Survivor Philipines Episode 6 Recap: Blair Warner Gets Down and Dirty!

I can now die a happy man because last night I got to watch Blair Warner wrestling in the mud!  When I was a young boy lusting over Lisa Welchel on The Facts Of Life I never imagined I would get the chance to see her in this position but that's exactly what happened on last nights episode of Survivor during a grueling reward challenge.  It's moments like these that makes Survivor the greatest show on television.
Before that we see a desperate Katie trying to recruit Denise in a plot to oust Jonathon, and we see Denise playing along.  Then over at Tandang we see the tribe bickering over weather or not to make breakfast.  It seems they are extremely low on rice because Skupin has been chowing down on it dry because he believes that the human body can double as a pressure cooker since it's temperature is close to 100 degrees.  What a great idea for a new fast food change.  Just throw raw food down people's throats and tell them it will cook inside their bodies.  That sure would cut down on operating costs.  I can't believe no one has thought of this before.  Maybe because it's completely insane, but that's Skupin for you.  Gotta love him, unless you're Pete and Artis who are dying to vote him out.
Flash forward to the reward challenge and Lisa Welchel mud wrestling.  It consists of both tribes trying to maneuver a huge ball in a field of mud into their goal.  Pretty much anything goes in preventing the other side from scoring which Skupin will later find out.  The winning tribe gets a feast of subways, sodas and brownies at a dry hut.    
The challenge goes to three points with different groups of three playing in each round.  Probst finally makes the bigger tribe sit out a man (I don't know why Matsing never got this courtesy).  RC and Artis sit out for Tandang.
The first groups are Lisa, Pete, and Skupin against Jonathon, Carter, and Denise.  The groups are so evenly matched the ball never comes close to either goal.  Lisa wrestles with Denise.  Pete takes Carter and even with Jonathon thrusting his arm under Skupin's crotch neither side can get an advantage. Good ole Probst chimes in with a great observation "It's a very intimate way to play but fully legal".  It's sound bites like these that is why I say Jeff Probst is the Shakespear (or Edward Devere) of reality shows.
After an hour of being stuck in the mud Jonathon proposes they make a deal.  Skupin says they'll give them the victory if they can have all of their rice.  In one of the riskiest moves since Ozzy volunteered to go to redemption island, Jonathon is ready to jump at the deal because he's sure he can catch fish.  Why he hasn't been doing that for the last two weeks is a mystery though.  A lot of players on both sides are nervous about the deal.  Artis in particular doesn't like it, especially after Jeff Kent calls him "birthday boy", but eventually everyone agrees.  So for the first time in Survivor history and reward gets obtained without winning the challenge.
I don't know if I would of agreed to this but overall I think this wasn't a bad move by Penner.  By doing this he provides the tribe with a feast and he makes himself more valuable as their main source of food now.  Even if he can't catch any fish he probably knows that a merge is right around the corner so I'm sure he's hoping he'll have access to that rice he gave up before too long.  There's no telling who would have won this challenge.  Even with Jeff Kent waiting in the wings for the next round of play, Tandang has Malcolm also waiting.  With Jeff's bad knee the advantage would have probably gone to Tandang, even with Abi going against Katie.  Both of those girls are pretty weak but I think Abi might be a little stronger then Katie.  After all she's had a lot more rest then everyone else.
Despite Artis' and Abi's whining back at camp I don't think it was a bad decision by Skupin either.  They needed rice badly.  Not to mention, they went to that challenge on a empty stomach because they were so low on rice.  That would of made it very difficult for THEM to win.
