The Daily Bongo
Survivor: Guatemala
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 -- Afternoon
An interesting tidbit that I was not aware of prior to yesterday is that Rafe Judkins on Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire was from Pittsburgh. It seems that Pittsburgh is a hotbed for Survivor competitors, and four previous final four players came from the general Pittsburgh area. Everyone is talking about how stupid Rafe's morality was because he released Danni from her promise to take him to the final two. What did he expect her to do when he did that? I would have done the same thing that she did. The point is to win the game, not finish second. Rafe didn't do too badly though. He wound up with $85,000 for the third place finish, and got enough publicity that he should hopefully be able to launch his screenwriting career.Sunday, December 11, 2005 -- Evening
Tonight is the conclusion of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. The two hour final episode titled Thunder Storms and Sacrifice started wtih a recap of the entire season to this point. Stephanie commented at that time that people may have just wanted to get rid of her. It's amazing that she did manage to make it to the final four. Day 37. Everyone is waking up and realizing that they are in the final four. Lydia said she always felt that she was the odd man out and that it might be her destiny. Danni said that she felt Kansas State Blackhawk fan who like the team made it to final four but didn't bring back the championship. Rafe said that he is proud of all the decisions that he made in the game and he likes the people that he's with. Lydia got a tree mail message and said it was a good one. Lydia thinks that the message is one that tells them all that they will get to celebrate, but none of the other three see a celebration in store for them. As they are all sitting around the fire, a Mayan family comes to the camp. None of them spoke any English, and they went to the temple, and poured salt and honey all around. The oldest man did a chant in all directions. Stephanie kept on hoping they would get the honey to eat or to eat a live chicken that is brought into the camp. They pulled off the chicken's head and threw the head into the fire. Steph didn't seem to think that it was dead, but Rafe explained that with the head ripped off and in the fire it was dead. Lydia said that being of Hispanic heritage, she felt a kinship with the people. Steph asks Lydia to ask them if they can eat the chicken, but it was just a sacrifice to the Gods. They did get drink and tamales though. It is now time for a competition. Immunity is up for grabs. They have a monstrous maze. They have to race into the maze and find their colored puzzle pieces. There are six stations, but eight pieces. They have to take each piece back to the their station and then return to the maze over a rope bridge. Once they have all eight pieces, they have to solve the picture puzzle. Everybody found their first pair. Everyone has three pieces and need to find four more stations in the maze. Some of the stations are fakes. Danni, Rafe and Steph have four pieces now. Rafe now has five, and Steph is behind him with her fifth piece. Lydia and Danni came in with their fifth pieces. Rafe and Steph are ahead with their sixth piece. Danni gets her sixth piece and Lydia is lost. Rafe is back with his final pieces and Steph is behind him. They are now trying to form one of three images, monkey, jaquar, and crop. Danni is back with her final piece and now has to solve the puzzle correctly. All three are working on it. Patience is key as Jeff Probst says. Rafe has it and wins immunity. Lydia shows up at that point with her last piece. Rafe is save that night. So it will be one of the three women who is voted off.Back at the camp. Rafe thinks it's weird to know that he will make it to the final three, and that he does have a chance to win. Steph thinks that Rafe will be the person that she can win against because they both screwed over the same person. Steph talks to Rafe and thinks that they should take Lydia because there is a better shot to win against Lydia. But Rafe promised Danni. Danni said that everyone goes back on their word. Rafe tells Danni that she's a big part of the reason that he is there. Steph wanted to eat the sacrifical chicken. Steph said that she wished she had thought of it earlier to get the chicken. Lydia then asks if Steph and Rafe will keep her there. Lydia thinks that Steph wants to take her to the final three because Lydia can't win the immunity. Lydia digs in first, but Rafe seems abit leery. He thinks that because it is a sacrifical ritual that it would be pointless to eat the chicken. After all, the point was not to eat the chicken. Rafe backs down but the other three eat it. Then a huge thunderstorm moved it. It was the biggest since they were there, and it was just after they ate the chicken. Rafe said that he thought he did hear them mention the thunder gods in the ritual. It is now time for tribal council. The four go to the council and then the jury is brought in. Rafe tells them all about the ceremony. Rafe thought it was a very moving experience and felt that he was a part of the culture. Jeff asks them about the storm. Lydia admits that it might have been because they ate the chicken. Lydia said that she knew they were punished for eating the chicken. Jeff said that he wasn't judging them, but wondered about them not respecting the ritual. The jury members are shaking their heads and Judd is rolling his eyes. Lydia thinks that since she doesn't pose a physical threat that to keep her would get Rafe and Steph to final two. Danni said that Lydia could win it all because she is liked by everyone. Steph thinks that Danni is a big threat and well liked and that Danni has never backstabbed anyone. The votes are given and Jeff goes off to tally them. Votes: Danni, Lydia, Lydia, Lydia. Lydia is voted out. It would have sucked for Lydia to be still in the game and to risk winning the game. Danni, Steph and Rafe will have the final immunity competition. Lydia says afterward that it was the hardest thing she ever did, and that it was an incredible experience that she would not trade for anything in the world.
At camp that night, it is still raining. Day 38 dawns bright and clear. The Rain is over. There are no coals on the fire and they have to use flint. Everything is soaked. The monkeys were really loud, louder than usual. The corn is disgusting with maggots in it, but as Steph says, it is day 38. They have to hike to the other camp, and get the torches and images of the 15 who have been voted off, and have to sacrifice their images. They will then have their final immunity competition. They burn the images one by one, first of Jim, then Morgan, Brianna, Brooke, Blake, Margaret, Brian, Amy, Brandon, Bobby Jon, Jamie, Gary, Judd, Cindy, and Lydia.
Now it is time for the final immunity challenge. It requires balance and concentration. They must balance on a platform. For the first hour, they will have a rope for each hand. After one hour, they have to get rid one rope. After another 30 minutes, they have to let go of the other rope and balance themselves. The swivel on which they are standing is very sensitive. They are only up for 20 minutes, and Rafe moves to remove his glasses, and jiggles alot, but makes it. The howler monkeys are yelling at them. An hour passes, and they have to let go of one of the ropes. Steph comes off and is hanging on by the rope. Then Danni and then Rafe. They can't let their feet touch the platform. All three manage to find a spot that keeps them safe. All are leaning against one of the poles with their feet on the swivel. It is now coming onto the release of the only rope, and their hands can't touch the post. Rafe is stretching, and after 1 hour and 35 minutes, Rafe touched the pole and is out of the competition. Rafe didn't even realize that he did it. As he said, he lost focus for 2 seconds. Danni and Steph are left, and Steph appears to be sliding down the pole. 2 hours and 38 minutes. Danni said that she feels the same and Steph says she can't move and she is crying. Steph is wiggling and trying to ease her sore back. While she is doing that she wiggles too much and slides to the ground. Steph is crying and Rafe instantly says that he wants to release Danni from any promise and that she can take whoever she wants to the final two. I think that Rafe is feeling for Steph at this point. Danni now has the afternoon to think who she is going to take with her to the final two. I think that if I were her, I would take Steph because you know that people don't like Steph, and she might stand a greater chance of winning. Who will Danni take?
The three head back to the camp. Steph congratulates Danni. Danni is blown away to be in the final two because the odds were against her. Danni says that she will have to vote out one of them, and now doesn't know because she feels pressure since Rafe removed her from any promise. Rafe said that he felt horrible going into the tribal council because he saw how Steph was struggling. Rafe feels good about letting Danni out of the promise, and to let Steph deserve a chance and to have both of them fighting to make it to the final two. Steph said that she feels that she has a 50-50 chance. Danni said that it is such a hard decision. As Danni said, she is there to win. Danni said it will be a game time decision. That she won't be ready until she has to write the name down. The three head up to tribal council. Jeff asks them about voting out the strongest all along, and then when it cames up to the final four, they got rid of the weakest. Steph said that the only chance was to tie it up. Steph said that it was just a decision to go against the best and see what happens. Danni said that she is blown away and can't believe that she is stil there. Steph said that she was in so much pain, and felt like such a failure because it was such a tough competition. Gary looks back at Judd when Rafe tells about releasing Danni from her promise to take him. Judd rolls his eyes. Danni said that she wants to make certain to make the right decision and that it is hard. Danni said that one reason to pick Rafe is because he has helped her alot since the merge. Danni said that to take Steph might be smart because Steph has more enemies. Steph said that the jury thinks that Rafe is more likeable. Rafe thinks that both he and Steph screwed over the same people. It is interesting to see the jury's reactions to the comments. They do mostly seem to hate Steph. Danni goes to vote. Person voted out is Rafe. So it is down to Danni and Steph. He wishes them both good luck on the next day. Steph thanks Danni. Final tribal council is the next day, and that is when the jury selects the person. Rafe is rooting for Steph and is voting for Stephanie at the end.
The next morning at the camp, and Steph and Danni wake up on day 39 as the final two. Steph is very proud of herself for making it to the final two. Danni said that she and Stephanie are very much alike. They are the two tough girls. Steph knows that after this nothing will stand in their way. Both go out to the pool to swim and clean up. Danni said that she is going to miss Guatemala, and that it was a great experience and not something you do very often. The two break down the camp and burned everything. Steph thinks that everyone back home will be proud of both of them. Danni said that you may be down, but you are never out. Danni hopes to be the all-American girl next door, and depending on the questions asked she decide on the answer to give. Steph said that she outwitted, out played and out lasted every single one of them and that's why she is in the final two. It is now time for the final tribal council. The jury comes in. Rafe is all clean shaven and looks very different. Danni and Steph get a chance to make an opening statement, and then get questions and comments and then Danni and Steph make a closing statement. Danni mentions how she never thought that she would be in that position because she was outnumbered. She said that she had hardships in life that prepared her, and that tried to do her best and be honest. She also invites everyone to Kansas City for a barbeque. Steph said that she is completely honored to be in the final two, and that she knows some are angry with her, and would like the opportunity to explain herself.
Jury gets to address them with a question or a comment. Bobby Jon is first, and says that no one can take away their accomplishment. Steph is asked how proud she is of playing the game. Steph said that she played the best game that she could and doesn't regret anything. Danni gets the same question and she is happy of how she played the game and how grateful she is to still be there. Danni just wishes they had one more immunity. Gary said that he is judging by most honest answer. Steph is asked why she should not be voted for. Steph said that it was because they originally had the alliance, and then she broke it. Danni said that she had an alliance with Gary and then made one with Rafe for selfish reasons and she is sorry for that. Jamie asks Danni first who her top five would be. Bobby Jon, Gary and Brandon are in the three. Stephanie is asked how she thinks the jury feels to see her be the best friend to someone and then to vote that person out. Steph said that blindsiding was the best way to go, and that she hopes that they will realize that she had reasons and still vote for her. Lydia asks Steph why she should vote for Steph when Steph voted her out because Lydia was loyal. Steph said that she wanted the best competition, and that Lydia would not be the best competition. Danni said that she tried to be open with Lydia but at some point you need to do some lying to win. Cindy asks Danni who of the jury she would remove. Danni said Rafe because she knows that he will vote for Steph. Steph says that she would take out Bobby Jon because he was the first to make the jury. What a non-answer. Rafe is up next and congratulates them and calls them both sisters to him. Rafe asks Danni about taking the person that she though deserved to win against the person she could beat. Danni said that she decided to take Steph because of how Steph fought in the final challenge and said that Steph is deserving. Rafe said that he wanted to know why the decision changed. Rafe said that he and Steph talked strategy all the time was, but that he wonders what the best strategy was that he didn't know of. Steph said that Rafe was the only person she was really honest with. Judd asks Danni if she went roller blading and ice skating. Judd said that he thinks that she just skated through the competition. Really strange. Danni said that she lied to Jamie about voting him out and lying to Brian about not knowing who to vote out. Judd tells Danni she should beg God for forgiveness. Judd asks Steph is she is hungry because all she did was eat the entire time. Judd tells Steph that she lied to everyone, including his wife. Steph said that at that point she wasn't lying because she didn't know that she was going to vote Judd out. Steph is blaming Danni on voting Judd out. Judd said that he likes their answers and thanks them. There is alot of anger between Judd and Steph. Now Danni and Steph have a minute to think of their final responses.
