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menelaus, in my opinion, the theme of "Action vs. Talk" has to be looked at differently for each tribe and it's connected to the Leadership twist.

- In Galu, we are meant to see that John, Brett and Dave are all talk and no action, that RusSWell is in over his head, not sure how to get the work done while all the young people simply want to have fun. Shambo and, by association, Erik are the ones that want to get on with the job.

- In Foa Foa, the tribe got the job done because Mick was smart enough to delegate the duties to Ben. Natalie and Ashley were shown working while RussHell is the one that didn't go to the island to work.

From what I saw, none of the others Foa Foa have been involved with that theme yet. Betsy is involved with the "Honesty vs. Lies" theme more than the "Action vs. Talk" theme. But, interestingly, Betsy and Mick are now joined by their votes.

Fallen Torch: Thank you.

"I don't think we should be told to take a theme in separate ways for separate tribes."

I entirely agree and I see that I didn't express myself properly in my first response. What I meant is that the theme affected the tribes in different ways:

- Galu has bad teamwork in camp but at least they have Shambo who understands the importance of work and RusSWell who, if not a good leader, at least is a good cheerleader to help them in challenges.

- Foa Foa had good teamwork but their problem is that they have a saboteur who isn't there to work.

I'd be very surprised if, in the world of Survivor, talk is meant to be better than action or, in other words, if John could ever be salvaged as a character over Shambo. Having been portrayed as a Dumb Player, I feel that his future is sealed.

I'm not so sure about the idea of stretching Shambo's complaints about too much thinking to include thoughts on strategy and applying it as a positive for Betsy. Her doubts on RussHell's honesty are enough to have most of the audience cheer for her.

You mean like Cecilia saying everyone knew that Yul had the idol? From what I read, Mike only knows when Russell started looking for the idol and he says he was out looking for papaya when Russell found it. It sounds like Borassi is inventing the story.

In the recap, Jeff told us that there were 2 tribes going in two different directions:
- In Galu, it's sunshine and rainbows, (Monica heard saying "cocorico") they won both immunity challenges and everyone is happy except Shambo (we hear her say that she is frustrated with the tribe's way of doing things)
- In Foa Foa, losing has frustrated everyone except Russell (We hear him repeat that he didn't come to work, he came to play)

We heard that Russell was the first person to find an idol without any clues, he figured out how to manipulate others (we hear the puppet confessional)
Meanwhile, Ben put the others on edge without even trying. We see his "highlights": Getting tossed out of a challenge, keeping everyone up and lashing out at a visitor, Yasmin.
(Jaison clearly shown unhappy about that)
Ben's actions put a target on his back (Ashley shown telling Liz that they lost the challenge because of Ben and then telling us Ben had to go because he is crazy)
But Russell wanted Betsy out because she didn't trust him.
At TC, Russell got his way, Ben was spared.

From the recap, the way most scenes were presented and Jeff's TC talk about negativity, the quote that suited the theme of the episode the best was:

"That's Not How You Do It."

Foa Foa
Night 7

Jaison after getting Mick to agree that Ben had to go, gave us the first confessional of the evening: "At the last tribal council, Ben was this close from saying something to Yasmin that would have made me fly over a stool and say, not say but, you know, put him down. We voted out Betsy but, at this point, Ben is a mental plague on our tribe."

Russell went up to Natalie, asking her how she felt about the last TC and the next vote. Her evasive answers led to a confessional:

Russell: "Nobody here is playing the game but me on my tribe. Not one person, it's crazy. I don't know, this might be the worst group in history and I might be the best! I'm going to have them all under control like zombies, walking around going Oooooh!"

The intro was a clear statement on how the editors think the game should be played: Taking action like Jaison and Russell. Certainly not like Natalie. What about Mick? That question wasn't answered here but soon would be.

Foa Foa
Day 7

Ben was showing Mick and Liz how to make fire. Mick failed in his attempt.

Ben: (solo) "We're almost out of flint because these people don't know what they're doing. I'm the only one that knows how to start a fire. A lot of these people are not used to being in the woods and are kind of pansies. Mick's not an outdoorsy guy like myself. I wasn't surprised he didn't know how to do it. I tried to show him and gave him a few tips but it didn't really help."
The camera angle of Ben looking down on Mick showed Foa Foa's leader in a subservient position. With such a vital skill as making fire, we are told that Mick is not good. We are starting to get an answer on where Mick stands on this episode's theme.

Ben's confessional continued: "Without my help, these people would die. I saved the day once again."

Ben showed that his limitations were in the social game: To Liz, he said: "Not to be chauvinistic, not to put you girls down, you won't be able to start the fire with the flint."

Russell: (solo)"Ben is trying to tell everybody that they couldn't survive without Ben. I applaud it. You try to save yourself but that's not how you do it. You see, as long as Ben keeps up his crazy antics, his ass is going to be on the line. I got to keep Ben a little longer because he's good for the challenges and he's strongest guy in camp. (Mick and Ashley shown) So I'm going to have to debate which baby I'm going to send home next."
Liz and Ashley were shown. We saw the target and the two voters Russell would need to eliminate her.

Galu
Day 7
(You mean there's another tribe and we aren't down to the Final 7?!!)

Laura was leading Erik, Kelly and Brett in a series of relaxation and stretching exercises.
Laura: (solo)"Right now, we're winning so we're feeling good. There's great morale, we're working hard, we're all pitching in at camp and we're all doing stuff. So, we don't have to always be in game mode and that's a huge, huge advantage that we have over Foa Foa."

With military drums signaling that the recreation should be over, Shambo made an appearance.
Shambo: "Are you freaking kidding me? We have 4 people doing yoga this morning? I feel alienated from my tribe because I'm not into the 90210 clique. I'm not doing the warm and fuzzy, I'm doing the Rambo-Shambo provider role. Do we have water? No. Do we have food? No. Do we have firewood? No. Screw yoga, man!"

Despite Laura's words, despite the undeniable benefits of meditation and exercise, and casting's penchant towards that 90210 clique, is there any doubt that we were meant to agree with Shambo and say that's not how to do it on Survivor? If you don't think so, wait for later confirmation when Shambo goes to Foa Foa.

Foa Foa
Day 7

Russell: "The reason I told Ben about Ashley gunning for him is because, right now, I think I need Ben. So, every person that wants to get rid of him, I'm going to get rid of them. I'm telling you; you plant that little seed in their head, in their little brain and it grows and it's called a Russell-Seed. It takes over their whole mind so it makes it easy for me to manipulate every single one of them!"

Ben confronted Ashley by telling her she had stabbed him in the back. After trying to explain that she was playing the game, Ashley walked away saying: "I'm not gonna fight with you."

Russell's confessional went on: "When people fight, I love that! How can they not even think it was me? These people are just idiots. It is shocking that people trust me so much. They really do! Everybody here trusts me."
Note that Ashley precisely didn't fight.

After talking to Natalie, Ashley had a confessional: "I have never been so confused in my entire life. Yesterday, Ben's name got thrown around by everyone and apparently someone said that I was the one who brought it up. I do not feel safe."
She asked Russell who had told Ben but he simply walked away.

Galu
Day 7

Kelly read tree mail but didn't get the confessional.
Monica: "So, we got tree mail today and it came with this nice, comfy, dry sack of clothing which most of us guessed would be swimsuits. Here it is. It feels awesome and dry and soft and fabulous!"

The Challenge:

Fun comments:
"Monica and Laura dragging Ashley out of the attack zone"
(Is that how Ashley gets away from Russell's attack zone?!)
"Kelly unstoppable"
"John and Dave turning on the after-burners"
Unstoppable… after-burners?! I didn't think that, editing-wise, they had even started moving so this sounded very ironic to me. If this is our F3, I quit!!

When Russell was presented with a choice between comfort and functional items, we saw Dave wishing for the tarp.
After the leader had decided, Yasmin approved, telling Jeff that they needed comfort.

Russell: "There was that split second I was like towels? Why the heck do we need towels for? There are no showers here! The guys are going to be all over me but, at the end of the day, if I make the women happy, we're going to be happy."

