Survivor Caramoan Episode 13 Recap: Cruelest Blindside Ever!

Tonight's episode will probably go down as the most heartbreaking episode ever!  It was so emotional, that for the first time in 26 seasons, even Probst was brought to tears at one point.  However, I think a valuable lesson was learned and it can finally be established that if you ever go on to Survivor, NEVER, under any circumstances do you win the reward for the loved ones visit!  Doing so puts a huge target on your back!  Let's look at the last five winners of this challenge.  Mike, Ozzy, Kat, Malcolm and now Brenda.  In each case, each person was voted out the moment they were not safe.  Even when they give up their reward like Mike, Ozzy and Brenda did!  It doesn't matter!  If you win the loved ones reward the only way you're making it to the end is if you have immunity for the rest the game.  Like Fabio did in Nicaragua.  For the record Mike wasn't actually voted out but that's only because he had already been voted out when he won the reward.  But had he won the final redemption island duel he almost certainly would of been voted out the moment he was vulnerable.  It doesn't make any sense to me.  Even though I agree with John that at that point likability is a liability, I just don't see how people can be so cold blooded.
Oh well, let's start from the beginning of tonight's episode.  The day after tribal, John is talking with Eddie about what will happen next.  Eddie knows he's got his back against the wall.  When John asks him who he thinks will go home if Eddie wins immunity, Eddie tells him the group will probably go after him.  This stuns John because after all as he says he is so nonthreatening!  Wait a minute.  Wasn't John boasting just a few weeks ago about how he was the greatest challenge threat in the Caramoan and he was going to keep winning and winning.  Of course since then he hasn't come close to winning a challenge.
For once Eddie might actually be right, because Brenda is plotting with Dawn to take out John.  After finding Dawn's teeth a couple episodes ago she still feels completely bonded to her.  Dawn however is conflicted.  Imagine that!
Meanwhile Erik is really starting to lose it.  He claims to be starving which is odd since Andrea just won them a shit load of food two episodes ago.  But he is fixated on this gigantic coconut tree and hears them laughing at him.  That's right.  Apparently the Phillipies have laughing coconuts.  I can't believe that's never made the news.  Anyway Erik is so desperate he tries to climb the tree which appears to be about a thousand feet high, despite the warnings of Dawn and other tribe mates.  He doesn't make it though but lucky for him he doesn't fall off and crack his head either.
Dawn makes it whole five minutes into the episode this week without crying but when Eddie brings in tree mail which promises a visit by loved ones she of course loses it after giving Eddie a huge hug and kiss.  As always there's a sprint phone with video teasers from each players loved one.  Upon watching these we learn that John is apparently demanding to be called by his last name even to people outside of the game because his mom addresses him as "Cochran" in her teaser.  I wonder if Jeff Probt's mom calls him Probst?
At the challenge the survivors are reunited with their loved ones and for once Dawn isn't the only one crying.  Probst actually gets choked up at seeing the love between Brenda and her dad. 
The challenge consists of unspinning three poles, hanging them on a rack, then flinging three ropes at the poles.  Brenda and Erik are competing hard, as usual Sherri is completely irrelevant but John is actually playing it smart and obviously holding back because he's watched enough Survivor to know how dangerous it is to win this challenge.  Not that he had a chance with his senior citizen mom.  Oooops I just said something about John's mom, guess he's gonna come after me now, because that's practically what he threatens to do to Probst when he accurately reports on Mrs. Cochran's lackluster performance.  Probst actually backs down and tries to redeem himself by complimenting Mrs. Cochran for looking so good for her age.  Sickening.  I'll never understand why Probst has such a huge mancrush on John!  Sometimes I think he likes John more than Boston Rob.
Brenda wins the challenge and is told to pick one person to join her.  I'm surprised to see Eddie begging Brenda to pick him.  Did he actually think he stood a chance?  Unsurprisingly she picks
Dawn "for so many reasons"!  Now I'm sure most people have the perception that this phase of the game is done out of compassion by the producers but in reality it's a method of creating a lot of drama on the show and fucking someone over.  This season though they really up the stakes when after Brenda picks Dawn and is told there is a huge barbeque waiting for them, she is given a horrific dilemma.  First she is told that everyone has a SECOND loved one waiting to see them, then she is told she can either choose one other person to join her and Dawn to visit their loved ones or she can sacrifice her and Dawns visit and let the four remaining players visit both of their loved ones.  This causes Sherri to have a bigger meltdown then Lisa Whelchel had last season, as she collapses to the ground and starts crying harder than Dawn. 
This is why you should never try to win this challenge.  First of all the winner is going to piss someone off and even if you don't win you have a very good chance of still enjoying the reward when you're either chosen to join the winner or the winner is given the choice of forfeiting their visit.  But if you forfeit it usually doesn't carry any weight whatsoever with the remaining players like in Survivor Amazon when Matt gave up his visit and only one person that he was so generous to voted for him to win the million.  Often they just see you as a threat and want to get rid of you because you're now so likable.  Well, Brenda chooses to give up her reward, which of course causes Dawn to start blubbering worse than she has the entire season.  Even worse then when she lost her teeth!   
