Karma Will Favour The Underdogs

Karma Will Favour The Underdogs is the second episode of Survivor: Pearl Islands.

Day 3 (Night)
The remaining seven members of Morgan return to camp having just voted Savannah out at the seasons first tribal council. The strong winds force the tribe over to the fire-pit, where Juan and Marcus are already getting to work on the fire with their newly obtained flint. "morgan"

- We just had our first tribal council of the series, and I think we're all reasonably happy with how it went. We voted out the person who had done the worst in the first challenge. I hope now that we can really find a way to bring our strengths together, and once we get the fire going we should be back in with a chance to win the upcoming challenges.

After about ten minutes of trying, Juan and Marcus are able to get a flame going, which eventually grows into a suitable fire for the entire tribe to huddle around, keeping them somewhat warm from the cold wins that are blowing through the islands.

After boiling up some water, the group are able to have their first proper re-hydration since arriving on their island, giving them much needed comfort at their lowest point. The tribe eventually start heading to sleep, with their tiredness having caught up to them. A majority of the group fall asleep early, no longer phased with the discomfort of their surroundings. Lucy and Jamal remain the only two awake, with the latter stoking the fire, and Lucy feeling uncomfortable given that she was the only person other than the now eliminated Savannah to vote against Marcus. "morgan"

- It's extremely scary to be in this position so early on in the game. I had voted Marcus with the intention of being in the majority, and whilst I liked Savannah as an individual, I would have cast my vote against her had it been made clear she was the one going home. I feel somewhat duped by my tribe, and I'm not sure if perhaps the others did this intentionally as leaving me on the outs make me the easy victim should we lose another challenge. What's worse is the one person I voted against was Marcus, and given how he acted towards Savannah the last few days I know for a fact that he won't let this go, and that he'll make sure to try and get rid of me by any means. It's a bad start for the Morgan tribe... but it's a worse start for me.

Drake
The tribe work around their camp, which is looking significantly improved than the previous day. Michael continues leading the tribe in the construction, having successfully placed the tarp which the group obtained at the market onto the shelter. "drake"

- Our camp is looking amazing, there's no denying that. Yes we're hungry... yes we're thirsty. Sleeping isn't the best still. But, I think our situation could have turned out a hundred times worse than it did. I wouldn't necessarily go as far to say I'm the outright leader of this tribe, but I think my position as a voice of... reason... authority... is known. I don't think there's too much need for anyone to be a dictatorial figure though, considering all eight of us pull our weight and contribute.

Luke and Judith sit around the fire boiling some water, with Duncan standing next to them, spinning the spear around in the air as if he were a martial artist.

Judith sighs and puts her head down, struggling to keep up with the boys conversation due to her hearing impairment, and neither of the boys considering this when talking quickly to one another. "drake"

- My situation on the tribe with my hearing isn't a big issue. I try not to make it one. But, I can't help but notice a few people... still not making me feel included in their conversations. Duncan and Luke are both young and full of energy, and they talk very fast and don't really take into account other people. I sometimes know I wouldn't understand their jokes... but I'd like to be apart of what they're saying just to feel less... different.

Lang comes along, shaking his hand at Duncan, who he chastises for spinning the spear around in the air. He tells Duncan that he is acting "dangerous" and that he could harm someone or break the spear. Lang eventually pulls the spear from Duncan's hand, walking off down the beach to catch the tribe some breakfast. "drake"

- Lang is a funny character. I mean his grasp of the English language isn't great, and so whenever he's trying to be serious he feels a bit like a joke. I love the guy though, he's fun to have around. Bossy as hell... but hey, the guy catches fish so.

Grace comes back into camp with the tree-mail in hand, forcing the group to all come over around the fire where she begins to read it. They agree to sit Danielle out, who notes that she doesn't feel going underwater will be one of her strengths. "drake"

- Our tribe right now is in a complete honeymoon period. We're on a high... and I don't think any of us want to be brought down to the reality that this game won't be a cakewalk. Today's reward challenge will hopefully give us another successful result, or remind us to be more humble in the game of Survivor.

Morgan
Marcus walks into camp holding tree-mail, with the others sat around the fire dishing up some of the beans they had bought at the Panamanian market. Marcus reads the tree-mail to the group, informing them that they will be retrieving treasure of some sort. "morgan"

- The challenge today is for reward, and I think as a group we've got to make sure we win this one. We have a situation right now where we started off bad, made worse by the incompetence of some of our members. If we lose again today then I might just call it a day. There's no point in us sitting here embarrassing ourselves on national t.v.

