…
Day 4
Just a Little Bit Dangerous
Hime Tribe
(Chikage, Kurome, Sayu, Tsukasa, Ui)
"Wow," is the first thing Sayu says as the players arrive back at camp.
"Is it a law that everyone has to say that after a big vote?" Tsukasa wonders.
"Tribal couldn't have been stranger," Tsukasa says. "We ended up picking rocks, and of all people, Haruka went home, after she refused to change her vote. Now we've got to pick the pieces up, because our tribe keeps losing."
"Well, where do we go from here?" Ui asks.
"We've got to become stronger as a tribe," Kurome says. "Right now, we're losing every challenge in sight. We need to find a way to start winning challenges, or else this will be a very short game for all of us."
"This sucks right now," Kurome says. "Our tribe is being decimated. We have tried to cut out the weak links, but it hasn't worked. We get rid of Aria, we get another useless player in Ui. We try to get rid of Chikage, we get rid of Haruka instead. She's not the Haruka Tenoh of past seasons who was one of the greatest players in Survivor history. She's instead the sister of that Wataru guy who likes to say, 'it can't be true!' This is a total joke."
So, Kurome tries talking to Tsukasa about making the tribe stronger.
"We've got to do something," Kurome says. "This tribe sucks balls."
"I agree," Tsukasa says. "The first we gotta do is get this idol activated. I've got to say that phrase at the next challenge and hope someone else says one too. Then we've got to make the right vote to get out the weakest player, who I think is Chikage. With her gone, we'll be able to put some miles under these horses."
"I'm with ya," Kurome says. "Let's get either Ui or Sayu or both to vote Chikage. Then even if you don't get your vote back, we can still oust her at the next challenge. But do it in a way that Chikage doesn't know about it."
"And pray like hell nobody saw you," Tsukasa adds.
The two fist-bump, before going their separate ways.
"Tsukasa and I are on the same page on trying to make this tribe stronger," Kurome says. "However, I don't know if it's gonna work if she doesn't get her vote back. All Chikage would need is one vote from either Sayu or Ui, and we're back to another rock picking."
"I've gotta find a way to get this vote back," Tsukasa says. "Except I'm in a terrible position, because I've got to say some crazy phrase and get someone else to say it too. What a stupid twist. Jet Black must be so proud of coming up with it. Unless the idea came from Mike White, in which it's just par for the course."
Chikage, meanwhile, is trying to align with Ui and Sayu.
"My cards tell me that I should join up with you two," she tells them. "Destiny has it that we move forward with a vote against one of the other two."
"Sounds fine with me!" Sayu responds.
"I'm down with it," Ui says.
"Brother Darling has communicated with me using my cards," Chikage says. "He wants me to vote out either Tsukasa or Kurome. It's fate that one of those two shall go home. With Ui and Sayu on the right side of things, everything will proceed as predicted."
Sister Tribe
(Karen, Kohaku, Kyon's Sister, Misty, Sakuya)
"Well, that sucked," Kyon's Sister says, as the players try to get over Marie's exit.
"Yes, Marie was a good friend to Karen," Karen says. "Karen is not sure how she will go on without Marie."
"It'll be okay," Kohaku says.
Misty, however, gives a little smile.
"I'm not upset at all about Marie getting knocked out of this game," Misty says. "It makes our quest to get out Sakuya all the easier. And finally, we won't have to hear any more about her Dear Brother."
Sakuya is upset, though, with Marie gone.
"Marie's going to hog up all the time with Dear Brother while we're playing this game!" Sakuya complains. "It's not fair!"
"But remember, you will get a lot of time with Big Brother if you win," Karen tells Sakuya.
"I know, but since I am destined to be with Dear Brother, I don't want anyone else getting in my way!"
"I get it."
"Sakuya is acting very irrational over Marie's exit," Karen says. "She is actually taking it as something bad for her. She's very selfish. But Karen will still work with Sakuya so that she doesn't get too upset over not getting to be with Big Brother quite yet."
"Dear Brother, please don't spend too much time with Marie," Sakuya says. "The red string of fate links us together. We will eventually be with each other, so don't spend time on girls who just don't deserve your presence."
Meanwhile, Misty talks over things with Kyon's Sister and Kohaku.
