Kirisute Gomen

Kirisute Gomen is the first episode of Survivor: Japan - Civil War.

Challenges
Reward/Immunity Challenge: Eight members of each tribe must paddle from the beach to a small island nearby, where they will have to dig through a large sand pit to find five bags of puzzle pieces. Once they find all five bags, they must paddle back to the beach, where the remaining two members of each tribe must solve the puzzle.

Reward: Flint.

Day 1
A motorboat docks at sparsely populated southern Shikoku in Japan. One by one, twenty castaways leave the boat and stand on a large mat a few meters away from Jeff.

"Jeff Probst: Welcome to Survivor: Japan."

"black"

- I've been a huge fan of this show as long as I can remember. To be here right now and to hear Jeff say that in person just gives me this feeling like, "Oh my god, this is really happening! I'm really on the show!" I'm so psyched about this, man. This is going to be great.

"Jeff Probst:For 39 days, this is where all of you will compete for the title of Sole Survivor and the million dollar prize that comes with it. But first, the tribes. If I could get the oldest man and oldest woman among you to step forward."

Lawrence and Donna step forward, flanking Jeff.

"Jeff Probst: Lawrence, Donna, by virtue of age, you will be the captains, or daimyos, of your tribes. In Medieval Japan, lands were governed by daimyos, who answered only to the shogun. Likewise, you two will lead your respective tribes. You will decide who plays what role in certain challenges and around camp, and you get two votes at Tribal Council, instead of just one. Your first task as daimyos is to pick your tribes. You two will rock-paper-scissors to determine who gets to pick first."

Lawrence chooses scissors at the same time Donna chooses paper, giving Lawrence the first pick.

"Jeff Probst: Lawrence, your tribe will be called Ashikaga, and you will wear black buffs. Donna, your tribe will be called Kamakura, and you will wear teal buffs. Here's how this is gonna work; starting with Lawrence, you two will do a schoolyard pick, alternating genders until each tribe has five men and five women. Lawrence, who do you choose first?"

"black"

- So it turns out that from the moment the game begins, I'm already one of the most powerful people in the game. I mean, Jeff literally handed me the title of daimyo, which comes with a second vote privilege. And I get the first pick in the draft, so to speak. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the game.

Lawrence: Shannon.

Jeff Probst: Shannon, come on up and claim your buff. Donna, it's your turn to pick.

"kamikura"

- From the moment Lawrence picked Shannon instead of the strong-looking black woman whose name I can't remember, I knew I would win this schoolyard pick and end up with the better tribe. The only thing better than being the leader of a weaker tribe is being the leader of a stronger one. That instantly puts you in a great position going forward.

Donna: Chuck.

Jeff Jeff Probst: Chuck, come on up and claim your buff. Lawrence, you know what to do.

Lawrence: Kyle.

Donna: Emma.

Lawrence: The blonde woman who looks to be in her late 30's.

Jeff Probst: Beth. Come on up.

"black"

- I understand that my third selection may have been somewhat of an eyebrow-raiser, but after watching every season over the course of just over a year, I've seen what happens when people deliberately choose younger tribes. I thought taking an older contestant earlier on would help to circumvent the possible immaturity and laziness a lot of the youths I'll have to choose from. Muscle will only get you so far without elderly wisdom.

Donna: John.

Lawrence: Bryce.

Donna: Reyna.

Lawrence: Jasmine.

Donna: Tyler.

Lawrence: The balding man in a collared shirt. What's your name again?

Patton: Patton.

Lawrence: I choose Patton.

Donna: Lisa.

Lawrence: Phoebe.

Donna: Dave.

Jeff Probst: Lawrence, there are now two more men remaining unpicked. Whichever one you don't choose will automatically go to Kamakura. Donna, same with the women. Whichever one you don't choose will automatically go to Ashikaga. Lawrence, who is your final selection?

Lawrence: Landon.

Jeff Probst: Landon, take your spot with the rest of Ashikaga. Patrick, go join Kamakura.

"kamikura"

- Personally, I have mixed emotions about not actually being picked. On one hand, I feel slighted because Lawrence chose a really young and probably immature liability over me. On the other, I'm glad I landed on Kamakura because I feel that Donna did a better job picking her tribe than Lawrence. I really think that Lawrence's decisions will come back to haunt him in the near future.

