Last week on Paradise Hotel Tanya left the game, leaving Mikey without his girlfriend and the originals (OGs) in a state of weakness. That drama continued first thing tonight as everyone realized Tanya was gone. Mikey was hit the hardest as Myrna, his new roommate who was the same girl who sent Tanya home, locked him out of his own room. She said she was scared of what he might do or say, but that’s her own fault. The rest of the OGs weren’t happy with the decision of Tanya going either. All said that Myrna was now enemy number one and wanted her out first chance they got.

The next day a new arrival stepped foot into Paradise…. kind of. Zack, who was on the first season of Paradise Hotel, is the new arrival for season 2 and is also the last person entering the game. If you’ve seen the first season you know that Zack is very explosive. He was kicked out for saying he would beat up another guy on the show. Zack also fell in love on the first season. He was on the “Tanya” end of things with Amy as a new guy sent him packing as Myrna sent Tanya packing. I never expected to see anyone from the first season turn up again, besides Toni maybe, and Zack returning will surely stir up the pot.

With the game completely split down the middle it’s obvious that Zack will decide which group moves on to the “grand prize”. He seemed to gravitate more towards the originals, maybe because he was once one himself. He seemed to click well with Mike after reading Tanya’s letter. She let him know how close her and Mike was and it seems like Zack came in with perfect timing. Both he and Mike felt similar feelings on Paradise Hotel so they will obviously have a bond. The question is will that bond turn into some sort of alliance, we shall wait and see.

Since we are getting close to the end the people at Paradise let the guests out on a little trip. The guys were sent on a deep sea fishing trip while the girls got almost everything waxed. Now I can see how fishing is fun but how is waxing a reward? Maybe it’s a girl thing. On the guy’s trip they all let Zack know about the girls. Myrna was the one brought up the most and the OGs continued to work on Zack that she’s one to watch out for.

While the guests were lounging at the pool some interesting things happened. The OGs basically swarmed around Zack, not allowing any of the newbies to talk to him. This could be a plan of attack but it doesn’t seem that way. Zack could easily go and talk to the others himself but he just doesn’t seem to want to. It was then announced that the originals and newbies would split up and each have a separate dinner. I’m not sure if the show wanted Zack to finally have some time with the other group or if it was all planned out before hand. It was interesting to see Myrna put on the spot for once and told she’s very “valley girlish”. Zack told her to not put any makeup on or get dressed up for dinner but she didn’t care to listen. It then turned into a semi-fight so I assume anything between the two was quickly squashed.

After dinner everyone regathered for a good old game of “truth or dare”. That game can never lead to any good and it actually seemed to hurt the OGs a ton. Lauren was asked to pick the person she found most attractive and kiss them. Her and James have been close the entire season but she decided to pick Zack. James didn’t like this too much and retaliated by doing the same to Myrna. Lauren didn’t seem to care, which angered James more. It also set Zack up for a switch to the newbies as he realized he would never be safe with the OGs. It is smart what he’s thinking as Lauren and Krista would never select him over Mikey, James or Ryan. At the very end we saw the start of something new as Zack woke Chris up to tell him that he wants a final four deal with himself, Chris, Stephanie and TD. Should be an interesting next episode as it seems the Paradise Hotel casino is back up. If I remember correctly, that caused some drama last time around so who knows what it will bring this time.

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With a merge approaching it was time to return to Micronesia. We first returned to Malakal beach where Ami was just voted out. Erik was sure happy about it, as he should have been, and hoped a merge was approaching. That really is the only thing I think that would keep him in the game since well, he would surely have been the next voted out. The next morning Cirie announced to the foursome that it was time for a merge. They were told to quickly pack their belongings and head out to a new location. Erik was obviously excited as was Amanda. She was dieing to see Parvati and reunite the ‘love square’.

Over at Arai they all thought Erik would surely be the one out. I mean he WAS the sole fan left on the tribe so it was 99% clear that he would go. Eliza was the only one they showed commenting on the other sides tribal and she wanted Ami to stay. I don’t think she had any clue that Ami would go and was planning on joining back up with her and the fans come merge. She had no idea that her worst nightmare was about to hit her as the two invisible girls, Natalie and Alexis, announced the merge to the rest.

When the two tribes met at their “new location” they quickly reconnected. Parvati and Amanda clung to each other while the fans flocked to Erik. Eliza and Jason kind of just stood around and it was obvious they were on the outs. With Ami not there Eliza wasn’t to happy. She had no clue why she went and let us know she was basically screwed. Her plan was not going to work, since her main friend and alliance was gone, and Eliza knew she had little time left in the game.

