Survivor Cagayan-Episode 7 Recap Featuring Cindy Hall and Amy O’Hara!

Survivor: Cagayan continues this week with the seventh episode of the season! After an entertaining  episode it’s time to recap it! Joining us, we have our resident recap expert, Jarryd, plus Ben and the Ozlets chime in with their thoughts as well! Oh, and we’ll even speak to two real experts in our good friends Cindy Hall and Amy O’Hara from Survivor: Guatemala!

(If you haven’t watched this weeks episode yet, clicking the link below will spoil the hell out of it, so if you don’t want to be spoiled then don’t click the link!)

This week on Cagayan chaos rains as the tribes Merge, flipping and Idol’s galore which results in one of the best Tribal Council’s in the show’s history!

Aparri return to camp following Tribal Council. Spencer confesses that Tribal bettered his game and that now everyone in the tribe is onboard to continue as a solid six, a Merge would be the best possible outcome.

Sarah brings up to the tribe that they should plan ahead should a Merge occur by working out which Solana members they are going to target. The tribe mentions Trish and Jefra’s names because they are “unlikely targets”. Spencer says that the final six is “one hundred per cent in our hands” and that they will get there if they stick together. Kass admits that the tribe is “allegedly” a solid six. She states that they will target Trish or Jefra once the tribes Merge and that whilst they have the best laid plans, those plans generally end up “on the murder room floor”.

The Aparri alliance make a pack to stick together until the final six. (Image Credit: CBS)

Kass and Sarah speak the following morning. Sarah says that they need to remain tight lipped at the Merge so the other tribe don’t know who they are voting for. Kass says that she is worried about her and Jeremiah. Sarah doesn’t like this, saying that she doesn’t like being called a lied. Sarah asks what she has done wrong and says she isn’t going to flip. Kass says that she believes that and she didn’t mean to offend Sarah. We return to Sarah’s confessional where she states that the alliance losing faith in her will only push her further away, She explains this to Kass, saying their downfall won’t be someone flipping but not trusting each other; the pair then agree with have each others backs. Kass confesses that she doesn’t trust Sarah for voting with her one time and she did that not out of loyalty, but out of desperation. She proclaims that Sarah needs to prove her loyalty and that won’t come until she has “blood on her hands” from voting out a former tribe member.

Sarah and Kass shake hands after agreeing they trust each other. (Image Credit: CBS)

On Day Seventeen at Solana, Tony admits that whilst he’s having fun with his new tribe, he misses the scrambling and tricks because “that’s fun for me”. The tribe receives Tree Mail, which tells them to pack up their belongings and head to the Aparri camp. The tribe believes that they are merging and urge each other to stay strong at the Merge. Both LJ and Tony reveal in confessionals that they are extremely happy they still have their Idols, with Tony going as far as saying that it’s like an extra alliance member and that if he needs to use the Idol for the benefit of his alliance, he will do it.

Solana gather as one for the final time. (Image Credit: CBS)

Over at Aparri, they also receive Tree Mail informing them of what they also believe to be a Merge. Spencer says that none of the Solana members will last the final twenty-two days and will be eliminated in three-day intervals. Spencer then confesses that he won’t be letting any of his tribe members forget that now the tribes have merged, the mentality will be “us against them”.

Morgan reads Tree Mail informing the Aparri tribe of an impending Merge. (Image Credit: CBS)

Solana arrive at the Aparri camp. Sarah confesses that she’s very nervous about reuniting with her old tribe members whilst Jefra worries who they are going to flip now that Alexis is gone. Morgan reads a note informing everyone that they are merging and it is now an individual game. The note informs them that Hidden Immunity Idols are still in play and a new Idol with different powers is buried somewhere near their camp. Everyone wonders what these powers could be with Tony revealing that the only way to know what the powers are, is to find the Idol. They also receive new tribe Buffs, which are black.

Solana arrive at the Aparri camp. (Image Credit: CBS)

The Merge feast begins. Spencer can’t believe that he’s made it after the dramas he went through with the Brains tribe. Solana are keen to hear why Alexis was sent home whilst Tony is concerned that his game if over unless he can flip Sarah back onto his side. The tribe decide on their name, Solarrion – a combination of both tribes former names.

