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Episode 8 - Undisclosed Title

Coach-Free

In the dead of night, the Novo tribe returns from their first Tribal Council in which Coach was voted out. Excitedly, the castaways congratulate each other on making it to the jury. "You have no idea how happy I am that Coach got voted out of here," Carolina brags. "On a scale from 1 to 10, it was probably 1000, like, how happy I was. You know, and now that he's gone, I really, really think, like, I have more power in the tribe." As her tribemates put their torches away, Carolina whispers to Erinn that the vote was "perfect" and "could not have happened any better for us." Not everyone is as thrilled about the vote as Carolina, however. "At Tribal Council tonight, I got a vote; uh, I'm not too sure about that," Jerry admits in his confessional. "I wasn't expecting to get one for a long time, so…I think somebody's tryin' to stir things up," he good-naturedly laughs. Unbeknownst to the rest of her tribe, the culprit is Sandy: "I knew that everyone was gonna go for Coach, and it was gonna be unanimous," she explains, "So I wanted to put another name in there, you know, cause the original Timbira is up in numbers and if they all trust each other, I'm gonna be one of the next three to go." In spite of her vulnerable position, Sandy claims she won't go down without a fight: "I do think that Spencer and J.T. would go before me," she tells the camera, "But I'm still looking for options. You know, I'm ready to play the game. I'm gonna bring the whole house down…"

The Mystery Vote

As the first light of Day 22 dawns, the Novo members get right to work on the day's tasks and a relieved Spencer is thankful to still be in the game: "Last night, there was definitely a chance that I was going home, but I ended up not getting any votes, so right now, it's not, uh, looking too bad for Jalapao. All I needed was one original Timbira person gone, and then I'm pretty sure I can get Sandy, J.T., Carolina, Erinn, and myself as the Final Five." Watching from the shelter, Spencer assesses his tribe: "If we were voting right at this second, I'd probably like to vote off Tyson," Spencer confesses, "But, uh, at this point, I'll settle for anyone from Timbira."

While Spencer considers his plan to change up the game, Carolina and Erinn go for a walk and discuss their own position in the tribe. "Listening to what was said at Tribal Council, it really does sound like Tyson was planning on being loyal to me and Carolina," Erinn speculates. "Like, it makes sense for him to stick with us because we'd be easier to beat in the end, so…it's comforting to have that alliance because we don't feel like we're on the bottom anymore." "I almost think it might be better for us to stick with Tyson, don't you think?" Erinn asks. "Because if anybody flips and tries to take one of us out, it's gonna be him and not us." Carolina agrees that it's better for them to remain in an alliance with Tyson. "I would say that Tyson definitely thinks he's the leader of the tribe," Carolina tells the camera. "But you know, Coach going home last night was originally my plan, so as much as he thinks he's calling the shots, like, I think I'm calling the shots more than he is," she claims.

As the women continue to plot, Tyson approaches them and asks who they think voted for Jerry. Carolina immediately brings up J.T.'s name. "J.T. was Coach's best friend," Tyson suggests to Carolina and Erinn. "You know, they hung out a lot and, on Jalapao, he was trying to switch it where it was Sandy before J.T., so…it makes sense, I think." Both women agree and Carolina confidently states that it couldn't have been anyone else but J.T. "Nobody knows that we have this alliance so I think the three of us and Candace are the most safe out of everybody here," Tyson says. Erinn says that she's glad for their alliance because nobody would expect it. "Carolina and Erinn make me laugh," Tyson admits. "It's like when you invite a couple of nerds to sit with the cool kids, they start to think they're popular because you're giving them your attention, but uh, I mean, they're just two more puppets in my box," he reveals in his confessional. "You know, these people do whatever I tell them and I can decide to cut their strings anytime I feel like it."

Later that morning, a fired-up Carolina confronts J.T. while he is fishing and accuses him of casting the mystery vote against Jerry. J.T. is genuinely surprised to be blamed for it and denies writing Jerry's name down. "It was you, and I know you're lying," Carolina insists. "I can just tell that because you were closest to Coach." "Yeah, I was closest with him, but that don't mean I voted to keep him," J.T. retorts. Carolina does not seem convinced. "I don't think it's a very smart idea for Carolina to accuse me of somethin' I didn't do cause now she made an enemy," J.T. states. "I'm just telling you my opinion," Carolina quips. "It's not your opinion. You're tellin' me like it's fact and it's not," J.T. replies. "If it was from me, I would have voted for your ass," he then remarks. "Not Jerry." Carolina is surprised by J.T.'s forwardness and simply says "Wow." "If she keeps actin' the way she's actin', you know, I am gonna write her name down at Tribal Council," J.T. tells the camera. "She don't do nothin' around camp and right now, she thinks she's runnin' things." Feeling justified in her accusation, Carolina says, "I'm not afraid to speak my mind in this game. You know, my honest viewpoint is that the vote for Jerry was from J.T., and…after he told me that he wants to vote me off next, like, there's no question. He's gonna have to go home."

