Stunned that they would be heading to Tribal Council again, Hielo began contemplating where it went wrong. For starters, Graham had surprised everyone by playing a secret advantage for Fuego, certainly giving them the edge in the challenge. But they still had a chance to win, and unfortunately Elliott slowed the tribe down just enough to lose. And though he was concerned, Elliott knew that he had 9 votes to stay the last time they were at Tribal Council, so hopefully he could again rely on some of those relationships.

Beyond Elliott, some other players were starting to stand out from the crowd. Cowin’s last-second strategizing had resulted in the tie that sent David home, and while some were still mourning the birthday boy’s (Happy belated Dave!) exit, it was the manner in which Cowin orchestrated the tie that bothered the other side. A huge part of Survivor Hamilton is maintaining personal bonds despite adversity, despite the lying, and despite the  backstabbing. The way you do that is by justifying your moves. If you can’t make a good case for why your move was essential to your game, then you risk becoming labelled unreliable. Not saying that Cowin was at that point, but some were starting to feel that way after the last Tribal.

Some on the tribe had also took notice of Stef. Of everyone on Hielo, she seemed to spend the most time away from camp walking around the island. Sometimes she would go alone, and sometimes she would have one or more companions. Whether she was looking for an idol or just walking around, no one seemed to know. Silas had also drawn some criticism from Elliott about his lectures on game strategy. Most of the tribe seemed to be able to drown it out, but Elliott vowed that one day he would put an end to it. Would it be tonight?

So one by one Hielo filed in to face their taskmaster, wary of what the vote may have in store. The tribe was tired of the games and the lies already. Hielo wanted to be a tribe of honour and tonight they would show it.

Let’s get to the vote…

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If anyone has a Hidden Immunity Idol and you want to play it, now would be the time to do so…

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The tribe nervously looked around…

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Alright, I’ll go tally the votes. 

Once the votes have been read the decision is final, the person voted out will be asked to leave the Tribal Council area immediately. Let’s get to the votes.

First vote…

2nd vote…

That’s one vote Cowin, one vote Stef

3rd vote…

That’s two votes Cowin, one vote Stef

4th vote…

We’re tied, two votes Cowin, two votes Stef

5th vote…

That’s three votes Cowin, two votes Stef

6th vote…

That’s four votes Cowin, two votes Stef

7th vote…

That’s  five votes Cowin, two votes Stef

8th vote…

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The fourth person voted out of Survivor Hamilton is…

That’s six, that’s enough. Come bring your torch. Cowin, the tribe has spoken.

And with a snuff of the torch, Cowin turned to the ten remaining Hielo’s and said Good luck guys, it was fun playing with you, and he walked out.

So there you have it, 4 down, and the rest of you have made the top 20! Long way to go yet. Looks like Cowin decided to play hard and fast with his tribe’s trust during their last visit to Tribal Council and he couldn’t overcome the bad energy. But as always Survivor Hamilton is a family game and we’re seeing Cowin tomorrow night for Elliott’s B-Day at Track and Field in downtown Toronto buds! Cowin, you flew too close to the sun, but at least you have been gracious in defeat which is a core principle of Survivor Hamilton. Farewell brother.

The next Immunity Question will be posted sometime between Sunday morning at 12:01am and Wednesday night at 11:59pm.

Postscript: All Friday Tribal Council votes will be required to be in by 8pm EST from this point forward. At one point today I decided to change the voting deadline from 10pm to 8pm. This was solely an attempt to get the votes in earlier so I could post earlier so Sandra and I could enjoy our evening. I had no votes in at the time of the change, and upon hearing that the change impacted the plans that one castaway had made, I promptly changed it back to 10pm. In the future, any changes that could impact the outcome of the game will be communicated via email. You can trust me that at the time of changing back to 10pm I had exactly one (1) vote and it was not in any way impacted by the brief time change. Any worries that this game is not fair, or that some decisions are made to benefit certain players, can be dismissed from your minds. This game is my baby and if it isn’t fair for ALL of you then there’s no point in doing it.

And beware of judging others’ game decisions too harshly. You never know what impossible situation you may be placed in.

Head to Week Five.