What's the Fun in Knowing

‘’’What’s the Fun in Knowing’’’ is the 10th episode of ‘’Survivor: Espana’’

Challenges
‘’’Reward Challenge’’’ ‘’Mud Run’’ You'll run into the mud pit, and apply as much mud to your body as you can. You then race back and collect the mud into your bucket. You'll then run back out and get some more. Whoever has the most mud by weight after 5 minutes will win. ‘’’Reward:’’’ Dinner at a nearby restaurant.

‘’’Immunity Challenge’’’ ‘’Get a Grip’’ You're going to hang onto a pole for as long as you can. You'll have very narrow footholds to help you out. You may not hang onto the top of the pole. If any part of your body touches the ground, you're out. Last person standing wins.

Previously on Survivor…
The tribe largely stayed the course of the current path. But things got complicated when Sue and Julia got into it at camp. This led to the desperate Ramon taking Julia's offer to vote for Sue. Jack, Jeffery, Sue, and Susan all won letters from home in the reward challenge. But Julia's skill with rolling coconuts gave her immunity for the third straight time. Before tribal council, it became very clear that Raphael will be a crucial swing vote. But ultimately, he helped vote out Ramon, leaving the others wondering about a majority alliance. Seven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?

Initial Reactions
‘’Night 27’’

Well, the entire tribe doesn't even want to begin to speak. Julia exhales obnoxiously. Susan is restarting the fire.

Confessional-Jeffery: Ultimately, Matthew, Sue, and Susan all voted for Ramon. And what's ultimately the concern is that Raphael joined them.

Susan: Anybody else want some rice?

Literally no response.

Susan: I found some crickets. I was thinking about frying them up. Any takers?

Again, no response.

Confessional-Susan: Everyone is concerned about what last night will mean for the game. So they aren't talking. Time to see what it would take for them to start.

Susan: I'm thinking about going to a bdsm club after the game is over. Anyone want to join me?

Still no response.

Susan (mouthing, captioned): Wow.

Raphael is in a shelter, looking at the fire.

Confessional-Raphael: You know, everyone is probably wondering if my vote tonight means that there is a majority alliance. I don't think so. It's a one time thing, me voting with those 3. So unless they can somehow change my mind, there's not a whole lot to worry about going into this stage of the game.

Well said, Raphael. Let's get the title sequence underway.

The Reward Challenge
It's pouring down rain. The tribe is miserable. But not much you can do about that. But rain and dirt combine to make mud.

Probst: COME ON IN, GUYS!

As the tribe walks into the challenge, which contains a big scale, it's clear that they don't want to be here.

Probst: I'm seeing a lot of gloom. Tell me. What's going on?

Julia: Crap weather. It's just draining us mentally.

Probst: Well, not much we can do about that. For today's challenge, you'll run into the mud pit, and apply as much mud to your body as you can. You then race back and collect the mud into your bucket. You'll then run back out and get some more. Whoever has the most mud by weight after 5 minutes will win reward. Wanna know what you're playing for?

Cue eye rolls from the narrator, as Jeff uncovers the tarp.

Probst: You'll be taken to a nearby restaurant, where you will enjoy shrimp, cod, steak fries, and a nice tall glass of cola to wash it down. We'll draw for spots. We'll get started.

A minute later, we're ready to go.

Probst: Here we go. For reward. Survivors ready? Go! This mud pit is somewhat deep. Don't expect navigation to be easy. Jeffery back with a nice batch of mud. Susan's back with a crap load. We're not going to be at this for a long time, so get as much as you can every single time. Julia's back. Doesn't have a whole lot on her.

We take a quick look at the field of play before rejoining the action.

Probst: 3 minutes left. Matthew with a good sized dumping. Jack has a lot on him. Not a whole lot from Sue.

Another ariel shot.

Probst: Final minute. Raph is back to do another scraping. Gets a lot in the bucket.

But the camera noticed that he had put it into Julia's bucket.

Probst: 30 seconds. Everybody's coming back. Trying to get that last little bit in. It has to be in the bucket by the time the clock expires. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. EVERYBODY STOP! TIME'S UP!

