Game Show NewsNet - Survivor Guatemala

"The Hidden Immunity Doll: Days 19-21" - November 3

NIGHT 18: WAKEY, WAKEY, TEAMMATES-SHAKEY!

Ah, Camp Nakum. Nestled in the moon-shadow of a Mayan pyramid sleeps Stephenie, Cindy, Rafe, Lydia, Jamie and Judd. They're still in the afterglow of kicking Yaxha's butt in the last Immunity Challenge. And, even with the howler monkeys screaming, they're sleeping soundly. Then, suddenly...

"We have some new Buffs for ya..."

Rise and shine, Nakums! You have company! It's the Yaxhas...namely Gary, Brandon, Gary and Bobby Jon! And they brought presents...like them or not! It's new Buffs(TM), as they said. Nakum and Yaxha are no more!

Well, THIS is a shocker, ain't it? But the ex-Nakums seem to be taking it in stride...except for Steph, whose head is spinning from THIS twist. Jamie makes a smart-ass comment about the ex-Yaxhas "sleeping outside"...and Bobby Jon, who has a history with Jamie (if you'll recall), mutters to himself about knocking Jamie's teeth out.

Little do the ex-Nakums know that the ex-Yaxhas have sworn to be - to a point, of course - "servants" of the ex-Nakums to get on their good side so that ONE of them could make the Final Four at least. Whether that strategy will work...well, I guess we'll see.

DAY 19: AMERICANS, IDOL!

With the dawn, the tribe is able to distinctly see that the new Buffs(TM) are of a purpleish hue. Brandon, while gathering logs, doesn't feel that this tribe is "one big happy". Even Danni feels like an outsider in her own tribe.

But, after gathering enough firewood to burn for a week or so, it's time for Pot-Mail. And it's a basket with a note in it. It's a LONG one...but here are some parts of it:

Congratulations. You are now one tribe. Here is your new flag and paint for you to add to your new tribe name.

If you are feeling bored around camp or could use some piece of mind in this game, there is a small Individual Immunity Idol hidden in the woods. This is in addition to any Individual Immunity you win at Challenges. It is about six inches tall and is made of stone.

Find it and you have power! You can use it at any time to save yourself. You DON'T have to tell anyone you have it. But, if you are going to USE it, you HAVE to present it at Tribal Council before the vote.

BUT...the Idol's power expires when you are down to the Final Four.

And Steph thought her head was spinning LAST NIGHT! Best BELIEVE that girl wants to make the Final Four! But...finding a six-inch piece of stone in a jungle is like...well, YOU know the old axiom.

So...the search is on. Cindy is looking amid the pyramid itself for the Idol while the others fan out from camp. When it starts to rain, though, some of the campers return to think up a name for the tribe. Others continue the search, though.

Among them are Steph and Bobby Jon. They fought TOO hard to have a chance to BOTH make the jury...and they ain't about to give up. Their plan in the "Pulau Alliance": ditch Brandon! Of course, they "ally" is a roundabout way. Brandon says he doesn't really WANT an alliance...and Steph says she can't gaurentee that BJ would be DOA by Day 21.

(By the way, the CAMERAMAN found the Idol. You'd think the tribe would stick with THEM in finding it. But, then again, that clip was probably filmed before the Pot-Mail came.)

DAY 20: NAME THAT TRIBE!

Needless to say, the Idol is not found on the first day. So the first order of business is to, at LAST, name the new merged tribe. Well,...actually, it seems Lydia is the only one excited about naming the tribe. They finally relent on an old standby: merging the tribal NAMES to go along with merging the TRIBE. The result: Xhakum. O....kay. Lydia is put in charge of painting the new flag, which she adds the names of the Final Ten onto with a LITTLE help from Steph.

The flag hung, the quest for the Idol continues. Jamie missed out on the whole naming to search some more. He knows the Idol could be worth a million. Bobby Jon does it to get the target removed from his ass. But, after a time, BJ is going nuts looking for it.

