'Survivor: Kaoh Rong' loses Caleb Reynolds in medical evacuation and Alecia Holden at Tribal Council

Survivor: Kaoh Rong -- Brains vs. Brawn vs. Beauty castaway Caleb Reynolds was medically evacuated via helicopter from the game and Alecia Holden was voted out of her To Tang tribe during Wednesday night's broadcast on CBS.


Caleb, a 28-year-old Army veteran and former Big Brother contestant from Hopkinsville, KY, dropped on the ground after the Reward Challenge from what appeared to be dehydration and a dangerous increase in his body temperature. His Gondol tribe, the Beauty tribe, all cried when he left the game because they viewed themselves as a tight-knit family.

At the end of the broadcast, the To Tang tribe (Brawn), ousted Alecia, a 24-year-old real estate agent from Dallas, TX. She therefore became the fifth person to leave the game but only the fourth person voted out. She got the boot on Night 11 at the game's fourth Tribal Council session after her tribe lost the Immunity Challenge.

The To Tang Tribe (Brawn) also featured Cydney Gillon, a 23-year-old body builder from Douglasville, GA; Kyle Jason, a 31-year-old bounty hunter from Detroit, MI; and Scot Pollard, a 40-year-old former NBA champion from Carmel, IN.

The "Gondol" Tribe (Beauty) was also made up of Michele Fitzgerald, a 24-year-old bartender from Freehold, NJ; Anna Khait, a 26-year-old pro poker player from Brooklyn, NY; Nick Maiorano, a 30-year-old personal trainer from Redondo Beach, CA; Julia Sokolowski, a 19-year-old college student from Boston, MA; and Tai Trang, a 51-year-old gardener from San Francisco, CA.


At this point in the game, the "Chan Loh" Tribe (Brains) was comprised of Peter Baggenstos, a 34-year-old ER doctor from Minneapolis, MN; Aubry Bracco, a 29-year-old social media marketer from Cambridge, MA; Joseph "Joe" Del Campo, a 72-year-old former FBI agent from Vero Beach, FL; Neal Gottlieb, a 37-year-old ice cream entrepreneur from Sausalito, CA; and Debbie Wanner, a 49-year-old chemist from Reading, PA.

The Survivor broadcast began on Night 8 with Debbie saying the Tribal Council in which Liz Markham went home went just as she expected and she was proud to be the mastermind behind it.

Debbie noted Peter's current position in the tribe knocked his ego down "10 notches," and he certainly was shocked about being on the bottom. Peter told the cameras his tribe was full of "pea brains" and they weren't strong strategically or physically.

On Day 9, the three tribes gathered and met Survivor host Jeff Probst for a Reward Challenge.

Jeff explained they had to race through a series of obstacles to a log they must dig under and get themselves through, make way to a sandy area where they must dig up three bags of balls, and then throw the balls into a series of targets. The first tribe to finish would win a Survivor kitchen set complete with pots, spices, coffee and more. The second-place tribe would receive a smaller kit, like salt and pepper.


The Beauty tribe sat out Julia and Anna for this challenge, while Brains sat out Neal.

The challenge proved extremely exhausting, as everyone was overexerting themselves in the heat, especially while digging up the bags of balls. After 45 minutes elapsed, castaways were still digging under the burning sun. Brains finished in first place, and Beauty claimed second place.

An unprecedented three castaways went down after this challenge: Debbie, Caleb and Cydney. All three castaways received medical treatment, like fluids.

Medical staff managed to lower Debbie's temperature, but Cydney couldn't even stand up. She appeared to throw up as Jason was holding her and helping her. Meanwhile, Caleb was lying in the sand with a purple face. He appeared worse off than anyone else. Jeff seemed to panic as the medics tended to his needs yet Caleb wasn't functioning.

Caleb seemed to fall in and out of consciousness, huffing and puffing for air. The medics said Caleb was overheated and his body was struggling to cope with his 105 temperature. He was having spasms and had blood drawn, which likely determined there was low oxygen in his body. Medics then sent in a helicopter, and Jeff broke the bad news to Caleb.


Jeff called Caleb "a warrior" but said they needed to take care of him and he didn't have a choice. Seemingly aware of what was going on, Caleb was shaking his head side to side because he clearly didn't want to go. Against his will, Caleb was taken out of the game.

As the Beauty tribe bawled together and coped with the loss of a tribemate they loved dearly, Cydney's temperature also returned to normal. Jason said he was going to stay with her until the bitter end.

Tai was nervous because without Caleb, there were three girls and two guys left on their tribe, meaning the girls could work together and eliminate him and Nick one after the other. Tai was thankful he had a hidden Immunity Idol in his pocket.

After the challenge, Alecia got into an argument with Scot. When Alecia was giving her tribemates a pep talk and encouragement during the Reward Challenge, Scot allegedly yelled out, "Let her keep being a cheerleader, because that's all she's good at."

While Alecia thought it was offensive and mean because she was trying to be a good team player, Scot tried to say he meant it in a good way. The whole tribe agreed Alecia was the next person to go. Jason said in a confessional he felt bad for being mean to Alecia but he was so frustrated he couldn't hold a conversation with her.


On Day 11, the three tribes met Jeff again for the Immunity Challenge.

Two tribe members were required to race into the jungle, climb up a wooden ladder, retrieve puzzle pieces, bring them back, and then two other people would swim out into water and dive down to retrieve more. Once the tribes collected all of the pieces, they'd create a snake puzzle.

Tai sat out for Beauty, while Joe didn't play for Brains. Because Peter helped out in the puzzle, Brains won first place. Beauty claimed second.

Alecia and Cydney worked on the puzzle for Brawn, and Alecia told Jeff she did the best she could, which really annoyed Scot. Scot said she always needed validation, and Jason added she always makes things about her. Alecia took responsibility, saying it was her fault they lost, but she didn't think she deserved all the criticism.

It was clear Alecia was going home next and the tribe asked Jeff if they could just send her packing right then and there on the beach. However, Alecia had to agree with it and she refused to, because that would be giving up.  


At Tribal Council that night, Scot told Jeff that Alecia needed attention whether it was positive or negative and he felt sorry for her. When he voted, Scot said he hoped Alecia would watch the show over and over to understand how her tribe had tried to help her.

In the end, everyone voted for Alecia and she voted for Scot.

The episode also revealed that Caleb is 100% fully recovered and hopes he can play the game again.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski