Surviving the Amazon, Episode 11: You Just Never Know Who to Trust

It's night 30, just after Alex has been voted out and Jenna and Heidi have been stunned by Rob's treachery. Jenna says she almost passed out when the votes were read. She felt more betrayed than she ever has in her life. Rob screwed the alliance. She can't imagine how Alex felt. We hate him. Hate him, hate him, hate him! We'll never forgive him. Never! Never I say!

Okay, I got a little carried away there. But it's not far from what she actually says.

Rob tells the group that he had nothing personal against Alex, but he felt a lot of what he said was not true. If anyone wants to speak with him, no problem. Matt says he enjoyed Alex's company through the game, but he experienced many times when Alex was deceptive.

Privately, Heidi says everybody else except her and Jenna talked about it, because if she said anything, it would have been all cussing. She later whines to Rob that she's helped three guys who wouldn't even be there but she's been manipulated and hurt and cheated. Rob says he's sorry, but it's time to evaluate what you're willing to do to win. She cries and says she's not willing to turn her back on a friend. To the camera, Rob says Jenna and Heidi were under the impression they were in the majority and could ride to the end. Now they are going to have to kiss ass just to ensure one makes it another three days.

The next morning, we move momentarily from surviving each other to surviving the elements. It had rained fairly hard and the shelter is not exactly leak-proof. Matt says it was not built right to begin with. What?! Roger is at home yelling at his television that it would have been fine if it weren't for you kids! Matt suggests they build another fire shelter, except that they use it as a people shelter. It's quick and easy and it works. As they get it done (with apparently no help from Jenna or Heidi), it starts to rain again.

Getting back to the juicy stuff, Jenna says there is no way they're just going to throw in the towel. They've done all they could do. Yeah. Like sunning themselves while the others worked… Anyway, someone stabbed them in the back and eventually they'll pay. They'll pay, I tell you! Sorry. Got a bit worked up again.

To accomplish this goal, they talk to Christy. OK, first, off-camera, they had to ask one of the producers which one Christy actually was, but then they find her. Christy says you just never know who to trust around here. Heidi says she's never lied to her. (And it's probably true - 'cus she'd need to talk to her in order to lie.) Christy says it's part of the game. Heidi comes back that when she and Jenna are gone, Christy is next. She tries to convince Christy to join with her and Jenna to vote off a guy. It's better to have a 50% shot than 0%. So, Heidi can do a little math after all. Christy says she'll think about it. Yeah, right.

Rob then talks to Christy. He says he had a long talk with Jenna and Heidi and they can't believe that she'll last longer than they will. Ooooh. That's a nice one. I don't know if Rob really did talk to them or not (I doubt it), but he definitely picked a spot to poke at. Christy says she wants to outlast them and feels she deserves to. Rob replies that Jenna said they worked so much harder. Oooooh. Another nice one. Work it, Rob, work it!

Privately, Christy says she likes the guys - they're honest and cool. She might be able to go farther with the girls, but… When Heidi said they needed to talk to her, she was thinking - much as I was - that now they need to talk? If they had given her respect along the way, she'd consider it. Is it better to win a million dollars or to be the last woman and kick butt? Right now, she says, it's not a hard decision.

Time for the reward challenge. It's a race. First the six have to dig in sand mounds to find four paddles. So two are eliminated right off the bat. Then they have to get into a canoe and row to a question floating in the water. They pick an answer and grab the bag of the corresponding color. If it's right, it will have puzzle pieces necessary to complete the challenge. If wrong, the puzzle pieces will be all black and they'll have to go back. There are only two stations back on the beach where they can do the puzzle. So whoever doesn't get there in time is out. First one to complete the puzzle wins.

What do they win? A visit from their relative!

And they're off! Rob, Jenna, Matt, and Christy find the paddles, so Butch and Heidi are out right off the bat. Matt is off to a great start in the boat, which he's handling like a pro. Did I mention that host Jeff Probst noted that it would take quite a bit of balance to row the boats properly? Well, Jenna decides not to even bother and gives it a swim. Christy falls out of her boat and is also swimming. Rob falls out but then gets back in.

