Survivor: Blindside Class

After last week's double elimination of Ryan and James, Karla is angry that she was left out.  " I was told at the last minute how to vote".  But Jesse is singing I FEEEEEL GOOD.  He has a pocket full of idols and multiple alliances.  He tells Noelle SAMI has too much power.  

And, BANG.  Challenge  minutes in.  So you know there's gonna be drama and pot stirring for 55 minutes.  It's A reward!  Wanna know?  A night at the spa with pizza and LETTERS FROM HOME.  I wonder if they'll do fly the loved ones in this season?  

It's a physical challenge with a spin intro which would do me in.  You spin to pull a buoy in, then race to get a sandbag over a balance beam, then throw the sandbag on top of a tower.  Noelle, who is not in fact bionic and has struggled in challenges this season with her leg has lots of problems going across the balance beam and falls really far behind.  But Jeff keeps motivating her by yelling "MOVE YOUR LAZY CRIPPLED ASS YOU CAN REST WHEN YOU GO HOME."  And then, BAM, she gets it done and goes on to WIN THE CHALLENGE and if you weren't crying you're lying.  She gets to chose 3 people and brings Sami, Jesse and Owen along.  

They enjoy their pizza and their letters from home.  And then get to strategizing.  Sami wants Cassidy next.  Noelle thinks Sami is a flipper and she has to keep him comfortable.  Owen suggests a Cassidy/Karla split and Noelle agrees they need one of those 2 out.  

Back at the ranch Cody is jealous and anxious that those 4 are going to be talking.  He also wants Karla or Cassidy.  Cassidy thinks not winning was a silver lining because she gets to talk to Cody.  She tells Cody that Noelle is a big threat. She also things there is a lot of "shifting" going on.  

Cassidy talks to Gab, who I CANNOT believe is still there, about getting rid of Noelle.  Gab likes Noelle, but Cassidy tells him she would like them to work together.  Gab is happy that people want to work with him and he has options.  Dude, YOU ARE A GOAT, and not in the Tom Brady way (throwing that one in for you Stacy).  

Immunity Challenge.  Using one hand on a pulley to steady a board, build a house of cards up to an arrow.  Was anyone else yelling JAN, YOUR BRACELET at the TV?  This was an incredibly frustrating challenge as the houses fell about one a second.  Everyone gets close and ultimately falls until Cassidy wins immunity!

With Cassidy having immunity Noelle thinks they have a 95% chance of getting rid of Karla.  

Jesse wants to vote with Cody but after reading the letters from his family, he wants to make decisions to help him win.  He wants Noelle because she keeps coming back no matter what happens. Jesse has this whole strategy on how to blindside someone:

1. Have a good cover story

2. Have a fall guy to throw under the bus

3. Have a backup plan.

Jesse tells Karla it's going to be a Karla/Sami split.  Sami doesn't want to go for Noelle.  Jesse tells Gab they are blindsiding Noelle and he says he has to think about that.  Jesse tries to "help" Gab envision his place in the final grouping and where he currently stands and somehow that works.  

Gab tells Karla the plan and they are concerned Jesse and Cody are getting too powerful.  Gab wonders what's best for him.  Nothing because I will eat my hat if he wins this season.  

Tribal

Jeff starts with some crap about the reward challenge and Noelle's sheer determination

Noelle says she wanted to reach that one little handicapped kid that also happens to watch Survivor  and inspire him or her.  Jesus, that's a story that needs to be sitting on the jury at the finale.

Jesse says he and Noelle have been together since the start and she gave me the opportunity to get my family letters.

Gab gives some bullshit surgery analogy about a crazy shake up going down.  

Noelle says everyone has an opinion tonight

Owen again brings up the trust issue which seems to be his only note even while he gets stabbed in the back again and again

Cody says the strategy talks change all day long and you have to trust body language

Gab now uses a mafia analogy saying "most of these killers tonight are using silencers and there will be a bullet fired tonight!

