User blog:Sulola/Survivor: Taveuni EP. 5: I'm the Big Bad Wolf

PREVIOUSLY ON SURVIVOR…
Lane and Elmer clashed after Bouma’s electric Tribal Council. On Kocoma, Gunpei and Valerie both endeavored to better their places in the tribe. A majority of Elena, Ethan, Gavin, Mikayla, and Jared formed on Laucala, while Axel found the tribe’s idol. Terry’s majority alliance came to fruition on Vidawa, while Cassie and Mindy bonded, and Paolina and Rogue bonded as well. Navaka is still rife with drama between Turem, Elizabreath, and Jerica. On Bouma, Lane continues to be cruel while his allies try to find a better position in the game, and Elmer continues to struggle in the elements.

At the Immunity Challenge, Su revealed that it was a Double Tribal Council, and both Laucala and Navaka lost Immunity. On Laucala, the vote came down to Colleen and Sid for being the weaker, outsider members of the tribe. Ultimately, most of the tribe voted out Colleen for being weaker and because Cleo and Axel campaigned to save Sid; only Kenedie voted with Colleen due to their bond. Then the Laucala tribe was able to allow one member of Navaka to skip Tribal altogether.

Navaka was much more dramatic; Turem tried to get rid of one of the older women for hurting the tribe in challenges and causing drama, while Elizabreath and Jerica tried to unite the old alliance from the last vote to get out Turem for being toxic. In the end, it seemed the vote would be against Elizabreath, but she got saved by the twist. The Tribal descended into chaos, and while people seemed confused as to what to do, Jerica ultimately got the boot when Bella and Aia decided that tribe strength came before alliances.

45 remain, who will be voted out next?

LAUCALA
When the Laucala tribe returns to camp, there is not a lot of tension. With a near unanimous vote off, there is almost no one mad. In confessional, Gavin says that he thinks voting off Colleen was the best move for the tribe because it both kept the tribe strong and made the least people mad, preserving both their strength and tribal unity in one move.

Cleo, Axel, and Sid can be seen walking down the moonlit beach with smiles on their faces. In confessional, Sid celebrates having survived, saying he is happy to have made it through the night, and now the hard work comes where him, Cleo, and Axel need to break through the majority alliance and save themselves. But for now, he is pleased. In confessional, Cleo shares that she is happy that Sid has survived, but that it is not time to celebrate yet, as there is still a lot of work to be done.

While everyone is in a generally good mood, there is a notable exception in Kenedie. In an emotional confessional, Kenedie shares that she is very scared about her place in the game, and feels very alone and ignored, as if she is invisible to a lot of the tribe. Elena comes to comfort her, telling her not to worry too much, but besides that no one seems to tend to her. In confessional, Elena says that it’s always important to keep bonds with as many people as you can strong, and she feels bad that Kenedie had to see Colleen go tonight since Elena herself liked Colleen a lot too.

NAVAKA
While Laucala’s post-Tribal was generally calm, Navaka’s post-Tribal is anything but.

Elizabreath is sitting on the beach waiting for the rest of the tribe to arrive. When they do, and she sees Jerica missing, she just shakes her head and storms off into the shelter, refusing to talk to anyone. In confessional, Elizabreath says that while her and Jerica weren’t inseparable, she was the only person Elizabreath truly trusted to not write down her name, and now she doesn’t know what is going to happen in this game without her.

Jackey is extremely pissed off after Tribal Council, and he doesn’t back down from airing his anger. He asks Aia and Bella what the heck they thought they were doing by voting out Jerica and betraying their alliance. Everyone’s eyes open wide as Jackey exposes the four person alliance Bella and Aia made with him and Kokoro. Bella stumbles over her words, saying that she just wanted to keep the tribe strong, but Jackey shuts her down, saying she is just a liar and a betrayer. Bella is at a loss for words. In confessional, Bella says she didn’t realize Jackey would be so mad about this and she feels terrible for having triggered him.