Jeff: Donna, remember that whichever one of the final two women you don't pick will automatically go to Ashikaga. Choose wisely.

Donna: I can't keep their names straight because they look so much alike. Um...The one in the green tank top.

Jeff Probst: Katie, take your spot with Kamakura. Hannah, you're now a member of Ashikaga. Go over with your new tribemates.

Katie and Hannah join their respective tribes and claim the last of the buffs available.

"black"

- Being the last person available in a schoolyard pick really makes you feel worthless when you're a kid. When you're on the game of Survivor, it can either put a target on your back or lead people to dismiss you as a non-threat if you do enough around camp. Either way, I have to prove myself if I want to stick around.

"Jeff Probst: Alright, now that tribes have been chosen, it's time for you to go to your new homes. Waiting for you at your respective campsites will be a machete and a bag containing a few pounds of rice. About half a mile to your right, each tribe will find a canoe and a map to your respective campsites. Make sure you take the canoe which has stripes coinciding with the color of your tribe. Get going."

Both tribes begin walking to their canoes, arriving at them after roughly half an hour. They board their respective canoes and go their separate ways to find their campsites.

Ashikaga
Ashikaga arrives at their camp after paddling through the ocean for a couple of hours. After a minute of taking in their surroundings, Lawrence starts assigning tasks to his tribemates.

Lawrence: Let's split up into two teams. Six people working on shelter, and four on fire. Kyle and I will try to start a fire by focusing the sunlight through our glasses. Two volunteers will try to create a fire by causing a lot of friction between two pieces of wood.

Phoebe: I'll help with the fire.

Beth: Me too.

Lawrence: Alright, everyone else get started on that shelter. The last thing we want is to end up without a shelter when it starts raining like crazy.

"black"

- I'm not certain how I feel about Lawrence's leadership so far. Although I'm glad he isn't too militant about it, I think he could have had a couple of the people assigned to work on fire to try to find some food. That rice won't last us very long at all, no matter how we ration it.

After digging a small hole and collecting twigs, Lawrence and Kyle take off their glasses and attempt to create fire by reflecting sunlight through them. However, it is too overcast outside for this to work. Fortunately, after about half an hour, Phoebe manages to create a few sparks by vigorously rubbing two sticks together, and soon enough a small fire is burning. Landon, Jasmine, and Shannon, who are returning with wood for the shelter, applaud Phoebe when they see this.

"black"

- I created fire for my tribe! This is literally one of the best things that could have happened to me, because it'll pretty much guarantee that I stay off the chopping block early on.

Meanwhile, Patton takes advantage of his position further away from the campsite than others to start strategizing.

Patton: Hannah, I noticed that nobody picked you to join their tribe. Well, for what it's worth, you would have been one of the first people I chose.

Hannah: You really think that?

Patton: Absolutely! I think we should team up. People will target me for being a used car salesman, and they'll target you because you weren't chosen. There's strength in numbers."

Hannah: You know, that's not a bad idea.

"black"

- I'm not entirely certain that Patton's the most trustworthy person out there. His compliments before asking to create an alliance were very out of the blue. But I probably have a target on my back for being the tenth person the tribe got stuck with, so I really need allies. Beggars can't be choosers.

Little do either of them know that Bryce has been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"black"

- So I was just going to ask Patton for the machete back, when I noticed that he wasn't chopping wood. He was trying to create an alliance. It's the people who try to take control of the game really early on who become the biggest threats. Patton's got to go before that can happen.

Bryce quickly heads back to the camp and finds Lawrence discussing plans for the shelter with Kyle and Beth.

Lawrence: You know, Kyle, slanting the floor slightly is probably a good idea. That way it won't flood during - Yes, Bryce?

Bryce: Patton's trying to create an alliance. He may or may not be trying to take your title. I dunno who he wants gone, but he's trying to get numbers, man. He could be a threat very soon if we don't do anything about him.

Lawrence: It's pretty common for people to start playing the strategic game right off the bat, Bryce. It's not uncommon for their plans to fall flat, so I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet.

Bryce: I know it's common. And that's exactly why we need to do something about it.

Lawrence: Bryce, we've got a shelter to build. Just focus on that for now and stress out over strategy and conspiracies later if you must. We can't let this tribe immediately plunge into a state of paranoia. Just keep chopping wood, okay?

