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fat little fingers wrote:

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My take on many of these scenes was the edits attempt to make him look always at risk. They pushed that from his opening two confessionals. The out-of-his-element misfit, so afraid of being at the bottom of everyone's list.

The recap was edited in a new way, with no voice-over narration from Jeff. The thing to note was that Stephen was portrayed as the power player in voting out Tyson. We didn't hear Erinn proposing voting for Tyson nor did we hear JT saying he had to decide which way to go. Instead, we saw Stephen telling first Erinn and later JT that they had to seize the opportunity to eliminate Tyson and, just like that, Jeff read the final vote against Tyson.

Forza

Night 27

Sierra had the first confessional: "I thought I was going home… It's crazy! I couldn't have asked for a better tribal."

In camp, JT was explaining to Coach and Debbie why they had to leave them out of the loop. Debbie said "It's a good move guys and I appreciate you not telling me."

Coach added: "Bold and brilliant. I've got really good intuition but I didn't see it coming."

Stephen's confessional gave the viewers the real reason: "We didn't want them scrambling and changing their plans. We knew what their votes were going to be, we could safely get rid of Tyson without telling them. Both Debbie and Coach realized that the tribe dynamics had suddenly dramatically shifted and they were trying to curry favor with us. Basically, anything we had done was the greatest thing that had ever been accomplished. What a tremendous blindside! It worried me a little bit because I would rather have an honest blow-out than have people smiling at me… and plotting something else."

The first scene ended with Coach saying he had no hard feelings.

Forza

Day 28

Debbie wanted to know what the next moves would be.

In unison, JT and Stephen answered: "Sierra and Erinn."

JT added: "I trust you completely Debbie. There's no reason why we can't be in the final 4, you, Stephen, myself and Coach."

Debbie in confessional: "I am recoiling to figure out exactly what my next move is, kind of like a snake. Stephen, JT and I talked about all of us being there towards the end but do you believe them? That's the question of the day."

To Coach, Debbie expressed that she was upset about the move. She told Coach that, after they get rid of Sierra and Erinn, "THEN they have everything they need. They can take me out and they can take you out."

Debbie's confessional continued: "I would have bet my life that Tyson was still going to be here today. There's no downtime, you've got to work your people. Ever move is critical and the next two people supposably (sic) on the chopping block are Erinn and Sierra. That takes Timbira down to 2. Then, where do we go? If we could pull all the Timbira tribe members back together… we would outnumber the Jalapao…and maybe gain control of this game again."

The Reward Challenge

The challenge was the equivalent of the Coconut-Chop, the perfect challenge to reveal where everyone stands. Jeff even said: "Today, we are going to see how well in tune you are with the rest of the tribe."

1^st Question: "Who has not lived up to their potential?"

The answer was Coach.

Everyone had it right except JT and Stephen who answered Sierra.

They laughed when Jeff pointed out that Coach got it right.

Erinn chopped a surprised Sierra.

Debbie went for JT even if she said she loved him.

Taj chopped Debbie's first rope even if they love each other.

Coach "whacked" a surprised Sierra.

Sierra retaliated, saying she was going after Coach anyway.

Q2: "Who would squander the million dollars the quickest?"

The right answer, known to anyone who watched the pre-season videos, was Sierra.

Stephen had guessed Taj, Sierra and Taj said Debbie and Coach said Erinn.

Debbie gave Erinn her first hit.

JT put a disappointed Sierra out of the challenge… but not out of her misery.

Sierra had a confessional: "Everyone hacked my rope first. I think a lot of people are hard on me because they want me to go home. It hurts."

Erinn gave Debbie a second chop.

Q3: Who would never survive on their own?

The answer was Debbie. She laughed it off, saying it was because she would have no one to talk to.

JT and Coach wrongly answered Sierra.

Taj went after Coach.

Erinn quickly finished him off.

Stephen made his first chop and crushed Debbie's statue.

Debbie made her final hit on Erinn who said she had that coming.

With Sierra, Coach and Debbie sitting on the bench, Stephen and Taj with all their ropes intact while JT had only 1 hit, one would assume that the scales would fall off Coach and Debbie's eyes. It's fun to note that, as in the game, Timbira went mostly after each other.

Q4: "Who would you trust with your life?"

The unanimous answer was JT.

We heard Stephen say that this was a gimme. Interestingly because, up to now, JT trusted Stephen 100% while Stephen was supposed to have some reservations.

JT (solo): "I don't know why everyone trusts me so much but, in this game, I'm not so trustworthy. It seems like people would catch on to that. It may be the ace in this game, I don't know."

Taj gave JT his second hit.

JT took Erinn out of the challenge and she retaliated immediately.

With some force, Stephen gave Taj her first hit, saying: "It is on!"

Q5: Who is most likely to stab you in the back?

Jeff said this was not an easy question to answer but Taj and Stephen proved otherwise, correctly answering Sierra, twisting the knife in her wound once more.

Q6: "Who would you least like to see win this game?"

Taj answered Coach.

Stephen answered Sierra and won the challenge.

As winner, Stephen sent Erinn to Exile Dune, Jeff noting that she didn't look happy.

Stephen explained in confessional: "I decided that Erinn should go to exile because my alliance of JT, Taj and Erinn wants to keep Exile under wraps. We want the four of us to be the only ones to go to Exile Island just in case a new idol pops up."

Then Stephen picked Taj to go on reward first and then, even with Coach pleading to be picked, Stephen said he had promised JT he would take him.

Coach was heard in confessional as he headed back to camp: "Good ole Stephen won the reward challenge today and he picked Taj and JT, part of his original tribe. So, now, I'm afraid that, if push comes to shove, Stephen and JT will stick with Taj and I'm at their mercy."

The Reward

Note that all three members of Jalapao had equal airtime in narrating the events.

JT, the cattle farmer, told us: "We arrived at a Brazilian farm…"

Stephen, the hungry man, said: "Very quickly, dishes started getting piled up on the table…The local cuisine is pretty amazing."

Taj, the mother, explained: "The little 3 year-old, fell off the table and hit her head. I just went in mommy mode…I had to control my emotions because, looking at her, saw my son… I missed him so much at that point… She made me realize how much I miss my family and I will never go away this long ever again."

Stephen: "A couple of kids escorted us down to the fervadora…"

JT: "I could see the sand but there was no bottom. Apparently the water was pushing the sand up…"

As they had done in Jalapao's lake, the 3 members had a power talk.

JT said Sierra had to go next.

Stephen added: "To keep him (Coach) around just makes the most sense… The only plus with Sierra is that she could be on our side to take out Debbie. Debbie is shrewd, lets not discount Debbie as a real strategic player."

Taj was seen listening intently at this point.