Matt gets to the pieces first and grabs a bag. He's heading back to shore. Jenna and Christy swim to it and get theirs. Rob gets to his last but because he's in the boat, overtakes the women. Matt is on the beach and has the right answer. He's working on the puzzle. Rob eventually makes it and also has the right answer, so the women are out. Rob has to work to catch up, and he doesn't make it. Matt wins!

Heidi and Jenna tell Matt they're happy for him. Yeah, right. I almost believe them. Then Probst asks Matt if it's better to give than receive. He says give. So Probst says if Matt agrees to give up his visit, the other five will get theirs instead. He does. The others say no no, don't. But he still does (it would have been funny if he'd listened to them). He says he loves these guys and they deserve it.

So out come Butch's wife, Cindy. Christy's boyfriend, Brent. Rob's mom, Roseanne. Heidi's mom, Kathy. Jenna's dad, Michael. Matt says it's an amazing experience and touching to see the emotion. He felt like he was God for a moment.

But only a moment is about what everybody gets. They have 10 minutes to share food and drink. Rob leads a toast to Matt. Later he tells his mom, "I've been really bad." She replies sarcastically, "I'm shocked." Heh.

It's time to say goodbye to the relatives. But wait, there's more! Probst says he also believes it's better to give than receive, so here comes Matt's mom to spend the whole evening with him! They will go visit an Amazonian tribe.

And let's face it, everybody knew he was going to get to see his mom. Just once the folks at Survivor have to actually follow through on a threat or nobody will ever believe them. I'm sure Matt was thinking, "If I say yes, I bet I get to see her anyway."

The two of them are dropped off and follow torches to a clearing with a food-laden table. Matt is extremely excited to see fried chicken. They eat, they drink, they talk, and they watch some tribe members do a tribal music and dance routine.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Rob says everybody is in a good mood after the family visits. They aren't really thinking about the game. Butch has too much wine, Rob is in a Speedo, the girls are in bikinis. Yes, it's a drunken good time. Rob says he's happy they can hang out like normal people. Jenna says they are normal, it's just the game that makes it abnormal. Rob says he used the opportunity to kiss and make up with them because they hate his guts and he wants them to remember the good times they had rather than dwelling on the negative. And before you say, "Awwww," remember that he's probably doing it because they will be voting at the end!

The next day, Rob is telling us about the game. He says that you want to stand next to somebody more disagreeable than yourself at the end. He was planning to take Matt all the way for this reason, because everybody thinks he's a spaz. But after what he did in the reward challenge, Rob isn't sure that plan will work. He may not be beatable anymore. He may have to cut off Matt before the final two.

Rob decides to talk to Jenna. He says he told his mom that he thinks he can make it to the final two, but may not be able to win. So he figures that if he brings Jenna, she has rubbed some people the wrong way, but she will also have Alex and Heidi on her side. The other five votes are up for grabs. Jenna says he'd get Matt. Not necessarily, as Rob points out he'd have to screw over Matt to get there. So, Jenna wonders, what's the plan after Heidi goes? He won't say because she could run back and tell the others, whereas now all he has said is that he has the best chance in the end against her. Um, Rob, if you can lie to everybody, why do you think Jenna can't and is bound by a technicality? Just wonderin'.

Jenna says privately that Rob is a snake and everybody knows it. She would be embarrassed to know him. He's a slimeball. She talks to Heidi and asks what they should do. She says he's like the puppet master who is cutting his strings. She has morals and ethics (oh please). He has none. So there!

Heidi now talks to Rob. She says she doesn't want to be up against five snakes. Rob says if she wants to call him a snake, that's fine. She says she understands that you have to f*** people over to win. Rob replies that he told his mom he'd done bad things and she said, "Way to go!" (Yeah, mom!) Heidi retorts that she told her mom that she's been really good and given up stuff for others. Um. What? Maybe she's talking about when she gave up her clothes to help Jenna get chocolate and peanut butter. 'Cus that's the only thing I can possibly think of.

