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Season 17: Episode 13: The Good Guys Should Win in the End

Matty storms back to camp after a close call at Tribal Council, where Corinne was voted out with only one more vote cast against her than Matty. Aware that his close ally, Ken, had a hand in the plot against him, Matty immediately confronts Ken for stabbing him in the back. Ken explains that his reasons for voting Matty were strategic: “I voted for him and that was strategically a move to gain me jury votes in the final three. I have been calling the shots since day one out here. I am the mastermind behind everything going on.” Matty picks up on Ken’s deceptive plans to oust him, which raises concerns from Crystal and Sugar, who believe that he is overreacting. Crystal sees Matty as a huge threat: “I am really regretting not writing Matty’s name down tonight which is probably the stupidest move that I have made in this game so far. Hopefully Matty doesn’t win immunity at the next challenge, and Matty needs to go.”

A BIG DEAL

Later in the night, Ken panics and attacks Bob for deceiving him with a second fake immunity idol. “I trusted you and Corinne and you lied to me, and now my game is messed up,” he complains. “I risked everything to try to save you and Corinne and this is what I get for being a nice guy.” Bob becomes ridden with guilt and offers Ken the deal of a lifetime: he agrees that if he wins the next immunity challenge, he will give the immunity necklace over to Ken. Bob assures Ken of his intentions of honoring his word because he feels horrible for lying to him the way he did. “I wanna be a man of my word,” Bob pledges.

REWARD CHALLENGE: SWAMP MONKEYS

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat as host Jeff Probst explains the rules. They will race out into the swamp through a series of obstacles, and retrieve a ball. They will then race back to the start and toss the ball into a net, and then head back out to retrieve the next ball. The first person to get three balls in their net wins a trip via helicopter to Loango National Park’s gorilla sanctuary, sponsored by Africa’s Eden. They will receive a nice meal, a good night’s sleep and a shower, returning to camp the next morning. In addition, the winner will choose one person to go to Exile Island.
As the challenge gets underway, the survivors bolt out into the swamp, making their way through nets, across planks, and to a station from which they each retrieve a ball. Bob, Matty and Ken manage to toss their balls into the net, while the women struggle to make their first basket. The men keep the lead as they race across the swamp to retrieve their second ball. All three men are dead even after sinking their second ball into their baskets. Meanwhile, Sugar, Susie and Crystal still struggle with their first ball. Matty gains an advantage as he makes his way back with his third and final ball. His efforts consistently fall short as Ken and Bob catch up. Ken, Matty and Bob race to sink their final ball. In the end, Bob wins the reward, and is given the opportunity to choose someone to join him. He selects Crystal, and is then asked to choose a second person to join him in the reward. Bob immediately chooses Ken without hesitation. He sends Susie to Exile Island, and is off in a helicopter to his reward.

THE GORILLA SANCTUARY

Ken, Bob and Crystal take in the breathtaking view of Gabon from above as they glide through the air on a helicopter ride. Upon arriving at the sanctuary, the three are given an assortment of meats, fruits, and tropical drinks. After a brief feast, the trio gets down to business. Ken and Crystal put Matty on the chopping block, asking Bob to jump on board with them. Bob agrees, hoping that they can persuade Sugar to join them. Ken carefully reminds Bob of his promise to hand immunity over to him if Bob were to win it at the next challenge. Bob again assures Ken he has nothing to worry about because Bob is a man of his word and has every intention to honor their deal. He then revises the plan, telling Ken that if during Tribal Council Ken feels that he is in danger, he should signal Bob to give him the immunity necklace. Ken accepts this offer, and the dealing is done.
Crystal and the others become invigorated after taking a shower for the first time in thirty-four days. They are then visited by representatives of Africa’s Eden, who take them out to see the gorillas. Ken, Crystal and Bob watch in awe as gorillas ranging from small babies to giant silverbacks stand a few feet from them. Bob comments on the spiritual connection he felt while observing these amazing creatures. “I’m not usually spiritual, but it was a feeling like there was a connection between these great apes and myself how they were looking at us, and we were looking at them. It sort of rocked my soul.”

