Survivor Branford: Season 2: Episode 2

The Mattabesset tribe had survived their first tribal council and emerged as a unified tribe having voted out Danielle unanimously. Despite this, none were hoping to make a return to see Jeff any time soon. Steve reaffirmed his vow at the previous tribal council to give it his all at the next immunity challenge and lead his tribe to victory. While no one would personally hold it against Steve if Mattabesset failed to win, there were definitely a few of his tribemates that would jump at the opportunity to make him the scapegoat.

Steve feels confident heading into the challenge

As the two tribes met half way in between their camps for the next challenge, Saltonstall received their first look at the new Mattabesset tribe and quickly noticed that Danielle was voted out. Several of the Saltonstall members had looks on their faces indicating that they could only imagine what it felt like to have the unenviable position of being the first voted out of Survivor Branford: Second Chance.

The tribes gather up

After the two tribes were in position, Jeff began explaining the rules of the next challenge. It was a Survivor classic: Idol Hands. The challenge would be conducted in rounds. In each round, a member of each tribe would face off one on one. Both would be holding a paddle with a cone balanced on top of the flat surface. The first person to knock the opponent's cone to the ground (or the one whose cone hit the ground last) would score a point. The first tribe to five points would win immunity!

Since this was a challenge that would run one on one and in rounds, Saltonstall was not required to sit out one of its members. Both tribes were asked to secretly determine the order in which its members would participate in the challenge. Steve jumped at this opportunity. Remembering his final four immunity win in the “Balancing Point” challenge the previous year, he was very confident that he had the right skill set for this challenge. Mattabesset put Steve in the lead-off spot as a result.

FLASHBACK! Steve in 2014's Balancing Point challenge

The challenge began with Steve facing off against Amanda from Saltonstall. The two circled around each other while holding their paddles away from each other. With a sudden movement, Amanda threw her cone up into the air and attacked Steve’s paddle! Steve was taken completely off guard as his cone hit the ground before Amanda’s fell back to the grass. She had scored for her tribe!

Amanda and Steve square off

Saltonstall 1, Mattabesset 0

The next matchup in the challenge was Dennis vs Mark. The two played a bit of a cat and mouse game before Dennis was able to use his long reach to his advantage and knock Mark’s cone to the ground. Dennis returned to high fives from Mattabesset while Mark averted the gazes of his tribemates.

Sizing each other up

Saltonstall 1, Mattabesset 1

Round 3 saw Meredith matched up against Angela. There were lots of smiles as they faced off having been the dominant twosome that stuck together and went to the end the previous year. Angela proved to be a little bit faster than Meredith as she was able to circle her opponent and take a successful swipe and Meredith’s cone. Saltonstall regained their lead!

Meredith looks to strike

Saltonstall 2, Mattabesset 1

Saltonstall sent Rob forward in Round 4 to be pitted against Rachel. Perceiving that this was a mismatch, Rachel went for the same suicidal move that Amanda pulled off earlier in the challenge. Unfortunately, Rachel’s cone hit the ground before she could make any kind of a disruption to Rob’s position. Rob continued his good challenge performances with a point for Saltonstall.

Mattabesset cheers Rachel on

Saltonstall 3, Mattabesset 1

Round 5 was very similar to Round 4. This time, Autumn played the role of Rachel while Jim did a Rob impersonation. Jim was ready for Autumn’s move and simply turned around and walked away with his cone once Autumn threw it into the air. Mattabesset still had hope.

Jim and Autumn do battle

Saltonstall 3, Mattabesset 2

Mattabesset went back to the top of their order with Steve as Josh took the opposing spot. Steve tried to use what he had learned from his last round to his advantage. Noting Josh’s good defensive position, Steve attacked! Despite drawing contact with Josh’s cone, Steve was a bit reckless and did not mind his own cone! Both fell to the ground and both tribes claimed that they had won the point! Jeff decided to go to video review to make the call. He announced that the video was inconclusive and that the round would be restarted! This time, Josh left no doubt as he snuck through Steve’s defenses to score a point for Saltonstall. Steve was 0 for 2 in this challenge.

Josh fends off Steve

Saltonstall 4, Mattabesset 2

Round 7 pitted Dennis vs Amanda. Both had won their previous round and hoped to do so again. Dennis knew that Mattabesset was on the brink of a loss and went all out. Keeping his cone as far away from the action as he could, he shoulder bumped Amanda causing her to drop her cone. Mattabesset got the first of the three consecutive points they would need to pull this one out!

Dennis is about to make his move

Saltonstall 4, Mattabesset 3

Next up were Meredith and Mark. Mark thought back to how Dennis defeated him earlier and how Dennis was warmly greeted when returning to his tribe mat. Mark wanted to experience that same feeling after scoring the winning point. Meredith knew how much was on the line and did not want to make a mistake. Her strategy was to wait Mark out and let him err first. Unfortunately for her, she was not ready for Mark’s lightning quick strike! Mark got his wish as he proudly brought the immunity idol back to the Saltonstall tribe!

