TENSIONS ERUPT AT DRAKE

Following Rupert's advice, Drake worked to raise the floor of their shelter. The incessant complaining by Shawn Cohen, the 28-year-old advertising sales from New York, New York, angered Jon Dalton, the 29-year-old art consultant from Danville, Virginia, to the point of yelling. Jon wasn't the only member of Drake who questioned Shawn's work ethic. "Maybe Shawn should get a clue that he's not anybody's buddy here. That he has to get whatever has to happen done. He needs to make sure we win the challenge or he's going home and that's it," noted Sandra Diaz-Twine, the 29-year-old office assistant from Ft. Lewis, Washington.

REWARD CHALLENGE: READY AIM FIRE

As the tribes met for the Reward Challenge, Host Jeff Probst explained that the challenge involved firing cannons like the pirates of old. The first tribe to hit all their designated targets would win. The reward consisted of a grill, spices, lobsters and steaks. The reward also allowed the winning tribe to loot one item from the losing tribe's camp. And, if Morgan were to win, they would receive the second piece of the map to their buried treasure

As the challenge began, the cannons fired loudly. It was a very close competition, as it came down to Andrew Savage, the 40-year-old attorney from Chicago, Illinois, who needed to hit his target to collect the Morgan win. Alas, Andrew missed the target, paving the way for Christa Hastie, the 24-year-old computer programmer from Los Angeles, California, to blast her target with a cannon ball. Drake was triumphant once again.

DRAKE REAPS REWARDS

Celebrating their victory, Drake returned to camp in high spirits. They grilled up their mouth-watering steaks, and then enjoyed the feast into the night. As morning broke, Jon made the victorious trek over to Morgan to loot the tribe's water pot. Jon even enjoyed a shampoo thanks to the hospitality of the Morgan tribe. While at Morgan, Jon also mentioned that Drake lost a recent Immunity Challenge on purpose. "I think that's just nonsense and I think it's bad sportsmanship for him, the little bastard, to indicate that we didn't, fair and square, win that challenge," noted Andrew.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: PULL YOUR WEIGHT

As the tribes reconvened for the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that the castaways would have to utilize strategy as well as endurance in order to win. Tribe members from each tribe would be forced to hold a pole up on their shoulders behind their neck. Periodically, weight would be added to the pole. Members of each tribe would determine to which of the opposing tribe members' poles the weight would be added. The last tribe standing would win immunity.

Morgan immediately chose to add all the weight to Rupert's pole while Drake preferred to distribute their weight allotment among the Morgan castaways more evenly. The Morgan tribe's strategy proved to work as Rupert buckled under the weight. In the end, Christa couldn't compete against two Morgan men as she collapsed from the weight of her pole. This proved Morgan's strategy wise, as Andrew's determination sealed their victory.

INFIGHTING AND BACKSTABBING

Back at the defeated Drake camp, the tribe dealt with the inevitability of the night's looming vote. In a clandestine meeting, Trish lobbied to form an alliance to vote out Rupert due to his strength, power and likeability. The alliance needed Shawn to complete the plan.

However, wind of this covert plot made its way back to Rupert, who orchestrated a secret alliance of his own. Since her plan backfired, Trish was voted off in a four to two vote, and became the sixth person to be ousted from SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS.

REWARD CHALLENGE: PADDLE FOR PADDLES

As the tribes convened for the Reward Challenge, Host Jeff Probst explained that the Challenge involved collecting from the water the rungs to a ladder, as well as retrieving a golden idol hidden in an old Spanish well in the jungle. The first tribe to assemble their ladder and place their golden idol at the top of their designated platform would be the winner. Besides the right to loot one item from the other tribe, the castaways would be playing for a water prize, which consisted of a portable shower, a pot for boiling water, two jerry cans, rain jackets, sponges, shampoo and conditioner. If Morgan were to win, they would also receive the first piece of the map to their buried treasure.


As the race started, the tribes collected the ladder rungs at the bottom of the ocean floor in close competition. Drake lost control of their boat due to the faulty navigating of member Jon Dalton, the 29-year-old art consultant from Danville, Virginia. This made the crucial difference as Morgan quickly assembled the ladder, found the idol and finished the Challenge first to win the Reward.


