Episodes Five (Tribal Council 5 and 6)

[Wes Anderson]

Previously, on Survivor... After a heartbreaking loss in the safe cracking immunity challenge, Steve Zissou went from decoy target to the real thing as Margot made her flip on the Chair Alliance.

When the new day began, an open communication period was announced, as the two tribes' cable cars momentarily overlapped.  After several Tribal Councils without a swap, it was finally an opportunity for the opposing players to meet, before they'd head back downhill in a ski challenge.  Both tribes would be going to Tribal Council, and up for grabs in each tribe was immunity in the form of a box of Mendl's, an immunity idol that would be good for two Tribals.

Unfortunately for Camp Ivanhoe, some drama was breaking out in their home camp demanding their attention during the period the two tribes were meeting.  Sam Shakusky was the culprit, proposing that instead of taking the easy boot of Herman Blume, the others in the tribe make a move on someone else.

At least with Oracle, Sam did not share whom exactly this move would be targeting. 


Sam Shakusky: I like Herman, and after talking to a couple people, I'm under the impression that I'm Herman's closest ally. So yes I would like to keep him around, and I'm also fairly confident come swap he's gonna be extremely pro-Ivanhoe.

There is a person in mind actually. However I have to be mysterious and not tell you yet because if the other tribe finds out things become very messy.


Oracle: So at this point, Sam is just pissing me off. He's told Suzy and Duke he wants to start a group with us 4, doesn't and leaves us all confused, tries to paint me as a duo with Suzy to my two closest allies, goes around telling people on the other tribe stuff we talk about to each other, and then has the audacity to tell me "However I have to be mysterious and not tell you yet because if the other tribe finds out things become very messy."

During the cross tribe communication, Peter Whitman was able to successfully link up with Young Writer, and cut loose that pellet he had stuck in his hand, pocketing an extra vote!




Young Writer: A bond shared by fellows who each have something the other needs.
 
When the challenge results came in, it was Young Writer and Foxy Fox who pocketed the Mendl's in their tribe.  It was a key win for Fox, who, along with Max Fischer, represented the remnants of the minority from the previous Rushmore Academy vote.

It was then that the Pirates twist hit.  With the tribes attacked by pirates, one hostage was going to be taken from each tribe (and ultimately released to the other one).  That player could either volunteer and go willingly, or be taken by force if necessary.



The players of Survivor: Wes Anderson shocked everyone when multiple members of each tribe volunteered for the role.  On Ivanhoe, the volunteers had realized during the cross-communication phase that Rushmore had a split down the center, and that this could be the opportunity to expand their game, but also, they were simply feeling adventurous. 

Players from Rushmore, however, were largely reacting to that same split, compounded by Fox now holding an immunity idol.  They wanted to avoid a situation where one of Max or Fox left and the other stayed behind with complete immunity.

The deciding Pirates tiebreaker mechanism, unknown to the players, was that the player more disloyal to their tribe in the opening challenge would always be taken.  This meant, of the volunteers, it was Peter Whitman and Richie Tenenbaum who were sent across to new tribes.

When Peter Whitman arrived in Camp Ivanhoe, he was already aware that Sam and Herman sat at the bottom, and he could be very much safe.  Peter was not interested in that.

I told Sam/Herman that the votes are coalescing around them. Sam revealed him and Herman are working together to get something else to happen and just need me, my double vote, and someone else to get SOMETHING off the ground.

Great... you need me to vote with you but won't give me a name? I told them explicitly I'm down to help the little guy but I need a name and assurance it's possible. It doesn't seem like it right now but I'm willing to put in the leg work to make a flip happen. I didn't come here to serve the interests of a majority Ivanhoe group.

i told anthony the same, about trying to save sam and herman. anthony seems like he wants to make things happen as well. He said explicitly he's trying to save sam and herman.

i think im flirting with danger here telling too many people im not keen on working with an ivanhoe majority. it's totally going to get out soon. hopefully we swap right after this :) this tribe seems like its fit to bursting so i feel safe enough in causing a wee bit more drama here and there.

Anthony Adams: Things are potentially about to go down

Back at Rushmore Academy, Richie Tenenbaum easily fell in with the crowd, as the majority pondered a vote against Max Fischer.  Meanwhile, Fox had the idea to play the Mendl's for Max while once again targeting Madame D.  That was indeed the plan until Royal Tenenbaum proposed a vote split.


Royal Tenenbaum: So, one solution is to do a vote split of some kind, we could try to flush out his immunity, and if it works, we'd be good to go for the future. I've been thinking...
...
To me, it seems like the best thing we can do, given both the goal of getting Max out and Fox saying he's using the immunity this round, is a 3-2 split with the majority on Fox, but I would really like to know what you think.

With the plan in motion, long-time Fox confidante Buckley would leak Fox the info.


Buckley: I've told Foxy that things have changed and they should play immunity. Why am I helping Foxy like this? I guess it just feels like the move I'll be happiest with. I'm rooting for them to make merge rather strongly. :P
I don't think it's *bad* for me or anything and if I did I'd probably avoid doing it. But I'm pretty sure I'm entirely helping Foxy because I want them to do well.

Fox, who had even briefly voted Max with the majority, now played the Mendl's and cast a vote for Madame D.  Meanwhile, due to some poor coordination on the majority's end, with less than a minute left, the vote was being split 4/1 on Fox and Max.  With Fox and Max's 2 on Madame D., Madame D was seconds away from being sent out.

With the extra vote and Anthony onboard, would there be a coup at Camp Ivanhoe?  See what happened in the suspenseful Ivanhoe Tribal Council.

What was the conclusion of the Rushmore Academy vote split?  Read the outcome of the Rushmore vote.

Spoiler

In Camp Ivanhoe, Sam Shakusky voted out 6-4 (four votes M. Gustave).

In Rushmore Academy, a 2-2 Max Fischer/Madame D. vote, with 3 votes on Foxy Fox cancelled by their play of the Mendl's, would resolve with Max Fischer being voted out 4-1 (one vote Madame D.).

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