"morgan"

- This is our chance to show ourselves to Jeff, the Drake tribe... the audience at home... that we're competitors. We're here to play! Every season there seems to be one tribe that is always obviously worse, and I don't want it to end up being us. I want the winner to come from Morgan. I want the final to be a group of our tribe. But we can't make that happen without winning some challenges.

Reward Challenge
Challenge: Bountiful Chest Tribes had a treasure chest in the ocean that was missing five treasure items. Each tribe member one at a time had to dive down and retrieve an item then put it in their treasure chest. Once all five items are inside the chest, the tribe swims out to it and carries it ashore. First tribe to bring their chest back to shore would win. Reward: The winning tribe will the first of three pieces of a map to a hidden treasure chest. The winning tribe will also send one of their own to loot one item from the opposing tribe's camp. Winner: Drake (looted a water canteen)
 * Danielle sits out for Drake.

Drake
The group return to camp once again successful, trying to decide which of them should take a trip to the Morgan camp to loot. "drake"

- Winning the first reward challenge has given our group even more confidence. I think we're on what can only be called a role right now, and if was on Morgan I'd really be worried. We got a clue to some buried treasure at our camp... and we've got to send someone over to loot from their camp, which is really rubbing salt in the wound. I feel bad for them.

Nobody answers, leaving Duncan nodding in delight as by default he appears to be the one person to volunteer to loot from the Morgan tribe. The tribe hesitantly accept this result, telling Duncan to loot something of little value and to do "the smallest amount of damage" to their rivals, as bad blood between the tribes will just lead to ugliness. Duncan brushes this off, but assures them that he won't cause unnecessary conflict. He heads over to the boat, ready to be the first person to visit a rival tribe. "drake"

- I'm the one going to loot from the Morgan tribe at this first opportunity, and it's exactly the kind of role that I'd take pride in. I knew if we send someone like Judith... or Holly... that they'd stand there apologising and would come back with a piece of wood from their fire or something. This is a battle! They're the enemy, and I'm going to take this chance to kick sand in their eyes. I don't care how they're struggling, because their struggle is my strive baby... (laughs).

Morgan
Juan begins working hard around camp once again, with Mina and Emma both trying to convince him to take a break.

"morgan"

- My nature has always been that of a hard worker, ever since I was a young boy. My dad brought me, my mother and my siblings to America from Guatemala. You know... we had nothing. We were dirt poor. Every day before school I'd do paper rounds and it was because my papa installed this sense of hard work into us all. You work... you get. It's as simple as that. It's a way of living that has paid off for me, and I think we can apply the same worth ethic to Survivor.

On the end of the beach, the three younger men sit together talking about the loss, with Marcus going on and on about his own poor performance, trying to make an explanation for it.

"morgan"

- Marcus is... such an ass (laughs). I like the guy, but he is such a charicature of the typical kind of southern, aggressive, socially awkward, tough guy you get on Survivor. Don't get me wrong in that he is a nice guy to me and some others... but he's not all he makes himself out to be. I mean I out-swam him. Lucy did too. Mina and Juan at their big ages did better than Marcus! (laughs)

A few minutes pass, when the group suddenly notice a boat approaching, seeing Duncan stood upright confidently waving over to them. "morgan"

- As part of Drake's reward, they were able to send one member over to our camp to loot a single item. It annoys us all because Drake already stole a bunch of our stuff when we were at the market. They're without any morality... so this should be enjoyable to them.

Duncan arrives on the beach, shaking the hands of the three younger men who wait to greet him. They guide him up to the shelter, where the other members of the tribe are stood waiting for him.

The group hesitantly begin to offer Duncan their lesser valued items, such as knives and rusty pots. He shakes his head at these items, instead turning his attention to what he thinks will make life as difficult for Morgan as possible.

Duncan lifts both canteens, finding one more full than the other. Just to spite the tribe, he takes the one with more water, emptying it out onto the sand beside them, before closing the lid and taking the now empty canteen back to the boat. He waves goodbye to the group, wishing them luck for the coming days. The boat pulls away, leaving the seven tribe members standing around dumbfounded by his unnecessarily arrogant behaviour.

"morgan"

- I always try to remain optimistic about bad situations, and our tribe right now is in a bad situation. Duncan came over and really kicked us whilst we're down, but that should say more about his character than ours. Karma will favour the underdogs. Morgan are the underdogs of this game, and I have complete faith that those enjoying an easy experience right now will be blinded by their own arrogance.