As the tribes started to feast they quickly learned they wouldn’t be staying at their current location. They had decide which beach to go to and everyone decided Malakal would be the spot. The fans tribe was crap, not sure why they put them there to begin with, so Malakal was the obvious choice. A few interesting things went down at the feast. One was James eating a bat. Seriously, why? I mean there is no reason to even try them when you have so much great stuff there to choose from. Of course it was James so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The other thing was Erik’s tribe name. He told everyone that in Micronesia good translates to “Dabu”. They all believed the kid so I guess that shows how smart the others are as well.

When everyone got back to the beach everything seemed to switch to the girls. Eliza tried to get out of Parvati what was going on with the Favorites alliance and she told her that it was longer happening it seems. Eliza didn’t like that too much but Parvati had other news to break. She’s been making deals dealing with Amanda for awhile now. She finally told Amanda what of a mess “they” are in and Amanda didn’t like that to much. She can’t seem to stand Alexis, since she’s stealing Ozzy away, and wants her gone. Too bad though since Parvati has put her in an alliance with Alexis who oddly has found her time on the show. Jason, on the other hand, continues to dominate the screen for some reason. Maybe it’s his cockiness but for some reason I liked him this episode since he wanted to help Eliza. He promised her he’d give her the hidden stick if he won the individual immunity. Little did she know it was just a hidden stick and not a hidden idol.

The immunity challenge was a copy from the first Palau but at least it was a good one. I was wondering when they’d be doing this one again and was glad to see it back! What they had to do was stand under a great which was in the water. As the tide rose it became harder and harder as they had to keep trying to breath through the great. All the girls dropped out first and then Erik. James was next to go after a long wait and it was then down to the two fish boys: Ozzy and Jason. Both had a similar strategy, to breath through their hands. Ozzy, who was my bet to win, struggled towards the end and gave the win to Jason. Of course he had to ruin it by saying he “dominated the entire challenge”. It wasn’t a challenge anyone COULD  dominate in but I was happy that he beat the once unbeatable Ozzy. Hopefully it knocks him down a bit and I’ll forgive the fact, this time, it was at the cost of listening to Jason say he ‘dominated’ for about the millionth time.

Back at camp things were not looking good for Eliza. Parvati basically turned everyone against her so it was pretty much set she would go. But wait! We have the hidden stick! Jason quickly whipped it out and gave it to Eliza, making one of the BEST moment of Survivor in a long time. She let him have it, telling him it wasn’t an idol and nothing but a stick. Of course he didn’t believe it and she decided to play it anyway. I guess she had nothing to lose. Amanda, on the other hand, made a move to get Alexis out for stealing her man away. Cirie went with it and I think her and Amanda will be very tight from here on out.

At Tribal Council things went a little insane. Alexis out shined everyone by giving Jeff fodder for further questions. Alexis answer to what makes someone a threat basically explained herself and allowed Cirie to call her the “triple threat”. It’s obvious Alexis and Amanda will have it out sometime and hopefully sooner then later. Eliza was the next to be attacked by the one and only Parvati. She told Eliza that everyone basically hates her and that she has played a horrible game. Eliza seemed to agree but then again she thought she had the idol. When the votes were all in Eliza decided to hand Jeff the stick. He let them know the rules of the idol and in the end confirmed what we knew, it was only a stick. Eliza then took the opportunity to let everyone know it was Jason who found it and that Ozzy hid it, meaning he has the original. Ozzy then finally fessed up to it, making Eliza’s departure to have some meaning. She was in fact then voted out, with only Jason and herself voting for Ozzy. Next week it seems Cirie turns the pot again by suggesting Ozzy and the idol get the boot. Will it happen? I’ll believe it when I see it.

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FINALLY we are back in Survivor land. We start off two weeks ago when Tracy was voted out of Malakal. If you can remember that far, she let Ozzy have it during Tribal Council and basically called him out as the ultimate leader of the tribe. When they got back to the beach, Ozzy seemed pretty upset that she called him out like that and I think he finally realized that he isn’t as safe as he thought. He is a pretty big player in the game and he won’t be able to slip through as easily as he thought.

In the morning Cirie and Ami went for a stroll and I think it was to show the others that they could live without Ozzy there. They tracked down, through a morning jungle scene, eight HUGE crabs which seemed to excite Amanda. Ozzy was still on his “OMG I’m a leader” trip and seemed worried that Ami had something up her sleeve. He continued to pout that he was seen as the leader but seriously he’s an idiot if he didn’t realize it before.

