Survivor CH6: Days 26-27

(Miyawata Tribe)

“That Tribal Council was epic! I can’t believe a vote that split actually happened, but it did! Our alliance had the majority with three votes!” Monna Lisa said in astonishment. “And then Mitchell handed over three idols to Jericho, all of which turned out to be fake. I think it’s obvious Mitchell knew about that.”

“So ya found all three of those idols?” Couscous asked with a smirk.

“Yeah. When Xyly played the idol that got Saur eliminated, I knew that all three of them were fakes.” Mitchell handwaved it. “I figure that me giving them to Jericho to play would get him to trust me.”

“Diabolical.” Monna Lisa laughed.

“I think the girls ended up making them before the Tribal Swap, intending for you girls to find them.” Mitchell said.

“Ya didn’t happen ta find da REAL one, did ya?” Couscous asked.

“No. Everyone was looking for it. I don’t think it was found at all.” Mitchell shook his head.

“Da look on Jericho’s face when he played dose fake idols was frickin’ satisfyin’! Ah’ve been waitin’ fer him ta make a face like dat fer weeks!” Couscous laughed. “Too bad Mitch couldn’t find da real idol, though. Monna Lisa and Ah couldn’t find da Gonaza one, either. Ah just hope someone else don’t have it.”

Donny walked over to Wallace, who was sitting on a rock by the shelter. “I guess you’re surprised at the turn of events?” He asked.

“Jericho said that he had the numbers…How did that happen?” Wallace asked, still stunned.

“Simple. Jericho doesn’t have the control he says he does.” Donny replied flatly. “I guess that may be part of the reason the others didn’t vote him off.”

“Why Zita, though? I’m a bigger threat than her!” Wallace insisted. “Um…Right?”

“Uh…Sure. Why not?”

“I’m still stunned at what just happened. Why would ZITA be the target at all?! I can think of numerous people that would have been better targets!” Wallace said. “And for that matter, who voted her out? After Jericho said that he had the numbers, it could be ANYONE that voted her out!”

“You didn’t vote her out, did you?” Wallace asked.

“No way. I voted for Jericho.” Donny said.

“He told me that he had gotten on your good side.”

“Yeah, I bet he did.” Donny rolled his eyes.

“Where IS he, anyway?”

“Probably having another nervous breakdown.” Donny replied. “He tends to have those when a vote doesn’t go his way.”

“Jericho is WAY too cocky for my tastes, and the fact that he’s a challenge threat makes him a more-appealing target to the others.” Donny said. “Sure, the vote didn’t go in my favour, but it’ll only be a matter of time before the others come on board with getting rid of him.”

(Miyawata Tribe; Day 26)

“Mitchell, I’d like to talk to you about last night.” Jericho said as he approached Mitchell. “Those idols you gave me were all FAKES. Care to explain?”

“Jericho, I swear I dug them up! I’m just as shocked as you are!” Mitchell insisted.

“When did you find them?”

“After Xyly used hers! Who knows how long they were planted until I found them.” Mitchell rolled his eyes.

“Then that means it could have been anyone…” Jericho pondered.

“I need Jericho to think I’m on his side here. If he thinks that I was surprised about those idols being fakes, then he won’t suspect me.” Mitchell said. “I just need the attention off of me for a while until I can put something more-concrete together. Jericho just needs to buy it for now.”

“So what’s the plan?” Mitchell asked.

“Keep your ears open. For now, we still focus on Couscous and Monna Lisa.” Jericho said. “They’ve already lasted far too long.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan. Who else is on board?”

“That’s the problem. I have no idea who’s actually on my side anymore…”

“I need to know who was responsible for Zita’s elimination. While it’s possible that Couscous and Monna Lisa could have voted for her, I need to know where that third vote came from.” Jericho explained. “The fact that the vote went so many different ways tells me that almost no one here can be trusted.”

“Okay. I think I’m in the clear for now as far as Jericho is concerned. Now I just need to worry about Yorgue breathing down my neck.” Mitchell noted. “I’d say that I need an idol to keep myself afloat, but then again, we don’t exactly HAVE any idols now, do we?”

Couscous was in the process of stirring some food in her pot when Yessica walked over to her, not looking very amused.

“Couscous, can we talk?” Yessica asked.

“Sure, kid. What’s eatin’ ya?”

“Why did you guys vote out Zita last night? Donny and I voted for Jericho and with your votes we could have actually gotten RID of him!” Yessica said.

“Zita’s a friend of mine, and was part of my original alliance when we started. Seeing her blindsided by a few people I’ve come to trust really hurt, you know.” Yessica pointed out. “I thought Couscous at least would have been all over a plan to kick Jericho, so what happened?!”

“Look, kid. Mitch told Monna Lisa and Ah dat Wallace and Zita were datin’.” Couscous said. “Is dat right?”

“Well, yeah. They hooked up back on Total Drama.” Yessica nodded.

“His reasonin’ was dat dey’d end up as one of dose power couples dat ya see on Survivor.” Couscous said. “Ah didn’t see anythin’ wrong wiff it, so Ah went along wiff it.”