Dave: "Russell took the comfort. "Danger Dave" here, would have said let me think of this for zero seconds, "I'll take the function" but it was the chief's choice and we were not allowed to make the decision."

After Russell decided Shambo would go to Foa Foa, we heard Ben say that Ashley would get voted out for stabbing him in the back.

Foa Foa
Day 7
Shambo was warmly greeted. She called Mick "McDreamy" and Jaison "Brother". She gave out a very nice compliment to Liz "You are one tough beastly competitor" and called Ashley "Smiley Girl" adding it was so nice to finally talk to her.

Mick: (solo)"At the end of the challenge, the winning tribe got to pick someone to come over to our tribe so Russell chose Shambo. Totally different vibe than Yasmin. I mean…we'd like to adopt her. She's just great energy, she's just good people."

Shambo: (solo)"One of my main objectives in this game is to create inter-personal relationships as soos as possible(the new society that Jeff was so fond of mentioning in the season openers) When Russell picked me to go, I was tickled pink to head over and check out Foa Foa… I shared with them, they shared with me. It's funny; people here are closer to my own age. They get me, I get them. I feel I have more in common with people here than people on my tribe."

This looked like a possible set-up for an alliance between Shambo, Mick, Jaison, Liz and Ashley… until Shambo gave a similar greeting to Ben. Still, it's something to keep in mind for later.

Shambo went on to explain that, instead of chores, "90210" wanted to do yoga. Liz's reaction was the one the editors wanted the audience to share: "We don't have the luxury of doing yoga."

Mick: (solo)"Of course, she's here for a reason. She's here to find the immunity idol and to get information to take back to her tribe which she claims she isn't super-tight with. You have to assume someone's lying always."

Russell simply observed the scene.

Shambo (solo): "When I got the note from Jeff, I thought it was hidden immunity idol clues and I was right. I'm very excited… My tribe is probably going to try to vote me out sooner or later anyway so this totally rocks."

Russell (said as he observed Shambo): "Now, Shambo has the second note but I have the immunity idol without any letters or anything. I just used my brilliant brain to figure out where it was. I'm running this whole show. I'm the boss."
(Although the sentences were chopped up, this confessional puts a hole in my theory that he had help from Yasmin or Jaison in finding the idol.)

Galu
Day 7
Russell S. explained his decision: "I'm the type of man who believes you have to take care of your women."
The women looked happy but the men?

John (solo): "After we arrived back at camp with our comfort items, there was a little monologue given by Russell that he felt obliged to justify his decision. For crying out loud; how comfortable are 4 pillows, three beach towels and two woven palm frond mats are going to make you? You're still going to be uncomfortable."
(Laura felt "perfect" as she stretched on the mat.)

Erik (solo): "Russell did not take the tarp. I think that was a bad move. I would have sacrificed everything on that comfort item list for the tarp because, maybe it won't rain for 39 days, maybe I'm wrong, but the day it does rain over here, every single one of those comfort items are going to be soaked and all of a sudden not so comfortable. I'm just real scared that they think this is like Club Med. This is not Club Med."

Monica, hugging towels, joined Laura on the mat while Kelly got in the hammock. They seemed without a care in the world but the scene went directly to the theme of "That's Not the Way to Do It". It was a very bad scene for Galu which was revealed as a tribe divided. It's bad for the long term prospects of the women shown here and it's bad for Russell's immediate future.

Foa Foa
Day 7

Jaison was in the shelter with Natalie and Ashley saying: "Ben is out of here and, if not, then I'm leaving. That's my ultimatum and that's the way I'm going to present it."
Natalie answered: "That's fine."
That leads me to believe she knew Jaison was doing it to force people to join his crusade or to call his bluff at their own risk.

Jaison (solo): "I'm trying to circulate it that I might just walk away if Ben is here after tribal council. I have no intention of quitting whatsoever but I'm willing to do just about anything to get rid of that guy right now. It's the racist comments. I won't stand here and tolerate that. I just won't."

Ashley (solo): "I don't know what to think anymore. No one understands unless their name gets brought up. Ben has some personal thing against me and I'm trying as much as possible not to get me eliminated but it's hard."

Russell was telling Mick and Liz that Ashley was going home. Liz agreed that they couldn't afford one more loss. Russell had the 4 votes he needed if Mick was on board.

Mick (solo): "So, Russell and Liz are adamant about voting Ashley out but that worries me because I am definitely loyal to Jaison."
Russell told him they needed to talk more. They finally agreed that Ashley would go first and then Ben. Mick gave Russell his word and shook his hands.
What happened to assuming someone is lying?

Russell (solo): "I want Mick to trust me and I want him to know how important it is that we stick together and that we can make this work. So, I'm going to let him know about the immunity idol. The Immunity idol is a powerful tool and it is a tool where someone is going to say: "Hey! This guy must really trust me." My alliance with Mick is solid so that's just another vote for me to get Ashley out. It's simple: I was born for this. This is what God made me for!"

Foa Foa
Day 8
While seen working with Natalie and Ashley, Shambo had a confessional: "I've been cooking it up at camp today, I taught them a few new tricks that they didn't know so, I'm trying to be helpful and make good relationships with these people. But, I need to start looking for the immunity idol. I'm going to do a recon mission and see what we can come up with."

While Shambo was looking at the right tree, Ashley said she loved Shambo and couldn't believe no one was working at their camp. Natalie and Liz agreed.

Observing from behind the bushes, Russell: "I notice the girls are talking a little more. I will regret not sending Ashley home because there is no way she ain't going to try to get that all-girl thing or something. We got to squash that out and we have this game under control."
Was that acknowledgment from the puppet master that someone else can play this game? Seems like it. So Russell told us already that he will regret it.

Russell, Mick and Jaison discussed voting out Ashley; Jaison pointing out that Ben has done nothing in challenges. Trying another angle, Mick said he didn't like the possibility of girl-power and Russell quickly joined in. Jaison wasn't worried about the women and he put his foot down. Russell had been stopped.

Russell (solo): "I want to keep Ben around but with everyone saying how he is a poison and this and that. I don't want them starting not to trust me. So, it's like; damn!"

Tribal Council
Jaison started off by saying Shambo was amazing and that he'd trade someone for Shambo, specifically Ben because she is a positive force while he is a negative force.
<Ashley was smiling, Natalie was smiling, Russell was frowning>
Ben said he was voting for Ashley, the weakest link.
Ashley said she didn't think she was the weakest one and that she wasn't bringing negative energy around the tribe.
Ben replied that he wasn't negative, that he only reacts.
Jaison said that constant screaming puts everyone in a bad mood. He told Ben everything he had done wrong which Ben denied and asked Natalie to confirm it.
Before Natalie could answer, Jaison intervened firmly: "Amazing how you always try to go to someone you think is weak. That's what bullies do."
Ben said Jaison was a baby.
Jaison mocked the "outlaw".
Natalie told Jeff she had been leaning back in case punches were thrown.
Russell tried to smooth things over by saying that Ben said negative things that might have been racial.
Jaison repeated the "might have been" in disbelief.
Asked if he could heel this wound, Jaison said he had drawn a line in the sand: "There is no 1 million dollars that is worth me sitting up here with him anymore."
<Russell and Mick exchanged knowing glances>
Ben responded by saying he hadn't started one fight.
<Ashley's eyebrow looked like Phil's in The Amazing Race.>
Ben added that "Ghetto trash" was not racial.
<Liz frowned.>
Confronted once more, Ben said that Yasmin wasn't a lady.
<Ashley's eyes crossed and she turned away, Russell looked uncomfortable, Liz bit her lip.>
Ben didn't like Jaison playing the "racial card"
Jaison told him he should have some sensitivity to history (which was asking a lot IMO): "Historically, when certain comments are directed to certain people, it is because of race. If what you are telling me is that what you said had no racial context, then maybe Yasmin was right and you are ignorant."
Jeff said Ashley must feel great that the heat wasn't on her.
Ashley responded: "I've known for the last couple of days that he was going to vote for me but there is other tension so it does leave it a little off me but I packed my bags. You never know what is going to happen in the game."
Ben found no reason to apologize to Jaison.

Jeff told them to head back to camp, unable to find anything that he could tell them to help.