Things were a little more interesting over at Arai where James and Parvati seem to be in power. Before all that went down though Jason caught a rat. It wasn’t that big of a deal but, since he’s so cocky, he had to make it one. By calling it the “first time anyone has eaten a rat since the first season” Jason proves he may be a fan, but seriously it’s not that big of a deal. Back to the actual stars of Arai. Parvati seems to be the brains, did I just say that, of the James/Parvati alliance. She realizes that she can’t win against James or Ozzy in the finals so she took actions into her own hands. By aligning with Natalie and Alexis, it shows she’s playing and not just flirting. An all girl final four has never happened and with those four, minus Natalie, things would be very interesting.

A twist was then introduced with the immunity. Each tribe had to choose someone from the opposing tribe to receive individual immunity for that round only and also had to go to Exile Island. The two who were chosen could not play in the immunity challenge and therefore their tribe would, in thought, be hurt. Arai played it smart and took out Ozzy, even though it gave him immunity. Malakal was kind of smart in taking out Alexis, but when has she proven to be good at balancing? I really don’t know as we’ve seen really little of her on the show.

The immunity was about balancing, but only two people had to do it. It was a obstacle course with two from each tribe running it and two others throwing sand bags at those running. The first tribe to get 5 flags from the other side of the course would win immunity plus pizza and beer for their tribe. Both were once again very even until the end, which seems to happen each week. When it came to the last flag, Erik took a really hard hit when trying to jump across the floating pads while Amanda slipped off time and time again. Arai took him their millionth win and we once again will see a Malakal going home. Unfortunately Ozzy has immunity I’m sure we won’t be seeing anymore worry of him being the leader, at least this round.

I kind of feel happy for Arai at this point as they have had it hard lately with both Jonathan and Kathy leaving. Their pizza and beer win was needed for the down and out tribe, even though they aren’t that down and out in challenges. It’s weird how the tribe who has a sucky camp life continues to win the challenges, but it always seems to happen that way. The only one I have a problem with on that tribe right now is Jason. The kid thinks he’s awesome and it really annoys me. He was NOT the MVP of that challenge, Erik did just as good as he did. I mean he is basically saying that Eliza did nothing. She didn’t do much but she DID win something. But then again I guess I shouldn’t think any less from the kid with the hidden immunity stick.

When we get to see Malakal it’s obvious they are hurting badly. Erik took a hard hit in the challenge but seemed fine back at the beach. Although it seemed like he would go for sure, Erik changed things up. He saw Cirie and Amanda alone and decided to tell them how Ami was trying to vote out Ozzy for the past few rounds. She overheard the conversation and let the two know that although it may be true, Erik would say anything to stay. She never said that she did or didn’t try to get Ozzy out but the two girls seemed to buy it.

Thanks to the ’sit out selection’, both Alexis and Ozzy were sent to Exile Island. Ozzy has been there a few times so he basically told Alexis the last clue so he could go up and see if anyone took his false veto bait. Alexis just followed along and didn’t get the clue that where he basically told her was where the hidden idol was. He lifted up the rock and of course it was gone. If Ozzy was smart he would connect Jason’s stupid “Ozzy has the idol” statement to him having the fake. We all know Ozzy isn’t the smartest in the book but I mean it is pretty obvious isn’t it?

With the two girls not buying into Erik’s try for votes, he turned to Ozzy when he returned. He basically pounced on him when he got off the boat and told him how Ami was trying to vote him out with the fans. Ozzy took the bait and went straight to Amanda to make her vote his way. He’s done it before, changed her mind on the vote, so I assume he’d do it again. She’s scared to against him it seems and she’s falling for the same trap she fell into in China. She clings to a stronger player and then cries how she didn’t play her own game in the end. When it came to Tribal Council it really wasn’t clear who would go. It seemed to lean more towards Erik going as Ami cried and cried, but her tears didn’t help. Ozzy controlled the votes again and kept his bud Erik in over traitor Ami. It is sad to see Ami go as she was adding a lot to the game. But next week looks exciting at least!

Next week we finally get to the merge where things go crazy. Alexis is finally in the spotlight and seems to be walking on Amanda territory by flirting with Ozzy. The best moment, which I REALLY can’t wait for, is Eliza telling Jason that his immunity idol is in fact a stick! I really hope he doesn’t believe her and they go into a debate how he’s an idiot and she’s a genius. But then again actually seeing him play it might be even better.

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Why oh why do people complain when they get played? I mean the show opens up with Erik saying that the “playing field has been lowered to lying”. Seriously dude, do you know what show you are on? People lie since day one! I mean seriously, he had to realize what he was getting himself into. You can’t go on Survivor and expect to win by not lying to anyone or anyone at all to lie. He wasn’t even voted out and he’s complaining. Erik has just got on by bad side and I really hope he gets played harder then Joel was.

