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survivorwildwest · 4 years

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Episode 13 - Every Relationship is Brand New

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a cactus bears no blossom.

The Final Seven return to the ghost town they’ve made their home. Jerri places her torch against the saloon and heads up to the inn without saying a word. Colby tries to explain himself, but she won’t hear it. Everyone else quietly makes their way to bed. Kass and Bi bump fists before entering the saloon.

The next morning Colby is joined by Michaela and Jerri on his trek for tree mail. Jerri turns to him, “So, you were, what, threatened by Wendy?”

“You know she would have won.”

“We have bigger fish to fry, Colby,” Jerri tells him.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that,” Michaela says.

“Now we still have to deal with Bi AND Kass,” Jerri says.

“Okay, I get it,” Colby says, “What do you want me to do?”

“I’m taking out Kass,” Jerri says, “And I’m relying on you, Colby, to do it.”

“Okay, yes, that’s fine. I can do that.”

“Don’t fuck it up again,” Michaela instructs him.

“I won’t.”

They make it to the tree mail where they find a parcel wrapped in thick brown paper and fraying twine. When they return to town, Colby drops the box on the bench and unwraps it. Inside, he finds seven questionnaires and seven pens. “I guess we have to fill these out.”

They each take a questionnaire and pen, then find a private area to answer the questions.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a ringtail cat crawls over some rocks.

At high noon, they meet Jeff in the desert. He stands in front of seven dummies, each named for each of the final seven, and seven shotguns pointed at them. Jeff explains, “For today’s reward challenge, you will be guessing the most common answer from the rest of your tribe. If you’re correct, you’ll chop the rope of one of your competitors. Once the rope is chopped three times, the shotgun will fire at the dummy and the corresponding person will be eliminated. Want to know what you’re playing for?”

They all wait with ample anticipation.

“You will take a private helicopter to one of the earth’s seven natural wonders, the Grand Canyon. There you will take an exclusive mule ride to a rustic oasis nestled deep in the Canyon overnight where you will enjoy a bed, a shower, and a feast under the stars. Worth playing for?”

“Absolutely,” Colby says while everyone nods with excitement.

The final seven are randomly assigned their spots. Jeff stands to the side of them to read the questions. The closest person to Jeff is Ken, followed by Kass, then Bi, Jerri, Michaela, Lauren, and Colby takes the end.

“First question:” Jeff begins, “Who is the most honest?”

Everyone writes on their parchment and reveals. Everyone answers Ken except Michaela and Colby, who both answer with their own names.

“Correct answer,” Jeff says, “is Ken. Ken you’re up first.”

Ken takes the axe and looks over each of them. Everyone looks at him with expectation until he finally decides to give Jerri her first chop.

“Ken! No,” Jerri yells in a half-joking manner.

Kass is up next and gives Jerri her second chop. Bi takes the axe and takes out Jerri for good. Since Jerri answered correctly, she gets to take one swing with the axe. She gives Kass her first. Lauren is the last person with a correct answer this round and hits Michaela for the first time.

“How’s that feel, Michaela,” Jeff asks.

“I’ve been better, Jeff,” she tells him.

“Alright, second question: Who is the biggest poser?”

Everyone scribbles their answers on their next parchment and reveals. Most everyone said Kass, except Kass, who said Colby, and Michaela, who again, answered with her own name.

“You think you’re a poser, Michaela,” Jeff asks.

“I don’t know what these people think of me!”

“Correct answer is: Kass.”

Ken takes the axe again and walks up & down the untriggered shotguns. He finally decides to chop Colby’s rope. He hands the axe to Bi, who gives Colby another axing. Lauren takes the axe and takes Colby out of the challenge.

“Damn,” he says, dropping his head before taking his last shot on Kass and joining Jerri.

“Next question: Who do you trust most with your life?”

The five people remaining write their answers on a blank parchment. They reveal. Michaela has written “Jerri,” while everyone else writes “Michaela.” She looks at everyone else’s answers, “Really??”

Ken takes the axe and shrugs his shoulders in her direction, “Yeah, I mean, I know I do.”

“Ken, I had no idea,” she says, genuinely touched.

He looks at the remaining options and gives Bi her first chop. Kass gives Michaela her second. Bi takes the axe from Kass, looks at Kass’ one remaining spot, then Michaela’s. She contemplates taking either of them out, but ultimately decides to give Ken a retaliatory chop.

“Fair enough,” Ken says.

Lauren is the next to take the axe. She goes straight to Bi and gives her her second chop, then an unapologetic shrug. She hands the axe back to Jeff who reads the next question, “Who uses their sex appeal as a weapon?”

Everyone looks around at each other, then writes their answers with varying levels of smirks. They finally reveal. Ken has written “Jerri.” Lauren has written “Colby.” Everyone else has written “Lauren.”

“Correct answer is:” Jeff says, “Lauren.”

Kass takes the axe from Jeff and walks directly over to Lauren’s rope to give her her first chop. Jeff asks her, “Why Lauren?”

“She was winning,” Kass explains, “Can’t have that.”

Bi takes the axe from Kass and gives Lauren her second chop. She passes the axe to Michaela who takes Lauren out of the game.

“Ahhh,” Lauren groans as she walks to the bench.

“Next question: Who would you most like to be stranded with?”

They all write their answers and reveal. Ken has written Lauren. Everyone else says Colby.

“Correct answer:” Jeff tells them, “Colby.”

“I guess I just answered for myself,” Ken says.

Kass takes the axe from Jeff once again. She looks at Bi, who is one away, then Michaela, who is also one from being eliminated. She looks at Ken, who is still two away, and gives him his second chop.

“It’s about equality, Jeff” she says as she passes the axe to Bi.

Bi takes the axe from Kass, then looks at the three of them, trying to decide who to eliminate. Ken looks sheepish but hopeful. Kass doesn’t appear concerned. Michaela tilts her head down and stares at Bi until she decides to give Ken his third and final chop. She passes the axe to Michaela and raises her eyebrows as if to say, “I didn’t take you out. You better not me.”

Michaela looks between Bi and Kass. Kass’ unbothered attitude melts away when she tells Michaela, “I haven’t been on a reward yet.”

Michaela looks at Bi for a response.

“Michaela, come on. I will take you on the reward.”

Michaela looks behind her at the two options and slams the axe on Bi’s final rope. She passes the axe back to Jeff and he reads the next question, “Who has surprised you the most athletically?”

Michaela and Kass both quickly write their answers on their parchment. They reveal their responses as “Bi.”

“Correct answer is,” Jeff says, “Bi.”