COMFORT ZONE

On Exile Island, Susie chooses comfort over clue and enjoys the great abundance of fruit in the gazebo. “The one great thing about being at Exile is that it takes you away from the game. You can just step away and say ‘I don’t have to think about anything right now.”
LIKE BROTHER AND SISTERBack at the Nobag camp, Matty complains to Sugar about not being able to enjoy the reward, and resents Ken and Crystal for being chosen. Sugar defends Bob’s decision and argues that they hadn’t had the chance to enjoy a reward until now. She then warns Matty that he is on the chopping block. Matty criticizes Sugar for aligning with Ken, and tells her that Ken is lying to her because Ken’s greatest ally is Crystal. Upon reflecting on the situation, Sugar admits that she is in a predicament. “I’m sure Kenny is probably lying to me but Matty is the stronger physical threat. I don’t know who to believe, I don’t know who to turn to.” The two continue to quarrel over the situation and, in the end, Matty comes to the conclusion that he got himself in a bad position.

THE RETURN

A helicopter drops off Ken, Bob and Crystal back at the Nobag camp. Matty is openly hostile about Ken and Crystal being chosen to go on the reward with Bob. Ken calls Matty out for making camp tense, which ultimately leads to another argument between the two regarding Ken flipping on him at the previous Tribal Council. “Matty’s super paranoid ever since his name was written down,” says Ken. “It was a strategic move on my part, but this is a game. People write down names.” Crystal fumes at Matty for lying to her when he denied being aligned with Susie, and continues to threaten to vote him out if he tries to go against her alliance with Ken. Sugar watches in dismay as Matty is chewed out by Crystal. “Matty doesn’t deserve to be yelled at,” she whimpers. “Kenny acts like he’s this weak little meager guy and he spins all these lies and Crystal is just a big bully.” Sugar pulls Matty aside and takes him over to the dock. “I believe you now,” she cries. Sugar then assures Matty that she will make sure that Matty does not get voted out, targeting Crystal instead. “If Sugar really is telling me the truth, then I have hope,” says Matty. “I’m just praying that I can find the strength to finish.”

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: MASK MATCH

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat as Susie returns from Exile Island. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules. Each person will be blindfolded. They will study the features of a Gabonese mask and then grab a bag of mask pieces and make their way through a series of obstacles in their own roped-off lanes to a station where they will find a second blank mask. They will use the pieces to fill in the missing features. The first person to collect all three bags and successfully recreate the mask wins immunity.
The challenge is on, and the survivors begin studying their mask’s features. They are then off through the course and begin retrieving their mask pieces one by one. Crystal has difficulty staying on the course, and spends most of her time trying to find her lane. While the others attempt to solve each mask piece one at a time, Matty’s strategy is to gather all of his mask pieces first before attempting to solve the puzzle. Crystal finally makes it to her station with her first bag of mask pieces. Bob rapidly moves through the course and is the first to assemble his mask. Bob is wrong, and heads back to the start to check his mask. Ken thinks he has it and is also wrong. Susie is completely off of the course and struggles to find her way back. Bob races back and assembles his mask. Jeff checks his mask and determines that Bob is right. Bob wins immunity, guaranteeing him a spot in the final five.

THE REAL MASTERMIND

As soon as the tribe returns to camp, they scatter and proceed to strategize. Ken meets Crystal in the jungle and decides to get Bob to give him his immunity necklace as planned, then blindside him. The two realize that they made the mistake of not getting rid of Bob early on and are now paying the price since he has become an immunity threat after winning four straight immunity challenges in a row. Ken plays the game by acting scared in front of Bob in hopes of manipulating him into handing over his immunity necklace, fulfilling their deal. Bob becomes suspicious of Ken’s actions and asks that they first find out who is voting for whom. Ken reports back to Sugar, Crystal, Matty and Susie that, in order to convince Bob to hand over immunity to him, they must all play along with the idea that Ken is on the chopping block. Unbeknownst to Ken, Sugar has other plans. She comes clean with Bob about Ken’s plan to blindside him and suggests voting for Crystal. “I really have a big place in my heart for you,” she confesses to Bob. Sugar returns to camp and tells them that she talked to Bob and he is on board to give Ken the immunity necklace. She brings Matty into the loop, telling him to vote for Crystal and asking him to just let her do the thinking. “Just as long as Matty listens to me and Bob knows to trust me, everything’s gonna be fine,” Sugar comments.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Bob’s winning streak is brought to light as being a significant threat. Matty expresses gratitude regarding Bob’s dominance because he thinks that Bob deserves to stay in the game. Ken divulges the details of his deal with Bob to everyone in an attempt to guilt Bob into giving him immunity. Bob admits that he and Ken have since renegotiated the deal so that if Bob feels that Ken is going home, he will give him the necklace. With Sugar wearing the hidden immunity idol necklace, Jeff reminds everyone that this is the last time that it can be played. He then gives Bob the option of keeping or giving up the immunity necklace that he won, but Bob decides that Ken is not in any danger and keeps the necklace for himself. In the end, Sugar gives her hidden immunity idol to Matty, voiding all votes that were cast against him. With the remaining three votes cast against her, Crystal is blindsided and voted out of the game. Crystal Cox, the 29 year-old Olympic Champion from Durham, North Carolina, became the thirteenth person voted out and the fifth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.

