Previously on Survivor, the tribe merged into Chuay Jai. Chuay Jai. To borrow a likely phrase from Rudy, what the hell kind of name is Chuay Jai? In any case, Clay was -- for the umpteenth time -- "gon' tell you what" about his outlook on the game. Then Ted needed his "me time," and the former members of Chuay Gahn got tired or him. Or maybe they didn't and just told Jake they did. In any case, Clay excelled at the map-reading challenge, and knew he looked sexy in the spiky, gold immunity necklace. Then the tribe spoke to Ken in that night's Tribal Council. Seven are left. Who will be voted out tonight?
It's dawn on Day 28. A crab scuttles by. A scuttling crab! I've missed them so! Helen and Jan paddle the canoe while Jake strokes his beard and Ted stares pensively into the surf. In an interview, Ted tells us that he received three unexpected votes in the night's Tribal Council. He immediately knew they came from Sook Jai, but he's still trying to figure out why. Jake ambles over, sits beside Ted, and attempts to explain himself. When he says that the former members of Sook Jai didn't know for whom to vote, Ted points out that they did a bang-up job of coordinating themselves despite their uncertainty. Jake then reveals to Ted that a Chuay Gahn tribe member told each of the Sook Jais to vote either for Ken or Ted. Jake would "rather not say," however, which tribe member it was, and Ted effectively conveys his disbelief with a brief "Oh." Jake panders that they should have voted with their hearts and not "messed with that," but they felt clueless since it was their first vote as a merged tribe. Ted apologizes that the vote didn't work the way Sook Jai wanted it to -- does that mean he's apologizing for not getting voted out? -- and concludes, "But you did what you did," before shooting Jake a sideways dirty look. In an interview, Ted tells us that despite Jake's assertions, he doesn't believe anyone told the members of Sook Jai to vote against him. Instead, he thinks that they are intimidated by him as a threat in the game: "Or, um, they just don't like me." Poor, naïve Ted sounds so sad when considering that the others might not like him. Ted reassures Jake that their conversation will remain between the two of them, but then tells us in an interview that he and Jake were both lying to each other, and that he doesn't have a problem with that because it's the nature of the game.
Jake washes laundry while Ted looks over, says, "Jake the Snake," and then makes "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" sounds. But not the hungry kind of "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" sounds. Because that would be weird. Ted tells Clay and Brian about his conversation with Jake; he says that when Jake wouldn't discuss his source, he thought, "Whatever." Ted then completely misses the exchanged glances between Brian and Clay, not to mention the nervous snickering, frantic elbowing, finger-pointing, panicked tics, and the large sign reading, "We did it!" Clay tells us in an interview that the night's vote "kinda scared old Ted," because he didn't like seeing his name written down. A shifty-looking Brian claims to Ted that "the girls" didn't tell Jake for whom to vote, and he and Clay didn't, either. Incidentally, I believe I can safely call Brian "shifty" without risk of offending the autistic community. Ted assures Brian that he has nothing to worry about -- he insists that when Jake shared this "bull john," he didn't believe him. And I really do think he said "bull john." Clay smugly tells us that it will be a cold day in hell when Ted believes Jake; Ted doesn't know he instigated those votes and never will, because the members of Chuay Gahn have been "too true" to Ted and he has no reason to distrust them. Brian feigns outrage as he asks, "What's he thinkin' just comin' over here start playin' both sides?" He claims it was a "bad business decision." Lots of pensive beard-stroking follows on the part of all of Chuay Jai's bearded men and Helen. Brian voice-overs that he and Clay are being played by Jake, and he's surprised that "a man of [Jake's] age and his stature" would suck up to Ted and then vote against him later. Such behavior is not only expected but condoned, however, from those with the "stature" of used-car salesmen and porn stars. Brian calls Jake insecure and says "the air, the heat, the whole, uh, jungle experience" might be getting to him. He adds that it's getting to all of them, because food gets scarcer every day, and it's increasingly difficult to maintain their situation. He preaches, "Those that lose their cool...they're the ones that might have a problem here, uh, sooner than later."