Stephen had the strategy confessional: "Sierra is a much more erratic player than Debbie. I would rather play with someone whose motivations I can guess but, right now, is a good opportunity to get rid of Debbie. It's something that the 4 of us seriously need to consider."

Stephen asked: "I don't know how Erinn feels about Debbie."

Taj replied: "Erinn is with us. She feels that they don't care about her so why should she care about them."

Exile Island

Day 28

Erinn didn't have an easy time: "As soon as I got here, I checked the urn and, big surprise, a new clue to the same spot were the idol isn't. We've checked and checked and checked tree mail and there isn't one there. Obviously, the idol is gone.

It's hard to be out here when the rest of my alliance is out on reward. (note that she left before Jeff said Stephen could pick anyone to join him)

I could not get a fire started before it started to rain and that killed me. I had no food, no water, no warmth, no way to dry anything and I slept in constant, pouring rain. This is the kind of thing that, I think, could break a person down. I really didn't think I was tough enough to do this part of it. I am about as girly and prissy as they come. So, in my own personal tally of things that I've done in my life that I never thought I would overcome, this is going to be at the top of the list."

Forza

Day 28

Coach said: "With Erinn on Exile, getting pissed off at Stephen and JT, if we are going to make a move, now is our chance."

Debbie added: "Sierra, you would go with whatever Coach decided."

Sierra answered: "I don't know right now."

A fight ensued, Debbie saying that Sierra didn't know what alliance they had, Sierra saying they were in deep trouble because Stephen, JT and Taj were connected and not going anywhere while Erinn voted against Tyson without telling them.

Debbie said: "You don't need to make threats right now."

Sierra countered: "I'm not making threats, just stating facts."

Debbie ended it by saying: "I'm done" and walked away.

Sierra: "I was like: Last night, you guys voted for me. What makes you think that I'm going to jump right back in? They freaked out. Jalapao is brilliant. They used me to get to Tyson. Someone is playing their game right and I think I would rather be with the smart people."

In the lake, Debbie and Coach were still hanging on to JT's promise of Final 4.

Coach: "A line was drawn in the sand today. Sierra has no loyalty in this game and the old Timbira tribe is not going to get back together so, I need to get a concrete answer from JT on who he wants in the final 4 then I will make my move."

Forza

Day 30

Coach laid his cards out to JT and asked: "Are you cool with Sierra going next, then Erinn then Taj, leaving you, me, Stephen and Debbie?"

Coach: "I'm worried about how Stephen and JT blindsided Tyson so I wanted to talk with JT to reconfirm that Sierra was the next one to go." Coach told JT that Sierra wanted to get Timbira back but that he didn't want to get in bed with a snake. His confessional continued: "I don't trust Sierra. The sooner she's gone the better. JT was very receptive and I trust JT so, all in all, a very good day's work."

Sierra took a walk with Stephen, telling him: "Coach and Debbie tried to get me to join in their alliance to go after you guys. I said I was going to play for me right now and they both went bananas."

Stephen (solo): "Sierra said that Coach and Debbie explored the possibility of a renewed Timbira alliance. My immediate thought was complete panic. I am very scared of a Timbira resurgence. Ultimately, we know that we're going to have to betray Debbie and Coach and, to do that, we need them on our side."

Stephen joined Coach and JT by their favorite fishing spot and Coach said: "As soon as we got back, Debbie and Sierra said do you want to talk about the alliance and everything. I thought about it for 15 seconds and then I said I can not do that to those guys. There's going to be no Timbira alliance. I don't like it, it makes me sick to my stomach to think about it."

Stephen: "According to Sierra, Coach and Debbie are plotting against me and JT but Coach is saying that it is Sierra who can't be trusted. I can't get a real sense of who is telling the truth so it makes me suspicious of the 3 of them."

JT: "There's a lot of stories being told, a lot of paranoia setting in. I don't know what is going on. I've got a lot to think about."

Figuring that Coach could be a pathological liar, they decided that they could keep Sierra as a viable option and send Coach home.

The Immunity Challenge

A shivering Erinn returned from Exile Dune to applause from the players and a dry sweater from Stephen.

Debbie made Jeff laugh by imitating his voice as she said: "Debbie with her first bag."

When Jeff pointed out that Erinn was the only person without a bag, Erinn quickly replied: "I haven't eaten in three days."

There were a couple of strange shots of Sierra inserted as Coach and JT were neck and neck with 2 bags. In one of them, Sierra is just watching as if she was sitting by the sidelines instead of participating. It looked almost as if our newest jury member was already judging the competition. Was that a clue to a Coach-JT Final 2? Now that would be entirely unexpected.

Coach and JT were the first to move on and it became a race between Debbie and Stephen for the final spot but we saw that Stephen got a knot in his rope. In the end, "Debbie nails it" and we hear a dejected "No!" from Stephen.

In the final leg, "JT was off to a quick start, Coach right behind him."

Coach was "being very cautious" while "Debbie (was) going backwards" and she soon saw her ball fall in a hole. Jeff took the blame for it.

JT started "making a move…JT taking a little risk and with a big move, JT catches Coach, with another nice move, passes Coach" but his ball fell through a hole, leaving the door open for Coach to win.

"Dragon Slayer" he exclaimed as he won the challenge.

As they walked away, Sierra had a confessional: "It sucked to watch Coach win today. At this point, it's probably Debbie or me going home so I'm going to do everything I can to make them vote for Debbie."

Forza

Day 30

Coach and JT were laughing while Sierra, Taj and Stephen listened, not looking very happy.

Coach (solo) : "This is the first immunity challenge I have won. I feel like it justifies my place here. The meditation, the prayer, the focusing technique, I was able to lock it in and win immunity. With JT, Stephen and Debbie, I am very secure with my place in the game but it is a good safety blanket to have."

Sierra was ready to let her dirty laundry out because she wanted to go out with a big bang. Sierra, Coach and Debbie entered into a shouting match, each calling the other a liar but Sierra probably scoring a point when we heard her say that Debbie brought up Erinn's mood after being sent to exile.

Debbie had a confessional: "Sierra went crazy, she's pointing at me calling me a liar. I am a 46 year-old professional woman and I cannot believe that I am in a verbal combat with a 23 year old over what I said or didn't say. Honestly, a lot of it, I don't even remember but it isn't going to change the vote on her, at least in my mind. You never know at tribal. Nothing would surprise me."

Stephen and JT realized that Sierra had caught Coach in a lie. They considered voting out Debbie.

Stephen: "Sierra did a service to me and JT by exposing Coach's half-truths and Debbie's scheming. I believe that Debbie is a savvy player and she wants to win. She is willing to make devious moves so, taking her out early might not be a bad idea."

JT pointed that there would be less drama if they sent Sierra home.

Stephen's confessional continued: "The problem with keeping Sierra is that she is going to create a lot of drama around camp…Who knows what Sierra will say? Who knows who she will piss off? Sending her home will eliminate one nutty variable. I don't know what to do."