“I thought you would have wanted Jericho gone by now, though!” Yessica said. “You’ve been on his hitlist the entire time we’ve known each other!”

“Look, Ah ain’t makin’ da choices here. Ya got a beef wiff how da vote went, go take it up wiff Mitch.”

Yessica sighed. “Why Zita, though? She wasn’t a threat!”

Couscous took the opportunity to smack Yessica upside the head with her spoon. “Ah frickin’ told ya dat Ah ain’t makin’ da choices, kid!” She snapped. “Take it up wiff da guy wiff da goatee!”

“Okay. Okay.”

“How many times do Ah have ta frickin’ TELL dat goil? Ah mean, sure, we just eliminated a friend of hers, but it ain’t no reason fer her ta git all whiney!” Couscous said. “Besides, she can’t blame ME fer it, eithah! Ah wasn’t da one ta share a tribe wiff dat Zita goil. It was Mitch!”

“Yeesh. I forgot that Couscous has a temper as short as Donny’s. Which is actually quite fitting when you think about it.” Yessica rubbed her head. “She may be an ally, or at least a part-ally, but I need to watch what I say around her. The last thing I want is an angry cat on my case.”

“Guys! Guys, I found a new type of fruit that I haven’t seen here, yet!” Helen said in glee as she ran into camp with an armload of fruit. Yorgue and Matt ended up going over to see what was up.

“What’d you find, Helen?” Matt asked. “Some oranges?”

“I…I actually have no idea what these are!”

Yorgue’s eyes widened at the fruit in Helen’s arms. “Is that…Dragon fruit?!” She asked. “I didn’t know they grew here!”

“Is that what they’re called?” Helen asked. “Can we try them?”

“Sure. I’ll see if Couscous can do anything special with something exotic like these.” Yorgue shrugged.

“Can I just have one as it is?” Helen asked. “I really want to see what a fruit that looks this neat tastes like.”

“Oranges and bananas are fruits that everyone eats, so when you find one out on an island, it’s really nothing special.” Helen said. “But when you find an exotic fruit that you don’t even know what it IS, you KNOW you’ve found something that not everyone’s tried! If I like them, maybe I’ll try seeing if my local grocery store stocks dragon fruit…”

“Man. If there are dragon fruits here, I wonder what other types of weird fruit are around…” Matt scratched his head.

“Probably looking for a new type of mushroom, aren’t you?” Yorgue smirked.

Matt stared flatly. “No thank you. New mushroom types seem to turn up every time my back is turned, anyway.” He replied.

“Like what? Portabella?” Helen asked, an eyebrow lifted.

Matt continued to stare flatly. “You REALLY don’t know a lot about where I come from, do you?” he asked before pausing. “Wait. Forget I asked. I forgot who I was talking to.”

“Look, I may not be all over those weird mushrooms like Mario and Luigi, but I DO make an attempt to at least try one of each type.” Matt said in defense. “…Man, if I had any regrets, it would be choosing to eat that stupid Boo Mushroom…Yeah, THAT was a mistake.”

“Can I relay some info to you guys since you’re all together?” Jericho asked as he approached.

“Sure, Jericho. What is it?” Yorgue asked.

“I need to make sure that we’re on the same page here. Do you know who made those fake idols that Mitchell found, Yorgue?” Jericho asked.

Yorgue gave a sigh. “I’m sorry, Jericho. That was me and the other girls.” She responded. “We tried planting them so that maybe Couscous or Monna Lisa would find them. We didn’t expect Mitchell to find all three like that.”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything?” Jericho asked.

“You didn’t mention anything. How was I supposed to know that you had the fakes?” Yorgue quizzed.

“I hated having to tell Jericho that I was semi-responsible for the fake idols, but I was backed into a corner and I needed to mention something.” Yorgue sighed. “I may not be able to get him to not trust Mitchell, but maybe I can still stay on Jericho’s good side if I at least own up to it and avoid accountability at the same time.”

“Okay. The fakes came from the girls. I guess that makes sense, so I’ll buy Yorgue’s story. I need to keep her on my side now, anyway. At least I have my charms to help me there.” Jericho smirked. “And one new advantage I have is Helen. I never shared a tribe with her, but I imagine that I can work my charm just as easily with her.”

“Okay. If the others have the idol, we really need to be ready for it.” Jericho reminded. “I don’t want another vote like last night, okay? Are you girls with me this time?”

Helen appeared to be turning a little red. “Um…Sure. Okay.” She said.

“Yeah. I’m in.” Yorgue nodded.

“Good to hear. I’m glad I can trust you girls.” Jericho nodded. Matt gave a visible facepalm behind Jericho’s back.

“Ugh. I’ll admit that I played a poor game last time, but even I couldn’t have been that creepy.” Matt said flatly. “I’m surprised it’s actually WORKED some of the time.”

With that, Jericho walked off with Matt following him. Helen appeared to be in thought, but still a little red. “He’s…He’s real good-looking.” She admitted.

