Surviving Thailand, Episode 3: Fight Night

It’s night six at Chuay Gahn (CG) camp, and Clay says they are one big happy family and everybody enjoys everybody else’s personalities. Ghandia is happy that Ted is on her team – it’s the longest she’s been away from her husband and Ted brings that back to her, plus he’s nice to hug. This, fair readers, is called “foreshadowing.”

Over on Sook Jai (SJ) the next morning, Robb says this is the weakest and most fatigued he has ever felt in his life. Jake’s feet are full of blisters. Shii Ann says they are horrible campers and terrible outdoorsmen – they are starving. She describes herself as looking like Ally McBeal.

Penny says they haven’t been successful in getting fish into the net they won in the previous episode. Jake notes that they go the net, but they are still trying to figure out how to work it. Eventually, they get one little fish. Robb says it’s kind of strange to be here and see where the fish he eats come from but not have any idea how to get them.

Back in CG, it’s time for that foreshadowing to come into play. Ghandia wakes up and says she feels used. She says she and Ted have gotten close and always sleep next to each other, but last night he threw his arm around her and pulled her close – which at first was okay, but then became kind of sexual. Specifically, he was grinding against her. He kept, in her opinion, trying to engage her. She thinks it’s inappropriate because he is married and just had a baby two weeks earlier, plus he should respect her marriage also – she’s not going to go for it. Now I’m going to do some foreshadowing of my own. Note what she said happened – grinding. No mention of kissing, biting, hair stroking, or anything else. This is important, so keep it mind for later.

Ghandia does the adult thing and pulls Ted to the side to talk about it. He says in the middle of the night he was in a bit of a fog and thought he was with his wife. He says they should not hug, sleep next to each other, etc. anymore. He says he was not trying to start anything and apologizes from the bottom of his heart. Ghandia begins to cry, saying she was raped in college and people told her she was bringing it on herself. She was afraid he’d pretend it didn’t happen. He says he apologizes a million times and Ghandia forgives him. More foreshadowing, folks. Ted says they’ve been a family and will continue to be a family – they can pull together.

And the time for pulling together is now – it’s the Reward Challenge. Host Jeff Probst says this island used to be ruled by pirates, so that’s what this challenge is (sort of) based on. They have a floating bamboo course in the shape of an “X,” with two boats on each side. The idea is to “rob” items from the opposing team’s boat on one side and bring it to yours on the other. First team with 10 items wins. If you fall off, you have to go back to the beginning, and if you were carrying an item, you lose it. There can only be two members of each tribe on at any one time.

But the best part is that there is an “attack zone” clearly marked in black. (See picture at the top of this article.) If both you and your opponent are in that area, you can engage contact and try to push them off. If you engage contact and are not in the zone, you are out of the game and one item goes from your boat (the one you’re collecting in) to the opposing tribe. Seems clear enough, right?

The reward is 24 hours with two Red Berets – Thai Special Forces – to show the tribe how to get food, fix boats, make shelter, whatever.

And they’re off! Ted falls early and then Clay falls with the item he’s carrying. SJ gets two items in before CG gets one. Then three, then it’s four to two. Ted has realized that he needs to crawl to stay on the course, and he makes it to the attack zone and waits. Robb, trying to get the other way with an item, makes a comment to him and Ted says he’ll do what he has to do. Robb tries to make a jump (again, see the picture at the top of this article) and Ted flips him off the course. Still, SJ goes ahead five to three. Then Ted throws in Shii Ann. SJ is up to seven, CG to 4. It’s Ken vs. Brian and Brian loses. SJ has eight. Then all hell breaks loose.

Ken throws out one of the CG, but he was not in the zone. He is out and one item goes from SJ to CG, so it’s seven to five, SJ leading. Robb responds maturely by giving everybody the finger (actually, one on each hand). Next, Clay is coming towards the attack zone and Robb, who is not yet in the zone, grabs him around the neck and throws him in. Probst says no – no – no! Robb was not in the zone! So Robb is out and it’s tied up, six apiece. Robb bitches that Clay is a whiny baby. Um, no – for that, look in the mirror.