Kalabaw on the other hand are thrilled with the decision while they're chowing down on the sandwiches, especially when they realize there's a bonus to the reward when Jonathon discovers letters from home for everyone.  However, when Jonathon has a hard time catching fish that excitement quickly subsides.  Before the immunity challenge he only manages to catch two guppies that probably would have been better used for bait.  Even when there's a stingray inches from the shore he comes up empty.  This is surprising since Jonathon caught a boatload of fish in cook islands.  Obviously fishing conditions are much more optimal in that part of the world.  I'll bet he's really missing Ozzy at this point.
At the immunity challenge Tandang is once again forced to sit out a man.  If I were Malcolm I would probably be bitching up a storm about this, but instead he plays rock paper scissors with Mike to see who gets to participates.  Malcolm wins with scissors.  Maybe it's a good thing since Skupin has managed to go an entire episode without seriously injure himself and there's no point in tempting fate.  Abi also sits out which incites Probst to once again badger her for her lack of participation. 
The challenge is a Survivor classic with tribe members trying to catch a ball with a net that is slingshot by two opposing members.  Well it would appear Kalabaw is certain to win this one with former MVP Jeff Kent on their side.  Right?  Well he does score 3 points and puts them one point away from winning with a 2 point lead but then Skupin advises Lisa to aim her ball for Malcolm.  With dimwitted half starved Carter guarding Malcolm he easily ties it up.  Jeff replaces Carter to guard Malcolm but just like the reward challenge from last week Malcolm prevails over the former professional baseball player.  This shocks me.  You have a MVP baseball player in a challenge where the object is to catch balls and Kalabaw still can't win!  I suspect this challenge may have actually been designed by the producers to try to finally get Tandang to tribal council, but no such luck.  Blair Warner's team remains undefeated and Denise is on pace to set a record for most tribal councils in a single season.
At Kalabaw the scrambling begins.  Oddly enough Denise is safe as a kitten once again, as no one wants to vote her out.  Jeff and Carter consider turning on Jonathon, which is good news for Katie.  The plan is nearly exposed by Carter who ask Jonathon if he wants to vote out "Katie or Penner".  Hey Carter, "life is like a box of chocolates!"  How Jeff managed not to smack his forehead at this moment is beyond me.  It must of taken a mountain of self control on his part.  Incredibly this doesn't appear to throw up any red flags to Jonathon who is completely oblivious to a possible blind side.  I guess that's why they call it a blind side.  When we see them discussing Jonathon's departure we also learn that the camp is suddenly booming with coconuts as we watch Jonathon chowing down on one.  So I guess they're not completely derived of food as most of the episode suggests. 
I initially loved the way Jeff was playing the game but now I'm starting to have my doubts.  He hurt the tribe last week by going after Dawson because he was afraid of being exposed by her.  This week he's still committed to keeping Denise around.  It might have made some sense last week but at this point even if she is able to pull Malcolm over to their side they're still outnumbered 6 to 5.  Of course there are plenty of splinters at Tandang but he has no way of knowing that.  It would make more sense for Denise to jump over to Tandang with Malcolm and pick off Jonathon's alliance of three.
Well Jonathon looks to be in big trouble which should be a clear sign that he's safe.  Still I have my doubts and wonder if he'll play the idol, especially after Carter's slip of the tongue.  He doesn't play the idol and Katie is voted out.  Another hottie bites the dust so now were down to one young hottie and a sexy cougar.