We see shots of various tribe members working around camp as Jake returns from an unsuccessful food-foraging expedition. He promises to go out again, before Clay tells us in an interview that they haven't caught a crab in ten days because the tide won't go down. The girls are also amazed by the water's depth; Jan says she's never seen it like that before. In all her twenty-eight days in Thailand! Helen concludes that it's "part of the starvation thing out here -- keep the tide high 'til we go home, and we can't eat." And Mark Burnett may be good, but he's not that good. Jan says, "The only thing left to eat is you-know-what," and a five second period follows in which I wonder what disgusting thing "you-know-what" could be. Monkey dung? Urine-soaked sand balls? Penny's sweaty chest buff? Then Jan informs us that "you-know-what" is actually snails, which Helen flat-out refuses to eat, thus single-handedly proving how far from starving they really are. Clay tells us -- genius that he is -- that since the chickens are gone, "[they're] eatin' chicken feed that come [sic] with the chickens to feed them to take care of them." Winning a big meal would give him enough energy to climb over a cliff, but much of the viewing audience would prefer it give him the energy to climb off a cliff. The camera pans over Penny's bony belly, but it's not particularly dramatic, since her belly was bony to begin with.
It's suddenly time for the challenge, and maybe I'm speaking to soon, but they appear to have completely done away with the clues. Whew-hoo! The camera pans over a bunch of colorful, obstacle-course-looking things. Peachy welcomes the tribe to "another hot day in paradise," and then reveals that the reward challenge is a four-part obstacle course, with each stage designed to eliminate players. The first phase of the challenge is called "Blown Bridge," which they'll run it in pairs. However, one of the S7 won't get to run it at all because on Peachy's self-important "go!" the odd man out will be eliminated immediately. Jan seems to think this is really amusing, but I think it's harsh. The remaining six players will in pairs maneuver across six "towers" of a color-coded course using two planks. If they fall off, both members have to go back to the beginning and start over again. The first two pairs advance to the "Belly Crawl," which is aptly named: they will crawl on their bellies military-style under a bamboo course. Three then move on to the wall-scaling phase, in which they are required to use the aid of one of their competitors to progress. The remaining two will race along a series of bamboo balance beams to the finish line. The reward is a display of Thailand's varied transportation system: rides on/in a boat, helicopter, van, and elephant. Not to mention the rickshaw, tandem bicycle, and bobsled. They also get Thai lunch. Peachy embarrasses himself even more than usual by announcing that the best part of the challenge is that it's free, because "Visa, baby, is pickin' it up!" I hope Visa paid him a godawful lot of money to muster up that much excitement over a credit card. I guess I can see how credit would be exciting for Clay, at least.
The S7 assume their places, and on Peachy's start, pair up. Actually, Clay and Brian pair up on Peachy's start while the others fumble around and look confused. Basically, every other person ends up pairing with the person to his or her left; Jake, who has no one to his left, ends up without a partner. He seems to have missed the fact that this would eliminate him and starts running before stopping and looking curiously at Peachy, who tells him to have a seat. Jake looks wistfully at the other competitors before sitting down. So Jan and Helen are one pair and Penny and Ted are the other. We see shots of lots of wobbly, walking competitors before Clay and Brian -- who clearly work well together -- complete the course. The other teams are having a little more difficulty. Ted decides to hold one end of the board while Penny walks across to the other side, which is supported by the tower, but Peachy stops them before they kill themselves. He says they'll have to use only the boards to get across. Not that using only the boards would prevent serious injury, as Jan stomps onto an ill-secured board and takes a major digger. Actually, she pretty much jumps off the plank after having decent opportunity to right herself. She falls about four feet and lands on her feet, but Peachy still makes a very delayed, cringing face. He recovers and orders Helen and Jan back to the start, and Helen asks, "The start?" in an annoyed voice. She doesn't move, and Peachy snits that she should "hustle up," because it's a whole new race. He also tells both groups to make sure their boards are secured because "there's a way this'll work and way you'll get hurt." Although Helen and Jan make decent headway, Ted guides Penny across the finish line then tiptoes his way across the last board after checking that it's "nice and firm, right?" And those are some boards, because Ted weighs about three and a half Pennys. So he and Penny advance to the round, while dejected Helen and Jan take a seat on the losers' bench.
In the belly-crawl leg, Ted may be strong but Clay's the weasel -- he's used to functioning close by the ground. Actually, they're all kind of weaselly, so for once, it's a challenge that makes use of their skills. You'd think Penny's smallness would give her an advantage, but she finishes last, behind Clay, Ted, and Brian, respectively. Yay! Watching Penny lose is fun.
