This seems to be the week for Peih-Gee to go home, both because it just seems like About That Time and because everybody seems increasingly annoyed by her. When she's left at camp with James and some other folks after losing a reward challenge, she faces off with James and seemingly seals her fate even more -- especially after Todd extravagantly lies about what happened to everyone who wasn't there. But this is the week where anyone who wants to can sit out the immunity challenge and eat, and remarkably, Todd, James, Courtney, and Denise choose to sit out -- meaning Todd and James are pretty much putting it on Amanda to keep immunity away from Peih-Gee. She fails, which they deserve, and they can't vote her out, which they also deserve. Despite the fact that with James not having immunity, it would be a perfect time to go after him again, the stupid ninnies do nothing but decide between Erik and Frosti, and they ultimately choose Frosti, so he goes home. Aside from Jeff Probst's absurd lecture to James in which he transparently betrays the fact that he's personally built James up in his head to be some kind of uber-Survivor rather than just a really big dude who's good at wrestling challenges, there's not a lot to see this week. Peih-Gee is still doomed, and Erik probably is, too, although his budding friendship with Amanda might be of some use to him. Oh, and apparently, no one cares if James ever gets voted out. Lah-dee-dah!
Previously on James, The Giant Peach: The two tribes became one, and they named themselves after a combative fart, which was a suitable beginning for the usual post-merge era of good feelings. The members of the former Zhan Hu were in line for a dull Pagonging, but then Todd figured out that maybe having a dude walking around with giant muscles and two immunity idols wasn't the best idea, and he planned to bounce James by hoodwinking him into not using his idol(s) and then surprising him with the boot. This plan was derailed when Jean-Robert also thought of it, so Todd had to think up something else to do, because when other people think up the same ideas he already thought up, it makes him so angry, he almost wants to tear his blanky clean in two and have a big cwybaby cwyfest about it. Having discarded Plan A for reasons of pure pettiness (a position that, in normal circumstances, I wholeheartedly embrace), Todd went with the clearly inferior Plan B of bouncing Jean-Robert instead of James. Nobody filled in Denise at all, so she voted alone for Peih-Gee, like the one guy who's like, "Kucinich could still win!" The other votes were split between James and Jean-Robert, and Denise was already feeling kind of grumpy about having been left out of the reward challenge, so it appeared that she might become a problem for Tiny Todd, the Wee Lord Of Scowlytown. Notably, in reminding the audience of the concerns over Courtney's shifting loyalties, the show carefully clips out James's gross reference to "swinging dicks," making it sound like he said something to the effect of, "She's lovely, and I very much respect her mother." Ultimately, the big poker player was finally sent packing, and Courtney could stretch out in the shelter again without packing her can of mace. Now, there are eight people left. Will the dull old Pagonging resume as expected?
Hae Da Fung, Day 25. A monkey is sleeping. You are boring the monkey overlords! They must be entertained, or they will bite off your fingers! That would be a great thing to tell the contestants, actually. I bet they'd hustle up some theater then, wouldn't they? The rest of the tribe is sleeping, but not James, who's awake and apparently cutting up something for breakfast as he tells us that he "had a narrow escape last night." He vows that, from this point on, he'll have the idols with him at tribal council. No more surprises for James, no sir. ["Slow clap for Todd." -- Wing Chun] James strolls over to the shelter, where the entire rest of the tribe is asleep, and bellows to wake everyone up. Apparently omitted from the "previously"s was the ceremonies in which James was appointed The Boss Of You. Seriously, in the past, there have been people who would wake up one person who was sleeping longer than anyone else, but I don't think anyone has ever decided that he could unilaterally declare when wake-up call was and simply scream at everyone to wake them up. It's sort of jaw-droppingly self-centered, or, as the CBS promotional people would put it, "James is the strongest Survivor ever la la la la I can't hear you." Everyone else wakes up and is surprisingly forgiving, lest they be pounded into cornmeal by James's giant arms, and Courtney is just really, really happy to be waking up without Jean-Robert in camp. She tells us that his complaining nature and need to have things "fetched" for him was wearing rather thin. Unfortunately, also wearing thin: what's left of Courtney's blood.