Closing statements. Steph first says that it is the hardest game that anyone will every play and that it will bring out the worst qualities and that is going to upset some people. Steph said that she never let anyone make decisions for her, and that she took a leadership role, and that she outwitted and outlasted everyone and that's why she is sitting there. Danni said that she came into a merge and she took a step back and noticed that Steph and Rafe were the strongest, and said that she realized that was whom she should align herself. Danni said that she did bond with Rafe and Steph. The jury is now voting for the person that they would like to see win. Voting starts. Judd said he keeps his promise and you never did, and he promised he wasn't voting for her. Judd votes for Danni. Rafe votes for Steph whom he refers to as the ultimate Survivor. Jeff Probst is going to tally the votes, and he comes back to congratulate them. The votes will remain a secret until they get back to the US, and then Jeff Probst leaves and walks off, getting on a helicopter. The next thing we know, we are back in LA with the studio audience and we now have the reunion show. The jury, Danni and Steph are nicely dressed and sitting on the stage which is setup to look like the ruins in Guatemala. Stephanie and Danni don't even look like themselves. They look like totally different people. It's amazing how different they look. The winner will get a Pontiac Torrent and $1 million. The votes: Danni, Steph, Danni, Danni, Danni. Danni Boatwright is the winner of the show! Danni goes out into the audience to hug her family. The other contestants who were voted off earlier show up on the stage. It is now time for the live reunion show. The only thing I have to say, is that Danni does not look like the Danni from the show that we have been watching. As my boyfriend said, he thinks that she put on some weight and that is why she looks so different. Danni was pretty thin in the show, and had her hair pulled back. It is a remarkable difference.
Danni thinks that it was money well spent to get the clue to the immunity challenge. Danni thought that the best move she made was taking out Rafe at the end. Danni said that Rafe was an awesome guy, but she was there to win. Rafe said that he was influenced by Steph's effort, and that he wanted Danni to make a decision that she would be proud of. Danni said that she knew that she couldn't take Rafe because she needed to make the right move so her family wouldn't kill her. Gary doesn't think that Danni was underrated, but that she was a good, strong, happy player. Jeff asks Rafe about being morally conflicted. Rafe said that the moral decisions were the hardest. He said that he was proud of his decisions throughout the game and that he was proud of the decisions that he made. Rafe said that he didn't think that anyone else expected him to do well and that he was underestimated. Jeff wondered how Lydia made it so far in the game. Lydia thinks it was because she was a nuturer and provider. She provided people with food and a vote and a smile and motivation. Jeff said that Lydia's attitude was remarkable, and she always had a smile. Lydia said that a goo attitude and smile get you far in life.
Jeff Probst talks about the dilemna of bringing back Steph and Bobby Jon. Steph said that it was difficult because she didn't think that she would get past the first tribal council. She said that she made a major alliance that got her far. It seems that in the first Survivor, Steph was the sweetheart, but in this show she played harder. Steph said that both of them are her and she is what she is, and she hurt people in the show. Steph thought that she started to realize that she might not win because she was alienating people. Cindy had said earlier that one of the reasons she was in the show was because of Stephanie, and she said that she thought that if Steph could do it, she could do it and better. Gary admits that he is a big Survivor fan and that he liked both Steph and Bobby Jon. Gary said that people were looking up to Steph and Bobby Jon and asks questions. Steph won 10 and lost 36 challenges. She made it through 25 tribal councils. Jeff asks about the bond with Judd. They show Judd wishing they would get bitten by a crocodile and calling them scumbags. Judd said that no one likes to lose, but that Steph is a good girl. Judd is asked if anyone recognizes him, and he said that he was recognized. Judd admits that he is brutally honest and has no regrets. Judd said that his comments against Margaret were strategy and that there are no hard feelings with Margaret. Jeff tells Judd that he should admit that he lied. Judd is still denying the lies because he was claiming to be hung over. Bobby Jon is asked about how he was taken out by the trek at the beginning of the show. Bobby Jon said that you have to mash the gas in the car and keep on going. Bobby Jon is called the most authentic and endearing guys. Bobby Jon and Jamie are sitting side by side and shoving each other like little boys. Jamie said that they are good old country boys. Jamie is asked if he was going nuts in the jungle. Jamie admits that he was losing it abit out there, and that it goes both ways.
Danni recognized Gary Hogeboom as an NFL quarterback. It seems that there was a whole shrine to Gary at Central Michigan State. Gary had the alter ego planned so he could get far in the game. Amy is asked what the reaction after finding out that Gary was a quarterback. She said that she wanted to beat him down. Jeff tells Amy that she looks fantastic. Judd also lost 45 pounds. It seems that Cindy still wishes that she was in the jungles of Guatemala. She says that she still thinks of the sounds and the hardness of the ground. Cindy also lost her job at the zoo to go to Survivor. Cindy said that she feels like a part of her is gone that she won't get back. Jeff asks her about the car curse. Rafe said that he doesn't know what he would have done if Cindy gave him a car, so Cindy at least has the car to take her back to Guatemala. Margaret is going back to Guatemala to help in a relief attempt. It seems that Brian is going back too. We also hear from Blake about the golden boy persona. Cindy gave him the name of Golden Boy because everything he touches is golden. Jeff asks about the reaction of his girlfriend about describing her. We then get to see video of Gary finding the immunity idol.
Brandon is asked about the eleven mile trek. He looks totally different too with short hair. He says that he never experienced anything like that trek even in treking in Montana. Brandon admits that he would still play a strong, clean game, but the game brings ugliness and is a mean game. Jim is asked about his years of experience and having a freak accident. Jim said that he would do it again just to be in the Mayan ruins, even if only three days. Brian is asked about being such a student of the game, and understanding of strategy. Brian said that luck is a huge part of the game. As Brian said, you have to be okay with the luck factor. Brooke is asked about getting labelled a smart person early on. She said that her original team knew that she knew how to use a compass, but that she was a farm girl who spent three years in law school. Brianna said that the game did overwhelm her and that she had an awesome time. Morgan is asked about getting voted out early. Morgan thought six days wasn't enough, but that she didn't think she would do so well physically, but that she thought that she was doing well.
We got a preview of the next Survivor which will be on a small island off of Panama where people will be banished to an island on their own at times. The new Survivor will be Survivor: Panama: Exile Island.
Friday, December 9, 2005 -- Evening
This season of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire will be ending this coming Sunday. It is now down to the final four of Rafe, Lydia, Danni and Stephanie. I have to admit that I am cheering Danni on. I think that the reason I like her is because she is spunky and has managed to get the others not to vote her off either by winning immunity or manipulating their minds. I think that it would really suck if somehow Lydia wound up in the final two because she really has done nothing whatsoever to give her a good reason to be there. My second favorite is Rafe. This is the first time that I have watched the show, and I have to admit that I have enjoyed it.Thursday, December 8, 2005 -- Evening
Onto Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. This episode is titled Big Win, Big Decision..Big Mistake? The group is talking around the fire after the tribal council. Danni said that she has been praying for the alliance to crack. Cindy told them that she wished that someone had told her something about it. Rafe tries to explain it to Cindy, but she said that they didn't tell Judd they were voting Jamie out, and they didn't tell her they were voting Judd out so Cindy sees a pattern and thinks she is next. Day 34, and Rafe is the only guy left. Only men are on the jury at this time. Rafe said that since Judd left they can all act abit more dorky and have fun. For example, they all go around crossing their eyes. Lydia said that they see Rafe as one of the girls because he is so gentle. Rafe feels that he has a close personal friendship with all four of the women left. Rafe and Danni find a car key in the reward pot, and they figure that someone will be winning a car this time. Lydia said that the car will be for her son and she is going to work really hard for it. Also Steph said that she has never had a car. Everyone goes to the reward competition an there is a van waiting them. It is a second chance at the past competitions. First, they have to walk across a balance beam and untie three sets of maconas. The first three to finish move to the next round. The first two to break a tile 30 feet away with their maconas will move on to the last round. In that round, they have to solve a puzzle based on the Mayan calendar. Once the puzzle is solved, hop in the cart, chop off the rope that holds the cart. The first one to the finish line wins. The winner gets the car, and will drive to an archaeologist camp to a feast, spend the night and return to camp the next morning. The face begins. Steph has her second set, and Danni is behind her and Cindy is close to. Steph fell off and had to go back to the start. Then Lydia fell and had to go back. Cindy fell off near the end and had to go back. Lydia fell off again. Danni is the first to finish. Cindy is second and moving on. Battle between Rafe and Steph, and Steph moves on. First two to break the tile now moves on. Cindy broke a tile and is moving on. Steph broke her tile next so it is Steph and Cindy trying to win a 2006 Pontiac Torrent. They are now putting the puzzle together. Cindy is in her cart and she has won. Jeff Probst gives her the keys and tell her that she has won and can take one person with her on the feast. As Jeff tells her, the person who won the car in the past ten seasons has never won Survivor. Cindy can give up her car and give a car to each of the other four. What will Cindy do? Cindy is chewing her nails, and she said that she doesn't believe in superstition. Cindy says that she also believes in making the impossible possible and win the car and the $1 million. Cindy is going to keep the car for herself. She gets to take one person with her. Cindy takes Stephanie with her because she finished second. Cindy and Steph leave to go to the camp. Steph agrees with Cindy that there are no guarantees in the game. The four Torrents that weren't given away will be given away as prizes to the general public.Cindy says her mind is reeling and she is shocked that she won a reward and that she won a car. Stephanie was overwhelmed with happiness for Cindy. Cindy said that she was never that happy in her whole life. Cindy said that it was awesome to see three girls in the final three. They have arrived at the archaeological site and there is an archaeologist waiting for them. They have food, meat, fruit and rum. They cook the meat and cut open the fruits. I can't believe that they will eat all that food. Cindy is still talking about whether she should feel bad. Cindy says "screw the curse" and she is taking the car. Rafe couldn't believe that was the decision that Cindy made. Rafe said that he would have given the cars away. Danni said that she would have given the cars in a heartbeat. Everyone agrees that Cindy needed the car. Lydia said that she should have kept the car. Rafe admits that he wouldn't have voted Cindy out ever if he got a car, but now, who knows. Cindy and Steph ask the archaeologist about the Mayan culture and if they ate that corn all the time, and they did. Steph and Cindy have blankets and candles. It seems that they want to get rid of Danni next. Cindy said that she finally felt that she got to know what was going on. They both decide that Danni is the biggest threat. They are going to bring it up to Rafe because they feel that he will understand getting rid of Danni next because she is a physical threat.
Cindy and Steph are back at the camp with everyone else and is asked how she likes the car. Cindy is enthusing about the car and Danni is crushing corn. Rafe said that it is grating on peope that Cindy won a car. She keeps on going on about having a brand new vehicle. As Rafe said, if you can't see that no one is listening as you ramble on and on about your car, you have a problem. Cindy thinks that no one has any qualms about her winning the car. Steph said that Cindy should have kept the car. Rafe said that he and Danni were saying that they were talking about how they would have given up the car. Steph said that she didn't think that anyone would have given up the car. Steph said, "no way". As Steph said it was the first time she and Rafe disagreed. Lydia said again that Cindy made the right choice. Rafe said that he started to think that he was playing the game too nicely because everyone else would have kept the car, except him and Danni. Jeff Probst asked about the reward. It is now time for the immunity challenge. They are each attached to a rope that is wound around four poles. Their hands and feet are shackled. They have to unlock their hands, untangle enough rope to get to the finish line. They also will get a key to unlock their feet. First one to finish wins. There are ten keys and they have to find the key to unlock her hands. Steph is first, then Rafe and then Cindy. Steph and Cindy get their second locks undone. Steph and Cindy are in the lead. Lydia and Danni are free. Steph is on the third lock first and then Cindy. Lydia has her second lock undone and is at her third lock. Rafe is also on the third lock. Danni is behind everyone. Steph has the lock undone and is on her fourth and final lock. She gets it done and unshackles her feet. Cindy also has her rope free. Steph doesn't have enough rope and had to undo one knot and then a second. Cindy is working on her final lock. Steph releases the last knot and wins immunity. As Steph said, she has finally won something on her own, and she begins to cry. Rafe, Cindy, Danni and Lydia--one will be voted out on Day 36.
Back at camp, Lydia is telling Steph that her family will be happy for her. Rafe looks shell shocked. Steph is still trying to get over the fact that she got this far. Rafe said that he won't vote Danni out this time or next. Danni and Rafe had a promise to get to the final three. Rafe said that he won't change it regardless. He says that if Steph tries to deal, he won't be swayed. Rafe said that Danni has promised Rafe to take him to the end. Rafe wants to vote out Cindy. Rafe is going to try to persuade Steph to vote out Cindy over Danni. Rafe thinks that he can convince Steph to vote out Danni. Steph said that she can't vote out Cindy because of the jury. Rafe asks if she made a deal with Cindy. Steph doesn't want to look bad on turning on Cindy. As Steph said, Cindy at least has a car, and she knows that folks on the jury may be against her already. Steph tells Cindy that Rafe wants to get rid of Cindy because she is the bigger threat. cindy then decides that they need to vote out Rafe. Steph and Cindy are working on Danni and trying to convince her to eliminate Rafe and have an all female final four. Rafe comes up as they are talking and looks upset. Time for the tribal council. The jury is back in place. Rafe is asked about the mood. Rafe said that everyone feels threatened and Rafe comments that he is the only guy left and there are all guys on the jury. Danni said that she is always worried because she is the odd man out. Cindy feels that she made the right decision on taking the car. She thinks the curse is silly and thinks you have to be a tough competitor and win. Being tough is a curse and at that Judd smiles. Cindy said that Rafe is the one that people should be concerned about because he wins competitions and everyone likes him so he should be voted out. Cindy votes first and votes for Rafe. We hear that Lydia is voting for with the tribe, but we don't see who she is voting for. Rafe votes for Cindy. Votes are being tallied. Votes: Rafe, Cindy, Cindy, Cindy. Cindy is votes out, and says that she will think of them as she looks at the stars out of the sunroof of her car. The others are now the final four. I like both Rafe and Danni and hope that one of them win. All four voted against Cindy.
