‘Survivor: Kaoh Rong – Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty’ Recap: Week 10

Riding high…

Last week’s blindside worked in Jason, Scot and Tai’s favor. They returned to camp absolutely ecstatic that they had found a crack in their opponents’ alliance, forcing them to vote out one of their own. (Obviously we know better. Debbie was sent packing because she was not thinking clearly, not as a result of the psychological warfare Jason, Scot and Tai had launched.)

Tai returned Jason’s idol back to him and then asked Scot whether they could play nice with the others again. Scot approached Aubry and told her that he, Jason and Tai were willing to let bygones be bygones and go back to providing for the camp. The only thing they wanted in return was help getting Cydney out. Her “betrayal” was the only reason they had committed the sabotage in the first place. Aubry told him she would think about it, even though she really wasn’t planning to.

 

A first for reward challenges…

This week’s reward challenge was pretty straightforward - place one foot on a balance beam while holding a couple of pots and keep the setup from falling. However, players could choose whether to compete for food (a burger, fries, beer and a chocolate chip cookie); love (letters from friends and family); or an advantage in the game. This way they would only need to compete against those who were also trying for the same reward.

 

Tai, Cydney and Aubry decided to go for the advantage; Scot, Jason and Michele opted for food, while Julia and Joe fought for the letters. In the end, Julia won the letters, Michele ate her meal and Tai received the advantage. He read it back at camp and learned that he had been given an extra vote at tribal council.

 

The plot thickens…

Julia has been playing both sides and she proved it by telling Aubry and Michele that they needed to vote for Tai (with whom Julia had formed an alliance last week) in order to flush out the idol. If Tai didn’t use the idol, then he would go home. If he did, the worse that could happen was that Cydney would go home instead since that’s who the guys have been gunning for.

 

Aubry took this information to Tai so he would know who was plotting against him, and of course to start luring him away from Scot and Jason and team up with her. Tai told Jason and Scot that Aubry would make a great asset to their team, but rather than listen to him, Scot and Jason decided that they’d vote out Aubry next. This caused Tai to start doubting his alliance since he’s always the outsider.

 

An epic immunity challenge…

Immunity came down to Aubry and Jason. For more than an hour, the two spread their arms, reaching their fingertips to discs where ceramic pots were hanging from. It was excruciating to watch, so I can only imagine how painful it was to compete in. Jason ultimately outlasted Aubry.

 

Back at camp, Jason and Scot were excited that, once again, things had worked out so well for them. Jason couldn’t get voted out because he had won immunity, Scot was given Jason’s hidden immunity idol to use just in case, and Tai also had his own hidden idol. Therefore, both Scot and Tai could use their idols before the votes were read (the way that idols have always worked) or combine them to form the Super Idol which could be used after the votes were read.

 

Julia told Jason and Scot that everyone would vote for Tai in order to flush out the idol. You’d think they’d be upset hearing this since Tai’s idol holds the key to the Super Idol, but they told her they were fine with it because the three of them would eventually need to get rid of Tai before the end anyway.

Aubry and Cydney meanwhile tried to figure out how to vote out Scot, whose overconfidence was starting to wear thin on everyone’s nerves. However, it couldn’t be done without Tai’s help. Therefore, Aubry tried to convince Tai to join her alliance with Joe and Cydney. He was torn between wanting very much to work with Aubry and staying with the guys. Before tribal council, he said, “I’m not here to make good friends,” leading us to believe he would vote out Aubry.

 

No one saw this coming…

Well, except for me. As a Survivor fan from the very beginning, I’ve run scenarios through my head for every episode and there are times like tonight where they actually come to fruition.

Just like last week, Scot and Jason were trash talking, adamant about the fact that they were not going anywhere again. After the votes were cast and Jeff Probst asked whether anyone was going to play a hidden immunity idol, Julia turned to Tai and urged him to use his idol and save himself, while Scot shook his head and told him not to play it. Tai followed Scot’s advice, and the votes were read. The two votes for Aubry were cast by Jason and Scot (no surprise there), while Tai only received two votes from Julia and Michele (just like they had planned). The rest went to Scot.

 

As his name was read, Scot smiled broadly, and looked at Tai, obviously waiting for him to save him with the Super Idol. Tai turned to Jason who also nodded at him to get up and combine the idols for Scot. This went on a few more times as everyone looked around not understanding what was happening until Scot finally realized that Tai was not going to save him. Survivor may have stamped the moment with #wow, but #priceless is probably a more accurate word. (In all honesty though, it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise considering Tai’s real-life nature. Last week’s antics didn’t sit well with him at all, so he made the move that would relieve his conscience and benefit his game.)

 

There will definitely be fireworks next week since Tai’s former alliance members Jason and Julia are furious about his decision. As we’ve come to know, Jason is not the type you’d want to make angry. If he’s capable of hiding the machete and ax to sabotage a team’s actual survival, then just imagine what he’d do in less dire situations.