"How are we going to do this?" she asks. "Little Sister, you lost your vote. And Kohaku, you've lost your vote until you get that idol activated."
"Which is why we've got to get this idol activated at the next challenge no matter what," Kohaku says.
"But what if no one else says anything to get it activated?" Kyon's Sister asks.
"Then we make sure they know about it, one way or another," Misty says. "I'll come out and tell everyone that we need help. We can't possibly go into the next vote with me being the only one who can vote."
"Right," Kohaku says. "It's worth letting everyone know that I have an idol if it means that I can get my vote back. Because if I don't get my vote back, it's curtains for the three of us."
"I am in a very precarious position here," Kohaku says. "Without my vote, and without Little Sister's vote, we may be up 3-2 in people but we're down 2-1 in votes. We've got to get this thing activated, then survive a 2-2 vote. The odds are against us. But if I get the idol activated, I can then play it on myself to increase our odds on a tie. Those aren't good odds, but that's the best we can do. We are in trouble here."
"Basically, it's all up to Kohaku getting her vote and idol back," Misty says. "If she gets it back, that makes it a 2-2 vote, plus Kohaku plays her idol, which takes away one option from the Minakami sisters. If they vote for the one who uses the idol, they go home. But if they don't, at least all we would have is one of us picking rocks, against one of them. That's a 50/50 shot. It's better than nothing, but it still isn't great."
"I'm very worried, and it's my fault!" Kyon's Sister says. "If I hadn't lost my vote, we'd be in a good place right now! Instead, we're in a boatload of trouble. I really hope we don't have to pick rocks!"
Princess Tribe
(Alexia, Komachi, Mamoru, Rinrin, Sasami, Yotsuba)
Yotsuba is seen snooping around camp with her magnifying glass that morning.
"What's up, Yotsuba?" Komachi asks.
"Ooh, just checking everything out!" Yotsuba replies. "Yotsuba wonders what other surprises this island might hold!"
"Good luck with all that," Alexia says.
"This Yotsuba is a bizarre idiot," Alexia says. "She is one of the most annoying people I have ever met, and I've met a lot! And what sucks is that she's got that idol, and that Mamoru has some sort of an advantage as well, even if it isn't a Superidol. I'm pretty concerned at this point that one of Komachi, Sasami, and myself is doomed should we go to Tribal."
Later, Alexia talks strategy with Komachi and Sasami.
"It's pretty clear this is headed for a 3-3 vote," Alexia says. "I hate Yotsuba, and Mamoru and Rinrin know that. Not sure if Yotsuba knows yet. But they're sisters, so they're gonna vote together. So must we, or we get picked off one by one."
"Gotcha," Komachi says. "But remember that Yotsuba has an idol, and Mamoru has… something. Probably not a Superidol, but if it is, we're screwed."
"It's not a Superidol," Alexia says. "Trust me on that."
"I trust you," Sasami says. "I just don't know what we're supposed to do."
"I think there's only one option," Komachi says. "Vote Rinrin, because she doesn't have any sort of advantage. And hope that Yotsuba doesn't play her idol on Rinrin. Then we pick rocks."
"But not if we get one of them to use a Shot-in-the-Dark," Alexia says. "I still think Yotsuba's stupid enough that she'd play her Shot-in-the-Dark."
"Why?" Sasami asks.
"Yeah, really, why?" Komachi says. "If she has an idol, she'd just play that instead."
"I'm speaking to how stupid Yotsuba is," Alexia says.
"I'm not sure she's that stupid," Sasami says. "She may act weird, but she might actually be quite smart."
"Yeah, I agree," Komachi says. "It worries me that we'd be relying on that as our last resort."
"No, our last resort is picking rocks," Alexia says. "Just so you know, I'll pick rocks for either of you, so we've got to stay strong."
"Okay," Sasami says.
"We've got to find a way to survive this vote," Sasami says. "I was able to do really well in my first season, but here I'm in a precarious position right off the bat. I know Alexia and Komachi would pick rocks for me, and I'd do it for them. But if we get down to rock-picking, we may end up in a no-win situation. I think we need to think about winning immunity!"
