After a tribal reshuffling sent two men to Yasur, that tribe moved one castaway closer to reverting to an all-woman crew when they voted out new member Travis Sampson, the 33-year-old loss prevention specialist from Blountville, Tennessee. ...more
TRIBAL SHUFFLE: BUBBA BOOTED
After a tribal reshuffling sent two men to Yasur, that tribe moved one castaway closer to reverting to an all-woman crew when they voted out new member Travis Sampson, the 33-year-old loss prevention specialist from Blountville, Tennessee. Just before the Immunity Challenge began, Travis attempted to communicate secretly with a former tribemate. His new comrades at Yasur saw this as an act of disloyalty and swiftly sent him packing in an almost unanimous decision. Shortly after that fateful decision, Travis warned, "Don't let nobody fool you. It's as tough as you see on TV."
NIGHTS BY THE FIRE
After yet another cold night, the men of Lopevi immediately awoke to conflict over who gets to sleep by the fire. Happy with his pole-position of heat, Travis refused to consider a rotating sleeping situation that would give all Lopevi members a chance to sleep in the prime position. As Chad Crittenden, the 35-year-old teacher from Oakland, California, explained, "Some positions are more desirable than others. Bubba just would not give up his prime spot."
HAIL TO THE CHIEF
The women of Yasur and the men of Lopevi were all surprised to spot indigenous Vanuatu tribesmen approach their shore. Upon reaching the camp, the Vanuatu warriors demanded that each tribe choose a chief. Lopevi chose Lea "Sarge" Masters, the 40-year-old drill sergeant from Columbia, South Carolina, while Yasur chose Scout Cloud Lee, the 59-year-old rancher from Stillwater, Oklahoma. "We kinda have a feeling that the tribes are going to get mixed up in some way," predicted Leann Slaby, the 35-year-old research assistant from Kansasville, Wisconsin.
EARTHQUAKE!
As they speculated about the mysterious roles of their chiefs, both tribes were surprised by a furious earthly rumble. It was a Vanuatu earthquake, which sent the birds into a frenzy and awoke the island volcano. Realizing the power of the Vanuatu land, the castaways were unnerved. "I could do without that," said Leann, putting it mildly.
DROP YOUR BUFFS
As the castaways convened for the Reward Challenge, host Jeff Probst announced a tribal reshuffling. The two chosen chiefs, Sarge and Scout, would now be leaders of the new tribes. Scout was to assign the Survivors to each tribe, and Sarge would get to choose which tribe he would lead.
After Scout's selections were completed, the new Yasur retained its old roster with the additions of Rory and Travis, minus Julie and Twila. After the shuffle, the new Lopevi roster was Chad, Chris, John K, Julie and Twila, with Sarge as leader; the new Yasur lineup was Ami, Eliza, Leann, Lisa, Rory and Travis, with Scout at the helm.
REWARD CHALLENGE: DIVE MASTERS
As the new tribes readied for the Reward Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that this Challenge would be a relay-style race down into the deep water of Vanuatu. Pulling themselves along a rope line one at a time, the castaways would retrieve markers placed at two-foot increments. The tribe retrieving the most markers in the time allotted would win the Reward: a daytime excursion to the picturesque waterfalls of Vanuatu, with all the Pringles they can eat, washed down with all the beer they can drink.
The Challenge started off with a splash as the Survivors dove into the ocean in search of markers. Lopevi suffered a major blow when Chris Daugherty, the 34-year-old highway construction worker from South Vienna, Ohio, dropped his marker and watched it descend to the bottom of the ocean. Stalemated and with time running out, Chris submerged himself for Lopevi while Ami Cusack, the 31-year-old barista/model from Lakewood, Colorado, dove under for Yasur. Ami could not make it that deep and emerged empty-handed. Chris redeemed his previous mistake as he rose from the depths of the Vanuatu waters holding the crucial marker that sealed the Reward for his new Lopevi tribe.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
Against the spectacular backdrop of Vanuatu's waterfalls, the new Lopevi tribe bonded over all the beer and Pringles they could consume. New Lopevi members Julie Berry, the 23-year-old youth mentor from Gorham, Maine, and Twila Tanner, the 41-year-old highway repair worker from Marshall, Missouri, immediately tried to bond with their tribemates. "Two women, the rest of them men. Are they gonna try to pick us off? I don't know," admitted Julie. "So, me and Twila tried to weasel our way in there pretty tight."
Meanwhile, at Yasur, the women greeted Rory and Travis with open arms, offering the new arrivals coconut milk, sweet sugar cane and comfortable beds. Dissention quickly arose when Ami second-guessed her tribe's hospitality. "I don't think it's so important to show them all of our secrets," she noted. "We're definitely still five women strong, and they need to prove themselves, or else they're out of here."
IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTRIG
When the tribes assembled for the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that this would be another relay race, this time through the jungle and out into the water. The castaways must race into the jungle to gather outrigger canoe parts and paddles. Once all the pieces are gathered, each tribe must assemble their canoe, then paddle out to retrieve their flag. The first tribe to bring their flag back to the beach wins.
As Jeff Probst explained the Challenge, Travis tried to communicate something to Chris, now on the opposing tribe. This exchange attempt was not lost on Ami, who had been watching her new tribemates.
The battle got off to a frenetic start as Julie and Chad emerged from the brush with the paddles, giving Lopevi the early lead. Yasur fell even farther behind when Rory had trouble untying the knots to release their paddle. Enjoying a big lead, Lopevi assembled their canoe and took to the water. Paddling fiercely, Chad and John Kenney, the 22-year-old mechanical bull operator/model from Los Angeles, California, had trouble steering the Lopevi canoe, which allowed Yasur a chance to get back into the game. However, it was too little, too late for Yasur, as the Lopevi tribe members righted their craft, captured their flag and carried it onto shore to secure the victory and the coveted Immunity.
DISTRUST AT YASUR
Returning to camp after their crushing defeat, Yasur considered which tribemate they should send packing. As the newest members and the only men in the tribe, Travis and Rory knew they were on the chopping block. However, Eliza Orlins, the 21-year-old pre-law student from Syracuse, New York, argued that without the men, Yasur's ability to compete in Challenges could be compromised.
Despite Eliza's arguments, it was clear that Travis' new tribemates saw his attempt to communicate with Chris as treachery. "People will get themselves kicked out," Ami noted. "You don't have to kick them out. They'll get themselves kicked out."
In the end, Travis did get himself kicked out. His brief stay at Yasur ended with a six-to-one decision that sent him home. Travis became the sixth Survivor to be voted off SURVIVOR: VANUATU.
