Hay in a Needle Stack (Part 2)

Hay in a Needle Stack (Part 2) is the second part of the second episode of Survivor: Vietnam.

Tuan Chau
Following the commercial break, the members of the Tuần Châu tribe are returning back to their beach, disappointed with yet another challenge loss. The fact that they loss by such a close margin, makes it even harder to swallow for the tribe.

Don (looking down): That’s gonna sting.

Megan (nodding her head): You’ve got that right.

Nicole (to the tribe): It’s another loss, it’s unfortunate that we have to vote somebody out, but we gotta move forward. And, hopefully we win the next challenge, and, hopefully we don’t have to do this again.

James (to Nicole): Agreed.

The camera transitions to David R., Don, Marie, and Trisha all talking at the water well. Steve is seen in the ocean with James and Megan, while everyone else is at the shelter. The foursome of David R., Don, Marie, and Trisha are all discussing about tonight’s upcoming vote. It is clear to Don who he wants to get rid of. Immediately, the football coach references Melanie, who has proven to be “an ineffective leader to our tribe”. Trisha agrees with Don on that statement, and Don also states that Melanie is “10,000 times weaker in challenges, than anyone else on the team”.

Don (to the group): We need to get rid of the weakest links first, in order to keep us stronger as a team, I think.

Don and Trisha are the two people who are leading the conversation at the moment, when David R. reaches into his pant pocket, and nonchalantly pulls out his Hidden Immunity Idol to his alliance. Immediately, Don and Trisha stop and look at it in excitement, cheering at the fact that the dentist showed his allies the immunity idol to them.

David R. (whispering): So, I found this today.

Trisha (to David R.): Was it at the challenge?

David R.: Yeah.

Trisha (punching David R. playfully): I knew it.

Marie (to David R.): So that’s why you took so long to get back to us in the ocean.

David R. (laughing): Yep.

David R. (to the group): This was at the challenge, I hate to break it to you girls. (laughing) But we were going out looking for it, here, and we found out about the twist.

Marie (to David R.): What twist?

David R. (to Marie): It said that all idols, pre-merge, will be located at Immunity Challenges. They called it the “Landmine Twist”, I guess? I’m not so sure.

Marie (to David R.): So that means that there’s no idols at camp then?

David R. (nodding his head): Correct.

Trisha (to David R.): Only at challenges?

Don (to Trisha): Immunity challenges.

Trisha (smiling): This is f****** unbelievable!

Don (to the group): Steve knows about this already, so he’s cool with this.

Marie (to Don): Then we’re good right?

Don (nodding his head): Absolutely. We told him that Dave was finding the idol, it shouldn’t be a difficult decision tonight.

David R. (to the group): The five of us just gotta write down Melanie’s name, and we’re good.

Don (to the three): This is the “Core Four” all the way. We ride together we die together, right?

Trisha (nodding her head): Absolutely.

Don proceeds to take “roll call” on who’s going to be voted out, and all three of them say that they will be voting for Melanie. Afterwards, we can see all four of them going their separate ways, before the camera zooms in on Marie, who is the last person to leave out of the group of four.

Don is at the shelter laughing with the fellow men on his tribe whilst Marie’s confessional continues on.

Don is seen talking to Steve.

Steve (to Don): He found the idol right?

Don (to Steve): Who? David?

Steve (to Don): Well duh, who the hell else has the clue?!

Don (laughing): Yeah, he does, don’t worry.

Steve (looking down): That’s good.

Don is seen walking up to Marie and Steve near the ocean.

Don (to Marie): What’s up, buttercup?

Marie (to Don): Nothing much.

Don (to Marie): Just wanted to make sure we’re sticking to the plan tonight, and nothing’s changing.

Marie (to Don): Yep, we’re all good.

Steve (to Don): The five of us should be good to go tonight, I think. Melanie’s going home. One challenge won’t make me say so, but two definitely does.

Don (to Steve): Awesome!