"Alexia knows what's up," Komachi says. "And what's up is a potential disaster for us should we lose the next immunity challenge. Yotsuba and Mamoru are armed and just a little bit dangerous. Imagine if we put three votes on Rinrin, and Yotsuba and Mamoru both pull out idols. Then the only ones picking rocks are two of us. We'd be screwed and forced to turn on each other. That's why we've got to win immunity no matter what."
Mamoru talks with Rinrin while Yotsuba is off snooping around in the woods.
"I have this Legacy Advantage, which isn't worth all that much right now," Mamoru says. "But if we can get Alexia to think it is something bigger…"
"… then we make her panic and make a bad move," Rinrin finishes her sentence.
"Exactly!" Mamoru says. "So, we've got to pretend this something really dangerous to them."
"And we can't play our Shot-in-the-Darks," Rinrin adds. "We need to make sure we use all three of our votes."
"I'm glad you think the same way as me!" Mamoru says.
"Hey, I know Yotsuba pretty well, so the two of us are on board with you," Rinrin says. "Maybe Yotsuba will find another idol out there!"
"We Minakami sisters have to stick together!" Rinrin says. "Bro would be so proud of us working together like this. We're going to find our way to the end, I just know it!"
Yotsuba, meanwhile, comes up on a tree where she reaches into…
…
…
…
…
…
"Blimey, just nothing!" Yotsuba says. "Just bloody nothing. Yotsuba found one idol; she's not finding two. Yotsuba still figuring out when she's gonna play it. Right away? Maybe not."
Imouto Tribe
(Hinako, Kaho, Karin, Kirino, Ruby, Shirayuki)
"We have to win!" Ruby exclaims. "Let's exercise!"
"Sounds awesome!" Kaho says, as she, Hinako, Shirayuki, and Ruby rush down to the water and start splashing each other.
Kirino simply shakes her head.
"These girls just want to party," Kirino says. "Here, we're starving to death and suffering. We need to win some rewards and get going in this game."
Karin shrugs as she walks up to Kirino. "I guess I should have quit earlier, shouldn't I?"
"That's your problem, not mine," Kirino says. "But if you want to play this game, I've got quite the idea."
"And what's that?"
"Fracture the other four."
"Fracture?"
"That's right," Kirino says. "We split out Kaho and Hinako on one alliance, and Shirayuki and Ruby on the other. I'll take Shirayuki and Ruby, you take Kaho and Hinako. You've got to lie to them and say that the opposite alliance is aiming to vote them out, and I do the same. Then, if the plan works, we simply pick one of the two alliances to go with."
"Sounds too simple," Karin says. "No way it'll work."
"Well, can you come up with something better?"
"Quit?"
"Besides quitting?"
Karin sighs. "Sure, I'll do it. I'll get scammed by a kindergartner, or two."
"I don't know what Kirino thinks she's doing with this strategy, but it doesn't make all that much sense to me," Karin says. "Nevertheless, I can't think of anything better, so I'm gonna do it."
So, later in the day, Karin goes up to Kaho and Hinako.
"Hey, you two," Karin says. "I've got bad news."
"Bad news?" Kaho asks.
"Bad… like, bad bad?" Hinako says.
"Yeah," Karin says. "Ruby wants you out, and she's teaming up with Shirayuki and Kirino to get you out."
"But… but why?" Hinako asks.
"Because you're so cute, of course!" Karin says. "She thinks you'll win the final vote for sure if you make it there. So, she's poisoning even your own sister into voting you out."
"That's so mean!" Hinako exclaims.
"Yeah, Kaho won't let that happen!" Kaho exclaims.
"And here's how to stop it," Karin says. "Just vote with me, and I'll get that big bad Ruby out of here for you. Make sense?"
"Yeah!" Hinako shouts.
"Sure!" Kaho exclaims.
"Kirino's plan worked like a charm," Karin says. "Of course, I am the perfect person to pull it off, but I'll give credit where credit is due. She thought it up, and now I'm going to make it work."
Meanwhile, Kirino finds much less success with Shirayuki and Ruby. She is exasperated after trying to convince the two of them that Ruby is in danger.
"I'm telling you," Kirino says, "Kaho and Hinako want you out, Ruby!"
"But why?" Ruby replies. "What did I do?"
