…
Day 23
I Threw That Challenge Today
Camp
Men: Killua, Kyon
Women: Alice, Jasmine, Konata, Michiru
"Hashtag #wow," is the first thing that Konata says as the players make it back to camp.
"So, Killua is apparently playing both sides of this game," Konata says. "He's a clever mastermind who will dispose of anyone as he sees fit. I've got to make sure he doesn't make it to the end."
Alice is similarly disturbed.
"I haven't figured out a way of getting Killua out of this game," she says. "And now it's probably too late. I'm going to have to hope he loses the fire-making challenge, assuming we Women win once again. If he wins that challenge, then he's coming over here, and I just know he'll pull one over on me and get me ousted. Man, I probably blew it already!"
That morning, Alice and Killua have their daily strategy talk.
"There's not going to be many more of these talks," Alice says to Killua.
"You're telling me," Killua says. "Soon we'll be competing with each other, seeing how bad my tribe is at immunity challenges."
"How good are you at making fire?" Alice asks.
"No sweat," Killua replies. "I'm an assassin, remember? I have to be ready for any and all situations. I could easily survive out here 39 days without any help from Survivor production. I fully expect to win the fire-making challenge. But… just in case…"
He pulls out the machete and some flint and starts trying to make fire.
"… I might as well get some practice in."
"You ought to throw the immunity challenge, then," Alice says.
"Why would I do that?" Killua replies.
"So we can team up!" Alice exclaims. "We could make an alliance of three against two, and then you'd be ensured of making the Final Three."
"But wouldn't I be just as assured of making it if my tribe keeps winning immunity challenges?"
"Think about it, Albino! You and I together are unstoppable!"
"And that's what I'm afraid of, and you are too," Killua says. "Neither of us wants to go up against the other in the Final Three. That Tribal Council will be a nightmare."
"Well, think about it," Alice says. "And if you decide to throw it, let me know."
"Sure thing."
"Alice wants me to throw the immunity challenge, because it helps her in the numbers," Killua says. "The problem with that is that I've got to win a fire-making challenge just to stay in the game, and while I have the upper hand, it's not a guaranteed victory."
"If Killua thinks about it, he will realize that throwing the immunity challenge is the right move," Alice says. "I'm sure he'd have no trouble winning the fire-making challenge. Then I could get the upper hand on Jasmine and Michiru! But then I'd backstab him the first chance I'd get. That's the only way to win, and I'm here to win, not to place second!"
In the early afternoon, Jasmine talks to Michiru about what happened in the previous night's Tribal Council.
"We're in a bad spot," Jasmine says.
"Yeah, I know," Michiru says. "Two vs. two means we'll go to rocks."
"No, no," Jasmine says. "What I mean is, if the Men lose the next immunity challenge, then they go to fire. And the winner of that challenge comes over here to our tribe."
"Oh, I get it!" Michiru replies. "If Killua comes over, he aligns with Alice."
"Right," Jasmine says. "And if Kyon comes over, he aligns with Konata."
"So, we're actually in a worse position if we win than rather if we lose," Michiru says.
"Exactly," Jasmine says. "Which is why we need to throw the challenge."
"Throw it?" Michiru says.
"That's right, throw it," Jasmine says. "We have got to make sure we don't win, because if we do, Kyon or Killua's coming over to give Alice and Konata a 3-2 advantage… and there's no Fire Tokens to save us."
"I'm trying my best to figure out how to win this game, not just to survive one vote," Jasmine says. "I'd rather take my chances with rocks than allow Killua or Kyon to come over and wreak havoc as they please. I'm going to make sure we lose this challenge, whatever it may be."
Killua, meanwhile, goes over to treemail and retrieves something. He comes back to the rest of the camp holding it in the air.
"What is it?" Konata asks. "I want to see!"
"It's tennis rackets!" Killua replies. "We've got four here, so we can practice swinging!"
Killua hands one over to Kyon, then one over to Jasmine.
