Survivor – Recap & Review – Jumping Ship

photo: cbs

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains
Jumping Ship

Original Air Date: Apr 29, 2010

Ryan O – Two Cents Reviewer
ryan@thetwocentscorp.com

Here’s the low-down for this episode: As the title says, someone jumps ship but it’s not who you expect. Amanda does one sort of smart thing but immediately follows it up with something fairly dumb.

Sandra tries to make a move but it might be too late.

Pre-Credits: The previous lies lie to us quite a lot this week, but that’s not new. We return to their beach on Night 27. Russell asks Sandra if she knew Parvati had an idol. Sandra says nope and she certainly didn’t know she had TWO idols. Russell is angry. He confronts her and says she lied to him. She says she it didn’t matter since it worked out and he was never in danger.

Amanda and Rupert talk and Rupert says he tried to warn everyone about Russell after Sandra told him what was what. They decide they need to work on breaking up the Villains alliance. Rupert solo-views that getting Sandra to switch is his only hope.

Pre-Reward Challenge: We come back to some gorgeous shots of whales. Shots like that really do enhance the show. Candice is talking to Russell about how they pulled a good one the night before at tribal council. Russell tells her that her ship is sinking and that he doesn’t trust Sandra. He says that if Candice is the last one of the Heroes standing, she’ll most definitely do better than 6th, implying that Sandra and maybe Jerri would go first. She seems mildly convinced.

Reward Challenge: It’s shuffleboard but on a tabletop. They’re divided into teams of three. Russell slides a disk pretty close and it’s the closest one up until the last toss. Colby slides his disk right onto the X and his team wins, so Colby, Danielle, and Amanda win reward. They’re going to Robert Louis Stevenson’s house (yes, the guy who wrote Treasure Island), which is now a museum and spend the night there.

Post-Reward Challenge: The three of them get a tour of the museum and Amanda and Danielle can only think about finding a clue to the hidden immunity idol. Colby? Not so much. After the tour, the three of them are on a bed watching Treasure Island. Amanda isn’t really watching the movie, she’s looking around the room for a clue. Colby is into the movie. Danielle isn’t so much but it is eating popcorn. Oh, hey, what’s that in the popcorn that Danielle finds? A clue. She slides it out of the bowl and drops it on floor beside the bed. Amanda notices something is up, gets out of bed and sits on the floor next to Danielle. She spots the clue on the ground, grabs it, and Danielle is pissed. Amanda runs to the other side of the room and Danielle is all over her trying to get the clue back. Danielle immediately calls her a psychopath (project much, Danielle?). She can’t actually get the clue from Amanda. Danielle is demanding the clue back and Amanda isn’t doing it, saying it wasn’t hers, it was in the room. I agree with Amanda and not just because I like her and think very little of Danielle. The clue was on the ground, not on Danielle’s person. Colby sits up, pauses the movie. Danielle continues to say that Amanda is psychotic (I don’t think that word means what you think it means, Danielle). Danielle appeals to Colby, who says, “I didn’t see what was happening, I was watching Treasure Island.” Danielle just continues to whine and whine at Colby who finally says, “It’s your clue, Danielle.” Not sure why Colby didn’t back up Amanda here. Amanda sighs and hands the clue over, which isn’t the right move. Reading the clue first or just tearing it up. Those are the right moves. Amanda solo-views that she made the wrong choice.

The trio returns from the reward. Danielle and Russell go look for the idol. Russell finds it without Danielle noticing. He hides it in his pocket and leaves without telling her.

Later, Russell talks with Candice about how he has the idol. Candice wants to see it. Russell shows it to her and says he can take her places. Candice solo-views that knowing Russell has the idol is a little bit of power but she can’t tell anyone because she can’t trust anyone to take that little bit of information and use it against her. It’s not power if you don’t use it or threaten to use it, Candice. He says this is real and says it will get her to the Final 3. They hug, which, eww. It would be hard for Russell to be any creepier.

The next day, Colby talks with Sandra, who says she can’t wait to get back at Russell. She solo-views that with JT being taken out, this is the perfect time to make her move. Colby says he knows Danielle has or will have the idol. Colby says they need her and asks who they need to take out first.

We switch to a scene on the beach of Sandra and Russell talking. He asks her if she’s talked with Rupert. Russell says it doesn’t matter if she flips since they already have a fifth vote. This isn’t really a smart move by Russell, letting on that a Hero has switched to someone he thinks might flip.

Sandra talks with Rupert about how Russell just told her that a Hero has flipped. It’s not hard to figure out who it is.

