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In her RTVW interview, Ashley is asked that question and she doesn't answer at first. A CBS publicist intervenes to say that Erik and Natalie didn't have to compete and then Ashley followed the company line. It's clear that CBS doesn't want to reveal production secrets.

Upon further review, what happened is very clear: The tribes were playing to 6 with Erik and Natalie going last. There is proof: When Erik is saying that Ashley seems to have already vomited in her glass, we clearly see him sitting behind Monica and on Brett's right. When Jeff declares Galu the winner, that spot on the bench is empty and Erik suddenly comes into the frame from the left side. He had been standing next to Jeff. Natalie didn't drink her smoothie because it was pointless as far as the reward was concerned.

But the editors and now the publicists are protecting her because she will be complaining of starvation as seen in the previews. She would have been the subject of ridicule, sucksters saying that she only had to drink the smoothie if she's so starving. I find that very interesting, don't you?

I know Mick is edgic's golden boy and I see how his stats could lead him to the win but I think there are more indications that he doesn't win. For one thing, I see Russell H. making it to the end and he would destroy Mick's chances by simply saying: "Mick didn't lead anything. He barely knew what was going on." Mick's leadership isn't questioned because he's not a leader. That's what Mick's edit has told me.

It's still early and I may join that bandwagon. Right now I see it crashing so I'll walk.

As far as Natalie's edit, there's a difference between not showing everything and forcing Ashley to lie about it.

Maybe I shouldn't have used the world implied because everyone can clearly see that Foa Foa isn't doing well. The editors don't need to reinforce it.

As for what we have seen from Mick, he's been very wishy-washy. Take the Ben boot: We see him agreeing with Jaison that Ben has to go. Then he makes a deal with Russell (after saying he wouldn't trust anyone) and wants to vote Ashley. Finally he votes Ben. That was shown and it made him look very bad. Except for Marisa, Mick has agreed blindly with whatever Russell wanted even saying he doesn't know what will happen.

The audience sees Mick as the biggest puppet there. Is that how you think Burnett wants to portray his winner?

This was Russell's confessional after showing Mick the idol: "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..."

What did Mick say after this? Nothing. That made him Russell's puppet.
Jaison saw the idol and said he was upset that Russell had control of it. Jaison also imposed his opinion on Russell.
Liz has shown independant thinking.
Natalie plans to use Russell.
That leaves Mick as the only one remaining shown as Russell's perfect tool.

We could even add that Mick choosing Russell for the bocce reward because Russell was good at strategy told the audience that Mick wasn't good at it and relied on Hantz. And that Mick told Russell he'd be honest to the end. That's minor stuff but they add up especially considering Mick has never told the audience about his plans.

(CP? This isn't edgic!)

The recap showed the rain and we heard Jaison and Kelly complaining.
Jeff said that "with their huge lead in numbers and rewards, Galu had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
The only storm Galu couldn't weather was Shambo.
<Laura repeats her Gilligan comparison>

On her second visit to Foa Foa, it became clear these were Shambo's real friends.
Russell, on the other hand, had no friends, only targets.
When Liz confronted Russell, she became next on his hit list.
But, after Liz's strong effort in another loss, Russell put his vendetta against her on the back-burner in order to jettison the tribe's weakest member, Ashley.
<Russell's voting comments were added: "It's because of me you're going home. I'm out here playing for one million dollars; never trust me.">

Jeff concluded: "With only 5 Foa Foa members left, Liz needs a miracle to save herself from Russell's cruel intentions, assuming they can all survive the conditions."

That is a strong investment EPMB put in Liz's fight against Russell. Knowing that Liz had nothing to do with the miracle that saved her, I don't think it's an end game investment but rather a way to keep us tuned in until next time. The use of the words "cruel intentions" will be remembered if she does fall.

This episode showed that

Survivor is a Test of Will

First Scene - The Deluge:

We started the episode in Foa Foa where Ashley was practically forgotten and all the talk centered on the rain.

Mick said: "Since day 10, this is day 15 now, we've been soaked. It's been pretty bad for the last several nights. There was some envy last night when Ashley went home. There was a little tinge of jealousy. I was like: Oh Man! You know…"

Jaison looked at the sky and saw no hope for the rain to stop: "I used to watch this cartoon when I was growing up called Captain Planet (?)… I'm tired, I'm hungry and I'm sitting here in a battle that seems to be a battle that fate just doesn't want us to win."

Since they were already wet, Russell proposed that they go sit in the water. Jaison called it the "Man Test". If that was his test, Jaison failed as he lost control and started laughing at himself.

One person didn't fail that test:
Russell said: "Hell yes, I'm having fun. Out in the rain, this is how I wanted it to be. Those sunny days we had for 9 days; that was too pretty. I'd take my family here. I want to be somewhere where I can't take my family, where it's miserable… Tonight, they're gonna be wet. This is really no big deal. As a matter of fact, this makes me stronger."

Usually, we hear castaways talking about their family in such a way that makes us think that it'll be their story: They'll get to show their family member how they are doing and they will leave right after. This is probably the first time that we have a family visit comment that showed someone wasn't anticipating the family visit too much!
Also note that, in the introductory montage, Russell is associated with a sea turtle. The sea turtle that, right after the break, we saw swimming effortlessly towards the surface where the raging sea was in a complete contrast to the serene beauty underneath.

