Two crates and 16 castaways were let off the plane. When it turned to take off again, they all cheered and jumped up and down, shouting greetings and sharing hugs. They then separated into their two tribes and given instructions with their crates. They had 5 minutes to get as much as they could from their crate and carry as much as they possibly could to their respective camps.... five miles away. The two tribes were called Kucha (kangaroo) and Ogakor (crocodile).
Ogakor Tribe, which would always wear green, consisted of Maralyn Hershey, Amber Brkich, Colby Donaldson, Tina Wesson, Jerri Manthey, Keith Famie, Kel Gleason and Mitchell Olson.
Kucha Tribe's Debb Eaton had the map and compass and was doing her best to be as military as possible, displaying a rather "barking orders" leadership. She soon became outbarked by a bigger dog: Kimmi Kappenberg challenged her authority, her sense of direction and almost immediately formed an opinion: she did not like Debb.
Ogakor Tribe had troubles of their own. Kel Gleason, a military man, had the map and compass and seemed to be lost. Keith Famie ran out ahead, trying to scout for direction, trying desperately to see the flag and lead them in. The equipment they carried was awkward, clumsy and heavy. The terrain was not making the journey an easy one.
Kucha finally made it to their base camp. All hard feelings were temporarily set aside and the tribe celebrated by jumping into the river and splashing around joyously. As they dragged themselves out of the water, though, they realized they had made a very stupid mistake. Their clothes were now soaked, they were cold, they had to build a shelter and there was no readily available means to make a fire. OOPS! Rodger, being a builder back in the world, was trying his hardest to direct the building of the shelter, only to be overridden by the suddenly "in charge" Michael. Rodger shrugged it off good naturedly and went along, but the tribe noticed.
Over at Ogakor, they reached their beach and set about setting up their camp under the massice Texas flag that Colby had brought as his luxury item. Jerri and Keith argued over how and where the flag should be positioned and how and where the camp should be located, beginning a relationship that would be anything but sweet.
The first Immunity Challenge was gruelling for the tired, cold and hungry tribes. It was a series of obstacles to get to the end where fire would be the reward for success and a trip to Tribal Council would be waiting for the losers. Ogakor came out victorious thanks to some really remarkable teamwork and Kucha was sent away without fire until they went to Tribal Council. Debb Eaton was unanimously voted out of the Outback.
At Kucha, before his tribemates awakened, Michael cooked a pot of rice to have ready for them. His good deed was met by less than enthusiastic response when he was told by many, "we're not even hungry yet." But they all sat down to eat the well overcooked, gluey rice and thus ensued the laying down of the rules where the food was concerned. No-one cooks anything without the tribe's agreement.
The first reward challenge involved the teams jumping off a cliff, one by one, into a lagoon and swimming out to a crate. Once all the team was there, they were to unhook it's anchor at the bottom, swim with it down some rapids and carry it up onto a beach to win the crate's contents: warm blankets. The cliff was high and Kucha's Rodger was completely terrified. He was not only afraid of heights, but he was a non swimmer. But he did it. His team was depending upon him and he swallowed that fear and did it. Kucha lost the challenge but it really didn't seem to bother them at all. They rallied around Rodger and congratulated him, praising him for a job well done. It was a really great and touching scene.
Back at Ogakor, trouble was brewing... or boiling. Keith was a gourmet chef and he just couldn't make a decent pot of rice. Jerri pounced upon this and used some flour to make Outback Tortillas, which everyone really liked, and the tribe basically voted her to be the cook. The rift between Keith and Jerri grew.
At Kucha, Michael went fishing and brought back a good catch. The tribe was about to eat well ~ but first they had to have their prayer. So Michael led them in that too and thanked God for making him Kucha's team leader. Since this had never been discussed before, it came as quite a surprise to everyone. However, the fish was fantastic and the tribe were elated to eat something other than rice.
