Game Show NewsNet - Survivor Guatemala

"Man Down!: Days 4-6" - September 22

DAY 4: INTRODUCING THE YAXHA FAMILY...READY FOR ACTION!

Gooooooooooooood mornin', Guatemala! And it's a lazy but good morning for us. We spent a nice evening AWAY from Tribal Council while Bobby Jon and his Nakums kicked out the cripple. We've been getting to know each other rather well since winning the Immunity Challenge yesterday... and we feel we're as cohesive a tribe as can ever be. And we're a very DIVERSE tribe as well: a bum, a sarge, a fishmonger, a magician's asst., a "gay guy" and a "landscaper" (whose secret identity is an ex-quarterback). Ya gotta love our chances. Stephenie thinks it's more of a FAMILY than a TRIBE. And, unlike the Ulongs who orphaned her, she's hoping to keep THIS family together for as long as possible.

REWARD CHALLENGE: WHAT A TANGLED WEB CBS WOVE...

Hunger is a burden
You need energy to compete
You've been caught in a web of hardship
Winning this one will help you eat...

To Challenge Cove we go and meet the now Jim-less Nakum. The Challenge for today consists of walking a net path to a robe-made spider web. On the web are eight bags of each tribe's colors. We are to untie our bags and let them drop into the water. Then WE drop, grab the bag, climb out and run back to the start. Only one tribe member is allowed on the course at a time and EVERYONE must get on the web once before we can go in any order. First tribe to bring all eight bags back wins reward: the usual fishing equipment (only without the Hawai'ian sling) to catch the fish swimming in and out between the crocs. We sit Amy out and await Uncle Jeff's "go".

First up is Jamie vs. Bobby Jon. Jamie gets to the web first and gets all his limbs upon it. Bobby Jon...he opts to just swing by his arms instead of all fours. It's Jamie who gets back first with his bag and he tags in Brian. Brian's on the web before Bobby Jon's even out of the water with HIS bag. As Cindy gets tagged in for Nakum, Brian heaves and hos himself and unties the second bag. But Cindy...DAMN, she's quick! She practically lands on TOP of Brian after loosing her bag.

Tied at 2, Blake and Steph hit the web. It's nearly a dead heat going into the water but Steph gets back first and (HUT-HUT!) Gary heads out. Brandon makes up for lost ground, though, putting Nakum ahead by a short amount. Rafe has some catching up to do on Margaret.

And then...SPLASH! Rafe slips and hits the drink sans bag. According to the rules, Rafe has to go back and let the next one in. Morgan...is none to happy as Nakum goes up 5-4. Judd gets on the course...and Rafe just cannot get up the ladder out of the water! While Judd struggles in the web, Rafe FINALLY crawls out of the muck and, huffin' and puffin', gets to the start to allow Morgan on the course.

Judd drops sans bag, giving Morgan a chance. But Danni is on the web in quick fashion. Yaxha does tie it up...but Brianna can't hang on and has to go back. Danni gets Nakum's sixth bag as Lydia comes in. Lydia gets a bag as Brooke works towards Nakum's seventh.

Jamie goes back for #7 while Brooke has trouble with hers. Brooke gets the seventh bag back, but Jamie is hot on her tail with one of his own. It's down to Blake vs. Brian. They both make the back of the web at about the same time. Blake unties his first, though Brian is right behind. The swim...the climb...the run...the winner is...

BLAKE! Nakum wins the fishing equipment! And Yaxha...gets a strafed Rafe.

DAY 5: THE ROOTS OF ALL STARVATION

Well...no fish. We've been pretty much sans food for four days now. Oh we still have SOME remnants of out hike a few days ago...but that ain't enough to substain nine bodies. So...we'll try ANYTHING! We dig into the ground for roots...we hunt grasshoppers...we leer at Morgan for goofing off...Lydia makes a small inlet on the beach to catch some minnows...and Rafe and bring back the main course: ants! EWWWWW! Steph will deal with minnows, corn and water instead. It ain't much...but it'll do.

DAY 6 - IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: MOVE IT OR LOSE IT

More Pot-Mail, in the form of ropes? And a note:

Blood, sweat, tears and...mud
Today you'll give it all
Stretching, pulling, scraping, clawing
This could be a brawl!

The hardest work since you've arrived
Will happen here today.
You decide how much sweat to give
Tonight one more goes away.

