Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites - Episode 13, “I Think That Is What You Call A Life Lesson”
Previously on Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites, James’ finger became so infected he was forced to leave the game or risk losing his hand. Meanwhile, Amanda was labeled as the next to go, but managed to find the hidden immunity idol while convincing everyone but Parvati that she didn’t have it. A tremendous acting job on her part led to a Tribal Council reversal and the ouster of Alexis, turning the game on its head and setting Natalie up for a quick exit.
Tribal Council Is Getting Dangerous
Back at camp, after Tribal Council, Amanda explains to the others that she really didn’t have the idol when she said she didn’t - she got it later. Cirie tells us that Tribal Council is getting dangerous…a bit of an understatement…with all of the idols floating around and people using them and not using them. She says that Amanda really put her through the wringer but she’s good because she had Cirie on the brink of tying the vote which is what Amanda needed in order to know she could trust Cirie.
Amanda Plays Erik Like A Fiddle
The next morning Erik is still stunned that Alexis is gone and talks to Natalie about it. They discuss how Amanda is too smart and it doesn’t make sense for anyone to take her to the final three. Erik thinks the others will surely realize this…um, yeah…
Erik’s also mad because Amanda made him look like a fool at Tribal Council. He and Natalie discuss sending each other to Exile if either of them win the Reward Challenge. Natalie definitely wants to go so she can find the idol, but Erik seems a bit hesitant for some reason. He says he doesn’t trust anyone in the game.
The three Faves meanwhile are all smiles. Amanda says she completely trusts Cirie now because of the testing she put her through. They talk about how they have to beat Erik to make it to the final three together. I’m not completely sure why all of them think this is a good plan, though. They also think they need to win the Reward Challenge so they can decide who to send to Exile Island (to find the presumably re-hidden hidden immunity idol or at least to keep Natalie or Erik from finding it).
Cirie, however, thinks they should try something else as well. She thinks that Amanda could get in Erik’s head and convince him that she’s forgiven him - that he’ll do whatever she wants if she does that. That couldn’t work, could it?
Well, Amanda gives it a go. She goes and talks with Erik. She wants to know what he’s thinking. He’s thinking he wants to win a Reward Challenge because it’s probably going to be food and he’s hungry. Amanda suggests that if either of them win they take the other person. Erik tells us that he doesn’t know if he can trust Amanda. Um, no, dude. You can’t.
Amanda’s good, though. She says that they could team up and it would be Erik, the most physical player, and she, the most strategic player, in a game against the odds. Erik looks kind of like he likes the sound of that. Amanda then tells us that Erik is “very, very naïveâ€Â? and she thinks she can manipulate him into sending Parvati to Exile Island. Which she does in three, two, one…
Erik says that Natalie is pressing for him to go to Exile Island. Amanda says of course she is. After all, Erik’s playing a physical game and she wants him to get weaker. The smart thing to do (she suggest) would be to send Parvati who is already so weak she probably won’t even look for the idol. And by the way, could I show you some ocean front property in Arizona…
Reward Challenge
The Reward Challenge is a trivia game. The questions will come from episodes of Survivor from seasons past. The first person to get four correct answers will win a visit to a luxury resort where they’ll get the usual massage and a meal. In addition, they’ll get to send someone to Exile Island where there is, in fact, more clues to yet another hidden immunity idol. This time, though, there’s only one more Tribal Council in which the idol can be played - the next one.
So the questions begin. They seem hard at first, but as soon as I hear the answer I remember everything about it. Weird. It’s interestingly pointed out that when season two aired back in 2001, Erik was only 14 years old. They only get five questions because Erik only misses one. He gets the fifth question correct and wins Reward!
Now comes the difficult part. Will he keep his agreement with Amanda or keep his agreement with Natalie? He chooses to send Parvati to Exile! That means he’s decided to choose Amanda to go to Reward with him. Oops, he only gets to take one person. Amanda is happy and tells him that he totally redeemed himself…let’s see how long that lasts. Sucker.
Cirie Stirs The Pot
Cirie and Natalie have to go back to camp empty handed. Natalie is pissed off because she didn’t get to go to Reward and she didn’t get sent to Exile. It doesn’t make any sense to her. She complains to Cirie who pretty much just smiles at first. Then Cirie gets in Cirie mode.
Cirie starts egging Natalie on talking about how Erik’s a little weasel and how he obviously doesn’t have any loyalties to Natalie if he’s going to tell her one thing and do another. She goes on to say that Erik must not be planning on targeting Amanda because it wouldn’t make any sense to feed her and get her stronger right before the Immunity Challenge if he’s really trying to beat her. She says sarcastically, “Maybe that’s a new tactic that I don’t know about. Let me make you as strong as possible so I can vote you out.â€Â? Natalie gets completely worked up which seems to bring Cirie (and me) no small amount of joy.
The Reward
Erik is happy he brought Amanda along because he thinks that if he had brought Natalie along there wouldn’t have been any relaxation. There’s a part of him that just wanted to spend time with Amanda and get to know her again as a friend. Ahhh, I think someone has a little crush.
