Survivor: Ghost Island - Episode Twelve Recap - A Giant Game of Bumper Cars
It's already day 31 on Survivor: Ghost Island. The end is in sight with the remaining eight castaways. What did you miss last night? Only the tear-jerking episode of the season -- Family visits!
Reward Challenge / Ghost Island
This episode is always the one that'll get your eyes to water. The remaining castaways had to battle it out for a picnic reward of ribs, cookies, and ice cream. To make things sweeter? They also win time with their loved ones.
Their families are what these castaways are fighting for, and it's finally time to get them reunited again. As the eight castaways get greeted by their individual loved ones, it's always emotional for us viewers to watch. At one point in the episode, host Jeff Probst even gets a little choked up when talking to Angela as she was hugging her daughter. Angela served in the military, and her daughter was so strong when she explained to everyone how proud she was of her mom. Probst's voice cracks when he says to Angela,
"You served our military, and as a result, you sacrifice your own family."
It's quite amazing to see how strong these castaways truly are.
This challenge consisted of an obstacle of balancing on a beam, digging through sand, crawling, racing, and tossing a bean bag. It was a close one, and a hard one to watch because all of their loved ones were cheering them on.
In the end, it was Sabastian who won the reward and was able to spend time with his sister who came to visit. Sabastian also got the chance to invite three people and their family members along with him on the reward. He picked Dom, followed by Wendell, and lastly, Donathan. The ladies left were not very happy about it.
The last twist in this reward was Probst telling Sea-Bass that he had to send someone to Ghost Island. This visit would not just be any visit to Ghost Island though, and this person would receive an automatic advantage. Sebastian was allowed to pick someone he already rewarded, or the girls left standing.
Sebastian asked the guys he invited to join with first, and immediately Wendell says he wants to go to Ghost Island. Because of this, he had to say goodbye to his Dad, and not go on the reward with him. He then shares that his dad encouraged him to.
At Ghost Island, Wendell had received an advantage from season 25 of Survivor. In that season, popular castaway, Malcolm, was so close to making it to the final four. At this time, Malcolm received this same advantage to make it to the next round. The advantage was a second chance in the next Individual Immunity Challenge. The advantage did not work for Malcolm though, as he got voted out that same night. Now, six years later, the tainted advantage has matured for Wendell to use again. Will he reverse this curse at the next challenge? Did Wendell make a smart move volunteering to go to Ghost Island?
Individual Immunity Challenge
It was all about strength and balance in this week's Immunity Challenge. The castaways had to battle it out by balancing a metal ball onto a cylinder. This cylinder would have to be held together by total arm strength, and along each level, the cylinder would grow longer.
Since Wendell went to Ghost Island, he received the advantage of a second shot. If he dropped his ball at any point, he would get another try at the challenge. This advantage was used quick though, as Wendell dropped with still six castaways left in the round. It didn't last long, and Wendell's advantage remained cursed because he dropped instantly after, once again.
Level by level, the challenge got tougher. It was down to a showdown between Donathan and Dom. After shaking tremendously and pushing through, it was Dom who won this challenge. What does this mean for his buddy Wendell though?
Tribal Council
While the boys were gone at reward and Ghost Island, Kellyn declared a war. She wasn't thrilled with being left behind and even shares how pissed she was to the remaining ladies. She's ready to take the driver seat of this game and vote out Wendell.
This would be a perfect blindside if Kellyn were smart enough to pull it off. Angela, Chelsea, and Kellyn would be voting Wendell, and it was just time to convince the two original Malolo members, Laurel and Donathan, to vote along with them.
Since Kellyn wrote Laurel's name down not once, but TWICE last week, it's hard for her to trust her. However, Laurel knows that she's in a hard spot in the game -- right in the middle. She says that if she goes along with the girls and they vote out Wendell, she can probably win against those remaining girls later on. The problem though is she isn't sure if she can actually trust them to get her to the finals. On the other hand, she trusts both Dom and Wendell but believes she doesn't have a great shot at winning if she's sitting next to them.
It's a hard spot to be in, as both Laurel and Donathan are in the middle. At Tribal, Donathan has been famous for dropping bombs and be very blunt. He continues his behavior and shares that the six have always been "Naviti Strong" until tonight. He says there's undoubtedly a crack in the alliance, and they're ready to play the game. Donathan says that there could be a blindside in this crack, and even says it out loud to everyone. Laurel and Donathan are running this show right now.
It wasn't clear where the votes would lay, only knowing that the three girls, Chelsea, Angela, and Kellyn would be voting Wendell, and the other guys, Sebastian, Wendell, and Dom decided to vote Chelsea. At one point, Chelsea referred the votes to a "giant game of bumper cars." Every man for himself, it's time to fight it out and hit hard. The bumper car battle essentially had to be steered by Laurel and Donathan's decision.
In the end, they decided that trust is in their favor, and went with the guys. This meant that Wendell did NOT get voted out and Chelsea did. She tried, but it was Donathan and Laurel who still couldn't trust Kellyn.
Was this a smart move? I think so! It's time to get the strongest players against each other, and that's exactly what's happening now! Laurel and Donathan are those underdogs in this season, aren't they? They're definitely my favorites right now. The Finale is coming soon. Tweet me your predictions @mick_cloudy!
Don't miss Survivor: Ghost Island Wednesday's at 8/7c on CBS and don't miss my recaps every week!