Carolina and J.T. continue to squabble by the river, as Candace watches them from the shelter and comments to Tyson that it looks like they're arguing. J.T. then walks away from Carolina and heads back up to camp. "What just happened with, uh, Carolina?" Spencer asks J.T. "Carolina just point-blank accused me of votin' for Jerry," J.T. tells Spencer. "I mean, I'm pissed," he vents. "I think Carolina and Erinn are with us," Tyson whispers to a watchful Candace. "Carolina wants to vote off J.T., so…" Hearing this makes Candace feel secure in her position: "The only fear with Coach going home was that Spencer, Sandy, J.T., Carolina, and Erinn were gonna get together, you know, and switch it up, but…seeing the way Carolina and J.T. just argued, I mean, there's no way," she tells the camera. A frustrated J.T. comments to Spencer that he wants to vote Carolina out next. "Carolina is definitely, uh, I don't know if it's her time of the month, but the girl's power-tripping and it's starting to get really annoying," Spencer tells the camera. "You know, I guess it's kinda disappointing because I need J.T. and Carolina both if we're gonna take out Timbira. Hopefully it's not something that would prevent them from seeing the bigger picture," Spencer rationalizes. Meanwhile, J.T. repeats that he is not responsible for the vote against Jerry. "It wasn't Sandy," Spencer says aloud, as he mentally thinks of the possible suspects. "No, it was not me," Sandy insists. "So it has to be an old Timbira member," Spencer concludes. "That's what I'm thinkin'," J.T. agrees. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was Carolina herself and now she's tryin' to blame it on someone else."

The Novo members continue to discuss the random vote against Jerry, while Sandy pours rice out into the pot and furtively listens in. "With this vote, uh, at Tribal Council, they're not too sure who to believe anymore and that was definitely my intent," Sandy tells the camera. Erinn brings up the mystery vote as she and Sandy make the hike to retrieve treemail. "I don't know who voted for, uh, Jerry, but it was definitely not me," Sandy tells Erinn, as she reaches into the basket and pulls out a shattered tile. "I don't think anyone thought it was," Erinn replies, putting Sandy's mind at ease. "You know, no one suspects the old woman," Sandy continues in her confessional, "But…I'm not just the 53 year-old woman. I'm a 53 year-old woman who's in this game to play and I may not be as strong as these young kids in the challenges, you know, but I can lie just as damn good."

Reward Challenge - Swiss Cheese Please

The Novo tribe arrives on their colored mat as host Jeff Probst explains the rules. The tribe will be divided into three teams of three. Two people from each team will race out to collect a large puzzle board that has various holes cut out, then race back. Two other tribe members will then repeat this until all four boards have been collected. After all four boards have been collected, the teams must arrange these boards in specific interlocking slots on the ground. Then, by rotating and flipping the boards, the teams must line up the holes to reveal seven vowels, which are located on various lettered circles hanging directly in front of the boards. Once all seven vowels have been revealed, teams must use those vowels and the consonants provided to form a four-word phrase in order to win a whitewater rafting trip down the Rio Novo. After the rafting trip, the winning team will enjoy a picnic.

The red team consists of J.T., Candace, and Carolina. Spencer, Taj, and Erinn make up the white team while Jerry, Tyson, and Sandy make up the black team. Jeff yells, "Go!" and the teams race off to retrieve their four large puzzle pieces. J.T. once again proves that he is a strong competitor by reaching the piece first and beginning to untie it before anyone else. Tyson and Jerry then arrive at their first piece, followed by Spencer and Erinn. J.T. and Candace head back first, before J.T. and Carolina race out for the red team's second piece. All three teams maintain a consistent pace as they race back-and-forth, arranging the boards in floor slots as they bring them back to the start. Taj struggles to untie the white team's second piece, costing them time and putting them into last place. The red team remains in the lead due to J.T.'s strong performance, while Sandy and Tyson have difficultly matching the black team's third puzzle piece into the correct slot.

The red team is the first to collect all four puzzle pieces. They frantically attempt to line the boards up in the correct order to reveal vowels. Meanwhile, Tyson and Jerry race back with the black team's fourth and final puzzle board. J.T. and Candace race to flip and rotate the boards, while Carolina looks through the holes for the vowels. The red team is the first successful team when Carolina verifies that all of the holes reveal vowels. They begin working on their word puzzle as the white team falls further behind due to Taj and Erinn struggling with the weight of the puzzle piece. Meanwhile, Sandy, Jerry, and Tyson rotate their black puzzle boards to no avail. The red team easily solves the word puzzle, which spells out, "You've won a picnic." J.T., Candace, and Carolina excitedly celebrate their victory to the disappointment of the others. "I've never in my life been whitewater rafting," Candace tells the camera. "Honestly, I'm not looking forward to that as much as I am the feast. Like, if the raft gets me to the feast, then yeah, I'll go…" she unexcitedly states.

Loose Lips

Back at Novo, the discussion turns to the vote as Sandy and Taj talk in the shelter and Sandy says that she knows her, J.T., and Spencer are on the chopping block. "Honestly, I think people are gonna start eliminating the people who are in control…" Taj coyly suggests. This comment piques Sandy's interest. She asks Taj who is most in control of the game, to which Taj replies Tyson. "That's who I think it is, but I'm only one person." Sandy says that she thinks J.T. wants to vote for Carolina next. "See, I don't get that," Taj replies. "It sounds like, from Sandy, that the Jalapao members are planning on voting off Carolina. I'm like "Carolina?" I mean, what nobody else seems to realize is that the person in control of this game right now is Tyson. Is everybody so blinded by his, his 'looks' that they're under his spell?!" Taj exclaims in disbelief. "You know, if there was a chance to vote Tyson out, I think I would do it, but I'm not gonna be the one to bring it up."

Sandy asks Taj if she feels happy with her position in the tribe. "I'm not happy following people like Tyson and Carolina," Taj responds, "But I'm not gonna start anything; you know what I'm saying? I don't wanna cause trouble because then it's gonna come back to me and it's gonna look like I betrayed him." "Right," Sandy replies. "But if you can figure something out…" Taj suggests. "And that's just between us," she specifies. "I had a real interesting conversation with Taj, uh, this morning," Sandy tells the camera. "You know, uh, she's givin' me a lot of ammunition that I could actually use against her later on if I wanted to, so…I think I'm real good at, you know, prying information." "We also have to see who wins Immunity," Taj states. "J.T., he's a strong little bugger." Sandy says that it will probably be either J.T. or Tyson.

