Survivor Caramoan Episode 3 Recap: Shamar in shambles, Andrea takes charge

In our third episode of Fans vs. Favorites 2, we see more of the same disfunction from the fans and strategic shifts at the favorites camp. 

Post-tribal tension

The center of attention in the Fans camp has been Shamar. Arguably hated from day one, many were surprised that he made it past the first tribal council.  Just like last week, Sherri pushed for the veteran to stay, arguing instead to vote Hope to weaken the strong three of Reynold, Eddie, and Hope.  Sherri had a tough job these last three days. Not only has Shamar pissed off nearly everyone in the tribe, but he consideres quitting for the entire first half of the episode. Appealing to the military background of Shamar, Sherri invokes the notion of loyalty in her plea for him to stay. Another smooth move by the Utah entrepreneur.

Meanwhile, Reynold and Eddie know that they could be next (after Hope). Their appeal is that they are essential for challenges, which is true. However, how long will this reasoning last? It is certainly common for the strongest players to be picked off right before or right after the merge.  It will be interesting to see if Reynold and Eddie form a new alliance with other members of the tribe.  Despite being in a dying alliance, Reynold is very likable and could be making moves in the next two episodes.

How trustworthy is this face?

The favorites seem to be in a comfortable place right now. However, subtle moves are taking place while the fans are busy quarreling back at Gota.  Andrea is one to never feel fully comfortable in an alliance, and she plays both sides in order to secure votes against Corrine. Pulling in Cochran and Brandon, she seems to have successfully convinced the boys that Corrine is a threat and should be gone sooner rather than later.  She later tells Phillip, who affirms his loyalty to Andrea in this situation.  This could spell trouble for Malcolm and Corrine later on.

Could it be a blessing or a curse?

Andrea has ample reasoning be nervous, for Malcolm and Corrine stumble upon the idol in a tree (who hides these idols?!).  Malcolm's not thrilled to share it with Corrine, but this is his only choice and he goes along with it.  Based on Gabon, Corrine is undyingly loyal to her alliances. Will she change her strategy, and backstab? Either way, Malcolm certainly doesn't fully trust her.

The immunity-reward challenged was close the entire way. With the strong swimming fans coming to an early lead, the challenge became tied as the grappling-hook portion of the challenge took place.  In the end, Reynold's magic throwing touch was non-existent and the fans narrowly took home immunity and pillows and blankets.

Grappling hook: the great equalizer

Before the vote, Shamar nearly shifted the vote to himself by exposing the majority alliance's plan to vote Hope, the next target.  While some negotiations between Laura, Julia, and Reynold occurred, Sherri's original plan shined through.  At tribal council, Sherri and friends put together an Idol-proof plan: split their 6 votes between Eddie and Hope, while the isolated three would put all three on Shamar.  After the three-way tie, the remaining 5 (Matt, Mike, Julia, Laura, Sherri) would vote Hope while Reynold would vote Shamar. Although the idol wasn't flushed, the strategy worked as expected with Hope leaving.

Eddie: "I'm also on Shamar's no-talking list"

I can't see Shamar lasting much longer. It's probably a bad sign that he has two fellow tribemates on his "no-talking list."

Survivor Caramoan Fans vs. Favorites Cast Twitter Accounts

The best way to keep up with your favorite Survivor stars is to keep up with their Twitter Feeds. I've compiled them below! 

Fans Tribe
Reynold Toepfer - @ReynoldToepfer
Eddie Fox - @SURVIVOReddie
Matt Bischoff - @MattBischoff
Allie Pohevitz - @alliepohevitz
Hope Driskill - @HopeDriskill
Julia Landauer - @julialandauer
Laura Alexander - @lauraashleyalex
Michael Snow - @heysnowy
Shamar Thomas - @SgtShamarThomas
Sherri Biethman - @SherriBiethman

Favorites Tribe
Andrea Boehlke - @andreaboehlke
Brenda Lowe - @BrendaLowe
Brandon Hantz - @darealLilHantz
Dawn Meehan - @meehand
Francesca Hogi - @DearFranny
John Cochran - @JohnMCochran
Malcolm Freberg - @MalcolmWHW
Phillip Sheppard - @PSheppardTV
Erik Reichenbach - @BloodyAmer1can
Corinne Kaplan - @CORINSANITY

Survivor Caramoan Episode 2 Recap: Sherri's Strategy, Reynold's Idol, and Phillip's Comedy

There is a lot to like about "Fans vs. Favorites 2" so far. Let's start with the Favorites.

Malcolm goes with the flow

Phillip's comical nicknamed alliance remained alive and well. The so-called "Stealth-R-Us" alliance consists (according to Phillip) Andrea "The Eliminator," Corrine "Dominatrix," Malcolm "The Enforcer," Dawn "True Grit," and Cochran "Intelligencia Atache." The entire alliance seems to be down with the plan, knowing that Phillip is too crazy to every win a jury vote.  Phillip openly calls himself "the CEO" to Brandon's face, while labeling Brandon "middle management."  Little does Philip know, but Dawn and Cochran are effectively playing both alliances. The opposing group was originally brought together informally by Francesca, and consists of Brandon, Erik, and Brenda.  Everyone seems to be going along with Phillip's plan except Brandon, whose mood swings lead him to a verbal assult at Dawn near the beginning of the episode.  My bet is the Brandon goes next, and Phillips minions continue to ride the CEO for the time being. 

Can I venture to say that the Favorites are going to be a great challenge team in the next few challenges? They have pure strength in Phillip, Malcolm, and Brandon, all-around athleticism in Erik, and great fighters in Andrea, Corrine, and Brenda. Dawn, winner of an individual immunity in South Pacific, is not to shabby for her age.

Reynold tries to play it cool

The Fans tribe has really gotten interesting. In a poorly planned move, Reynold, Allie, Hope, and Eddie have kept in their "cool kids" alliance. They seem to spend most of their time together, sleeping on the beach together rather than sleeping in the shelter with the other 6. Sherri has masterfully exploited this move and brought together the other six in a loose alliance.  She had a couple excellent strategic moves this game. 1.) She realizes that by accepting Shamar, she will earn his vote. She then goes on convince her alliance-mates that Shamar will settle down when he realizes that he is not getting voted out. 2.) In a subtle Boston Rob-like move, she asks who people would like gone. Laura suggest Allie, and Sherri goes along with the move. Sherri has been a subtle leader, manipulating her alliance's decisions without being a strong vocal leader.

I'm intrigued by the play-both-sides strategy exhibited by Matt and Mike.  Prior to voting Allie, Matt pondered voting Shamar alongside the "cool" alliance. He heard cases from both sides before making his decision. If this works out for Matt, and he doesn't ruffle any feathers, he may be in a great position later in the game.

In a rare occurrence, Reynold finds the hidden immunity idol without a clue. Unfortunately, Laura spots it and calls him out a tribal council. Reynold plays it cool, threatening to play it but then keeping it for himself. It will be interesting to see how he deals with it. Whether to keep it for himself or donate it to the tribe is a very important decision.

A throne fit for Hercules

P.S. This is perhaps the best confessional perch I have ever seen: