Surviving Vanuatu, Episode 7: Men vs. Women?

Last week, I ended my recap wondering what had happened to cause Lisa to lose. Of course, by the time I wrote Why Lisa Lost, we had pretty well figured it out. In fact, it showed a good strategic play by Ami, who took three threatened players (Rory, Leann, and Eliza) and turned them into three people who now owe her. As for Lisa, well, you can see what she thought of all of this in my interview with her.

Now it’s time to see if Ami can hold on to the power she grabbed. If Yasur loses again, will the foursome hold and get rid of Scout? Or will Ami change things up again? And what about Lopevi? If they finally lose a challenge, who will go there? Let’s find out!

Speaking of Lopevi, that’s where we begin. Chad says camp is running well with everybody doing their chores. Well, almost everybody. John is apparently not. To emphasize this fact, we see him lying around. Then he tells us he’s tired and bored because there is not much to do. Cut to Chad hauling firewood and dropping it right behind where John is sitting around bored because there is nothing to do. Chad tells us that he wanted to ask John how he could sit there and watch everybody else work. It’s amazing to him. He’s gotten away with it up to this point, but now Chad says people are making comments about it.

Indeed, Chris talks to Chad about how John doesn’t do anything, but he sure eats plenty! Chris says John is the type of person who would coast through the game. But they both agree that won’t happen here.

Over at Yasur, Rory is praying. He is thankful for having made it through another night in the game. But once that is done, he goes to work on Leann and Ami so he won’t still be an alliance of one. He tells them that he will be true to them all the way through the jury if they are willing to take him along. Ami says the one thing holding the women together right now is that there has never been a women’s alliance that has made it through the game. OK, now while that is true (at least as far as I can recall right this moment), that’s hardly a reason to play your strategy that way. You should play the way you need to in order to win, not a certain way because you want to strike a blow for feminism on Survivor.

Anyway, Rory says if he is voted out, they will crash and burn. He tells them that he can’t believe they would stick with Eliza over him, but Leann says unfortunately for him, the women have an alliance and that excludes him right off the bat. Ami also wonders what would happen at the merge – would he go back to the men?

Rory stutters out an answer that sounds a bit like Porky Pig. “Wha-wha-whatta-wha-whadayou mean?” He throws in a “f***ing” and Ami chastises him for swearing. He tells her not to treat him like a lackey. He says they just want him to work his butt off so they can play their game. They tell him to sit on his butt and have fun if he wants. Obviously, that isn’t what he wants – he repeats that he will support them 100% and he doesn’t give a f*** about Sarge and the other guys (there he goes swearing again – Ami is gonna be f***ing pissed!). But he gets nowhere.

He tells us that he has decided since they essentially told him he’ll be leaving, he is going into self-destruct mode. He says he told his wife before he left that he is going to institute a slash/burn/salt the earth policy. Um. Okay. He says if he gets voted off the island, the Yasur tribe will burn. I’m trying to figure out how he thinks he’ll get back to camp to do something after he’s voted off. He can’t do it before or it won’t really be “if” he gets voted off. The only thing he could really do is hide the food or other important items so nobody else can find it if he doesn’t come back home with them.

Anyway, it’s time for the reward challenge. Lopevi has a lot of surprised faces when they see Rory show up instead of Lisa. After a brief exchange about that, host Jeff Probst describes the challenge. One tribe member at a time will take turns breaking coconuts and filling a shell with the milk. Then they take that shell through an obstacle course consisting of various crawling, stepping, and see-saws. At the end is a glass jar, into which they pour whatever coconut milk they have left. First tribe to get back to start with their jar full of milk wins.

They are playing for a visit to a “home café” with a coffee maker, various coffee flavors, croissants, juices, and a reminder of home. Plus, the winning tribe take a coffee maker, coffee, and mugs back to camp!

Sarge sits out for Lopevi. And they’re off! John and Eliza are first, breaking their coconuts and heading into the course with John slightly behind. Eliza makes it first with a good amount of milk; John follows shortly. Leann and Chad are next. Chad makes up time and passes Leann as her height works against her in trying to get through the obstacles.

Thankfully, we don’t have to watch every single moment of every single person. A few people go and then we see Scout deliberately dump her shell so she can go to the end of the line and let a faster, more limber person go for Yasur. Good plan, actually.

Yasur appears to be ahead. Both teams are close, but I think Lopevi needs a bit more. Leann and Julie are heading through, with Leann having learned how to put those long limbs to good use.