Caleb will be back within 3 seasons.

The Brawn tribe seems miserable.

It did seem like Cydney received less attention, but that might have been editing bc Caleb ended up getting removed.

The difficult of this season explains why the previous season (filmed after this season) had easier challenges. As for this challenge, I'm sure they didn't intend for the digging part to take 45 min, that was ridiculous.

Yeah, I can understsnd how that one unexpectedly blew up in their face - assuming the testers found the 3 bags in a reasonable timeframe. That said, with this scorching heat and contestants that are dehydrated before they even start the challenge, they should realize that it doesn't necessarily take all that much for someone to cross into a dangerous heat exhaustion/stroke stage. The sun and sand combo is brutal. A little bit of shade coverage can go a long way.

The scoring link is on page 5 if anyone wants to check my math.

Standings thus far:

TomHagensWife 16

jdgilberg 14
txaggiefarmer 14

AcctAg11 12
Moxie 12
Ranger222 12
Rebel-E91 12
Ronnie (Reigning Champion) 12
Tony Franklins Shoe 12
tx1c 12
Unthought Known 12

kpaggie05 11
The Sheik 11

aggietony2010 10
BlackLab 10
Dan 07 10
Moore Trucker 10
tallgrant 10

Bobcat06 9
CheeseSndwch 9
hurleyag 9
Quinn 9
zap 9

ChipFTAC01 8
gravy97 8
LHIOB 8

cwpaggie07 7

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I couldn't stand Caleb in Big Brother, but really liked him in Survivor. I hate that he had to leave this way.

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I think he was faking it to get away from Tai.

My initial concern when they showed Caleb going almost unconscious and not responding to Jeff centered around him being one of my picks and being removed from the game to give me no more dang points... i'm a horrible person...

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I couldn't stand Caleb in Big Brother, but really liked him in Survivor. I hate that he had to leave this way.

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I feel the same way.

When watching the end of that challenge, I was pissed at the producers. They built a challenge that put people at serious risk for no reason. That circle being super big did nothing to make me more interested in the challenge. I would have been much more engaged with a very small circle that caused all three teams to be neck and neck at the skill part of the challenge getting the balls into the spots.

And I was more aggravated with the way that they advertised the health problems leading up to that episode since they new tribal was going to be so boring.

I agree with your comment on how they advertised the episode. I thought the commercials and Probst's comments about it in the weekly EW interview were in poor taste.

Agree with that as well. Serious medical situation and I felt like they ate it up like ratings jackals.

It was a serious medical situation...that occurred a year ago and they already knew the outcome and it had a happy ending...that Caleb was 100% OK... otherwise, i'm sure they wouldn't have teased it as such. I cant fault them for teasing something so dramatic to draw in some added interest.

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When watching the end of that challenge, I was pissed at the producers. They built a challenge that put people at serious risk for no reason. That circle being super big did nothing to make me more interested in the challenge. I would have been much more engaged with a very small circle that caused all three teams to be neck and neck at the skill part of the challenge getting the balls into the spots.

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I disagree. It was an endurance challenge, which is nothing new to Survivor. Endursnce challenges test how much contestants really want to achieve their goals, which I think is an important part of the game. It also exposed which teams were actually teams and which were just a collection of individuals, in this case.

Some contestants, especially Caleb, pushed themselves too hard. For example, after 45 minutes of digging, there was no reason one person should be doing 90% of the last stage. He felt like he had to put the team on his back to come out with a win, which I get and can definitely respect. He just needs to know that he has limits, and he didn't respect those limits.

I'm moderately surprised no one went to the water to cool off as people started overheating. It sucks when a solid player has to leave like that.

I genuinely felt bad for Alecia too. She was a bad bad bad fit for her tribe, but they were just being straight up d*cks to her. She also needs to learn to shut up, that may've helped.

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I'm moderately surprised no one went to the water to cool off as people started overheating. It sucks when a solid player has to leave like that.

I genuinely felt bad for Alecia too. She was a bad bad bad fit for her tribe, but they were just being straight up d*cks to her. She also needs to learn to shut up, that may've helped.

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Yeah, she didn't help her cause much at all.

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The rewards from that challenge were minimal compared to the extreme physical exhaustion.

A team shoulda said, F this, and gone for a swim.

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This is what I was thinking. Some salt and pepper? F that.

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The rewards from that challenge were minimal compared to the extreme physical exhaustion.

A team shoulda said, F this, and gone for a swim.

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This is what I was thinking. Some salt and pepper? F that.

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And not even enough salt to replace what they sweated out in that challenge.

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, a lot to get to with this triple threat medical situation. I guess start off by walking us through the chaos as contestants started dropping like flies and you all were having to figure out to handle multiple medical emergencies.

JEFF PROBST: When something unusual happens onSurvivor, I'm experiencing it simultaneously from three different but complementary points of view: Executive producer, host, and audience. Depending on the situation, one will rule over the other. Debbie went down first. Anytime someone goes down it's concerning and it was clearly a very hot day so from a host point of view I made the call to bring in medical and have them check on her. It was made easier because her tribe had already finished so there wasn't anything at stake for them. Had she gone down while her tribe was still battling, I probably would have stopped the challenge until we could ascertain her condition. Once we knew Debbie was not in any kind of life threatening danger and the doctors assured me that they had it under control and she would be fine, I felt comfortable turning my attention back to the challenge.

As it became apparent the other two tribes were having trouble finding the bags in the sand, the executive producer in me began to think about options. What would we do if they simply couldn't find the bags? How would we end this challenge? While this is happening inside my head, I know that our other executive producer Matt Van Wagenen and supervising producer John Kirhoffer (in charge of challenges) are also thinking through potential options for a worst case scenario. We have a very proactive team and everybody is always trying to anticipate possible problems and solutions.
Fortunately, both tribes ended up finding all their bags and the challenge continued. At this point I really didn't have any concerns. Even though Debbie was still being tended to, I knew she was not in danger and I knew we had a good challenge with some great drama and everything was going fine.
It was just moments after the challenge ended that things really took a turn. Caleb and Cydney both dropped within a minute of each other. Having three people down within one challenge was unprecedented and it quickly became clear that this was a very serious situation. At that point, the executive producer part of me takes over and the only priority is everybody's wellbeing.

I know how prepared you all for medical situations, and have seen your team in action, but never have you experienced something like this in which you basically told everyone in the crew no matter what their job to pitch in and help any way they could. Talk a bit about what was going on around you while you and the doctors were dealing with the downed players.

I think if you asked every person on our crew, they would all have a different story to tell. From my vantage point, I could tell within about 10 seconds of Dr. Joe looking at Caleb that this was serious and there really wasn't any forethought given to calling on every crew member to help out. It was a very spontaneous decision. What was remarkable was how effortless it all came together. Suddenly there were coolers full of water bottles right next to Dr. Joe and his team. Umbrellas to provide shade. The chopper was put on alert. Even our director David Dryden was holding a huge chunk of ice on Caleb's chest while still directing our cameras. Everybody on our team is prepared for emergencies like this and they went into action immediately.

As for our medical department, I could write for hours and still not say enough good things about Dr. Joe Rowles and his team. It takes a situation like this to truly see what someone is made of and the kind of leader they are in times of crisis. Dr. Joe was incredibly focused. It was truly astounding how calm the entire medical team was as they quickly determined what was wrong with both Caleb and Cydney and took immediate action.

While Cydney was certainly in bad shape, she was not in a life-threatening situation. So, with her tribemate Jason providing comfort one half of the medical team tended to her. Dr. Joe turned his attention to Caleb, who was much more serious. Nick was right there, holding Caleb's legs up as Dr. Joe ran some quick tests. It wasn't too long before Dr. Joe gave me a look and I knew Caleb was being pulled from the game and they started working to bring his body temperature down as fast as possible.

Caleb was not aware what was happening and it wouldn't have mattered as he would have no say in a time like that. Medical always rules in terms of a contestants health. As you saw, our medical team did an incredible job of quickly restoring Caleb's vitals back to good levels so that he could be immediately transported to the nearest hospital.

It wasn't until Caleb was safely in the air and the Survivors had headed back to camp, that all of us on the crew were able to take in everything that had just happened. I was so proud of every single crew member and the way we all came together. My proudest moment in 32 seasons. That may sound odd, but it truly was bonding through crisis.

