God apparently wasn't the only one who wanted Christian radio talk-show host Leslie Nease to go home, as the 38-year-old from Tega Cay, SC was deemed weak by her fellow Fei Long tribe members and as a result, she became the third castaway eliminated from Survivor: China during last night's broadcast of the long-running CBS reality competition series.
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Survivor: China's third episode began in the middle of the night at Fei Long as the tribe's castaways tried their best to sleep despite the snoring of Jean-Robert Bellande, a 36-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV.
Twenty-six-year-old New York waitress Courtney Yates also noticed how Jean-Robert was "hugging on" all the women in the night and commented how it was giving she and Amanda Kimmel, a 23-year-old hiking guide and Miss Montana USA 2005 from Los Angeles, CA, a "creep vibe."
"Call me creepy if you want to, but I need to be warm," was Jean-Robert's reasoning.
"Like I'm going to keep anyone warm! I weigh seven pounds," Courtney explained. "I can't even keep myself warm! Get off of me!"
"If we ever have to go to Tribal Council, we won't have to worry about who it will be first," said Leslie. "It will be [Jean-Robert]."
The next morning, Courtney and James Clement, a 30-year-old grave digger from Lafayette, LA, used some of the fishing gear Fei Long won at the previous Reward Challenge to catch a crab. James wanted to add crab stock to the rice to spice-up the bland meal for everyone, however Aaron Reisberger, a 32-year-old surfing instructor and bartender from Venice, CA, argued that he wanted the whole crab to himself.
Leslie chalked it up to the boys being "cranky" due to hunger, and the tribe eventually decided on going with James' plan.
"It's frustrating with this team because they have a slow learning curve," said James. "It's hard to talk to these guys. They keep bumping their heads. I'm the only one who went to Barnes & Noble before we got out here. I'm the only one that actually went and read a survival handbook... Four hours at Barnes and Noble and I feel like Crocodile Dundee out here!"
James' statement was incorrect as WWE diva Ashley Massaro also studied survival guides at Barnes & Noble, however she was booted by Zhan Hu at the previous Tribal Council instead of Dave Cruser, a 37-year-old former model and bartender from Simi Valley, CA. Despite costing Zhan Hu the previous Reward Challenge because he was tired due to all the physical work he does around camp, Dave still wouldn't relax.
Peih-Gee Law, a 29-year-old jeweler from Marina Del Rey, CA, advised Dave to "conserve" his energy.
"He doesn't seem to get it that he needs to rest," commented Peih-Gee. Dave explained that to have energy at challenges you "must efficiently expend some" at camp because it's a "balance." As members of the Zhan Hu discussed a way to make their fire pit work better -- Dave got aggravated -- and just did what they were talking about instead of discussing it.
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"Dave's pushing a whole lot of people and he needs to chill out," commented Michael "Frosti" Zernow, a 20-year-old parkour athlete/student from Chicago, IL. "We were looking at him and Ashley last night and today of all days should be the day when he should just be happy that he's here."
Fei Long and Zhan Hu then met for the episode's Reward Challenge. Host Jeff Probst explained in alternating rounds of women on women then men on men, tribes would engage in hand-to-hand combat and attempt to throw the opposing tribe off the deck of a boat and into the water. The first tribe to clear the entire opposing tribe off the boat's platform scores a point.
The first tribe to get three points would win "comfort items," including kerosene, a lantern, rope, pillows, blankets and a tarp, as well as the right to "kidnap" one member of the losing tribe. Because they were 3 for 3 in challenges and had two additional tribe members, Fei Long decided to sit Courtney and Todd Herzog, a 22-year-old flight attendant from Pleasant Grove, UT.
The first round saw Peih-Gee; Jaime Dugan, a 22-year-old student from Columbia, SC; and Sherea Lloyd, a 26-year-old elementary school teacher from Atlanta, GA, competing for Zhan Hu against Amanda; Leslie; and Denise Martin, a 40-year-old school lunch lady from Douglas, MA, for Fei Long. Denise, Amanda and Leslie went in the water in that order and Zhan Hu scored the first point.
The second round had Frosti; Erik Huffman, a 26-year-old musician from Nashville, TN; and a naked Dave competing for Zhan Hu against James, Jean-Robert and Aaron for Fei Long. Naked Dave immediately pulled Aaron in and James tossed Frosti in the water like he was throwing a body in a grave. Jean-Robert took Eric in the water, leaving James alone on the boat and claiming a point for Fei Long.
With the challenge tied at a point apiece, it was the women's turn again. Jaime and Sherea threw Leslie and Amanda in while Peih-Gee and Jaime took care of Denise, and Zhan Hu took another point. Up 2 to 1, Fei Long's men dominated Zhan Hu for a second time. Naked Dave, Frosti and Jean-Robert all went into the water at the same time and James an Aaron easily threw Eric in, as Fei Long tied the score at two.
In the final round Sherea was an animal, pushing in both Amanda and Leslie with her legs. She eventually ended up in the water herself -- but she took Denise with her -- and Zhan Hu claimed its first Survivor: China challenge victory. Zhan Hu decided to kidnap Leslie until the next Immunity Challenge and before the tribes left, Jeff gave her the second clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol.
"I was so excited to win the Reward Challenge. Not only did we get pillows, blankets and a tarp, we were also able to kidnap Leslie to our tribe," said Jaime, who was kidnapped by Fei Long last week.
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"We got quite a bit of good information from Leslie but it was more in a kind of fun girls gossiping," said Peih-Gee. "You can get the same results but you can do them in a happy, nice way."
