Straight Up Charlatan

Straight Up Charlatan is the sixth episode of Survivor: Marquesas.

Day 15 (Night)
The remaining four members of Rotu return to camp having just blindsided Troy from the game, with Randy now as the sole ex-Maraamu members at the Rotu beach. Tish and James walk over to the shelter immediately, knowing that they held the power during the vote, having opted to send Troy home despite both feeling closer to him. Randy and William stand opposite the duo, giving Randy an opportunity to thank the tribe.

Tish rolls her eyes to James, subtly mouthing the words "we made a mistake", which he responds to by shrugging, having been thinking the same since tribal council ended. "rotu"

- Tonight I managed to survive my first tribal council, but I never truly felt as though this was my last day on the island. Tish was going home tonight, but Troy managed to dig himself a grave by lying around camp and trying to take me out. I understand you need to take out the threats... but Troy came for me far too early, and unsurprisingly I came out on top. Where is Troy now? The same place all those that lie to me end up.

The group eventually try to get some sleep, with William occasionally getting up to ensure the fire keeps burning so that the tribe may boil water before their upcoming challenges. "rotu"

- I feel as though voting out Troy was a big turning point not only for this group, but my individual game in particular. I've been playing this game nervous as to how others will perceive me, trying to stay true to my faith and morals... Unfortunately out here you cant play the hero too much, and you've got to start being selfish if you want any chance to win. Tonight I not only turned the vote from Randy to Troy, but I convinced both James and Tish to go with a decision that really didn't benefit their games... I do think the two of them would be much better off going forward with Troy and any group he has over on Maraamu, but instead they gave that all up to work with me... I also now feel that I have Randy as a spare vote, and that I'll be able to control him moving forward... Now all we need is to win our next immunity challenge, and bring Duana and Martin back over to us... Giving us six solid votes at the merge to control this game.

Maraamu
After Ibrahim and Martin bring back tree mail, the group begin to speculate about what the reward may be, with most of the group hoping for a feast of some sort. "maraamu"

- Sixteen days out here in the wild... you start feelin' really hungry. I mean all night my stomach groans and gurgles and I'm just like please God give us some more food... let hundreds of fish just wash up on our shore so I can pig out and enjoy myself.

Lotus, Ashley, Duana and Daisy sit in the shelter before getting ready to go to the challenge, speculating as to who may be gone from the Rotu tribe. Duana assures the group that James, Tish and William are "logical" people, so that the most likely outcome will be Randy going home as the weakest of their group. Daisy admits she's worried about Troy, but points out that his strength will be his saving grace moving forward with a new group. "maraamu"

- Going to a reward challenge no longer fills me with anticipation as to what I may win, but rather this feeling of dread that people I know on the other tribe may not be with them. Today when we show up I hope that Randy is missing... because I need Troy to keep my alliance strong at the merge. Duana assured us that the three old Rotu members are logical so we shouldn't worry about Troy leaving, but to me that feels almost contradictory. IF these people are logical, Troy will be gone from their group... because he has connections on this tribe, he has a social game and he will be a threat in challenges once the merge hits... three things you cant say about Randy.

The group head to their reward challenge, eager to see whether Randy or Troy has been voted out from their old tribe, or if there has been yet another shocking result.

Rotu
The Rotu tribe make a group trip to the nearby waterfall, wanting to embrace in some leisure time before their upcoming reward challenge. James and Tish are the first two members to get into the rock pool, whilst William and Randy perch on side, only placing their legs in the water. With both Tish and James joking around in the water, Randy takes the time to privately speak with William, wanting to formulate a plan as to how they will vote if the tribe loses the next immunity challenge.

"rotu"

- Randy seems to think that he and I are now a close knit duo, and that we will be voting Tish out if we lose again. There will be a point where I'll want to separate James and Tish, but right now that isn't a feasible option... and there is no way I'd sacrifice either of my old tribe mates in favor of keeping Randy. I want him as a number on my side, but his overall value just isn't that great... especially if he brings too much unwanted attention.

After close to an hour of leisure time, William decides to head back to camp in order to boil some snails he caught earlier, giving the tribe a meal before they play for reward. Tish and James both get out of the rock pool, sitting by Randy in order to see what information they can get out of him. "rotu"

- Since Troy left both myself and Tish have noticed Randy almost attaching himself to William... and both of us know that if we had to vote again right now that Randy would almost certainly vote against one of us. We're both a little concerned with how William may be playing this relationship, so it felt only right to try and coerce Randy into telling us what William may or may not have said to him these past few days.

Tish stops and looks to James, with the pair realizing they've pushed Randy into revealing that he feels safe, suggesting that William is in fact playing against them, and that their safety is no longer guaranteed. "rotu"

- James and I pushed Randy today and got a bit of information out of him, and he flat out said he wasn't nervous about losing. Now this either means that Randy is as crazy and out of it as we all think, and he cant see that if we lose he is going home... or it means that William is a snake in the grass. We've got to keep an eye on things because if we get too comfortable then we'll be next...

