Survivorfest week 12

James and Alexis limp out, stage right, taking players Kathys Woltermann and Borchers with them.


After last week's tribal council, James was sent to the medical facilities to have his finger checked out. The doctor told him that the antibiotics needed to take effect almost immediately or he's going to be sent home!


On the other hand, Alexis fell down that night and had a boo-boo on her knee.


With the women's very clear plan to vote off the men, and James's bad finger, it's not a good time to be a guy on Survivor. Erik's only chance is to win out or hope that the rest of them don't realize he's a man.


Cirie remarked on the various medical ills of her tribe. She indicated that she was a nurse and that maybe she should be more concerned. But she was a little thrilled that the rest of them might drop off, paving her way to the jury vote. So much for the Hippocratic oath! She's probably telling them that rubbing dead rat on their wounds is cleansing.


The rewards challenge is for "family time". The challenge is very similar to the game "True Colors".


Parvarti's mom is back! She's tells Parv "you smell fabulous!" I hope she was kidding. Maybe she was just hungry.


Erik had his brother. "Look, it's Jeff Probst! Just standing there!"


Jeff weighed in with the Survivor HOF quote "Erik, you're a freak!" At least he wasn't offering to lick anyone's fingers this week.


Natalie's mom's name is Rocky. I think there's a Bullwinkle joke here somewhere...Maybe her real name is Natasha.


Alexis' brother Nathan looks quite a bit like her.


Amanda's sister Katrina is back. She told Amanda "you smell better!" Must be the new extra-long-lasting Secret! Death Sentence on an Island Scent.


James's dad tells him he's been on a diet so that he looks like James. You might need to start popping some 'roids to pull that look off, Papa James...


Cirie's husband H.B. is back!


For the challenge, when a person got a question right they got to chop one of another player's three ropes. When the last rope was broken and lever was deployed to smash a clay likeness of that particular Survivor.


The questions for the game:


Who does the most around camp? The answer was James. Ironically, only James got the answer wrong.


Who never shuts up at camp? The answer was Parvarti, who was one of the few to get it wrong.


Who mistakenly thinks they're in control of the game? Parvarti again!


Who is the most honest? Alexis, though the answers were largely mixed.


Who would you be least likely to invite to dinner? James, much to his astonishment.



At this point, Alexis chopped the last of James's ropes, eliminating him from the challenge. James's dad said "Wait 'til we get home...we're gonna talk about her." Indeed, Papa James.



Alexis won the challenge, selecting Cirie and Natalie to go to "Jellyfish Bay" with her.


Amanda volunteered to be sent to Exile Island.


James was pulled aside by the medical staff to check his finger. The news was not good. The infection was not going away and he was going home.

Isn't having a televised doctor visit against HIPAA regulations? Yeah, here it is: "[HIPAA] also requires covered entities to take reasonable steps to ensure the confidentiality of communications with individuals."

James should sue CBS for $1 million. Or maybe he could be the next Bachelor. Oh, that's ABC. Well all the major networks are actually owned by the still-living head of Merv Griffin anyway. It's true, look it up!


James took it well, though clearly he wasn't happy. Parvarti cried her eyes out. I'm not sure if it's because she felt bad for him or if she was disappointed not to get to vote him off.


Erik groaned "I'm the only man left!" There goes his chance at remaining sexless.


At Exile, Amanda began to search for the hidden idol. Is it my imagination or are the idols getting easier to find? The next one will probably be sitting in the little hut with a bow around it.


One of the clues indicated that she would have to dig to find it. Based on the last immunity challenge, I figured Amanda would be digging through the sand for approximately 400 years. Alas, no, she found it, leading to the conclusion that the idol was hidden under the tribe flag back at camp.


Back at the camp, the women were huddled together discussing strategy. They were very concerned that Erik, who had outed himself as the remaining male, might be tough to vote off if he won immunity. "We have to make sure Erik doesn't win the challenge!" I'm not a math wiz, but five to one means to me that Erik would have to win all the remaining immunity challenges in order to avoid being on the wrong end of a female vs. male vote. I think the still-living head of Merv Griffin would agree with me.