As Courtney and Amanda sit together, Denise sits across camp, with Frosti staring coldly at them. Courtney interviews that Denise was "mad" about the fact that nobody told her what was going on with the vote last night. It seems like Denise's obvious targets would be Todd -- who loves to make himself out to be the ringleader -- and James, who's supposed to be her buddy. So I'm not sure what Denise's beef is with Courtney, who has about as much power as she does. Courtney tells us that they had to surprise Denise in order to surprise Jean-Robert (why that's true is not clear), but that she knows it could "come back to get" the group. For Denise's part, she says she did what the plan was and voted for the Zhan Hu as scheduled, and that she wound up out there all by herself. She says that it makes her feel a little "on the outside" (true), and that she's frustrated by the fact that she turned down a chance to flip and join Peih-Gee and her friends and now finds herself on the outs of her own tribe. She lies down in the shelter, and James (quite understandably) starts with the damage control, double-talking that somebody was supposed to tell Denise what was going on -- which is a total fabrication, of course, because James is the one whose answer to whether to tell her was not so much "Why, certainly, someone should make sure she is not misled" so much as it was "hay-ll no." Despite the fact that Denise really shouldn't believe anything these people tell her anymore, when James assures Denise that she's totally safe, she chooses to believe him without even (apparently) asking for how long. It seems to me that anybody in that group who can't see that James, Todd, and Amanda are setting themselves up for F3 is drinking too much monkey juice, so Courtney and Denise are damn fools for not trying to get themselves a better deal. Because Denise isn't terrifically perceptive or ambitious about her position in the game, however, this discussion seems to smooth things over with her in spite of not even making any sense. It's like pacifying a love-starved dog -- you go, "There, th--" and before you can even get the second "there" out, he's in your lap again.
Credits. Hey, the merged tribe includes a panda! That's kind of surprising. The panda is flying under the radar. The pre-jury people, you'll recall, have been disappeared. But we'll remember them. We'll remember...Blitzen? And Sneezy? And...I don't even remember. I think they might have passed away, actually.
After commercials, we return to Hae Da Fung on Day 26. So we've just skipped an entire day of, probably, nothing. I'd guess James talked a lot of shit, and Todd measured himself for robes and scepters. Peih-Gee comments that she doesn't get along with anyone in camp, and James agrees, "Yeah, you're definitely on the outs." He's working on the fire, and when Peih-Gee offers a single suggestion about the appropriate heat for the cooking, he snots, "Yeah, thanks for telling me." She is not allowed to have an opinion about the fire! Not allowed! Todd smirks smugly in the corner, as if this is somehow part of a plan he has. In an interview, Todd bitches that Peih-Gee apparently decided to be just as annoying as Jean-Robert. If that was supposed to be the example, they maybe should have...picked a better one? Because simply suggesting that the fire should be really hot doesn't quite strike me as the unforgivable act of braying harpyosity that Todd thinks it is. James looked like a defensive, whiny bully there more than Peih-Gee looked particularly overbearing. Don't get me wrong -- I'm sure she is plenty annoying and plenty overbearing, just as she was at the beginning of the season. But I think the clip selection there was not perhaps what it could have been if they were going for "Peih-Gee Drives Everyone Bazoo" and not "James Needs To Stop Needing To Be The Boss Of The Fire Quite So Desperately."