"You sat out the last challenge, so you're gonna have to compete in this one," he says. "Michiru, you want the other one?"
"Sure," Michiru says.
"Yeah, I'll sit out this challenge," Alice says. "So will Konata."
"Aw, but I wanted to play!" Konata says.
"Go ahead, go practice!" Alice tells the other four.
The four players then go into a grassy field and start hitting some tennis balls around that Killua also got in the treemail.
"We've got to practice for this challenge," Michiru says. "Whether or not we'll throw it, that's another thing to discuss. But we will at least see if we can learn this game on the fly. I know I'm not the best tennis player; I wish Alice had chosen to play."
The players practice hitting balls to each other, with Kyon pairing with Jasmine and Killua pairing with Michiru.
"This is actually fun!" Michiru says. "I'm not very good at this, but I'm learning a lot from Killua. He's a natural at this game! I'm worried that he's going to be too much to defeat. Of course, Jasmine wants me to throw the challenge, but I can't do that. I'm going to try to win! And if I fail, I'll at least be happy with my performance."
Immunity Challenge
"Come on in, guys!"
The six remaining players walk into the immunity challenge area.
"You guys ready for today's immunity challenge?"
"Yes!" Michiru exclaims.
"First things first, I will take it back."
Konata hands over the Ranma immunity idol to Jet.
"Thank you. Once again, immunity is back up for grabs. Do you have any idea what sport you might be playing today?"
"Cricket?" Konata offers.
"You're wrong, whizkid," Jet replies. "We will be playing doubles tennis. We've got a grassy…"
"A grassy knoll?" Konata says.
"Again, you're wrong," Jet says. "No, it's just a grassy court with a net across it. We will be playing until one team has won two more games than the other. If both teams win two games after playing four, we will go to a seven-point tiebreaker. I don't have any rewards the rest of the way, but immunity means everything right now. Worth playing for?"
"No," Konata says.
"Yes, it is!" Alice exclaims. "Don't listen to this one, Jet."
"I won't," Jet says. "Winning tribe safe from voting, everyone on the tribe gets a one-in-five shot at winning this game. Losers, Tribal Council, where if it's the Women, you'll vote someone out. If it's the Men, you two will compete in a fire-making tiebreaker challenge where the winner will join the other tribe. Jasmine, you sat out last challenge, and you cannot sit out back-to-back challenges. So you're in. Both Men are already in. Who will join Jasmine on the tennis court?"
"I will," Michiru 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!"
Jet claps his hands as the players take their spots on the court.
"For a very big immunity! Men will start out serving! Survivors ready? Go!"
Killua takes his first serve, barely getting it over the net. Jasmine hits it back over the net, where Kyon is waiting. Kyon hits it, and Michiru responds. Killua comes up to the net and spikes it, scoring the first point for the Men.
"15-love Men!"
"That sounds so wrong," Konata says from the bench.
Killua's next serve goes over the net as well, and this time Michiru makes a good hit of it. Kyon tries diving to hit it, but the ball goes past his racket.
"We're tied, 15-15!"
Killua's third serve is a good one, but Jasmine is still able to shoot it back. Kyon hits it back, but Michiru is there to respond with a good backhand, and she knocks it past Killua for a point.
"30-15 Women!"
Killua aces his next serve, blasting it past Michiru, who looks stunned as the ball blazes by her.
"We're tied, 30-30!"
On his next serve, Killua hits it at Jasmine, who barely is able to return it. Kyon hits it back, and Michiru returns it for a bit of a rally. The ball goes back and forth several times, before Killua finally blasts the ball by Jasmine for a point.
"40-30, Men! Game point for the Men!"
Killua gives one more serve, and this time Michiru misplays it. She makes contact, but the ball goes right into the net.
"Game, Men! It's 1-0 in favor of the Men!"
