Sandbox

Survivor: Malaysia
This is episode 2 of Survivor: Malaysia.

This episode is titled "Sandbox".

This episode chronicles Days 4-6.

Reward Challenge - Guiding The Guidelines
'''For this reward challenge, each tribe must guide a boat out to a platform, where a fire pit is stationed. Using a torch, they must light it and bring it back to the shore. Once back, the tribe must light a rope, which will release a machete when burnt. After grabbing the machete, the tribe must collectively swim back out to the buoy and chop the anchor holsters, releasing it from the anchors. Then it must be guided back to shore and placed on a mat. The first tribe to place the hefty platform on the mat will win reward.'''

Winner: Tanah Reward: Fishing Spears and other Equipment

Immunity Challenge - Monkey's Best Friend
'''For this immunity challenge, each tribe must be tied together using clips. They must work together to traverse an obstacle course involving balance beams, monkey ladders, rope swings, and net crawls. Using teamwork is of utmost importance. On the end of the course is the tower of hanoi puzzle, a puzzle whoch is used on monkeys and apes to test intelligence levels. First tribe to finish wins immunity.'''

Winner: Tanah

Tanah
Tanah was off to a better start on the fourth day. With their first victory now under their belts, it was time for them to try to gain some momentum. Steve, Nobo, and Sonya celebrated the victory by trying to obtain a solid source of protein with all the fishing equipment they caught. Steve, who had never used any sort of spear before, had an unknown talent, discovered quickly by racking up fish after fish. Nobo and Sonya spotted fish, and Steve caught nearly every one of them. After about an hour, Steve helped set a Survivor record by catching nearly twenty fish at once.

"tanah"

- Ahah! This is my freakin' calling! Just try and vote me off now! I have assumed a role that I never expected. Just like that! Damn that was awesome! I'm so pumped right now!

Returning to camp was joyful for the bunch, as they surprised the rest of the tribe with all the fish. As they had plenty to eat, they enjoyed retelling the story of how each fish was caught as it was cooked and served.

"tanah"

- Steve is a freak of nature! What the hell is that?! I'm in awe!

After the sizable lunch, the tribe united at the camp to talk meaninglessly for a few hours.

"tanah"

- I'm all for goofing off, but we may be making a mistake by not working and continuing to improve camp. I don't think it has set in for most of us that we'll be here for a while.

AJ, though heavily involved in conversation, was noticing the dirty looks and glares she was on the receiving end of. Across the shelter, Dante was not hiding the fact that he was not a fan of AJ.

"tanah"

- What does this fool think he's doing? I mean, what's with the looks? It's like he's tryin to stab me with his eyes! I gotta watch out for that man.

"tanah"

- AJ is so fake. She is clearly an immature person. There are some people that I just can't stand, but I have got to keep a lid on this. I'm pretty sure she noticed my glares. I should have at least tried to hide those but, whatever. Everything she said would just tick me off more and more.

However, AJ nearly forgot her dislike for him when somebody asked about his family. Dante dismissed the question at first, but reluctantly talked about his past after he was badgered about it. When he told the tribe about his tragic past, which involved his parents being killed in an earthquake while protecting him, affectionate hugs and apologies immediately arose, which comforted Dante, though he was not emotional about it.

"tanah"

- Yeah, I have had a rough past. But, it has taught me to be strong. And I don't tend to get very emotional. I kinda got rung dry from all the crying as a kid I guess haha!

The day drew to a close at the Tanah camp, and as each tribe member got ready to try to sleep, Nobo let out a shriek of pain as he slit his foot open on a sharp shell. It was fairly deep. The tribe rushed around him as he was able to laugh about his mishap. The medical team was called, and bandaged him up. It was not nearly bad enough to be consequential should he stay, so he was not forced to leave.

"tanah"

- Oh jeez, what the hell are the odds. I'm not one for irony, but it's too strong to ignore. What are the chances that after trying so hard to get on this show, I get injured four days in? I mean really? It must be them Survivor gods testing my determination. Well, I'll have them know that I'd rather an amputation then a medivac. So BOOM! Can't get rid of me that easily!

Lautan
Lautan loses the reward challenge, and merely dismiss it as a sort of "whoops" occurrence. The tribe is getting a bit overzealous already, and overconfidence took it's toll. Fortunately, supportive words from Adam bring the tribe back to reality, and set up the tribe for eagerness for the next challenge, not confidence.