NEXT WEEK ON SURVIVOR!
It looks like a Merge!  Who will side with who?  Who will win the first individual immunity?  With three idols still in play it should prove for a very interesting tribal council!  I think a great twist would be to bring back redemption island but I doubt that will happen.

Survivor 25 Episode 5 Recap: From Zero to Hero!

In this episode the beginning recap details the entire destruction of Matsing.  So thankfully we're treated to a few more bikini shots of lovely Angie.  Matsing is now down to just two members, Denise and Malcolm.  As they contemplate their uncertain future in the game they come to the conclusion that they must find the idol.  Although Russell found the clue in the first episode and couldn't find it in three more episodes Malcolm is able to find it before the second commercial break.  However, the ease at which he found it did seem a tad suspicious.  Maybe the cameraman just wasn't on there toes and weren't able to properly capture the moment, but it seems like the cameraman was pointing at the idol before Malcolm thought to look there, like they were giving him some extra help.  Regardless, Malcolm's spirits are even higher then when he had Angie as a snuggle buddy.
They get tree mail and head off to their next challenge.  So early in the episode?  Could it be?  That we're FINALLY going to get an episode with two challenges?  The answer is an ecstatic YES!  But before we get to the challenge we have some business to tend to.  Probst announces that Matsing has been knocked around enough by the other tribes and will be absorbed by the two intact tribes.
I for one, was really hoping they would do like Palau and keep it going until Matsing was down to one member.  Never before on survivor have we seen three teams of two competing against each other pre merge.  They could of at least done like they did in All Stars by completing the challenge first and then have the losing tribe absorbed by the two winning tribes.  If Matsing had somehow managed to not come in last place that would of been very interesting.  They would of gained three tribe members but would still be outnumbered by four people.  I'm sure whoever would of got stuck on Matising would of thrown a shit fit.  Imagine going from being even with one tribe and outnumbering one tribe 3 to 1 to being on a tribe that's down by three players.  Of course if Matsing were smart they probably would of lost on purpose in that scenario.
As it turns out Denise and Malcolm are split up.  Unlike the returnees their tribal placement is left to fate as they are told to draw covered buffs. Malcolm ends up joining Tandang and Denise joins Kalabaw.  Now on to the REWARD challenge!  Tribe members are given a handled flat surface to hold an mini idol on.  The first person to have their idol touch the ground (not necessarily knocked off) loses.  The winning tribe gets a huge tray of pastries and coffee.  It starts off with Malcolm and Jeff.  I'm a little worried for Jeff who seems to be in some pain because of his knee but he manages to prevail over Malcolm this round to give Kalabaw an early lead.  It goes back and forth as most of the winners use Jeff Kent's strategy, of throwing your idol in the air then quickly push your opponents idol downward before yours hits the ground.  Kalabaw also has a great height advantage with the extra testosterone on their tribe.  Because of this difference in sexes Dana has to face off against Artis, even though she's supposedly used to that back in podunk county it's not even close.  Well so much for underestimating women.
For many of the women this is their first challenge in quite some time.  In Abi's case it's her first since episode one.  She ends up facing off against Dawson who gets confused and thinks you're supposed to go after the other person's hair instead of their idol.  So when Abi gets too close Dawson yanks on Abi's hair, but Abi wins by remembering you're supposed to knock the other person's idol down, not yank their hair.  Abi complains quite a bit about Dawson's tactics but something tells me this isn't the first time she's had her hair pulled.
When it's time for a rematch between Malcolm and Jeff, Tandang is one point away from victory.  Malcolm uses Jeff's own strategy against him by throwing his idol in the air and knocking Jeff's idol to the ground.  Not only does he finally get a taste of victory on Survivor he is also the tribe's hero.  Malcolm suddenly goes from zero to hero just like that.  He's on a winning tribe and has an idol which now puts him in a very powerful position.  It's twists like these that make Survivor such a great show.
Despite Malcolm's heroics one might think he still has some tap dancing to do but back at camp everyone is trying to get him on their side.  Pete even lets him know he and Abi have the idol, although Malcolm wisely doesn't reciprocate the gesture.  RC on the other hand is using her, ahem, assets to sway Malcolm to her side.  I think the editor's must be in artsy mood this week because for no particular reason we're treated to many scenes of RC throwing herself against crashing waves as she explains her dire predicament.     
