Tempers flared and emotions ran high in tonight’s episode of M-Net’s “Survivor SA: Immunity Island”.
Thankfully, host Nico Panagio, the epitome of calm, was on hand to put out fires.
Before diving into that explosive tribal council meeting - it was certainly one of the most heated ones to date - here’s what went down.
Chappies was still cut-up about his ally Anesu being voted out.
But her misfortune was his good fortune - he was slipped her tribal pass, which gave him an edge in the game.
Meanwhile, Santoni, bringing on the histrionics once again, pretended to be terribly upset by Anesu’s exit. She also refused to participate in the tribe members tribute to her.
Chappies is without a doubt a big threat in this game. Physically, he’s exceptional in challenges. But he is also a mastermind at outplaying some Osindile tribe members.
His sneaky side surfaced in the episode. Aside from him stealing rice (small amounts so no one would notice) and coconuts, he broke the rules to ensure he wasn’t without nourishment at this crucial stage of the game.
Meanwhile, Tyson, who is another formidable player in the game, was onto Chappies.
He said: “Chappies is trying to play the game against me.
“Why would you try to blindside the king of blindsides knowing good and well that you are going to be stuck in this game with people that are still on my side.”
Instead of the usual reward challenge, the castmates received brown wallets, which contained 500 Nicos (the “Survivor SA” currency) that they could use at the auction.
Santoni, however, only received half of it as she lost her challenge while on immunity island.
At the auction, Nicole got the best deal by far when she bought a beggars bowl for 100 Nicos and, in another purchase, got the opportunity to send either herself or a person of her choosing to immunity island at their next individual immunity challenge.
Not only was she able to slip into a bubble bath and enjoy champagne, but she was also allowed to grab bites off the plate of those that won treats.
Chappies shared his sugar feast, Anela shared his tapas and Tyson shared his food, too.
While Kiran got a bummer of a deal, which saw him handing over the rest of the cash to Wardah, there was a silver lining.
A gracious Nico allowed him to buy a letter from his family and Wardah happily paid for it.
Of all the castmates, Wardah was the most magnanimous as she traded in her mince and vetkoek treat for rice for the tribe.
Back at camp, Chappies was on his own midnight mission as he stole some rice, once again, to cook up his seafood catch.
The next morning, Kiran, Tyson and Wardah found the evidence. Not only that, with Anela going through Chappies’s knapsack, they discovered he stole a bunch of sweets. And he had the flint as well.
With Chappies winning the individual immunity necklace and Nicole sending herself to immunity island, where she stayed and played the game, alliances were questioned.
Kiran was wary of trusting Santoni, who was in possession of an immunity idol. She knew she was in danger and, by plotting with Chappies, she was determined to get Wardah out.
Chappies wasn’t about to rock the boat as he didn’t have many allies and went with her decision.
Wardah, in trying to remove a target from her back, announced that she would be taking the rice with her if she was voted out. This didn’t sit well with Santoni, who ratted her out to Chappies.
He then stole the rice out of her bag and replaced it with a bag of sand.
At Tribal Council, with all the jury members present, Tyson called Chappies out. Wardah chipped in, too.
Chappies didn’t deny anything. And he called out his tribemates on their hypocrisy as they also broke the rules when they stole braai meet and shared it with those back at camp.
With everyone complicit in wrongdoing, Nico played devil’s advocated and calmed down the situation.
Before voting, Chappies sent Anela back to camp, taking away his vote and Santoni later played her idol.
In the end, someone had to go and it was poor Wardah.
She said: “I think it was the right time for me to go. My energies were not there. I’m very proud of the game I played.
“I left the rice with Tyson and with Nicole and I know they will do a good job of feeding the tribe.
“I think Santoni and Chappies played a game that they felt worked for them.
“I hope that it doesn’t take them all the way to the end, if it does, I will try and make the best decision as a juror, the most fair decision.”
If nothing else, at least Wardah can take solace in the fact that she left the game with her integrity attack.
“Survivor South Africa: Immunity Island” airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Thursday at 7.30pm.