Philippines Episode 11: Money Well Spent

"Are you OK?" Skupin asks Abi. But it's clear the answer is no. Penner and Denise are not getting any more sympathetic towards her though, they're still gonna vote her out next.

Abi goes to get tree mail with Malcolm, where she breaks down, still upset over Denise. They deliver people envelopes, and as Jonathan predicted, it turns out to be the food auction. Denise spends all her money on bacon and pancakes. Mike buys a plate and Jeff tries to take the wine, because Mike doesn't drink. Malcolm buys donuts and Penner bids blind on a plate of chicken. Given the choice between a treat and rice

Lisa bites down

and beans for the camp, Carter takes the selfless option. Abi has been sitting patiently waiting for the advantage to come up and bids all her money before Jeff can even finish the sentence. Her unrelenting focus to stay in the game pays off. The auction ends with Carter buying veal for the whole tribe.

"I'll outplay them"

Abi tries to get an apology out of the group, who refuse, and Penner admits he's winding her up for game-related reasons. Malcolm likens her to a girlfriend who won't leave after you've broken up with her. Finding a private spot, Abi checks her advantage: it's a spot in the last stage of the immunity challenge. Of course, she's telling Malcolm it's an immunity idol, but I doubt anyone will fall for that.

The immunity challenge is here, and Probst tells Abi to read the note. In order to maintain her lie, she reads the "second part" of the note, which is her free pass to the final stage. So, the survivors have to navigate a tricky rope maze, with extra weight added for if they get a quiz question wrong. Lisa ends up with extra weight. Denise does too, but it doesn't prove to be too much of a burden as she ends up the first person to complete the course. Carter launches a huge comeback and goes from last to 2nd. After Skupin and Malcolm finish next, it comes down to Lisa and Penner, with Lisa missing out. The second stage is an even tighter fit, and Penner wins with Carter in second. They both join Abi in the last stage, who manages to untie her knots the fastest. The people on the bench cannot believe what they're seeing, and Abi wins the immunity necklace she desperately needed. And boy, is she happy.

Carnival time: the unthinkable has happened

Sinking feeling: will lightning strike again for Penner?

Back at camp, Malcolm is actually secretly glad Abi is sticking around because he wanted an excuse to get rid of a real threat like Penner (and I suspect he's a sucker for a nice booty, too). The four all agree on the vote, but Lisa goes into moral dilemma mode again because she likes Penner. She blabs the plan to Penner, and he's pretty mad...although Lisa does rightfully bring up that he turned down an alliance with her last episode. Snooze you lose, buddy. She tells him "go do your magic" and he puts on his hat and goes to talk to Skupin. After getting Abi on board to vote off Denise, Mike is now the swing vote. Would flipping again help his chance of winning?

At tribal council, Penner does all but get down on his knees in his plea for Skupin to not vote him out. He claims that Denise or Malcolm will win if they get to the end, a call-out

Curtain call: That's Penner's final bow, folks

those two don't appreciate. The time comes to vote, and Penner loudly yells "Denise!" from the voting booth. But the 3 votes for the therapist are not enough, and Penner gets expelled from the game, with a really fun exit involving him hugging Carter, refusing to hug Abi, and whistling on his way down the path. A showman til the end!


So that's the end of the road for one of Survivor's all-time greats. But this season still has enough good characters to fill the gap he left.

STAR OF THE WEEK: ABI-MARIA GOMES

Wow. If you'd told me a month ago Abi would be a two-time star of the week winner I wouldn't have believed it. But she's really come out fighting after being backed into a corner, and that's exactly what I like to see. Move over, RC!

Philippines Episode 10: Weathering The Storm

Well, so much for Pete being the mastermind. Abi is confused and racking her brain trying to think up a new plan, whilst fallen top dog Pete admits they got complacent. Mike tells Denise and Penner he wants the five who voted for Artis plus Lisa to go to the final 6 together and say "game on". Skupin calls it his biggest move of the game so far and talks about how he wants to gain something in the game he's never really had before now: control.

Make up and move on? I'll drink to that!

"I've never been good at breakups" admits Lisa, who has not severed her ties to Abi and Pete completely. Abi tries to persuade her to swing back, saying she'll be stronger with them but Lisa says she's more comfortable with people who don't yell at her at tribal council. "Fair enough" says Abi, and she knows when to quit.