The story seems to revolve around two conflicting themes. Naturally, both were given by Russell:

- There's a wrong way and a right way to play this game.
- The game is easy to win.

Of course, the second could have been meant as irony, to show that Russell was wrong but let's not assume he is. If the game is easy to win then what we perceived as the wrong way to play isn't necessarily so.

Playing the Wrong Way

One thing we know is that Ben played the wrong way and has been eliminated. The following players have been shown playing the wrong way. Where does that leave them?

Galu
Brett and Kelly: Neither has been introduced in confessional. They don't have a personal story to balance being shown playing the wrong way. They are still perfect deckhands, setting the stage for the stars.

John, Dave and Erik: All three share a single story! They aren't happy about their leader's decisions and they are causing a division in a tribe that was supposedly enjoying "sunshine and rainbows".
Of the three, only Erik was shown having a game connection and that was with Shambo in episode #1 but, while we see that story coming back to life in the next episode, his personal story hasn't grown. It leads me to believe that he will serve Shambo's story more than she will serve his.

Russell S.: We were told that Russell made a mistake. His talk about keeping the women happy sounds more promising for a woman to win. I doubt that they would simply let him win as a show of gratitude. Mainly, Russell has been one-dimensional: Russell is worried about Russell. Not a bad goal in itself but we should have heard more of his plans to save himself than keeping the women happy. Even if we suspect an alliance with Yasmin, we haven't been shown anything to link them in the game. Russell S. will not survive Galu.

Yasmin: Her story was dropped this episode. We didn't see anything of her return to Galu. That tells me that what happened to Yasmin, what she saw at Foa Foa, what she told her tribe or what they think of all that has no significance. It can only come back as the reason to vote her out rather than setting a long term story. Showing her applauding the selection of comfort over the tarp makes me think that her only story is about suffering when the rains come. The sky looked ominous in many scenes and we know it's coming.

Laura: If Survivor is easy to win then her confessional about having great morale, pitching in and not having to be always in game mode should be considered very promising. Maybe she gets it and that is the message. However, her two confessionals have been opposed by Shambo's story and we haven't had a single indication of what Laura does when she is in game mode. If Foa Foa makes a comeback, she has been set-up to regret her words about having a huge advantage.

Monica : She is a jovial character and she has received a consistent, albeit thin, edit. Identified as a Club Med vacationer could be detrimental to her story but life is easy for now and she is the one that is allowed to share it with us without anyone contradicting her directly. Better, Kelly read tree mail but Monica had the confessional. That tells me she is more important to the story's future than the dreadlocked Blonde. If the game is easy to win and you don't have to work hard, then Monica has the best edit to be the winner. I think it's highly unlikely that the story would go that way but until we see her in Tribal Council, I won't discount it.

Foa Foa

Natalie: In her tribe, the question about playing it right isn't measured in the amount of work done but in ability to plan, to scheme. So, showing her unable to answer Russell's questions showed she wasn't doing it right. Staying out of harms way is certainly a good strategy but she can't only be seen as lying around in the shelter or dodging punches at Tribal Council for us to consider that her plan is the right move.

Mick: I feel we were told that Mick is playing the wrong way. He can't make fire, he says he shouldn't trust anyone because they lie but he shakes hand with the worst one to trust. He remains silent when his tribe is collapsing and he doesn't take a stand in such a heated council. The game won't be easy for Mick so he'd need to play it the right way to give himself a chance. We'd need to hear him say something along the lines of "I've been doing this all wrong…" before considering Mick has a chance of winning this game. There's still time to change his story but he can't be considered a contender at this time.

A Player on the fence

Liz: I still have a problem defining Liz's edit. Why was it important for us to know that Liz was adamant on voting out Ashley, thus willing to keep the Outlaw? Certainly, there is the suspense of the vote's outcome to consider although that has, at times, been dismissed when a scoundrel was voted out. Robb in Thailand, Rodger in the Amazon and Jean Robert in China come to mind. Also, most of the suspense was removed when Russell said he had to consider losing everyone's trust. I'd like Liz's chances a lot more if she had at least told us she didn't like the idea of keeping Ben but had to or saying she was hesitant. Still, her desire to keep Ben isn't enough to say that she is playing the wrong way.

As is, the thing to keep in mind is that Shambo paid Liz a large compliment as a strong competitor. The fact that she had no confessionals in this episode and almost no presence at TC makes me wonder about her real chances of winning. She is presented as someone who is working hard, who is part of the strategy discussions and who could play a big role in a women's alliance but it doesn't seem enough. I have her as a contender but with reservations.

Players Doing it Right:

Shambo: Making inter-personal relationships is the basic tenet of the game. We finally saw that Shambo is the people-magnet she claimed to be. Being a hard worker and having a military background is enough to let us know that we are supposed to see her playing the right way. Will her attempts at building connections with the other tribe lead to an alliance later on? Will that alliance serve her game or save a tribe that is drowning? There are hints that a women's alliance could take over this game and that certainly bodes well for Shambo.

Jaison: A man of principle, the man wanted to take control and he managed to stop Russell. Undoubtedly, he did the right thing but will he be able to continue? His threat of quitting forced the hand of 3 players and they may hold it against him at some point. Was it a bluff? Would he have walked off if Ashley had been voted out? He told us he had no intentions of quitting and he told Natalie that it was his way of presenting his ultimatum. It appears it was a bluff but the fact remains that he was shown as a man of principles. His story would make him a great winner… Probably too good.

Ashley: We see her working in camp, we see her doing the right thing by walking away from a confrontation with Ben and we hear her say that she will do everything to save herself. A member of Russell's dumbass girls alliance, she has been the only one to profit from that alliance (the Marisa boot) and to survive his attack. If she is our winner, then she will have proven that being Sole Survivor is difficult. The one thing that has to be kept in mind is that she has been the target of every eliminated player. That makes her story difficult to judge because she had to be shown. I'd like to see how she will be presented when the heat is completely off of her but she certainly fits the themes as I see them.

Playing by his own Rules

Russell: Coming from him, being on Survivor to play takes a different meaning than for Erik's Club Med members. Using strategy is certainly the right thing to do and everything had been easy for Russell until this last vote. Even then, he solidified his alliance with Mick and didn't really hurt his alliance with Jaison because he voted out Ben. The big question is will the dumbass girl alliance come back to bite him? He told us already that he will regret not voting out Ashley so maybe we know what will be his downfall.

Does he have a story that can lead him to the win? Villains have been set-up for the audience to enjoy their fall but there isn't manipulation to make him look worse than he is. That's his game. It may look suicidal but the edit has reinforced how it's working for him. Right now, he has to be considered as a contender.

Once more, the recap was about Shambo and Russell.
Galu won all 3 immunity challenges and, at camp, most of the tribe kicked back and relaxed while Shambo did most of the work.
In a twist, Shambo was sent to observe the other tribe (hugs with Natalie and handshake with Mick"Dreamy" and Jaison showed) and she immediately bonded with everyone.
At Foa Foa, Russell was a force to be reckoned with. He constantly manipulated the others to further his own ends. As Foa Foa was preparing to go to their 3rd tribal council in a row, Jaison got furious at Ben because of his racially insensitive comments. Jaison wanted Ben out but Russell didn't agree.
At Tribal council Ben wouldn't back down, so Jaison stood up to him.
During the confrontation, Russell realized his best play was to vote off Ben.
Now, the tribe is down in numbers and morale.
<Mick shown leading the way back to camp>

I'm sure everyone noted the creative way the recap made it appear that Russell changed his mind on the spot. I was more interested in noting that Liz and Ashley were completely ignored despite getting the biggest welcome when Shambo arrived. It indicates that Liz being a "beastly competitor" and Ashley being a nice "smiley girl" meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Ashley's story was dismissed even more when she wasn't mentioned as the one Russell had targeted.

Looking at the different scenes where players were blaming everybody else, I saw this episode's theme being:

"They Prey on You Doing Something Wrong"

Foa Foa
Night 8

Asked by Mick how he was doing, Russell said he was doing alright, blaming Ben by adding: "He gave me no other choice. I told him I wouldn't vote for him but after that, I had to."
<Ashley seen listening in>

Jaison (solo) : "What happened at Tribal Council was me trying to let Ben know how I felt. I cannot handle people who use phrases that are meant to hurt on a very basic level. I'm hungry and I'm tired. I came here to have an adventure but I, right now, believe that me coming here was the worst decision I have made in my entire life."