Meanwhile, Courtney and Frosti are clowning around, talking to each other in silly voices in one of the only relatable friendships I've even ever seen on this show. It's hard to explain, but the kind of nonsense screwing around they seem to be doing is more familiar to me than all the intertwined limbs and "I really like you" and "I really trust you" and such that they usually pass off as flirting in these parts. Todd interviews that Courtney now has this flirtation with Frosti, so it makes him nervous. I wonder if an idea like "maybe I should be less bitchy and mean to her" will ever enter his head. I doubt it. Todd seems to consider himself entitled to play his own game for himself, while expecting others to prioritize...him. Of course, most of the rest of the group seems determined at this point to let him, Amanda, and James march into F3 unopposed, so if there's that little spunk available to counter him, I can't really argue.
A lizard eats...a frog or something. Ew. I mean, way of the jungle, I know, but...poor frog. Or, if it's poisonous, poor lizard. Maybe poor high lizard. This paragraph is out of hand.
Treemail arrives, and the clue suggests that there will be drumming in the challenge. And, in fact, a drum is included with the treemail. The implication is clear that a feast will be the reward. Peih-Gee laments in an interview that she hasn't won any rewards, or practically any challenges at all, so she's feeling very frustrated.
Challenge. So the way this works, you're divided into two teams. Each team has to keep a ball bouncing by passing it from person to person, each person holding a drum on which they bounce the ball. You're going through an obstacle course, so obviously, you have to figure out how to pass it back and forth so that you can get around the various obstacles. The drums vary from a fairly small one to a fairly big one. If you drop the ball, you have to return to the start, or to the most recent of two "gates" you may have passed through. At the end, you have to bounce the ball into a big can. Then you go back and get another. The first team to get three balls through the course wins. That team gets a river cruise involving a big dinner and a night on the boat, returning in the morning. Unfortunately, they will have to bounce themselves on the beds all night long. (Just kidding.)
The captains are Peih-Gee and Erik. She picks James, and I have no idea what the thinking is there at all. He's shown himself to have physical brute strength only, at least thus far, and no signs of finesse or grace or agility that I've seen. He's not a multitalented, freakishly capable guy like Ozzy; he's just a really big, strong dude. Normally, I think Peih-Gee is a good thinker, but she's drinking the Kool-Aid on James's abilities, I think, because what he's good at is not going to help her here. Erik, much (much) more intelligently, picks the agile and versatile Frosti. James takes Todd, again for no apparent good reason. Frosti goes with Amanda over Courtney -- dun! Amanda's ass is still blurred every time it's on screen. I do not get what she did that made that happen to her behind. Giant hole in her pants? Simple overzealous wedgie? Tattoo with a Coca-Cola logo? WHAT? Todd takes Denise over Courtney, and Courtney goes with Erik, Frosti, and Amanda.
So this is kind of like...hacky-sack, in a way, or a combination of hacky-sack, dribbling a soccer ball on your knee, and bouncing a ball on a tennis racquet, you know? You have to bounce the ball on your drum and keep it under control, and you have to be able to pass it from person to person successfully without dropping it. Let's see how everybody does. Todd and Erik bounce up to the first obstacle, and Erik successfully passes to Frosti, but as soon as Todd passes to James, James drops the ball on the ground. Frosti drops the ball shortly thereafter, but only after they're through a gate, so they don't have to go all the way back to the start. James once again drops the ball on the ground for his team. That's two up and two down for James. Unable to do it, James asks Peih-Gee if she'll dribble the ball. The problem is that Peih-Gee is holding the littlest drum, so she has the smallest surface area. It's not clear whether they can switch drums, but her drum is not merely a little smaller but a lot smaller than the others, so this is very much not advantageous. Meanwhile, the other team masters not only the completion of the course, but the right way to finish, which is that Amanda holds her drum up like a backboard to direct the ball into the can -- a small but crucial detail. So that's one point for the yellow team.
