Last night's episode of 'Survivor' played out like the perfect ghost story. All that was missing was the camp fire, the marshmallows and a lone wolf howling at the moon in the distance. As predicted by Internet sleuths long before the 'Pearl Islands' series even began, the booted Survivors - Burton Roberts, Michelle Tesauro, Trish Dunn, Lillian Morris, Nicole Delma and Ryan Shoulders - did indeed rise from their watery graves. Shaking off the rotting sea weed, the Tribe of the Living Dead shambled off to return to the game and haunt those who had buried them alive.
Appropriately naming themselves The Outcasts, the returning tribe competed against the Morgan and Drake in a challenge to beat all 'Survivor' challenges. At stake was the fate of all three tribes. If The Outcasts beat Morgan and Drake, they would win the right to vote two of their members back into the game while Morgan and Drake would each send one member packing. The players voted back in are also granted immunity from the first Tribal Council that occurs after they re-join their respective tribes. If Morgan or Drake won, only the loser would be visiting Tribal Council.
"Revenge, baby. It is all about revenge," gloated Michelle Tesauro to host Jeff Probst.
Though the race was a close one, The Tribe of the Living Dead came out on top winning a recycled escape-the-jail cell challenge. Drake went on to finally kick out the argumentative intimidator Shawn Cohen during the broadcast's first of two Tribal Council meetings.
In voting for Shawn, Jon had one of the shortest and most direct good-bye statements ever on 'Survivor'. "F--k you!," he simply said as he folded up his parchment.
Morgan's turn evolved into one of the most brutal Tribal Councils in the history of 'Survivor' with pantywaist muscle-man Osten Taylor being sliced and diced by Probst and his own tribe for bowing out and requesting once again that Morgan vote him out.
"Going into this I was like...I am only going as far as my body allowed me to go...and right now, my body is done, exacerbated. Every bone in my body hurts. I can't go any further. I will be more of a liability than an asset to my team and I refuse to do that," Osten told Probst.
"You can't tell me that somewhere in the back of your mind there isn't a little part of you saying...I am quitting," said Probst after quizzing the other Morgan members on whether they would ever abandon playing the game on their own accord.
"Take it however you want. If you wanna say quitting, you wanna say sobbing, yeah...I am quitting. My health to me is more important to me than the million dollars, I guess right now. Does the means justify the end? Naw. It doesn't," replied Osten.
"Let me ask you something, Osten," queried Probst. "Have you ever wondered what the hell you are doing out here?".
"You know, clearly I am out of my element. In the situation I always thought that...Hey!...give it a shot. I can at least say I went and tried it. I would've liked to be successful. Apparently I am not going to be but I won't live my life saying...What if?," said Osten.
"Well, Osten. I don't pretend to know what you're thinking either but I know this...I've been to about a hundred Tribal Councils and I have never, ever seen anybody lay down their torch. So, this is a first for me. It seems unanimous. I just want to make sure," Probst said.
Probst didn't even bother wasting parchment or ink on Osten's departure. He confirmed the vote verbally with the other Morgan members.
"Osten, per your wishes, go home," Probst said to Osten as he snuffed his torch and laid it on the ground instead of standing it up as is normally done.
"With all due respect to Osten," said Probst addressing the Morgan Tribe once Osten had left the Tribal Council area. "People have worked too damn hard to get in this game and fight to stay alive. He wants to lay his torch down? So it shall be. Who knows? Maybe this is the best thing to happen to the Morgan Tribe."
The contempt the producers had for Osten was clearly evident during the conclusion of episode. He wasn't even granted the courtesy of some closing comments as the closing credits rolled. Instead, all viewers saw was footage of Morgan departing Tribal Council.
In part two of episode seven which airs next week, The Outcasts will have their Tribal Council session and vote two people back into the game. Rumour has it that either Burton, Trish or Lillian will have that honour. It is expected that the Morgan and Drake tribes will then merge at a wedding of some sort.