Solarrion is born. (Image Credit: CBS)

On the morning of Day Eighteen, Trish leads most of the girls in a yoga routine whilst LJ, Tony and Woo discuss who is leading the Aparri alliance. Tony hopes he can sway Sarah back onto their side, believing that she is the “missing link” in their alliance. He approaches her and asks where she stands in the game. Sarah admits she is “floating”, undecided on who she will vote with. Tony explains that on his side, they have a solid four, (Trish, Woo, plus themselves), along with Jefra and LJ to make up the numbers. He explains that the Aparri alliance will be sent home one by one and that they will go onto make the Final Two like they originally planned. Sarah remains undecided, commenting in a confessional that she’s in the middle of the numbers, (what she calls a “Sarah sandwich”), and therefore, is in the best position in the game. Tony tells her that they should try and break up the Brains and therefore Kass or Spencer need to go home but if that’s not want Sarah wants, they will vote out who she decides she wants to send home.

 

Tony sees where Sarah stands in the game. (Image Credit: CBS)

Sarah discusses the vote with Jeremiah and Kass. She tells them LJ doesn’t have an Idol and if he doesn’t win Immunity that he needs to go. Jeremiah says “someone like Jefra” should go first whilst Kass worries that someone from the Beauty tribe has to have an Idol. Jeremiah confesses that he’s worried about LJ having an Idol and that is why they should vote out Jefra. Sarah says that either LJ or Woo have to go because they need to get rid of the strongest people. Kass says that they should vote out Trish if they don’t vote for Woo, with Sarah claiming that is a “terrible idea” and she won’t vote for Trish. She tells Kass that they will vote for Tony if Woo wins Immunity. Sarah admits that if people are going to pick fights with her they are “”idiotic” and she will flip, whilst Kass reveals she “doesn’t trust the cop” and that Sarah not wanting to vote for Trish gives her the feeling that she is not in the six. Sarah says she doesn’t want to be bullied, with Kass claiming she isn’t bullying her, leaving Jeremiah to end the argument, saying they will talk to the others and go with majority when the time comes. Sarah says that Tony is letting her decide who goes home if she sides with them which leads Kass to admit in a confessional that “nobody should have that much power”.

Kass, Jeremiah and Spencer discuss who they should target from Solana. (Image Credit: CBS)

The following morning, Sarah, Kass and Tasha are talking around the fire, with Tasha learning about the girls argument. Trish overhears the argument, admitting she’s extremely pleased by it because it means the six are cracking. In private, Tasha finds out why Kass and Sarah are aging. They explain about the disagreement they had about who to vote out. Tasha comments that she doesn’t care about siding with any of them, her goal is to get Kass and Sarah back on the same page so the alliance isn’t fractured. Tasha tells Sarah that she respects her position in the game and that she has to make a tough decision. Kass remarks that she feels Tasha took Sarah side and proclaims that because Tasha was nice to Sarah and not her, Tasha must be “done with me”. Kass tells the girls that Sarah saying no to voting someone out makes her nervous and she didn’t like being called a bully. Sarah says she feels Kass doesn’t like her and she attacks her silently by looking at her. Tasha asks if it matters that they don’t like each other, saying that Sarah can vote out Kass. Kass confesses that the six person alliance is falling apart and that Sarah and Tasha are against her so she “knows where I stand”. Before the break, Sarah says it sucks to be in a position that decides the fate of five other people, with Tasha saying that she will be deciding her own fate, not theirs.

Tasha is drafted in to sort out the disagreement between Kass and Sarah. (Image Credit: CBS)

We get to the Immunity Challenge. After unveiling the Necklace, Jeff explains the challenge – each castaway will balance on a triangular platform in the water with their feet perched on narrow footholds. Only the castaways feet can come in contact with the platform. Every fifteen minutes, they will move up the the next foothold making the challenge more difficult. The last person left standing at the end of the challenge wins Immunity. Incase your wondering, this challenge was first seen two seasons ago in Survivor: Caramoan and Andrea and Brenda has to make up their own rules to decide on a winner; not exactly the outcome you want from challenges.

The Individual Immunity Necklace. (Image Credit: CBS)

We get underway and nobody has any difficulty so we skip ahead to the first change over. Both LJ and Tony reveal to feeling pain as everyone moves up to the next foothold. Once again, we skip ahead fifteen minutes, with Jeff instructing everyone to move to the top of the platform. The wind begins to pick up and with very little room to balance Spencer, Kass, LJ, Sarah and Jefra all fall off in quick succession. Not long after Tasha, Trish and Jeremiah all fall into the water. Leaving only Morgan, Tony and Woo.

