An unpopular tribe member’s time finally came. But a double elimination on the following tribe council delivered a big surprise on the castaways of Q-11’s Survivor: Gabon.
Episode Six saw blonde looker Kelly Czarnecki’s torch snuffed out. The 22-year-old Illinois resident had gained not a few enemies in the past episodes by speaking out, particularly about Ace, a fellow member of the Fang tribe.
“I should have bitten my tongue a lot of times,” she agrees. “But when Ace talks, you wanna fight back at him because a lot of the things he is saying are just not right.” Her goal was to expose Ace for what he is but it backfired, mainly because Ace was able to out maneuver her and she got voted out instead.
Episode Seven, however, had a surprise for Kelly’s least favorite tribe-mate — a double elimination and quite a nasty blind side. Host Jeff Probst surprised everyone by announcing a double elimination which meant that regardless which tribe wins in the challenge, both tribes will vote out one member.
Tribal council at Kota had lawyer Dan Kay eliminated from the game. “What they said was a reflection of themselves,” the 32-year-old Boston resident said of what his former tribemates revealed about him. “It shows a maturity level and personality, and a level of arrogance to resort to name calling. Corrine is a medical professional and for her to say those things says everything about her.”
Dan was the sensitive guy in bad need of an alliance. Ace Gordon, the 27-year-old fashion photographer, on the other hand, thought he had a solid alliance. But Sugar Kiper, the blonde pin-up model Ace thought he had in his pocket, basically stabbed him at the back and delivered the swing vote that got him out of the game.
Ace agreed that it was a blind side. “I miscalculated how the votes would turn out,” he said. “Sugar is a friend of mine in real life. It’s just that she went crazy out there.”
He is all too aware that he gets extreme reactions from tribemates and viewers. “I prefer that (being the most loved or most hated) to just coasting along.”
Who’s playing a good game so far? Dan replies, “I think Sugar, Matty and Ken are playing a really good game. They’re coming at it hard without crossing the line.”
Survivor: Gabon airs Fridays at 3 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. with a replay on Saturdays, 5:30 p.m.