The camera after the conversation, pans over to a later scene. In the afternoon, Marie is having a conversation in the forest with both Melanie & Nicole. Similar to her discussion with the members of the majority alliance, Marie’s main topic of conversation is the upcoming Tribal Council vote. Discussing the vote, Marie mentions Don’s intentions on the vote, which is to get rid of Melanie. Melanie, who is also in the conversation, doesn’t appear visibly surprised, and quickly rolls her eyes at the fact that a fellow tribemate wants to target her.

Melanie (annoyed): What isn’t new here?

Melanie (to Marie): If Don’s going around saying that us girls are gonna be the weakest people, then why don’t we all just team up and get rid of Don tonight?

Marie (to Melanie): That is exactly what I was thinking right now.

Nicole: I just think he’s way too much of a threat to be in this game right now.

Marie (to the girls): Here’s where my thought process is right now. Don told me that, he’s going to be voting out the weakest people first. I think when it comes to the weakest people, who comes second after Melanie’s gone? Me, right?

Nicole (laughing): Yeah.

Melanie (sarcastically): Thanks a lot for the complement Marie.

Marie (laughing): No, I meant, who’s the weakest to Don, after Melanie’s gone? That would be me, correct?

Melanie: Okay.

Marie (to Melanie): So, if the three of us vote together, we can easily persuade James & Megan, to hop on board with our plan. They’d be easily able to vote our way because they know that Don hasn’t spoken a single word to them.

Nicole (to Marie): That would be five.

Marie (smiling): And that’s enough of the votes that we need.

Melanie (to Marie): But how are we going to get the votes to go our way with just three?

Marie (to Melanie): I’m gonna work with the other two – James & Megan – and we’ll vote from there. I’m confident that if all works well, then we’ll all be safe.

Melanie (nervous): I’m just so nervous about what’s gonna go down tonight.

The camera pans over to Marie & Melanie discussing strategy with James & Megan as the four are packing up and ready to head off to Tribal Council.

Melanie (to James): I know you guys and I haven’t spoken for a good amount of time now, but I know that we’re all on the bottom.

James (to Melanie): I’m not gonna be voting you out tonight, if that’s what you wanna know.

Melanie (to James): Good, because I feel we have bigger people to target right now.

Megan (to Melanie): To me, I am really worried about Don, and how much power he might have in the game.

James (to Melanie): I’m also worried about Steve. Yeah sure, we can easily take you out if you caused us the one-point lead, but Steve didn’t fare much better in the challenge either. He’s f****** 60 years old, do we really think he’s gonna outmatch the other team physically?

Marie (to James): Tonight’s vote needs to be Don. It’s the only way we can get the right amount of votes and still succeed as a group.

Melanie (to the group): Don is by far, the leader of that alliance. If we cut off the head of the snake, we’re going to be more unified.

James (to Melanie): I’m definitely going to consider it, and I think Meg will do, right?

Megan (nodding her head): Absolutely. They’re definitely a tight alliance, like, a really tight alliance.

Marie is the last person seen before Tribal Council, and she is seen packing her stuff before heading off with the torch that she received on Night 3 at her first Tribal Council.

Tribal Council
Similar to what happened at the previous episode’s Tribal Council, intense music is playing in the background, as the nine members of the Tuần Châu tribe are seen entering the Tribal Council area. They are all carrying their torches as Jeff Probst awaits them. They all put their torches in their respective holders before they, along with Jeff, sit down.

Jeff (to Steve): Steve, let’s talk about the challenge today.

Steve (jokingly): I quit.

Everyone on the tribe is seen laughing out loud at the comment that the teacher made, as Steve gets up and pretends to get his torch before sitting back down.

Jeff (trying not to laugh): So Steve, we saw a very close competition, with both tribes reaching 4 points. What I was going to ask you was, even though you guys lost, do you think you did well anyways. I mean, you nearly beat them in a landslide.

Steve (to Jeff): No. I believe a loss of any kind is a loss nonetheless. And yes, there are several people here who did really well. That does not include myself, who within just over a minute, got my ass soaked in water. (Don is seen laughing) But you also had others on the tribe who didn’t do that successful either. Megan, Melanie, and Trisha are just a few examples of that.