Drake
The tribe use the day to continue searching for the buried treasure at their camp, which they now have the next clue to. Duncan, Judith, Lang and Luke search around a cliff edge, feeling as though they've likely gone too far. Judith continues to point out that the treasure must be buried, suggesting it is under sand or soil, rather than by the edge of the island. "drake"

- We spent hours and hours just walking round looking at different parts of the island. I told them that the treasure is buried, which means it is either back on a beach or underneath the soil of the island. They didn't listen to me... and then suddenly... Duncan and Luke come up with this amazingly bright idea of going back to the beach! I'm really just not listened to, and it's so frustrating!

"drake"

- Camp life very, very good for all of us. We went out today looking for the uh... box... treasure box. But we didn't find anything. We need more clues, or else we are searching round this island looking for a needle in a haystack! It's nice to explore though.

Back at camp, Danielle and Michael stand in the shallow waters fishing, hoping to increase the bounty for the tribes dinner. Holly and Grace watch from the shelter whilst taking a rest from their own chores. "drake"

- Danielle is one of those people who I feel has got through life thanks to her good looks, and hasn't really had to work hard for much else. I'm completely attracted to her, but personality wise she's pretty vacant all the time, and I don't see what she can bring to this tribe physically, mentally... socially. I watch her each time she goes out to do tasks and it seems that she just observes. We sat her out of the reward and managed to win, and because we have to put her into the next challenge there's a part of me wondering what role she'll take. If there's a puzzle... she wont be on it. If there's something majorly physical... she wont be doing it. In five days I cannot for the life of me name a single thing Danielle can bring to this tribe other than a pretty face.

Grace laughs at Holly's observations, which prove to be somewhat correct, as minutes later Michael ends up swimming out alone, leaving Danielle to return to camp where she begins stoking the fire. Grace and Holly hold back their laughter, not wanting Danielle to catch wind of what they've been discussing. "drake"

- It's day five, and the hunger is starting to become an issue for me. My hair feels a mess and all my nails are chipped, so I think it's time to embrace this island look. Drake as a tribe hasn't really had much of an issue because we've been winning, so I think like... we might not need to think about votes until we actually lose? Which based on today won't be for a while. I sat out and got to cheer on the tribe, and I saw our guys swim faster than theirs... I saw our girls swim faster than their guys too! It's a hellish paradise out in the Pearl Islands.

Later that evening, the tribe sit around to a meal of fish, which had successfully been speared by Michael on his sole venture earlier in the day. The group thank Michael for his efforts, glad to see spirits high after five days on the island. "drake"

- I thought this game would be a lot harder than it is. I'm hungry and tired, I can't lie about that. But... it's not hard out here. The people are easy to get along with, there's not as much scheming as I thought. I mean I cut my foot pretty bad, but it doesn't look like it's infected or anything, so I don't need to worry about that anymore. I can imagine myself doing this for another thirty days easily. When this tribe does end up losing a challenge I think maybe we'll start seeing more paranoia and discomfort... but right now it's easy bro (laughs)

Morgan
Juan works through the early hours of the morning whilst the rest of the tribe sleep in. He decides not to wake anyone, knowing that getting up early is his own choice rather than the tribes obligation. When the sun finally rises, the entire tribe join Juan, taking on different tasks to ensure the camp remains in good shape. Juan complains of chest pains and is forced to take rest by Emma, who in turn brings him water and a small portion of the heavily rationed beans. "morgan"

- I haven't been feeling too good this morning. I think I need to remember how little we are living off here, and that my body can only keep up with so much. I'm a relatively fit man for my age... at least I'd like to think so. But out here it's a whole new amount of stress on our bodies that none of us are accustom to.

Later on in the day, Juan continues to rest, allowing the rest of the tribe to take on the roles that he normally pushes himself to do. Callum, Mina and Emma explore the island shore, picking up coconuts and small snails along the rocks.

"morgan"

- So far on our tribe we haven't had too much talk about the strategic side of the game. I feel if there had been any we'd all know about it. I want to start having these conversations, because after five days I can honestly say I think I know a little bit about these people, and who would be the best individuals to work alongside. I have a close friendship with Jamal... and beyond that I know I can work with Marcus, and perhaps Juan. I don't really want to make it a boys versus girls scenario, so I thought I'd speak to Mina and Emma, and hopefully be working with everyone on this tribe apart from Lucy.