In the middle of that confessional, we heard Sierra asking Taj who she believed.

Taj replied: "You exposed him."

Erinn agreed, adding: "I'm not voting for you tonight."

Tribal Council

Jeff started by pointing to JT that, with 7 players left, there wasn't much room to hide.

JT agreed that the game had changed. <Erinn nodded agreement> "I'm scared to go fishing."

<Stephen smiled>.

Debbie said: "Our happy little family is not a happy family anymore. All this craziness going on is a part of this game I do not enjoy."

Coach said that there was a catalyst to this pressure build-up. <Sierra rolled her eyes, Jeff noticed>.

Laughing, Sierra said: "Coach's profound claim of being extremely honest got burned and ruined when Coach and Debbie were asking me to be Timbira-strong again. I told them they were up sh*t-creek and wasn't going to help them. Then Coach decided to go to JT and tell him that I came to him and said these things. I'm happy knowing that I just proved someone that was going to change the game in an honest way, wrong."

Jeff commented on Coach's clenched jaw.

Coach said: "My credibility is being attacked by one person because one thing I am not is a coward and a liar." <Erinn shown listening> "In Sierra's warped mind, she thinks she is telling the truth." <Sierra and JT laughing, Taj listening> Coach went on, quoting from the bible. "The catalyst that caused our tribe to distrust each other is this girl sitting in front of me, this 23 going on 5 with her temper tantrums."

Taj said: "I've been hearing it all day and I haven't watched soap operas in so long, it's giving me a boost." <Debbie didn't like that but Erinn was laughing>

Asked about winning a challenge and being popular, Debbie said: "I hope that I am not a threat because I'm likeable but I'm going to be me."

JT said: "You got to think about physical threats, social threats <Debbie shown> and you got to think about the people you want to take to the end and you have to figure out how to get rid of the rest of the people without making them mad." <Strangely, no one was shown as he said that>

Jeff turned to Stephen: "You have to blindside people sometimes <Coach and JT shown as well as Tyson> and you know there are going to be repercussions… You have to balance your personal feelings against your ultimate goals in the game and it's a really difficult decision to make." <JT shown>

Sierra was voted out 4-2-1 but there were a coupe of strange votes:

Taj voted for Debbi.

Erinn voted for Stephen, writing "Never again, Swear" on her ballot. Stephen leaned forward, maybe because of the small lettering or because of shock.

Jeff's last words: "The 6 of you are struggling to trust each other. That means paranoia is just around the corner" seemed directed at Stephen, who the camera showed many times. Will this vote cause paranoia in our clinical player? The end game should depend on it.

The Story

This episode was edited in a way that showed how gullible Coach was. The vote against Tyson, the coconut-chop challenge, the choice of players to take on reward weren't enough to shake his faith in his alliance with JT. Blind faith, another way for the editors to laugh at him, or does he know something we don't?

The Characters

Stephen : As far as strategy is concerned, Stephen is the star of the season. He is in control, everything goes through him. Stephen is the clinical player that is smartly eliminating the variables. Stephen is presented as a winner and, if he does, he will be compared with the best.

BUT, will he win? Just before leaving for tribal Council, we heard him saying: "I don't know what to do." That, in a nutshell, is the reason why I have hesitated calling him the winner all season long. At this point, doubt is supposed to surround the winner but, here, his self-doubts are almost telling the audience that he can't go wrong, that whatever he decides will work out fine. Sierra or Debbie, did it really matter? Agreed, JT's mere presence is cause for doubt about getting the jury votes but we don't hear anything about that. Doubt, for the winner, comes in two forms: For Chris, Tom, Danni, Aras, Earl and Bob we wondered if they could reach the end. For Yul, Todd and Parvati, we wondered how they could get the vote.

We can compare Stephen to Yul because he is a positive character whose doubt should be in earning the jury vote. JT is comparable to Ozzy in his appeal to a jury. Remember how much doubt was put in Yul's ability to win jury votes? He was shown counting his votes in front of Becky, returning Jonathan's hat made us wonder if the jury would see that as a bribe, his promise to Adam and Parvati about eliminating Jonathan made us think they wouldn't honor it. For Stephen, there has been no mention of the jury at all. He is only talking about reaching the end even if it is apparent that he is in control. Maybe he isn't… or maybe I am over-analyzing this. I have seen him in control ever since Brendan left while that may not be the general opinion. The editors could be counting that just being in a minority at the merge was sufficient doubt about reaching the end.

I think it was very notable that Stephen answered that he trusted JT with his life during the challenge while JT didn't answer Stephen. Also interesting was that he wanted to eliminate erratic players and players that were there to win but he never considered how to get passed Taj or JT.

Is he miscalculating? Is he forgetting that Debby and Coach were only praising them about Tyson's blindside to curry favor while plotting something else? Showing Stephen unable to untangle the knot during the immunity challenge could symbolically represent how he will wind up in a strategic mess.

Debbie: With the previews for next week's episode, we sense that Debbie is reaching the end of her story. From her first confessional of the season in episode #4 where she said she missed her family, it has been suggested that she would last only long enough to see a family member. Did Stephen extend her story when he called her a devious player? He told us that it would be a good idea to go after her early. Leaving her in the game means she could be part of a faction that goes against Stephen. "Lets not discount Debbie as a real strategic player." As a winner, we can discount her. As he joked during the challenge, it probably will be Jeff's fault with his way of putting the target on someone during Tribal!

Taj: She is staying in the background but the way she was shown listening in on conversations could foreshadow that she is studying the situation and will find the right moment to strike. Even if she does, Taj's portrayal over the course of the season has been too inconsistent to consider her a possible winner.

Coach: If Coach surprises us and goes to the end, he will owe it to JT. Maybe we have read the theme of the season incorrectly and Coach called it straight: In the end, he will be defeated by the worthy warrior. Coach being vindicated by the editors? I seriously doubt it. Seeing Coach this week, I was reminded of Sean Kenniff!! Yes, the soft-spoken Doctor and the Megalomaniac Coach! Coach was as blind to JT's dishonesty as Sean was to the Tagi alliance. I almost heard Coach saying: "If they lie to me one more time, I will know that they aren't honest."

JT: Who was he referring to when he said it was strange to be seen as trustworthy? The editing of this episode made us believe that he was mainly talking about the gullible Coach but what if he was talking about the guy that had pretended to be his goofy sidekick at the beginning of the season? JT must consider that it would be easier to win the million over Coach than Stephen. Was that what he was talking about when he said he had a lot to think about? We saw how JT was able to maneuver his ball over the tilted plane so it's possible that he decided to let Coach win that challenge, to keep him safe from Stephen's schemes. That would be taking a big risk but, if he does, then Jeff's words during the challenge would have been prophetic. We should remember that he convinced Stephen to vote Sierra even if Stephen had figured out that she was more honest.