For the Immunity Challenge, there was a sort of "wheel of fortune" set up with different abboriginal delicacies placed around the wheel. Lots of real nasty stuff like brains, worms and grubs. If a tribe member refused to eat or threw up, their team lost a point. Well, Kimmi was a vegetarian and when she stepped up, she was hoping and praying for that little piece of apple or chocolate bar, but she got the brain and refused. They lost a point and it looked like they lost Immunity until Tina threw up her "delicacy" so they had to choose the most squeamish person from the other team to do the play off. Of course, Ogakor chose Kimmi to eat for Kucha and Kucha chose Tina. When the wheel stopped for a final time, the two women had to eat a foot-long worm! Kimmi was adamant that she could do this and she did, sending Ogakor to Tribal Council where Kel was voted out for the alleged beef jerky incident.
Jerri, Mitchell and Amber put the fishing equipment to immediate use and caught a bunch of fish. They took it back to camp and asked Keith to prepare it for them. Keith may have thought that his value had gone up in the team's estimation, but all eyes were on him, watching every little detail of fish preparation.
At Kucha, relationships were strengthening bewteen Rodger and Elisabeth as well as Jeff and Alicia, who decided each other were the only ones they could trust in the camp. While fishing, Rodger, now known as Kentucky Joe, found a little rock in the shape of heart and gave it to Elisabeth to give to her boyfriend when she got home.
The next Immunity Challenge was a tough one. The team had to be tied together and run an obstacle course. Kucha took an early lead until Rodger stumbled and had to be helped along and lost some time because of it. However, just when it was looking bleak, Maralyn fell and had to be helped too. Kucha took the opportunity to catch up and won Immunity, sending Ogakor to Tribal Council for the second time in a row. Maralyn Hershey was voted out of the Outback.
The Reward Challenge had the teams using a slide board to unscramble a giant picture and put it in the right order. Kucha Tribe won the challenge and their reward was three egg-laying chickens and a rooster. Kimmi, the vegetarian, was not at all pleased but there was not a whole lot she could do about it.
Back at Kucha, the tribemates were looking forward to some fried chicken. They decided the rooster was to be the first to go. Kimmi made a big production of "HAVING" to leave the camp when the dirty deed of killing the chickens was in progress and Michael was getting worried about his place in the tribe, now that they didn't need him to hunt for them.
Over at Ogakor, it seemed everyone was working hard to get one person into their alliance ~ Colby. Keith and Tina both took turns talking to him but they were not sure where his allegiance lay. Jerri went out pig hunting with him one day to try and get him to make a deal with her. "Don't worry," she said coyly, "It's not like you're making a deal with the devil." YEAH RIGHT. I don't know if Colby said yes to her just to shut her up or if he really needed his head examined.
At Kucha, Nick alerted the tribe that there was a pig in the water. Michael immediately jumped up, grabbed his knife and went after it. He eventually caught it and killed it in a scene we were thankfully spared from seeing. You could tell from the faces of the tribe members that it was awful. Kucha, however, were eating well.
The Immunity Challenge was a game of knowledge. Each tribe had been given a booklet on the Outback and now their knowledge was being tested. In a True or False game, Kucha won Immunity and sent Ogakor packing for the third consecutive time. This time Mitchell Olson was voted out of the Outback.
At Kucha, the tribe was enjoying eating their chicken and staying strong ~ at least, stronger than the Ogakor Tribe. When it came time to kill another chicken, however, Kimmi made yet another huge production of "HAVING" to leave the camp while the killing was going on. Her theatrics were starting to wear on people's nerves and Michael pointed out to her that she ought not to be so concerned about it all and let it go. Kimmi could not deal with her "carnivore" tribe... but she would not let up on the topic. She "advised" Alicia that the team should only eat chicken every other day. Alicia told her that they needed protein every day to keep up to the tasks and challenges. Kimmi badgered her more about it and Alicia finally turned around and the feathers flew. Fingers pointing, heads bobbing, yelling over each other in a verbal explosion, the two women ranted at each other much to the discomfort of the other tribemates. Kimmi: Don't wave your finger in my face! Alicia: I will ALWAYS wave my finger in your face!
Before the next challenge, the teams had to build a stretcher. The contest would involve racing out and saving stranded tribemates. Kucha had no problem constructing theirs, but at Ogakor, Jerri thought she was right and everyone else was wrong about building it and over-ruled everyone until finally Colby just had to walk away. Kucha won the challenge and Ogakor was really affected by yet another defeat, leaving poor Amber in tears. "I'm so sick of losing," she sobbed. But Kucha won the blankets, spices, soup mixes, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap and shampoo. The first thing they did when they got back to camp was get Kimmi into the water to wash. She had been there the whole time and not had any sort of bath at all.