Riding the Waves

J.T., Candace, and Carolina paddle across the breathtaking waters of the Rio Novo. They roar down several small waterfalls, savoring every moment of the reward. Narrating the experience, J.T. says, "I won the challenge today, so I got to go whitewater rafting on the Rio Novo with Candace and Carolina." "It was pretty intense, man. I've never done anything like that, but it was definitely, you know, right up my alley; I love anything outdoors, adventurous, so…my adrenaline was pumpin', no doubt about that." As she soars across the rapids, Candace describes her thoughts on the Reward: "The whitewater rafting journey totally exceeded all my expectations, um, what I expected it to be. I mean, I'm from Dayton, Ohio; like, I didn't think I could get into that, but riding the rapids, you know, it was actually kinda fun." "That was awesome, man," J.T. enthusiastically says. Candace says she didn't think she would enjoy it.

After the rafting, they pull off onto a bank where a picnic blanket lies with a huge spread of food - watermelon, chips, brownies, and sandwiches await the starving trio. "Oh, hell yeah!" shouts an elated Carolina. "At the end of our rafting trip, there was this beautiful picnic set up on the beach," Candace narrates, before describing the various food items. "I'm telling you, I don't even care if I get fat," she admits while eating a brownie. As they continue to devour their first servings of food, an awkward silence develops and J.T. and Carolina both avoid looking at each other. "The Reward was awkward," claims J.T. "Probably the one person I didn't want to have to share it with was Carolina. Right now, she's my enemy. You know, I want to get her out of the game and out of my face," he tells the camera. Carolina continues to make annoying comments about how good the food is, as J.T. ignores her. "I definitely think J.T. is upset with me," Carolina observes, "But…he can be as upset as he wants. You know, Timbira still outnumbers Jalapao; we have six and they have three, so he's still going home." But J.T. is determined to stay in the game at all costs. "I've gotta keep eating and packin' away as much food as I can right now so that I'll have a leg up in the challenge tomorrow," he tells the camera. "That's probably my only chance of pullin' through this is to win Immunity, so…I'm gonna give it everything it takes to win."

Scrambling Sandy

After returning to camp in the dark of night, J.T., Carolina, and Candace have now rejoined their Novo tribe. The next morning, as the tribe convenes for breakfast, J.T. says he doesn't want anything else because he's still full from the feast at the Reward. "I mean, I gorged myself yesterday," he tells the tribe. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, as Erinn scoops out a serving of rice and beans. "If I eat anything else, I might make myself sick," J.T. says. Tyson quips that he should force food down J.T.'s throat so he won't win Immunity. As Sandy watches her Novo tribemates, she begins to worry about her place in the game: "I'm definitely gettin' paranoid that I'm gonna be one of the next to go," she reveals in her confessional. "You know, J.T. won the Reward so he's eaten, I think, more than anyone. You know, and he's already strong in the challenges and everything, so if J.T. wins Immunity again today, that moves me one up the list and…Spencer's a lot closer with Carolina than I am."

Sandy makes the rounds with the former Timbira members and begs them to let her stay in the game longer. "I want to stay in this game so bad," she tells Carolina. "I don't know why you're telling me," Carolina insensitively replies. "Everyone does…" Sandy is immediately put off by the response. "Sandy's scrambling," Carolina tells the camera, "And I can see why because her days are definitely numbered, but I mean, I'm gonna be blunt. I don't have time to listen to her pleas. Like, if she's in a bad position, that's not my problem." Carolina makes an excuse that she has to go refill her water canteen in order to brush off Sandy. "Carolina feels very secure in her position," Sandy observes. "And I don't know why. She ain't all as in control of everything as she tries to play, and you know, my take on it is this: by letting that power get to her head, she's alienatin' people who could be her allies." Carolina complains to Erinn that Sandy's scrambling is becoming annoying. "I think she's playing the game terribly and I do not want, uh, Carolina getting Immunity today," Sandy vents.

Immunity Challenge - Jala-Powed

The Novo tribe arrives on their colored mat. Host Jeff Probst then hands out a questionnaire, which each tribe member must answer privately. The questions are based on their fellow tribemates. Once the castaways have filled out the questionnaire, Jeff Probst tallies the results and explains the challenge. Each individual tribe member must guess what answer came up the most often for each question. Each correct answer earns that tribe member the opportunity to chop at another tribe member's rope, which is attached to a hammer. Each rope has three sections and once all three sections are chopped, a hammer will be released, which will smash a ceramic statue that represents that tribe member. Once a tribe member's statue has been smashed, they are out of the challenge. The last tribe member left standing wins Immunity.

Jeff Probst begins asking questions: "Who doesn't pull their weight in this tribe?" The general consensus was Carolina. Candace, Erinn, J.T., Sandy, Jerry, and Tyson got it right, while the other tribe members split their answers between Sandy and Candace. The winners each chop a rope and J.T. immediately receives hits from Erinn and Tyson, putting him down to just one rope. "He won the first one, so…" Tyson justifies. Given the choice between eliminating J.T. or choosing another tribe member's rope to chop, Candace puts J.T. out of the challenge. Carolina receives hits from both J.T. and Sandy, while Jerry chops Sandy's first rope.

"Who would squander the million dollars the quickest?" asks Jeff. The answer is Tyson, who amusedly remarks that it's "probably true." The answers are divided between Erinn and Tyson. Erinn, Carolina, Candace, Taj, Spencer, Sandy, and Tyson himself got it right. Sandy chops Carolina's final rope, putting her out of the challenge. Tyson's first rope is chopped by Spencer, while Taj and Tyson give Spencer his first two hits. Carolina and Candace both whack Sandy, sending her to join J.T. and Carolina. Finally, Erinn chops Taj's first rope.

"Who would never survive on their own?" Jeff then asks. Erinn was the general consensus. Several tribe members got it right, including Erinn, while other votes were spread across the remaining women. Candace whacks Spencer's last length of rope, taking yet another person out of the challenge. Spencer returns the favor by chopping Candace's first rope, while Erinn returns to Taj and takes out her second rope. "Who does the most for the tribe?" Jeff asks. Everyone got it right: JT. Candace takes Taj out of the challenge. Taj decides not to retaliate and whacks Tyson instead, putting him down to one rope. Tyson and Jerry both chop each other's ropes, and Erinn makes the final hit in this round: she targets Candace because Candace has also answered every question correctly. "Who is most likely to stab you in the back?" asks Jeff. Carolina is the correct answer, which makes Tyson smile. Once again, everyone answered correctly. Jerry gives Erinn her first hit. Erinn eliminates Candace from the challenge, and Candace takes Erinn down to her last rope. Jerry leads with two ropes left intact.

"Who would you most like to see pose nude?" Jeff asks. Jerry reluctantly answers Tyson and clarifies that it wasn't his answer. Erinn comments that everyone has already seen Tyson naked "more than enough times." She correctly says Candace, and whacks Jerry's second rope. Jeff moves on to the next question: "Who mistakenly believes they are in control of this game?" Jerry once again says Tyson, while Erinn says Carolina. The correct answer was Carolina and, with that, Erinn wins Immunity after correctly answering every single question. "I was pretty disappointed I didn't win Immunity today," J.T. laments. "You know, I gave it everything I had, but Candace eliminated me on the first question. I definitely think she made a mistake cause I don't got any goodwill towards her, but…my vote's gotta be for Carolina."

A New Plan Is Hatched?

The Novo tribe returns to camp with the vote looming. Reveling in her performance at the challenge, Erinn says, "We get back from the challenge and I have the necklace; I won individual Immunity, so no matter what crazy stuff happens today, I know I'll be here." The castaways discuss the challenge, as Tyson expresses disappointment that the majority wanted to see Candace pose nude more than him. Carolina says, "Well at least you didn't get that you're most likely to backstab everyone and you don't do anything for the tribe." Tyson shrugs and says he doesn't do anything for the tribe anyway. "Carolina took a lot of hits in the challenge," Erinn explains in her confessional, "But it tells me, like, I aligned with the right person. If I can get to the Final Two with Carolina, I'll win because these people don't like her."

Insecure with their position in the game, Spencer, J.T., and Sandy discuss the impending Tribal Council. "What do y'all wanna do about the vote?" J.T. poses. "I think Carolina." "I think that we need to get to Jerry and Taj and have them vote Tyson," Spencer proposes. "Taj was talkin' with me and she's thinkin' about voting Tyson," Sandy tells him. "Really…?" Spencer contemplatively asks. "That would be amazing." The three allies decide that they will write Tyson's name down. "Tyson then Carolina," J.T. adds. "The last couple days, there's been something going on between J.T. and Carolina," Spencer tells the camera, "So I know right now that J.T. and Carolina are not gonna align together to take out Tyson, so in order for this plan to work, it's gonna have to be Jerry and Taj."

With Sandy and J.T. on board, the three original Jalapao members approach Taj and Jerry with their plan to blindside Tyson. "I mean, I don't know where you guys think you stand," Spencer begins, "But I feel like it would be beneficial for the five of us to form an alliance and vote out Tyson." "You would be a part of changing the game," Spencer tells Jerry and Taj. "I've been waiting for an opportunity to vote off Tyson and I don't know if this is it," Taj contemplates. "I just feel like it might be too soon because there's definitely a risk of having Candace retaliate and handing control of the game over to the three Jalapaos, but…it seems like everything is in place." J.T. urges Taj and Jerry to trust them. "I mean, I'll do it," Taj confirms. "[Tyson]'s too secure in his position; I don't trust him anymore," she says. Jerry also agrees to the Final Five alliance and gives his word that he'll vote for Tyson. "Obviously I have to put my trust in Jerry and Taj," Spencer states. "You know, Taj I don't really know all that well, um, and Jerry did screw me over once on the Joe vote, but he's definitely not the most strategic player at our camp, so…I feel reasonably comfortable that they are on board."

With the voting numbers on their side, Sandy can barely contain her excitement and kisses both Spencer and J.T. on the cheek. "Spencer, Sandy, Jerry, Taj, and myself are gonna turn the game around and vote Tyson, and then Carolina next," J.T. recaps. "So…it oughtta be a good Tribal Council tonight," he chuckles. "I thought my head was on the chopping block for a while cause of Carolina, but…I can't wait to see the look on Tyson's face tonight. He's goin' home and he don't even know it."

