Survivorfest China - week 11

Erik has left the island!

And he escorted Mike with him, as the pool of remaining players in our game starts to dwindle.

Survivor week 11 thoughts:

I was amused to hear Courtney relate that Jean-Robert was busting on James for being taken by surprise and voted off. Poker players must have short memories.

The remaining survivors all agreed that they were fortunate to have had their plan to vote James off work. Because he likely would have killed them.

The rewards challenge is a "loved ones" event. Denise immediately starts bawling.

I was disappointed to see that Peih-Gee's dad was not, in fact, "Cowboy" from a couple of seasons ago.

Todd's sister Brandi is blubbering incoherently. Doubt she'll be much good in the upcoming challenge.

Courtney's dad is English. And I don't think he likes games.

During the maze challenge, the blind-folded Amanda and her sister Katrina called to each other with bizarre bird calls. That might have been the single funniest thing this season and I don't even know why.

Jeff enjoys Peih-Gee's father (also blind-folded) trying to point out the right direction to his daughter. Good stuff.

Courtney takes a moment out of another hopeless challenge to gripe at Jeff’s narrating ways: "gimme a break, Probst!"

Denise wins the reward challenge and stiffs Peih-Gee on the couple that she gets to take with her. Ouch.

Part of the reward is that Denise gets a Sprint phone call to her daughter, Erin. I wonder if it crossed her mind to have some pizza air-lifted to camp while she had the phone.

On her call she relates to Erin "I really stink!" to which she replies "I know." I wonder how much she stinks when she's at home...

After the "loved one" cruise and a nice meal of ribs and barely identifiable pizza, the three survivors got to bring their loved ones back to camp. "Yay!" I couldn't help but wonder if they knew what a Survivor camp was actually like.

We have a potential "Johnny Fair Play" moment when Todd's sister reveals that Todd's other sister lost her baby. The remaining camp people immediately assume he is lying. Nice. Even if you don't believe him, I think you lose points for making fun of him, just in case.

The immunity challenge is a combination of Chinese trivia and a moderate endurance challenge. The contestants choose the answer to the trivia question and take a key to open one of three locks.

Courtney hangs the key around her neck and the weight appears to nearly drag her to a watery grave.

Shockingly, the Chinese lady wins the Chinese trivia challenge. Again.

As they head to tribal council and the members of the jury file in, I notice that Jean-Robert is becoming increasingly annoyed to have been voted off so early. James is absolutely glaring daggers. I'm not convinced that he might not yet kill the people who crossed him.

Jeff asks Denise if she thinks that having everyone meet her husband and get to know her a little more hurts her in the game after they determine she has a "great life". She's a lunch lady with a mullet, Jeff!

Erik is voted out as Denise fails to turn on her power play group. Todd appears to nearly lose it when Jeff shuffles the votes to make the outcomes appear questionable. I expect interesting things from him next week.

See you next week on…Survivor!