Survivor Psyche, Episode 6: Banished

Rank Awakening

A shocked Christy confronts Dave, Roger, and Butch as to why she wasn't voted out at Tribal Council instead of Jeanne. Roger gives the reason that Jeanne had skills comparable to Butch's, while Christy had "different strengths" - which was news to Dave. He was under the impression they were voting out Jeanne as part of a status quo "she was going anyway" decision. Christy is very pleased at Butch and Roger's compliments and nods happily. Heidi twitches. She explains her decision to vote for Jeanne by saying that not voting with the men meant "they wouldn't be a team(?)" Again, Heidi represents one of the worst female stereotypes - the brainless twit who can't make a decision for herself if a dominant male is around - or two, or three. A team of three women doesn't seem to count.

Further shocks await the women in the morning, when the men cavalierly go off to fish, leaving Christy and Heidi to dig out a new latrine. Heidi is so startled at this treatment, she actually speaks directly to Christy, more or less. "Did I make the right decision? This is a bunch of - crap!" she confides in all seriousness to the camera, with an occasional glance toward Christy.

Welcome Matt

Alex, Matt, and Rob are enjoying the perks of the Jaburu compound - plenty of toothpaste, female attention, and soft bedding. Rob sees teeth brushing as a lure to attract women. "Does anyone wanna make out with me right now?" The only response comes from Alex; not the gender Rob had in mind.

Even though Deena was "rattled" when the guys first appeared, she confesses to the camera how fascinating they are and how she "adores" them. But Jenna is the one who is the most guarded, rarely smiling and keeping her distance. She's a one-dimensional Walt Disney ice princess, shutting herself away in her ivory tower. The men are a threat she has yet to figure out how to deal with. The camera has been a buffer between her and the opposite sex til now. The gender split kept the men at a safe and familiar distance, but now, all the rules are out the window.

Now we move to Shawna, Jenna's polar opposite, in terms of friendliness and charm. Shawna welcomes the men with open arms, even to the extent of becoming the communal pillow during co-ed naptime. She turns her love light on Alex full blast, but Matt is also drawn towards her warmth like a moth to the flame. Her many layers of grunginess don't seem to be a turnoff for them. As for Rob, he's on the outside looking in again, making his usual snide comments. He's like the Peeping Tom outside the bedroom window of the slumber party.

Reward Challenge: Take a Dive

"Give Your Meals a Helping Hand." Deena remarks to Rob, "We can safely assume we have graduated from Coke to food," when they pick up the mail. The challenge consists of a balancing act on a log placed over a mud pit. The prize is a basket of fruit and spices. Two players face off at a time by gender. Everyone is evenly matched - with a few surprises. Principal Butch, not the buffest bit of man-meat in the jungle, manages to outplay both his opponents. Heidi the gym teacher is trounced by hers. But the most satisfying match-up is between Christy and her arch-nemesis Jenna. Christy sends sinks Jenna's battleship not once but twice, indulging in more and more expressive happy dances each time. Christy's final encounter against Jenna was the winning one for the Tambaqui tribe. Everyone celebrates by breaking into their own victory dance versions, much like the party scene in A Charlie Brown Christmas. (Christy was Snoopy!)

Pecking Order

Jenna consoles herself with this explanation of her tribe's behavior. "We're still together as a tribe, so we're gonna take a bath to celebrate." Her voice rises into the "perky" register at the end of her speech, as in "I'm still cute!"

Deena delivers another flawless observation in her inimitable deadpan style. "The communal bath involved a lot of little pecking and brushing and monkey grooming." (We're wondering how much time was dedicated to de-lousing Shawna's mane. Meeeoowch!)

Jenna is swimming in familiar waters during the bath. The camera lingers on her leopard-themed bikini as she methodically strikes a pose in the water. Jenna is used to displaying her body to its best advantage for the admiring gaze of others. Despite her beauty, Jenna is still an Ice Queen. The bath water comes in three temperatures: hot for Shawna, warm for Momma Deena, and ice cold for Jenna. Those poor frozen piranhas never knew what hit them.

Rob is so agitated by the experience, he nearly blurts out his inner dialogue to the group. "I just took a bath with two hot chicks. One was a swimsuit model - I'd like to repeat - One was a swimsuit model," he gushes to the camera. (Yeah, the closest you'll ever get to her is drinking her bath water, dork, and don't think we'd put it past you. Well, it would be the coldest drink in the jungle.)