Peih-Gee drops the ball, and it indeed looks like the small size of her drum is a problem, because every time, unless her bounces hit right in the middle of the drum, she gets way too much ricochet off to the side. My theory is that there's a sort of sweet spot that lets the ball bounce fairly straight, and on the small drum, that spot is really small, while on the bigger drums, it gives you much more leeway. You can also see that, even at this early stage, the rest of James's team is hustling back to start again, while James is dogging it and getting there when they're all already standing there waiting for him. Peih-Gee's team drops it again, because she asks whether Todd is ready, and he says he is, but her bounce is too high, and he doesn't come to the ball anyway, so it goes down again. Frosti and Erik already/still have the hang of it, so they finish a second ball. Red loses one right at the end of the course. The rest of them hustle back; James strolls indifferently. On their ball, Peih-Gee passes it to James, who immediately bonks it off into the distance. You can see how one might conclude that, on this challenge, he was (1) sucking; and (2) not giving a shit. Red loses its ball again right at the finish line. Erik and Frosti complete their ass-kicking performance and skunk the other team 3-0. So Frosti, Amanda, Erik, and Courtney will be going on a little cruise.
After the commercials, we return to camp, where Peih-Gee's frustration with losing is combining with, undoubtedly, her memories of James laying into her over sucking up the puzzle challenge he didn't realize she'd thrown. You'll recall his high-handed lecturing about how he can't abide people who don't try. "I'm so pissed right now," Peih-Gee tells James. "I can't believe you ever accused me of giving up at challenges." "Go away," he says dismissively. "Mm-mm," she refuses. "I did not see your ass strolling back to the mat every time you dropped the ball." "You got nerve," he says. "For a loser. Shut up." And then, hilariously, he adds, "How dare you." Oh my God, seriously. Has he been watching his own edit? "How dare you"? Is he going to slap her with a glove, even though she's 100% correct that James blew that challenge off as soon as he realized he wasn't awesome at it? Look, yes, Peih-Gee threw a challenge for strategic reasons, and she giggled about it, and she handled that badly, but she's not wrong about this. James did give up on this challenge as soon as it became clear that it wasn't going to be The James Show Starring Incredibly Awesome James, and now he's embarrassed, so he's bullying and name-calling because he feels defensive. I mean, honestly, what kind of an adult gets all, "For a looooser"?
For me, it's obvious that James's entire thing with Peih-Gee is not really about the entirely valid points that could be made against her and the way she behaves; it's all ego. When he didn't get that she and Jaime threw that challenge until Jeff pointed it out at tribal council, he realized that he'd spent the entire day being played for a fool (which was true) as walked around lecturing about how badly the girls performed in the challenge, ordering Erik and Aaron to pick between the sucky "girls," having no clue that they had outmaneuvered him, at least short-term. That's why James hates Peih-Gee. He looked foolish. And it's why he's mad now. Peih-Gee just pointed out that after lecturing everyone about how everyone has to try, James clearly checked out of the challenge because he couldn't be the star, right after coming to Peih-Gee and asking her to take over because he couldn't do it. There's no shame in being bad at bouncing a ball on a goddamn drum, and Peih-Gee's certainly reaping the non-benefits of having been a terrible diplomat, like, ALWAYS. But this particular fight seems to be about the way James reacts to being shown up, particularly (it seems) by women. Peih-Gee's no hero and James is no villain, but this particular argument is about the way James reacts when people reveal that, a lot of the time, his big talk is a lot of big talk.
