Surviving the Cook Islands, Episode 5: Mentally Checked Out?

But then Jenny describes what happens in the preparing of the meal. They brought pots to the beach to wash the food. Jenny leaves and Cristina decides to rinse the cut-up octopus by dunking the whole pot in the water. Then she’s surprised that bits float out. Um, duh. Then she tries to blame Jenny for leaving! Rebecca, sitting at camp with Jenny, wonders if she’s horrible if she asks for Cristina to go next.

Adam and Brad go to help clean up and recover what they can as Cristina continues to try to blame Jenny for not being there. Oh please. Adam tells us it really bothered him that he worked hard to get the octopus and she just dropped it in the water. He then tells Jenny about Cristina trying to blame her and Jenny is not amused. In fact, she calls her “our new J.P.”

Over at Aitu, Jessica talks about wanting to go to “that other island” because they’re starting to run out of resources. So Cao Boi, Jessica, and Ozzy head out, but Candice wants to stay back at camp and conserve her energy. Besides, she seems to think the three of them are sticking together and trying to find a fourth person to vote with them. Sundra also turns down the invitation, for the same reason.

Yul says they have a solid foursome alliance – himself, Becky, Jonathan, and Candice. Cao Boi and Jessica voted with them, but it’s hard to be in a strategic alliance with them because you don’t know what will happen on a day-to-day basis. He says they need a fifth to have the numbers, and they are leaning towards Sundra because she is alone and would be loyal. They talk to her and she seems amenable to it – why wouldn’t she? Sundra tells us she’s happy she is over being the outsider and feels like she’s part of the alliance, but that could change.

The expedition party lands on the other island and start walking around. Ozzy finds some sort of fruit that acts as an antiseptic for cuts. They head off to look for coconuts and find… the Raro tribe camp! Whoops!

The three of them walk right into camp and get some laughs and other looks of “what the hell are they doing here?” Several Raros wonder out loud what they’re doing there and Cao Boi says they’re out exploring. The three of them just walk right up to them and start introductions all around.

Adam doesn’t like it one bit. And after the initial intros, an awkward silence descends. Then Cao Boi starts talking about Chinese symbology, or something like that. I’m sure they’re thrilled. Then again, I suppose it’s probably better than comparing underarm hair.

Then again… Cao Boi talks and talks and talks. Stephannie says it gets to be a bit much. Then Cao Boi offers to work together to get coconuts and split it with them. Adam says no – they can all go to their island and split it with them. Good for Adam! Then Cao Boi has the nerve to “beg” for some spices! Adam says no again, and the threesome leaves.

OK, that was kind of surreal. I kind of figured there were rules against tribes invading the camp of other tribes, so I’m not sure what happened here.

But now we travel to yet a different island – Exile Island. Jonathan is reading the clues and trying to find the hidden immunity idol. Of course, we know it’s a fruitless search, as Yul already has it. But he searches and digs for hours and has quite a trench – but no idol. So he figures it must have been found – or “I’m a complete moron.”

Time for the immunity challenge. The tribes arrive and Jonathan rejoins Aitu. At Probst’s prompting, Jonathan says he spent a lot of time looking and dug a big hole. He adds, “I think I know where it was… but it ain’t there now.”

Probst describes the challenge: They will race to assemble stepping poles. They will then use those to transfer two tribe members from one large platform in the water to another. All eight tribe members will then swim out to one very small tower. First tribe to get all eight to the tower with both feet on or above the top deck wins.

And they’re off! Both tribes rush to start building the poles. Aitu seems to have a good system, with Raro falling behind. In fact, Aitu has all three poles in the water first. Raro gets in the water a little bit behind, but not much.

The lead evaporates as the poles start to fall apart. Whoops! Jenny is first on the poles for Raro, Jessica doing the same for Aitu. Basically, the other tribe members are holding the poles straight up in the water (in other words, it’s not like they fit into some collar on the ground or anything like that). Jenny is squatting down to stay balanced while Jessica is standing straight up with her arms out and seems to be doing a better job of it. Aitu is also using only two poles and switching them one after another as Jessica takes steps, thus eliminating the complicating factor of the third pole. Interesting.

Raro has a small lead, but Jenny keeps getting close to falling. Raro sees the Aitu two-pole strategy and adopts it. Jenny makes it to the second platform and Raro goes back to get Parvati. Jessica seems close enough to jump, but won’t do it. They move the second pole and she takes one more step to make it before Aitu goes back to get Becky.

Aitu is taking bigger steps between the poles to try to make up ground – and it seems to be working as they close the gap. Parvati gets to the platform! All of the tribe climbs up and jumps in to head off to the small tower. Aitu is not far behind.

When I say the tower is small, I mean that maybe two people could stand on it reasonably – but they have to get all eight up there! Raro is on the tower and trying to figure out how to get everybody on or above the platform. Aitu is doing the same until Cao Boi falls off. Raro is one person away before almost the entire tribe goes into the drink!