Members of the Solarrion tribe compete in the Day Nineteen Immunity Challenge. (Image Credit: CBS)

Morgan is next to fall in as the wind continues to become stronger. Tony pulls off two nice recoveries to reclaim balance, keeping the challenge alive. But it isn’t enough as another gust of wind comes through and he can’t manage to hand on, which see’s Woo win the challenge.

 Jeff presents Woo with Immunity. (Image Credit: CBS)

Once back at camp, the usual sentiments for Woo are heard before Sarah confesses that she is in the middle and needs to make a choice about who to side with. She remarks that the competitors on Tony’s side are harder and therefore she is considering staying loyal to her new Aparri alliance. The former Aparri members get together with Sarah telling them it is vital to take out a big player, telling them that they should be voting for LJ or Tony; who she wants to send home. Spencer and Tasha want to take out Jefra, believing she won’t play an Idol and it will be a safe vote. Sarah says that she doesn’t think any former Solana member has a Idol and Tony is a much better player than Jefra. Back on the beach, the former Solana tribe watch on, wondering whether they can trust Sarah. Both Trish and Woo don’t think they can with Trish telling the tribe that Sarah to calling the shots. Tony says he believes he’ll be able to persuade Sarah to vote with them, telling his alliance that Sarah is the most powerful person in the game and that is why she looks to be in control. Trish asks whether she should approach Kass about flipping, with Tony telling her to do so only if he can’t convince Sarah. Meanwhile, Sarah seems to have convince the Aparri alliance to side with her and vote out Tony. Kass isn’t keen on the idea, revealing that they had planned to take out either Jefra or Trish and then target the big boys, but Sarah is now insisting that they send Tony home, leaving Kass questioning why Sarah is “destroying the game” and why she wants to do that instead.

The Aparri alliance discuss Tribal Council. (Image Credit: CBS)

Tony speaks to Sarah, attempting to convince her to side with him. He explains that she has no ties with the Aparri alliance and that if she joined him, they have four other Brawn members and she is guaranteed a place in the Final Three alongside himself and Trish. Sarah tells Tony that she will think about it so Tony continues, telling her that if she sides with them, they will have a definite numbers advantage after tonight and they will no longer need her vote in the game. Sarah comments that getting rid of Tony is “nothing personal”, it’s just because he’s the biggest threat. She explains that Tony is “just like me” and that she would get rid of herself if she could. Tony tells Sarah that if she’s in on the plan they can make it happen and get rid of who she wants to get rid of. Sarah asks for time to digest the information and that she will make her decision “at Tribal Council”. This sets off all kinds of alarm bells in Tony’s head, who says that he doesn’t think Sarah will side with them and he feels “iffy”, he’ll play his Idol so he isn’t sent home with it in his pocket.

Tony attempts to convince Sarah to side with him. (Image Credit: CBS)

Trish speaks to Kass about the possibility of siding with Solana. Trish says that she is at the bottom of the totem pole and that she will be next voted out if she stays loyal to them. Trish explains that if Kass sided with the former Solana members, they would have her back, before asking who she would like to vote out. Kass states she would like to send Sarah home, with Trish telling her that they are voting for Sarah and that they can pull it off if she joins them. Kass confesses that she is considering flipping on her old alliance.

Trish approaches Kass about voting out Sarah. (Image Credit: CBS)

Trish meanwhile, informs LJ and Tony to vote for Sarah because Kass wants her gone and will vote with them. She explains to the boys she has a “good vibe” and that they should vote for Sarah. Before heading off to Tribal, Kass explains to the camera that she is in the middle of two alliances and that she can vote for Tony or Sarah tonight, but regardless of the option, “chaos Kass” will be at Tribal Council tonight.

