I think the reason why the HII idol is still in use is because of the drama it creates, yes it may be played out but when your actually waching someone get blindsided its not any less intertaining. Plus without the HII the boots will be predictable because if a person is out of an alliance they basically get voted out. It seems like this cast is really hidden this season, even the promos didn't show them it just basically talked about being in HD.