Ogakor pulled themselves up out of the doldrums and rallied their spirits. They were sick and tired of losing ~ it was time to change the tide and get back on track. The Immunity Challenge was facing them and they were determined they had to win this time. The challenge was a huge maze that the teams had to get through, collect medallions in order (1 to 5) and then get out to Jeff before the other team. Ogakor finally won Immunity and sent Kucha on the hike to Tribal Council where Kimmi was voted out of the Outback.
At Kucha tribe, there was more chicken feed than chicken left. The tribemates separated the corn colonels from the chicken feed and heated them up. They popped! The tribe ate popcorn most of the day and into the night and delighted in this new-found food source: KUCHA CORN!
The food situation at Ogakor was very much different. They hadn't eaten any chicken or pig or popcorn and Keith, sick and tired of hearing complaints from Jerri about his rice, simply stopped cooking. Jerri had found some cherry tomatoes and announced she was going to make a batch of fried green tomatoes for their dinner. Keith observed that another day on the vine and the tomatoes would be red and much better eating. Jerri accused Keith of being grump and unsupportive. Tina stepped in and screamed at them, voicing what was no doubt on everyone's mind: "STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU! OR YOU'RE GOING TO TIME OUT!" The tribe ate fried green tomatoes that night but Colby was quick to agree with Tina. It's ridiculous to have to sit through this bickering.
The Reward Challenge offered a tantalizing treat: Ice cole Mountain Dew and Doritos chips. Ogakor's mouths were visibly watering. The challenge had one person from each tribe sitting atop towers while the rest of the tribe were blindfolded. The person on the tower had to guide their team to accomplish a number of tasks. Ogakor could taste the chips and Mountain Dew. They had the lead under Jerri's direction. The last person she had to direct was Amber, but Amber went way off course and Jerri screamed and yelled and tried to get her back on track. Meanwhile, Nick was directing his team and he managed to get them to the finish just seconds before Jerri. Ogakor lost again. Colby, in sheer frustration, took a large bucket of water and tossed it up at Jerri. He threw the bucket to the ground and stomped away. "Thank you," she replied.
Over at Kucha, Michael Skupin tended the fire. Squatting beside it, he blew into the embers to strengthen the flame when he accidentally inhaled a huge amount of smoke, causing him to pass out. He fell face first into the fire and, in seconds, revived and screamed. He thrust his hands forward to lift himself out of the fire and seriously burned his hands. Confused and dazed, Michael ran to the river and dove in. Screaming in agony, the skin literally hanging from his hands and wrists, Michael was in danger of passing out again, in the water and possibly drowning. Alicia and Elisabeth waded out to him, brought him forward a bit into shallower water and gave him fresh water to drink. "Help is on the way, Mike. Hang in there," Elisabeth consoled. The medical staff soon arrived and immediately tended to Michael's injuries. As they wrapped his hands, Michael screamed out in agony. A helicopter arrived and they loaded Michael onto it. Through his oxygen mask, Michael said, "I am looking at some brave and beautiful people that I have grown to love so much. You will be fine without me, you guys know what to do." The helicopter lifted off and took Michael away from Kucha Tribe. The tribemates stood in a group hug and cried together.
Over at Ogakor, the teammates were adamant that they had to win the next Immunity or they'd go to the merge outnumbered 6-4. They were sure they'd be picked off, one by one in that case. They HAD to win! But tree-mail brought them news, notifying them of an accident at Kucha and one of the team had to be air-lifted away. No details were shared, leaving Ogakor to all kinds of speculation. But in the end, the important thing was: There would be no Immunity Challenge and the teams would merge even at 5 members each.
Next morning, both tribes received tree mail telling them they had 15 minutes to pack up their camps and move to a new, different location for the merged team to set up. Although annoyed at having to start all over again, each team took all they could carry and hiked off to their new home. After a long, tough trek, the two tribes met up at their new home. An orange flag was waving in the breeze and a large crate sat below it. The new tribemates immediately tore into the crate and devoured the cheese, crackers, fruit and wine.
