Surviving the Cook Islands, Episode 12: The Godfather

Speaking of which, it’s immunity challenge time. Jonathan is brought back from Exile Island, returning with a smile. Probst explains the challenge. They will have to race out into the water, running over a series of floating obstacles (like rafts, barrels, and boats). At the end, they will retrieve a bundle of sticks and race back. Then they have to do it again. Once they get both back, they have to untie the sticks and use the rope and sticks to make one long pole. That pole will be used to retrieve two rings. First to do so wins immunity.

And they’re off! Unsurprisingly, Ozzy leads the pack, then Yul and Jonathan. But Yul falls into the water and has to go back to the platform. Ozzy blazes through the course and gets to the buoy with his bundle. Yul is going fast enough that he’s back in second, though he almost slides off a raft back into the water. Becky, Parvati, and Sundra are effectively out of it already. I’m not sure where Adam is. Yul tries the barrels and falls back in. So does Jonathan. But Yul gets back up and across his second try.

Ozzy is trying to get back, but is blocked by Sundra trying to go out on the balance beam. Yul is at his buoy and Jonathan is close. Hey, there’s Adam! He’s the last of the men, but ahead of the women.

Ozzy is back with his first bundle while Yul is returning. Becky and Parvati both get dunked while trying to cross the barrels. Yul is back with his first bundle and out again. Ozzy is stuck at the barrels while he waits for people to keep trying and Jonathan to return. While others are slowly crawling across it and falling off, he takes a running leap and hits the barrels with just a few steps before making it to the other side. Now he’s at the buoy for his second bundle.

Parvati finally makes it across the barrels. Ozzy is coming back with his second bundle. Can we just end this and give him the immunity necklace now? Well, Yul is at the buoy for his second bundle. But Ozzy is back at the beach and untying his bundles.

Yul falls, Parvati falls, Sundra whacks herself in a nasty fall at the barrels. Ouch. I felt that one! Adam is back with his first bundle. So is Parvati. And Yul returns with his second. Becky’s back with her first.

Ozzy has his pole together and… it’s long enough to reach the first ring. Then he grabs the second and puts it on the hook. Ozzy wins!

Before sending them back to camp, Probst asks if anybody is overly concerned that by not winning, they could be in danger at Tribal Council? Unsurprisingly, Adam and Parvati raise their hands, while Jonathan looks on smiling.

Back at camp, Ozzy tells us the immunity challenge was right up his alley. He was amused seeing the others “eating it” all over.

People are sitting around, laughing and eating… until Jonathan sits down. Then it’s dead quiet. Wow, how uncomfortable. He asks Becky how her sister is, and the editing would have us believe she completely ignores him. I can’t believe that was the case – at least not that it was that blatant. But Jonathan does recognize that things are awkward and people don’t know what to say to him.

Adam and Parvati walk off and Jonathan believes something has shifted. He’s not sure how far it’s shifted and how much time he has to correct it. If they’re going to vote Adam off, he has two days. If they’re going to vote him off, he has a couple hours and not much of a chance.

So Jonathan approaches Becky and Sundra as they’re walking into the jungle. He whisper-calls to them, and Becky says they’re getting firewood. He asks if they’re still cool and Sundra says, without making eye contact, “yeah.” Is it Adam tonight? “Isn’t that what we said?” Still no eye contact. I can’t blame Jonathan for feeling like something’s wrong!

Adam works on Yul, trying to convince him once again to boot Jonathan. Yul defends his use of Jonathan to flip and Adam says he understands and is not saying Yul is a bad person. “That was great strategy.” But why not have himself or Parvati in the fifth spot instead of Jonathan. Um, because you or Parvati might manage to align yourself with two other people to make a threesome that would go against Yul – while it’s less likely Jonathan can do that now. That’s why.

Yul tells us the whole situation is weird – he feels like the Godfather as people ask him to take out a hit on others. But he’s not sure he’s entirely comfortable with it. OK, Don Yul.

Adam isn’t the only one talking to the Godfather. Jonathan wants to know what’s up too, saying the energy has clearly shifted. Yul says he will do what he can to keep him there. Jonathan says while he was gone, they had guests, they had fun, they had food brought back for them, and Adam and Parvati are both charming young people who are closer in age to Yul than Jonathan is. “But, let’s not be stupid, please. I’m the perfect person to keep around. I’m not a threat in terms of immunity. And I saved your hide – and I was happy to do it because I felt like it made amends for my stepping away.” All very good reasons, Jonathan. He adds that Adam and Parvati are going to say anything they can because if Yul falls for it, they’re still in the game, waiting to take him out.

Yul talks to Ozzy and says when they get down to final five, he doesn’t want either Jonathan or Adam there, because they could win. Ozzy seems to agree, and even tells us that it’s either Jonathan or Adam in this vote. Yul and Ozzy also appear to agree that the final four is set anyway, as long as nobody does anything crazy. Like, you know, trying to make a plan for themselves. Pshaw, that would never happen on Survivor.

The players arrive at Tribal Council and are greeted by Probst. The jurors are brought in and Candice flirts with Adam. Probst dives into the questions and asks Parvati which was better, spending time with her father or the food? She says hands-down, her dad.