Jim prays for a Meredith win

Saltonstall 5, Mattabesset 3 (final)

Mark sends Saltonstall's hands into the air

Mattabesset returned a little bit downtrodden to their camp. It was another close call for them. As they trekked back, Jim pointed out that the best they could now do was to go into the merge even in the numbers. Not being able to count on two straight wins, Meredith noted that they should be prepared to merge down in the numbers. Dennis then put two and two together and asked the rest of the tribe if they should all go and look for the idol clue together. It was imperative to Mattabesset that someone have the idol before the merge so that they at least would have a fighting chance if they went in down numbers. Mattabesset arrived back at their shelter and scattered.

The Saltonstall tribe was also on the move. Earlier on, Angela had found the idol clue and then curiously put it back allowing Josh to re-find the clue. Bearing in mind the clue about being “thrown out” and using the map of the island as a guide, both Angela and Josh concluded that the idol must be hidden near the trash area. As she made the walk over, Angela noticed Josh tailing her. At first she was annoyed at his actions but he told her that he found the clue after she had re-hidden it! Angela could only be mad at herself. The two searched for the idol for as much time as they could afford but ultimately came up empty handed.

Sorry I found the clue you put back

Basking in scoring the winning point for Saltonstall in the challenge, Mark thought that his good luck could carry him all the way to an idol find. He told his closest ally Rob that he planned to go looking. Rob had no issues with that and decided to talk to Amanda and Autumn now that they would be the only three left at camp. Rob knew that by representing himself and Mark, it put him in more of the power position among their pair. Mark ultimately journeyed around a bit but without the clue was not able to make any kind of progress in the hunt.

Rob and Mark look to use their time wisely

Amanda had quickly put two and two and two together and knew that this was a pairs game. She and Autumn had already decided to side with Josh and Angela to create a tribe majority. But as she listened to what Rob presented her she realized that she had options. Rob and Mark were probably viewed as less strategic threats than either Josh or Angela so they could be useful in terms of taking out a big player early on in the game. Autumn listened to Rob’s pitch in silence and only when Rob left did she correctly tell Amanda that they were being put in a great position as swing votes within their tribe.

Rob makes a pitch

Meanwhile, Mattabesset had been searching for the idol clue as a group with no luck. There was a lot more going on with the clue hunt than met the eye. First, people were keeping an eye on each other during the search to make sure that the clue wasn’t found and immediately stuffed into a pocket. Also, the tribe realized that they were sacrificing valuable strategizing time in order to find the clue. During the search, people often found themselves in close proximity to one other person. The alliance of four which made the call to vote Danielle out kept their unity as all were whispering “Steve” to each other during the clue hunting. At one point, Jim sidled up to Steve and mouthed “Rachel” to him. Steve nodded, understood, and went back to searching.

Rachel and Dennis look around

As tribal council drew ever closer, the idol clue search ended without any luck. The alliance of four found themselves in a moment in which they could speak freely. They reaffirmed that it was Steve and everything was set. No one thought to ask who Steve was voting for…

Four against Steve

In a free moment, Jim did confide in his closest ally Dennis that he told Steve that the vote was going on Rachel. Jim and Dennis realized that this could be an opportunity if they wanted to change things up. If they swung, they could send the game down a different path. A challenge win would be most important going forward. Both Steve and Rachel didn’t do great in the previous challenge but Steve’s performance seemed to be worse if only because of his confidence beforehand. They could keep the status quo of a unified tribe or they could choose to go with Steve and leave Meredith as the odd one out after the vote. Jim and Dennis wrapped up and headed to tribal council.

Last minute change of plans for Dennis and Jim?

At tribal council, Jeff could have never expected that his first question to Steve would be a huge mistake. He innocently enough asked Steve how he was adjusting to the game. Steve said that he had been through this before but the one thing that made a huge difference this year was the constant presence of the cameraman wherever he went. Steve went as far as to liken the cameraman to a Peeping Tom. When Jeff asked him to clarify, Steve went on saying that the cameraman was always watching and that he could not have a free minute of peace! Then, for reasons unknown Steve flaunted his mental encyclopedia and recounted the story of how the term “Peeping Tom” was born. He launched into a tale of how Lady Godiva appealed to her husband to remit the taxes to the people of Coventry who were suffering greatly at his hands. He agreed, but only if she rode naked on a horse through town. She was willing to do it but warned all the townspeople to remain inside during her trip. One townsman, Tom, was caught peeping and was struck dead.

Steve readies to tell a tale at tribal

By the time Steve wrapped up, Jeff was feeling impatient and declared that it was time for the vote! In what must have been a first, one castaway monopolized all of the prevote speaking time!

The Mattabesset tribe voted one by one and Jeff went to collect the votes. After no one presented a hidden immunity idol, the votes were read. The first vote was for Rachel. And then one for Steve. The third, fourth, and (unread) fifth votes were all the same. They each read Steve! With that, the previous 2nd place finisher was voted out unanimously! Steve admitted to the blindside and complimented his tribemates for pulling it off. And from the look of it, Jeff took a particular delight in snuffing Steve’s torch.