Sydney and Joe talk strategy. She admits that she feels as though her head is on the chopping block. Joe, smitten by her looks, reassures her that she is safe. But remember that Joe is only one vote….
Coach continues to tick Sierra off while they are cooking. Careful Coach…the merge is coming and you need to be kind from people if you want loyalty…
Brendon says that Coach is too predictable. Is this really the case, or is Brendon under a false pretense?
Stephan wants to be the bridge between Taj and JT. He is putting himself in a secure place by doing this, because if he gains separate and strong loyalty from each of them, this strengthens the likelihood of him being in the finals- both if he wins the final immunity, or JT or Taj win and decide to take him to the final two.
Once again, the outcome of the reward challenge was close...but Timbira emerged victorious
Joe is selected to go to Exile Island and he chooses Erinn fro m Timbira to accompany him. Remember Jalapoa is losing numbers and Erinn confessed last week that she would be wiling to flip. If Joe is successful in charming Erinn…this could be a win-win situation for both Erinn and Jalapoa…
On the reward, Coach admits that Erinn is lucky to still be in this game, and he goes on to say that he is happy with everyone there on the reward because he wants to win with them. Am I missing something? Wasn’t Coach locking horns with Brendon and creating friction with Sierra? Well if this is the case, Brendon, Sierra and Erinn have a common enemy, and the enemy of my enemy is my friend…
Stephan and Taj make a fake idol…will they be able to pull the wool over Joes eyes?
JT sees the idol in a bag and tells Stephan, who admits that he knew about the idol. Stephan also convinces Taj to show Jt the idol, and thus strengthens their alliance.
Jt versus Tyson again...and Tyson takes the lead and wins immunity for Timbira. Tyson then rubs in his victory when he asks Jt if he needs help.
Joe lies that he didn’t see the clue at Exile Island, which Taj and Stephan don’t believe, as they laugh while Joe secretly takes the idol…does he know it is fake?
Sydney and Joe are targeting Taj, and Stephan and Jt consider blindsiding Taj and keeping her idol.
Sydney acknowledges that Taj is not the person to scramble, which she seems to display as an honorable gameplay on Taj’s behalf. But will a gameplay of no scrambling and backstabbing be a fatal flaw in Taj’s game if it shows that doesn’t have the killer instinct to make big moves?
At tribal, players are making this decision in consideration with who will help them more useful in the looming merge, as they explore the pros and cons of keeping Taj or Sydney. Sydney proposes that she will be more loyal and since she has no relationships with Timbira, she can’t flip. At this point in the game, how important will this declaration of Sydney be, since Jalapoa is already down in numbers, and even if they keep a loyal Sydney, they could easily be picked out one by one? Taj on the other hand admits she has relationships with Sierra and Brendon, which could potentially save Jalapoa after the merge.
How bad did Joe want Sydney to stay?
· He could have given Sydney the Idol
· Maybe he knew the Idol was fake
· Did he believe that Sydney was safe?
· Or, would he be planning to keep the Idol for himself or share it with someone else after the merge for his own benefit?
The vote reveals that Stephan and Jt decided to stay loyal to Taj, and Sydney was voted out
Was this vote before the merge a good decision?
· It could have been the perfect time for Taj to be blindsided
· Sydney could have used her flirting after the merge to forge connections with Brendon and Tyson
· Jt, the powerhouse, could have been blindsided because he would be too much of a threat after the merge
· Joe has a knee infection. This could cripple his performance in future challenges and if he gets medivaced in the future, its another player down for Jalapoa
The best move that Jalapoa should have made was to vote out Joe because his injured knee could be liability, and Sydney would do much better in post –merge endurance challenges and by reaching out too the outsiders of Timbira.
In her on camera goodbye, Sydney says that Taj might try to do something. This just shows how much power that Taj is perceived to have…power that could shake things up after the merge and give Jalapoa glory…
Next week…merge time!!!
***Spoiler Alert***
Coach will form the “Warrior” or “Power” Alliance, and a few people from Jalapoa join this alliance. Who will constitute this alliance, and how will it impact the rest of the game? What does mean for the Exile Alliance?
Until next week…