Bryce: ...Alright. But I'll keep you posted if I hear about them targeting specific people.

"black"

- Bryce seems like a good young man, and I really think he'll be an asset to us in challenges, but he's a bit paranoid and skittish. He'll have to get that under control for the good of tribe, or else I may have no choice but to get rid of him. I can't have him causing too much drama in the tribe.

Kamakura
Kamakura arrives at their campsite around the same time that Ashikaga does. Donna does not hesitate to assign tasks to the tribe.

Donna:First things first. We need to get started on a shelter. Katie, you have glasses, so I'd like for you to try using them to start a fire, that way we can have quicker access to clean water.

Katie:What does having glasses have to do with anything?

Donna:If you try to shine the sun through them, you can burn stuff. You can start a small fire by focusing the sunlight on a few twigs and stuff like that. I want everyone else to start collecting trees for the shelter.

Chuck, however, has other ideas. After helping a bit collecting wood for the shelter, he goes over to Katie to help her out.

"kamikura"

- I don't think it was right for Donna to exclude just one person from the main group collecting wood for the shelter. Besides, I spend most of my time outdoors, hunting and fishing. Naturally, I know a thing or two about starting a fire. Probably a lot more than Katie does.

Chuck:Hey Katie, let me help you out.

Katie:Why? Aren't you supposed to be collecting wood with the others?

Chuck:Well yeah, but I know how to make a fire. Could you hand me those two sticks?

Katie:...Sure...Here you go.

Chuck begins to vigorously rub the two sticks together, quickly conjuring sparks, and, soon enough, a small fire.

Chuck:Just one of many ways to make a fire. Using glasses probably wouldn't have worked in this weather. It's too overcast.

Katie:That's really cool, Chuck. Where did you learn that?

"kamikura"

- So far, Chuck is probably my favorite person on my tribe. He seems to know his way around this outdoors stuff, so we'd be stupid to get rid of him.

Donna spots Chuck at the fire instead of helping with the shelter, however, and is quick to confront him about it.

Donna:I assigned you to help with the shelter. The fire was Katie's job.

Chuck:I know. But I practically live outdoors. I go hunting for days at a time on a regular basis, so I know how to start a fire. It may not have been what you told me to do, but I'm still contributing and making myself useful.

"kamikura"

- Kirisute Gomen. These are the two words that gave the samurai authorization to strike down commoners for disrespecting them. Likewise, I can get Chuck voted out because he challenged my authority. He had better watch himself.

Meanwhile, Patrick's incessant chattering is starting to get on the nerves of some of the other men.

"kamikura"

- I've had a lot of girlfriends over the years, and all of them had deeper voices than Patrick. I've just met the guy and I already don't like him. And it's not because he's obviously gay. He's just annoying. He won't shut up.

Patrick:...And then I said-

Tyler:Here, can you take this load to the campsite?

Patrick:Urgh! Yeah, I got this. And no, that is not what I said.

"kamikura"

- Patrick was getting on our nerves, so I just gave him a heavy bunch of wood to take to the camp. With luck, he'll get distracted and chat up the girls. Bother them for a while instead of us.

Patrick arrives at the campsite and drops the wood on the ground near the rest of the stockpile.

Patrick:Hey Donna, do you think we have enough for a shelter now?

Donna:No, not quite. Maybe another few bundles and we'll be good. ...You know, it'd probably do us a lot of good to find extra food sources. If you could search the area for some fruit or whatever, that would be great.

Patrick:You can count on me.

"kamikura"

- I was the last guy left in the schoolyard pick, and it seems like nobody wants me around. Why do they hate me so much? Ah well, once they realize how much work I'm doing around camp, they won't want to get rid of me. I grow on people after a while. That'll be my main strength in this game.

Ashikaga
Landon: Guys, is it just me or does this shelter look too small for all ten of us?

Lawrence: I don't think it's just you. That thing's tiny. Looks like it'll hold as many as six or seven of us, and they'll be packed in like sardines. A few of us will probably have to fend for ourselves tonight.

"black"

- So Lawrence was overseeing the construction of the shelter today, and found that it was too small to hold ten people. This is exactly the kind of thing I need to stage my coup. Now the rest of the tribe has reason to vote him out.

