Episode 21

• At the beginning of Day 34, Dino and Phil sit together on the beach.
  Dino tries to explain he was attempting to safeguard himself.
  Phil: “From me?”
  Dino’s apology comes across as insincere, and Phil’s irritated that after all this time Dino still doesn’t trust him.
  Phil says he’s had F2 convos with people, but he hasn’t pitched F2 to anyone.
  Dino wants Phil out because he’s the biggest threat, and if they did go to F2 together it would be Phil taking Dino.
  Their games are similar but Phil has differentiation points so Dino thinks Phil would win, and he doesn’t want to take someone who would beat him.
• Everyone gets a pouch with a word puzzle to complete for a chance to look for an advantage in the next challenge.
  Shane likes word puzzles, Dino doesn’t.
  Shane gets the advantage.
  Shane shares the advantage with Dino and Marian: “The euphorbia plant has 31 branches.”
• The challenge requires counting things and memorising the numbers.
  There’s also a reward of a hot dogs and beer.
  Dino, Shane, and Marian work together.
  Everyone struggles.
  Phil wins his fourth individual immunity.
  He picks Marian to share the reward with.
• Dino wants to blindside Phil by voting Killarney out, but have everyone else say they’re voting Dino out.
• On reward, Marian is trying to convince Phil to vote Killarney out, because she’ll win at the end due to everyone else being so firm about not going to the end with a goat.
  Phil doesn’t care if he’s at the end with a goat because his plan is to eliminate threats.
• Killarney suggests to Shane and Dino voting out Marian.
• Dino respects that Killarney is still playing hard, but articulates that no-one really respects her as a player.
• Marian tells Dino Phil wants him out, so he should lie and say at Outpost he also got a steal-a-vote that expires at 4.
  Then Marian will come back from voting (in a handwriting similar to Dino) and say that someone stole her vote.
• Dino later explains to Shane that if they use Marian’s plan then in Phil’s eyes only Dino and Shane voted for Killarney, so Marian stays in Phil’s good books.
  
• Tribal time:
  Nico references the teamwork at the challenge and Dino basically says they didn’t want Phil, a “challenge beast” to win.
  Shane says that playing with more fluid alliances is a result of everyone being a fan and loyal to the game.
  Dino says the Jury will respect you sitting at the end with a good player, even if it’s not your strong ally.
  Marian comes back and tells Phil her vote was stolen.
  Killarney is blindsided 3-2
• But wait, there’s still 20 minutes left!
• Marian is happy to be the last woman left but is pretending to be sad.
• Dino says he had another advantage and used it because his two closest allies were going to vote for him.
• The plan works and Phil thinks Marian is with him.
• Phil and Dino are in good spirits on the beach together the next morning.
  They both agree they wouldn’t take Marian to final two.
  Phil is genuine but Dino doesn’t know if he’s playing him.
• “Killarney has such a long name… Dino would have been easier.”
• The reward challenge is for a helicopter ride to a lodge in a game reserve overnight.
  AND YOU GET TO HELP RHINO CONSERVATION, WHAT.
  The challenge is a pairs version of one we normally see as solo
  (letting spool wheels go at the top of a track by stairs and catching it at the bottom).
  Phil draws the rock that means he can choose who he works with
  (and then by default who the opposing team is).
  Phil picks Dino, who thinks about throwing the challenge.
  “A formidable duo going up against the puzzle master from season 8 and a challenge beast.”
  5 spools are on the go, and the episode ends.

Episode 22

• The episode opens with Phil slipping, then recovering, then dropping a spool, and Marian and Shane winning reward.
• Zebras, Impala (I think), Rhinos, more Zebras, more Rhinos!
• Marian wonders if Shane would take Dino or her to F2.
• Phil sees Dino as more of a threat than Marian or Shane.
• Phil’s theory is to try to get Marian and Shane to write different names and then he and Dino write the same name.
• I enjoy Phil saying “for realsies”.
• The accommodation is a converted train carriage, and there are people performing traditional dance.
  (Also, the food looks really good.)
• Marian thinks she has a shot at winning regardless of who she’s in F2 with.
• Day 37, and Phil and Dino wake up together.
  They joke it’s like Day 39, but without breakfast.
• Dino struggles with the thought of getting so close and then crashing and burning, and hints at some trauma there.
• Back to the rhinos and it’s a bit intense, but important for people to understand.
  They’re placing a tracker in the foot of a four year old male rhino as a form of protection against poachers.
  And, as further protection, they are de-horning him.
  
  

  It’s a horrible thing to have to do, but it could save his life.
  In itself, de-horning is not a solution, but as part of the equation with security and monitoring and education, “it does make a difference”.

  

• It’s hard to get back into game mode, but we’re back at camp with Dino and Phil.
• They’re discussing voting out Shane, and Dino’s covering all vote split and upcoming tribal scenarios.
• Phil was apprehensive about being with Dino at F2, but now he’s okay with it and is feeling confident about his game.
• The immunity challenge is one of the collect bags from several stations on a big course and then do a puzzle kind.
  Dino still wants Phil to not win immunity, so their time together at camp didn’t affect much in that regard.
  The puzzle is difficult; they’re one hour in.
  Then 1.5 hours.
  Then Shane (“Pops” now) wins immunity.
• Marian’s doubting that Dino is going to write down Phil’s name because of their time together at camp.
  Dino tells her Phil’s split vote plan.
• Dino sums up Survivor pretty well by saying he has to trust people who ultimately want to beat him to vote with him now.
• Phil and Dino agree to put each other’s names down, and leave the decision to Marian and Shane.
  Obviously Dino already knows their decision, unless they’re amazing actors.
• Phil tells Marian that Dino said she’s going to emotionally blackmail the jury.
  Phil loses some goodwill for that.
  It’s just a shitty move.
• At tribal, Shane does a dramatic from under his scarf immunity reveal.
  Phil says he and Dino are voting each other, and that they discussed Marian’s name because no-one wants her at the end because they don’t think they can win against her.
  Marian gets rightfully pissed off that people are treating her as having a sad story because of her skin, and the message that sends to others.
  She says she’s ready to pitch to the jury, because she’s played a good game and can back it up, and her skin has nothing to do with it.
  Phil decides to just jump right into it with “I have family members with this condition” and he would never speak negatively about it or bring that up.
  (Well, Phil, you did bring it up. You implied Dino was talking negatively about it being a factor. And the jury’s not very impressed with you now)
  Nico points out that if Phil didn’t say anything, that leaves Dino.
  Dino says that Phil is on the bottom, and when people are in that position they might spread disinformation to gain the upper hand.
  Dino points out that the truth will eventually come out, and Phil still pretends he’s innocent.
  Phil then basically calls Shane a goat who doesn’t realise it.
  Dino points out Phil’s challenge prowess, and Phil counters with challenge wins don’t win you the game, votes from the jury do, and Dino has already been given advantages by people in the jury, so he has an in there.
  Phil continues by saying he hadn’t met any of the jury members before being on the beach, whereas Dino came into the game with alliances.
  “If you decide to take Dino with you tomorrow, then just write him a cheque so he can ride off into the sunset in his brand new Mahindra.”
  Phil’s finished digging his grave and making Dino’s jury pitch, so it’s time to vote.
  You know how it goes.
  It’s the first time Phil’s had votes against him this season.
  The guys will still be friends after this.