Saturday, December 3, 2005 -- Morning
On to the next show which is Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. The title of this episode is A Price for Immunity. The show starts on Day 31. Danni is grinding corn and admits that she is next on the totem pole. Lydia says that she smelled sausage and eggs and Judd blamed it on Stephanie farting. Danni said that it was funny that morning with everyone acting like nothing happened the previous night and that they weren't outed for lying. Danni said that she isn't going down without a fight. Danni said that the perfect little alliance is going to have to start breaking apart and picking on each other, and she wants to aid that. It's now time for the Survivor auction. Each person gets $500. If they see something they like, they should bid on it. They can also pool their money, but they will have to split the item. Beef jerky is up first and Danni pays $20 for it. Danni is happy with the beef jerky. Three chocolate chip cookies and milk. Lydia puts up $20, and Cindy pays $40 and gets it. Next up is an individual mosquito net. Lydia gets into a bidding war with Rafe and Danni who pool their money. Lydia gets it for $140, and Jeff Propst even remarks that Lydia is covered with bites. Next item is a covered item. Rafe and Danni buy it for pooled money of $180. It is a philly steak sandwich with fries and ketchup. Next item is an envelope that will help with immunity. Danni bought it for $200. It has a waxed seal on it that has to remain sealed until the next challenge. The next item are family members--there's Cindy's twin sister, Rafe's mom, Lydia's brother, Danni's brother, Judd's wife, and Steph's boyfriend. Rafe said that it was overwhelming to see his mom. Whoever wins the bidding gets to have the family member come back to camp and spend the night. If two people pool their money, only one gets to have a family member, so it would be one person helping another. Bidding starts at $40. Judd got money from cindy and paid for his wife to come at $880. Stephanie could only get $700 some dollars. Judd gets to pick two other family members. He picks Cindy, who can pick up her twin, and he also picks Stephanie. Rafe was crying because the remaining three family members are leaving and the three without family are going to the old Yaxhu camp without getting to even hug their family members. Rafe is bawling his eyes out. The three family members get to head to camp.Back at the camp, the family members are arriving. Mindy does look like Cindy. Judd's wife is shocking at his camping skills. She did not think that he would know what he was doing. Mindy said that she and Cindy used to play wilderness people when they were kids. Stephanie said that she owes Judd big time because this is the second time that he did something big for her. Judd hopes that Steph takes him to the final two. Rafe, Danni and Lydia went over to the old Yaxhu camp. Danni said that it is hard to trust anyone. Danni said that Gary told her to trust Rafe. Danni admits that Rafe has to trust her because folks will see him as a threat at some point. Rafe said that Danni and he are closer than him and Judd. Rafe would like to catch Judd someway in a lie so they could sway Stephanie to get rid of Judd. Stephanie and Judd's wife talk about the final four, and Stephanie admits that she wants the Jersey people to be final two. Final four should be Judd, Stephanie, Cindy and Rafe, and that's what Judd says as he talks to Steph, Cindy and the family members.
Day 32. Judd goes out wood picking with his wife. Mindy said that it is more barren than she expected. Stephanie's boyfriend says that it's the real deal and alot of people wouldn't have survived. Judd said that it felt great to have his wife there. The family members are leaving and Judd, Stephanie and Cindy say good bye at the boat dock. Judd's wife said that she misses him so much because she has never not talked to him for more than 24 hours, and she just wants him to come home. Lydia tells Judd that he has to get a game plan going. Lydia tells Judd that they have seven more days left, and that they have to unite to get to the final two. Danni heard how Judd was telling Lydia to get rid of the strong players, and that Judd knew that Stephanie was behind voting out Jamie. It is now time for the immunity challenge. It's a human chess game. You can move forward, backward, side to side, but not diagonally. Once you land on a spot, you flip over the tile to make it red. Once a tile is red a person can't step back on that tile. The way that the tiles are setup is that they are on levels and the top levels spin so the person can spin themselves to a spot that might not be red. If you can't step on another tile, you are out. The last person standing wins. Danni still have the sealed envelope. They have spots on the board. Danni gets to switch positions at any time in the game with one player. Everybody makes a first move. Danni goes first, then Cindy, Judd, Rafe, Steph, and Lydia. Cindy is the first person out of the game. It's Danni's move and she asks to switch. She switches with Stephanie who doesn't like it. Lydia is the second person out of the game. Rafe is now out of the game after Danni makes a move that eliminates him. Judd is out because he can't move diagonally. It's down to Danni and Steph. Steph is now out and Danni wins immunity.
Day 33. Danni thought that she would be going next, and she says other things are going on which can work even more in her favor. Danni tells Stephanie that Judd was still mad about the Jamie situation. Stephanie rolls her eyes, and Danni tells Steph that only Judd and Lydia were talking. Judd is watching Rafe, Steph, and Danni grinding corn. Steph says that Judd has been caught in quite a few lies, but not Danni. Rafe asks Steph what is going on, and Steph tells Rafe how Judd was telling Lydia that he wanted to get rid of the strongest people and that he was ticked over Jamie. Stephanie, Rafe and Danni talk about taking Cindy to the final four and getting rid of Judd and then Lydia. Stephanie said that she loves Judd, but she wants to win. Danni is hoping that her plan worked to get rid of Judd. Lydia is trying to save her butt which is why she is smoozing Judd. Lydia said that she thought Danni was going out next. Judd said that no one is safe. Lydia is talking about keeping herself safe to Rafe, and Judd says that Lydia better not vote for him. Judd told Rafe that Lydia is working it to stay in. Judd said that you have to say something, you just can't sit there, but he doesn't admit to his conversation. Judd said that he will miss Lydia, but no hard feelings. Judd says he will always have a smile on his face as long as it isn't him going home next. Tribal council. The members of the Jury come up now. Stephanie said that she has been going out with her boyfriend for seven years, and she thought it was good that he could see what she is going through. Danni said that there was no way that she was going to let that immunity advantage get away from her. Cindy said that you have to think about who you vote off and how it will affect your alliances and how that person might then vote in the jury. Rafe is considering how it will be different when it comes down to five, but Rafe said you have to trust your gut and have strong trust in someone. Stephanie said that it is important to be able to vote out the right person for the right reason and to explain why you did what you did if you make it to final two. Judd admits that everybody wants somebody to go home. Judd says, deal with it. As he says, it's better for him if someone else goes home. Danni is keeping her immunity. Voting begins. Danni votes for Judd. Judd votes for Lydia. Vote tallying. Votes: Judd, Lydia, Lydia, Judd, Judd, Judd. Judd is voted out. As he leaves, he says, "thanks, I hope you guys get bitten by a frigging crocodile. Scumbags". As his torch is put out, Judd again says scumbags. Jeff Propst says that the game just took a change in a very big way. Cindy didn't know about the vote against Judd and she was the other vote for Lydia.
Thursday, November 24, 2005 -- Evening
Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire was on this evening. This episode is titled Everything is Personal. The show starts after the tribal council on day 27. Judd admits to the group that he wishes someone had told him. Stephanie said that she didn't want to put Judd in that situation. Judd said that it was supposed to be an alliance of six and that obviously wasn't the case. As Judd said, here comes the backstabbing and lying. Gary thanks Lydia who said that she would rather have Gary there instead of Jamie. Day 28 and everyone is sleeping. Judd is snoring very loudly. Gary and Lydia give each other a sign of V. Lydia says that she doesn't know if the alliance is strong, but that she needs to be careful. Judd woke up and heard Gary asking Lydia questions. Lydia says that Stephanie is making all the decisions. Judd doesn't like that Lydia was being so tight with Gary. Gary tells Lydia that the tightest four are going to the end. Judd tells Stephanie and Rafe, but Rafe isn't that concerned. Stephanie can't believe that Gary is working Lydia so strong. Judd thinks that Gary is trying to make an alliance with Lydia. Judd says that the person you least expect to lie is the biggest liar. Gary is still talking to Lydia about what her strategy is. Lydia says that she's not sure about Cindy and that she has to cover her ass and go with the best deal. Today's reward challenge. Each has three pots filled with corn. Jeff Probst is going to ask them questions about the Maya culture and Guatemala. Each time the person answers a question, they get to smash someone else's pot. The person who has the last intact pot wins. The prize? Winner gets to leave and go to a true natural wonder. It's a natural spa with fajitas with beef, chicken, shrimp, etc. First question: the Maya carved the their history on what? Answer stela. Stephanie is the only one to get it wrong. Judd and Cindy break cindy's. Rafe breaks Danni, and Danni and Lydia each break one of Stephanie's. Gary breaks Cindy's. In the Maya courtball game, members of the losing team were killed and their heads incased in something that is the next ball. Everyone but Steph gets it right again. Lydia puts out Stephanie. Stephanie says that jealous will get you no where. Danni breaks Judd. Cindy breaks Gary's and he is out of the game along with Stephanie. The Maya believe that men are made from corn, everyone but Judd gets it right. Lydia and Danni break Judd's jars. Cindy and Rafe break Danni's jugs, and she is out. Which doesn't border Guatemala? Costa Rica. Only Rafe gets it right and he breaks Lydia's pot. Temples of Tical are the only ones to be build during the Mayan time with modern machinary, and it was false. Cindy breaks Lydia's pot, Rafe takes her last pot, and Lydia is out. She takes out a pot of Rafe's. It is now down to cindy and Rafe. Cindy gets the 30 volcanos in Guatemala right and breaks Rafe's pot. If Cindy gets the next question right, she wins. True or false, the most active time is at dawn. The answer is false and Cindy wins. Cindy gets to pick one person to go with her. She says that it is the most difficult decision in the whole game. Cindy picks Rafe. Lydia looks upset. Lydia is in trouble for breaking Stephanie's pots. When she did, Lydia said it was because Stephanie had already eaten three times, and Stephanie said that Gary did too--which is not right because Gary only ate once. But you can see that Stephanie now thinks that Lydia has joined Gary, and that puts a target on Lydia's back.Back at the camp. Stephanie is upset that Lydia hit her twice. Stephanie said that she is sick of hearing Lydia complain. Stephanie made it clear that folks should not be picking on her for eating all the time. Gary said that Steph eats all the time and keeps on eating all this corn and nuts. Gary doesn't think that Stephanie lost weight since she was there because she has been eating so much. Lydia tries to explain that it wasn't personal and that she would have taken Rafe because she and Rafe have been eating the least of everyone else there. Judd says that everything is personal and it shows where Lydia stands. Lydia said that she wanted to give someone else a chance for food. Lydia said that everyone puts Stephanie on a pedestal, but no one wants to do anything about it. Meanwhile through this whole thing, Stephanie was stuffing her face with corn and nuts. Cindy and Rafe are at the spa with a gorgeous waterfall with all this food and a massage table. They decided to eat first. Rafe said that he wanted to eat first. Cindy and Rafe talked strategy alot. Rafe says that Lydia is easily swayed--and he should know because he sways her. The water in the pond was hot in the waterfall--shower hot, and underneath it was cool. Cindy and Rafe then get a massage. Rafe said that it was an amazing experience to have the waterfall, the food and the massage. Rafe said after that reward he thinks he can make it. Back at the camp, Stephanie is sitting on the temple and says that she is thirsty, and asks Lydia to bring over the water which she does. Rafe tells them about the reward and says it wasn't that much food and they were kabobs. Stephanie said that it was great that Cindy and Rafe got it. Lydia says that she felt insulted and feels like an outcast. Lydia was eating corn soup and Cindy said that Lydia was trying to make them feel guilty for winning and not letting Lydia win the challenge. Even Lydia admits to the camera crew that she should have gone instead of Rafe. cindy says that it is a challenge, and you need to step it up. Lydia is now out of the alliance. It is Stephanie, Rafe, Cindy and Judd.