Lawrence: Okay everyone, it looks like I didn't plan the shelter very well. I'm sorry about that, and I'll start renovating at sunrise tomorrow. For tonight, however, I'm going to need a few volunteers to sleep outside the shelter.

Beth: I'll stay by the fire. I'm not feeling too great.

Shannon: Not feeling too great? Do you need me to get help?

Beth: No thanks. I'm sure that if I just sleep it off, I'll be fine. That usually did the trick for my kids.

"black"

- Beth said tonight that she is not feeling well, then tried to downplay it by saying she would just sleep it off. I'm not sure how I feel about keeping her around very long. Sick tribe members will hold us back in challenges, and as the daimyo of this tribe, I am obligated to keep it strong.

Jasmine: I'll stay by the fire.

Landon: I'll sleep on the beach.

"black"

- In a way, the small shelter is a blessing in disguise for me, because now I can get some time to myself without being seen as antisocial or whatever. I don't hate being with people at all, but that doesn't mean I don't need to be alone every now and then.

Landon walks to the beach and lays down in the sand, using his folded up jacket as a pillow. Some members of the tribe give him concerned looks, but leave him alone.

"black"

- Landon is the youngest person out here, so I don't know how long he'll be able to hold up under these conditions. I mean, physically he looks like he'll be just fine. But mentally, it's debatable. He might not be ready for this.

Kamakura
While everyone else is doing chores around camp, Tyler and Emma flirt with each other.

"kamikura"

- There's at least one really hot girl on every season of Survivor. This season, it's definitely Emma. She's smart, too, which is good because stereotypical dumb blondes get on my nerves.

"kamikura"

- Tyler seems like the kind of guy who would flirt with anything that has a pulse. That doesn't necessarily make him a bad person, but if he really expects anything to come out of our flirting, he's sadly mistaken.

Donna notices them not working and quickly grows annoyed.

Donna: Why aren't you two helping out with chores?

Tyler: We noticed that everyone else was already doing something, and they didn't want our help.

Donna: We don't have anyone foraging for fruit. Why don't you two go see what you can find.

Tyler: Sure, I could go for some fruit. Grains aren't the only important food group, after all. Alright Emma, let's go.

"kamikura"

- Donna is...a little bossy. I know there's work to be done, but how many people do you need gathering wood when you've only got one machete? Besides, I prefer to work on my own terms rather than anyone else's.

"kamikura"

- I'm not very impressed with Tyler's work ethic. If he doesn't start to pick up the pace, and do it with a good attitude, I may have to cut him loose. This tribe can probably afford to lose a little challenge muscle, anyway, so he's expendable.

Meanwhile, Chuck and Dave quickly become friends and agree to form a final two alliance.

"kamikura"

- I'm feeling pretty good about my alliance with Chuck. I see us being an older version of Stephen and J.T.; I'll be the brains of the operation, while Chuck provides the muscle. All we need now are some extra votes and we're good to go.

However, rather than impulsively aligning with castaways they might not trust, they decide to go searching for the idol as soon as their work is done.

"kamikura"

- I want to find that idol, but if Dave and I abandon our work now and Donna finds out about it, we could end up pretty high on her hit list. She runs a tight ship.

They do not notice that Reyna and Lisa were nearby, and therefore heard their exchange.

"kamikura"

- So Lisa heard voices nearby and got me to listen. Turns out, Chuck and Dave already have an alliance. *smirks deviously* Looks like I've got myself some blackmail material.

Chuck: Once we get the idol, who do you think we should...Oh (bleep)!

Reyna: Hey guys! So about this alliance; Lisa and I will join, but only if, when you find the idol, you give it to me.

"kamikura"

- You can tell by the look in Reyna's eyes that she's going to be a villain. I don't want her as a villain, so I'm just playing along right now with this. I don't particularly want to align with Dave and Chuck, and I hate having people speak for me. You're not my ventriloquist, Reyna!

Dave: What if we don't want to align with you?

Reyna: I'll rat you out to Donna. It's simple; you let us join and give me the idol when you find it, or risk pissing off Donna and getting yourselves in the doghouse. Your choice. Get back to me by tomorrow night with your answer, or I'll assume it's a no.

Chuck and Dave glare at Reyna as she and Lisa walk off.

Chuck: She's evil.

Dave: Yup.