The argument goes from kind of uncomfortable to really funny when James contemptuously says, "That's why y'all lose. You quick to blame." Ha ha ha! Yeah. James hates blame! He would never blame others for his team losing. He doesn't like blame; blame is for losers! You'll notice, of course, that Peih-Gee didn't blame James for losing the challenge; that wasn't her argument at all. Her argument -- which she never should have brought up, mostly because she and James don't like each other and it isn't the real reason she was angry -- was that after lecturing her about not trying, he clearly didn't try. It doesn't mean that's why Red lost; I think she knows that's not the only reason they lost. But indeed, after James tried and failed a couple of times, he threw in the towel and lost interest in the challenge. Which is fine, and very human, as long as you're not trying to tell everyone else about the importance of trying. So he's kind of getting what's coming to him here (as, in her way, Peih-Gee is). But James is changing the subject to "you're blaming me for losing" when her argument is, essentially, "I never want to hear another word out of your slowpoking ass about who isn't trying." In fact, when she clarifies specifically that she is not saying that it was his fault they lost, he cuts her off, literally pointing his finger at her, saying, "No, blame! Blame!" It's easier for him to respond to that if she says that, so as hard as it is to believe, he's willing to go as far as pretending that's what she's saying, even though it's not. Peih-Gee says that she'd like to finish her sentence, but James is so terrified that she'll say something he can't respond to that he instructs her that she may not finish her sentence. "Every time you bring something up, I will quickly blast you back, and make you look QUITE SILLY," he fantasizes. Unfortunately for James, it's kind of one of those "show, don't tell" things, though, where the guy saying, "I could say something really witty and biting right now IF I DECIDED TO" is always the guy with nothing to say. Peih-Gee repeats once more that her objection was to his strolling back to the mat like he didn't give a shit, and then she goes to take a walk, which is what she should have done in the first place.
James -- apparently having forgotten about the cameras recording what people actually say -- interviews that Peih-Gee came to him and said that it was all his fault they lost. Of course, she said nothing of the kind, and specifically said she did not think it was all his fault that they lost. It kind of suggests, though, that James genuinely believed she said that, even though he's mistaken. He's not evil; he just doesn't listen. Peih-Gee, meanwhile, acknowledges in an interview that the reason she got pissed off at James was that she was pissed off about losing and was taking it out on him, which is surely true -- the way he blew off the challenge was gross, but she wouldn't have cared very much and certainly wouldn't have brought it up if she wasn't so sick of losing. She acknowledges that "picking fights" is undoubtedly not her best move, but says she's not always able to keep her mouth shut. Yeees, we've noticed. Back to the first episode. It's why we're surprised you're still here.
Back at camp, James again erroneously reports to Denise that Peih-Gee told him it was his fault that they lost. James further interviews that he's trying to keep everyone from being tempted by "the little pretty boys" and "the annoying little girl." Oh my God, I wish you would make your argument, dude, without tying all that bullshit sexist baggage to it. Be less of a dick so I can give a shit what happens to you, would you? You have a certain twinkle in your eye, and I could like you if you would be less of a dick. Help me out. James adds that the members of his group have "predestined [them]selves" for victory. Presumably, they haven't all predestined themselves; just some people. Because...again, James: one winner. Do you think Todd intends for it to be you? Might give that some thought. James hopes out loud to Denise that Courtney and Frosti don't have "a big romance," although here, on Day 25, he can't remember Frosti's name. You can't remember that a guy is named Frosti? Like, THE SNOWMAN? Too generic to remember? In his interview, James goes for a Garden of Eden reference, saying that they should all "be nekkid and be happy, and don't eat the damn apple." Or the swinging dick, I suppose.
Poor Todd interviews that everyone he likes is out on the cruise, while the people he doesn't like are here with him at camp. Poor Todd!