#ChaosKass weighs up her options. (Image Credit: CBS)

Tribal Council gets underway with LJ admitting that he feels like he’s sitting “in the hottest seat in town” and that getting voted out for being a threat would be the “best, worst compliment”. Jeff feels as if he as conceded as Tasha points out that at this point of the game, you start looking at the biggest threats. Tony says that there are different groups of people now the Merge as come but you move forward in the game with who your comfortable with, not how many numbers you have. He then goes onto completely contradict his sentiments as he admits he is worried because he doesn’t have the numbers advantage. He claims that despite being “forty, bald and old” he still has fire left in him. Kass echoes Tasha words, saying that she would be worried if she was a strong man in the minority tonight.

Jeff asks LJ about Idols, with LJ saying that none have surfaced yet so there might not be any and it is just a “Survivor joke”. Tony jumps in and says that there are Idols because he has one and intents to use it for his alliance. After some pressure from Spencer about whether he is lying and to prove he has the Idol, Tony takes it out and puts it around his neck. He exclaims that he will give it to whoever needs it tonight and that he’s prepared to make a big move. This sends the Aparri alliance into crisis mode, as they quick converse to discuss a plan, with Spencer telling them “we are voting for the other one”.

With that, Jeff declares it’s time to vote. No votes are shown as the eleven remaining players vote.

Jeff returns with the vote and asks if anyone would like to plan an Idol. Tony decides to play his, asking Jeff to make it valid for him and giving protection to LJ. Tony says that he hopes he read the Aparri tribe correctly. Just before Jeff is about to read the votes, LJ intervenes, pulling out his Idol and telling everyone that he is going to “cover Tony’s ass myself”. Nobody can believe what’s she happened, as a happy Tony also becomes immune from the vote.

 ABOVE: Tony plays his Hidden Immunity Idol for LJ and BELOW: LJ plays is Hidden Immunity Idol for Tony. (Image Credit: CBS)

Jeff finally gets to read the first vote, which is for Jefra. Immediately panic and disappointment sets in for the Solana alliance, whilst it’s all smiles for Aparri. Sarah receives the next vote and the pair go onto trade votes until things are locked up as suspected at five-five. Jeff reads the last vote, which is for Sarah, eliminating her from the game as she becomes the first Jury member.

The blame quickly falls on Kass, as Spencer proclaims that she has zero chance of winning the game. Sarah’s torch is snuffed and she departs, saying that Kass “got her good” in her final words.

Sarah… the tribe has spoken. (Image Credit: CBS)

A slightly shocked Jeff sends everyone back to camp as we get a preview for next week where a war of words erupts between Kass and Morgan and Idol hunting is a plenty!

With the Jury starting, don’t forget to check out the first Ponderosa episode online! They are always worth a watch to see what the Jury is thinking!

Survivor Oz Sweep

  Inappropriate Probst!

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 Ben’s Opinion

After twenty-eight seasons this show still manages to pull out some epic moments. What other shows can say that after that long? It’s incredible to think that what I witnessed tonight is a show that has been around now for fourteen years and can still have my jaw drop at moments like that. People saying that we need returning players or that Survivor is dead need to watch this episode from start to finish and try and defend their argument, because boy oh boy wowee that was en epic forty-two minutes!

It was sort of a long setup for a downfall, and it had to be Sarah. HAD to be. I have been saying it all season that she is playing woefully, and this just proved it. For brief moments I thought it was Kass who was getting the woeful edit tonight, but she flipped around and caused a massive stir in the game. Will it work for her? Probably not. Just ask Cochran how things usually play out from this point. But man, Kass you gained some respect from me this week. #chaoskass may be a thing, but it has to be seen if it’ll last.

One thing that was a bit disappointing was the Merge and how it played out. It was pointed out to me on Twitter that nowhere in the note did it say the word ‘Merge’ for either tribe. Spencer even mentioned it in his confessional about the possibility of two tribes living on the beach. That would’ve been great to see again, but even just waiting until they read the note would’ve been fine. But CBS have to go and spoil it with a tweet on screen immediately with the word ‘Merge’ on it. Great work CBS, just ruin the moment!

That TC has to go down as one of the best of all time. Absolutely epic. The reactions and everything that played out with it was amazing. The Idol usage. Amazing. And then Kass at the end and everyone going off at her. Amazing. Even Probst looked like he needed to go and have a few moments to himself which was just fantastic to see. The editing overall this season keeps playing into what an amazing season this is. And I just want to see more! Bring on next week already!