Galu
Day 15

Russell, in a very nice montage, was shown working tirelessly to save his group from the deluge. He tried to fish and to start a fire. Funeral music played in the background.

Note that throughout these early scenes, the 2 Russells were shown in complete contrast of each other. This is very important in Survivor editing: Ozzy and Yul were shown in contrasting scenes during CI's episode #2. Todd and Peih Gee were shown in contrast when it came to throwing a challenge. Parvati and Eliza were shown in contrast of each other when the rains came in Micronesia.
Here, Swan worked to help his tribe because he felt indebted to them. He worked until he almost passed out. It led to his demise. Hantz worked because he wants his tribe to bring him to the million and he thrived in the process. It seems that it should lead him to victory.

Observing Russell S., the tribe didn't move a finger to help. Laura said she would do anything for a tarp.

John (solo): "It's raining, people are miserable, our spirits are down and it could all have been alleviated if Russell had gotten the tarp. That's the way the game goes sometimes. One person is left to make decisions for the group and, sometimes, it puts you in a worse position than you would have been if you were making those decisions for yourself."

Brett (solo): "Russell was out working on a fire while every single one of us was huddled up, trying to stay warm, trying to keep sane, he's out there just busting his butt. For me, to see that, it was awesome to see him push himself, it's great that you're out there doing it but no one expects you to do that. It was a bit unnecessary and it went a little bit too far."

The group rushed to the shelter where they huddled some more.

Russell said he'd rather be in the shelter but that he needed to make a deposit in case he needed to make withdrawals later on. "That chief thing kind of balances to the negative." He finally headed off to the shelter to warm up a little but promised he'd go right back out there.

Kelly (solo): "Russell has that stubborn determination to do everything. The elements out here are going to break you down. He's pushing himself too hard and it's going to take it's toll, you know."

Foa Foa

Mick (sitting in a tree): "I probably look like some crazy person but, basically, this spot is pretty good cover…My body heat kind of keeps this little corner warm. The shelter has so many gaps in it that, when it rains this hard, it pours right through… I'm doing the best I can to stay semi-warm and out of the rain. Just trying to get through this."

Russell (who had been observing, said): "Worthless. No good. Nothing. It's wet and they want to get out of it. Where are they all from? New-York city? "Gotta stay dry. Can't get my hair wet" This is crazy. They might be all sucking each other's thumbs 'cause they're just a bunch of babies. That's why we lose the challenges because they're lazy. They give up, they start walking like Oooh-Oooh! I'm too tired. Don't stop until you throw-up, pass out or something. If you don't throw up every freakin' challenge, you didn't do your job. It was freezing last night, wet, cold, it's time to do something about it today but they don't want to. They want to sit there and suck on their thumbs. I don't know how to help them because I don't think it will stop raining."
Note that, even though the camera panned on all the members of Foa Foa, this confessional, and especially the worthless shown in captions, were in direct opposition to Mick. This tells us what the editors think about his efforts to lead the tribe.

Scene II: After the Flood

Erik: "I've been in my hole for 26 hours and I was like OK! I give in. We give in. We understand your greatness, we understand your power. If you are kind to us, I promise we will speak of your mercy. Less than 12 hours later, I wake up from my hole and, not only is it blue skies but the most beautiful rainbow you have ever seen. It's as if Samoa said; "That's all I wanted to hear, Erik. Just know: I'm the man, you're not. Now that we have that clear, enjoy yourself for the next 24 days. I'm so happy."
In an episode titled "The Man Test" Erik tells us he isn't the man.

Russell looked at the rainbow with a huge smile.
Russell (solo): "Getting a ray of sunshine today was a way to lift our spirits…This brought the tribe together, we're stronger than ever, we really are."

Kelly exclaimed: "We can finally get out of Noah's ark!!!!"
John yawned.

Scene III - The challenge and Swan's song:

Galu didn't react at the news of Ashley's elimination.
Jeff told them they were playing for pizza but the both tribes would be voting someone out.
When Jeff said that the winning tribe would be eating the pizza while the other tribe voted, we heard Erik taunting FF by saying: "Yeah! Yeah!"
We saw that Hantz noticed the words and Erik's smile.

John told Russell S. that he could sit out. Russell said he'd do the pushing.

Russell (solo): "I'm feeling weaker as the days go on but I'm the leader so I got to go forward, I can't look back. I'm playing the game."
Note that Mick didn't do the pushing even if we heard that a leader should.

After the race part of the challenge, Russell was exhausted. Stumbling, he bumped into the yellow ball before John managed to grab him by the shirt and bring him to their table maze. Russell then collapsed.

Jiffy stopped the challenge and called in the medical team.
Dave (solo): "Russell passed out during the challenge. I saw him stumbling around, staggering and I figured it was because he was blindfolded. I couldn't figure out exactly what was happening. I should have guessed that he'd passed out."

Jiffy made the call, deciding the challenge was over, that neither tribe wins reward and that both tribes would still be voting someone out.

