Survivor Caramoan Episode 6 Recap: Tribe Swap, The New Power Tribe

With Episode 6, this season has entered a new stage. As expected, the Fans and Favorites mix and the new tribes will take us to the merge.  Let's get into it.

Pure harmony

At the very beginning, Gota was still recovering from Brandon's meltdown. Several tribe members are still visually shaken from the confrontation.  The tribe comes together and talks about what happened, and seem to be working very well together. Besides the tension between Phillip and Corinne, the tribe is for the most part a very unified group of 8. They remain a powerhouse even with a switch.

Battle of the Generations

Next we see a switch, done in place of the expected reward challenge.  Players chose teams based on the smashing egg method, and we are left with precarious new tribes. With exceptions of Sherri, Cochran, and Julia, the teams consist of the "Bold and The Beautiful" Gota (according to Cochran) and the older, less-athletic Bikal tribe. However, it seems that both tribes are happy with their members, and Matt comments on how he's happy to be with the Bikal tribe.  Unfortunately, these groupings are quite imbalanced when it comes to any type of physical challenge. Bikal will likely only see success in a communication, puzzle, or eating challenge (which may happen this season according to Jeff Probst's twitter account).

"I'm an accomplished liar when it comes to women"

Back at the Gota tribe, the Fans are spilling information left and right. Sherri openly talks of her dislike of Reynold and Eddie with tribemates Brenda and Andrea.  Within an hour, Reynold and Eddie talk to Malcolm and Eric about their feud with Sherri. In the little time we see of Gota, Andrea and Malcolm share information on the dysfunctional Fans and the two solidify plans to eliminate to Fans (likely Reynold first).  In an especially sly move, Malcolm lies to Andrea about not having the idol while it is literally around his wrist.  On the Gota side, the Favorites are still in control for now.

At Bikal, the team seems to be working well together. The Favorites are still very much the dominant force in the team, with Phillip, Dawn, Corinne, and Cochran outnumbering Mike, Matt, and Julia.  But for Phillip, an alliance can never be too big.  While they are making fire, Phillip plants the seeds for later alliance by hinting that he may want to work with her in the future. Julia's open, but a little unsure why Phillip is targeting her. Obviously, the rest of the Fans are upset with Phillip for doing this, but Phil seems to be far from being voted out. There is more pressing business: eliminating the Fans.

Crates? No big deal

We have another throwback challenge that's entitled "Crate Expectations." The Heroes dominated this challenge behind Boston Rob in season 20, and it was another blowout tonight.  The young, strong Gota tribe blew past Bikal from the beginning and never looked back.  While the young Eddie and Erik manhandle the boxes, Philip (who goes back to back for some reason) and Julia struggle to keep up. The Bold and the Beautiful finish their entire staircase before Bikal has one box correctly placed. Blowout.

Can an alliance be too big?

Strategy continues over at Bikal. In typical Phillip fashion, he attempts to lead Matt and Mike into thinking that could soon be admitted into Stealth-R-Us if they obey the commands of the alliance. At a meeting of the Bikal Favorites alliance, Phillip pushes for Julia to go. Mike and Matt act a suppliants to Phillip, and are willing to go with his plan to vote Julia. M and M then convince Julia to vote Dawn, staying loyal to the Specialist.

The quiet strategist lurks

Cochran advocates a change of plans. Thinking strategically, he sees Mike and Matt as a "power couple" who could be dangerous together. Corinne remarks that she is sure that Matt doesn't have the idol, so they could eliminate him without needing to split the votes.  In a surprising conclusion the Favorites alliance all go for Matt after Cochran's proposal. Just like that, the Fan who was best placed strategically last episode is gone in episode 6. Michael and Julia are in grave danger. It would take a big surprise for them them to stay much longer.

I think movement in the Gota tribe could be the next storyline in the game.  Malcolm claims to be loyal to the favorites, but he hides the idol from Andrea when she asks him. There seemed to be some chemistry between Malcolm, Reynold and Eddie based on the little we saw. Malcolm is on good terms with everyone on the dominant tribe in the game.  Could we see a Fan-Favorite alliance. This could be the case next week. I can't wait.

