Surviving the Cook Islands, Episode 9: Living a Mutineer’s Life

Aitu works together to solve the puzzle as Parvati, sitting on a bench, wonders how they keep doing this to themselves. And Aitu wins “their third challenge in a row,” Probst says. They hug and yell victoriously before Yul realizes that Raro didn’t even get their fourth chest out!

So who is going to Exile Island? Ozzy counts down, “one, two, three” and they all say, “Candice.” Ha! I love it. Candice? She doesn’t so much love it. Probst asks if it’s from the same betrayal and Yul says, “Betrayal, strategy – at this point, same thing.” Candice walks off without a word.

Candice arrives on Exile Island and complains that she didn’t want to be sent back there. Her voice breaks as she says she knows it will be okay. I’m not sure she believes herself. She pulls the guts out of a sea cucumber and calls it “so disgusting.” Then she continues her monologue about how it’s not fun when people you like want to see you suffer. Awww. Well then maybe you shouldn’t have screwed over those “people you like.” She says she can survive out there, as we see her eating what looks like raw sea cucumber (ew!), and continues that she hopes it’s a character-building experience.

Meanwhile, a plane takes Aitu to their party. They are greeted by locals yelling at them in their native language. He then places leaves around their necks and they get carried to the party on the shoulders of the locals. What a way to travel!

The various Aitu tribe members talk about how awesome everything is. Then they are presented with food and drink. Yul says it’s the first time since he’s been in the game when he felt carefree and just enjoyed himself. He looks like he’s had a bit of homebrew! Then some rather, um, large women come out to dance for them and Yul looks a bit scared – but not as scared as when one of them approaches him and practically lies down on him! Then they pull him up and make a Yul sandwich with one woman on each side as they bump and grind him. It’s all pretty hysterical!

At Raro the next day, most of the tribe are hanging out in the shelter, but Jonathan continues to work hard in the (probably fruitless) hope that this will ingratiate him with the others. He tells us that they’ve been losing because they don’t work together as a tribe. So he’s going to give them an example of how to work hard. Uh, yeah. Good idea. Come into their tribe and teach them what to do. I’m sure that will be really successful.

Jonathan returns to camp with something like 11 fish he’s caught. They all eat as Jonathan hopes his work will not go unnoticed. “We’ll see,” he concludes. Indeed.

Treemail arrives again, this time with a map and a note:

Any Explorer knows
To study about where he goes.
Disappointment shows.
And for the losers… the “Tribal Council Woes.”

The tribes arrive at the challenge and Candice is brought back. Probst points out that since the mutiny, she’s spent three days and nights on Exile Island and less than 24 hours with her new tribe. As Jonathan said earlier, “living a mutineer’s life.” Is isolation having any impact on her? She says she’d rather be with her tribe but she trusts that they know she’s staying strong and they’re staying strong for her.

Probst explains the challenge: On go, they will swim out one at a time to a pontoon, where they will dive down and unclip a bundle of island names, and then swim back to shore. Then the next person does likewise. Once all four tribe members are back, they move to an answer table where they must correctly identify ten islands by matching them with the names they collected.

First tribe to answer correctly wins! Losers go to Tribal Council – but they will take with them a small glass bottle with a note inside. The bottle must remain sealed and the note contains “significant information.” They have to bring it to Tribal Council and open it after the vote.

Because Nate, Rebecca, and Parvati sat out the reward challenge, they have to participate this time. Jonathan joins them. Rebecca doing a swimming challenge – this ought to be great, considering how well she did at one last time. Is it too early to predict a fourth win in a row for Aquaman and the other Aitus?

And they’re off! Ozzy and Nate begin for their respective tribes. Ozzy of course gets a quick lead, diving down to unclip the names. Nate gets to his pontoon but can’t unclip on the first try. He gets it the second time as Ozzy makes it back and Yul heads out.

Nate is swimming back slowly, obviously exhausted. Yul dives down and unclips on the first try. Nate finally gets back to shore and Jonathan heads out. Yul makes back shortly after Jonathan leaves. But Jonathan is pretty quick as Becky heads out.

Parvati goes out while Becky gets the third unclipped and starts back – Raro is catching up. Sundra goes out fourth for Aitu while Parvati returns and Rebecca heads out for Raro. Sundra can’t get it unclipped the first time and Rebecca catches up at the pontoon.

Sundra gets the fourth bundle of names but Rebecca does not. Aitu has all their names and starts solving the puzzle. Rebecca has the fourth batch and starts her return while Raro debates the island names and locations.

Rebecca returns and Raro unties their bundles. But Aitu thinks they have the puzzle solved. Probst stops Raro while he checks… and Aitu wins again! They hug and scream with joy once more. Go Aitu!

When Raro gets back to camp, they start to discuss what might be in the bottle. Candice thinks it might tell them they will be doing individual challenges but not have a merge, or something weird like that. Adam thinks it says they have to go to the other tribe’s island for a merge the next morning.