Next morning, Jaison and Russell took a walk on the beach, Jaison complaining that it was tough.
Russell in confessional, blamed Jaison: "Jaison was really upset with Ben. He took things very personal. I really believe that, if Ben had stayed, Jaison would have quit the game. Now, what kind of man is that? Now, I'm willing to get rid of Jaison and whoever I want to be gone is gonna be gone. I have it all under my thumb right now."

Galu
Day 9

Shambo (solo while most of the tribe is shown sleeping): "I got back at Galu last night and I'm not happy because, when I went over to Foa Foa there was a huge appreciation for Shambo, huge appreciation." (She was seen telling Galu how Foa Foa's camp was amazing.)
Her confessional continued but the way it was edited, the next sentence seemed to have been said to everyone. "Everybody over there loved me. I feel 10 times closer to Foa Foa than I do with Galu. They just want to lie and gossip on the beach <Kelly, Laura and then Brett shown> So, I have no problem going to Foa Foa because I already have a following there. If I make it to the merge, I already know that I have their votes so I'm way ahead!"

Erik and then John approached Shambo about the HII clues which she revealed.

Erik (solo): "Nobody really talked Shambo last night about the second clue to the immunity idol. I came up with this idea to get all the information I want to get from her. I'm 30 seconds away from nailing all the information from her and in walks John, like he has this brilliant idea."

Shambo (after telling the guys to vote for her in the end because she was honest with them): "I don't feel like I hurt myself in the game in any way, shape or form by sharing knowledge with them. That can do nothing but help me going forward. Maybe I'm wrong and it will hurt me, we'll see."

Foa Foa

Mick: "We just got tree mail and it says that I need to choose 2 people to go on a mission which may or may not lead us in having a little bit more food. Obviously, I want to bring people who are strong in some sort of challenge situation. So, I will be taking Russell because he is good at strategizing. Natalie is good with puzzles and things of that nature so I thought it was perfect."
He asked if the tribe was comfortable with that decision.
Liz had no comments even if she had been picked in the first challenge to be their puzzle person.

Approaching the challenge beach, Russell S. told us: "I took Shambo and Dave because I need some brains and some firepower." (!!)
We knew that Russell lacked both but didn't think he'd admit it!!

In a scene reminiscent of a Sergio Leone film, the opponents stared at each other with Sheriff Jeff nowhere to be seen.

Russell S.: "So, we're standing there looking at each other. We're waiting for Jeff because, at every challenge so far, Jeff has already been there. So, we're like "what do we do?"
(Note that Russell H. was the first one seen making a move towards the crate as the mastermind should. Was he really the first or not? Impossible to tell)

Dave (solo): "Suddenly, it was on; the frenzy was on! We're going into the treasure box. It had… these instructions. Reward challenge. Oh! The tribe who wins gets to bring the chicken home."
We heard Russell S. telling Mick to go first, thus giving himself the advantage of last throw.
Mick (solo): "Russell's ball knocks mine closest and I can taste the chicken in my mouth."

Natalie : "Mick had thrown those last 2 balls so close to the stick, my goal was to not even get close to them because I didn't want to mess anything up."
<Her first throw did mess it up but her last one made up for it>
Russell S.: "We're panicking all over the place. Shambo was like no good. So it's between Russell and Dave and they each have three chances to win."

Mick : "Dave has the final ball, we have the closest ball to the flag. I'm looking at the chicken and I'm stoked. This is finally something we can bring back. We're finally going to win."

Dave: "Last ball is on me; make it or break it! At this point, we're not going home with the chicken"
<He made it>
Mick: "It's so demoralizing. I'm so tired of losing to these guys. It totally split me in half to see Galu walk off with those chickens. It so ludicrous that we can't even pull off freakin' bocce ball."

Note that Hantz wasn't heard saying a word during this whole scene. If it means anything, it would be that rewards aren't important to him despite his earlier words to Jaison on how they give hope.

Galu
Day 9

Erik (while most of the tribe is sleeping): "Thank goodness Russell didn't take me for the challenge today because, with him gone, I can get people to do things, working for the tribe, while I stay home and find that immunity idol."
(Monica and Laura were sent on fruit patrol, John and Yasmin joined Brett and Kelly on snooze patrol)
His confessional continued: "I have ten minutes to find that idol that, apparently, is in the bark of a tree."
<While Erik searched, John was shown looking up, suggesting that he may once more disrupt Erik's plan. But then, with a cymbal crash to underline stupidity, John simply turned over in the hammock>
"I got the idol! I knew it was in this tree. The best part about having this is that nobody has any clue that there's even one here. They think it's at Foa Foa…Of course, I'm not going to tell anybody that I've got the idol but I'm going to use it down the road, maybe around day 30, 36 because I plan on being here for a while and this is going to be my ticket."

The challenge trio was returning to camp with Russell and Dave congratulating each other.
Russell: "Carrying that chicken coop felt great coming home…We're bringing home the bacon baby!"
Bacon? While Dave reminds me of Varner, there isn't a Skupin around to catch a pig.

Country girl Shambo was assigned to chicken duty, Dave saying: "We need somebody who won't, accidentally, let them out." (Perfect set-up!!)

The girls, Laura in particular, were seen all excited by the news.
Dave : "I won chicken. On the inside, (raising his arms with a lot of enthusiasm) We win!! However, I was trying to stay emotionally centered and humble within the tribe. Getting cocky is a quick way to "show me the door". However, I won chicken. What did you do? Not that. Peace."

Shambo: "I don't claim to be a chicken farmer but I was introduced to them at a very young age. You have to have a relationship with chicken… The Survivor chickens will know Shambo and they will give me eggs in return because I will be kind to them."
<Erik and Dave's reactions at her clucking sounds told us they thought she was weird>

Foa Foa

Jaison: (huddled in the shelter during a rainstorm): "Mick, Natalie and Russ; they lost a challenge. I think, normally, I'd say I was hungry for a win but I just want to survive until another day. I'm tired, I'm hungry and I'm really thirsty so, right now, it doesn't really matter."
In a repeat of the morning scene, Jaison and Russell talked about the difficulties they faced.

Russell: "My true alliance, it changes all the time. I told Jaison that I'd bring him to the top two but I don't know that I can count on Jaison staying in the game."
(note the obvious change of sound quality between the words "count on" and "Jaison staying" This confessional was spliced together to make us think Jaison will quit)
"I need somebody <Natalie already shown> that is going to help me to get to the final 2. So, I'm going to have to take somebody like Natalie with me. She is going to ride my coat-tails the whole way. She's too stupid to do it by herself, she needs me. So, I can stand up there and say she followed my coat-tails this whole way, she rode me like a horse."

I bolded the whole confessional because it sounded like the entire season was spelled out right here. First note that it was a fabricated confessional: What was it that Russell couldn't count on? The "Jaison staying in the game" seemed taken from another confessional. Note also that, at first Russell is talking about needing someone to help him get to the final 2 but then, when Natalie's name comes up, she is someone he needs to be able to beat with jury votes. So, what if Russell really said "I don't know that I can count on beating Jaison in the end"? Will it be that easy for Russell? Will he make it to the final 2 with Natalie and is she so stupid that she couldn't beat him? It'd be nice to hear from her so we could be in a position to judge. On the other hand, is Russell making a fatal mistake assuming it's a Final two and will the player who joins him and Natalie in a Final 3 be the winner?

We are immediately reminded of Natalie and Russell's day 1 promise followed, with perfect timing, by:

Natalie : "Russell and I talked about, since the first day, being the final 2 at the end. At this point, I'm like his wingman I guess you can say."
With à-propos, Natalie tells Russell: "Hopefully we start winning."
Her confessional continued: "I definitely think people underestimate me and I want them to think that it's really smart to take me to the end because they can beat me. You know, use that to my advantage. If it comes down to me or him, I know I can beat Russell at the very end because I would say a lot of other people on the tribe have really been rubbed the wrong way by him. So, I'm just trying to not ruffle feathers, steer clear and build relationships which is what I'm good at."

