From the vidcaps that Bungler brought over, we see Rotu hard at work building something that requires several long sturdy poles.

At first I thought they were working to improve their shelter, but the shelter is already finished. You can see that they are binding these poles together and they are all relatively the same size. So what are they building? I had no guesses until I saw this pic of Maraamu over at SurvivorFever.net:

Doesn't the raft look a little flimsy and homemade? I think the only reason they'd be out there on a flimsy raft, paddling like mad is if they were in some sort of race.

It reminds me of Junkyard Wars, a show on TLC -- where teams salvage what they can from a junkyard, build something (like a boat or speedster) and then race it to see whose is the worthier machine.

What if, like when they had to build a stretcher in S1 and race it in a challenge, they have to build a raft and then race it?

I think the injuries at Rotu occur while they're building their challenge raft. But, "No pain, no gain", so even if there are injuries, they may come out on top anyway. No way to tell if this is IC or RC yet.

Any thoughts?

• RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,NightScribe, 01:13 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,Tatina, 01:42 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,rucksack, 01:43 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,SurvivinDawg, 01:49 PM, 03-10-02
    • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,dabo, 02:15 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,TechNoir, 03:13 PM, 03-10-02
• RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,zeako, 01:14 PM, 03-10-02
• RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,tribephyl, 03:40 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,NightScribe, 04:17 PM, 03-10-02
  • RE:The shirt,katem, 04:26 PM, 03-10-02
    • RE:The shirt,VanQ, 05:02 PM, 03-10-02
• RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,wendyp, 12:47 PM, 03-11-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,KLicK, 01:23 PM, 03-11-02
    • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,heresy, 11:27 PM, 03-11-02
      • Actually,dabo, 00:58 AM, 03-12-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,smiley, 03:06 PM, 03-11-02
    • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,wendyp, 03:39 PM, 03-11-02
• more caps of the challenge,Bungler, 09:32 PM, 03-11-02
  • RE: more caps of the challenge,wendyp, 09:56 AM, 03-12-02
    • Buoy not Box?,dabo, 10:10 AM, 03-12-02
      • RE: Buoy not Box?,NightScribe, 11:33 AM, 03-12-02
        • RE: Buoy not Box?,dabo, 11:55 AM, 03-13-02
    • RE: more caps of the challenge,lroy, 11:13 AM, 03-12-02
• RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,big idiot, 07:51 PM, 03-12-02
  • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,George Tirebiter, 10:17 PM, 03-12-02
    • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,evilj9, 02:14 PM, 03-13-02
      • RE: Episode 3 Challenge -- Build a raft?,George Tirebiter, 02:57 PM, 03-13-02

More thoughts and one more pic.

This is Rotu around the same time frame as the pic of Mara on the raft. Look at the similarities:

First of all, each raft has a homemade flag hoisted (probably made from a tribe members' buff). What I cannot figure out is what that box is on the Rotu raft. It doesn't look like the one they were given -- that one was made of bamboo.
Second, the rafts are pretty small and don't fit all of the tribe members on them. Where are the others not shown on the raft?
Finally, who is that behind Gabe? It looked like Sarah from Maraamu to me, but that can't be, can it? Is it Neleh?

Look at the shoulders. It's Tammy.

looks like Tammy behind Gabe

First of all, each raft has a homemade flag hoisted (probably made from a tribe members' buff).

I don't think those are flags made from buffs, but they ARE flags... probably given to them by JP. The fact that they are carrying those flags would indicate this is a race, also. Like the house-moving-rebuilding challenge in S-III, where they had to rebuild the house AND plant their standard (i.e. flag), in this challenge the winner is probably the first group to plant their flag at some location.

As to moving the rafts, they may have been allowed to build them beforehand and have them transported to the challenge site, OR they built them right there at the race site.

*** Contradictions don't exist. If you are faced with a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong. -- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

In S2 the tribes constructed their travois in their own camps for the relay rescue challenge, from instructions supplied in treemail. The same thing may be going on with these rafts. As for the mystery box on the Rotu raft, this is pure speculation, but perhaps they have to salvage something from a "shipwreck" of some sort (not a real one of course, but something to simulate a salvage mission) which could then be their reward for winning this challenge.