A new power alliance?

Survivor Caramoan Episode 5 Recap: Brandon Hantz's meltdown, Reynold's idol magic

This Wednesday, Survivor fans witnessed one of the most bizarre episodes in Survivor history.  Along with an unprecedented outburst and very real drama, the game just got a whole lot more interesting from a strategic standpoint.

"Muscle is not paying off"

Let's begin with the Fans tribe.  Over at Gota, Reynold and Eddie are preaching a new beginning. Reynold and Eddie talk about how their new tribe will be more unified and able to compete in challenges.  However few, even Reynold, are truly down with a unified group of six. Reynold talks about how he has very little trust in his tribe, recalling how he was essentially blindsided by the decisions to vote off Allie and Hope.  Sherri is disappointed by her tribe, because she wished they hadn't voted of her close ally Laura.  Mike Snow is weary of Reynold who he calls clutch, and poised to go far in the game.  The only member to be totally down with the new tribe seems to be Matt, who is excited to have his friends Sherri and Mike as well as the physical ability of Eddie and Reynold.

"This is how you play Survivor!"

Tension in the Gota tribe was exemplified by the frantic idol searching that was constantly taking place. Mike was especially eager to find it, if only for the reason that Reynold doesn't have it. Sherri also scampers frantically, as her alliance is weakening by the day. Of course, Reynold finds it again and keeps it secret this time.  His teammates have reason to be worried.

The fans have a new pecking order.  Sherri showed an inability to adapt to new tribal alliances, and is now on the outs.  Matt Bischoff is in the best social position, having ties with both former alliances.  Based on the promo for last week featuring talk of Corinne leaving, these fans could win immunity next, which would put them only one player down.

Michael fights 'til the end

At the reward challenge, we have yet another very close contest.  The key job was holding up a bag that was being filled with coconuts by the other team.  The Favorites logically chose Brandon, and Phillip, their two heaviest. The Fans chose Mike and Matt - suspect choices for a tribe whose strongest players are Reynold and Eddie.  May I suggest that if Eddie was holding a rope, the Fans could've pulled it out. Reynold throwing the coconuts was a decent decision, because everyone knows he has a magic arm.  The Fans go home with a full barbecue, probably still full from Tata's feast.

"I'm the author of my fate"

Things heat up at Bikal. With very little reason, Brandon Hantz begins getting irritated with Phillip's "Stealth R Us" and his supposedly condescending nature.  After Phillip mentions to Andrea that they should throw the challenge to can Brandon, Brandon hears this information from Andrea.  Brandon proceeds to dump out the rice and the beans, and yells out to Phillip down the beach. "I'm the author of my fate," Brandon declares.  Meanwhile, the tribe scrambles to collect fallen rice and Dawn attempts to calm him.  I can't remember an emotional outburst of this magnitude.

Probst cools down the situation

The bizarre situation continues at the immunity challenge, which quickly becomes a public debate moderated by Jeff.  Holding Brandon back from Phillip, Jeff lets Phillip and Brandon air their grievances right in front of the delighted Fans tribe. As Brandon berates Phillip, Dawn and Andrea hold back tears.  Jeff sees the Brandon's state and calls for an immediate tribal council vote on the spot (first time ever) and Brandon leaves before any challenge.  



Suddenly this game got a whole lot more interesting.  We now have numbers 8 Favorites and 6 Fans. And based on the promo, there is most likely either a tribe switch or a merge. Given that a merge at 14 people is very rare, a tribe switch seems the most likely.  This change coud be huge because neither tribe is totally tight.  On the favorites, players like Corinne and Erik are probably on the outs and could jump to form new alliances. At Gota, no one (except Matt) is content with their position.  The season suddenly has huge potential because anything can happen.