Unaware of the plot against him, Tyson approaches Erinn and Carolina. "We're voting J.T.?" he asks Carolina. She nods her head and tells him "Yeah." "I think that makes sense," Tyson says. "I mean, I think J.T. cast that vote for Jerry, so…he's a lot sneakier than he lets on." "Of course," Erinn agrees. "We need to get rid of him while he doesn't have Immunity, and then we just have to decide between Sandy and Spencer," Tyson adds. Meeting with Taj and Jerry immediately after, Tyson informs them that J.T. is the target. "That's who was on my mind anyway," Taj matter-of-factly states. Confident that original Timbira will stay united, Tyson tells the camera, "Tonight, at Tribal Council, uh, J.T.'s gonna go. He's the biggest physical threat out of J.T., Sandy, and Spencer, so with him out of the picture, hopefully I'll be able to kick everyone's ass in the rest of the Immunity Challenges." Using the same line he previously told Erinn and Carolina, Tyson whispers to Jerry and Taj, "Nobody knows that we have this alliance, so I think we'll be good." "I know it," Jerry replies. Tyson claims that the three of them and Candace are well-positioned to get to the Final Four because once the original Jalapaos are voted out, they'll be able to easily pick off Carolina and Erinn.

With Tyson's words fresh in her mind, Taj begins to rethink her voting decision: "You know what? I'm just confused," she agonizes. "I mean, I'll talk to Jerry as soon as I get a second, but…I don't want to be in a hurry to make a move when everything is working to our advantage right now with the alliance we have." Tyson comments that "The four of us are awesome." Taj then continues to weigh her options in her confessional: "You know, there's three people from another camp and J.T.'s been more of a threat in challenges than Tyson, so maybe we need to just send him home." Explaining her predicament, she tells Jerry that if they were in the Final Five with Spencer, J.T., and Sandy, the three original Jalapao members would stick together and eliminate them. "I think we should just keep it J.T. cause if we don't, at the rate he's going, he could win every single Immunity Challenge," Taj explains. "I mean, you see him?! He's done, I think, even better than Tyson." Jerry nods in agreement: "This might be the only chance we have to, uh, get J.T.," Jerry says. "Yeah; if it was a physical one, he [J.T.] probably would've won today," Taj continues. "And it's not like he [Tyson] has an idol. "I just think it's too soon [to blindside him] and I hate that we just told Spencer."

Meanwhile, Spencer talks with Tyson in front of the shelter and expresses that he still feels vulnerable. "If you want to save yourself, dude, vote J.T.," Tyson casually tells Spencer. "I will do that," Spencer replies, confident that Tyson will be going home instead. "I'm so nervous about tonight," Spencer admits. "I know it's only one afternoon, but the more people talk, the harder it is to keep stuff secret." "A lot can happen in one afternoon," he anxiously laughs. "You know, Tyson just told me to vote for, uh, J.T., but the plan is actually for it to be five votes Tyson, four votes J.T., so…that makes me feel a lot better." But, as thunder rumbles in the distance, Spencer is in for a shock. With minutes to spare before Tribal Council, Taj pulls him aside and informs him that the blindside is off. Spencer tries desperately to reason with Taj, but her mind is made up. "I'm giving you the benefit of letting you know," Taj defends. "I didn't want to tell you I was voting off Tyson and then do something different in Tribal Council." Trying to make Spencer feel better, she tells him not to let the game get him down. "At the end of the day, it's just a game," she says. "Yeah, but it sucks right now," Spencer bluntly responds. Taj tells him that she has to go grab her torch. "[Censored] my life," Spencer utters out loud, as he rolls his eyes angrily.

Just before Tribal Council, Spencer shares his feelings on the latest development: "It's very frustrating because we had a prime opportunity to gain numbers in this game and take out somebody who's overall a huge threat, but now it looks like everyone's voting for J.T.," he explains. "Right now, I actually want to vote for Taj, but what is that gonna really do for me, you know?" In the last moments before leaving camp, J.T. and Spencer talk: "If I go home, you gotta think about the five girls," J.T. warns. Spencer asks "If they banded together?" J.T. tells Spencer that he would be a big target: "you and Tyson," he says. Spencer says "I know." "I'm definitely relieved it's not me," Spencer continues in his confessional, "But uh, it looks like I'm gonna be losing another number tonight, which sucks no matter how you look at it."

Tribal Council #8 - Novo Tribe

At Tribal Council, host Jeff Probst begins the discussion by asking about the Immunity Challenge: "J.T., you were voted the person who does the most for the tribe; the one this tribe could not survive without," Jeff states. "Does that give you an added sense of security coming into Tribal Council, knowing how valuable you are to the rest of the tribe?" "I'm glad they think that, Jeff," J.T. humbly replies, "But we'll find out tonight whether I should feel secure or not cause I definitely feel vulnerable." "Based on what?" Jeff asks. "Uh, Carolina accused me of votin' Jerry at the last Tribal Council," J.T. explains, "So I don't know if Timbira trusts me right now; they might think I'm a snake, but…I swear I voted Coach with everybody else. You know, I hope that's not what put me on the chopping block cause they're definitely wrong if they still think that." Jeff then asks Carolina if it's fair to base her vote on a vote that J.T. may not have cast. "There's other reasons," she cockily responds. Appalled at this comment, J.T. sarcastically replies, "That makes me feel a lot better…" "So, maybe I'm making an assumption then," Jeff says. "Carolina, does this tribe not value providers?" The tension in the air is thick, as Carolina answers the question: "Um, I definitely wouldn't say this tribe doesn't value providers, but I think, at this point, we'd all be willing to starve for the next fifteen days if we had to," she says. "But…there's other people who can bring in food."

"Let's talk about other roles in the tribe," Jeff suggests. "Jerry, who's the person who keeps the tribe laughing?" "Uh, the person who keeps the tribe laughing would definitely be, uh, Tyson," Jerry says, as Tyson grins. "He's always doin' something crazy, you know, just for entertainment." Moving on, Jeff turns his attention to Taj: "Are you at the point in the game where you start to look at people in terms of the threat they pose to you getting yourself to the Final Two, Final Three?" "Um, I definitely think so," Taj answers. "You know, you have to look at your alliances, but…with the game being individual, you also have to look at your competition and eliminate people who are most threatening." Jeff then asks Taj what's more threatening: a physical threat or a mental threat? "Um, they both can be threatening," Taj responds. "I mean, if you want to look at physical threats, it's definitely between J.T. and Tyson. You know, they can win challenges. If you want to look at the mental threats, it's clearly Candace and Erinn, but…I really believe that everyone here poses some kind of threat."