Kass gets the first shot with the axe. Michaela’s jaw drops as Kass walks up to her rope. Kass chops the rope and the shotgun fires at Michaela’s dummy, eliminating her.

“You rigged this against me, Jeff,” Michaela kids.

Jeff laughs before announcing, “Kass wins reward!”

They rejoin the rest of the tribe when Jeff tells Kass, “Alright, you’ve got a trip to the Grand Canyon tonight. Who do you want to bring with you?”

“Oh, okay, uuuh, Bi.”

“Alright, Bi. Come on down. How about one more person.”

“Oh,” Kass says, looking over at Bi, then the rest of the tribe, “Lauren, come on.”

Michaela rolls her eyes while Lauren joins the elated Bi and Kass. A helicopter descends behind them. Desert sand flies through the air around them.

The three of them rush to the helicopter and climb inside. Jeff then turns to Ken, Michaela, Jerri and Colby and says to Michaela, “Big reaction from you when Kass didn’t pick you for the reward.”

“I thought it’d be a kind gesture, since we were the final three in the challenge, but when’s kindness ever gotten anyone anywhere in Survivor?”

“Alright, I got nothing for you. I’ll see you at the next immunity challenge.”

“I’m just annoyed,” Michaela says in a talking head. “I’m annoyed and I’m tired.”

Bi, Kass and Lauren take the helicopter over the Mojave Desert and land on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The helicopter leaves and the three women stand over the millennia-old basin. They see the limestone become darker as the valley becomes deeper. Above them, a bald eagle soars and screeches as it descends into the valley.

“This is incredible,” Kass says, taking in the awesome expanse of the Grand Canyon.

“It’s so big,” Lauren says, “I knew it would be big, but this is unreal.”

Behind them, Jeff approaches with four mules. They’re shocked but excited to see him. “Jeff! Are you coming with us,” Lauren asks.

“No,” he laughs, “I just came to give you the mules and introduce you to your guide, Sam.”

Sam waves hello. Jeff bids adieu. And the four mules begin their trek into the canyon.

Somewhere in the Grand Canyon, a red-spotted toad finds respite next to the river.

After a beautiful descent of several hours, Bi, Kass and Lauren find themselves outside the cabins wherein they’ll be staying. They take their seats around a picnic table and begin their feast.

“So,” Bi asks while spreading butter on a biscuit, “You want to target Michaela again?”

“Would you two be on board,” Lauren asks.

“I would,” Bi says, “She’s a major threat to win.”

“Eh,” Kass mutters, “They’re gonna see that coming. Do either of you have an idol?”

“No,” Bi says.

“I don’t,” Lauren says.

“Does Ken?” Kass asks.

“He hasn’t told me anything.”

“Would he tell you?”

“He tells me everything.”

“Okay, so either Colby, Jerri or Michaela have it. I say we make them think it’ll be Michaela, have them play the idol for her. We put our votes on Jerri.”

“That works for me,” Bi says.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to Ken about it. I’m sure he’d be cool with it.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a trailing four o’clock opens.

Back in town, Colby, Michaela, Jerri and Ken sit around the fire. Jerri pokes at the fire with a stick. Colby sits on a boulder across from Michaela on an old tree stump.

“Have any of you ever been to the Grand Canyon,” Michaela asks.

“Yeah,” Colby says with his fingers folded into a fist in front of his face, staring into the fire, “It’s really cool.”

Ken looks up to see Jerri disengaged with the conversation, choosing instead push an ember around.

“You alright, Jerri,” he asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she says, “I just miss Wendy.”

“Yeah,” Michaela says, “I’m sorry. It should have been Bi.”

“I’m sorry I voted for you, Michaela,” Ken says.

“You were distracted. I get it. I’m not mad at you. We just gotta know you’re gonna be with us moving forward.”

“Yes,” Ken tells her, “One hundred percent. Who are we targeting?”

“You guys wanted Bi,” Colby says.

“I’m sorry, Colbeans, but I don’t think you’re in any position to be making decisions for this alliance right now,” Michaela says, “Jerri, what do you want to do?”

“I want Kass,” she says, crushing the ember with the stick she’s holding.

“It’s Kass, alright guys,” Michaela says.

Colby nods.

Ken says, “Good for me.”

The sky of the Mojave desert fades as the stars illuminate the space above the Survivors.

Ken lays alone on his bench and stares at the stars above. He feels at peace, fully immersed in his natural surroundings. He can hear Colby and Jerri laughing and flirting and teasing one another on the balcony above the saloon. He closes his eyes and smiles as the desert air blankets him to sleep.

In the base of the Grand Canyon, Lauren lays on her back and looks up at the stars. She assumes she’s alone until she hears Kass behind her, “I’m sorry you couldn’t share this with Ken.”

“Oh, hey,” Lauren says, getting up from her supine position, “Don’t worry about it. We get to sit under the stars together every night.”

“That sounds nice,” Kass says, now sitting down next to Lauren, “I just want to show the two of you that I support you and I appreciate you.”

“Well, uh, thanks, Kass. That’s really sweet, but I assure you, you don’t need to do that.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a horned rattlesnake leaves a twisted trail behind her.

The next day, Kass, Bi and Lauren return to town. Lauren hugs Ken and whispers, “we need to talk.”

They find an empty room and close the door. Lauren grabs Ken’s hand and sits him down on a bed. She strokes his arm as they talk. She says, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he says, running the back of his knuckles over the back of her wrist.

“Do you know if Michaela or any of them have an idol?”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“Can you find out?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Thank you,” she says, squeezing his hand tight.

“So, they’re still trying to get Michaela out?”

“Well, not exactly. Kass’ plan is to get them to play an idol on the wrong person.”

“Michaela?”

“Right, but then we’re actually all going to vote for Jerri.”

“And you & I, we’re voting for Jerri?”

“Does that work?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a cottontail rabbit hops around indiscriminately.

Ken finds Michaela tossing horseshoes. She sees him approach and says, “Hey Ken.”

“Hey Mick, I had a question.”

“Shoot.”

“You don’t have an idol, do you?”

Michaela looks up at him suspiciously. “Who’s asking?”

“Lauren.”

“She trying to take me out again?”

“No. They want to flush the idol and put all the votes on Jerri.”

“Who does?”

“That’s Kass’ plan.”

“Hm. Well, I guess it’s a good thing we’re voting out Kass tonight,” Michaela says.

“Yeah,” Ken says, looking at his feet as he walks. “So, you don’t have an idol?”

“Have you seen me with an idol?”

“I know. I just have to ask.”