Jeff (to Melanie): Melanie, when you lost your part of the challenge, which just so happened, to be the final nail in the tribe’s coffin at that game, what was going through your mind? Were you thinking, “I gotta find a way to make sure I’m not seen as the weakest”? Or were you thinking, “I’m definitely going home tonight”.

Melanie (to Jeff): A little bit of both. Last Tribal, I was a little bit over my own head. I didn’t expect to be targeted, but nevertheless, I got three people here who cast votes against me. So, it’s very concerning that’s I’m gonna get some more votes tonight.

Jeff (to Melanie): Do you believe you should go home tonight?

Melanie: Absolutely...not.

The tribe is seen laughing at Melanie’s emphasis on the word “absolutely”, when she said that’s she shouldn’t.

Melanie (to Jeff): Like Steve told you, we had a group of people today, a majority of people on this tribe who failed at the challenge. I happened to be one of the people that did poorly. I’ll take the mantle for costing us the final point, but, I don’t believe it would’ve made much of a difference either way if I was the first to compete, or if someone like Steve was the last to compete.

Don (to Jeff): Jeff, if you don’t mind me interjecting here, I’d like to say something.

Jeff (nodding his head): Proceed.

Don (to Melanie): With all due respect, when it was down to you and myself who was left to compete in the challenge, we had the upper hand. I believe that we could’ve saved that last fight, where, a lot of energy was hanging around a strong member of our team. You could’ve closed it out with a victory if you won the eighth competition, and even if you didn’t, we still might’ve won because of the matchups between us and the other tribe.

Melanie (to Don): But I don’t see how opting to go last determined how we did in the challenge. We were both going up against the same people anyways.

Don (to Melanie): Well, when we were ready to choose you to go up against that other girl (referring to Rebecca), you said, “I want to go last. I want you to face that other guy first” (referring to Daniel), and that might’ve been what cost us. Without trying to be conceited right now, we could’ve saved a lot of muscle for the tiebreaker challenge, if we just saved me for last, and if, and correct me if I’m wrong, if someone wasn’t so eager to have a personal victory for themselves of scoring the winning point.

Melanie (shaking her head): That’s not true. That’s simply not true. Never when I opted to go last, did I ever think about my own personal gain. That’s a lie, to justify you losing in that eighth round at the fight, and it shouldn’t work.

Jeff (to Don): Don, what would, as you said, “saving the muscle for the last challenge”, have to do with your performance in particular?

Don (hesitating): We had a lead. It was a 4-3 lead and, getting that fifth point, and also getting that coin toss advantage, was huge. I was ready to say, let’s have Melanie face off in that round, so that if we lose, we still have me to finish it out. This way, we don’t waste the last guy competitor in the challenge, over a point that we didn’t technically require at that point in the challenge.

Jeff (to Don): I get that, but what, physically, did that have to do with you losing?

Don is seen looking down, thinking of a good rebuttal to Jeff’s question, before he simply shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know”.

Jeff (to Don): Don, it seems like, from my perspective, you have a lot of resentment towards Melanie at the moment. Care to elaborate?

Don (to Jeff): I just find Melanie to be the weakest link on our tribe. Yeah, we got a lot of older people here. I mean, we got two 60-something year old people and one of them kicked some ass today at the challenge. But, they both showed that they were tough people in this challenge. Melanie didn’t. She did what she did in the challenge before which was explain that she’s the best choice to compete, but ultimately ended up flunking the game for us. I don’t want to risk that going into the next challenge, if Melanie stays in the game.

Jeff (raising an eyebrow): Melanie... if you stay in the game.

Melanie (nervously chuckling): Yeah, that’s a little bit nerve-wracking when you’re in the position I’m in. Look, I think Don is a great guy. He’s probably one of the nicest people outside of this game. But I think he’s got a fixation with leadership, and it’s showing. Today, he was busy conversing with almost everybody on this island, except for me. Which can only lead me to suspect that he’s gunning for me tonight.