Jarryd’s Opinion

What a fantastic episode! This season just keeps on delivering each and every week. We might be up to season twenty-eight but with ratings peaking this season above American Idol, (which shares the timeslot with Survivor and has been winning the timeslot of recent years), there’s no reason we can’t keep going past season thirty!

For me, Merge episodes are usually half boring. We see the same old thing… Tree Mail, hugging and confessionals about how amazing making the Merge is, the feast, new tribe names and flag. I find most of that stuff pretty boring. Yes, it’s interesting to see new dynamics but I’d much rather hardly any of the feast was shown and we get straight to business. This episode however managed to combine this section very well. Although that is probably because the numbers were close and a recruitment flip was always going to take place.

Tony was fantastic in this episode and after it, I can definitely see him being able to get to the end, but I doubt he will – he’s to much of a threat. The editing of the Kass flip was great. We had a little bit of insight that it might happen, but in context, Trish and Kass speaking was only a minute or so of the entire episode, leaving you questioning whether it was going to happen or not. Great work editing team!

The Immunity Challenge was okay. I like the twist of change up a balance challenge but I think a lot more could be done to improve the challenge, making it more difficult and more entertaining. But, I’m not a creative person so I’m not making up any suggestions about how to do that. It was no surprise to me that Woo took home that chocolates; the guy is a ninja, he wasn’t going to fall off that platform know matter how long the challenge went.

The best moment of the episode away from Tribal was Sarah telling herself that Tony is “just like me” and that she would get rid of herself if she could. So delusional! Tony is nothing like you Sarah, NOTHING!

Tribal was all kinds of crazy. It was actually fairly short, (the pre-vote part anyway), last only three or four minutes but it was intense. Tony revealing his Idol, causing chaos amongst the Aparri tribe. Tony then going onto play the Idol for LJ and then LJ playing his Idol for Tony – fantastic television. Then, when the first vote for Jefra was revealing, my heart sunk. Surely a move that good couldn’t be foiled by Jefra going home. But alas, Kass comes through, gets rid of her schoolgirl bully, (Sarah), and ruins her game in one. As Spencer put it, Kass has absolutely zero chance of winning this season. The best she can hope for is to be taken to the end as a bigger goat than Sherri.

I can’t wait till next week!

Kristan’s Opinion

I love this season. This episode was great. However, I don’t think that I loved it as much as many others seemed to.

1. They made Sarah’s boot so obvious from the first few minutes. She wasn’t quite Christy’d, but it was close enough and I think we all saw it coming. She was the all-powerful swing vote that let the power go to her head and someone turned on her. The edit was too obvious for my liking.

2. Tribal was overhyped. That was not a top ten Tribal Council. It was entertaining but none of the events changed the outcome of the episode. The Idol swap was dumb but amusing. Unfortunately though, Sarah had six votes against her regardless and none of the drama had any effect on the result. There was no great Idol play that resulted in a crazy blindside which is what I really wanted.

I’m looking forward to seeing the fallout of Kass’ decision next week. It’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out! My fingers are crossed that LJ finds the “super Idol”.

Alex’s Opinion

Well that was definitely unexpected, but one of the most hectic Tribal’s ever! The odd thing is, I still have no clue where the control is now, which could mean another wonderful episode next week… here’s hoping!

Kass, (my pony), thanks for the entertainment, but for my sweepstakes chances, I’m feeling like I’m done in terms of chances to win. The Solana crew are tight and will take each other to the end happily and the other side will happily boot you to the curve when the time is right, (just too much unpredictability), but I hope I’m wrong, as I did enjoy seeing Sarah get booted after all that power went to her head.

Challenge was pretty boring until the glorious final round… could we have just started with that? Get the challenge over in two minutes. Why was Woo allowed to wear his shoes? Are there rules against that or is he just smart for investing in Toe-Shoes? I mean everyone should get them for next season, they’re perfect for Survivor!

Who will win? No freakin’ clue at all! My pick was Spencer so I’d like to see him win, but with the way it’s going down, maybe the Solana side have momentum so Trish or Tony would be the picks.

And finally… I don’t know what to make of this flashback to Cook Islands Idol, but it might at least provide some interest if the right person gets it, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Jimmy’s Opinion

Any basketball fan would know that all too familiar feeling, when your favourite team is up by one point with a couple of seconds remaining. That feeling of jubilation, knowing that they will the game. Then all of the sudden, the opposing team makes an incredible play and hits the winning shot from some ridiculous distance. In the end, your team ends up losing by one point. Your body goes numb, your mind is blank and you start to stare into space, unaware of what’s going on around you. That’s the way I am feeling at the moment…..just staring at a blank page with a flashing cursor and a mere one hundred and eleven words.

