High Drama Highlights on 'Survivor'

Thursday, October 03, 2002

Ghandia Johnson © CBS Television

Last week's "Survivor: Thailand" ended with a teaser indicating a physical confrontation between the two tribes and a sexual incident on Chuay Gahn. This Thursday (Oct. 3) we learn that one was barely serious, while the other was a drama-fest worthy of daytime television.

Chuay Gahn's Ghandia starts things off by saying how happy she is that Ted is on the island with her. He reminds her of her husband, she says, and he's a great hugger. The camera shows them lying on the beach, cuddling as they drift off to sleep. The next morning, she says that he was "grinding" against her in a sexual way and now she feels like garbage.

When she privately confronts Ted, he apologizes and says that he was acting out in his sleep and was not aware of what he was doing. Ghandia starts to cry and says that she was raped once before and was afraid that he would deny the whole thing. After she thanks him for his apology, she tells him that he's a good person, and they hug.

Think that it's over? Not by a long shot.

Meanwhile, the Sook Jai tribe continues its meltdown. Stephanie is still sleeping in the rain and no one can figure out how to work the fishing net they won last week. In one haul, they catch what looks like a goldfish and roast it on a spit. It's sad.

Tonight's reward challenge pays homage to the island's past as a pirate hideout and, oddly enough, the prize is 24 hours with two Thai Red Beret survival experts.

The two teams must walk on floating bamboo platforms to the other team's boat and steal ten items one at a time. Part of the platform is designated an "attack zone" -- the players may knock their opponents into the water, and whatever they are carrying won't be added to the total. There's a catch, though. If contact is made outside of the attack zone, the aggressors are kicked out of the game, and one item is removed from their total and awarded to the competition.

Sook Jai takes an early lead in the physical game, but things get ugly fast. Ted knocks Robb into the water and Ken violates the attack zone rule and gets kicked off. Lurch look-a-like Robb is quick to follow his Sook Jai teammate when he chokes Clay. After a peeved Jeff Probst tells Robb that he's gone, Robb taunts Clay, calling him a "little whiny baby." Sook Jai loses two more players when Stephanie and Jed both push Chuay Gahn players outside of the attack zone.

Chuay Gahn wins the competition thanks to Sook Jai's testosterone poisoning.

The Red Berets teach the Chuay Gahn how to eat just about anything on the island except for rocks and sand. Given time, the two men could probably build a "Gilligan's Island" coconut radio for the tribe. Instead, they get to watch high drama between Ted and Ghandia.

After some time mulling Ted's apology, Ghandia decides that it was "disingenuous" and therefore not worthy of mention when she relates the embellished incident to Helen and Jan. Not knowing that Ted admitted his responsibility to Ghandia already, Helen tells Brian that the three of them have decided to vote Ted out. Brian wants to hear Ted's story first, and then all hell breaks loose.

Word gets back to Ghandia that Ted has denied her version, and she throws a hissy fit worthy of "Survivor's" all-time highlight reel. She stomps away from camp, screams, and starts punching a tree while muttering obscenities. Later, she switches to throwing rocks into the ocean while muttering obscenities. The Thai Red Berets quietly start to wonder what the heck is wrong with Americans.

They wouldn't be terribly impressed with the Sook Jais, who have lost the fishing net that they won last week. Jed took a nap while he was on net duty, and it drifted out to sea. Proving that the camera crew won't help out in times of crisis, they pan out to show the bobbing net just behind Robb and Jed as they conduct their futile search.

Not surprisingly, Erin admits that Sook Jai might be better off losing the immunity challenge this time around. "We're ready to get rid of some people," she says.

Over at Chuay Gahn, Ted calls a meeting to clear the air about the Ghandia incident. He retells his side of the story, declares his devotion to his wife and child at home and apologizes to the team, asking for a fresh start. Well, he's not going to get it. Ghandia is on a roll.

Heading into the immunity challenge, both teams have a good reason to throw the game for a chance to get rid of someone. It turns out to be a logic puzzle, and the Chuay Gahn easily defeat the Sook Jai.

Afterward, Shii Ann admits that she could have helped solve it, but she's ready to boot someone out. Apparently, she overestimated her popularity with the group, getting three of the eight votes at tribal council. The lazy net-loser Jed gets five votes, however, and becomes the first Sook Jai to leave the island.

Chuay Gahn may want to consider throwing the next immunity challenge -- it looks like things are going to be unbearable between Ted and Ghandia for the next week.

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