Carter confuses a manicure with a pedicure

The reward challenge looks a fun one...although why are they still using Tandang and Kalabaw logos? The goal is to have all of your drums flipped over at the same time. The two teams are Carter, Malcolm, Abi and Pete (Red) vs Jonathan, Mike, Lisa and Denise (Yellow). Carter takes on Penner and wins. Skupin pulls a point back after Malcolm screws up. Abi has no clue what she is doing and ends up flipping over one of Lisa's drums to help her win. Pete ties it up against Denise. Final round - it's Malcolm and Skupin again. Malcolm darts back between the first two and luckily for him, Skupin screws up and flips the wrong drum. Red team win! Abi dances in celebration despite doing nothing to earn it.

Cinderella enjoys the high life

The reward winners are treated to a nice spa day. Malcolm just wants to hang out, no strategy talk...all the young people are here and it's time to have fun. But really, it's just because he has no interest in aligning with any of these people, as he tells us in his towel-headed confessional, post-massage. The four of them are all enjoying the day, Carter is feeding Malcolm grapes, Abi feels like a princess and Pete is getting re-fueled in order to take on the next must-win challenge.

Princess Abi starts sharing her experience with the rest of the group after she goes back to camp, and Mike doesn't like how she's bragging about how full she is. She even interrupts Carter when he tries to add his thoughts. Later on, she then claims she's done cooking because she's "going soon anyway". Denise is fed up with her, but knows that her time will soon come.

Malcolm moves to secure a final 4 deal with Mike, Denise and Lisa. They all shake hands and Malcolm seems really committed to it. Lisa would rather go to the final 3 with Penner, but he tells her he doesn't want to promise anything yet because it's too soon. What the Hell? Who turns down alliances on Survivor?

Time for the immunity challenge. Pete gets an out-of-place confessional about how he needs to win, so he probably will. The task is to manoeuvre a buoy along a rope and get it out of the tangled mess first. Penner and Malcolm are the first to secure their spots in the second round. Then Denise, Carter and Skupin. Pete misses out, and the tension is sucked out of the challenge immediately. The next round is a balance beam. Carter crawls on his belly. Penner is struggling. Skupin gets it first, and is joined in the final (water) round by Carter and Denise. Travelling over water, the lead changes several times, but in the end, Carter just about pips Skupin to win immunity.

The new Fabio secures his spot for next week

Carter talks about how fun the challenge was, but Pete is looking pissed. His move is to take down the person that he believes is the biggest threat in the game: Malcolm. He surmises correctly the other six are splitting the vote 3-3 to circumvent Abi's idol, so he wants to blindside Malcolm and take both idols out of the game. It's a solid plan, but Lisa has to decline as she feels like she's already given her word to the others. "But you started the game with us" pouts Abi. Skupin seems to be at least considering it, but as someone who's already done their fair share of flip-flopping, this might be one flop too many. Malcolm is well aware his name is out there and says he plans to feel everybody out at tribal council before deciding whether or not to play his idol.

Even the therapist gives up on Abi

At tribal council, Abi says hi to Artis on the jury, as it's nice to see one of her few friends. She admits to her regret at how she handled the last tribal. Lisa says she forgives her, but needs to play with people who are going to trust her. Denise blasts Abi and calls her unlikeable, leaving her having to hold back tears. After trying to explain to Abi why people don't like her, Abi accuses Denise of trying to manipulate everyone against her. It's actually a shame to see her so down and out, even if she kinda deserves it.

The vote falls 3-3-2, and after Abi plays her idol, the three votes for Pete send him home. He's had a couple of close scrapes but now his time is up. So now Abi is truly alone, but Probst gives her some hope that she can pull it back. Abi walks out of tribal almost forgetting her torch. Well hey, at least she still has it.

STAR OF THE WEEK: ABI-MARIA GOMES

I've always appreciated what Abi brings to the game, even if I wouldn't want to encounter her myself. We saw a much softer side to Abi this week and I hope she takes all the criticism she got on board. Her interactions with Lisa have already improved tenfold.

