Survivor Blood vs Water Episode 2: Rule in Chaos

After a promising premiere episode, the second episode of Survivor: Blood vs Water kicks things into high gear as Marissa is sent off to Redemption Island looking as pissed as we've seen anyone voted off the game in recent times. Rachel, one of my favorites (not to win though, but I love her as a character), is sent off to Redemption Island together with Candice and Marissa to fight for her life in the game. Before we discuss that further, let's go back to the episode and see what happened (I will be chiming in my thoughts from time to time).

The Truel & Hidden Immunity Idol

Few minutes into the episode, Jeff shows up at the Redemption Island arena, which I have to point out is the best looking arena we've had on the show so far. Curiosity might have ran high at the returning castaways' camp to see who got voted off of the other tribe. Upon seeing that it was Marissa, Gervase tried to play it cool while the others could not keep their emotions in check. Kat, Tina, and Monica were visibly in tears from what they pointed out as relief to see their loved ones still on their tribe.

The truel, apparently because there has been so many discussions on social media about how using the term "duel" is incorrect, is a re-dux of the One World immunity challenge. From seeing the mechanics of this competition, I knew that Rupert was in serious trouble. The challenge requires dexterity, patience, and concentration, of which individual challenges are characterized by. Rupert's brawn served him no advantage whatsoever; in fact, he exhibited careless sense of urgency as we see him dropping the first plate on his first attempt as he tried to speed by the course.

Candice, on the other hand, was the picture of focus as she masterfully placed one plate after another eventually earning her the first place finish. Marissa, who was behind initially, caught up after Rupert knocked off his plates forcing him to start over. Guess the strategy to be lazy in Redemption Island wasn't as promising as envisioned, right? And with that, Rupert goes home first. It also officially puts an end to the Boneham family's quest for another million dollars! The idea of Laura going all the way to win it is a long shot.

In true Jeff Probst fashion, he also introduced another twist during the duel wherein he revealed that the first to finish the challenge will get to award any of the other castaways a clue to the hidden immunity idol. With Candice, it was a no-brainer decision to give it to John. But then again, this decision is a double-edged sword. By giving him the clue to the idol, it also puts a huge target on John's back (as if he doesn't already have one) and this was evidenced in tonight's episode when his own alliance mates were having doubts on John's unwillingness to share information about the immunity idol location. And while a part of me is thinking it was a bad move on Candice's part to give the clue to John, if he can find that idol and share the information with the right people (or not), or know how to use the idol to protect himself, then it might be worth taking the risk! Nonetheless, it draws suspicion and John will have a lot of work to do to win that trust back from his all-male alliance.

Men vs Women at Tadhana

The divide between gender at Tadhana (aka Loved Ones) tribe is giving the men's alliance a clear advantage in numbers. Rachel admits to feeling vulnerable by being in the minority, but there is a bigger source of worry for her as Katie and Ciera are starting to get suspicious when Rachel fails to attempt to bond with the women. Instead, she is becoming more close to John and they fear that the two have formed a secret sub-alliance.

The men are also plotting against Rachel citing how they are using her as bait to have Tyson swap out places with her in Redemption Island. With the possibility of Tyson swapping, they automatically weaken the other tribe (as Tyson is perceived as the strongest physical competitor on the other tribe) and also take out a weak player off of their tribe. But this proposition does not sit well with John because not only does he have an alliance with Rachel, but he also fears for Candice's life in the game should she be forced to go up against Tyson in the Redemption Island duel.

Colton = Chaos

The old Colton is back! Seems like everywhere he goes, he brings chaos with him. The other castaways are starting to notice the paranoia and drama he brings to the tribe. The anti-social, whiny Colton that we knew in One World is back in its true form. Aras and Tyson were starting to take notice. But Colton can't sit still. He started plotting against the other castaways behind their backs noting how he wanted the camp to erupt in chaos because that is where he thrives.Sadly for him, this isn't a group of newbies that he can intimidate by his mean threats.

Aras earns my nod tonight for calling Colton the "gay Russell Hantz" for his intimidatory antics in an attempt to build mistrust around the camp.

The Case of the 5-Person Alliance

Last week, we saw Brad spearhead the formation of a five-person alliance within their tribe consisting of all males. This time out, another alliance is brewing over at the Galang tribe with Aras, Tyson, Gervase, Tina, and Monica. The bond was solidified after Colton tried to bring chaos by pitting his own tribe mates against each other.

Gervase Redeems Himself

Hold on - I am not being a fan girl here. When I say Gervase redeemed himself, it was nice to see him step up with the non-swimming challenges. And it is interesting to note that the Galang tribe assigned him to handle that stage of the competition because I felt that he let the team down during the first challenge. It certainly helped his self-esteem to win that for the team but he's still no Tyson! And yet, that does not keep him from cheering on to his heart's content, staying true to his promise to Marissa prior to the start of the duel.

John Escapes Duel vs Wife

This week's vote at Tadhana's second trip to tribal council was all over the place compared to last week's unanimous vote. The men voted for Rachel, while Ciera and Katie voted for John, and Rachel voted for Ciera. Even though John escapes the vote, he is in a vulnerable spot in the tribe right now because the guys are starting to doubt his loyalty to their alliance and his immunity idol clue poses a huge threat. It makes even more critical for John to find that idol if he wants to save his butt at the next time they go to tribal council.

Do you think that voting off Rachel was the best move for Tadhana? Is Tyson willing to swap with Rachel's spot at Redemption Island? Share your thoughts below at the comments section.