Great pics and analysis ... but I'm struggling to see everyone wearing a buff, particularly Sean and Gina. And in a challenge everyone has to wear a buff. Or am I missing something?

60 Pixel Series, No. 2

Good post NightScribe. At first I thought it wasn't an immunity challenge as there didn't seem to be any sense of urgency amongst the Rotu members building the raft. But when you brought up the stretcher from S1 it all made sense. They get half a day or so to build the raft at their camps before the actual race.

The only problem I see with this is transporting the rafts to the challenge site. The raft in the above picture looks pretty flimsy. Is the challenge site close enough to the two tribes that they could paddle there?

Also adding pic's....
Firstly, A pic of Sean and Hunter with the same bamboo poles...so most likely it will be something that both teams build for a challenge.

Secondly, TN asked about buffs. Well Gina and Sean are wearing them on their arms so it definitely is a challenge.

Lastly, NS asked about the box. Could it be the same box that Hunter is cutting loose from a rope. First team to the box, cut the rope, and bring into shore wins, the prize inside?!

li'l side note..there are three people in the Gabe shot. But doesn't Rob have the army green t-shirt(and I don't mean Robert)

You know Tribe, the more I look at these pics, the more I think this challenge is RC, and the mysterious box contains the reward.

Also, I don't think the castaways had to scrounge for that bamboo. Imagine how much time and energy that would expend. Besides, it looks bundled pretty neatly. I think they are provided with the materials, and it's up to each tribe to decide how to build it best. I would think this phase of the challenge would require a good deal of communciation and teamwork.

It's starting to make sense now.

So they build a raft, bring it to the challenge, row it out, dive down and cut loose a sunken treasure, bring it up, and race back to the beach. Sounds good, but can we tell from these pictures who wins?

I don't know much about boating, but for those of you who do, can you tell which of the two crafts seems more seaworthy? Maraaumu's raft seems to be sinking in the back. Notice how much lower Vee is sitting on the back.

So far, Rotu has dominated in these water challenges, but I think it will come down to which raft is better.

Good catch on the shirt. Yes !!! It does look like Rob's, and I don't mean Robert either . But, if you imply that the switch might be happening in the upcoming ep, I think that it is way to early in the game for that to occur.

We have not really seen that much of the Rotu tribem their story has all been about Kathy, the show itself has revolved around Maraamu, so someone in Rotu might have a similar shirt or a shirt of similar color.

Still with MB you never, ever know.

I do think that this might just be the Reward Challenge, that little box might be what they are playing for.

Well, this is my first post to this site. Lets see if I can add to this thread of information.
I was wondering where these sets of pics from survivorfever/paratrooper came in, it looks like this challenge with all the paddles. You can see someone wearing a green shirt in the background of this tribe (rotu)

One thing I was wondering in this group is this:
there is Kathy, Gabe Tammy and looks like John in the foreground,
and in the back in someone in the green shirt, but who is in front of the person in the green shirt. I cant fit this with Rotu. I dont think that is Zoe, but am I wrong?
here is another pic from that series, with I think Paschal in the hat behind Neleh.

As for the green t-shirt, the only short sleeve green shirt I could find was on Gabe, maybe he lent it to another member (maybe Zoe?)

Great pics!! One thing we can also take from the title nonpain, no gain is the rule that the same person can not sit out two challenges in a row. So Robert has to be in the challenge. This could be an indicator that he proves to his team that pain or not he is a valued member and helps them gain a win.

Only question I have is why are there only a few members on the boat? Are the other members swimming? And what is Gina's role in this boat trip? Hold the flag up?

Robert CAN sit out the reward challenge. He did not sit out on the farfaru challenge, which was the last IC.

Also, Probst did not tell them that the person who sat out at the reward challenge could not sit out at the next challenge. I have speculated on another thread that the successive challenge sit out rule was either scrapped or modified this season because it never had an effect last season -- no two successive challenges before the merge allowed someone to sit out.

