We start out with some weird, slightly over-lapping night-vision images of the survivors after tribal. It reminds me of the odd images they used at the beginning of the episode where good Russell was taken out of the game. So is somebody else going down? Or is somebody just being artsy and proving they went to film school? Don’t really know.
Then we have bad Russell, swinging in a hammock, boasting about how wonderful he is.
Sidebar with Laura, where she’s really shocked about Russell’s power play. “We should have known better.”
Cut to Russell and Shambo inside the tent. They are really proud of themselves, and Shambo is just cackling away. Really loud. This is right after tribal, and everybody can hear them whooping it up. Maybe not the exact wording, but definitely the attitude.
If there’s anyone on Galu at this point that doesn’t suspect Shambo has flipped, then they’re idiots.
Roll opening credits.
Early next morning, Russell is out looking for the redeployed idol, while everybody is still sleeping. Can’t stand him, but you have to give him credit. He’s out working and the others are doing nothing.
Sidebar with Shambo, where she’s hatin all over Laura, calling her a viper and a beast and anything else she can come up with considering her limited vocabulary.
Shambo approaches John on the side. “There IS no purple power.” It’s time to change things up. Be my sixth vote, help me get Laura out. John doesn’t immediately commit. But he promises not to tell anyone that she asked.
John in a sidebar: “I’m the only one who knows that Shambo has flipped.” Now he’s just got to decide how and if to use this information.
Then we’re off to the Reward Challenge. The prize this time involves a picnic at a waterfall, and the use of a Palm Pre. (Irritatingly, Jeff goes on and on about the Palm Pre, harping on its god-like powers. Gee, I wonder who was one of the major sponsors for this episode? Hmm.)
Anyway, this challenge involves two teams. One member on each team lays face down in a cradle, then is hoisted up in the air. The rest of the team uses ropes and pulleys to guide the cradle around so the player can snatch up flags and place them in order on another log.
Natalie, the snatcher on the purple team, is amazing. She shimmies off the end of the cradle, barely hanging on by her feet, with her business flopping around and all that. She slams through the flags, finishing way before they yellow team.
Natalie, Russell, Dave, Laura and Brett head off to the waterfall reward.
Where they get to eat, obviously, but they also take an amazing number of pictures with the Palm Pre, demonstrating to the viewing audience just how badly they need to purchase this sponsor’s product.
Meanwhile, back at camp, Jaison and Mick are working Monica, trying to get her to “be their sixth”. Monica: “But that would only make five.” They promise her that someone has already flipped, they just won’t say who. Monica isn’t convinced, but does say that if she joins them, she wants John out.
Over at the waterfall, they discover that the Palm Pre has clues about the hidden immunity idol, including a short video of the rock where the idol is buried. (See, people in the audience! The Palm Pre can help you win Survivor! Buy one now!)
As soon as they get back from the waterfall, Russell races to Mick and Jaison, giving them the idol clues, and off they go into the forest. Dave and Laura see this, and chase after them.
So the five of them are scrambling, checking under rocks for the idol. At one point, Dave gets to a rock before Russell can, but he doesn’t find anything under it. Russell studies the rock. He thinks that’s the one.
Suddenly Russell just takes off running, which obviously gets Dave and Laura’s attention and away they go. Russell purposely loses them in the jungle, and goes back to the last rock Dave moved. He shoves it aside, digs deeper BEHIND where the rock had been sitting, and finds another idol.
Unbelievable.
Later, Monica goes to Laura. “I don’t trust two people on our tribe.” Shambo and John. Laura in a sidebar: “I have to win this challenge.”
Time for the Immunity Challenge.
This one is a two-parter. First, you have to break one of your hanging tiles in order to win a spear. In the second round, you have to throw your spear at a target and get closest to the center. If you don’t break a tile in the first round, you’re out.
When Laura is unable to break her tile, and is therefore eliminated in the first round, Shambo busts out laughing and actually high-fives Russell. What a great sport she is. Bitch.
In the end, Mick wins immunity. Russell and Shambo don’t care. Their target is now vulnerable at tribal. Shambo leaves the challenge still laughing and grinning.
Later, Shambo pulls Brett aside and tells him she’s voting Laura. “There is NO more Galu.” Brett asks if she can be swayed in any way. Nope.
After that, things get a little crazy as last-minute strategizing explodes.
Dave and Laura approach John. We need to get rid of Russell. John: “The vote is Natalie. She’s the least likely to have the idol ‘cause she didn’t look for it.”
Then we have a sidebar with John, where he rants about the pathetic analytical skills of the former Galu. This goes on for a while. He really doesn’t like them. I really don’t like John and his pompous attitude.
Monica, Dave and Brett hatch a plan to make Foa Foa think Monica is voting for John, which might pull the Foa Foa focus off of Laura, and then Galu will really go after Natalie.
Monica goes to Russell and Mick to try to make this work. They aren’t sure what to think about this. After she leaves, Foa Foa discusses and Russell thinks they should go tell John.
John wanders up to Brett, wanting to know what the plan is. Brett tells him that Monica is off convincing Foa Foa that they are voting for him, when they are not. John’s not hip with that and lets the Galu schemers know he’s not going to play this game.
John meets with Russell, with Russell saying he knows Galu is trying to swindle them with the John angle. Foa Foa is ready to go for a tie at tribal. (If there’s a tie vote at tribal, they have a re-vote where you can only vote for those in the tie, and those in the tie can’t vote. If it’s still a tie, then everybody draws rocks and ANYONE could go home.) Russell tells John that the switch has to happen on that second vote.
John wants a deal with Russell. If he votes to send a Galu home, then a Foa Foa has to go next. Of course Russell agrees to this. He’ll agree to anything and then do whatever he wants.
In a sidebar, it doesn’t appear that John is willing to jump ship just yet. But who knows.
Time for Tribal.
Jeff focuses the whole discussion on how, at this point, a flip is very possible. “We’ve got a really interesting night in store for us.” We could go to a tie, and someone could go home by drawing a rock. Jeff really drives home the implications of a double tie
They vote. Five for Laura. Five for Natalie.
Second vote. Five for Laura. Three for Natalie (Laura and Natalie can’t vote.)
Laura’s going home. Shambo busts out laughing again, with Russell chuckling and grinning like he owns it all. At least Natalie, Mick and Jaison had the decency to politely sit there.
So John flipped.
Erik sitting in the jury: “And there goes the lead…”
End credits.
P.S. Did you buy a Palm Pre yet?
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