Cruise. Frosti, Erik, Courtney, and Amanda toast with what looks to be orange juice. Erik tells us that he'd won hardly anything, so he was "amped up to win." Erik says that this was a chance to build "relationships," and then we watch Amanda watching Erik, a little moonily, maybe -- and not without cause. That's a good-looking boy, although he is a little Guy In A Moody Band for me. Amanda says that she likes Peih-Gee, but that she also finds Peih-Gee annoying. Erik mildly defends Peih-Gee as "cool," but for understandable reasons, he's not really opposed if they want to have a bashfest. Erik explains this in his interview, saying that if they want to turn on Peih-Gee, that's good for him. As the boat makes its way down the river, Frosti scratches Courtney's bare back, which is kind of...all you can do is scratch. You can't really give her a massage, any more than you can knead a Saltine cracker. Courtney explains that she doesn't entirely get her relationship with Frosti. She points out that he's only twenty, which...yeah, on the one hand, some twenty-year-olds are very mature, but on the other hand, I will admit that that's just on the edge of gross. Like, because he's a college kid. Not gross, but...I don't know. Not old enough to drink is kind of...noteworthy. Clearly, Courtney and Frosti have a little joke about talking to each other in silly voices, because they're doing it again on the boat. It's sad, because again, Frosti's kind of trying to give Courtney a backrub, but you can tell all he's getting is skin. Nobody's fault, just...a shame on all levels. In an interview, Frosti refers to Courtney as "way out of [his] league." YIKES! She is not! Frosti, you and Courtney both seem young and harmless to me; you might be a little young, but she's certainly not out of your league, dude. I have a feeling Frosti is one of those guys who was a dork in high school, became adorable, and did not notice it, or at least did not internalize it. I know several; it's equal parts endearing and infuriating.
That evening, Amanda and Erik are also enjoying the sights together. "Oh my gosh, it's a goat, you guys, I'm not even kidding!" Amanda says suddenly. (Joe R: "Unlike all the other times I claimed I was seeing goats, because then, I was kidding, but now, I AM NOT KIDDING!") Erik makes a kind of funny noise that apparently represents his impression of a goat chewing and bleating. Not bad. Funnier than it sounds. Courtney orders him to "stop hitting on the goats." Hee. This cruise really is getting romantic. Erik interviews that they all had a swell time, and that he thinks perhaps this will help his bond with everyone. He does his goat impression for the girls one more time, and Amanda still laughs, even though she's heard it several times by now. She probably hates herself. I know the feeling. Substitute "he threatens her with a chair" for "he does his goat impression" and it's, like, the story of my life. Amanda interviews that Erik is "adorable," and that she'd like to keep him as long as possible. I'll just bet she would!
That evening, the cruisers all enjoy a big plate of fried chicken and mashed potatoes. So not really the "traditional meal" you might have been expecting. Frosti interviews that Erik is a threat, and that he's clearly getting in good with Courtney and Amanda on this trip. "It does worry me," he says. He fears that he will be "replaced." Heh. Yeah, I know that feeling, too.
The day, the cruisers return to camp, and Todd welcomes them with "Hey, bitches! Welcome home." Heh. I feel you, Tiny. The group demands to hear everything, and the cruisers claim that they ate "Chinese food," very much like what the other feasts have included. In an interview, Amanda claims that revealing the fried chicken dinner would have made everyone more jealous and hateful, so they decided to keep it to themselves. Later, a discussion ensues in which Todd completely makes up a story about the disagreement between Peih-Gee and James, claiming that Peih-Gee "lost it" (didn't happen) and "started screaming" (didn't happen), and at first, I wondered whether he had just blown it up in his own head, but it's so far from anything that occurred that I think he's clearly telling a story for what he thinks are strategic purposes. I wonder whether, should he make it to the end, having made stuff up to make other people look bad might backfire. Perhaps we'll find out! Asked what James said in response, Todd adopts a falsetto voice, claiming that James said, "Biiiiiitch, what're you talkin' bout?" So in Todd's fantasy, Peih-Gee was a hysterical, shrieking female from an Andy Capp cartoon, and James was Arnold from Diff'rent Strokes. Slow clap, asshole. ["Ha! He's getting them all over the place this week." -- Wing Chun] Erik interviews that the mood is pretty anti-Peih-Gee, so he's hoping that will improve his chances at sticking around.
Immunity challenge. Jeff welcomes everyone. He takes immunity back from Courtney. Basically, today's challenge is like playing Simon. Did you ever play Simon, where you had to repeat the notes that Simon played? Right. Were you terrible at Simon, like I was? I thought so. Here, Jeff will call out a series of names of animals, and you have an array of tiles in front of you with each animal shown. You have to pick up a knife and impale the tiles on it in the order Jeff gave them. So it's a challenge about remembering the order Jeff called out, and since the pictures are obvious pictures of the relevant animals and the "rabbit" tile, for instance, says "RABBIT" on the front of it, it has nothing to do with being a Chinese person and therefore being able to recognize Chinese symbols, Scout, you asshole. If you pick them up in the wrong order, you're out. Last one left wins immunity. So single-elimination is the name of the game.