The discussion then shifts to tribe dynamics. "Spencer, if you look at the tribe tonight, you still have six original Timbira members, and you have you, Sandy, and J.T.," Jeff observes. "Do you still cling to the hope that something will change?" "Well, I'm definitely not gonna give up," Spencer insists. "I know that, but uh, it's just frustrating right now. It's not even so much that we have an undying loyalty to each other. I feel like if there is that type of situation, you know, it's more because of the circumstances of the game and coming into the merge outnumbered. It's not that the three of us are, you know, openly plotting against Timbira at all." "But you wouldn't mind if they fractured," Jeff states, directing his comment to Spencer. "No; I mean, there's definitely cracks," Spencer clarifies, "But I don't think they're big enough for anyone to really act on it. You know, if these people really are playing to win, they're gonna have to start, you know, starting to flip or else certain people are gonna end up getting fifth and six, so…if not tonight, uh, I definitely expect it, uh, in the next few days."

"Erinn, can you understand the frustration of someone who very well could be picked off for no other reason but they don't have numbers?" Jeff asks. "Oh, absolutely," Erinn responds. "Like, I like Spencer and Sandy, and J.T., but at the same time, I'm not fooling myself into thinking they wouldn't do the same thing if the numbers were reversed." Jeff then asks Carolina if she thinks it's true that the Timbira tribe will start to fracture. "Um, I definitely feel like we're unified," Carolina answers. "Like, we've all seen enough tribes in this game that get to the merge and then turn on each other and I think we're all smart enough to not be one of those tribes." A contemplative Taj exchanges a glance with Jerry. "You know, the next two to go after tonight are gonna be Spencer and Sandy," Carolina reveals, "And I know that that sounds harsh, but like, that's the reality." The implication of Carolina's words cannot be clearer for J.T. "Kinda makes it pretty clear, doesn't it, Jeff?" J.T. asks.

"If it is you tonight, J.T., disappointed?" "Definitely disappointed; there's no doubt about it," a somber J.T. responds. "I guess I'll take it as a compliment that they think I can beat 'em. There's not much else I can do, Jeff." Summing up the discussion, Jeff comments that there doesn't seem to be much mystery surrounding the vote. With this, Erinn decides to keep Immunity and the nine Novo tribe members cast their votes.

Jeff then tallies the votes, and reveals them one at a time to the castaways:

J.T.

CAROLINA.

J.T.

J.T.

J.T.

J.T.

In a unanimous decision, J.T. Thomas, the 24 year-old cattle rancher from Samson, Alabama, becomes the eighth person voted out of Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands and the first member of the jury. Even J.T.'s allies, Spencer and Sandy, cast a vote against him in an effort to not set themselves apart from the tribe.

J.T.'s Final Words

Disappointed to leave the game, J.T. maintains a positive outlook and leaves behind his final words: "I'm not at all surprised to be voted out tonight. I've known I was a threat for a long time, and I tried to do everything I could to win today. I am lookin' forward to bein' the first member of the jury though. The only thing I can't believe is after 24 days I still only got ninth place. That's like barely over half, but…24 days is still pretty damn good for a physical threat and to go that far without having to really lie or hurt people. You know, I hope Spencer and Sandy can keep alive in the game, but I don't know; I might be seein' em real soon."

1) First of all, my apologies once again for the delay in getting the episode finished. I am really happy with this final product, though, and I hope that you'll agree that it was worth waiting for. I know it is really complex at certain points, so I think that could weaken the episode but if you're able to understand what's going on it should be okay.

2) Coach-free: I don't have much to say about this scene. Of course, Carolina is going to get a confessional bragging about Coach getting voted out and Jerry got an obligatory confessional about the vote. It really didn't bother him that much though. He kindof just laughed about it and part of the reason I picked him to receive the vote is because I thought it would affect him the least. Therefore, Carolina would be able to be more vocal about it and could have the confrontation with J.T. I think Sandy's confessional is important as the beginning of her starting to become an actual player in the game. I hope some of you will start to get behind her.

3) The Mystery Vote: This is a pretty long scene with a lot going on so I will break it up into different parts. It's begins with Spencer saying that he wants to get an alliance of five between him, Sandy, J.T., Erinn, and Carolina. Ideally, this is what would have happened and the five of them would have flipped the game. However, I felt like if this happened it would have been way too similar to the real season (remember this is the only Fanfic that was planned out after the real season aired) with the minority tribe coming out on top.

The part between Erinn, Carolina, and Tyson is important. What Erinn was referring to at Tribal Council was when Spencer said that Coach told the Jalapaos that Tyson's group were going to vote them out. This made Erinn think that Tyson would be loyal to Timbira, hence her and Carolina. I'm not sure if that connection was clear and I know it's a bit confusing with all the different groups. Anyway, the important point is that there's definitely a power struggle between Tyson and Carolina going on.

Tyson is the first (that we see) to suggest that J.T. was behind the vote for Jerry. This is what Carolina thought anyway, but she became even more convinced of it so she decided to confront him about it because we all know she's outspoken. I love that J.T. says he would have voted for her right to her face. It needed to be said. Basically, this situation causes a rift between the two of them that eventually prevents Spencer's plan from coming to fruition. Candace and Tyson are kindof the omniscient point of view here which gives you a sense of them being involved in what's going on. I love Spencer's line about Carolina and I can hear him saying something like that in a state of frustration.