"Hime can't imagine why Hinako and Kaho would do such a thing," Shirayuki says.
"Well, if you don't want to believe me, then you're going to be in grave danger," Kirino says. "You're best off trusting me instead of going off and doing your own thing."
"Okay, then…" Ruby says, walking away with Shirayuki.
"I don't trust Kirino at all," Ruby says. "She's acting a lot like my brother, all mysterious and everything. I don't think she's telling me the truth."
"Hime is really confused!" Shirayuki says. "Hime thinks there's no chance Hinako or Kaho would turn on us! Hime doesn't believe Kirino one bit!"
"So, my plan backfired," Kirino says. "I tried to get Ruby and Shirayuki to turn on Kaho and Hinako, and all I did was make them more suspicious of myself. That's not a good outcome for me, no matter how you slice it."
Reward Challenge
"Come on in, girls!"
The four tribes come marching into the reward challenge area.
"Princess and Imouto tribes, getting your first look at the new Sister and Hime tribes," Jet says. "Marie was evacuated and Haruka was eliminated by rocks."
"Wow," Komachi says.
Mamoru leans over to Rinrin and whispers in her ear. "This is not good for us Minakami Sisters," she says.
"Big reaction there from Mamoru," Jet says. "All right. You girls ready to get to today's reward challenge?"
"Not quite yet," Tsukasa says.
"Oh, really?" Jet says.
"Yeah," Kurome says. "Tsukasa, I have to confess, I was thinking of throwing you under the bus."
Tsukasa smirks. "Q, I am not your father confessor," she replies. "You will receive no absolution from me."
"Wow, what a bombshell," Karin comments.
Meanwhile, Misty looks thoughtful. "Kohaku, I have to say, it's funny seeing you in your position in this game."
Kohaku puts a finger on her chin. "Does it amuse you to think of me living out the rest of my life as a dreary man in a tedious job?"
"Huh?" Alexia says, as Tsukasa and Kohaku give each other thumbs up.
"Enough with the chit-chat," Jet says. "Now, are you girls ready for today's reward challenge?"
"Yeah!" Komachi exclaims.
"Good," Jet states. "For today's challenge, you will start out in the water on a platform. On my go, you're going to dive in and swim to a boat. You're going to paddle that boat back to shore, collecting three very heavy chests along the way. Once you're back at shore, you're going to drag your boat along the track and under the net to the finish, where three tribe members will use the keys in the chests to unlock and solve a massive Survivor: Promised Island logo puzzle. First three tribes to finish, win reward. Wanna know what you're playing for?"
"Absolutely!" Kyon's Sister yells.
Jet reveals a table full of fish and spices. "First tribe to finish, gets this big fish reward, with spices to go with them. Plus, if you don't have flint already, you will be awarded with it. Second tribe to finish, not as impressive."
He reveals a small plate of fish. "Finally, third tribe to finish…"
He pulls out one fish. "You'll have to make do with this one fish. But, if you don't have flint now, all you have to do is finish in the top three, and I'll give it to you. Of course, I'll be ready to take it back from you should you lose tomorrow's immunity challenge. Last tribe to finish, otherwise known as the losers, as penalty for losing, I will take your flint, if I'm not hoarding it already, that is. Worth playing for?"
"Nah, I'd rather have all of us share one little bottle of Bud Light," Kirino says sarcastically. "Of course it is!"
"Very well then. Imouto and Princess tribes, you have one extra member, you've got to sit someone out, and you cannot sit out the same people in back-to-back challenges. Who's that gonna be?"
Alexia raises her hand. "You girls have fun," she says.
"Okay, Princess tribe has a sit-out. How about you, Imouto?"
"I'll sit out," Karin states.
"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 all swim out into the water and take their spots on the platforms.
"All right, here we go!" Jet shouts. "For a big reward! Survivors ready? Go!"
The four tribes swim out into the water, getting onto their boats. Some of the girls have some trouble getting on, including Yotsuba, Ruby, and Ui.
"The Sister tribe is the first one to get everyone on the boat!" Jet shouts. "Now, got to unclip that boat and start paddling!"
