To Merge or Not to Merge?

"To Merge or Not to Merge?"

Season	Survivor: Tarutao
Author	IAmNothing712
Episode Number	7/14
Episode Chronology
Previous	"A Friend in Need Is a Threat Indeed"
Next	"Kindness of Strangers"

This is the seventh episode of Survivor: Tarutao.

Previously on Survivor[]

Challenges[]

Day 19 Immunity Challenge: Back-set Ball
This challenge wilI be held inside a muddy field the that 3/4 the size of a regular basketball court. In one-on-one showdowns, each player will wear a woven basket behind their back while armed with a rattan ball. The goal is to shoot the ball to the opponent's basket. First tribe to five points wins immunity.
Winner: Naak

Day 21 Immunity Challenge: That's Offal!
Tribes will be served a large platter of cooked animal innards. First tribe with an empty platter wins immunity.
Winner: Naak

Story[]

Night 18[]

The Naak tribe goes back to camp after blindsiding Cam. Helena goes by the beach, crying after double-crossing the only person she's close with.

“	While I am set on playing this game with the boys, Cam has always kept me sane. He's funny, witty, and really has a grasp on how this game should be played. Now I blindsided him. There's this weird and awful pit in my stomach, and I know I'll pay the price sooner or later. Karma's a bitch, so I have to keep my mind in the game so when karma's around, I'll be ready for her.	”
–Helena

The Jarakay tribe, still up at seven members, talks about the merge. Giovanni assumes the merge is coming next, and tells his tribe that they must eliminate the Naak tribe. Megan still thinks siding with Naak is still the best move for her moving forward.

“	Giovanni calls the shots like he always do. He keeps blabbing about an all-Jarkay endgame, but I really don't think I'm getting there because of my merits. If I sided with Jarakay, the jury will just think of me as a goat. But I go to Naak and make it deeper, I'll get the respect I think I deserve. But the question remains regarding tomorrow, to merge or not to merge?	”
–Megan

Day 19[]

Giovanni and Brody discuss their final three plans. The two agree to bring Megan as a goat at the final Tribal Council. Megan, who happens to be collecting firewood, overhears the whole conversation.

“	I knew Giovanni's playing me like a goat. If I go to the end with him, I might win, but I really can't stand him no longer. He is such a chauvinistic ass. I want him gone, hopefully before the merge, or else I will not get his vote.	”
–Megan

Megan and Helena agree to read the next Tree Mail for both tribes. After hearing the line, "take the idol" (referring to the Tribal Immunity Idol), Giovanni furthers his assumptions of a merge coming up, and they will be competing in their first individual Immunity Challenge.

“	I can feel the merge is really coming. I can feel Naak getting systematically eliminated.	”
–Giovanni

The tribes meet Jeff Probst for what Giovanni believes as their first individual challenge. Jeff debunks his assumption, saying the tribes will remain separate, and their next challenge is still for tribal immunity. The tribe leader of Jarakay, Brody sits Megan and Naomi out. After a draw of names, match-ups are decided. After a 5-0 blowout, the Naak tribe wins immunity, sending Jarakay to Tribal Council.

Challenge Summary
Match-ups		Winner
Helena	Brody	Helena
Colin	Paul	Colin
Donny	Giovanni	Donny
Morrison	Asami	Morrison
Aries	Gabriella	Aries

Returning from the challenge, Naak celebrates their victory by hanging out at the beach. Helena, who now possesses Naak's Hidden Immunity Idol which Cam gave to her, wonders if the Jarakay idol is back in play, and who might have it.