The tribe head back to camp and meet with William, who has prepared the snails for the group. Despite Randy gagging throughout the meal, the group manage to get the food down before heading out to their reward challenge.

Reward
Challenge:'' Jungle Relay ''This is a three part relay race. The first runner races through the jungle, unties a paddle, and tags the second runner. Both then race to untie a second paddle, and then race back to the beach where they break open coconuts to find a key. The two runners pass the paddles and the key to two other tribe members, who must unchain a boat, paddle the boat out to retrieve a flag, then paddle back to plant their flag in the tiki. When the paddlers return to shore, they must push their boat to their chain and both paddlers must be present at the tiki when they put their flag in. Reward: A meal of chicken, quiche, bean salad, dessert, and Sierra Mist. Winner: Rotu

Maraamu
The tribe returns to camp having just lost the reward challenge. Despite losing the reward, most of the tribe sinks into sadness due to the confirmation that Troy had been voted out of the game, leaving the girls without one of their strongest allies. Duana sits quietly whilst the other girls discuss the situation, feeling worried due to assuring them that Randy would go. "maraamu"

- When Jeff brought in the Rotu tribe... I uh, I didn't for a second think Troy would be gone. I thought I'd look over and see his big grin, giving us a nod to show us that he was ok... then all we'd have to do is lose the next challenge and we'd all meet up at the merge. I feel sick to my stomach knowing he's gone... and I don't.... I don't know how to respond. I cant let this destroy me, and I cant give people the satisfaction of allowing his unfair elimination take the rest of us down. I'm going to make sure that we pull ourselves tightly together, and at this merge we cut the Rotu tribe apart.

Both Ibrahim and Ryan head off together in complete disbelief. Once out of sight, Ryan jumps up into Ibrahim's arms, with Ibrahim trying to keep his laughter to a minimum, not wanting the others to hear them.

"maraamu"

- Seeing Troy gone today gave me so much energy... All through school guys like him were beating me in the stuff people cared about... socially... physically... maybe not mentally (laughs). To outlast someone like Troy in this game just feels like a personal win... and it shows me that anything is possible for people like me... especially in Survivor.

The pair head back to camp, helping Martin collect some crabs and fruit on the way, with the three men trying to help cheer them up after a day of loss. "maraamu"

- As much as it goes against what I practice outside this game, I cant help but take advantage of this situation. Troy is gone. Those three words are so perfect for my game because my main physical competition and in some ways ... my rival... has now gone from the game. Troy and Randy are two individuals who tried to destroy my character in the early days, so to have one down... one to go... I feel I'm in a position to take charge. Lotus and the other girls are at a low after this result, and they keep reiterating how they're now going to go after the Rotu members at the merge... This should give me enough ammunition to use against Duana or Martin if we're to lose again, and it should hopefully see both myself and Ryan through to the merge.

Maraamu
Low on food and moral, the Maraamu tribe make the decision to try and capture one of the wild chickens on the island. Martin, Ibrahim, Lotus and Ryan volunteer to go hunting, whilst the others agree to stay behind and keep things under control at camp. Whilst behind at camp, Duana continues her mission to grow closer to the core alliance of Maraamu, knowing that now Troy is gone there is a greater chance she'll be a key member to the group.

"maraamu"

- There's nothing more nerve wracking then joining a new group in this game, but I think I've made a good go of it. I feel like I've bonded with the girls at Maraamu more than I ever did with the guys still at Rotu... apart from William I never really had any strong connection with James or Tish. I am worried that if we merge I'll be wanted by both sides... but I cant worry about whose feelings I'll be hurting. This is my game, and I'll play it with whoever gets me closer to that final tribal council.

In the woods, the hunting party of four begin to spread out after noticing a chicken up in one of the trees. Martin instructs the group to slowly move forward, and to block the chickens escape routes. "maraamu"

- After searching for like ten-fifteen minutes we finally found this freakin' chicken. It was up in the tree so we sent Ibrahim in to start shaking it, hoping this chicken would make the leap down into our arms... as savage as it all sounds it finally worked..

The chicken jumps from the tree, flying down into Martin and Lotus' path. The pair scramble towards it, with Lotus eventually managing to grab the chicken to prevent it escaping. The four celebrate, with Ibrahim taking the chicken from Lotus, taking it to one side with Martin. Ibrahim mumbles a small prayer over the chicken whilst Martin quickly breaks its neck. Lotus flinches at the action, turning away and heading back to camp with Martin, as Ibrahim and Martin follow behind with the now dead chicken in hand. The three girls cheer as they see the hunting party return with a successful catch, leaving Ibrahim and Martin to begin preparing the chicken by the fire. "maraamu"

- Taking a life is never a pleasant experience... and its tough to know that I am responsible for taking this chicken from its home and effectively helping to slaughter it. The fact is though we have to eat, and it benefits us all ... eerily similar to how slaughtering or taking others out in the game benefits you as a player... I don't like doing it but I have to.

