Survivor: Edge of Extinction castaway Ron Clark was voted out of the Vata tribe but opted to continue in the competition on Extinction Island during the twelfth episode of Season 38 on Wednesday night on CBS.

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The Vata tribe voted out Ron, a 46-year-old teacher at Ron Clark Academy from Chocowinity, NC, who currently resides in Atlanta, GA, with only three votes at Tribal Council -- which included an extra vote from Gavin Whitson -- on Night 31 of the game.

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Although Rick Devens, a 33-year-old morning news anchor from Blacksburg, VA, who currently resides in Macon, GA, received four votes at Tribal Council, he had played a hidden Immunity Idol to save himself.

"I got duped. I should have known. I'm not 100 percent sure what happened. I feel bad about Devens. If I had known how much it hurts to be voted out, I may have handled myself a little bit differently," Ron said following his vote-off. "I took my eye off the prize."

Aurora McCreary, a 32-year-old divorce lawyer from Pensacola, FL, who currently resides in Orlando, FL, earned herself one vote from Rick.

Ron became the thirteenth person voted out of Survivor: Edge of Extinction and the tenth member of this season's jury.

Ron, however, decided to stay in the game and wait for an opportunity to possibly play again for the $1 million grand prize by traveling to the Edge of Extinction.

The Survivor broadcast began at the Vata tribe's camp on Night 29 following Dan "The Wardog" DaSilva's vote off.

Rick felt blindsided because he had trusted Ron to vote out Aurora McCreary. Rick thought he had a great relationship with Ron, but this was the second time Ron had lied to him.

Rick therefore found himself in "a desperate situation."

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Meanwhile, Ron was desperate to get Rick back on his side because he didn't want to have any enemies in the game.

In order to convince Rick they were still working together, Ron told him that the other five castaways were gunning for him next but he had a hidden Immunity Idol to give him.

Ron then gave Rick a Survivor "menu" advantage that plays just like a hidden Immunity Idol, and Rick was thrilled. Ron said it served as an apology since he had lied to Rick a couple of times, but little did Rick know, it had expired much earlier in the game!

Rick didn't understand why Ron would give this to him, and he was totally confused. Rick, however, didn't want to rely on this advantage.

On Day 30, the Vata tribe met with Survivor host Jeff Probst for a Reward Challenge -- the same players and loved ones challenge that was played in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.

Each castaway was then reunited with a loved one. Rick got to see his wife, Julie Rosenberg was reunited with her husband, and Lauren O'Connell was thrilled to see her father.

Ron got to see his life partner, Victoria Baamonde fell into the arms of her father, Aurora sought comfort in her brother, and Gavin was reunited with his wife, who changed their wedding date to an earlier time just so Gavin could compete on Survivor.

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Probst instructed each player to run down to the ocean, scoop up some water with a bucket, race back to the beach, and attempt to toss the water into his or her loved one's bucket.

The loved one was then required to catch it and transport it into a larger bucket. The first pair to fill the large bucket and raise a flag would win Reward in the form of a Survivor picnic complete with fried chicken and apple pie for dessert.

Lauren and her dad was close to winning, as was Gavin and his wife. But in the end, Ron and his partner Lloyd won Reward.

Gavin was able to select one pair to join him for the picnic, and he chose Julie and her husband. But in typical Survivor fashion, Ron was able to make a "political decision" and choose another team to enjoy the Reward.

In order to give Gavin and his wife Carly the honeymoon they deserved, Ron picked the two of them.

"Seeing someone as important as my dad is to me being taken away kind of sucks," Victoria said in a confessional.

"It absolutely makes me think twice about what kind of relationship I have with Ron and what kind of strategy he's really playing. If there's ever a Reward where picking someone is crucial, it's the Loved Ones visit. Who you pick could make or break your game."

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At the picnic, Gavin said his dream came true by playing Survivor, but he felt very guilty to have left his wife immediately after their wedding day. He said he was never going to leave her again.

Ron then told Lloyd that he had been sneaky in the game and lied a lot.

Ron also explained to the cameras he had only picked Julie to have her in his back pocket and Gavin to "lock him in" to their alliance, not because he wanted to give him a proper honeymoon.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Rick caught Aurora looking through his bag when he returned to camp after looking for a hidden Immunity Idol. Rick called the moment "awkward," but Aurora tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal.

Aurora didn't find the advantage Ron had given him, but used the incident as a way to make everyone in the tribe wary of Aurora and her gameplay.

Ron eventually found a clue to a hidden Immunity Idol, but he had to retrieve the idol high in the trees above his tribe's shelter at camp.

Rick acknowledged it was going to be difficult to grab the idol in secrecy because camp was rarely empty and his attempt to grab the idol would be very obvious since it was about 15 feet high in the air.

