Survivor Psyche, Episode 6: Banished

Despite Rob's constant self-congratulating as to his game playing abilities, all he can do during the bath is gape and drool. "Oooh! Boobs!" But prosecutor Deena is the master player. "I'm sittin' back suckin' it all in cause I know where the players are playin' and I know where the players aren't playin'."

Fruits of their Labors

Back in Tambaqui camp the victors enjoy the spoils of war. Butch singles out Christy for her performance during the challenge. He makes a pointed reference to Christy's triumph over Jenna, who gave Christy the cold-shoulder on so many previous occasions. "I needed her to go down like that," Christy confesses.

Principal Butch is so inspired by Christy's achievement he calls it "a defining moment" in his life. "Last night when Christy realized we kept her for her talent and the smile that came across her face was unbelievable. And then today, when she climbed out of that water, she knew her value, she knew she was one of us." Christy begins to take on a glow brighter than a tropical sun. "I strive through my whole life trying to prove that to people, to show people that there's nothing wrong with me," she says simply. Butch gives Christy a hug, saying, "You don't have a disability, that's how I feel about it." (Christy is building a relationship with Butch, and also Roger, as seen in last week's episode, as profound as that of Rodger and Elizabeth from Survivor: Australia and Paschal and Neleh from Survivor: Marquesas.)

Castles in the Air

Evil court jester Rob states that Alex is losing his momentum by choosing to "make friends" versus playing the game. (Who would you rather hang out with, Rob or Shawna?) Then Rob hits on a brilliant scheme: join in an alliance with the other odd-(wo)man out, Deena. Deena readily accepts Rob's proposal, calling it an "alliance of the hungry."

Rob then stalks his next strategic dupe, Matthew the cosmopolitan chef, entrepreneur, and cream of whatever social circles he's used to inhabiting. Instead of getting rid of Matthew, Rob has decided he needs his vote. "He's annoying, but I'll have to suck it up." (Funny, that's how everyone else feels about you.) Rob approaches Matt with the fairy tale that it's still a guy thing for them and Alex until the merge, when they'll vote off Dave or Roger.

Naive Matthew is completely suckered by Rob's "I'm just shy and always liked you, really!" approach. "It was a really nice," says sentimental Matthew. "It seemed like a real genuine offer." (Matthew makes Dave, the previous Tambaqui star child, look like a hard-boiled cynic by comparison. Matthew reminds us of a fairy tale prince, whose life in the castle has left him ill prepared for dealing with the knaves and ruffians of the "real" world.)

The kids indulge in a session of "The Dating Game" when Shawna proclaims that the men can compete for her grubby hand by coming up with imaginary dream date scenarios. Alex goes first (of course) with a nice, basic outline of their date. Matthew goes next, and his offering is like a classic fairy tale. He dreams of sweeping Shawna off her filth-encrusted little feet to his Neuschwanstein in the clouds. But schmoozy Rob wins the contest by exploiting his gift for telling other people exactly what they want to hear, in this case, Shawna. His dream date of a snowy winter afternoon in New York has Shawna and Jenna in girly raptures. "That was the most incredible date ever!" (In reality, we're betting that Rob's version of an ideal date with Shawna involves him sitting naked, watching Internet porn. Shawna minces in wearing a Victoria's Secret number while holding a plate of nachos and a couple of Zimas. Later, Rob has her pop the zits on his back while telling him how studly he is.)

The next day, Matt/Lancelot approaches his ladylove as she sleeps in her tarantula-strewn bower. He slips his ruggedly handsome head onto Sleeping Beauty's lap before Alex/Arthur can intervene. (Look up "cuckold" in the dictionary, kids.) Deena La Fay watches and plots. "Anybody who gets together exclusively with somebody poses a threat to me."

Immunity Challenge: Feeding Frenzy

The tribes get a giant leg bone with an inscription alluding to an eating challenge. "I don't want to meet the dog this goes to," Butch tells Christy. Giant hunks of meat at the challenge grounds greet the two tribes. Jeff instructs the hungry campers to have at it, but he wants them to go bobbing for gristle without the benefit of using their hands. They must tear off mouthfuls of meat and drop it into baskets suspended from scales. The tribe with the most beef in their basket wins. We haven't seen so many grotesque shots of bloody meat hanging out of people's mouths since we ran into Anna Nicole Smith at the Golden Corral. We were even treated to shots of teammates helping each other out by pulling meat out of one another's mouths like human dental floss. In the end, Tambaqui wins by a "tiny margin."