“Yeah, I know. Maybe Jerri does but she hasn’t said anything to me about it.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a tortoise continues his journey across the plain.

The next morning, Colby returns to the town’s campfire and reads the day’s tree mail to the final seven.

“These things suck. I hate these. Are we in kindergarten,” Michaela asks. “The answer is ball.”

A road runner leaves a cloud of dust behind himself as he races through the Mojave Desert.

At high noon, the final seven meet Jeff in front of seven balance beams. He holds his clydesdale's reins in his hand as he says, “First things first, Colby, gotta take back immunity.”

Colby kneels in front of Jeff, allowing him to retrieve the bandolier. Colby rejoins the tribe and Jeff says, “Immunity is back up for grabs. For today’s challenge, you will stand on a balance beam and hold a disc. On the disc is a ball. Every fifteen minutes, another ball will be added. If your balls fall off the disc or you fall off the beam, you’re out. Last person with all their balls wins immunity and has a one in SIX shot at winning this game.”

They take their places and Jeff calls for the challenge to begin. Closest to Jeff is Colby, then Lauren, Bi, Michaela, Jerri, Ken, with Kass on the end. For the first few minutes, everyone is able to stay in, until a breeze rolls through. Jerri’s ball begins to roll to the edge of the disc and she tries to adjust accordingly.

“Come on, Jerri,” Michaela encourages, “You got this.”

Jerri recovers after a few stressful seconds. Other than a few erroneous tweaks, everyone makes it through round one unscathed. Jeff comes around and gives them each another ball. Once everyone is balanced, Jeff calls for the round to begin.

“Michaela’s balls rolling,” Jeff narrates. Michaela adjusts her disc slightly and levels out.

“Ken’s beginning to move,” Jeff announces.

“You got it, Ken,” Michaela says as he levels out.

“As soon as she encourages someone else, Michaela’s balls begin to roll,” Jeff announces.

“I got it, Jeff,” she tells him as she overcorrects, “Dammit!”

“And just like that, Michaela is out and Jerri’s balls begin moving. Meanwhile, Kass has barely moved. Ken’s looking good. Lauren has a firm grip. I don’t think I’ve seen Colby even blink.”

Another breeze blows everyone’s balls to the left slightly. Everyone adjusts their discs accordingly, some more well than others.

“Nice recovery by Kass,” Jeff says, “Jerri, struggling to hang on. Ken wavering a little. Lauren’s barely affected by the wind. She has complete control over these balls AND Ken’s balls have dropped!”

Jerri and Bi both snort and their balls fall to the sand below.

Jeff counts down from five and they set up for Round Three. The only people remaining are Kass, Colby and Lauren. They all get balanced and the round begins.

“Almost immediately,” Jeff says, “an errant ball of Lauren’s has begun rolling away.”

She tries to recover, but it only forces the other two away. All three drop into the desert sand below. She joins the rest of the tribe on the bench. Kass and Colby remain.

“You want to make a deal,” Kass asks.

Colby does not respond.

“I don’t think he’s gonna talk, Kass,” Jeff says.

“Hey, worth a shot,” she says.

Colby hasn’t taken his eyes off the balls since the challenge started. He hasn’t let anything distract him. He is completely focused. The wind picks up and he raises the disc slightly.

“Kass, trying to recover,” Jeff says, “but it’s hard with all three going in three different directions.”

One of Kass’ balls falls, then the other two when she flips her disc into the sand.

“Colby wins immunity!”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a tarantula takes down a small bird.

Everyone congratulates Colby on his win before resting inside. Jerri finds Kass in a room with Bi. She turns to Kass and asks, “Can I ask who you’re targeting tonight?”

“You can always ask.”

“Okay, I’m asking. I’m still open to working with you, Kass.”

“Alright, I appreciate that. We’re targeting Lauren tonight.”

“Well, that makes things easy.”

“Doesn’t it,” Kass agrees.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, two cottontail rabbits chase each other in some tallgrass.

Ken and Lauren take a hike around town to have their final discussion before tribal council.

“Michaela doesn’t have an idol,” Ken says.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. She would tell me.”

“Okay, so we don’t need to worry about that.”

“I don’t know if I want to vote out Jerri though.”

“Why not?”

“I just trust her more than Kass.”

“Jerri’s not bringing you to the final three. She’s set with Colby and Michaela. I’m telling you, Ken, Jerri is the right move,” Lauren says, wrapping her hand around his, “for us.”

“What makes you think those two are anymore trustworthy than Jerri, Colby and Michaela?”

“We got really close at the Grand Canyon. I trust them.”

Ken's eyes look to the ground.

“Ken,” Lauren says, “What’s wrong?”

“Kass could have brought you and I,” Ken explains. “She deliberately chose not to.”

“She wanted to,” Lauren tells him.

“Then, why didn’t she?”

“Ken…”

“I just have a hard time trusting her.”

“That means,” she says, grinning at Ken, “We’re the swing votes.”

“I guess so,” he says as he drags his feet through the sand.

As the sun begins to set, the final seven climb atop their seven horses and ride into the horizon from the saloon to tribal council. There, they meet Jeff outside the cave, stood beside his trusty steed.

“We’ll now bring in the members of our jury,” Jeff says, “Elizabeth, Todd, Russell, Ben, Wardog, and Wendy, voted out at the last tribal council.”

Wendy’s smile is brighter than the akhal-teke she sits atop. The final seven smile back at her. Jeff turns his attention to Lauren, “The last two tribal councils, two of you original tribemates were voted out. Does that make you nervous?”

“Not especially, Jeff. I don’t think anyone's original season has any bearing on this game.”

“Do you agree with that, Michaela? You’ve still got someone from your original season left in the game.”

“It’s just like everything else in the game of Survivor, Jeff,” Michaela says, “Having an ally that goes back years can be incredibly helpful, but at the same time, everyone’s gonna assume y’all are working together and two votes is helluva lot more powerful than one. Ken and I have worked together, sometimes, sure, but not all the time. Same could be said about Colby and Jerri, I’m sure..”

“Colby, Jerri,” Jeff says, “Any credence to what Michaela’s saying?”

“Oh, of course,” Colby says, “I can’t hide my relationship with Jerri. We’ve known each other for over twenty years. This is our fourth time playing together. Of course that puts a target on us. But, having Jerri by my side doesn’t mean I haven’t talked to other people and made plans with them.”

“Yeah,” Jerri agrees, “Mine and Colby’s relationship has had its ups and downs over the last two decades. You build a lot of trust over that time. But each season of Survivor is it’s own game. Each season presents the opportunity to build new relationships.”