“He’s quite charming, alright.” Yorgue chuckled. “Why?”

“Oh…Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never been on his tribe, yet.” Helen reminded.

“Oh, yeah. I forgot about that.” Yorgue nodded. “You and he never interacted before.”

“I found this idol before we merged. I’m wondering if I should give it to Jericho. It’d help out Yorgue since she seems to be in an alliance with him.” Helen said, holding up the idol she found. “Plus, from what I’ve seen of Jericho, he seems like a good leader, and since I don’t really have any experience leading, I think I’d like to get on his good side.”

Wallace was taking a walk through camp, looking more in thought than anything. He almost tripped over a sleeping Monna Lisa as he walked because he was so wrapped up in his thoughts. Donny noticed this from afar and came over.

“Looks like you’re back to your normal self.” Donny noted.

“Donny, I’ve been thinking.” Wallace mused.

“See, there’s your problem right there.”

“Har, har. Very funny. I’m serious!” Wallace said. “Look, have either of us thought about what the Harrack alliances were like after the swap?”

“A few times, sure. I think some damage was done, though.” Donny shrugged.

“Evidently not enough.”

“I’ve been looking at the Harrack players since we merged. Jericho seems to have Yorgue and Mitchell in an alliance in addition to Matt!” Wallace said. “And if that weren’t enough, I think I’ve seen Mitchell talking with Couscous and Monna Lisa. I think that’s a side alliance! The numbers are against us either way here!”

“If we want to get the better of the others, we’re going to need to play with a bit of strategy.” Wallace said. “Maybe try playing both sides a bit.”

Donny appeared to be in thought. “That’s actually a not-stupid idea.” He said. “We wait for the others to come to us for votes and decide which way to go.”

“What do you mean ‘not-stupid’? Are you saying that my ideas aren’t all genius?” Wallace asked.

“Oh, you REALLY don’t want me to answer that question, arrowhead.”

“Do I consider Wallace smart? Of course I do. However, most of his ideas tended to backfire on him in a Dick Dastardly-like fashion back on Total Drama.” Donny explained. “That being said, this idea of his may be our best chance. If we can lay low, opposing sides will continue to wear each other down.”

“Okay. Say this works.” Donny said. “How long do you think we’d be able to do it before the others get wise?”

“I’m sure Yessica would be willing to join forces as well.” Wallace suggested. “That’d give us an extra number.”

Meanwhile, Yessica was going over to Mitchell to confront him about the vote.

“Mitchell, Couscous says that you were the one who decided to vote out Zita.” Yessica explained.

“What of it?” Mitchell asked.

“Why her?” Yessica asked. “I mean, I’ve moved past being mad, but I still want to know why. She wasn’t a threat.”

“Uh…Yeah, she was. She’s sneaky and stealthy; Two things I don’t want to have in an opponent.” Mitchell explained. “Sure, Wallace may look like a bigger threat because of his intelligence, but Zita’s ninja abilities made her a better target.”

“Well…Okay, you’ve made your point. I guess it makes sense.” Yessica admitted. “But I’m still upset. She was my friend.”

“I guess a guy like Mitchell would try to keep the stealthy people out of his hair as soon as he could. Jericho says he’s on his side, but from what I can tell, Mitchell is lying to him.” Yessica said. “Not that I care about that. Actually, it makes sense how Couscous and Monna Lisa were able to survive those pre-swap votes.”

“So you’re the one on the inside Couscous was telling me about.” Yessica folded her arms.

“The inside of what?”

“Jericho’s alliance. You just want to take him down, right?”

“Well…Yeah. I mean, he voted out a kid. He singled him out and had him eliminated without a second thought!” Mitchell said. “What’s your excuse though? If you aligned with Couscous and Monna Lisa, I imagine it’s because you’re somehow immune to Jericho’s charms.”

“I’m bisexual with a preference to girls.”

“…Huh. Makes sense, now that I think about it.” Mitchell said. “Jericho doesn’t know about it?”

“No. In fact, Couscous insists that I play along with that creep’s flirting and attempts to get me on his side.” Yessica sighed.

“Sounds like something she’d do.”

“I still don’t know how Jericho’s ‘charms’ could work on any of the girls, though.” Yessica shook her head.

“Aside from Monna Lisa, who’s too young, and Couscous, who hates flirts for some reason, Jericho was able to woo the other Harrack girls.” Mitchell explained.

“Yeesh. That’s just sad.”

“Wow. This is amazing. Turns out I’m not the only one in Jericho’s circle wanting to end him. Yessica’s probably going to be a good ally to me.” Mitchell said. “That’s four votes. If we can sway the votes like Donny and Wallace, we’d be golden!”

“So I guess that means we’re allies?” Mitchell asked.

“I suppose so, but only for now, okay?” Yessica said. “You’re still kind of a jerk.”

“I get that a lot.”

(Miyawata Tribe; Day 27)

“I don’t think there’s any denying it, Couscous. We’re going to need some more guaranteed votes.” Monna Lisa said. “If Mitchell and Yessica work together, that’s still only four out of ten and we don’t have an idol.”

