Surviving Fiji, Episode 9: A Tribe Within a Tribe

Last week, we said goodbye to the second really annoying contestant in a row. Unless somebody new steps up to the plate, that might be it for annoyances for a while, which means strategy may rise to the top. The previews have suggested a merge, meaning there should be lots of alliance-jumping. Let’s see how it all plays out!

We begin again on day 22, at Ravu. Edgardo asks Mookie if he has the idol, and Mookie assures him he does. Edgardo half-jokingly says if he uses it against him… mumble mumble. I have no idea what he says, but I’m sure it’s not meant to be a positive.

Mookie tells us the idol is for himself, to get himself further in this game – he admits to being selfish in the game. Well good! Despite what some players have thought over the years, Survivor is not about helping somebody else win! He continues that if it looks like going along with Alex and Edgardo will get him farther, he’s all for it.

Alex and Edgardo say they are playing their fate in Mookie’s hands, and he says they should just know he would never do that to them. Uh huh.

Dreamz returns to camp with an armload of pineapple, and Alex reminds us that they haven’t told Dreamz about the idol yet because they don’t think he’ll keep it to himself. I suspect they’re right.

Luau music plays as we arrive at Moto camp, where they are lying on the bed, eating on china, etc. Boo shows up with treemail, which says they are to gather their personal belongings only and paddle out to Exile Island immediately. They are specifically forbidden from bringing rewards, tools, and flint, but they can bring canteens (lucky them).

Stacy says they should boil up the rest of the rice immediately, and there is general agreement. Boo wonders if they will be living on Exile Island the rest of the time. I doubt it, Boo.

Michelle isn’t too worried because she’s already lived on Ravu, and it can’t be any worse than that. Cassandra, Stacy, and Boo, however, have a shock ahead of them.

The same treemail arrives at Ravu and Mookie figures they’re merging. Edgardo doesn’t know what to expect. The four of them talk about who to target as a potential ally. Dreamz is going for Cassandra, Mookie will get Michelle or Yau-Man, and Alex is to bring over Stacy.

Alex calls them the “four horsemen” and I instantly get bad Big Brother flashbacks. He says they have each proven to the others that they are in this together because they are each giving up somebody they had been aligned with previously in order to make this work. Mookie gave up Rocky and they gave up Lisi. Uh, yeah. Except Lisi wanted to leave! And Dreamz didn’t give up anything because he hated her! So really, only Mookie gave up anybody.

Both tribes arrive at Exile Island, with Earl telling us they don’t know what to expect, though most people are expecting a merge. Earl says people shouldn’t think far ahead and worry about a merge until they’re sure there is one, but instead everybody should be worried about what’s going on in the here and now.

Yau-Man notes that they still have their own colors and flags, so they have no idea what’s going on. Alex says there were no instructions and host Jeff Probst is nowhere to be found. He figured they’d just live there – which would suck, but Ravu sucked anyway.

They head up to the top of the tower and find new colors and instructions in a box. They are indeed merged and wearing purple buffs. They are told to pile into one boat and head to the old Moto camp. They all celebrate, but I’m betting the whole point of having them all go to Exile Island is to give the crew time to cart off all the great stuff they have there.

Mookie is excited because he thinks he’s going to get to see Moto – he’s the only one left in the game who hasn’t been there. Cassandra is “elated” to go back. They are all in for a shock, I’m telling you.

They row, row, row their boat, and arrive cheering. Alex thanks God because he gets to eat rice and potatoes (guess they didn’t tell him they cooked all the rice already), use toothpaste, shower, sleep in a bed, etc.

Hey, guess what? They get to camp and there is nothing there. Whoa, didn’t see that one coming. (Insert eyeroll here.) They’re shocked – it’s all gone. Alex calls it “a bad dream.” I cannot believe nobody saw this coming. Sheesh.

Earl and Dreamz say they have a pot, a machete, and a cave – this is “real Survivor.” Oh, and a little fishing gear and flint. They all say it’s like it was on day one. Earl is okay with everything because he was at old Ravu for 13 days – he’s “back home again.”

A note tells them to pick a new name, make a new flag, and start over from scratch. They vote for Bula Bula (which means “hello”), though Boo suggests Nookie Nookie. Michelle and Stacy go to paint the flag and whisper to each other about being safe. Michelle says she’s a little worried because the original Moto are still “super-close,” but Stacy reassures her that the guys will get competitive and go after other guys rather than a girl.

Earl says there is a “tribe within a tribe” – himself, Michelle, Cassandra, and Yau-Man. So he hopes to divide up old Moto and pull them one by one over to his side.

Alex tells us the first few moments after a merger are really crucial in determining the endgame, and he’s going to fight. They try to decide who should split up and fish, crab, etc. Everybody seems a bit wary, as if they don’t want to break up into the wrong group – and they’re right to be worried about it!

Boo tells us he had a niche in the first Moto and the second Moto. But now he’s not so sure, and he feels uncomfortable. So he’s going to take a back seat and see what happens.

Yau-Man, Cassandra, Dreamz, and Mookie stay behind to work on the fire. Mookie says he and Dreamz hooked up, and they knew Dreamz and Cassandra were good, and he was good with Yau-Man. Yau-Man says he was afraid Mookie “went over to the dark side.” I half-expect somebody to jump out and say, “Mook, I am your father.”

But I think Mookie did go to the dark side. He tells us this discussion is part of the Four Horsemen plan and they are gaining the trust of Cassandra and Yau-Man. I think Cassandra and Yau-Man believe that it’s just the opposite – that the two guys are going to come over to join them. This should be interesting. It’s like the set-up for a misunderstanding on a bad sit-com.