Unaired Episode #11 - Recap - SPOILERS

Episode #11 (original airdate would have been 8/7) was much more about discussing strategies and allegiances than it was about action and challenges. So hopefully I did not miss too much.

Here's the recap:

After the obligatory "previously on" we see Jay and Ben on the deck of the ship at night talking at length about their position in the game. Mostly Jay working Ben, (Ben nodding) reinforcing that he's got Ben's back and that Christa, who is a serious threat, is not part of Jay's overall plan.

Come back from commercial and there is basically a lengthy "life aboard ship" sequence. We actually see Christa and Louie apparently sailing the ship, either that or the producers had them stand at the wheel for a camera shot. My guess is on the so called off day they must sail around the island a bit. Anyhow, a lot was said about life under Christa as captain. She's pretty much doing everything right so far. Getting crew consensus on the black spot, not requiring them to work, equal food and plenty of play time. Ben and others commented that it's been nice, no work, couldn't remember the last time they swabbed the deck, and they were getting free swim time. Lots of Jay saying in confessional that he'll do whatever it takes to keep Christa in power. Infact, prior to the challenge, Jay promises Christa that if he's on the red team, he will do whatever he can to throw the challenge (and in his confessional we hear how he is really playing her.)

Back on deck, Cameron calls the remaining 6 pirates together for the days challenge. They are fighting for a smugglers treasure. An Indian (the country I believe) named A. Patel, was a smuggler of rum and other goods and that this was his treasure. The first clues were written on cork screws that were taken out of the chest of Zanzibar. Christa led the black team, which after randomly drawing shots included Louie and Ben, which left Jay, Kendra and Laurel fighting for the red team. As teams got onto their Dories (row boats) it certainly appeared that Jay signaled to Ben that he was going to throw the challenge. First clue directed the pirates to row to shore and find the anchor. From there they would run upstream and take a right at the place of the skull, and from there they were to find the smugglers den and look for their next clue. Black team took an immediate lead, largely in part to two men rowing and to Jay tanking the red team. You could see that he was not rowing in unison or at full strength. Black teams runs up river, and like complete morons (I'm sure Louie was leading the way) completely over ran the crossroads with the skull. Eventually Christa states that she thinks they went too far, so they double back and find their marker for where they should have turned. After all that, it allowed the red team to catch them at the smugglers den. Jay stayed outside the hut and didn't look for the clues. Basically they were searching crates with empty bottles in them. Kendra (for red) found the bottle first that had cloth inside it. When they pulled the cloth out (a long strip) it held a clue. Kendra figured out that if you wrap the strip of cloth around the bottle, without overlapping, that you could read the entire clue continuously. Of course, black team which hadn't figured it out, Ben looks over, sees what red did (and admits this in confessional)copies what they did and gets the clue too. So both teams are now racing back to the beach and the anchor where they are to dig up what will lead them to the next clue. So both teams get to the anchor and start digging, except for Jay, who notices a heavy anchor chain that runs into the sea, and is partially buried in the sand and leads also to the anchor. So instead of telling his team, he gets near Ben and tells him to follow the chain into the sea, which he does. I certainly never saw him with it when he ran out, but all of a sudden Ben had a divers mask again (they just amazingly appear). Ben sees that there are crates at the bottom, but they are too deep to bring up. So he swims back and tells Louie and Christa that they have to go back to their Lory and row to the crates, and hoist it up to the boat using their anchor (which is like a grappling hook). Black team heads out first, red eventually sees them. Black gets there 1st, they dive, hook the crate and bring it up. On shore they open it and they find a skull broken in 3 pieces. Putting the pieces together reveals a map to the next treasure. So they head out well ahead of red team who is struggling (again, thanks in part to Jay). Black team gets to an underground river/cavern that they have to enter (by swimming). Eventually Ben finds a clay pot hidden in a couple feet of water, so they drag it out claiming the treasure. I don't know if this next part was staged or not, but the black team is returning to the beach so their paths cross with the red team. So they all gather round on the beach to open the chest. They open it, and lo and behold there is a note from A. Patel to Captain Steel, stating that he has stolen his gold. So there is no treasure, which of course leaves the black team a bit peeved. Jay of course is very happy as he already was willing to sacrifice the treasure to keep Christa as captain. So, no treasure, but since black did win, Christa keeps her captaincy.

