Everything Is Personal is the eleventh episode of Survivor: Guatemala.
Story[]
Night 27[]
Xhakúm return to camp after a Tribal Council blindside. When asked by Cindy Hall about how he's feeling, Judd Sergeant insists he's just fine. He speaks in confessional about being shocked that Jamie Newton was voted out. Gary Hogeboom feels so much better that everything seems to be coming together, talking in confessional about how he expected to be voted out and join Bobby Jon Drinkard on the jury, but being spared gives him relief for now.
Day 28[]
Lydia Morales and Gary wake up to the howler monkeys. Lydia speaks about how the initial plan was to vote Gary out, but she ultimately went along with Rafe Judkins' plan to vote out Jamie. She does feel concerned that if she steps out of line, she would be the next to go after Gary and/or Danni Boatwright. Gary and Lydia talk strategy, and when asked if she knows the pecking order of the old Nakúm alliance, she silently nods her head. Judd, however, notices Lydia and Gary talking and listens in while in the shelter. Lydia nods when Gary asks if Stephenie LaGrossa is the leader. Judd relays the information he's picked up, but Stephenie assures him that she will not flip to Gary's side. Rafe speaks in confessional, concerned about Judd and feeling that Jamie's blindside must have spooked Judd. Gary continues to work with Lydia and Cindy in the hopes that he can swing them towards his side. Lydia speaks in confessional about weighing her options.
At the Reward Challenge, Jeff Probst welcomes the Final 7 castaways. A assortment of clay pots are suspended by rope, three of each with a player's name on them. Jeff explains that this is a Guatemalan trivia challenge. The players continue to whittle each other's pots down until Rafe and Cindy are left. Cindy answers the last two questions correctly in a row and wins reward. Jeff then tells Cindy to select another player to join her on this reward. She heavily mulls this decision, but eventually chooses Rafe to join her for a day at the spa.
The other castaways return to camp, and Stephenie is unhappy about Lydia knocking her out of the challenge, and has a few choice words to say about her in confessional. Meanwhile, Gary sticks up for Lydia in confessional, while admonishing Stephenie for eating so much corn and nuts at camp. Stephenie grills into everyone who said she has enjoyed too many rewards, while Judd makes the remark that everything in the game is personal. Lydia, in confessional, simply wanted to bring along someone with her to reward that hasn't gained that chance. She does appear more and more visibly upset that Stephenie is more or less being put up on a pedestal and that the whole game has revolved around her and what she wants.
At the reward, Cindy and Rafe see their reward. The masseuses each speak (in Spanish) what their reward will entail, and Cindy and Rafe are floored by what they will partake in. Rafe in particular, said he was ready to eat some shish kebabs and sip mojitos. Cindy begins to talk a little strategy with Rafe, and Rafe speaks in confessional about how much he needs to keep Cindy secure because of their friendship in this game. Cindy describes how the water coming from the waterfall was shower hot, but the clear water they were in was cold, and just how cool it was to experience this. The two begin to receive their massage, and Cindy is enjoying it a lot.
Rafe and Cindy then return from reward, and they explain to the rest of the tribe what they experienced. Lydia eats a handmade soup from what she could scrounge up, and Cindy speaks in confessional about how she is supposed to feel sorry for Lydia, but is starting to get over her pity party.
Day 30[]
The sun rises on Day 30 in Guatemala, and the tribe start to drink some of the leftover coffee. Gary speaks in confessional about how he notices that there's a tight group of four, referring to Steph, Rafe, Cindy, and Judd, and he's not happy about being on the outside looking in. Danni and Gary mull over who they can sway to join them, and they decide that Rafe might be most likely to flip to their side.
The tribe arrives at the Immunity Challenge, and Probst explains the rules. The first to collect seven flags will win the Immunity Necklace. Jeff then tells them an ancient folklore tale of the moon goddess, Ixchel, and the various affairs she had. It's a close race between Cindy, Gary and Rafe all the way to the end, however, Rafe hangs up his seventh flag and wins individual Immunity.
Rafe speaks in confessional about being surprised that he has won his third Immunity Challenge, but more than happy that a "gay, athletic Mormon" like himself has managed to become the most dominant player in challenges at this point and it energizes him. Steph talks in confessional, talking about how the reverse of what happened in Palau. Before, she felt powerless, but this time she feels powerful, but she also explains that this is both a blessing and a curse. Gary speaks in confessional about his chances of making it through this Tribal Council, and says it doesn't look good. He does, however, pick up from Rafe that Rafe doesn't really trust Judd. Judd speaks about how Gary is running around like a lunatic trying to get people on his side before the tribe heads to Tribal Council.