On the other hand, if JT was about to make it to the end and "get rid of the rest of the people without making them mad" I doubt that the editors would have missed a chance to show who he was talking about. The cameras didn't show anyone as JT said those words at Tribal so maybe he isn't the one that gets rid of the others. And, there are even less doubts about JT winning jury votes in the end than there are about Stephen.

Erinn: Except for one shining moment, this wasn't a good episode for Erinn. Her role in Tyson's blindside was completely left out of the recap. We didn't hear much from her in camp during all the strategy talks. Her future seems to depend on how her vote is explained and received by Stephen. We heard his fear of erratic players so that could have been inserted to explain more than the Sierra vote. With her confessional on Exile Dune, Erinn could have reached the end of her story. Maybe it was only to portray her as the only sane member of Timbira.

BUT: Her vote and Stephen's reaction to it could simply have been used to put doubt in her chances of making it to the end. We heard her saying that she wouldn't vote for Sierra and, even if we don't know if she told Stephen about it, he didn't seem that worried about it. We saw his frown when Jeff announced the vote but we saw him smiling soon after that. With Stephen's confessional about sending her to Exile and Jalapaos talk in the fervadora, it seems that Erinn's position in the alliance is safe. Interestingly however, we've now heard twice Stephen asking Taj if Erinn could be trusted and twice Taj reassured him. Was it to keep Stephen's suspicions away?

Maybe Erinn still has something to put above surviving Exile Island on her list of things she's done in her life that she never thought she would overcome.

The recap focused on Erinn as we heard Taj saying she wasn't with Timbira anymore and Jeff said: "The Jalapoa 3 pulled Erinn in and took control of the game but Coach still wanted to call the shots. (Coach telling JT "Sierra's going tonight)

"However, not everyone was on board."

We heard Erinn telling Sierra: "I'm not voting for you tonight." Taj agreed.

Jeff added: "Despite Taj and Erinn's rogue votes (Erinn shown explaining her vote) Coach got his way."

Forza

Night 30

Stephen congratulated everyone for making Final 6

JT was happy the drama was gone.

Coach, despite getting his way, wasn't happy with the vote.

Coach: "Erinn and Taj took the cowardly way out and voted for 2 people who didn't deserve to be voted for, Stephen and Debbie. It was preposterous." Coach told Debbie he was pissed and his confessional continued: "People who don't play this game even half as honestly as me, (Taj and then Erinn shown on screen) even half as bold as me, like we saw tonight, pisses me off."

Debbie had a day-time confessional about their conversation: "Coach doesn't let things go without a complete, utter dialogue as to why. It's so old."

We flashed back to the night scene where Debbie was telling everyone in the shelter that Coach was upset.

Coach was lamenting: "Cowards, cowards, cowards, all around me."

Coach's confessional continued: "I don't care about the million dollars. I care about my integrity, my honesty and changing this game from start to finish. I've said that from day one and that will never change."

Forza

Day 31

For the second time in a row, the episode started with JT trying to make fire but not succeeding. This time, we see Taj taking over and lighting the fire.

Could this be a clue to what happens at F4? Taj eliminating JT in a fire challenge?

Debbie had a confessional: "Coach and I have been together from day one but, lately, it hasn't been a positive thing for me. As a social player in a social game, it isn't good for me to be associated with him. He is a downer… and not doing a lot around camp…"

She talked to JT and Taj about getting rid of Coach.

JT reacted in confessional: "Debbie is playing a very strategical game and she's scared right now. Debbie may be more of a loose canon than I thought. Debbie is up to no good."

JT and Stephen discussed their options, Stephen saying he was starting to dislike her as he imitated a whiny voice. Debbie walked in on them saying she knew they were talking about her. She told them that she considered herself in a tribe with the two of them. She concluded: "I give you my word on that…God strike me down." (we heard a thunder clap!)

Stephen (solo) "Debbie is a very strategic player and, I think, people don't give her enough credit because she is sweet and she is "chattery" (?). She definitely has a lot under that persona and she worries me a little bit."

The Survivor Auction

The fun things to note:

- Debbie isn't a math teacher, not knowing what a $20 increment meant.

- Coach had another little exchange of words with Jeff, saying that the host hesitated before awarding him his item. Erinn told him: "Just go eat."

- JT had a hard time letting an item go but he did it for Stephen.

- Erinn wasn't heard making a single bid.

When Jeff offered the "phone home" prize, everyone gave Taj their money. JT gave his money first but Erinn was the one that explained the reasoning behind it: "Taj had a tougher time than the rest of us. Debbie has kids but Taj left a little baby at home."

Taj's reaction when Eddie's "see you back at the camp", finally sunk in was priceless. Jeff had to ask if she had heard that last line but it dawned on her and she nearly tore Jeff's arm out of its socket. Taj chose a "romantic night on the dunes" with Eddie so that everyone could see their visitor. (Jeff is going soft in his old age.)

Exile Island

Day 31

The two owls were seen snuggling up to each other as Taj arrived to the Sand Dune.

Taj was very direct in her confessional: "I just wanted to take him to the side and have a conjugal visit."

Eddie, noting that Taj had lost weight (tying in to what we first heard from Taj back in episode #1), told us: "She looks great, she looks happy…Something about the wild that makes you sexy. It's kind of a turn-on, you know!"

Forza

Day 31

With Debbie and Erinn leading the way, the castaways rushed into camp.

Stephen had the first confessional: "As soon as I saw my brother… it was like shock at seeing me. It was one of the biggest, most sincere, warmest hugs we've ever shared…"

JT: "When I saw Adrianna… I didn't care about nothing except my little sister."

We saw him giving her the immunity idol to wear, something that JT would like to wear himself.

Erinn showed the shelter to her dad and told us: "My dad was proud of me just for coming out here. He was like, "wait a minute, you're doing this. What the hell?" I'm always dressed up, I'm always super girly and, for him to see me outside of that was a little bit shocking for him."

Coach told his assistant coach that he was running the show, adding that everyone was calling him the "Dragon Slayer" and "I think I'm going to be in the Final 2."

JT and Erinn showed some of the fruits they had been eating to Adrianna and Erinn's dad.

Exile Island

Eddie: "I played against the great Steeler defenses, I played against great players like Ray Lewis but snakes, scorpions and spiders? I have a new found respect for her, doing this for 31 days and not needing any help and standing strong. I know plenty of women who wouldn't even think of coming out here. She gets all of my love for this. She is the best."

Eddie said it was time for "the 4^th quarter prep" but we heard no strategic discussion.

Taj: "Seeing my husband, it really helped me. He is my fire, he is my life…"

Forza

Stephen talked about his family with his brother and JT did the same with his sister and then we heard from Debbie with her husband.