Day 30. Judd, Rafe, Stephanie and cindy are at the top of the ruins drinking coffee. Gary says that there is obviously a foursome that thinks they have all the power. Gary talks to Danni about who should go next. They think that it should be Cindy or Judd. Gary is going to talk to Rafe, and they want to make an alliance with Danni, Gary, Lydia and Rafe. Rafe needs to play both ends because that gives him the power. It is now time for immunity. They will first hear a story from Jeff about Maya folklore. At the end, they will have to race to seven different stations. In each station is a puzzle. They have to put the puzzle together, and it will ask a question about the story. There will be two boxes with answers on the lid. They have to pick the right answer, and in that box will be a flag. In the box with the wrong answer is a colored stick. They have to take the colored stick and run back to a fire and burn it before they can go back to try the question again. The first person to get all seven of their colored flags wins. The story is about Ixchel. JUdd missed his question, then Stephanie missed her first one. Rafe got his second flag, and so did Gary. Confusion is setting in on where they were and where they weren't. It is down to Gary and Rafe. It's a race. Rafe won immunity with Gary just a few steps behind him.
Rafe says who would think that this gay Morman would win the immunity challenges. Rafe said that when he was young he never would see role models who were gay and who were strong and could compete in challenges. Stephanie said that last time she felt powerless, but this time she feels powerful. Lydia tells Danni that since the numbers game is over, no one needs her so they are ready to get rid of her. Lydia thinks that she is screwed. Gary thinks that he is a big enough threat that they will get rid of him first. Gary said that he won't dwell on it and will just see what he can do to stay. Rafe says that he trusts Stephanie but that he doesn't trust Judd. So Gary realizes that they will turn on each other and the quicker that happens the better for Gary. Judd says that he doesn't trust anyone. There is a violent storm coming up. Judd wants to get rid of Lydia or Gary, but as he says, you never know until you get to the tribal council. Who will it be tonight? Bobby Jon and Jamie sit in on the tribal council. Lydia says that she didn't want Stephanie to win and that she wanted to win. Lydia said that since Stephanie is well liked she gets invited. Lydia said that it's nothing personal--she just wanted a chance to eat. Lydia said that in her eyes it is Steph who runs the show. There is obvious disagreement between them. Gary said that there are folks who are star struck by Steph, and they can probably get her autograph after the show. Bobby Jon and Jamie laugh at that one. Steph rolls her eyes. Cindy is happy with how she played the game ethically. Judd says that he is too. Judd doesn't think he lied yet, but he is thinking of starting because everyone seems to be lying and to stick in the game he will have to start lying. Judd said that Gary said that Cindy and Lydia shouldn't be in the game. Gary said that he never told them that. Gary then brings up the comment that Judd said the idol was on the ground when it was in the trees. Gary outed Judd, and Judd had to go back on his comment that he hasn't lied yet in the game to admit that he lied. Time for voting. Judd votes against Gary. Votes: Gary, Cindy, Gary, Gary, Gary. Gary is voted out. He was my favorite, and it is sad to see him go, but I think that he expected it. I think that the person who gets to the end needs to take Steph with them because the folks on the jury so far don't like Stephanie. Everyone voted against Gary. Gary taped a farewell where he admits that he played in the NFL, but kept it hidden so folks would judge him based on his character.
Thursday, November 17, 2005 -- Evening
Another episode of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire was on this evening. This episode was titled Eating and Sleeping with the Enemy. The show starts right after the tribal council. Everyone asks Gary where he found the immunity idol. Gary admits that he only found the idol that day. Jamie thinks everyone thinks Gary is a nice guy, but he doesn't. Jaime tries to pick a fight with Cindy. Jamie tried to get Cindy to be bitter towards Gary, but she refuses. Then Jamie tries to talk to Gary. Jamie tries to say that Gary said that he would vote for Brandon. Judd even admits that he didn't see Gary lying and thinks that Jamie just tries to get people upset. Jamie said that he is mad like Gary is. Gary says that he's not mad, and Judd agrees that Gary doesn't seem mad. Judd thinks Jaime is losing it. Today's reward challenge. The group of eight is going to be split up into 2 teams that will have one pair of men and one of women. A pair at a time they will be tied together and have to go through a mud pit, going over the first obstacle, under the second, and over the third. They have to get a pot of corn and come back, and while they are filling their pot, the other team will set off. The first group to complete the task wins. The prize? They will leave via helicopter and get to go to a private residence, shower, and spend the night and wake up to coffee. Teams are: Jamie and Rafe and Cindy and Lydia against Judd and Gary and Stephanie and Danni. Rafe and Jamie are in the lead. Gary and Jugg are pretty far behind. Lydia was struggling and Danni and Steph caught up. Lydia was really having issues getting back to the finish. Danni and Stephanie were good and really making up the time. Lydia was really slow and struggling. She just didn't seem to be able to do it. Danni and Steph had enough corn and they won. Jamie wanted Lydia and Cindy to keep on walking through the mud. Cindy refused saying the other team already won, and they would look stupid continuing to walk. Judd, Gary, Stephanie and Danni were flown away by helicopter right away.Danni and Steph thought it was just great. Stephanie had never been in a helicopter before. The group was greeted by the guy who owned the house. They all showered down by the pool. Stephanie said that she wouldn't have gone with anyone else. Stephanie thinks that she and Danni are alike. Judd took all his clothes off and cleaned up. She also liked Gary. They had tons of food, and they just started chowing down. Danni thinks that the reward helped her so much to get to know Stephanie. Lydia was apologizing to everyone about how she cost them the reward. Jamie seemed bitter. Jamie tells Rafe that he sees Judd, Jamie and Rafe as the final three. Jamie wants Rafe's word, and Rafe won't give it to him because Rafe doesn't want to give his word without thinking about it. Rafe said that Jamie seems to be really paranoid and just seems to be losing it. Jamie does seem abit psycho. The group a the house got pajama and more food. Gary said it was his time to make some ties with Stephanie and Judd. Gary says that he always wanted to take the strongest to the final four and then see how it goes. Stephanie thinks that it's a good idea, but she has a good thing going on, and doesn't want to ruin it. Stephanie and Danni both admit they would vote out Jamie. They all go to sleep in a huge bed together. Judd said that getting rid of Danni and Gary will be hard because now he has gotten to know them, but the threat has got to go.
Day 26. The foursome wake to the smell of coffee brewing. There was six different flavors of Folger's coffee and they tried them all. The owner of the house brought in a present for the foursome. They are videotapes from home. They all start to cry. We see Judd's wife and daughter, his mom and brother and sister-in-law. We see Danni's mom and her dogs. Then we saw all of Stephanie's family. Gary said that he was happy to see the other people's families. Gary started crying when he saw his kids and wife. Gary thought it was the best prize that he could have had. The foursome are back at the camp. The foursome brought back food. Cindy was a huge coffee lover, and she was just so happy to see the coffee. Judd said that the only person he was worried about was Jamie because he didn't want Jamie to think that they made any deals with Gary and Danni. Gary said that he made the pitch and doesn't know if it will work, but he knows that if he doesn't win immunity, he will be the next gone. Immunity Challenge time. Each will be attached to a long rope that is tied up in obstacles. The first four move on. Then the four will have to go through a three tier obstacle. That winner will get immunity. Gary is ahead. Cindy and Steph are tied for second. Rafe seems to be coming into fourth with Jamie. Gary has moved on to the third stage. Rafe sems to be in second. Gary, Rafe and Jamie are on the third stage. Judd says that he hasn't given up, he is just trying to figure it out. Rafe is now in the lead. Gary is stuck and trying to figure it out. Rafe finishes first. Jamie is moving on. Two spots left. Steph moves on to the final round. Cindy is closing up on Gary. Cindy moves on to the final and just edged out Gary. Cindy is moving quickly and into the fourth section. It looks like it is Cindy's to lose. Cindy and Rafe seem to be in the battle for the finish. Rafe wins immunity after Cindy gets hung up. Cindy looks very sad over losing.
Back at camp. Gary congratulates Rafe. Rafe said that he realizes he might be a huge threat because he won two immunities and was second in another. Gary said that he gave it his best shot and went out fighting. Judd said that he is going to vote out Gary because Jamie is very paranoid. Judd said that Jamie would get only one vote, maybe from Gary. Jamie thinks that Gary is a serious threat. Jamie says he is working the card alot to get rid of Gary and sticking with the six. Jamie is really paranoid. Cindy tells Jamie that there is no reason to vote out Jamie. Cindy said that Jamie's paranoia is getting ridiculous and it is getting old. Jamie talks to Rafe, and Rafe tells Jamie that Jamie needs to calm down because his nervousness is really getting on everyone's nerves Rafe keeps on trying to tell Jamie that everyone is sticking to the six and everyone is keeping their word. Rafe tells Lydia that Jamie is driving him insane. Rafe tells Lydia that Jamie keeps on saying that Jamie keeps on asking if he is sticking with the plan. Lydia said that she is sticking to the plan and that it is difficult to think of voting him off. Steph said that she is into voting off Jamie but that Gary is a smooth operator. Steph and Rafe seem to want Jamie to go, and might vote that way if Lydia agrees. It will be interesting to see what happens. Bobby Jon comes in as the first member of the jury and will listen in but can't comment. Steph said that it did give her a chance to get to know Gary and Danni and to bond. Danni agreed and said that it was nice to get to know Judd and Steph. Judd said that he bonded with Gary and that Gary is someone to look up to. Judd says he respects Gary and that he is a man's man. Judd admits that it is his most difficult vote, but he has to move on. Jamie said that he couldn't say that he would not miss someone. Jamie said that everyone has been supportive and great. Gary said that the most important thing is a positive attitude. Gary said that he is trying to be upbeat and take it a day at a time. Rafe is keeping immunity for himself. Jamie votes against Gary. Gary of course votes for Jamie even though he would want Jamie on his team. Judd votes against Gary. Time to tally the votes. Votes: Gary, Gary, Jamie, Jamie, Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Jamie is voted out and Judd looks very shocked and surprised because he didn't know it was coming. As Jamie goes to leave, he says "Blindsided nice. Now that's how you vote somebody out." Jamie is very bitter. Gary smiles at first. That's the best information they could have according to Jeff Probst. Who you give information to, and what information you share is the key to success. Everyone except Judd voted against Jamie.
Thursday, November 10, 2005 -- Evening
Again there are conflicts in the shows to view with both a Pens game and Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. Right now, the Pens are leading with a score of 2-0, but it is between periods, so I will start with Survivor. The show is called Secrets and Lies and an Idol Surprise. The show starts with the Survivors heading back to camp at night. Jamie is talking to Rafe about being upset over being told he has no class. Rafe tells Jamie to go to sleep. Jamie is really bothered by Bobby Jon's comments about having no class. Bobby Jon and Jamie have a surprisingly calm conversation about the comments about having no class. Jamie said that his feelings are hurt, and everyone tells Jamie to not take it all so personally because it is a game, and Bobby Jon didn't mean to imply that Jamie was white trash. Morning comes on Day 22. Lydia makes some sort of corn pancakes, but Judd doesn't want to eat. Judd says that Gary, Bobby Jon and Danni know they are the ones to get voted off. Judd said that if it were turned around they would do the same thing. Danni talks to Bobby Jon about going out to look for the idol. Bobby Jon knows that it is visible but hard to find. Bobby Jon is determined to find the idol. Danni hopes they get some more clues, but she is praying and hoping that she finds it. Gary talks about how this is like a football game and that he is going to try everything to get towards the end of the game. It's a reward challenge today. They have to use this tool to throw an arrow called a "lelala" I think. The reward is food, and everyone will eat. However it will depend on how well you do in the challenge. First place gets the best and last place gets the worst. First place is steak and lobster. Also the winner gets one clue to the location of the immunity idol. Judd is up first and flings his arrow. On the bullseye on the ground, Judd is 7 feet from the center and sets the standard. Judd leads, Bobby Jon goes next but doesn't do as well as Judd. Rafe beats Bobby Jon and is now in second. Cindy also does a nice job and moves into second place. Lydia is up next and she winds up in last place. Danni is next, and winds up in third place. Gary is next and winds up in fourth place. Stephanie is next and moves into fourth place ahead of Gary. It is Judd, Cindy, Danni, Stephanie, Gary, Rafe, Bobby Jon, and Lydia. Jamie lands in fourth place. However, Jamie says that he would rather take the last place meal and let everyone else move up. That was a really class act, and Bobby Jon shook Jamie's hand. Rafe thinks that Jamie learned alot. Jamie said he made up the plan on his own, and said that he planeed to give up the food if he wound up ahead of some of the others.Day 22 and time for the food. Judd got his own table. The others at a table in a row, seated in their winning order. Judd got steak and lobster. Cindy gets chicken and veggies. Danni got spaghetti with meat. Stephanie got a burger. Gary got a slice of pizza. Rafe got a ham and cheese sandwich. Bobby Jon got a baked potato. Lydia got a small fish and water. Lydia thanks Jamie, and says that he can live with his self respect. Jamie got ramon nuts. Judd gets a chance to invite two people to share his feast. Judd invites Bobby Jon and Stephanie to join him. Stephanie is crying. The three get an open bar and dessert menu. Judd shared with the others, and Bobby Jon said that he didn't gorge because he could see that Gary was looking at them with such hungry eyes. Gary said it was two hours of watching them gorge themselves and get drunk. Judd did get drunk. Bobby Jon and Judd tries to move a huge tree stump, but Judd is falling down drunk. Judd was so drunk that he threw up right near the shelter even though he denies it. Judd can't keep a secret and he shares the clue with Stephanie. The clue leads Stephanie to believe that the clue is not on the ground, but in a tree. Judd tells everyone that the clue is totally on the ground.