At Kalabaw the men seem to be in trouble, as they are now outnumbered by the women with the addition of Denise.  It looks like if they lose, Jonathon is going to have to play his idol, but there's still the unanswered question of who will be pulled from the game.  This becomes immediately obvious the moment Dana starts complaining about her immune system.  Her condition quickly worsens and she become incapacitated.  Penner is surprisingly comforting to Dana showing much concern.  Of course as Probst will later point out, Jonathon has been through what she's experiencing which might explain his uncharacteristic sympathy.
When Probst arrives he has Dana examined by medical.  They determine that her condition is not life threatening and gives her another 12 hours to see if her condition stabilizes.  However Dana is in so much pain she elects to leave the game.  This would probably be my biggest fear if I were to ever play Survivor.  I know I can deal with the isolation and not eating but I tend to catch colds pretty easily.  Often it is a horrible ordeal that lasts for at least two weeks.  I'd like to think I'd be able to tough out.  I don't think I would ever quit, no matter how much pain I was in, but I can imagine my condition escalating to the point where I'm not allowed to stay in the game.  So Dana leaves which is bad news for Kalabaw but good news for the guys who are once again even with the woman and still have the advantage of the immunity idol.
We head to the immunity challenge which is once again part physical and part puzzle.  Also once again, Abi sits out, which really annoys Probst.  The testosterone enriched Tandang jumps out to an early lead.  There's one phase where they have to chop some wood with an axe to release some puzzle pieces.  Malcolm flies through this for Tandang but shockingly Jeff has trouble and must be relieved by Penner.  It's another nail biter but Tandang continues to dominate in challenges.  Could Lisa Whelchel be part of the first tribe to never lose immunity since Palau's Koror?  Of course unlike Koror they haven't always come in first.
So Kalabaw quickly goes from being undefeated to being down two members.  The question now is, who will be the second to go?  Although the tribe was once united in ousting Penner he appears to be completely safe and one of the remaining three women seem destined to go.  Will it be new tribe member Denise or will it be the weaker Katie or Dawson?  This is another great aspect of Survivor that I love.  Denise will be stronger in challenges but with the merger right around the corner do they want to keep someone who has an ally on the other tribe?  It seems to be a damned if you do damned if you don't.  However, it doesn't seem to be much of an issue for the men as Jeff quickly offers Denise a deal.  I would of thought long and hard about this but ultimately I think it was probably the correct move.  Yes, there's a strong possibility that Malcolm could get Denise to flop after the merge, but the possibility is just as strong that Denise could get Malcolm to flop, which may be Kalabaw's only hope.
Now it's between Katie and the clueless Dawson.  Boy did I really blow it when I picked her to win it all in my first recap.  I did warn you that I don't have a good track record of picking winners.  At least Dawson still has her card of Jeff's secret identity.  Unfortunately the way she goes about using it is entirely wrong.  This is what she should of done.  When Penner ordered her to get wood she should of strongly suggested Jeff help her.  If he would of hesitated at all she should of said something like "you know Jeff it just occurred to me that I never told you my LAST NAME."  I'm sure Jeff would of gotten the hint and then when she got him alone she should of told him that if she gets voted off she's spilling the beans about who he is.  Instead she just dances around it by saying things like how she would like to date an athlete and how football is bigger then baseball.  Not smart.  This makes Jeff's nervous but that only encourages him to want to vote her out more.
At tribal council Dawson is completely blindsided.  Even Katie votes for her.  She's even more shocked then Kat was as she gets up to have her torch snuffed.  Once this happens a borderline crazy look appears on her face and I'm anxiously waiting for her to drop the dime on Jeff.  Instead she slowly approaches the other Jeff, kisses him on the cheek and tenderly hugs him goodbye.  During this we are treated to a variation of the original Survivor theme music and it turns out to be a very sweet and emotional moment.  Unfortunately I'm pretty sure the Survivor's theme song return at the elimination scene is only temporary.  They used to play this music at the end of every show as well as the end of each challenge.  A few years ago they replaced it with more dramatic musical scores and I have always been a strong opponent of this move.  The Survivor theme is such a great piece of music and I miss hearing it more throughout the show.  If I were a rock star I would have them play the Survivor theme song at the beginning of every concert.  I remember during the very first finale they actually played it DURING the final immunity challenge.  That was the highest rated episode of Survivor of all time.  So please guys bring back the old theme song and I guarantee you ratings will go up.  Anyway, Dawson leaves, and at her confessional she lists all the things she wants Jeff Kent to buy her.  She makes me feel even stupider for picking her to win by including a pink gun.  Goodbye Dawson, it's been a pleasure.

