- After one shocking vote, a seed of doubt is planted by a carefully constructed lie that, after the second vote, leaves the final two turning on each other at the final Tribal Council.
- Back at the camp, the final four celebrate the the fact that Coach is gone. Stephen is nervous that he will come off as a villian because J.T. voted with Coach, against Erin. J.T. confesses that he did vote against Erinn to help sway Coach's vote in the jury. Stephen confesses he's loyal to J.T., but he has to think of himself and who he can beat in the end.
J.T. is amazed that Jalapao was able to survive when they came into the merge with low numbers against Timbira. Erinn and J.T. get tree mail and they find a large spider with the note: Hope you're not arachnophobic. Do huge spiders make you worry. If you get spun out with the web, you could get stuck inthe jury. Erinn confesses that she wants to win immunity, otherwise she fears she'll be going home.
Time for the challenge. For today's challenge they will race through a tarantula shaped obstacle course to three different stations. At each station, they will collect a bag of puzzle pieces. Once they've collected all the pieces, they will solve a web-shaped puzzle. First person to get it right wins immunity and one-in-three shot to winning the game.
Survivors ready! Go! J.T. and Taj head through the same spider leg while Stephen and Erinn quickly fall behind. J.T.'s speed and agility keep him ahead of the bunch, while Taj, Stephen, and Erinn stay neck and neck. At one point, J.T. and Taj have a collision through the maze but they cooperate and help each other move by. J.T collects all three bags first and starts on his puzzle.
Very quickly Stephen and Taj have all their bags collected and start on their puzzles too. J.T. barely keeps his lead but Stephen's puzzle-wizardry comes in handy. Even though Erinn is last to start the puzzle, she makes quick moves on her puzzle becoming a threat to J.T. and Stephen. J.T. struggles with one piece then finally finds a solution. J.T. wins immunity!
Taj feels confident that Stephen and J.T. will keep the Jalapao alliance and is sure that Erinn is going to try and make her move. And she's right. Erinn tries to convince the boys that Taj has played such a great social game that she could get the jury votes. Stephen thinks that they could definitely beat Erinn. J.T. says he doesn't care what they do as long as they stay together. Stephen is also worried that if he does vote for Taj, it will make him look bad to the jury.
At Tribal Council, Stephen reveals that the secret to their success is that the Jalapao is that they stuck together. Erinn is a bit worried that she did betray her tribe. Taj admits that she will be shocked if she goes home but understands that everyone is here to play a million dollars. Stephen says that the vote he makes will represent what will give him a better chance of winning the game. First vote, Taj. Second vote, Erinn. Third vote, Taj. Last person voted out. Taj. Debbie mouths, "wow" as Jeff snuffs out Taj's torch. For her final words, Taj says she is shocked that she was blindsided by Stephen and J.T. and if Erinn finds a way to weasel into the final two, she will have her vote.
When they get back to camp, J.T. feels bad for voting out Taj and immediately regrets his vote because Erinn will not shut up. He thinks she is one of the most annoying people in the world.
Stephen feels good to be in the top three but feels a bit tainted because they betrayed Taj. The next day, Erinn immediately goes to work on pitting Stephen and J.T. against each other. Stephen has promised Erinn that he will take her with him. Stephen admits he's a little afraid to take win because he doesn't want to make the decision of who to take with him. J.T. is pretty sure that his alliance is solid, but he's a little worried that Stephen may go back on his word so he wants to win immunity.
Tree mail: Follow the map across the river, there you will find the torches of your fallen comrades. Each torch you will collect a representative idol of those who were voted out before you. At the end of your journey you will burn them and pay your respects as they each had a part in getting you to this point. You will then proceed to your final immunity challenge.
The three head out on for the rites of passage final walk. The first idol is for Carolina. As Stephen unties her idol he says "So much trouble in such a little body." Carolina confesses that it hurt to be the first one voted out, especially to be blindsided. Obviously, she was only the first. Next up is Candace. Erinn thinks she may have been her only friend in the game, but she really liked her a lot. Candace wished she could have tolerated Coach longer so she could have stayed in the game but thought the whole "social compatibility crap" was her downfall.