Russell told Natalie: "You've got it made, I'm telling you."
(Was that to tell us she really will have it?)

Galu
Day 10
(Monica and Brett are shown but it's only so that we notice the clothesline that is in camp!)

Shambo gets an egg but loses a chicken.
(The egg came first, as always)

Dave: (in one of his Varner-type confessionals): "We were just talking about how everybody is so hungry and we hear: "Escaped Chicken! Emergency! Escaped Chicken!" Sure, enough, Shambo let a chicken get away. Her and Erik are running around chasing it and it's like tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb. Erik, he's running after the chicken and he gets clotheslined… by the clothesline! It was pure comedy right there!"

Russell: "I'm not calling Shambo stupid but it's a bird for crying out loud! I would think you would assume that something with wings can fly… I was stunned."
(A country girl or a fan of Boston Rob should know)

Erik: "Shambo thinks she's gonna get the chicken out of the tree by clucking at it… Shambo thinks she produced an egg. What did you do to produce an egg, Shambo? And nobody cares, that's the worse part. Is anybody looking for the damn chicken? This tribe sucks."
<In addition to Shambo, the ones that sucked shown as these words were spoken: Yasmin, Russell, Monica and Laura>

Galu
Day 11

Kelly was working on a coconut, Yasmin wasn't.

Kelly: "I'm so sick of Yaz doing absolutely nothing. She's like waiting around to be taken care of as if she was a little princess. It's kind of frustrating and annoying. I think the reason our tribe is doing so well is that we are focusing on bringing our team as strong as possible to the merge but Yaz is here for herself. She's not a team player, she doesn't help out around camp. Say we do lose a challenge; I think Yaz will be the first to go."

Immunity Challenge
Besides Jeff showing up, the thing to note was the happy faces of Galu when they heard Ben had been voted off.
Fun comments:
- Monica and Kelly working together.
- Erik cruising through this. No problem at all!
- Monica is taking a long time for Galu (For some reason, we heard her breathing extremely amplified. Was it to appreciate her effort or to show that she was in over her head?)
- Natalie is making up for lost time (enough to make up for the 3 episodes in which we didn't hear from her?)
- Ashley is screaming across this rope bridge.
- Look at Russell go (have we been able to do otherwise?)

Foa Foa's emotion at winning their first immunity was nice to see.
After the challenge, we heard Monica saying: "Everybody keep their head held high."

Jeff's comment that there was a big cloud over Galu sounded like a sign of things to come.

Russell: "I saw Monica basically disappear at that challenge. This is Survivor, this is about physical, mental toughness and, today, Monica just didn't have it."

Galu
Day 11
Russell: "Today, we lost our first immunity challenge. I was pissed off. There's no reason why we should have lost. We had the lead and I saw one person falling apart. That was Monica."

Calling him boss, Erik asked for Russell's opinion and agreed that Monica had been horrible. Not dispelling Russell's Club Med judgment, we saw Monica walking alone on the beach and in the ocean.

90210 had a different opinion as we saw Dave, John, Brett, Kelly, Laura and Monica talking.
Dave mentioned that Shambo's screw-ups were a shot at team morale but that Yaz did nothing. Monica agreed and Dave said that he wanted Yaz to go.

Monica: "We're going to our first tribal council tonight and some names are going about. For instance; Yaz doesn't do anything. She sits by the fire and observes things so that gets annoying. So, I think Yaz is going home tonight but this is Survivor; crazier things have happened."

Yasmin and Shambo were thinking it wouldn't be crazy to vote out Monica. Yasmin giving us the pearl of the evening: "I am not stepping up to do nothing because you know what these people do? They prey on you doing something wrong like letting the chicken go."

Yasmin: "I've had my game face on since day 1. I came here to play. I've been… helping win our challenges. If you're going to penalize me for that…vote me out because my body could use a rest."

Erik joined the beach crowd to tell them Russell was dead-set on voting out Monica.
John and Kelly told him they liked Monica and that it had to be Yaz.

Erik: "There's a ton of crazy talk about voting out Yasmin. It's true, she doesn't do much around here but Yasmin is stronger in challenges than Monica. Unfortunately, people are rallying around Monica so I don't know how it's going to play out."

Erik said he didn't want to be on Russell's bad side. John agreed he didn't want to mess with him while Kelly said she was still on the fence.
Erik told Russell it would be Yasmin which led to:

Russell: "Yasmin. That's a vote that I absolutely disagree with. Every time there was a challenge, Yasmin kicked it up. Today, Monica dragged her butt. I want the strongest tribe and I'm the leader so these people, they got to listen to me or there will be some serious ass-kicking."

Tribal Council
Shambo told Jeff that everyone was uneasy so it wasn't good.
Brett directly said that Yasmin was doing less work than the others.
Yasmin said she was surprised, adding: "Everything someone asked me to do, I did it…Maybe I don't belong in the jungle because I have high-heels but I wanted to look good for you, Jeff."
<John and Erik were shown doubting her words while Shambo and Russell smiled>
Russell said challenges were their base: "Get the challenges done, the rest falls into place."
Yasmin agreed, saying she liked to compete and that Monica struggled.
Monica said it sucked hearing that. She said she did well and that, after a slow start, she "came back to (her) normal self."
<Shambo and Erik visibly disagreed>
Presented with the dilemma of making a social, physical or strategic decision, Dave wisely said: "What's good for the tribe is good for me."
Laura added: "Number 1 for me is who is helping out around camp the most."

Besides the obligatory shots of Monica and Yasmin, we saw the anticipation of Dave and Shambo and the reactions of Laura and Erik when the first few votes were read. Laura even gave a defiant look to Yasmin. It was as if those four were the true opponents, the driving forces behind each faction. Then, when the Yasmin votes accumulated, we saw the rest of the tribe react. In the end, Laura was shown smiling as Yasmin made her way down the stairs.

The Story:

The first thing this episode showed was that, while Galu's story isn't the same when they go to TC, Foa Foa's story is independent of Tribal Council. Except for the post challenge footage when we had to be at Galu, Foa Foa in this episode was equal to Foa Foa in the first 3 episodes. Galu was all new.

The second thing to note was that, being up 4 members, this vote should have been simple for Galu and it probably was. When you have the numbers, you vote for your alliance first. However, it felt that the dialogue presented was more than what was needed to create suspense at the outcome. The vote was presented as do or die for Galu, especially Russell's uncharacteristic promise of ass-kicking. Despite Shambo being the only one voting against the majority, Galu appeared irreparably divided.

Those observations lead me to separate the characters in two categories:

First, we have The Players Caught in the Moment:

These include most members of "Club Med" because, well, this tribe sucks!

Kelly and Brett: Besides seeing them sleeping next to each other we didn't learn much from them. They are members of the "Club Med" alliance and should be safe as long as Galu exists but they have shown us nothing that would lead to further story lines.
Kelly had her first confessional where she simply talked about Galu's immediate problems with Yasmin. Knowing what often happens on Survivor, letting us hear that Kelly was still on the fence was another indication that she won't last much past the merge.
What about Brett? Most guys would like being close to Kelly but it doesn't seem to be a story worth mentioning.

John: His role in the "Club Med" alliance was reinforced when we heard him telling Erik that he liked Monica. The only glimpse of foreshadowing for John came when he said he didn't want to mess with Russell but that is rather short-term. There could have been something built around the Hidden Immunity Idol but, instead of driving the story further, John was sleeping at the wheel.

Laura: On first viewing, Laura's presence seemed more substantial than it really was. Maybe it was because I remembered her leading the yoga exercises or because we had seen her being very close to Monica but I felt she had been a leading force in saving her "girlfriend". The TC footage had a lasting impression on me until I re-watched the episode and realized how trivial Laura's role had been. She listened to the other 90210 members discuss the vote, she asked where they were going with the vote but didn't contribute much herself. That's smart game play but we're not analyzing game play here, we're analyzing editing. Not giving her a chance to explain her thoughts was very telling. Laura won't matter in the end.

