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Survivor retro rewatch: Cook Islands episode 12, “You’re a Rat…”

By Cheryl Wassenaar

Still from Survivor: Cook Islands episode 11, "You're a Rat..." (2006). Image is a screengrab via CBS.
Still from Survivor: Cook Islands episode 11, "You're a Rat..." (2006). Image is a screengrab via CBS. /
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Quite a bit of math played into Survivor: Cook Islands’ twelfth episode, although not all of it was about the two alliances left in the game.

Survivor: Cook Islands had a bit of a fight to punctuate the game moving into the home stretch of the final nine days, but beyond that, it discussed things like fish, mathematics, and also even some strategy.

The fallout from Nate’s elimination started immediately after Aitutonga came home after Tribal Council. The Aitu Four still had Yul’s idol and the chance to celebrate. Parvati told Jonathan he was going to lose the game and even tried to do the mom thing and said he’d disappointed her.

It also prompted Jonathan to say that Yul was in the possession of the hidden immunity idol. Of course, she said she had no confidence in his information, thanks to what had happened at Tribal. Jonathan may have said in a confessional that he felt good about his choice, but he basically burned any opportunity to work with old Raro members after Parvati’s outburst.

On Day 28, it was time for the Survivor auction, wherein Jeff Probst gave everyone $500, did not allow food-sharing, but did permit borrowing money. Keep that in mind here, because the auction can be a microcosm for the social layout of the game in the guise of a fun bidding game.

  • $100: Jonathan bought a covered hot dog, beer, and fries.
  • $360: Parvati bought a piece of chocolate cake and a bath.
    • Jonathan brought the bid up to $300, and Probst commented that he might be running up the score.
  • $640: Becky and Yul bought the power to ship Candice off to Exile Island and took her $500.
    • Yul also openly showed that he had the idol, which meant that they sent Candice there more than a little bit out of spite.
  • $420: Ozzy bought infinite ice cream for the length of the auction.
  • $240: Jonathan bought an originally covered pepperoni pizza.
    • Adam and Yul also bid.
  • $140: Sundra bought a covered sea cucumber.
  • $100: Jonathan then bought a toothbrush, toothpaste, and some mouthwash.

Sundra, Becky, and Yul did not take well to Jonathan’s behavior, and Parvati noticed to tell Adam. Cook Islands was indeed Parvati’s first time around, but in moments like this, you can see the flashes of her evolved social game from Micronesia. Jonathan also read the situation about how bad things had just become for him.

There was a brief Exile interlude, notable mostly for Candice saying she felt she had to win immunity.

Speaking of winning, Jonathan read us the clue:

"“When were we rolled in a barrel?We merged how many days ago?All these key moments remembered,Now become crucial to know.Your past will affect your future.Stay calm, but you better hurry.Take too long, or things don’t add up,You might be the next on the jury.”"

But of course, a simple quiz is not enough for a Survivor immunity challenge. No, the first quiz gave the players a number to get a key to raise a flag after doing some math. The three who finished — Parvati, Adam, and Jonathan — then had to do additional questions to get the key to an obstacle course. Adam got it right on the first try and won immunity, leaving both Jonathan and Parvati in the dust, though she got a key at least.

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The Jonathan campaign continued back on Aitutonga, with Parvati and Adam (and a somber Candice) pleading with Yul to basically just beat Jonathan. They then promised him they’d give him their jury votes if they voted Jonathan out first. So then Jonathan didn’t offer those three any of the fish that he’d caught.

A brief moment here to point something out about the food: In a very real sense, both sides had valid points here. Candice, Parvati, and Adam had been trying to get Jonathan out of the game that same day. However, he had also fed them before, and normally the general accepted idea is that if someone catches fish, it’s for the whole tribe.

To get back to the confrontation, Candice went out, and Jonathan brought up the offense he had taken. She also dragged the rest of the Aitu Four, mostly Yul, into it. She also did not get any fish.

However, Yul started worrying about jury management, meaning that as Aitutonga filed into Tribal Council, things were just a bit up in the air. Even though nine days remained in the game, it was already clear that someone from the Aitu Four was probably going to win, and much as Yul tried to say he wasn’t leading things, that scene appears as evidence to the contrary. He’s certainly not the most aggressive player out there — he’s quite cool-headed, actually — but he had a hold on the game.

Anyway, Tribal Council’s topics: Candice’s Exile excursion and the great fish conflict. Ozzy actually seemed to enjoy the conflict a bit, while Yul tried to mediate (“the U.N.”, Probst dubbed him) and the jury had all sorts of reactions. However, Yul didn’t take the deal Adam and Parvati offered: Candice went out 5-3, she gave Adam plenty of kisses, and Jonathan got the expected three votes.

For episode 13 of Cook Islands, Yul actually refers to himself as “the godfather.” If he’s the godfather, who exactly’s the one who has to “leave the gun, take the cannoli“?

Next: The best athletes in Survivor

We’ll just have to find out when we watch.

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