Jasmine takes the ball and goes to serve. Her first serve goes into the net, but her second serve gets past it. Killua slaps it back, and Michiru gets a rally going. After the ball goes back and forth several times, Michiru finally hits a winner past the outstretched arm of Kyon.
"15-love, Women!"
Jasmine's next serve handcuffs Kyon, who is surprised by its spin and ends up slapping it very slightly. The ball goes into the net.
"30-love, Women!"
On her next serve, Jasmine puts a nice one to Killua, and the teams trade blows for a bit. Finally, Killua gets the opportunity to slam the ball, and he does so, right by Michiru.
"30-15!"
Jasmine's next serve blows by Kyon, who is surprised by how much spin she got on it.
"Wow," he says.
"40-15, Women! Game point for the Women!"
Killua slaps back Jasmine's next serve, and Michiru hits it to start a rally. This time, Kyon finishes out the rally by putting it past Michiru.
"40-30! Second game point for the Women!"
Jasmine's next serve is on target to Kyon, who hits it back, but right into the waiting racket of Michiru. Michiru slams it, and she scores the winning point of the game.
"Game, Women! We're tied, 1-1!"
Kyon goes to serve, before Jet stops him.
"Just want to make this clear," Jet says. "Neither team can win the match by winning this game. Rather, you must win by two games, so it must be 3-1 to win. If, however, there is a 2-2 tie, we will play a tiebreaker. Go on and serve."
Kyon makes his first serve toward Jasmine, who hits it hard, but into the net.
"15-love, Men!"
On Kyon's next serve, Michiru misplays it. She is able to get a piece of the ball, but it trails off in the wrong direction, costing the Women a point.
"30-love, Men!"
Kyon takes on Jasmine again, but this time Jasmine makes a good slap back. Killua starts a rally, which is finished up by Michiru slamming it past Kyon for a point.
"30-15!"
Kyon's next serve goes right past Michiru, who can't even get a racquet on it.
"40-15! Game point for the Men!"
On his next serve, Kyon puts Jasmine in a bad position, but she is able to return it. Killua slams it back, and Michiru is unable to get to it.
"Game, Men! It's now 2-1, Men! One more game win and the Men win the match!"
Michiru goes to serve for this game. She hits her first serve into the net. Her second serve…
"…goes into the net! That's a double fault! 15-love, Men!"
Michiru sighs, before serving again. This one, she hits past Kyon, and the Women score an ace.
"15-15!"
Michiru feels a bit more confident, and this serve is a good one toward Killua. A rally begins, which Jasmine finishes off with a good volley.
"30-15, Women!"
But Michiru double-faults again, hitting both serves into the net.
"We're tied, 30-30!"
Michiru goes for her next serve, and she puts her third consecutive serve into the net. On her next serve, though, she's able to get it over. Unfortunately for her, Killua makes a good return, and after a short rally, Kyon finishes it off with a winner.
"40-30, Men! It's match point!"
Michiru breathes heavily, then serves toward Kyon. Kyon makes an excellent return, and thus begins another good rally. At the end of the rally…
"Jasmine…"
…
…
…
"…hits it into the net! And that's it! Men win immunity!"
Kyon and Killua give each other a high five, but refrain from celebrating too much. Michiru drops to her knees in disappointment, while Jasmine looks down. Alice and Konata shake their heads in disgust.
"Why the subdued reaction?" Jet asks Kyon and Killua.
"We know our mission isn't over," Killua says. "This was just the beginning of our potential comeback. We needed to win, but we need to keep on winning. This was only one step."
"Very well then," Jet says. "In any case, here is the immunity idol."
Jet hands the Ranma immunity idol over to Killua.
"Men, you are safe from tonight's vote, and you will enjoy some peanuts from the peanut gallery tonight. Women, I got nothing for you except a date with me for Tribal Council, where one of you will be the next person voted out of this game. You've got this evening to figure out who that's gonna be. Head on out; I'll see you for Tribal."
The Women trudge on out of the immunity challenge area, following the Men.