Based on the fact that JP didn't say anything this time, I would speculate that the rule was scrapped for S4.

The sit-out rule did have an impact on the game, at the switch. Teresa went with Frank and Silas as the three to leave Samburu because Brandon pointed out that she'd sat out the last challenge. Still, changing the sit-out rule could have been one of the wrinkles, but why would MB change that particular rule?

"If all machines were to be annihilated at one moment, so that not a knife nor lever nor rag of clothing nor anything whatsoever were left to man but his bare body alone that he was born with, and if all knowledge of mechanical laws were taken from him so that he could make no more machines, and all machine-made food destroyed so that the race of man should be left as it were naked upon a desert island, we should become extinct in six weeks." (Samuel Butler, "Erewhon")

Gina is paddling...her oar is just behind the flagpole

Thanks smiley! Now that I look at it again I see it. The eyes do funny tricks to us sometimes!

Sorry it took me so long to get these. My local station ran local previews over several national Survivor previews on Sunday, so I had to catch 'em tonight instead.

Thanks Bungler! Interesting point I think that these show is Maramu does not have a box but they have 5 tribe members that we can see. Does it even look like a box would fit on their raft. This also shows Rob being on the raft that we could not see before.

Can we assume that there are not any more Roto on the raft? Could be that they are just out of shot.

Also look at the right corner of vid 29 see the yellow orange flag? It is in all the vid cap. Could the box in vid 29 actually be a boiy that they have to paddle around? Could they be neck and ncek at this point since Maramu is close to the flag?

One more question, I assumed that in vid 31 that is Rob. Can anyone identify, could that actually be Roto's raft?

Well, I'm not good at picking out little details from some of these vidcaps, I was assuming those who were seeing a box were just picking up on something I couldn't make out. If the box everyone was talking about was the big, obvious marker buoy, that's a different matter, it is just there to mark the race course. Lesson learned, next time I'll just ask someone where they see the box or whatever. Does each tribe have its own course to race or do they have to race the same course?

"If all machines were to be annihilated at one moment, so that not a knife nor lever nor rag of clothing nor anything whatsoever were left to man but his bare body alone that he was born with, and if all knowledge of mechanical laws were taken from him so that he could make no more machines, and all machine-made food destroyed so that the race of man should be left as it were naked upon a desert island, we should become extinct in six weeks." (Samuel Butler, "Erewhon")

If it is a buoy and not a box that they have to pick up, then we might be looking at IC pics, not RC pics. I had just assumed all week that it was RC, but there's still the matter of what is going on underneath the water with the tethered rope. Any thoughts?

One thought, it could be an out of sequence bit culled from the episode 2 RC, MB has pulled that trick a few times. The more I think about it, having someone get off a flimsy raft, dive for something, then attempt to get back on the flimsy raft, that could turn out to be pretty funny if that's actually what they have to do.

Cap'm Zoe Just YoHoHoee!

>Also look at the right corner
>of vid 29 see the
>yellow orange flag? It
>is in all the vid
>cap. Could the box
>in vid 29 actually be
>a boiy that they have
>to paddle around? Could
>they be neck and ncek
>at this point since Maramu
>is close to the flag?

I believe that this is just the little flaming torch graphic that you can see on a lot of the survivor previews. If you look at the other vid caps, you can see the torch more clearly... That is of course if I am looking at the same thing you are.

Comments on Mar's raft:

1) Where is Hunter?
Perhaps he has already jumped off and started the dive shown in the previews. That would also explain why the back of their raft seems to be sinking - Hunter, as the initial counterbalance, is not there at that moment. They continue to paddle because Hunter left the raft a bit early because the raft is going slower than he can swim to the designated spot, or because they must reposition the raft while he dives.

