Cheryl Kosewicz paid the price for serving as an officer under a former Picton Castle captain that wasn't well-liked by the crew, as the 35-year-old district attorney from Sparks, NV became the fourth buccaneer wannabe cut adrift from Pirate Master during last night's broadcast of the CBS reality competition series.

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Pirate Master's fourth episode began with Cheryl realizing she barely escaped last week's Pirates' Court thanks to her former captain Joe Don "J.D." Norton, a 36-year-old smoke jumper from Ft. Wainwright, AK, speaking up for her as well as current captain Azmyth Kaminski, a 26-year-old music producer from Los Angeles, CA, deciding to instead cut Alexis Shubin adrift when the crew voted and it was a tie between Cheryl and Alexis.

"Pirates' Court was a very close call for me," said Cheryl.  "Joe Don sticking up for me was awesome.  It's evident that the whole game has changed when it comes to the mental aspect of it.  It's going to be more of a popularity contest, and that's changed the whole dynamics of the game for me."

While Cheryl may have been happy she was saved, the same couldn't be said for Jay Hatkow, a 37-year-old automotive-parts salesman from Detroit, MI, who had thought he secured Cheryl's elimination by paying Sean Twomey, a 27-year-old bartender from Venice, CA, $1,000 to persuade him to vote for Cheryl.  Needless to say, Sean voted for Alexis.

"I wasn't happy with the decision at Pirates' Court," said Jay.  "Sean gave me his word before Pirates' Court that he was voting for Cheryl, but then he's going to turn around and vote the other way.  Now you've got four people who hung their necks out to be cut off that night trying to get rid of Cheryl looking like a bunch of idiots."

Sean apologized to Jay, but it still didn't sit very well with him.  Sean said he "just couldn't go with" eliminating Cheryl and promised he wouldn't lie again.

"My experience in life is screw me once shame on you, screw me twice shame on me," said Jay.  "I'm really mad at Sean.  Sean went back on his word.  In essence, Sean is dead to me."

The next morning the crew awoke with Azmyth sensing that day's Expedition would yield a "much larger take this time."  As the crew worked on the ship, Nessa Nemir, a 29-year-old make-up artist from Berkeley, CA, flirted with the guys.  It did not go unnoticed by Jocelyn "Joy" McElveen, a 21-year-old receptionist from West Columbia, SC, who thought Nessa was "manipulating" the men.  With Azmyth serving as captain, the crew also appeared to be a lot more laid back and having much more fun than when J.D. was captain.

"It's a big party," said Ben Fagan, a 23-year-old student/musician from Boston, MA, who served as an officer with Cheryl under J.D. "[Azmyth] didn't quite take it as serious, which is fun for a cruise boat, but on a pirate ship, you gotta be more of a disciplinarian. [J.D.] was a hard captain, but that's the way it should probably be on a pirate ship."

The Picton Castle dropped anchor and Pirate Master host Cameron Daddo informed the crew the last Expedition produced $35,000 and it was time for the 13 remaining buccaneer wannabes to open the fourth compartment in the Chest of Zanzibar, which yielded two maps and a letter written by fictitious Captain Henry Steel.  Reading the letter to the crew, Cameron revealed this particular treasure was hidden by the ship's the ship's Master Craftsman, Olivier Le Grand, a French deal maker who never missed an opportunity to catch his own reflection.

As was the case during the previous Expeditions, the captain and his two officers would lead the Black Crew, with the rest of the shipmates randomly divided to either follow the captain on the Black Crew or oppose him on the Red Crew.  If the Black Crew wins, the captain remains in power.  However if the Red Crew wins, they elect a new captain. Everyone proceeded to pick either a black or a red shot to determine which crew they would join.

The Black Crew consisted of captain Azmyth; his two officers Jay and Elicia "Jupiter" Mendoza, a 30-year-old bartender from Los Angeles, CA; J.D.; Cheryl; Laurel Schmidt, a 21-year-old glass blower from Los Angeles, CA; and Christa DeAngelo, a 29-year former member of the military from Tamaqua, PA.  The Red Crew consisted of Ben; Joy; Sean; Nessa; Louie Frase, a 43-year-old marina owner from Fishing Creek, MD; and Kendra Guffey, a 38-year-old dive master from Los Angeles, CA.  Both crews had different feelings on how the Expedition would go based on the crews.

"I was upset by the crew we had.  I knew we had the weakest people on this ship," opined Sean about his Red Crew.  "I was just worried because you look at the Black Crew today, that is a power crew.  Some of the strongest, smartest and fastest people on the Picton are on that crew."  Azmyth said he "felt very good" about his crew, wasn't nervous, and planned on winning.

On the first leg of Pirate Master's fourth Expedition, the crews would had to row to shore towards an anchor on the beach, where they'd find a trail into the jungle. Once on the trail, the first crew to the Sabotage point could use it to slow down the other crew. Past the Sabotage, the crews had to locate the Croc's Head landmark where they'd find their next clue.

