Surviving Thailand, Episode 2: Chuay Gone?

Survivor: Thailand’s second episode begins with Clay snoring and the other Chuay Gahn (CG) tribe members laughing. Helen wonders how that much sound can come from his small five-foot-five-inch body. But this topic is quickly left behind as they move to discussion of the “piece of crap” boat they have, which fills up with sand and water routinely and is extremely heavy. It makes the journey to get water even more frustrating.

But that’s nothing compared to the water journey Jan and Helen are about to take. They leave for the water hole without bringing the map. Jeez, and men are always the ones criticized for not asking directions! They end up going beyond the correct cove and examining the wrong beaches. Helen says one they arrive at is covered with snake holes, and Jan volunteers to stay with the boat while Helen goes out on all the searches – how nice.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Clay has set up a three-hole golf course so he can use his luxury item – a golf club and ball. They’d just better not lose that one ball. I wonder if Robb will be setting up a skateboard ramp… Anyway, Ted and Brian are playing with him – and beating him.

Still out on the ocean, Helen says they “stupidly” kept going in the wrong direction and they got into a current that they just couldn’t battle. She says Jan is a good swimmer, but doesn’t have the upper body strength to row at times like this – not a criticism, just a fact. She makes her comment (already made famous by the previews) about how if she had a gun, she’d have shot Jan first and herself second. She then adds that this is why she doesn’t carry a gun.

The others are beginning to wonder where Jan and Helen went, figuring it should take, at most, three hours to make the trip. Finally the two do find the right beach, and Helen goes to get the water. When she returns, she finds Jan doing a backfloat. We don’t get any comments, but the look on Helen’s face told the tale.

So the two of them head back, but can’t actually get to shore because of the current. Ted goes out to rescue them. Jan says she doesn’t need any more adventures for a while – they are very painful.

Meanwhile, over at Sook Jai (SJ), Jake says it’s very important that they get a good shelter. Indeed, it’s almost an obsession to the tribe, he says, but Stephanie and Jed are not working on it much, and this is causing some problems.

Ken says if he was in Jed’s place, he’d be helping just so he wouldn’t stick out so much. It’s one thing to be lazy, but another to be “freaking lazy.” For Jed’s part, he says they are spending so much energy it seems frivolous right now. Stephanie agrees, saying they don’t understand how to survive – Jed is getting the food and she is doing the water. Robb even seems to have come around some, saying that Jed didn’t help with the shelter but did work. He says he can’t let every little thing upset him because he wants to be friends and be around for a while.

Later, Jake finally realizes that they need food. Whoa, revelation! So a bunch go to look for shellfish. Once again, Jed sits it out, saying you don’t need five people to go search an area the size of a kitchen. Those who do go find quite a few oysters and bring ‘em back. Shii Ann says it’s fun to have everyone focused on a single goal, but then not everybody was happy and ready to go when they got back. Food, she says, is one thing all humans share to show affection, but Stephanie, Robb, and Jed didn’t want to eat any of it. There are few enough good times out there, and they need to work together as a team.

But then Jed decides he can’t sleep in the shelter, so he, Robb, and Stephanie sleep on the sand. Er, Robb? He was the one who was so big on pushing the shelter last episode. But then it rains and Jed and Robb head into the shelter. Jed says he doesn’t care if it’s okay with anyone that he moved into the shelter – he gets the water that they drink, so they need to realize that he may sleep in the shelter that they made.

Stephanie, however, stays out and sleeps in the rain, saying she loves the rain. Ken says it’s very weird and seemed pigheaded – now she’s sick. Shii Ann notes that it’s not wise to be in the rain when you have a cold.

Back in CG, Brian is playing the guitar and Ted is singing – rather, um, poorly. A monkey (or perhaps something in the ape family) is watching. It’s Helen’s 20th anniversary, and so she’s thinking of her husband today. She says they will celebrate when she gets back. Meanwhile, Tanya and Ghandia are secretly picking flowers for a crown for Helen and they are all planning a surprise party for that night.

The reward challenge is announced, and it seems obvious that it will involve most of the tribe being blindfolded. Ghandia says she will distract the other team with her cleavage, and be ready to pull out her boobs if needed. Somebody points out that the other team will be blindfolded, and she says they’ll know anyway. Um. Okay.

Indeed, most of the team is blindfolded for the reward challenge. Only one person is not, and the rest of the team has to carry that person in one of those Cleopatra-like chair things. The only seeing person has to direct the rest over a figure-8 course to grab their team’s bags. First team back with all the bags wins fishing hooks, fishing line, a big fishing net, and an extra lantern. SJ sits out Stephanie because they have one extra person.

CG chooses Tanya as a guide, SJ chooses Penny.

The two teams are almost neck and neck most of the way, bumping into each other at a couple of crossing points. There are also several nasty stumbles and a few people walk into the posts holding the bags. But in the end, SJ pulls out ahead and wins.