At Tribal Council, Jeff introduces the two members of the jury: Jamie and Bobby Jon. Probst asks Lydia about the controversy at the Reward Challenge, and simply states that it was nothing personal, but she really wanted to eat. Jeff immediately rebuts and says that it was very personal, but Lydia explains further about all the times that Steph has been invited to reward or won the Reward Challenges. When asked about who seems to be the leader, Lydia refers to Stephenie as the leader, which draws a confused look from Stephenie. Stephenie talks about that she definitely doesn't feel like the leader, and that if there ever was a problem, she wanted to have others tell her to her face, and vice versa. When asked about how he feels about Stephenie being a focal point, Gary had some choice words to say:
 Gary |
“ | I personally like Steph, but, uhh, there's some people here that are starstruck by her, and it's not her fault, but they all can probably get her autograph after the show. | ” |
This draws some surprised laughter from Bobby Jon and Jamie on the jury bench, who have seemingly befriended each other after being voted out. Stephenie, however, just rolls her eyes at what Gary had to say. Cindy, when asked about how happy she is about how she's played, states that she is happy about it. Judd says much of the same. Judd continues when Jeff asks him about the moral compass in the game, and Judd rebuts that he's never lied to anyone in this game, and he knows that everyone else is. He goes after Gary, referring to the reward the two of them, along with Danni and Stephenie, talking about how Lydia and Cindy would likely win the game and they shouldn't be here. Gary defends his words as the two of them argue, and then Gary (who found the Hidden Immunity Idol) smacks Judd down by talking about the time Judd told everyone that the idol was on the ground, and not in the trees where Gary found it. Judd sheepishly admits he lied about the idol, and after that heated exchange, the tribe go to vote. Even though Gary made it further than he anticipated, his time in the game was cut short, and he was voted out, 6-1, becoming the third member of the jury.
Challenges[]
Challenge: Shattered Dreams
Each castaway has three pots filled with corn. The contestants will be asked questions about the Maya culture and about Guatemala. Each time a contestant answers a question correctly, they will break somebody else's pot. The last person with a pot left hanging wins.
Reward: A trip to a hot springs waterfall into a cool pit of water where they will get a feast of mojitos, shrimp, beef, and chicken along with a massage.
Winner: Cindy Hall (shared with Rafe Judkins)
Challenge: Maya Folklore
The castaways will listen to a story about the moon goddess Ixchel and her life, then run to one of seven stations, assemble six puzzle blocks to reveal a question about the story, and answer it. If they answer correctly, they will find a flag for their flag station. If they answer incorrectly, they will find a stick, which they must burn in a fire before resuming the challenge. The first person to get all seven flags wins.
Winner: Rafe Judkins
Tribal Council[]
| Tribal Council 12: Xhakúm | |
|---|---|
| Voted Against |
Voter |
Gary (6 votes) |
      Cindy, Danni, Judd, Lydia, Rafe, Stephenie |
Cindy (1 vote) |
Gary |
VOTED OUT: Gary Hogeboom | |
Voting Confessionals[]
Judd |
“ | (voting against Gary) Gary, you've been running around the jungle for two days, man, like a squirrel tryin' to get a damn nut, man. Do me a favor — get the hell out of here. | ” |
Stephenie |
“ | (voting against Gary) I'm sticking to my alliance. You're a great guy. You've played an awesome game, but you're way too big of a threat, and if you stay around, I won't. See you on the outside. | ” |
Rafe |
“ | (voting against Gary) Gary, I decided to vote you out tonight because I knew that the information I was telling you was getting spread around. You proved it at Tribal Council. | ” |
Cindy |
“ | (voting against Gary) To say that anyone doesn't deserve to be in this game, is not a very good way to play this game. Everybody deserves to be here, and I'm definitely one of them. To say that you haven't lied when you say, "Let's four get together and have an alliance" and then two other people come along and you leave the group and now you want an alliance with them, and two more people come along and you want an alliance with them? You're lying to someone. That's why I am still here, and you're not. | ” |
Danni |
“ | (voting against Gary) I'm only writing your name down because you told me to. So, it's going to be a unanimous vote. You are not a liar. You're a man of your word. You're an awesome guy. I look up to you like a father figure. I'm absolutely gonna miss you around camp for the next few days. | ” |
Lydia |
“ | (voting against Gary) You've played this game very well - strategically, and with great pride, but I didn't know you felt that way about me being a coattail; I didn't like that comment. The tribe has spoken. Gotta go. | ” |
Gary |
“ | (voting against Cindy) Cindy, I thought I was pretty nice to you, but then you attack me like a wild dog with rabies. | ” |
Final Words[]
Gary |
“ | What a great time. I had fun. It was a great competition. I loved meeting the people. My tribe does not know my real name which is Gary Hogeboom. I didn't feel that it would be an advantage if they knew I used to play in the NFL. So that was the lie I told, but I told it because I wanted to be judged on how I played the game, not on who I was in the past. | ” |
Still in the Running[]
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Trivia[]
- With Gary's elimination, Danni is the only member of the post-switch Yaxhá tribe remaining.
- This is the second time an episode of Survivor has aired immediately following CBS's NFL coverage. A Denver Broncos-Dallas Cowboys game ran long, ending at 7:48 pm EST and requiring the NFL on CBS post-game show to be shortened to 12 minutes. Coincidentally, the same two teams were responsible for the previous such incident.
- Furthering the coincidence, the person voted out in this episode was former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Gary Hogeboom.
- As of this episode, Stephenie LaGrossa has improved on her previous placement; she previously placed 7th in her first season.
- Footage from Day 29 was not shown.
References[]