A Pain Worse than Death

"A Pain Worse than Death"

Season	Survivor: Culture Clash
Author	IAmNothing712
Episode Number	14/15
Episode Chronology
Previous	"Dazed and Confused"
Next	"And the Question Is..."

This is the penultimate episode of Survivor: Culture Clash.

Previously on Survivor[]

Challenges[]

Day 37 Reward/Immunity Challenge: Fire and Water
The survivors must create fire in a fire bucket on one side of a scale, then by adding water to another bucket with a hole in it, tilt the scale to raise the fire bucket high enough to light a fuse. The first person to ignite their fuse wins immunity.
Reward: A clue to a Hidden Immunity Idol that will only be effective at the next Tribal Council.
Winner: Budd

Day 38 Immunity Challenge: Weight for Me
Using a rope-and-pulley system, the survivors will raise and hold on to a crate each weighing 1/2 of their initial body weight for as long as they can without their crates touching the tile below or both of their feet passing their marked lines. If the crate crushes or even makes contact with the tile, or if the player passes through the line, he or she is eliminated from the challenge. Last person left standing wins immunity.
Winner: Lana

Story[]

Night 36[]

Returning from Tribal Council, the five remaining Bathala members prepare to call it a night. Cap tells the tribe he resigns into going home, for there is nothing much he can do to convince anyone to flip to his side. Beatrix hugs the expert fisherman, thanking him for being such a good sport.

“	Cap tells everyone he quits because our foursome is unbrekable, but, at the back of my head, I know Cap is not a quitter. I don't know what's on his mind, but I won't count him out until he's actually out.	”
–Beatrix

“	My back's against the wall, so I have to win the next Immunity Challenge. With me immune, these four will have to turn on each other. Either I win tomorrow, or I go home.	”
–Cap

Day 37[]

After receiving Tree Mail, the final five meets Jeff Probst for their next Immunity Challenge, where he said that the Hidden Immunity Idol is available once again, and the winner of the challenge gets to win a clue for the idol, which will only be good the next time they go to Tribal Council.

Cap remarks that the challenge was used before, and Colby Donaldson and Tom Buchanan won this challenge in Australia and All-Stars. Cataleya struggles to even start a fire while Lana finds it hard to divide her time between the fire and water buckets. Meanwhile, Beatrix, Budd and Cap are closely contested. Beatrix's fire dissipates, leaving the remaining two men in the game battling the immunity. In the end, Budd manages to ignite his fuse first, securing himself a spot in the final four. Budd insists to keep the bamboo tube sealed until they get back to camp.

With Budd, the only male in the majority alliance returns to camp relieved, but at the same time, weary of his position in the alliance, thinking that the women will just band against him once Cap is gone. Meanwhile, at the shelter, the three girls state they do not care about the clue because Budd has been undyingly loyal, believing he won't do something against the alliance. As a solution, Budd makes up an act by taking the clue inside the bamboo tube, inserts the Tree Mail note inside it, and tosses the tube into the fire. The women, who are all inside the shelter, spending the rest of the day off, did not see what Budd did, unaware that he still have the actual clue. Budd tells his tribemates he burned the clue down as a symbol of trust. While the girls are sleeping, Budd secretly hands the clue to Cap, telling him he has to find the idol immediately. Cap rushes to the jungle to read the clue in private. Cataleya secretly follows Cap in the woods, realizing that Budd gave the clue to Cap, and the bamboo shoot tubing Budd burned was empty. Cap realizes that the idol is under a mangrove tree, submerged in water. Not able to find it in the mangrove root, Cap then moves to a new place to search. Unbeknownst to Cap, Cataleya actually finds the idol under the last mangrove tree Cap went.

“	I have power for the first time in the game.	”
–Cataleya

After spending the rest of the day searching, not knowing Cataleya already found it, Cap tries to stir things up by pitting the alliance members against each other. Cap warns Cataleya that her peers are brewing a conspiracy against her, but Cataleya knows better, as she already possesses the idol, and Cap is just trying to save himself.

“	Cap is doing everything under his power to stir things up to save himself. Funny thing is, he is talking to the person who has the idol.	”
–Cataleya

Cataleya approaches Beatrix, Lana and Budd about Cap's strategizing, telling the she has been approached by Cap to turn things around. Cataleya shows them her idol and she openly declares that she is planning to use it.

At Tribal Council, knowing he is in trouble, Cap mud-slings everyone: Beatrix still "butthurt" about Rosita's blindside, Budd being a pushover in an alliance dominated by women, Lana being a loudmouth, and Cataleya for being "absolutely horrible" for her weakness in challenges and excessive passivity. Cap even goes as far as throwing Budd under the bus for giving him the idol clue, revealing that Budd only burned the bamboo canister but without the actual clue inside. While the three women turn their eyes at Cap, Budd is also caught under fire for his secret actions. Budd confesses and explains himself, saying he was making a gamble when he told Cap about the clue, Cap searched for hours since the previous challenge. After the tribe votes, Cataleya uses her Hidden Immunity Idol, but for naught, as no votes were against her. In the end, while the women turn their eyes on Budd for betraying them, Cap still takes the fall in a 4-1 vote. Upon having his torch extinguished, Cap silently walks out of Tribal Council.