Aia does not feel bad about it, however. Shaking her head, she tells Jackey that he needs to cool down and leave Bella alone, because it is just a game. She says that he should be happy because he didn’t get voted off and that he shouldn’t be so rude to people. Jackey spits in her face that she shouldn’t be a dirty liar, flipping her off and marching into the jungle angrily. In confessional, Jackey says he really trusted Aia and Bella and cannot believe they gave up easy numbers by voting out Jerica. Now things are a lot closer and he thinks they are flip-floppers. Kokoro tells Aia and Bella she isn’t that happy with them either before going off after Jackey to try to calm him down.

Meanwhile, Turem, Pheonix, and Joseph can be seen walking along the beach. Turem can be seen grinning as the three men discuss the game. In confessional, he says that he loves the drama back at camp. The girls plus Jackey are turning on themselves, and it just ensures that he is going to stay out of trouble from now on. In confessional, Joseph says that he’s happy all three strong guys are here, because it ensures that he isn’t necessarily the next one to go.

VIDAWA
In the wee hours of the ninth day of the game, Navab can be seen walking through the jungle with Rochelle, Keyson, and Mindy. The four of them discuss the state of the game, and the idea of forming a six person alliance between themselves, Peter, and Terry. Navab is down too, and in confessional he says that he thinks this group of six is very strong and could help his game immensely. In confessional, Rochelle can be seen smiling as she says that she is happy her and Terry have been able to pull this group together and that it seems to be working out so far.

Back at camp, Terry and Peter are sitting by the fire and chatting. As Rigoberto walks by, Terry calls out and asks him to bring firewood over to the fire, calling him “girlfriend”. Terry seems to find the joke funny and lighthearted, but Rigoberto gets offended, telling Terry that he doesn’t like being called that. Realizing he may have crossed a line, Terry attempts to apologize, but Rigoberto does not seem to be having it.

In confessional, Rigoberto says that he knows that everyone makes slip ups sometimes, but that he just finds Terry a little rude and thinks that his apology is not sincere. He admits that if they went to Tribal Council, he would target Terry for being rude in his opinion and for being a strategic threat in the future, since it’s obvious that he is a smart player.

In his own confessional, Terry says that he hopes people don’t take offense to his comment because he didn’t mean it rudely, and admits he should’ve thought before he spoke. However, he says that he thinks it won’t affect the game much, and that his alliance will hold strong despite one dumb comment he made to one of the players outside of it.

BOUMA
As the Bouma tribe awakens in the morning, everyone gets to work to get camp ready. Mena, Zia, and Lori-Ann go to the well to get water for their canteens and for the pot to make rice in. There is general silence as they walk at first, but then Mena clears her throat and asks if the girls are doing okay after the episode yesterday with Lane shouting at Lori-Ann. In confessional, Mena says that while she isn’t very close with either Lori-Ann or Zia, she is worried about how they are feeling after Lane yelled at them, because it seemed very hurtful.

Zia says that she’s fine, since he didn’t fight with her, but Lori-Ann sighs and admits that she is very hurt by what happened, and she feels uncomfortable still being in camp with him, and she wants to keep her distance from him. Mena says that this makes a lot of sense, and she’ll support her if she needs an escape to get away from him. Lori-Ann smiles and thanks Mena. In confessional, Lori-Ann says that she always thought Mena was just a loyal follower of Rowlan and Mark, but that it means a lot that she recognizes the situation with Lane and is willing to support her in case of trouble.

Back at camp, Lane continues his protest by laying in the shelter while everyone else is awake. Conen and Faustina, sitting by the fire, share a look before walking over to the shelter and sitting down on either side of Lane. He groans for them to go away, but they won’t leave. In confessional, Conen says that they need to get Lane out of this rut before they attend another Tribal Council, because they still trust him and think he’s good for challenges. Conen shakes his head and tells Lane he needs to get up if he wants to stay in this game, which Lane shrugs off, saying it doesn’t matter.

