TDT.com | Survivor 5 Spoilers

Episode 5
"The Ocean's Surprise"
Filmed June 22-24, 2002.
Airs October 17, 2002.

Click below for:
- RC speculation/spoilers
- Twist speculation
- IC speculation/spoilers
- Boot predictions

CBS episode description:
- The Survivors receive a shocking offer.
- One Survivor's singing drives the others crazy.
- Two unlikely tribemates forge a tentative alliance, but neither is sure whether the other can be trusted.

Episode description:
- TV Guide: "One castaway is injured by a stingray during a group swim. One tribe loses an item of great value."
- CBS videos: Promo
- Ep4 videos: 1, 2, 3, 4, RC, 6, 7, 8, IC

Reward challenge/ Twist speculation - Who switches?

Things are looking grim for Chuay-Gahn. From the looks of the beach, a massive tide (the "Ocean's Surprise") has come up past their fire pit, strewing burnt wood all over the beach. But they've lost something of greater value too: their boat (which they just had patched!), as shown in the web promo (link above). They need this to fetch water, and without water, they're toast. Also, poor Robb gets stung by a stingray, and is shown writhing in pain on the beach. Another "Ocean's Surprise." Is that the last one? Well, as is often the case in these situations, Jeff Probst comes to the rescue. Will there be a twist?

The web promo shows the answer is: yes, although it's not clear the twist is necessarily connected to the lost boat, or that anyone will partake in the twist. Or will they? A press release up at Survivorfever shows that the switch offer will take place at the reward challenge. It's not clear if a challenge will then follow. To be honest, we have no idea who, if anyone, switches tribes. Your guess is as good as ours.

Brian and Ted consider the loss of their boat.

Robb considers the loss of his dignity.

Probst, apparently hoping that standing around giant chess pieces might get him a part in the next Harry Potter movie. But what he really wants to do is direct.

Immunity challenge speculation - some version of Chuay-Gahn wins... really!

Once again, no obvious challenge shots. But there is one thing that helps guide the guessing. First, the Clay spoiler, relayed by Chaos28 on the EZ Spoilers board, indicates the people in Chuay-Gahn up until now won't be back in TC for "a while." Since there are only two more tribal TCs before the merge, we think that means two straight IC wins for Clay and his friends. We still think Clay ends up on Sook-Jai, and Shii Ann on Chuay-Gahn. For Shii Ann to get the boot, that means Sook-Jai should win the IC. Or something.

Boot - Not Shii Ann. Not Robb. Hmm... Stephanie?

Once again, Survivornews.net has stepped in with last-minute spoiler info. In case you missed it, Shii Ann and Robb are both safe. By process of elimination, this week's boot must therefore be Stephanie. Feel free to read our prior (wrong) prediction below.

Ghandia's list of smoking friends includes Robb and Shii Ann, and Stephanie has also been rumored to also attend Loser Lodge. That's three boots for the last three pre-jury slots. All are (as of Ep4) on Sook Jai. Robb gets stung by a stingray, but we think he's safe for at least another episode. This leaves Shii Ann and Stephanie.

Stephanie's story arc has gotten almost as low as it can. Unless she's the Gina-like beneficiary of the switch. The chicken story above mentions Stephanie's slippers still being at Sook-Jai in Ep6. But it's hard to imagine her still being there to use them. Still, we'll give her the benefit of the doubt this week.

That leaves Shii Ann. She's had three votes cast against her before, and Jed seemed to think he had Penny convinced that the tribe would be better off without her. She's the fifth wheel in two tight pairs of Ken-Erin and Jake-Penny. Those four may rightly think they would be better served having someone strong (and likely to win immunity challenges) as their fifth, rather than divisive, dismissive Shii Ann. Even with the stingray injury, Robb fits that role pretty well. At least for this episode. So, overall, we're leaning fairly strongly towards a Shii Ann boot.