Erik tells Amanda he just wants to enjoy himself and not worry about whether or not he’s being manipulated which is a pretty clear signal to Amanda that she’s got free reign to manipulate him without fear of getting caught.
They seem to have fun eating and getting massaged. Later, they do actually talk about the game. Erik talks about how it’s hard for him to make decisions because he’s not used to having to do that what with being an ice cream scooper and all. He says he needs to step up and be an “ice cream man instead of an ice cream boy.â€Â?
Exile Island
Parvati is hanging out on the beach talking about how it’s a nice little mini-vacation for her. She says the main reason she’s there is to keep Natalie and Erik from getting the idol. It doesn’t really matter if she finds or even looks for the idol - her alliance has the numbers. Oh Lord. Will these people never learn?
Erik Is “Full Of Crap”
Erik and Amanda come back from Reward and Erik receives an icy reception from Natalie. Over the course of the day he proceeds to do pretty much everything strategically wrong that he can do. At least, that’s how the women portray it. Natalie overhears Erik telling Cirie that the final three should be him, Cirie, and Parvati. Of course, he’s been telling something different to Natalie and Amanda. Natalie gets all pissed off like he doesn’t have a right to want to win. Go figure.
The girls all get together and tell each other everything he’s been saying to each of them, as any thinking man would have known they would do. Erik realizes that he probably made a pretty big mistake. He talks to Amanda about it and she tells him that everyone thinks he’s “full of crap.” He tells us that he pretty much needs to win the Immunity Challenge.
Immunity Challenge
Parvati returns and Jeff explains the challenge. They will each have to solve three puzzles. They will be given a set of coordinates that correspond to symbols that encircle a sandy…well, circle. Using two ropes they will connect the coordinates. Where the ropes intersect they will dig to find a bag of puzzle pieces. Solving that puzzle will give them the coordinates for the next puzzle. The first to get all their puzzle pieces and solve the final puzzle wins immunity.
And off they go. Erik gets his coordinates and starts digging really quickly. He’s the first to find a bag. Cirie finds one a little bit later followed by Amanda. Erik continues to work fast gaining ground on the others who continue to try but aren’t getting anywhere very fast. Parvati is barely even in the contest. Erik has his final bag of puzzle pieces before the others have even found their second bag. At this point Jeff says that it’s Erik’s challenge to lose. He doesn’t. He finishes the puzzle and wins immunity once again.
I Feel Stupid Just Listening To This
With Erik winning immunity Natalie figures her time is limited. Back at camp she and the other girls talks and she asks them to let her know if they’re voting for her - yeah, because that worked out so well last time. Cirie just says, “probably.”
But then Cirie has an idea - well, a thought really. Cirie wonders aloud if Erik would give Natalie the immunity necklace. I think everyone’s initial thought was the same as mine - no, that’s stupid. Amanda, however, thinks Natalie could get him to do it. She and Cirie tell Natalie that she should tell Erik that if he would to give her the necklace that he would redeem himself in the eyes of the jury. Natalie asks, “Who would fall for that?â€Â? Parvati says, “Ozzy, Jason, and Erik – he belongs in that threesome.â€Â?
Natalie doesn’t think it will work but she agrees to try. Cirie immediately makes it a better plan by telling Natalie to say that the only way Cirie will vote out Amanda is if Erik hands over immunity to Natalie because Cirie won’t believe him otherwise. It’s such a stupid idea that I immediately know they’ll somehow make it work. Poor Erik.
The Ultimate Jedi Mind Trick
So Natalie goes to Erik and says that the two of them and Cirie can vote out Amanda if he will give her the immunity necklace. He quickly says that he won’t even consider it. So, that’s that. But not really. He should at least hear her out.
Natalie continues and says if he does it Cirie will absolutely vote out Amanda. Erik asks the obvious question: why does he need to give up immunity? Natalie feeds him the line about redeeming himself with the jury. Erik is hesitant, but is actually giving this insane plan some thought. He says he’ll talk to Cirie.
So he goes to Cirie and asks why they can’t vote out Amanda and let him keep immunity. Cirie does a bit of acting of her own this week and tells him that she just doesn’t know if she can trust him. If Erik gives up his immunity necklace it’ll be a sign to her that he’s really going to vote with them. Cirie then tells us that she threw out the line and Erik is nibbling on it. She thinks it’s only a 50/50 shot because Erik’s a smart guy. I’m starting to seriously doubt that.
Cirie and Amanda talk secretly and Cirie tells her that she and Parvati need to blast Erik at Tribal Council, while Cirie and Natalie won’t. This, you see, will help Erik see that battle lines have been drawn, and, hopefully, help him make up his mind to give Natalie the immunity necklace. Smart Cirie. Poor Erik.
A little later it looks like Erik is really considering the plan. The only problem is, he’s afraid that Parvati found the hidden immunity idol and that she’s going to give it to Amanda. So he asks Natalie if they can vote out Parvati instead. Natalie plays it cool and tells him how she understands his concerns and how he has to look at it from every angle. She pretty much agrees that they could do that if it makes him more comfortable. She then goes back and tells Cirie what he said. Cirie couldn’t care less what Natalie agreed to. Cirie is smart enough to know that they have him on the hook and they just need to reel him in. She’d agree to anything at this point. Cirie says this would be “the ultimate Jedi mind trick.â€Â?