Debbie: "It means the world to me that my husband came out here to support me."

Erinn told her dad that she had changed a lot. Laughing, she added: "I'm totally badass."

Erinn: "Now, when I go home, there is somebody that I don't have to explain this to. To have somebody here that you can just tell everything to and know that he wouldn't use anything against you, to have somebody who loves you no matter what, who is worried about you, who is concerned about you, is a really great thing. Out here, you kind of forget what that feels like and it's really nice."

As the visitors left camp, Erinn had the last words: "I had a tough time saying good-bye. It was really, really hard to let go. All I could see was my dad and I wanted to hang out and it was awesome."

We then saw Eddie leaving Exile Island, sharing a last kiss and a joke with Taj.

Forza

Day 32

Debbie was talking with JT about things they needed to think about down the line.

JT: "Debbie…is throwing Coach under the bus right now and they have been tight since day 1. You have to watch out for people like that."

Before they could talk, Coach joined them and told JT he was worried about Taj playing the idol and going after one of them. JT said he liked that plan.

JT: "Coach's strategy isn't the same as mine at this point in the game. I feel like I am a few steps ahead of Coach when it comes to strategy. I tell him what he wants to hear to make it look like I am on the same page when we are not on the same page right now."

Stephen, JT, Debbie and Erinn had a conversation, Debbie asking Erinn what she thought. Erinn agreed about Coach. Stephen said he was ready to see him go and Debbie said they would have to blindside him like Tyson.

As Erinn left the group, Debbie had a confessional, telling us that the talk was for Coach to go. She added: "Coach is driving everybody crazy in camp, including me at times. Coach thinks he is in an alliance with myself, JT and Stephen but Stephen and JT have had it as well."

We then saw Erinn walking down the hill, giving Debbie time to make Stephen and JT an offer. After Coach, she told them Erinn and Taj had to go and, if she won Final 3 immunity, she would give it to one of them. "I'm happy with 3^rd. I'd hand it to you, JT."

Stephen: "You cannot really trust anybody's promises out here. I don't know Debbie that well. I've known her 10 days…but it is a very lucrative offer; a lock for sure to the final 2."

JT and Stephen informed Erinn of Debbie's offer and how that made her a threatening player.

Erinn replied: "OK, she's out."

JT: "Debbie making that promise to Stephen and myself makes me wonder what other promises she has made to other people. She shows she is willing to do whatever it takes to move forward in this game, even if she says she only wants 3^rd place, nobody wants 3^rd place in this game."

The 4^th place finisher would want 3^rd place. Will JT's words turn against him?

With a determined tone, Erinn concluded: "Yep, she goes. Do not let her win immunity."

The Immunity Challenge

When Jeff said: "The one…who gets the answer, wins immunity and is guaranteed a one in 5 shot at winning the million bucks" we had a close-up of Erinn saying "wow" and then we saw Stephen, the eventual immunity winner.

Fun quotes:

- "JT is stuck… Taj is stuck… JT has a big lead right now…Stephen is going to have to dig a lot more to squeeze through. Stephen falls off… falls off again… cannot get across the balance beam, quickly falling out of this challenge…Erinn's finally through…"

Jeff had to ask Stephen how he could memorize the 10 symbols in one pass, clearly impressed by the performance. Taj and Erinn were shown, equally impressed.

Giving Stephen the immunity necklace, Jeff concluded: "That was one of the biggest come-from-behind victories ever."

As Stephen winning the title of Sole Survivor would be.

JT: "I look over at Stephen and I see the necklace around his neck and it's just like I got the necklace. You know, every time something goes our way, I try hard not to do it but I always look at Stephen and I smile because he knows just like I do that we just keep battling it out. We can do this."

More words that could be used against JT.

Forza

Day 32

Stephen: "JT and I, we came into this merge basically expecting to be picked off and now we are in the dominant position. The Timbira people are individually coming to us and begging for our mercy. So, to have done that together, with Taj and JT, to have stuck tight even when all these different factions have been vying for our attention, we feel pretty good about it."

During the first part of Stephen's confessional, the Jalapao 3 had been shown congratulating themselves in the lake but, right as the confessional ended, a crocodile came out of the water. Stephen's words were similar to what Brendan, Sierra and Coach had said about their alliances. Could Stephen be too confident?

Taj couldn't believe what Debbie had done but, as she pointed out: "I have two brothers taking care of me."

JT: "Taj really trusts Stephen and myself… it's good to know that she is still sticking with us but no one else knows what's going on in this tribe like Stephen and I do."

Nothing in this episode made the viewer even remotely think that Taj's loyalty would be in question so why bring it up? Again, this confessional could be to set up JT for a surprise down the line, especially with the crocodile still shown lurking around camp. The camera angle made it seem like it was right behind Stephen and JT as we saw them from the back, planning their next move.

Stephen: "The downsides of losing Debbie are that she is a hard worker around camp, she is a very strong positive presence. I actually think she would step aside at 3 and let JT and me have it." Coach joined them, Stephen adding: "The other downside in losing Debbie is a couple more days out here with Coach."

Coach was still pushing to eliminate Taj because she could play the idol.

JT: "Coach is always wanting to reassure that things are going his way. It's hard dealing with him. I don't want to lie to him." Coach was heard saying: "One of us 3 is going to win it" as JT added: "I hate lying to anybody so, anybody I lie to, I try to avoid. The sooner I get the people I lied to out of the game, the better."

Stephen and JT were out to collect water and Stephen was still asking if it was the right move. Stephen said: "We have played an awesome game. No one wants to vote us out."

Stephen: "Whether or not Debbie is scheming, whether or not Coach is delusional, right now, it doesn't matter. We need to just figure out each move strategically to make things easier for the next move. We don't need for any of them to be loyal right now, as long as we have a strong alliance, we can pick them off one by one."

Note that Stephen and JT are only talking about getting rid of Coach and Debbie, the two players who promised them to take them to the end. Erinn didn't promise them anything, Taj only said she didn't want to see them leave prematurely. Is all this talk to show that the boys are taking the wrong fork in the road?

Tribal Council

Note that the three members of the jury entered with a $%@!@* over their shoulder and feathers in their hair. Coach probably saw this as a tribute to him rather than mocking him. We saw him smiling at them. JT and Erinn were the only other two shown smiling at the jury.

Jeff turned to Coach about his goal of going to the end with the best players, wondering if, with 6 left, everyone could be considered equally deserving.

Diplomatically, Coach replied: "What might be considered a strength in my mind might not be a strength in somebody else's mind. Stephen, he is a warrior to me because he has gone from a boy who likes to read books about adventure to a man who is living an adventure and excelling at it without any complaints."

