Survivor: Samoa Episode 6 Recap

Galu Chief Russell Swan Evacuated From The Game

Oct 23, 2009 Steven Fife

In Survivor: Samoa's sixth episode, the castaways endured more violent storms and Jeff Probst's "scariest moment in Survivor history" takes place.

Episode 6 of Survivor Samoa, titled “This Is The Man Test,” the tribes were informed that both of them would be voting out a member at Tribal Council. But everything changed when one castaway passed out during a challenge and was evacuated from the game in what host Jeff Probst called the scariest moment he’s ever witnessed in nineteen seasons on the show. Find out how it all went down below.

ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS

Another Day of Rain

At Foa Foa, the tribe was pummelled by another torrential downpour. It had been raining for the past five days. But while the rest of the tribe was cold and miserable, Russell was having fun.

At Galu, Russell Swan spent the morning fishing at sea while the rest of the tribe huddled in blankets, regretting Russell’s previous decision not to choose a tarp as the tribe’s reward. Brett took notice of Russell’s work ethic, but admitted that a lot of his work was unnecessary. Kelly worried that Russell was setting himself up for his body to fail by pushing himself too hard.

Back at Foa Foa, Mick sheltered himself in the curves of a tree trunk to stay dry because the shelter was leaky and his clothes were soaking wet. Russell again took the time to criticize his tribe for being afraid of the rain, calling them “big babies.”

At Galu, Erik was also huddled under a tree trunk for over twenty-four hours. Twelve hours later, the rain had stopped and a rainbow came out. The Galu tribe took it as a sign that they were going to continue winning.

Reward Challenge

The tribes met for their next Reward Challenge. One tribe member was strapped into a large sphere. That tribe member guided two other blindfolded tribe members as they pushed the sphere through a long course to a table maze. The ‘set of eyes’ then instructed the rest of blindfolded tribemates as they guided a ball through a table maze. The first tribe to finish the challenge was to win pizza, but there was a twist: both tribes would go to Tribal Council and vote someone out while the winning tribe observed the losing tribe’s Tribal Council and ate pizza.

Although he was in a weakened state, Russell Swan opted to participate in the challenge even though his tribe asked him to sit out. For Galu, Laura was strapped into the sphere and for Foa Foa, it was Liz.

When the challenge began, Foa Foa took the lead. Russell Swan was disoriented and had trouble getting to the maze. He passed out and rested his head against the maze board as the tribe shouted at him to get up. They quickly realize that he had fainted. Jeff halted the challenge and instructed the medics to take over.

Jeff called off the challenge and sent both tribes back to camp under the impression that they would still have to vote a member off.

The Game Must Go On

Back at camp, Galu was lost without their leader as the remaining tribe members expressed their emotions over Russell’s injury. Laura explained that, although she was sad, the game would continue.

Russell Is Evacuated

After the challenge, the medics assessed Russell Swan’s condition. He blacked out again as he tried to sit up. With extremely low blood pressure and his heart rate fluctuating, he had to be pulled from the game. Russell was crushed and pleaded with Jeff to stay in the game. Jeff reassured him there was nothing he could do and he tearfully accepted his fate.

Foa Foa Strategizes

Natalie and Liz realized they were both planning on voting for each other since the tribe needed the three men to win challenges.

Galu Prepares for the Vote

Laura said that Shambo would be voted off because she didn’t fit in and she could jump ship over to Foa Foa’s side after the merge. Shambo told the girls that she provided for them since Day One and asked for their guarantee that they wouldn’t vote her out, but Monica recoiled that Shambo is the only person who voted for her at the previous Tribal Council.

Meanwhile, the four Galu guys planned to vote off Monica to weaken the pact of the Galu girls. John and Erik subtly let Shambo know to vote for Monica again, setting the stage for a 5-3 vote against Monica.

Galu and Foa Foa At Tribal Council

At Tribal Council, the tribes learned that Russell was pulled out of the game. They were also told that neither tribe would vote out a member due to the unprecedented circumstances of Russell’s evacuation. Foa Foa viewed this as a victory, claiming that they would have won the challenge anyway while Erik fired back that Galu will continue to fight hard and maintain their lead. As both tribes were sent back to camp, it became clear that Russell’s evacuation increased the rivalry between the two tribes. How will Galu fare without their tribe leader? Will Foa Foa be able to make a comeback?

When to Watch

Survivor: Samoa airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. For more information on the new season, see the show’s official Web site at CBS.com.

The copyright of the article Survivor: Samoa Episode 6 Recap in Reality TV is owned by Steven Fife. Permission to republish Survivor: Samoa Episode 6 Recap in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Russell Swan

What do you think about this article?