"lautan"

- This tribe is strong. Like, really strong. But, we can't get much done if we're dismissing legitimate challenge losses as mere accidents. This is going to keep happening until this tribe can get a damn grip on the reality that Tanah is not backing down.

After tensions calmed and it was accepted that they lost, Beverly took to continuing his impressive work on the shelter. He added support, thickened the roof, bulked up the sides, and did many other invigorating tasks to make the shelter livable.

"lautan"

- Uhhh, sometimes I forget what I'm doing. I should probably stop building. I'm starting to look like Butch from Amazon. That guy was the guy to gather all the wood right? Yeah, I don't think I have it in me to stop working on this shelter. It is actually kind of fun...

Cassidy made a very strong connection with Sam, who turned out to be a sucker for animals. Cassidy and Sam united with Elena and Tyler and all exchanged pet stories to pass the time.

Alex was worried that B was overworking himself and beckoned him to join her on a walk. The two conversed strategy and how to advance further in the game. B was happy with their secret alliance, and urged her to try to infiltrate another group who has gotten close. Alex agreed, considering it a viable option for both of them.

"lautan"

- B has a knack for thinking out here. He can really impress me with some of the things he says. I'm glad he is on my side.

Tanah
Tanah was continuing to prosper under their new found happiness. However, the group was struggling to find food other than fish. They wanted a sort of fruit. South of their camp, a few miles into the jungle, was a banana tree. However, it proved to be a diffiicult climb to the top. After failed attempts from Samuel, AJ, Alice, and Dante, Steve managed to climb to the top without too much difficulty and retrieve a few large bundles.

"tanah"

- I am with a bunch of cub scouts. Not one of them can handle the outdoors. They don't really understand that this is going to be difficult. But I prepared for this. To me, this is nothing more than a big sandbox, and I'm the kid playing with the shovel. I can do what I want out here, and make all the figurative sand castles I need to. I'm the king of Tanah, self-proclaimed of course.

Whilst creating a fish-banana meal, the tribe gathered around Nobo to check up on his foot. It looked okay, and showed no signs of infection, but he was still limping a bit.

"tanah"

- Let's hope that Nobo can still perform in challenges, or else he'll be getting the boot, because tribe strength is something we should be concentrating on.

Lautan
The Lautan tribe was looking for food, and came across some in the form of a small rock surface near the water, crawling with blue crabs. It turned into a game for them, as each took turns trying to pick one up with their hands, testing their bravery, and trying to not be pinched.

"lautan"

- That was pretty much our fun for today. I used to love catching crabs on the beach as a kid, and surprisingly, I haven't outgrown it!

The tribe enjoyed crabs for the day, and were eagerly awaiting the next day's immunity challenge.

Day Three
'''Refer to Immunity Challenge for Results. '''

Immunity Challenge Information
Tanah had a huge lead, almost lapping the Lautan tribe. Elena had not been able to cross a number of different obstacles, giving the other tribe a very large lead. She was holding her tribe back a lot. But Nobo, who was in the front of the pack for Tanah, slipped and hurt his already injured foot, which almost led Probst to stop the challenge. Nobo got up in time however, and with each step was a cry of agony and pain. Nobo continued to run at his top speed, and although it was slowing them down, they managed to keep a lead until the Hanoi Puzzle. For Tanah, Nobo was assigned to the puzzle. For Lautan, it was Temera. As Nobo was having trouble, Temera caught up. However, Nobo found a way to complete the puzzle, granting the Tanah tribe immunity. After the challenge, Probst took Nobo away from the game to be checked out. He told Tanah that if he didn't return by night, it would be because Nobo was out of the game for good.

Tanah
Tanah was ecstatic with the immunity victory, and the fantastic effort put out by Nobo.

"tanah"

- Oh mother of god. I am so happy for Nobo. I just hope he comes back tonight. Jeff scares me. I'm a nervous wreck.

With Nobo's absense, the tribe was nervously counting the minutes to dark. As night approached, and Nobo was nowhere to be seen, the tribe expected the worse. So it was that Nobo was assumed to be medically evacuated from the game, and everybody was drearingly enraged.

"tanah"

- Nobo deserves to be here. I can't believe he is gone... This is a bad, bad night.