Asked about Debbie, Coach said she was playing the game for integrity, just like him. "We paired up on day 3 because I know she will never lie to me, no matter what." (Poor Coach)

Asked about the risk of having Coach and Debbie paired up, Taj said: "It's not risky, that's what people do. You build alliances, you do what you have to do to survive in the game. That's what he's done. He's done a great job. He's a warrior, he's a Dragon Slayer."

<Brendan and Sierra really enjoyed the "compliments"! >

Coach said he wasn't the one who came up with the nickname.

Jeff joined the fun by saying: "Let me guess. Some chief in a small village…"

<Erinn bent over, cracking up and Sierra was laughing and applauding>

Coach said he loved how Jeff was always digging for the truth.

<Sierra gagged at the mention of the truth>

Jeff then wanted to know why Taj should be taken to the end.

Coach said: "When I saw the raw emotions… she has made the ultimate sacrifice, taking time away from her son."

Asked about what made Coach worthy, JT said: "Anyone that has stayed here, that has put himself on the line, has been honest <Erinn scrunching her face in disapproval, Sierra hiding her face in disbelief> and has never told a lie, deserves to go as far as his body can stand."

Debbie said that Coach's honesty could be his Achilles' heel.

Erinn said: "There might be surprises tonight."

Debbie said the vote would change how people behave and that it will be a surprise.

A fun note: As Coach came back from the voting booth, Brendan and Sierra flung their jackets back on their shoulder.

With 3 votes against her, one remaining secret, Debbie was voted out. Sierra seemed surprised as she looked questioningly towards Brendan who was smiling. Tyson was expressionless.

Before sending them back to camp, Jeff said: "There is no doubt <Stephen on screen> that the best players will make it to the end <Erinn shown smiling in close-up>. The most interesting question is, out of the 5 of you, who is the best of the best?"

Debbie left saying she was proud of what she accomplished despite being a girly girl.

The Story

The Timbira Alliance died the moment Coach said the tribe would be better off if Brendan was voted out.

The Exile Alliance died when Stephen decided Sierra had to leave.

The Warrior Alliance, though not clinically dead, is, like Coach, brain dead. It's possible that Stephen and JT will give it a second life by taking Coach to the F3. It's possible that we see Coach once again escaping a near-death experience, but that seems very unlikely.

That leaves the Jalapoa Alliance, or, to call it by its real name, the Stephen/JT alliance. Will we see this unlikely pair succeed or will they also fall?

Seeing them in the F2 would certainly fit with overcoming first impressions but we have heard them twice reject "sure things". After Brendan offered to take them to the end, we now heard Debbie doing the same. Both were immediately dispatched so those scenes could have been included to show when they made their fatal mistakes.

The Characters

Coach : The jurors reactions tell us how much Coach would be an attractive Final 2 opponent but there was much more than simple misdirection in what JT and Stephen said about Coach. The craziness he brings in camp should end his story.

JT: There were plenty of quotes from JT that could prove ironic if he were to fall at Final 4.

- No one wanting 3^rd place.

- Stephen winning immunity being just as good as if he won it.

- No one knowing what was going on in the tribe.

We had some nice scenes of JT with his sisters, he wasn't as neglected as Coach and Debbie during the visit but it was all about how much everyone loves JT back at home just like in the show. We didn't hear a single reference to the game.

Taj: The ultimate sacrifice she made by leaving her family behind to be on the show could be the way the editors punched her ticket to the end. It's impossible to judge how her portrayal during Exile Island could be interpreted because CBS was certainly going to want to cash in on Eddie's appearance. Troubling for her is that we didn't hear any of the 4^th quarter prep that she had with Eddie. She must have talked about her alliance with Stephen and JT but we didn't hear what her game plan was.

Stephen: He is reaching the point where we should ask how he can win this thing but, instead, Stephen is becoming more arrogant about his position. "We are in a dominating position", "we can pick them off one by one" are not what we usually hear from the winner unless he had been portrayed as an evil mastermind, like Brian or Hatch. That hasn't been Stephen's role. He has been shown as a nerdy, likeable, intelligent player who hesitates to make the tough decisions. There is an inconsistency in his portrayal if his role is to be the winner. There are no such inconsistencies if his role was to be the young man that came of age and turned into a warrior as Coach presented him.

Stephen had a nice visit with his brother but there was nothing game related.

Mainly, Coach would be too happy to vote for Stephen and I cannot see Coach leaving the reunion without every one of his illusions revealed for what it was.

Erinn: Once more, I am left with Erinn. There were some troubling scenes during this episode, mainly in the recap where Erinn didn't make a move to go with Jalapao but was said to have been pulled in. Her vote for Stephen was also called a rogue vote, not something very positive. On the other hand, since it didn't amount to anything as far as Stephen was concerned, calling it a rogue vote meant the editors wanted to let us know she isn't blindly following. During the Auction, she wasn't heard making a single bid which could be seen as a dumb move but she explained why she gave her money to Taj. During the IC, Jeff singled her out as the last member to go under the first obstacle in the IC but she had told us she was counting on Stephen and JT to keep it away from Debbie.

However, her visit with her father had everything you'd want to show in a winner. We saw the emotions and she ended her story about being a girly girl who was simply proud to be there when she told her father that she was really doing this, that she was a badass. She was the only one that discussed the game when she said it was good to have someone who wouldn't use what she said against her. That showed she was still being careful about giving her trust to any of her opponents.

It is hard to know how much weight to put on visuals but twice during Jeff's comments about the end game, it was Erinn that was shown on screen.

Erinn would be in trouble if Coach were to win immunity. I don't know how she could win jury votes and, despite my criticism, Stephen has a beautifully edited story. That being said, there were more clues that Erinn will win the title of Sole Survivor. Coach would be pissed off!

From the last episode, Jeff said that "Coach thought he was in the driver's seat," We saw him talking to Debbie about the cowards. Jeff added: "But Debbie turned on her old ally… so the Jalapao 3 and Erinn decided Debbie was too dangerous to keep around."

We see Stephen, JT and Erinn walking in the woods, Erinn saying: "She goes."

"Coach was clueless as he watched his long term ally go home.

Can Coach regain control?"

Note that there were plenty of scenes where JT and Stephen said Debbie had to go yet the editors chose to let us hear Erinn pronouncing the sentence.

Forza

Night 33

Coach returning to camp: "I'm in shock…"

JT told Coach that his number one ally was gunning for him.

Stephen asked: "You know who wrote your name down, right?"

Coach could hardly believe it when JT said that Debbie wanted to send him home.

Coach: "JT, Erinn, Taj and Stephen mounted a counter-attack against Debbie to save me…I think this game is still played with honesty and it's the first time that I am almost speechless. Almost! I just want to talk to JT and Stephen and ask them to tell me when I'm going because, obviously, Coach Wade is no longer in control of this game."