“Don’t think Ah don’t know dat, kid.” Couscous muttered. “We’ll figure somefin’ out…”

“Like what? Lay low and hope Jericho doesn’t come after us despite that dork doing so since the start?” Monna Lisa asked flatly.

Couscous suddenly saw Jericho walking by and automatically opened her mouth. “YA’D BETTAH WATCH YER BACK, YA PRICK! THE INSTANT AH GET DA FRICKIN’ CHANCE, AH’M STABBIN’ YA TA DEATH WIFF A RUSTY SALAD FORK!!!” She screamed. “DON’T THINK YA CAN GET AWAY WITH WHAT YA’VE BEEN DOIN’! AH’M GUNNA FRICKIN’ RIP YER FACE OFF!”

Monna Lisa stared flatly as Couscous looked at her. “What did I just say, Couscous?” She asked. “WHAT did I just say?”

“Sorry, kid. Mah mind just took ovah dere.”

“More like your MOUTH took over.”

“So, basically, we’re gunna need ta hope dat da short kid or arrowhead joins us, because we’re in a minority othawise.” Couscous folded her arms. “Ugh. Da thought of dat prick Jericho wiff da majority again sickens me…”

“Couscous has a tendency to say what’s on her mind…But no one exactly wants to hear it. She’d actually be a fitting replacement for Oleander if need be.” Monna Lisa rolled her eyes. “Now I don’t think there’s any way Jericho’s targeting anyone but her tonight.”

“Guys, we’ve got treemail.” Matt announced as he walked into camp. The others gathered around.

“So what’s the challenge?” Wallace asked.

“It’s wondering if we’re…Any good at golf.” Matt said, lifting an eyebrow. “Wait. Golf? How would they do that on an island?”

“I guess we’ll find out.” Yorgue scratched her head.

“This may actually be my challenge. When Mario isn’t running around and saving that kidnap-prone princess of his, he’s taking the gang out for some sports.” Matt said with a smirk. “I may be more of a tennis guy, but I can still play golf with the best of them. I just need to hope that no one here is secretly a former golf champion.”

“I DID make an automatic mechanical golf club once, but it exploded in my hands when I tried it.” Wallace scratched his head. “Which is weird since I don’t remember putting anything combustible in it in the first place.”

(Immunity Challenge)

The ten remaining players emerged from the jungle and walked onto a clearing. Seeing their mat on the ground, everyone walked over and stepped on.

“Welcome to your next Immunity Challenge, Miyawata Tribe. Here, we will be testing your putting skills in a relatively-simple game of golf.” SSBFreak said. Everyone saw a makeshift golf hole set up, with a rather large green and a set of lines encircling the hole and spanning outwards. “You will, one at a time, putt a golf ball from the edge of the green and try to get it in the hole. You will be judged on how close you can get to the hole, but if you manage to sink it, that’s worth the most points. If more than one person sinks their ball, then they will keep putting until we have a winner. Whoever gets closest to the hole without going past it completely will win Immunity and be safe from elimination at tonight’s Tribal Council.”

“The lineup was randomly chosen beforehand, so if you’ll all take up a putter and ball and get in line…”

(Later…)

Couscous was up first. She stared at the putter in her hand with an unsure expression.

“Couscous is up first. You may go whenever.”

Couscous gave her golf ball a hit with the putter, but she didn’t hit it hard enough and the ball only travelled a short distance before coming to a stop.

“Not a very good putt. That’s on the tenth ring out of fifteen.”

“Hey! Ah wanna do-over!” Couscous said. “Ah wasn’t ready!”

“Sorry, Couscous. You only get one shot.”

Couscous pouted.

Wallace was next. He appeared to be sizing up how long it was to the hole.

“You can go whenever you want, Wallace.”

Wallace nodded and made his attempt at a putt. The ball travelled much further than Couscous’ did before coming to rest a few lines away from the hold.

“Not bad. That’s the fourth ring. Wallace takes the lead.”

“I’ll take it for now.” Wallace nodded.

Yorgue walked up to the starting spot, looking a little unsure herself. Yorgue dropped the ball and prepared to hit it.

“You can go whenever you want, Yorgue.”

Yorgue made her attempt and hit her ball. However, she didn’t hit it hard enough to get it to the hole. In fact, her ball ended up near Wallace’s ball.

“That’s the fourth ring as well. Yorgue is now tied with Wallace.”

“Seriously? I think I’m a few inches further than he is.” Yorgue pointed out.

“You need to go a full ring closer to the hole.”

Mitchell approached the starting spot and put his ball down. He took a deep breath to prepare himself.

“You may hit the ball, Mitchell.”

Mitchell putted his ball towards the hole, but like Couscous, he didn’t hit the ball hard enough. Mitchell’s ball went past Couscous’, but couldn’t catch the others.

“That’s only the seventh ring, Mitchell. It’s not good enough.”

Mitchell sighed. “So much for that.” He lamented as he walked away.

Donny walked past Mitchell and put his ball down on the starting spot. “Okay. Just need to hit it a little harder than I think I should.” He muttered to himself.

