Utahn to compete in 'Survivor: South Pacific' finale

Utahn Rick Nelson will be competing for a shot at the $1 million prize in the "Survivor: South Pacific" finale airing Sunday at 7 p.m. on CBS. Another Utahn, Dawn Meehan, is a member of the "Survivor" jury.

Brandon Hantz, 19, was voted out during tribal council on Day 35 of the 39-day game in the episode that aired Wednesday, Dec. 14. Hantz had won the immunity challenge but gave his immunity to Albert Destrade, 26, when it appeared Destrade may be the one targeted by the other three remaining players.

Hantz will duel will 30-year-old Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth, who has been on Redemption Island, to get back in the game.

The duel winner will join Nelson, Destrade, 39-year-old Benjamin "Coach" Wade and 22-year-old Sophie Clarke for the final competitions.

The final five had formed an alliance early in their time on the island and the alliance lasted through tribe mergers and others' attempts to change their plans to make it to the end.

Now, it's every player for themselves. There were several heated discussions during Wednesday's episode as four of the players were planning to vote for Hantz. That was thwarted when he won immunity.

The immunity challenge included retrieving five bags of puzzle pieces tied along a rope on a steep incline. All of the three pieces had a twin and the three unique pieces had numbers on the back. Those numbers helped unlock a box at the top of the incline that unfurled a banner.

As part of Hantz winning immunity, he also received an award of pizza, soda and garlic bread — delivered via jet ski — that he chose to share with Nelson, a rancher from Aurora, who is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lusth narrowly beat Edna Ma in the Redemption Island duel of figuring out a sliding puzzle and then placing five multicolored blocks so that no two colors were repeated on each side.

Meehan, an English professor at Brigham Young University, was voted out after nearly 25 days in the game. As a member of the jury, she can observe the tribal councils but is not involved in the discussion. The jury members help to pick the winner of the "Survivor" prize — $1 million.

Email: rappleye@desnews.com