Here’s an interesting question several of the viewers have been asking.

What takes place right after a Castaway is eliminated at Tribal Council?

Immediately after he walks out of the Tribal Council, the Cast-off is taken aside and an exit interview is done where he expresses his feelings and thoughts about being the one voted off.

Still heavy with emotions, the Cast-off is then met by our resident psychologist Doc Sam who begins the debriefing process.

It’s no easy task and my hat off to Doc Sam for the excellent work he has done in making sure each Cast-off is counseled and comforted during this very trying moment in his life.

It is important that the Cast-off has someone he can trust, is comfortable with and who is a familiar face to him since Doc Sam has been there since the early parts of the Castaways’ audition process to be part of the show.

Then the Cast-off boards the yellow dumptruck and is immediately brought to base camp where he will undergo a full medical check-up conducted by Doc Zoe to make sure that there are no health issues.

Usually insect bites and wounds are looked at and dressing upon dressing of various ointments and creams will be applied to the infected area.

It is at this point that the Cast-off realizes the extent at which island life ravaged his body as he leaves the check-up full of bandages, gauzes and glad wrap.

Right after the clinic visit, I usually join the Cast-off in a sumptuous feast.

I make sure that he eats slow so he doesn’t overindulge (read: maimpatso) and we have a good conversation about the game, his strategy and sometimes his future plans after Survivor.

This can take anywhere between 1 to 3 hours depending on the Cast-off’s level of hunger and how eager he is to talk to someone who is not part of any tribe, doesn’t wear a buff, has more that two sets of clothing and isn’t trying to come up with an alliance. :)

After dinner, the Cast-off is reunited with his luggage – and for some this can be a very emotional moment being away from his toiletries and fresh underwear for so long. :)

One can feel his excitement as he rips open his bags and greets its contents as if they were long lost friends about to engage in an intense bonding session.

In fact some Cast-offs don’t even wait to go to their small rooms and decide to change their clothes right there on the spot – an island habit that we have to make sure is broken BEFORE they get back to the Philippines.

Then I escort the Cast-off to his room, all the while giving him a run down on base camp life as I discuss not only meal times, meetings he has to attend, activities, house rules and laundry but also about the occasional wild monkey who snatches anything in his possession which includes but is not limited to sunblock, shades, mineral water, potato chips, slippers, sandwiches, swimwear and caps.

This is the reason why Koh Tarutao is now filled with healthy, fashionable and hydrated monkeys who aren’t afraid of getting dark. :)

I also remind the Cast-off to remain calm in case of a chance encounter with huge monitor lizards (bayawak) and snakes, both of which don’t give a rat’s *** that there are humans on the island and would not think twice about joining us for a meal at the mess hall – they seem to love the attention.

Where was I?

Oh, yes, then the Cast-off is given all the time to take a long bath and freshen up. This would usually take another few hours until he is finally ready to sleep.

One thing I realized, though, about the Cast-offs is that no matter how inviting a real, soft bed with fluffy pillows is, some still end up looking for the sand and wake up in the middle of the night and choose to sleep on the floor.

Even now several months away from the island, I still hear stories from the Castaways that they have difficulty sleeping on real beds.

The next day, the Cast-off is once again briefed on his responsibilities and then is given the day off to explore the rest of the island together with some of the staff.

He joins in the various activities like Ultimate Frisbee, Beach Volleyball, swimming (most have had enough of the ocean so they pass on this), running or jogging, eating and eating and eating.

For those who have to be brought to the hospital for a more thorough examination, Doc Zoe or Doc Sam would accompany them to the mainland where some shopping can be done after the visit.

The above is applicable only to those eliminated before the merging of the two tribes.

A separate blog will be written on what happens to members of the Jury since their stay on the island after being voted of is actually harder than those whose torches were snuffed earlier.

The next few weeks on Survivor Philippines will be even more intense and exciting since the merge is coming up soon and it will now be an individual battle for immunity and reward.

This much I can say:

If you thought there were many unpredictable twists and turns in the past episodes, wait until Naak and Jarakay become one.

The challenges will be far more difficult and painful both physically and emotionally.

A true test of who wants it more and at what cost.

When the merge happens…

The real game begins.