“Go ahead, Donny.”

Donny pulled back and hit the ball with his putter. However, unlike the others, he actually hit his ball TOO hard and the golf ball sailed straight past the hole and out of play.

“You hit it too hard, Donny. That’s no score for you.”

“Ugh! Seriously?!” Donny asked.

Monna Lisa was next and gave a sigh. “Too bad I can’t use telekinesis here.” She lamented as she grabbed her putter.

“Go ahead, Monna Lisa.”

The pink-haired girl gave her ball a hit and sent it rolling away. Even though she hit it relatively-hard, she only made it as far as Mitchell’s attempt.

“That’s the seventh ring, Monna Lisa. Not good enough.”

“I wasn’t sure of my chances anyway.” Monna Lisa sighed.

Jericho walked up and put his ball down. “This should be relatively simple.” He noted. “I’m sure I can get it closer than the fourth ring.”

“Go ahead, Jericho.”

Jericho made his attempt and hit his ball. The ball rolled along the green for a while, passing both Wallace and Yorgue’s balls before coming to rest a couple of rings closer to the hole.

“That’s the second ring. Jericho now takes the lead.”

“Pretty good, and there’s only a few people left.” Jericho smirked.

Helen walked up next, looking a little unsure. Nevertheless, the dark-haired girl dropped her ball and prepared to hit it.

“Go ahead, Helen.”

Helen hit her ball, but like a couple of others, didn’t hit it hard enough. The ball rolled just past Couscous’ ball, but not much further than that as it came to a stop.

“Not good enough, Helen.”

“What did you expect?” Helen asked with a sigh. “I’ve never played sports until coming here.”

Matt confidently walked up to the starting spot and put his ball down. He gave a smirk as he prepared to hit the ball, but paused to look at the distance to the hole.

“Go ahead, Matt.”

“Just a minute.” Matt said. He wet his finger and stuck it into the air to test wind direction. Satisfied, Matt hit his ball and sent it rolling along the green. Everyone watched as Matt’s ball rolled past theirs effortlessly, easily coming up to the hole and dropping in.

“Matt sinks his ball. He now takes the lead.”

“Show off.” Monna Lisa muttered.

Yessica was the last to go, and approached the starting spot, dropping her ball in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Yessica prepared to hit it.

“Here’s where we stand. In order to stay in the game, Yessica NEEDS to get her ball in the hole. If she misses, Matt will win.” SSBFreak announced. “You can go whenever, Yessica.”

“Thanks for the pressure.” Yessica muttered as she hit her ball and sent it rolling towards the hole. She passed several of the others, but it started slowing down earlier than expected. Yessica’s ball narrowly made it past Wallace and Yorgue’s, but no further than that.

“Not good enough! The challenge is over!” SSBFreak announced. “Matt wins Immunity!”

“Awesome!” Matt cheered.

(Later…)

“Congratulations on winning Immunity, Matt. You have a one-in-nine shot at winning the game.” SSBFreak said as he handed the Immunity Necklace to Matt.

“Thanks. Feels good to win something for yourself.” Matt nodded.

SSBFreak turned to the other players. “Matt is safe tonight, but I’ll be seeing you all tonight at Tribal Council regardless, where you will vote another person out of the game.” He said. “I’ll give you the rest of the day to decide how your vote is going to go, but for now, you can head back to camp.”

(Miyawata Tribe)

“Matt won Immunity, which is bad for us since we totally could have used it. Now we have some scrambling to thanks to that yutz.” Monna Lisa said flatly. “Well, Couscous and I are obviously targets, so we need to make sure we’re voting for the same person here.”

“I think we need to vote for Helen.” Mitchell explained.

“Why her? She ain’t doin’ anythin’.” Couscous lifted an eyebrow.

“Exactly. She could easily slip through the cracks while we’re clashing with Jericho, and Jericho’s liable to use his charms to sway her.” Mitchell explained. “I don’t know about you girls, but I don’t want that happening.”

“That’s a good point. Would Helen FALL for him?” Monna Lisa asked.

“Wiff all dose new feelings she’s got, Ah wouldn’t be surprised if love were among dem.” Couscous shook her head. “Is Yessica on board?”

“Yeah. I think so, although she would prefer we take out Jericho now.” Mitchell nodded.

“Den why don’t we?!”

“Because if we’re going to sway someone to vote with us, we can’t target the guy they like.”

“Ugh…Ah just really wanna vote dat prick outta da game already! Why can’t it be easier ta get people ta vote him outta here?!” Couscous asked. “But Ah guess he’s right. Who else would be wantin’ ta git rid of him when he’s da one dey all frickin’ adore?!”

Meanwhile, Jericho and Matt were talking to Yorgue and Helen, discussing the vote.

“So you girls are okay with voting out Couscous?” Jericho asked.

“Sure! She’s kind of annoying, anyway.” Helen nodded.

“I’m in, but only because it’s you and so we can finally move on after we get rid of her.” Yorgue said. “This has gone on way too long.”

