Déjà vu?

Quick bonus note from last week: I had forgotten that Ozzy and Poverty are from the same season, Cook Islands. That makes her betrayal even more awesome.

Day 28, and James has a swollen cut on his finger. That seems like a random bit of information…which means it’s not a random bit of information.

James asks Poverty who she’s planning on taking to the end and she admits, “The girls.” Poverty tells Amanda she’s still in the loop, and also tells her the final five will be the ladies. Cirie comes over and Amanda asks if it’s the three of them to the end and Cirie says yes.

The Reward Challenge is the Survivor Auction. Everybody gets $500 but the twist is there’s no sharing money or items.

The first item is a mystery and Cirie buys it for $120. It’s a big hot dog and fries.

Erik buys a bigger mystery item for $80 but Jeff says he can trade it for an even bigger mystery item. Erik makes the deal and learns he traded an octopus for…nachos. ¡Muy bien!

Another item, another mystery. Natalie pays $240 for…bat soup. She passes on it but James says he’ll take it and he does.

Next up is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in plain sight. Amanda drops $280 on it. Certainty has its price.

Another mystery item goes to Natalie for $240. It’s a bottle with a note. She gets to send someone Exile Island and take all their money. She asks if there’s a new Hidden Immunity Idol and Jeff says there is. Natalie eyes Jason and his unspent $500. He pleads with her not to pick him but she does anyway. Erik is told he can hunt for the Idol and Jeff adds, “Maybe this time you’ll get a real one.”

Natalie wastes no time spending her new cash as she blows $380 on a mystery item that turns out to be a large chocolate cake. A note says she gets to share it with three other people and they only have 60 seconds to eat it. She quickly chooses Poverty, Alexis, and Cirie and they stuff their faces. That’s grosser than James’ bat soup.

Erik then pays Cirie $40 to lick chocolate off her fingers. The auction mercifully ends.

Natalie tells us she’s not happy Jason has a chance to get the Idol. As he hunts for it we hear him says he thinks Natalie sent him there to find the HII and work with her. Sure enough Jason finds it! He thinks he’s in a real alliance with Natalie now.

Back at camp the girls talk about Natalie getting Jason’s guard down so he doesn’t play the Idol if he has it so they can blindside him. A bird rips the head off a little snake.

Erik’s 22nd birthday brings the Immunity Challenge. “I really need to get ferocious on this,” he says.

Natalie talks a lot of camera smack and says it’s either Jason or James. When did she get all confident?

The Challenge is different stages: rock throwing/tile breaking, key digging/wheel assembling/plank lowering, and bridge making.

Before they start Natalie whispers to Jason, “I sent you to Exile Island for a reason.”

In stage one the three men and Amanda advance. In the second stage James and the birthday boy advance. In the final James falls into the water to give Erik a big lead but James starts gaining. Then he does this huge puma leap off the bridge - see kids, eating bats is good for you – and he makes a mad dash to end but Erik barely beats him to the finish.

Poverty says she and the females are the “black widow brigade.” Jason goes to look for food and Natalie goes through his bag in front of everyone. Sure enough, the Idol is there.

Later Jason tells Natalie he has the Idol and he wants to work with her. Natalie says James is going home next. Jason tells us he trusts her. Natalie says she finally gets to be herself which is “ruthless” and “cut-throat.”

Amanda and James talk. Amanda says it’s going to be Jason but James is the backup plan. James says he thinks he’s in trouble because he doesn’t think Jason is dumb enough not to play the Idol. James says he’s voting for Poverty. Amanda says she doesn’t think Jason will play the Idol.

Tribal Council, and as Ozzy comes in he salutes the final six with just one finger. James says it doesn’t look good for him. James says it was Poverty who turned on Ozzy and Ozzy sits up in anger.

Jason votes for James and James votes for Poverty. He talks about her eating the apple.

Jeff asks if anyone wants to play a Hidden Immunity Idol. James closes his eyes and prays. Jason does…NOT play the Idol! James does a triple-take.

The tally goes: James, Jason, James, Poverty, James, (3-1-1), Jason, Jason (3-3-1), and the last vote is for….JASON. Bye bye, Idol.

Jeff tells James the medical staff will look at his finger on the way out. Uh oh…

Next time on…Survivor: James’ finger remains a concern, there’s a new new HII, and some loved ones.

Jason says, “I just wish I had been a little smarter.” We do too.

Another week, another unplayed Immunity Idol. What’s interesting about this season is there are no set pairs. There’s no Yau-Man and Earl, or Yul and Becky helping each other to the end. And if you don’t have a partner you can trust with your life, the only way to work the Idol is to keep it a secret. As soon as word gets out (or eyes get into your bag) you’ve got the biggest target imaginable on your back.

So James survived two big mistakes. 1) After Poverty told him to his face the girls were sticking together, why didn’t he try and work with Jason and Erik to pull something off? All they needed was Amanda (who doesn’t like Poverty or Alexis, and who didn’t get any of Natalie’s cake) and Jason’s Idol and they could’ve blindsided the blindsiders.

And 2) His wasted vote. How dumb would James have looked if there had been a fourth vote for him and his vote for Poverty could have forced a tie with Jason? But the big fella lives to play another hand.

Now he has to see if that hand has any fingers.

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