The other tribes have everyone on their boats except for the aforementioned trio. Yotsuba tries climbing on, but she ends up pushing too hard, and she slips right back into the water. Meanwhile, the Sister tribe starts paddling way off to the right, far away from all the other boats.
"Sister immediately is way off track! Going completely in the wrong direction!"
Yotsuba manages to get on, but not before Ruby and Ui are on board with their boats unclipped. Yotsuba unclips her tribe's boat, and they get to paddling. The Sister tribe uses their extra time to get their boat going back in the right direction.
"Imouto reaches their first chest! Hime reaches their first chest! Tsukasa and Ui picking up that chest for Hime, while it's Kirino and Shirayuki getting one for Imouto!"
Those two tribes move on to their second chest, while Princess and Sister grab their first chests. It's Komachi and Mamoru picking up the chest for Princess, while Misty and Kohaku grab one for Sister. Meanwhile, as Hime tries to get their second chest, they run into trouble.
"Ui falls off into the water! Sayu's in the water! Hime… flips their boat! Absolute disaster for Hime!"
The Hime tribe tries getting their boat back upright, with Tsukasa cursing under her breath.
"That boat is upside down!" Jet shouts. "Both chests are off! That opens the door for Imouto!"
But as Imouto tries to get their second chest on, they have the same problem.
"Now Imouto's boat is upside down!" Jet screams. "It is an absolute disaster! Paddles everywhere! Chests everywhere! Players everywhere! You want Survivor? You got Survivor, right here! This is one of the worst starts to any challenge in 16 seasons of Survivor! Absolute struggle!"
Those two tribes work on getting their boats back upright, but not before falling behind Princess and Sister, who now have their second chests and are going on to their third.
"Sister, first tribe to get all three chests! Princess right behind them as they get to shore!"
The Imouto and Hime tribes are finally back upright with two chests, and they move over to get their third. Princess and Sister get to dry land, where they drag their boats over to the tracks.
"Gotta get those boats along the tracks but below the nets!"
The Princess tribe is the first tribe to get its boat on the track, but the Sister tribe is right behind them. The Hime and Imouto tribes finally get back to land.
"Let's pick it up, Hime and Imouto!"
Princess gets their boats to the end of the track, and they hurry to open the chests. Sister is very close behind.
"Gotta open those locks and get out those keys!"
Sasami, Mamoru, and Rinrin get the keys out for Princess, while it's Misty, Kohaku, and Karen getting the keys for Sister. Hime gets its boat up on to the track and starts pushing, while Imouto lags behind.
"Let's go, Imouto!" Jet shouts. "You've got to dig deep!"
Both the Sister and Princess tribes have unlocked their puzzle pieces and have begun to work on them. Misty and Kohaku work in tandem, while they have Karen do the job of picking up the pieces they need.
"That's right, this one goes here," Misty says. "Thanks, Karen."
"How ever Karen may help Big Brother!" Karen replies.
"This one," Kohaku says, pointing to another one, which Karen quickly hands to her.
"Sister tribe making quick work of this puzzle!"
Hime has their boat at the finish, and they start pulling out all the keys. It's Kurome, Tsukasa, and Chikage getting the puzzle pieces for them.
"Imouto tribe lagging behind!"
The Imouto tribe finally gets their boat across the track, and Kirino, Shirayuki, and Ruby start working on the puzzle. But as they do…
"Kohaku slaps in the final piece for Sister! With that, Sister wins reward! Looking for two more!"
Kohaku and Misty jump into the air and high-five each other, before going over to hug Karen. Kyon's Sister runs over to join in the celebration, while Sakuya smiles but chooses not to join them.
"Princess tribe very close to finishing!"
Mamoru and Rinrin start slamming in the final pieces, while both the Hime and Imouto tribes run into a roadblock.
"Mamoru puts in the final piece, and Princess wins reward! Looking for one more!"
As Princess celebrates, Hime starts to self-destruct again.
"I believe that this piece goes in this slot," Chikage says.
"No, it doesn't!" Tsukasa yells.
"Would you two stop yapping? Here they come!" shouts Kurome.
Kirino slaps in the last two pieces of the puzzle for Imouto, and they begin to celebrate.
"Imouto thinks they have it!"
…
…
…
…
…
"Imouto… is… WRONG! This challenge is still underway!"