While the Red Crew held a slight lead heading to shore, the Black Crew was hot on their heels and both headed onto the trail and into the jungle simultaneously.  While Sean tried to motivate some of the slower members of the Red Crew, such as Joy, Louie and Kendra, it was to no avail and the Black Crew quickly took the lead and was the first to reach the Sabotage, which unleashed a good amount of coconuts down the side of the hill onto the Red Crew, knocking the previously injured Joy further down the incline.

"[The Sabotage] got the best of me," said Joy.

The Black Crew was the first to reach the Croc's Head landmark and headed towards the cliffs with their captain in the lead.  Azmyth found a pile of rocks with a small, wooden box buried underneath.  He opened the box, and inside found an old parchment with the next clue written on it: "Travel back to a nearby canyon cave where your map fits in a slot. A Treasure concealed will be revealed when X marks the spot." The Black Crew began to search for the cave just as Sean lugged Joy on his shoulder and the Red Crew approached their rock pile containing the same clue.

Azmyth led the Black Crew to the cave -- however he entered it alone -- and placed the wooden map on a slot that rested on one of the caves walls.  Using a nearby mirror that reflected a ray of sunlight onto the map, Azmyth noticed where the reflected light hit, creating an "X" image where the treasure must be buried.  Quickly hurrying from the cave before any of his other crew mates could see it, Azmyth led them back to the beach and assured them he knew exactly where to find the treasure.

The Black Crew made it back to the beach quickly and frantically began to search for an "X" near the anchor, and since no one could find it, the captain led them further and further down the beach.  J.D. described it as a "wild goose chase," and Azmyth realized his mistake and decided to go back to the cave to let some other members of the Black Crew locate the "X" on the map.  Meanwhile the Red Crew arrived back on the beach and began digging near the anchor for the treasure.

The Black Crew couldn't have been happy with what they saw in the cave, as they realized the treasure was buried where they just came from. "I'm a bastard for putting us away from the anchor," said an out-of-breath Azmyth.  The Black Crew hustled back to the beach and started digging alongside the Red Crew.  Christa got the hopes of her Black Crew up when she declared she found the treasure only to learn it was a rock.  The Red Crew then found the actual treasure, Ben fired the blunderbuss and the Expedition was over.

"My first win, it was huge," said Sean, who held the treasure chest high over his head. "Because I felt like we had a handicapped, kind of underdog team, it just goes to show you, it's half physical and half mental."  Meanwhile Louie realized it meant there would be a new captain since the Black Crew lost, and hoped he could use the upper hand he now had to cut J.D. adrift.

Back on the Picton Castle, the Red Crew counted their booty and weren't to happy to discover it contained only $5,000, the smallest haul yet from an Expedition, which left Sean annoyed and frustrated.  However there was a secret compartment in the bottom of the chest which contained an old parchment, which Cameron said he would explain later.  The Red Crew elected Louie as their new captain, and while he expressed his desire to "rather be a thorn in the captain's side," he accepted the position. He picked Sean and Nessa as his two officers before following Azmyth's move after the last Expedition to split the booty up evenly among the winning Red Crew.

"I think money's meant to be shared, not to be hoarded," said Louie. "That's the reason I hate Joe Don so much. He wanted to be a hoarder.

With the booty distributed and the Picton Castle's new leadership in place, Cameron opened the parchment and revealed it to be a Royal Pardon.  He explained that whoever possesses the Pardon cannot be cut adrift at Pirates' Court before giving it to Louie for safe keeping. Cameron continued that the crew can bid on the Royal Pardon, but all bids must be placed before the Black Spots are administered by the captain and his officers. The highest bidder will be revealed at Pirates' Court, who then must pay the captain in full whether he or she needs the Pardon or not. Finally, Cameron mentioned that if the crew member who buys the Pardon doesn't use it, they must then sell it before the next Pirates' Court.

Louie then met with Nessa and Sean in the captain's quarters to begin discussing the three members of the crew who would be receiving a Black Spot and face possible elimination at the next Pirates' Court.  Sean was quick to point out that since J.D. was captain for two Expeditions and had the most booty in his possession, it should be assumed he'd be the highest bidder for the Pardon.

"We're all in positions to lean the crew towards making it so Joe Don leaves," Sean explained to Louie and Nessa. "Joe Don knows that - what's he do? He either leaves the ship or he pays top bid to buy that Pardon. I mean, that's a power thing for you. You own that, Louie."

The captain and officers explained how the Pardon works to the rest of the crew, and J.D. tried to turn the tables by asking Louie how many treasures he's won.  Somewhat surprisingly, Louie's been on the winning crew during every Expedition.

"So, you ain't poor?" said J.D. to Louie, who wouldn't take the abuse quietly.  "Your officers and you, because of your greed, are richer than anyone on this ship," he yelled at J.D.. "So don't ask me how many treasures I've won!"  Realizing the Pardon might be his only security blanket to ensure he's not cut adrift, J.D. met with his former bosun Jay to ask if anything could be done about Louie's anger towards him.

