Survivor: Tocantins Week 2 - Twists, Blindsides and Mysteries Knock Out Candace

Last night on Survivor: Tocantins the brisk game play and mind-bending twists continued as Sierra battled against her negative first impression and Candace blabbed her way out of the game.

Jeff Probst wasted no time setting the pace and getting to the newly designed challenge (which combines reward and immunity) and another rogue Immunity Idol was introduced with a new twist at Exile Island. But the rules involving the first idol, hunted for by Sandy and Sierra, have not been clearly set, so we viewers are left in the dark just as much as the players. These new twists and confounding guidelines are making for another great season.

Survivor is not just surviving - it’s thriving.

As the show opens, the starving Jalapao knock open a termite mound looking for grubs. They are down a member and lost the last challenge, so 3 days in, anything looks edible. Obviously, the gang has been watching too much Man vs Wild. They are sure they made the right decision to send Carolina home, but Sandy is getting on the last nerve with her cornpone accent and pseudobonding hugs and kisses. It’s almost worth throwing the next challenge just to give her the boot. In the sideshow, rancher JT immediately steps up as leader due to his outdoor skills. He knows how to lasso wild animals and is proficient with fishing tackle. Stephen immediately latches on, playing the city slicker, know-nothing sidekick and it works. Look for the two to go far.

Timbira is all smiles after winning reward, so bellies are full. That always leads to trouble and Coach gets right into it with Candace. In addition to Coach’s professed expertise with everything, he’s an expert on rice and beans. Candace, a lawyer with a knockout bod, has some R&B skills of her own so the two set themselves up for a chop down. Candace seems to lighten up a bit when Coach turns on the charm, looking for a kiss, but she only offers up her neck. It’s a very prophetic move.

In the reward/immunity challenge, just as the game gets underway, a downpour sets in. The contest is river basketball and the rain just makes it harder. This is a grueling contest, one of Survivor’s more difficult, and usually reserved for the early days when strength has not been so severely strapped by privation. I notice that the signature hardbodies are not on display this season. Tyson’s’s got the best 6-pack and Candace has the primo rack. The rain doesn’t help anyone keep the Speedos clinging and there are a lot of pixelated boobs and butt cracks.

Still, Taj makes the most of it, obviously having learned some things from hubby Eddie George (NFL analyst and Heisman Trophy winner) as she rolls over the competition. But her hoop skills come up short. After taking a 2-0 lead, Timbira blows it by missing the shot one too many times. Jalapao wins reward (fishing gear) and Immunity.

The new twist for Exile Island is revealed when Jalapao banishes Brendan. The new rule gives him the chance to take an opposing player and he picks Taj. They trundle off to the barren spot, no comforts to speak of, just a stretch of sand, and two jars. Brendan makes the right choice as his jar contains the clue and another twist. He can defect to the other tribe if he wants. He declines. But instead of keeping his clue private, he shares with Taj. Merger mania already?

This is where the first mystery comes in. The clue points back to the “homeland.” Does this mean that now Brendan will be searching for the same Idol as Sandy and Sierra? Is there a new Idol hidden somewhere back at camp? Did Brendan let Taj sidetrack him away from the Idol buried at Exile? We’ll have to wait and see.

That brings up the next mystery. In the opening, Sandy and Sierra were lead to believe they could either hunt for the Idol OR set up camp. Sandy set out right away, and as far as we know, she’s so far come up empty. But Sierra decided to build the camp. Doesn’t that disqualify her subsequent hunt for the Idol? Apparently not. She lets Brendan in on the secret and off they go to the beach for a little digging. When they are discovered, some quick thinking convinces the tribe they were trying to dig a fire pit. And they buy it, despite the fact that everybody should be looking for food, gathering firewood and scheming against each other. So far, this is a clueless lot. Too bad nobody has Bob’s false idol skills. But that may come in to play yet as the tribes begin to get more desperate. It shouldn’t be too long, and the tension will be delicious.

At Tribal, Jeff probes Timbira and attention shifts from the slightly built Sierra to the big-boobed and even bigger mouthed Candace. She’s a lawyer and it shows. She talks herself right into a conviction. Tally: 7 to 1 for Candace over Sierra.

Candace Smith. The Tribe Has Spoken.

Jeff sends them off with congratulations for the early blindside, something he relishes, so the tone is set for both tribes early on.

On the way out Candace admits she knew her big mouth would get her in trouble, but the girl can’t help it. Too bad. She looked spectacular in the rain.

NEXT WEEK: Taj makes a secret alliance with an unknown guy, but it looks like it could be a line-crossing opposing member, which would be historic. Survivor is still kicking.

Don’t miss the next episode of Survivor: Tocantins next Thursday at 8:00 PM on CBS.

We’ll be watching on Fancast.

More on These Topics: Candace Smith | CBS | Jeff Probst | Mark Burnett | Survivor | Survivor: Tocantins