Survivor Philippines Season 25 Episode 5 Recap: Who Got Their Swag Back?
Oct 17 2012 09:15 pm ET
Matsing returned from tribal with only two members left; Malcolm reminding us that it's only day ten of Survivor. Denise suggested that the two would be dissolved into a tribe, but you never know how sadistic the production team is. Consider the whole Stephanie/Bobby Jon tribe being phased out. On day eleven the two woke up and Malcolm was covered in mosquitos. The two didn't have a tarp. They got mail for a reward challenge. There was the outside possibility that the two would be reshuffled so they decided to look for the hidden immunity idol. The two searched the rice basket but didn't realize it was the top. Soon Denise stared at the basket and Malcolm pried the hidden immunity idol off the top.
The tribes arrived at the first reward challenge of the season, Matsing now Russell-less. Jeff announced that Malcolm and Denise had to drop their buffs. They were both joining different groups. Malcolm joined Tandang, Denise was sent to Kalabaw. The challenge was both a balancing challenge and a physical challenge. It was basically balancing a statue on a tray while trying to push your competitor’s statue off first. The first to five won. The prize was a coffee/tea/breakfast set.
Jeff v. Malcolm - There was a lot of initial staring, but Jeff won. - Jeff Wins
Dana v. Artis - Artis' height was a little too much for Dana - Artis Wins
Lisa v. Katie - Lisa tried to make a move and failed - Katie Wins
Penner v. Skupin - Skupin chucked his idol high in the air - Skupin Wins
RC v. Denise - Denise went for a jump, similar to Skupin - Denise Wins
Carter v. Pete - The two were a bit tense, but Carter seemed too slippery for the win - Pete Wins
Dawson v. Abi - After a bad Dawson's Creek joke and Dawson going for hair, Abi's continued being a firecracker - Abi Wins
Jeff v. Malcolm (2) - The floor was a little slippery but Malcolm made a big gamble and it paid off - Malcolm Wins
Tandang won the reward with Malcolm's help. Malcolm was excited for his first win. Denise on the other hand had five losses, but she did gain an opportunity to wedge herself into a new family. Penner was nervous because he knew that Malcolm would have been physical help to the tribe.
Tandang returned with Malcolm and he felt like he got all his energy back. He hoped to find a crack in the system as Lisa nervously looked on; she knew he was useful in challenges and was smart. RC was more nervous as Malcolm immediately bonded with Pete; she immediately knew she was on the outs. Weird how Lisa has gotten herself into a confident position. RC needed time to work on Malcolm to win him over to her side. She immediately went for boobs and hugs. It works for Parvati and many other women; it was worth a shot. Pete pulled Malcolm to the side, explained that he had the hidden immunity idol with Abi and was willing to vote out Mike.
Over at Kalabaw, Denise returned and tried to feel as welcome as possible. She went with the gratitude and tried to prove her worth to her new tribe. Luckily, she seems like a natural worker bee. She also knew what the hidden immunity idol looked like, so if she checked the rice for a second and saw a missing crest, she knew someone would be holding the HII. Katie explained that she needed to work the female alliance angle. It was raining rough as the men worried about how cold the temperatures became. The cameras decided to look at Dana and while she claimed she was fine, she couldn't shake off how cold she was. She started to get stomach pains and ran off to the cave shivering in tears. She got under the blankets and could barely move. The medics arrived along with Jeff. They revealed her from under the blanket. The medical team checked on Dana; she complained that it was like a knife to her stomach. Jeff asked medical if she could continue, they suggested that she could survive another 12 hours on her own. Jeff turned to Dana and said that she may be in a non-life threatening situation and had the choice. After a commercial break, Dana was in tears because she decided to pull out of the game at the moment. Jeff told her to finish the game on her terms.
The rest of the tribe popped up and Dana explained to the tribe that she pushed herself as hard as possible. Dana just couldn't move on; Penner could easily relate and tried his best to fight during Fans vs. Favorites. She was sent on a boat and they wished her goodbye. Katie felt screwed over at the worst moment leaving her alone.
The two tribes arrived at the next immunity challenge. Tandang found out about Dana's elimination, giving them a little extra hope that they could sit out a weakling. Jeff took both idols and hid the second one as if it never even existed. I miss those seasons where the idols would split into pieces. The challenge was a group obstacle course with a bamboo puzzle at the end. All they had to do was solve that the puzzle was "Live to play another day." Abi sat out the challenge, admitting that she's only done two challenges. Good job both Editing and allowing a few back-to-back sit outs this season.
The group raced down their ramps and it seemed like Tandang had an immediate advantage as Katie slowed down Kalabaw. RC and Artis were untying before Carter and Denise could start, Katie bringing up the rear. Denise had some good time as she untied the top set really quickly. I guess she is a lot more useful than her dead weight Matsing tribe. Tandang finished the bridge before Kalabaw as Malcolm hacked at the bamboo puzzle's lock. Jeff and Penner tried their best to catch up, but they were always a few steps behind. Lisa was part of the puzzle solving with Pete proving a little bit of her physical worth. Penner and Dawson tried to catch up while Denise was screaming suggestions. Immediately, Lisa screamed the answer, but the two were stuck shuffling words as quickly as possible but Lisa/Pete won for Tandang only a few seconds ahead.
Kalabaw returned and realized that losing sucked. They knew that they didn't have the votes if they merged soon. Katie put the blame on herself, she knew that she screwed up from the beginning. Dawson tried to reinforce that she wouldn't vote for her; in the confessional Dawson knew it was bad. The two women considered chucking Denise. Denise didn't know how useful she was. Jeff talked to Denise and shook hands immediately. She just wanted to survive. Jeff knew that Denise was physically and mentally stronger to keep. Jeff told Carter and Penner how useful it is. Penner knew that Denise was useful, so the pressure shifted to Dawson or Katie. Carter pointed out how checked out Katie was, but Dawson messed up the puzzle.
Dawson tried her best to play up the fact that Jeff was a famous baseball player. She brought up a conversation about football and baseball. Jeff knew he was walking on eggshells. Jeff suggested getting rid of Dawson if she did know he was famous.
The old Kalabaw started their torch lighting with Denise knowing the familiar area. Dawson tried to emphasize how strong Dana was but it hit the tribe hard. Katie admitted that she had the hardest time getting up a hill and hoped that she could compete in other challenges. Dawson argued that Denise would be a useful competitor; she tried to claim that she was a positive player. Jeff wondered who would be a weak-link in general.
Voting occurred and most of the contestants looked confused, Denise seemed confident enough walking to that writing station tons of times already. Jeff went to get the votes and no one played the hidden immunity idol. Jeff read the votes as 5-1 for Dawson, Denise getting the stray vote. She got her torch snuffed, but managed to get a hug from Jeff before she left.
Next Week: Physical challenges turned into a big argument.
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