“Kass, you’ve been alone this whole season. No one from your original season.”

“That’s right. After Kimmi left, every relationship is brand new.”

“Do you wish you had someone like Jerri & Colby or Ken & Michaela? Someone you could have complete trust with?”

“Who’s to say I don’t?”

“Fair enough, with that, it is time to vote. Bi, you’re up first.”

Bi makes her way to the cave and casts her vote. She returns to the fire and Kass gets up. She casts her vote and shows it off as a vote for Jerri. “If it’s not you, it’s me,” she says before returning to the fire. Colby makes his vote, then Ken, then Michaela, then Jerri, who holds up a parchment reading “KASS.”

“This is for Wendy,” Jerri says before folding her parchment and returning to the tribe.

“I’ll go tally the votes,” Jeff tells them.

When he returns, he says, “If anyone has the hidden immunity idol and you’d like to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

The camera cuts to Michaela, then Jerri, then Colby. None of them stand. Jeff says, “Alright, I’ll read the votes. First vote, Jerri, Jerri. That’s two votes Jerri. Kass, Kass. We’re tied. Two votes Kass, two votes Jerri. Kass. Three votes Kass… Jerri. Three votes Jerri… Fourteenth person voted out of Survivor: Wild West and seventh member of our jury, Kass.”

Lauren looks over to Ken and grits her teeth silently. Ken nonchalantly shrugs. Kass gets up from her seat and walks to Jeff to have her torch snuffed. Lauren, Bi & Kass voted for Jerri. Colby, Michaela, Jerri and Ken voted for Kass.

Kass takes the reins of her quarter horse and rides to the horizon with only the moon lighting her way.

Read the Finale here

#Survivor #survivor cagayan #Survivor Wild West #Survivor The Australian Outback #Survivor David vs Goliath #michaela bradshaw #ken mcnickle #Jerri Manthey #colby donaldson #fanfic #Lauren O'Connell #bi nguyen #kass mcquillen

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survivorwildwest · 4 years

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Episode 11 - You’re Never Alone in This Game

Lit by the full moon, a coyote howls in the distance as the surviving members of Cheyenne tie their horses up after voting Ben out at the last tribal council. Those on the outs congratulate those who executed the plan.

The next morning, Colby returns with tree mail. “It’s heavier than usual,” he tells them while opening the envelope. Inside, he finds nine smaller, sealed envelopes, each bearing one person’s name. He passes them out and they open them to find Five Hundred US Dollars.

“It’s the auction,” Wendy screams.

“We never got to do the auction,” Wardog says.

“It’s great,” Jerri says.

“You’re gonna love it,” Kass tells him.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a flame skimmer buzzes over some brush.

At high noon, the nine remaining survivors meet Jeff for the auction. Wendy hops up and down as they walk in.

“Welcome,” Jeff says, “to the Survivor Auction. In the recent iterations of the Survivor Auction, there have been opportunities to bid for advantages in the game. So, people would hoard their money, trying to game the auction, waiting for an advantage. That defeats the purpose of the auction. This is your money to do with what you choose. If an item looks good, bid on it. If not, let someone else bid on it. Simple as that. I am not going to present you with an advantage at the auction. Are you ready for the first item?”

Everyone nods their heads and cheers.

“First item is a classic, PB and J.”

“Twenty Dollars,” Jerri says.

“Forty,” Wardog says.

“Sixty,” Wendy exclaims.

“Eighty,” Wardog shouts, waving eighty dollars in the air.

“Going once, twice, sold to Wardog for eighty dollars.”

Wardog shouts and trots up to the sandwich and Jeff’s delighted smirk.

“Eighty dollars for a PB&J sandwich,” Jeff says.

“Worf evvy pehhy,” Wardog assures him with a mouth full of peanut butter.

“Next item, another American classic, a glass of Diet Coke, steak fries and a cheeseburger.”

“One hundred,” Bi shouts.

“One twenty,” Michaela says.

“One sixty,” Colby offers.

“Two Hundred,” Bi asserts.

“Going once, twice, three times! Sold to Bi for two hundred dollars,” Jeff says, pointing his gavel at Bi.

“Up next... I’m going to keep it covered,” Jeff says with a self-satisfied grin, “bidding starts at Twenty Dollars.”

“I’ll do 20,” Colby says.

“Forty,” Kass bids.

“Sixty,” Jerri says.

“Eighty,” Lauren bids.

“One hundred,” Colby says.

“Going once, twice… sold to Colby Donaldson for one hundred dollars.”

Colby makes his way to Jeff’s stand where he holds the cover over Colby’s item.

“What did I get Jeff?”

“A favorite,” he says, uncovering a warm bowl of beans.

“Beans?”

“Beans.”

“Alright,” Colby says as he returns to his seat with the overflowing bowl of beans.

“For our next item, if you need that extra little oomph, how about a protein shake?”

“Twenty dollars,” Wendy says.

“Forty,” Ken says.

“Sixty,” Lauren bids.

“Eighty,” Ken says.

“120,” Wendy says.

“140,” Ken ups.

“160,” Wendy bids.

“180,” Ken says without objection.

“Protein Shake sold to Ken for one hundred eighty dollars.”

Ken wraps his hand around the cold glass. The condensation evaporates away by the touch of his warm hands. As he walks, Ken wraps his lips around the straw and sucks slowly so he can savor what he holds. He lets out a satisfied moan after swallowing.

“The next item up for sale is another American Classic, Steak and Potatoes.”

Colby’s jaw drops when he sees the steak. Beans drip off his lips and splash back into the bowl.

“200,” Michaela bids.

“220,” Colby says, setting his beans aside.

“240,” Kass says.

“400,” Colby bids.

“420,” Wardog bids before giggling.

“440,” Jerri outbids him and everyone else.

“Going once, twice, Sold! to Jerri for 440,” Jeff says.

Jerri takes her steak and potatoes back to her seat. She cuts a big piece of steak and a scoop of potatoes, turns to Colby and, with a signature smirk says, “I’m so sorry I can’t share.”

“The next item... will remain covered.”

“20 dollars,” Kass starts.

“Forty,” Michaela says.

“Sixty,” Lauren says.

“Eighty,” Wendy bids.

“One hundred,” Kass says.

“One twenty,” Wardog bids.

“One forty,” Kass says.

“One sixty,” Michaela bids again.

“Two,” Jerri bids.

“Two twenty,” Kass says.

“Three hundred,” Lauren bids.

“Three hundred to Lauren going once, twice--

“Three twenty,” Kass bids.

