Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | 2 USERS: C YOU GRADE IT Federal Agent Question Mark
By Kim | Season 22 | Episode 1 | Aired on 02.16.2011
The other older woman on Ometepe, Kristina (who is a law student but she seems kind of old to be a student but maybe it's a midlife career change and...moving on) is kind of nosing around, looking for a clue to the Hidden Immunity Idol. One of the other women (Andrea? I don't know) joins her, although Kristina claims she's just going through the stuff they were given to see what's there. Boston Rob walks over and asks if she's found anything, and Kristina plays innocent. Rob figures out an excuse to send Andrea away and then tells Kristina that he knows what she's doing and asks if she found anything, but he manages to ask in such a way that A) she tells him the truth and B) it seems like now they are on the same side against the rest of the tribe. He does this in like two muttered sentences. He is a Survivor savant. Kristina grins at him and says she hasn't found anything, and as they head back to rejoin the tribe, Rob asks her to keep the others away from the stuff so no one else finds anything either. Kristina interviews that she hopes no one else noticed what she was doing because she doesn't want a reputation as an aggressive strategizer, but she does want the HII.
As the women work on the roof of the shelter, Rob sidles up to Phillip and says that there are five girls and four guys on the tribe, so the guys need to stick together. Phillip tries to ally himself with Rob, but Rob says that they'll talk about it later. Cut to an interview with Phillip where he brags that Rob was sizing him up because they are the two lions of the tribe, and then Phillip makes lion noises, and then he flashes his bicep at the camera and I don't know what just happened but Phillip is crazy.
Phillip and Kristina wander away from the main area a bit to have a talk. Phillip relays his conversation with Rob about watching out for the younger girls, since the women have a majority. Kristina just makes noncommittal responses. Phillip adds that Rob is going to try to play him like a fool, so Phillip is just going to play along. I don't doubt that it will be easy for Phillip to act like a fool. Kristina is either a terrible judge of character or just desperate to make an alliance with someone, because she tells Phillip that he seems solid and she wants to work with him. They shake hands on it. Well, that's not obvious.
"Hey, what's going on over at Zapatera?" wonders absolutely no one. Too bad! Russell and Stephanie go off to "find tree mail," but they actually find the well, and also discuss their tribe. Stephanie thinks the other tribe looks more physical (really? With all the women, plus old creepy Phillip? Okay.) Anyway, Russell quizzes her on her knowledge of his previous seasons, and there is a very flirtatious vibe between them as she giggles that she really believed him when he said he had changed. Russell gets serious and says that they will work together, but it means they can't be seen together after this, and once they get to the merge, all bets are off. Stephanie agrees, and they head back to camp. Stephanie has crazy eyes, if you ask me.