, knows all about this game. She played this game and got to the very end. She then lost in a tiebreaking vote to Leone at the finish. Both of them mean a ton to me. It's very special getting to read their kind words."
Kyon, meanwhile, laughs when reading his letter from his little sister.
"Dear Big Brother," Kyon says. "You are such an idiot. You think you can win a game with Haruhi playing? Come on, get serious. You'll never win against her. She would never allow it. Oh, well, silly brother, you're just going to get voted out soon. And when you do, you can come home and pet our cat Shamisen. Sincerely, Your Imouto."
Kyon can't stop laughing after reading it out loud.
"My imouto, she's something else," Kyon says. "Somehow Haruhi adopted her as her sister too. I'll never be able to get rid of her. I guess her support is better than none, isn't it?"
Spike, however, isn't too fond of his letter.
"Hey deadbolt, you owe me two million Woolongs," he reads. "Stop ducking me and pay up. Oh, and buy me a pack of cigarettes. Yours truly, Faye Valentine."
Spike rips up the letter after finishing reading it.
"And people wonder why I want to quit," he says.
Camp
Women: Alice, Haruhi, Jasmine, Konata, Michiru, Mine, Misty
The remaining members of the JAM alliance discuss what they should do with Michiru's steal-a-vote.
"Who are we using this on?" Misty says.
"Either Mine or Alice," Michiru says. "Those two are the big threats."
"I agree," Jasmine says. "But which one?"
"I say Alice," Misty says. "She seems to be the mastermind behind that operation."
"I don't know," Michiru says. "Mine was the one who really made the push to take out Ami. She might be more dangerous."
"We've got to make up our minds," Jasmine says. "And we've got to be wary that one of them might have an idol."
"In that case," Misty says, "we might want to steal the vote off one of them, then vote for the other one. Because they're going to figure that we're going to steal the vote from the one we want out."
"Brilliant!" Michiru says. "That might be our way of avoiding an idol."
"But what if they don't fall for our trap?" Jasmine asks.
"In that case, we're screwed either way," Misty says.
"We are trying our best to figure out how to trick Alice and Mine into using their idol incorrectly," Misty says. "Of course, we don't even know if they have an idol. But if they do, we have got to make sure they use it incorrectly. And that requires some sleight of hand in this vote."
Alice, though, seems pretty confident about what to do.
"The main threat is Misty," Alice says. "She took over as the brains of their operation once Ami left."
"I think you're right, but what if they have an advantage of some sort?" Mine says. "Wouldn't that be enough to get one of us out?"
"If it is, there's nothing we can do about it anyway," Alice says. "We have no Fire Tokens to speak of."
"So we just resign ourselves to that fate?" Mine asks.
"No, no, no," Alice says. "Instead, we pretend that one of us has an idol. That may cause them to split their votes in fear that our idol will cancel them out."
"I get it," Mine says. "But I don't think it's going to work unless we have a fake idol on hand."
Mine calls over Haruhi and Konata.
"What do you want?" Konata asks.
"Go make us a fake idol," Mine says.
"With what?" Haruhi asks.
"I don't know, just go make one," Mine says.
"We could really use it to throw off JAM," Alice says.
"Okay, whatever, we'll do it," Konata says.
"I have no idea why Mine wants us to make a fake idol, but Haruhi and I are pretty skilled," Konata says. "We can make a facsimile idol in no time."
So, Haruhi and Konata head off into the jungle, trying to make an idol.
"Ooh, ooh, use this!" Konata says, finding some flowers.
"And I'll use this," Haruhi says, putting together some pebbles and mud.
Haruhi and Konata work together to create a crude-looking idol that looks like a stick with grass as hair, pebbles as eyes, and flowers as arms and legs.
"This is a masterpiece!" Konata claims.
"We're going to fool them good with this fake idol," Konata says. "This is going to work like a charm!"
That's when the Men walk back to camp, coming back from their time in the Sanctuary.
"What's up?" Killua says.
"We're back," Kirito says.
"Did you enjoy those letters?" Michiru asks the Men. "I really wish I had gotten the opportunity to hear from Haruka."
"Yes, it was special," Joe says. "I'm sorry you couldn't have gotten yours, but I really needed to hear from my wife Giselle."
"It's okay," Michiru replies. "I'm happy for you."
"I really wanted to win today so I could connect with Haruka," Michiru says. "She means everything to me. But after seeing Joe look so happy coming back to camp, I feel as if I can't complain. He probably needed it more than I did."
"Oh, and who did you hear from?" Alice asks Killua, giving him a noogie. "Your girlfriend?"
Killua blushes with embarrassment. "Maybe," he says.
"How about you, Kyon?" Haruhi asks. "Did someone write you that's better than me?"
Kyon sighs. "My imouto wrote me."
"Oh, Little Sister!" Haruhi exclaims. "I want to hang out with her the next time I see her!"
"Your wish is my command," Kyon says with resignation.