As each castaway went to sleep, Sonya was unable to sleep, and sat on the beach alone, crying to herself. She was in disbelief, and with each minute, looked up, hopelessly searching for a distant figure in the darkness, in which she hoped would be Nobo walking towards them, staying in the game. She was mortified. As she was crying, Eli joined her in sorrow and the two sat together for a while, until a familiar voice rose their heads.

Nobo: "Guys, c'mon. You're really still up waiting for me? I expected better from you. I told you I wasn't going anywhere!"

The two screamed in rejoice. Awaking everybody else, the tribe gathered around Nobo, where he had returned to the game, yet again avoiding elimination by medical reasons, and was happy to see everybody. After countless hugs and shrieks of joy, Sonya took it personally when he hugged her and told her that he was okay. She had almost lost a good friend out here, and was happy to see him return. None of Tanah slept that night, eagerly listening to Nobo's stories of his mini adventure with Jeff and the medical team.

"tanah"

- I can't be beaten. Nobody can take me off of this island. And it looks like everybody else agrees!

Lautan
With the loss of the challenge, the blame was on Elena. She was the weak link within the challenge and was clearly the reason they lost. In agreement that Elena was the weak link, it was well known, even to herself, that Elena was next to go. Elena, however, was desperate to stay. She talked to others, who beat around the bush.

"lautan"

- I can't believe nobody is willing to negotiate with me.

With luck running out, she talked to Sam, who said he wasn't going to vote for her. He told her he would throw away his vote for her, to make it easier for her to stay.

"lautan"

- I guess I'll throw a vote at uhh... Alex? She has been talking to Beverly, or sorry, B, and not really communicating with anybody else. At least, not until today. She just started butting in as if she was kinda with us. So yeah, I'll vote for her. It's not like she'll go home or anything. I'll do it just to help out Elena.

With this information, Elena confronted Tyler, who agreed to vote for Alex, under the basis that it would further their alliance.

"lautan"

- I want to keep Elena around. She's definitely smarter than I thought. I'm going to try to get Alex out tonight.

While Tyler tried to convince Sarah and Temera, Elena worked on swaying votes away from herself. Elena approached B and Alex, and urged them to vote for Cassidy, who was elderly compared to the rest of the tribe and considered weak as well. Elena brought up a valid point, claiming that she was not weaker than somebody with similar capabilities but older in age and unable to work as quickly. Beverly and Alex agreed, and Elena was still worried.

Tyler was unable to convince Temera and Sarah, who argued that changing the vote now would only mess things up.

"lautan"

- I just need to convince Adam to... holy jesus. I forgot his "strategy". I'm going to be able to convince him, I think...

Elena approached Adam, who has a strategy where he would ask a riddle to the person, and if they got it right, then they would gain his vote. Adam asked Elena the following:

Adam: "I am lighter than a feather, yet nobody can hold me for very long. What am I?"

After a few minutes, Elena was dumbfounded. Purely thinking physical items, she could not think of the asnwer. However, when she pushed herself, and kept telling herself that it is a matter of her life in the game, she found the answer. She replied, "Breath!"

Adam was pleased with her answer, and asked her who he should vote for. Quickly, she told him to vote Alex and not to talk about it. Adam agreed, and went off with a few others to gather fire wood.

Elena was ecstatic. She got another vote on her side. She wasn't sure why, but she totally trusted Adam with his word. And with that, it was time to go to tribal.

Voting Confessionals
"lautan"

- Elena is a smart cookie, and deserves to stay. You are being targeted tonight because you don't know how to play this game socially. But, you are hot. I'll give you that. "lautan"

- Cassidy, you're older than everybody else. That's why we're all voting for you. "lautan"

- I hope Elena could convince enough people. "lautan"

- Sorry Elena, but you're effort at the challenge showed your weaknesses. "lautan"

- Alex, I don't even have a valid reason for you going home. But, I am just trying to stay here for a while. "lautan"

- I liked you girl, but it's your time. "lautan"

- You can thank Elena for this vote. "lautan"

- Sorry Cassidy, but it's what the majority of the tribe wants. "lautan"

- I guess everybody is going with you tonight. Who am I to sway from the rest of the tribe?

Final Words
"lautan"

- I am so confused, I never even thought for one second that I was going home. I am completely hurt. I was not supposed to be going home. I can't make heads or tails of the situation. But, at least I can go saying I was blindsided, and that I was on Survivor. I guess...

Next Time on Survivor...
Lautan is divided into two groups after Alex's elimination, and Nobo works hard at the Tanah camp.