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Introduction: She may have not told the absolute truth during her stay on the island (such as informing her tribemates about Rogers' apology) but in the end, "Survivor: Thailand" contestant Ghandia Johnson blamed who she thinks is the right person for orchestrating her exit from the game...namely herself. The fourth contestant to be set adrift on the reality series, Johnson admitted in her "goodbye speech" that she was wrong to pit the men and women of the Chuay Gahn tribe against each another.
"I made a big mistake in trying to play one side against the other side because of an event that happened to me that I should have just let go. Unfortunately, the evil Ghandia came to rue her ugly head and the good Ghandia just couldn't stop her. Have fun everybody still sleeping on the dirt," she said.
Last week, Johnson claimed that her tribemate -- Ted Rogers, Jr -- made unwanted advances towards her as they slept. An apologetic Rogers confessed to grinding against her but he attributed his inappropriate behavior to being half asleep and mistakenly thinking he was at home in bed with his wife. Though she accepted his apology at first, Johnson grew to disbelieve Rogers' explanation. Last night, viewers saw the fallout of the "he said / she said" debate which divided the tribe down stereotypical gender lines. At Tribal Council, Helen Glover, the Navy swim instructor, betrayed Johnson and Jan by siding with the men instead.
The remaining Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:
Chuay Gahn Tribe
1. Brian Heidik: Used car salesman. 2. Clay Jordan: Restaurateur. 3. Ghandia Johnson: Legal secretary. 4. Helen Glover: Navy swim instructor. 5. Jan Gentry: Teacher. 6. Ted Rogers, Jr.: Software developer.
Sook Jai Tribe
1. Erin Collins: Real estate agent. 2. Jake Billingsley: Land broker. 3. Ken Stafford: Police officer. 4. Penny Ramsey: Pharmaceutical sales. 5. Robb Zbacnik: Bartender. 6. Shii Ann: Executive recruiter. 7. Stephanie Dill: Firefighter.
Sook Jai Tribal Happenings (Night Nine)
As Sook Jai plods back to their pathetic excuse for a camp site, it finally dawns on Skater boy Robb Zbacnik that he is the only one who didn't vote to extract Jed at Tribal Council. He mumbles something about things not being "set in stone" which might mean that he was deliberately misinformed about the vote before heading off to Tribal Council. Shii Ann The She-Devil feigns surprise for skater boy's benefit. Penny takes off her Ring Of Invisibility long enough to explain to us why the dental student got gassed. He thought he was the leader. He thought he was running the show. Her comments come as a surprise because it never seemed that way due to the editing. (Editor's note: Rumour has it that Jake and Penny were supposed to be looking after the fishing net while Jed snoozed. Take from that what you will). As Sook Jai huddles in their hovel for some shut-eye, Stephanie buries herself in the sand once again.
Sook Jai Tribal Happenings (Day Ten)
Rubbing the sand out of her eyes and shaking the crabs out of her pants, Stephanie greets the day. She tells us she is "shocked" and "pissed" that the tribe bounced Jed. None of this makes sense as Stephanie voted to kick Jed too. Unhappy with sharing the site with them or feeling sorry for the dullards in Sook Jai, a bunch of squid have evidently committed mass suicide. Their bodies have washed up on shore all around Stephanie. Steph sees potential McSquid meals for everyone and begins gathering the corpses up and boiling them in a big pot. Nobody lifts a finger to assist her. She-Devil Shii Ann grumbles that they shouldn't be using THAT pot for cooking. Stupid Stephanie. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Stephanie says that the entire tribe "disgusts" her. They complain about being hungry yet there is food all around them. She-Devil Shii Ann gripes that Stephanie pretends that she is doing all the work. Stephanie hates the tribe and doesn't want to be part of them. This might foreshadow Stephanie splitting to Chuay Gahn if she gets the chance on the next episode. As five Sook Jai members try ("try" being the operative word) to start the campfire, Stephanie mocks them from the sidelines. How many Sook Jai does it take to build a fire?...she humorously asks to no one in particular. Boosting her spoken word count on the show to ten, Erin calls Stephanie "grumpy".
Chuay Gahn Tribal Happenings (Day Ten)
It's morning in the Bat Cave. Jan informs us that the mood in the tribe is similar to Judas Priest fans finding out that they've bought tickets to a Backstreet Boys concert instead. The jovial mood is gone.
Time for the "she said" portion of the show. On the shore, Ghandia uses sand to brush her teeth. One hazards to guess what she uses as dental floss or toilet paper. Once Ghandia is through scrubbing all the enamel off her teeth, it is time for her favourite past time, bashing Ted. He is stupid. He won't let their dispute die. Ted is pretending she doesn't exist. He won't even speak to her any more. What's worse is that other people are adopting his behavior as well because they are feeling uncomfortable. Trying to seem reflective, Ghandia pulls out a "Jaws" metaphor. She imagines that the tribe is a body and she is the arm that was bitten off by a shark. Deep, sister. Deep.