NEXT WEEK ON SURVIVOR!
One of my biggest dreams in life will become complete when we get to see Blair Warner wrestling in the mud!  The women are in big trouble and Artis seems to want to take Barry Bonds place as Jeff Kent's good buddy!

UPDATE:
Upon listening to post game interviews with Dawson after last weeks episode it has come to my attention that she did in fact play her card against Jeff Kent.  Apparently she told him very early that she knew his secret and attempted several times to form an alliance with him, but he had no interest in working with her for some reason.  This surprises me but I still feel she did not use the information properly.  She should have been more threatening and told him if she got voted out she was spilling the beans about him.
There was a scene where Jeff speculates on weather Dawson knows his secret when he says "if Dawson knows my history of being a professional athlete it might be best to vote her out".  However, Jeff isn't actually on camera when this is said so I believe this was probably accomplished with creative editing of Jeff's speech.  Obviously Dawson was toying with Jeff even harder then it appeared when they were in the shelter and she was talking about sports.  At this time Jeff knows that Dawson knows her secret and she's trying to give him a subtle warning, which again, was not the way to go in my opinion.    
  
Watch the full episode here.
http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/fvTQD5MkjZWUPmI0iMQnMJfnaVJPUmHX/survivor-philippines-got-my-swag-back

Survivor 25 Episode 4 Recap: Who's the best "Experientially"?

Well Survivor surely lost a big chunk of their adult male demographic when Angie was voted out last week so this episode better have plenty of interesting drama to make up for the loss of eye candy.  Luckily this episode doesn't fail to deliver!