Philippines Episode 9: Do The Right Thing

The tribe return, minus Jeff Kent, following one of the most last-minute vote-offs ever. "Lisa made a big move to save me" says Mike, who seems almost slightly disbelieving that he's still here. He doesn't regret voting off Jeff though, because he wasn't willing to work with returnees. Penner's plan to unleash the wrath of Abi worked, although it does seem he didn't realize he could've saved Jeff. Malcolm assures Lisa he isn't holding any grudges and it's all part of the game, which lifts a huge weight off her mind.

Making Lisa Smile: Solidarity between the two actors

Penner seems to have Lisa figured out and does a great job of relating to her and what she's going through. This is what a great player does...gets to know people on an individual level. Penner's psychoanalysis is very therapeutic for Lisa, who has been seeking other people's approval her whole life.

Shooting some b-ball outside of the school

Today's reward challenge is designed to get everyone as muddy as possible by making them run an obstacle course and then shoot hoops to finish it off. The teams are divided into old Tandang vs the rest...much like the vote was last episode, hehe! Abi the sit-out queen was not picked. So Skupin and Penner run out first and although Penner falls behind, he pulled up all the bags from the mud himself to make it easier for his teammates. This definitely pays off when Lisa and Pete start struggling for their team, giving them a huge lead on the basketball section  That last ball proves to be tricky, but eventually they land it and get to go on a great reward to see a Filipino village.

Jonathan "Normal" Penner tries to crack the pinata

It's been far too long since we've had a nice, cultural reward like this. The locals are all really happy to see the survivors and some of their interactions are priceless. Jonathan introduces himself and says that in America his name is normal, leading to the kids dubbing him Normal. Malcolm is also enjoying getting a taste of the life he left behind in Micronesia, and realizes how this is so much more fulfilling than pouring drinks. There's a surprising amount of depth to this fratboy. Over dinner we also get a strategy talk and the four of them discuss the plan to flip Skupin or Lisa.

Back at camp, the Tandang target is Penner, once again. Pete wants to keep Mike and Lisa close in order to ensure they don't flip. Abi is making this very difficult as she yells at Lisa for giving information to the other alliance and calls her gullible. But will Lisa really be able to flip when she's been preaching loyalty, loyalty, loyalty?

Slightly lame immunity challenge this week...the object is to balance six balls on their arm at the same time. It's pretty much just a two horse race from the start, with only Pete and Mike able to get the hang of it. When Pete drop his balls, it just becomes a formality for Skupin to win immunity. Artis has a confessional about his relief that Penner didn't win and wanting to relax...hmmm.

Coconut assault!

Abi smashes Mike on the head with a coconut. Not on purpose, but it's probably not the first time he's felt the wrath of Abi. Denise has come up with the idea to target Artis, because they know Abi won't give him the idol. All they need now is the numbers. Penner makes a great pitch to Lisa about storytelling and how it's better for the audience if the good people win. I've always been convinced that the real reason Penner flipped in Cook Islands was because it would make a better story!

Abi has a giant clam

Lisa and Mike are discussing which move to take. It's not just a case of their best shot of progressing, but who they want to play with. "How can we stay loyal to someone not loyal to us?" points out Lisa.

At tribal council, Lisa discusses the verbal beating she took at the last tribal council and, after a little prompting from Jeff, diplomatically points out that Abi wasn't as nice to her as some of the others. Penner and Denise remain hopeful of a power shift. Abi does even more damage by telling Lisa she doesn't fully trust her.

When the votes are read, Penner gets his wish and Artis is sent to the jury by a 5-4 vote. All that build-up about Lisa's decision, and it's Mike who ends up flipping. Guess the evil trio weren't as comfortable as they thought. If you thought Abi was insufferable before, can't wait to see her next week!

STAR OF THE WEEK: JONATHAN PENNER

An honorable mention to Mike Skupin for changing the game, but I couldn't not give Penner a back-to-back star of the week after witnessing him play his ass off. He's so good at managing interpersonal relationships, and his self-aware meta-narrative showed just why he's been brought back twice. Producers love players like this, who know just how to make good TV...because they're doing their job for them.

