 |
Stephenie LaGrossa. (Photo courtesy of CBS). |
For one of the few times ever, the tribe did not speak on 'Survivor'.
Last night, Bobby Jon Drinkard, the 27-year-old waiter from Alabama, still took that Walk of Shame though leaving Stephenie LaGrossa as the last member of the ill-fated Ulong Tribe left standing.
Losing what was probably the final Tribal Immunity Challenge of the 'Palau' season, Bobby Jon and Stephenie were forced to compete in an Individual Immunity Challenge to see who would continue on and who would be shipped off to Loser Island. Since their votes would cancel each other out at Tribal Council, the two undisputed backbones of the Ulong Tribe were forced to battle each other in a fire-building contest. Stephenie was the first to ignite her fuse and won.
"Bobby Jon, the tribe definitely did not speak tonight nonetheless it is time for you to go," said host Jeff Probst as he snuffed his torch.
"Oh, my God. This is just crazy," said a bewildered Stephenie to Probst once Bobby Jon was gone.
"It is just you. What do you think tonight is going to be like?," asked Probst.
"It is going to be scary. I mean, I left camp with the fire pretty stoked and my bed already made in case I was coming back to it and lots of firewood so I am scared. Hopefully, I will have a good night and tomorrow? God knows what that brings," Stephenie answered.
"We will see what tomorrow brings. Grab your torch. Head on back to camp. You're still alive," said Probst.
Though a tribe consisting of one person and one tribe sweeping all of the Immunity Challenges are certainly 'Survivor' firsts, a player being sent packing without being voted out is not. In the history of the series there have been a handful of contestants who have had their game end that way. The two most notable are the Outback's Michael Skupin who was injured and airlifted out of the game and Paschal English of 'Survivor Marquesas' who picked the Purple Rock of Doom in a tied Tribal Council vote.
The Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:
Ulong Tribe
1. Bobby Jon.
2. Stephenie.
Koror Tribe
1. Ian.
2. Katie.
3. Tom.
4. Janu.
5. Gregg.
6. Jennifer.
7. Coby.
8. Caryn.
Ulong Tribal Happenings (Night 18)
Working on keeping their fire alive (Ironic isn't it?), Stephenie thanks Bobby Jon for keeping his word and voting for Ibrehem. Bobby Jon says there was no way around it. Bobby Jon: "Once I say something, it is over and done with. I keep my word."
Bobby Jon: Stephenie performed better than anyone in the challenges and deserved to stay.
Stephenie believes they can still win and pull the game out of the fire. She thinks Bobby Jon and herself are the best ones to do that.
Koror Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
The knuckleheads at Koror have left their uneaten food all around their camp. Now, they are surprised that rats have moved in and are throwing a party.
Tom: We must have gotten sloppy with our food. The rats have gotten used to us and are not intimidated. Yah think? Duh.
Coby doesn't feel sorry for Koror. He warned them time and time again to clean up their act. Because nobody else will do it, Coby moves Tom's fly-infested shark head trophy away from the camp.
Coby: I am the one who looks after the fire. I am the one who gets water. I am the one who gathers coconuts. The women do nothing. Janu is on her eighth day of quitting the game. Why doesn't she go home already? The women are letting the alpha males run the show. He would like nothing better than to shove all of the women into the fire.
Reward Challenge
It is the gross food challenge. The Survivors will be eating eggs with partially formed duckling embryos in them. Yummy. Yummy. In each round, the players have to eat more and more eggs to continue. It is not a race to get the nasty stuff down until the sudden death round...if there is one.
Reward
50 gallons of fresh water, a shower and a basket of toiletries.
Result
It is Tom and Ian versus Stephenie and Bobby Jon. Nobody gives an inch though Tom keeps making comments about the beaks being crunchy. In the sudden death round, it is Bobby Jon against Tom. Bobby Jon stuffs too much in his mouth. Slow and steady wins the race for Tom. Bobby Jon gives Tom the evil eye. Bobby Jon to Stephenie: "Man, I almost had it."
Winners: Koror.
Koror Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
Koror celebrates by gargling mouthwash and giving the producers plenty of product placements.
Jennifer: It is going to be great to be human for one day and get totally clean.
Standing at the water/shower drum, Coby and Tom agree that they should use the water for drinking not washing. There is some dissent amongst the others though, especially Jennifer.
Tom: He has to speak up and assert himself. It is still a survival situation. To use the water for anything but drinking is ridiculous.
Jennifer: Tom spoke up and ruined all the fun. There was 50 gallons of water for crying out loud. Nobody wanted to speak up and she wasn't going to. Hopefully, the others will see how domineering Tom is and vote him out eventually. He is such a sour puss.