Rob likens the situation to living with two ex-girlfriends around who hate him. They think he's a jerk and, well, he says he is. But they just didn't realize that for the first 31 days.

Back to Jenna again, who says she draws the line. They are now in front of the whole camp. She says he's BSing everyone and it isn't right anymore. He tries to recover by saying he's sorry he wants to vote Heidi off. She's not going to let him off easy though. She says he's been lying to everybody. Has he told Christy the plan? Has he told the others that he wants to go with Jenna to the final two because she's the only one he can beat? How can you lie to these people like this?

Rob asks if she ever thought that he might be lying to her. Another nice attempt at a comeback, though if I were there I don't think I'd have believed it. She says it wouldn't surprise her if it were true. He's lied to everyone. Rob comes back by saying he has told everyone in this game- she interrupts and finishes his sentence with, "a different story." He continues the sentence on his own, saying that he's told lies in this game. Butch sits around with all this yelling and pretends he's somewhere else. Jenna continues the attack, saying Rob only cares about himself. Rob says he's sorry he's playing the same game she is. The difference, Jenna spits, is that she cares about her personal relationships (as long as they're, you know, cute and in her clique). Heidi joins in the fray, saying they didn't f*** everybody over.

Rob tries to end the discussion by saying if they don't like the way he's playing, they can feel free to write down "R - O - B" on their parchment the next night. But Jenna's not going to let him walk away. She further tries to shake things up by asking who else he told he'd take them to the final two. Matt says there isn't a final two plan, just final four. OK, strike one for Jenna. She tries another swing, saying that's not the place she got from Rob.

She continues her tantrum, saying Rob doesn't really care about them. Heidi chimes in to agree. Rob says that's what they're there to do - and they are kidding themselves by trying to make it like he's the bad guy. Jenna says she's not going to be nice, friendly, or easy to work with (as opposed to what? The way she usually is? How would we be able to tell the difference?). She's going to make his life miserable!

Heidi jumps back in and says it's not real life, it's a game. She doesn't like the way he plays but he's getting ahead. Nobody else would play that way, but he'll win if he continues to screw everybody. Well, there's a good way to discourage him…

Once all of that is over and done with, Rob says privately that he is the lone wolf, the mercenary. He picks up bottom feeders to come with him because he promises them dreams of getting to the end. He says he has lied and broken promises - they know that and maybe that's why they trust him and believe him. He wonders: Were they paying attention the first 32 days?!

Yes, this is the return of Will from Big Brother 2. Almost the exact same situation. He admitted that he would lie. Everybody knew he lied. But then they believed him when he talked to them. Why? Because he was honest about lying. But the problem was he was still lying! And that's the situation we have now with Rob.

Rob wants to make sure he's still good with his alliance, so he talks to Butch. Butch says what he did was to take it from the women because they were mad and cussing. But that's just too bad. They can write his name down on the card, just as the others will do to one of them.

Matt is a little more worried, though. He says the women are trying to make it sound like Rob is hatching something against him. Rob says they're trying everything, even trying to get Christy on their side!

And there is Heidi, talking to Christy again, trying to get her over to their side. She tells Christy that if she doesn't go with the other two women, she will get voted off. If she does, there's a good chance she'll be #2 or #1. Christy doesn't know, though. She can't trust Jenna. She just doesn't know. But she also notes privately (again) that Jenna and Heidi have never wanted to talk to her before now. She revels in the total power she has.

Time for the immunity challenge. This one takes place in two parts. First, they each have slingshots and have to try to break their own plates, hanging from strings. When each breaks, they get a puck to use on a hand shuffleboard. The closest puck to the "X" wins.

The shooting begins with Jenna and Matt each getting one. That's the last one Matt gets (well, the last one of his). Several people help out Jenna - Butch hits hers, Matt hits hers. In the end, Jenna and Butch have five, Heidi four, Christy three, Rob two, and Matt only one.

They slide their pucks on the board. One person knocks another, sometimes out of the picture and sometimes into it. In the end, Jenna knocks out Heidi to claim immunity. Jenna says she has a plan. Ooooh.