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On Night 30 when night fell and everyone was sleeping, Rick went for it and climbed a tree in the hope of retrieving his idol. Rick tried to be quiet, but he still made a lot of noise.

Aurora and Gavin peered out from the Survivor buffs around their eyes but didn't spot Rick above them. Rick was therefore successful in grabbing the idol, and he joked Aurora had looked through his bag too soon.

"They don't know what's coming for them. I'm on top of the moon!" Rick gushed.

The Vata tribe then met Probst again for the season's next Individual Immunity Challenge on Day 31.

The castaways were required to use their arms to brace themselves between two walls while their feet were perched on very narrow footholds. If a player dropped, he or she would be out.

The last person left standing would be safe from the vote at the upcoming Tribal Council session.

Rick was the first castaway to drop out of the challenge and his tribemates seemed please. Once he sat down, Rick announced it was unfortunate he had lost because everyone was voting him out that night.

Rick also called Aurora out for being a threat because she had won two previous Individual Immunity Challenges.

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Once Ron dropped from the challenge next, he and Rick agreed to vote out Aurora that night. Victoria was out next, and then she was followed by Julie. Aurora stepped out of her wooden frame next, leaving Gavin and Lauren fighting for immunity after 50 minutes.

Probst noted Lauren and Gavin appeared to be in "intense pain," but Gavin pulled it out for the win.

After the challenge, Ron said he looked forward to sending Rick home with a fake special advantage.

Once the tribe returned to camp, Rick realized no one was talking to him and no one wanted to work with him as a result -- except "maybe Ron," whom Rick admitted might've been "full of it."

Julie and Ron then pulled Rick aside and told him that they were voting for Aurora. Julie felt guilty about lying to Rick, but Ron assured her that's the game of Survivor.

Ron and Julie told Gavin that on the off chance Rick played an idol, Aurora would go home.

Victoria determined it was necessary to have a backup plan in case Rick ended up playing an idol, so she spoke to Lauren about putting votes on Ron.

"Ron picking Julie and Gavin for the Loved Ones made it very clear he's not working with me, so he's going to get stuck on the wrong side of the numbers, which I have no problem with," Lauren said in a confessional.

Victoria then shared with Aurora that Lauren and Gavin would actually be voting for Ron in case Rick played an idol. Aurora then told the girls she had an extra vote and this happened to be the last Tribal Council where she could use it.

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Aurora explained that if the girls trusted Gavin wholeheartedly, she could give Gavin the extra vote in case there was a tie and the tribe went after Aurora, which would eventually take away her right to cast a vote on the re-vote.

Gavin was guaranteed the right to vote since he had won immunity, but she had to put all of her faith in him.

Lauren then discussed the plan with Gavin and said the girls intended to split their votes between Ron and Rick. Gavin, however, didn't want to backstab or blindside Ron after the man had just given him time with his vote.

Aurora gave Gavin the extra vote, but he knew his decision was going to be a double-edged sword because he was going to betray Victoria and Lauren or Ron and Julie.

At Tribal Council that night, Ron declared he felt he "had a handle on what's happening" and probably wasn't in trouble.

Rick announced he was definitely on the chopping block, and Victoria openly confessed she didn't want to sit next to Rick at the Final Tribal Council.

It then became time to vote. Before Probst read the votes out loud, Rick attempted to play the secret advantage Ron had given him.

"Jeff, I'd like to try to order something off this menu. I want to see if I can order individual immunity or not," Rick said.

Probst revealed the menu offered three advantages but a player could only pick one.

"Unfortunately, this advantage expired on Day 9 and has no power," Probst revealed.

"Ron and Julie, you are villains!" Rick said. "I was already going home! You just wanted to make me look stupid? So my kids think I'm an idiot?"

Rick called Ron out for proving time and time again he was "untrustworthy" and "disloyal" and then Julie out for "loving to lie to people's faces."

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Rick then played a real, genuine hidden Immunity Idol for himself and called Julie and Ron "gems."

Probst then read the votes in the following order: Devens, Devens, Devens, Devens, Aurora, Ron, Ron, and Ron.

Ron appeared shocked as Rick clapped loudly behind him and said, "You messed up, dude."

Kelley Wentworth and Julia Carter could be shown cheering from the jury and high-fiving each other.

"Devens, you're a great player. It was a lot of fun," Ron said after Probst extinguished his torch.

Ron then headed to Extinction Island for a second shot to play this game.

The episode's closing credits later showed that Gavin voted for Ron twice and Lauren voted for Ron as well. Rick voted for Aurora. Victoria, Julie, Ron and Aurora voted for Rick. 

Once Ron arrived on the Edge of Extinction, he was shown venting a bit of guilt over how much he had lied, but Reem Daly comforted him by saying, "It's a game; everybody is a liar."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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