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BRUCE IN THE BALANCE
With the merge doubling its population, the new tribe wastes no time erecting a shelter large enough to accommodate the growth. Capitalizing on the tarp brought from La Mina, Terry and Bruce skillfully lash together a shelter big enough for the entire tribe to sleep in. As they work, Terry seizes the opportunity to lobby Bruce to join the La Mina side, assuring him, "If you come over, then we will go to the final five." Shane, seeing the potential for Bruce to flip, has devised a strategy with Aras to keep him in the fold. Shane explains, "Aras' and my strategy with Bruce is to make him feel like our leader so he won't go away." In the middle of it all is Bruce, who clearly recognizes the value of playing both sides. "I'm the swing vote for both sides," he acknowledges. "It's such a wonderful feeling to be in this power position, because I know I'm going to go a lot further, guaranteed."
NOW, THAT'S A HEADACHE
As the work continues on the shelter, so too does the work of trying to swing Bruce over to the La Mina alliance. But instead, it's a swing of the machete that catches Bruce when Nick, using the blade to cut a rope, makes a terrible miscalculation and slices Bruce's face, chipping his tooth. "It was just a sickening sound," Nick recalls. "Initially, I thought, 'I'm gone! I just hit Bruce in the face. I'm out of here!'" Shane is also concerned. "I mean, I panicked at first," he remembers. "I'm panicking about numbers for a second, for sure!" In spite of the wound, Bruce soldiers on: "Psychologically, I want to outwork them, outperform them, and when it comes to competition, I want to beat them all." |