Angrily, Faustina asks him if he is really going to throw away his entire Survivor experience just because the first vote didn’t go his way. Lane is shocked by the anger in Faustina’s voice, and sits up a little bit, saying that he just doesn’t have the motivation. Faustina rolls her eyes, tells him to grow a pair, and walks away. In confessional, she says that while she does still want to work with Lane, she’s over his behavior because she would have given anything to make it here on this show. She works a minimum wage job, and her and her mom’s salary as a waitress have to support her five younger siblings. She needs to the money, she says, and she is frankly disgusted that Lane would throw away his chance like that. Watching Faustina leave so angrily, Lane admits in confessional that he is still pissed, but maybe Faustina is right and he needs to get off his butt and try fixing his spot in the tribe.

KOCOMA
Casey can be seen walking along the beach as the rising sun paints the early dawn of Fiji with beautiful colors. In confessional, Casey says that she is doing her best to stay in the game right now, but that she just feels like she is struggling to make a lot of strong, concrete bonds with people. She feels like everyone likes her but no one is leaping at the chance to ally with her besides Valerie, which she says is concerning since she technically is on the bottom after the tribe’s first vote off, when only she and Valerie voted with Jacinta.

Later on in the day, Casey pulls aside Khelani and Shel, and the three of them take a walk through the jungle. In confessional, Casey says that she likes both Khelani and Shel, and wants to get them on her side for the future. She airs her fears about being on the bottom of the tribe to the two ladies, but they quickly comfort her, telling her not to worry. They both agree that the tribe is very fluid right now without any strict alliances on it, and that if anything they see the people who would get targeted being Valerie and Gunpei since they have their rivalry. Casey seems calmer after the conversation, and thanks the ladies before walking back to camp.

Shel and Khelani continue to walk in the jungle, deciding it’s time to start talking more serious game since they’re no longer there in the first couple of rounds. They both agree that they like Casey, and Shel mentions that she really likes Jordan too, which Khelani agrees with. They also agree that while neither of them is incredibly close to any of Osprey, Lewis, or Scott, they are needed to keep the tribe strong. This just leaves Gunpei and Valerie out; they admit they like Valerie more as a person, but Gunpei could be more useful to the tribe and their games. However, they agree that one of those two probably needs to leave if or when the Kocoma tribe loses again.

Back at camp by the fire, Jordan and Gunpei are sitting. Gunpei admits to Jordan that he feels worried about his place on the tribe, because he proposed working together with the stronger guys, and they didn’t seem incredibly receptive. Jordan tells Gunpei to just let things be, because those guys seem to be slow playing the game, and he shouldn’t frighten them with strategy. Gunpei sighs, just saying it’s hard because he feels like he’s in danger. In confessional, Gunpei says he doesn’t understand why he’s continually painted as a target in the game, because he is one of the strongest competitors in challenges. He is just annoyed that people are sketched out because he doesn’t want to share about his personal life. He says it’s his choice of when he wants to reveal things like that.

LAUCALA
It’s a pretty calm morning as the Laucala tribe awakens and begins to tidy up their campsite. Jared can be seen walking down one of the paths with Mikayla, and the two are laughing as they talk about the mutual friends they discovered they had earlier in the season. In confessional, Mikayla says that while she was itching to play hard at the beginning of the game, she is realizing she doesn’t need to go all out yet, and that forming a ride or die with Jared and staying in the strong majority alliance is all she needs to do right now. Meanwhile, Jared says that he really respects Mikayla’s strength and personality and thinks they are going to make a great team for the rest of the game.

Back at camp, Elena, Ethan, Gavin, and Kenedie sit around the fire, eating the last of the morning rice and discussing their lives. With a small smile, Kenedie admits in confessional that while she did feel really alone immediately after Colleen was gone, she is doing her best to make new bonds, and people are not shunning her. Kenedie is shown laughing at a joke from Gavin, and in confessional Gavin says that he really likes Kenedie as a person and feels bad she was left out of the Colleen vote the other day, and that she seems to be one of the most loyal people on the tribe.