Next task: set up the new camp, build a shelter and give this new tribe a name. They named the tribe Barramundi after a large fish indigenous to the river, but building the shelter was not so readily agreed upon. Jerri wanted to build on the dry river bed where the sand was soft to sleep on. Rodger wanted to build up on the hill a little, on a flat piece of ground under the trees. The shelter was built on the dry river bed.
Immunity Challenge was upon them and this time, it was a waiting game. Each of the team had to swim out to a post in the water and stand on it. That was it.... just stand there and outlast the others. After an hour an a half, Nick jumped into the water and was soon followed by Colby. They obviously didn't feel very threatened where Tribal Council was concerned. After four hours, Jeff Probst started enticing and bribing the others with food treats to get them down. Rodger and Jeff Varner took the bait and jumped down. After nine hours, Elisabeth gave in. Another hour later, Alicia jumped down leaving only Tina and Keith, both of the former Ogakor Tribe left. After very little time, Keith pleaded with Tina to let him win. With more votes cast against him, he "needed" this immunity. Tina very graciously stepped down and gave Keith the win. At Tribal Council, Jeff Varner was voted out of the Outback in a strong show of Ogakor alliance.
The Reward Challenge had the tribemates stand in the middle of a giant target and throw a boomerang. The boomerang had to come back and hit the target. Closest to the center won a full dinner including shrimp, smoked salmon, chicken, bread and dessert. In the end, Jerri won the dinner and, at the last second, was told to ask one person to join her. She, of course, chose Amber, her closest friend from the beginning. Amber did a really fake "Who, Me?" thing that was rather annoying, but the two went off and ate heartily.
Back at Barramundi, the rice was being cooked without criticism or tension. Tina and Keith commented how pleasant and quiet it was. Keith told everyone, "I have cooked for two presidents, all kinds of people, and I have never, ever been stressed other than these last few weeks--and over cooking rice. I can't believe this." The former Kucha members detected a crack in the Ogakor alliance and planned on using it in their favor, but they needed an Ogakor member to go with them and get rid of Jerri. They thought sure they could get Tina or Keith. The prize of having Jerri out of the tribe would be a good bargaining chip, if their comments and remarks could be believed. When Jerri and Amber returned after their dinner, not one person turned around to talk to them or look at them. The message was crystal clear. It wasn't Amber so much as it was the criticizing, cranky, manipulative Jerri.
The Immunity Challenge had the contestants create squares. Ten rows of wooden poles were constructed and each pole had a rope attached to one side. Each player, one at a time, would try and form a complete square, using the other player's moves. Once a square was formed, the contestant would place a colored circle with their name on it in the center. If a contestant completed a square, they could complete as many as possible until there were no more moves. Keith won his second Immunity in a row. At Tribal Council, Alicia was voted out of the Outback, seeming to cement the fate of the remaining Kuchas. Their days were numbered. Alicia would be the first jury member in a countdown to the million dollars.
Back at Barramundi, a despondent tribe were eating meager rations of rice and dreaming of the reef. When Jerri and Colby returned, the mood lightened as the tribe heard the details of one of the seven wonders of the world. To everyone's surprise, Colby stood up and said, "I wish you all could have come with us, but since you couldn't, I brought a little of it back for you." He then passed out a piece of the reef to everyone. Jerri obviously felt burned by this act of kindness by Colby and knew that they were not on even footing in the eyes of the tribe.
Going to the Immunity Challenge was bittersweet for Nick, Rodger and Elisabeth. They saw the writing on the wall a long time ago and knew that one of the three of them were next. Nick, having been ill, knew he needed more than anyone to win Immunity, even at the cost of the other two. In the three contest challenge, they first had to stand on platforms in the river and do a tug of war. The winners would move on to rock an unsteady beam above the water to force the other to fall off. The winners then moved on to try and get the other to fall off an unsteady raft in the water. It came down to Nick and Colby. Nick won! He got the Immunity he so desperately needed. Elisabeth and Rodger knew one of them was next, according to voting strategies shown so far, and although happy for Nick, they were sad they'd have to leave.