The remaining Survivors at the start of the broadcast were:
Drake Tribe
1. RUPERT BONEHAM: Troubled Teens Mentor.
2. SHAWN COHEN: Advertising Sales.
3. JON DALTON: Art Consultant.
4. SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE: Office Assistant.
5. CHRISTA HASTIE: Computer Programmer.
Morgan Tribe
1. TIJUANA BRADLEY: Pharmaceutical Sales.
2. DARRAH JOHNSON: Mortician.
3. RYAN OPRAY: Electrician.
4. ANDREW SAVAGE: Attorney.
5. OSTEN TAYLOR: Equity Trade Manager.
Drake Tribal Happenings (Night 18)
Coming back from Tribal Council, Rupert 'Blackbeard' totally loses it...and he wasn't even voted out. "Who the hell voted for me!," he bellows. "I did," Jon admits. "What the f--k! You are starting this now?," roars Rupert. An enraged 'Blackbeard' tells us he wanted to kill Jon by strangling him by his scrawny neck. Whoa! Easy big guy. It is just a game. Geesh. Jon demands to know why he wasn't included in the plan to oust Trish. Rupert calls Jon the "odd man out" now. Jon informs Rupert that his loyalty to Drake was in question. 'Blackbeard' replies that if he was siding with Morgan he would've stayed there. Eventually, cooler heads prevail. Rupert and Jon hug. Rupie doesn't trust Jon any longer. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. We count down the minutes until Jonnie Fairplay gets his shoulders pinned to the mat....like next episode.
Morgan Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
As Supertramp once sang..."Oh no, it's raining again." Ryan wishes the downpour would stop. He can't fish with the waves crashing down like that. Lord Andrew believes the tribe's lack of protein is destroying them. Ryan tries to spear a sting ray at the shoreline. Ryan is no Rupert and the sting ray lives to fight another day. Morgan gags on some more beans. Tijuana informs everyone that they don't have much rice left. Lord Andrew can't imagine what it must to be like for everyone to have their own fish at dinner time. Ryan and Andrea agree that 'Skinny' Ryan and Lillian would've been nothing but bones by now.
Lord Andrew and Osten have a heart-to-heart on the beach. Osten complains some more about being tired. Andrew tells us that Osten has "checked out". He can see it in his eyes this time. Ever the optimist, Andrew thinks that Osten will still battle on if Morgan needs him.
Drake Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
'Blackbeard' is in better spirits...sort of. He is brooding over the merger. He doesn't want one yet. Drake receives their sea mail and decides to cook up some coconut popcorn before heading off to meet Probst. Shawn - that ray of sunshine that he is - is totally against the idea...as he always is. Jon sets about chopping up the coconut any way. Ding! Ding! It is Rumble in the Jungle (Part Fifty-six) for Jon and Shawn. Jon is bitter that Shawn keeps arguing against the coconut popcorn idea and won't even lift a finger to help...like usual. "You're an ass, dude," says Jon to Shawn. Shawn flexes his muscles and demands that he and Jon go into the jungle and settle the dispute like men. Jon calls Shawn a Neanderthal. Sandra is delights in the squabble. As long as she is not being voted out, she don't care. Let the boneheads slit their own throats.
Special Immunity Challenge
The Tribe of the Living Dead competes against Morgan and Drake in an escape-the-jail cell challenge.
Reward
For The Outcasts, a chance to vote people back into the game. For Morgan and Drake, a chance to stop that and also avoid Tribal Council.
Result
In the last stage, The Outcasts built their pole better and retrieved their finals keys faster though they were pretty much neck and neck with Drake throughout the whole thing. Burton is the real star here leading The Outcasts to victory. He tells Probst that revenge is sweet and that Morgan and Drake have no idea how humiliating it is to be voted out of the game.
Winners: The Outcasts.
Morgan Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
Lord Andrew gathers his plebes together. With the Tribe of the Living Dead preparing to vote players back in, they need to get their strategy straight as a tribe. He declares that "The Misfits"...as he calls them...don't deserve to return. Whoever comes back to their tribe must be voted out immediately. Ryan reminds Andrew that the returning players have immunity from Tribal Council. It don't matter though as long as Morgan sticks together after that. "'Skinny Ryan and Lill have no business being in this game," declares Lord Andrew. Tijuana finds that statement odd.