Alexis continued to limp heavily. The light scrape she displayed couldn't be causing that much distress, so the suspicion is that she twisted her knee. CBS has no doubt fired the camera man who failed to get this footage on film. Seriously, they have every other piece of relevant footage from this season, how did they miss this?


The girls helpfully suggest that she quit the game to get medical attention. Just because "they love her". Uh huh. Cirie, this would be a good time to suggest that vigorous deep knee bends would be beneficial to a gimpy joint!


Alexis led the discussion to vote off Amanda, since she wasn't at camp to defend herself. Cirie, realizing that her name was not Amanda, was immediately down with that plan.

Mark's earlier prediction of the women's alliance cracking may yet come to pass.


Parvarti showed a small shred of dignity by declaring that she would never vote off her "little sis" Amanda. I think it's too late for you to win favor with the jury, Parv.


At the immunity challenge, Amanda is welcomed back with an all girl group hug. Erik, felt left out and drifted in at the end for a kind of no-arms cuddle with the women's backs. Poor Erik.


The challenge was to shoot a high pressure air rifle to break a vase with the contestant's name on it. The first to break three of their own vases would receive immunity.


How is this even remotely Micronesian? These people use large round stones for currency and eat bats!


The challenge started out mixed, with Natalie, Parvarti and Erik hitting their vase on the first attempt. Cirie missed by so much I suspect she was actually trying to hit Probst.


In the second round only Erik hit the mark.


In the third round Natalie hit hers to keep things interesting, Amanda hit her first target and strutted around like the Red Baron. Cirie missed again. Erik finished the challenge by going three for three and taking immunity.


There was a distinct lack of joy in female town that day. Hopefully Erik was taking notice. There's seems to be no question as to who will be going home next if he fails to win immunity.


Back at camp Amanda declared that she couldn't find the idol and emptied her pack in front of everyone. Nice move! Most people either hint that they have it (they never do) or won't speak of it (which means they've got it).


The tribe decides to finish off the last remaining chicken for dinner. Natalie declared that she wanted to be the one to kill it. CBS staved off a PETA-induced riot by not televising the next several minutes. I suspect it involved a blood-covered Natalie running through camp with a machete, screaming "it just won't die!!!!!"


Amanda took Parvarti aside and told her she knew where the idol was hidden. Questionable move considering all the blindsiding that's been going on, but it paid off huge when Parvarti gave her an alibi at dinner, while the others were polishing off the remains of the hapless chicken.


Amanda was digging.


In the meantime, the rest of the tribe, minus Parvarti, decided to vote off Amanda. Amanda confronted Erik and tried to guilt him out of it, but he wouldn't budge. She also worked on Cirie, who pretended to feel badly about it, but said that she would rather vote off Amanda than go to a draw, where they would all take a chance on being voted off.


Amanda made a nice strategy move by effectively getting Cirie to promise to stick with her and Parvarti if things managed to "work out".


At tribal council, Natalie and Erik made it clear that they thought Amanda was the biggest threat in the game. They gave her some serious points with the jury by indicating that she was the only one who had nothing to do with screwing over any of the people who had been voted off. If Ozzy had any questions about who was involved in his ouster, they are gone now.


James showed up carting an IV bag, looking none the worse for wear. Probst remarked that three contestants leaving due to injury or quitting is a new record. I'm sure a few of you out there are grumbling about it, too.


The votes were made.


Probst asked for the hidden immunity idol and, after a dramatic pause, Amanda pulled it out, much to the chagrin of Alexis and Natalie.


The majority of votes (for Amanda) were discarded and the two for Alexis stood up, sending her home.


To my knowledge this was the first successful use of a hidden immunity idol. At least for the past several seasons, and especially this one, where the previous two owners were voted off without ever putting it in play.


Next week: More surprises in the wildest Survivor yet!