First we see Matsing sinking deeper into the depths of despair.  Malcolm is missing his snuggle bunny and although it isn't stated verbally I'm sure he's questioning his decision to vote her out.  Amazingly Russell still has plenty of cockiness left in him (despite not being able to find the idol) and proclaims that he is going to lead Matsing to the greatest comeback in Survivor history.  In case we forgot from last week he reminds us how he's willing to die for Survivor.  Good luck with that Russell.  I love Survivor and would do almost anything to play the game but I'm damn sure not willing to die for it!  And I don't think Russell is either.  Just because he almost died the last time he played doesn't mean he's "willing to die" for the game.  He's simply being a drama queen like usual.
Over at Tandang the drama continues to grow to a boiling point.  I had heard that Malcolm was going to be this season's Russell Hantz but that honor clearly belongs to Tandang's Pete.  Although he is causing chaos and taking control of his tribe with far more finesse then Russell ever did.  Pete leaves the truly psychotic Russell like behavior to his partner in crime Abi.
Pete continues to surprise me with his game play when he makes a bold move and plants the clue near RC's spilled backpack.  RC gives an academy award winning performance to try to diffuse the situation but it's not enough to keep the Brazilian firecracker from exploding.  The once potential bff's now hate each other more than Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.
At Kalabaw, Jeff completely turns to the dark side when he flops over to team Jonathon and even gives him a full FIVE FINGERED handshake!  After buttering up Carter like a turkey on thanksgiving Jonathon pulls him into the male alliance.  As I'm watching Carter's reflection interview I can't help but ask myself who he slept with to get on this show.
The girls smell this plot brewing and start planning a counter attack.  So surely we'll get to see Dawson play her card of knowing Jeff's real identity, right?  Wrong!  This is the scene I was hoping to see.
Dawson isolates Jeff.
D:  So what's your last name Jeff?
J: (immediately starts to squirm) ...Uhhhh Johnson.
D: Are you sure it's not Kent?
J: Who's Jeff Kent?
D: You are!  And if you don't help the girls vote out Jonathon I'll out you!
No such luck though.  Instead we just see Dawson trying to figure out what constitutes an actual fire.
Back at Matsing Russell is feverishly hunting for the idol.  I said in my episode one recap that I didn't think Russell was bright enough to find the idol.  Will he prove me wrong?  Uh... no.  We hear Russell pontificating on how he's probably going to be seen on TV walking right past the idol as it flashes on screen in front of him as we see shots of him walking right past the idol as it flashes on the screen right in front of him. 
Denise notices Russell's suspicious behavior and confides in Malcolm that he may have the idol, just like Zane did on day 3.  So after giving Russell 10 days to find the idol Malcolm suddenly decides it's now a good time to blindside him.  Why couldn't you think of that last week Malcolm!  I miss Angie so much.
Before the challenge we see the most drama erupting at Tandang which would seem to indicate that they'll be heading to tribal council tonight.  I suddenly get a sinking feeling that the second hottest chick of the season will be sent home packing tonight, so I greedily try to savor the T&A shots of RC as much as possible.
The reward/immunity challenge finally comes and with a slow sweep over the countryside, has the biggest build up of any challenge in Survivor history.  It consists of carrying three sets of pots of rice through a field of horizontal bamboo poles then smashing them with a wrecking ball.  The first place reward is steak, second place is a couple onions and peppers, no meat.  There's also the option of giving up the food for a tarp. 
Kalabaw and Tandang must sit out half their tribe and once again sit out all the women.  I know I'm not the only one to see the rule of not sitting out in back to back challenges reinstated. Of course that rule was done back in the good old days when we got to witness TWO challenges every episode. 
Despite the gender disadvantage Matsing jumps out to an early lead.  Carter and Jeff both have trouble getting the pots across and are in last place when it comes to the smashing phase.  The smashing is done by Malcolm, Jeff and Artis who turns out to be a smashing machine.  This 17 time applicant quickly relieves my fear of losing more eye candy, smashing two pots with one swing at one time.  Tandang easily wins the challenge. 
It's now a race for second place.  Matsing is still ahead of Kalabaw but Malcolm is no match against a guy who spent 17 years and made millions of dollars by throwing a ball at targets.  Once again they lose and once again Russell throws a hissy fit, even though he was the last one through the bamboo sticks which delayed Malcolm from starting the smashing phase of the challenge.  This time his reaction freaks the entire cast out and even Probst is fed up with Russell's outbursts and pitty parade.  He scolds Russell who accidentally calls Probst "Lord", which brings a smirk to Jonathon's face.  Russell reaches new heights of cockiness when he claims that he is a perfect creature created by God. 
Actually, I can't really blame Russell for the meltdown.  The last time he played his tribe lost only one immunity challenge before he got sidelined.  He probably know he's going home tonight so I can definitely understand his frustration.
After a lot of awkwardness the winning tribes collect their rewards.  Kalabaw opts to take a tarp instead of the onions and peppers.  What a shock.  Now it's time to watch Tandang chowing down on those juicy steaks as they enjoy their reward.  What?  We're going strait to Matsing.  We don't get to see the tribes enjoying their reward?  Isn't that half the fun of watching Survivor?  That and the Challenges?!  Or should I say CHALLENGE.  And CBS can't figure out why Survivor keeps going down in the ratings each season.  Here's a thought.  Go back to what made you successful in the first place!  Two challenges each episode, seeing the tribes enjoy their reward and bring back the Survivor theme song!  If editing can't get the job done then expand Survivor to two hours!  Ok, I'm done with my Russell like hissy fit.
The activity back at Matsing is pretty predictable.  Russell predicts it COULD be him going home tonight.  Gee that sounds familiar, but Malcolm and Denise work hard on making Russell feel comfortable, just in case he has an idol.  Malcolm convinces Russell that he wants to keep the two athletes and Denise gives Russell a therapy session (which he sorely needs) then convinces him that she won't mind be alone on the island with a violent, unstable, dread lock wearing, musclehead that is covered with tattoos.

At tribal, Probst digs deeper into Russell's frustration and desire to never lose.  Russell responds that he sets very high standards of excellence for himself.  It must be a full moon because for the second time in the same episode I'm sympathetic with Russell.  I believe that everyone should have a mindset like that and expect good things to happen because the universe sends you what your mind dwells on.  I think this is why Skupin and Russell are having so much trouble this season.  I'm sure it must be very difficult for them not to dwell on the misfortune they endured the last time they played.  Jonathon has the advantage here, because it wouldn't be weighing so heavily on his mind given the fact that he has made it through a season without an injury. 