Ashikaga
Beth's attempts to sleep off her under the weather feeling from the last night have been futile. In fact, it has only gotten worse, as she can barely muster the strength to forage for fruit.

"black"

- I feel awful right now. I'm getting headaches, I feel weak for no real reason, and I constantly feel like I'm going to start throwing up. Did this really have to happen right after the game started? Why me?

Shannon: Are you sure you don't want me to get help, Beth?

Beth: Don't get help. I'm going to be okay. All I need is rest, then I'll be over it and into the swing of things. I didn't get on this show just to be evacuated due to a crappy feeling.

"black"

- Beth has been pretty stubborn with people when anybody insinuates that she needs medical attention. She won't let anybody help her. She's trying to will her way past whatever it is she's going through, and it's not working. I really hope it doesn't come to that, but I may have to vote her out if this keeps up. It'd be for both the good of the tribe and her own good.

Lawrence, however, feels less sympathetic.

"black"

- If you're too sick to help around camp, you're too sick for the game. It's as simple as that. I want to get the medical crew right now, but I need to respect Beth's wishes.

That afternoon, during a fishing excursion with makeshift gear, Kyle and Hannah try to get better acquainted with Landon.

Hannah: You chose to sleep on the beach instead of in the shelter today. What was that about?

Landon: I just wanted to reflect on the day by myself. I always do that at night before I doze off.

Kyle: What's with the tattoos?

Landon: The one on my right forearm is a reminder not to fall into any bad habits. I did a lot of stuff in my early teens that I'm not proud of. On my left forearm is my mom's name. The one on my left bicep is just a cool design I saw. No deep meaning to that one.

"black"

- After the first night, I thought Landon would turn out to be antisocial. But when Kyle and I tried to talk to him, we saw that he's actually a really nice guy. I think I'd rather align with him than Patton.

"black"

- Two days into this game and I've already met two people who seem trustworthy. Trust me; I've learned how to weed out the liars. In time, I can see this becoming a final three alliance.

The three of them continue chatting while trying unsuccessfully to spear fish with their sharpened sticks.

"black"

- Landon reminds me of my son. They've got the same sense of humor, similar-sounding voices, and even look somewhat alike. He seems like a good kid. He's a lot more mature than I expected.

Kamakura
In the morning, Dave and Reyna go to collect tree mail and discuss the latter's offer.

Dave: Chuck and I talked about your offer, and we decided not to give you the hidden immunity idol in the event that we find it. Donna was going to find out sooner or later. Besides, I'm considering offering her a spot in the alliance so as to get rid of Tyler or Emma, depending on how much muscle we can afford to lose. Those two don't do enough work around camp.

Reyna: Do I have a spot in that alliance if it materializes?

Dave: Only as long as you remain loyal. If you double-cross us even once, you'll be next to go. I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to treachery.

"kamikura"

- So Dave refused to cooperate with me, but instead offered me a position in an alliance that may or may not even materialize. Then he threatened to vote me off if I make a move on my own terms. I think my chances may be better with different allies.

They arrive at the tree mail and find a note containing a clue about the immunity challenge. Heading back to camp, Dave reads it aloud to the rest of the tribe, which then departs with confidence.

"kamikura"

- When I look at my tribe, I see a good leader, a few really strong guys including yours truly, a gay guy with everything to prove, a couple of young chicks who will bring energy to the challenges, if nothing else, and a police officer. We're going to knock this challenge, the next challenge, and every challenge after that out of the park! We've got this, dude!

Reward/Immunity Challenge
"Jeff Probst: Come on in, guys!"

All members of both tribes emerge and stand on mats matching their tribe color.

"Jeff Probst: Welcome to today's reward and immunity challenge. Here's how it's going to work; eight members of each tribe will paddle from the beach to a small island nearby, where they will have to dig in a specified area for five bags of puzzle pieces. Once all five bags are acquired, the tribes will paddle back to the beach, where the remaining two members of each tribe will work to solve a puzzle. The first tribe to solve their puzzle wins immunity, and is safe from tonight's tribal council. The losing tribe has a date with me at Tribal Council tonight, where someone will be the first person voted out of Survivor: Japan - Civil war. For reward, do you want to know what you're playing for?"

The castaways all affirm their desire to know what the reward is, and Jeff holds up his right hand, which is holding flint.