The final four returns to camp, and instead having a celebratory mood, the three girls turn on Budd for sharing the clue to Cap. Budd explains he was just thinking of a way to shake the game up because he had a hunch that the girls would vote him out next once Cap is gone. Lana castigates Budd, saying that he was never "number four", but Budd rebutts, saying that the three of them talk more than they talk to him, which worried him. Cataleya calms everyone down, saying that Cap is gone any way, so they should call it a night. Before going to sleep, Budd asks Beatrix if she is still loyal to him. Beatrix tells Budd she does not mind what he did with the clue because he was immune any way, and she understands his situation. Budd then asks her if she is willing to force a tie between himself and Lana or Cataleya. Beatrix tells him he has her back.

“	Lasting this long in the game is a serious feat but at the same time, I want to make it to Day 39 and win it all. If I get voted out tomorrow, it would be a pain worse than death.	”
–Budd

“	What was Budd thinking?! Had I been screwed by his move at Tribal, I will never consider voting him for the win.	”
–Lana

Day 38[]

The final four collect Tree Mail altogether. The message tells them to paddle to the island adjacent to theirs. There, they will see a path walk that leads to the site of their final Immunity Challenge. Along the way, they will meet torches of their fallen comrades. Attached to the torches are name plates, which they will collect and burn on the fire wok waiting for them. Beatrix, Budd, Cataleya and Lana heads out to the said island and pay their respects to their fallen fellow castaways. The table states the reflections of each player about the eliminated players.

Fallen Castaway	Beatrix	Budd	Cataleya	Lana
Charlie	"She's deaf? Oh wow. She is an inspiration."	-	"In the short time we spent with her, she proved that her handicap doesn't matter."	(in answer to Cataleya's statement) "It actually did. It got her sent home first because we had a hard time at that challenge. To be fair, it says a lot to be a a person with a disability, and to come out here, she is, Beatrix, you are right. She's an inspiration. If you're watching right now, I apologize for my rude voting confessional."
Vernita	"My girl Vernita. She is fiesty. Too bad she went home early. It should've been Elle."	"Vernita. What an awesome kid. She was a ray of sunshine."	-	-
Jorge	"Ooh, Jorge. He was rude, but I think his heart is in the right place."	"He is a Culture Clash by himself."	-	-
Wyatt	-	-	"Big guy Wyatt! He is a sweetheart. Sucks he had to leave early."	"Had not Cap turned on Wyatt and Moira, Cat and I would probably be gone instead."
Moira	-	-	"Moira was a flirt, and we saw through her quickly that is why we need to get rid of her early."	"Moira. She was a firecracker. I wished I got to know her better, but if she stayed longer, I would not be here."
Tommy	"Tommy. I just love his British accent. I wished he sided with us. Because, he could've lasted longer if he didn't join Elle."	"I love it when he opens his mouth."	-	-
Joleen	"She was very quiet and observant, that's why I had to throw her under the bus."	"I gotta admit, I didn't have enough time to get to know her, but clearly, she has goals and she was laser-focused on them."	-	"I agree [with you Budd]. It was clear why she's here in the first place."
Kaito	"I was never tribemates with Kaito, but I heard that he's funny and energetic."	"He was lighthearted, sweet kid. I was glad I became tribemates with him."	"He made the biggest mistake by having a showmance, and look what happened to him."	"Kaito is someone I would love to hang out with in real life. Too bad it's not mutual."
Emily	"I feel bad for her, because she wanted this so bad. She was in a good spot, then that news took her out of the game.	"Poor Emily. Her sticking out even for a few days out here with that heavy of a baggage, I applaud her."	"I felt sad she had to leave the game that way. She had a lot of fight in her. She was one of those who made our camp off-time much more enjoyable."	"She was my archrival but we made amends. She surprised me when she said she's willing to work with me in an alliance. It came out of nowhere."
Elle	"No comment! Just kidding. I have to give it to her, she gave me a hard time, both in strategy and in camp life. She was hard to live with, sure. But I won't be here if she wasn't voted out in that opportune time. I bet she is still bitter that I get to represent Canada instead of her."	"The ultimate villainess, like a Jerri 1.0 + Abi Maria!"	"I believe she is a feminist."	"Elle. She had the social graces of a car that lost its brakes. But to be fair, she fought hard to take our alliance down, but in the end, we're still here."
Lawrence	"Very smart. Very charming."	"We should've split the votes instead of throwing them all at Dominic."	"He is charming. He is not your typical nerd."	-
Simon	"SIMON! He is entertaining as hell. He can make you laugh without even trying."	"He was a badass at the dance challenge."	"Simon, very nice guy. For an cranky old man, I gravitated to him. He is likable."	"He was annoying, but he sure is a beautiful person."
Rosita	"I can't even look at her torch right now. voting her out was the hardest I ever went through in this game. She tried to interfere with our plans, so she had to leave. I am doubly nervous every time we go to Tribal Council and she enters. I can't ignore her piercing stares at me."	"Her vote was painful. It was a slap in the face."	"Poor Rosita. She played too hard."	"I gained an ally in Emily, but gained an enemy in Rosita. She was so bent in taking me out that's why she had to leave the way she did."
Jordan	"Very likable, charismatic and gentlemanlike."	"He faught hard to the very end."	"He is a very sweet guy. I like him."	"He is utterly hot. Sucks that he worked with Cap. We could've played around in this game."
Dominic	"He thinks differently, compared to kids his age. He is very noble, especially when he said he wanted to help the poor."	"Dominic, I will miss those times we spend at Amihan trying to kill boredom."	"He is actually quiet. He doesn't speak when his opinion is not asked."	"Dominic. He was a strong player. I give him that."
Cap	"The ultimate warrior of the 16. He didn't go down without a fight."	"Very strong willed and strong. I want to have drinks with him after the game is over."	"It's his fault for keeping us far too long."	"I agree [with Cataleya]. It was ironic that the two people he initially wanted out are still here. If it weren't for him, we might've been gone."