“Three forty,” Lauren bids.

“Three sixty,” Colby bids.

“Four,” Kass says.

“Four twenty,” Wardog bids, snickering again.

“Four forty,” Kass bids.

“Going once, twice, sold to Kass for four forty.”

Kass proudly walks to Jeff. He unveils her item. Kass looks at the plate then back at him in disbelief, “Really?”

“For four hundred and forty dollars, you bought a glass of water and a bowl of rice.”

The disgruntled Kass returns to her seat.

“Up next is a nice, big, warm, tasty, greasy slice of cheese pizza.”

“Cheese??” Wendy asks.

“That’s right,” Jeff tells her.

“One hundred,” she bids.

“120,” Lauren says.

“Three hundred,” Michaela bids to a shocked Jeff Probst.

“Three twenty,” Lauren bids.

“Four,” Michaela says.

“420,” Wardog bids again but laughing less this time.

“440,” Michaela bids.

No one outbids her. Jeff bangs her gavel and Michaela walks up to Jeff’s stand.

“Now, you have a choice. For four hundred and forty dollars, you can take this piece of cheese pizza.”

“I heard it’s greasy and warm,” she says.

“Or,” Jeff continues, pulling out a covered item, “you can trade it for this.”

“Nah,” Michaela tells him.

“Won’t even consider it?”

“No way. You always put the bad shit under the covers.”

“Fair enough,” Jeff says as he hands Michaela her slice of pizza.

“Next item is what Michaela passed up.”

“What is it,” Wardog asks.

“Remaining covered,” Jeff tells him.

“One hundred,” Wardog bids.

“One twenty,” Colby says.

“One forty,” Lauren bids.

“One sixty,” Wendy bids.

“Three sixty,” Lauren says, trying to win as soon as possible.

“Three eighty,” Wendy says.

“Four forty,” Lauren bids

“Four sixty,” Wendy bids.

“Four eighty,” Lauren bids, looking over at Wendy.

Wendy doesn’t bid again.

“Sold to Lauren for four hundred and eighty dollars.”

Lauren makes her way to Jeff to retrieve the covered item.

“What do you think it is,” Jeff asks.

“Well, I hope it’s the rest of Michaela’s pizza.”

Jeff removes the cover to reveal exactly that.

“Are you gonna be able to eat all that,” Jeff asks as Lauren looks over the pizza.

“You’d be surprised how much I can fit inside me,” she tells him before returning to her seat next to Ken.

“Up next,” Jeff tells them, “A rich slice of chocolate cake, a bowl of ice cream and... a letter from home.”

“Five hundred,” Wendy shouts before anyone else can get in a lower bid and prolong the inevitable.

Jeff bangs his gavel and she runs down to him.

“Now, Wendy, you have a choice. You can take the desert and read the letter from home for as long as you like or you can volunteer to stay the night in jail and,” Jeff says, pulling something from behind his stand, “get more rice and beans for your tribe.”

“Oh, the rice and beans,” she tells him without hesitation.

“Just, like that. You’re willing to exile yourself from the rest of your tribe at Final Nine?”

With their sloppy fingers and full mouths, the whole tribe rallies Wendy to take the chocolate cake and treat herself. But, she protests.

“All this food here is nice, Jeff, but everybody’s gonna be hungry again soon. I don’t mind spending the night alone if it means my tribe gets to eat!”

“With that,” Jeff says, banging his gavel, “the auction is over.”

Everyone gets up from their seats and hugs Wendy, some of them giving her whatever leftovers they can. Jeff tells them Wendy will return for the next immunity challenge. They get back on their horses and ride off. Jerri holds the reins of Wendy’s quarter horse as it rides back to town without her.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a coyote runs up a rock.

The tribe returns to town without Wendy. They drop their things in the saloon and Jerri pours eight glasses of old whiskey.

“That was really nice of Wendy,” Lauren says.

“Yeah, she didn’t have to do that,” Wardog says as he takes a seat at the piano.

“I’m not complaining,” Kass comments.

Wardog starts playing a simple, familiar tune.

“Wardog,” Colby says, “What are you doing?”

“It’s the only song I know.”

“Taps is the only song you know,” Kass asks.

“I mean, yeah. It’s easy.”

“It’s a bummer,” Kass tells him.

In the sheriff’s office, Wendy has been locked in one of the two jail cells. She’s stuck in the same cell Wardog was, as the other’s bed was dismantled by Bi. Wendy spends the first couple hours just napping.

“When I got there,” she explains in a talking head, “I realized, I was all alone. You’re NEVER alone in this game. So... I took a nap! Then, when I woke up, I had all this ENERGY! So, I started looking for an advantage. And I found,” she lifts her hands, holding two screwdrivers and two rolls of twine, “screwdrivers and twine! That is not an advantage!!”

Wendy’s narration of her exile experience is played over a montage of her finding the same toolbox Bi did and its contents. Wendy looks at the screwdriver, then across to the other cell, then back at her own.

“And then,” her excited talking head continues, “I saw the other bed had been disassembled and turned into like an arm thingy.” She impersonates the wood slabs Bi had put together using her own human arms.

She unscrews the bed and ties the pieces together to make an arm as long as the one reaching from the other cell. She follows the other arm in the other cell to see that it reaches around the corner and to the front door. Wendy leans out of her cell as far as she can to see, next to the front door, a key hook with a key ring hanging from it.

“Oh!” Wendy exclaims.

She picks her own wooden pole from the ground with one arm and grips the other around one of the cell’s bars. She pulls herself up and rests her feet on the center bar of the cell. She slips one shoulder through the bars, then two. With a clearer vantage point, she aims the pole, hooks the keys, and slides them into her hand.

“Ahhh! Yaaay,” she yells. She looks at the ground, then the bar she’s standing atop, and asks herself, “Okay, how do I get down?”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a desert tortoise munches on a single flower growing from a small cactus.

Colby sits alone with his elbows on his knees and looks over the far reaching desert on the hills outside of town.

“This game has been a big part of my life,” he says in a talking head, “I’ve tried and I’ve tried and I’ve tried. You’d think I would have had my fill, but something keeps pulling me back.” The hero music builds as he speaks of his twenty year journey.

“I thought I was done after last time,” he continues, “but I’m still fighting for something. Honestly, after all this time,” he fights back tears, “I just… I think I just need that win.”

The hero music slowly fades away when a long shadow finds its way next to Colby. Kass takes a seat next to him.

“Hey Colby,” she says in a friendly tone.

“Howdy,” he says.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Here I am,” he says, opening his arms and smiling.

