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. This is your spoiler alert, if you taped last night’s show and haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, do not read this post.
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OK, for those of you who are still with me, here is Cuz’s weekly recap.
THE PLAYERS
Brian, Clay, Helen, Jake, Jan, Penny, Ted
THE JURY
Erin, Ken
THE LOSERS John, Tanya, Jed, Ghandia, Stephanie, Robb, Shii Ann
Now THAT was the Survivor I have come to enjoy! Intrigue, drama, action, raw emotions, catty remarks, lying, backstabbing, not to mention alliances busting apart just as quickly as they form. In other words, exactly the type of Survivor show that got me hooked on this series from the very first episode on Pulau Tiga. Lets hope that Mark B. learned his lesson and has quite trying to drastically change the format. This two tribes living on one beach was OK for the two episodes it lasted but I don’t think it quite worked out the way Mark B. had hoped. Now the time has come to, as they say “Fish or cut bait!” In other words, QUIT MESSING AROUND AND MERGE THE DAMN TRIBES ALREADY!
The show opens with the moon rising on day 24. The Chewy Gums are again staying up late to see which one of the Sucky Jives was cannibalized this time. Commenting about how they “worked” damn hard and finally they are “in power” now. And didn’t you just love how Helen and Brian portrayed “Penny” and “Ken”. Yo-Yo-Yo!
The Sucky Jives stumble back into camp and the mood of the Chewy Gums seamed to flip-flop like the turning of a switch. One second, proud and boisterous then “click” solemn and respectful. Don’t ya just wish you could turn your emotions on and off like that?
And just what was that garbage Penny was spouting “that voting off Erin was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do” and “She was like a sister to me and still is.”
Well girlie-girl, that sure didn’t stop you from writing “your sister’s” name down on that little scrap of paper didn’t it! Give me a break!
Day 25 comes and goes with nothing much happening. Other than Jake boring everyone silly with his “Great White Hunter” exploits. Or the number of times he’s broken his ankles and how. Pretty soon he’s not only got Ted, Brian and Clay, yawning just to stay awake, but Magilla starts yawning as well, proving once and for all, who’s got the bigger mouth. Night falls on Day 25 with Clay HOWLING er staring up at the full moon. He turns to the rest of the players and asks them if any of them ever missed their families. Oh, please! Mark B. that segue was about as subtle as slap up side the head!
Anyway, everyone agrees that everybody misses their families and right on cue Helen starts singing Elvis’ “Are you lonesome tonight.” I tell you, this was SO SAPPY that they could have gone into competition with Vermont for syrup production. Oh, and Helen, like the old saying goes – “Don’t give up your day job!”
Day 26 starts out with the tribes meeting Jeff P. for a reward challenge, and true enough, he has videos from home. He proceeds to give each player a sneak peek of their loved ones video. Just enough to get the water works started again, as if last night wasn’t teary enough!
He then informs them that the ONE who wins the reward challenge will get to view their entire video! (With a cold beverage) and then tells them that their waiting is over. They are now merged as he passed out their new gold buffs. The reward challenge is an obstacle course and Brian wins. During his video, his wife shows off their baby grand piano and the fancy cars out in the garage, which causes Helen to make a fool of herself yet again by commenting that “with all his money, he sure doesn’t need to win the million.” Well Helen, take a look at the Survivor logo. The phrase is “Out Wit, Out Last, and Out Survive!” It is not “Tax the rich and give to poor little Helen, just because she doesn’t have all the nice things that the others may have.”
Anyway, later that day, the new “Chewy Jive” tribe is back at camp and Jan gathers her little children around for a session of finger painting. I guess you can take the first grade teacher out of the country but…well you know how the rest goes.
Ted decides he needs some “self time” and takes the boat out and floats in the bay for a while. He admits that this might not be a wise move on his part since it gives the others a chance to scheme behind his back, but he needs to “recharge.”
This gives Jake the chance he was looking for to try to bring Clay “over to the dark side” as it were. We are treated to Clay running around doing his best to get everyone to be his alliance partner, but the more he schemes the more desperate he looks.
Day 27 brings the immunity challenge. The tribe meets at challenge beach as Jeff P. introduces them to the new immunity necklace. (And yep, you guessed it, it deserves its nickname of Ugly Necklace.)
Jeff P. tells them that they have to memorize the Thai symbols for the numbers 1 through 9 and then play a matching game with him. The two winners of this round will move on to the next round and get to play in the big sand box litter box behind him. Well, to make a long story as “short as Clay”, it comes down to Clay and Ken, digging in the litter box with Clay proving that the shorter to the ground you are the better you are at digging. Clay wins immunity and when Jeff P. puts the ugly necklace on him, he looks like a scruffy alley cat with one of those cone type collars the vet puts on animals to keep them from licking themselves.
At Tribal Council Jeff P. asks his typical inane questions. Jake is commenting on how he is trying to play the game to the best of his ability and stay true to himself but admits that at times they all have to lie just to stay one step ahead of the rest of the players. (The camera pans to Erin in the Jury box and if looks could kill, Jake would be six feet under.)
Anyway, Jeff P. says it time to vote. The final vote ends up being split right down tribal lines with Jake, Penny, and Ken voting for Ted. And Jan, Helen, Clay, Ted and Brian voting for Ken.
Bub-Bye Ken. 
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One additional thing I noticed. Jeff P. DID NOT ask Clay if he wanted to transfer Immunity to any other player. Guess they learned their lesson last season and decided that little fiasco could be done away with.
Well that’s it for now, see ya’ll next week. 
