Surviving the Amazon, Episode 2: (Un)Holy Granoley!

We return to the Amazon, where it's day four. At the women's camp (Jaburu, but I'll more often than not just call it "the women's camp"), Janet says they've been sleeping in the elements. Their shelter isn't really a shelter. Heidi says there are always so many other priorities, like fire and water. Deena tries to take charge by asking one person to do fire and water while others do other tasks. Jeanne says they really need a leader. For her part, Shawna says they don't have the necessary stuff to survive - she's sure the guys are way ahead of them.

And, well, they are. Back at the men's camp (Tambaqui), Alex tells us how they have built the shelter, are dealing with the food situation, figured out how to use the manioc flour better, etc. It's not great, but they'll survive.

As a group, they all go fish with the net. They don't appear to catch anything, but, hey, they're trying. Roger says it's a little embarrassing that they lost the first challenge, but they've established a good team (I have to wonder which "team" he's talking about - those who voted with him or the tribe as a whole?). Dave says they've settled into a schedule.

As they are out fishing, they notice the sky get dark and decide it's best to head back. They make it to camp with minutes to spare before it begins raining buckets. Alex says it's mostly dry in the shelter and Dave notes that it would suck to be outside right now.

Indeed it is. Just ask the women! In the pouring rain, they are working to shelter the fire. Shawna says, I think, that they managed to lose their flint and can't start a new fire, so they have to make sure the old one sticks around. How did they manage that?!

It's time for the first reward challenge. It will test how well they communicate, listen to each other, and take direction. OK, I can immediately tell you two things: 1) Christy will sit out for the women. 2) The men are dead because, well, we don't listen so well. Just ask our wives.

There are 30 pieces of a big puzzle scattered around the area. One person is designated as the guide while the others are paired up and blindfolded. The guide tells the others where to go to get the pieces. The reward is bait for fishing. Frankly, it doesn't sound like the greatest reward in the world, but, hey, if they can catch fish with it…

Christy does indeed sit out for the women. JoAnna and Butch are the guides. And they're off! The women take the lead as Butch repeatedly shouts out the wrong name and confuses the guys. Plus guys are wandering around, banging into each other to the point that host Jeff Probst and Christy are laughing. The women have 27 pieces gathered, the guys only 18. The women get the last few pieces, rip off their blindfolds, and get to work on putting the puzzle together. Guys are still wandering around without any real direction. Finally they get all the pieces and make a valiant effort to get the puzzle together, but the women just have too big a lead. Jaburu wins. JoAnna thanks God. Oy.

That night, over by the men, Roger says he is not accustomed to losing to women. Not that he's a chauvinist or anything, ya know. Noooo. Never crossed our minds, Roger. Never. Really.

Dave says the mood is one of frustration - everybody wants to win, especially seven guys against a bunch of girls. Alex says they are feeling the pressure. Dave suggests they all take a deep breath and they'll be okay for the immunity challenge.

The next day in Jaburu brings complaining. It seems the women aren't as good at cooking the manioc as the men. How's that for breaking another stereotype? I guess it doesn't help that it's full of maggots. Janet isn't pleased at this revelation after she has been eating it. Yum, protein!

They have been trying to use their bait, but just getting nibbles, mostly. They finally catch one, but since they don't set the hook, it flips around and back into the stream. They need some basic fishing lessons here. Right now, all they're doing with that bait is feeding the fish.

At the guys' camp, Roger has gone from not being a chauvinist to not being a homophobic jerk. He starts by saying people can hold whatever opinion they want and it doesn't bother him. But that supposed point of view doesn't last long when he goads Alex into responding to his views on homosexuality and how horrible it is and how it's terrible when they flaunt it by holding hands and doing, ya know, what heterosexuals do. Alex notes that both he and Roger and straight, so they have no idea what it's like to be gay. And who cares anyway if somebody is gay? Roger says that the only reason for sex is to procreate. Alex shoots back quickly and asks Roger if he's only had sex twice - once for each child. Good shot, Alex! Roger says no. Ahhh. But getting one of his arguments shot down by logic doesn't stop him! He comes back with the famous, "It's not natural" line. Sheesh. Alex wonders what "natural" really is and says he's known people who had lived as if they were straight but were much happier and had more love in their lives when they finally came out as opposed to when they'd been living a lie. Roger goes on and on.

Rob confesses privately that he'd been looking for somebody to vote against Roger, and he thinks he may have found that person in Alex due to their little tiff. He flat-out classifies Roger as a bigot.

It's nighttime for the women, and we find out the reason that JoAnna made a face at Probst last week when he was passing around the immunity idol before their first challenge. JoAnna doesn't like the idol because, well, it's an idol. And God has forbidden idols. So she doesn't want it in camp. She says other people may worship Buddha and whoever else, but she worships Jehovah (she throws out some other names for Him, but I didn't catch 'em all, and if they're all the same what's the difference anyway?) and he despises idol worship. In fact, she says the idol is why they all got rained on. Um. Yeah. 'Cus normally it wouldn't rain in the rain forest. Other women point out that the idol is the reason all eight of them were still there. Doesn't matter to JoAnna. She says she's going to keep talking about this all night. One of the others asks if she can whisper. She says no. Ah, the way to make friends and influence people.