"Jeff Probst: The winners of today's challenge, in addition to having tribal immunity, will receive fire in the form of flint. It'll make getting warm and purifying the water supply so much easier. That worth playing for?"

Once again, the castaways all reply in the affirmative.

"Jeff Probst: Alright, I'll give you all a minute to strategize."

Ashikaga

Rowers: Beth, Bryce, Hannah, Jasmine, Kyle, Landon, Patton, and Phoebe.

Puzzle Solvers: Lawrence and Shannon.

Kamakura

Rowers: Chuck, Donna, Emma, John, Katie, Lisa, Patrick, and Tyler.

Puzzle Solvers: Dave and Reyna.

"Jeff Probst: For reward and immunity! Survivors ready...GO!"

Both tribes are quick to get to their canoes, and quickly start paddling to the small island. Led by Chuck, a commercial fisherman with significant experience canoeing, Kamakura jumps out to an early lead, although Ashikaga stays close behind them. Kamakura arrives at the small island shortly before Ashikaga does and promptly begins to dig. Ashikaga follows suit and takes the lead when Lisa accidentally digs up one of Ashikaga's bags. However, Chuck and John each find a bag for their own tribe shortly afterward, putting Kamakura back on top. Tyler finds two bags, one for Kamakura and another for Ashikaga. Remembering how Lisa accidentally gave Ashikaga the lead for a short while, he covers the black bag back up, only to be spotted by Hannah, who gets into a tug of war over the bag with Tyler. She knees him in the crotch and takes the bag right when Kyle and Jasmine find two bags for Ashikaga, putting them back in the lead.

"Tyler: She kneed me in the balls! That's a foul, Jeff! Call something on that!"

Stifling a laugh, Jeff instructs the castaways to keep the challenge clean. Patrick and Katie find Kamakura's last two bags and yell for their tribemates to get back in the canoe. Frantically, Landon digs for the last bag and finds it, yelling for the others to get into the canoe to catch up. Kamakura retains a slight lead until John accidentally drops his paddle. He jumps into the water to get it right as Ashikaga is catching up, and gets smacked in the back of the head by Landon's paddle. It is unclear whether or not Landon intentionally did this. John quickly recovers and gets back in the boat with his paddle. Ashikaga does not pull too far ahead before Kamakura overtakes them once again, narrowly beating them to the beach. Bryce, however, delivers the puzzle piece bags to Lawrence and Shannon faster than Chuck does to Dave and Reyna, thus, both puzzle solving duos commence work at about the same time. Lawrence and Shannon make little progress while Dave and Reyna make short work of the puzzle.

"Jeff Probst: Kamakura wins reward and immunity!"

Kamakura erupts in jubilation, especially John, while Ashikaga, especially Shannon, looks dejected.

"Jeff Probst: Kamakura, you have won flint and immunity. Nobody's going home tonight. Ashikaga, I've got nothing for you except a date with me at Tribal Council where one of you will be the first person voted out. Grab your stuff. Head back to camp."

"black"

- I couldn't figure out the puzzle, and it seems that a lot of the time the person most responsible for the loss in the first immunity challenge is the first to go. I really hope that's not the case for me.

Ashikaga
Ashikaga returns to camp in deflated spirits. Almost instantly, people begin to think about who they will try to vote out. Nobody's more eager to vote somebody out than Patton.

"black"

- Lawrence isn't a leader. He's a boss. If he was a real leader, he would have helped us and led the rowing instead of sitting back waiting to do the puzzle while everybody busts their asses doing grunt work. He couldn't even figure that thing out! It's time for a regime change. I own a good car dealership in Louisiana, so I'm damn certain I can manage a group of dummies.

Patton shares his plan with Hannah and Jasmine as soon as nobody else is around.

Patton: I don't like the direction this tribe is taking with Lawrence as the daimyo.

Jasmine: I agree. He should have helped out with the rowing and asked which of us could do the puzzle quickly. I'm leaning towards voting for him.

Hannah: I think we should give him the benefit of doubt. Besides, Beth isn't in good shape right now. We need to vote her off before her condition worsens.

"black"

- I think Patton's plan to get rid of Lawrence is a knee-jerk reaction. I wonder what Landon and Kyle are planning.

Hannah finds Kyle and Landon talking on the beach and runs up to join them.

