Watching Survivor

I’m trying to get the stream to connect ya’ll - it’s not working yet. I am still trying!

:11 FOUND A WORKING LINK! WHOO! Alright, here we go. Just in time for the first Immunity challenge for today. Once again, Immunity is back up for grabs - today they’ll race through a tarantula shaped obstical course for puzzle pieces to solve web shaped puzzle. Nice!

Survivors ready - Go!

JT flys through and gets his first bag first, Erinn working on his first, stephen and Taj too, as they race back toward the puzzle - JT heads out for number two… the rope will tear you up, says Jeff, and says they’ll lose skin - JT has his second bag, and no one else has their first until now - Taj then Stephen, then Erinn… JT with his second. Go JT! He has one bag left! It’s going to be a showdown - JT and Taj ion the same leg - she lays down, he crawls over, and TAJ is out with her second bag, and here comes JT with number three and he’s starting to work on the puzzle - Stephen is on his way, he’s got his final bag too. The puzzle looks like hell! Erinn and Taj on the way back with their last bag - the puzzle is HARD, and will take a long time. Taj and Erinn make it to the puzzle table, and JT has a head start, Stephen is hot on his heels, and Erinn is the last to get there. 1 piece in the center, two in the second, three in the third… WIll Stephen prove himself a wiz with puzzles too - JT has 5 pieces left, but is he right? Erinn making up a LOT of ground… The last to start, and she’s catching up fast! It’s JT stephen and Erinn! JT has one piece, but can’t find a spot… one is in the wrong spot… ERinn has closed the gap, it’s all Erinn and JT! Who will get it! JT WINS IMMUNITY! WOW that was close! Awesome challenge!

They head back to camp - and Erinn says she had it, one piece to go, and JT won. It’s frustrating, and she’s sitting next to people who have been together since day one, she’s very aware they could take her out…

:18 Commercial!

:23 Day 37, and we’re back at Forza camp, as they congratulate JT. Taj tells us that any one of the Jalapau members would have won it would have been good, it works out in their favor. She figures Erinn will via for a spot, but she wants her to realize that the guys are loyal to her.

Erinn tells us all she’s thinking about is what her net move is, what does she do, what does she say - she joins JT and Stephen in the water, and points out Taj’s social game is awesome and she has friends with everyone. They think she could win the jury vote. JT says that she makes a good point, everyone loves Taj, it’s a game for a million dollars, and he wants to make sure he has a good shot.

Erinne leaves, and the boys talk about being sure they can beat Erinn, but not so much with Taj. JT tells Stephen as long as they’re solid, it doesn’t matter what they do. Stephen says it won’t look good if he betrays taj, but how does he get to the final, how does he win? IF they vote out Erinne - Taj has a stronger chance in a final immunity, and she’d take JT… rather than him, so it’s a difficult decision.

Back at the fire, they solidify it should be Erinn, and Taj makes sure they’re not voting for her..

:27 Tribal Council time for the first time tonight!
Jeff starts with Stephen - going back to the merge, it was 6 Timbira, 3 Jalapau, now only one Timbira sits with them, how did that happen? Stephen says that they chose to stick togethr, and Erinne says it’s true she’s the lone Timbira member left, and all her tribe is on the jury, and she says it’s amazing, her decisions had been right. Did she scramble? Erinn says she’s learned that scrambling doesn’t work. Jeff says if history is true to form, she’s going home, and Erinn agrees and says she wouldn’t be surprised at that at all. Jeff asks how bit a threat would it be to let her get to the end? And Taj says it’d be dangerous, she could get all their votes. Stephen says there’s that to consider, but its individual, and you have to figure out who they can win. He respects Coaches philosophy, but hopes he’s not in the position to make such a decision - Jeff says you just showed up and its his first day here, he can only vote for Erinn or Taj - what is it? Stephen says it’s about better assuring himself in the finals. JT says that he trusts Stephen and Taj and they’ve made promises and kept them. The thunder crashes, lightening flares, and Taj says that she can’t put her faith in Erinn the way she can the boys, and she’d be shocked if it was her, but there’s no rules. If Erinn is still there, would she be shocked? She sayss urprised, but not shocked, anything could happen. What odds does she give herself? She says a 33% chance of sticking around. So, will the Jalapau three stick together?

It is time to vote. And those votes are…
(GAH SNAKE!)

Taj, Erinn, Taj, Taj! OMG! The jury is shaking their head, the boys just look at each other, and Yaj leaves without a word… and Erinn is certainly surprised as she pushes up her glasses. Tomorrow -the final immunity challenge. They head back to camp, as Taj says she was blindsided on day 37, and for them to do that blows her mind, it’ll be hard to choose… but if Erinn finds a way to weasle herself into the end, she has her vote…

Coming up - Erinn pits Stephen and JT against each other… who will claim the million dollar prize? find out tonight!

:35 Commercial!

:38 Forza, night 37 - and it’s the final three. Erinn says crazy, crazy, and the boys say it was hard. JT tells us they made a decision based upon how easy the next challenge would be able to win, and they could beat her better. Erinn tells the boys she seemed to know, not surprised, and JT tells us they’re already suffering the consequences, because Erinn is so annoying and won’t shut up.

Stephen tells him not to worry, they are the final three, and tells us it’s tainted by the fact they voted out Taj nad it hurts and Erinn is annoying, and it’s emotional, but right now you have to see how your going to get to the finals, and can’t always be nice.

The next day…day 38. Everyone is up, and Erinn promises Stephen that she’ll take him. She says if she wins, she’ll take Stephen, its the best chance of winning. Even if she doesn’t win, neither of the guys want to go up against each other, if they don’t want to fight it out, it puts her in a really good spot. They know JT will fight like hell, they agree they have to win. Stephen says he’s a little afraid to win, because the choice is hard - take JT, his closest friend, his ally since the beginning, o Erinn who he has a shot against.

JT and Stephen talk and JT gives his word he’ll take STpehen - he wanted to make sure they were good. JT says he’s sitting in a good spot, but he’s a little worried. They don’t think she can beat both of them - and JT knows if Erinn wins, he won’t go to the final two, and never know about Stephen, he’d like to trust him, but… And JT says no doubt about it, he’s taking Stephen, and Stephen says “Me too.”

JT says you can trust them in day to day life - but this is a game. It all rests on this challenge. They check treemail - and it’s time for the traditional Walk of the Torches, paying their respects to their fallen comrades. Stephen says it’s a rite of passage, everyone they’ve had to beat, the dragons they had to slay to coin a phrase. He feels it’s about paying respects, and they owe it to them to show they matter, they value them as people, as fellow combatants.

Carolina - so much trouble in such a little body.

Candice - Erinn says she may have been her only friend, but she liked her a lot.

Jerry - Erinn says if you could pick your own dad, you’d totally pick Jerry.

Sandy - JT says She was a bit crazy, and provided Erinn with one of the most humbling moments (flash to the riding Erinn like a pony. *L*)

Spenser - JT says he knew the game better then anyone, Stephen says he was a great strategist and super fan.

Sydney - a beautiful girl, and a lady. JT says it was tough to choose between her and Taj.

Joe - The most decent guy out there, med-evac not the way anyone wants to go.

Brenden - First dragon to be slain. They agree he was a great athlete and competitor.

Tyson - a funny guy who was sincere, and taking him out was the turning point of them game.

Siera - Surprisingly honest and really sweet, it wasgreat getting to know her.

Debbie - Lil Debbie, she was easily the person Erinn was closest too, the hardest vote for sure. Stephen says she was super strong, one of the biggest threats of the game.

Coach - Erinn’s most satisfying blindside to date. He changed the game in his own way, being purely honest, and a great story teller, the boys have a lot of respect for them.

Taj - The hardest vote so far the game. She’s an incredibly strong woman, and so fun and loving, they count her as friend for the rest of their life.

Erinn says that on the other side of the rite of passage is the Immunity Challenge, she has to fight like hell to win. Stephen says the person that wins this gets final 2 and gets to control who he takes with him. He’s going to give his all - this is for a million dollars.

:54 Commercial!

9:00! Time for the final Immunity Challenge!
FOr the last time, immunity is back up for grabs - it’ll require concentration and cordination. They place a ball int a chute where it spirals down, then they have to catch it and will alternate left and right, they’ll ad balls - last person to keep all their balls in play wins. Oh, and one hand will be tied behind their back. This could be a million dollar challenge.

Here we go - Survivor’s ready? Go.This challenge is under way, they start with one ball to let them get the hang of it.the balls will alternate left side to right side, they’ll go to two balls in a second… now… everyone has two balls in play, it makes it a little more complicated, spacing - when do you place it? Don’t get them too close together… time to add a third ball - get ready… now.

Erinn amlost drops one, saves it - this challenge is more mental then physical - who has enough mental to last? One slip and it’s over - ERINN IS OUT! Stephen and JT are battling it out - Stephen is on his knees, JT is braced on his feet, they keep going and going… SPacing is important.. when do you place it? Make sure they’re spaced as far as possible to give you reaction time. Stephen has a lucky save! Then Two! It’s time to add ball number four!

Everything ramps up, stay focused…. JT is going strong and steady - stephen saves another barely… Keep the concentration…. don’t let your mind drivet… Stephen DROPS ONE HE’S OUT! JT WINS FINAL IMMUNITY!!!!

Tonight, JT alone will decide who will sit next to him in the final tribal! He says that Stephen and he have a promise, but knows promises come cheap.. he has a big decision to make.

:06 Commercial!

:10 Stephen tells us that when JT won, she had an enormous relief, because he was dreading the decision, the person he was closest too, or Erinn - taking her would have been a scumbag decision, he’s glad he doesn’t have to decide.

Erinn talks to JT, and JT says he doesn’t know how the jury thinks, and she says that they all hate the fact she’s still there, she might get Taj, but that’s it. JT thinks about it, and she says there was a lot of talk about how it would have been suicide to go against JT - and he ask her if Stephen would have taken Erinn, and Erinn says yeah. JT says he’ll never know if he’d have kept up his part of the deal. Erinn says Stephen could talk his way into a win, big time. JT tells her she’d be logical. Erinn tells us it would be nobel for him to take Stephen, it’d be honorable, but it might be a draw, it’d be a close battle. Erinn says if he wants to win, he’d send Stephen home tonight.

She wanders off - and Stephen asks if Erinn was presuring him, and JT says she has a good case. He tells Stephen that she said he would have taken her, and Stephen says no, but it’s a hard decisions, he knows that. JT says there’s always a question mark, and Stephen says he understands, they both question decision, that’s why they were a good team. Stephen says that they know it’s a lot of money at stake, and it’ll be a difficult decisison, but he doesn’t think that JT will take Erinn. Stephen tells him “You have to know you’ll win this - I’ve always known it.” JT says that he doesn’t know it, and tells Stepehen he’d be scared if it was him.

JT tells us his mom told him when they left that he can win, just don’t do anything stupid - he doesn’t want to lose because o a stupid decision.

:15 Tribal Council time!

Aw, Taj looks pretty! Stephen even gives her a double take!

JT has earned his way by winning the past three ICs, now he has a big decision, what was Erinn’s pitch? She says they talked votes, and how Erinn may only get a couple, but STephen might beat him. Erinn says that she won’t go down without kicking and screaming, but he has a better chance against her. Stephen says taht he and JT made every move in the game together, and his pitch was based on their long standing promises, and enduring friendship. It’s loyalty vs. easy money - how does it work in his head. JT says there’s two different approaches and he needs to figure out what’s most important, beating Erinn would be easier, but which is more important, the money, or loyalty. JT says if he brought the best to the end, then he’d be sticking to his word. Jeff asks why make the moral choice? And JT says what would Stephen have done? and he doesn’t know for sure, he’ll enver know, and he feels like taking STephen is a big risk.

Stephen says that hey, there’s also Breakfast on day 39 - there’s more to a relationship to a million dollars, but he thinks they’ll be friends even if he doesn’t take him, but it won’t be the same. He knows he’s broken promises, but up and down… he’s just hoping. Jeff points out that Erinn might be best not to say anything, Stephen is making a good case for her. Stephen laughs and says I’ll shut up.

JT says he’s not 100%, but he feels like he could beat Erinn, they don’t want to give her money, there’s a huge reason to take her. It’s time to vote. The only vote will be JT - if he chooses right, this time tomorrow, he’s a millionaire. Make your vote.

And that vote is….
ERINN!

Good boy, JT! Coach cheers, a couple clap, Stephen looks shocked and relieved. Jeff tells them they’ve gone as far as they can go - the power shifts to the jury. Tomorrow night, they will decide who they feel is most deserving. They have one more night in Brazil, enjoy it.

Erinn says she was a little bit surprised, but deep down she knew that was the decision he’d make. It was live changing and she was glad to have stuck around this long.

:23 Commercial!

:Forza, the morning of day 39, and our heroes are waking up. JT says he feels great, day 39, it’s a beautiful morning, and Stephens there with him just like they planned and it’s hard to believe. Stephen says that it’s hugely satisfying, they’ve been talking final two sine the beginning - regardless who wins it can’t be taken away from them. They made it through the entire game - and TREE MAIL - Eggs and bubbly and pancakes and bacon - a huge breakfast… yuuuuummy!

JT says it’s the best meal ever - and Stephen says it was their reward, successful - and they even break out the bubbly and toast each other. Stephen says it tastes like victory - and it’s a perfect ending. First impressions, JT says his of Stephen was strong, and maybe religious he’d have to watch his mouth. He tells us outside of country guy vs. city guy, they’re a lot of like. Stephen admits he was totally wrong about him, his mind has worked the most like his own, they were totally in sync.

They head off to the final Tribal Council. JT says that he’ll have to lay it all aside and do everything it takes to win a million dollars - he’s never had any doubts, until tonight. Stephen says he won’t go in undefeated, he’s going to fight for that million, he won’t just lay down.

:32 It’s time for the final Tribal Council!
(GAH SNAKE!)

Stephen, JT - congrats! After 39 days, they’ve gone as far as they can go. The power is in the hands of the Jury. They get to make an opening statement, the jury addresses them, and they they’ll vote.

Stephen says it’s hard to talk JT now, and compare himself, but if you were making the decision on who’s got the most charming southern drawl, you could have made it day one. They worked togehter and talked through everything and shared a brain - but he wants to focus on what they’ve taken from the game. His road has been harder, never having been even camping and the transformation has made him more confident and a better person, and he owes it all to them, and hopes they respect their journey.

JT says that it’s going to be hard to follow that - he never graduated college, but he don’t want a pity vote, he worked very hard to get where he is, and no one has ever voted against him. It was hard to vote anyone out, and had they not have gotten rid of them, they’d switch places. He could have brought Erinn, but everyone loves Stephen, he doesn’t feel he’s outwitted, outplayed, or outlasted him, that’s up for them to decide.

:36 Commercial!

:40 Time for the Jury Questions. Brenden is up first. He congratulates them both, and asks Stephen, he spent so much time talking about how he grew, no game is who grew the most, can you think of a game? Stephen says that Survivor may be that game. He outlasted. JT was an amazing outdoorsman, but he wasn’t he survived. JT says that growth isn’t irrelivent, but at a football game, just because it’s hardest for you to catch a ball, don’t mean you deserve it more - but JT says he outplayed him. Stephen says hiding in the shadows is a strategy, and JT says someone who puts their neck on the line deserves it more.

Erinn - She’s seen Stephen play 3 alliances, but everyone one in them is on the jury, should she vote for JT then? Stephen says the game involves creating structures, and he zigged when he had to and did it really well - respect that. JT - there’s been a lot of talk about bringing the best to the end - why Stephen? JT says he was the most honest, and Jalapau was the best, and Stephen was the best of the power alliance, no doubt about it.