As Morgan celebrated, Rupert was offered the choice of returning to the Morgan camp to enjoy a shower. But wanting to go home, he opted to rejoin his Drake tribemates immediately.

MORGAN LOOTS DRAKE

For the first time, Morgan had the opportunity to take one item from the Drake camp. Given the honors, Andrew arrived at the Drake camp to loot one crucial item. Because Morgan was almost completely out of food, it was no surprise that Andrew chose to take a bag of rice from Drake. Rupert was very friendly in offering Andrew even more rice than was allotted before Andrew's arrival. Rupert was clearly beloved at both camps, which caused him to theorize, "There is probably a lot of danger in being too much in control of both tribes. Who knows what my own tribe even thinks of me? But if I push too hard, I will end up alienating someone."


DRAKE PREPS FOR THE IMMUNITY CHALLENGE

Upon reading the Tree Mail inviting them to an Immunity Challenge that most likely involved eating exotic seafood, Drake put their strategy in place. Since Michelle claimed to have a high tolerance for eating questionable food, the tribe decided to use her as a decoy. Michelle would pretend to have trouble downing the fare in order to fool Morgan into choosing her to compete in the case of a tiebreaker or uneven competition. "What we're thinking is the other tribe is going to have to pick one person to drink twice, so we're going to make her be a decoy for all of us," explained Trish.


IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: SURVIVOR SMOOTHIES

As the tribes met for the Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that the castaways would have to spin a wheel, which would determine two ingredients that would be blended together for them to drink. The menu consisted of red shellfish, sardines, razor clams, bleeding clams, sea water, squid, mango, rock oysters, conch, octopus, coconut juice and, of course, a mysterious concoction of Jeff's making. The first person unable to keep their smoothie down would cause their whole tribe to lose Immunity.
As the wheel was spun, both tribes bravely gulped down the concoctions one by one, all the way to a tie. But when it came time for Morgan to chose a Drake member, they did not chose Michelle, because she didn't pretend to be squeamish as was previously planned. Instead, Morgan opted to compete against Sandra Diaz-Twine, the 29-year-old office assistant from Ft. Lewis, Washington, in the Challenge. Sandra was able to drink her disgusting smoothie, but had a lot of trouble swallowing the sardine chaser, which allowed Darrah Johnson, the 22-year-old mortician from Liberty, Mississippi, to win Immunity again for the Morgan tribe.


ONE DRAKE MUST GO

Back at the Drake camp, the tribe dealt with the inevitability of a Tribal Council vote that evening. Feeling vulnerable, Sandra worried she would be sent packing for losing the Challenge. Michelle had a feeling she was also on the chopping block for not following the plan. "I am extremely pissed off at Michelle," complained Jon, "Michelle was planning on pretending as though she would be the worst in the bunch, when in reality she was the best. But her freaking ego wouldn't let her do it."


In the end, Michelle received six out of seven votes at Tribal Council and became the fifth person to be voted off SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS.

MICHELLES FINAL WORDS

Wow, what an amazing experience. Wish I could have been here longer. I wish I could have had more time to kick some butt, and to really get into the game, but for whatever reason, that didn't get to happen. I'm really upset that I came all this way, and I got here, and I'm missing my sister's wedding for this. I wish I would have been able to pay her back by letting her see me down here longer, and really kick some ass, but it didn't happen for me right now. But regardless of all the politics between what had happened, I'm glad that I was a part of it. I had an amazing time, I learned a lot, and I'll always have this experience with me. I think that's all I have to say.

OUR ROUNDUP

 Lord who died and made Jon king dick.. GET RID OF HIM, hes such a little dweeb and snake, between him and trish this tribes coming unstuck... Poor Michelle she definantly didn;t deserve this, and i think it was a bad Drake decision. Maybe Michelle should have stuck to the plan but then again its a game of chance and for money. They lost the immunity but then they gave up the immunity last week on purpose, come on tribe think about it!