Time for the "he said" segment. Ted rips into Ghandia. When he first met her, he thought she was nice. He was wrong. She damaged his character. He only views the tribe as having five members now. Well, four and a half, if you count Clay properly. He hopes he never sees Ghandia again. You could say the feeling is probably mutual at this point. Can't you feel the love?
Time for the "dimwit said" portion of the show. As astounding as it may seem, Clay knew Ghandia was trouble from the start. Making another "ass" reference, Clay says he wants to send Ghandia's back to Denver.
Sitting with a gibbering Jan, Ghandia feels like all the love is "oozing" out of the cave...or maybe that's just the bat guano. Who can tell?
Helen has her say. Why not? Everyone else has. She used to work at a rape crisis centre. She has no doubt that Ghandia is telling the truth about Ted. She doesn't buy the version of events Ted is trying to sell. Wisely, she determines that the trust is somewhere in the middle. The producers don't permit Brian to speak on the situation. Hmmm.
Jan marks off ten days on her cave wall calendar. She shouts joyfully...We are still alive! We are still alive! You can almost hear the cameramen and other the production staff who are roaming all around trying to stifle their laughter.
Clay trods off to collect the tree mail. He finds a banana and a dummy. I know what you are thinking. It is not Ted secretly chowing down on some food in the jungle but an ACTUAL dummy. Clay makes a vain attempt at dragging the dummy back to camp. No dice. He hollers for help. Chuay Gahn discovers that they must decorate the dummy. They are provided with some paint to do so. There is debate over whether the dummy should be a male or female.
Sook Jai Tribal Happenings (Day Ten)
Strangely enough, Sook Jai's dummy fits right in with the group. It has no personality, sits around and does nothing at all too. As the dummy soaks up some rays, the tribe brainstorms ideas on how to paint it. This takes some time. A lot of time. Erin thinks they should dress it up like a pirate. Jake and Shii Ann stare off into space. Stephanie mouths Oh, my God...as her head sinks into her hands. Stephanie takes on the chore again as everyone else "supervises". She-Devil Shii Ann claims that Stephanie didn't want any assistance with it.
Reward Challenge
Looking like the morons that they are, the tribes have to carry the dummies around a course on the island which leads them over a hill and through the water. First tribe to cross the finish line...wins. Sook Jai sits the She-Devil out. Chuay Gahn calls their dummy "Chuay Girl" while Robb named Sook Jai's. It is the tribe's name backwards. This is Robb we are speaking about so give him a break.
Reward: A bushel of bananas and a surprise waiting for them back at camp.
Result: Jan and Ghandia have a tough go of it. Helen falls. Once over the hill, Sook Jai is gone like the wind.
Winners: Sook Jai
Chuay Gahn Tribal Happenings (Day Ten)
Clay, Ted and Brian blame Jan and Ghandia for the defeat. Ghandia lost her shoe during the challenge and Jan was more of a hindrance than a help. The women look on from the Bat Cave. Ghandia says "punk ass" Ted is playing the "blame game". She didn't come to Thailand to win bananas. She wants the money. Calling Ted "Fat Albert", Ghandia comments that she doesn't play the blame game and will put a stop to it.
Sook Jai Tribal Happenings (Day Ten)
While Sook Jai stuffs their faces, Robb has found God. He says a prayer thanking the Lord for the food. Stephanie feels great. Her energy is returning. Sook Jai finds that four chickens have been delivered to their camp. Robb lays down the law to his feathered friends. Lay some eggs or he's gonna pull their heads off and eat them. Robb: "This is a food source that never goes bad." Right on, Dude.
Chuay Gahn Happenings (Day 12)
Clay, Ted and Brian are supposed to be fishing. Helen, Jan and Ghandia are working in the kitchen of the Bat Cave. Helen grouses that the men better be turning over rocks and gathering food. Lately, they haven't been pulling their weight. Cut to the guys sitting in the water shooting the breeze. Ghandia moans that the women do all the work while the men act like they are on vacation. Helen gives us her take on the male members of Chuay Gahn. Ted is a macho has-been football player who is still living in the past. Clay is from 1950. Where he comes from, women are not equal to men in any regard. She thinks that it is only a matter of time before Mount Ghandia erupts. No comments on Brian. Hmmmm.
Brian tells us that because they are in a primitive atmosphere that the men and women have fallen back on their traditional roles. The men do the hunting and the women do...well...everything else. He kids that he has some more laundry back at the camp for one of the women to wash. What's that sound? It is Brian's wife slapping him upside the head as they watch the show at home. Guess who woke up with a sore back after sleeping on the couch last night?
