Episode Report Card Sara M: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Judas
By Sara M | Season 22 | Episode 2 | Aired on 02.23.2011
Probst explains the challenge: five contestants from each tribe have to swim across a pool, climb a ladder, and break a tile suspended over the pool to release a key inside. Once all five keys have been retrieved, another tribemate will use them to open a box with a ball inside. The remaining two tribemates will then have to throw that ball at five more tiles and break them. The first tribe to break all of the tiles wins immunity and a fishing gear reward. For some reason, Zapato decide to sit David out and the challenge begins.
Grant and Steve go first for their tribes, which is interesting since they're both former NFL players. Steve was much more successful in the NFL, but he's also a lot older than Grant. Steve also looks a lot like Dr. Cox from Scrubs, while Grant doesn't look like anyone from Scrubs because his hair is ridiculous. Grant gets to the ladder first, but doesn't manage break the tile. It doesn't matter, though, as he just grabs the key on his way down. Onomatopoeia get a slight lead as two random women we haven't really seen before so who cares what their names are go next for their tribes. The rest of the players from both tribes manage to get their keys on their first attempt and Onomatopoeia gets all their keys first.
But Natalie struggles to unlock her chest while Stephanie gets her locks opened quickly and gives Zapato the lead. Ralph and some other girl start trying to break tiles (actually, it's just Ralph throwing the ball. The other girl does nothing) while Onomatopoeia isn't far behind, with Phillip throwing the ball while Kristina is on retrieval duty. Phillip breaks the first tile, putting his tribe in the lead again, but Ralph is right behind him and soon breaks several more, giving Zapato a 4-1 lead over Onomatopoeia. Rob despairs, but while Ralph struggles to hit his last tile, Phillip manages to break three more and catch up. It comes down to the fifth and final tile, but Ralph manages to break his first and Zapato wins again, which is tragic because it means Li'l Russell won't be voted out tonight. Or ever. I mean, I might as well resign myself to it now: Li'l Russell isn't going to be voted out. He's going to be on this show every season and never be voted out. And then he'll win Fan Favorite because the people who watch this show are apparently stupid. Anyway, while Zapato celebrate their close victory, we get a shot of the course that makes it appear as though their victory was not as close as we were lead to believe - at least two of Onomatopoeia's tiles are still intact. While Rob's tribe sulk over their second loss and Zapato celebrate, Matt walks over and shakes their hands, much to Rob's disgust. He calls Matt's show of good sportsmanship "despicable." Probst hands the immunity idol back to Ralph while Li'l Russell makes sure to grab the reward basket. Onomatopoeia's slow motion walk of shame is silent.