Survivor: China - Episode 11

“Tonight’s tribal council said it all. You have 9 days left. It’s going to be interesting. Grab your torches.” That’s how host Jeff Probst dismissed the remaining survivors at the end of episode 11. And yeah, it sure is.

The episode began where episode 9 ended 2 weeks ago, at tribal council. After Frosti was evicted, Jeff told the survivors that their business was not yet finished. I thought a snap eviction was on order, and so did the contestants, judging by the looks on their faces. Especially James, whose wide eyes told me he did not bring one of his immunity idols to council.

When Jeff’s first action of episode 11 is to dismiss the jury, the survivors heave a collective sigh of relief. The twist is a snap reward challenge. The prize? A trip by private jet to the Shao Lin temple, home of Kung Fu (I thought it was a back lot in Burbank). Winner gets to pick 2 companions. The challenge is a true-false quiz on Chinese culture. Who wins? PG, the one with the Chinese parents. Duh. She picks Erik and Denise to go with her. Oh - and, way to work that Flashdance sweat shirt look, Denise.

The winners leave the next morning. While PG and Erik, the 2 remaining former Zhan Hu members, are off tag teaming Denise, Denise’s former Fei Long tribe mates back at camp are congratulating themselves on the certainty of their becoming the final four. James in particular works the others with constant cautions that they are in Eden so long as they stick to their plan to eliminate PG and Erik. But while the others are assuring James that all is good, there are snakes in the garden. And why not? With 2 immunity idols, and the physical skills to win the final 3 endurance competition, James is the hands down favorite to make the final 2. Amanda tells the camera; “I don’t feel comfortable going to the final 3 with any of them. A change needs to be made. This is my chance to make something else happen.”

We cut back to the temple and I gotta say; the Kung Fu demonstration knocked me out. And who knew Denise, the lunch lady, had 8 years of martial arts training?

The reward winners return to camp at the tail-end of a long, heavy downpour. Amanda is the only one to greet the returnees. James, Courtney and Todd stay where they are, a miserable hidy-hole in a mud bank which Courtney grandly calls a cave, showing she is a natural born real estate agent.

Eventually they all emerge and the scheming moves up a gear. Denise tells Todd about PG trying to get her to come over to the dark side, while Erik works on James. Todd is offended by PG’s actions, but gimme a break. Of course she plotting to save her ass at your expense Todd – it’s Survivor. As for James, he is so confident he doesn’t even pretend to consider Erik’s plea to abandon the Fei Long alliance. Cut to Amanda doing a good job of convincing Courtney that the time has come to blind-side James. She tells the cameras, “James keeps saying, ‘Don’t bite the apple.’ I’m not just ready to bite it; I’m ready to eat the whole pie.”

The immunity challenge is target practice with ninja stars. When James loses to Erik in the final showdown Courtney gives Amanda a very unsubtle wink. Back at camp the scheming continues. When Amanda and Todd convince Denise to turn on James, it becomes clear the only thing that will save him is using one of his idols. Later, PG comes to Amanda to talk her into blindsiding James only to learn, to her delight, that the others are, as usaul, two steps ahead of her. I'm wondering how she has gotten this far and it finally penetrates my dull brain - PG is the one everybody thinks they can beat in the final two.

While we're on the subject of things I don’t understand: PG discovers one of the plaques, hidden in the rafters of their sleeping quarters. Whether is was an actual idol, or one of the plaques that had no writing on the back, we don’t know. But my point is, why, does she not steal James’ idol, or at least throw it away? Jamie and Erik did the same thing when they found the two idols in James’ pack during his brief stay with Zhan Hu. I don’t get it.

At tribal council, James, as he later admits to the camera, rolls the dice one time too many. With 2 unplayed immunity idols in his pack, James is voted off the island. Like Jeff says, with 9 days to play, it’s going to get interesting: which, as we all know, really means vicious.