A skip of the time later, and we're ready for the weigh in. Yes, it's safe to assume that Jeff picked up the bucket, put it on the scale, and read the results off of that every single time.

Probst: Let's just go down the line. Matthew, you're up. It's looking like 6.4 pounds.

Matthew: Alright.

Probst: Julia. We have your bucket at 6.8. A new mark to beat.

Julia: Alright.

Probst: Raphael, let's see what it is. It feels lighter than the others. It is indeed. 4.7 pounds.

Raphael: Had I dumped it in the right bucket...

Julia: But you didn't.

Probst: Jeffery, you're up. Not very heavy, either. 2.1 pounds.

Jeffery is fine with that.

Probst: Sue, that's a heavy one. But ultimately, it's not heavy enough. 6.7 pounds. Close, but no cigar.

Her response was censored.

Probst: Jack. Not as hard of a lift. 4.6 pounds. That's why. So it all comes down to Susan.

Jack: So it does.

Probst: Alright. It's going to be close. 6.5. Not enough. Julia wins reward!

Susan: Dammit.

Probst: Alright. Julia. Big reward. Seafood dinner to enjoy a little later today. Pick someone to come with you.

Julia: Raph.

Probst: Alright. I'm assuming you two will want to wash up before you go. So I'll pick you up at camp later. Everyone else, I have nothing for you. Grab your stuff. Head back to camp.

Afterwards
As the tribe arrived at camp, something went awry.

Susan: Well, you guys can enjoy your fish fry. I'll have some good old fashioned Survivor rice.

Raphael: Tell you what. I'll cook it. It's the least I can do.

Jack: Thank you.

Confessional-Jack: It's interesting that Julia picked Raphael to go on the reward. I'm starting to wonder if she has a side thing going on with him. This sucks because we're already in a tight spot. And having this just tightens the screw when it's already touching the wall.

Jeffery (singing): Rice. Rice. Ricey rice. Gotta love me some rice.

Julia: Hey, let's get some more water to wash this down with.

Jack: Alright. As they walk, though, some development.

Julia: Alright. You probably guessed that I'm wanting to strategize.

Jack: I want to be sarcastic, but nothing's coming to me.

Julia: I'm thinking Raph isn't 100% on board with their plan. He may just be trying to do his own thing, and it worked. So I'm going to try to talk him out of it.

Jack: Alright. What do you think about staying with Matthew.

Julia: Not a bad idea.

Jack: Alright.

Confessional-Jack: I'm having a little bit of trouble buying it with Julia. So I'm going to hope that she can get my trust here. Because if not, I may try to talk the majority into going with Julia first.

Well, that night, Jeff came by to pick up our reward winners.

Probst: Julia, Raph. I'm here to pick you up.

Raph: Fishy fishy.

Probst: Everyone else, try to stay dry. See you tomorrow.

Jeffery, Susan, Matthew, Sue, and Jack (in unison): Bye.

Before we join the dinner, I want to get to the rest of the tribe.

Susan: Matthew, Susan, a word, please?

Jack: Wait, you want to strategize with yourself?

Susan: Of course. What else could I have meant? It's not like there's someone out here that has the same name as me or something.

Sue: Alright. Tree mail okay?

Matthew: Alright.

Jeffery (captioned): You want to follow them?

Jack (not captioned): What's the fun in knowing?

Jeffery nods at this comment. Meanwhile, I do want to know.

Matthew: So, I'm taking it that this is about the reward?

Susan: Yeah. I'm thinking that we should probably talk to Raphael. See what we can do to keep him on our side.

Sue: Not a bad idea.

Confessional-Matthew: This probably seems like the only sane idea at this point. Because neither Julia, Jack, or Jeffery seem likely to flip. But Raphael was with us a few days ago, and very well could still be with us. So although it's a gamble, it's the only way we've got.

Meanwhile, at a restaurant in Palma,

Probst: Alright. Mind if I join you guys?

Raphael and Julia: Alright.

At the table,

Raphael: And thanks to that jeweler, I can no longer wear cotton.

Julia: Total bull.

Probst: Oh, speaking of falsehoods, what's going on gamewise?