NEXT WEEKS PREDICTIONS

Immunity Winners: Morgan (when the going gets tough)

Food Winners: Drake

Voted Off: Jon

REWARD CHALLENGE: FLOAT-IT NOTES

As the tribes converged for the Reward Challenge, Host Jeff Probst explained that they would be solving a puzzle. Each tribe's puzzle had sixteen pieces: eight pieces buried in the sand and eight hidden out at sea. The tribes had to collect the sixteen pieces and use them to solve the puzzle. The first tribe to put together the giant jigsaw would win a sewing kit, a piece of a map to a buried treasure and the right to loot an item from the other tribe's camp.

The race for the puzzle began as a close one until Morgan member Osten Taylor, the 27-year-old equity trade manager from Boston, Massachusetts, had trouble swimming. As Osten's tribemates rushed into the water to rescue him, the Morgans fell behind in the competition. Just when it looked as if Drake had an insurmountable lead, Trish Dunn, the 42-year-old sales executive from Annapolis, Maryland, began to struggle when digging out the Drake piece, allowing Morgan to make a huge comeback. It was all for naught, however, as Drake assembled their puzzle in the nick of time. Drake continued their winning streak and Morgan lost…again.

DRAKE FINDS TREASURE

With all three pieces of the map in place, the Drake tribe had a good idea where to look for their buried treasure. After some confusion over finding a spot the map called "Devil's Fork," the tribe hit pay dirt as Shawn Cohen, the 28-year-old advertising sales executive from New York, New York, struck the buried chest with his shovel. The tribe eagerly gathered to see what the bounty contained as they opened the strongbox. Inside they found goblets, candles and candleholders, canned foods, sugar, honey, blankets, coffee beans and, to everyone's pleasure, chocolate. But not all members of Drake were happy. "The blankets smell like crap, the hammock smells like crap, the mosquito net smells like crap. I call it a ghetto Christmas. It's like asking for an Incredible Hulk doll and getting your sister's Ken doll painted green," complained Jon.

REWARD CHALLENGE: SPRUNG A LEAK

As both tribes converged for the much-anticipated Reward Challenge, Host Jeff Probst explained the rules. Each tribe was given two boats and a fisherman's grappling hook. The Challenge involved a boat war in which the goal was to sink both the other tribe's boats. They could use the hooks to remove plugs that had been inserted into holes along the sides of each boat. Removing the plugs would force water to rush into the boat, ultimately sinking it. The last tribe floating would win a bounty of blankets, mattresses, pillows, a piece of a map to the buried treasure and the right to loot one item from the other tribe's camp.

The four boats converged upon each other, and the battle was underway. When the tribes frantically clashed in a flurry of splashing water, one of Morgan's crafts drifted away. The Drake tribe seized this opportunity to create a two-boat-to-one advantage. The first Morgan boat to sink was Osten's. Drake's strongman, Rupert, exerted his strength on the remaining Morgan craft, thus securing the Drake victory. Yet again, the Drake tribe won.

THE EARLY BIRD LOSES THE HOOK

Licking their wounds, the distraught Morgan tribe returned to camp for an uncomfortable night of sleep. Despite her good intentions, Lillian made matters worse by waking early to go on a solo fishing trip and lost the tribe's last remaining fishing hook. "I'm pissed. She's being a little bit impatient about the whole issue of going fishing. If she waited just that little bit, I would've been willing to go with her, but next thing you know she's gone, and I wasn't too happy about it," noted Ryan Opray, the 31-year-old electrician from Los Gatos, California

DRAKE LOOTS FROM MORGAN

Deciding not to look for treasure, the debate at Drake camp turned to what item they should loot from the Morgan tribe. Feeling guilty but decisive, the Drake crew decided they should steal Morgan's water pot. Christa Hastie, the 24-year-old computer programmer from Los Angeles, California, went to do the looting.

When she arrived at the Morgan camp, Christa was met with a barrage of questions about the Drake crew. "I didn't tell them anything," Christa exclaimed as she left the Morgan tribe in destitution, "At least, I was trying not to tell them anything. It was just really hard. It was overwhelming. It was overwhelming. I just wanted to get out of there."