Monica: Being the alternate target of Galu's first vote sheds an interesting light on her initial portrayal. Whereas Yasmine had been shown as a "Dumb Player", we had been introduced to Monica's cutesiness. Her confessionals in the first 3 episodes were shown so that we could relate to her, maybe even want her to stay. We were rewarded but we were told there would be consequences. By going against their leader this simple vote gave the impression that it will lead to Galu's demise. The message seemed to be: You wanted Club Med, you got Club Med, not Survivor. The ones playing Survivor are not here.

Russell S.: He is wrong about Survivor which is much more a social game than it is about physical toughness. He stopped worrying about himself and declared war on his own tribe. That should be the end of his story because he doesn't have the firepower and maybe not the brains either.

Dave: His tribal council intervention of "What is good for the tribe is good for me" showed some promise. However, Dave was still trapped in the moment, especially with the importance such a small reward took compared to the rest of his edit. His comment about cockiness gave us an example that Dave can think ahead but he is mostly shown as a complainer, not a planner.

There are also Foa Foa members in this category because they could be the worst group in history! (Aren't we lucky this season?!)

Liz: Last week, Liz's role in Foa Foa had been neglected. Her only shining moment was Shambo's compliment. In the recap, an occasion to build on that small moment was completely ignored. While most of Foa Foa remained the same, Liz disappeared when they weren't going to Tribal Council. The next episode looks to be crucial for Liz but, at this time, she appears to be a supernumerary rather than a star-in-waiting.

Ashley Last week, I had written that watching Ashley when the heat would be off of her would be her determining factor. There was nothing to watch! The recap could have reminded us of her underdog status versus the biggest villain ever but she wasn't mentioned. Looking back at her first three episodes with the knowledge we've received in this one shows that Ashley's comments were all focused on the present, not the future. One episode cannot kill her chances at winning but seeing her story completely ignored isn't a good sign.

Mick: During the recap, he was the one shown when Jeff said that Foa Foa was down in morale and the reward challenge was also demoralizing for him. There's not much going Mick's way but still we were shown that he could be cocky when things look good. His confessional about tasting chicken already, combined with Dave saying that cockiness is a quick way to the door makes me think that Mick will get overconfident at one point and get voted out. The best thing about his story is that, compared to Russell S. we never heard negative comments when votes didn't go as he wanted them. It shows that Mick can adapt but it would be nice if he was given the opportunity to tell us about his plans.

Jaison: After such a promising episode, Jaison's story lost all momentum when he told us that going on Survivor was the worst decision in his life. Even if he recovers and this turned out to be simply a moment of weakness, his power-play against Ben looked more like a spur of the moment decision than the beginning of a long term plan. For one thing, his scenes with Russell showed that Jaison never considered it a good idea to remove one of Russell's allies.

The Players Looking at the End Game

Erik: Finding the idol, Erik gave himself a role down the line. He plans on staying a while and using the idol around Day 30 or 36. There are two ways this could go wrong: Either Erik forgets that the game lasts 39 days or he just misses out on day 30 and leaves like so many others before him with idol in pocket. Contrary to what he said, someone will know about the idol sooner or later. Add to that his lack of presence in the first 3 episodes and his opposition to "Club Med"; I sense that he will be clotheslined by a surprise vote somewhat before Day 30.

Shambo: Shambo will always be a player in danger but there seems to be bigger fish to fry in Galu. Twice, Shambo made references to the jury votes. Making the merge and Foa Foa's huge appreciation for Shambo could be taken as a hint that she will flip to them but she was talking about having their jury votes all locked up. Telling Erik and John about the idols was her way of earning their votes. Despite going far, I doubt that she can get the jury votes. She is presented as the lovable klutz, the player who means well but always fails. To mix metaphors with scenes from the episode: Shambo is counting her jury votes before they hatch.

Russell: All that needs to be said about Russell is contained in the confessional he had after the reward. Nothing but the end game matters to him and he should reach it. I see only 3 remaining questions: Can he get the votes against Natalie if it is a final 2? Is he forgetting that it could be a final 3? If it is, who will join them? Mick, Liz, Ashley or Shambo? Up to now, only Shambo has made a claim to that spot.

Natalie: How did she get here? I know that last week she appeared to be playing the wrong way but what if that was the message? On a tribe in turmoil, being liked by everyone as she appeared to be and not ruffling any feathers is very smart game play. She is one of the few that didn't do anything wrong.

Her confessional about beating Russell in the end is the best explanation of what a follower should do according to Game Theory since…Katie Gallagher in Palau. We know how that ended up. However, as I wrote earlier, contrary to Katie, Natalie is well liked in her tribe: Jaison confided in her, Ashley is close to her Russell trusts her and Mick thinks she is good on puzzles. By the way, Mick's words were a nice way to contradict Russell's appraisal that Natalie is a "Dumb Blonde".

I don't know if a player that was so hidden in the first three episodes can make up for lost time but Jeff thought so, at least he did during the immunity challenge. I would absolutely love it if Russell's comment "you've got it made" turned out to be the winning quote! Let's see if her story grows.

Thanks Hippochinfat.

I meant numbers. He's in an alliance of 2 or 3 against the 6 Club Med guests. I like to use a player's own quotes to illustrate my comments.

Once more, Jeff focused on Russell and Shambo during the recap:
After 8 days, the yellow tribe had been to the first 3 tribal councils…
<Jaison: "I just want to Survive for another day">
Tensions were high and the only person who wasn't miserable was Russell…
< "When people fight, I love that. I try to start the fight">
He now has the hidden immunity idol and a diabolical plan…
< "They are going to be my little puppets">

Over at Galu, Shambo had problems fitting with the rest of her tribe…
<Kelly and Laura sunbathing>
She broke their fishing gear and lost one of their chickens.
<New confessional by Laura: "Shambo is just a complete Gilligan who just messes things up all the time.">
Shambo's best friends are on Foa Foa who she bonded with when she visited their camp.
< "There was a huge appreciation for Shambo.">

When Galu finally lost an immunity challenge, Russell wanted to take out Monica…
< "If I'm chief, do I want cutesiness or do I want performance?">
But most of the others wanted Yasmin to go home…
<Club Med strategizing, notably Dave and Monica>
At Tribal Council, Russell reluctantly sided with the majority…
<Russell and John seen "exchanging" a glance. Russell voted Yasmin while saying "I'm sorry." >
Yasmin was gone and, by voting for Monica, Shambo further alienated herself from her tribe.
<John and Laura shown sitting next to a defeated Shambo>

I felt this episode was about

Suffering the Consequences

Galu
Night 11

Shambo: (solo) "Wow! We just got back from our first tribal council and Yasmin got voted out. I didn't expect it, not by a longshot. I'm a little disparaged about the fact that every single person in our team was in an alignment with the exception of myself. I'm absolutely exhausted. Hopefully, I'll get some good sleep tonight and pick up the pieces tomorrow."

While she went to bed, the other women of Galu rejoiced around the fire.
Laura: "Isn't it nice here without her?"
Monica: "Yas?"
Laura and Kelly: "Sham."
Laura: "Sham has a silliness about her that's socially awkward so it's like ewww."
<Kelly and Monica laughing>
This scene had to destroy all the remaining hopes that a fan could have had to see one of these three women win. Note that the editors made sure we knew that the fire around which they were laughing at Shambo had been set up carefully by Shambo.

Monica (solo): "So tribal was pretty crazy. Now, in retrospect, I realize that Shambo is the only person here who voted against me. So, that kind of hangs over my head a little bit. I definitely want to continue and take Sham off. She's my next choice."

Galu
Day 12

Erik (solo): "This ocean is a real bitch… I have never seen an object, inanimate or animate, that was as angry and fickle as this ocean."
Surprise! An unnecessary scene from a member of Galu other than Shambo. That's a first! But we've seen Erik get hurt before so maybe it's to set him up for a big hit later on. Will somebody get angrier at Erik than that ocean? I'd almost bet on it.

Foa Foa
Day 12

Jaison (The sea was angry that day): "It's day 12 and we finally came off a win… The ocean is crazy but maybe it's a bright day for Foa Foa."

Mick read tree mail.