Later on, when Gavin and Ethan are out collecting firewood, Gavin broaches the idea of adding Kenedie to their alliance with Jared, Elena, and Mikayla as a strong sixth member. Ethan is unsure, saying that everyone on their tribe is strong and they should refrain from expanding the core alliance more, but that they definitely can keep Kenedie close to them. Gavin agrees, and in confessional he says he is surprised people don’t want Kenedie in the alliance. Meanwhile, Ethan says in confessional that while he thinks Kenedie is nice, he doesn’t want the alliance to keep expanding needlessly, because right now all they need is a core group of five. Sid is an easy next boot at the moment, says Ethan, and he doesn’t think they need to keep strategizing when it’s not necessary.

In the evening, Axel goes on a walk on the beach with Jared, and the two get to talking. In confessional, Axel admits that while Cleo is definitely his number one and he loves her, he also feels like he has not connected with a lot of the other tribe members, the guys especially, when he could. As him and Jared walk down the beach, talking about their sports (Jared’s NFL career and Axel’s high school and college years playing hockey), they seem to bond. In confessional, Jared says he never realized that Axel was so cool and regrets not trying to get him into the majority alliance that formed earlier in the game.

NAVAKA
The Navaka tribe is still awash with drama after waking up the morning after their chaotic Tribal Council. Elizabreath actually was unable to sleep at all. In confessional, she admits that she was shocked to see Jerica gone, and her mind just wouldn’t stop racing, and now she feels very lethargic and worn out. Sighing, she says she just feels lost in the game and she doesn’t know what is going to become of her now that Jerica is not here.

Meanwhile, Joseph can be seen walking through the jungle with Pheonix and Aia. The two guys ask her if last night was just a one time thing, or if they are going to start working together in earnest. Sighing, she says she honestly doesn’t know, because she likes the two of them but thinks Turem might be too harsh to play with long term. She also doesn’t know how Bella feels about everything, citing that Bella felt very guilty after the last Tribal Council. Joseph begs Aia to consider working with them. In confessional, he says that while he’s thankful to have survived the night, there are still dozens of more Tribals to attend and he cannot stop playing the game because one vote went his way.

On the beach, Jackey and Kokoro can be seen sitting with their toes in the water, talking quietly about the game. Jackey says he is really scared, especially since he let his emotions get the best of him and it led him to yell at Bella and Aia. That’s damaging to both his personal relationships with them but also their games. Kokoro says they definitely need to do some damage control; in confessional, she admits she was really angry with Aia and Bella last night too, but she kept it under wraps. She says that she is worried Jackey’s outburst will get him into trouble at the next Tribal Council if he doesn’t do sufficient damage control.

After their conversation, Jackey and Kokoro get up to head back to camp. As they walk past a rotten log, Kokoro kicks it out of the way, and suddenly she sees a flash of magenta. Tapping Jackey’s shoulder excitedly, she stoops down and picks up the little package, mouth agape. She does a little dance, and Jackey beams, as she unwraps it to reveal the Navaka idol. With joy in their eyes, the two hide the idol and walk back to camp. Jackey excitedly says in confessional that Kokoro’s idol could be their savior in this game, while Kokoro says that she plans to use it to make sure her and Jackey can regain a strong footing in the game.

IMMUNITY AND REWARD CHALLENGE
As the five tribes walk in for their challenge, all eyes are on Laucala and Navaka. No one seems too surprised to see Jerica and Colleen voted off, as neither as a major asset to their tribes. In confessional, Rochelle says that all of these old people getting picked off is pretty predictable but worries her because she doesn’t want to be targeted in the future just for being over 40 years old. Su then tells the castaways that this will be a normal challenge, with a reward for the top four tribes: a spice rack! This makes everyone eager to play.

For this challenge, all eight competing castaways will have to start on a floating platform and one by one swim through a course that consists of climbing a ladder, jumping off, and then swimming to another platform. When they get there, two of the swimmers will have to work on a puzzle of a fish hanging on a hook. The first four tribes to finish will win Immunity and will receive a spice rack.