Day 24. Jamie and Rafe are talking about the plan for the future. Jamie tells Rafe to stay with him. Rafe said that Jamie is paranoid. Rafe doesn't think Jamie taking the lowest meal was out of the goodness of his heart, but that it sneaky. Gary tells Jamie that he will vote for whoever the group says. Stephanie says that she is losing patience with Jamie. She sees Jamie as a huge liability and threat and that he can ruin the entire plan. Stephanie looks like she has a swollen eye. Jamie is paranoid because Gary is practising. Lydia tells Jamie to not worry about it. Jamie is definitely thinking too much. The challenge to test coordination and balance. All nine go across a balance beam untieing two wooden planks as they go. Only the first four to cross with the two planks move on. Then the four with the two planks use those to cross a knotted rope bridge. The first two move on to the next step. Final round, you have to navigate a two line balance bridge. If you fall in the water you go back to the start. First person to finish that wins. They have to untie all the knots. Gary is the first. Stephanie fell and had to go back to the start. Everyone is working on the second plank. Bobby Jon fell and Judd's foot touched and he had to go back. Stephanie moves on to the next round. Gary moves on. Jamie moves on, and so does Rafe. They have to use the planks to go across the rope bridge. Rafe is first, and Jamie follows him. They are in the final for immunity. First person to get two feet on the platform wins immunity. Rafe went into the water and had to go back to the start. Jamie won immunity so he won't be getting voted out. Everyone heads back to camp.
Back at the camp, Jamie tells everyone that Gary wanted to vote him out and he wants Gary to be the person voted out next. That was really a lie because Gary didn't say that. Jamie says that Gary is head gaming everyone. Stephanie is getting nervous even though everyone agrees to vote out Gary. Gary tells Bobby Jon and Danni that it is one of them. Gary asks Stephanie if he can trust her, and asks if he is going out. Stephanie says yes, but won't look him in the eyes at first. Gary says that they are all telling him that it is not him, so he thinks that means that it is him. Bobby Jon tells the others that he should not be voted out that Stephanie is the one who will lie to them all. Jamie and Judd told Bobby Jon that he isn't going home tonight. Gary is out in the forest looking for the idol. He sees Judd looking up in the trees and realizes that the Judd was lying about the idol being on the ground. Gary said if the idol is on the ground why is Judd looking in the trees. Stephanie said that it would be amazing if Gary found it. We can only hope because I like Gary and all the players that I like so far are getting voted out. In tribal council, Danni doesn't think she can trust anyone and that her head is on the chopping block. Rafe says that there is alot of paranoia in the camp and that it is running through everyone's head. Gary says that you can lie in the game, but it is up to what the individual wants to accomplish in the game. Gary says that he hasn't lied, and Judd says that he hasn't either. Cindy says that she surprisingly trusts the people, but thinks they will all be liars at some point. Gary has found the immunity idol and he uses it. That was very lucky because he was going to be voted out. Gary has a funny smirk on his face. Jamie votes for Bobby Jon and says sorry. Bobby Jon votes against Stephanie. Stephanie votes for Bobby Jon. voting is done. I am so glad that Gary foiled their plan. It was quite a pause before he turned it in. Votes: Stephanie, Stephanie, Cindy, Bobby Jon, Bobby Jon, Bobby Jon, Bobby Jon, Bobby Jon. Bobby Jon is voted out. He is the first person on the jury. How they voted? Gary voted for cindy, and Danni and Bobby Jon voted for Stephanie. The others all voted for Bobby Jon.
Thursday, November 3, 2005 -- Evening
Two competing events this evening. There is a Pittsburgh Penguins game and Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. Since I already missed two periods of the game, I'll comment on the Survivor show, and then do an analysis of the game. Good news so far, because the Pens are ahead 4-1 against the New York Islanders.The Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire episode tonight is The Hidden Immunity Idol. The show starts at night after Amy was voted out of Yaxhu. The remaining Yaxhu members are heading over to the Nakum camp, and the Nakum members are sleeping. The remaining Yaxhu folks pledge to work together. Bobby Jon says that it's going to be hard for him because he can't stand Stephanie or Jamie. The Nakum members are woken up and told that they are now merged. Stephanie says that her head is spinning. Bobby Jon starts getting the fire going and Jamie comes over and makes a comment about how he has the shelter and the others will have to sleep outside. The next morning, Gary, Brandon, Danni and Bobby Jon are bringing in wood. Danni says that the Yaxhu members feel like outsiders and slaves. They realize that they have to kowtow to the Nakum members. Brandon admits that he and Bobby Jon are probably first on the chopping block. Lydia and Rafe find a message saying that there is a hidden immunity idol in the woods. Whoever finds it can use at any tribal council up to the final four. It just needs to be used before the vote. Everyone is out to look for the little (6 inch) stone idol. You don't have to tell anyone that you found the idol until you use it. Gary says that he won't tell anyone he has it. Brandon said that he could really use it because he feels that he has a target on his head. Bobby Jon is talking to Stephanie in the woods about how he wants to be on the jury. Stephanie says that she wants to make that too. Stephanie said that she can't make any promises because it will be either him or Brandon that goes. After the conversation, we see the wooden idol stuck in a tree. Does Bobby Jon find it?
Lydia asks if they have thought of a name for the tribe. They decide on the name Xhukum. Lydia comments on how they are one big happy tribe for now. It seems that they are still looking for the idol. Jamie said that he is looking for it so he can target Yaxhu. Bobby Jon said that he spends an hour a day searching for the idol, but you can't drive yourself looking for it. Rafe said that he is horrible at looking for things and doesnt think there is much hope that he would find it. He stuck his hand into a hornets nest while looking and decided that was a sign from the Mayan gods to give up on searching. Stephanie said that she was expecting some sort of food, but they didn't get anything. Danni said that it was such fun over in Yaxhu and everyone got along so well, and they made the best of things. Meanwhile the Nakum people do nothing but whine and complain about how awful it is. Gary makes some fishing lures and the Yaxhu go fishing together. Judd thinks that it is a smack in the face they went fishing while Nakum eats the Yaxhu candy. Rafe doesn't think that they are safe, and Brandon admits that he thinks it is sad that the Yaxhu folks are made to feel like they have to act like slaves and do all the work for the old Nakum folks. Judd and Jamie joke about how they should evict the person who comes back with the largest fish. At that point, Rafe wonders if he has joined the Axis of Evil. Judd and Stepanie say that the order of eviction is Brandon, Bobby Jon and then Danni. Jamie says that it's not about being nice but knocking people off and winning. Meanwhile the old Yaxhu folks want to row back to the old camp and chill out and enjoy themselves as they did in the past.
Everyone is hanging out at the pool. Stephanie says that is nice to have the pool. Bobby Jon doesn't think that the Nakum's fairytale will come true. Bobby Jon doesn't think that the six Nakum will make it to the final six. It seems that the first individual immunity will be up. The immunity appears to be to walk with a pot on their heads. Danni doesn't have the head for this sort of competition because her head is uneven. Jeff asks how the merge went. Jamie admits that he said that the Yaxhu would have to sleep outside. Bobby Jon said that he doesn't care. Cindy said that she was looking forward to a snack. They will have a merge feast. The thing is that if you want to eat at the feast, you can't compete in the challenge, and if you compete in the challenge, you can't eat at the feast. The competition is to balance a clay pot on your head without touching it. You have to stand on a platform. If after one hour, there is a tie, they will go to a tiebreaker. Jamie, Rafe, Stephanie and Lydia choose the feast. The others choose the competition. Jamie comments that Bobby Jon and Brandon were out first and that Judd was up there saving "their" lead. Bobby Jon says that he is not going to let Jamie tell him what he is going to do. Rafe is really having problems with the comments that it is the six of them against the four of the others. Rafe tells Jamie that they shouldn't talk, and Stephanie consoles him. Danni has the pot slip off of her head. It is a tie with the remaining five. Now they go to the pyramid and have to race up it with the pot on their heads. The one to make it to the top first, or to get the farthest without dropping the pot wins immunity. Cindy is first out. Gary won the immunity. Bobby Jon and Brandon both lost their pots.
Day 21. Jamie and Judd got into an argument. Judd seems angry at the fact that Jamie chose eating and just made comments. Danni thought that it was cocky and arrogant. Cindy didn't think that was nice. Everyone agrees that Jamie acting like an ass wasn't nice. Also, the fact that Jamie let the cat out of the bag about voting out the Yaxhu people. Rafe said to Danni that he felt crappy all day. At the feast, Rafe thought that it crystalized in front of his eyes and thought that he was in with the devil. Judd and Stephanie join in some Jamie bashing with Bobby Jon. Everyone is very unhappy with Jamie, and it might be that Jamie might get voted out. Bobby Jon asks Jamie in front of Brandon if his head is on the chopping block. Jamie says that they are all good farm boys and should say something if someone is on the block. Bobby JOn then lets Brandon know that Judd and Stephanie were talking about getting rid of Jamie. Brandon, however, isn't believing it, although he says he would crap his pants if it works out like that. Brandon says that he has been thinking about going home and being voted out and that this came up about Jamie. Brandon is out looking for the idol. He is hoping that Jamie gets voted out and that he won't need the idol. Gary says to Rafe that if they do what's right, they vote against Jamie. Gary lets Rafe know that there is nine and the others still have an advantage. Cindy would rather hurt Jamie's feelings than Brandons. Cindy thinks that Brandon deserves to be there more than Jamie. She says that she won't know until she write the name on the paper. Tribal council. Rafe said that it was hard to hear Jamie's comments because he didn't want to hear this us against them, and wants it to be a game about respecting each other. Bobby Jon thought that it was no class. Jamie says that he can just think what he wants. Bobby Jon and Jamie just start arguing. Jamie claims that he didn't disrespect anyone. Cindy said that she competed because she can eat when she gets home. She also didn't appreciate not being considered when Jamie commented that Judd was competing for the Nakum because she did everything that Judd did without the appreciation. Gary is asked if the six who competed deserved to stay in and not one of the four who ate. Gary says it should be based on heart and who deserves it. Cindy says that morals and heart come into play when making a decision. Everyone is asked if they have the idol and would like to present it. No one does. Jamie votes out Brandon. Bobby Jon votes out Jamie. Bobby Jon says that Jamie is not a southern gentleman and has no class. It is time for the vote tally. Who is out? I hope it is not Brandon. Votes: Brandon, Brandon, Jamie, Jamie, Brandon, Jamie, Brandon, Jamie, Brandon, Brandon. Brandon is voted out. It is sad that the Nakum players did that, and I have less respect for them, especially for Rafe and Cindy who had issues with Jamie's morals, and yet still voted for him.
Thursday, October 27, 2005 -- Evening
Now on to Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. The show starts with some nighttime shots. Judd thanks his side for voting out Margaret. Lydia said that she's glad that's overwith. Judd says that he is a big teddy bear. Jaime said that Judd has a big voice and a big personality and that scares people. Jaime said that he wants to take Judd with him to the end because Judd will keep blowing up which will bring the votes to Jamie. Bobby Jon hurt his shoulder, and his shirt was pasted onto his shoulder. It seems that the folks over in Yaxha are comparing wounds. It is time for the next challenge. Four tribe members will have to wrap material off of a pole and onto themselves. The first person will wrap himself, hook to the second person, then they wrap themselves, and then hook to the third person and so on. The fifth person on each tribe will be a wrapper. The first team to get to the end wins. The tribe that wins will get chocolate and be able to take a rip glide trip over the jungle. Amy and Jaime are the winders. Nakum is first. Brandon clips to Gary. Stephanie and Lydia got into alot of problem. Gary, Brandon, and Bobby Jon are next. Bobby Jon had some problems. Nakum made up time on the fourth pole. Nakum is having problems and Stephanie, Rafe and Lydia fell over and couldn't get up. Yaxhu won. Nakum fell down and panicked and couldn't get back up and they lost the competition. Lydia was to blame for this one.Yaxhu needed the win for confidence. Amy is afraid of heights and is scared to make the journey on the rip cord across the jungle. Amy said that she wouldn't do it again. Bobby Jon said that it was a majestic feeling. Brandon thought the experience was "so cool". At the end of the trip, they got tons of chocolate--cakes, strawberries, milk shakes. They took the rest of the chocolate back to camp with them. Day 17 at Nakum. Rafe picked some leaves from the trees and made cards out of them so they could play games. Yaxhu canoed over to the Nakum group to invite them to a pool party to celebrate Danni's birthday. Stephanie talks them into walking down to investigate the Yaxhu folks calling out Nakum. Nakum didn't seem like they wanted to go over to Yaxhu, but they got talked into it. Danni just wanted to have a party and it was her birthday, and they do have a pool. Cindy tells them all that they should not take any peace offerings and shouldn't let any of this sway them. Danni brings out some of the extra chocolate for them. Stephanie said that sure she would eat their chocolate and go in their pool. Bobby Jon said that it was about fellowship and that they need to just relax and get along and then go back to war. Jaime was very quiet and just watching what was going on. Jaime said that he will like those people after the game is over. Stephanie said that she is not going to not stick to the plan because she went to a pool party. Stephanie thinks that there may be a clash between her and Jaime in the future.