“	I am wondering, since Megan has used her idol, what if the Jarakay idol is back in the game. I'm thinking about getting it for myself and pass it to Megan to completely lure her to join our side. Right now, what's keeping me from getting voted out is the long-term help Cam's idol will be giving us. If anything, they would just split the votes between me and Morrison.	”
–Helena

“	I think we have convinced Megan enough that she will join us post-merge with no string attached. But the problem is, Helena goes to that extra mile where she is planning to give Megan the still probable rehidden Jarakay idol. If that's not fishy, I don't know what is. Once we get to the merge and achieve the majority spot, sorry, but idol or no idol, Helena has to go.	”
–Aries

At Jarakay, Megan asks assurance from Giovanni if she is still part of the alliance. Giovanni tells her not to worry, as he, Brody and Paul are set in voting Naomi out, saying that they don't trust her.

“	Giovanni tells me the guys are voting Naomi out, but gets me thinking, what if we make an all-girl alliance to overthrow the men? Asami and Naomi are definitely on board. Gabriella? not sure. I never thought I'd be scrambling like this.	”
–Megan

Brody, Giovanni and Paul are talking about their fate post-merge. With the women outnumbering the men at this point, Brody insisted that Gabriella is a trustworthy ally and a strong competitor at challenges, so they cannot afford to lose her premerge. The three men agree to take her to the final four, but must not make sure she does not win immunity.

“	Among the women, Gabby is the only one I can trust. She is strong at challenges, she proves she is a reliable person, after siding with us during the Lauren boot. We will make a final four deal with her so she cannot side with the girls.	”
–Brody

Megan goes to Asami and Naomi, telling them Naomi is being targeted. Megan asks them if they want to make an all-girl alliance to take advantage of the majority. The two happily accepts her offer. Megan goes to Gabriella next, telling her that they are targeting Naomi, and if she does not side with the other girls, she might be next. Gabriella, who Megan has a hostile relationship with, surprisingly mulls the offer over.

To assure her place in the game, Gabriella goes to Giovanni, asking him his plan. Giovanni tells her the men's plan of voting Naomi out, but he adds that he wants the men and her as part of the final four. Brody joins in the conversation, saying that he overheard Megan and Asami before he joined them, catching wind about an all-girl alliance. Gabriella confirms the existence of the all-girl alliance.

“	If what Megan says is true, I've been suckered by Giovanni all along. But whatever I decide upon, it will soon affect me directly.	”
–Gabriella

At Tribal Council, Giovanni vents his frustrations at Megan for making a new alliance despite apologizing to her. Megan says she has every right to do so to stay alive. Jeff asks what is going on. Megan answers that there are two factions in the tribe, defined by gender. Gabriella confesses that she feels tormented being the swing vote, claiming whatever happens tonight, will affect her greatly. In the end, Gabriella sides with the men, sending Naomi, 4-3.

Back at the One World camp, Megan asks Gabriella of her decision to not flip to the girls' side. Gabriella merely shuns her over and goes to sleep. Megan is displeased with Gabriella's apparent lack of respect for her.

“	Gabriella has zero respect for me. She treated me like a plague or something.	”
–Megan

Megan then goes to Asami, crying over Gabriella's disdain of her. Asami comforts the young food technologist, and tells her that if anything, she will be kept over Gabriella, because she is a threat at challenges, while Giovanni will just treat Megan like a goat. Unsure of Giovanni at all, Megan tells Asami that she will try to look for the Jarakay idol first thing in the morning.

Day 20[]

Early in the morning, speculating that the Jarakay Hidden Immunity idol is rehidden at camp, Megan goes out to search alone while the tribes are still asleep.

“	I've held the idol before, but looking for the idol is really hard. Like, trying to find it is like searching for Jimmy Hoffa's body!	”
–Megan

Under the notion of collecting firewood, Megan searches for the idol in the jungle. Just when Giovanni and Gabriella are about to get up, Megan surprisingly finds the idol under a rock near Tree Mail.

“	Megan is back in business!	”
–Megan

While Megan is on her way back, with the idol and firewood, Giovanni and Gabriella converse about the existence of the rehidden Jarakay idol. Gabriella states that her gut feeling says that the idol is out there. Gabriella, Giovanni, and the newly awaken Brody all go to the jungle to search for the idol, not knowing Megan, who happens to walk by them, already has it. On the way to tend the bonfire, Megan is giggling with the idea of them searching in vain for the idol.