Highlights
 * Kocoma and Laucala get out to very strong starts, while Vidawa, Bouma, and Navaka all get out a little slower.
 * Kocoma and Laucala extend their leads, while Vidawa pulls into a solid third place. Bouma and Navaka both struggle with some of their slower competitors.
 * However, Bouma completely falls into last place once Elmer goes for them, as he takes forever to climb the ladder. Lane can be seen screaming at him.
 * By the time Elmer, the last one for Bouma, is at the platform, Laucala has finished in first place, and Kocoma finishes at a close second. Elmer and Lori-Ann try to catch up, but Vidawa and Navaka dust them, sending Bouma to Tribal Council again.

PRE-TRIBAL
When Bouma returns from the Immunity Challenge, they are completely dejected. Rowlan just shakes his head and is unable to speak, so angry with how the tribe is faring. In confessional, he says that this tribe should be winning everything, but instead they are just flopping hard and he is over it, and he needs everyone to figure their crap out.

The moment everyone starts to disband, Lane clears his throat, turns to Elmer, and tells him he should just quit the game because there’s no way he won't be voted off. Shocked, tears pool in Elmer’s eyes as he tells Lane to stop being a bully and leave him alone. Lane snarls that he isn’t a bully, he’s just a realist, and if anyone votes him off over Elmer’s pathetic performance today, they should quit the game too because they just want to lose every challenge.

Having had enough, Zia stands up and tells Lane off, yelling that just because he thinks he’s this strong asset to the tribe does not enable him to be a jackass to everyone. Surprised to see Zia fired up, Lane says she isn’t much of a help either, and she snarls at him, saying she’d like to see him do the puzzles both she and Elmer have done half as fast. Lane just tells her to stop defending someone who’s going home anyway before marching away from camp. Hands shaking, Zia tells him to run away like a baby before turning to a sobbing Elmer and giving him a tight hug.

Mena runs to Elmer too, and gives him a hug. Emotionally in confessional, she says she knows what bullying is like, she sees it all the time and suffered from it when she was in high school. She tearfully talks about how the mean girls at school made her hate herself, and she can’t stand to see people be hurt like that. Saying that what Lane is doing goes beyond the game for her, Mena tells Elmer and Zia that no matter what she cannot vote for one of them over Lane.

Meanwhile, Rowlan, Mark, Conen, and Faustina are standing nearby, having watched the whole scene unfold. They had agreed earlier in the day that if they lost, they would put aside their annoyances with Lane and vote off Elmer for being the biggest liability to the tribe. Mena had made the agreement too, but now she is saying she wants to vote Lane off in the open. Shocked and unsure of what to do, the four of them go off to discuss the game.

Faustina and Conen are adamant about still voting off Elmer, talking about his frequent vomiting and absolutely horrendous performance in the challenge. But Mark and Rowlan are both hesitant, saying that this vote might go beyond what’s the best game move and edge into moral territory. In confessional, Mark admits that while he thinks Elmer needs to be voted off to strengthen the tribe, he doesn’t know if he can allow a lazy bully to stay in the game over someone like Elmer, who is trying their best.

After Mark and Rowlan leave to go back to camp, Faustina and Conen talk about the need to keep Lane in the game. Disappointed, Conen says he hopes that people think with their heads and not their hearts, talking about how Elmer couldn’t even get to the platform before Laucala finished the whole puzzle. Faustina nods in agreement, saying she doesn’t agree with Lane’s behavior either, but that he is still their ally and even beyond that, this tribe cannot continue to lose.

As the tribe prepares to leave, Mena can be seen still comforting Elmer, Zia, and Lori-Ann, while Lane rolls his eyes and checks in with Conen to see if everything is still going as planned. Conen admits that he isn’t sure what is going to happen as they gather their bags and torches, and Lane just sighs, saying everyone on the tribe is idiotic if they keep Elmer. With that, the castaways line up and walk off to Tribal Council as the sun begins to set.

TRIBAL COUNCIL
The Bouma tribe trudges into Tribal Council, obviously unhappy to be there a second time. Once they are all seated, Su begins his questioning. He asks Conen what went wrong that this tribe has returned to Tribal Council once more. Conen sighs, saying that the reason this tribe is here is because they just simply couldn’t get it together in the challenge today.