Yaxhu, day 18. Danni has huge boobs but is excrutiatingly thin--emaciated. Bobby Jon is in the pool and fish are eating at his wounds. Amy tells Gary that if she finds out that Gary was an NFL player after the game, she is going to kick his ass. As Gary says, there is no Gary Hawkings in Grand Rapids, so she can search him down as much as she wants. As Bobby Jon says, this is in in the realms of competition. Yaxhu has to win. The challenge is for immunity. It is how well they work together to solve a puzzle. Three members run out and find a puzzle piece. Each person has to make at least one attempt to find a piece and bring it back, then they can go in any order they want. There are 12 pieces The remaining two will have to piece the puzzle together in a Mayan calendar. Nakum has Lydia sit out. The first team to complete the puzzle wins. For Yaxhu it is Brandon, Bobby Jon, and Danni. For Nakum it is Jaime, Judd and cindy. Nakum has four pieces and Yaxhu has two. Only buried pieces are left so they have to dig for all of them. Both tribes have six pieces. It is a battle. Both tribes are tied at nine and then Danni gets the tenth piece. Nakum ties. Cindy found the last piece. Nakum has already started putting the puzzle together. Bobby Jon found the final piece. Gary and Amy start putting Yaxhu's puzzle together. Stephanie and Rafe have a big advantage for Nakum. It's very close. Nakum is stuck with the last few pieces. Nakum wins immunity. Yaxhu was close. Nakum worked well together. Who will go back? It will probably be Amy.
Amy talks to Danni about what the possibilites are for her to stay. Danni said that she would hate to vote Bobby Jon out. Amy said that no one would ask her to come back. Danni brought up Bobby Jon's name. Gary tells Amy that if she gets Danni, she has his vote. So it is down to whether Amy can swing Danni. Bobby Jon says that the nervousness is bad because he is so close and is afraid of being voted off. As Bobby Jon said, that's life. Bobby Jon wants to make it to the jury and doesn't want to blow it. The question is how will the others vote. Danni wants to make certain that everyone is on the same page. Danni talks to Brandon. Danni tells Brandon that Stephanie and Bobby Jon already had a chance. Brandon says that he has an alliance with Bobby Jon but thinks that Gary and Amy belong there more because Bobby Jon already had his shot. Brandon says that it doesn't say that you have to lie, cheat or make alliances. Brandon feels that he is selling his soul in a way. Tribal council. Danni is asked how she feels to be there, and she says that nothing feels good because they have all bonded so well. Gary said that the group now is tight and close and it's harder this week than last. Amy said that she went through things that she would never experience anywhere else. Brandon says that it's more difficult than he anticipated on why he is voting folks out. Brandon says that it's hard to make a decision because do you pick the person who is deserving or who you have the alliance with. Danni said that it is going to be hard to keep your word at times. Bobby Jon said that it all depends on what sort of deals you made while you were competing. It is time to vote. Bobby Jon votes out Amy. Amy, of course, votes out Bobby JOn. The votes are tallied. Votes: Amy, Bobby Jon, Amy, Amy. Amy is voted out. Gary looks sad because he turned against Amy. Amy leaves and Danni and Gary seem to be the saddest. The four remaining Yaxhu members are now merged with Nakum and they will be forming a new tribe. All four voted against Amy.
Thursday, October 20, 2005 -- Evening
Now onto Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. Brandon is shocked over how Blake got voted out. He thinks that you won't know how something like that might happen. Brandon asks Bobby Jon if he has any regrets about voting off Blake. Bobby Jon said some, but it was that stage of the game where he had to do something. Bobby Jon explained that he liked Blake but that he rubbed people the wrong way. Brian says that Nakum is going to be shocked to see how got voted out. Day 15. Jaime is talking to Judd about being sick of the noises of the jungle. It is very noisy. Also, they are all being eatten up by mosquitos. Rafe says that everyone is trying to get along, and Margaret is being a negative energy in the camp. It seems that the other six get along, but not Margaret. Judd said that Margaret hates that she is stuck with him. Margaret said that she is not at the same end of the food chain and she doesn't like it. Judd said that Margaret going around like a sore thumb is making everyone miserable. Nakum and Yaxhu meet. Nakum is shocked that Blake is gone. The competition each tribe puts two people on the opposite sides of a large ball. First two women, then two men, then one of each. The first to score three goals wins. The prize--a grill, hamburgers, buns and beer. So one team will eat well. We now learn that both teams will go to tribal council and vote someone out. The team that wins the competition will immediately go into another competition and in that team, there will be a competition for individual immunity. That person will not be voted out and will get the opportunity to go to the other team's tribal council to gather information. Lydia sits out for Nakum. Cindy and Stephanie are going against Danni and Amy. Cindy and Steph have an advantage because they got to the ball first. Amy and Danni gave a push, and Yaxhu got the first goal. Judd and Jaime against Bobby Jon and Brandon. Bobby Jon gave a big push. Brandon got knocked over a few times. Nakum scored. Bobby Jon got all psycho and got into Jaime's face saying "that's not nice". Then it's Judd and Steph against Gary and Amy. Amy fell and got hurt and Gary and Amy were not able to hold back the ball. Amy hurt her sprained ankle again. Amy and Danni go against Margaret and Cindy. Amy even with the sore ankle gave a good push and Yaxhu got it. Bobby Jon and Brian are now against Jaime and Judd. Judd went down and Bobby Jon and Brian got ahead. Nakum won the barbeque feast and a shot at individual immunity. Now individual immunity. All seven race out to collect three bags of letter tiles. They have to take each bag back to the station after untying and then race back to the others. They will then take the 11 letters out and spell a two word phrase to get the immunity. Steph had all her tiles out first. Judd can't even his tiles out, but he figured out the phrase and told Rafe what it was. The phrase was "ancient ruin". Rafe spelled it out, and won individual immunity. He owes it to Judd. I think that the team wants to vote out Margaret so the big goal was for her not to win the immunity.Rafe was happy because they got the grill and he got individual immunity. Jamie said that Bobby Jon hit a flip switch. Everyone in Nakum thinks that Bobby Jon is psycho. Jaime says that southern people like him and Bobby Jon are crazy. Over in Yaxhu, Amy is limping abit, but she is a strong person. Danni says that everyone did give everything and that Nakum was just bigger. Brandon loved it when Bobby JOn got into Jaime's face. Bobby Jon claims to have put Jaime in his place. Amy feels that she let them down by falling so they didn't win. Amy is trying to play down how her ankle is swollen. Brian is trying to get the original Yaxhu together, and trying to get Bobby Jon off. Gary says that he doesn't understand getting rid of Bobby Jon who's a stronger player. Brian is hoping that everyone doesn't vote for him.
Barbeque at Nakum. Everyone is loving the hamburgers. Judd says that it sucks to go to tribal council. As Rafe says, it takes something out of the victory. Judd is talking with the others and says that Margaret will go out tonight. Judd doesn't have a worry in the world because as he said, he is one of the big guns on the team. Margaret thinks that Judd is the most offensive of the team. Margaret says that Judd is Judd's biggest enemy. Cindy and Margaret are complaining because there were supposed to be two beers and one root beer for everyone. Judd said that the person took the extra beer should go home. Judd gets rude and tells everyone to kiss his ass because they have the food because of him. Cindy says that can come back to Judd because folks won't tolerate his behavior. But for now, I think they will keep him because they need to win the challenges and he is the strongest. Nakum is at tribal council. Stephanie said that the feast was great, and she traded Judd a hot dog for a beer. Judd says that he loves his beer. Jaime said that he just got into it with Bobby Jon. Margaret said that Judd and Jaime are too vocal and need to tone it down. Judd says he gives his all, and that he just gives it his all. Judd said that it boosts moral. Judd got every angry and irrate and said that Margaret probably never played sports before. Margaret then says that when Judd gets vocal, he talks all over everyone. Judd said that he wouldn't consider himself a bad sportsman, and he loves everyone other than Margaret. Cindy says that it concerns her because the dislike between Margaret and Judd puts negativity in the air. Judd is really irrate and is not shutting up and talking all over everyone. Rafe says that he is not itimidated by Judd and that Judd has been nice to him. Judd confirms with everyone that he listens to them, but he doesn't not listen to Margaret because he hates her. Margaret appears to have told Judd at the beginning that he had ADD. Stephanie says that Judd embraced his new tribe, and she thinks that it's good. Cindy says that getting rid of the "bad apple" now will be good, and they need to identify the bad apple. Judd votes for Margaret saying that getting out of the jungle now is not soon enough. Vote tally: Margaret, Judd, Margaret, Margaret, Margaret. She is voted out. Judd is the guy who is going to win competitions. Rafe gets to stay to sit in on the Yaxhu council. Everyone voted against Margaret. Yaxhu comes in now.
Bobby Jon said that he got in the heat of the moment, and alot of testerone built up. Gary said that he thinks Nakum is good sports and that Jaime just gets carried away. Brian says that he has always been athletic. Bobby Jon said that Brian is a good old boy and always thinking of the game. Danni said that they think Brian is strong, classy and a nice guy. Amy says that her ankle was tweaked alittle bit. Brandon said that he was impressed with how Amy came right back to win. Amy went above and beyond and Brandon was impressed with her. Bobby Jon said that there isn't an obvious weak link and that everyone is competing and giving 110%, but that someone has to go. Rafe also appears to have won the right to give one of the people immunity. He gets to vote, then take his torch and leave. Rafe leaves. Rafe's choice for immunity remains a secret until after the vote. Brian is in deep thought. Vote tally: Bobby Jon, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian. Everyone voted against Brian. Only shot now is Rafe's immunity. Rafe gave immunity to Gary. Brian is now voted out. You have to feel sorry that Brian is out. Jeff Probst said that they did a good job of boosting Brian to only turn around and cut his throat.
Thursday, October 13, 2005 -- Evening
Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire was on tonight. The episode was titled Cross, Cowboys and City Slickers. It's night 11 at the Nakum camp. Judd is feeling good about going against his former teammates. Judd tries to explain that they are all there to play a game and they are all there to win a million dollars. Margaret thinks of him as a traitor. Judd says that he doesn't care what the others think about him, just what his wife and child think of him. Judd says that he doesn't care if Margaret is unhappy with him and can't wait for her to go. Day 12. Blake is thinking about what his chances are in Yaxhu. As Blake says, the original Yaxhu have to know they are doomed. Amy is from the city and asks the others to explain farming to her. Brian says that he probably wouldn't be friends with these folks outside of Survivor because he is very blue state and comes from Boston. Brian says that his team is very religious, and he just goes along with it even if he doesn't agree with it because he wants to remain in the game. Very good idea. The teams meet up for the next competition. The teammates are complaining about the heat and the fact that they can't go into the water because of the crocodiles. Today's challenge is for a reward. They have to race to a first station, and one team member has to cut through a rope to release two handles. They all have to rush to the next station where another team member has to chop through a log to release two more handles. They will then have four handles. They take them with them. Then four different people have to put the handles into the turnstile and have to turn the wheel to bring up a cart. The six who have done the work now get into the cart and the seventh person cuts the rope that send the cart hurling down the track to the finish. The prize margaritas and snacks (dips and chips) and also a crocodile proof swimming cage so they can swim in the lake safely. The cage stays at your camp--not just for the day. Jaime and Brandon won on the ropes. Brandon is through the first rope. Brandon got it. Yaxhu ran to the second station. Bobby Jon is working on the log. Bobby Jon has the four handles. Jaime just got through the first rope. Yaxhu is already working on pulling the cart up. All six get in the cart and got chopped free by Danni. Yaxhu won the award, and Jaime just got through the rope. Jaime asked them if they wanted to quit, and Stephanie told him they didn't have to quit they were finished. Nakum had an absolute blowout and as Jeff Probst said, it fell on Jaime.The swim tank and lounge chairs and deck. The whole thing is large enough for everyone. Brandon made the event because he got through the rope so quickly. Gary says that he and Kansas are loving their new superhero, Brandon. Brian said that Yaxhu is on cloud nine right now. As Brian said to be able swim even in a tiny square is heaven. Jaime is feeling bad over in Nakum. Jaime said that no one could cut the rope as quickly as Brandon did. Judd said that you can't blaim one person. They are a team. Judd tells Cindy that she should step up and do it if she knew that she could do the task because she was telling them all that she has seen Brandon cut rope and knew how to do it. Judd told Cindy and Margaret to setup and do it. Stephanie said that Jaime said that he could do the task, but then Brandon goes up and does it in 30 seconds. Stephanie says that inside she is crying and breaking down. She sasys that she feels like she is in a really bad dream and she can't get out no matter what. Stephanie does not want to relive her past losing experience. She says that she is in the less able group and the group that sucks.
