Episode Report Card Sara M: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Li'l Russell Island
By Sara M | Season 22 | Episode 3 | Aired on 03.02.2011
The tribes arrive at the challenge. Probst takes the immunity idol back from Ralph, who says nothing about how his tribe will get it back soon because he is all about throwing this challenge. Probst explains the challenge: hey, remember just last season when they had that challenge where three people were strapped to a wheel and had to spit water out to fill a tube and release a ball? Well, the crew couldn't be bothered to take that challenge apparatus down or think of anything new, so it's back. This time, though, instead of the ball being used to break tiles, it will race though a channel in a slide puzzle that one tribe member will be responsible for completing. The first team to do that wins immunity and a reward of comfort items: chairs, pillows, blankets, and a tarp. Though the members of Zapato groan in desire over the comfort items, they turn to each other and give the thumbs up of challenge-throwing behind Li'l Russell's back while Probst waits for them to tell him which two members will be sitting the challenge out. Ralph finally says it will be him and the woman whose name he obviously forgot even though she's in an alliance with him (Sarita). We get a rare glimpse of the pre-challenge strategy session for both teams, with Rob telling his tribe not to screw up and leave the puzzle to him and Steve and David trying to figure out the best way they can lose. Steve tells Julie to miss the tube. She nods, but interviews, again, that she isn't thrilled with the idea of throwing a challenge.
The challenge begins. Julie is on the wheel with the other two women in Li'l Russell's alliance, so while they aim their water at the tube, she gets called out by Probst for missing it. Probst then focuses his rage on Steve for looking weak as one of the wheel-spinners, as Probst clearly was given a heads-up that there would be shenanigans in this challenge. Onomatopoeia's ball is released first, and even though Phillip is one of the people in control of the wheel, he does not manage to drown anyone. Almost, though. Kristina came awfully close there.
While Rob works furiously on the puzzle, Krista and Stephanie manage to get Zapato's ball released. Now it's up to David to suck out. Sure enough, while Rob slides puzzle pieces around, David just stares at the puzzle. Rob solves his puzzle and maneuvers the ball through the channel and into the net to win it for his tribe, who are so happy to finally win that no one has the heart to tell them they probably only won because the other tribe hates Li'l Russell that much. Anyway, I might be happier than Onomatopoeia are, as surely this means Li'l Russell will be voted out and off my TV screen until the finale -- oh, wait. That's right: we have Redemption Island this season. So I guess Li'l Russell will never be too far away. Probst gives the idol to Onomatopoeia and asks Rob how it feels to finally win. "Overdue," he says. Lame. Probst should've asked Phillip. I have no idea what his answer would have been, but I know it would have been awesome. During the slow-mo Walk of Shame, Li'l Russell says he'd think his tribe lost that challenge on purpose, if he "didn't know any better." Except he does know better, since I'm sure the producers tell him stuff like this. "I'm dealing with a buncha bitches," he concludes. No, no, Li'l Russell -- we call those people HEROES.