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http://www.survivorfever.net/inside_challenges_all_stars_ep4.htmlInside the Challenges:
Episode 4 Preview
by Keith Privett
The Immunity Challenge bumped from episode 3 to episode 4 - as depicted in the previews - is a remake of Thai week 11 Immunity Challenge (IC11) “Cube Crisis,” the one the relatives returned to help play. Here it’s merged with the “loud leading the blind to collect things” challenge seen in Marquesas RC5 “Tiki Towers” (the first Maraamu win), and Amazon RC2 “Flip Out.” Three blindfolded players bring puzzle pieces to the box marked on the sand, when all are in, the blindfold comes off and the caller joins to solve the puzzle.
There are other differences between the All-Star Puzzle and the one in Thailand: It first appears to be a 4x4x4 cube, with 64 blocks, more than twice the 27 units in 3x3x3 Thai puzzle for twice the assemblers. However, the pattern on the mat hints that it may also be hollow in the central four columns, yielding a 48 cube “fort.” Since nine pieces are visible in the aerial shots, I further suspect a “fort” which only needs 10-12 pieces vs. the 14-16 for a full cube.
To keep the challenge from lasting two hours, solving the larger puzzle was made much easier. In Thailand, all the outside parts of the puzzle had the same pattern. This time the pieces have parts of the tribal icons, which indicate where it fits on a side. (In the image at left you will notice that the three pieces will actually go to different places in the pattern.).
Also the pattern of the circle varies from a solid line to a hollow line to a pinstripe (see at right), which means each side looks slightly different. If Jeff doesn’t pointed it out explicitly in the beginning, the first to notice is more likely to win. That team will finish one side like a corner of a jigsaw puzzle, and use the images on the ends to assemble the next sides.
Who has an advantage? Shii didn’t survive long enough in Thailand to play the cube challenge and she’s sitting out anyway. The players who did blindfold challenges were those in Australia (RC6), Marquesas (but Rob M. sat out), Thailand (IC2), and Amazon. I give Mogo Mogo the nod because they have Kathy, the winning caller in Marquesas and Colby who wore the blind fold in Australia. Saboga is second, because Jerri was the losing caller in Australia and may learn from her mistakes. The only experience Chapera brings is Alicia, but she was on the winning side, while blindfold game vets Amber, and Rob C. who was in two.
(Personal Note to the CBS.com webmaster, assign an intern to spell check the flash programs on the All Stars site. Both the Tribal Council and Challenge trackers have incorrectly spelled tribe names.)
Keith Privett has written “Inside the Challenges” columns for Survivor Fever since Thailand. He is a top twenty finisher in the Google U.S. Puzzle Championship, an urban planner, and alumnus of the same high school as Marquesan survivor Gabe Cade.