Karla says it makes people nervous because you can't see it coming

Noelle says AND there are a lot of idols out there (which strangely don't get played much anymore)

Jesse says if all goes right it will lay the foundation "for my win".

Vote?

Karla 2, Sami 1 and Noelle goes to the jury!  

Survivor-Double Elimination.

 Is it me or does this season seem endless?  Still too many people I can't remember and they have kind of stopped giving their names in their "interviews".  

Day 17.  

Sami is all talk about mixing the game up and picking off people.  He seems to fall in line every time though.  

Owen is again stung by being left out again as James lied to him.  Calls James the Godfather.  "It's time for James to go".  Unsurprisingly, James wants Owen to go- "I'm still being cordial but he's written my name down.  If you break the social contract with me you're gone".

And just like that, 10 minutes in we are at an Immunity Challenge.  There are 2 teams of 5, 2 immunities and 2 tribals.  It's a hold a bar with a ball in a little cage that can roll out thingy.  Last one standing wins their  5 PB&J.

Team 1: Cassidy, Jesse, Gab, Ryan and Cody

Team 2: Owen, Sami, Noelle, Karla and James.  

Cody and Karla with the cut hand, win immunity and Team 1 wins PB&J.  

Gab tells Ryan right off the bat that it's Cassidy because he can't trust her.  Ryan wants to tell the jury he "cracked Coco".  Cody and Jesse tell Cassidy she's safe, she says she wants Ryan.  

The losing tribe has to go to the old camp where renovations have not been made.  James tells Karla SURPRISE he wants Owen.  Noelle and Sami discuss making Owen think it's James.  

Owen confronts James and says "what else do I need to do for you??  Says did what James told him and voted for Ryan last time but there's no loyalty from James.  James is all " oh everything is now my fault" deflecting.  He says he has the numbers and no sympathy for the guy.  

Cody tells Jesse they have to weigh the impact of Karla and James being angry if Cassidy goes. And although Ryan is a challenge beast, he's not strategic.  Given they get to see who goes from the other team, they decide if it's James that goes they can get rid of Cassidy since that will diminish Karla's power.  Cody says it's now all about setting up the finals.  He tells Gab they can work together and who goes depends on the other team.  "Gab is on our team".  

Noelle has a plan to blindside James by telling him she is stealing Owen's vote.  Her plan is to steal it BUT use it to vote James out now Owen.  Sami tells Karla the plan to get rid of James and she's not happy.  He wants to work with her so he makes the case against James but she still thinks Owen is an easier vote.  

Tribal 1

Owen says it was  a crappy afternoon given they have no food and are at a camp Cody has peed all over

James says losing and being hungry made frustrations come out.  

Sami says, yea Owen and him had some back and forth and they can't get along

Owen says he was frustrated being left out,and he did what James asked him.  Says he lost his cool.  

Noelle says there was yelling

Owen says "here's what happened..."

James says it was more of an argument

Noelle and everyone else at tribal is tired of the discussion.

Sami ask Karla during the discussion who she wants.  She says "trust yourself first".  

Noelle says something about the advantages and how it's hard to keep them secret, and how it's useful to sue for "all of us".  

Vote.  Noelle pulls out the steal a vote and takes Owen's vote.  

Owen gets  and James goes with 3.

Tribal 2 and everyone is shocked it was James.  

Jesse says he's shocked.

Ryan wasn't expecting it and says he'll want to see who is making moves.  

Cody says it was GLORIOUS having PB&J and being in a small tribe again.

Ryan says things are a lot more dangerous with smaller numbers.  

Cassidy says it's inevitable that people are talking and lying again.

Cody says with immunity everyone wanted to talk to him. He says he is looking at votes down the road.  

And, I missed the rest of the tribal because.... well, because I really don't care.  LOL

Time to vote!  Cassidy gets  and Ryan gets the rest,  

And the internet is all abuzz that once again the remaining black players were voted off back to back.