“Believe me, Yorgue. I agree.” Jericho nodded.

“Couscous has been running on borrowed time for a couple weeks now. Once I get rid of her, I’ll move onto Monna Lisa and then I’ll worry about the others.” Jericho explained. “I just need to hope that they don’t have the idol, but considering that they didn’t use it last time even though they were both targets, I’m not as worried there.”

“I want to use my idol, but I have no idea who else is a target here. I mean, if even a great leader like Jericho is capable of getting votes, then no one’s safe.” Helen shook her head. “Maybe I’d better hold onto it for now and see if I can pick up anything at Tribal Council. This is going to be something no one’s going to see coming!”

Later on, Donny and Wallace were talking about the vote, just before the tribe was preparing to leave.

“So who’s getting out vote, Wallace?” Donny asked. “Two sides have come to us for votes.”

“They both made good arguments.” Wallace said. “We’re going to need to make a decision quickly.”

“What’s stopping us from voting our own way and forcing a tiebreaker?” Donny asked with a smirk.

“Because that would reveal ourselves and we don’t want any attention, do we?” Wallace quizzed.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Basically, we’re going to vote for either Helen or Couscous tonight and the other next time we go to Council. We just don’t know who’s going first.” Donny said. “We know we hold the power of the vote, here. We just need to make a choice of which side we feel safer angering first.”

(Tribal Council)

The ten remaining players walked into Tribal Council, carrying their torches. Everyone sat down as they waited for the council to commence.

“Before we begin, let’s bring out the current members of the jury.” SSBFreak explained. “Although, at the moment, it only consists of Zita, who was vote out at the last Tribal Council.”

Everyone watched as Zita walked into council and over to a nearby bench for jury members. She was wearing a white shirt underneath a green jacket (which, by the way, was covered in dollar signs) and a pair of black pants. Zita walked over to the bench and sat down.

“Zita is only here to see the outcome of this council. You are not to address her and she will not address you.” SSBFreak said before he started asking questions. “Wallace, you and Zita were close. How did you take her elimination?”

“It was hard, for sure. Part of me is still reeling from how the vote went that night.” Wallace explained. “I went into that council expecting it to be a clear vote.”

“How do you mean?”

“Jericho came to me and said he had the numbers. Considering how the vote went, that obviously wasn’t the case.” Wallace said.

Jericho’s eyes widened. “Hey! Don’t blame me for this, Wallace! I was just as surprised as you were!” He explained. “I went into council thinking we were all on board!”

“Well, ya weren’t. And yer face was frickin’ priceless.” Couscous smirked.

“Care to explain yourself, Jericho?” SSBFreak asked.

“I thought I had the majority of people on my side at that vote. The plan was to split the votes between Couscous and Monna Lisa with the chance of them playing an idol.” Jericho explained. “I didn’t think that the vote could get as hectic as it was, let alone those two getting a third vote from somewhere!”

“Thanks for making your intentions so clear, Mr. Genius.” Monna Lisa said.

“What’s your take on this, Couscous? You and Jericho have been at odds for a while.” SSBFreak said.

“Jericho walks around thinkin’ like he’s frickin’ royalty and that his plans are foolproof.” Couscous smirked. “Dat’s nuthin’ but a bunch a crap.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Jericho folded his arms.

“You’ve been targeting us fer da last three weeks, and da two of us are STILL here, dipwad. Yer plans ain’t as foolproof as ya think.” Couscous said. “Think about dat fer a second!”

“She’s got him there.” Zita mused.

“Matt, is this true?” SSBFreak asked.

“Couscous raises a couple of good points. If Jericho really WAS in control of the votes, Couscous and Monna Lisa would have been voted out long ago.” Matt replied. “We’ve already lost a few allies since we’ve started.”

“You guys aren’t the only ones, you know.” Yessica replied sharply. “A few curveballs were thrown at us.”

“Yeah, like Kasimar getting ejected or Xyly breaking her arm. Can’t really expect things like that.” Matt shrugged.

“So who do you think is responsible, Matt?” SSBFreak asked.

“I couldn’t tell you.” Matt shook his head.

“Helen, where does the vote appear to be headed?” SSBFreak asked.

“Well, it seems that the plan from last time is still in play.” Helen replied. “We’re doubting that the girls have the idol since they didn’t make the attempt to play it last time.”

“You think that may be because they knew they would have the majority in that messed-up council?” Yorgue asked flatly.

Helen paused in thought. “I…Never thought about that.” She admitted. Couscous and Monna Lisa smirked.

“I’m still in the dark here. I wonder who it was…” Zita mused from the bench.

“Okay. I think that’s enough questions. But before I continue, I have to ask.” SSBFreak said. “Matt, you have Immunity. Are you keeping it?”

“After the vote from last time? Duh.”

“With that, Matt is immune and cannot be voted out. It’s not time to vote.” SSBFreak said. “Yessica, you’re up.”

Yessica stood up and left the hut to go vote. The blonde girl approached the table and scribbled a name down before voting and walking away.