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Season 17: Episode 14: Say Goodbye to Gabon

The final five return to camp after blindsiding Crystal at the last Tribal Council. Sugar boasts to her tribemates about how she intelligently used her immunity idol to protect Matty and oust Crystal. Ken, on the other hand, had no idea what was in store. “I was out of the loop tonight and I do feel a little bit betrayed,” he says. Ken made a pact with Bob dictating that if he felt that he was in danger of being voted out, Bob would hand over immunity to him. Feeling like Bob did not keep his word, Ken tries to guilt trip Bob by asking him to give him immunity at the next Tribal Council. “Why don’t you get your own idol,” Bob responds. “By announcing this little deal in front of everybody, I think he was sort of trying to embarrass me if I didn’t stand by my word. For me, it’s a little bit on the annoying side. That means all promises are off.”

FINAL THREE PACT

The next morning, Sugar whispers to Bob about taking him to the final three with herself and Matty. The next two people that she would like to vote out are Susie and then Ken. Her new plan is to make Ken feel safe so that nothing gets in the way of her plans. She then takes Ken for a walk and assures him that if Bob loses immunity, Bob goes home. Ken concurs, and the two suggest that if Bob wins, they’ll vote Susie out. “Last night, I felt like I got blindsided and I felt a little betrayal from Sugar,” Ken reveals. “I feel comfortable now. I feel that Sugar has no alliance to Susie, so I feel that Sugar really wants to take me to the final three with her.” Ken then reads treemail to the tribe and reveals that everyone will paint their faces and dress themselves to look like traditional Gabonese warriors before heading to the next immunity challenge.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: A-MAZING GABON

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat dressed as Gabonese warriors. Host Jeff Probst comments on Bob’s attire, which resembles something closer to “The Village People” than a Gabonese warrior. Jeff then explains the rules of the challenge. Each person will dig under a wall and make their way across a series of planks which will lead into a maze filled with Gabonese huts. Inside three of the huts are bags of puzzle pieces. Each time someone finds a bag, they must make their way through the maze to the finish platform, drop the bag, and then head out to find another one. Once they’ve collected all three bags of puzzle pieces they will use those pieces to build a replica of a Gabonese hut. The first person to build it correctly wins immunity.

The castaways begin the challenge, digging a hole underneath a wall. Susie is the first one to dig a hole large enough to wriggle through, and her tribemates are not far behind. They then carefully tip toe across the series of planks in an effort to make their way through a raised maze. Matty falls off and has to go all the way back to the start. Everyone else makes it through as Matty begins the maze again. Sugar, Bob, Ken and Susie navigate through the final maze as Matty finally completes the first maze. Everyone is now dead even as they find their bags of puzzle pieces one at a time. Sugar and Bob are the first two to find all of their puzzle pieces and start solving the puzzle first as Ken and Matty struggle to keep up. Susie cannot find her third and final bag of puzzle pieces. The race is on between Sugar and Bob as both build their puzzles at a furious pace. Bob solves his puzzle just moments ahead of Sugar, winning immunity and guaranteeing him a spot in the final four.
WHO TO TRUSTWith Tribal Council looming, Ken admits that he feels secure in his new pact with Sugar, and that it is safe to say that Susie is going home. Matty confirms Ken’s suspicions that Susie is the next to go, but tells Ken not to tell her until the last minute that she is going to be voted out. Susie confronts Matty in a paranoid state, asking him to tell her if she is on the chopping block. Matty tries to ease her fears and tells her to go with her gut feeling. Matty meets Sugar in the hut and frantically drives home that it is him, Sugar and Bob until the end no matter what. Sugar, however, is still on the fence. “To get rid of Susie would be great because I have no allegiance with Susie and I don’t trust her. I would vote for Kenny because he is a liar and he could manipulate Bob or Matty, so I just have to think really hard about what should be done.”