Rafe's looking, too...even though he considers himself the worst "finder" in the world. And, y'know, he may have a point. He actually trips and sticks his hand in a tree hole...which just so happens to be a nest for some hornets. Now, I'm no bug expert but...disturbing hornets...I'm PRETTY sure is not a good thing. Rafe takes this as a sign to give up the search.

All Steph is wondering is...where's the post-merge feast?! Well, Gary ain't waiting around for it; he's making a fishing fly on a hook to catch some big fish. And Danni...she's just wondering when the COMPLAINING about the lack of a feast will all stop!

The ex-Yaxhas all go out to fish...leaving the ex-Nakums to TALK about them. The only one that doesn't seem all that comfy with the prospect of master/slave is Rafe. But the others are FINE with it. And Steph agrees that, barring Immunities, the first three to go are Brandon, BJ and Danni.

DAY 21: SINKERS AND FLOATERS

One of the items that was sent to Camp Nakum from Yaxha was the croc-proof floating swim dock, which is now anchored in the MIDDLE of the river. See, the beach is like quicksand so it HAD to be out there. Xhakum is just hanging around. waiting on Pot-Mail.

When it DOES appear...wellllll...

"I don't need practice,"
Former Survivors have said
"Carrying a pot
On top of my head?"

So if you feel safe...
Ignore this note
And be prepared
To cast your next vote.

Well, it seems that NOBODY feels safe. They ALL seem to be practicing their best "posture walk". Steph says her "dome-shaped head" makes her "S.O.L." in this Challenge...but anything is possible.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: WHO'S THE BIGGEST POT-HEAD?

Uncle Jeff welcomes Xhakum to Challenge Cove. And it is THERE where the post-merge feast is prepared. Chicken, wine, fruits, fresh bread...da WORKS! Uncle Jeff then retrieves the Tribal Immunity Idol from one of the ex-Nakums and shows us the Immunity Necklace. From here on, all Challenges are for INDIVIDUAL Immunity.

Then he talks to us about the merge. Jamie retells the joke about the ex-Yaxha sleeping outside the shelter...and Bobby Jon spits about this. Cindi talks about not getting a meal.

Ah, and that's what the "feel safe" part is about. See, Uncle Jeff says that the feast before them...are for those who DO feel safe enough in this game to SKIP the Challenge altogether! So it's a choice: eat or compete.

OK, everyone grab a nut and a piece of jade. You'll show the jade if you want to balance a pot on your head, a nut if you want a pot-belly after gorging. Rafe, Jamie, Steph and Lydia all want to eat...the rest want to balance for Immunity.

The Challenge is the typical first post-merge Challenge of endurance and balance. Each of the six Survivors will balance a pot on a towel on their heads while standing on a small cube. They cannot touch the pot with their hands or step off the cube or they're eliminated. Last pot-head standing gets Immunity. Unlike the usual Challenges of this nature, though, there IS a time limit. After an hour, those who are still standing will take part in a tie-breaker.

The Challengers start balancing...and the feasters start...well...feasting. Talk about a distraction; all the Challengers wince while watching their tribemates moan and mmmm at the food. What's WORSE is that Uncle Jeff ASKS them about the food! Jamie flat-out tells everyone that they are NOT one tribe...and that BJ and Brandon are pretty much the ones targeted. BJ is not surprised in the least.

Half an hour passes and all six are still balancing well. Jamie eggs Bobby Jon on...and Rafe is trying to stop him from doing so. He whispers to Steph that he's VERY uncomfy with the tribal lines drawn. Steph tries to convince Rafe that this is not the case. CRASH! Danni's pot drops. She's out of the running...and also starving.

One hour comes and goes...and only Danni has been eliminated. So it's time for the tie-breaker. In this, they will balance the pots on their heads and race up the pyramid. Again, no touching the pot with hands. First to the top or the one who gets the furthest up before dropping the pot wins Immunity.