According to Peachy, the third leg of the challenge is both "physical" (getting over the wall) and "political" (using the aid of another tribe member). Brian reaches the wall first and immediately squats to give Clay a lift. It doesn't look all that clear to me that this was intended for Clay as much as for whoever managed to jump on first. Still, Brian had reason enough for picking Clay based on size alone. After all, I wouldn't want Big Ted stomping on my hand. Ted joins in shoving Clay's ass over the wall as Peachy points out that they're both making plays for Clay's support in return. Now Clay reaches back over the wall to pull either Brian or Ted over. He reaches for Brian, but Ted grabs at him as well. Clay hangs over the wall and Brian clings to one arm while Ted clings to the other. Peachy points out that both men are now making a play for Clay's support, and narrates back and forth, "He's takin' Brian. He's takin' Ted. Ted's tryin' to make him use 'im!" Neither man will let go, and just as it looks like Clay will actually be able to make use of his sleeveless shirt, Peachy tells him he has to choose someone. Clay manages to shake off Ted, and successfully pulls Brian over the wall. Ted walks away mumbling that he could have done it by himself.
Peachy attempts to incite the other players by pointing out that Clay and Brian began the game as partners and supported each other throughout the challenge. Now, however, they'll compete against each other in the final leg. As with the "Blown Bridge," a fall midway through the balance beam course requires that the competitor start over. Clay spazzes his way across the boards, while Brian takes a more methodical approach. And although Clay is much faster, he falls and has to begin again. As Brian plods along, we see Clay scurrying in the background to catch up. And though Clay's manic scrambling is a noble effort, Brian -- with Ted's "suck it up, baby" encouragement -- is just one leg away from the victory. He takes a slow, pronounced final step and claims the victory, although he doesn't look particularly happy about it. Peachy congratulates his nice recovery but points out that Clay is still in it. Peachy congratulates him: "Here you go, baby," and announces, "Your own VISA card!" Brian examines the card -- in his line of work, he's seen his fair share of fake plastic -- and then gives the thumbs up. Peachy reveals that that he can bring along a "partner to share this experience with." With this announcement, the other members of Chuay Gahn rise from the losers' bench and present themselves in a line before Brian. For no good reason, Penny looks like she thinks she's as good as picked, but instead Brian shmoozes that he "probably couldn't have accomplished this feat without the assistance of someone," and calls out Clay, saying he thinks Clay deserves half the win. Brian says, "I appreciate it," as Clay comes over for his requisite hug. Peachy dismisses them back to camp with the news that they'll be picked up first thing in the morning.
We see a preview for last week's C.S.I., which was clearly written in 1983.
It's raining at Chuay Jai on Day 29. Beads of rain collect on a leaf. Penny tries to wash herself in the downpour, while Ted exercises. He tells us in an interview that information is critical at this point in the game, and "one makes a grave, grave mistake" if one doesn't observe and gather information that will help in future decision-making. One also makes a grave, grave mistake if one doesn't observe that nighttime, uninvited grinding is not the best way to secure new friendships. Ted points out that Clay looks like he's going on a date, but he looks as grimy as ever to me. Clay responds that he is going on a date, and that he may even "stop off and have a brunch." Ted says, "D'oh!" but then earnestly wishes him a fun time. In an interview, Ted explains that losing the challenge was disappointing because he hates losing. He was also "shocked" when Brian picked Clay to go along with him. On the beach, Ted asks Brian, "What's that story? What's that story? You know what I'm sayin'?" and Brian just says "Okay," but high-fives Ted anyway. Out of this non-conversation, Ted concludes that nothing has changed, and they happily bid each other farewell. Ted then tells us that he knew Brian and Clay had bonded, but now he knows they're closer than he had thought.
Clay preens with his hat, and Jan proclaims him ready for the trip. Brian reminds Clay that they need to do a "dedication" for Ted -- some form of salute "with the elephant." In an interview, he tells us that he has agreements with both Clay and Brian, and that his strategy is to wait and see which will work out better for him. The boat arrives, and the Chuay Gahn losers hug the winners goodbye. As the boat sputters off, Jan yells that they should eat a lot. Clay yells back, "I got a hot-lookin' date, don't I? He's got a fine ass! I seen [sic] it, too!" Brian fusses with his hat and pretends to think it's funny. As the boat gains in speed, Brian and Clay each raise both hands in the air and throw their heads back to revel in the experience. And of course, riding in a boat is just another occasion for random hugging. Brian voice-overs that they're more than halfway through the game, and it's an excellent opportunity to clear their heads. He concludes, "Relaxation is the key."
Now they're on to their second mode of transportation. We get a close-up of the helicopter blades, but neither Clay nor Brian gets distracted by the fight to get in first, bends to pick up some papers, and gets his arm chopped off. Much to ratings dismay. Inside, we see that Clay is giggly and enjoying himself, while Brian looks concerned. He explains in an interview that it was his first time in a helicopter, but it felt just like being on a roller coaster. As the camera pans away to show the helicopter over the water, we see Clay's gnomish little face pressed up against the window. He tells us that they flew for almost an hour to the mainland before "they put us on a bus and took us way out in the jungle." He wondered at the point where the trip was going to end.
It ends, we learn, with an elephant's ass. As Clay and Brian disembark from the van where said elephant awaits, Brian says, "Ah, Mr. Clay, sir. I have your elephant, sir, for you. Waiting, waiting." A Thai woman welcomes them to the "elephant trek" and presents them with juice. They toast each other and Ted before slurping up the juice and proclaiming it excellent. In an interview, Clay says it was the best juice he ever tasted, but says nothing about the Thai lady's ass. The elephant charmingly flaps its ears, and it's very rare that I have occasion to call anyone's behavior on this show "charming." In response, Clay says, "Nice elephant. You [sic] big momma." Then it's time for the typically dramatic bestowing of the credit card, although this time we're spared the usual close-up of Just Peachy's name.
The elephant is saddled with a purple seat, and Clay gamely mounts it. Brian is hesitant and voice-overs that they received "no briefing, no instruction, no 'okay, safety, here's what's gonna happen.'" Once on the elephant, Brian looks around for a seatbelt while Clay says some typically indeterminate Tarzan-speak thing to the elephant which begins with, "Whew, momma! What's your name? Giddy up? Tarzan?" and concludes with, "You do. Well." I suspect that even if I could make out the middle few words, I would still have no idea what he was talking about. Clay then leans back, grabs the elephant's butt, and says, "Nice ass." And if you'd stepped foot in my house within the past week, no doubt you would have heard me or my husband doing our best imitation. It's very amusing to walk around the house saying to the dog, the refrigerator, the telephone, "Nice ass." Brian, meanwhile, is concerned that it's a "big elephant." As compared to all those wee pachyderms.
So they're on their way, and we get a close-up of the elephant's cute feet plodding through the jungle. Brian speculates that they're about twenty feet up; as he wonders whether it's not too high for him to jump, he pretends he's joking, but he's totally not. While Clay and Brian ride along in relative splendor, a poor guide walks beside them for the entire ride. Not to mention the poor elephant with the purple seat's rope wedged up its ass. Brian tells us in an interview that the ride was "spooky" and "uncomfortable," and that he kept his eye on the guide who was "holding [the elephant] by its ear." Brian tells us that whenever the guide stepped a few feet away, Brian said "Excuse me," and motioned him back. Again, he acts like he's mocking himself, but a clip reveals a very unamused Brian doing exactly that. Hee. As we see more shots of terrified Brian, Clay voice-overs that while he just went with the flow, Brian had a "death grip" on the side of the chair, and maintained a ready-to-jump stance throughout the entire two-hour ride. The camera pans away to show an apathetic elephant, an unhappy Brian, and a nose-picking Clay. If you didn't catch it the first time and you still have it on tape, it's worth going back and having a look. If you're interested in seeing Clay pick his nose, that is.
As Clay and Brian amble through the countryside, the requisite peaceful music plays. They agree that it's "some pretty country," and then Clay voice-overs about the gorgeousness of the limestone cliffs, mountains, hills, and caves. He says there's no way to describe the beauty of the place, which he claims is "off the beaten track and the world really doesn't know it's here." And maybe Clay didn't know Thailand existed before being selected for Survivor, but the rest of us had a pretty good idea. Clay admires the land -- "Gosh, almighty" -- which is immediately followed by rumbling from the elephant, causing him to exclaim, "Oh, hell." They determine that the elephant is indeed farting, and the camera closes in on the elephant's ass. That's elephant's ass is quite the camera hog. In any case, Clay points out that the elephant is feeling better post-fart, and then says, "That's what you're gonna blow your nose." Whatever that means. Clay and Brian agree that Jake is most likely trying to control the action at Chuay Jai right about now, which brings us back to camp.