And a note worth making: Later in the day as we were doing our debriefing, our safety and security team reminded me that despite being in the middle of a jungle in the middle of an ocean, that Caleb was in the air on a chopper with a doctor at his side within twenty two minutes of collapsing. And, he was being tended to in a hospital not long after that. My point in sharing this is that it would be very hard to get that same kind of fast response in most cities in the United States. We go to great lengths and expense to be prepared for a situation like this and it's rewarding to see it pay off.

You've had a bunch of really scary scenarios over the years with contestants losing consciousness. How does the Caleb situation compare to other ones like Russell Swan?

This is at the top of the list. This was the most frightened I've been in all my time on Survivor. Three people down at once and one of them in very serious condition. There was no color in Caleb's face and very little response from him for quite a while. Even for the first few moments after they put the oxygen mask on, Caleb didn't respond. Then, out of nowhere, he took a breath and suddenly the color returned, his face filled out again and in a matter of seconds he was back. It was very powerful to witness. I don't imagine Caleb has any idea what he went through and watching the episode was probably very emotional for him and his family.

You guys always want to push contestants, but never this far. Obviously the natural question after seeing three players drop is: Was this particular challenge in these particular conditions just too much? What was your internal review like in terms of discussing after whether the digging portion of this challenge was simply too extreme in that heat with already dehydrated contestants?

I wish it was as simple as saying, "We pushed too far," because that would be easy to fix. The truth is, we've done that kind of a challenge many times on Survivor and from a physical point of view, it's actually one of the least demanding. Our assessment, upon reflection, was that it was a perfect storm of events Mother Nature at her absolute hottest combined with a group of players pushing themselves as hard as they could.

I think it's also interesting that in one of his first interviews Caleb said something to the effect of, "Nobody will ever outlast me in anything." If you go back and watch that challenge again, you'll see that it was only a moment after sinking the last ball that Caleb collapsed. He kept his promise. Nobody was going to outlast him in anything. He went until he couldn't go anymore. We've been seeing this more and more in recent seasons and players strive to go further in the game. It happened with Joe last season when he passed out during a challenge after lasting an hour longer than even our longest test. You have to remember that Survivor has very few rules. The players decide the tone of the game, the speed at which it is played, the moral code, and the amount of effort they choose to put forth. This is their game and I think last night showed that every single player out there wants this and is willing to push themselves as far as possible to get it.

Okay, let's sneak one non-medical question in here, which has to do with Alecia. You told her at Tribal, "I think you're going to be voted out tonight. I don't think there's any chance they're voting anybody else out." I'm not sure I've ever heard you tell someone that before, but it was plainly obvious. What's your take on her and the guys in her tribe? Scot and Jason said Alecia always made it about Alecia, but they also certainly seemed very dismissive and disrespectful of her. Are there any heroes or villains in this scenario?

This is a complicated one for me. I'll do my best to explain my point of view. Alecia is a self-described "tough chick." She grew up in the world of boxing with her dad. She's been around a lot of tough talk and as a result she doesn't back down from anybody. So in one sense, Alecia does make it about her because she stands up for herself at all times. On the other hand, I think Jason says a lot by refusing to call her by her name, opting instead for "Blondie." I'm sure Jason would say he was just having fun and he might have been, but the result is the audience now sees Scot and Jason, at least for the time being, as bullies. And this is not from me asking people, I just know what the audience is going to think in this case. After all the life threatening drama they went through only a few hours before, to return to camp and lay into her like that was really fascinating.

As for me calling out Alecia at Tribal, to do anything less would be disingenuous. I can't recall a tribe where three people were so dead set on voting someone out. The real truth is they wanted to vote her out right after the challenge, but Alecia wouldn't agree to it, so we went to Tribal. But please remember, that me merely saying something doesn't make it true and it certainly doesn't mean something couldn't happen at Tribal to change things. It had already happened once in this very tribe when Jenny got caught making a big move. But I had to say what I knew the audience was thinking, which was, "How are you going to get of this?" Turns out, she wasn't.

Okay, tease us up for next week, sir.

I think given all the drama, it's time to switch things up!

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Hey, Debbie, if you have to keep TELLING us how awesome you are, you're probably NOT that awesome.

I just hope my MM bracket works better than my Survivor picks.

Professional poker players have not done well in survivor.