Finally, we get more talk about the mystery vote and find out that no one is suspecting Sandy at all. This allows her to reveal herself as the "53 year-old woman who's playing the game." No one expects that.

4) Reward Challenge: Due to me changing the Immunity Challenge, I had to change the Reward Challenge too because it would have been too similar to have two elimination-style challenges in the same episode. This is the one that really should have been in next episode. I also liked that it was a physical challenge, which allowed J.T. to show his prowess once again. I'm not going to say much about it. I think the summary was probably a little hard to follow just because I had to keep this as short as possible.

One thing I want to note is that with three members, the pairs of who gathered the puzzle pieces had to alternate. So, for example, it was J.T. and Candace, then J.T. and Carolina, then Carolina and Candace so that everybody went out at least twice. Then it could be any combination for the fourth one.

5) Loose Lips: Just as a quick aside, the three scenes between the challenges really suffered because the episode ended up being so damn long. I had way too much content for this one, so I had to cut out some parts of this scene especially and really limit the conversation between Sandy and Taj. That's why it kindof seems abrupt, I think. This is definitely my least favorite scene in the episode because of having to edit it down. Anyway, it is important though because Taj suggests the idea that she might be willing to vote off Tyson without actually saying that. This gives the Jalapaos another option because, if not Carolina and Erinn, they could still get a 5-4 majority with Jerry and Taj. I think that about covers it. Good job by Sandy here in getting important info though.

6) Rafting Reward: I normally don't like the Reward scenes too much. I think this one's pretty good because I don't think it's a lot of fluff. I like that Candace kindof redeemed herself from being ungrateful about getting the experience of rafting. I liked the awkwardness of J.T. and Carolina having to share a reward together and…I guess I don't have much else to day about it. Hopefully it's a readable scene though.

7) Scrambling Sandy: I like this scene also because we get to see Sandy in action. Yes, she's being annoying with the way she is scrambling here and beginning the Timbira members not to vote her out, but I love Carolina's complete insensitivity here. It is so typical of her game and I think it makes you root for the underdogs even more. Don't get me wrong, I still love Carolina as a character in this story; but I don't like her at all and she is becoming more of a villain now that Coach is gone and someone needs that role.

8) Immunity Challenge: This is one of the few times that I switched the challenges because I thought this challenge fit so much better with everything in the episode because some of the questions really helped drive the story. I do think this challenge gets a little repetitive, though, so I think I'll take a break from it after this season. I'm hoping that you'll be able to follow who knocks who out even in this format, because that is obviously very important.

The questions were mostly the same as in the real show, but not entirely. The first one was "Who doesn't pull their weight?" The answer to that one was Carolina, and recall that J.T. said earlier in the episode that she does nothing at camp. So that's the justification for that. Plus there always seems to be someone who gets all the negative answers no matter what. This season it's Carolina.

"Who would squander the million dollars the quickest?" This one came down to Tyson or Erinn but I gave Tyson the edge due to his talk about buying furs and jewels and tiaras, which I assume he would have still talked about in this version. He would probably waste the money on something superficial like that. Erinn was considered though because she is admittedly a girly-girl who might have spent the money on her hair and nails or on a shopping spree. I suppose Taj could have been a choice as well. Notice that Carolina gets chopped down by J.T. and Sandy, the two people who had commented on wanting to get rid of her and Carolina chops Sandy, who she was annoyed by. Candace ends up eliminating a lot of people from the challenge.

Question 3: "Who would never survive on their own?" This one went to Erinn for pretty much the same reasons I just stated. Any of the women could have been viable answers, though, since Taj is the rich NFL wife, Candace wanted to quit, Sandy's the old lady and Carolina's the lazy bartender who doesn't pull her weight. I think Erinn is maybe the least equipped for survival, which says a lot about how well she actually is doing. Candace eliminates yet another person.

"Who does the most for the tribe?" Obviously that's going to be J.T. because we've had scenes about him working really hard before. I also wanted to bring this up again at Tribal Councils. Jerry would have probably been the second choice. Note that both Candace and Erinn have been right on every question.

"Who would most likely stab you in the back?" This is another example of a negative question going to Carolina. There's no real reason why this should have been her over anyone else but when there's someone you don't like, you're more likely to put their name down for something like this. This time, Erinn gets to take somebody out and she eliminates Candace, who had eliminated everybody else.

Jerry, probably the least offensive person there, is in the lead, but he loses out due to Erinn answering more questions correctly. Let me explain how this question works: "Who would you most like to see pose nude?" There are more women left in the game at this point, so you might logically think that the answer would be a man (ie. Tyson). However, as I noted last season, the way this challenge works is you don't simply answer 1 person. You have to rank each person from who most fits the question to least, so Candace would have OVERALL gotten the highest number when you consider all of that. That's why she was the answer. I liked the humor of Jerry saying it wasn't his answer and Erinn saying they've already seen Tyson.

For the final question, I wanted it to be the "Who wrongly thinks they're in control?" question. We'd be hearing both Tyson and Carolina say they're calling the shots so it was only appropriate for the answer to be between them. Again, I think more people would be likely to answer Carolina here, if only out of fear for not upsetting Tyson. So Erinn gets it right and wins Immunity.

For anyone wanting to see it at a quick glance, here is the elimination order:

9. J.T.

8. Carolina

7. Sandy

6. Spencer

5. Taj

4. Tyson

3. Candace

2. Jerry

1. Erinn

9) A New Plan Is Hatched?: This is another pretty long and complicated strategy scene, so I'll try to break it down as best as I can.