Don (laughing): She can think what she wants to think, Jeff. I’m just a generally social person. I like talking to people, and if I didn’t talk to you, Mel, than I’m sorry. This game is about social bonds, and, I’m not so sure if the two of us get along too well socially.

Jeff: Melanie, you said Don had a “fixation with leadership”, explain that please.

Melanie (to Jeff): It’s obvious that Don’s been rallying people in the tribe, to try and get me out. I think he was a large contributor in the last vote. I know he and Trisha have been hanging out more so than usual, and it does bother me, because I know Trisha voted for me before. What he has up his sleeve is beyond me, but I definitely think he’s been campaigning harder than anyone else, to get rid of me tonight.

Jeff (to Don): Is that true?

Don (to Jeff): Well, I’m not gonna say for certain, Jeff, who I’m going to be voting for tonight. But, if it comes down to it, if I feel Melanie is the best choice, then I’m gonna vote for her. It’s nothing personal, it’s just business right now. Business for the tribe, is what I’m focused on.

Megan (interrupting Don): But when you go off with other people, you never really want to include any of us. That’s what Melanie means when she says you’re a leader.

Don (confused): Who are you talking about? Who do I not include?

James (to Don): You don’t include me, you don’t include Megan. You certainly don’t include Melanie in any of your conversations.

Megan (to Don): You like to say that you like socializing but in the end, what good is social skills when you isolated half of your tribe from you?

James (to Don): It leads me to think you’re hiding something.

Don (laughing): C’mon, give me a break.

Jeff (to Megan): Megan, do you believe Don is openly campaigning for Melanie?

Megan (to Jeff): I think Don is definitely out to get Melanie tonight. But I do not know what other intentions he has right now with the rest of us whom he hasn’t been so close to in the last six days.

Jeff (to the tribe): Let’s put that to the test; raise your hand if you believe Don is a close friend in the tribe to you.

Four people raise their hand – David R., Marie, Steve, and Trisha – and after a few seconds Don jokingly raises his hand.

Jeff (to Don): Don, that’s four people who said, “I’m not so sure he’s with me right now”. Do you think your presence, or according to Megan, lack thereof, and who you talk to, has been the subject of conversation today at camp?

'Don (smiling): Whatever happens tonight, is going to be a result of what the tribe comes to the consensus of agreeing upon. If the tribe agrees that, Melanie is the weakest link, then Melanie will be the one getting her torch snuffed tonight. If I’m out of the loop on something, then I’m clearly not among the majority of people, who came up with a consensus on what they want to see happen to the tribe. We’ll see what happens in a few minutes, when the votes go down.

After that, the Tribal Council music intensifies as we see close-ups of Marie, Melanie, and Steve, before going back to Jeff Probst.

Jeff (to the tribe): Well, with that, it is time to vote. Nicole… you’re up.

Nicole walks up to vote, her vote is not shown.

David R. walks up to vote, his vote is not shown.

'''Trisha walks up to vote, it is revealed that she voted for Melanie to be voted off the island. However, her confessional is not heard.'''

Megan walks up to vote, her vote is not shown.

James walks up to vote, his vote is not shown.

Don walks up to vote, it is revealed that he voted for Melanie to be voted off the island.

'''Melanie walks up to vote, it is revealed that she voted for Don to be voted off the island. However, her confessional is not heard.'''

Steve walks up to vote, his vote is not shown.

'''Marie is the final person cast her vote. Although we don’t see who she voted for, we hear her confessional.'''

As Marie exits the voting area to sit back down, we can see Jeff Probst looking at all nine tribemates.

Jeff (to the tribe): I’ll go tally the votes.

As Jeff is headed to the voting area, close-ups of Melanie and Don are being shown to the viewers. Also seen is James who is looking at Megan, who has her head down, and her fingers crossed. Jeff then returns.

Jeff (to the tribe): If anybody has a Hidden Immunity Idol and would like to play it, now would be the time to do so.

A close-up of David R. is shown, before most people look at Melanie to see if she plans to pull anything out. Nobody is willing to budge however, and the Tribal Council proceeds.