"I didn't want it to come to this, but here we are," Alice says. "We will be picking rocks tonight."
Camp
Men: Killua, Kyon
Women: Alice, Jasmine, Konata, Michiru
As soon as the players arrive back to camp, Jasmine pulls Michiru aside.
"I threw that challenge today," Jasmine says.
"I knew you were going to say that," Michiru replies.
"If I had wanted to win the challenge, I would have hit the ball a different way," Jasmine says. "But now we don't have to worry about Kyon or Killua joining our tribe and voting us out 3-2. We at least have rocks to rely on, and that's a better option."
"I don't know, I'm not sure…" Michiru says.
"Just trust me," Jasmine says.
"I'm going to reveal that I threw this challenge today at Tribal Council," Jasmine says. "By showing the jury that I made a BIG MOVE, then I might be able to earn jury votes. I've got to try. I don't think Silver would be very happy if I played a super-passive game again and ended up as a Final Three goat."
Meanwhile, Alice is making sure things are squared away with Konata.
"The only way either of us wins this game is if we're willing to pick rocks for each other," Alice says.
"Yeah, yeah," Konata says.
"I'm serious!" Alice says. "It would really suck if we made it this far, then flipped on each other to ruin what has been an amazing game."
"I'm sure," Konata says.
"I don't trust Konata as far as I can throw her," Alice says. "But she's my only ticket to the Final Three. I've got to stick with her no matter how stupid it may seem."
"I know that Alice wants me to stick with her, but why should I?" Konata says. "Is it really worth it to pick rocks? Or should I just turn on her and vote her out? We'll see. Maybe Haruhi can signal something to me from the jury."
Meanwhile, Kyon and Killua are enjoying the show.
"Isn't it funny to watch them squirm?" Killua says. "Finally, we're in the position of power here."
"You're telling me," Kyon says. "I can't wait to see how this thing goes down tonight."
"The Women have been in charge of this game since Day 1," Kyon says. "Now they've got to face off in what will be one of the most contentious Tribal Councils yet. I can't say I don't enjoy it."
"If Alice leaves tonight, so be it," Killua says. "I trust she'll help me find my way to the win if she's on the jury. But I've got to be honest: I'm kind of rooting for her. I guess we've gotten pretty close. Go get 'em, Albino!"
Tribal Council
(Women)
Alice, Konata, Jasmine, and Michiru walk into the Tribal Council area with their torches ablaze. They set them down, while Killua and Kyon take their spots in the peanut gallery and begin munching on some peanuts.
"We now bring in the members of our jury," Jet states. "Ami, Mine, Spike, Misty, Haruhi, Kirito, and voted out last Tribal Council, Joe."
The seven jury members march in and take their seats.
"All right," Jet says, as he takes a seat. "Jasmine, very tough loss in the immunity challenge today, especially after you had the chance to dismantle the other tribe."
"I've got to be honest," Jasmine replies. "I threw that challenge today."
Everyone on the jury gasps.
"I feel our alliance – myself and Michiru – stand a better chance with this vote tonight rather than what would happen if Kyon or Killua were to join our tribe."
"Interesting strategy," Jet says. "Michiru, are you on board with this?"
"I've been loyal to Jasmine since the start," Michiru says. "I'm not going to stop supporting her now."
"Alice, how does it make you feel that, while you were sitting on the bench, Jasmine was throwing the challenge?" Jet asks.
"Yeah, it's not a good look," Alice says. "I'd suggest that if Jasmine were to move on to the Final Three, the jury should hold that against her, rather than use it as a reason to give her votes at the end."
"Konata, this is really interesting," Jet says. "We're talking about whether Jasmine deserves to get votes, or deserves not to get votes, at the Final Three. We're not even there yet. Are you thinking endgame yet, or is this ludicrous to you?"
"Oh, it's absolute madness!" Konata exclaims. "Right now, all I'm thinking of is surviving tonight's vote. I'm not worried about earning votes with the jury."
