Last night's episode of "Survivor: Second Chance," wasn't the most exciting one we've seen this season, but then again, even an OK episode this season is still a good episode. There was another scary medical situation, another blindside and alliances finally started to form...with just a week left in the game. Host Jeff Probst revealed some things about the upcoming finale in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, as well.
During the Reward Challenge, Keith proved he may be the biggest threat as he was always neck-and-neck with Joe, and won this temple reward, taking Spencer and Kelley with him to get blessed and indulge in what looked like an Italian feast. These three made a pact to go to final three together, making the decision to take out Tasha next and just hoping that Abi can remain loyal to them and not go all crazy on them - which is a risk since you never know which side of Abi you're going to get.
The rest of the tribe - Jeremy, Tasha, Kimmi and Abi - decided they wanted to vote Keith out since he just became the biggest threat challenge-wise, but as some time went on, they decided Abi was the one they wanted out next as she wasn't very loyal and was always changing her mind. Jeremy made a very good point when he said, "Is Abi a Scorpio? Because she Scorpio's are crazy."
While taking out Abi, who is someone who could flip at any moment, may have seemed like a good idea at that moment, it may not be a good idea in the long run since Abi is somebody you want to be sitting next to in the end. She is not well-liked on the show and the members of the jury would never vote to give her the million dollars. So voting Abi out might have seemed like a good idea since you never know what she is going to do, but was it a good strategy to win? Possibly not.
During the Immunity Challenge, Jeremy and Spencer were neck-and-neck pretty much the entire time, and a majority of the time nobody else even had a chance. It was a tough challenge physically as it involved a lot of running, swimming, strength and then a quick mind game at the end, which Spencer ended up solving in record-breaking time, beating Jeremy by just seconds. While host Jeff Probst was getting ready to put the elite Immunity Idol around Spencer's neck, everybody seemed to notice that Tasha was still way out in the water, struggling and holding on to her buoy. As she called for help, Probst was already telling the medical team to go pull her out of the water where she was having trouble. Turns out, she got way too tired and took in a lot of water, but after they pulled her out and she rested on one of the floating wood blocks for a while, they told her she was OK to get back in the game.
After 33 days in the hot Cambodian weather, eating barely any food and fighting for their lives to win this game, you could just see the exhaustion on all of their faces and bodies. Sometimes, it gets the best of you at the worst moments. Just like we saw with Joe last week, the same thing happened to Tasha this week. She pushed herself so hard that she couldn't push any more, and it's times like these where you realize just how much these contestants would do for the sake of "Survivor."
"I was so far away from Tasha and didn't realize how tired she had gotten," Probst admits to Entertainment Weekly. "Fortunately, we always have safety divers in every water challenge. They are just on the outside of the course always watching. I know from talking with Tasha that she was exhausted but ignored the signs and kept pushed herself harder and harder until her legs simply gave out. She had no energy left. I'm sure from her point of view those safety swimmers seemed far away but as you saw, the minute she said she needed help, they were there to save her life."
When it came time for Tribal Council, Kelley, Keith and Spencer still had plans to vote Tasha out, and Abi still seemed to be on their side. Jeremy and Tasha approached Spencer with a plan to get Abi out along with Kimmi, and suddenly Spencer - who had the Immunity Idol around his neck - was the deciding factor and it seemed that he had no idea what he was going to do. During Tribal Council, Probst started to make everyone who thought they had set alliances realize that there really aren't every "set" alliances, and that there still is no trust in the game whatsoever. In the end, Spencer stayed true to Jeremy and Tasha, the alliance that had stuck by his side the most and had brought him that far, and Abi was blindsided and sent home.
"I think Abi caused a lot of havoc and definitely impacted the game," Probst continued. "You could not simply ignore Abi because she has a vote and you need that vote - and often Abi was a loyal vote. But there is an invoice and it's a steep one. You have to both live with her and ultimately have faith she will do what she says she's going to do. And you have to do this knowing that the slightest thing might upset her and then all bets are off."
Next week is the finale and Jeremy, Spencer, Tasha, Kimmi, Keith and Kelley remain. At this point, it's anyone's game and Probst weighed in on his thoughts and from what he had to say, it sounds like it's going to be the greatest finale in "Survivor" history.
"The finale is...phenomenal. Historic. Unpredictable. And ultimately satisfying," he explained to Entertainment Weekly. "I think it will cap off, in grand fashion, what most fans will regard as one of - if not THE greatest season of 'Survivor.' I have absolutely loved the way this group played. I am proud and impressed by the level of fierce dedication to playing to win. Everybody went big. I hope future players take a note from this season. You want to be a part of something amazing? You want a shot at being asked back? You want to be remembered? You have to play big. You have to remember that if there are 20 people playing, 95 percent of you will lose. So you truly have very little to lose. GO BIG or do yourself and your family a favor and STAY HOME :)"
