Episode 11: Gary Sacked

Gary Sacked
official title: Everything Is Personal

Summary: Cindy wins Reward and shares it with Rafe. Rafe wins Immunity for the second time in a row. At Tribal Council there is more discussion about lying. One minute Judd says that he most emphatically has not lied yet and then a few minutes later says "OK, I lied." Gary is voted off and has his torch extinguished.

After the recap of last week's episode: at night following last week's Tribal Council Judd is feeling insecure and uncomfortable that the others didn't tell him that Jaime was going to be voted off. Stephenie and Rafe try to reassure him saying that they didn't want him to freak out about the decision to vote Jaime off last week [or plot with him to vote someone else off]. Lydia tells us that she's not sure that she did the right thing in voting for Jaime. Rafe says Judd has changed [no duh! what did he think would happen?]. The next morning Judd caught Gary pumping Lydia for information and told the others in his pod (Stephenie, Rafe and Cindy).

Reward Challenge
Competition: Maya Culture Quiz
Reward: a day trip to a waterfall with food and a massage

Each Survivor has three pots filled with corn with their name on them. Each correct answer earns a Survivor the chance to break a pot of one of the other Survivors. The last one with an unbroken pot wins reward.

The Questions
1. Maya heiroglyfics are called? Stella (sp?). Only Stephenie gets it wrong.
2. T/F In Maya courtball the losers lose their heads and they are used as balls in future games. True, Stephenie is the only one wrong again.
3. Maya gods from coffee, cocoa, corn or ramone (sp?) nuts? Corn.
4. Which country doesn't border Guatemala? Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador. Answer: Costa Rica.
5. T/F [something about temples, I'll try to watch again online and update this post]
6. T/F There are 30 volcanoes in Guatemala. True. Only Cindy and Rafe left at this point. Cindy got it correct.
7. T/F Crocodiles are most active at dawn. False, they are most active at dusk.

Cindy wins Reward and chooses Rafe to go to the waterfall with her.

The Order They Were Knocked Out
1. Stephenie, Lydia broke 2, Danni 1.
2. Gary, Cindy final blow.
3. Judd, Cindy final blow.
4. Danni
5. Lydia
6. Rafe

The Waterfall
The water in the waterfall is hot and the pool is crystal clear and cool. Cindy says it is a very cool reward and nice to share with Rafe. Rafe says it was the best day ever. They have some nice food: shrimp and beef kabobs. Rafe says Lydia is easily swayed and that he's in with Cindy for better or for worse.

Meanwhile back at camp . . .
Stephenie is all defensive about going out first. Lydia says she targeted Stephenie because she was afraid she would eat again and Lydia hasn't eaten yet. Stephenie then gives a rundown of who has eaten and says that she hasn't eaten anymore than most of the others [although Lydia hasn't eaten at all]. In private Gary tells us he doesn't think Stephenie has lost any weight so far [they're on about Day 28]. Judd delivers the title of the episode - "Everything is personal." When Rafe and Cindy return to camp he tries to downplay the food and Cindy says it was relaxing. The segment ends with Lydia in confessional saying that everyone puts Stephenie up on a pedestal but she's a threat and no one is doing anything about it. She also says she's an outcast like Cindy so she should have been chosen for Reward instead of Rafe.

Stephenie, Rafe, Cindy and Judd are talking and reassuring each other that they are the final four. [Maybe Cindy is not an outcast like Lydia thinks?]

In confessional Danni tells us that there are obviously three outcasts now [presumedly she means her, Gary and Lydia].

Immunity Challenge
Competition: Puzzle Race with Maya folklore story background.

Jeff Probst tells the Survivors a Maya folklore story about the Sun and the Moon. The Survivors are then to go around to seven stations where they have to assemble a puzzle that reveals a question about the story. Two boxes have an answer printed on them (one wrong and one correct). If the correct box is picked it will have a flag in it which the Survivor must take to his/her flag pole and then move on to another station. (A wrong-box answer has a stick in it and it must be taken to a fire before moving on to another station.) The first Survivor to collect all seven of his/her flags wins Immunity.

Lydia is first with a flag. Stephenie and Judd miss at their first attempt. Then Rafe and Gary take the lead with two flags. At four flags Gary and Cindy lead. Gary and Rafe are neck and neck through flags five and six. It comes down to a race back to the flag poles between Rafe and Gary.

Rafe just beats Gary out to win Immunity (again).

Scheming is Free
Stephenie says that it's nice to be powerful this time because she was essentially powerless last time. Lydia feels betrayed. Gary thinks Cindy doesn't like him [probably true]. Gary talks with Rafe and Rafe says that he doesn't trust Stephenie 100% and doesn't trust Judd [does this mean he's planning on being in the final two with Cindy?]. Judd says that Gary is running around like a lunatic trying to stay.

Going into Tribal Council it looks like it is finally Gary's turn, but you never know . . .

Xhakum at Tribal Council
Jury watches: Bobby Jon, Jaime
(paraphrased, not word for word)

Jeff Probst: Lydia there was some hostility about the Reward challenge?
Lydia: I was just afraid Stephenie would win again and I wouldn't eat . . it was nothing personal . . . Stephenie is really running things.
Jeff Probst: Stephenie are you the power broker and in charge?
Stephenie: I definitely do not run the show.
Jeff Probst: Gary what's your take?
Gary: I like Stephenie, I think some of the others are star-struck [this elicits some laughs, but I think Gary was serious.]
Jeff Probst: Judd how have you played?
Judd: I definitely have not lied yet but I think I may have to to win. So I'm in trouble because I'm a bad liar.

Judd goes on to say how Gary has lied: about how Gary said he wanted only the strong to win yet talked and planned with Lydia and Cindy. Gary defends himself by saying it was part of the game, he had no real alliance with them. Gary then goes on to tell about Judd's lie about the Immunity Idol [Judd said it was on the ground when it was really up in a tree].

Judd admits that he lied, "I told you that I was a bad liar."

Time to Vote:
As Judd votes for Gary he says "get the hell out of here."
Jeff Probst show the Survivors one vote for Cindy but Gary gets four votes so his torch is extinguished.

Jeff Probst's Final Thought
One thing is clear, no one is going down without a fight . . . there should be big battles ahead.

Gary's final words:
I had a great time . . . it was fun competing . . . my real name is Hogeboom . . . I lied [about his name] so I would be treated as myself [and not as a former NFL quarterback] . . .

Alliances
Is this the final four: Stephenie, Judd, Cindy and Rafe? It looks that way. Danni looks like the next to go unless she wins Immunity.

Heroes and Villains
Here's how I rank the remaining Survivors (from most to least favorite): Danni, Cindy, Rafe, Judd, Stephenie, and Lydia. Lydia has just cruised through and seems to be clueless about the game, she doesn't deserve to win. Stephenie shouldn't have gotten this far but as Jaime said maybe someone is looking to be in the final two with her.

Won Reward: Cindy (shared with Rafe)
Won Immunity: Rafe
Voted Off: Gary