Brenda was pretty much screwed the moment she won this challenge but I think she could of played this a lot better a couple different ways.  She could of put the heat on Dawn and asked her to decide what to do.  She could of chose another person to come with her, that way it's a lot more even.  I might of made a counter offer to Probst and asked if I could give up my visit but still have the food.  If he would of said no I would said "sorry, I'm really starving".  At least that way it looks like you made an attempt to be more generous. 
To add insult to injury the reward takes place just 50 yards from camp on a floating barge.  At the reward John is going on and on about his Dad's amazing ability to ummm, flip burgers.  Yeah that's so impressive.  To make it even worse the crowd is shouting out to the beach how they're not missing out on anything.
At camp Dawn is acting like a spoiled brad, as she's pouting and breaking bamboo and slamming things around.  My heart really goes out to Brenda as she tries her best to comfort Dawn, but she does nothing but lash out at Brenda.  This must of been one of the most uncomfortable days for any Survivor.  Dawn has got to be the most immature person to ever play this game.  As bad as I feel for Brenda I feel even worse for Dawn's husband.  I can only imagine the hell it must be to be married to this lunatic.
The immunity challenge is a redo of one from One World where participants must hang unto a rope as they are facing down towards the water.  Every so often Probst lowers them further towards the water.  Mr. Challenge king, John is once again the first one out.  Followed by Eddie than Erik.  Sherri soon follows which leaves the only two people who didn't get to visit their loved ones.  Although we didn't exactly see them enjoying any of the barbeque, we did see a shot of the rewardees carrying what appeared to be left overs to Dawn and Brenda so it's not like they had the disadvantage of an empty stomach. 
Dawn pleads with Brenda to drop out and offers to share the immunity with her.  That's odd.  I've been watching Survivor for 26 seasons and I never knew you could "share" individual immunity.  Brenda, however, declines the offer.  Somehow Dawn wins the challenge though.  It's not really clear if Brenda let her win or if Dawn actually beat her.  She seems to imply that she did let her win I'm not so sure if this was actually the case. 
Brenda seems really happy that her new BFF Dawn won so now she doesn't have to waist a lot of energy relieving Dawn's pathological paranoia.  Unfortunately Brenda is completely oblivious that John is putting operation blindside Brenda into effect.  He starts by recruiting Sherri then gives his pitch to Dawn.  Even with immunity Dawn is still a bit of a basket case.  It's clear she doesn't share the loyalty Brenda feels towards her but is also reluctant to let the fit Eddie slide through another vote and possibly win the next two immunities.  All signs point towards Brenda getting screwed though.
At tribal, Dawn and Sherri give academy award performances to subdue any suspicions by Brenda.  John however is a lot more cocky and blatantly states how voting out Eddie might not be the best move.  Eddie, however, says for the umpteenth time that he's sure his time is up.  As it turns out, he's wrong again and Brenda becomes the victim of one of the cruelest blindsides in Survivor history.  She's smiling at first as she tells her alliance she was genuine with them but is in tears shortly after Probst snuffs her torch.  Of course crybaby Dawn is going to really be in tears after betraying her savior Brenda, wait a second!  What is that on Dawn's face?  She's actually triumphantly smiling at her successful betrayal! 
So now, next to Russell, Dawn is officially the biggest scumbag in Survivor history and has completely killed what little chance she had left to win the game.  When this game started she was probably considered by many as the favorite to win if she got to the end but now it's impossible for her to beat anyone.  This is confirmed when Brenda arrives at Ponderosa.  Although she was completely violated by her so called friends she is greeted with unbelievable compassion at Ponderosa.  Even Andrea who was blindsided by Brenda and the others gives Brenda an extremely warm embrace and goes out of her way to comfort a very disheveled Brenda.  It's pretty obvious that everyone on the jury is completely disgusted by Dawn and she probably won't receive a single vote if she makes it to the end.  It's true Dawn couldn't of beaten Brenda at the final tribal council but she has no chance of winning now anyway.  She basically has pulled a South Pacific Coach who chose to look like a scumbag and lose to Sophie rather than nobly losing to Ozzy.
There's been some criticism of Brenda's lack of strategy this season but we learned at the reward challenge this week that her father had advised her to be humble.  That's what she did but unfortunately, this may have been her downfall.  Had she played a little bit more stronger like she did her first season she may have gotten to the end.  She's still my favorite player this season though because of her enthusiasm and compassion.  So, PLEASE VOTE FOR BRENDA TO WIN PLAYER OF THE SEASON!  I know the producers have been trying like hell to brainwash us into voting for John but Brenda deserves it much more than that Harvard nerd.


THIS SUNDAY ON SURVIVOR!  John's the favorite to win at this point but I really hope Erik or Eddie can sneak there way into the final three.