At the camps, it has been raining for a few hours. Blake is sleeping through it. Amy comes up with the nickname Golden Boy for Blake. Blake always seems to come up roses and always talks about himself. Blake says that his girlfriend has really large boobs. Brian says that Blake is such an idiot. Brian has decided to play the game "Bait Blake" and tries to get Blake to tell his stories about Bobby Jon and Danni to look like an idiot. It is time for the next competition. The challenge sounds like it might be something where they have to communicate and work together. Lydia starts a chant to try to make everyone think positive. Lydia decided to be a motivator today. Everyone is laughing at her. Jeff says that Nakum doesn't appear to be very happy. The tribe that works together well should win. The challenge. Each tribe divides into two teams of three. One says behind and shoots balls to the two teams. The first team with five balls caught wins. Brian and Lydia are the shooters. Yaxhu catches it. Nobody catches Lydia's ball. Brian shoots again. Nakum steals it. They are now tied. Nobody caught it. Stephanie plows into Bobby Jon. Then Nakum catches one. They lead 2-1. Then Yaxhu catches one. Score is 2-2. Nakum catches one. 3-2. Nakum stole one and now leads 4-2. Nakum caught it and won immunity. Jaime tells Lydia that she did it for them. Yaxhu is going to tribal council. Who will be heading home?
Back at the Yaxhu campon Day 14. Someone is going to be going home. Brian says that it might be one of the three old Yaxhu members. Brian and Gary are talking strategy and want to turn someone from the original Nakum against Blake. Bobby Jon said that he is probably going to vote Brian out, but he won't vote out Blake because he gave his word. Bobby Jon doesn't think that this is one of this times. Gary has been taking the initiative and is talking to someone. Gary said that he wants to get rid of Blake. Brandon says that he is not going to vote for Blake but will probably vote for Amy or Brian. Danni seems that she might go either way. She doesn't like his frat boy stuff, but at the same time Blake is good at the competitions. The group is now headed to the tribal council. For whom will Danni vote? Jeff asks Gary about the storm. Gary says that only Brian and Blake slept. Amy talks about the Golden Boy nickname. Blake said that he thinks that although he started poorly that he can ride it out to the end. Brandon said that it is ramping up abit and not all physical challenges. Gary said that the first few moments were scary. Amy said that they are one group and forget what happened before. Jeff asks Blake the same question and Blake said that there are old tribal lines. Brian said that it shouldn't be tribal lines because you should give everyone a chance. I hope that it isn't Brian. Blake is annoying. The voting begins. Brian says to the camera that Blake may be the golden boy, but that he is platinum and will come out in the end. Votes: Blake, Brian, Brian, Blake, Blake, Blake. Blake is voted out. Relief washes over Brian's face. Jeff tells them that based on tonight's vote the game just took a big shift. It did too because Danni must have been the swing vote. But shocker! It was five votes for Blake and two from Brian. Both Bobby Jon and Danni voted against Blake.
Thursday, October 6, 2005 -- Evening
There was another episode of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire on tonight. The title of tonight's episode is "To Betray or Not to Betray". The show starts will monkeys in the trees resting in the heat. Nakum is also resting on Day 9. It seems that it is in triple digest. Cindy said just when you think 104 is hot, the next day it is 114. Everyone seems to be wilting in the heat. Judd is complaining about the mosquitos being all over him. Their bodies are covered with mosquito welts. They look like they are in really bad condition. It seems that Nakum is just laying around doing nothing. Meanwhile the guys in Yaxhu seem to be doing okay, at least they aren't laying around doing nothing. Gary and Rafe are cathing minnow from a pot with corn in it. Yaxhu see a huge crocodile in the river that is snapping up fish. It adds to the drama. Nakum sees the Yaxhu tribe for the first time. They are getting a break from the challenges and will get to find out what their tribemates think of the others and will let the other tribe know something of the other. You can not vote for yourself. Question 1: "which tribe member needs some nourishment?" Yaxhu says Jaime, Nakum says Dani. Each gets an apple. "which tribe member is the smellest?" Yaxhu says Gary, and Nakum says Bobby Jon. They each get a shower with five gallons of fresh water. "from your tribe which man and woman deserve a picnic after and then returning to the camp?" Yaxhu--Gary and Amy. Nakum--Margaret and Judd. The four get a picnic of chicken and chocolate chip cookies. They have to take it off and eat it without bring any back. "Which tribe member remaining has tribe pride?" Yaxhu--Brian. Nakum--Cindy. The remaining players on Yaxhu go to Nakum. There are five remaining Nakum have to pull colors and Brooke stays with Nakum. Bobby Jon, Brian, Brandon, Blake and Dani are now part of Yaxhu and will be joined by Gary and Amy. The rest are now part of Nakum.After the break, we join the four picnicers at the top of the Maya temple. The topic of Gary being a football player came up. He denied it, and Amy said if he was a multi-millionaire football player, she will kill him. Brian takes the guys over to the Yaxhu camp. When they get back to the camp, they found fruit. Amy and Gary came back to the shock of seeing non team mates there. Brian realizes that the Yaxhu tribe is outnumbered. Danni says that maybe Gary doesn't want people to know that he is a former quarterback because they might think that he has money. Over in the Nakum camp, Margaret and Gary find out about the change. So the members of the original teams are trying to figure out what they will do. At least with Nakum it is four on four, but Yaxhu has three old members and four old Nakum. Judd says it doesn't bother him, but it bothers Margaret. Judd is just glad to have gotten rid of the guys from his team and feels like King Kong now. Jaime and Stephanie are scheming over what to do. Stephanie asks Judd who's the strongest girl. Judd said that he gets along better with Jaime and Stephanie. They are plotting to get rid of the girls from Nakum. It seems they are thinking of getting rid of the four girls and keeping Rafe. Judd said that he feels good, and think that the three will make a good alliance. Judd has no problem with turning on his old tribe. He says that they have to get out of his jungle.
Amy has concerns because there is Bobby Jon, Blake, Brandon and Danni, and that there are only three from Yaxhu, Gary, Brian and Amy. Bobby Jon and Blake are going to target the three Yaxhu players. Amy's angle is still sore and sprained. Amy realizes that if she doesn't do well in the next challenge she is gone. competition--both tribes have to paddle out and get three bags of tribal color. There are Maya war clubs in the bag. They have to then throw the club and breaak tiles that are 30, 40, and 50 feet away. No one can break more than one tile. If someone can't do it they should step aside and let another team go for it. Lydia is sitting out. Nakum has their bag first. The boats collide. Nakum pushes Yaxhu's boat out and Yaxhu is in trouble. Nakum is getting the third bag as Yaxhu is getting their second. Yaxhu has their third bag and is headed bag. Nakum is back to the beach first. Everyone has to get to the mat before they can throw. Yaxhu is closing the gap. Stephanie broke the first for Nakum. Brian is first for Yaxhu and switches with Danni. Danni breaks it for Yaxhu. Tied one to one. Judd still throwing for Nakum. Yaxhu got the second tile. Judd finally breaks it. It is Brandon and Jamie going for it. Yaxhu wins the immunity. Nakum has tribal council.
After the break, Nakum is talking about who will go out in tribal council. So Rafe talks to Stephanie about it. Rafe thinks it will be a four-four tie. Brooke is saying that maybe they might vote the weakest person off. Brooke, cindy and Margaret are planning to stick together and want to know where Judd's loyalty lies. Margaret tells Judd that she would like all of Nakum to be together. Judd said that it Lydia and Brooke are the weakest. Margaret tells Judd that whoever has the majority will pick the others off one by one. Judd tells Margaret that she has his wheels turning. Rafe tells Lydia that they are hoping to get Judd to vote with them and that Judd won't know what hit him. Judd is worried about Jamie and Stephanie not being as loyal as they say they are. Judd said you can't trust anyone. Judd says that he won't know until he gets there who he will vote off. It is now time for tribal council. Stephanie is told that she is 1 in 7 and 4 in 21 overall in Survivor. Stephanie is wondering if she is a jinx. Margaret is asked about people connnecting. Margaret said that she noticed Stephanie, Judd and Jaime joining together. Judd says he was just being friendly. Lydia says that she still feels vulnerable, but hopes that the others will get to know her and her strengths. Brooke says that the women are more vulnerable because they aren't strong as men. Judd syas that he knows right away if he can connect to people. We see them voting. Votes are being tallied. votes: Lydia, Brooke, Lydia, Lydia, Brooke, Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. Brooke is the fourth person voted out. So now the remaining Nakum knows that Judd went against them.
Thursday, September 29, 2005 -- Evening
Another episode of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire was on tonight. Yaxha camp is sleeping while Lydia is working hard. Lydia said that she would have gotten rid of Brianna because she is on the weak side. Brianna said that she doesn't get along with Lydia. They don't fight, but they don't have alot in common. Brian said that he orchestrated the ousting of Morgan. He says that he will do anything to have things go his way, but he would go along with the others just to get far. Judd from Nakum said that he only slept a few hours even though they are in day seven. It seems that a monkey is constantly calling for his friends. It seems that there is a howling monkey there that is just constantly screaming. Judd said that the constant screaming is driving him nuts. Jeff Probst calls the Yaxhu tribe in for Nakum to get the first look at the new tribe. The challenge is for the tribe to build an archaelogist's tent. The teams will be blindfolded and tied together. One member will not be blindfolded and will direct the team to gather the things that are scattered around the ruins that will allow the team to build the tent. Once all the elements are gathered together, the team members can take off the blindfolds and build the tent. The first to correctly build the tent will win comfort supplies like blankets, pillows, lanterns, tarp, rope and fuel. Brook will be the caller for Nakum and Gary for Yaxha. Nakum seems to be ahead in gathering bits although Brooke seems to suck at calling at directions and they seems to hit each other alot. Yaxha got their ninth item and could take off their blindfolds. Yaxha had a big lead. As Jeff says it will come down to who works well together. Yaxhu seems confused and can't figure out the frame while Nakum is working well together. Nakum won the reward. Yaxha fell apart in putting it together--the calling was good, they just couldn't work together. Nakum had awful calling, but could work together.Stephanie said that the reward challenge was easy and that they just started building in conflict with each other. Stephanie is hoping that they can pull it out. Amy said that it sucks to lose, but hopes that they can get it together to win the next commpetition. Amy is very funny about how funky her clothes are, and sounds very New York. She comes from Massachussetts though. Amy said that she will not give up. Bobby Jon said that it felt good to win. It seems that the heat is taking a toll on Nakum getting anything done work wise. Cindy said that there's probably hundreds of alligators in the water. Cindy said that alligators got deeper to cool off, and that her teammates think that it is safe to go deep. Brandon said that the brave may not live long, but the cautious don't live at all, and he would rather live. Brianna is working hard mushing corn because she wants to be a useful member of the team and not eliminated. She makes corn mush for the tribe. Rafe said that every meal tastes the same and he would just like to eat something different. Rafe wants to eat a termite. He and Gary taste them. Rafe thinks they are good protein even if they don't taste good. Stephanie just wants them to stop because it looks gross. Brandon said they all have different ideas of how to do it, but that they work as a team. Margaret starts to tell them what to do. As she said the tarp should lean, but they have what looks like a circus big top. Bobby Jon said that you just can't tell grown men what to do. Judd said that nobody's going to tell him what to do except for his boss and his wife.
The morning of day 8 dawns. Nakum has received a basket of feathers, bands and body paint. The idea is to decorate themselves for the next competition. Brian says that they need to do it so Yaxhu does not go to tribal council. Brian is fired up and trying to get the others just as fired up. The competition: it is based on the Mayan game of court ball. There will be three players on each team. You can't run with the ball, it is just passing. The team must then make a basket. The first team to score five points wins. First team is three men against three men. Judd, Blake, and Bobby Jon against Brian, Rafe and Jaime. Brian scored first for Yaxhu. They lead one to zero. Then it is two men, one woman. Judd, Blake and Margaret against Rafe, Jaime and Amy. Blake scored one to one. Then it is all women. Lydia ran with the ball and had to give it to Nakum. They score and have two points. Blake then scores again for Nakum. They lead three to one. It is 114 degrees. Blake, Bobby Jon, and Brooke against Rafe, Gary and Amy. Rafe scores. Three to two. Blake, Bobby Jon, Judd against Gary, Brian, and Jamie. Score is tied three to three. Danni, Cindy and Brandon against Amy, Lydia and Rafe. Danni scores for Nakum. They lead four to three. Brianna doesn't move around, and Danni winds up scoring for Nakum. Yaxhu goes to tribal council.