The final four meets Jeff Probst for the final Immunity Challenge. Budd hands the Immunity Necklace to Jeff.

Ten minutes in the challenge, all three women start to struggle to maintain their grip on their weight. Budd, the only male left in the game and ostensibly the physically strongest of the four, is sitting pretty, confident he will win the challenge. Twenty minutes down, Budd starts to feel the need to urinate, losing his focus, accidentally dropping his weight, eliminating him from the challenge. Cataleya drops after twenty three minutes, much to his disappointment. It boils down to Beatrix and Lana. One hour into the challenge, the two women are still not budging. Lana tries to convince Beatrix to give her the win, but Beatrix refuses to respond. Another fifteen minutes has lapsed, and Beatrix finally shows fatigue. After holding on for one hour and nineteen minutes, Beatrix drops out, winning Lana the final Immunity Challenge.

Returning back to camp, Budd talks to Beatrix about the upcoming vote, asking her if she would force a tie like she promised. Beatrix tells Budd she is with him 100%, but if she feels she needs to tell him something, she promises to give him the decency of telling him what's going on.

“	I have made an alliance with Budd fro the start, but at the same time, I feel that he is my biggest threat. As the only person who knows his past as a prisoner, I feel bad for him if choose to vote him out tonight, but at the same time, I know that most of the jurors won't vote for Lana or Cataleya because of their lack of likability.	”
–Beatrix

Lana and Cataleya are also discussing which between Beatrix or Budd should go next. Lana points out that while Beatrix was more strategic of the two, her move against Rosita will work against her, while Budd will just be castigated for being Beatrix's puppy dog.

“	Beatrix played a great strategic game, but it wasn't the most ethical. On the other hand, we have Budd, who is generally liked and is strategically decent, but at the same time, he will get the ire of the male jurors for not making a move against Bea. The two have strengths and weaknesses. The question is, who goes home tonight?	”
–Cataleya

Lana devises a plan and tells it to Cataleya: Coerce Beatrix to vote out Budd so she would look worse in front of the jury.

The final four spend the afternoon eating their meal. All four agree to have the vote a tie so to respect their alliance they worked so hard to bring to success. Interestingly, each of them believe that the other three are lying.

“	Whether this works or not, I have nothing to lose.	”
–Lana

Just before they head to Tribal Council, Lana talks to Beatrix, saying that Budd is too liked by the jury to take to the end. Beatrix realizes that with Budd gone, she is the only International left, and her fellow Internationals will comprise more than half of the jury, and with Lana and Cataleya being unliked be their fellow Americans, Beatrix starts to think twice about the crucial vote.

“	Voting out Budd makes perfect sense, but at the same time, taking him to the end and letting him win it all comparatively easier than us will definitely work against us; but at the same time, if I betray Budd, I will look bad in front of the jury; as if I am already not like that when I blindsided Rosita.	”
–Beatrix

At Tribal Council, the final four explain how the vote will pan out. Jeff asks Beatrix if old tribe lines are still in play, given there are two Americans and two Internationals. Beatrix agrees, because they also consider the composition of the jury, which is currently consisted of four Internationals and three Americans. Beatrix anticipates that the Internationals will vote mostly in unison, save for Elle and to an extent, Rosita, but with Lana and Cataleya, the two most disliked Americans in the game, the two will have a harder time convincing their fellow Americans to vote for them. Lana and Cataleya admit this fact. Budd expresses his faith to Beatrix, insisting that since they started the game together, they should also end the game together. When Jeff brings up the topic of the fire challenge, Budd expresses his confidence in his fire making skills, while Cataleys, the only non-immune American, is weary of hers. In the end, Budd's fire making abilities are no longer needed, as he is blindsided by Beatrix with a 3-1 vote, thinking she has a better shot at winning against Lana and Cataleya. Devastated by Beatrix, Budd barely blinks as he hands his torch to Jeff.