For his part, Keith was not happy. The alliance was working well for them but he told Colby, "To vote off Elisabeth in order to keep Jerri? That's just not right." But he conceded that the voting strategy had to be kept as it was. But there was a surprise in store. Jerri was voted out of the Outback and Elisabeth was safe for another three days. (YAY! YAY! YAY! At this point in the show, me and my family were jumping around the living room with sheer glee.)
The Reward Challenge came up and the Barramundis met Jeff Probst at a little clearing all set up to look like an auction. Each of the players was given a money pouch and 500 Australian Dollary-doos. What they had to bid on was the most welcome sight the tribe had seen in ages: FOOD! They bid and out-bid each other for yummys like Doritos and salsa, peanut butter and chocolate, full turkey dinner and cheeseburgers. The tribe ate like they hadn't eaten in weeks, which was just about true. On their journey back, however, the food disagreed with almost all of them and mad dashes were made for bushes, privacy and relief.
The next Immunity Challenge would have all of the contestants try and get a fire lit. There was a ten foot pole with a T-bar at the top. The T-bar had two pulleys attached to a counter-balance consisting of a fire pan on one side and a water bucket on the other side. The water bucket had a hole at the base out of which water would leak out slowly. The goal was to light a fire in the pan high enough and hot enough to light the fuse attached to the overhead T-bar. Once the fire was lit, the Survivors had to run to the river and collect water in small cans to fill the water bucket on the opposite side of the bar enough so that it came down, lifting the fire pan up to the fuse. The first person to light their fuse would win immunity. Ultimately, it was Colby who won the challenge and Immunity from the next night's Tribal Council.
Having done such a strenuous challenge, the tribe were worn out. Sitting at the edge of the river, they were surprised by a visit from Jeff Probst, who said, "I don't think you're going to make it." He told them that they were rationed enough rice to easily see them through to the end and he sort of scolded them that they really need to be more careful. He had with him a tin of rice and 25 fishing hooks but he wasn't just going to give them away. He demanded a trade. One that would make them work for their food. He asked them for their shelter. The Texas flag, the structure, everything for the food. Tina was very happy to comply. She said it would be easy to re-build but impossible to survive without food. The deal was done. Then the hike to Tribal Council. Nick was voted out of the Outback, which was not a surprise to the former Kuchas.
Not long after Colby left, though, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour started. It pelted hail and stinging rain at them as they walked. They were delayed at a crossing that, not an hour before, had been a meer puddle. It was now called a flash flood. The tribe waited and waited for the water to subside. After two hours, the tribemates came across a scene that was just too painful to take in. Their camp in the dry river bed wasn't dry anymore. It had been totally flooded and it washed everything away. Worse yet, the rice they had just traded their shelter for was no-where to be seen and the only matches to start a fire were in Keith's coat ~ it was gone too. The survivors picked through the rubble to see what, if anything, was salvagable. This was a truly heartbreaking scene.
After having picked up as much as they could, Tina and Keith took a walk down-river to see if anything had washed up on the shore and there, on the other side, stuck in a downed tree-branch, was the tin of rice. Keith, with his eyes glued to it, proceded to try and cross the raging river on a log just above where the rice was stuck. Tina protested that the water was rushing too rapidly there and he should go a little further down river to cross and make his way back up to it. Keith wasn't listening. He didn't think they had the time. So Tina walked a little further along the river bank and crossed where the water was substantially quieter. They met there at the rice tin and together, they carried it back to a thankful but terrified tribe. They had their food back, but they couldn't cook it. Now very dark, they had put something together and suffer the cold night in wet clothes.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Colby awoke in a comfortable sleeping bag in a comfortable cattle rancher's camp, ate beans, eggs and bacon, drank coffee and started his trip back. Upon his arrival, he stared in disbelief at was his tribemates had to endure the previous night. Colby said, "We all talked about the reward challenges and how no-one should ever feel guilty about winning, but when I got back and saw this..." After a tearful reunion, the tribe went about the business of rebuilding their shelter... on higher ground.
The Immunity Challenge was not a test of strength and endurance this time. There were plates strung up with string from a tree, each player had three plates. The goal was to knock out each other's plates and the one with the last plate in tact would win Immunity. Colby, once again, won and Amber was voted out of the Outback.