Ashley (solo) : "I'm actually excited about the reward challenge…Hopefully, I'm one of the stronger people on my tribe today."

Liz talked to Russell about being worried that Ashley couldn't handle the challenge.
Russell told Jaison and Mick that Liz was putting Ashley on the chopping block.

Russell (with suddenly almost no beard and under a sunny sky) : "Liz could be dangerous for me if she's able to manipulate others to go her way instead of my way. As soon as I see somebody playing that mind game on other people, they're a huge threat because that's what this game is all about is mind game. I got to be the only mind game player here."

The Challenge
Yasmin was so meaningless that the only FF who showed a reaction to the news of her elimination was Ashley, the player soon to have the "pleasure" to join Yasmin in Loser Lodge!

Fun stuff:

- Jeff on Hantz: 'Not messing around. That's what you call a Survivor right there"
- Dave and Erik couldn't have endeared themselves to Foa Foa by psyching out Ashley.

The challenge was interesting in what we didn't see:

http://www.survivorfever.com/images19/s19_ep5_press_images/s19_ep5_press_images_012.jpg

We didn't see Natalie compete and it doesn't look like she had any intention of drinking that "Samoa Smoothie". I don't think this happened after the challenge as some sort of dare because John is still seated on the little bench.

A possible explanation why we didn't see this is that Natalie went up before Ashley, lost a point but it didn't matter because someone from Galu also lost a point. Maybe Erik choked after his big gulp but that probably would have been shown. Did Jeff take a point away from Monica because she dropped too much sea urchin when she took out her garnish? Or was Russell S. disqualified for walking away from the table without showing he had finished his drink? His mouth was still visibly full as he reached his bench so a protest could have been lodged and accepted. Something boring enough not to be shown.

Another possibility is that, with the scoring mostly done in voice-over, the challenge could have been to reach 6 points but, with Ashley and Natalie both failing, it looked better to have a close finish.

I think something like this must have happened because Foa Foa wouldn't have aligned in such a way that Natalie would be their player designated to break the tie. They had to know that, during the tie-breaker, a player has to drink faster than their rival. Somehow, I feel Brett licking his glass was the winning point even if it wasn't presented that way.

Back to the show:
Russell sent Shambo to Foa Foa who didn't think it was fair but Russell wouldn't budge. "She had to pay for that chicken" he said.

Shambo : "I'm pissed…It's not coming to Foa Foa, it's missing out on the protein that my body so badly needs. I feel like I got hit by a train today… I love these guys but I wanted that rib-eye…"

Foa Foa:

Shambo was happy to be with Foa Foa because "there's no hidden agenda. What you see is what you get."
<Of course, the camera had to show us Russell suppressing a smile!!!!>

Mick : "I was surprised; I thought Ashley would be just fine in today's challenge but she's the one that lost it for us…It's not something that's going to hurt you, it just tastes bad. She's not carrying her weight."

Ashley and Natalie commiserated on the beach, Natalie saying: "I don't think I would have finished… You were like a rock star…I almost threw up" which indicates she didn't even try drinking her smoothie and felt Ashley did better.

Ashley : "I'm very disappointed in myself…"
To Natalie, she said: "You're helping me get through it."

Natalie : "After the challenge, Ashley felt horrible. She felt like it was her fault but, you know what? We're kind of like sisters so, we've been able to talk each other through that and encourage each other. I just want to make her feel better about it."

Galu :

Russell explained once more why he sent Shambo: "It sucked when she lost our chicken. This should clean her slate but she had to suffer the consequences for losing a source of food."

Russell, do you really think anyone blames you for that? Are you so out of touch with how your tribe feels about Shambo? Or are we?

Dave (solo): "We're back from the reward challenge and we have all this food so it was: "Let's eat!" But chief jumps in and starts messing up the fire."

Russell challenged him; "Dave, you do a lot of talking and not a lot of action."
Dave: "All you got to do is ask… Was I asked for help? I got to hear it from the chief."
Russell: "No you don't. You're a grown-ass man."
<Is Rory in Samoa?!!>

Dave (continuing his confessional): "I'm not trying to be arrogant. I sometimes patronize people without thinking about it. I'm afraid that I'm going to shoot myself in the foot without knowing what happened."
Dave offered to shake hands to make peace but Russell simply said it was all good.
<At least do like Big Tom and pretend! It's funnier that way>

Dave (part III): Apparently, nobody here knows how to make fire but me which to me is like: Really?? But, I'm trying to downplay my awesomeness because it speaks for itself. Actions speak louder than words so I don't need to say anything. If I'm the only guy here that could make fire, it makes me pretty valuable."
<But he still had to speak. This tells us what will likely happen to Dave before this game is done. It was interesting to note however that Galu has another outsider because the women weren't on Dave's side during this argument.>

Russell showed a first hint of over-confidence: "They are in trouble. After this, I can take the whole team by myself."

Foa Foa
Day 12
and maybe something from around day 9

Shambo shared the clues to the HII which told everyone it had been found.

Liz: "The Immunity Idol was never played even if Ben had it. I know somebody has it and I have a feeling that, if it wasn't Ben it's probably Russell. I have a feeling it's Russell."

Liz confronted Russell with his lie. He told her she was walking on thin ice and could be the next to go.
<This scene must have happened earlier because Russell's beard is much shorter and he's wearing his swimsuit instead of the grey underwear he had on just before. Notice also how sunny it is. It's interesting that we are only seeing now that Liz is on Russell's target list.>

Russell (solo) : "Liz, she gets it. She knows what's going on but why in the world would you threaten me. That's like slapping me in the face. You don't think that I will get back at you?"

Galu
Night 13

Kelly (solo): "Oh God! Been a lot of rain tonight. Like a torrential downpour and it's freezing and the blankets are all wet. I'm actually regretting the decision to choose the blankets instead of the tarp right now. It's the worst night yet, it's really bad."

Galu
Day 14

Brett (interviewed after Dave had retrieved tree mail): "Last 24 hour, I haven't really thought about the game, (that explains why we didn't see anything from Day 13) I've just focused on staying dry. Today is a huge challenge. It's the first immunity challenge after we lost the last one so we really want to reclaim this and keep up our advantage. I'm hoping people will forget about their discomfort and just play hard today."

The Immunity Challenge

Shambo had a very cold reception from Galu. Monica explained: "It's a game. I wouldn't take it personally. It's raining and everyone is trying to stay warm."
<As if she had been wearing mascara all this time, Monica's cutesiness has been washed out by the rain.>

Fun comments:

- "Galu is on fire."
- "Ashley hasn't made a single shot yet."
- "Russell struggling to hang on…Russell still fighting. John trying to put Russell out of it. Russell digging deep."
- "Liz, the last remaining hope for Foa Foa. Liz doing a great job keeping Foa Foa in this. Liz struggling to hang on."
- Erik: "This girl is insane."
- Jaison, after Liz didn't so much drop her basket as she was carried away by it: "Great job, Liz. Seriously, you went to work."

Foa Foa
Day 14

Jaison (solo): "Today is the first day I'm convinced that we might be at a serious disadvantage. This tribe doesn't look good anymore. Our shelter got rain in it and none of us slept last night. We're all cold, we're all tired. Our hands and feet are like crap. This is absolute misery. I've never, in my life, been this cold and my hands looked so destroyed and my feet fell so miserable. There's nothing I want to do more right now than to get out of here."

Confined to the shelter, we had the oddest pre-TC scramble ever, Russell asking if anyone wanted to go home. Liz said no and Ashley added: "I don't think anybody's going to volunteer to go home." Jaison didn't say a word.

The producers still pulled them out of the shelter to record some interviews.
<It actually reminded me of the first two seasons where we rarely heard people talking before TC, just a giving a few interviews.>

Ashley: "Normally, before tribal council, we all get to run around and scramble, trying to figure out strategy. Today, we're all cooped up in the shelter right now and I can't do much about it without other people hearing. I have no idea what everybody else is going to do. I'm going to vote for Liz. I've never had a trust with her since day 1. I always thought there was something weird going on with her. I just don't trust her."

Liz (solo): "I think Ashley should go. To me, she is the physical weakest link. I don't think she pulled her weight in the challenges."