Remaining at the Malakal beach we learned that all the fans were feeling the heat of just voting out Joel. Tracy knew she had to do it to keep her alliance of Chet in the game but realized the numbers were now not in her favor. I’m not sure if they have Erik on their side, I’d assume they do but it isn’t clear. Tracy is proving to be a very big player and pulled Ami aside. Ami realizes she’s low on the favorite totem poll as the other three, Amanda, Ozzy and Cirie were all in an alliance pre-swap. It seems like Ami holds the power on Malakal as she could go either way right now.

Over as Arai it seems the favorites are in power as well. Jonathan and Eliza know they have to get either Parvati or James out, since they are too close, and set a plan of attack. They both want to join the fans to get either of the two love birds out and would control the game over there if they did. The only problem there was Jonathan’s knee which he says was getting better. I’m not sure if he really was getting better or just telling everyone that so they wouldn’t worry…

 At the reward challenge the survivors had to first barricade a tunnel and after 10 minutes they would switch and have to remove the other tribes barricade and crawl through the tunnel. The winning tribe would get a visit from two natives to the camp who would show them how to live off the land. Malakal was in an early lead, as usual, but was once again quickly beaten by the new Arai. I’m kind of sad this is happening and it’s like deja vu for Ozzy who had the same problem in the Cook Islands. Plus Malakal losing meaning my favorite Cirie loses and that just sucks!

Before they returned to their beach Jonathan was asked to be looked at by the medics. I had a bad feeling this moment was on it’s way and it was very hard to watch. I liked Jonathan in the Cook Islands and thought he was playing a great game once again. I really didn’t want him to go but knew it was best for him. It was so hard to watch though, and is one of the saddest moments I can ever remember watching the show. I’m glad Jonathan was able to recover but sadly it was at the loss of the game for him and for us, the loss of a great player and personality on the show.

As Arai returned to their beach it was a very bitter sweet feeling. They had to deal with Jonathan being evacuated but won a great reward that would give them a much better camp life. James was the only guy remaining after Jason went to Exile and seemed very uncomfortable. Luckily two Micronesia men named Joe and Edwin visited the beach and gave them some excitement. The two taught the Arai tribe how to fish and how to catch crabs. It was nothing major, at least from what they showed, other then a huge feast for the group which they made up for after their last feast was washed away b the waves last time.

At Malakal things suddenly changed. They realized that they were on the outs as they haven’t won a challenge since the swap. Ami knew things weren’t going well and decided she would change things up. She told Tracy that she will stay loyal to her and the other fans to get Cirie out of the game. They felt Cirie should go since she’s been playing the game hard yet still is nice at heart (that’s what I love about her) and well apparently that makes her more a threat then crazy challenge threat Ozzy. Not much else really happened on Malakal but over at Exile Island some fun foreshadowing was sure a brewing!

Both Chet and Jason were sent to Exile after the reward challenge and both had different agendas. Chet, who has a “foot injury” decided to basically vegetate some more and let jungle boy Jason run around island hoping at will. Jason, which we knew thanks to the spoiling preview, found the fake idol and is apparently a complete idiot. He believed a freaking stick with a little face carved into it was a Survivor big production immunity idol and I just can’t WAIT until he tries to play it. Seriously it will really make up for the leave of Jonathan.

At the immunity challenge everyone learned that Jonathan was evacuated and thanks to Jason’s big mouth that Ozzy has the hidden idol. Of course not everyone believed him but I’m sure it put the idea in some people’s minds. Plus it probably put a huge target on Jason’s back as now people will think HE has the idol, or at least found where it is. The challenge was a rehash from a few seasons ago but this time people got smart, at least Arai did. They carried both Parvati and Eliza using one pole instead of two and basically cut their time in half. It gave them such a huge lead, once again, that Malakal had no chance to catch up and giving them another notch in their immunity win tree.

Malakal once again had to decide who would be leaving and Chet made it obvious that he wanted to go since his “foot was infected”. Seriously someone just went out of the game for a REAL infection, so stop complaining. Although the plan was already set basically, Tracy and Erik came up with an idea to oust Ozzy. It was a great idea and would have been CRAZY if he had happened, but Chet couldn’t mester up the strength for even three more days. He basically gave himself his own walking papers and saved Ozzy, giving us a very unexciting end to a very exciting, yet sad, rest of an episode. Next week it seems that Kathy goes even more crazier, if that’s possible.

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