But Kirino instantly realizes her mistake, and she switches two pieces, which now makes the puzzle fit perfectly.
"Imouto thinks they have it again!"
…
…
…
…
…
"Imouto… is… RIGHT! And that's it! Imouto wins reward! Hime are losers once again!"
Kirino slaps a high five to Ruby and Shirayuki, then takes a deep breath. Meanwhile, the Hime tribe is nearly inconsolable. Sayu is close to crying, Ui is out of breath, Kurome and Tsukasa are disgusted, and Chikage is aloof.
"Congratulations, winning tribes," Jet says. "Also, Sister, you've got yourself some flint. Head on out and have a nice night filling your bellies."
The three winning tribes grab their reward and head on out.
"As for you, Hime, I got nothing for you."
"Wait just a second!" Tsukasa shouts.
"Yes, what is it?" Jet asks.
"We aren't losers!" she shouts. "We may be losing right now, but I promise you one thing, we are going to work as hard as we can to get back in this game! Our story isn't over yet!"
Jet chuckles. "Well, I'm glad there are some signs of life in this dying tribe. No one going home, which is one good thing for you. Head on out."
Tsukasa shakes her head as the Hime tribe leaves the challenge area.
"Ridiculous," she says. "I wish this had been an immunity challenge after all. That way, we could have cut the fat and got rid of an underperforming player like Chikage. Instead, I've got to sit with her another immunity challenge, and there's no escaping it. This sucks so bad!"
Sister Tribe
(Karen, Kohaku, Kyon's Sister, Misty, Sakuya)
After getting their fire together and cooking their fish, the Sister tribe chows down on the fish that they have received, but all is not well.
"Looks to me like someone's taking more than their fair share," Misty whispers to Kohaku, pointing over to Sakuya, who is eating much more fish than everyone else.
"Let it go," Kohaku replies.
"No, I've got to say something," Misty says.
She walks over to Sakuya to confront her.
"Do you think it's okay for you to eat more than your fair share?" Misty asks.
"Excuse me?" Sakuya replies. "Dear Brother would want me to fill my stomach!"
"But at the expense of everyone else?" Misty says.
"Dear Brother cares about me the most!" Sakuya says. "We are tied together by the red string of fate!"
"Okay, that's it!" Misty yells. "Enough is enough! I have had it with these $#%*ing sisters on this $*%# island! Everybody strap in. I'm about to open up the $# fire pit."
Everyone looks on in shock as Misty grabs the extra fish off Sakuya and chucks it into the fire.
"You want that extra fish? You go get it!" Misty shouts.
Kohaku comes running over to Misty.
"Misty, calm down," she says. "It's not worth it."
"No, let her come at me!" Sakuya exclaims. "I can take it! All for my Dear Brother!"
"$*#% your Dear Brother!" Misty yells.
With that, Sakuya slugs Misty in the face. She stumbles backward into Kohaku's arms. Kohaku then pushes Sakuya away, while grabbing Misty and pulling her away from Sakuya.
"It's… not… worth… it," Kohaku tells Misty as she leads the Gym Leader away from Sakuya.
"I want her thrown out of this $#& game!" Misty yells.
Sakuya breaks down and begins to sob. "I just wanted to please my Dear Brother…" she says sadly, as Karen comes over to comfort her. Kyon's Little Sister, meanwhile, is too busy eating her fish to pay any attention to the spat.
"This is total disaster in our tribe," Kohaku says. "Sakuya just went at Misty, and now we are in a position where our tribe is split right down the middle between the two of them. I'm on Misty's side, and Karen's on Sakuya's side. Little Sister lost her vote, meaning it's going to be a 2-2 vote the next time we go to Tribal. I might have to use my newly activated idol in order to survive that vote."
Hime Tribe
(Chikage, Kurome, Sayu, Tsukasa, Ui)
The Hime tribe is completely silent upon returning to camp. They have no flint and no food, and some of the girls are starting to starve.
"I'm oh so hungry," Tsukasa says. "But there's nothing we can do except try to win the next challenge. This is so depressing. I'm starting to think our tribe will never win anything."
"Eating just must not have been in the cards," Chikage says. "I pray that my Brother Darling will make it so that I am able to eat soon, but it all must be fate."