Compared to the emotions shown by the Kucha Kids when Skupin was medevaced, Club Med's good-byes were rather cold.

There was a really scary scene a little later in the episode when Russell passed out a second time. His eyes glazed over like a dead man's stare. After he recovered, Jeff told him he had to be pulled from the game, bringing the man to @+$@!. Russell was eventually able to give us his final thoughts on the game: "Taken out of the game for medical reason is the worst thing I ever felt of my life. I played every minute to win this game… To do it and fail is better than to never try."

Scene IV - Questions:

Galu was back in the rain. Dave was talking with Erik next to his tree, saying he would be happy but shocked if Russell returned to the game.

The rest of the tribe was in the shelter, feeling depressed. Monica asked the rocket scientist for his medical opinion.

John (solo): "Everyone's concerned about Russell. For Russell to go down the way he did today, it shows you how tough this game is…Russell gives you everything he's got and more every single time and then he comes back and he's a workhorse. His body failed him today. It's so unfortunate."

Dave told Erik he would make a break for the shelter.
(I must say that I had visions of a horror movie when someone wanders off alone. I figured Dave would run right into…the clothesline! But, unfortunately…)

Laura, in a confessional that wasn't directly attributed to her: "Our leader's not here. That's a big hit to take. It's kind of surreal, not knowing what to do because we're used to rally to him to give us our game plan. We can't let these emotional things distract you too much out of the game. You have to keep your focus. We're still playing the game, we're still thinking about the person that's gonna go but I know my heart is really heavy for Russell. I just hope that he's ok."

Foa Foa

Where a shark was seen attacking a school of fish.

Liz and Natalie decided they had to vote against each other.

Liz (solo): "I feel bitter sweet. We were close to winning but then big Russell had his medical accident. When Jeff said we'd still have to go to Tribal Council it was surprising and a little upsetting because none of us want to go back there. We were just there. I have a fair sense of what's going on, there are 5 of us and we're again one big family. Natalie and I both looked at each other and said it's going to be one of us and it will be. At this point, we need to continue to win and it doesn't make sense to vote out one of the guys. My gut tells me that maybe I'll stick around because I am competitively stronger. My fate and Natalie's fate rests in the three guys left in our tribe."

Natalie knew which guy really decided. She caught up with Russell to see what he had decided.
Russell said: "Your vote is very simple tonight. It's Liz. I'm trying my best right now. You and Liz are the two names of course. I put Liz, you put Liz and I know I can talk Mick into putting Liz no matter what."
Natalie added: "We already talk and it's very simple: I'm voting for her, she's voting for me."

Liz pleaded her case Mick and Jaison. She told them that she'd like to stay but knew it was one of the girls.
Mick answered: "I have no idea. I don't want to talk about it but I guess we have to."

Jaison (solo): "Every time that we come close to something good, it kind of gets taken away. Winning today would have been our revenge… We were winning. I think what is the most disheartening, not necessarily the losses, but just the random things that keep happening every time you think you have something good to go bad. I hope Russell's ok. That's the primary concern and I agree with the reason for stopping the challenge but it sucks that when you are feeling you are getting in a groove and going someplace it's; no sorry."

Natalie joined Jaison in the shelter and asked if he thought they would have won that challenge.
Jaison answered: "How many of us actually have a shot at getting real far?
<note the random shots of Russell and Mick>
This whole tribe could be done by day 21 at the rate we're going."

Natalie replied: "I don't know about that. I think it can be done. I think it can be done. People could flip over there."
I had just about given up on Natalie passing the test but then she is shown making this end-game comment. This was about her, not the tribe as her face was shown in close-up when she said those words.

Galu

The next segment showed just who and why people could flip:

Monica was talking to Laura and Kelly, saying that Shambo would be gunning for her and asking for their protection just as they happened to walk up to her.

Laura (solo): "If we were going to tribal council right now, Shambo is going. 100%. From day 1, she's never really gelled with the tribe and she's been to the other tribe and none of us have. When we merge, she could easily flop sides."

Kelly said she thought they would make the merge before returning to Tribal Council.
Shambo told them she had done all the work so that they shouldn't vote against her.
Monica replied that Shambo had written her name down.

Monica (solo): "The number one reason for voting out Shambo for me is the fact that she wrote my name down. You got to take your enemy out the minute you can and right now seems like an opportune moment."

John and Erik felt that Monica was the weakest link and Dave agreed. Brett was also seen in their group but he never made a comment. John added that they would not have won the fishing gear and the first immunity without Shambo. He also felt she posed no threat to anyone and that she didn't have the manipulative power that Laura and Monica have together.

John (solo): "Voting Shambo doesn't do anything beneficial for any of us. Monica needs to go for several reasons. 1: Monica and Laura have this mother-daughter, sister-sister relationship. Post-merge, that is going to be dangerous. One of the two of them needs to go while we still have a chance to get 'em. Laura will be seriously weakened without Monica. And Monica, I think, is the clear move because Monica doesn't help us win challenges at all."

John asked the guys: "Is there a better move than that?"
Erik: "This is not a bad plan."
John concluded by saying that it was: "Me, you, Dave, Brett and either coach or Shambo, we have numbers. Game over; no one flips."

