Yauman, tender

We have been watching Survivor again this year.  The season hasn’t been bad, however last night was one of the best Survivor episodes ever all thanks to a crafty little Asian guy named Yauman.  Yauman is tiny, I’d be surprised if he weighed 125 soaking wet.  He has been surprisingly good in the game.  Although he is not strong, he has some skills.  He has done well in challenges that involve hand eye coordination.  He also is very smart and has been playing the game skillfully the entire time, but last night took the cake.

This year they once again had hidden immunity idols that could be found and used to save your neck at tribal council.  Yauman was able to find one of them using the clues provided.  They are down to only 6 players.  Last night’s reward challenge was a big one, they were playing for a Ford F-350 Super Duty truck, a $40,000 to $50,000 vehicle for sure.  The last part of the challenge involved throwing axes at a target and cutting ropes and once again, Yauman won with a carefully placed throw.  Ali and I laughed at the idea of a tiny Asian guy behind the wheel of a massive full size truck.  But almost immediately after winning Yauman stops everything and says “I’d like to make a deal….”

One of the other people left, a young black guy named “Dreams” let everyone know how he doesn’t own a car and how winning this would be incredible.  Yauman made an offer to Dreams.  He would give him this massive truck if Dreams agreed to give Yauman immunity if Dreams wins the immunity challenge in the final four round. (two rounds away)  Without pausing, Dreams immediately agreed.  Yauman had no assurance that Dreams would honor this agreement, he was trusting his word.  So Yauman gave away his prize but he had one more power since he won the challenge, he could pick who got sent off to Exile Island (solitary confinement).  Yauman pulls another shocker and says he wants to send himself there!

Now Yauman was doing this all for strategy.  Having Dreams commit to giving him immunity would essentially be eliminating Dreams from the game in the final four round.  Going to Exile Island allowed Yauman to get another clue regarding the location of ANOTHER immunity idol that was hidden somewhere.  He went to exile, read the clue, and sure enough was able to have his ally in the game, Earl,  find the other idol.

So while Yauman was in exile, the remaining players, except Yau’s ally, Earl were conspiring, lead by the little shithead, Dreams.  Dreams agreed to give Yauman immunity in the final four round but did not agree to help get him to that round so he wanted to back stab Yauman.  The plan he came up with was to tell Yauman and Earl they were all voting out Stacy since she was next in line to go.  Stacy played along with the plan, acting like she was sorry to be going but was ok with it.  They hoped to snooker Yauman into believing all was fine and then give him a big kick in the ass.  For Dreams to do this after the guy just gave him this truck was as low as it goes in my book.  I would never do that.

So the act went around camp that Stacy was going to be voted out.  Earl totally fell for it and thought nothing was awry.  However at one point Yauman simply says “I have bad vibes”, relying on his intuition which has been spot on so far.  Earl told him not to worry and things were going as planned.  So tribal council comes and Jeff is doing the normal Q&A session.  He asks Stacy what she thinks will be the result of tonight’s vote.  Stupidly, she says that she thinks the vote will be split.  Instantly, Yau’s eyes open wide up.  She buried herself.

So this year, you have to present the immunity idol after the votes have been cast but before they have been read.  Jeff asks if anyone wants to use it.  After a long pause, Yau gets up and hands it over.  It’s a risky move as if people aren’t trying to vote you out, it is wasted.  But he sniffed the rats out.  The smile on his face after vote after vote with his name was read was classic.  Only he and Earl voted for Stacy, the other 4 voted for Yauman.  So Stacy was rewarded for her stupidity by getting her ticket punched off the island, and Dreams had been exposed as a little ungrateful punk.    The finale is this Sunday and I can’t wait to see how it plays out, although I will probably wait till next week to see it all since we will be in Orlando.

I don’t know how, but somehow doing shoulder and ab work at the gym yesterday managed to aggravate my left knee.  Last night with every step I could feel pain in it.  I was really annoyed and frustrated as I slapped the ice bag on it.  Long term it makes the prospect of me being able to return to regular volleyball competition rather dim and short term it f’s with my 300 workouts which pisses me off nearly as much.  I am trying to decide if I am even going to try the box jumps today and if not, what I want to substitute.  Basically the theory of the 300 workout is to get blood pumping big time to either the top or bottom part of the body and then with the next exercise go to the opposite.

I’m sure there will be lots to relay after our weekend in Orlando/Cape Canaveral.  I think I will really find it interesting.