Helen and Jake paddle along in the canoe and agree that it's okay that they didn't win the challenge. Jake -- master of the obvious -- says, "We're not in the helicopter, but we're in the canoe." He asks if he can talk to Helen without their conversation leaving the canoe, and Helen is willing. Jake tells her that Clay and Brian are going to win the game. Then Helen tells us in an interview, that before leaving camp, Clay and Brian warned her to keep an eye on Jake. At the water hole, Jake claims that the only way to win the game at this point is to get rid of one or both of them, to which Helen replies, "You got a good point." Jake offers to share the "pecking order" with Helen, who acts amazed, but then tells us in an interview that Jake must be getting his information from a decent source, because he confirmed what she'd already heard from the others. Since this information is not shared with us, we might reasonably deduce that it's the exact way in which the game will eventually play out. Helen again feigns surprise when Jake reveals that he told Ted why he cast his vote against him. In a forlorn interview, Jake tells us he has to keep trying. He whines, "I mean, what can I do? I can sit here and get voted off, or I can stir up a little somethin' that might get me a little bit further." He's got nothing to lose. Except his dignity, that is, but after five seasons, it's clear that dignity is no prerequisite for the game. Jake flatters Helen by suggesting that she has a good chance of winning. He thinks she could probably take Clay in the final two, but he's not sure about Brian. Helen agrees, causing Jake to point out that as much as she might love Brian, Helen will have to take him out now in order to prevail. In an interview, Jake tells us that he "gave her some things to think about," because a million dollars is a good reason to turn on someone no matter how much you like them. Helen asks how Jake proposes to get rid of Clay, so either she refused to turn on Brian just yet, or we missed some of the conversation. Jake responds that they'll have to vote out whichever of the two doesn't win immunity. Helen tells us she'll be "deep in thought" for the rest of the day wondering whether Jake is being honest, or if he's just playing the game. In his position, she'd do what was necessary to last longer, too. Jake continues to work Helen by insisting that she's the only one who can beat Brian or Clay at this point in the game. In an interview, he tells us that he does think Helen can win without Brian and Clay in the picture. He sneakily adds, "Of course, if she got rid of Brian and Clay, I think I'd be back in the hunt."
The elephant snorts its way through a meal, as we see a prettily set table under a hut. Clay and Brian exclaim over its beauty, and then Brian tells us in an interview, that they walked in and, "Tada! A feast -- a feast fit for a king!" Brian and Clay spoon shrimp soup into bowls. A Thai woman approaches them with more food, causing Clay to exclaim, "Holy hell yes!" Clearly, the shrimps' asses are not so nice, as they elicit no commentary from Clay. In an interview, Clay tells us he's never seen so much food in his life, which might explain his lack of success as a restaurant owner. Clay and Brian shovel in noodles and vegetables while discussing how confused their stomachs are. Clay says his stomach is telling him, "You feed me leaves and bark and all of a sudden you put stuff in I like!" Hee. He tells us they had every kind of Thai food, and that it was the best meal he's had in thirty years. Again, not boding particularly well for his career in the restaurant industry. They then toast each other again and agree that it's "not a bad beer." Clay then makes a joke about how the "trip home will not be long," but I don't get it. ["Maybe he means that they want so little to return to camp that the ride there will go by quickly?" -- Wing Chun] As they continue to feast, Clay voice-overs that he and Brian laughed a lot and have grown very tight. He says that those few shared moments were worth six months together at home, and hasn't someone said that exact thing during the shared feast reward in every season of this show? In order, perhaps, to demonstrate their closeness, we're shown a clip in which Brian burps and Clay doesn't appear to notice. Brian tells us that he wouldn't have enjoyed himself with anyone else as much as he did with Clay. He's glad for the shared experience, and thinks Clay would have done the same thing for him.
Now furtive-sounding music plays as Clay reveals in a voice-over that they had some "big ole shrimp" left over, which he endeavored to bring back for the others. We see close-ups of his grubby, elephant-ass-grabbing fingers loading food into the canteen. He filled the second canteen with two and a half leftover cans of beer. In an interview, he tells us he'll get to return to camp and says, "Look what I brought y'all!" He thinks that if he makes the final two, the others will remember that he thought of them earlier in the game and "they'll put old Clay down." As the feast winds down, Brian says that his belly has grown small, and Clay says his is currently saying, "I'm happy, I'm happy."