Brett was again shown as this was said, making me doubt he is ready to go against Kelly and the other girls.
The following picture shows what I mean:




While John exposed his plan, Brett seemed to be trying to figure out how to say that he was never part of that plan

Shambo pleaded with Erik and John. Erik told her to stay consistent with her vote. The two guys played a very mob-like game of not saying what had to be understood; John saying what he would do if he was Erik while Erik said how he would vote if he was John. Shambo understood…maybe.

Erik (solo): "Shambo is on a very need to know basis. Us four guys, we're pretty good at keeping the plan within the 4 of us. We're not going to be telling her anything more than what she needs to know."
Their plan, however, depended on Shambo locking it up.

Tribal Council

Jeff gathered everyone in the tribal council area and told them that Russell had been pulled from the game. He concluded by saying that it had been the scariest moment he ever had on the show.
Shambo felt very sad.
Hantz said that he didn't like the fact that Russell went out that way, preferring to beat him in another way.
Dave said that the level of danger was more than he expected.
Asked what he had been doing, Erick spoke of his adventure inside a tree trunk. He felt he was in solitary confinement for a crime he didn't commit.
Shambo said she would never quit just as the rain started falling again.
Dave said he liked the numbers advantage that Galu had.
Hantz was laughing at Dave's confidence, saying that their attitude was fine.
<Natalie's defiant stare accompanied those words.>
Russell added: "They will be shocked in the next couple of challenges because we can come back and even up their numbers."
It was Erik's turn to laugh.
Mick was happy with their moral victory; that his team was ahead during the challenge.
Erik wasn't concerned about the tie.

Getting to the topic at hand, Jiffy said that no one would be going home.
Liz had found her miracle. Russell and Natalie were equally pleased.
Monica and Dave were relieved; Erik and John shared unhappy looks.
Erik commented: "We lost a guy today so, whether we are voting or not voting, we're down already so let's stop the bleeding at one."
Russell enjoyed the news because: "This is the best news we heard all day. Us 5, we're the strongest we've ever been the whole game. If they beat us fair and square, then we'll send somebody home. I believe the tables are about to turn and I'm going to give 110% that it does."
Erik wanted to do a challenge right there. Talking about Russell Swan, he added that: "Every bead of sweat that he put in, we're bringing that to you."
Mick responded with a "We welcome it."

Jiffy said that the rivalry had been intensified.
He then told Galu that they had to assign a new leader. Kelly walked up to retrieve Russell's necklace.
The tribes left to military sounding music.

The Story

For an episode without a vote, we saw that Galu was a tribe divided. The talks about getting rid of either Monica or Laura before the merge lead me to believe that they might not seize the opportunity.

This episode was all about Surviving the Test that this game imposes on its participants. Jeff's words to Russell S told us that effort and determination were respected and that seeing your body fail wasn't the measure of a player. How did the other players measure up?

Jaison: He's the one that brought up the theme of this episode and he immediately failed. From his first confessional to his last, including his words in the shelter to Natalie, we see that Jaison is already defeated. There are no make-up tests in a season of Survivor.

Monica: She was only concerned with her immediate future. She wasn't heard commenting on Russell so that was an occasion missed to make her more likable. We heard that she could be manipulative but what we saw was in contradiction: Her actions only re-enforced Shambo's desire to write her name down.

Kelly: She was shown expressing concern for Russell but it was accompanied with reproach much like what Brett told us. I found it interesting that, when Galu is shown as a tribe divided, Kelly and Brett weren't shown together. Although we had never heard them talk, they had been always together in previous episodes. I'd be tremendously surprised if these two don't have an alliance. Of course, with so few words from Kelly, it's notable that she seemed so out of touch with the game that she hadn't prepared anything in case they went to TC before the merge. I'm sure it was a façade for Shambo's benefit but it would have been up to her to tell us so.

Brett: For once, his silence seemed to speak louder than his words. Brett could be up to something, something that will change the game but it probably won't benefit him.

Laura: This was her best episode by far. We saw her determination during the challenge and she gave a great confessional that included thoughts on Russell and views on the game. We also heard that she was manipulative and we saw her as the leader of the young women. The problem was that the editors didn't even show the viewers her name in text graphic during her best confessional. It's not as if Laura's voice is familiar to the audience. For most, Laura is still the one that complains about the tarp and wanted to target Shambo.
Being shown like the rest of Galu while Russell was trying to do all the work showed she didn't pass the test of will. It leads me to believe that Laura, like Brett, will play a part in the outcome of the game (we know she is smart) but it won't turn in her favor.

Shambo: We heard Shambo say that she worked side by side with chief and it was nice to hear her comments at TC. It must have helped her popularity factor a lot. As likable as Shambo is meant to be, we saw that she is only a pawn in the game. Foa Foa needs her and, now, the guys of Galu do too. Laura is watching her and she is aware of the dangers that a pawn could create once it gets passed the line of defense. Sugar is the only pawn that decided this game and even she didn't win so I have serious doubts that Shambo can do better.

Dave: He had presence in this episode but it was much like empty calories. We saw him in the Galu huddle as Swan worked so it couldn't have been very positive. He received the 1st confessional after the leader went down but it was totally impersonal. He saw what happened and he told us. No warm words for Russell, no indication on how it made him feel. That's narration in its most meaningless form. He explained what we saw. In the voting decision, he was peripheral at best. There was nothing to show that he'll profit from it, nothing to show that he won't go along.

Erik: He was much more central to the guys' alliance in Galu than Dave. It wasn't his plan but he completely endorsed it. He's also the one that the editing put in charge of keeping Shambo in check: We heard him telling her to lock it up and he told us she was on a need to know basis. If Shambo doesn't come through for the Galu men (and has she shown she could?) it will be Erick's neck on the line. His portrayal during the rain was as poor as Mick's but his tribal council interventions were much more forceful. The problem with his fighting words was that we had heard him taunt Foa Foa before and we saw that Hantz took good notes. Erick wanted a fight, I think he will not only get it but he won't come out on top.

Mick: I had always felt Mick's story lacked something and we saw what it was in this episode:
- Hantz told us that Mick was worthless immediately after the doctor had told us how the rain was affecting him.
- We heard Russell telling us that Mick was his puppet.
- Asked by Liz how the votes would go, Mick said he had no idea.
- After Swan showed us what a leader needed to do to make a withdrawal later, Mick failed the test.

The camera showing him working when Jaison said he doubted anyone on Foa Foa could go far and Mick's words to Erik at the end of TC prevent me from saying categorically that Mick can't win but he has a lot of editing ground to make up.

John: The 2nd star of the episode, John really entered the stage in this episode. It took him 6 episodes to talk to us about strategy and when he did, he showed he intended to divide the tribe. Applying post-merge criteria at this stage of the game is dangerous. Winning challenges shouldn't be much of a concern for Galu at this point. They have the numbers and a large alliance is often difficult to hold together.
Even if you saw him as a smart leader of the alliance, it should be remembered that he was the one who expressed the most negative comments about Russell S. "He put us in a worse position than we would have been if we had made the decisions."

Liz: The recap set up Liz to have a strong episode but, from then on, we saw she didn't have much to offer. She simply relied on the men to keep her in the game. That was the extent of her plan. On the plus side, we didn't hear her complaining about the rain even if she was included in Russell's rant. If Foa Foa goes back to tribal, it's too obvious that she'd be the one voted out so there is a chance she will find another miracle. I see a Sally-type of reprieve (sent to exile island to avoid TC) more than Liz working any magic. Like Sally, she would still leave soon after, not turn her situation completely around.

Natalie: When Russell mockingly said "I can't get my hair wet", I thought he had killed Natalie's story.

But Natalie never complained about the weather. In fact, for the second week in a row, the editors cut out a scene from promos that would have made her look bad:

Natalie: "We're starving to death. I think we're all wasting away"

And then, we had a close-up of Natalie saying: "I don't know about that (Foa Foa being doomed). I think it can be done. I think it can be done. People could flip over there."

That small contribution showed that Natalie passed the test of determination. She wants to make it to the end and she sees a way to make it happen. Will it be enough to beat Russell? I think it is still very possible.

Hantz: As noted above, Hantz passed the test of will with flying colors. This should be his season. He has this game in hand and no one else can challenge him.

Or so it seems because calling his strategy "cruel intentions" sounded a little harsh even for the biggest villain ever. It painted Liz as a victim and winners don't vote out victims. Usually, the players they vote out had to be voted out. Qualifying his plan as "cruel intentions" seemed a little petty to be a winning strategy. Maybe it was done to indicate why Russell loses the vote. He is a mastermind but a bit too cruel.

However, this seems minor in comparison to the length the editors have gone to so that the audience can accept this villain. Hantz still has to be the favorite to win.

I'd like to have more feedback but here goes anyway:

The recap presented the weather as the biggest threat.
<Jaison shown being miserable>
Russell thrived.
At Galu… things were much more pleasurable.
For his own safety, Russell was taken out of the game, leaving his tribe without a leader.
Prior to tribal council, the majority of Foa Foa decided to send Liz home.
<Russell told Natalie he can talk Mick into writing down Liz no matter what>
While the majority at Galu decided to send Monica home.
<John said Monica didn't help them win challenges>
At tribal council, everyone's plans were put on hold when, out of respect for Russell's traumatic medical evacuation, the vote was cancelled.
<Liz smiling, Monica relieved>
The loss of Russell re-ignited the rivalry between the 2 tribes.
<Erik throwing the gauntlet, Mick welcoming it>
But it also brought Foa Foa a growing glimmer of hope.
<Russell saying he really believed the tables were about to turn.
That was underlined by a huge smile from Natalie.>

During this episode, we were reminded that:

There is a Social Game to Play

Galu
Night 15

Erik: "Losing Russell affects the game tremendously. He was our chief; he was probably the guy I had the most confidence in personally in this game. With Russell here, we had a 5-4 gender alliance lead but now… it's just 4-4 so it's anybody's ballgame.
The 4 guys were talking about rewarding Shambo by getting her to the jury (!)
"Even though she's a chick, Shambo doesn't fit in with the other girls. We have to pull Shambo back over to our side and make sure Shambo is one of the %$%+*. The only way that plan unravels is if the girls lock in Shambo."
Dave concluded: "When we're down to final 5, we can burn her, no problem."

Foa Foa
Day 16

Jaison woke up saying: "Come on MickDreamy, let's do it. No more glass half-empty."
Mick stared in silence.

Russell: "Tribal was real nice. When Jeff said we weren't going to eliminate anybody, I knew Galu lost big Russell. I was stoked, we have a shot. It's 5 to 8 now, it's pretty damn close. Liz wasn't voted out but it keeps the tribe stronger by keeping her. I rather win 3 in a row and then get rid of her."

Galu
The guys were on the beach when Erik proposed to elect Shambo chief.
Erik: "I was thinking about it, thinking about it and thinking about it: The way we're going to lock Shambo in is not only to tell her "hey we're cool with you" but us 4 guys are going to nominate her as our new chief. She's going to feel so important and so flattered that she is going to be as deep in my pocket as the lint that's at the very bottom of it."
I pictured Seinfeld ironically telling Kramer: "Oh Yeah! This plan cannot possibly go wrong"
The vote was called and Shambo became a rubber stamp to the dismay of Monica, Kelly and Laura.

Monica (who had voted for Erik): "I thought the way to elect a new leader was stupid. It went by so quickly that no one realized what happened. I don't know how Shambo got elected leader when we were supposed to send Shambo home last night. I'm wondering; if there had been a vote last night, would I have been one of the people voted for?"

Shambo gave her first speech while Laura's face went through more contortions than someone with an unreachable itch between the shoulder blades.

Dave: "I think us 4 guys plus getting Shambo as a wedge is a good plan. The only strategic drawback that I can think of is that Shambo is just so dim that she could screw up our plans if we tell her anything."

The Challenge

Jeff asked Shambo if she was surprised about being the leader. She said she had experience leading.
<Russell and Laura shown observing>
Note that Mick had already discarded the leader necklace but Jeff didn't mention it.

Jeff asked Shambo to designate someone to act as leader since she wasn't participating.
She answered Erik but Dave imposed Brett. Shambo corrected herself.
This funny moment reinforced Shambo's role as puppet but I wonder why Dave was so insistent?

Players shown making matches: Laura (x2), Brett (X2), John, Russell, Natalie and Monica.

Considering that there were 12 matches, those 8 shown could be a clue. The editors could be telling us that these are the smart players although Monica wasn't that smart when we heard her saying: "I'm not pointing; I'm just pointing at the rows".
I'd be even more interested in knowing who made the 2 Galu and 2 Foa Foa matches that were ignored.
It is to be noted that Erik was shown making a spectacular fail; walking with a "cocky swagger" according to Jeff to the wrong item.
Also note that we never heard Mick making a choice between point and item like we saw Brett doing with confidence.

Jeff told Galu: "Under the new leadership of Shambo, you continue to do very well in this game."
<Mick is shown scratching his head.>
Shambo sent Laura to Foa Foa to keep her guys strong for the challenge.
Laura said she would take it for the team.

Kelly: "Now that Shambo's chief, it's like she was raised in a trailer park, married a rich guy so now she's driving around in a Jaguar, treating everyone like crap. She sent Laura over to the other tribe but Laura is one of our strongest females. I don't know if she has a strategy or she's pulling this out of her ass. I don't know."

Mick: "We just walked away, losing again. Is there's a jinx or some sort of curse on Foa Foa? I don't know but I'm starting to be superstitious at this point."

Foa Foa
Day 16

The music was surprisingly upbeat when the tribe arrived in camp. It wasn't the kind of music associated with failing tribes.
Natalie presented herself to Laura who then shook hands with Mick, Liz and Russell.

Laura: "At Foa Foa camp, everybody is really friendly. They're doing their very best to make me feel comfortable and I sincerely appreciate it. There's definitely an undercurrent why Sham sent me over to the Foa Foa tribe. Clearly she doesn't like me."

Russell asked Laura to help him find crabs but he had ideas of planting another Russell seed.
The two bonded by talking about their kids and religion.
Russell to Laura: "Eventually, your head's going to be on the chopping block, it may not be as fast as mine but eventually it will. If we can get together, you can protect me at the merge and I can protect you. I hope it's final 3… I hope it would be me, you and Natalie in the final 3." (Russell's confessional was inserted here) "I can spot a good Christian anytime. It's easy. I'm starting to really like you now."

Russell: "I was happy when they decided to send Laura to our camp because it doesn't look like we're going with numbers into a merge so what I have to do now is work my Houdini Magic on Laura. I'm still working her, working her, working her like a fine tool until she's sharpened enough just like I want her."

Laura: "Russell came to me and was conspiring to have this secret alliance that, clearly, nobody would ever suspect. You know that's another part that I stick in my pocket that I might want to play. It's food for thought."

Russell concluded their talks by saying that Laura's idol clue was worthless, that Ben had found the idol, hid it somewhere but never played it.

The reward: Pirate Master revisited

Erik: "The reward was phenomenal…Honestly, I feel like I don't really deserve that. What have I done in life that's been so great to have that kind of an opportunity?"

Kelly and Dave took turns at the wheel.
Dave: "They fed us this beef stew that was delicious… I was having a good time, man!"