Challenge Beach finds us all again as Uncle Jeff retrieves the Immunity Idol from our hands. As we guessed, the Challenge is a Tug-O-War. Eight members of each tribe will all be tied to a common rope in a mud pit that would make the Woodstock '94 mosh pit envious. We can either help pull our team to victory...or go impede the other tribe's progress. A rope is anchored near each finish line and can be used. First tribe to get to their flagged finish line gets to hang for another couple of days. If NEITHER tribe does it in 15 minutes, a series of one-on-one matches will decide a winner. Brianna will sit out as we get down and dirty.

"Survivors, ready....GO!" And away we...don't go! After a minute or so, Brian goes back and pulls on Danni's rope. BIG mistake as Danni gives Brian a facial in the pit. It goes on like this for the entire 15 minutes...and it's pretty much a dead heat.

So...one-on-one we go. It's a best-out-of-five with the one closest to their tribal flag after five minutes winning the point and three points winning Immunity. Round 1...Judd vs. Gary...FIGHT! HUT-HUT! Judd gets a slight lead...and Danni spills the beans by saying to Judd, "He's a quarterback! Make like a linebacker!" Ut...oh. Gary didn't want that coming out, remember? Judd grabs the rope near his flag...and Gary switches to offensive lineman mode and tackles Judd, trying to loosen his grip on the rope and drag him back (which is legal). But Judd hangs tough until time expires. JUDD WINS!

Round 2, Brandon v. Jamie...FIGHT! Jamie claws, grabbing clumps of mud. When Brandon gains some footing, Jamie decides to try to tackle him...but then decides it's too soon. But, by then, it's too late. Brandon has the lead...and refuses to let go! He drags Jamie backwards to grab the flag. BRANDON WINS! It's 2-0 Nakum.

Round 3...Jamie vs. Judd (oh, this is NOT good...) FIGHT! Jamie gets out to a slim lead and digs his fingers in and doesn't move. With seven seconds left...FINISH HIM!...Judd makes a slack-and-yank move, pulling Jamie back a few inches...and that was all he needed. JUDD WINS! IMMUNITY!

AFTERNOON 6: BE STRONG OR BE GONE

Well, we knew this would happen sooner or later, I guess. Though Steph's used to it, it doesn't make it ANY easier! As we wash the mud off, the men rally to decide who's gone. First choice is the obvious one: Steph. But Gary thinks they need to keep the tribe strong...and Steph IS strong. The ladies gossip that Jamie wants to vote Steph off...but, at dinner, all talk quiets.

That is...until Jamie asks Gary if what was said at the Challenge is true: "were you an NFL quarterback?" Gary denies it, but Jamie says that Danni, the one who spilled it, is a sportscaster and KNOWS Gary. He continues to deny it, not wanting to be voted off.

Gary and Rafe get some drinking water and discuss choices of vote-offs, narrowing it to the useless Morgan and the tough Lydia. Steph and Amy join the conversation and flip-flop the issue. When Brian joins in, he pleads the case for Lydia, seeing as how she's done a LOT of work while Morgan...well, she hasn't. Lydia gets told this by Brian...and she talks to Gary about it. She's not ready to split.

TRIBAL COUNCIL: FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

Uncle Jeff's North Acropolis Pyramid O' Doom greets us menacingly as we grab our torches and light them, knowing one of them will be snuffed before too long. Uncle Jeff, vindictive as he is, goes through the motions of making us give out info we've kept secret all this time. Steph was glad to be welcome into Yaxha even though she's played before. Jamie thinks the problem is that her experience hinders everyone. Lydia may be the least-equipped to survive but she won't give up. Morgan thinks the fact that someone's going is not an unspoken thing. Rafe is basing his vote on keeping the tribe unified.

And it's time to vote. Amy, Gary, Brian (who writes "Morgan" on the parchment), Brianna, Jamie, Morgan (writes "Lydia"), Steph, Rafe and Lydia write down their votes and place it in the Mayan container.

Uncle Jeff reads the votes: Morgan...Lydia...Morgan...Morgan...Morgan... Morgan. That's five and that's all. The magician's assistant has to disappear due to a unanimous vote.

Jeff's confused: the tribe is unified...but Morgan never saw it coming! Please, Jeff, don't try to cause trouble with this one, big, relatively-happy tribe!