'Survivor: Blood vs. Water' eliminates returning castaway Kat Edorsson, votes off newbie Laura Boneham

Survivor: Blood vs. Water eliminated returning castaway Kat Edorsson from the game after she lost the season's sixth Redemption Island duel during Wednesday night's seventh episode of the CBS reality series' 27th edition.


Kat, a 23-year-old full-time student and saleswoman from Orlando, FL, lost the duel to returning player Laura Morett, a 43-year-old construction company co-owner from Salem, OR, and "loved one" John Cody, a 30-year-old physician and army orthopedic surgery resident from Washington, D.C., who's the husband of Candice Cody.

Later in the episode the new Galang tribe voted Rupert Boneham's wife Laura Boneham, a 44-year-old newbie player and merchandiser from Indianapolis, IN, out of their tribe on Night 18 at the season's seventh Tribal Council session.

"I just can't believe that they're keeping [Vytas Baskauskas] and they voted me out! They didn't go with the plan that I thought we were doing. If I go back in the game, I'm certainly not siding with the girls and that's for damn sure," Laura B. said upon arriving at Redemption Island.

As the game's newest Tribal Council victim, Laura B. will now take Kat's place on Redemption Island, where she will battle Laura M. and John in the game's next duel and attempt to earn a chance to rejoin the game's other remaining castaways and resume competing for Survivor: Blood vs. Water's million dollar prize.


Last week, a tribal swap switched up the tribes and mixed returning players with newbie castaways or "loved ones."

The new Galang tribe was comprised of returnee Laura B.; Monica Culpepper, a 42-year-old former NFL wife and homemaker from Tampa, FL; returnee Tina Wesson, a 52-year-old motivational speaker from Robbinsville, NC; Tina's daughter Katie Collins, a 25-year-old who works in hedge fund support from New York, NY; and Aras Baskauskas' brother Vytas, a 33-year-old yoga instructor and math professor from Santa Monica, CA.

The new Tadhana tribe was comprised of returnee Tyson Apostol, a 34-year-old former pro cyclist and shop manager from Provo, UT; returnee Aras, a 31-year-old musician from Santa Monica, CA; Gervase Peterson, a 43-year-old cigar lounge owner from Philadelphia, PA; Colton Cumbie's fiance Caleb Bankston, a 26-year-old post office manager and farmer from Collinsville, AL; Kat's boyfriend and former Big Brother winner Hayden Moss, a 26-year-old in real estate from Springtown, TX; and Laura M.'s daughter Ciera Eastin, a 24-year-old cosmetology student from Salem, OR.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water's seventh episode began on Night 16 with Kat arriving at Redemption Island. She said "at least I didn't cry" in reference to her elimination and worried whether Hayden would want to continue dating a girl who couldn't even make the merge. She explained to Laura M. and John that Vytas had "swooped in for the kill" right when Monica and Laura B. were on the outs. Kat admitted she wished she could take back a couple things, but she was ready to fight in the duels.

On Day 17, Kat got upset she didn't play the game the right way, and she feared Hayden would be ashamed of her. Kat said Hayden would undoubtedly be disappointed but hopefully wouldn't be too upset about her vote-off. Kat said they were a team and she was basically leaving him out to dry.


Later that day, all the castaways from both tribes gathered to witness the season's sixth duel. Survivor host Jeff Probst then welcomed Kat, John and Laura M. and they entered the arena altogether.

Kat immediately asked Hayden for a hug and said, "I'm so sorry." Hayden assured her it was okay but he held an emotionless gaze for awhile. After Kat expressed how she was worried her vote-off might negatively affect their relationship, Hayden announced everything was going to be fine and he wouldn't view her any differently. Hayden said Kat meant more to him than the game.

With that said, Jeff gave Hayden the chance to swap places with Kat for the duel. Hayden told her that he felt like he was in a good spot, but Kat admitted she'd like to switch because she didn't think she could win the duel due to the fact it was a puzzle and she "can't even spell."

However, Hayden wasn't moving, and he asked Kat who she believed had the best chance to actually win the game. He asked her to look down the road, and then Kat realized that player was Hayden.

"He's such a good player. He's such a genuine, honorable -- and every single time someone says something about Hayden, there's not one bad thing that anyone has ever said about him. And I know he'll do so well in the game," Kat announced.


"You know you'll do better than me," Kat told Hayden. "I'll play here and I want you to stay."

Both Kat and Hayden cried. Kat ultimately chose to stay on Redemption Island, but she said it meant so much to her that Hayden was even willing to switch places.

For the duel, each player had to release a machete and use it to chop a rope, dropping a bag of puzzle pieces. They then had to use those pieces to solve a large fire puzzle. John ended up winning the duel and Laura M. finished in second place. Therefore, Kat was eliminated from the game for good.