Erinn gets a bit of attention for winning Immunity and there's a (hopefully) comical part with Tyson in there. Erinn makes a great observation though in saying all she has to do is get to the F2 with Carolina and she'll win easily. Possibly 7-0, unless Carolina somehow gets some respect for acting like the Head Bitch in Charge.

The Jalapaos meet and J.T. wants to vote off Carolina. Spencer sees a possibility of doing the 5-4 vote on Tyson and says he wants to try for that. Sandy then reveals the conversation with Taj where Taj hinted that she'd be willing to do this. THIS IS IMPORTANT: What you DIDN'T see because I had to cut it out is that originally Spencer goes to Carolina and Erinn and says "The five of us need to join up" and that he still wants to be aligned with them because they bonded on Timbira. They both say that they like him, but Carolina insists on voting out J.T. this round and won't hear anything else. For this reason, they are forced to go to Jerry and Taj as the alternative. I had to cut out the C/E part though because it ended up being irrelevant.

Although she seemed like she'd go for it, Taj does have some valid concerns here. Let's look at a final five of Jalapaos + Jerry and Taj. They have a 3-2 majority and could easily pick J/T off. That's what her fear is. Plus it's true that Candace could have possibly went crazy and turned things around next round to eliminate someone who betrayed Tyson. Spencer expressing doubt about trusting them is important, though, and foreshadows what happened at the end of the episode. You even get a celebratory moment between Spencer, Sandy, and J.T. because THEY ARE SAFE and then it gets taken away from them in the end.

The funny part is that, for all the talk of being in control, Tyson really has no clue that his life is at stake here. He meets with the girls and ASKS them if the vote is for J.T. He KNOWS it is but this let's them think "Yeah, we're deciding it's J.T." Then he reports that to Jerry and Taj and basically acts like they're his only alliance and they're going to get to the Final Four easily. He's playing everybody. That is clear.

Taj begins to rethink things because she thinks that Tyson is solidly with her, Jerry, and Candace, and why would she need to blindside him now when things are working out for them already? This, combined with the fear of Jalapao getting control and J.T. going on an Immunity run, makes Taj think they should just vote J.T. out to be safe. Jerry really is just the tagalong here and he is following along with whoever is making decisions.

I do love that Tyson tells Spencer to vote J.T. because, at this point anyway, Spencer thinks Tyson is going. Regardless, that doesn't last long. Taj goes to Spencer and says that the blindside is off. He really, really tries to convince her but it's too late now and she's just not having it. To Taj's credit, she tries to console Spencer but he is incredibly pissed off to say the least. Also, if you think that Taj's motives don't really make sense, this is what you're supposed to think. She probably didn't have a good reason not to vote out Tyson. You are supposed to really sympathize with Spencer here and realize that he and Sandy are really in a bad position because of Taj and Jerry not voting for Tyson. Spencer's line, "F*** my life" really sums it up and it's actually the undisclosed episode title. This is also something that I can hear Spencer saying. Are you rooting for him yet? This is like the third or fourth episode where I thought he'd be really popular.

Taj also tells Sandy. I'm not sure if she would have told J.T. I doubt it, but Spencer and Sandy definitely would have, which is why J.T. was back to feeling depressed and vulnerable at TC. He also could have been pretending to be vulnerable to mask the Tyson blindside, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

10) Tribal Council: I'm not going to comment on every single question here, but I really like this Tribal Council. I think it was good how the Immunity Challenge connected to the discussion at the start and I love how Carolina is once again unbelievably blunt and uncaring about anyone. It was nice that Jerry actually got to speak, and Taj too, I guess since she'd been UTR1 for so many episodes. I think Spencer's answers are really smart and worded pretty well that don't make it look like the 3 Jalapaos were desperately going against Timbira. Too bad for J.T. though. Erinn also gives an intelligent answer and is much more aware of what she says that Carolina ever is. Case in point the next question where she blatantly says that Spencer and Sandy will be the next to go. Yeah, that's always a great thing to say to somebody.

I apologize for having another Tribal Council without a real decoy boot. I couldn't have the 3 Jalapaos vote for Tyson. It would be way too aggressive of a move and they need to lay low right now and look like they're going with the flow. The other thing I considered was having Sandy vote for Carolina, but then it would have made Spencer look bad, like he screwed over Sandy. So J.T. voted for Carolina basically because he knew the blindside was off and he was going to vote for her before that.

11) Why J.T.?: Based on a lot of your comments over the last few weeks, it seems a lot of you thought J.T. was boring and wanted him gone. I'm not sure if this is just a reaction against him winning the show because I didn't find his character in this story to be that bad. Regardless, I hope most of you are glad he is gone now. But…he should still be P, I think.

On the original rough "boot list" I posted, J.T. was the merge boot so that was changed a little bit. Before the show, I pegged him as the kind of guy who would be eliminated right around the merge due to being a physical threat, so that was what I wanted to have happen to him. Having him get accused of the vote was something to make the episode more interesting and to add another dimension to him being booted.

J.T.'s boot now makes Spencer and Sandy even more valuable. Will they will be able to survive or will the Jalapaos be pagonged, unlike the real show?

12) Episode 9: I think Episode 9 could potentially be the second best of the season if it turns out the way I have it planned. There's going to be an alliance of two formed that I think a lot of you will start to root for. Also, there's a lot of strategy in the episode but it's going to lead to one of the most shocking and memorable Tribal Councils ever, which I think is going to make the episode really stand out from the rest this season.

Prediction: Episode 8 will be in the top three or four of the season.

13) Please ask questions if anything is unclear. I know the strategy was pretty long and complicated again.