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Jeff points out that Bob’s fifth consecutive win ties him for most consecutive wins in the history of Survivor. Bob admits that he is a major target and must continue his winning streak in order to stay alive. Susie confesses that she is not strategically making moves to stay in the game which makes her an outsider. Ken whines about Bob backing out on his deal to hand over immunity to him, and Bob immediately counters his attacks by making everyone aware that it was Ken who backed out on their deal by organizing an assassination on him if Bob were to give up immunity. Ken still tries to persuade his tribe that Bob agreed to sacrifice his spot in the game in order to uphold their deal, to which everyone’s response, including the jury, is laughter. In the end, Bob decides to once again keep the immunity necklace for himself and, with three of the five votes cast against him, Ken is voted out of the game. Ken Hoang, the 22 year-old professional gamer from Westminster, California, became the fourteenth person voted out and sixth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.

RITES OF PASSAGE

The next morning, Sugar, Matty, Bob and Susie face their final immunity challenge as Matty reads treemail, which tells them that they will be paying their respects to the castaways that are no longer in the game. They head to Exile Island and grab the torches of their fallen tribemates. “To be able to pay my respects to the fourteen that went before me is huge for me,” says Matty. “They’re all quality human beings, quality competitors. They definitely deserve respect and I’m just honored to be a part of it.” They each pay tribute to each of their former tribesmen and women, then make their way to the top of the savannah. The final four burn a memorial bonfire as Gabonese warriors chant in a celebratory dance.

IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: HOUSE OF CARDS

The final four arrive on their mat at their final immunity challenge. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules. They will each have 200 wooden tiles. When Jeff yells, “Go!” they will use those tiles to build a house of cards. The first person to build a house of cards ten feet tall or the person to build the highest tower in the thirty minute time limit will win immunity.

Each castaway takes their own unique approach to building their house of cards. Bob spends most of his time forming a large base, while Sugar proceeds precariously stacking the cards one on top of the other. After nine minutes, everyone’s house of cards collapses, forcing everyone to start over from scratch. Sugar and Susie make it past the five foot mark, but Sugar loses everything. Susie’s cards collapse shortly after. Sugar regains her lead once again, surpassing six feet with Susie right behind. With only five minutes left, Susie and Sugar are neck and neck. Bob and Matty are not even close, still toiling with the bases of their towers. At slightly over eight feet and in the lead, Susie decides to stop building and ride out the clock. Sugar gains on Susie but, with only seconds left, her house of cards collapses. Susie wins final immunity, guaranteeing her a spot in the final Tribal Council.

ONE LAST HOPE

With Tribal Council looming, Bob accepts the fact that he will be the final person voted out. Sugar, Matty and Susie hug him and congratulate him on a game well-played. Sugar becomes emotional as she tearfully admits that Bob is going home because no one can win against him in the final Tribal Council. Susie becomes overly excited that she is in the final three and drives it home with Bob to the point of agony. Susie then asks Bob if he would like to go up against her in the final three. “We don’t need to talk about this, you know the score, we don’t have to keep repeating it,” Bob snaps. Sugar tries to explain to Susie that Bob knows he is going home and doesn’t need to be reminded constantly of Susie’s victory and his own failure at the immunity challenge. “I really really pictured Bob up there in the final three,” Sugar cries. In order to give Bob and Matty a fair chance, Sugar contemplates causing a tie at Tribal Council. She hints to Bob that she might do this, which would cause him and Matty to compete in a tiebreaker challenge that could include fire-making. Bob sneaks off into the jungle and practices making fire in a final attempt to keep himself in the game.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Susie gleams with the knowledge that she is guaranteed a spot in the final three to plead her case for one million dollars. Bob admits that he has never been more vulnerable and scared at any Tribal Council thus far. He does not have immunity for once and has a pretty big target on his back for being a jury threat since he is well-liked. Sugar sobs as she confesses being in a predicament since Matty is like a brother to her and Bob is like a father. Bob chokes up when he says that he is flattered that Sugar views him in this light because he is a father already, and had a great example from his own father. With this, the final four cast their votes, which ends in a tie: two votes Matty, two votes Bob. The two then face off in a fire-making challenge. Bob and Matty must build a fire high enough to burn through a rope using a flint and husk. Bob is the first to get fire, but it is short-lived. As Matty rapidly hits his flint, Bob attempts to revive his fire. He successfully brings it back and nurtures it until it reaches the rope. Bob’s fire burns through the rope, guaranteeing him a spot at the final Tribal Council and sending Matty to the jury. Matty Whitmore, the 29 year-old personal trainer from Los Angeles, California became the fifteenth person voted out and seventh member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.