Immunity Challenge: For this challenge, everyone has their own station with a wooden platform near the ground, a little tower with stairs, and 150 wood tiles. They have to stack the wood tiles, house-of-cards style, 10 feet high.

Soon, it’s Russell and Jerri out in front. It’s exciting as they continuing building. As they get close, Russell runs out of tiles, Jerri stacks a couple of tiles together and she wins! She skips over to Jeff, proclaiming that it’s her first immunity win ever.

Sandra solo-views that she is relieved Russell didn’t win immunity so she can send him home and she’s doing it for Rob, Tyson, Courtney, and even Coach, who she says she doesn’t even care about.

Post-Immunity Challenge: Jerri is having a happy moment. She solo-views that she’s “swimming in YAY.” It’s actually quite cute.

Russell solo-views that he’s “fine” with Jerri winning. He doesn’t sound convincing. He then says Amanda has to go because “she’s Boston Rob in a girl’s body.”

He talks with Candice about voting for Amanda. Candice says she’s fine with it since Amanda has crossed her too many times. She solo-views that she’s going with the plan that’s the most solid.

The Heroes and Sandra sit in the shelter, playing cards. They agree to vote for Russell.

Later, Russell asks Candice who they are voting for. She hesitates. Russell asks, “Me?” and she says, “Yes.” It almost looks as if she couldn’t think of a lie fast enough, realized she was caught and THAT was how she finally chose which side she was on. Parvati walks over and the two of them get Candice to tell them that Sandra has flipped and that Amanda feels safe for this vote.

In the next scene, Russell hustles down the beach to talk to Sandra. He asks her about Candice saying that Sandra was going to vote with the Heroes. Sandra says no, she’s voting with the Villains. Russell doesn’t quite believe her and Sandra senses it. She shakes her head and says, “Yeah, Amanda is going home tonight.”

Russell solo-views that both Candice and Sandra feel like this is their only option and that’s good for him. He tells the two of them that only one of them has to put Amanda’s name down and she’s going home.

Sandra tells the rest of the Heroes that Candice has flipped. Rupert is disappointed. She’s flipping because the Heroes didn’t really treat her very well in the early stages. She was always on the outs, just not as obviously so as with Sandra and the Villains.

Sandra solo-views that Candice went and told Russell everything.

Sandra, sitting with the rest of the Heroes, asks Candice why she’s switching now. Sandra asks Candice not to hang her out to dry. Candice says she won’t. They decide to vote for Parvati because they think Danielle might give Russell the idol. Candice says she’s voting for Parvati with them.

Sandra sits with just Candice. Sandra says they need to do this. Russell tries to walk over to them and Sandra tells him to take a hike because she rules. Candice says they have to do what they said. Sandra tells her she’s scared (and she’s right, Candice looks scared). She says she jumped ship for Candice (which is a stretch). Candice pleads with her to just vote for Amanda. Sandra says they can get rid of her later. Candice’s body language is screaming “I AM TERRIFIED!” Sandra, sees this and being a pragmatist, finally just asks her who the two of them should vote for.

Tribal Council: Jeff introduces the jury members and JT buries his face in his hands. Yes, JT, you blew it and blew it HARD.

Rupert says there’s no reason for a Villain to flip because they wouldn’t gain anything. You’d go from being maybe 5th in an alliance to being 5th in an alliance. There’s no reason. He’s actually quite right, unless the switcher thinks they can get a better deal when they switch. Sandra, for example, is absolutely in 5th, she might be able to climb a little higher than that in the Heroes, which is what she says.

Russell says she’s bad at challenges and probably easy to beat in the final vote, which makes her great to keep around.

Russell explains all the Villains have their own style but fails to mention Sandra, which Sandra catches. “What about me? You didn’t include me.”

Parvati says she feel vulnerable because the Heroes believe that Danielle has the hidden immunity idol.

Just before the votes are read, Russell plays his idol, saying he thinks someone has flipped.

Votes: Amanda, Amanda, Parvati (and Russell realizes he wasted his idol, which makes Courtney laugh and point), Parvati, Amanda, Amanda, Parvati, Amanda, and Amanda is out.

Amanda says, “Okay, Jeff, I know you’ve been waiting forever to do this.” With that Jeff snuffs her torch.

Parvati admonishes Russell for wasting the idol.

It turns out that both Sandra and Candice voted for Amanda.

Who Should’ve Been Voted Out: Parvati. Candice didn’t make a very good strategic play. She was on the bottom with the Heroes but she’s even further down with the Villains.

Bubbling Under: Parvati vs. Russell. He was angry with her about the second immunity idol.