Jeff (to the tribe): Okay. 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 faces of Marie, Melanie, and Steve are shown once again before Jeff opens the urn and proceeds reading the votes...

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First Vote: MELANIE (1 - 0)

Melanie closes her eyes, with her fingers crossed, knowing full well that this will be another vote where she’s put on the chopping block.

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Second Vote: DON (1 - 1)

Don smiles and looks at a very nervous Melanie, before both the football coach and anesthesiologist look back at Jeff.

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Third Vote: MELANIE (2 - 1)

Melanie nods at her head, frowning at her second vote.

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Fourth vote: MELANIE (3 - 1)

This is Melanie’s third vote tonight, and although unhappy, she isn’t totally shocked at it. She nods her head again.

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Fifth vote: DON (3 - 2)

Don looks a little bit surprised at the second vote that he received, suspecting that either James or Megan might’ve cast the vote. However, he tries to shrug it off, knowing the Melanie still currently leads him in the votes to go home.

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Sixth Vote: MELANIE (4 - 2)

Melanie nods her head, as she is bouncing her left leg up and down due to being nervous about the vote. Don looks over to see Melanie being visibly concerned.

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Seventh Vote: DON (4 - 3)

Don shrugs his shoulders, looking over at James, who simply nods his head. Neither one of them are visibly happy to see that Don got a third vote tonight.

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Eighth Vote: DON (4 - 4)

With the vote tied, Don looks over at his fellow tribe members. David R. and Trisha are visibly stunned at the tie vote, expecting Melanie to have her fate sealed by now. Marie is seen looking on at the vote.

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Second person voted out of Survivor: Vietnam'....

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Don... need to bring me your torch.

Don’s jaw drops at the fifth vote. As a “#Blindside” appears on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, Don comes to the realization that at least one of the four members in his “Core Four” alliance, betrayed him. David R. is also in shock as he is shaking his head.

David R. (surprised): Who flipped?

Trisha is shaking her head with her head facing down, agitated that her target, Melanie, survived a second vote. Finally, Don stands up and retrieves his torch, and continues to be flabbergasted by the results of what happened. He then walks towards Jeff, who has the torch snuffer in his hand.

Jeff (to Don): Don, the tribe has spoken.

Don shakes his head as his torch is then snuffed, ending his chances at the million dollar prize. Don Hall, the 42-year old football coach from Illinois, will place 19th in the competition. A puff of smoke from his torch, is shown, before Jeff proceeds with his usual comments.

Jeff (to Don): Time for you to go.

Don (nodding his head; unhappy): Thanks Jeff.

Without acknowledging the tribe, Don exits the Tribal Council area as instructed, before Jeff looks back on the eight remaining members of Tuần Châu.

Jeff (to the tribe): Well, although the discussion tonight was, what was going to help the tribe, it seems as if tonight, the close vote only signified the divide within in. And based off of Don’s reaction, I’m sure there’s going to be a few unhappy campers coming back from this vote. Grab your torches and head back to camp, goodnight.

Credits are being shown as the remaining members of Tuần Châu all grab their torches, and exit Tribal Council the same way they entered. With the lines in the sand now prevalent, the reactions among the tribe members all but prove Jeff’s closing statement. As a far view shot of the Tribal Council area, and eight torches are shown in the distance, the episode ends with eighteen people remaining in the game.

After Show Polls
Who is the MVP of this episode? David R. Marie Mark

Who is the Worst Player in this episode? Melanie Sebastian Tim

Next Time on Survivor...

 * On Phú Quý, the division within the tribe, escalates into an all-out war.

"phu quy"

- Tim is a traitor. Whatever I need to do to get him out, I'm gonna do it.

"phu quy"

- I can't stand a man who acts like a little child.


 * And Tuần Châu, Steve is fighting to stay off the block.

Steve: Give me the idol!

"tuan chau"

- He's lost my trust completely.

Author's Notes

 * This episode title was said by Steve Hamilton who unsuccessfully tried to make an analogy of finding an idol in a large area, to finding a "piece of hay in a needle stack".
 * The correct term is "finding a needle in a hay stack".