Immunity Challenge: The Survivors have to assemble two puzzles made out of wood pieces. One is of fire and the other of the Tribal Council temple. Sook Jai sits Stephanie out. The tribes can only have two people working on a puzzle at a time.
Reward: Immunity from Tribal Council.
Result: Shii Ann leads her team to a win. Ted, Clay and Ghandia fumble around.
Winners:Sook Jai
Chuay Gahn Happenings (Day 12)
Ghandia sees the vote breaking down by gender. She is fearful of the Wonder Twins...Ted and Clay. She has a plan. She is sure that all of the men are going to vote for her. She must convince the women to vote for Clay so a tie vote will be forced at Tribal Council. The problem with Ghandia's scheme is that if the vote were to go to previous votes cast, she would lose out as she has one vote against her and Ted has none so far. Jan won't vote for Ted. She believes he is needed in the challenges but will target Clay. Helen agrees to follow suit.
Chatting with us, Helen says that this is when the game gets ugly. If she wants to stay, she must vote Ghandia out. She sees herself as the "swing vote" in the game. As of this moment she is undecided what to do. She probably won't make up her mind until she "pulls the cap off the pen".
Tribal Council
Chuay Gahn has been at the temple so often, Probst thinks they should have reserved seating. Ted comments that it is painful voting people out but it is the game they signed up for. Clay says the heat and lack of food is slaying him. Helen has never worried so much in her life. She frets about having enough food or water. Ghandia says that not everyone is pulling their weight in the tribe. She glances over at Clay. Clays maintains that everyone is doing their part. Jan feels that the tribe is divided but manages to come together during the challenges.
Ted votes for Ghandia. She blew the issue between them out of proportion. His vote is personal. He hopes never to see Ghandia again. Clay selects Ghandia. She played the "cat and mouse" game and got busted for it. Ghandia votes Clay. She believes the vote will be a tie and the best person will win.
As Probst is reading the votes he has to stop when he gets to Clay's. All Clay wrote was "Denver Diva". Probst has to confirm the vote with Clay and warns the dumbasses not to be cute and write down nicknames during the balloting at Tribal Council. Okay. Probst didn't call them "dumbasses" but you just know he really, really wanted to.
Final Voting
1. Brian Heidik: Ghandia. 2. Clay Jordan: Ghandia. 3. Ghandia Johnson: Clay. 4. Helen Glover: Ghandia. 5. Jan Gentry: Clay. 6. Ted Rogers, Jr.: Ghandia.
Tribal Council Victim: Ghandia Johnson
Parting Comments: "I made a big mistake in trying to play one side against the other side because of an event that happened to me that I should have just let go. Unfortunately, the evil Ghandia came to rue her ugly head and the good Ghandia just couldn't stop her. Have fun everybody still sleeping on the dirt." - Ghandia Johnson.
Episode Rating: A.
Final Thoughts: On the next 'Survivor', Sook Jai is reminded of the dangers lurking in the sea. Chuay Gahn experiences a "big loss". There is an offer which "could change the entire game".
As with most of this season of "Survivor", the crafty editors continued to omit important pieces of information from the viewers (such as any alliances being formed) to conceal upcoming surprises. On last night's broadcast, Helen Glover wasn't sure if she was going to stick with the Chuay Gahn women or align herself with the men as they headed once again to Tribal Council. Since the final voting was not shown as Johnson gave her final testimonial at the conclusion of the show, viewers were left wondering which of the Chuay Gahn women stabbed Johnson in the back at Tribal Council. The voting on the official CBS Survivor Web site reveals it was Glover. Jan remained true to her word and was the other vote for Clay. It seems as if because of her age and the hardships she suffers during the challenges that Jan could be next on the chopping block. Clay is another good candidate.
The promo for next week's broadcast suggests that it is either Robb Zbacnik or Ken Stafford of the Sook Jai tribe who are attacked by something in the water (rumour has it that the offending creature is a stingray). The deal which could "change the entire game" is probably some sort of individual offer to each of the players. Since it is about time for the traditional switching up of the tribes, one has to believe that each contestant is probably given the chance to change tribes if they so desire. Either that or the tribe as a whole gets to vote on who they would like to send to the opposing team.
If none of this information was bizarre enough, here is another rumour for you. Usually I dismiss such banter as just insulting comments by fans who just don't like a particular player but in this case some of the other pieces may just fit. It sure would explain a lot. The gossip mill says that...get this...one of the female contestants still in the game is not a woman but...a man. A transexual to be exact. If true, that certainly would be a hell of a surprise later on. Then again, it might be just a bunch of bunk.