"Survivors, ready...GO!"

Gary and Brandon take the early lead and Cindy is far behind. Cindy, seeing the boys blow her away, actually stops. As Gary and Bobby Jon near the top, Brandon drops HIS pot. BJ is getting close...but HE slips and grabs his pot, eliminating him. That leaves Gary and Judd...and Judd's about a flight of step behind. Gary wins the first true Individual Immunity of the game!

Before sending us out, Uncle Jeff reminds us that the Individual Immunity Idol is still out there...or maybe someone ALREADY has it. Either way, whoever grabs it CAN make themselves safe, along WITH Gary, at tonight's Tribal Council

AFTERNOON 21: OPEN MOUTH, INSERT FOOT...

Now, for all of Jamie's talk about old tribal lines, it seems he's one of the FEW who believe it. Judd did NOT like Jamie's chattering during the Challenge. In fact, NOBODY liked it. They felt (if I may quote from "Fat Albert here) that Jamie is like school during the summer: NO CLASS! Even Cindy is thinking so....and SHE was a Nakum!

Rafe and Danni talk it over en route to getting water. Rafe feels crappy about these "lines". And he's growing something that somebody really shouldn't in this game: a conscience. Judd, Steph and Bobby Jon are ALSO talking about Jamie...and they say they KNOW who they are voting off tonight. BJ says it was all he could do to keep from taking the pot off his head and smashing it over Jamie's!

Later, Jamie and Brandon talk about who is on the "chopping block". Brandon says he's not THINKING about the vote right now...but Jamie INSISTS on getting into his head about his vote. Jamie says, "If I go out, I'd want y'all to say something to me."

(Careful what you wish for, dude...)

As Jamie leaves, BJ tells Brandon about everyone ELSE being pissed at Jamie. But, for some reason, Brandon REFUSES to believe that Jamie's going home. He just can't get around the idea of "tribal lines". As, such, he decides to go look for the hidden Idol one more time. He doesn't succeed...and it makes him nervous.

TRIBAL COUNCIL: TEN LITTLE XHAKUM-ANS

The Ancient Pyramid O' Doom awaits the ten members of Xhakum. As does Uncle Jeff. Rafe admits that it was hard for him to listen to Jamie talking about "protecting the lead" during the Challenge. Bobby Jon talks about the lack of class on Jamie's part...and that sparks an argument between the two (who are thankfully on opposite ends of the upper bench). Uncle Jeff can only shake his head as Steph stops the banter. But...what about Cindy? SHE was ex-Nakum...and SHE took part in the Challenge as well. She says she can eat when she gets home...but she's HERE to PLAY! And she notes to everyone that SHE went as long as JUDD did...without ANY of the accolades from her "tribemates".

When asked if the six Challengers today deserve to be in the game more than those who feasted, Gary says that he hopes they vote with their HEARTS and not their HEADS. Cindy agrees that it's IMPOSSIBLE to block out morals completely in this game (*cough*JonnyFairplay*cough*) and that her heart is important in making a decision.

With Gary choosing to hold on to the Immunity Necklace and nobody presenting the Individual Immunity Idol, it's time to vote.. Judd, Danni, Lydia, Jamie (votes for Brandon and says he's sorry he has to go), Gary, Rafe, Steph, Bobby Jon (votes for Jamie and berates him for not being a "Southern gentleman"), Brandon and Cindy write down the name of the one they want OUT of Central America and NOT in the Jury. Ucle Jeff tallies the votes...and reads them off:

Brandon...

Brandon...

Jamie...

Jamie...

Brandon...

Jamie...

Brandon...

Jamie...

Brandon...

...and...

...wait for it...

BRANDON!

Well...so much for voting with your heart. It seems the tribal alliances ARE still intact! Brandon's going back to the farm in Manhattan...Kansas, that is.

Uncle Jeff informs us (as if we didn't know) that seven of us will form the Jury...and everything we did and will do matters when time comes to vote for the million bucks.