Jericho scribbled a name down and revealed Couscous’ name. “You’ve been a thorn in my side for too long.” He said before voting and walking back.

Monna Lisa silently walked up to the table and wrote a name down. The pink-haired girl again decided not to show off with her powers and voted by hand.

Wallace took a deep breath as he approached the table and wrote a name down. “I hope this is the right choice.” He said as he voted and walked away.

Mitchell wrote a name down and showed it, revealing Helen’s name. “Jericho’s probably already got you wrapped around his finger.” He said as he voted and walked away.

Yorgue gave a sigh as she wrote a name down. “I wish I could just vote for Mitchell…” She muttered as she voted and walked back to the hut.

Donny walked up to the table and wrote a name down. “Vote one way this time and another the next.” He muttered as he voted and left the table.

Couscous walked up to the table and revealed her vote. “Yer getting’ unstable, kid. And Jericho’s probably using dat ta his advantage.” She said, having voted for Helen.

Helen wrote a name down and also showed it. “Jericho wants you out the most. Hope you don’t take this personally.” She said simply, having voted for Couscous.

Matt was the last to vote. He walked up to the table and scribbled a name down silently, returning to the hut as quick as he had come.

Once all ten players voted, SSBFreak left to fetch the urn and returned with it moments later. “When I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately.” SSBFreak explained. Helen decided to hang onto her idol for now. “It’s time to read the votes…”

“…First vote; Couscous.” Couscous stared flatly.

“Couscous.” “Yeah, yeah.”

“…Helen. It’s 2-1.” Helen’s eyes widened, regretting not using the idol now.

“Couscous.” “Sunuvah…”

“Helen.” Helen bit her lip.

“…Helen. It’s tied at three.” The two in question exchanged glances.

“Couscous. She leads.” Couscous narrowed her eyes.

“Helen. It’s tied at four.” The council was silent in anticipation.

“…Couscous.” Couscous cursed under her breath. “Last vote, second person on the jury and eleventh person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…”

“…Couscous. You need to bring me your torch.” SSBFreak said.

Couscous growled as she stood up and snatched her torch. “Yer gonna pay for dis, ya frickin’ prick!” She snapped at Jericho.

“I’m not the one eliminated, Couscous. Give him your torch already.” Jericho smirked.

“You’ll get yers eventually.” Couscous muttered as she walked over to the host.

“Couscous, the tribe has spoken.” SSBFreak said as he extinguished Couscous’ torch. “It’s time for you to go.”

“Yer all gonna starve wiffout me!” Couscous called out as she stalked out of council and vanished from sight.

Once Couscous was gone, SSBFreak turned to face the remaining players. “Couscous is gone and it’s clear that wasn’t the result she was expecting.” SSBFreak explained. “Two people are on the jury now, but in a moment, that number will increase to three.”

Monna Lisa’s visible eye widened. “We’re having another vote?!” She asked.

“Yes, but first, another Immunity Challenge…”

“Ugh! How’d dat frickin’ prettyboy prick outlast me?! Ah ain’t nevah gunna hear da end of dis now!” Couscous moaned. “Mitch and Monna, ya’d better get back at dat idiot fer me! Ah’m countin’ on ya!”

(Tribal Council)

The nine remaining players were positioned in front of small campfires, each with a piece of string tied across a couple of beams over it. It was clear what the challenge would be.

“In this next Immunity Challenge, the object is simple: Make a fire. You need to make a fire big enough to burn through the string you have tied to the flag at your station.” SSBFreak said. “When the string is burnt all the way through, your flag will raise. The first person to raise their flag will win Immunity and be safe from elimination.”

“Okay. For Immunity, Survivors ready…” SSBFreak said. “…Go!”

The nine players quickly went to work on the fire, making several attempts to get one started. Everyone appeared to be evenly-matched.

“Come on. I can set fire to things with my mind.” Monna Lisa muttered. “Doing it by hand shouldn’t be that much harder…”

“Just be patient. Just be patient.” Yessica told herself.

The challenge continued, a few people starting to make some headway, as they were seeing some smoke starting to appear. This just made the others press on harder and step up their efforts.

Zita watched the challenge from the jury bench, wondering who would emerge on top. She was obviously rooting for Wallace and Yessica, but knew that the challenge could still go any way at this point.

“Looks like a few people are starting to fall behind already…” SSBFreak noted.

Indeed, there were a few people that still hadn’t managed to start a bit of smoke. Helen, Mitchell and Donny were the only ones that still had yet to start smoke. Meanwhile, Jericho and Monna Lisa had just managed to get a small flame going, although Wallace managed to start one as well a few seconds later.

Building on their flames, Jericho and Monna Lisa started pulling ahead with Wallace right behind them. As their flames got bigger, Yorgue, Yessica and Matt managed to get small flames going, but still trailing the leaders by quite a bit.

“Okay. I can still do this.” Matt mused. “Just need to work fast here.”

Fires continued to build, getting bigger and bigger with each moment. By this point, the trailing three players had finally managed to get some fires going, but by that point, the three leaders already had some sizable fires going. Wallace had even managed to catch up to Jericho and Monna Lisa and the three seemed evenly-matched by now.