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: PULL YOUR WEIGHT

As both tribes reconvened for the third Immunity Challenge, Jeff Probst explained that this Challenge would be a test of both strength and endurance. Although most of the tribe members would start the competition, the showdown would eventually come down to just two castaways, one from each tribe. The strongest member of each tribe would have to suspend the smallest member above water via a rope-and-pulley system. The first person to drop the rope, along with the dangling tribe member, would lose the Challenge and Immunity for the tribe.

TROOP OUSTS SCOUT LEADER: LILLIAN SENT HOME

One by one, members of each tribe were excused from the Challenge, until came down to Morgan's Osten Taylor, the 27-year-old equity trade manager from Boston, Massachusetts, versus Drake's Rupert Boneham, the 39-year-old troubled teens mentor from Indianapolis, Indiana. Both men held strong, grasping those ropes that grew heavier and heavier for over two hours.

Jeff Probst added difficulty to the Challenge, first telling Osten and Rupert that they must stand, then that they had to keep the rope suspended without resting it on the wooden braces in front of them. Finally, a pained Osten couldn't sustain the weight any longer and his smallest tribemate, Darrah Johnson, the 22 year-old mortician from Liberty, Mississippi, splashed into the water, thus handing the Drake tribe another victory.

COUNTDOWN TO TRIBAL COUNCIL

Accustomed to this unfortunate decision, the Morgan tribe returned to camp with the daunting task of sending another tribemate home. The dialogue flowed openly as Andrew decided, "The person that is least valuable to the tribe is the one who should go tonight. And whoever that is shouldn't have any problem with it." As Andrew spoke with Lillian, it was no secret that she was on the chopping block. Saddened, Lillian thanked Andrew for his honesty.

When all the votes were counted, Lillian became the third straight Morgan tribe member voted out of SURVIVOR: PEARL ISLANDS

Over on the Drake tribe's island, the mood was quite different. Rupert Boneham, the 39-year-old troubled teens mentor from Indianapolis, Indiana, provided the tribe with delicious fish. The good spirits flowed almost as freely as the refreshing coconut milk. Making sure that all would continue to stay well, Rupert lectured Burton Roberts, the 31-year-old marketing executive from San Francisco, California, on the importance of upkeep on the tribe's crucial fishing spear. Rupert explained, "It's more of a pain in the ass for me to give him my spear and worry about it being lost or being, you know, broken or whatever. Man, I will be in trouble, because that's my food."

REWARD CHALLENGE: BOUNTIFUL CHEST

After receiving Tree Mail inviting his tribe to a Reward Challenge, Morgan tribe member Ryan Shoulders, the 23-year-old produce clerk from Clarksville, Tennessee, let it be known, "Super big one for me. There might not be more pressure for any Survivor, in the history of SURVIVOR, to do well in the Challenge, than me."

This vital first Reward Challenge involved diving for treasure. The tribes were told to dive down into the ocean's depths, retrieve a pre-placed item and put it into their designated treasure chest. When all the items were in the chest, the Survivors as a tribe had to swim the chest into shore.
As Host Jeff Probst handed both tribes a shovel, he explained that there is an actual treasure buried on each tribe's island. Whichever tribe won this Reward Challenge would be given the first of three pieces to a map that would help them to recover this most fruitful bounty. The other Reward in this Challenge was the right to loot one item from the losing tribe's camp.

Given a chance at redemption, Ryan Shoulders swam out to sea in order to start the Challenge. He had trouble with his mask as well as with staying underwater, which allowed Drake to take an early lead. Morgan never got back on track as Drake methodically rounded up the treasure without difficulty. Once again, Drake was the winner.

DRAKE PILLAGES MORGAN

Elated, the Drake tribe sent Sandra Diaz-Twine, the 29-year-old office assistant from Ft. Lewis, Washington, over to the Morgan camp to take one coveted item. Arriving on the Morgan tribe's island, Sandra got an icy reception. She chose to take the tarp covering the Morgan shelter, which left the Morgans completely unprotected from the rough elements.