Tribal Council
Probst begins his questioning by asking Erik about why he took Amanda with him to Reward after she “completely worked you at the last Tribal Council.� Erik replies that he felt like he needed to redeem himself and she could see it as some kind of nice gesture to kind of bury the hatchet.
Jeff then asks Parvati about Exile Island. She says it was like a mini-vacation for her when she was there, but when she got back she heard about Erik making alliances with everyone then breaking them and switching and she’s glad that she missed all of that. Man, they didn’t waste any time trying to call Erik out. Everyone, including Erik, shakes their heads in agreement.
Jeff asks Erik what it feels like for Erik to have Parvati out him like that while all the other women are nodding along with her? Erik says it was just a stupid mistake on his part. He feels like he needs to come here now and ask for some kind of forgiveness. Oh gag me.
Amanda jumps in and tells him “your word means nothing to anybody anymore.â€Â? She points out that he only took her on Reward to get her vote on the jury and that everything he told her he told each of the other girls (of course, it was actually Amanda’s idea that he take her on Reward, but…). So then Erik tries to ask forgiveness, but Amanda and Parvati tear into him and Erik just looks pitiful. He wants forgiveness outside of the game, but the game can’t be put aside because they’re in the game - this is the game. Wow. Deep.
If I didn’t know better I’d say this Tribal Council was scripted because it’s starting to work perfectly for the women. Probst wants to know what it would take for Erik to win the game. Erik says that’s a question that concerns him. He’s looking down the road and he doesn’t see any friendly faces on the jury. “I need some kind of redemption,â€Â? he says.
Now it’s Cirie’s turn to make everything fall into place. Cirie is asked if it’s realistic to say, “I’m sorry,” and if it even matters if he redeems himself. Cirie says it does matter because the results lie in the hands of people who are voted out at this point in the game and end up on the jury. So she thinks it’s really important that people redeem themselves, especially if they’ve been discredited, but - and here’s the kicker - words are meaningless at this point and only actions can show what’s really going on. Perfect set up. Perfect score.
And now we come to the pay off…
It’s the time of the Tribal Council where Jeff asks the winner of the individual immunity wishes to give it up or keep it. Normally, this is not even a consideration. Tonight it’s edge-of-your-seat dramatic. Erik says it’s a tough decision for him. Every jaw on the jury drops to the ground. The birds stop chirping, insects stop making insect noises…even the wind stops blowing for a few moments.
Erik says that as a competitor, he wants to keep his fate in his own hands, but he knows he’s made a lot of mistakes and actions speak louder than words. He wants to give his individual immunity to Natalie.
The jury can’t contain themselves. Heck, Amanda and the other girls can barely contain themselves. I’m not sure how Probst is doing so. Suddenly, Natalie is safe.
It is now time to vote.
Erik gets up to vote first. He has his fingers crossed as he walks by the jury. They are all looking at him in amazement and amusement. When he votes for Parvati he says that you have to take a risk sometimes. While he’s voting the girls are hugging and kissing and smiling and laughing.
Then, for the first time that I can remember, we see EVERY OTHER vote as it’s being made. Of course, it’s no surprise who all the girls vote for. I guess the producers thought it would be more entertaining to see them vote than it would be to just see the votes read when we already knew what was going to happen. They were right. Especially entertaining was Parvati who, when she votes, says “You’re crazy! You’ll officially go down as the dumbest Survivor ever. In the history of Survivor. Ever.â€Â?
Jeff tallies then reads the votes (after Parvati doesn’t play the idol that she apparently never bothered to look for): Erik, Parvati, Erik, Erik. That’s enough. With that, Erik becomes the 13th person voted out and the 6th member of the jury.
Erik just looks up at the sky in dispair then says, “You guys drive me crazy,� as he stands up. From the jury we hear James celebrate by saying, “I’ve lost my reign as dumbest Survivor ever!�
When Erik gets up to Probst he says, “I should’ve known better.” Jeff snuffs his torch then he runs down the walkway.
Probst turns to the still laughing and giddy girls of the final four and says, “I think that is what you call a life lesson. Three days left in this game, who knows what is going to happen!�
Final Thoughts
Erik. Dumbest. Move. Ever.
Merged - Dabu
Natalie Bolton, Cirie Fields, Amanda Kimmel, Parvati Shallow
The Jury
Erik Reichenbach (Ep 13), Alexis Jones (Ep12), James Clement (Ep12), Jason Siska (Ep11), Ozzy Lusth (Ep10), Eliza Orlins (Ep9)
Favorites - Malakal
Jon “Jonny Fairplay” Dalton (Ep1), Yau-Man Chan (Ep3), Joel Anderson (Ep5), Chet Welch (Ep6), Tracy Hughes-Wolf (Ep7), Ami Cusack (Ep8)
Fans - Airai
Mary Sartain (Ep2), Michael “Mikey B” Bortone (Ep4), Jonathan Penner (Ep6), Kathleen “Krazy Kathy” Sleckman (Ep7)
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