Whilst Martin cooks the chicken, Ibrahim heads down to beach to pray. Lotus vocalizes her sympathy for Ibrahim, knowing that he found the event difficult.

After the meal is prepared, the group comes together to eat boiled chicken, all comforting one another after a tough few days. The group bond well as a seven, telling each other amusing stories about their lives back home. The group almost strip the meat from the chicken, not wanting to leave any behind knowing it'll go off by the next morning. Martin puts the wastage to one side to use as bait, hoping that it'll be enough to attract fish on a small hook and thread he put together earlier in the day.

Rotu
After a morning spent eagerly awaiting their reward, the tribe is excited to find a picnic laid out for them down their beach. All four members dash over to the spread, each digging into the food as soon as they sit down.

"rotu"

- The food today. Oh my God. The food today. I have never stuffed so much into my mouth in such a short space of time... (she laughs) ... And I mean that! Don't anyone try and twist that.

"rotu"

- I've had such a good time today with this group, and to have won every single challenge but one in seventeen days must be some kind of a record. I may be the best Survivor player ever based on my statistics! James proposed a final four alliance, and I of course said yes and went along with that. I mean I'll be voting either him or Tish out very soon, but it doesn't hurt to keep them on my side for now.

Randy burps after finishing his food, standing and unbuttoning his shirt so as to let his belly hang out. He slowly walks back to camp, stating he needs to "lie down". Tish, James and William stay to continue drinking their fizzy drinks, talking whilst they let their bodies adjust to the food.

"rotu"

- Today's reward was so great for us physically and mentally. After eating I just feel as though I could take on the whole of Maraamu on my own... I'd probably lose but I mean mentally my optimism is thriving (laughs). It was good to hear William say he did want Rotu to stick together, and it felt genuine... It wasn't like he was just playing the game, but rather that he was reminding us his game is one that needs us there alongside him. Although Tish really doesn't like Randy, I think she's just got to learn to put up with it... because unless we lose tomorrow Randy is a vote we're all going to be dragging along behind us.

Day 18
Maraamu and Rotu wake up to tree mail informing them that they will be facing their sixth immunity challenge. Both tribes realize the importance of the challenge, with everyone expecting it to be the final tribal immunity before the merge. Lotus, Ryan and Martin are selected to sit out for Maraamu, leaving the others to compete for the tribes safety. "maraamu"

- This challenge may be our final one before the game turns individual... and if that's the case then I don't want to see another loss. I do feel that I've worked my way safely into the main alliance on this tribe, but if Hillary's elimination taught me anythin' its that you cant be too sure in this game. For all I know if we lose today I'm the one that's already been decided to go home.

"rotu"

- As always an immunity challenge is the most important event for our tribe. If we do lose today I don't see any other outcome other than voting Randy out of the tribe... but as I've been saying for a while, his vote is of value. There's no point losing today just because I can afford to. Even though I do fear for both Martin and Duana over on Maraamu, I need to consider that they're playing their own games, and that they're both probably talking with new allies just as we were over here.

Challenge:'' The Maze ''Teams had to retrieve five ladder rungs, in order, from throughout a giant maze, while roped together. After which, they will climb the ladder they built in the center of the maze. The first tribe to complete this task wins Immunity. Winner: Rotu Information (Maraamu): Daisy, Duana and Ibrahim all perform well in the challenge, nearly taking the tribe to a win. However, Ashley's bad direction in the maze costs the tribe too much time, and ultimately allows Rotu to break ahead and win the challenge. Information (Rotu): James, Randy and Tish all perform well throughout the maze, with the only weakness coming from William, who accidentally takes a wrong turn. However, despite the closeness of the tribe performance, Rotu manage to finish just seconds ahead of their rivals, taking them to another challenge win.

Maraamu
Having lost yet another challenge, the group return to camp, knowing that one of them will most likely just miss out on the merge. The group begin scattering around the beach whilst gathering their belongings, giving people good opportunities to have quick one on one chats. Martin goes over to Duana, who he views as one of his only allies on the tribe.

"maraamu"

- Losing aint something I wanted to do. But when it happens, it happens. There's nothing I can do now apart from make a case to stay. Last tribal Ryan and Ibrahim voted against the majority, so I felt between them Ibrahim was the easier target. With the merge coming up you don't want someone like Ibrahim still in the game, because that guy is like a wall of muscle... He'll snatch every challenge win for himself and I wouldn't be surprised if he won his way to the end of this game... and he's such a nice guy you'd have no choice but to give him the million dollars.