THE LAST DAY IN GABON

Bob marks off a notch in the tree branch for Day 39, and the final three Nobag members count off the days almost in disbelief. “I’m here on Day 39! Is that crazy? It’s insane!” Susie exclaims. The trio finds a surprise at treemail: a feast consisting of pancake batter, eggs, and mimosas. After devouring their brunch, Bob sets off to make his final invention: a fiery goodbye to the Garden of Eden. The 57 year-old self-proclaimed pyromaniac prepares to set the hut ablaze, signifying the end of the game. “I still got one more major thing to do in Gabon and that is convince the jury that my behavior, my work, my participation in this game is worth winning a million dollars over Susie and over Sugar,” says Bob. The final three watch the hut burn as they walk out to their final Tribal Council.

FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL

The final three make their opening statements to convince the jury they are worthy of the million dollar prize. Susie’s defense is that she was not confident on Day 1, but went against incredible odds and became very confident on Day 39. Bob tells the jury that he did not outwit or outplay anybody, he simply outlasted them. He cordially thanks everyone for making the game one of the most exciting adventures of his lifetime. Sugar admits to having to lie and sacrifice some innocents, but points out that she was a free agent, having been on Exile five times in a row and on different tribes throughout the game. Jeff then directs the jury to ask their questions to the final three. They unleash harsh criticism and name-calling to the final three, which comes to a head when Corinne expresses her hatred for Sugar’s mentions of her recently deceased father. Randy attacks Sugar for laughing at him when he played the fake immunity idol. Bob apologizes for his actions, but Sugar refuses to budge on the matter. With that, the jury casts their votes, and with four out of the seven votes, Bob Crowley, the 58 year-old physics teacher from Portland, Maine becomes the Sole Survivor, winning the million dollar prize of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.

QUICK Info about the Sole Survivor Gabon, BOB:

Robert Crowley: Hometown: Portland, MaineOccupation: Physics Teacher

Robert Crowley considers himself a hybrid of Indiana Jones and Robinson Crusoe. He loves the outdoors and is always ready for his next adventure.
Robert is a high school physics teacher in Gorham, Maine and holds both Associate and Bachelor degrees in forestry from the University of Maine - Orono and a Masters of Education degree from the University of Southern Maine. However, after the school bell rings, Robert becomes an entrepreneur. His wide range of jobs span from being a first mate on a research boat for the Smithsonian Institution in Canada to an entomologist for the USDA, to a skunk relocater, as well as President, Vice President and Chief Negotiator for his local Teacher's Union.
When not on an adventure, Robert interests include journal writing, story telling, photography, bone collecting, archeology and camping.
This tree climbing scientist, who describes himself as honest, adventurous, resourceful and witty, built his truly "green" summer cabin back when green was only referred to as the color. His "green" cabin was completely built with recycled material and requires a fraction of the energy of the average U.S. home. He's built numerous structures from recycled material including wharfs, saunas, a chicken house and a hunting cabin.
Robert strategy is to be a provider and to fly under the radar on SURVIVOR. He's out to prove that nice guys can make it to the end of the game.
Robert and his wife Peggy reside in Portland, Maine. They have two sons, David and John, one daughter, Page, and a high maintenance cat named William. Robert's birth date is February 25, 1951.

CONGRATULATIONS Bob! Cheers!

xoxo