Back to the scheming! Rob says his stomach is in a knot. He needs a full bottle of Maalox, a fifth of vodka, and a carton of cigarettes. He just doesn't know where he is. So he visits Christy. Is she still voting against Heidi? She says she guesses so, but she's still not sure. She's asking herself what can get her to sole survivor. She's up in the air and won't decide for certain 'til she sees how Tribal Council goes and has the pen in hand.

Uh oh.

Rob does not like that answer. So it's time for a backup plan. He approaches Heidi and says he wants to make it easy. He and Matt will join with Heidi and Jenna to get rid of Christy. Heidi seems shocked that he would do that. Hello? Wasn't she the one accusing him of stabbing anybody in the back? Rob tells it like it is - Christy is up in the air. And he doesn't like it. But, he admits, Heidi and Jenna would have to believe him; but he'd have to trust them too.

So it's time for Tribal Council. And I, for one, have no idea how it's going to come out! Say what you will about Rob, but he has definitely made it interesting these last few episodes!

Probst asks if anybody wants to confess that they thought earlier they might not make it this far. All raise their hands. Jenna, why did you have doubts? She says sometimes people don't like you and that's the only reason they'd vote you out. She is judged all the time by her outside looks. Some don't take well to her, thinking she's a stupid model. So she has to work twice and hard, and Heidi is the same way.

Oh please!

These are the women who talked about how cute they were early on. They ignored Christy, judging her without bothering to get to know her. Etc. Jenna is projecting bigtime here, and frankly, it's disgusting.

Back off my soapbox, Probst asks Rob if he's had to work harder. Rob says he's not handsome so he doesn't have that handicap. Heh.

Probst notes that there are two philosophies at this point in the game. One is to win, the other to try to get as far as you can. So, Rob, is there any thought about the second? No. Anything less than sole survivor is a letdown as far as Rob's concerned - it's all or nothing.

Jenna? Well, she says there are certain things she won't do, like stick a knife in a friend's back unless they do it first. She's drawn that line, but some didn't. So, Christy, will you cross lines? She says she will try to go all the way. In fact, she thinks she's in the driver's seat tonight. Probst is surprised. "Really?" he asks.

Then we have the standard question if the holder of immunity wants to give it up. No, of course not. Move on…

Wait a minute! Jenna actually gives it up - to Heidi! She says it's part of a strategy but won't say any more. Rob looks shocked - and more than a little worried. Probst notes that it's a first. And I've already gotten e-mails asking why she might have done it. Here is my suspicion: Jenna knew Rob wanted to take her to the final two. He had approached Heidi with the plan to vote off Christy. If he had been lying, he would vote for Heidi. But he might not so easily vote for Jenna, since his plan was to be next to her at the end. So by transferring immunity, he made it more difficult for Rob to go back on his word.

The votes are cast. Christy votes for Jenna, saying her wish has come true - she can go home, shower, eat, be beautiful, etc. She ends by saying they don't need her. The only other vote we see is Butch, also voting for Jenna, saying she's a great girl and it's nothing personal but he's staying with the strong alliance.

Counting the votes. One for Jenna. Two for Jenna. One for Christy. Two for Christy. Three for Christy. Huh? Four for Christy! She is gone.

Probst sends them home after telling them that Christy thought she was in a position of power when she was obviously not. Similarly, Alex felt the same way last time. So there are at least two people on the jury who may feel betrayed. It's one thing to get to the final two, another to get the votes for a million dollars.

In her final words, Christy is obviously emotional. She has just gone from the top of the world - the decision maker - to the bottom. She says (and signs) that she is so pissed off. She didn't deserve to be voted out! But then she starts to blame herself, noting that she developed trust and knew from day one not to trust anyone. Still, she's been a role model and she's going to make sure the "freaking evil stepsisters" are not going to win the million dollars!

Next time, there is a fire at camp - but who is to blame? And will the women turn on one another? Then, Sunday the 11th (yes, Mother's Day) is the two-hour finale plus reunion show! I will once again be there in New York City, so watch for me in the crowd.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at rno@pobox.com.

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