Julia: Actually, I was wanting to strategize with this visit. Raphael, you know we're trying to get rid of Matthew, right?

Raphael: Yeah.

Julia: Well, I just wanted to let you know that Jack's offer still stands. Mine does not. So if you're interested, vote.

Raphael: Alright.

Probst: Why Matthew?

Julia: Strategic planning and his inability to do that at strategic times.

Raphael: Allegedly, he hid a fake immunity idol thinking Jack was asleep.

Probst: Any other season...

Confessional-Julia: The reason Jack is using seems pathetic. But I'm going with it. Because if it gets me to the next phase of the game, I don't give a crap what your reason is.

The Immunity Challenge
Okay, you're probably getting sick of Jeff right about now. But bear with me. Because it's time for the Get a Grip challenge. You know. The one with the funny looking tall poles?

Probst: COME ON IN, GUYS!

As the tribe walks in, it seems apparent to get ready for this one.

Probst: Alright. First things first. Julia, I'll take it back.

As Jeff walks over to Julia, it's apparent that she doesn't want to give it up. But eventually, it happens.

Probst: Even injured, I'm going to fight for it. Alright, you ready to get to today's immunity challenge?

...

Probst: For today's challenge, you're going to hang onto a pole for as long as you can. You'll have very narrow footholds to help you out. You may not hang onto the top of the pole. If any part of your body touches the ground, you're out. Last person standing wins immunity. Guaranteed a one in 6 shot at a million dollars. Losers, tribal council tomorrow night, where someone will be headed to the jury box. We'll draw for spots. We'll get started.

A rock draw later, we're ready for action.

Probst: Alright. Here we go. Everybody get into position. This challenge is on. This is going to be painful. I'm not going to lie. You'll feel it in your legs, your back, your arms. Pretty much everywhere. You don't want to move too much, because then you'll start to slip. But you need to do something to take away from that pain. It's all about finding the right balance.

Ten minutes pass by. Everyone is still towards the top.

Probst: Julia with a bit of a movement. She makes an excellent recovery.

Julia: Damn straight.

Probst: Alright. This is the only time I'm going to make an offer throughout the challenge. Pizza. We have 2 extra large pepperoni and cheese pies right here, nice and hot. Drop out now, and you'll be able to eat as much as you want.

Julia and Jack drop immediately. Susan follows immediately after.

Confessional-Susan: As soon as I saw Julia drop, I knew who our target was. There's no way that we can get her out if she's winning immunity this often. So the moment we can get her out, we pretty much have to.

Probst: 5, 4, 3...

Sue elects to drops at this point.

Probst:...2, 1, Time. Alright, Like that, we're down to 3. Jeffery, Matthew, and Raphael all want to be safe from the vote. Julia, Sue, Jack, and Susan, feel safe enough to eat. We'll see if that's the case.

Another 10 minutes and one pie pass. Jeffery is about midpole, while Matthew is towards the bottom and Raph 4/5 of the way up.

Probst: This wind is really picking up now. Matthew can't concentrate. He drops out.

As Julia takes a bite, we go to another time skip. Afterwards, Jeffery is towards the bottom, while Raph is more mid-pole.

Probst: Forty-five minutes you've been on the pole. Fighting the pain, the wind, the urge to swat the flies away. It's exhausting. It's rough. It's good old fashioned Survivor.

Jeffery has that look on his face that just screams, "Shut up, Jeff."

Probst: Another wind gust.

At this point, there's pretty much no pizza left. This is especially noticeable as the box flies away and hits Matt straight in the face.

Matthew: ACCK!

This startled Jeffery enough to get him to flinch off the pole.

Probst: Jeffery drops! RAPHAEL WINS IMMUNITY!

Matthew: Uggh.

Probst: Matthew, you alright?

Matthew: Pizza box hit me in the face. Wind must've got to it.

Probst: Need me to call medical?

Matthew: No, it just hurts.

Probst: Alright. Raph, I see you were too excited to wait on me for the ceremonial observances. You're safe tomorrow. Everybody else will be eligible to vote for. I'll give you some time to think about it. Grab your stuff, head back to camp.

