In case you missed the season's first blindside last week, read a recap here.
As is becoming a bit of a habit with the Heroes tribe, this week's episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villainsbegins with the Heroes returning to their beach with one fewer member. Although considers JT a "hero" for flipping on his previous alliance, JT knows that he has to do some damage control. Under the ever present reality TV full moon, JT explains to Rupert that he ousted Cirie for the benefit of the tribe. The Heroes need the strongest people possible to try to win some Immunity Challenges and get their numbers back to even before the Merge. Rupert is pretty unreceptive, "pissed off" in fact. So JT moves on to Amanda, and swears he won't turn on her, James and Rupert again. Unsurprisingly, Amanda believes JT about as far as she can throw him. "Game on!" she confides.
Things are a little bit more harmonious on Villains Beach, where Coach is leading the whole tribe (sansRussell) in some "Dragon Slayer Chi." Russell doesn't have time for any "meditation crap." He's got bigger fish to fry, and hidden immunity idols to find. As his mates align their chakras, Russell searches for the idol in what may be the most ridiculously large hole ever dug. Russell has clearly thrown subtly to the wind, but he is successful in uncovering his Precious. The idol is his, and for Russell, everything in the game changes; Rob is no longer in control of the tribe or the game.
Off to the Reward Challenge. Like last week's Atlasphere challenge, this week's Reward Challenge (also from last season's Survivor: Samoa) made history: it was the first challenge to have Jeff kick somebody out. In a walled in arena, each team places three people in a pit between two raised platforms, which each have a basket attached to the front. Three more players from each team (the "shooters") man the opposing platforms. Three rugby balls are placed in the center of the pit. On Jeff's "Go!," the players in the pit attempt to secure the balls and throw them to their teammates on the platforms. Once the shooters have a ball, they throw the ball across the arena into the opposing team's basket for a point. First to two points wins. Although the players in the pit have virtual free reign in securing the balls, in Samoa, Ben viciously kicked Russell Swan's legs out form underneath him, and Jeff pulled him from the game. (By the way, I'm really surprised Jeff didn't mention this challenge's history, especially as it just happened last season.) Would something similar happen here? Want to know what they're playing for? A trip to a watering hole and a chocolate feast. Chocolate bars, chocolate milk, chocolate cake, all for the winners of the challenge. To give them a (literal) taste of the prize, Jeff offers each tribe a bite of chocolate. The Heroes, however, are uninterested. Like National Hockey League captains refusing to touch the conference championship trophy because they don't want to jinx winning the Stanley Cup, the Heroes refuse to take the chocolate bits. Although Courtney is "watching her weight," she gladly offers to take the Heroes' share. When Jeff asks the Heroes why they don't want any chocolate, Colby responds that they're ready to win a challenge. "Let's go!" he orders. "I'll go when I'm ready, brutha," Jeff retorts. This exchange is funny because along with Sandra and Parvati, Colby sits out of the challenge. For Reward, Survivors ready...Go!
The Heroes, with the long arms of James in the pit, quickly grab all three balls and take off-the-mark shots. When James jumps to grab a rebound, he comes down awkwardly and is unable to get up. Jeff quickly stops the challange and brings in the medical team. Although he's in no pain, James, with a probably ligamaent strain, is unable to walk. He is pulled from the Challenge. Inexplicably, Colby is not allowed to replace him, so the Heroes are now down in the Challenge five people to six. The challenge resumes, and, down a player or not, the Heroes take the lead on a great shot by Amanda. The teams switch sides of the arena, and the shooters are exchanged for the players in the pit. The battle in the pit is fierce with JT first taking out Rob, and then tackling Coach hard. Tyson gets one of the balls, shoots and scores! The game is tied 1-1. Sides and players are switched again. Rupert grabs a hold of Jerri and swings her, face first, into a pole. He immediately apologizes, saying that was not his intention, but she's having none of it. Play resumes with JT deftly defending his own basket by throwing his ball into an oncoming Villains shot. JT shoots and Rob plays the same defense. In what was clearly editing magic, Jerri, now a shooter, grabs a ball, shoots....and scores! Villains win Reward! The tribes leave, except James, who must be tended to by Medical again. The medical team checks out his knee, and decides to wrap it up. They need to see if he can walk on it, otherwise, he will have to leave the game.
