When Cirie Fields went from fence-sitter to power player, she set her sights on Yau-Man Chan.
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"No hard feelings, I had a great time," Yau said following his ouster. "I was a very big target coming into this by virtue of me doing so well in Fiji. I consider myself lucky. Many people want to get on Survivor once, well, I've been on twice. I wish I would have been in there longer. That's the way this game is. It's a very cruel game, but that's the way it goes."
Survivor: Micronesia's third episode began with the nine remaining Fans returning from the previous Tribal Council, which saw Mary Sartain get blind-sided and booted. However Mary's closest ally Michael "Mikey B." Bortone was also blind-sided by his Airai tribe's vote, and commented he could "only assume" he was backstabbed by Joel Anderson.
Mikey B. then confronted Joel about the decision to oust Mary, accusing him of not focusing on the long-term by keeping the tribe's three "useless" players -- Kathleen Sleckman, Chet Welch and Tracy Hughes-Wolf -- instead of Mary.
"I would really, really like to see the look on face when the baseball bat comes swinging up the side of him and wakes him up to the reality that he doesn't have this tribe in his pocket," boasted Joel.
At the Favorites' Malakal camp, Survivor: Vanuatu's Eliza Orlins joined the four members of the tribe's couples alliance -- Survivor: Cook Islands' Ozzy Lusth and Parvati Shallow and Survivor: China's Amanda Kimmel and James Clement -- on the beach. They immediately began strategically working her, suggesting either Cirie or Yau be the next to go since they're the tribe's weakest players.
"I listened to them," said Eliza. "But I don't trust them."
Eliza immediately reported back to her alliance of Yau, Survivor: Vanuatu's Amy Cusack and Survivor: Cook Islands' Jonathan Penner, and they all approached Cirie about which four-castaway alliance she planned on joining.
"There's definitely a little bit of juggling the two foursomes because they need my vote -- either side," she said. "And I'm still trying to figure out which side is better for me... In this game for me, it's all about who I think I can trust. If I feel that I can trust you, then I'm willing to go all the way with you. But if I don't trust you, then you can't believe a word I tell you."
The next morning, both tribes received Tree Mail that instructed them to use the enclosed war paints to don-up their faces and also concoct a tribal battle cry. In addition, the Tree Mail came with a catalogue from which each tribe could choose three items as their potential rewards if they win the upcoming challenge.
The two tribes then met for Survivor: Micronesia's second Reward Challenge and host Jeff Probst explained the rules.
Both tribes would start at opposite ends of a watery playing field in their opponent's end zone. On Jeff's signal, the two tribes would charge across the lagoon to their own end zone on the opposite side, carrying three heavy canvas bags. The tribe's goal is to get their three bags -- plus two bags from the enemy tribe -- into their respective end zones.
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In addition, tribes can also steal bags from their opponent's end zones even after the opponent has scored. The first tribe to get any five bags in their end zone at once would win. The Favorites were playing for a shelter kit, a lighting kit, and a survival kit; while the Fans selected to play for a fishing kit, a shelter kit, and a kitchen set.
It started raining and the challenge commenced, with Joel immediately establishing himself as a physical presence. The score was eventually tied at two until the Fans grabbed a lead thanks largely to Erik Reichenbach's aggressive play and Mikey B.'s tactic of protecting bags that the Fans had scored with.
However Erik eventually became a little too rough for James' liking, and the gravedigger used his massive frame to almost single-handedly turn the tide in favor of the Favorites, as the Fans lead went from 4 to 2 to the tribes being tied at three. Amanda stole a bag from Mikey B. to give the Favorites the lead, and Jonathan stole the fifth bag and scored, giving the Favorites the victory.
Malakal sent Kathy back to Exile Island and Amy nominated herself to be the winning tribe's representative.
As the Favorites returned to camp, Cirie noticed they all seemed to be "relaxed" and presumed it was because they were all "secure in their alliances."
"Because I am in the middle right now, I have to look at every option or every scenario that could possibly happen," said Cirie, adding she felt she should be getting better treatment from the others. "I think they could do a little more for me actually. I think if they really wanted my vote, they should do a little more."
Amanda and Parvati took Cirie out on the water for some fishing, and Cirie immediately explained her problems and concerns with the two's relationship with James and Ozzy. However Amanda and Parvati quickly covered their tracks, explaining the relationships with the two boys were strictly strategy -- with Parvati claiming she never promised James anything.
"So I have you guys' word, it's us three to the end?" asked Cirie, swearing allegiance to the couples' alliance in exchange for a seat at the final Tribal Council. Amanda and Parvati agreed, and Cirie expressed her distrust of Yau, afraid that he'd find the Hidden Immunity Idol on Exile Island if and when he went there.
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"I hope she doesn't fall for their garbage," Eliza told Jonathan.
Since Kathy had already recovered all four clues to the whereabouts of Exile Island's Hidden Immunity Idol during her previous trip there, she had no desire to trek across the archipelago yet again. After claiming to be exhausted and playing dumb that she was stumped by the second clue, Kathy received some help from mother nature, as the two women had to end their search due to bad weather.
Due to the Fans lack of a proper shelter at the Airai camp, they suffered when the skies violently erupted that night. Needless to say, it was pretty demoralizing for the group. Meanwhile the Favorites huddled in a cave with their warm blankets and seemed to feel no ill effects of the storm.