It's still Day 29. Back at camp, a bird pecks and pokes around in the sand. Jake is pleased to have found a solitary crab as the tribe hears the sounds of the boat returning. Clay and Brian wave as they approach; Jan yells, "Let's see those big fat bellies!" while Helen offers to help if they're too fat to disembark. In an interview, Brian tells us that the others were waiting for them "like, uh, lost sheep longing for their masters." As he and Clay wade to shore, Brian clutches his balls. He may be trying to keep his pants from getting wet, but there's some major self-gropage going on. Clay asks if the others are excited to see them and Penny unconvincingly drones, "We're so excited to see you, you don't even know!" Clay and Brian raise fruit-bearing hands in the air and start singing not so much as yelling, "Here comes Santa Claus!" The tribe members realize that Brian and Clay have returned with food, and begin advancing on the hapless men. Seriously, they look like zombies moving in for the kill. Clay orders them to take their sticks and return to the campsite: "We will feed y'all's happy ass tonight!"
As we see the ensuing celebration, Clay voice-overs that his and Brian's reception at camp was "real warm." He says that he and Brian each had three pieces of fruit in addition to the shrimp soup and beer. Ted -- who wasn't part of the in-water greeting party -- is also ecstatic that there's food, and heralds them with fist bops. As we see them pouring the shrimp soup into the pan -- which looks suspiciously like the shot of the vomit-food after Brian's drunken night -- Jan tells us in an interview, that the other canteen had beer in it: "And I did share it...but I didn't want to." This is accompanied by a shot of Jan handing Penny the canteen and then closely standing watch to reclaim it. Jan cradles the canteen and yells, "Oh my God, I need a nipple on top of this!" The tribe channels Lamber as they "Aaaah Maaahhh Gaaaad" over the food, and give more kisses to Clay and Brian. Jake tells us that at this point the tribe is grateful for anything, and congratulates Clay and Brian on a "smart, smart move." Helen then requests a "blow-by-blow" of the journey, and Brian is most interested in relaying the lack of "safety procedure" on the elephant ride.
The morning, the tribe's stupid-looking flag blows in the wind and Jake hacks at a log while Magilla hangs out. Penny tells us in an interview, that the members of Chuay Gahn may be tight, but they don't ever talk about strategy or the impending votes. She says that if they're ever off plotting, the others don't see it. While they bathe together, Jake asks what Penny thinks of the game: is she just happy to be there at this point? Penny asks what else she can do. Jake also thinks Chuay Gahn doesn't vote in alliance with each other, and Penny says that if they do, it's in secret. Jake agrees: "Must be, 'cause I can't break into it." Penny can't either, and tells us in an interview that she is fighting for her life in the game, and will do anything she can to stay in it. Although she had an original alliance with Jake, the game has changed. We see Ted watching them and concluding that Jake "look [sic] like a lost puppy," while Brian again insists that he shouldn't have played both sides. Penny reinforces Ken's high-school girl image of her by telling us that because she knows the others don't like Jake, she can't hang around with him anymore. Not to mention he buys his clothes at Wal-Mart.
As we see Clay and Penny having a conversation, Penny voice-overs that they "pinky-swore" on their trustworthiness; Clay told her he was trying to get her into the final four. Penny asks which players comprise Clay's final four, and he responds, "Not him." Penny points out that with Jake excluded from the picture, only six of them remain, and Clay responds that they'll just have to wait and see who the other two are. In an interview, Clay says that when anyone asks him about his or her standing in the game, "I kick out a person and put in their [sic] name." Hee. He says he's done the same thing with every person so far and he'll continue to do so because it would be stupid to tell a person otherwise to his or her face. He doesn't want Penny against him: "I gotta put her ass on that jury to vote for Clay!" Clay then relays the conversation to Ted and says he told Penny that Jake was "blowin' [her] ass outta the water." He says Jake "screwed up" Penny's game, and caused the others not to trust her, while he goes around making alliances with everyone. He told Penny, "You need to tell Jake to shut his damn mouth!" Clay insists that he's not stupid, and they pat themselves on the back for knowing what the game is all about. As they giggle and high-five each other, Penny voice-overs that her "only hope" is in Jake not winning immunity. And has it not occurred to her that she might win immunity herself? God forbid, of course.
It's now evening, and the S7 arrive at a torch-lit challenge. Peachy wants Clay to "give it up," and Clay forces him to do the dirty work of removing the immunity necklace from his grimy neck because he doesn't even want to touch himself. Peachy reveals that this week's challenge will test the tribe's knowledge of Thai culture. They will be asked a series of multiple-choice and true-or-false questions. With each question the tribe members answer correctly, they will have the opportunity to snuff out the torch (they each get three) of the competitor of their choice.