“I know Jerri is becoming close with Wendy.”

“Yes.”

“You’re close with Michaela.”

“Sure.”

“We’re getting close to the end, as you know. Are you and Michaela closer or are you and Jerri?”

Colby thinks it over.

“And, if you think Jerri and Wendy are closer than you and Michaela, where does that leave you with Jerri?”

“Jerri’s been by my side for 20 years. Are you trying to make me suspicious of her?”

“Jerri doesn’t need you.”

“I know that.”

“Do you think Wendy needs Jerri?”

“No, I think she’s doing fine on her own. I don’t think Jerri is the reason she’s made it this far if that’s what you’re implying.”

“No, I think Wendy’s played a great game thus far,” she lets her words hang in the air, before climbing aboard her brown quarter horse and leaving Colby alone to think.

Back in town, Lauren finds Jerri and Michaela sitting around the campfire, roasting a rabbit.

“Hey y’all,” Lauren says.

“Sit, sista,” Michaela tells her and she does.

“I’m here to ask for your vote,” Lauren says, “You know how badly I want to get Wardog out. Between the three of us, Ken, Wendy and Colby, we’ve got the numbers, easy.”

“I can vote Wardog,” Michaela says.

“That works for me,” Jerri agrees.

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a desert star grows through a pile of small rocks.

Wendy continues her journey in jail. She’s made her way down from the steel rods she had climbed to retrieve the keys. She’s found the key to unlock her cell, which she does with great elation. She looks over the key ring and determines one of the keys is for the other cell. But, the third, smaller key is still a mystery. She looks around the sheriff’s office for a lock that looks like it would fit the key. She tries the door to no avail. She then notices the fallen paper on the ground next to the front desk. Looking at the newspaper sprawled across the floor, her eyes come across a safe. She throws the chair out of the way and crawls under the desk, tries the key, and opens the safe.

“Oh my god,” she squeals.

Reaching inside the safe, Wendy pulls out a tube, sealed with a four digit combination lock.

“Dammit,” she groans, pressing the end of the tube into her forehead. She sits cross legged on the floor in the sheriff’s office. Feeling defeated, she slowly leans back until she’s laying on the ground. She drops her head to the side and starts reading the middle of a sentence in a random article.

“I was laying on the ground,” Wendy explains in a talking head, “and I started reading this article just, ya know, because what ELSE am I doing? And it was about something called the Nez Perce War. So, I started looking through the article for a date! I learned it happened between June and October, 1877. So, I put 1-8-7-7 into the combination and it worked!”

Wendy reaches into the now open compartment and pulls out an envelope sealed with wax. Wendy breaks it open and reads the contents. A single page reads, “Chief Joseph.”

“Wait, Chief Joseph,” she says, flipping through the newspaper again looking for a specific article.

Somewhere under the Mojave Desert sky, a tortoise lays to rest for the night.

The next morning, Colby makes his way to tree mail with Michaela and Ken. The long hike over the desert sand each morning is tiring but it gives Colby time to talk to people, so he doesn’t mind it.

“What do we think of Wendy,” Colby asks.

“She’s cool,” Ken says.

“Yeah, I like her,” Michaela agrees.

“I think Kass is targeting her.”

“Why,” Michaela asks.

“She thinks she’s a threat.”

“Everyone’s a threat,” Ken reminds him.

“She sacrificed herself for our benefit,” Colby reminds Ken.

“I don’t want to vote for Wendy,” Michaela informs them.

“Lauren’s targeting Wardog, I assume,” Colby asks.

“Yeah,” Ken says.

“Yeah, she came to me and Jerri yesterday asking for our votes.”

“You and Jerri?”

“Yeah.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah, in the morning.”

“Jerri hasn’t said anything to me about it.”

Michaela looks at him with a confused, almost suspicious, raised eyebrow but doesn’t say anything.

When they return to town, the whole tribe (minus Wendy) is gathered around the campfire. Colby breaks open the wax seal and reads the tribe tree mail.

“It’s gonna be Folklore,” Jerri says, “Didn’t you win that?”

“I did win that. In Australia, yes,” Colby proudly states. “You think they’ll put us in shackles again?”

“I hope not,” Wardog blurts.

As the sun set, the desert sky fades into a deep, dark blue. Then, more stars you could ever imagine populate the sky.

At midnight, with the moon lighting their way, the castaways meet Jeff in a cavern lit with oil lamps.

“Good evening,” Jeff says as they stand before him beneath the centuries-old stalactites. “We’ll now bring in Wendy, returning from Exile.”

Wendy is all smiles when she joins the tribe.

“Wendy,” Jeff starts, “when most people return from Exile, they look miserable, lethargic, upset. You look full of life, just your regular, ol bubbly self!”

“Yeah! I had a GREAT time at Exile!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, I took a nap! And I got a lot of reading done!”

“Hopefully that reading comes in handy because tonight’s immunity challenge is Folklore. Stationed throughout this cave system, there are ten multiple choice trivia questions. Each answer will provide you with a wrapped nugget. Return to this cave with your wrapped nugget. When you unwrap it, if you got the right answer, you’ll find gold. Drop the gold in and your scale will tick up one. If you’re wrong, it’ll be just any other rock you might find in this cave. You’ll have to return to that station and try again. First person with all ten gold nuggets on their scale wins immunity and has a one in EIGHT chance of winning the million dollars. Are you ready to hear the story of Chief Joseph?”

“Let’s do it,” Colby says. His booming voice echoes through the cave.

Jeff tells the story, “Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it was born in 1840 to his mother, Khapkhaponimi, and his father Tuekakas, also known as Joseph the Elder. While Chief Joseph's given name meant ‘Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain,’ he was known as Young Joseph in his youth. He became known as Chief Joseph after the passing of his father in 1871. Joseph the Elder warned on his deathbed, ‘Never sell the bones of your father and your mother.’ Chief Joseph led the Nez Perce people through non-violence, despite increasingly hostile attacks. In 1877, Chief Joseph led a group of 750 on a trek through the Rocky Mountains. The United States Military had fifteen hundred men after them. After twelve-hundred miles, countless casualties and a five-day battle on Snake Creek, Chief Joseph, on behalf of the surviving members of Nez Perce, surrendered to Brigadiers General Howard and Miles. Chief Joseph surrendered after being told the surviving Nez Perce people could return to their reservation in Idaho. Instead, they were sent to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas as prisoners. The New York Times went on to call the war ‘a gigantic blunder and a crime.’”

The Survivors grab their torches to light their way through the caves. Jeff calls, “Survivors ready? Go!”