But I’ll struggle along with my disappointment….

We saw the Merge happen in this episode. The Aparri tribe had the numbers advantage at six-five. They were in control of the game and controlled their own destiny. But somehow, the cracks were beginning to form with Kass and Sarah. This is what happens when personal feelings get in the way of playing Survivor, well, on Kass’ part anyway. It is one of many ‘golden rules’ that you don’t want to break while playing Survivor. DO NOT let personal feelings get in the way of a good strategy. It appeared from the edit that Kass couldn’t trust that Sarah would stick to their alliance. But the truth is that Kass didn’t like Sarah, plain and simple. Didn’t Tasha mention earlier in the episode that Kass and Sarah didn’t have to like each other to work together? I am guessing that that played on Kass’ mind up until Tribal Council.

Oh, what could have been? Aparri would have had the numbers! ARGH?! When Sarah’s name was revealed on the eleventh and final vote, my head just dropped. I was so blown away and taken aback and came to realisation that this was the beginning of the end of the underdog, Aparri tribe. Kass was guaranteed a Final Three spot with her alliance with Tasha and Spencer. But she traded it for, at best a possible fourth placed finish perhaps, or at worst the bottom of the totem pole on the new Solana alliance. I guess she pretty much shot herself in the foot by letting her feelings dictate how she voted.

Anyway….time for me to drown my sorrows with a few beers.

Andrew’s Opinion

What an exciting episode! There was so much stupidity I could barley contain myself. First stupid moment was Sarah running her mouth about being in charge, in Survivor NEVER let anyone know you have the power! Be humble, keep quiet and make your moves subtly. I liked how Tony started Tribal by revealing he had the Idol because at the very least he was safe whether they switched their vote or he played it for himself. I don’t even know what LJ was thinking by returning the favour to Tony it seemed obvious that they would switch to a less likely person and secure their numbers. But he gave up his Idol for no reason! Ultimately all of it was for nothing because for no other reason then deciding Sarah needed to go home over her brief power trip was more important than her or any of the people who had her back winning the game, Kass flipped. Stupid! Sooooo Stupid! Kass was in a great position with the six! And she blew it, big time! The standout of the episode is Trish! Based on the edit I don’t think she can win but she might be the best player out there. She not only convinced Kass to flip but definitely had the best read on the situation. If Tony and LJ had a little faith in Trish, they would have ended up with the numbers and had two Idols in their back pocket. This is the second time Trish has changed the game in a major way. I had ruled her out as a player but this woman has already surpassed all my expectations.

Colin’s Opinion

This week’s episode was absolutely insane! I honestly thought I had things figured out in this game up until the moment the two tribes merged. There was something the moment where Solana rowed up to the Aparri beach that told me this show was about to be complicated. I could go on all day about my love for this episode, as I not only feel like it was the best episode of the season, but the best episode of any season since Heroes vs. Villains, and maybe the best Merge episode in Survivor history.

What I want to talk about is the ever changing swing vote between Sarah and Kass. This will definitely go down as a much debated move on both ladies parts. Some probably think Sarah was too cocky, but I don’t see it that way. She never outwardly flaunted her swing vote power other than in confessionals. All she really did was push an agenda about who to vote out and she even left it open between several people. That’s not an unreasonable thing to do for someone who was in an alliance! It’s Kass I don’t understand. She strikes me as someone who from start to finish has been desperate to be in a controlling position. She called out Sarah for potentially not being loyal to their alliance, which is mistake number one, then she calls out Sarah for having too strong of an opinion about who to vote out. Someone who is considering flipping does not show that much of an invested interest in who to vote out! It was clear to everyone but Kass that Sarah was loyal. Kass’ decision to flip is basically the same as Cochran made back in South Pacific, and Cochran took a lot of criticism for it being a dumb move. The big difference is that Cochran had personal reasons to not side with his original tribe. All Kass had was that she didn’t get along with Sarah. There is nothing in this episode to indicate that Kass was on the bottom of her alliance. Everyone was catering to Sarah’s wishes because she was the possible swing vote. You should be making that person comfortable. Just because they were making her comfortable this week doesn’t mean she would end up in the top of an alliance. What I feel like has happened now is Kass has made a reputation of flipping on people, which is sure to make her new allies nervous, and she definitely kissed away many Jury votes from her former allies. Judging from the preview for next week, she’s only going to continue alienating the Jury. Nothing about the Kass flip makes sense to me, but as a viewer I sure am glad it happened, because it made for a legendary episode.

