Tell a Good Lie, Not a Stupid Lie (S42: Episode 9)

Comin’ atcha live with the recap for Episode 9: Tell a Good Lie, Not a Stupid Lie. Let’s dive (or shall we say monkey run) in!

• Upon the castaways’ return from the tribal council double header, Mike is not happy about the Rocksroy vote out, particularly because it meant he had to lie to Rocksroy and go against his word (and Mike’s one of those, “man of his word” kinda guys). Omar, the sneaky devil, takes the opportunity to subtly start planting the seed that Hai might not be the best ally for Mike.

Lindsay having second thoughts on Jonathan... perhaps a little foreshadowing??

• Maryanne innocently goes searching for firewood, and next thing we know, she’s found another idol! An amazing redemption moment for her after sacrificing her idol in tribal council the night before.

• We then head to the Reward Challenge where the weather is wild, but the challenge is pretty basic: race through an obstacle course and then land a sandbag on a podium. Lindsay ends up winning her first individual challenge, and chooses to take Omar and Mike on reward with her which is arguably the best reward in a season with pretty lackluster rewards: pizza, beer, and a good night’s sleep at the Survivor Sanctuary.

• After they arrive and start digging into the grub, they realize that the reward doesn’t end there. They’ve also received videos from their loved ones which is not something we got to see during last season’s version of this reward.

• Mike really stole the show for me during this part of the episode due to the amount of times he yelled “Chelsea!!! That’s Chelsea! THAT’S MY DAWTUHH!!!!” and him commenting “Oh she’s HAWWTTT” when Omar’s girlfriend came on the screen.

Too bad tho Maryanne didn't go on the reward :(

• The key plot point of the whole episode though happens during this reward when Omar waters the seeds he planted with Mike at the beginning of the episode. He tells Mike that he’s avoided talking strategy with him because Hai told him: “Mike will do anything I say in this game. He is my puppet.” This is of course untrue, but Mike doesn’t know that. Omar is identifying and playing into Mike’s weaknesses and insecurities in the game, and though Hai *technically* never said these words, they’re just believable enough that Mike doesn’t even consider questioning it. Omar told a lie that perfectly fit Mike’s perception of his reality. He hit the Survivor lie sweet spot. Later in the episode, we see how much this puppet line really affected Mike when he says: ““his head’s in the guillotine ready to be lopped off.” What an image!

• This conversation also leads to Lindsay spilling the beans about her, Drea, and Hai having the amulets.

• Back at camp, we get a reflective moment from Hai where he talks about his childhood growing up poor and hungry and how it allows him to remain resilient during the game. It’s touching and insightful, but I gotta admit… I can’t help but be annoyed with the editors when they weave someone’s deep/dramatic story into the same episode that they get voted out on. Like.. could you BE anymore obvious??!!

• We head to the Immunity Challenge where castaways have to balance a ball on a bow while standing on a narrow beam. The highlight of this challenge for me was Maryanne yelling “SHIZZLESTICKS” when she dropped her ball (someone please make me a tshirt with all the iconic quotes from this chick). Lindsay ends up in a showdown against Jonathan, and she ultimately comes out on top for the win.

• With Lindsay winning immunity, the tribe has an open shot at both of their key targets: Jonathan the challenge beast and Hai the strategy snake.

• Everyone seems to be on board for Hai. Hai firmly believes it’s Jonathan, and in an effort to make Jonathan feel safe before tribal, he tells him he has an idol and that he’ll play it for him. Jonathan doesn’t buy it and tells Omar. Omar realizes this is actually a great opportunity to work with Hai since he’s technically at the bottom at this point. His campaign to put Jonathan back on the chopping block begins.

• At tribal council, Jeff steers the conversation nicely to be very topical for this particular vote. There’s a lot of metaphors and analogies around the importance of strategic timing in the game, which is really relevant to the tough decision the tribe has to make.

• Ultimately, Hai is voted for by everyone except Romeo in a complete blindside. He was totally floored, but also seemed excited that it happened the way it did. It demonstrated his respect and appreciation for the game, and even though it didn’t seem to match his “character’s” MO., it was a really cute reaction and my favorite sendoff of the season so far. With the vote out of Hai, Mike becomes the last remaining member of the VATI tribe, and Jonathan becomes the last remaining obvious big target… for now....

LET’S LOOK AT THE LEAGUE! Many of us on Vukelulu will be taking a biiiiig hit next week with the departure of Hai. Hai was an early favorite in the league as the second castaway to be fully drafted and the castaway with the second highest number of picks for Sole Survivor (trailing Jenny in both cases). 15 of us lost a tribe member. Of those 15, Emily, Erin, Allison K, David, Angela, Tribemaster Liv, and Mel lost our Sole Survivor (And as an entire league, less than half of us still has their Soles left in the game). Due to Hai’s departure, Erin, Allie T. Amanda S. Maggie, Emmy, Allison K, and most profoundly, Brendan (our league’s reigning champion), are now left with only one lasting tribe member. Thanks to Lindsay’s back to back challenge wins, she earned 40 points for her tribes. Amy, JT, and Freddie make a leap into the top 10 while Adam, Brendan, and Petra lose their spots in the top 10. And a league first: Lori slides into first place with a total of 487 points.

Have a blessed, Survivor filled Wednesday! Tribemasters Liv + Brian