Lauren strides through a narrow tunnel and comes up to the first station. She reads the question quickly under her breath, “Where did Chief Joseph lead 750 Nez Perce people? Rocky Mountains, Smoky Mountains, Saint Elias Mountains? Rocky, definitely.” She grabs the wrapped nugget and returns to the starting cave where Jeff announces, “Lauren’s back with one, Jerri’s back with one, Kass is back with one, Wardog is back with one, but the question is, are they right?”

All four of them answer unwrap the gold nuggets while Michaela, Wendy, Colby, Ken, and Bi return with gold nuggets of their own. “Everyone on the board with one right,” Jeff announces, his voice booming through the tunnels.

“Where did the final battle of the Nez Perce War happen,” Michaela reads, “Colorado River, Fort Leavenworth, Snake Creek, that one.” She grabs the wrapped nugget and runs back. Most everyone else has returned to their stations and has begun unwrapping. Jerri unwraps a rock and drops it on the ground, rolling her eyes before running back into the caves.

Kass runs into an empty station in a far off cave. She reads the question to herself, “What did the New York Times call the war? A. Bloody but Necessary, No. B. A gigantic blunder and a crime, yes? C. The right move for America, No.”

As Kass lifts the lid for the second answer, Wendy comes up from behind, reads the question aloud and says “oh!” before reading any of the answers. She reaches a hand into the bucket and as quickly as she arrived, she’s gone. Kass shakes her head and laughs as she grabs from the bucket. When she returns, she sees everyone has at least two correct answers, but most people have three. Kass unwraps her nugget and drops it onto her scale. The arrow in the scale overhead moves from 2 to 3.

Ken looks over the question in the cave he’s found himself in. He mumbles it loud enough only for air to exit his lips, “What was Chief Joseph’s father’s name? Joseph the Elder, of course.” He grabs the correct answer without checking the other two options. Ken passes Lauren in one of the tunnels. They give each other a big smile as they pass.

“Great job,” he tells her.

“You too,” she responds as they squeeze past one another in the small tunnel underground.

Lauren makes it to another cave where she sees Wendy is already there reading the question, “In what year was Chief Joseph born? 1840, 1871, 1877. Psh, 1877 was the year of the war and I don’t think he was Chief when he was SIX YEARS OLD! It’s 1840!”

“How do you know so much about Chief Joseph,” Lauren asks as they each grab the 1840 nugget.

“I listened to the story Jeff was telling!”

“Yeah, but you seem way more confident than anyone else with this.”

Wendy just shrugs her shoulders and smiles as she runs back to her station. Her scale now reads six and she’s mere steps behind Colby who also has six. Everyone else has five.

Wardog finds the next station and mutters the question to himself quickly in an attempt to save time, “What did Chief Joseph’s given name, Hinmatóowyalahtq̓it, mean in the Nez Perce language? A. Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain B. Looking Glass C. White Bird?” He looks over all three answers, assuming each had the same probability of being right. Any time he saved by reading the question quickly has been lost by his contemplation of each choice. He finally chooses A and runs back. Giving himself six.

Jerri, while behind in the challenge, hasn’t given up. She’s picked up the pace and reads herself the next question, “To whom did Chief Joseph surrender? Gibbon & Strugis, I don’t think so. Sitting Bull? That... doesn’t make sense. Howard and Miles, yes! That was it!” She runs back and unwraps the correct answer’s nugget, though she’s still one nugget behind the next person.

Colby, Bi and Wendy are all tied for first with nine on their scales. Bi reads her final question, “Where was the reservation Chief Joseph was told his people could return after his surrender? Kansas, Idaho, Nevada. That makes sense.”

Simultaneously, Colby reads his final question, “Where were the surviving Nez Perce people sent after their surrender and why? The South to Farm, no, Relocation Centers for Spycraft, that... doesn’t sound right, Fort Leavenworth, as Prisoners! Yes!!”

At the same time, Wendy finds herself in the same cave as Lauren. Lauren appears stumped. Wendy reads the question, “What did Joseph the Elder say to his son from his deathbed? A. It is Cold, and We Have No Blankets; B. From Where the Sun Now Stands, I Will Fight No More Forever; or C. Never Sell the Bones of Your Father and Your Mother. The last one. The first two are from Chief Joseph’s surrender speech.”

“That wasn’t a part of Jeff’s story,” Lauren says, “How do you know that?”

“I read it!” she explains before rushing back to Jeff.

Bi, Wendy and Colby come out of their respective caves at the same time. All three race to their stations. Bi starts unwrapping her nugget, sees its a rock and drops it on the ground before rushing back. Colby and Wendy start unwrapping their own to find two gold nuggets. Wendy’s a step and half ahead of Colby, drops it in her scale, and Jeff announces, “Wendy wins immunity!”

The tribe gathers round where Jeff tells them, “Great challenge today. Wendy, gettin it done! Twice in a row, Wendy cannot be voted out. Colby, what happened?”

“You know, Jeff,” Colby says, “This is the third or fourth time I’ve come so close to winning. I just don’t think I can keep up with these young kids anymore.”

“Alright, it’s late,” Jeff says, “You’ll have tomorrow to think over the vote. I’ll see you at tribal council, tomorrow at sundown.

The castaways get on their horses and ride back to town. Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a scorpion crawls up the skull of a coyote and pinches its pincers like tongs.

The next morning, Bi finds Lauren. She’s joined Ken in his workshop. Ken is building something.

“I understand you’ve been coming after Wardog,” Bi says.

“That’s right,” Lauren admits.

“I’m fine with that. I don’t need him anymore.”

“You’re done with him,” Ken asks, “just like that?”

“Sure, why not?”

“He’s been your closest ally this whole time,” Lauren reminds her.

“No,” Bi corrects her, “the idol nullifier was my closest ally. I got rid of that, an idol, Wardog’s extra vote and the last winner left in the game in one tribal council. Tell me again, what do I need Wardog for?”

“Alright,” Lauren says, “You’re not gonna hear me fighting for him.”

Bi leaves.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that she’s targeting her closest ally,” Lauren asks.

“Yeah,” Ken agrees, “It’s suspicious.”

Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, a black carpenter bee buzzes around a blooming cactus.

Bi finds Wardog resting in his bedroom. He lifts his head up when he hears the door open, then lays it back on the pillow when he sees it’s Bi.

“You know they’re targeting you,” Bi asks.

“Lauren? Of course. She’s never gonna trust me.”

“You want to take her out?”

“Wendy’s not gonna vote for Lauren.”

