Survivor : Guatemala Live Recap
September 15, 2005

The show opens with shots of the Mayan Ruins, in Patan, Northern Guatemala. Probst introduces the show, going over the Mayan culture. Opening credits roll, and the contestants are introduced. Shots of wet and tired Survivors are inter-spaced between shots of snakes, ruins, and trees.

Nakum, in blue and Yaxha, in yellow are the names of the tribes, and the Survivors have already been divided. Probst instructs the Survivors that at camp, they have supplies waiting for them. Probst says that in addition to these supplies, each Tribe will have one other "Tool" for their help. Stephenie and Bobby Jon, former Survivors, come forth. Stephenie joins Yaxha, Bobby Jon joins Nakum. They are full fledged members and players in the game, as much as the newbies are.

Reward Challege: The first challege of the season is an 11 mile race through the jungles of Guatemala. Probst warns of snakes and crocs. The race ends at the better camp, which has flint. Winners get the good camp and flint. Losers get the lesser camp, no flint.

Tribes are told to go gather water, fruit, and bags of corn, but they need to beware of how much to bring. The race begins with a full sprint. Margaret describes the difficulty of giving orders to strangers.

Stephenie encourages her tribe to hurry, but shares her fears on how she might appear threatening.

Tribes are given a compass and a map. Jim takes over early as the leader of Nakum, with compass skills he learned in the Marine Corps.

Gary comes out as the early leader of Yaxha. Gary lies when he's asked by his tribesmen what he does for a living, saying he's a landscaper. His plan is to keep his NFL history from his tribe. He gets the tribe lost a the beginning of their trek, but somehow manages not to get the others upset.

Darkness starts to fall, and a spiky tree falls on Blake's shoulder. Margaret narrates it as a "reality check". Blake recovers, and moves on.

It's full on night, and the Yaxha tribe stops in a clearing for a break. Nakum is in the lead. Blake is vomiting, feeling tingly and dehydrated. Nurse Margaret says the pain of the earlier injury is causing him to get sick to his stomach.

Day breaks, and Yaxha starts off before Nakum does. Both tribes meet up, now are tied. The road that the tribes have been searching for since the beginning of the race has been discovered. Seeing the other tribe has encouraged second-winds on both sides. Lydia and Amy lag behind, causing Yaxah frustration.

Nakum's veteran, Bobby Jon grows cold and crampy. Cindy describes how Margaret nursed him back to health. The tribe is concerned that the "hard core" guy is falling out. They take the lead.

Nakum reaches the boats first. All members pile into the canoes, and set off down the river. All are visibly worn. Yaxha arrives at the shore minutes later. Seeing Nakum so close boosts their morale again. It's a full on race to the other shore, where the better shelter awaits. Nakum makes it there first, but Bobby Jon's cramps prevent him from exiting the boat in a hurry.

Nakum wins the race, and the reward!
Their shelter is an abandoned Mayan ruin, in all its glory. It's a beautiful area, and all are awe-struck.

Yaxha arrives, Nakum congrats them. The Yaxha Survivors are given a map, and told that they need to leave and paddle to their camp. Stephenie calls it the most difficult challenge Survivor has ever had.

Yaxha paddles out to their camp, which is a small clearing in the woods. Nothing like Nakum's palatial ruins. They start creating a covered shelter. Spirits are high....until the dehydration starts. Jim, Bobby Jon, Blake are all vomiting.

Bobby Jon's eyes roll in the back of his head. He starts going in and out of clarity. Things look touch-and-go, and the cameramen are zooming in on the whites of his rolled-back eyes. "Palau was recess compared to Guatemala", says Bobby Jon in reflection. All the men in the camp are useless, vomiting all over.

Yaxha gets tree-mail. It announces the next competition, the Immunity. Stephenie instructs the group on how they should set up themselves for the canoe ride to the challenge.

Immunity Challenge: All nine will paddle out to a floating torch. The torch is rowed back. When they arrive on shore, the tribes need to pull their boats up the shore, using ropes and logs to assist them. Once the boats cross a line, the torch lights a fire.

Both tribes start evenly, reaching the buoys at the same time. Nakum has problems getting their boat manuvered to their torch. Yaxha gets the torch first, taking the lead. Yaxha makes it to the shore first. Nakum attaches their rope first. Stephenie's foot gets caught under a log. Nakum takes more a lead, but quickly lose it. More members of Nakum get stuck under the rolling logs.

<b>Yaxha gets to the finish line first, winning Immunity, as well as flint. </b>

Nakum returns to their camp, and Jim is hurting. He's snapped his right bicep, and is unable to use that arm. Brooke laments having to vote someone out. The men of Nakum are in bad shape. Blake's shoulder is still playing up, and still vomiting. Bobby Jon is the worst of the crew, out of commission. Margaret is carrying the team, nursing them all.

Tribal Council starts.

Jeff goes through the usual "fire is life" schpeal, sharing more history of the area. Bobby Jon tells how tough it was. Jeff asks the girls why the guys were the one suffering. Judd gets prodded by Jeff, denies his being so ill. Jim tells Jeff what is going on with his arm. Margaret shares that the group's main concern right now is their heath.

The voting starts.
The majority of the Survivors tell of regret in their voting, completely respecting this person. Jeff counts the votes, and they are all the same.

Jim is the first eliminated Survivor.

Next Week Preview:
Yaxha takes desperate measures for food, eating ants. Blake hits rock bottom, struggling to breathe.

Jim was not suprised about his elimination, and wishes his tribe good luck.