"Jasmine, you're taking a real risk here."
"I know," Jasmine says. "But sometimes risks are worth taking in order to win this game. Silver never won this game. I want to do better than him."
"Michiru, from all I can tell, you're headed for a two-two tie. What do you think about picking rocks?"
"I'm willing to pick rocks," Michiru says. "I'm going to do whatever is best for my alliance."
"Konata, is there a scenario in which you could see flipping after a tie?"
"Maybe," Konata says. "I think it all depends on the situation."
"Alice, does this concern you?"
"Of course!" Alice says. "I need Konata to be loyal to me. I can only hope that she will."
"All right," Jet says. "And with that, it is… time to vote. Alice, you're up first."
The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as the players go to vote.
Alice goes to vote.
Jasmine goes to vote.
Konata goes to vote.
Michiru goes to vote.
"I'll go tally the votes," Jet states.
Jet grabs the voting urn, then returns to his podium.
"Once the votes are read, the decision is final, and the person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately," Jet says. "I'll read the votes."
He pulls out the first vote.
"First vote… Michiru."
…
…
…
"Alice."
…
…
…
"Alice. That's two votes Alice, one vote Michiru."
…
…
…
…
…
"Michiru. We have a tie. Here's what will happen. Michiru and Alice, you will not vote. Konata and Jasmine, you will vote for either Michiru or Alice. If you do not come to a unanimous decision on who should go home, then you two will pick rocks."
Jasmine and Konata nod.
"It is… time to revote. Jasmine, grab the voting urn; you're up first."
The Tribal Council theme "Tally the Vote" plays as the two players vote.
Jasmine goes to vote.
Konata goes to vote.
"I'll go re-tally the votes."
Jet grabs the voting urn, then returns to his podium.
"First vote… Alice."
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Michiru."
Alice breathes a sigh of relief, while Killua slams his fist into his seat up in the peanut gallery.
"Jasmine, Konata, can you come up with a unanimous decision on who should go home?" Jet says.
"Come on, Konata," Jasmine says. "Vote out Alice."
"No way!" Konata replies. "I want rocks."
"Rocks it is, then," Jet says.
He brings a bag over to Jasmine and Konata, and they each pull out a rock.
"Here's how this works," Jet says. "If your rock is gray, you are safe. If it is purple, you go home. One… two… three… reveal!"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"No!"
…
…
…
…
…
Jasmine sees that she holds the purple rock, and she slams it to the ground in frustration. Konata takes her gray rock and throws it high in the air. "Yahoo!" Konata shouts.
"Jasmine, you need to bring me your torch," Jet says.
Jasmine hugs Michiru warmly, then shakes hands with Alice and Konata.
"You guys all are playing great," Jasmine says, wiping a tear from her eyes. "I only wish I could play with you guys longer."
She grabs her torch, then brings it over to Jet.
"Jasmine, the tribe has spoken," Jet says snuffing out her torch. "It's time for you to go."
Jet snuffs out Jasmine's torch, and she waves before heading on out.
"Jasmine took a huge risk with the hopes of winning this game," Jet says. "She failed. Let this be a warning to all of you before you make a BIG MOVE. Grab your torches, head back to camp, good night."
The three remaining Women take their torches and begin the trek back to camp.
"I went for broke, and I came up short," Jasmine says. "That's the way it goes sometimes. I wish I could play on, but it was worth taking that risk for the shot at winning the million dollars. Now I'll have the chance to vote for who deserves it, and hopefully my ally Michiru is in that Final Three so that I can vote for her. I can't see myself voting for Alice or Konata. Good game, everyone!"
Who voted for whom:
Alice – Michiru
Jasmine – Alice, Alice
Konata – Michiru, Michiru
Michiru – Alice
Scenes from our next episode:
An epic challenge awaits the players… Michiru hopes for a lifeline all on her own… and there are talks of throwing the challenge once again.
