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'Survivor: Redemption Island' Episode 3 recap

Matt Elrod in Survivor Redemption Island


The episode begins with Matt's arrival at Redemption Island following his elimination from the main camp. Francesca seems confused as to why he is there as she considered the voting-off of any part of Boston Rob's alliance to be an "impossibility". Matt admits that he feels "like an idiot" as he did not expect to be blindsided by his tribe but insists that he will use the opportunity to make a comeback.

Back at Ometepe, Rob expresses his pleasure at having gotten rid of Matt as well as forcing Kristina to use her immunity idol. He invites Phillip to join the alliance that he has formed with Grant, Ashley and Natalie but also worries about appeasing Andrea as he knows that she was close with Matt and will be angry following his loss.

The next day, Francesca and Matt discover the directions about their upcoming "duel" which will determine which of them will be allowed to continue on at Redemption Island and who will be sent home. Over at Zapatera, two tribe members are given the opportunity to travel to the island and witness the duel, thereby gaining a sneak peek at what to expect there. David and Steve draw the appropriate colored stones and win the chance to go. At Ometepe, Andrea and Ashley are the lucky players.

Everyone joins Jeff at the Redemption Island arena, where each duel will take place. He explains that Francesca and Matt will use sticks and rope to make a long pole which they will use to retrieve three keys. The keys will open three locks on a door. The first person to successfully open the door will earn the right to continue in the competition.

Francesca retrieves her first key quickly and follows up with the second before Matt has completed his stick. Though his first attempt proves unsuccessful, he eventually catches up and the battle heats up for the third and final key, which is further away than the others. Matt finally succeeds in completing the task, just beating out Francesca who will now leave the game.

Returning from the duel, Boston Rob pulls Andrea aside in an attempt to assuage her over Matt's departure. She admits that she feels unsure about her position in the game as Rob tries to assure her that she is still part of his alliance. However, she admits that while she will stick close to the group for the time being in order to seem trustworthy, she ultimately does not believe that she is safe during the upcoming Tribal Council.

Back at Zapatera, David and Steve decide to tell Russell that Matt lost the duel and has been sent home in order to "shock" him once he is voted out. Russell then meets with Krista and Stephanie in order to search for the immunity idol, still unaware that Ralph has already found it, as he knows that his three person alliance is no match for the other six members of the tribe who are seemingly working together.

Stephanie then decides to fake having the idol by carrying around her bag, though the ruse is immediately detected by Steve who deems anyone close to Russell to be untrustworthy. Steve approaches Ralph and Mike with the proposition of getting rid of Russell and they are receptive to the idea. The men then pitch the same plan to Julie and Sarita, though they have questions about the idea before agreeing.

The tribes then meet Jeff on the beach for today's immunity challenge. The task calls for three members of each tribe to be strapped to a spinning wheel which will dunk each player under water as three others spin it. They must then fill their mouths with the water and spit it out into a tube. Once the tube has been filled, a ball will be released down into a slide puzzle. The puzzle must then be solved and the ball rolled through it. The first team to complete the challenge will win immunity as well as luxury items including beach towels, blankets and lanterns.

Zapatera decides to throw the challenge, with Julie being instructed by Steve to "miss the bucket" as she spits out the water. She admits that she is uncomfortable with the plan but goes along with it, purposely failing to add water to the tube. Ometepe therefore releases their ball first, giving Rob a head start in completing the puzzle. As Zapatera releases their ball, David begins to work on the puzzle slowly, seemingly confused as to how it goes together. Rob then finishes first, giving Ometepe the win.

Following his team's loss, Russell confesses that he believes the group threw the challenge and complains that he is "dealing with a bunch of bitches". The group decides to proceed with "the plan" of splitting their votes between Stephanie and Russell, a plan which Russell immediately figures out. He then encourages Stephanie to approach Julie in the hope of flipping her vote on their side, which she seems to consider. Russell then promises to keep Julie until the end if she votes with him and encourages her to blindside Ralph for elimination.

Over at Ometepe, the celebration of their team's first win is short-lived as the group begins to search for the hidden immunity idol. Rob is the first to locate the clue which is hidden in the fabric of one of the chairs won as part of their reward. He takes it privately to the forest but is given no help as the clue is confusing and gives no real information as to where the idol could be hidden.

At Tribal Council, there is a three-way tie between Ralph, Russell and Stephanie, causing the players to recast their votes for one of those three. Finally, Russell is eliminated with four votes and is sent to Redemption Island.

"This is the first time I've ever been voted out. I don't like it at all! I was p*ssed off, I wanted to bitch slap every one of them," he said following the decision. "Right now this is [Matt's] house, and I'm about to take it from him."

Survivor: Redemption Island continues next Wednesday on CBS.

All Images: Copyright: CBS

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