Ulong Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
Stephenie: We are always so close to winning. Bobby Jon: Tom just shoved his in faster. He is tired of losing to Tom.
Bobby Jon: Tom beating him at challenges is getting real old. He is now fired up and severely pissed.
Bobby Jon starts grunting, groaning and chopping anything that isn't moving.
Stephenie: She isn't surprised at Bobby Jon. Men tend to throw and punch things when they are ticked off. Bobby Jon is kinda scaring her. It is nice to see him taking the loss to heart though.
Koror Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
It is like Club Med at Koror. Everyone is relaxing and soaking up the sun.
Katie: It is nice to win but Koror is stuck with the same old faces every day. Soon though, the claws are going to come out and it should be fun.
Ian and Tom conspire alone. They are worried about the Greggifer Alliance. They agree that eventually one of them must be voted out. Tom reminds Ian that the original alliance was them two, Katie and Stephenie. Tom thinks that if Stephenie becomes part of Koror, they must get her on their side. Tom and Ian agree to keep the plan hush-hush.
Ulong Tribal Happenings (Day 20)
Bobby Jon's lack of manners is getting on Stephenie's nerves. Stephenie: He is turning into a caveman. Bobby Jon eats anything and everything. We see Stephenie reminding Bobby Jon not to eat the shell of a crab they caught. Bobby Jon stands up and blows some snot out of his nose. A disgusted Stephenie: "That was a snot rocket." Stephenie says Bobby Jon shoots his "snot rockets" where they sleep. He apologizes but it is still so nasty.
Stephenie: It is hard to do all the chores themselves. While Koror is living it up, they are just trying to keep the fire going at Ulong all day. She is tough though and totally cut out for the game.
Stephenie and Bobby Jon have a hard time even getting their canoe into the water. They pull, heave and tug until they are blue in the face.
Stephenie: It damn near killed us. If she can make it through this, she can survive anything. Almost sobbing, Stephenie states that she is trying to be strong but there is nobody out here. She doesn't want to give up hope but Ulong is at a dead end.
Ulong Tribal Happenings (Day 21)
Though she is tired and hungry, Stephenie won't give up. As they fish at the shore, Bobby Jon catches one. Bobby Jon: It felt like I accomplished something. They also score a giant clam.
Steph and Bobby Jon gorge on the food. Steph: We can feel the protein being absorbed. The meal was a nice treat.
Steph and Bobby Jon collect the tree mail. The challenge will have something to do with swimming and a puzzle.
Steph: It is do or die time. Either they win or there is no Ulong. She is pretty good at puzzles.
Immunity Challenge
There are bags of puzzle pieces out in the water. The players must swim out to them, unhook them, go through a balance beam course and bring the pieces back to shore. When all four bags are back, the pieces form a word search. Once all of the words on the list have been found, the intersecting letters form three words which must be unscrambled to win.
Reward
Immunity from the Tribal Council vote.
Result
Coby and Gregg compete for Koror. Things are pretty much even until it is time to put the puzzle together. Stephenie and Bobby Jon have a hard time putting the pieces together. As Ulong starts circling words, Stephenie cheats and sneaks peaks at Koror's word search. Even that tactic isn't enough though.
Winners: Koror.
Probst informs Stephenie and Bobby Jon that since they cannot vote each other out, a special Immunity Challenge will be held at Tribal Council. The loser will go home.
Koror Tribal Happenings (Day 21)
Koror parties down. Coby: We have won every single Immunity Challenge. Katie: I can't believe we won every one. Every congratulates each other on making the jury.
A choked up Coby: He has never gotten to be part of a winning team before. In school, he was considered a "girly guy" and was picked on. It was so bad he quit school. Since then, he has quit many things in his life. Nobody can ever take away his success now though.
Ulong Pre-Tribal Council Happenings (Day 21)
Stephenie: It is over now. Bobby Jon: They have tried every tactic in the book and nothing has worked. Bobby Jon and Stephenie both agree that they can't go home. They would look like failures in front of their friends and family.
The fire goes out and Bobby Jon restarts it in a flash. Stephenie to Bobby Jon: You can always get it started.
Stephenie: It will be kind of scary coming back to camp alone. At least she has always known Bobby Jon will be with her.
Bobby Jon doesn't think there will ever be a merger. The game will just keep going on until Ulong is toast. He is not worried though. He can stay for weeks in the jungle by himself.
Steph: They are no longer a team. They have to battle each other now.