Philippines Episode 8: Last Innings

Penner points out to Jeff and Carter how they could've got rid of Pete had they just voted his way. Jeff tries to blame wishy-washiness, but he isn't buying it. Penner confronts

Mike and Penner plot their path back to the top

Denise about her vote, and she admits she voted for him and she's playing her own game. Now he knows exactly where he stands..at the bottom, with Skupin. Mike assures him that there are cracks and he's not out of this yet. Hey, you don't need to tell him that. If Penner's going down, he's going down fighting.


So, Jeff wants to break up the trio of Artis, Pete and Abi once the returnees are gone, and Lisa appears to be on board for that. So I guess his move had some merit, at least. He calls Lisa naive...that's it Kent, keep underestimating her. She wants you to.

The reward challenge is retrieving fish traps and then doing a flag puzzle. Split into two teams, the blue team gets old Tandang minus Lisa and plus Carter, and the rest all form the yellow team. Jeff Kent amasses a lead over Abi (well duh), but Carter manages to pull it back for blue. It lasts until Skupin starts struggling, allowing Denise to finish the water section first. Despite Malcolm having a headstart on Artis on the digging, Artis manages to find his mark first. However the lead switches again when puzzle master Penner works better with Jeff than Pete works with Skupin, to give the blue team a nice reward.

Rice is nice, but a cruise would've been better

Back on the beach, Pete is preparing to turn on some of the stronger Kalabaws before Mike. Abi is apparently irritating him just as much as she's irritating everyone else, but he can't vote her out because he knows she'd get no votes in a final three.

On the boat, Penner says he wants to help the four of them plus Carter win the game. Malcolm comments on how Penner seems to be exploiting the good vs evil split for his own gain, and Lisa comments how the evil trio are still in her plans because they've pissed so many people off.

Back on the beach, Lisa lets Mike in on one of her plans...to take out Malcolm. He has the immunity idol and no-one else knows, so it has to be a blindside. Penner approaches and starts mouthing off that he's going to win immunity. He's never done it before, but now's the time.

Flying high: Penner is ecstatic knowing he's still in the game

The challenge involves untying puzzle bags from posts. Fastest three go on to solve it. Abi takes the lead (wtf?) and it turns out to be a very tight race. Pete and Jeff are in front, but after that, pretty much everyone is in contention. With the crucial third spot up for grabs, Penner slides in just ahead of Mike. On the puzzle section, Pete makes a great start, with Jeff not far behind. But slow and steady wins the race and Penner gradually starts to catch up. Despite everyone on the bench quietly rooting against him, Penner wins immunity...which really pisses off Kent.

Nice work, Detective

Penner is smiling because pulling that off when he needed it most is probably the best thing he's ever done. With their safe option now gone, the scrambling begins. Pete is at first hoping for an easy Skupin boot, but Lisa is less enthusiastic. Telling Pete about Malcolm's idol, Pete is shocked, because he trusted the guy. Of course, Malcolm denies everything and manages to dupe Pete. So now for some reason, Pete is targeting Jeff, and Jeff decides to hit back by targeting Pete. Which one is going? I honestly have no idea.

At tribal council, RC looks gorgeous on the jury as you'd expect. Lisa is not dropping her accusations about Malcolm so he decides to pull his idol out and threaten to use it. This stuns pretty much everybody, and Probst asks if anyone else would like to reveal their idol. So Abi does. Why not, right? Continuing the idea of getting it all out in the open, Penner proposes that the six people not in the core Tandang alliance should all vote together. After calling it one of the most entertaining tribal councils ever, Jeff sends them off to vote.

Jeff asks if anyone wants to play an idol, and Malcolm and Abi both decide to roll the dice and hold onto them. The votes come out, and the vote should have been a tie between Jeff and Pete, but a random stray vote for Abi seals Jeff's fate. And the vote reveal that plays over his bitter, Political rant in his final words reveals it was Penner who screwed him over. That's Survivor karma right there!

Fuckin' Democrats

So we're two votes in to the merge and with people playing harder than ever, it's set to be a very unpredictable path. Will Malcolm have to play his idol sooner rather than later? How the Hell did Skupin stay out of the line of fire? Will Carter be even more useless now he has no coattails to ride? And how long can Penner hang on?

STAR OF THE WEEK: JONATHAN PENNER

Penner managed to talk the talk and walk the walk this week, winning immunity and blowing shit up at tribal council. Was his vote for Abi a screw-up or a calculated play?