Last week on Survivor Hamilton: Fire & Ice… After being narrowly edged by Hielo in a blindfolded Immunity Challenge, Fuego returned to Tribal Council where Chris’ closest ally and brother Iain was voted out in the season’s first true blindside. Will another follow?

Fuego arrived back at camp, still high from their heart-pounding visit to Tribal Council, and eager to talk about it. Some in the tribe wanted to understand why they were left in the dark, some wanted to explain why they had made their last-second decisions, some felt that they had been targeted first, and some were Chris. It cannot be understated how angry (and sad at the same time) Chris was that the people he felt close with would vote out his brother Iain. Eager to make a point, Chris announced that he was quitting the game! and immediately for that matter. But because Fuego is full of good sports and Luke, they understood that Chris felt betrayed, and tried to go to sleep.

Then, late into the evening, while 9 little flamers slept soundly on their terrible bed, 1 sneaky spark snuck away into the forest…

Oh what a glorious day to be awoken by the songbirds at Hielo beach! Fresh off victory at the last Immunity Challenge, and a wonderful week off from Tribal Council, Team Ice had been spending their time working on their relationships. It had really hurt their feelings to go to a tie between David & Elliott in Week 2, and it had also hurt their feelings that people would lie and backstab and change their minds. Yes, Survivor Hamilton is a game, but it’s also real life and there are real bonds being built that transcend the game. At least some people felt that way, while some had their own strategies and targets, and isn’t the goal of the game to have your targets go home? 

Anyway, Hielo was a bit broken, but nothing that their Monday night coconut and rice game nights and a little TLC couldn’t solve. Cowin suggested to the group that they should take turns saying nice things about eachother, and soon enough everyone was in love again! Silas told Elliott that he had a good sense of humor, to which Elliott replied and I think you’re really good at strategy. All day it continued like this. Cait told Cowin that he was a reliable friend. Paul and Tyler took turns hugging Jonathan. Stef said to Chelsea that she was so good at challenges, even last week. Surely this reinvigorated Hielo was unstoppable!

Come on in guys! Are you ready to get to another Immunity Challenge? This week’s challenge will be among the most gruelling of the season. Every member of each tribe will connected together around the waist by a thick, heavy rope, in a long line. Tribes will then proceed through a gauntlet of obstacles, like crawling through thick mud, climbing up a rock wall, working through a maze of tangled bamboo, going up and over and down and under wooden hurdles in the sand, and ultimately climbing another vertical rope to a platform at the end, where the first tribe to with all members up on the platform will win Immunity for the week. Losing tribe wins a date with me at Tribal Council tomorrow. 

Hielo, you have one extra member, so you’ll have an 11-person line, and Fuego, you’ll have 10. And…

Just then, Graham cleared his throat and took a small step forward. Excuse me he said. I found this in the forest. 

Stunned silence fell over both tribes, as Graham proceeded. This week I found a secret message on the island, where anyone from either tribe could have found it. I was given a choice to help myself in the game, or to help my tribe. I chose Fuego, and was told to read this at the next Immunity Challenge: “Congratulations Graham, you have found a secret advantage. Because you have chosen to help your tribe, Fuego, this advantage will allow your tribe to compete in the next Immunity Challenge with one LESS person.” And Fuego cheered, and Hielo complained, and soon that was all over with and the challenge began.

Ok let’s try this again. Hielo, all 11 of you will need to run the gauntlet, while Fuego will only need to get 9 people through and up on top of the platform. Jordan will be sitting out for Fuego due to the played advantage.

For Immunity, Survivors ready? Go! 

Immediately, Fuego got out of the gates the fastest and took an early lead. Bryan was leading the group, and literally pulled Meg off her feet behind him. He called behind him for Fuego to show Hielo what they were made of, and Graham cheered yeah awesome, and Luke screamed MUD PARTY WOOHOO! as he face-planted in the thick, smelly mud. Slowly they pulled themselves through the mud. Bryan, Chris, and Luke seemed to be having an easier time, while Elliott struggled at the back for Hielo, along with a steadily improving Rebecca for Fuego.

Paul seemed to be drowning in the mud, so Tyler stopped to drag him out. Alex hated the mud, so she tried to skim along the top of it as best she could, slowing her down. Finally free and clear, Fuego’s smaller, slippery group reached a 10-foot wall that they needed to climb over. Chris put his ego aside for a second to allow the backstabbers to climb all over him, and soon enough Fuego was working together to pull Chris up the wall. Hielo, not too far behind, had reached the wall and was deciding on their strategy.

Fuego reached the next obstacle, a forest of angled bamboo that would need to be squeezed through carefully, with everyone taking the same route, or else they would get tangled. Bryan carefully entered the bamboo forest, but behind him, Chris tried to barge right through, though the bamboo bounced him right back out again. Back at the wall, with half the tribe over, Silas got tangled in the rope and scarily fell towards the ground, but Stef stepped into break his fall. Despite being a little behind, Hielo was still finding ways to work together and keep it close.

With Fuego getting caught up in the bamboo, Hielo was able to catch up, and with Fuego starting to slow down in the soft sand, Hielo was able to take the lead. It was neck and neck through the final stages until both tribes faced their 15-foot vertical ropes at the same time. Fuego again set Chris up to assist his tribemates in getting a good start on the rope. With Peter standing beside, they could climb Chris and Peter would keep them steady, but the final few feet of rope would need to be climbed alone until Bryan could help them up. The slack in the rope allowed for different strategies of “get up the wall fastest”.

Hielo decided to go one-at-a-time in order so as not to get tangled up, but this was slow going. With Bryan, Stevie, Claudia, and Graham up on Fuego’s wall, only Tyler and Stef had managed to climb up Hielo’s wall so far. But with Meg climbing up, Fuego had mis-managed their rope length, and she ran out of room. With Meg not able to go up, and not wanting to go down, this was a costly error for Fuego. Soon Greg, Cait, and Cowin were up too, followed by Chelsea, and Hielo was right back in it. Fuego was able to sort it out, and soon both tribes were neck and neck with only Rebecca and Elliott still needing to climb/be pulled up. This would come down to the wire and…

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Rebecca reached the top of Fuego’s platform, meaning FUEGO WINS IMMUNITY and safety from tomorrow’s Tribal Council. Hielo, sorry to say that we’ll see you tomorrow at Tribal Council.

We will require all votes before 10PM tomorrow (Friday). Happy voting. Any Hidden Immunity Idols would be played at time of voting.

This Week’s Top Performers:
      

This Week’s Bottom Performers:
      

Check out the updated Rankings here.

Head to Tribal Council.

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