In Episode 7 of Survivor Samoa, titled “Houdini Magic,” Foa Foa felt re-energized and ready to finally beat Galu. But the purple tribe, now led by Shambo, once again won both challenges. With yet another Tribal Council looming, Foa Foa had to decide between voting out the member who didn’t contribute to the challenge or voting out the least trustworthy member. Find out how it all went down.
ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS
Galu Returns from Tribal Council
At Galu, Erik discussed the tribe politics, noting that the tribe was divided between four men and four women, with Shambo in the middle. Since Shambo didn’t fit in with the other girls, the four guys planned to elect her as the tribe leader and subtly control her vote, eventually discarding her once they reached the Final Five.
Foa Foa Stays Strong
Back at Foa Foa, it was a new day. Having been saved from voting out a member at the previous Tribal Council, Foa Foa felt that the tide was turning and they still had a chance to come back and beat Galu. Russell admitted that having Liz still on the tribe kept Foa Foa strong.
Galu’s New Leader
In a confusing individual vote, the four Galu men voted for Shambo, much to the surprise of the Galu women. After the vote, Shambo accepted her new position and warned that she would try not to be bossy. Laura and Monica were especially displeased with the decision.
Reward Challenge: Match Game
The Reward Challenge involved a memory game in which tribe members would attempt to match pairs of survival items. After each correct match, the leader would decide if the tribe wanted to keep that item. If so, the tribe would get the item, but forfeit a point. In the end, the tribe with the most points would win reward: an excursion and lunch aboard a pirate ship.
Since Shambo sat out, Brett took on the leadership position. He decided to forfeit one point for Galu in order to obtain a fire-making kit. However, Galu still won the challenge with seven points to Foa Foa’s four.
Laura Goes to Foa Foa
Shambo chose Laura to visit Foa Foa and miss out on the Reward, apparently because she wanted the strong guys to be fed.
At Foa Foa, Russell and Laura quickly bonded over their religion and Russell offered her a Final Three deal with Natalie, and then a separate, secret Final Two pact. Laura agreed, but later confessed that Russell’s deal was only one of her options in the game.
Russell also told Laura not to bother searching for the Hidden Immunity Idol because Ben found it, but was voted off without using it. This is, of course, not true as Russell himself found the idol back in Episode 2.
Galu at Sea
The Galu Tribe boarded a pirate ship, where they were treated to a meal of beef stew, bread, and scones. But the game still went on as Monica thanked Shambo for not sending her to Foa Foa. Secretly, she also expressed her dissatisfaction with Shambo’s leadership.
Laura at Foa Foa
At Foa Foa, Laura quickly became an unwelcome visitor for Liz. While Liz struggled to start a fire, Laura and Natalie talked about spiritual beliefs and a spiritual book club instead of helping her.
As Liz vented her frustrations to Mick, Russell called Liz stupid because she wasn’t thinking strategically. He said that Foa Foa needed someone on the inside, and Natalie was doing a good job of getting in with Laura.
Immunity Challenge: Going Fishing
After arriving for the Immunity Challenge, Mick explained that Foa Foa decided not to bring his leadership necklace in case it was the tribe’s bad luck charm. However, even without his necklace, Mick remained Foa Foa’s leader.
For the challenge, both tribes had to paddle out to collect fish-shaped puzzle pieces, which they had to reel in using fishing rods and hooks. After obtaining all six sets of puzzle pieces, they had to paddle back to the beach where three members would assemble a puzzle.
Foa Foa had a running start when Mick and Jaison carried their canoe in the water while Galu immediately tried to paddle. Foa Foa quickly obtained its puzzle pieces while Galu members Kelly and Dave took longer. But in the race back to shore, both tribes arrived at the beach at the same time, despite Jaison lagging behind for Foa Foa.
Foa Foa quickly discovered a star pattern formed by the tails of the fish, but Jaison hindered them again when he struggled with his side of the puzzle. Galu quickly caught up and overtook Foa Foa to win yet another Immunity Challenge.
Foa Foa’s Decision
After the challenge, Russell was frustrated with Jaison’s poor performance and with the probability that his “moronic tribemates” would cost him a million dollars. Liz, who was seen as untrustworthy, was hopeful that Jaison’s error might keep her in the game longer. In the end, it was clear that the vote was a toss-up between Jaison and Liz.
Foa Foa’s Tribal Council
At Tribal Council, Jeff called Foa Foa one of the worst performing tribes in the history of Survivor. Russell reiterated his hope that the four remaining Foa Foa members would stay together after the merge. Jaison held his head low and felt responsible for the loss.
But in the end, it was Liz, the 33 year-old urban planner from New York, who became the eighth player to leave the game. Foa Foa now has only four members to Galu’s eight. With the two tribes merging next episode, will Galu stay strong and eliminate Foa Foa, or will new friendships and alliances form? Will Shambo switch sides to save her friends on Foa Foa? And will Russell stick to his new deal with Laura?
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.
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