All of a sudden, the mood at Barramundi was UP! Everyone was laughing, playing Frisbee and talking again. It didn't matter that they were still cold, wet and hungry... they had spoken to their families and that was all that mattered. The next Immunity Challenge had them all shackled up in chains. They had to make their way around in the dark and find the keys to their locks by answering a question from some stories about the Outback Jeff had told them. The first one to return to base with all of their locks won Immunity. Keith won easily, but when Jeff counted, he saw that keith was missing a lock. Keith scrambled to re-trace his steps and find it. But in the meantime, Colby came across the finish line and won yet ANOTHER challenge. At Tribal Council the Ogakor alliance went to work again and this time, Rodger Bingham... good old Kentucky Joe... was voted out of the Outback. Elisabeth had big old crocodile tears in her eyes as she watched her close friend leave. She was now the sole Kucha member left and what she didn't know was that Rodger sacrificed himself for her. Tina had told Rodger earlier it was to be one of the two of them and Rodger was adamant that if one of them could stay, it should be Elisabeth.
Colby was taken out to his reward. There, set up for him to sleep in, was his Pontiac Aztec, all done up with sleeping quarters in the back. He looked it over a few times before Jeff called him to come and sit down for dinner. They shared a bit of small talk before Jeff called out, "Okay, bring Colby's dinner in, please." And in walked Colby's mother with dinner. He was shocked, stunned, elated and overjoyed as he lifted her off her feet in a bear hug. After dinner, he and his mom spent the night in the back of the Aztec. Next morning, Colby was treated to a hot shower and then he got to bring his mom back to camp with him. The tribe were elated to meet her and hear about home. Elisabeth especially needed that "hug from home" and welled up with those crocodile tears when she realized that if she had won, this could have been her beloved mother sitting here. Before she left, Colby's mom gave each of them a care package from home, consisting of letters, pictures and some food.
At the next Immunity Challenge, the tribemates played a huge game of concentration. There were objects hidden under little covers and the team members had to uncover pairs. Whoever uncovered the most pairs would win Immunity. For the fourth time in a row, Colby won Immunity. At Tribal Council, the Ogakor line stayed strong and Elisabeth was voted out of the Outback. All that were left were the three allied Ogakors.
Later that night, the three remaining survivors had to compete in a game called "Fallen Comrades" in which each of their knowledge of the players who went before them came into play. The jury was assembled and Jeff began asking questions. The one who knew the most won the last Immunity. And it was won for the 5th time in a row by Colby, who now had to decide who he would sit with as the final two for the million dollars. True to his strong alliance with Tina, Colby voted out Keith.
Back at camp, the final two went about the business of clearing up. They burned much of the camp before they packed up to take that final hike to Tribal Council. At Tribal Council, they had a chance to speak for themselves and try to convince the jury why they should win the million. Then the jury got to ask questions of each of the two remaining survivors. After that, Tina and Colby got to say their closing remarks and the jury went to vote. When Jeff returned with the votes in the voting urn, he told them that they'd have to wait to see who won. It would be revealed live in Los Angeles when the show finished airing. A very stunned bunch or tired, cold and hungry people watched as Jeff took the urn, got in a helicopter and took off.
Back in Los Angeles, the live audience ~ as well as the rest of us ~ watched as Jeff returned in a helicopter, went to a set made up to look like the Tribal Council, and opened the urn. He read the votes one by one and declared Tina Wesson the winner of the million dollars.
© 2008
SURVIVOR WORLD LINKS
SURVIVOR WORLD MAIN PAGE
PULAU TIGA
AUSTRALIA
AFRICA
MARQUESAS
THAILAND
AMAZON
PEARL ISLANDS
ALLSTARS
VANUATU
PALAU
GUATEMALA
EXILE ISLAND
COOK ISLANDS
FIJI
CHINA
MICRONESIA
MARK BURNETT
JEFF PROBST
Survivor, Survivor: Australian Outback, Survivor: Africa, Survivor: Marquesas, Survivor: Thailand, Survivor: Amazon, Survivor: Pearl Islands, Survivor: All-Stars, Survivor: Vanuatu, Survivor: Palau, Survivor: Guatemala, Survivor: Panama Exile Island, Survivor: Cook Islands, Survivor: Fiji, Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia is property of CBS, as well as any images, except where otherwise noted.