Post-challenge
Well, we're in a bit of a lull right now.

Jeffery: Nice job, Raph.

Confessional-Jeffery: Well, Raph got immunity. So no one on our side is safe. But, Raph is already on our side. So we just need to make sure that it stays that way.

Susan: Way to go, Raph.

Raphael: Mind if we talk?

Susan: Yeah, sure. As they walk along the river, Raph begins talking.

Raphael: So I'm thinking Julia. She lost immunity. But she's won three straight. So I'm not sure if we'll get another chance to get her out. Might as well do it while we can.

Susan: Sounds about right.

Confessional-Susan: I'm so relieved to hear that he wants to make this move. I was afraid that we would have to convince him until all hell broke loose. So now we have a lot less work to do.

Susan: Let's talk to the others.

Raphael: Alright.

Hey. I'm actually going to get around to something like that for a change. Lucky me.

Sue: Raph, you want to play something?

Raphael: Gin alright?

Sue: Sure.

Confessional-Sue: I have no idea how to play gin. But if it helps me out in talking to Raph, may as well learn.

Sue (captioned): I'm thinking that you could consider joining us. We don't have a plan for this week, but...

Raphael (captioned): How about Julia.

Sue immediately jumps up from the table.

Sue: YES!

After some awkward glances from Julia and Matthew, she had to hide up the fact that she just did that. Here's one way.

Sue: GIN! READ THEM AND WEEP!

Raphael: Nowhere close.

Sue: Oh... that's awkward.

Confessional-Matthew: Welp, Raph's on our side now. That's good. Now to figure out how to vote.

Raphael (captioned): So I take it you're in?

Sue (captioned): Yeah.

Confessional-Julia: Sue was playing gin with Raphael, and she declared. But she wasn't anywhere close to what she needed. So, obviously, she's a terrible card player. Maybe I can convince her into poker afterwards. Make a little bit of extra cash.

We'll skip ahead to the nightly rundown. Jeffery and Matthew are sharing a shelter tonight. Jeffery's arm whacks Matt upside the face. He wakes up to it. Ultimately, though, he manages to get back to sleep. Later in the night, Matthew kicks Jeffery, who wakes up to that.

Confessional-Jeffery: Sharing a shelter is a lot like sharing a bed with your wife. Physical disputes throughout the night, in which ultimately you wake up to.

Jeffery: It's a nice night. I don't need the shelter.

Confessional-Jeffery: Severina, if you're watching, I'm sorry for everything that I said to you after our 2 AM skirmishes.

Day 30’s… Whatever this is
You know that scramble we normally have? Yeah, it's not seeming to happen. The alliance that I'm not comfortable saying the name of is in the river, and they are concerned.

Jeffery: Well, guys, I think if Raphael wants us gone, he's going to vote against us.

Jack: So that would put us at a standstill.

Julia: I think that would pretty much end us.

Confessional-Jack: So, we have to come face to face with a possible reality that they may pick us three off one by one.

Julia: Should we talk to him again?

Jack: I'm sure that he has his mind set by now.

Confessional-Jack: If tonight doesn't go in our direction, we're going to the jury. And I'm sure Raph's already hard pressed on what he wants to do. So we'll just have to wait and see what he does.

Julia: If it does come down to that, whoever's last, win them all. They can't vote us out completely if we keep getting immunity. So they'll have to vote one of their own out. That will put them in turmoil, and may just cause them to fracture, giving you an opening to stay in the game.

Jack: Agreed.

Well, that's never a good sign. Meanwhile, the dishes need washed. Again. So Matthew and Susan are washing them. Again.

Matthew: You excited?

Susan: Final four, baby.

Confessional-Susan: I'm excited for tonight. But it's mostly because I'm definitely safe. And I'm planning on making huge changes next time around. But, first thing's first. We have to get through tonight.

Matthew: Welp, these are clean.

Susan: Alright. Let's take them back.

Confessional-Matthew: I guess my excitement is comparable to Friday. You know the weekend is right there. At your fingertips. Ready to go. But you still have to get through one more day of work.

Well, Raph and Sue are also talking.

