Survivor Psyche, Episode 10: (AL)Exed

A Mayzie Kind of Day

It's Spring Break for Alex, Heidi, Jenna, and Rob as they laze in the heat of the tropical sun. Kingpin Alex assures us of his compatriots' superiority, both in numbers and "coolness." "It's a little bit like High School. Jenna, Heidi, Rob and I have the luxury of doing a little less work because we have a majority and the other three know it." Wait a minute - this is precisely the same grandiose speech that we've heard from previous ringleaders. Alex seems to have come down with the same case of Elephantiasis of the Ego that Dave, Roger, and Deena suffered from.

While the help toils to provide firewood, fish, and fresh water for the tribe, the lazy birds openly ridicule Christy, Butch, and Matthew. "They need to get their act together," mocks Jenna. "I'm booked all day trying to think of funny things to say," pipes The Cat in the Hat. "And I'm booked all day trying to think of a really cool outfit to wear to the challenge," Jenna preens. Jenna takes time from her sunbath to show off her warm and fuzzy side. She's an only child who's used to being spoiled rotten by her parents, she tells the camera, and loves having a "core group of people" who idolize her to help her cope. Heidi tells us that Jenna is worried about her mom who has cancer.

But the ripe odor of revolt is wafting up from the servant's quarters. Head Scullery Maid Christy lodges a protest against the unfair working conditions in camp. It's hard to keep a good work attitude, she says, while the others are doing "jack sh*t." Her fellow flunkeys chime in. "I find their behavior to be incomprehensible," Matthew muses in his courtly way. "Maybe the final four will be made up of Jenna, Heidi, Rob and Alex, but by betraying the other three members of the tribe and treating them like dirt, they've basically guaranteed that Butch, Christy, and myself will vote against them if anyone of them makes it to the final two." Butch, Christy, and Matthew gape in astonishment when they arrive back in camp to find the fab four sunning on a beach blanket. Butch struggles manfully with his feelings of outrage. "That's just … ridiculous!" he sputters.

Reward Challenge: Sharing the Wealth

Heidi and Jenna prove that they are different in more ways than just hair color in their reaction to the Tree Mail. The sight of wallets stuffed with money sends Jenna shrieking back to camp, while Heidi gazes at the empty container in blank confusion. It's the Food Auction, of course, you silly girl! Everyone in camp, except Heidi, who seems to have been raised by Chinchillas, has been drooling with anticipation over this challenge. Appetites reach a fever pitch. ""Oh, My God! I am so excited I can't even control myself!" Jenna shudders as visions of peanut butter cups overcomes her. (Suzanne and Melinda place bets as to whether Jenna will opt to save valuable time by stripping before the event.)

Each player gets $500 to spend, with a hint by Probst that the auction will consist of more than just food. Heidi wins course #1, a plate of cheesecake. "It's all you've ever wanted," Probst deadpans. He prods Heidi gently to get her unstuck from the bidding table and back to the bleachers with her plate. "OK," she trots off obediently. Alex wins the Let's Make a Deal dud prize with a plate of manioc instead of lasagna. Matt fares better with a large order of fries, cheeseburger, and mayo. "He doesn't care. If it was gross, he'd eat it anyway!" Rob blurts out.

We finally get to the object of Jenna's affection. She gasps so loudly at the sight of peanut butter & chocolate platter she almost swallows her tongue. Lest we viewers forget Jenna's reaction to pb&c, Probst gives us a helpful reminder. "That's very familiar to Jenna and Heidi. They took their clothes off a few weeks ago." But it's all water off a duck's back (or a halter off a tramp's back, in this case) to Jenna. She focuses on her prize with ferocious intent and scores!

Butch wins his own heart's desire, a giant working man's breakfast. But that's not all - Probst pulls out a giant fluffy mattress roll and pillow. Go Butch! It's his first ever reward, and well deserved too. Mini auction items of energy bars, protein shakes and more cake go to Rob, Matthew, and Heidi. (Where's Christy's food, we wonder?) The last course is a giant steak dinner, won by Alex, who is roundly complimented by his alliance members. But dinner's not over yet. Probst has more surprises hidden behind the auction table. Tears start to fall as he pulls out a clutch of envelopes inscribed with the players' names. And you guessed it - they're up for bid, too. The producers have taken pains in this episode to convince us that Jenna is the deserving one, Jenna has the saddest story, Jenna is the one everyone has been clustering around. But Christy, the orphan at the table, has been quietly biding her time, and spends $340 to win her letter from home. She gets a congratulatory pat from Principal Butch as she collects her prize, but not a word from the other players.

All eyes are on poor Jenna, sobbing into her bandanna, and soaking up the sympathy of Rob, Alex, and Heidi. Probst finally breaks the mood. "I don't want this to be a bad thing." He pulls out the other envelopes and places them back on the auction table for more bids. "But only if Christy is good with it cause you paid a hefty price." Christy unhesitatingly nods yes. (Now here's where it gets weird. We realize we've been cutting Jenna no slack in this article, and we'll get to that later. Even though Jenna has shown zero friendliness or support to Christy throughout this game, we thought for sure Jenna would at least pretend to be grateful for the enormous kindness Christy now shows her. Think so too? Read on.)

All the other players agree that Jenna's letter should be put up for bid. If Jenna's cohorts were so concerned about her happiness, why they didn't pool their money in the first place, we can't figure out. Even now, Heidi bumbles into Jenna's territory with her own bid, but Jenna graciously chooses to ignore the action. She uses her last $120 to win her own letter. And, on her way back to her seat, Jenna says - wait for it - "Thanks, guys." That's right. Not "Thanks, Christy," not even a token grimace in Christy's direction that could be taken as a smile. Nothing. And, what does Christy do? She chooses to take Jenna's "Thank you, guys" as a response to herself, smiles warmly at Jenna, and nods.