TV Review: Survivor 13: Cook Islands - Episode 5

After the inevitable recap of last week, the show opened with the Raro dudes hustling. Since JP was voted off last week, they're worried the women will come gunning for them. They're outnumbered and they're worried. And, more importantly, they're working. While they want to show how much they can actually do, the women are just taking it all in.

Over on Aitu, the gender war sort of continues. At least Cao Boi is irked about the women on his tribe doing less than the manly men. With the way he irks others, he may not be in a position to cast stones.

Treemail with its hints of challenges to come sent the castaways to meet up with Jeff. This was a rather new one for a change, not a recycled past challenge with new casting. Each tribe had to pick three pairs from their ranks. The pairs had to stand tied together as the remaining folks placed weights on the pairs of their choosing in five pound increments.

When I saw Adam and Nathan were a pair, I figured them for both the target of others and for the win. Sure enough, they were loaded up with the most weight and struggled to hold each other in the competition. The idea of wine kept Nathan going and they persevered. Since JessFlicka decided to taunt others, I chortled when she and her partner, Ozzy, went down. As Nathan would say, "Karma is a bizzle."

So, Raro won Reward — a bottle of wine, spices, and more fishing gear. They also won the opportunity to choose someone from Aitu to go to Exile Island. Now, we know it's a waste, but only Becky and Yul know for sure the hidden Immunity Idol has already been found (by Yul). They chose to send Jonathan. He will return before the Immunity Challenge and will not be safe from Tribal Council voting should Aitu lose immunity.

After the challenge, back at the Raro camp, the guys are still hustling. Adam hustled so mightily that he somehow caught an octopus who must have thought he was a constricting snake. The octopus wrapped itself right around Adam's ankle. I can see it being the next utilitarian fashion trend — ankle weights and, after exercise, it's dinner!

Article Author: Jackie

Jackie is a TV addict and freelance writer living in the NYC Greater Metropolitan Area. She faces her addiction daily on her blog The (TV) Show Must Go On... where you'll find daily television discussion and in-depth reviews/recaps of selected shows. …

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