Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Idol hands
By Sara M | Season 18 | Episode 7 | Aired on 04.02.2009
Later on, Taj goes off by herself, leaving the rest of the tribe with an opportunity to discuss voting her out. Joe's the first person to speak up about it, of course. Sydney agrees with him, because she'd rather Taj went than her, and Stephen says he's fine with voting Taj out tonight. J.T. is noticeably silent. Sydney interviews that they're voting for Taj tonight "and that's that." She thinks Taj has an idea that she's going home tonight, but is too good of a person to talk about other people to try to save herself. That's the kind of thing you say about someone you feel sorry for because you're sure she's going home tonight. Meanwhile, Taj interviews that she has no doubt that she isn't going home tonight, as she's secure in her alliance with J.T. and Stephen and their trust in her. She also has an idol, not like she'll ever use it. She's only had it back in her possession once since finding it, only for it to be discovered like ten seconds later.
Stephen and J.T. are talking. J.T. is bummed that Jalapeño will be down in numbers going into a merge. Stephen says that's all the more reason to keep Taj in the game. He's voting for Sydney tonight. J.T. interviews that he has a tight alliance with Stephen and Taj, and that since Taj has the idol and has said he can use it, if he voted her out tonight that'd be like throwing away his idol. Joe is a problem, though, because if they tell him they're voting Sydney out over Taj, he'll want to know why. And if Taj gets her hands on the immunity idol ever again, he'll probably find it and figure it all out for himself, so whatever.
Joe goes for a swim looking like a man with absolutely nothing to worry about. Stephen's there too, and takes this opportunity while Sydney is off picking her nose in a bush to try to convince him to vote her out tonight. He cleverly points out that they're going into a merge down two people, and so will need someone on their side who has contacts at Tempura. Someone like Taj. The gears turn very slowly in Joe's head. "Cause she's been so long on Exile?" he asks. Stephen takes the time to explain that Taj has had five days of one-on-one time with Brendan and Sierra. J.T., meanwhile, is also at the lake but says nothing. Joe interviews that J.T. and Stephen "have this crazy look in their eye about keeping Taj." Yes, because we always look insane when we're presenting well thought-out arguments that happen to disagree with yours. Joe still wants to vote Taj out, saying he already told Sydney she was going to the merge. Well, that was dumb. And dumb to advertise to Stephen and J.T. because it just shows them that you have a tight alliance with Sydney and that's all the more reason for her to go ASAP. "Think on it, dude," J.T. advises. With that, they leave the lake and Joe interviews that they did not come to a group decision, so he'll use the idol to keep Sydney "to make a point." That point being that Joe cares more about keeping a sort-of model around than he does winning a million dollars.