At Fei Long, James and Jean-Robert gossiped in the water about Leslie -- who they affectionately referred to as "Sister Christian" -- with James commenting that "people who pray the most sin the most, that's why they're praying."
The two eventually turned their attention to Courtney, whom they label as weak due to her small size, and Jean-Robert teased James that he only wants to keep Courtney around because he's got a crush on her. Todd and Courtney were eavesdropping on the conversation as they cut husks for the fire.
"We were literally 20 yards away from Jean-Robert and James in full view and they were talking at the top of their lungs about how Courtney is going first. Dude, she's right here!" commented Todd. It got worse from there as Jean-Robert told James, "The only thing better than a million dollars is a million dollars and some ass." Courtney vowed she was never sleeping near Jean-Robert again.
"You've got to take care of taking out the trash, and as far as I'm concerned, James and Jean-Robert are the trash," said Todd. "I don't care if it's tomorrow, I don't care if it's five days from now, I don't care if it's nine days from now... Trash gets stinky. They got to go."
Since Jaime gave her Hidden Immunity Idol clue to Leslie when she was kidnapped by Fei Long, Leslie decided to "return the favor" and give the Idol's second clue to Jaime. Leslie explained she and Jaime "understand" each other, a sentiment Jaime agreed with.
"I trust Leslie more than anyone on the other team so it's really good to get her over here, and she gave me the clue for the Hidden Immunity Idol. So altogether it worked out really well for me," said Jaime. Despite having both the first and second clues to the whereabouts of the Hidden Immunity Idol, Jaime still couldn't figure it out.
"We have two clues and I can't figure them out quite yet," she said. "I don't know, I think it's probably right in front of my face."
The tribes then arrived for their third Immunity Challenge, and Leslie rejoined Fei Long. Jeff explained four players from each tribe would take turns at four stations, where they must chop a series of ropes concealed in wood to retrieve a bundle of large wooden puzzle coins. Once the tribes retrieved all four bundles of coins, the two remaining tribe members would stack those coins on a puzzle pole atop a heavy stone base. Once stacked correctly, those two members had to drag their completed puzzle and stone base across the finish line. First tribe across the finish line won Immunity.
Courtney did a terrible job for Fei Long as the first tribe member to try and release the first bundle of wooden coins. In the time it took her to complete it Jaime, Peih-Gee, Frosti and Eric were all able to cut through their rope bundles for Zhan Hu, allowing Sherea and Dave a large head start on the puzzle.
But Dave and Sherea had problems and put together the puzzle very slowly, allowing Courtney (who adapted a sawing technique), Amanda, Aaron and James to cut through their bundles, with Todd and Jean-Robert starting on Fei Long's puzzle. Zhan Hu eventually got a rhythm going in putting the puzzle together and dragged it across the finish line first, claiming their first Immunity Challenge victory.
"Well I lost two hands and possibly a shoulder," commented Courtney when she returned to Fei Long. The mood was somber at Fei Long and Jean-Robert put that night's Tribal Council into perspective.
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"It's a major liability for us," said Aaron about Leslie being kidnapped. "She doesn't think because I don't know if it's her heart or what, but it just overcomes her brain. Really what scares me is once the merge happens, what kind of bonds is Leslie going to be involved with? You can't really trust her."
Courtney described Fei Long's camp life as "miserable," and she and Leslie concocted a plan to get rid of Jean-Robert. Trying to swing others to their side to oust Jean-Robert was going to be a tough sell, as Aaron summed it up best when he said the large professional poker player is needed "because of the challenges." Even Todd -- who referred to Leslie as "mom" -- was torn.
"Right now it would be between Leslie and Jean-Robert," he explained. "Further down the line, I don't want to be competing against these huge guys. This game is not just physical right now. I'm trying to think strategically as well. I want to get rid of Jean-Robert, but at the same time, as far as challenges go, I want to keep Jean-Robert. But who knows?"
Survivor: China's third Tribal Council then commenced, and since it was Fei Long's first trip there, Jeff sparked-up their torches. Jean-Robert let Jeff -- and his fellow Fei Long members -- know what was on his mind.
"I'm very concerned. You look at our group, yeah we might have two or three of the biggest guys, but we also have two of the weakest girls. That's just a fact," he explained before singling out Courtney and Leslie at Jeff's request.
Courtney said she feels like "a little Chihuahua trying to run a horse race" since all of the challenges have been so physical so far. Jean-Robert tried to back peddle when Courtney defended herself, commenting he doesn't "perceive" Courtney as "weak."
"Jean-Robert, that is exactly what you said!" corrected Jeff. Jean-Robert than gave-up and said he wasn't going to "sugarcoat" it in his quest for $1 million. Despite James being the gravedigger, Leslie then might have dug her own Survivor grave.
"I spent a night with Zhan Hu," said Leslie. "I saw not a stronger physical tribe, but a strong heart. They're united, they do things together, they have fun. We may have all the brawn in the world, but if we don't have heart, we're not going to make it."
While Jean-Robert said he was "concerned" he might be eliminated, he added he "kicked some butt" in recent challenges and really "hoped" to make it.
Aaron, Jean-Robert, James, Amanda, Denise and even Todd voted to eliminate Leslie. She and Courtney voted for Jean-Robert, but lost by the 5 to 2 margin.
Survivor: China's next episode will air Thursday, October 11 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.
(Photo credit Monty Brinton/CBS) About The Author: Christopher Rocchio