The first question asks by what name Thailand was formerly known. The answer is Siam, and they all get it right except Clay. And really, who could have expected Clay to get it right when he admitted earlier he didn't even know Thailand existed? Penny immediately snuffs Jake's torch, while the other members of the tribe watch in confusion and Peachy announces that she's "sendin' a little love to Jake." Brian snuffs a Helen torch, while Jake snuffs one of Brian's. Peachy snits, "Feels kind of good to snuff a torch, doesn't it?" Helen takes out one of Clay's, and Peachy appears to bust on Clay's last victory by saying he'll have to "earn" immunity this time. Ted and Jan each take out one of Penny's torches, and Peachy announces that "just like that Penny is down two."
Did you know that at some point in the life of every Thai male, he is expected to become a monk? Jake and Jan did, and get to snuff torches for their knowledge. Jan takes out Penny, whom Peachy proclaims as the "first casualty." Jake looks wary over Penny's loss, and then heads straight for Clay.
, Peachy cites a Thai word, explaining that it's an integral part of Thai life. It's not painting, or praying, or working, but having fun! And who doesn't love the fun-having? In any case, only Jake gets it right, taking out Clay's last torch. Peachy proclaims that Jake "almost single-handedly put Clay outta the game," and Clay responds, "Sure did!"
Peachy asks which of the following "innovations" originated in Thailand: Tae-Bo, tie-dyed shirts, Mai Tais, or none of the above. Brian is the only one to fall for the old "Mai Tai" trick, but the others all answer correctly with "none of the above." Jan and Jake take each other out, while Brian heads for Ted to "keep everybody even." Ted snuffs Jake's final torch while Helen laughs nervously because she thought she'd be . So now, only Ted, Jan, Brian, and Helen remain in the game.
It's true that Thais often greet each other with the phrase, "Have you eaten rice today?" Helen is the only one to know this, and she takes out Brian's second torch.
It's also true that Bangkok means "city of angels" in Thai, which both Jan and Helen know. Of course Helen knows, because she knows everything, and of course Jan knows, because that's where Oscar/Oliver the Dead Baby Bat and Lucky the Chicken now reside. Helen takes Brian out of the game. Then Jan goes for Ted, who shakes his head and jokes, "No love, no love." Jan laughs and insists, "No, I do love you!" but snuffs his torch anyway.
The question reveals that Bangkok is indeed the capital of Thailand. Ted incorrectly guesses Taipei, but is spared when Helen and Jan each take out the other's torch.
According to Thai etiquette, just about anything goes when it comes to food: fingers, chopsticks, forks, and spoons are all acceptable eating utensils. Jan guessed only fingers, and gets it wrong, while Helen went with the trusty "all of the above." She nods knowingly as Peachy proclaims her answer correct, and takes a very hopeful-looking Jan out of the game. Ted promises that he'll remember Helen's kindness, and we're now down to one torch for each of the two remaining players in the game.
The final question asks which country doesn't share a border with Thailand: Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, or Laos. While mulling the question, Helen does pliés, then guesses "Vietnam," which is correct. Ted does not fare so well with his guess of "Malaysia." Helen gleefully celebrates her victory by raising her buff in the air and squealing loudly. As she hugs Ted, she insists, "That was fun, huh?" which is something no winner should ever say to a loser. As Peachy places the necklace around her throat, she does the happy pee-pee dance. He guarantees Helen a spot in the final six, which she deems "cool," before Peachy commands her to lead the others back to camp.
The football on Chuay Jai's flag appears to glow in the dark as they return from the challenge. As Helen accepts their congratulations, the other members of the tribe drink beer and joke that they didn't know any of the answers. Brian says, "Snuff City!" and I sincerely hope he's talking about the challenge and not his latest film. When Jake points out that Penny "snuffed [him] right out right from the beginning," she lies that she did so because she knew he would answer all the questions correctly. In an interview, Jake tells us he was most bothered by Penny's betrayal. He's sure she had her reasons, but he has no idea what they might have been. Penny then explains that she wasn't sure what to do, but she thought snuffing Jake's torch might have demonstrated to Chuay Gahn that she and Jake no longer had a Sook Jai alliance.
