Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Elephantitis
By Sara M | Season 17 | Episode 4 | Aired on 10.16.2008
While Matty, Kelly, and Ken yell for GC, Crystal and Ace are back at camp. Ace is loving every minute of this. Crystal doesn't want to waste her energy yelling for someone who clearly doesn't want to come back to camp. She says she's sick of GC and his tantrums. "From a grown adult," she sighs. True that, Crystal. Even being one tribe member down, Fang is probably better off in the challenge without GC. And just when I was looking forward to seeing how the game would deal with a contestant disappearing, GC comes slowly paddling back like he didn't cause his entire tribe to worry. Kelly tells him that were about to leave without him. He says that would have been fine with him. "Why? We need you!" Kelly says. A+ effort, Kelly, but he's not worth it. Just agree with him and throw a rock in the kayak and sink it.
The tribes arrive at the challenge. Sugar rejoins her new tribe, looking like she just had the best time at Exile. Surprisingly, GC shows some good team spirit and pats her on the shoulder to welcome her back. Not so surprisingly, Ken throws an arm around her. Probst explains the challenge: there are a bunch of balls made of sticks tied together. Tribe members roll the balls down a hill, where they encounter obstacles and blindfolded opposing tribe members with shield are lead by a caller to try to get in front of the ball and stop it entirely. At the bottom of the hill are several goals with different point values assigned to them. So it's Survivor Plinko. Interesting idea for a challenge, but it's weird that the success of a team depends on luck with which goal your ball happens to roll into and the two tribemates at the bottom of the hill. That leaves five tribemates on either team who don't have much to do at all. That just means that if Fang wins this, Probst can say something about their win having nothing to do with team unity or ability, if he mentions their win at all. Fang's blindfolded defender will be Ace with Sugar directing him, while Kota's defender is Dan with Randy calling. Interesting that both tribes picked people who used to be on the other team for those positions.
Matty and Charlie roll first. Dan almost gets to the ball in time to block it, but does not, and Kota score two points while Fang scores 5. Ha! Go, Fang, go! I don't really like them, but I hate Probst more. Randy goes out to lead Dan back to the side and talk to him, while Sugar leaves Ace standing around blindfolded and whining. Next up are GC and Susie. Intense music plays as we are all left in suspense, wondering, is throwing a holey wooden ball too much of a physical effort for GC and will he quit? He doesn't! Both balls roll down the hill. Sugar gives Ace orders that seem accurate, but he doesn't listen to them for whatever reason. Maybe he can't hear her? He misses Kota's ball while Dan stops Fang's. Kota scores two points. Crap, although I did enjoy the low angle shot of a triumphant Susie leaving the mound. Sugar runs to get Ace, and he's all pissed off and orders her to talk more. Well, maybe you should move right when she tells you to move right. "What's happening?" he asks. "Nothing's happening right now," Sugar says. "No, not right this second, I can hear that," Ace says, all pissy. Maybe he should do some yoga to center himself. Sugar sort of promises to talk more, and then Marcus and Kelly throw next. Dan accidentally stops Kota's ball while Ace nearly stops Fang's, but misses it, so they score two points. "Poor communication for Kota!" Probst says. And in the background, pigs fly and hell freezes over.