Stephenie picks Bobby Jon's mind about what the challenge will be. Bobby Jon: Stephenie thinks 24 hours a day. She probably thinks in her sleep. He can get as badass as her though. The team thing is gone. It is Team Bobby Jon now.
Ulong Tribal Council Happenings
Probst asks Steph and Bobby Jon what it feels like to be a tribe of two. Stephenie: They have enjoyed their time together. We are the strongest of the Ulong Tribe. Bobby Jon: The game is just half way over. There is so much more to go. Catching the fish today was his highlight of his stay. He proved to himself that he can live off Mother Nature. Stephenie admits she has learned a ton from Bobby Jon about surviving. Bobby Jon about Stephenie: She can do anything a man can do.
Probst asks them how important fire is. Bobby Jon thinks it is the most important element. Probst: "Fire is the key to survival". He announces that the challenge will be a fire-building contest. About her fire skills, Steph says: I am not THAT good.
Immunity Challenge
Bobby Jon and Stephenie are given 25 matches, kindling and straw. They have to build a large enough fire to ignite a fuse. The first person to do that wins Immunity.
Reward
Immunity from the Tribal Council vote.
Result
The race is a close one but Stephenie wins due to the fact she took a little more time laying the twigs and such before lighting them ablaze.
Winner: Stephenie.
Tribal Council Victim:
Bobby Jon Drinkard.
Bobby Jon and Stephenie wish each other good luck. Bobby Jon to Stephenie: "Win this thing."
Parting Comments
"I feel like a brand new man. I really do. I wish I could keep going. I have a lot left in me but I hope I can turn that energy and that attitude into something positive for me. I am definitely proud of Stephenie because I think she's honestly, probably the top player in the game. I would just tell Stephenie to keep on doing what she is doing. I mean, the girl is almost invincible." -- Bobby Jon Drinkard. .
On the next 'Survivor': Television.
"Tom offends Coby. Tom and Ian are discussing something and Coby gets ticked that he is not included. Coby to Ian and Tom: I just don't want to be left out again as usual. Coby stomps off. Ian tries to coax Coby back. Coby to us: Hello. I am still here. I am still trying to participate, you jerk. Stephenie struggles alone at Ulong. Stephenie: This is as scary as hell. This is the scariest thing and the hardest thing I will ever do."
On the next 'Survivor': Internet.
"One Survivor struggles to endure a hard night as life on the island becomes tougher this deep into the game. After being excluded from a tribal excursion, one Survivor throws a tantrum. One tribe enjoys a memorable evening, especially for the member who overindulges a bit."
Powell's Thoughts:
No losers here: Hats off to both Bobby Jon and Stephenie. Even faced with a hopeless situation, they still fought on. Many would've thrown in the towel and quit a long time ago. Ain't that right Osten and Ashlee? To be honest, with many of their tribemates quitting on them and the like, Bobby Jon and Stephenie were behind the eight ball for much of the game. Though her strategy has been questionable at times, Stephenie is definitely in the running to be maybe the greatest female Survivor in series history based on her grit and determination alone. Talk about impressive. Kudos to Bobby Jon for remaining honourable even after his torch was snuffed. Many past and future players could learn a lot from him about how to play the game with decency and respect.
Dark clouds gathering: Tonight we saw more of Tom's dark side...if you can call it that. There is no doubt his authoritative nature is rubbing many, many people the wrong way. Is that enough to cost him the jury vote? Maybe. Jury members have held grudges for much less.
Coby's crash From what I can see, Coby's 'Survivor' storyline is wrapping up. His confessional about finally being on a winning team and picked on by jocks most certainly factors into his eventual boot. It could come as early as next episode. His disagreement with Tom and Ian in the promo can't help his cause any as Tom seems to be the one stepping up to direct Koror's evictions. That too could work against Tom if he is fortunate enough to make it to the jury vote.
Disappearing Janu: Coby's comment about wishing she would just quit already is a bad sign. She is being portrayed as an "easy out" or a no-brainer Tribal Council vote. She could be saying adios in the next two episodes.
Cunning Katie?: As far as the editing goes, she is the Cheshire Cat just sitting back and grinning as the others take each other out.
Steph survives?: Word is that Steph is absorbed into the Koror Tribe and there is no merger or new tribe formed. Steph is rumoured to outlast two other Koror members. This could be because of an Individual Immunity Challenge streak or that Tom's alliance decides Coby's Crew needs to be finished off first and Steph is their insurance policy against any changes in tribal politics.
To read Powell's 'Tale of the Torch', go here and follow all the latest 'Survivor' news in Jam! 'Survivor Palau'.