Erinn thinks Jerry was cool. Jerry admits that Survivor was tougher than anything he ever faced in his 26 years in the Army Reserves. Sandy says she's proud that she was able to change the way her tribe saw her in the game, and Spencer feels honored he was the youngest player in the game but it also may have been why he was voted out so early.
J.T. says that Sydney was the first "hard" vote to make in the game. Sydney wishes she had not rode so many coattails in the game and played her own moves. Up next is Joe who left for medical reasons. Joe says the main lesson he learned is that mother nature is an "awesome force." Brandon is next, the first member of the jury. Brandon says that this was a humbling experience and he has a lot more respect for the game. Stephen says taking out Tyson was the turning point of the game. Tyson admits he was overconfident in the game and that usually the strongest person does not win Survivor. He says the more pathetic you look, the better chance you have at winning so the final three can keep the money and he'll keep his awesome personality and fantastic good looks.
Sierra is next. They all agree that she was surprisingly honest and a really sweet girl. Sierra looks at her experience as trial and tribulation. She felt stayed true to herself and she didn't give up and she feels it will forever change who she is as a person. Erinn says that Debbie was the person she was closest to in the game and it was hardest to vote her out. Debbie thought it would be easy to play the game but she may not be able to figure out people as expected. Next up, Coach. Erinn says he was the most satisfying blindside to date. J.T. says that Coach was one of the most honest people that he ever met and he set out to change the game, and he has a lot of respect for him. Stephen says that Coach did change the game, he got to final five with never telling a lie and was a great storyteller too. Coach quotes Nietzsche, "There is always some madness in love, but there is always some reason in madness." He says even though he was blindsided, he could think of no finer way to go out. Taj is last. They all agree she was the hardest vote in the game. J.T. says that Taj will be his friend for the rest of his life without a doubt and they all agree.
Taj is proud of everything she did, the fact that she could start a fire, fish and feed a tribe. But she admits she lost focus on the million dollars and J.T. and Stephen's will to win the money. She thinks it cost her the game.
At the edge of the cliff overlooking Brazil, they burn all the idols. Erinn is ready to fight like hell to claim her spot in the final too. J.T. says it will take an act of Congress to make him step down from winning this last immunity challenge. Stephen would like to be the one to make the decision of who is in the final two, so he is determined to give it his all.
Time for the final immunity challenge. Jeff explains that the last challenge will require concentration and coordination. They will place a ball down a chute that will spiral downward, where they must catch it and place it back in the chute. Every few minutes, they will add another ball. The balls will alternate left and right, making it more difficult to keep track of which chute it will drop out of. If at any point one of the balls touch the ground, you are out of the challenge. And, to make it more fun, one hand will be tied behind their back. The last person to keep all of their balls in play wins immunity and a guaranteed spot in the final two.
Survivors ready? Go. The challenge begins. They start with one ball and it alternates from left to right. After they have it down, they go to two balls. Jeff reminds them it is also a question of spacing of when they place the ball in the chamber, so they don't get too close together. They add a third ball. The challenge is more mental then physical. One slip and it's over. Erinn drops a ball. She's the first one out of the challenge. Now it's up to Stephen and J.T. Stephen almost misses a ball but makes a lucky save. They go to four balls. They keep their focus as the balls fly through the maze. Stephen drops a ball and J.T. wins immunity once again! For the third time in a row, J.T. wins immunity!
J.T. knows he made a promise to Stephen, but realizes he has a big decision to make in the game. When they get back to camp, Stephen confesses he feels a weight was lifted because it would have been hard to make the choice. He admits that it would have been a "scumbag" decision to choose Erinn over J.T., but luckily the decision was taken away from him.
Erinn goes to work on J.T. She tells him that she is pretty sure that no one from Timbira would vote for her because they would resent the fact that she outlasted them, but the only vote she may get is Taj because she would be upset that they betrayed her. Then she whispers in his ear that Stephen said it would have been suicide to go to the final two with J.T. He asks Erinn if Stephen promised her that he would take her to the final two and she wastes no time in telling him so. She also points out that Stephen would also be able to more eloquently make his point to the jury. J.T. asks Stephen straight out if he would have taken Erinn but he denies it and says he's willing to talk through any doubts that J.T. may have. Stephen confesses that it would make sense that J.T. take Erinn to the final two and admits that it's a hard decision. He says that the fact that takes him would also guarantee him the win. Stephen tells J.T. he's guaranteed to win either way, but J.T. is nervous he may make the wrong decision.
Final Tribal Coucil! Jeff asks Erinn and Stephen why each of them would be better to go to the final two. Erinn says that in the jury J.T. has a better chance to win against her, but she will go down kicking and screaming. Stephen plays the loyalty card and says that because he and J.T. made an alliance on day two and have made every decision together, that he would be the noble choice.
J.T. agrees that he has a very hard decision and he has to choose between what he sees as an easy win or sticking to his word. He also says that if he takes Stephen to the end, he will be playing against the best. Coach winces at the statement. Stephen interjects and reminds J.T. that they have been playing the final breakfast since day two. Jeff snarks when you may a million dollars against a breakfast, you have point, but Stephen says the point is that there's more to a relationship than a million dollars. Jeff asks him if their friendship would be over if he doesn't take him. He says that friendship might not be the same but also realizes that he went back on many promises he made to his so-called friends, especially Taj. J.T. is confused about what to do. But now it's time to vote. J.T. makes the final vote. He votes out Erinn! Coach is happy but Stephen is shocked.
Jeff remind them that the power has shifted to the jury. Erinn says she was a little surprised but deep down she knew it would happen. But she's proud that she was able to stick around as long as she did.
The next morning, J.T. and Stephen enjoy their last day at camp. Stephen is so happy they are finally there and thinks they will be friends for life. The Warrior and Wizard in the final two. At Tree Mail and find a feast waiting for them, sausages, eggs, avocado, the works! They toast a glass of champagne to the final two. They tell each other what their first impression was of the other. They both were completely wrong and even though one is a city boy and the other from the country, they are a lot alike. Either way, only one will win.
They head out to the final Tribal Council. The power is now in the jury's hands. Stephen makes his opening statement. He says that if they were going to make a decision based on who was the better woodsmen or who had the best Southern drawl, they could have chosen on day one. Ouch! He says that they shared a brain when it came through strategy but he thinks that his road has been harder because he wasn't as comfortable in the outdoors coming in to the game.
J.T. says he's it will be hard to follow up Stephen's eloquent speech and reminds them he's the first one in his family to even graduate from college. He doesn't want the pity vote because he worked very hard to get to where he is now. He worked hard to provide for everyone and is proud that he never received a vote. He says that the way they picked to vote people off was based on who they thought would vote them off. This statement shocks Debbie. Finally he says that he does stick to his word and even though he might have had a better chance at winning against Erinn, he wanted to keep his word to Stephen. But he doesn't think Stephen outwit, outplayed, or outlasted him.
Now it's time for the jury to address the final two. Brendan asks Stephen about his statement that he made the most growth in the game. He reminds him that "growth" is not the point of any challenge so why should he win. Stephen argues that "outwit" aspect shows his growth. Brendan is not buying it and asks J.T. if growth is relevant to the game. J.T. says growth is something you can carry home with you but doesn't matter in the game. He says that Stephen was not confident in the challenges and stood in his shadow. Stephen asks for a rebuttal and says that hiding in the shadow is a legitamite strategy but J.T. says that the person who puts their neck out on the line should earn more respect.
Erinn is up next. She asks Stephen about his three alliances that she witnessed. The Jalapao three, the Exile alliance, and the Warrior alliance. But almost everyone in those three alliances are on the jury, so should she just vote for J.T.? Stephen argues that the game of Survivor requires creating dynamic structures and then working within them to advance yourself as best as you can.
He says that he did what he had to do to get where he was today. She asks J.T. why he felt Stephen was the best. J.T. felt Stephen was best because at the time he was the most honest with him and he admitted to Coach he felt that way.
