TRIBAL COUNCIL
Malcolm reveals that he is worried about going home tonight. He knows that some people are gunning for him, and he hopes that his alliance stays true to him. Pete feels he is also likely to go tonight. He admits to working hard to try and talk people into changing their votes though. Pete says, "If one person came over, we could easily get rid of Malcolm. He’s got an idol.” Abi admits that she regrets her actions at the last Tribal Council. She insists that she never betrayed Lisa but did doubt her. Abi feels that she may be misunderstood by others due to their cultural and language differences. She says, "English is not my first language and my attitude may be perceived as not the most gentle.” The entire tribe smiles at Abi’s statement. Denise doesn’t agree with Abi, but she says she has known many people whose first language is not English that are helpful and kind. Abi is shocked at Denise’s comment and assures everyone that many people back home love her. She also admits to feeling bad because Lisa will not forgive her for doubting her. Lisa quickly tells Abi that she is forgiven, but she just needed to work with people that will truly trust her. Abi says, "I don’t know how to explain myself any longer. It doesn’t feel good and I’m holding back my tears.” Jeff Probst asks Denise if Abi might be the ideal person to take to the end. Denise agrees that in past seasons people have taken unlikable people to the end. Abi is shocked to hear that she is "unlikable”. With that comment, Abi starts to cry. Denise tries to explain but is continually interrupted by Abi, so she gives up. Abi says, "I’m not going to stop fighting.” The Dangrayne tribe then votes. Before Jeff reveals the votes, Abi plays her hidden immunity idol. Jeff reveals all eight votes, which are two for Malcolm, three for Abi and three for Pete. Since votes against Abi don’t count because she played her idol, Pete Yurkowski, the 24 year-old engineering graduate from Holmdel, NJ, becomes the eleventh person to leave SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You have two types of “villains” on Survivor — those that know they are villains and almost embrace it in a way, and those that have no clue whatsoever. Abi-Maria would seem to clearly fall into that latter category. As a producer, how are they different in terms of what they bring to the show?
JEFF PROBST: Another interesting question…. I guess it would come down to behavior. Russell Hantz enjoys being a villain, likes creating chaos and on some level is always doing it for the audience enjoyment. He’s fascinating to watch because we know he is fully aware of what he is doing when he burns someone’s socks in the fire. Abi-Maria is completely clueless about the impact of her behavior on others. This is equally fascinating because we are amazed that she has no idea! I do think some of it is cultural, but the part that is cultural is the awareness of her behavior. The behavior itself is not cultural — that’s just selfishness and entitlement. Regardless of her approach, she has planted herself firmly in the Survivor Villain Hall Of Fame, which I would have never predicted pre-show. I thought she was very charming and funny and that she could flirt away deep into the game. I never saw this coming. Equally interesting is the fact that she is still in the game, and at this point is someone it makes a lot of sense to take to the end.
EW: There was a lot of confusion among the contestants during the reward challenge where they had to turn over their drums to reveal a logo and their opponents’ drums to cover their logo. I was curious if the Dream Teamers running this in rehearsal also had trouble keeping things straight. Also, how much in general do the rehearsals match the real deal?
PROBST: This was the first time we had done this challenge and while it is a very solid concept, it did prove problematic. When the Dream Team rehearsed it, we had a completely different outcome — they got extremely physical with each other. They would quickly get entangled in a wrestling match to keep the other from moving to the next ring. It resulted in lots of bruises and cuts. We were expecting a physical challenge from the Survivors, but instead they just started sprinting. I’d say that 30% of the time the Dream Teamers do something different from the Survivors. Most of the time it goes according to plan. One of the benefits of having the Dream Team rehearse a challenge is that we learn the places where you can “cheat”, and at that point we can decide whether to close those holes or leave them in the hopes that a Survivor will take advantage of it.
EW: I’ve bugged you about this before and am going to bug you again right now: the multi-stage immunity challenge. Why do these when it can mean that the one or two people that need to win more than anyone — in this case Pete and Abi — can get knocked out in the first stage, thereby draining a lot of the tension out of the rest of the competition?
JEFF PROBST: Usually these multi-stage challenges are a necessity due to production constraints. It takes quite a bit of people power to build our challenges and if we have any hiccups in their production — such as rain delays or we build a challenge that doesn’t end up working — and have to improvise, these multi-stage challenges are typically smaller builds and therefore a get out of jail free card. Totally agree that it doesn’t always work for the best drama. Sometimes you have to make the decision that allows you to finish production and it trumps an individual moment.
EW: I promise to give much thanks this holiday season if you give me a killer tease for next week’s episode.
PROBST: Abi is in trouble — can she find a way out? And alliances are shifting once again.
| Player | Survivor | Tribe |
| Christi | Carter Williams | Kalabaw |
| Colin | Jonathan Penner | Kalabaw |
| Karen D. | Katie Hanson | Kalabaw |
| Steve | Denise Stapley | Kalabaw |
| Cheryl | Michael Skupin | Tandang |
| Lauren | Lisa Whelchel | Tandang |
| Sandy | Abi-Maria Gomes | Tandang |
| Dick | Malcolm Freberg | Tandang |