"Kyon's imouto is a good friend of mine!" Haruhi says. "I love going on adventures with her. It's too bad we didn't win that challenge, because maybe she wrote a letter to me too!"
Michiru, Misty, and Jasmine meet each other one last time before Tribal Council.
"Okay, we've got to make a decision as to who to steal from, and who to vote out," Michiru says.
"I say steal from Alice and vote out Mine," Jasmine says.
"No, the opposite," Misty says. "Alice is the true mastermind over there."
"Maybe we should steal from either Haruhi and Konata," Michiru suggests. "Throw them off our scent."
"I'm not sure," Jasmine says.
"How about this," Misty says. "I'll signal one way or the other at Tribal Council. We'll base it on what the other alliance says to Jet. Who knows? Maybe they might blow their cover."
"Excellent idea," Michiru says.
"Misty has a great plan, wait on the other alliance to make the wrong move," Michiru says. "Then, if they're not careful, they might tip their hand. And that's all we need – one small misstep. But if we play this wrong, we are going to be Pagonged."
Tribal Council
(Women)
The seven remaining Women walk into the Tribal Council area holding their torches. As they set them down in their place, the Men take their seats in the peanut gallery and start helping themselves to the bucket of peanuts.
"We now bring in the first member of our jury," Jet states. "Ami Mizuno, voted out last Tribal Council."
Ami walks in and takes her seat, smiling warmly at Misty, Michiru, and Jasmine.
"All right, let's talk about how much this game has changed," Jet says. "For starters, we are now at the jury portion of the game. That means, every single person here has a say in who the winner of this game is. Misty, how important is that?"
"It's obviously big," Misty says. "The question is, will this be a kind jury or a bitter jury? If it's like an old season of Survivor, everyone in the jury will be at our throats. But if it's like a 'new era' season of Survivor, then all the jurors are going to be buddy-buddy with the Final Three and just vote for whoever has the best sob story."
"And what kind of jury do you expect it to be?" Jet asks.
"That depends on who's on the jury and who's in the Final Three," Misty replies.
"Mine, it's no secret that you played a role in sending Ami to the jury," Jet states. "Are you worried that she could end up poisoning the rest of the jury against you?"
"I'm not even thinking about the Final Three yet," Mine responds. "What I've got to be concerned about is this vote tonight, right here and now."
"And how concerned are you about this vote?"
"Isn't it obvious? I think everyone here is very nervous about what's going to happen. There's no one who's overconfident here."
"Is that true, Alice?"
"Somewhat," Alice says. "I think there is reason for some of us to feel more comfortable than others."
"And who would that be?"
"Anyone who has an idol, naturally."
"Konata, you concerned about who's got an idol?"
"Who wouldn't be?" Konata replies. "We know that one idol can blow the game open. We saw that happen at the last Tribal Council. We don't know who has one or who has some sort of nullifier or who has some other sort of advantage. We're just trying to play smart."
"And how do you play smart, Jasmine?"
"We have to make sure we make the right move," Jasmine says. "We have to try to read others' moves based off whatever we can get from them. It's like a high stakes game of poker."
"You ever play poker?"
Jasmine chuckles. "No, not me."
"Haruhi, you look like someone who's played poker," Jet says. "Can you read the faces of those who aren't in your alliance?"
Haruhi laughs. "I can read Kyon's face pretty well, I can tell you that!" she says. "But part of poker is not revealing what you know and what you don't. So, even if I could, would I tell you?"
Jet laughs along with her. "Hey, I'm legally required to ask these questions, even if they're stupid. Now, let's talk about something else that came into play big-time last Tribal Council, the Shot-in-the-Dark. Michiru and Jasmine used theirs, so they can't use that again. Michiru, you became the first person in Survivor history to earn immunity with your Shot-in-the-Dark. But now you know you're not safe. How big of a disadvantage is that?"
"It's tough," Michiru says. "As fun as it was to escape last night, I know that every other night is going to be a grind. I'm going to be at risk every time. But I look forward to casting my vote. That's one thing I am glad to still have; my vote can change the outcome."
"Jasmine, you wasted your Shot-in-the-Dark last time, and now you don't have it for the rest of the game. How does that feel?"
"First of all, I didn't waste it," Jasmine replies. "I merely used it and it didn't work out. It was worth the shot. What happened at Tribal Council was something that we couldn't imagine happening; we had no idea that they had an idol nullifier. From now on, I've got to be at risk, but I also get to vote every time. I think the only person who regrets using it is someone who gets voted out by one vote that they could have cast. We haven't had that yet."
"Interesting," Jet states. "Mine, it's no secret that your alliance 'won' the last Tribal Council. But does that mean you're going to win this one, too?"
"Of course not," Mine replies. "We know that there are Fire Tokens and advantages floating around in this game. We don't know who has an idol and who has a nullifier and who has an extra vote and so on. We have got to be careful no matter which way this goes."
Konata then pulls the fake idol out of her pocket.
"Oh, just wanted to let you know, I've got this," Konata says. "I figured it might be a good idea to let everybody know."