Paul’s Opinion

This season continues to not disappoint. I’ll start with the clincher. What a terrible, terrible move Kass made. Early in the game, she made it quite clear that she wasn’t a very good player, with her confrontational attitude, her eagerness to tell people that they were going home and her general poor decision-making, but there was always at least a strand of rationality behind her decisions. This episode, she was more like a Kamikaze bomber with no allegiance to either side or herself as a player trying to win the game. I think she has some kind of alter ego, let’s call it “The Karma Police” in which she must pull people up for getting too far ahead of themselves, all the while forgetting that she’s a player in the game and should be using these players to get herself ahead. It happened with Garrett, he was counting his chickens and Kass struck him down! Sarah thought she could decide who went home; Kass struck her down!

Though it was a very bad move for Kass’ sake, (as she lost five Jury votes), and the rest of her Aparri alliance, I think the rest of the season will be much more entertaining because of it. No one wants to sit through a systematic one by one vote out of the remaining opposing alliance members.

There’s still a chance that Kass may return to her old alliance, but that seems unlikely, thanks to Spencer’s minor outburst at Tribal and what looks to be a major outburst from Morgan in the preview of next weeks episode.

Let’s talk Tony. He was a little aggressive in his attempt to pull Sarah over, but used the Idol well. Though he didn’t choose the right person to give it to, he played the odds and ended up protecting two people with one Idol, himself, (as the Aparri alliance had clearly changed their vote once they realised he had the Idol) and LJ.

I don’t know why LJ gave the Idol to Tony, it wasn’t a good decision for that time, as Tony was clearly safe. However, it may’ve been a show of good will and may keep him in good stead with Tony for a while to come.

Trish continues to play a solid but subtle strategic game, which is a great way to get to the end. She showed great observational skills and good judgment in recognising that it was Kass who was more likely to flip. She hasn’t played the best social game, but if she can keep her head down and get to the end with maybe Tony and Kass, she’s a chance to win.

Woo continues to “Fabio” his way through the game and Jeremiah could go and hide in the jungle for the next twenty days and no one would know the difference. Morgan seems to have given up, signaled by her lack of diplomacy with Kass, Spencer looks like he may be the next person voted out unless he manages to find the “Tyler Perry Idol” and Tasha will probably follow him. However, I do think that the power alliance is a little dysfunctional under the surface. It has to be, with power players like Tony and LJ and a challenge beast like Woo. We could see an all-female alliance.

Survivor Re-cappers: Cindy Hall and Amy O’Hara

Each week we’ll bring you the viewpoint of a former Survivor contestant to hear what they think of the episode and their thoughts for the rest of the season!

Our sixth recap features Cindy Hall and Amy O’Hara from Guatemala, as they discuss why they are both loving this season, how long it has been since they have spoken to each other, why Amy is getting worked up ahead of going to work tonight, why Cindy picked LJ as her pre-season tip to win, their thoughts on Sarah and what moves they would’ve made had they been in her position, Amy’s thoughts on 2 cops playing this season and how that would’ve worked for her, why people from Guatemala are crazy and need to come back as well as putting Cindy out of her comfort zone, getting an update on whether or not both of them had been asked back to play again and what will make Amy fly out to Australia to buy Ben a drink if it happens this season. Cindy and Amy then answers our final set of 5 questions as follows:

TIP TO WIN: LJ (Amy) LJ (Cindy)
DARK HORSE: Woo (Amy) Tony (Cindy) 
NEXT TO GO: Spencer (Amy) Trish/Jefra (Cindy)
TRIBE THEY WOULD BE ON: Brawn (Amy) Brawn (Cindy) 
PLAYER MOST SIMILAR TO: I’m an individual/nobody (Amy) LJ (Cindy)

Join us next week as we are joined by another Survivor guest to help us recap the eighth episode of Cagayan!