We've got a game on our hands

Survivor Caramoan Episode 4 Recap: Shamar Leaves, Alliances Implode

Big man fall hard

Coming into this season, I would not have thought it would get this bad for the fans tribe. For one, the "favorites" tribe was composed of players known for bad decisions over pure audience popularity.  The fans tribe seemed to have legitimately intelligent players. Mike, Matt, Julia, Sherri, and Reynold could all be described as smart, intelligent players.  But it's been incredible to see how momentum has taken its toll on the decimated fans tribe. 

Last night, we saw the last of Shamar.  This was almost inevitable, as he was about to quit anyway.  It is interesting to note, however, that Jeff had visited Shamar earlier in the season while Shamar considered leaving. Some have called Shamar's medical evac a fluke, saying that this was just a move to remove him from the game he was not enjoying. Probst denies this, and I tend to agree, saying that the doctors found that Shamar's vision could've been serious impaired if he remained in his condition. Will Shamar's exit introduce a new era of unity over at Gota? 

How does Erik get a nickname?

Over at the favorites tribe, life seems simple and fun.  Phillip has gotten so bored as to give everyone on the tribe a Stealth-R-Us nickname.  Brandon's called "The Conquerer," Erik "The Silent One," and Brenda "Serenity."  This could be a big mistake for Phillip, because everyone knows that a nine person voting alliance is impossible to maintain. We see evidence of this when Andrea complains at the notion of Erik getting a nickname. By giving everyone a nickname, Phillip is essentially neutralizing the people closest to him by implying their their relationship is not secretive and exclusive. Bad move.

Which one is not like the other?

Both challenges were throwbacks from Cook Islands (season 13) with slight differences.  For the reward challenge, they used flat platforms rather than the original cylindrical pillars to transport tribe members across platforms. For immunity, the main difference was that the keys released from the smashed tiles were buoyant, contrary to the sinkable keys from the past.

Two close losses this week were devastating for the Fans this week. The difference for the reward challenge was both the lack of teamwork on the fans and the tentative Laura being transported.  An unfortunate loss, but it's important to remember that immunity matters above all else. At immunity, the main difference was that Sherri missed a tile and had to climb the structure for the second time to retrieve her key.  From then on, the fans were one swimmer behind and not even Reynold's magic throwing arm could save them.

"No bitching in the jungle"

The reward for the Favorites was a visit by funny little filipino named Tata who is probably the greatest native ever to visit a Survivor campsite. He taught them to cook rice in bamboo and fixed their shelter, but above all entertained the tribe. They danced during the feast, and the little native spend some quality time with the Bikal ladies. (See more pictures at the end of this post)

Matt suddenly in a power position

Where do the fans go from here? It seems unlikely that they will now form a tightly knit team that works well in challenges and stays strong at the merge. Where we stand now, we have three distinct groups of two.  Sherri and Julia have been on the same page, and will likely vote together. These two have a good connection with another close duo, Mike and Matt.  These two (especially Matt) were the game-changers this week.  Matt was the player that instigated the Laura vote in the first place. He brought in both his original alliance members (Sherri and Julia) as well as the outsiders (Reynold and Eddie) in order to get Laura voted out. 

While the four of Sherri, Julia, Matt, and Mike are close, Reynold and Eddie have shown very little to indicate that they have any tribe loyalty. If things don't turn around, the fans that make the merge could end up joining the different favorites tribe alliances in an attempt to stay around.

I will end this post with Cochran and Malcolm's reactions to meeting Tata:

"He's like a filipino Golum"

"Tata's a married man. But that doesn't impede him from wanting to get his bump and grind on with the women of the favorites tribe"

Where to Watch (Stream) Full Survivor Seasons Online

Survivor is a show that can be hard to find. It's not on Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube.  I've narrowed down the very best options below.

•  Project Free TV - This is THE BEST place to watch old Survivor episodes. They have every season ever aired - including the reunion shows.  It can be slightly slow at times, but it's totally free and decent quality.  I rely on this site and it delivers.

• iTunes - Buying seasons does cost money, but most season are only $10 ($15 for HD). This is not bad, considering you are getting 15-16 one-hour episodes.