Osten pleads with everyone to vote him out. He doesn't deserve to win. He can't give 100 per cent. Osten speaks to us. He doesn't give a damn about what people think about his decision to throw in the towel. They can line up and kiss his ass. Tijuana isn't going to give Osten a pep talk this time. Ryan says to Andrew that Osten may regret his decision for the rest of his life.
Drake Tribal Happenings (Day 19)
Sandra believes that it will be Burton and Lillian coming back. Jon calls The Tribe of the Living Dead a bunch of losers. They have been that way their entire lives. Sandra jokingly asks Drake who wants to be voted out today. Surprise. Surprise. Nobody takes Sandra up on her generous offer. Rupert, Christa and Sandra hatch a plot. They want to see Jon and Shawn squirm. Rupert asks Jon and Shawn to state why they shouldn't be voted out today. Shawn claims to have been honest and that Drake can't trust Jon because he voted for Rupert. Jon says that he has been loyal to Drake and is a harder worker than Shawn by a long shot. In speaking to us, Jon wonders if Rupert will hold his vote against him or not. "Will he forgive and forget? We will have to see," says Jon.
Tribal Council (Drake)
Probst has never seen Drake so quiet and separated. Rupert is astounded that Drake is back for the second day in a row. The appearance of the Tribe of the Living Dead was shocking to Christa. She is happy that she didn't bad mouth any of them. Sandra says that the Tribe of the Living Dead really gave it their all and she feels threatened now. Sandra believes with all her soul that either Jon or Shawn are going home tonight. Probst gives Shawn and Jon a final chance to plead their case. Jon says he cares more about Drake than himself. He doesn't know who Shawn is loyal to. Shawn claims that it is Jon who split up the tribe. Shawn believes he can provide the backbone for a strong Drake Tribe.
Shawn votes for Jon. Jon has backstabbed everyone. Jon writes down Shawn's name. "F--k you!," is all he says.
Final Voting
1. RUPERT BONEHAM: Shawn.
2. SHAWN COHEN: Jon.
3. JON DALTON: Shawn.
4. SANDRA DIAZ-TWINE: Shawn.
5. CHRISTA HASTIE: Shawn.
Tribal Council Victim:
SHAWN COHEN.
Parting Comments
"I should've seen this one coming. Jon basically went back on everything he had told me for the first three days about our supposed alliance. I had hoped that today would've brought a merger. Things would've probably been different and I might have been able to go much further. I don't know. What can I say? Game. Set. Match." -- SHAWN COHEN.
Tribal Council (Morgan)
Final Voting
1. TIJUANA BRADLEY: Osten.
2. DARRAH JOHNSON: Osten.
3. RYAN OPRAY: Osten.
4. ANDREW SAVAGE: Osten.
5. OSTEN TAYLOR: No vote cast.
Tribal Council Victim:
OSTEN TAYLOR.
Parting Comments
None of Osten's goodbye (if there even was one) is shown.
Powell's Thoughts:
On the next 'Survivor', Drake and Morgan dread the arrival of their new tribe members. Rupert: "Who is going to come to our tribe?" Sandra: "If it is Burton, I will fall out." Andrew: "I'll be damned if one of those Outcasts is ever going to get a foothold in the Morgan Tribe." And at Tribal Council...Probst: "It is time to find out who is going back into this game."
This was not only a great 'Survivor' episode but definitely one of the best ever. Even knowing about the twist in advance didn't ruin the events surrounding Osten's departure or the way in which the tribal politics are finally sorting themselves out. Rumour has it that Burton and Lillian are the resurrected players next week. I would hazard to guess that Morgan and Drake merge too as the 'Survivor' gossip mill states that the new tribe will have black buffs and is named 'Balboa'. What is still up in the air is whether The Tribe of the Living Dead will make another appearance. I highly doubt it. I think we have seen the last of them. I just can't see how they could possibly figure into the game competing against a merged tribe with individual Reward and Immunity Challenges. What is clear too from tonight's episode is that the "big regret" Jeff Probst talked about has played itself out and that the 'big lie' has yet to happen. The talk about Osten purposely throwing the challenges as part of his strategy seems far-fetched at this point.
