Surviving Micronesia, Episode 10: Scheming Demons Dressed in Kingly Guise

Last week, the tribes merged and King Ozzy was forced to acknowledge his possession of the Shield of Immunity (otherwise known as the hidden immunity idol). He and Queen Parvati sent away peasant Eliza after Jester Jason gave her a Stick of Nothingness to protect her and it didn’t work out. Will the King and Queen continue their reign? Could the Queen actually turn on the King? Let’s find out.

As the group returns from Tribal Council, Parvati and some of the others question Jason about what happened. He explains that he gave her what he thought was the hidden immunity idol. He also tells us he’s glad Eliza tried to play it instead of himself, as he would have hated to play it and then go home.

Jason further explains that it wasn’t the real idol – Ozzy has that and created a fake one to put in its place. Ozzy says he took a lesson from Yau-Man. Jeez, I miss Yau-Man.

Cirie says when Eliza pulled out the fake idol, for a moment she panicked. But then she also tells us that if it had been real, Ozzy would have been gone and it might not have been such a bad thing.

The following day, Jason continues with the discussion by telling us he felt kind of silly because Ozzy fooled him, but it’s how far you get in the game that matters. And to beat Ozzy in the first individual immunity challenge told him “Ozzy’s not the only God-like competitor who can play this game.” Um, did he just, but implication, call himself “God-like”? I think he did. Please. He finishes by saying he feels he can do pretty well as long as he can keep beating Ozzy. Well, yeah. But that’s like the old Big Brother “strategy” of winning HOH and Veto every time – it just ain’t gonna happen!

And just like that, it’s time for a challenge! Of course, it’s for reward, not immunity, but that was quick. When they arrive, host Jeff Probst says they have to divide into two teams of four. I immediately realize that there is a problem with this, as there are nine players. Somebody isn’t going to get to play!

Probst explains that on go, one person from each team will swim into the water and crawl through a multi-level net tunnel. They will then have to swim to a platform and study a collection of Micronesian symbols and race back to the beach. They will then place as many of the symbols as they can on the answer board in their proper positions. Then the next person goes, and so on until the answer board is correctly filled. To make it more complicated, there are extra pieces which don’t match anything.

What are they playing for? The winning team will fly to Yap, where they will enjoy a local dance and feast, and spend the night in a traditional Micronesian residence typically reserved for chiefs and other dignitaries.

Probst finally brings up the problem of the extra person – they will head to Exile Island. Well, that sucks. They draw for captains and end up with Jason and Natalie. Rock/paper/scissors – Jason wins with paper over Natalie’s rock. Hmmm, wonder who he might pick. Yup, it’s Ozzy. Natalie goes with James (um, she does know this is a water challenge, not a strength one, right?). Jason goes with Erik (a good choice) and James picks Parvati (despite Probst asking Natalie for a name). Jason goes with Amanda, and Natalie chooses Alexis. Cirie knew long before the pick that she would be headed to Exile Island – you could see it in her face. She heads off before the challenge even begins.

And they’re off! Jason and Parvati are first. What? Why aren’t you sending Ozzy first? Oh, I forgot, you’re God-like too. Anyway, Jason takes a quick lead getting into and through the net tunnel. He’s at the platform and studying symbols. Parvati joins him and he heads back. Parvati is a few seconds behind.

Jason arrives at the answer board, as does Parvati, and both start putting them in place. Parvati puts in the whole bottom row before sending Alexis out. Jason puts in the top two rows (the board is the shape of a triangle, so Jason only put in three pieces while Parvati put in five). Ozzy heads out.

Even though Alexis had a lead, Ozzy overtakes her in the tunnel and gets to the platform first. Both are studying the symbols and then Ozzy heads back. Alexis leaves a few seconds later. Ozzy is putting in more pieces than Jason did, though I can’t tell how many.

Erik heads out when Ozzy’s done. Alexis finishes her part of the puzzle, which is the fourth row (of four pieces). James heads out and he both and Erik get to the platform and back. James puts in the top two rows and tags off to Natalie. Erik has almost the entire answer board covered, missing just one piece on the bottom row, and Amanda heads out.

Natalie returns from the platform while Amanda studies. She returns as well and puts in the last piece. Then one of the guys (Erik, I think) tells her to switch out another one as well. Natalie and company think they have it right and call it – nope, they’re wrong. So James heads out to figure out the problem.

Amanda, meanwhile, is consulting with her teammates to switch a few others. They ask for a call and… they win! Gosh, imagine that – a team with Ozzy, Erik, and Jason won a challenge that involved swimming. The funny thing is, of course, that the swimming was a fairly unimportant part, overall. It was mostly a mental challenge.

By the way, you just know that Amanda is happy she is going on this reward with Ozzy instead of, say, Alexis. In your face, Alexis! Then again, Erik probably feels the same way about going on reward with Ozzy.

The four winners board a plane and fly away. Jason sits in the co-pilot’s seat. I think he may be taking this whole “God-like” thing a bit too seriously. Erik gives us a social studies lesson, saying Yap is a small island nation all by itself in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Given that he made up the word “Dabu” as the tribe name, I’m not really sure we should be listening to Erik for our background information. Indeed, he says he’s never even heard of it, but a lot of people have never heard of the area where he grew up, so he can kind of relate to it.

They land and head into the jungle, where they are welcomed by a native named Francis. Obviously a native Micronesian name. He tells them he will take them to the village, where everybody is awaiting them for a big feast.

They come out of the jungle into the village, which Erik says looks timeless, as if it has been there a million years. He was half-expecting a dinosaur to come out of the woods. Like I said, we really shouldn’t listen to Erik for our background information.