Hayden said to Kat on her way out, "Don't leave me." She replied, "I love you," and jokingly asked whether he was going to break up with her. For finishing in first place, John received a clue to a hidden Immunity Idol, and he chose to give it to Monica. She quickly threw it in the fire, as everyone knew it put a huge target on a person.

After the duel, Hayden felt responsible for Kat's ouster because he could've switched places with her. He felt guilty but also acknowledged he might've regretted swapping with her. Hayden was teary-eyed, saying he knew Kat could be naive -- as sometimes she didn't know which way was up -- and he's the one who helps her.


However, Hayden felt a little relief because he could continue on playing his own game and wouldn't have to worry about another player. He admitted he'd go forward playing a little bit more of a "cut-throat" game and said Kat's elimination might strengthen his relationship with his tribe since, they too, lost most of their "loved ones."

Afterward, Tyson made a Final 5 alliance with Ciera, Caleb, Gervase, and Hayden. They agreed they needed to get Aras out because he'd reunite with Vytas after the merge and they'd become a power pair. Tyson said Aras was getting comfortable, which fed right into his plans.

On Day 18, over at Galang's camp, Tina said she'd be "honored" if Vytas "took an interest" in Katie because he seemed like a "straight-up guy." Tina said Katie wasn't remotely flirtatious so it'd be tough for Vytas to spark up a romance. However, Tina said she could dream and was "ready for grandbabies."

Vytas, on a tribe of all women, was doing his best to be vulnerable and open so the ladies would trust him. He said women love a "newly-reformed bad boy," as he had a troubled past but had become a new man. Vytas told the cameras he was putting forward parts of himself he wanted the women to see and all of his words and actions were "very calculative."

Meanwhile, Laura B. worried her social game would be a problem for her since Day 1 because she grew up in a very quiet family on a remote farm. However, she believed she had made leaps and bounds in the game and was very proud of her position.


When thinking about whom should be the next person to go, Laura B. said she loved Vytas but still saw him as a huge threat. Monica agreed with Laura B. that Vytas would get voted-off if they were to lose the upcoming Immunity Challenge. Laura B. was upset about the reality of the situation but knew it was important to keep their all-female alliance intact and strong.

On Day 18, both tribes met Jeff again for Survivor: Blood vs. Water's seventh Immunity Challenge.

For the challenge, four members from each tribe were chained together at the ankles, and two of those people had their wrists attached to a coil. On go, they had to release themselves from the coil, and moving together, navigate themselves through a series of obstacles -- collecting bags along the way. Once all of a tribe's bags were collected, the remaining tribe member was required to use the balls and chains inside the bag to create bolos. The first tribe to land three bolos on their target wins.

The Tadhana tribe sat out Ciera to even up the numbers.

It came down to Tina against Tyson throwing the bolos, but Tyson apparently beat her by one bolo toss. For winning the challenge, in addition to immunity, the Tadhana tribe received Reward in the form of deep fried chicken, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, and lemonade and iced tea.

After the challenge, Tadhana enjoyed their Reward while Galang discussed their next vote. Laura B. broke down and told Vytas to his face the girls were going to vote him off. She explained that he didn't deserve to be blindsided, as it just wouldn't be a nice move to pull considering they had all formed friendships with him.


Monica, Katie and Tina were shocked Laura B. revealed their alliance's plans without discussing it with them first for confirmation. Monica said the golden rule of Survivor is trust, and Laura B. needed to consult with her alliance before making "an executive decision" on behalf of the tribe.

Laura B. thought her actions were that of a leader and wrongly assumed her tribemates would look up to her and respect her more as a power player. But the girls thought just the opposite, and Laura B. became a target. Tina called her "unpredictable," which made her nervous, and Katie named Laura B. a "wild card." The girls worried whether trusting Laura B. might eventually backfire on them.

Meanwhile, Vytas still had hope and said the female pack would most likely want to keep around an alpha male.

At the seventh Tribal Council of the season, Tina said Laura B.'s decision to disclose her alliance's plan was "risky," and Katie openly announced she wished they could've discussed it before taking action. Vytas tried to plead his case, arguing that it didn't matter how many girls were left -- it mattered how many trustworthy people they had left.

Laura B. then shared her story about how she felt she was really coming into her own in Survivor and no longer felt like she was in Rupert's shadow. Vytas said while everyone had a great story, the game wasn't about the past, it was about the last 18 days alone.

Tina admitted to Jeff that Vytas "wreaked of honesty and sincerity" just like his brother Aras. Tina explained that while it was possible Vytas could be fooling and deceiving them, he seemed loyal and enjoyed exchanging stories with him. Before the vote, Laura B. reminded everyone of the looming threat of Vytas potentially playing the game with Aras.


Jeff then revealed the votes. One person voted for Vytas and three castaways voted for Laura B.

Next week's Survivor: Blood vs. Water episode will feature the two tribes merging and the winner of the Redemption Island duel re-entering the game.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski