Now, the inevitable: Foa Foa going up against Foa Foa. We begin Survivor: Samoa tonight with six castaways: four original yellows, one true-blue purple, and Shambo, who's been floating around for the longest time. With the game reaching its last days, someone's gotta give--but whoever's letting go last is still a variable.

For Russell, the plan is simple: let go of Brett as soon as possible, but he's perfectly aware that he can only do that if he loses the next immunity challenge. Brett, on the other hand, starts connecting with the remaining castaways, and he's found something common with Natalie: their faith. "I'll just work with what I have here," he says, which leads to this heartwarming yet odd moment between the two, when Brett quotes the Bible and she feels all warm and fuzzy. Might be working. She's calling him a "sweetheart".

Russell and Shambo, on the other hand, are talking about her "Shambolicious" hair (or her "terrible mullet"), which she's apparently had since 1986. She wants a haircut. He thinks she needs a shave.

This week's reward challenge is critical: a team of three could win a trip to a local village, with lots of food and a mattress to sleep on--very important at this point in the game. The challenge is particularly nerve-wrecking: a bunch of ropes act as a basket to coconuts, and each team has to pull a drop while dropping the least number of coconuts to the ground. The first team to drop a hundred nuts loses. Natalie's team captain, and she picks Brett and Mick; Russell, as the other team captain, chooses Jaison and Shambo.

The thing starts pretty slow, but slowly transforms into this unusual mix of social commentary and slapstick routine. Natalie and Brett start praying--I never expected to hear the term "prayer warrior" on Survivor, but there's got to be a first time, right? The prayers did keep them ahead, dropping only four coconuts against Russell's 29. Then Mick drops 19. Then Jaison drops 48. Then Natalie drops 58. Watching them stare at the coconuts go down, down, down was oddly funny. After Brett drops an extra 23, Russell's team wins reward.

Watching the three head to this village and accept them warmly feels pretty weird. Every single time. It always feels slightly exploitative--at least until I see the food, at which moment my tummy grumbles. A whole roast pig! Lots of grilled fish! Much, much more! Jaison acts as if he's only known how it feels to be happy now--then again, he "doesn't know what a reward means" until today.

But his head's on Natalie choosing Brett as a teammate from the get-go. The three discuss just that as they go to bed. Russell's confident Natalie's still on her side, and plans to vote either Mick or Brett off, perhaps to keep the leverage. "We're gonna have to blindside everybody," Russell concludes, before leaving everyone to celebrate the fact that they're sleeping in a mattress after a month. Especially Shambo, who acts all giddy.

As for the kids back at camp, well, they bond too. Brett figures they might as well take a break, enjoy each others' company, and watch the sunset... only they'll be eating snails instead of roast pig. Again, an unusually heartwarming sequence, especially when Natalie begins to rethink her strategy--her alliance with Russell and her being kindred spirits with Brett. "It's the hardest thing to balance your heart and your head," she says.

The following day, Russell pulls Natalie aside, and she reassures him that she's still on his side. But, personally, I think she's just paying lip service now: the moment Mick or Brett's name gets thrown into the fire, she starts looking hesitant, if not scripted.

This week's reward challenge is slower. Each have to count the number of items--piglets, birds, fish, rocks, six stations all in all--and use those numbers to solve a combination lock. Whoever does that first wins. It's really slow, so I'll fast forward by going to the guys, who got to the lock first. Brett was the last of the four, but he whirrs through everything and wins immunity for a second time in a row.

Brett's win has Jaison pretty frustrated. Now he's rethinking Russell's plan to kick Mick out. His idea: vote Shambo off, since she isn't performing well in challenges, and it's easing Brett towards immunity. He floats the idea to a hesitant Russell, but storms off when Shambo comes in, making her absolutely uncomfortable. Doubly so, when she learns that Russell told Mick to eliminate Shambo, but he lies again, saying he just said that to shut him up.

Coming into Tribal Council, Russell seems confused. He needs Shambo's strategic position in the game--no jury votes means he wins--but he needs Mick around to "keep the athletes together". The only thing he's certain off is, he'll keep his immunity necklace as a souvenir. The rest, well, don't seem so sure. Brett wants to win more immunity challenges, and Mick wants his loyalty to Foa Foa considered.

In the end, Jaison's idea swings, and Shambo is voted off unanimously. As the jury's faces (well, Dave's) goes in between "oh yes!" and "whatever", Shambo hugs Brett, wishes everyone luck, and expressed her complete understanding. The Foa-some, she says, were just being loyal to their tribe, "as they should be."

That leaves us with five more contestants coming into this Sunday's finale: Brett, Jaison, Mick, Natalie and Russell. Who'll get tossed last? Whose strategy will work best? Who'll win? It's closer than you think. Better get strapped.





(Image courtesy of CBS)