2) Is this a winning raft?
By position? Unknown. By structure? Unknown. By seating? Not.
Assuming #1, the seating would be Vee, Sean and Hunter on one side, and Gina, Sarah and Rob on the other. Seems dumb to me. Although Sean can't swim well, i bet he is a stronger paddler
than Rob - so putting the two strongest paddlers (Hunter and Sean) on the same side seems dumb (Unless Hunter is never a paddler/raft rider, I have no theories as to how/why).
The seating may also reflect the power scheme, has Rob joined Hunter in alliance and hence is the "left"-hand man? So Hunter designated him to sit left+front? Anyway, with Hunter in that seat on the raft - it appears to be a dumb seating arrangement, without hunter ever in that seat - it appears to be a weak-powered and sinking raft.
Overall, leaning towards a losing raft based on seating.

Comments on Rotu raft:

1) Has Rotu already done their dive?
I'd say no. Don't let the unknown object sway you. The obvious diver would be Gabe, and his hair is fly-away dry.

2) So what is the object?
Theory A: As posted by others, a buoy to go around/by. If someone looks at its position relative to the raft in the video, a moving raft and a stationary object would secure the buoy theory.
Theory B: Also posted by others, box or fishing trap. By stationary depth perception it does appear to be on the raft. So where does it fit into the challenge? It must be pre-dive or Gabe's hair would be wet. Perhaps they have to paddle out to a set point, set their traps and paddle back. Winner gets to return later to check their trap, and will get to keep their trap.

3) What can be deduced by the seating?
As deduced on TDT, seating is: Gabe, Robert, Tammy on one side, with 3 others counterbalancing them on the other. Robert's presence is an indication that he is not allowed to sit out two challenges, even though they are not back-to-back, or that he is feeling a lot better- so no deduction on his health. I would assume that the front person on the other side is John, with Kathy and Zoe behind him. Why K and Z and not Paschal and/or Neleh? Zoe definitely because of physical strength. Kathy because of personality strength, I can see her putting forth a big opinion of why she should not sit out (also fearing her near TC demise she is moreso compelled to prove her worth) and Paschal and Neleh being easy-going and confident enought to say OK to Kathy. The fact also that Robert is not the front of the other side may also be a testament to John's leadership position as well as Robert's continued poor health.

Just my imagination running free, BI.

At least this is constructive use of your imagination, big idiot!

I also jumped to the conclusion from the stills that the box had to be what they retrieved from below:

. . . but the dry hair didn't register. Not having seen the clip in all its glory, is it for certain that these clips are in the actual order they occurred? (Pardon the paranoia. . .)

If you look in the rowing clip:

it looks to me like the box is transparent--you can see the sunlight glinting on the water beside AND behind it, and the patterns change by the next clip (#30). Pretty odd-looking "buoy," if that's indeed what it is; the way it's tied up with rope into a neat package seems to point to it being more than a course marker, IMO. Perhaps they have to bring back the box AND whatever it's anchored to?

GT

GT - I agree that the box seems transparent. Someone in another thread mentioned the possibility of it being a "trap" of some sort.

Anyone who fishes has seen something like this (forgive me but I can't remember what my father called it). It's used when fishing on lakes, etc. to put your catch in. It is then placed in the water and attached to the side of the boat/canoe/dock. That way the fish are still alive until you take them to shore and kill them.

I think we can rule out the buoy theory. It also has been discussed that this is the RC. Could what's inside be the reward? The "trap" could be anchored at the bottom, with live fish, crabs, shrimp, etc. inside. The water would run out when brought to the surface and everything inside would settle to the bottom. Unfortunately, we cannot see the bottom portion of the "trap" to determine if there is anything in there.

Just a thought. . .

As always, in Evil, j9

evil, are you talking about a creel? Those are usually wicker or wire, so that the water flows through them and keeps the catch alive; even a plastic bait bucket is designed for that. This box looks to be sealed--whether to keep things IN or OUT, I can't tell (if either.)

If you mean something like a crab trap, those are wire cages that you drop to the bottom with a small buoy to remind you where they are and give you something to grab to haul them back up; they have a spring-loaded door that the critters can get in, but not out. In the underwater shot, it looks like the box is actually floating, which wouldn't put it where the sea life would be caught.

Sorry that we can only seem to come up with more QUESTIONS, and not many answers!

GT