Debbie starts by saying she hasn't decided who will have her vote. She starts with J.T. and says the most important thing to her in honesty. She thought he was honest but soon realized he was a liar. She wants to know who is the real J.T. He explains that his mother told him not to forget that this is a game for a million dollars and that he did exactly what she did, when she lied to Coach. He played the game. She asks Stephen if he had won immunity, if J.T. would be sitting next to him. Stephen says honestly that he does not know. Debbie is not buying. She wants a clear answer. He admits it would be Erinn. J.T. is crushed.
Coach is next. He says he's proud to see the last two remnants of the Power Alliance: the warrior and the wizard. But he has a lot of unanswered questions. He ask J.T. about honesty and integrity. He asks him as the noble warrior, how he was both honest and noble. J.T. tells Coach that he was honest with him. That even though he knew he was going home, he kept his promise and wrote down Erinn's name. He also said he risked a million dollars by keeping his word, even if that makes him that dumb fool who mixes morals with millions. As far as being a warrior, he did everything 100 percent. He asks Stephen the same question. Stephen says that although it may sound perverse, he voted for every one of them and did not hide behind it and took the high ground. In terms of being the noble warrior, he thinks because he hasn't badmouthed J.T., that makes him noble.
Sierra said she had a question for Stephen but felt he had already answered it with his other statements. She asks J.T. what taking the strongest really means to him because Stephen is one of the weakest players. And also, when he had the chance to take Taj, he chose Erinn, who was also a weak player. J.T. argues that Stephen is a strong player and he won an immunity challenge before and almost won the last round. He stays true to his word that he thinks Stephen was stronger. Sierra argues that if he were sitting next to Tyson, Brendan or Debbie, then she would have given him the vote for beating the stronger player. She says it may be the reason he does not win.
Tyson asks about Stephen's comment that he and J.T. "shared a brain" on all their strategic moves and was an asset on getting to the final. He asks J.T. if he considers Stephen and asset in getting to the final, and if so, why? J.T. says that Stephen helped him keeping each other in check. He thinks he could have done it without him, but it wouldn't have been as easy. Stephen replies that J.T and his partnership was unique and he's hurt by J.T.'s words. J.T. asks him if he would be sitting there if someone else had won immunity. He agrees.
Taj is up last. She says she's crushed, betrayed, and extremely disappointed, not that she's on the jury, but the way she was put there. She asks J.T. why it was so hard to put Coach's name down but it seemed effortless to put her name down. Did you not think it would be hard to lie to her? J.T. says the hardest move in the game was voting her out. He says he stuck his neck out for her and they've been like brother and sister, it was harder than his vote last night. For Stephen, she says he saw things in her that she did not recognize because they were so close from the beginning of the game. She asks if it was so important to blindside her and if she really was that big of a threat.
Stephen says that J.T. had been talking about taking her out next for awhile. He says that he wanted her around until three because it would have been great for the Jalapao three. Both Erinn and J.T. are shocked by this obvious lie, but he goes on to say J.T. says she was a tougher competitor to beat so he voted her out. J.T. jumps in and says that Stephen is trying to make it sound like it was just his idea to take her out. He just made himself like he was the one protecting you.
Stephen brings out the bus and throws J.T. under it. He says that J.T. considered voting her out many times, all the way back to when they were at Jalapao. Taj sees through the bull. J.T. says, "Is this the second guy I brought with me?" and Taj quickly answers, "Yes!" Stephen says that J.T. has been slandering him all night. He tells J.T. that his friendship means more to him than anything else, but asks if he would have brought Erinn? Stephen flubs, " I never made that decision in my heart." J.T. says he feels like a fool.
Now it's time to vote. When Taj reveals her vote she says, I am a woman of my word. You should try to be a man in the same way. Sierra simplly says nice job. Jeff tallies the votes then takes his magical helicopter ride back to the States. Fast forward to New York, Jeff enters with the votess to the live audience. Jeff reads the votes! First one. J.T. Second vote, the warrior, J.T! Next vote. J.T. Three votes. Stephen looks nervous. The winner of Survivor is J.T! He runs out to embrace his family and Jeff reveals that for the second time in Survivor history, the vote was unanimous and J.T. received every single vote!
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content