Shambo was happy to enjoy this after 16 days in hell while Monica told her she appreciated not being sent to Foa Foa.

Monica: "Shambo ended up sending Laura to the other camp. I think that it was her own little way of saying: "I'm leader now and what I say goes." She'd never admit that."

Foa Foa

While Liz was working the fire, Natalie and Laura were talking and getting to know each other.
Liz: "You know, I understand we have a guest. Laura's come here to hang out with us until the next immunity challenge but I don't really need to hear her and Natalie talking about the spiritual book of the month behind my back when I'm trying to get a fire started so we can eat and drink. It's really infuriating because they are not really helping. It's time to start a fire. All they're doing is sitting there, picking their toes and catching up on good times. It's really frustrating, disappointing and, at times, rather infuriating."
She complained to Russell.

Russell: "Liz is so stupid. I don't see how she can even walk without falling down. This is just ridiculous. If we merge, we need somebody on the inside and Natalie is doing a good job talking to Laura around the camp. I have to keep Natalie for my little toy. She has to be there for me so I can manipulate her little mind and do what I want her to do. When it comes to this game, you better be street-smart and Liz has a mouth on her and I don't think she knows when to shut up. I'm going to have to keep my eye on her."

The immunity Challenge

Laura returned to a nice welcome from Galu.
Shambo had trouble remembering John's name to tell Jeff he was sitting out.
Much like the audience who must have trouble knowing the names of the Galu players.

Monica and Laura also sat out.

Jeff asked Mick: "Where's the leadership necklace?"
M: "We left it back. We were wondering if, maybe, it was bad luck."
J: "But you still have a leader?"
M: "Yes. Absolutely."
J: "As long as you have a leader, the necklace is merely symbolic. We'll see if it makes a difference."

Jaison used his height to push the boat to such a big lead that Galu copied his idea. Unfortunately, it exhausted him "Foa Foa getting it done without Jaison"
Jaison was terrible during the puzzle.
Wasn't Natalie supposed to be good at puzzles?

For Galu, the thing to note was Dave constantly telling Shambo to shut up and that, during the puzzle, Dave (despite his high IQ!) was mainly seen as a cheerleader; Kelly and Brett doing all the work.

Shambo received the idol from Jeff and relayed it to Brett in an apparent show of respect.
Jeff said: "Mick, it looks like it wasn't the necklace."
Now, wasn't that a punch to the chin? Jeff was showing no respect to Mick's leadership.

Russell : "These idiots are probably going to cost me a million dollars. I was planning on having a lot of fun with the money, a lot of fun. Maybe we need to get rid of Jaison because he gave up out there. He was looking at the puzzle as if it was going to move itself. We've got to mix something up. Whatever happens; happens."

Deciding the Vote

A shark preceded Russell into camp. Natalie and Liz were working on the fire.
Nothing was made of it but twice now the women have proven Ben wrong

Russell: "This whole time I was: "Get rid of Liz, get rid of Liz." Jaison gave up when we were pushing the boat and then he was so tired that he couldn't get up there and do the puzzle. It's amazing to me that he can't get these puzzles down. I don't know, he's sure not going to be my attorney."
Russell then asked Mick how someone who went to medical school and someone who went to Oxford and Stanford couldn't finish a puzzle.
Mick couldn't explain it.

Jaison: "I have no idea what's going to happen with this vote tonight. I did not perform well on the puzzle…I felt like dead-weight to the team. For all I know, they could be voting me out."

Liz told Russell: "I thought Natalie should have done the puzzle"
So, it's not only me!

Russell told Liz the 2 options were Natalie and Jaison.

Liz: "With tonight's tribal council, my survivor stock has gone up because I certainly thought the vote would be between me and Natalie just because we are physically, smaller, weaker than the 3 guys. But, I guess strategically, it may make more sense for Jaison to go and I'm actually quite thrilled because I would have never anticipated that."

Russell: "I have a decision to make. It's going to have to be either Liz or Jaison. The thing with Liz is I don't know if we can trust her once the merge happens. But, the thing with Jaison is that, I still think I can trust the guy but we still have to think about winning challenges. We're losing with the team we have, we have to find some way to win. Something has to give."

Tribal Council

Jeff saw no use of going over the dismal facts but he did, pointing out that Foa Foa had lost 8 of 10 challenges, would be down 4 to 8 and offered one of the worst performances by any tribe in the history of the game. He asked Natalie about the tribe's attitude: "Still hanging in there?"

Natalie: "Absolutely! It doesn't do any good to get negative so we have to go into any challenge with our heads up because, if we don't, then we're done."

Russell: "All we can do is hope for the merge because they outplayed us, they outlasted us but there's one thing I can promise you: Them kids over there, there is no way in hell that they can outwit me."
Liz said she would trust everyone if it got to a merge: "After all these tribal councils, I absolutely trust each and every one of these people 100%."
Mick: "The performance aspect, we haven't done great but there's still a social game to be played and that trust is at the absolute core of our survival."
Russell said it would be hard to vote one more but: "If the 4 can hold together, the whole thing is going to change."
<The camera lingered on Natalie while Russell spoke. Then it switched to Liz and Jaison.>
Jaison explained he was frustrated with losing. "I feel I have a large responsibility in these losses…If they decide that my performance today warrants me to walk away, I hope that is what is necessary for them to win tomorrow."