Yeah, on the surface, it seems like a skill that would translate. You think "they are practiced at reading people, not being read, and strategy - great asset", but the environment and type if interaction required in this game is so much deeper and vastly different that it doesn't seem to translate. May also just be a basic clash in the type of personality that would choose to be a professional poker player vs the type with the patience and skill to to play the long game in survivor. Playing the long game for a few hours is a whole different ballgame than doing it for a few weeks.

last night hurt. Anna was by far my favorite and why I was watching.

Seems to me what's left of the brawn tribe + Ty is about to run this game. Maybe that's an overreaction from last night but now that beauty has been broken up they don't seem that strong and the brain tribe members have too much internal conflict. I see Brawn + Ty surviving until merge and then running it to the final four.

I do want to see the super idol played

Big Giant Scott saying he has a man crush on Tia was greatness

Damn...the hot chicks are gone. Beast mode cowboy is gone. The only remaining player I really like is Tai.

Anna was something. Hate to see her go.

And the blonde girl who got sent to the beach by herself.....that was her first episode, right? Pretty sure I've never seen her before.

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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You've done variations before of the odd person out scenario at a tribe swap usually at Exile Island where that person that is not selected joins the losing tribe later. Were there any other scenarios you discussed once Caleb went down and gave you an odd number of contestants? And how big a disadvantage is it for the person who has to go back to a beach alone?

JEFF PROBST: I don't recall if we discussed other ideas, but this is one that always works for us because it creates new story instantly. And it typically brings out some kind of emotion in the players and the audience. You are either happy that the villain is being sent off or, in this case, you are feeling bad that Julia the youngest person in the game at 18 years old is being sent off to live on her own.

It's a massive disadvantage. You are separated from tribal politics and you are forced to survive on your own. I think we take life on the island for granted, but it's pretty brutal to go it without any moral or physical support. There is one obvious bonus in this case you cannot be voted out. That's the tiny silver lining for Julia. What she does with it will determine how much longer she lasts in the game.

Let's talk some strategy. As far as I can tell, Tai's two options at Tribal Council were the following. 1. Give Anna the idol, meaning Peter would go home, Julia would then join the tribe, and Beauty would be the new majority alliance and maintain a numbers advantage heading towards the merge. Or, 2. Sit tight and stay in the game with his idol, but remain in a possible minority alliance, unless he is positive Scot will flip to his side. Obviously, he opted for number two. Do you think it was the right call and what would you have done?

Man, it's so hard to Monday morning quarterback that decision. I think my instinct would be to save Anna and hope that Julia remains tight with us and we run the numbers. But then I'd go sit in the water and think about how this game is typically played and how many times people switch alliances, and I'm pretty sure that I would decide my best bet was to hold the idol for myself, ensure MY safety and not Anna's and play it out. The fun thing about this game is we've seen players go both ways with positive and negative results, so there isn't really a right or wrong. It's about reading the other players and then ultimately just listening to your gut.

Anna was my pick to win it all, so that shows you how much I know. Did I overestimate her gameplay or was she just the victim of badSurvivor luck with the tribe swap?

I think Anna has a LOT more game in her. She is a hustler, a negotiator, great in challenges, and a person willing to throw others under the bus to save herself. What's not to like! She might be a great "Second Chance" nominee!

Tease us up for next week, sir!

Hmmm How bout this? A first at Tribal Council. (And if not a first, it's definitely been a very rare occurrence and one I actually cannot recall ever happening, which is not to say it hasn't, it's just to say mySurvivor hard drive is full.)

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She might be a great "Second Chance" nominee!

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YAY!!!!!

I disagree somewhat that being sent away is a big disadvantage. sometimes when a person comes back, they are the deciding vote in a power split with the remaining tribe members and are actually in a position of power

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I disagree somewhat that being sent away is a big disadvantage. sometimes when a person comes back, they are the deciding vote in a power split with the remaining tribe members and are actually in a position of power

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If they play it right....

It was crazy to see how different Scot was this week. Was he just being extra nice because he was outnumbered and a target or was Blondie just that tough to be around?

The Scot/Tai relationship was fun to watch. I don't think he was being fake at all there. I think genuinely likes Tai.

Woah. I suck.

I knew she was going to change her vote after she wrote it down thanks to Jeffs spoiler.

Peter was just horrible at this game.

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Woah. I suck.

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Me too. Three down, and I can't even remember who #4 is.