Debbie - She starts saying she’s undecided still - JT, honesty is most important to her, she was immediately drawn to her, but she thought he may have misjudged him. Was her first instinct right, or was lying his MO? JT says that his mama told him not to believe what other people say, he’d have to lie to win this game, he had to do it to et there, and even she lied to Coach. Stephen - if you had won Immunity, honest answer, would he have taken JT. Stephen says, he doesn’t know. He never made the decision, Debbie stops him, and she wants an answer. He knows, and she feels she knows too - make a clear answer and be honest. Stephen says he thinks it would be Erinn, his fear is he would ahve done that in the end, but hopes he would have taken JT.

Coach - Last two remnants of the power alliance - he’s proud to see the Warrior and Wizzard up there. Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. JT, honesty and integrity, it’s hard to to that in the end. Give me an example of honest and being a noble warrior. JT says there were times he couldn’t have told him what was going on, but he swore he wouldn’t vote for him and he didn’t. He said he would take the strongest, he could ahve taken the easy way out with Erinn, but he risked his million to bring Stephen, it’s hard to mix morals and millions. He’s a warrier as he’s never given up. Same to Stephen - he voted for every one of them, he never took the weasel way out. He wanted to bear the moral burden of voting each of them out. He’s never said anything negative about JT tonight, and that’s a warrior stance.

Sierra - She says she’s heard her answer from Stephen already, thinks he’s a sweetheart. JT, why did he take two weakest players with him in Taj and Erinn - how does he explain Stephen? Stephen was the strongest left. Sierra says that she lost a lot of respect because he wasn’t taking the strongest competitor with him to the end, in Tyson or Debbie or herself.

Tyson - They both talk about sharing a brain, Stephen says JT was an asset - JT did Stephen help you? JT says he could have made it without him, but it wouldn’t have been easy. Stephen says the partnership was unique, and it hurts that he devalues it, and he doesn’t think it’s true for either of them. JT asks Stephen if someone else had won immunity? Stephen says erinn and taj would ahve taken him, so yes.

Taj - “Crushed, betrayed, extremely disappointed” she feels the way she was sent to the jury was uncalled for. JT, you said it was so hard to write down Coaches down, it seemed effortless and JT says the hardest thing he ever did was write her name down. Stephen, she says she saw things in him she didn’t recognize because they were ight from day one, was it so important to blindside him? Stephen said the truth was that JT had been talking about taking her out for a while (JT’s jaw drops) Stephen says that he got nevrous she wouldn’t take him and agreed. JT says he’d like to add that it was just his idea, and it’s not true at all! He made himself sound like he was protecting him, that’s not how it went down. Stephen says that there have been other times, but he talked him out of it, eve back when they had the idol. JT says “You told me! “I have the idol! We could take her out”‘ and Stephen says no - there’s times when I wanted to help you, and JT says way to slander him - And Stephen says “Come on you’ve been slandering all night! Our friendship means more to me!” JT says his were accurate though, and adds “You’d have brought Erinn? I feel like a fool.” Stephen says “come on!”

It’s time to make a very big decision….

:54 Commercial!

:59 Tonight they’re voting for a winner, the name they write down is the one they want to win, for the last time, it is time to vote.

For the last time, Jeff goes to tally the votes…. Thanks for a great season, he’ll see them in NYC for the reading of the votes, and it’s time for Jeff’s walk out, and we rejoin them in NYC - where everyone’s all cleaned up and pretty! It’s the LIVE finale read (I’ll open up another post for the reunion portion after the winner is announced!)

:03 Jeff likes the live audience, and Jury - nice job. Stephen and JT, great job, it’s a hard game to play. 39 days in the middle of nowhere with strangers in a game that’s physically and mentally taxing, the winner deserves a million dollars. Let’s get to it. TOnight you want to see your name on the parchment. It takes 4 votes to win. Let’s read the votes.

JT, The Warrior JT, JT, The winner of survivor 18 is JT! WHOOOO! For the first time, My favorite from day one WINS! WHOOOOOO!!! For only the second time in survivor history, the vote was UNANIMOUS - question is, is he and Stephen friends still? Why did they hate sierra? and Jeff offered Coach a lie detector test, did he take it?

It’s time for the reunion - new post coming!