"I know you're tight with Louie, I know that he's your number one confidant," said J.D. to Jay. "Here's the deal. If I get a Black Spot, me and you, our deal, what we got going on is negated. I don't got your back, you don't got my back."  Jay was not impressed with J.D.'s ultimatum. "I'm gonna do everything I can for you, but then if it doesn't work, you're gonna penalize me for it?" asked Jay, realizing his deal with J.D. was no longer lucrative enough, so he ended it abruptly.

"Right now, I would actually like to see Joe Don cut adrift," said Jay as he filled out a $6,001 bid for the Pardon. "My only safe bet was to spend all my money on the Pardon. Just in case I could grab that thing and use it as some leverage."

The crew then learned that J.D., Cheryl and Azmyth were the recipients of the Black Spots.  "Every Captain that falls down... when I fall down, throw me up on that Black Spot, because I think you should just have to pass the test," explained Louie about his nomination of Azmyth.  Sean was miffed about the choice of Cheryl, as was Cheryl.

"If I had done something wrong like I wasn't working or wasn't able to pull my weight in the Expedition, I wouldn't have a problem," said a tearful Cheryl.  "I want to keep going.  The way I've been put up there bothers me."  J.D. also realized Louie has a "personal problem" with him, and was "totally expecting" the Black Spot.

"The guy's unreasonable right now," said J.D. about Louie.  "I've got all the gold and he's got gold coins in his eyes."

Prior to Pirates' Court, Jupiter confided in Jay how she was upset that Louie was gunning for Cheryl just because of her association with J.D..  Jay then went to J.D. to see how he was feeling, telling him that without the Pardon he'll be the next pirate cut adrift.

"Once I knew Louie was captain, I knew that he's got it out for me," said J.D.  "He's got the anger in his heart!  It just won't go away."

The crew then gathered on the Picton Castles' deck for Pirates' Court -- where Cameron explained the format once again -- with the crew casting ballots and having to choose which of the three marked pirates is cut adrift, adding they could also unanimously "rise as one" and mutiny against the captain. The twist this Pirates' Court was that the Pardon was in play, however Cameron said he wouldn't reveal the highest bidder until after the vote.

Louie explained why he gave the Black Spots to those who received one, with Azmyth being forced to defend himself as a former captain; Cheryl guilty by association from her work alongside J.D.; and J.D. receiving one because he hoarded the treasures rather than sharing it when he was in power.  Cameron tried to help-out J.D. by reminding Louie its part of the Pirate Master code for the captain to take half the booty.

"No Captain is worth half the take," answered Louie.

Azmyth was the first marked crew member to defend himself, and said he hoped to continue in the competition and even admitted he made some "silly decisions" as captain.  He also made the somewhat laughable comment that his Black Crew didn't necessarily lose the Expedition because of the "experience" they shared together.  Jay made sure Azmyth knew the captain was responsible for the Black Crew losing the Expedition.  For the second Pirates' Court in a row, it was then time for Cheryl to defend herself.

"It would be okay if I was being up here because I messed up a clue and put everybody in the wrong direction, but to put me up here because I associate with the captain, that's difficult for me to understand," said an emotional Cheryl.  Occupying the officer's seat that was once held by Cheryl, Nessa pointed out Cheryl "alienated" the crew and reiterated the decision wasn't personal.  Jupiter then attempted to defend Cheryl by pointing out she's a strong competitor on the Expeditions.  J.D. then defended himself for the first time.

"You're an angry captain," he said Louie.  "You're pissed at me for something that I think is wrong, man.  You're real focused on one thing: money.  I never promised I was going to split everything down the middle.  Quite honestly I think the captain should make some more money... I've treated you with respect.  I don't deserve what you're throwing at me."

"Believe me, I don't like to be up here, but I'm here," said Louie, addressing his crew. "So whoever gets cut adrift tonight, you can blame me... That's why the captain is a marked man."

Cameron informed the crew -- excluding those three who received Black Spots, Louie and his officers -- that it was time to vote, and one by one, the pirates placed their ballots atop the blade of a dagger.  Prior to counting the ballots, Cameron revealed J.D. was the highest bidder for the Royal Pardon, paying $7,000 to Louie for it.

Cameron said there were no mutiny ballots cast against Louie before revealing J.D.'s purchase of the Pardon was a waste of money because the majority of votes were not for him.  J.D. rejoined the crew and Cameron reminded him the Pardon must change hands before the next Pirates' Court.  Finally, Cameron revealed Cheryl was cut adrift as she received four of the seven votes, with J.D. receiving the other three and Azmyth getting none.

"I didn't bid for the Pardon," explained Cheryl once she had been cut adrift.  "I felt that if they don't want me here then I'm going to go.  To be able to say I didn't succumb to the backstabbing and the lying makes me a better person and I'm so glad I did it."

Pirate Master will air its fifth episode on Thursday, June 28 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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