Island Of The Idols Episode 6: Block Party

Noura is a goldmine for B-roll

The majority of old Vokais on the Lairo tribe are sitting pretty right now,  but Noura knows that Jack and Jamal were gunning for her, so tries to get Dean on her side by telling him this. Dean thinks Noura is too crazy to work with however, so decides to share all this with Jamal.

On Vokai, Elizabeth is freaking out over a tarantula. Elaine reaffirms with her side that they need to stick together and draw rocks, but cracks quickly form and Aaron is the first to flip, telling Jason he'd be willing to vote off Elaine.

Aaron goes beast mode

The reward challenge is to carry a sled with a tribe member on it through obstacles, then get a key to unlock their slingshot and fire at targets. Elaine is chosen to sit out, but Jeff tells her she's going to straight to Island of the Idols rather than watching. Vokai carry Aaron as Lairo carry Jack. Vokai work together to transfer their bags, giving them a slight lead. Jack is first to knock down a target, but Aaron gets all three first to win reward. Vokai take home their chicken prizes, but Dan is very worried about what Elaine might get from her little trip.

We check in with the Island of the Idols now, and Rob is building a huge, multi-storey shelter. Elaine arrives and Rob and Sandra tell her she's gonna need to think fast. Rob starts a sand timer and tells her she has until it runs out to make her choice on whether to take their offer. Elaine agrees even before she knows what it is. Rob tells her there's a vote blocker hidden at the next challenge for her to grab. But if she fails to get it, she loses her vote. Safe to say the stakes are huge on this one with a 4-4 split. She basically has no option but to get it by any means necessary.

Jamal is teaching Kellee and African dance and having fun, until Jack accidentally calls Jamal's buff a "durag" and the mood drops. Jack apologizes for his insensitive comment, which actually leads to a pretty insightful conversation between the two of them about priviledge. Elaine shares with Elizabeth what her task is, and Elizabeth instantly knows how important it is and agrees to cover for her.

Having the tough conversation

The immunity challenge is to dig your way into a bamboo cage, the carry it down a path collecting balls, before shooting the balls into baskets. Vokai get an early lead and Elaine is able to get the advantage...just about. Lairo are so disorganized they forget to even lift up all 4 corners. Vokai start shooting and Tommy is first to score. Jamal and Dean also score and Lairo are back in this. Aaron gets 3 but can't close it up. Jamal ties it up and then Dean nails the winning shot to give Lairo a surprise win.

You think this is bloody, wait til tonight

The first order of business for Vokai once they get back is to kill the chicken. Jason and Lauren both seem confident Elaine is going home, as they don't think she's smart enough to have an idol. Elaine decides to share with Aaron and Missy that she has thee vote blocker...and suddenly they're back on board with their 4. The old Lairos debate who to target...Elizabeth prefers to go for Lauren, but Missy thinks Dan is sneaky as she's caught him checking bags. Elaine calls Tommy and Jason big threats...and Aaron might just blow it all up and still vote out Elaine anyway. Man, that'd be a dumb move.

The hopelessness hits hard

At tribal council, Elaine says she's not scared of the impending showdown. Tommy says it makes more sense for their side to flip than his, as Jason confirms he is staying strong and willing to go to rocks. Elaine pulls out her advantage, which completely shifts the mood of tribal. Lauren cries when she realizes she could go home. Dan makes it clear he's not ready for it be him, as Jason says it's up to the Survivor Gods.

After the vote, Aaron reassures Tommy that he's still with him. But it's only three votes Elaine and 4 for Jason. Lauren is shocked, Tommy is pissed. Jason thanks his crew for staying loyal. Damn, I thought Jason had a lot more game in him. Well, Aaron stuck with his team but burned some bridges with unnecessary promises. It feels like a little cheap that an advantage settled this deadlock, but we still got a good episode out of it and we're sure to get some juicy aftermath.

STAR OF THE WEEK: JAMAL SHIPMAN

He played a key role in winning the challenge and got to talk about an important topic very eloquently too. Props for him for handling it so well and turning it into a teachable moment.