Probst puts all three players on the hot seat and Russell uses the opportunity to create new words by saying he's the best "experientially".  Not surprising coming from a guy who last week said he was going to "presservere" like other great historical African Americans.  The time comes to vote.  I would of loved to of seen a three weight tie.  I can only imagine how they would have broken that tie.  Would they have drawn rocks or would they of had a three way challenge?  However, Denise and Malcolm stick together, while Russell decides to side with Denise and in the end his torch is finally snuffed out.  Hopefully this means that Skupin will finally start getting some prime screen time.

Did Russell ever have a chance this season?  Usually when they bring back returning players to face off against a majority of new players they let fate decide tribal placement.  That wasn't the case this season.  I have to say Russell definitely got the short end of the stick in this predetermined arrangement.  Jonathon's tribe has Jeff Kent, and Skupin's tribe has Mike Skupin.  Meanwhile, Zane, Roxy, and Angie were probably the three weakest players this season.  Denise may very well have the highest IQ of this season's cast but next to Leif I'm pretty sure she's the shortest player in Survivor history.  So was Russell's failure calculated?  I don't think so.  I think the producers just really over estimated his ability and felt by given him the weakest tribe it which actually make things more even.  Well Russell, keep your head up and try to PRESSERVERE.

Next Week on Survivor! 
Matsing is down to only two players but it looks like they are FINALLY going to catch a break.  It appears that someone from Kalabaw will be medically evacuated.  Please don't let it be Jeff Kent!  (I'm afraid it's going to be though)

Watch the full episode here.
http://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/video/

Survivor 25 Episode 3 Recap: Third Times NOT the Charm!

Well this had to be the most heartbreaking episodes of Survivor since Ozzy lost the final immunity challenge in South Pacific.  My sweet, beautiful, gorgeous Angie is gone.  But at least my childhood crush and baseball hero seem to be improving their game.

Tandang
RC is trying to persuade Abi to search for the Idol but Abi starts whining that she wants to relax and the tension between the two continues to grow.  As it turns out, Abi has other reasons for not looking for the idol with RC that will become clear after the challenge. 
Meanwhile Pete does some scheming with Lisa to target Mike.  Pete says he likes Lisa and wants to keep her around.  I'm thinking Pete must be related to Brandon Hantz who changed his personality every episode.  Wasn't it just last week that Pete was comparing Lisa to dog that needs to be shot?

Kalabaw
To my surprise the tribe actually notices the missing bull decoration on the rice lid and quickly realizes that it was the idol.  They know only one person can have it.  Jeff is kicking himself for not noticing it earlier but he shows he is here to really play when he suggests a plan to make Jonathon comfortable to keep him from using it and then blindside him.  I like this play and would be doing the same thing if I were them.  If they were to lose the challenge they should go up to Jonathon and suggest they vote out whoever had the worst challenge performance.  However with Jeff Kent on their team this may not happen for quite a while.

Matsing
The tribe wakes up to realize their raft has washed away.  Just one more piece of good news for the Matsing tribe.  Malcolm has started to distance himself from Angie a little bit which leaves a strong feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach.  Malcolm is shown debating who should go next which tells me another loss for Matsing is coming and I realize that my prediction last week that Russell might go was pretty dumb since the previews suggested Russell was in danger. 

Immunity/Reward Challenge
The two winners get fishing gear along with immunity.  The challenge is retrieving 8 donut shaped wooden puzzle pieces that are secured underwater and then sliding all 8 pieces into a pole to solve the puzzle (I for one am getting a little sick of seeing a puzzle in every challenge).  I'm praying that Matsing doesn't lose again because I don't want to see Angie leave.  Unfortunately the odds are against them since the other tribes wisely decide to sit all women out again.
Even worse for Matsing, Angie the first diver, has trouble with the first piece that is only 2 feet deep and they quickly fall behind.  Now she's gonna really piss off Russell, Mr. "Go hard or go home!"  He'll show her how it's done.  But first someone has to show Russell how to climb a three foot ladder.  Malcolm and Denise kick ass but Russell takes even longer then Angie does when he can't climb back up on the platform to tag out the next person.  Angie decides to sit out the rest of the challenge and Russell comes up completely empty on his next attempt.
Meanwhile Skupin one again injures himself, by somehow cutting his face up with the water mask.  Once again Matsing make it interesting thanks to Malcolm and Denise's great effort but come up short.  Kalabaw finishes first and Tandang easily comes in second.