In a nothing scene back on ship, they show Ben and Jay, with Louie watching, playing a game of hi card wins. Basically cut the deck and whoever has the hi card wins. I think they were playing with $500 gold pieces. Basically Jay shuffled the deck and was able to stack it offset in such a way that he knew a queen was going to come up. He did this 3 or 4 times before Ben quit, and from what I can tell, Ben never thought it odd that the odds of the same card coming up are 1:52 and for that to happen 4 times in a row, not the brightest bulb on the tree. So when the previews said "another pirate cheats another" this was the reference.

Blackspot and summons. Christa does her usual bring everyone in for a shot and to nominate two people. Before anyone goes in Louie the wise tells Jay "nominate me, put me on the spot and Kendra and then bam, we get rid of Kendra." Later Jay says in confessional, if you are down to final 6 and are willing to put yourself on the blackspot, you are an idiot. So Jay goes in first, because as he says, Christa relies on his opinion the most. So he and Ben both say Kendra and Louie, Laurel I couldn't understand who she put up, or if they actually showed it. Louie said himself and Kendra, and tells Christa we then get rid of Kendra. Kendra comes in and acknowledges she will get her 6th blackspot but at the same time trys to turn Christa against Jay, trying to highlight his threat as a snake.

So Louie and Kendra get the blackspots, then you get all the expected confessionals of why they should vote or not vote for each. Louie starts getting a little worried, but although he says he knows people do not trust Jay, he does and he's got Jay's back. Later in confessional, that is one of Jay's inner arguments, Louie he believes does have his back, so he should keep him, but in a game of one on one Louie is as bigger threat then Kendra, so he should go. Basically again that was the pro-con argument. Kendra also made a full court press on Ben, trying to get him to vote for Louie, basically stated the obvious about who do you want to face.

At pirate court, again a lot of talk. Cameron was amazed that Louie volunteered himself to the blackspot. He's like, "Louie, for 5 previous times someone has stood next to Kendra, and 5 times they were cut adrift, why would you do this." Louie here and in his defense gives his loyalty, word and bond speech. Kendra does her usual getting stronger and who do you want to face defense. Cameron asks the three at pirate court their opinions, and pretty much all of them said Louie was an idiot for volunteering, because he was a bigger threat than Kendra. Jay pointed out that Kendra was sneaky, always seemed to be eavesdropping and trying to stir the pot. Ben came down on Kendra for her attempt to bond with him, basically said "you never made any attempt until you were threatened." So you really couldn't tell how it was going to go. All three vote, Cameron looks at Christa and says there are no mutiny cards. He looks at Kendra and says, last week you avoided getting any votes, and then turns to Louie and says, "Louie, you are safe". It was unanimous (again) for Kendra.

The previews for next week seem to indicate that the current triad is about to crack. There is a scene with all three of them and it appears confrontational, another scene of Christa crying and another of Christa and Ben in the galley, in what appears to be a scene where they agree to get rid of Jay. Hard to say with the editing on this show.

Basically was kind of a boring episode, although I really wasn't sure who was going. I think there is so much that doesn't get shown. There are way too many unanimous votes going on, so there has to be a lot of talking that we don't see.

It appears the mutiny rule is still in affect, which to me seems stupid. If JoeDon or Az were still captain, and looking physically dominant, how easy would it be for the 3 or 2 at court to simply mutiny. Christa seems to be ok as she doesn't appear to be any more or less a threat than the others. If Jay gets blackspotted it will be interesting to see if he trys to spark mutiny. Christa, if she remains captain would be smart to blackspot Louie and Jay, as Louie is really the only one to show loyalty to Jay, which would leave Ben and Laurel to vote Jay out. It seems again like a game flaw to only have two people deciding the fate of either the captain or the two that are blackspotted. I'm hoping that somehow they go to individual challenges next week, as there are only two episodes left.

I think this would have been a good week for Jay to have made a play for captain, but even if his red team would have won I suppose he figured there is no guarantee he would be captain, and again no guarantee that the three wouldn't mutiny right away.

Laurel seems a shoo in for the final 4, just because she isn't anything, not a player, not a threat, she's just Laurel the glassblower.

Anyway, kind of a long recap for not much going on.





"Who's the more foolish, the fool or the fool that follows him" ...Obi Wan Kenobi