“Wallace is determined to prove that he’s still in this.” SSBFreak said.

“You got this, Wallace.” Zita said as she sat back.

The challenge continued as everyone worked on their fires, no one backing out despite there still being a huge gap in between the leaders and trailing players now. Mitchell was starting to pull ahead of Donny and Helen, but at this point it hardly mattered to any of them.

The leaders were getting dangerously close to burning their strings. It was a tight race for first at this point, and it was near impossible to tell which of the three would be the one to come out on top.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for some, one of the strings was burned through and the winning flag was raised. In a matter of seconds, the other two flags were raised, but at this point, it didn’t matter. Monna Lisa could only stare in disbelief and disappointment as the victor stood up and cheered.

Jericho had won.

“That’s it! The challenge is over and Jericho wins Immunity!” SSBFreak said.

Everyone sat down in their seats again as SSBFreak handed Jericho the Immunity Necklace. “Congratulations on winning Immunity, Jericho. You have a one-in-eight shot at winning the game.” He said. “And now, without giving anyone any time to do any strategy, it’s time to vote once again. Yessica, you’re up.”

Yessica stood up and left the hut to go vote again. Giving a sigh, Yessica scribbled a name down and put the ballot into the urn.

Jericho gave a triumphant smirk as he revealed his vote. “Two birds with one stone. The perfect opportunity.” He said, having voted for Monna Lisa.

Monna Lisa gave a disappointed sigh as she also revealed her vote. “Probably won’t make a difference, but I’m voting for you anyway.” She said, having voted for Helen again.

Wallace was giving a light smirk as he approached the table. The orange-haired man wrote a name down and put his ballot into the urn.

Mitchell walked up to the table and wrote a name. “I just hope the others stick with the plan.” He muttered as he voted and walked away.

Yorgue approached the table silently and wrote a name down. The red alien woman put her ballot into the urn of votes and turned around to leave the table again.

Donny confidently walked up to the voting table and scribbled a name down. The short man put his ballot into the voting jar silently as he returned to the hut.

Helen wrote a name down and revealed it to be Monna Lisa’s. “You were next after Couscous. I’m assuming this is what Jericho wants.” She said as she voted.

Matt was again the last to vote as he approached the table and wrote a name down. The dark-haired man quickly put his ballot in and walked back to the hut.

Once all nine players voted, SSBFreak left to fetch the urn again and returned with it moments later. “When I read the names, the person with the most votes will be asked to bring forward their torch and leave Tribal Council immediately.” He said. Helen, more confident about the vote, decided not to play the idol again. “It’s time to read the votes…”

“…First vote; Monna Lisa.” Monna Lisa sat back and sighed.

“Helen.” Helen remained quiet.

“Helen.” Again, Helen remained silent.

“Monna Lisa. We’re tied at two.” The council was quiet, as if they were expecting the vote.

“Monna Lisa.” Monna Lisa folded her arms.

“Helen.” Helen did the same.

“…Helen.” Helen lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

“…Monna Lisa. We’re tied at four.” Now the council was quiet for a different reason. Most weren’t expecting that vote. “Last vote, third member of the jury and eleventh person voted out of Survivor: Central Hub…”

“…Helen. You need to bring me your torch.” SSBFreak said.

Helen seemed stunned. “But…How did that just happen?! I thought the vote was a sure thing!” She exclaimed.

Giving a sigh, Helen stood up and grabbed her torch, but not before quietly passing something into Yorgue’s hand (as she was sitting beside her). Helen brought her torch to the host.

“Helen, the tribe has spoken.” SSBFreak said as he extinguished Helen’s torch. “It’s time for you to go.”

“I had fun, and I still haven’t gotten used to saying that.” Helen said as she walked out of council and vanished from sight.

Once Helen was gone, SSBFreak turned to face the remaining players. “Two people are gone in one night, and it’s clear that you were all surprised by at least one thing that happened tonight. Eight of you remain and we’re getting closer to our finale.” SSBFreak explained. “I can only guess that you will be picking up your games to ensure that you will be one of the ones there. You can all head back to camp.”

The surviving eight players stood up, collected their torches and left Tribal Council. Yorgue brought up the rear, looking on in confusion. She wondered how that second vote even happened after it looked like the vote was a sure thing after eliminating Couscous. Yorgue glanced at what Helen had given her and her eyes widened when she saw that it was the Harrack Immunity Idol…

“I’m let down that I didn’t get as much of a chance to enjoy the game as I would have liked, but I guess I have only myself to blame for taking so long to start enjoying it.” Helen lamented. “Still, I’m glad I had this chance, and I think it’s given me a new outlook on life.”

Voting History 1:
Couscous – Donny, Helen, Jericho, Matt, Wallace and Yorgue
Helen – Couscous, Mitchell, Monna Lisa and Yessica

Voting History 2:
Helen – Donny, Mitchell, Monna Lisa, Wallace and Yessica
Monna Lisa – Helen, Jericho, Mattt and Yorgue