Night 7 and Eliza is mad at Lisa for turning on them. It's a little late for her to be concerned with loyalty. Lisa says it's because she doesn't trust Eliza. I wonder why that would be. Lisa tells us she's happier being aligned with the older women.

The next morning John wonders, "Why are we letting the fat dudes run the show?" Again, it's a little late for that. Brady tries to win favor by catching fish but he doesn't have much luck, saying he only caught "Little and his brother Littler."

The Reward Challenge is a simple game of Memory. There are fifteen pairs of items covered by baskets in a field. The first tribe to successfully match five pairs wins. And what do they get? Dah. Dah is the name of a native who will teach them how to live on the island more comfortably. Jeff calls him a "rock star" of local life.

Chad, Lisa, Rory and Scout take turns at the game. None of them make matches, but they don't miss matches either. Bubba's first choice is another new item, but his second choice is one they've already seen, giving the ladies a chance at a match. Ami secures it and Yasur leads 1-0. Brady's second pick is just as bad and Eliza capitalizes for a 2-0 lead.

"How much longer to we have to pretend to like her?"

Did you notice Twila's hair was French braided? I wonder if that means they're all buddies now.

For the third turn in a row, the men's first pick reveals a new item but the second one uncovers one they've seen before. This time Chris gets the assist and Julie knocks it down. Three-zip.

John goes and, finally, he finds something useful with his first pick. But he still can't make the match. To make matters worse, his second pick puts two potential matches out there. Leann gets one, and Sarge gets the other to put the men on the board, but the girls only need one more for victory.

Twila blows a chance and Chad steals it. 4-2. But Lisa finds one they need and does a cocky dance over to the match for the win. They get Dah for 24 hours, but Jeff says he has his own ride to their camp. Limo service is probably in his contract.

The women again strut their stuff.

No, it's just a canoe. The women go out to meet him but Dah goes right by them and gets to work. He literally walks up a tree, and chops down some coconuts. He demonstrates how to cut them so you can drink the milk. He then leads them to edible roots, leaves and even sugar cane! Rah-rah for Dah!

Over at Lopevi 501 Blues, Bubba is missing his family. Rory tells him he has to snap out of it or people will think he's weak. Bubba appreciates the advice and says Rory is misunderstood.

Rory and Sarge argue some more. Bubba says he's tired of it. Will he join Rory in a coup?

Back at Dah-llywood, the rock star is lining their bed with split bamboo to make it softer. When he's done they want him to go fishing. Let the man rest!

The next day Dah must depart and the women are sad. They try to serenade him and Dah politely doesn't laugh. What a guy. What terrible singing.

Rory takes the spear out for a spin but only walks around the shallow water and stabs at things. Brady talks some trash about him to Lea to try and swing a vote.

Ami does something important.

The Immunity Challenge is a large puzzle that I will now poorly explain: There are 16 tiles in four different colors with one of four different symbols on each one. No two tiles are exactly the same. The goal is to arrange the tiles in a four-by-four grid so each row and column has one of each color and one of each symbol. For example, you can't have two yellow tiles in the same row, and you can't have two tiles with a volcano on them in the same column. Make sense? Didn't think so.

As is often the case, each tribe must pick one person to lead them. In this instance the chosen one will be on top of a platform so he or she can more easily see the entire board. The women choose Eliza (huh?) and the men pick Rory (wha?!). This could take a very long time.

Jeff says there is a key to solving the puzzle and I am intrigued. Eliza starts giving directions and the women get to work. The men on the other hand are in "total chaos" according to Jeff. They quickly stop listening to Rory and spend the rest of the time shouting over each other. The ladies stay the course and win yet again.

Now, raise your hand if you tried to solve the puzzle on your own.

Why is my hand the only one up?

Hours of fun. Trust me.

Yep, after the show I made 16 paper tiles. Each one had a letter (A through D) and a number (1 through 4). I made Lorisa help me and we sat there for quite a while struggling at this thing. But we did it! Well, Lorisa did it. And when you're done, there is a pattern after all. I was able to duplicate it a couple times to prove our theorem correct. Email me if you want the answer. I am hands-down the Largest Survivor Nerd of All Time.

Back to the episode. Bubba tells John to vote for Brady to show he's with the older guys. He adds that Sarge is calling all the shots. Rory says he's afraid Sarge will turn on him. Lea tells us he'd lose a "really good work partner" in Brady, as we see them working together to fetch coconuts. Sarge calls Rory a "bad seed." Who's going to turn?

At Tribal Council Jeff reminds Rory that he's gotten a vote every time and says he's not sure whey they picked him to lead the Challenge. Ouch. Jeff asks Bubba if people are thinking as individuals too soon. Bubba and Chad both say you have to protect your own interests first.

They vote. Rory and Brady vote for each other. He tallies. Brady, Brady, Rory…Brady! And Brady again! Not even a second vote for Rory? Host Probst again questions their voting strategy and sends them on their way.

Next time on…Survivor. We finally get some sort of tribe swap (Jeff makes them take off their buffs), and there's an earthquake on the island! That's a first.

During Brady's final words we see that even John voted for him! His vote didn't matter either way, but maybe it helped keep him around. And now there's a chance he'll get rescued by a favorable tribe swap. You never know.

Now the game begins for real. Will the genders stick together when things get mixed? It didn't happen in the Amazon, but all the dreamy guys and most of the girlie girls are gone from this version. The women seem to have put their differences aside (see Eliza being allowed to lead, and coming through with a win) while the men keep snapping at each other. Game on.

Now where'd I put my puzzle….

Email us! Survivor@DangFun.com
Back to the Survivor 9 Index
Dang Fun Home