Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT A Monica Seed
By Sara M | Season 19 | Episode 13 | Aired on 12.10.2009
They arrive at Tribal and Probst calls in the jury. Dave Ball has chosen to let his hair down for the occasion and shake his head sadly when Probst points out that he was voted out at the last Tribal, much to everyone's delight. Li'l Russell senses that someone else is getting camera time and puts a stop to that immediately, standing up to a great musical flourish and placing his immunity idol around his neck. Probst asks him what that's about. Li'l Russell says he just wants to look nice for Tribal so he decided to wear a necklace he found. Shambo says that this is a surprise to her because "everything he does is a surprise." Also, everything everyone else does. Monica, on the other hand, says this is not a surprise. Li'l Russell says that "some people" think having the idol puts a target on his back but he's going to show that it puts a target on the back of someone else or whatever.
Probst looks to Brett and says "things have really changed, haven't they?" Not really. Li'l Russell has an immunity idol. He's had one for almost the entire game. Everyone else knows about it. That's also been that way for most of the game. The only thing that's truly different is that Brett is actually speaking. He says that Li'l Russell apparently feels very comfortable about his place in this game, and with good reason. On the other hand, Brett says, it's when you feel comfortable in this game that you're the most vulnerable. As just about all of Galu has discovered. Probst asks Shambo what camp was like after today's (or yesterday's ... or tomorrow's) challenge. Shambo says it was "the worst day that we have had prior to a Tribal" while Monica grins triumphantly. Don't be too proud of yourself, there, Monica. This is also the first time Shambo's been awake and semi-aware before a Tribal. She continues that Li'l Russell's feathers were ruffled and it was "awesome!" Monica interrupts.
Li'l Russell says that Monica told him that if he votes her out tonight, she won't vote for him to get the million dollars and she'll tell everyone on the jury to do the same. Which, by the way, is why they should really sequester the jurors from each other. But that would take too much work so they don't. Li'l Russell says that when Monica says things like this, it only makes him want to vote her out more. Monica holds her own and says that Li'l Russell tries to push everyone's buttons but she's never seen his be pushed. But today, she did. And it was a joy for her to behold. She says she's proud of the fact that she put a "skin-tilla" (um, the "c" in scintilla is pronounced like an "s," not a "k," Monica) of doubt in the Foa Foa alliance's minds. And in some of their minds, a scintilla is all that will fit, so that is significant.