After Liz left, Jeff told them they were getting really good at blindsides, something they will certainly need to do.

The story

If it hadn't been already clear, the portrayal of Foa Foa, especially at tribal council and in the choice of music to accompany their scenes, isn't the same as we have seen associated with failing tribes in the past.

We saw that the game isn't really 8 on 4 but really is 4 Foa Foas, 4 Galu men, 3 Galu women and Shambo. If this is the case, Foa Foa won the social game.
Also note that all the men remaining have mentioned being afraid of a women's alliance even if it has yet to come into play. Galu's division was created by John, Erik and Dave even if we saw Monica voting Erik as leader.
This episode showed us Brett, Laura and maybe even Kelly as the smart players in Galu.

The Characters

Monica: We saw her thanking Shambo for the reward, making the clinching point in the challenge (even if that could be a fabrication) and we saw her questioning the rigged election. Monica was shown as a positive character when the focus had to be on Yasmin's negativity. She became a negative one when the editors wanted us to cheer for the isolated Shambo. Now, Monica's edit is back on a small upswing, probably just to make us appreciate the turning of the tables on the 4 guys.

Kelly: "Her confessional was quite bitchy but we saw her carefully observing the election returns and then play a central part in solving the puzzle. Could it be to make us accept the overthrow of the Galu tribe? Last season's impression was Timbira being dumb rather than JT being smart. Maybe a correction was needed so that the players breaking up Galu appear to be making a good game move, even if they're not as smart as the Foa Foa alliance.

John: The initiator of Galu's plan became completely irrelevant in this episode. His turn will come and he'll pay for dividing his tribe but he's not that important right now.

Dave: He continues to simply narrate the events. His confessional on the ship only told us that the beef stew was good. At least, his first confessional had more meat to it even if it mainly told us about the plan's flaw. Dave himself showed why Shambo could derail it; he pulled much too hard on those puppet strings.

Erik: He told us he didn't deserved the reward. How can we expect him to be deserving of the title of Sole Survivor? The plan that looks doomed to fail was originally John's but the story turned it into Erik's plan. He told us about the new development and how to lock in Shambo. It indicates that Erik will suffer from the failure of the plan before John. He should pay for the cockiness we saw in the challenge.

Brett: This insignificant player is suddenly shown as a smart player, deserving of the immunity idol after the challenge and making all the right calls during the reward challenge. It could be to prepare us to see him play an interesting, albeit secondary role in the upcoming events.

Jaison: He continues to struggle even under sunny conditions. He looks like someone Russell could sacrifice in order to gain trust from the other side.

Mick: His intervention at TC appeared to underline the theme of this season and to foreshadow how this season will unfold. This is a social game but, even if he seems well liked, we haven't seen Mick doing much playing. There hasn't been a scene with him and one of the visitors and his opinions before a vote don't seem to count.
When Jaison told him to look at the new day with optimism, Mick didn't say a word. Instead, Russell was the one that gave a confessional.
We heard that Mick saw the pattern of the puzzle but there were scenes that continued to mock his self-proclaimed leadership skills. He had told us that Natalie was good with puzzles, we even heard Liz say that Natalie should have done the puzzle but Jaison was chosen. Was Jeff's "It wasn't the necklace" left in JUST because it was a funny sound bite? I don't think so.

Laura: The episode showed us why she should go with Foa Foa and why it won't pay off for her in the long run. From being considered a second class citizen in Galu, she moved up to become a fine tool of Foa Foa. If she does pick that option, I'd say it isn't much of an improvement.

Shambo: She played the role of puppet leader to perfection but she must have felt something was wrong with that vote. It's strange that we didn't hear Foa Foa react about her new role. They thought she was marginalized and then they see her as the chosen leader. Usually, when we don't hear anything about something like this, it's because it amounts to nothing in the end. Shambo should still be available if Foa Foa needs her.

Russell "Them kids over there, there is no way in hell that they can outwit me."
In every other season, that would sound like setting someone up for a fall. This time however, it sounds like a promise. Russell fooled Laura into trusting him. He knows Laura and Shambo don't get along. I think he will use one against the other, keep them around to keep the conflict brewing just like he wanted Ben to stick around.

With the votes of the 3 Galu women, Russell would hold the majority but we saw that some Galu players are smart. The editing suggests that they figure they can control Foa Foa until F9. What happens then? 5-4 is a weak majority.

Does Russell win? I would suggest that, for the biggest villain ever, Russell is showing a lot of smart game play. He is the story of the season but it was strange to let us hear that he was planning on having fun with the money. It seemed quite unnecessary and not meant to make him likable.

Can someone stop him? One player told us how she plans on doing just that:

Natalie: If this is a social game, Natalie will win. We have now seen her making strong connections with Shambo and Laura, the "leaders" of the 2 opposing factions in Galu. It seemed important to hear Russell deciding to keep Natalie because he saw her being smarter about the end game than Liz. Her positive attitude at TC showed a sharp contrast to Jaison's gloom and Mick's resignation.