Duana heads over to the other girls at camp, asking to speak to them away from the shelter. The girls comply, all heading off to speak amongst themselves in the woods.

"maraamu"

- I don't want to vote for Martin tonight, even though it would be the easiest option out there. I mean Ibrahim is the smartest vote any of us could make, especially right before a merge. When I tried to democratically pitch it to the girls Lotus just kept shutting it down, saying how she wasn't breakin' her word to him. I mean girl he's here for himself, so stop trying to play his game for him.

Ryan and Ibrahim speak together back at the shelter, agreeing together that Martin would be the most sensible vote. Ibrahim tells Ryan about his reconciliation with Lotus, and that for the two of them it would be best to act as if they're apart of the girls alliance. "maraamu"

- Tonight Ibrahim wants to vote out Martin. I'd much rather go after one of the girls... mostly Daisy or Ashley, as they're both quite a dangerous duo. I'm just one vote so I cant do much other than what keeps me safe.

"maraamu"

- It is frightening to go back to tribal council after being betrayed the first time, and by the same people I'm now putting my trust in. Lotus assured me days ago that the girls would bring myself and Ryan into the loop, and that if we lost Martin would go home. Martin hasn't tried to approach me... in fact no one has. I really don't have any other choice but to vote for Martin tonight and hope I'm not fooled twice...

Before heading off to tribal, Ashley and Daisy sit together to evaluate the options given to them, with both becoming increasingly concerned with Lotus' inability to lie to Ibrahim.

"maraamu"

- Tribal council tonight is a real test for myself and Daisy. We either need to side with Duana and Martin, voting for Ibrahim... and hope that it doesn't bite us in the ass when we merge... Or, we can keep Lotus and Ibrahim as a close partnership and hope that THAT doesn't bite us in the ass. All I know is tonight someone's ass is getting bitten (laughs)

At tribal council, the tribe discuss the belief that they'll be merging after this vote off, with everyone admitting they'd be devastated if they were the one to just miss out on the change of game. Ryan talks about how the tribe can almost be broken up into several duos, stating how the duos overlap and that however the vote goes someone will feel betrayed. Ibrahim admits to being worried after the last vote, but feels those he trusted in wont turn on him again so soon. When asked about their links to the old Rotu tribe, Duana and Martin insist that they wont be looking to jump ship at a merge, as they've made good bonds to the new tribe. However, when asked what bonds he's personally made, Martin struggles to give a coherent answer, worrying his tribe mates. Daisy talks about her disappointment in seeing Troy leave the game, stating she feels as though threats are being taken out before the merge, which she agrees is a good strategy. As the group vote, each member is fast in writing down a name, showing general confidence in each members decision. Jeff goes to collect the urn, about to bring the news to someone that they will definitely not be reaching the merged stage of the game.

Martin nods, giving Duana a quick hug before leaving, wishing his tribe mates well. He sighs one last time as Jeff snuffs his torch, leaving the tribal council area looking emotional. Jeff tells the group that their unity in voting should be a welcome change after the previous tribal council, as it shows growth in how the group has been able to work together. The remaining six Maraamu members head back to camp, all hoping that the decision made wont be one that comes back to haunt them.

Voting Confessionals
"maraamu"

- Martin, you have bonds with Rotu and you couldn't hide it tonight when it counted the most.

"maraamu"

- This decision wasn't too difficult in that it gave me the least aggravation moving forward. You just posed more of a risk than being of any help to my group.

"maraamu"

- Martin I am so sorry that it came to this, especially after you saved me last tribal council. The thing is I cant make myself look like I have any loyalty to old Rotu, and by voting with you tonight in the minority I would be damaging all the work I've put in since I got here. I'm sorry.

"maraamu"

- Nice guy, hard worker, but you didn't try and strategize with me at all, and to keep you would be keeping a player who I'll never work with.

"maraamu"

- We planned this vote days ago, and I'm glad we're sticking to this plan. You're a really lovely man, but your starting tribe counts too much against you.

"maraamu"

- I feel its you or me tonight. You're a tough son of a b***h, and I think if the others are smart they'll be voting you as well.

"maraamu"

- Sorry man... I'll come buy an apple off you sometime.

Final Words
"maraamu"

- Damn! What can I say? This experience has been one of the most amazin' things I've ever had the pleasure to do. If I was given my time again I'd try not to lose so much in the beginnin', as that really set me back. Maybe I'd strategize a bit more or try to 'play the game'... I don't know. It was incredible, and I met so many amazing people who I hope to stay in contact with after this. Lets just hope they dont forget me when they all reach that merge. I wish them all well, especially those guys who were on Rotu to begin with... and I hope to hear that William becomes a millionaire preacher because of this. (he laughs, giving a thumbs up to the camera before it cuts off)