Raphael: Let's do the twist.

Sue: Why?

Raphael: It's the twist. Do we need to have a reason?

Sue: I guess not.

Confessional-Raphael: I'm getting so damn bored out here. It's not funny. So I need to do something to kill time. May as well dance.

As they dance, something happens.

Sue: Ack! Stupid handbag.

Raphael: Man, you could've got hurt.

Sue: Why don't you take a look at it?

Well, the look on Sue's face tells me that I should probably give them some privacy. But, there's a way that I know how to do that. By going straight to Tribal.

Tribal Council
At tribal council, the reality of the game sets in.

Probst: We'll now bring in the members of our jury. Virginia, and Ramon. Voted out at the last Tribal Council.

After the jury introductions, Jeff takes his seat.

Probst: Raphael, is there any blessing to having immunity this time around?

Raphael: Well, once again, I feel like the swing vote. I don't want to be in that position too much because, earlier in the game, Laura was the swing vote. They instead decided to get rid of her and leave it up to chance. But, seeing that I have immunity, that's not possible.

Probst: So is this going to be a tough decision for you?

Raphael: Considering that I already made it, not really.

Probst: So, with that, it looks like it's already established. Does everyone agree?

Gamma tribe (in unison): Yep.

Probst: Well, then instead of wasting the next hour and a half, let's just get to it. It is time to vote. Susan, you're up.

Sue (for Julia): For an entirely different reason than last time.

Jeffery (for Matthew): No. You didn't hide the fake idol. I did. And I'm sorry to say that I was its ultimate victim. But it led to a strategy. So you're gone.

Well, here we go again.

Probst: I'll go tally the votes.

Matthew and Julia both look nervous.

Probst: Once the votes are read, the decision is final. Person voted out will be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately. I'll read the votes.

The urn is open.

Probst: First vote. Matthew. Julia. Matthew. 2 votes Matthew, 1 vote Julia. Julia.

For some reason, this one is spelled Jules.

Probst: We're tied again. 2 votes Matthew, two votes Julia. Matthew. 3 votes Matthew, two votes Julia. Julia. We're tied again. 3 votes Matthew, 3 votes Julia, one vote left.

The intensity rises in the room.

Probst: Eleventh person voted out of Survivor: Espana and the third member of our jury, Julia. That's 4, that's enough. You need to bring me your torch.

A disparaged Julia leaves gracefully.

Probst: Julia, the tribe has spoken.

The bowl on the sword covers the fire.

Probst: It's time for you to go.

Julia leaves immediately.

Probst: Well, when it comes to the game, it's decided by the jury. People you helped be removed from the game. Now the question is, can you convince her to vote for you in ten days? Only time will tell. Grab your torches. Head back to camp. Good night.

Next time on Survivor…
Everyone is preparing for the final four.

Susan: What do you think?

Sue: I'm in.

Literally everyone.

Probst: Everyone please meet...

Join us for this 90 minute extravaganza next week.

Final Words
Confessional-Julia: I feel like the cop from that one scene of The Building Blocks Movie. Darn darn darn darny darn. But, at the end of the day, it is what it is. Hopefully, Jack or Jeffery will make it all the way and get my vote. But if that don't happen, then I don't know what the hell I'll end up doing.

Voting Confessionals
Susan (for Julia): Well, Raph said it best. This may be our last chance to get rid of you. Let's do it.

Raphael (for Julia): Julia, it's that time. Good bye.

Matthew (for Julia) It's just the plan.

Jack (for Matthew): I don't see this happening tonight. But just in case.

Julia (for Matthew): Don't get me started.

Still in the Running
Photo background depicts original tribe. Table background depicts current tribe. Green is Ardilla, red is Musaraña, blue means still in the running, and black means eliminated.

Author’s Trivia

 * This is the first episode of the finale binge upload.


 * I’m going to be traveling a lot over the next few months. Rather than apply for a 30-day rule exemption and risk forgetting about the series, I’m just going to finish it off right now. This way, I remember to do it.


 * The episode title is a quote from Jack, stating his lack of desire to follow the majority when they were clearly strategizing.