Stephanie said that she doesn't like being on a losing team again. Stephanie is really upset with the women on her team and things that they aren't very athletic. Lydia and Brianna never played sports before. Lydia tried, but Brianna just sort of stood there without doing anything. It seems that they are going to vote out Brianna. Brian said that he didn't like Brianna because he likes them crazy or pretty and Brianna is neither. Brianna said that she is scared because she is the weak link. Brianna says that she knows that Lydia doesn't like her her, and is trying to talk Stephanie into going against Lydia. Yaxhu goes to tribal council. Jeff asks Stephanie if it is looking familiar and she says it is like deja vu. Stephanie said that she felt frustrated and admits that Brianna and Lydia didn't know sports. Lydia said that she sucked today and was in there trying her best and put her heart into it. Brian said that the other tribe is probably more athletic but that Yaxhu is committed to be together and like each other. Gary says that being athletic is important. Amy tries to tell people not to vote her out. Brianna is voting out Lydia for not looking her in the eye or trying to talk. Brian votes out the girly girl Brianna. Stephanie votes to stop the losing streak. Who is out? votes, Brianna, Lydia, Brianna, Brianna, Brianna, Brianna. She is voted out. Brianna says that they are strong and need to go and kick some butt. Yaxhu heads back to camp.
Thursday, September 22, 2005 -- Evening
Today was the second episode of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire. As with most of these shows, we had a recap of last week's episode. The new action started on night 3 with the Nakum tribe returning to camp and thinking of how sick all the men are. Day 4 takes us to the Yaxhu tribe. They don't think that the Nakum drive is as big a powerhouse as they originally thought. Yaxhu thinks they are the most diverse tribe. Gary isn't telling anyone that he was an NFL quarterback 15 years ago. It seems that Yaxhu is getting along very well, and they think that will help them in the competition. Blake from the Nakum is whining about not being able to breath, sleep, and that he's not feeling well. Then we see the nurse who's on Nakum nursing Blake. He really seems like a whiner. Meanwhile Brandon, the farmer, says that he thinks that Blake has to man up and play with pain. The next compeitition is going to be for food. They have to race one at a time over to a net, and then have to climb around on the net and release one of eight bags, drop it into the water, and must drop into the water after it. If the person falls into the water without a bag, they have to go back to the beginning. All the players must go in a certain order, and after everyone has gone at least once, then they can go in any order. The winning team gets all eight bags. What they win will be worms, hooks, and other things to help them fish because besides crocodiles in the water, there is also alot of fish. Amy sits out for Yaxhu so they don't have an unfair advantage since they have more people. First up is Jaime and Bobby Jon. Jamie was first into the water with his bag. Brian for Yaxhu is on his way. Finally Bobby Jon gets back and Cindy goes off. Cindy made up alot of time, and got Nakum the lead. Blake and Stephanie then went off. Both were pretty much tied, but Stephanie got out first. Gary and Brandon then go out. Brandon got his bag first. Margaret was first for Nakum, and then Rafe for Yaxhu. Rafe dropped without a bag and had to go back and then couldn't get out of the water. Rafe really lost them alot of time. Judd didn't get a bag and dropped into the water. Danni went out for Nakum and Morgan for Yaxhu. Brianna was out next for Yaxhu with tied bags. Brianna fell without a bag. Lydia went out for Yaxhu. Danni got a bag for Nakum. Nakum has 6 bags, Yaxhu has 5. Jamie from Yaxhu goes out and Brooke is coming back. Jamie made up alot of time, and they are tied again. Blake is going for the eighth bag and Brian is going for his bag. It looks like a tie. Nakum won the competition, and Blake acts like he is dying.Nakum goes out to fish early in the morning. They actually caught a few little fish. Rafe says that they are in desperation mode and will eat anything. Rafe found a grasshopper. Gary lets us know that Morgan isn't doing her fair share of the work at the camp. Meanwhile Lydia makes a fish trap. Rafe decides to eat some ants, and he and Gary get an ant nest. They sample the ants, but Lydia gets 10 little minnows so that means one each. Lydia says that the way to a man's heart is through their stomach. We then go back to Blake wheezing in the Nakum camp. Judd says that Blake does nothing in camp, and Margaret just nurtures him. Judd is getting sick over just hearing how much Blake is resting and not doing anything. Judd complains to Brandon about it. As Judd says Blake rests all the time while the rest of them work, so he can be the hero in the competitions.
Blake is still whining. The next competition is coming up, and it sounds like tug of war. Danni from the Nakum tribe is a sports writer and recognizes Gary as an NFL quarterback. Both tribes will be connected to each other with a colored rope. Each person must get a flag, and other players from the other team can try to impede the other team. If no one from the tribe gets a flag in the specified time, it becomes a one on one competition. Brianna will be sitting out this one. Nakum had a bit of a lead. One of the guys goes for Danni, and a real mud battle goes on. One minute is left unless they get flag it is down to one on one. Which ever player is closer to the flag gets it. They have to get three flags to win. Danni yells out that Gary is a quarterback and that her teammate needs to be a tight end. Yaxhu looks shocked. Brandon has a big lead and gets to the rope and gets the second flag for Nakum. Judd and Jaime both go up again. Jaime made a big move and started to move towards his flag. Judd waited until the final seconds and pulled Jaime. Nakum won the flag and immunity. Yaxhu goes to tribal council.
Yaxhu is not happy about the tribal council, and they are all wondering who will go. They all love each other they say, but they have to vote someone off. Stephanie is shocked that they might be talking about getting rid of her. She is shocked. Stephanie says that she is the strongest girl on the team and can't understand being voted off and refuses to get off. Someone asks Gary about being a former NFL quarterback because Danni said something while she was wrestling in the mud. Gary is keeping his past quiet because he doesn't want to be voted off. Gary says that he doesn't like Morgan because she does nothing in the camp. He doesn't like Lydia because she is limited because Lydia is smaller and older and therefore can't compete. It seems that a group of them have decided to get rid of Lydia. Brian likes Lydia because she is a really hard worker. He tells Lydia what is going on. Lydia campaigns and says that she puts her heart and soul into every single challenge. Morgan is lazy, and does nothing, but they will keep her because she is young. That is so stupid. So they have tribal council. Stephanie said that the tribe was very welcoming. Jeff asks Lydia about her being the least athletic, and she says that she tries really hard. Votes: Morgan, Lydia, Morgan, Morgan, Morgan, Morgan. So Morgan gets voted out by five votes. Jeff tells the tribe that they are obviously close and unified but that the person voted out obviously didn't see it coming.
As the show ends, we see everyone voting, and everyone voted for Morgan to leave. She admits that she didn't see it coming at all.
Thursday, September 15, 2005 -- Evening
This evening was the first episode of Survivor: Guatemala/The Maya Empire, and is titled Big, Trek, Big Trouble, Big Surprise. The show is located in the Mayan ruins found in the Guatemala Penisula. We find out that the area is inhabited by jacguars, crocodiles and dangerous spiders. The contestants have been split into two tribes with 18 strangers. The adventure takes 39 days, which I believe is the standard Survivor time span. We met the two teams. The Nakum wearing Yellow and Yaxha wearing blue. At the camp, there were be things that will help the contestants to live as the Mayas did. They each have one "tool to aid them, and that is two previous Survivors, Bobby Jon and Stephanie from the Palau version. Stephanie is on the Yaxha team. The girls were all crying, but John wanted to know how he was going to win with her on the team. Bobby Jon is on the Nakum team. Brandon from Nakum thinks that Bobby Jon is dumb. The tribes are told that they can keep or vote off the old Survivors. The first test is a race of 11 miles through the jungle. The winning tribe gets the better camp and gets flint to make fire. The losers get the lesser of the two camps and no flint. It is a marathon and not a sprint. Nakum goes up the steps and to the right, Yaxha goes to the left. The tribes will find a compass and that map at the time and fruit and rice. It is up to the tribes to decide how much to take with them. Someone made the stupid decision to eat some of the food there. What idiots! The farmer guy, Brandon, is a real idiot. Stephanie thinks that Yaxha welcomed her with open arms, but it worried that they might see her as a threat. They have to use their compass to walk a straight line. Jim the old man comes up with the idea to leap frog with one guy going forward, and then the rest join him. Jim said that you could walk in circles if you didn't do it right, and he has the navy experience to know how to use a compass. Gary seemed to take charge and be the leader with the Nakum tribe. Gary is the ex-NFL player, but he said that he was a landscaper. Stephanie and Gary took charge of reading the compass. The Nakum tribe is leading at this point in the show. Judd, the doorman never camped and doesn't know where he is going. Blake got hit with a branch with spiky thorns so they had to stop to take the spikes out. Margaret, the nurse took spikes out. Yaxha is still trailing. It's night time and the Yaxha tribe is really lost in the thick jungle. Yaxha stops for the night because they can't see. Nakum stops too because they can't see. Blake who got hit with the spiky thorns is throwing up, and it sounds really gross. Fortunately, he has a nurse on his team.Break is over. There were lots of wild animal noises and it was freaking out some of the people because it sounded scary. The Yaxhu tribe started moving abit before daybreak. The Yaxhu tribe met up with the Nakum and that was surprising because originally Nakum was ahead of Yaxhu by alot. So then the Nakum tribe starting running. The Yaxhu tribe had to wait for their weakest players and wound up losing sight of the Nakum tribe. Bobby Jon on the Nakum tribe started to get bad cramps from dehydration. Fortunately, again, they had a nurse on their team. Nakum was surprised to see the experienced guy go down fast. So far, I am noticing alot of whiners. Nakum got to the river and their boats first, and they set out to reach the camp. As they were paddling, the Yaxhu tribe arrived, and realized they were so far behind and started pushing it. Nakum docks first. Judd stupidly leaped out of the boat too early and wound up in thick mud and had trouble getting out. Bobby Jon in the meantime was really sick from cramps from dehydration that he was a real impediment on the team and couldn't get out of the boat. Even with all that Nakum managed to get there first and got the better camp. The Yaxhu tribe gets sent off to the second and lesser camp, and still have a way to go. They get a map and get sent on their way.
After the break, we see Yaxhu paddling to their camp which was all the way across the lake. They don't have water or shelter, but get busy building it. Stephanie says that she is psyched because she is on a team that has heart and spirit. Rafe reminds me of Andy Dick, and I think will annoy me. Meanwhile we start seeing all the guys on the Nakum tribe vomitting. It seems that they are very dehyrated. The women appear to be fine. As I explained to my boyfriend, it's because Women are much better at stamina. Fortunately they have the nurse. So they got there first, but most of the guys were so sickly while the women were fine. Just goes to show you who the stronger sex is. The teams are up for their first challenge on Day 3. The challenge, all nine have to paddle out into the lake around a bouy. They grab a torch. When they get back, they have to drag the boat up the beach with the help of logs and a rope that four of the men tug on. As they clear the back log, they have to drag it to the front to keep the boat moving. It's just as the Mayas would have done it. Yaxhu has their torch first and turn around. They arrived at the beach almost at the same time. Stephanie had her foot caught under one of the logs. Nakum had a slight lead, but then Yaxhu started to take a big lead because they had teamwork. Yaxhu won and get immunity and get a flint to make fire. They get the immunity icon. Nakum has a tribal council that night and will vote someone out.
After the break, Nakum goes back to its camp. The heat seems to sap them, and Jim hurt himself, and snapped his left bicep muscle it seems. Nurse Margaret to the rescue. The women are talking about how they are the strongest on the team, and how Bobby Jon was the weakest. Brandon, the farmer, has questions about whether the sick men can take it. My boyfriend said that he would get rid of the old man, Jim, because obviously he will have problems. Blake, Jim, and Bobby Jon are the sickest and are on the line. Nakum has its council. They each light their torches. Bobby Jon said that he was never that beat down before and that not many get another chance at $1 million. Danni had a major mustache going on her lip. Judd said he was only sick for an hour so he is good to go. Meanwhile Jim is going to be a real problem because he has the torn bicep and has his arm in a sling. Blake is up first and quickly followed by the rest. The votes are tallied. Votes: Jim with 5 votes. I don't know if anyone else was voted for because the first five were for Jim. So Jim is the first person who is gone. Then we see Jim's wife saying she was proud of him and looking forward to their walks when Jim comes home.