Mick: "We have to send somebody home tonight. Because the guys are pretty tight, possibly Liz, possibly Ashley or Natalie. I'll play it by ear."

Natalie: "We're all stuck in the shelter, confined in a little ball! I don't know what everybody's decision is going to be but I think it's going to be one of us girls for sure."

Jaison: "I have absolutely no idea what's going to go down with this vote. My mentality right now is to simply go to tribal council and see what happens."

Russell: "It bums me out that I had to stop my strategy because of the rain. It's not playing the game like I would regularly play. Liz asked me if I had the immunity idol and she keeps telling me that she don't trust me. You know, you come at me like that and tell me you don't trust me; it puts a target on your back. But Liz is stronger than Ashley so I don't really know which way I will go tonight."

Tribal Council

Jaison told Jeff that Survivor was tougher than training for the water-polo national team, (Burnett must have enjoyed thinking he was tougher than a mad Yugoslavian coach)
Ashley said: "It sucks sending someone home but, at least, there's going to be a fire tonight."
Mick told Jeff: "It's pretty tough to scramble…"
<Russell smiled>
Jeff suggested that they could vote for "the girl in the yellow dress"
<Liz smiled>
Natalie: "There's no way to try to strategize… Before there was always a scramble so I think the weather had a lot to do with it today."
<Russell listening>
Russell explained: "To me, it depends on who you can trust in this game but the fact of the matter is that I really trust the people around me right now."
Ashley said she mainly trusted Natalie and Russell who "from the get-go, he's pulled me under his wing…"
Liz said she trusted everyone and that the hardship "brought us together much more than I anticipated and I'm surprised that I would place so much trust in these guys but I do."
Mick said: "Maybe we will be a little more organized and a little stronger in challenges."
Jaison agreed that the vote could make them stronger but "we could be a weaker team because somebody is hurt that their person went."
Russell said: "It doesn't make sense and that's not how you play the game but, with this group, we're just too tight."
<That seemed addressed to Natalie and the camera agreed, showing her in close-up>
Russell added: "I don't think it's up in the air."

Everyone voted to eliminate Ashley, Natalie shown to be the one hurt while Russell smiled.

Jeff asked: "Can you dig deep enough to do what needs to be done to turn this game around?"
<Natalie shown on screen with a determined look as this was said.>

The Story:

This episode showed that many players are starting to get on each other's nerves and that tension is growing. Some have already suffered the consequences for their actions while others are showing us their weaknesses. They will have to suffer the consequences eventually but only 1 way of retribution matters in this game. It's not missing out on a reward; it's getting your torch snuffed. Only 1 player is constantly focusing on the game.
Brett: For his first real confessional, Brett tells us he hasn't been thinking of the game for the last 24 hours. When was he shown thinking of the game? How ironic that we got to hear Brett saying that they had to step up in a challenge he would eventually sit out?
John: The camera tries to tell us that he is one of the leaders in this Club Med of a tribe. The problem is that Survivor isn't a vacation so he will have to pay for his lack of strategy. Please note, that I don't mean John isn't thinking about strategy but that he isn't given the airtime to tell us about it.

Laura: This other possible leader is also ignored even if she looked solid during the IC. All we heard were her reactions during the feast.

Kelly: We heard her say that the decision to go for comfort was a bad idea so it showed her as a little more aware of the consequences of her actions. However, showing her laughing at Shambo means she isn't aware of the dangers that an outsider can create.

Monica: After the editors made us root for Monica over Yasmin, they quickly changed course to make sure we didn't see her as a sweetheart. Her cold-bloodedness towards Shambo exemplified Galu's pettiness and lack of foresight. She will have to pay for that bad treatment.

Russell S.: From being afraid of making waves, Russell now shows some arrogance and was quick to jump all over Dave. The game and his role in the tribe are getting to Russell, affecting his behaviour.

Erik: As I wrote after his ocean scene, Erik is set up to suffer the consequences of the game's changing tides. Nothing was made about Erik wanting to vote out Monica so his opinion on the game isn't important.

Dave: Danger Dave or Dumb Dave? I think it bodes well for Dave that he was the one telling us that he can be arrogant at times and that it could cost him instead of someone else having a confessional to put him down. Galu probably will forget to make him pay but his mouth will get him in trouble later on down the road. Let's remember that Dave looked like an outsider during that scene so maybe he jumps ship along with Shambo. Up to now, there hasn't been a connection between those two or between Dave and Foa Foa but I'd keep an eye on that.

Jaison: He's continuing to suffer the consequences of making the worst decision of his life but I don't think it leads to Jaison quitting. It seemed too convenient to hear him say he was miserable right before Russell asked for a volunteer to go home. Jaison was used to tell us Survivor is real and is extremely tough. Besides the Ben incident, that has been his story up to now. His post IC confessional, "I have absolutely no idea what's going to go down with this vote" clearly showed that Jaison isn't playing the mind game and we heard that this game was all about mind game.

Mick: If Survivor is playing the mind games then this isn't for Mick. Playing it by ear and not being able to decide between Liz, Ashley or Natalie are not the signs of a strong strategist. Hoping for the tribe to be a little more organized after 14 days under his leadership is revealing. Mick has a very consistent edit and often that is a good sign but he still appears to be completely inadequate for this game which is a bad way to present a winner. Granted; no one has blamed Mick for the tribe's inadequacies but isn't it implied?

Liz: She was the star of this episode. We've had a second remark from a Galu member on her physical strength. Could it be a sign that she wins a crucial challenge down the road or is it simply giving a determined player their due?
There seemed to have been too much made of Liz going after Russell for her not to give us a confessional after the confrontation. She never got to tell us what she would do about Russell's threats. Also, the hidden immunity talk was enough to set the target on her back so why did we have to hear her throwing Ashley under the bus before the RC? In an episode where pettiness was shown has a bad trait that could be seen as a negative portrayal for Liz.

Shambo: Does she have a clean slate as Russell suggested? Monica didn't seem to think so! Does the audience like this bumbling-fumbling Survivor fool? I suggest that the intent of her edit is to show that she isn't treated totally unfairly but that there is an unsavoury level of disdain amongst the "Beautiful People Alliance". Shambo should make them pay but she could pay in return for being unable to see the hidden agenda in Foa Foa. One player found her comment amusing.

This season really seems to come down to two polar opposites, both in personality and in edit: Russell and Natalie.

Natalie: In a jury decision against the biggest villain of all time, this very likable woman should have no problems getting the votes. However, Natalie's edit suffers from her absence in the first 3 episodes, particularly in the opening segment. On the other hand, if she had been shown in those episodes when she wasn't really involved in the action, we'd have too much of an easy call.

In this episode, we saw two important scenes:
- With her "sister" Ashley, we saw how good she is in the social game.
- With her vote, we saw that she could do what Russell feared she couldn't do: Voting out her friends.

The scene that we didn't see could also be important. If Natalie competed in that gross food challenge and failed as it appears, then we were not meant to see Natalie fail. A winner always has manipulated scenes to make them look good. Of course, we probably will never know what really happened.

Russell: Speaking of manipulated scene, Russell changed from his underwear to his swimsuit, from almost no beard to a full, dark beard and from rain to sunshine in a single segment. The question could be whether the manipulation was made so that Liz looks like a mind game player or whether it was done to push Russell's story?

Because Liz didn't tell us she'd have to do something about Russell, I think this manipulation was part of his story more so than hers. It was used to parallel what he did to Marisa and Betsy.

My interpretation is this: The idol talk probably happened soon after Russell found it. Therefore, Liz has survived his wrath for a while but we see it as if only the rain prevented him from playing the way he would regularly play it. We don't see that he has once more failed to get his way. He can still be presented as the puppet master even if the strings aren't so firmly in his hands.

To me, that is the crux of Russell's edit: When he has acted as a villain, the scenes have been straightforward. When he has appeared as a smart player, we have had manipulated scenes to make him look good.

Natalie was shown as the one challenged by Jeff to dig deep after the TC but we heard that Russell was digging deep during the challenge. I'm really starting to think that, unless Natalie's social game is what prevents him from getting the votes; Russell Hantz will win Survivor Samoa.