Back at Tandang Artis finally opens his mouth and is furious at Skupin for his performance at the challenge.  So I guess that when they go to tribal later that night he'll definitely be writing Mike's name...oh wait a second.  They won immunity and don't have to go to tribal!  So I'm not sure why Artis is so pissed. 
We also find out the reason Abi didn't look for the idol with RC is because she doesn't want RC to have the idol.  While the rest of the tribe is looking for clams she confesses to Pete her knowledge of the clue and they begin tearing up the camp.  Incredibly Abi finds the idol.  I didn't think she had it in her but now the dark side of Tandang has the power and things aren't looking good for Skupin who now only has RC on his side.

At Kalabaw Jonathon decides to form an alliance with Jeff even though he knows Jeff doesn't trust him.  Jeff leads Jonathon to believe he's with him but then reveals that he only shook his hand with four fingers when they sealed the deal. 

So Matsing is headed back to tribal council but lucky for Russell nothing he does seems to make him an easy vote.  He bosses everyone around in the first episode and survives tribal.  He throws a hissy fit at their second loss and survives tribal.  Can he survive again after performing so badly at the challenge?  Unfortunately he still has a chance when Malcolm and Denise aren't sure what to do.  They're afraid they might lose again if they get rid of Russell's muscle.  Yeah, that muscle has done so much for you the first three times.  This however might be a clue as to why they voted out Zane.  It was to keep Russell's muscle.  Unfortunately they don't realize that that muscle hasn't been doing shit for them at challenges and strongly consider getting rid of Angie.  Bastards! 
At tribal, Angie and Russell are on the hot seat.  They call each other out.  Russell says Angie can't hold a candle to her and Angie calls Russell a quitter.  Russell goes off on Angie worse then Probst did last episode and corrects her by saying he didn't quit but rather made a "stratgic decision" to help the tribe.  Well, thank God Matsing has Russell to make such brilliant strategic decisions to lead them to victory....oh wait, they're at tribal council...FOR THE THIRD STRAIT TIME!  Obviously Russell's strategic moves aren't accomplishing a whole lot for the tribe. 

In the end Russell makes Angie cry and they all vote her out.  Not a good move in my opinion and not just because I've been booty blinded by Angie.  Russell is like a cancer to this tribe and can't be trusted.  I think Angie would have been much more loyal than Russell.  I'm thinking Denise was the one that persuaded Malcolm to vote out Angie but if I were him I would stuck to my guns and told Denise I was willing to draw rocks to keep Angie.  Like Roxy said, a pair can be very powerful in Survivor and by turning his back on her I think he just gave up a lot of power and put himself in a much weaker position.  But according to Malcolm's remarks at tribal he's been watching survivor since he was 12 and has waited a long time to get here.  He's heartbroken and embarrassed by the tribes performance.  That may explain in some way why he did what he did, but I still think it was the wrong move.  Russell adds nothing to the tribe.  He's a disturbance at camp, sucks in challenges and should have been voted out the first episode.  Well Angie if you're ever in Vegas look me up.  I know a place that has the best cookies!

Next Week on Survivor

Oddly enough Russell seems completely immune to being voted out and appears to be the safest returnee at this point.  Still it's do or die for Matsing and a tribal shuffle seems nowhere nearby.  I can't really tell if Matsing will win or lose from the previews.  It made it look like they win it which probably means they are going to lose but the clips were even more vague then normal.  Regardless I think next week will be VERY interesting no matter who loses immunity. 

To see where Angie places on my countdown of Hottest Survivor Woman click HERE