Forza

Day 34

Stephen, JT and Coach were talking around the fire pit, JT once more shown struggling to make fire.

Coach asked if Erinn was still going next but, more importantly, it seemed Coach wanted to know who would be sent to Exile.

JT hated to send the girls over and over.

Coach agreed the noble thing to do would be for JT or himself to go but that he had scarred his lungs inhaling smoke.

Coach had a confessional about his asthma and his backaches.

Stephen: "Oh God! JT and I are eager to send Coach to Exile. He's been so skittish about it. He's been selling out everyone, trying to get them to go before him… I'm not entirely sure Coach can build a fire and cook food by himself. I don't know, I think he's scared."

JT: "Coach is really scared to go to Exile. Such an adventurous souls as Coach shouldn't be scared to go to Exile. I'm ready to test him. Also, we are planning on sending Coach home at the next tribal council so it would be nice to have him come very weak at the next Immunity Challenge."

The Reward Challenge

Fun comments: "Everybody following JT except Taj. She is going her own way. Somebody is going to be right, somebody is going to be wrong. Stephen hits a dead-end. Taj hits a dead-end. JT's on the right course. Coach taking the smart strategy, he's just going to follow JT, Erinn's going to follow Coach and JT. Erinn right in it. Taj and Stephen: falling out of it."

These words could be an indication of who makes the Final 2 but they can be taken 2 ways:

1- The editors made a point to include "somebody is going to be wrong" immediately before Stephen and Taj were shown hitting a dead-end è Final 2 = JT and Erinn

(This option was reinforced when Jeff added that JT was on the right course, he had the smart strategy and Erinn was right in it.)

2- Erinn will be voted out immediately following Coach and JT è Final 2 = Stephen and Taj.

Any other combination would mean that these fun comments were only that.

(Jeff's "Now you need to start working on that pole" was a fun comment on another level!)

Erinn was heard saying: "Guys, help me out here."

She will need help later on. Will she get it?

Interestingly, we heard Erinn 4 times after some of Jeff's comments:

- "Come on JT" after Jeff noted that the challenge was down to Coach and JT.

- "You're strong" after Jeff said JT hit his first target.

- We heard her laughing as Jeff said JT hit his second target.

- "You're awesome" after JT had won reward.

Having to send someone to Exile, JT first asked for volunteers and then turned to Coach to do the noble thing.

Erinn thanked JT.

Probably in an attempt to psych himself up, Coach accepted the challenge, saying: "I'm going to take the monastic approach. I'm not going to build a fire, I'm not going to eat. I'm just going to meditate."

Erinn didn't like hearing that: "He's going to take the martyr approach so that, when he comes back, he will not have eaten, not have slept and not have had any water. Minimizing the experience of some I feel like. He's having an excuse when he doesn't win immunity."

We saw Jeff and JT with disapproving expressions.

Coach said: "That's pretty harsh."

Erinn replied: "It's kind of how I feel, sorry."

Jeff asked if there was something to what Erinn had said.

Coach said he wanted it to be tough on him but that it wasn't to minimize the experience of others. He was disappointed in Erinn. "Since the beginning of the game she's tried to cut me down and when people do that, it's to vault themselves over. I think she wants to leave here with the toughest exile experience and I don't want to take that away from her."

Erinn was shown reacting to that with a mocking smile.

Coach went on about his injuries. Taj's look said what she thought of him.

As JT picked Stephen to go along, Taj and Erinn shared a hug saying they would be fine.

JT: "Coach looked like he was going without a fight but Erinn had to rub it in his face. She just shot herself in the foot. People are so dumb in this game, they talk way too much. It's going to hurt her, not me. "

Forza

Day 34

We could have gone to Exile or to the reward but the choice was to show this scene first.

Erinn and Taj were smiling as they returned to camp.

Taj: "JT won and took Stephen on reward which is fine. The guys could go and have a good time; I'm not worried at all. I feel very confident in my alliance with Stephen and JT. We vowed that we would go to the Final 3 together and we will."

Careful Taj, people who mention such confidence in numbers usually get a surprise.

Erinn told Taj: "I feel a little guilty about what I said. It wasn't the appropriate venue to say that. It's a conversation that I probably should have had with him."

Taj replied: "No, no. He's a jerk…It makes me sick. I'm ready to send him home. You know what kills me? He's talking about how he is so broken down but he was fine when he was on JT's heels and, if he had won, the warrior would have been back."

Erinn said: "I don't understand the man, I don't understand his motives. I would hate, hate, hate for anything that I said today to send me home before him."

Taj told her not to worry.

Erinn: "My strategy definitely is to go as far as I can with JT and Stephen. I would hate for anything I said to change the way Stephen and JT view me but this is really the time where you do start to get really paranoid about this stuff."

Exile Island

With Coach out of the game, we can skip his soliloquy and just note that he got a very nice edit for his departure. He was accompanied by a musical march and a helicopter was sent in to give us some panoramic views of him on top of the dune.

About the game, he asked God to forgive Erinn for having negative thoughts about him, he was glad he had the last word and he hoped she was going home next.

"She's certainly going to get my vote."

(That's probably not foreshadowing of a FTC vote.)

Governor's Retreat

JT: "This is probably the best reward I could ask for… You can tell that there were some big parties thrown in this place!"

Stephen: "We looked at ourselves in the mirror and that was a shock!"

Stephen went on to narrate the churrasco.

At the end of the feast, JT raised his glass: "Buddy, to the Final 2 in this game."

Stephen: "Final 2!"

They didn't read my earlier warning to Taj

JT added: "We got this thing, man! There is no reason why you and I shouldn't be sitting in the Final 2."

Stephen: "Coach totally depends on us."

JT: "I will take Coach to the final 3. Erinn went at him today and that was a dumb move on her part."

Stephen: "Today at the reward, Erinn goes on a rant about how Coach… is giving himself excuses. There was no reason to rub salt in his wounds. She can't control what she says which is not a great trait in a potential ally. Erinn doing that, it kind of makes me want to keep her less."

To JT, he asked: "What did it do for her? It wasn't something strategic."

JT: "You can never tell, man."

Stephen: "That's when people get screwed over."

JT: "Hopefully, she will get screwed over."

If they wanted us to believe that Erinn would go home, making a return visit to Exile Island defeated that purpose. Note that, when you look only at the game talk, the 3 scenes were all centered on Erinn. Did we need all that doubt surrounding her future when JT's words at the challenge would have sufficed? It gives the impression that this is doubt for further down the line.

Exile Island

Day 36

The music was now funereal. We can note that Coach was shown in the identical pose that we had seen Stephen; lying on his back in the water with vultures circling around. Because it meant Coach's end in the game, it would have the same meaning for Stephen, only in a delayed fashion.

Quoting Marcus Aurelius, Coach planned on winning immunity.

