Utahn Tyson Apostol’s injured arm didn’t prevent him from helping his fellow tribemates from winning the Immunity/Reward Challenge in CBS’s “Survivor: Blood vs. Water” during Wednesday’s episode, which included Days 9 and 10 of the 39-day contest for $1 million.
“My shoulder still does hurt, but it is getting better every day,” said Apostol, 34, of Provo, who has been on both "Survivor: Tocantins" and "Heroes vs. Villains." "The thing is, I’m better than most everybody on my tribe with one arm, so I want to win.”
Apostol’s shoulder popped during the previous challenge, which included one-on-one duels.
Apostol’s Galang Tribe had two more people than the Tadhana Tribe and Tina Wesson, 52, who won “Survivor: Australia,” and Kat Edorsson, 23, of “Survivor: One World,” sat out.
This challenge included paddling out to collect five crates, bringing them up to assemble a staircase and putting together a puzzle to reveal the combination to get a key to release a flag.
Apostol and 43-year-old Laura Morett, of “Survivor: Samoa,” worked together on the puzzle. Morett again defeated her daughter, 24-year-old Ciera Eastin, who worked on the puzzle for the Tadhana Tribe.
The Galang Tribe also won croissants and biscotti along with tea and coffee.
In this season of “Survivor,” the castaways are 10 returning players and a loved one, including children, siblings, significant others, spouses or a relative. The returning players are on one tribe, the Galang Tribe, and the loved ones are on another tribe, the Tadhana Tribe.
When a tribe loses the Immunity/Reward Challenge, they go to Tribal Council where they have to vote out a fellow tribe member. The voted-out castaway goes to Redemption Island where they compete in individual duels with others on Redemption Island for a spot to get back in the game.
And once voted out, their loved one can switch with them on Redemption Island.
During last week’s episode, Apostol’s girlfriend Rachel Foulger lost the Redemption Island duel and was out of the game. Foulger’s Tadhana tribemates had hoped that Apostol would switch with Foulger and weaken the Galang Tribe. But Foulger told him to stay on his tribe.
Apostol’s been wearing a makeshift sling for his arm while at camp and taking advantage of it to rest more.
Apostol and Gervase Peterson, 43, who competed on “Survivor: Borneo,” have been sneaking off to eat coconuts, opening them a different way that animals have opened them. The “coconut bandits” know that their fellow tribemates wouldn’t be pleased with them.
The Tadhana Tribe headed back to Tribal Council on Day 10 and in a bold move, 26-year-old Caleb Bankston announced he was voting for Brad Culpepper, as Bankston felt he might be on the chopping block. Culpepper had told Eastin and 25-year-old Katie Collins to vote for Bankston. Then Culpepper told his guy alliance to vote for Eastin.
The votes were spilt between Eastin and Culpepper and then in a re-vote, Culpepper was voted out and headed to Redemption Island.
“That was one of the most shocking votes and potentially one of the biggest shifts of power that has ever happened at Tribal Council,” host Jeff Probst said to the remaining five Tadhana Tribe members, who haven’t won immunity yet. “Hopefully it’s exactly what this tribe needs.”
At the Redemption Island duel on Day 9, the recently voted out John Cody, 30, competed against his wife, Candice, and 21-year-old Marissa Peterson, Gervase Peterson’s niece. John Cody won the challenge, which included threading a key through a ladder bridge, unlocking a bag of puzzle pieces and putting together a complicated puzzle.
Candice Cody, 30, who competed on “Survivor: Cook Islands” and “Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians,” beat Peterson, who was eliminated from the game. John Cody received a clue to the hidden Immunity Idol and, at Candice’s recommendation, gave it to Monica Culpepper, who decided to burn it on the advice of her husband, Brad, who said it would put a target on her back.
“That is the first time that had ever happened,” host Jeff Probst said of rejecting and burning a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol.
Now the Codys will compete against Brad Culpepper, who has been the target of ire at the Redemption Island duels from the voted-out castaways.
In “Survivor,” there are physical and puzzle challenges that determine tribal immunity and, at times, reward, and the losing team heads to Tribal Council, where they vote someone out. The tribes merge, generally about halfway through the 39-day contest, and then the challenges determine individual immunity. Usually after the tribes merge, the voted-out players comprise a jury that will determine which of the final three will be named “sole survivor” and win the $1 million.
“Survivor: Blood vs. Water” airs Wednesday evenings on CBS.
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