Hannah: What are you two thinking? Patton wants to get rid of Lawrence, but I don't think it's such a good idea.

Kyle: Beth isn't in very good shape right now, so we're leaning towards her. I hate to get rid of her so soon, but I think it's necessary for the god of the tribe.

Landon: Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. Lawrence is on board with it, so if you go along, we'll have five votes. We just need one more to ensure that she's gone.

"black"

- One more vote. That's all we need. The problem is, I don't know who will be the easiest to convince to go along with the plan.

Patton continues to organize his coup, easily swaying Phoebe, Beth, and Shannon to his side.

"black"

- Beth and Shannon are the most malleable people on this tribe right now. One's on the chopping block, and another fears that she is. All I had to do was tell them little story about Lawrence plotting to get rid of them to strengthen the tribe, and they was on board. To Beth, it's true. To Shannon, not so much. You see, leverage is the key in situations like this. If you have leverage, you should be able to get what you want.

Meanwhile, Bryce has overheard Patton strategizing with the women, and goes to the group of Hannah, Kyle, and Landon about it.

Bryce: Guys, Patton's trying to get rid of Lawrence! He's opening his game exactly how Russell Hantz did. We need to get rid of him before it's too late.

Kyle: Bryce, we have more important matters at stake right now than who's in control of the game. We need to keep the tribe strong, and I'd be doing a disservice to this tribe by writing down anybody's name but Beth's.

Bryce: Takin' out the sick people is the medical team's job. We ain't playin' this game for the tribe. We playin' for ourselves, man. We talkin' about a game only one person can win. Besides, Patton really wasn't no good at the challenge.

"black"

- I don't know what Patton did to spur Bryce to declare it his sworn mission to get rid of him. He's the strongest person on our tribe, so we can't afford to get rid of him yet, but he could really mess us up if he doesn't stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He can't be trusted.

Landon: Who has he talked to?

Bryce: Every single one of the women. Hannah, I think you're the only one who isn't on board with his plan.

Landon: Okay, so right now, it sounds like the three of us and Lawrence are voting for Beth, and Lawrence gets two votes, so that means five.

Bryce: But what if he splits his votes between Beth and Patton? I mean, isn't he allowed to cast one vote for the both of them? Kyle: I'm not sure. But you're not going to tell him about Patton's plans. We don't mind if you don't want to go along with our plan as long as you don't sabotage ours. We really need Beth gone.

Bryce: I guess you have a point. But Lawrence already has five votes from Patton and the rest of the women. And I'm voting for Patton, which would leave us in a deadlock. Do you guys really want to risk having to draw rocks? I sure don't. I'm telling you; if you all would just trust me, we'd have a six to five vote against Patton, and we'd be rid of a tremendous threat.

Hannah: We're not voting for Patton tonight, Bryce.

Kyle: Right now, keeping the tribe strong is our prerogative. If what you say turns out to be true, we'll be able to see right through Patton, and we can get rid of him then, no problem.

Bryce: I'm still voting for Patton as a warning, but if you guys really want to get rid of Beth, go on right ahead.

Bryce leaves the beach. Hannah, Kyle, and Landon wait until he's gone to continue strategizing.

Landon: You know something, guys? We don't necessarily need a majority. We just need plurality. It's true, guys; I know the rules of Survivor.

Hannah: What are you getting at?

Landon: All we need to do is to turn one of Patton's allies on someone else. Right now, Shannon's the ideal false target. If we can get Beth, Jasmine, or Phoebe to vote for Shannon, it'll be a 5-4-1-1 vote.

"black"

- So Landon mentions that we can win the vote without a tie just by persuading someone from Patton's alliance to vote for somebody other than Lawrence. He's got a very strong grasp on strategy. I would never have thought about that until he mentioned it.

Kyle: Landon, that is brilliant!

Hannah: But how are we going to go about this?

Kyle: Leave that to me.

Kyle heads off to put the plan in motion, first approaching Jasmine about the prospect of voting for Shannon, and later Phoebe. However, neither of them gives him a definite answer, and soon the tribe heads off to Tribal Council.

"black"

- I'm not entirely certain whether or not the plan's going to work. It had better, because I'm gonna be pissed if we end up drawing rocks. The rocks are unpredictable, and nobody in their right mind would want to take their chances doing that. Not with a million bucks on the line.