Surviving Redemption Island, Episode 2: “I Still Love Phillip Sheppard”

Last week… wow – things were insane, especially in Tribal Council! I can’t even begin to explain what happened in a few sentences, so just check out my full recap for all the details! I do want to admit that, yes, I missed the fact that there was a question mark at the end of Phillip’s listed occupation – I guess I was busy paying attention to the on-screen action. I think it’s just the producers having some fun with us given the way Phillip has acted, but who knows! The promos have indicated Phillip is going to be nuts once again, so let’s get to it!

Instead of the usual beginning with the previously-losing tribe returning to camp (or, occasionally, waking up the next morning), we begin this episode with Francesca arriving at Redemption Island that night. She tells us her mind is racing and she doesn’t see how she can sleep tonight.

It looks like they’ve given her a lit lantern, which is good because there are also written instructions for her. She is told via those instructions that she’ll have basic supplies, receiving a ration of rice and “plenty of drinking water.” So she’s in some ways better off than those in the game, at least as far as the water! “At a certain point,” whoever remains on Redemption Island will return to the game.

She says Tribal Council was “crazy.” Yeah, we saw! She continues that Phillip “flipped out.” Indeed he did! She wasn’t expecting to be voted out but she seems to be taking it fairly well since she now has a second chance. If it were me, I’d probably essentially give up since the only way to get back is to win what is probably quite a long a streak of one-on-one challenges.

Francesca says that coming to Redemption Island could be good for her game. Um… what? Now I think she’s either delusional from lack of sleep or doesn’t really understand how long she’ll be there and how bad the odds are for her to return. She says she left on good terms with everyone (yeah, that’s why they voted you out) but not part of the core alliance. If she can make it back into the game, she could still win. Like I said, delusional.

She continues her ultra-positive thinking as she tries to start a fire with flint and a machete, saying she’d much rather be where she is than back at camp with Phillip and the others. Delusional.

Now we get to Ometepe returning to camp after Tribal Council. Rob says it was one of the wildest Tribal Councils he’s ever been a part of. Considering how many he’s been part of, that’s saying something! Then again, I’d say it was one of the wildest I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen every single one of them!

Kristina tells us things didn’t go “exactly” as she’d hoped. Ya think? She believes it would have been perfect if she hadn’t mentioned anything to Phillip about the immunity idol, but I think she’s managed to catch Francesca’s delusions and isn’t thinking straight – did she not notice that Rob’s alliance was prepared for the use of the idol and split the vote? Or does she think they came up with that on the spur of the moment?!

She continues that she lost the battle but she’s still in the game. She has the idol and is happy she chose not to play it.

Loony Tune Phillip gives Rob a hug and takes him aside to chat. Rob tells us he knows both Kristina and Phillip were lying. “But it doesn’t take a genius FBI man to figure that out.” Heh.

Phillip tells Rob he was almost duped and wants to tell Rob some things from his heart. He says until he is voted out, “You own my vote.” He wants to play with integrity and when he says something, he means it.

Rob tells us Phillip “is a piece of work.” He doesn’t know if Phillip “is delusional” (Hint: Yes!) but he’s a good-hearted guy. “He just might not all be there.” Rob adds that this should be a lesson about how stressful government jobs are. No argument there, Rob!

When Rob’s back with his core alliance, he tells them they just need to get to the final six and then they can strategize all they want. Until then, they should stay as a solid six and that’s that. One of the women asks about the next vote and Rob says, “Vote Phillip. Phillip’s gone.”

Rob gets back to talking to us, saying things went according to plan in Tribal Council, other than Phillip outing his allies. It seems like his allies know how to follow directions. “Phillip did it to himself. He’s an idiot!” Still, he tells his alliance they should try to win a couple challenges before they vote Phillip out.

Wow, all of that was in the first few minutes before the theme song and intro! This is going to be another long episode!

It’s now Day 4 and we’re still at Ometepe. Phillip is on the hunt! He’s decked out in his “droopy fuschia briefs,” as Francesca has described them last week, with his buff hanging over his groin area like a loincloth (see photo at the top of this article) and carrying a pointed stick for use as a spear. He throws it at a crab and misses.

Phillip tells us how he entered a “primal state” while hunting. You realize that on Survivor, you are going to be tested in many ways. And yes, he is still listed as “Former Federal Agent?”

The other players are amused by the spectacle as one of the guys narrates it like a documentary, British accent and all, talking about how he’s “creeping up on his prey.” The girls are chuckling but Phillip tells us about how his revelation of being a former federal agent was meant to get the girls to trust him.