At Naak, Donny, Colin and Aries discuss who would they vote for if they lose another Immunity Challenge. Colin insists to vote out Morrison instead of Helena, reminding them that the idol is their only way to rebound if they merge with bad numbers; and if in case Helena uses her idol, the three of them will be put in jeopardy. Aries and Donny agree to vote Morrison out in case they lose. Meanwhile, Morrison, a long-time affiliate of the male alliance, asks Helena if she has plans moving forward. Helena, who is surprised that Morrison is starting to make a move, answers that she intends to break the male alliance by taunting them she will use the idol. Morrison feels that he is being used as an errand boy of the alliance, and tells Helena that he is open for some sort of strategic ideas.

“	All this time, I've been an errand boy for the three men. If there's time to make a move against them, it should be now.	”
–Morrison

“	I'm shocked and amazed by Morrison coming up to me for some sort of an alliance. I expected that I'll be approaching him first, but he approached me first. Should I accept his offer out of obvious necessity, or vote him out because he just proved himself to be more threatening than those three horndogs combined?	”
–Helena

Day 21[]

After receiving Tree Mail, the two tribes then meet Jeff in another Immunity Challenge. Each tribe is given a long, heaping platter of cooked animal innards, and the first tribe to have an empty platter wins immunity. Brody sits out Asami for this challenge.

Both tribes are dead even from the start, until Megan shows signs of throwing up, while Morrison, who lives in a farm, is used to eat offal. While Giovanni tries to swallow the food without chewing it, he throws up as well. In the end, Naak wins their second Immunity Challenge in a row, sending the Jarakay tribe back to Tribal Council.

Back at camp, Gabriella asks Giovanni about the upcoming vote. Giovanni says that despite aligning with Megan at the last minute, he is willing to vote her out. Paul and Brody second the motion. Gabriella thanks the men, stating that she would rather side with the men than work with Megan.

“	I feel confident that Giovanni and the other men will vote Megan out. I can't stand that woman out here. Like, she sucks my life force every time I see her. She's weak in challenges, and she is a goat to take to the end. I see no reason why I should vote for her.	”
–Gabriella

With Gabriella out of sight, Brody proposes a new plan. He speculates that Megan would be easier to control post-merge, so his proposal is, keep Megan in and blindside Gabriella, because she is a physical threat at challenges. The three men shake hands with each other to seal the deal.

Giovanni goes to Megan, saying that they are planning to vote Gaby out. Suspicious that now there are only four women left in the game, Megan starts to have thoughts of being outplayed the whole time, thinking that the males might systematically vote the women out, one by one. She goes to Gabriella, despite their unpleasant relationship. Gabriella does not listen to Megan, despite diligent efforts to make her vote with her, but not tell her she is the intended target.

“	It's really hard to play a game when no one's playing with you. From now on, if it's really the time of Gabriella's undoing, I won't try to save her, because I know she won't look out for me. For now I have to steer clear from the snuffer's direction.	”
–Megan

Gabriella goes to Asami next. Asami states that the men might have planned to vote them out if she is not careful, but Gabriella insists that Megan is the next target.

“	I feel bad for Gabriella's deferred thoughts that the men are actually working with her, but in truth, the joke's on her at Tribal Council.	”
–Asami

At Tribal Council, Megan and Gabriella duke it out, disappointing the tribe. While Gabriella proudly speaks about siding with the men, she will go nowhere, and tells Megan outright that she is going home. In the end, the five remaining Jarakay members vote Gabriella out of the game, 5-1, making her the first member o the jury. After the vote, Jeff hands the Jarakay tribe a bag of purple buffs, announcing a merge. Once they return to camp, they must inform the Naak tribe the news.