"morgan"

- After five days it's only natural that the side conversations begin, and people start secretly voicing their frustrations with one another. Callum has mentioned that he'd like to target Lucy next, but even hinted that Juan may perhaps reach a stage where he's no longer of use to us. I adore Juan, and I think he's really the rock of this tribe right now. But if he falls anymore ill and can't compete then we can't afford to keep him around. The best thing about this conversation is that it's shown me that in terms of potential vote-offs... I'm not an option for the Morgan tribe. Myself, Emma and Callum seem to have an agreement to work together. Callum is doing his best to tell us that Marcus will be apart of this group, and I don't think it would be hard to get Jamal's loyalty too. If our losing streak continues then it seems Lucy may be the one to go... or Juan if his health worsens... or Marcus if he under performs. I'd have thought as the older woman with the funny accent that my name would be brought up a lot this early, but I've pleasantly surprised myself.

Day 6
Both tribes receive tree mail informing them of their next immunity challenge. The Drake tribe feel confident, having been on a winning streak since their success at the Panamanian market. Elsewhere, the Morgan tribe remain cautious, once again feeling as though a loss would bury them deeper in a hole from which they cannot escape. "drake"

- In the blue corner we have the mean machine the eight man team... it's Drake! And in the orange corner... we have tribal council's guests of honour the second time running... it's Morgan! If this game was a boxing match I don't think anyone would tune in. I'm sure at home people are flicking over to watch Jerry Springer right now because they would rather see a midget queer fight his straight married lover than see Morgan have their butts handed to them again.

"morgan"

- We have our third challenge today. Well, maybe our fourth challenge... if we're to count the market. We've literally been worse than Drake in everything so far, we're down a member, they stole from us... twice! A few of us have said how this challenge is so important for the future of Morgan, and that if we're to lose then we'll be so far behind catching up might not be an option. Although, I think before every challenge a tribe goes on about how it's do or die (laughs) ... so I don't see what makes today any different. I'm not optimistic about Morgan even if we are to win today.

Challenge: All Tied Up Three tribe members from each tribe were tied to a raft by a rope that was being pulled by their tribe in order to pull the raft away from shore and closer to the clue. The tribe members sitting on the raft had to untie themselves before freeing their teammates. After they were free they swam out to receive their clue which was a set of coordinates. They took their clue and their rope to shore and went into a circle where they used the rope and the clue to create a dig spot. After finding the dig spot teams had to dig until they found their flag which had to be raised in order to win. Winner: Drake Information: Both tribes get off to a quick start, with Callum taking the longest to untie himself, slightly letting Drake take the lead. During the swimming portion of the challenge, Marcus performs badly for Morgan, causing them to fall further behind. However, as time goes on, Luke's injury causes him to move slowly, allowing Morgan to catch up, with both tribes digging at the same time. Despite a close finish, Drake are able to pull off their second immunity win, thanks to a strong performance from everyone other than Luke.
 * Judith sits out for Drake.

Morgan
The tribe return to camp having lost their third straight challenge, without a single win to their name in their six day stay so far in the Pearl Islands. Callum openly apologises for his mediocre performance, but congratulates the group nonetheless for being only a small bit behind Drake in the challenge. "morgan"

- Another day, another loss for Morgan. I'm not too upset by the loss, because I see this as an opportunity to put into practice my newly formed deals with Jamal, Marcus, Mina and Emma... and we'll be voting out Lucy. She's not been terrible these past few days, but she's kind of just there. She doesn't add anything beyond being an extra mouth to feed. We're low on food and need to get some sort of gear before we can keep up with this many people around camp... so it may be a lucky escape that we lost today and get to send her home.

An hour or so after returning, Callum finds himself, Jamal, Mina, Juan and Emma alone around the shelter, with Lucy and Marcus having gone off to collect water. He brings up the idea of voting for Lucy, pitching that she has the least skill of the entire tribe.

"morgan"

- We're here with a dilemma between who to vote for tonight. We can cast our votes to send home Lucy, who the group feels is the least valuable asset on the tribe. Alternatively, we can vote out Marcus... who has performed badly in nearly all the challenges, and is quite annoying to live with. The boys are saying whoever we vote doesn't entirely matter, because the other person can just be sent home when we lose again... because we will lose again based on the current state our tribe is in.

On their way back from the water-well, Marcus and Lucy talk about the upcoming vote. Marcus hints that the group needs to be kept strong, blatantly hinting that he'll be voting her out. Lucy responds with a similar line, openly telling Marcus that it will likely be one of them going home.