Misty makes a signal with her hands to Jasmine and Michiru after Konata says this.
"Konata, you're just going to give away that you've got an idol, after all this talk of poker faces?" Jet says. "This doesn't make any sense."
"It's not a bluff if you've got a royal flush," Konata replies. "And I've got the Ace and King of Spades."
"But how can you make certain that someone else doesn't have better cards, or that the community cards don't favor you?" Jet says. "There was a famous poker player who managed to win with a 10-2, and he was the greatest ever. Sometimes there are hands that are full of 10s and 2s instead of Aces and Kings."
"Hey, I'm pretty confident," Konata says. "And if I feel like it, I'll play this for myself or for Haruhi."
"What about Mine or Alice?"
"We'll see… maybe."
Misty makes another signal with her hands to Jasmine and Michiru.
"Mine, does it offend you that Konata isn't offering you her idol?"
"Why should it?" Mine replies. "It's her idol. I don't care what she does with it. If she chose to use it on me, I wouldn't mind."
Jet throws his hands up. "This all seems counterproductive! People with idols are giving away that they have them. People without idols are fine with them not being used on them. The only thing that could make this stranger if someone gave up individual immunity!"
"Fortunately, we don't have that this season," Alice says. "But if I did, I'd give it up right now."
"You feel that confident?" Jet asks.
"Absolutely," Alice replies.
"How about you, Misty?" Jet asks. "Are you confident enough that you'd give up individual immunity if you had it?"
"That's stupid talk," Misty replies. "There isn't any individual immunity in this game. I don't need to worry about using it or not because it's not even an option. I'm not going to get myself all weighed down in hypotheticals."
Jet chuckles. "Well, someone's playing poker over here," he says. "With that, it is… time to vote."
"Wait a minute!" Michiru exclaims.
Alice and Mine's eyes go wide when they see Michiru scurry over to Jet.
"I have this steal-a-vote advantage," she says. "I want to use it on…"
She pauses and looks over at Misty, who makes a hand signal to her.
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"Alice."
Alice gasps, while Ami claps her hands from the jury area. Up in the peanut gallery, Killua nearly chokes on a peanut.
"Very well then," Jet states. "Alice, you will not vote. Michiru, you will vote twice. Here's the extra piece of parchment. It is… time to vote, and since Alice can't vote, you're up first, Haruhi."
The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as the contestants go over to vote.
Haruhi goes to vote.
Jasmine goes to vote.
Konata goes to vote.
Michiru goes to vote, and she places in two votes.
"I really hope you're right on this one, Misty," Michiru says. "If you're wrong, we're in deep trouble."
Mine goes to vote.
Misty goes to vote.
"I'll go tally the votes," Jet states.
Jet walks over to the voting booth and grabs the voting urn, then returns to his podium.
"If anyone has an advantage or an idol, and you would like to play it, now would be the time to do so."
Konata holds out her idol, but doesn't budge from her seat.
"Okay. Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately. I'll read the votes."
Jet pulls out the first vote.
"First vote… Misty."
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"Misty. Two votes Misty."
Misty nods her head, but says nothing.
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"Misty. That's three votes Misty."
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"Mine."
Mine does a double-take as she sees her name.
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"Mine."
Mine shakes her head, while Alice puts her hand on her shoulder to try to console her.
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"Mine. We're tied, three votes Misty, three votes Mine, one vote left."
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"Ninth person eliminated from Survivor: Crazy Game Changers, and the second member of our jury…"
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"Mine."
"%&$# it!" Mine says. Alice pats her on the shoulder to try to comfort her. Ami claps her hands from the jury area.
"I'm sorry," Alice says.
"Not your fault," Mine says.
"It was a pleasure playing with you," Alice tells her. "I hope I made up for my %$*#&-y behavior last time."
"You did," Mine says. "Go win this thing."
She grabs her torch and brings it over to Jet.
"Mine, the tribe has spoken," Jet says, snuffing out her torch. "It's time for you to go."
Mine trots out of Tribal Council, and since she has no Fire Tokens remaining, the camera remains with Jet.
"From what has happened the last two Tribal Councils, I think there's only one thing to say," Jet says. "Two words: game on. Grab your torches, head back to camp, good night."
The six remaining Women go over to grab their torches, before heading on out.
"Yeah, this sucks," Mine says. "I had designs on going the whole way. I guess those Fire Tokens are extremely dangerous. Maybe we shouldn't have thrown that challenge yesterday. In any case, I'll be watching the rest of the Tribal Councils carefully. Someone's going to pay for voting me out."
Who voted for whom:
Alice – No vote
Haruhi – Misty
Jasmine – Mine
Konata – Misty
Michiru – Mine (her vote), Mine (Alice's vote)
Mine – Misty
Misty – Mine
Scenes from our next episode:
The Men look to pull even with the Women in numbers… Alice looks to get revenge for Mine's ousting… and the Women look poised again for a deadlock.