Lane cuts in and insists that he got it together in challenge today. Mena got it together in the challenge. So did Faustina, Mark, even Lori-Ann. But Elmer was the one that dragged them down and is the sole reason they lost today. Elmer quickly replies, saying that even though he did slow down the tribe, at least he isn’t toxic like Lane and is poisoning the tribe atmosphere. Zia can be seen nodding to this, and Su asks her what her view of the situation is. She says that Lane is a bully and that he needs to be taken out of the tribe. Lane throws his hands up in the air in annoyance at this. Su then asks Faustina what her view is. Picking her words carefully, she says that she thinks Lane’s tactics aren’t what she would do, but that she believes the tribe should focus on strength since it is still so early in the game, earning an eye roll from Elmer. Su asks Rowlan what will decide the outcome of this vote for him. Rowlan says that it isn’t simple for him, and it comes down to several different factors.

With that, the castaways go to vote. Mark is seen walking up to the hut, and then Elmer is shown writing down Lane’s name on the parchment. “You’re quite frankly a monster, and I never want to speak to you again.” Mena can be seen folding her parchment, and then Lane is seen writing down Elmer’s name with a venomous grin on his face. “Time’s up. It’s Survivor, and if you’re going to puke hourly and take two years to jump off a ladder, then you don’t deserve to be here. Simple as that.” Rowlan is the last one to vote, shown sliding his vote in the urn and walking back.

When he takes a seat, Su retrieves the urn and counts the votes. He asks if anyone would like to play an idol. Everyone looks around, but no one moves, so Su begins to read the votes.

Lane the Bully.

Lane laughs at that vote out loud, while Elmer crosses his arms tightly.

ElmUr.

Lane smirks at seeing his on purpose misspelled vote come up.

Lane.

Elmer. That’s two votes Lane, two votes Elmer, five votes remaining.

Lane.

Elmer.

Lane. That’s four votes Lane, three votes Elmer, two votes remaining.

Everyone sucks in a breath to see where Mark and Rowlan have put their votes. Elmer squeezes Lori-Ann’s hand, while Lane clenches his jaw.

Elmer.

Elmer just starts shaking his head quickly, while Mena looks a little sadly at Mark, who mouths “sorry” to her. Meanwhile, Conen and Lane share a tiny smile.

6th person voted out of Survivor: Taveuni...

Elmer. That’s five, that’s enough. You need to bring me your torch."

Elmer seems to be in shock, having really believed people would save him despite his terrible challenge performance due to Lane’s cruel behavior. With shaking hands, he hugs Lori-Ann and Zia goodbye, who both look devastated and upset, and also hugs Mena, who tells him she is sorry. Everyone else besides Lane waves goodbye as Elmer carries his torch to Su, while Lane just grins happily. Su snuffs Elmer’s torch as he looks on the verge of tears.

“Elmer, the tribe has spoken. It’s time for you to go.”

“If Lane isn’t voted out soon, I don’t know how you guys can live with yourselves,” Elmer tells the tribe, which makes Lane begin to laugh. Elmer just bites his lip, turns on his heel, and storms out of Tribal as Lane continues to chuckle. Once Elmer is gone, and Lane has calmed, Su says that this tribe obviously has some issues, and they need to figure out what the root of the conflict is so they can avoid a third Tribal Council. With that, the Bouma tribe leaves Tribal Council, with Zia and Lori-Ann looking anxious as they hold hands, and Faustina whispering her thanks to a solemn Rowlan while Lane grins.

NEXT TIME ON SURVIVOR
There is a lot of fallout after Bouma's Tribal Council...

"How could you keep a bully like him in this game?!" Zia asks, distraught and gesturing towards Lane.

"They didn't want to lose everything, that's why!" Lane answers her.

...and one castaway comes in great danger.

"MEDICAL!" someone yells fearfully, as a person is seen collapsing to the ground.

TRIVIA
The episode title was said by Lane Coles when laughing off how a lot of the Bouma tribe was convinced that he was a bully and a bad person.

POLLS
Who would you have voted off at Bouma's Tribal Council? Elmer Lane Someone else What tribe do you think the medical emergency from next episode will happen on? Bouma Kocoma Laucala Navaka Vidawa