“Michaela would. Jerri would. Kass would.”

“Okay, who do you want to take?”

“I’ll talk to Michaela. You take Jerri and Kass?”

“Alright, sounds like a plan, pardna,” he says as he fires a couple finger guns at her.

Wardog gets up from his cot in the inn and marches down to find Jerri and Kass sitting by the fire with Colby and Wendy.

“Hey, uh, I’m gonna get some water. Does anyone want to come with?”

“Sure,” Kass says.

“I’ll come,” Jerri says, “You need any water, Wendy?”

“No, thank you, Jerri!”

Once out of the town proper, Wardog excitedly tells Kass and Jerri they’re targeting Lauren.

“Lauren, why,” Kass asks.

“She’s-- ow!” Wasdog slaps the back of his neck.

“What’s that,” Jerri asks.

“Something bit me,” Wardog says as he shows them the back of his neck. “Are there bugs in the desert?”

“Flies,” Kass says.

Wardog removes his hand to show the back of his neck. Jerri and Kass see his skin puffed up in a small circle.

“I think you got stung, man,” Jerri says.

“Flies can sting you?!”

“It was probably a bee,” Kass says.

“There’s bees in the desert?!?”

Michaela finds Ken and Lauren in Ken’s workshop. His project is coming along. He removes the nearly finished product from the work table and says, “What’s up Michaela?”

“Have you talked to Bi,” Lauren asks.

“I haven’t seen her recently.”

“She’s targeting Wardog,” Lauren explains.

“What? Alright. that makes things easier for us.”

“We don’t necessarily trust it,” Ken says as he brushes the dust off his project.

“It is weird,” Michaela agrees.

“Are you willing to trust Bi,” Lauren asks.

“If it’s not Wardog, who’s Plan B?”

“Wardog is Plan Bi,” Ken laughs to himself.

“I don’t know, but Ken, Wendy and I are all voting for Wardog.”

“Alright,” Michaela says before going out to find Bi.

Michaela finds Bi and the two walk on the outskirts of town as the sun begins to descend for the day.

“So,” Michaela asks, “What’s going on?”

“Lauren wants Wardog. Wardog wants Lauren.”

“Who do you want?”

“Wardog’s gonna rustle fewer feathers.”

“So, you’re voting Wardog?”

“What are you asking me, Bi?”

“I just want to know how you’re voting.”

“I want to know how you’re voting.”

“You’ll see at tribal.”

Michaela looks at her, confused but not challenging anything.

As the moon takes the sun’s place, the remaining members of the tribe ride their horses out of town and meet Jeff around the campfire that is Tribal Council. Jeff greets them as they take their seats around the warm fire. “We’ll now bring in the members of our jury, Elizabeth, Todd, Russell and Ben, voted out at the last tribal council.”

The four members of the jury ride in on their akhal-tekes and form a square to preside over the tribe. Jeff begins, “Wendy, quite the few days for you. You go from volunteering for Exile to winning immunity.”

“Yeah! Exile was great! I noticed one of the beds had been disassembled and I found some screws and a screwdriver so I put the bed back together!”

“You didn’t have to do that, Wendy,” Jeff tells her.

“I know! But I wanted to! And also I took a nap!”

“You took a nap at Exile?”

“Yeah! Well, it’s so hard to sleep at camp. Everyone’s always walking around and chatting and plotting. It was nice to get some peace and quiet!”

“Who makes it hard to sleep at camp?”

“Wardog,” she groans.

“Wardog, she called you out,” Jeff says.

“Yeah, I don’t know what that’s about,” Wardog says, “I’m just out here trying to play the game.”

“I’m just trying to play the game,” Lauren impersonates Wardog’s Jersey accent under her breath. “Why are you even on this season, man? Aren’t you from, like, New Jersey?”

“I go to school in California.”

Lauren just raises her hand in exhausted frustration.

“Why does that bother you, Lauren,” Jeff asks.

“It doesn’t bother me that Wardog goes to school. It doesn’t bother me that Wardog’s school is in California. I’m bothered because, try as I might, I can’t seem to get Wardog out.”

“Kass, is it impossible to get Wardog out?”

“Hey,” Wardog protests.

“Nothing’s impossible, Jeff,” Kass says, “Anyone can get voted out at this point, except Wendy, of course.”

Wendy beams with pride as she shows off the immunity bandolier.

“Last tribal, Ben played an idol. Have people been going out looking for a new idol, Michaela?”

“I don’t think so. We figured Ben’s idol was from Tsitsistas.”

“So, has any found the Cheyenne idol,” Jeff asks.

“I don’t know, Jeff. You know from Game Changers, I lack observation skills.”

“Fair enough. So, if no one is concerned with another idol play, Bi, what are they concerned about?”

“Everybody sees the end in sight, so at this point, everybody’s trying to find their next target, the right target, the smart target. It’s like in MMA, You have to find their weak spot and target it to win,” Bi says.

“So, do you feel you’ve found your target,” Jeff asks.

“They’re all my targets, Jeff.”

“With that, it is time to vote. Colby, you’re up first.”

Colby makes his way into the cave to make his vote. Lauren follows and proudly shows her vote for Wardog. Bi makes her vote. Wardog makes his and holds it up to show Lauren’s name. The rest of the tribe makes their vote in the cave. Jeff tells them he’ll tally the votes and heads into the cave himself. When Jeff returns, he says, “If anyone has the hidden immunity idol and you’d like to play it, now would be the time to do so.”

Every tribe member looks at every other. Jeff waits a few beats, then says, “Alright, I’ll read the votes. First vote, Wardog. Second vote, Lauren.”

Lauren looks at Wardog and rolls her eyes.

Jeff continues, “Wardog, Wardog, Wardog, Twelfth person voted out of Survivor: Wild West and fifth member of our jury, Wardog.”

Jeff holds up the deciding vote for Wardog, which reads “Dan,” with a cartoon bee scribbled in the corner. Wardog accepts the votes with a stiff lip, nods and grabs his torch.

“Great job, guys,” he says before meeting Jeff and having his torch snuffed and riding his gorgeous grey lippizan. The sky is darker than his horse’s mane.

The final eight, Bi, Jerri, Colby, Kass, Ken, Lauren, Michaela and Wendy, get back on their horses and ride back to town after a unanimous vote.

#Survivor #Survivor Wild West #bi nguyen #Jerri Manthey #colby donaldson #kass mcquillen #ken mcnickle #Lauren O'Connell #michaela bradshaw #wendy diaz #wardog #edge of extinction #millennials vs gen x #survivor australia #david vs goliath

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