The Immunity Challenge

First thing to note is that we skipped Day 35 in Forza.

Slowly, Coach returned from Exile, leaving Taj unimpressed.

Taj : "When Coach returned with his cane and he's limping, I'm thinking this guy is such a drama queen… Any 37 year old man who thinks he is a Dragon Slayer belongs in a mental institution. They need to come and get him. Only, we have tribal council and he'll be free and they can take him home."

JT handed Coach some water.

As they stood on their perch, Taj's reacted to Coach words of bravado by crossing her eyes. Erinn was smiling. However, she fell off just as they were going to the last perch. Stephen and Taj soon followed.

Jeff said: "We are down to 2… the listener and the talker. The young buck and the older warrior battling it out."

JT asked if there was going to be a food offer, saying he would step down for a steak.

Coach said he may as well step down "Unless you are planning on voting me out tonight."

Coach battled with his words: "I trust you JT, you know that. You are a man of your words and there are few of those left in this world."

Jeff noted it was just what Coach wanted, a battle against the best.

JT was looking very comfortable and, after 50 minutes, to a swell in the music, Coach stepped down, JT won immunity and Coach collapsed. Stephen rushed to his side. They, (well everyone except Erinn) helped him to the bench and Jeff asked if he wanted medical to look at his back. Coach wasn't about to let that happen.

Anti-climactically, Jeff gave JT the necklace, Coach noting that JT could have gone much longer.

Stephen: "It looked like Coach had really been suffering… I felt bad for the guy. But you know Coach is still the Dragon Slayer and {there was a very clearly audible cut in the audio right here} a really strong competitor. If I want to win this game, I want people I can beat in the finals.

The audio cut makes me wonder if Stephen was still talking about Coach at that point. Was he already plotting against JT, the real strong competitor?

Forza

Day 36

Everyone congratulated JT.

Erinn: "Coach was really ridiculous today. He was like he could barely move and then he was standing on these things for like an hour." In the shelter, Taj was telling Erinn that he was full of it and Erinn's confessional continued: "He's been walking around since we've been back. You're not as broken down as you're trying to make yourself look and, I'm ready for him to go home." They concluded that it was an excuse.

JT told Coach that Erinn and Taj would vote for him but that he and Stephen would vote out Erinn. Stephen joined them, saying that what Erinn said was tasteless and classless.

Stephen: "JT and I sat down with Coach and we reassured him that the Warrior Alliance was good, Erinn was going home tonight. JT is going to vote for Erinn because he feels like he promised Coach that he would but I don't know what I am going to do. It's really tricky right now."

Coach said he was done with surprises at Tribal.

They walked off to meet Jeff with Coach saying: "It looks like, after all the blindsides, Coach Wade is going to be the last tribe members left of what used to be Timbira. I am the last of the Mohicans."

Tribal Council

Wen Jeff ushered in the jury, the cameras focused on 2 remaining players: Erinn and JT. Coach was also seen but only in regards to his old ally Debbie. Was this to reveal our Final 2?

Jeff started with Coach's comment about making it the hard way on exile, noting that Erinn didn't like that.

Erinn: "I didn't… to go off and not eat and drink for 3 days, it just rubbed me the wrong way because it minimized the entire experience that the rest of us were having." She agreed that Coach's dramatics were upstaging her own stay on exile: "The time that I spent out there sucked. It was the worst thing I have ever done, I never want to do it again and you're standing there, going: "I totally want to do that, that's sounds awesome." That sucks".

Coach said he drew on his past experiences to make it easier on him. He added: "A lot of times men drop what they think is a pebble but women see a boulder dropping and crashing and have an overwhelming sense of judgment..." He went on to quote Mark Twain.

<Taj and Erinn didn't seem to appreciate. Sierra was laughing>

Erinn told Jeff: "I never feel secure, ever. For the most part, someone will be surprised."

Coach said it wouldn't be a surprise because: "Women have great intuition."

<Taj was shocked at that. Erinn and Debbie didn't seem to like hearing that.>

Jeff was ready to get to the vote but Coach raised his hand and went into another soliloquy, a poem he had written for everybody to hear. The jury and Erinn went to sleep.

When Jeff said that the 12^th person voted out was Coach, Sierra was seen jumping up joyously.

Jeff sent them back to camp, promising us a fun finish.

The Story

With no one speaking except Coach and Erinn, this tribal council seemed like the continuation of Timbira's story, a sequel of the episode 3 TC where Erinn and Coach had their first showdown. Just like in another post merge scene where it was all about Timbira, this could be an indication that the season will come down to Timbira. Will Erinn win their votes? It would be quite an upset, especially since this episode gave us clues that JT could be the one joining her in the Final 2.

Taj: Most of her story in this episode was to support, to excuse, Erinn's comments. If it was dumb to say those things in front of everyone, Taj told us that Coach had it coming. The only game comment Taj received was to tell us she felt secure in her alliance. It certainly sounded like foreshadowing that the Jalapao 3 will not be the Final 3.

Stephen: This seemed like his season but has he hit a dead-end? Once more, Stephen was presented with a decision, once more he was heard saying he didn't know what to do and once more he let what seemed like a sure thing slip away. Just by seeing the jury's reaction, could anyone think that Coach would be someone that would be hard to beat in the finals? Unless, as noted above, Stephen was already looking forward to voting out JT. For that, Coach had to be voted out because he was a solid vote in JT's pocket. Of course, now that Coach has disowned him, he could be in a better position to claim victory.

JT: Jeff saying that he had the smart strategy during the challenge could have been to tell us that voting out Erinn would have been the smart strategy also. If so, then there can only be one conclusion: They missed their chance and that will be fatal. Showing us JT and Stephen toasting to the Final 2 seemed a little much if it was to happen. Maybe I love irony too much but that told me it wasn't going to happen. But, if JT faces Erinn in the final 2, how can he lose? Maybe being Coach's favorite will be his downfall.

Erinn: Maybe, as many think, Erinn will leave now because her story is over with Coach having been voted out. Her edit could be consistent with the valiant final member of a tribe.

Maybe I should have stayed with my first impression and say that Erinn was destined to lose the F2. She doesn't seem to have the social skills to win votes but, to note, her 3 strongest scenes have happened at Tribal.

However, I still see more to her story than that. There was enough suspense built in a possible Erinn vote with JT, Coach and Stephen's talk after the immunity challenge that all the talk post reward seemed to point to a later development. Looking like someone who can't control what they say would be a good strategy, a good way to have people want to take you to the end. Despite what Stephen said, was it strategy? JT said it: "You can never tell."

It feels like Erinn will have to answer to the (Timbira) jury and it has to be noted that Erinn's reactions during this tribal were in communion with that jury. She was shown to connect with them. I think her answers will sway them.

It should be a fun finish.