"morgan"

- Marcus is in a world which nobody else has access too. He's completely separated from the confines of reality and reason, because he just looked me completely in the eyes and told me that I should be voted out tonight so the tribe can be kept safe. His reason? The tribe needs his muscle. He's the one who tanked in the challenge! He's the one who fails each time we're forced to swim because he's a good ol' country boy and probably hasn't had access to swimming lessons his entire life. Mina and I are the two smallest in the tribe, but neither of us have really done consistently as bad as Marcus... but it's just the typical approach to this game. The women are always expendable. Whilst the men, no matter how badly they perform ... are allowed to stay to repeat their same mistakes over and over. I'm pretty sure that is the definition of insanity!

As the time passes into the late afternoon, Marcus confirms with the entirety of his tribe that the vote will be for Lucy, with Lucy trying to do the same but with the vote against Marcus. Jamal and Juan both relax in the shelter, letting Callum and Marcus do most of the campaign control for the girls votes. "morgan"

- I know that Lucy said she'd be voting for me tonight, and that my challenge performances are her pitch forward. I simply tell anyone who's listened to her... who does a lot of the work around camp? Who would you rather rely on... me or Lucy? Who do you think can bring more to this tribe? They've all said the same damn thing... me. I know I've got the men and that's enough, but I want to see our tribe vote together just like last time.

In a last ditch effort to bring support onto her side, Lucy tells Mina, Juan and Emma that Marcus, Jamal and Callum are likely working together, and that if they allow them all to make it to day seven they will hold control of half the tribes votes, leaving them almost untouchable.

"morgan"

- It's day six, and we're about to head off to make our second vote of the season to send somebody home. The only names that have been mentioned are Lucy and Marcus, and it's a relief to know whatever happens I'll be here tomorrow. We had all pretty much agreed that Lucy would go tonight, and then the next time we lost it would be Marcus going home. However, Lucy made a good point... and one that myself and Mina have talked about. If Jamal, Callum and Marcus are an alliance... then they could very easily vote another woman out next. So maybe this vote we need to instead put our feet down and tell them that Marcus will be leaving, especially as he's the one who sent us here. I don't want to make a choice that ends up seeing me voted out for no fault of my own. It's a huge dream of mine to play this game... I know the care that needs to be put into each vote. A message will be sent tonight... (she puts her hands over her face) ... I just hope that whatever I do doesn't ruin me... (laughs)

At tribal council, Jeff asks the tribe how they feel to have had one of the most disastrous starts of any tribe in Survivor history. Marcus brings a lot of the tribe's failures back to their mistakes at the Panamanian market, with Jamal and Callum nodding along to this. Lucy interjects, claiming that she is annoyed and "bored to death" with the scapegoating of the Panamanian market, noting that Marcus is quick to blame events that are unrelated to his "consistently bad challenge performances". Jeff carries on this point, shining light on the fact that Marcus was clearly the weakest member of the tribe in the last few performances. Callum defends his friend, suggesting that around camp Marcus is one of the hardest workers, which make up for his "minor mistakes" in swimming challenges. Mina interjects, coming back to Lucy's point, further noting that season after season women are sacrificed to excuse poor performances by male counterparts, who otherwise may be the weakest players. Emma voices her support for this too, admitting that over the past few days she has felt "uneasy" due to simply being a female. Callum, Jamal and Marcus vocally rubbish these claims, firmly arguing that there is no deep rooted sexism in their approach to the game. Juan gets the final word before the vote, which he uses to try and heal the divide that has found itself widening between the genders on the Morgan tribe. He claims that whatever the result, the six who survive the vote must unite for the good of all their games, and to get back to being a cohesive group to take on their rivals. Once the votes have been cast, Jeff brings back the urn, ready to reveal who will be the second to leave the game.

Lucy nods her head and mumbles "predictable" before grabbing her things. She receives a small hug from Mina, wishing her tribe luck before heading over to Jeff. Once Lucy has left the tribal council area, the remaining six head back to camp, hoping this latest loss will be their last for some time to come.

Voting Confessionals
"morgan"

- (vote not shown) This is just our message to the group...

"morgan"

- Marcus, I agree with you when you said the weakest person should leave, and we need to keep the tribe strong. That would be yourself.

"morgan"

- From the beginning you've been a bit of an outsider in this group, and I don't see you contributing much to our success.

Final Words
"morgan"

- A predictable result, but at least I tried to make something else happen. I suppose both the girls voted with me? And not Juan? It doesn't really matter. I think Callum, Marcus and Jamal are going to run this group now and they'll run it right into the ground. Sadly, they'll probably be the only ones to survive the crash. I had a great time coming out here... I'm just sorry it didn't last longer than six days.