Meanwhile, immunity-having Helen is completely empowered by the ugly necklace. She holds court with the other members of Chuay Gahn and announces that "The Snake has to go." Brian agrees, and Clay clarifies that Jake indeed should be . In an interview, Ted disagrees. He thinks Penny is a "Trojan horse" because she acts charming and sweet, but has a distinct game plan. He points out that her charms have already worked on Jake, and that she's currently working them on Clay and Brian. In order to prevent Penny from getting even further in the game, they need to take her out now. Back in the group huddle, Ted asks if Brian's okay with something -- and it may be voting Penny off first, but it just as well may be a prearranged future grinding session -- but Brian waves it off while insisting that they talk about it later. Jake tells us in an interview, that he could see the others "whispering around," and he knows what's going on. He's been trying to get Ted alone to point out that he's the to go, but he hasn't yet had the opportunity. He concludes by telling us it's not over until the fat lady sings, "but I think I can hear her warming up." With this, the cameras cut over to Ted making "la, la, la" singing sounds. And that's more than a "hee." That's a "ha!"
It's time for Tribal Council, and Erin comes in wearing a breast-minimizing black tank top. Mark Burnett will have to have a talk with her. Ken is wearing mismatched navy and black. Peachy spouts that Tribal Council is a place for the players to account for their actions: he asks if the first nine were voted out because of their behavior. Ted makes no friend of Erin or Ken by claiming that so far people have been ejected based on their prior actions. Although Ken and Erin manage to maintain straight faces, Brian looks at Ted with a "What are you thinking?" expression on his face. Ted thinks it will get harder to play the game so purely because when money is a motivating factor, people begin to think more selfishly.
Jake adds that they've let strong people go -- and Ken and Erin exchange a look -- because of their actions, but that people are taking a different approach at this point in the game; he's personally focused on allying with another person toward a win-win end because that's how the game is played.
For the second week in a row, Clay sputters the "Outwit, outplay, outlast!" motto, and says that everyone has his or her own strategy to get to the top; he's sure that they're all doing "their fair share."
Penny thinks it's okay to be deceitful, depending on when and how -- the when being "always" and the how being "every way possible." She hopes that most people have been honest and faithful to her, but she knows it's a game.
Finally, Jan points out that there's more sneaky whispering around the camp, before Peachy reveals that because the challenge occurred so late in the evening, they'd only had a brief amount of time to return to camp to collect their personal items. He asks if any of them have something to say, and Jake pipes right up. He calls out the members of Chuay Gahn for claiming in the last Council to vote against people based on their performance. He says that although he and Penny both feel vulnerable, he feels -- in a performance-based vote -- that he holds up as well as or better than any of the others. Clay commences with the crazed eye-rolling in response, as Jake concludes by claiming he's curious to "see if that performance record still holds up." Peachy asks if anyone wants to respond, and no one does, not even to say, "I prefer to respond directly to Jake. With my vote."
Clay underlines Jake's name three times because he didn't like what Jake just said. Jake shouldn't be surprised if he's voted out tonight because, Clay says, "[his] mouth has definitely overloaded [his] butt."
Penny also votes for Jake because she's trying to stay in the game, and this is the only way she can do so.
Ted votes for Penny because although she's "very, very good" and her charm has worked on the others, he's not falling for it. Still, he wants her to "take care."
That's all we see of the voting, and Peachy's off to tally. Jake receives the first vote, and Ken and Erin look at each other and grin. I'm not sure if this is "He's getting what he deserves" grinning, or "We knew this would happen" grinning. The vote is for Penny, followed by a random vote for Jan. There's another vote each for Jake and Penny, tying them at two apiece. The final two votes both bear Penny's name. As her torch gets snuffed and she exits the game, she has hugs and kind words for no one. Peachy then points out that the S6 have clearly endured a lot, and he reassures them with the promise that the last nine days will be even harder.
week, gather the family! And seriously, the Survivoradvertisers actually think you will actually gather your family for this? That aside, witness Robb throw Clay in the water! Witness Jake kick something! Never-before-seen footage! Witness close-ups of Erin's ass! Witness Grindia do the Macarena!
As the credits roll, we see that Jake cast the solitary "Jan" vote, thus costing himself her jury vote in the unlikely scenario that he wins immunity from here on into the final two. Penny tells us that although she wasn't ready to leave the game, "in a weird sort of way" she feels flattered to have been viewed as a threat, which sounds so much better than saying, "I guess I'm not nearly as adorable as I thought I was."