Episode Report Card Kim: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Justice is Served
By Kim | Season 25 | Episode 12 | Aired on 12.05.2012
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Reward Challenge: Each contestant is reunited with a loved one in perhaps the most emotional reunion I've ever seen on this show. The Survivor has to toss a muddy cloth to his or her loved one, who then has to toss it at five pins on platforms and knock them off. Malcolm and his brother win, which means that Malcolm's brother gets to come back to camp and spend the night. He gets to pick another person to bring a loved one back, and he chooses Lisa because she's been having such a hard time out there. Then he asks for another and gets it, and allows Skupin to bring his son. I can't believe he didn't pick Denise. I guess he figures he's going to be in the finals against her so he doesn't need her jury vote and he wants to solidify his final-four alliance.
Lisa's brother helps her to remember how she felt when the game started: that she's there to play a game and betrayal and lying in the game doesn't mean she's a bad person. This leads Lisa and Skupin to come up with the idea of blindsiding Malcolm and taking out his Idol. Lisa and Skupin also have a little prayer circle with their family members.
Immunity Challenge: walk on a log over water to a platform and then use a grappling hook to fish out three bags of sticks and rope. Swim to the beach and tie together the sticks to make one long stick, which you have to use to poke a target, raising a flag. Everyone but Abi and Denise get close, but Malcolm ultimately wins. Guess God's plan didn't involve Lisa or Skupin executing their blindside successfully. Or else he's busy.
Since Malcolm can't be voted out, everyone has to figure out a Plan B. Malcolm and Skupin discuss how they don't want to vote out Carter, but he's a challenge threat. Then Abi goes off on a rant at camp and annoys everyone further, and they start to think about voting her out even though it doesn't make sense strategically.
At Tribal Council, Abi continues her lie that she has a Hidden Immunity Idol and no one seems to believe it. Regardless, they vote out Carter because they can't risk him going on an immunity run and screwing up their final four alliance.
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!The tribe returns from voting out Penner. Abi interviews that she knows now that Malcolm, Denise, Lisa and Skupin have a four-person alliance, so either she or Carter is going next and she also knows that they all like Carter and have issues with her for being "too honest." First of all, she should have figured out those two facts about six days ago; and second of all, it's interesting that with all the complaints they made against Abi, being "too honest" is what she took away since it's the least objectionable thing they said. Anyway, Abi approaches Carter to find out how he feels about being on the outside of the power alliance and Carter doesn't seem to want to talk about it; he points out that -- if she has an Immunity Idol like she claims -- she shouldn't be worried. Abi says she does have an Idol and interviews that she has to keep up this charade, because it's all she has left. This just shows how terrible she is at strategy; she actually has a really strong position. She should go up to Malcolm and Denise and argue that they should take her instead of Lisa and Skupin, because they can beat her in the finals and they might not be able to beat Lisa and Skupin in a jury vote. That's a much stronger argument than, "I have a secret and possibly fictional Idol."
Malcolm checks in with Lisa, who says she's feeling dizzy and confused after Tribal. Malcolm points out that was Penner's intent; he wanted to make Lisa doubt herself and her decisions. Lisa interviews that she thinks Malcolm is playing a brilliant game and she knows that going to the end with Malcolm and Denise isn't her best move, but she also feels that betraying their trust goes against who she is as a person.
After the credits, we hop right into the Reward Challenge. Probst doesn't waste any time before announcing that they will be competing in this challenge with a loved one. Everyone starts crying and freaking out. Probst brings out Skupin's son first and Skupin loses it, hugging him and crying, "Let me see you! Let me see you! My number one!" I'm hoping he means that this is his firstborn, and not his favorite child. Skupin says that his son is the best human being he knows and he's encouraged Skupin to return to the show for twelve years. Next, Carter gets to hug his mom, who is very young and fit looking. Also, either Carter is a giant or she is a miniature person and I never thought of Carter as super tall. Denise is reunited with her "man" (husband? Boyfriend?), and she climbs him like a monkey. Aw, they really love each other (and he calls her a "tight, tiny little package" so I'm guessing their sex life is good too... and well, she is a sex therapist) and he just carries her around like a child.