At the very cool looking tidal pool, the Villains enjoy their reward. There are enough various chocolate products there to literally make a person sick, to which Jerri can attest. With some of his tribe bathing in the water, Rob guarantees to Sandra and his followers that Russell has secured the idol. The only thing to do is vote for him at the next opportunity to either get him out, or get rid of the idol. Now with Rob's faction in the pool, Russell tells Parvati that he has the idol. Parvati says it should be easy to get Coach on their side as the Dragon Slayer will do whatever Russell says. So Russell goes to Coach and tells him about the idol. At first, Coach seems unreceptive to Russell's plan to oust Rob at the next opportunity, but when Russell offers to give Coach the idol should he be in danger, Coach's sense of honor and trust kicks in. Since Russell trusts Coach, Coach's honor will not allow him to betray that trust. Coach goes so far as to get down on one knee before Russell so "The King" can knight the noble Dragon Slayer. Man, Russell is playing Coach like a fiddle.
Back at the Heroes' camp, Amanda is uspet that James, for his second season in a row, may have to leave the game due to injury. Amanda cries while explaining that she is like James' little sister whom he protects fiercely. Tom, on the other hand, is not upset in the slightest. If James has to leave, that's great because it gives Tom a better shot. If James doesn't leave, he's the obvious target for votes because he won't be able to help the tribe physically. With victorious music playing underneath, Amanda spies her big brother in the distance. She runs to James, who has a full-on leg brace wrapped around his leg. James hobbles, slowly, back into camp and tells the group that he's not in any pain, so he's allowed to stay in the game. He clearly has a target on his back though, which Candice voices when she confides that if the Heroes lose the Immunity Challenge, she's voting for James.
Time for the Immunity Challenge. Coach is glad James is still there because he's a follower of the "to be the best, you need to beat the best " school of thought. The Immunity Challenge
is a classic from the Survivor: All-Stars season. The challenge is another physical/puzzle game. Each team has ten large Tetris-like pieces strewn about a field. Three pairs of teammates are blindfolded, and one person is the "caller." The caller guides the pairs through the field to collect the pieces and bring them back to the team's mat. Once all the pieces are back, the blindfolds are removed and a large cube must be constructed out if the pieces. Tyson and Danielle sit out for the Villains. Jerri and James are the callers. Survivors ready....Go! The Villains take an early five to three pieces lead, but James, despite Jeff's concern that he isn't well-suited for caller duty, leads his tribe back to take a nine-eight piece lead. The Villains tie it up with nine pieces each, but they get lost trying to find the tenth piece. The Heroes grab theirs, and hurry back to their mat. "Heroes - blindfolds off and start solving the puzzle!" Jeff shouts. With the Villains literally lost in the weeds trying to find the tenth piece, the Heroes quickly get half of their cube built before the Villains can start theirs. When the Villains finally do begin, "Puzzle Master" Rob takes over. They quickly catch up to the Heroes who, once again start bickering with each other(although James, now hoarse from guiding his tribe to gather the pieces, is not very involved). The Villains take the lead, and with a stomp on top of the cube by Rob, "Villains win Immunity!" For the fourth time in five Immunity Challenges, the Heroes go back to camp to prepare for Tribal Council.
At camp, the Heroes begin to strategize. James insists the loss is Tom's fault for trying to take over leadership of the puzzle after they had been solving it well. According to the gravedigger, he's better injured than Tom is healthy. Tom and Colby, unsurprisingly, want James gone because he is a liabilty in the challenges (and his ouster would, obviously, be better for their alliance). Rupert wants Tom gone, but Candice thinks that is a dumb and risky move as James can't walk. After she opposes him, Rupert is thinking maybe they should get rid of Candice as she's the weakest player, physically, in the tribe. JT talks it over with Candice, and figures they should vote for James. Then JT assures Rupert that he's voting for Tom. JT is clearly running around to see what's the best deal he can make, and it doesn't go unnoticed. Colby confides that JT is playing whatever hand he is dealt that day. He is showing no loyalty, and all that can do is bite him in the ass later in the game.