The next morning the skies cleared and the two tribes met for Survivor: Micronesia's third Immunity Challenge, and Jeff explained the rules as Kathy and Amy rejoined their tribes.
Each tribe would choose two men and two women to hold a rope tethered to a giant hanging net basket. Members of the opposing tribe would then attempt to shoot coconuts into the net. The more coconuts a tribe successfully throws into the other tribe's net, the heavier that net becomes. The tribe that holds their net up the longest would win Immunity and be safe from Tribal Council.
The Favorites chose James, Jonathan, Cirie, and Parvati to hold their net; while the Fans picked Joel, Erik, Tracy, and Natalie Bolt on to hold theirs. All the other tribe members alternated taking shots at the nets.
After a brief learning curve -- which was actually not-so-brief for some castaways -- the Fans seemed to get the hang of shooting, especially Alexis Jones and Jason Siska. While Jonathan tried talking some smack to the Fans, it didn't work, and the Favorites' net grew heavier and heavier. The weight eventually started to take its toll and the Fans pulled away, claiming Immunity.
At the Malakal camp, Jonathan and Yau collected wood and quickly agreed that Parvati would be the next to go, with Jonathan adding it made sense since she's "sleeping with" James. Meanwhile Amanda and Parvati were putting Cirie's plan to boot Yau into motion, explaining it to Ozzy and James.
"Yau-Man?" asked a puzzled James, requiring Parvati to start working on her man.
"You know they want to vote me out," she told James.
"Yeah. They're after your ass baby," replied James. "You know I can't let you go home."
Ozzy was a bit harder to persuade, instead suggesting the couples' alliance oust Eliza.
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Always pretty perceptive, Jonathan began to notice that Cirie didn't seem to be sticking with his foursome and asked Amy if she knew if the couples planned to vote out him or Yau. Amy said she was unsure, but Jonathan was still a "little antsy" because the couples were "pouring a lot of BS" into Cirie's ear.
Jonathan then took matters into his own hands and had a heated exchange with Cirie in Malakal's cave. Yau nervously watched but kept quiet, allowing the hot-headed Jonathan to do the talking.
"Being like that is not going to get my vote, seriously," Cirie told Jonathan, not budging from her stance.
"I thought we were solid, and they've come up and they've said things to you that has put doubt into your mind," Jonathan fired back. "But I have not done anything to you to put that doubt in your mind."
Realizing that changing Cirie's mind was a lost cause, Jonathan turned his attention to Ozzy.
"Yau-Man out tonight if that's the way its got to be," Jonathan told Ozzy, however both agreed that booting the crafty Yau would only be bad for their tribe.
Instead, Ozzy took his plan to oust Eliza to his couples' alliance, describing it as the "right thing to do" to "keep them strong." Ozzy planted the seed of doubt and the couples' alliance began to seriously consider booting Eliza and ran the plan past Cirie.
"I really, honestly, don't want to change my vote," she told the couples' alliance, and Yau's fate was in bad shape. As was the case last season, James put the situation into perspective.
"Cirie is killing me. You can't be the boss of everyone. Everybody needs to let her go, let her go, let her go," he said. "She went from the swing vote to the one who's deciding what's going on for the whole group -- that can't happen. This is like I'm in China again messing with a bunch of dumbasses!"
Jonathan then told Eliza there was a movement afoot to boot her, which made her totally insecure. Jonathan, Eliza, Amy and Yau agreed to all vote for Parvati and hope that the members of the couples' alliance split their votes between Eliza and Yau.
"If we can keep them split -- if we can keep them from coming to a consensus -- four votes would actually be enough to get Parvati out. Our four votes may actually win the day," said Jonathan. "That's what I'm hoping for. Fingers crossed."
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"We need to really, really be hungry for the win," said Yau. "Whenever we won anything, we were happy for the day. Once we lost -- it happened to be the more critical ones -- and I feel very vulnerable every time we lose."
Jonathan then expressed the desire of some to keep the tribe strong, while others are "making moves already that they consider threats to them" in order to "take control of the game." Cirie said she was looking out for what's best for the tribe and for herself, and Jonathan took exception to her comments.
"I thought you were in an alliance, and you flopped, and then you brought everybody over," forcefully accused Jonathan. "You did!"
"Is this not the pot calling the kettle black!" fired Cirie. "Jonathan, I came into your alliance as the fifth person. Am I supposed to trust you? I don't trust you point blank, period... We all came to a decision to vote who we vote for... You told me the best thing for this tribe was to get rid of Parvati!"
"I still believe that," answered Jonathan.
"I'm not doing what you want me to do. I don't trust you as far as I can pick you up and throw you," she told him. "I don't have mind control over anybody here, so ya'll vote how ever you want to vote."
"I would urge everyone to vote with their conscious," said Jonathan. "Then we have some common ground we can work from."
With the Favorites clearly split, Parvati explained her situation.
"People are concerned that maybe I'm just flirting and manipulating other people to make alliances and get on my side," she said. "I know my name has been brought up -- that scares me, but that doesn't surprise me at all."
The votes were cast, with Yau and Jonathan voting for Parvati; Amy voting for Cirie; and the couples' alliance plus Cirie all voting to oust Yau, who became the third castaway cut from the competition. Cirie looked smug and personally satisfied as the deciding votes were read.
"Good luck you guys. Have fun," said Yau after Jeff snuffed his torch.
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About The Author: Christopher Rocchio