"My big brother Light wouldn't have let this happen," Sayu says. "We are in a bad situation right now, and it's not getting any better."
But later that night, Tsukasa has a talk with Kurome.
"My idol is activated!" she says. "Now I've got my vote back!"
"Good, good," Kurome says. "Now, how are we approaching this vote?"
"We're voting out Chikage, full stop," Tsukasa says. "She's not with it. She's not helping us in challenges. She's gotta go."
"I can't argue with that," Kurome says.
"Tsukasa and I are on the same page here," Kurome says. "Now that we've got her vote back, it's an easy choice. Just take Sayu and/or Ui with us and knock out Chikage. But every time things seem obvious, it never goes to plan. There's always some twist Probst or Mike White puts in the game to mess things up for those in power. So, we may have power at the moment, but perhaps not by the time it is time to vote."
Imouto Tribe
(Hinako, Kaho, Karin, Kirino, Ruby, Shirayuki)
The six girls all huddle around the fire to share the one fish that they were given as a reward for finishing third. Kirino is so hungry that she eats the eye of the fish.
"Ew, that's disgusting!" Ruby exclaims.
"Hey, at least you don't have to eat it," Kirino says.
"We kind of sort of almost won a reward," Kirino says. "We all get to share one little fish like a birthday present. 'Happy birthday, happy birthday, whoopty-doo, whoopty-doo.' This is a joke of a reward. But it's our fault for not finishing better. We've just got to be better as a tribe… or else all we'll be eating is fish eyes."
After the players finish the fish, while still sitting around the fire, Ruby and Shirayuki confront Hinako and Kaho.
"So…" Ruby says. "We heard from Kirino that you two want us out."
"What?" Kaho exclaims.
"That's funny, cause Karin told Hina and Kaho that you two were trying to vote us out!" Hinako says.
"Well, well, well," Shirayuki says. "Hime thinks that Karin and Kirino have some explaining to do."
Karin's face turns red.
"Let me explain, let me explain!" Karin exclaims. "I can explain! We-"
"No reason to apologize," Kirino says. "Look, we are playing this game too. We aren't just going to sit down and allow you to pick us off one by one. So, we're scrambling. It's part of the game. Lies are part of the game. We don't expect you to like us for it. This may be the NEW ERA, but it isn't like the Survivor 41-47 NEW ERA where everyone gets along and sings kumbaya."
"But you realize that now we can't trust you," Ruby says.
"Fine then, don't trust us!" Kirino says. "But just remember that we are playing this game just as hard as you."
"I can't trust Kirino as far as I can throw her," Ruby says. "She lied to us. And I know that lies are a huge part of this game, just as lies are a huge part of my life along with Aqua. My mother lived a life based on lies. But when it comes down to this game, I want to play with players I can trust, and clearly Kirino and Karin are not trustworthy."
Later, Karin draws aside Kirino, angry about Kirino's words and actions.
"You got me into this," Karin says. "What you did put a giant target on both of our backs. And this was all your idea! Look what you did, you little jerk! You've ruined my game!"
"Ruined your game?" Kirino says. "Didn't you kind of do that to yourself when you decided to quit in the first Tribal Council?"
"It was part of my strategy," Karin says. "Although I wanted to quit, I also had a backup plan. And that backup plan is to win the million dollars. So, now that I couldn't quit, I feel like I ought to try to play this game. But your plan backfired big-time! You've ruined my game. So, thanks a lot!"
She walks off in a huff, while Kirino sits there with her mouth gaping open.
"Kirino got the two of us into hot water," Karin says. "If her plan had worked, maybe she would have looked like a genius. But she's not much of one. And now we're pretty much screwed. But hey, that Shot-in-the-Dark was fun!"
"I've lost everyone," Kirino says. "My last ally, Karin, has left me, and now I'm on my own, I'm on my own… and I can't go home. Or at least I don't want to go home. My plan backfired in the worst of ways. The only thing I can think of doing is searching for an idol. But even that may not save me."
Princess Tribe
(Alexia, Komachi, Mamoru, Rinrin, Sasami, Yotsuba)
After eating some fish, the Princess tribe splits into two to retire for the night.
"The split between out two alliances is so big that Alexia had us build a different shelter," Sasami says. "She won't even sleep or eat near Yotsuba. It's pretty bad over here, it's sort of like the Buddy System on steroids that Boston Bob used. We haven't lost a challenge yet, and yet we still feel like we're losing."
"How are we going to do this?" Komachi asks Alexia and Sasami. "They've got the idol, and they've got an iron-clad three. How can we beat them? If we pick rocks, they have only one person who needs to pick a rock, while we'd have two – remember, if Yotsuba plays her idol, she's also immune from rock-picking."
"We have a 33% chance," Alexia says. "Sometimes that's all you've got. It's a game of numbers. If we're on the short end of the stick, so be it. But we're going to fight all the way down to the bitter end. And that's just Survivor."
"Yeah, I guess she's right," Sasami says. "We don't have the numbers, and those three are an iron wall, impossible to penetrate. I hope we just keep winning challenges up until the merge."
"I realize that the other three are super solid," Alexia says. "And what worries me is for Sasami or Komachi to flip and turn over to them. I've got to prevent that from happening. As true as it is that, in the words of the immortal Dan Foley, 'flippers never win,' I've still got to make sure neither of them take the cowardly way out and flip."
But the other three girls are far from having a grim outlook.
"My goodness, you guys did so good at that challenge!" Yotsuba says. "Yotsuba couldn't help but to check out how fast you solved that puzzle!"
"We work well as a team!" Rinrin says. "Whether that's Yotsuba and I as a detective team, or Mamoru and I as a puzzle-solving team!"
"Agreed!" Mamoru says. "And we're doing really well in this game so far!"
"Should we try to bring in one of the other three?" Rinrin says. "Because I think, of those three, Sasami is most likely to flip."
"Yeah, I'd say so too," Mamoru says. "Tomorrow, we'll start working on Sasami, to see if we can get her to become a solid four."
"Numbers are everything in this game," Rinrin says. "And that means that we need to gain one more number if we're going to survive our first vote. I think Sasami isn't as solid as the other two are, so she's probably our best target to try to get to flip to our side."
Sister Tribe
(Karen, Kohaku, Kyon's Sister, Misty, Sakuya)
It is late at night, and production has been called to resolve the Misty-Sakuya situation. It is so serious that Jet Black shows up at camp.
"All right, Misty, tell me a little bit about what happened out here on the island," Jet says.
"Sakuya was eating more fish than the rest of us," Misty says. "I called her out on it, and she punched me in the face."
"Sakuya, what did Misty say to you to get you that angry?" Jet asks.
"She cursed out my Dear Brother!" a tearful Sakuya responds. "I can't stand for that!"
"Sakuya, you realize that you did bodily harm to another member of this game," Jet states.
"I understand," Sakuya says, wiping away tears.
"But before I make a decision, I want the tribe to make a decision," Jet says. "Misty, Kohaku, Karen, Little Sister, if you want Sakuya out of this game, I can remove her right now, full stop. You won't have to vote, you can just let me know, and that'll be that."
"Okay," Kyon's Little Sister says.
"But!" Jet interjects. "If you do choose to do so, your tribe will be down to four members, and we will have our immunity challenge as usual tomorrow. Meaning, your tribe will be decimated going into the challenge, and you could possibly lose the challenge and be down to three by tomorrow night. The choice is yours."
"I see," Kohaku says.
"So, I'm leaving this decision in your hands," Jet states. "Do you want me to remove Sakuya from the game? Or would you like to keep her in the game and keep your numbers?"
"Let me talk it over with the others," Misty says.
"You may do so," Jet states. "But I need a decision by midnight tonight."
"Understood," Kohaku says.
Misty, Kohaku, Kyon's Sister, and Karen all go over to talk over the situation.
"She punched me in the face," Misty says. "That's illegal."
"But it's also true that without her, our tribe is down to four," Karen says.
"She broke the rules," Kohaku says. "There's not much to argue about on that."
"But without her, we're going to lose the next challenge and be down to three!" Kyon's Sister says.
The four continue their discussion, until a decision is made. They then walk over to Jet.
"Jet, our decision is…" Misty says.
Stay tuned for the decision in the next episode!