But! There is a twist. You have the option of sitting out the challenge if you want, and eating instead. You can eat cheeseburgers and fries while everyone else competes. Of course, the typical construct here is that what it means if you eat is that you feel like you don't need immunity, but it certainly does more than that. Whatever person your alliance wants to vote out (here, it's Peih-Gee), if you eat, you're putting it on somebody else in your alliance to keep immunity away from that person. You're basically saying, "I will eat, and you will do the work." It has a way of exposing either (1) people who genuinely believe they won't be voted out and they don't care who is; or (2) people who care very much who's voted out, but believe that someone else will take the hit and give up the food so the eaters can gorge. When everyone reveals (simultaneously) whether they're eating or playing, it turns out that Denise, James, Todd, and Courtney are all eating. Courtney is easy -- she's eating because she's made of popsicle sticks, and because she doesn't think she's going home and doesn't care who does. James and Todd are eating because they think somebody else will keep immunity from Peih-Gee. I don't know why Denise is eating; if I were her, I'd want immunity for myself, given what's been going on around camp. The ones who are playing are all people who might need immunity -- except Amanda. Amanda, of course, is not going home, but she plays anyway, because in case you haven't noticed? She came to win, and she wants Peih-Gee out, because she correctly sees Peih-Gee as by far the person most likely to possess enough initiative to get up a revolt. She's not playing because she needs immunity; she's playing because she doesn't want Peih-Gee to get it. Peih-Gee doesn't even look at the food as Jeff describes it, because she knows she's not eating any of it.
In the first round, Erik is out. Could've eaten! In the second round, Amanda is out. So now, it's Peih-Gee and Frosti. In the round, Peih-Gee has it right. Frosti? Not so much. So Peih-Gee wins immunity, and Frosti does not. Somebody goes home tonight, Jeff reminds them, and it's not going to be Peih-Gee as they planned. Huh, I wonder if the other FOUR PEOPLE on that alliance might have kept that from happening if they'd played.
Sooooo, back at camp on Day 27, Frosti is frosted, talking about how he put himself out there and didn't eat, while four people on his alliance dogged it and sat out. He basically thinks it's ridiculous that they couldn't wait twelve days for a cheeseburger so that the team could vote off the person they wanted. Frosti says he thinks that Erik already knows he's on the block. He and Frosti have a funny little talk in which they're both like, "Well, if it's me, good luck." Heh. They seem like good-tempered sorts. One acrobat, and one guy in a band. Isn't that always the way? Erik interviews that he knows it's him or Frosti, and that he feels like Frosti has made his way into the former Fei Long group, so Erik has to wonder. On the other hand, he also feels like he made some strides with Amanda and Courtney. What will happen?
Frosti, meanwhile, chats with Todd and tells him to look out for Erik -- he's not annoying like Peih-Gee is, and he's making inroads, particularly with the womenfolk. "They love him," Frosti stresses. We do, I admit. But only with the embarrassed part of ourselves that spent too much time at the Cat In The Cream in college. (That would be the coffeehouse, for those of you who went to schools with less twee names on the eating facilities.) He adds that he really digs Erik personally, but "you've just got to be careful." Todd, for his part, interviews that if Erik is there at the end, he will totally win the money. Of course, I think many of the same things, as far as likeability and such, could also be said of Frosti. Todd says that Frosti, on the other hand, is awesome in challenges. Todd chats with James and Denise, saying that they definitely have to get rid of one of these two dudes. Todd is confident that Courtney can be convinced to vote against Frosti, but James isn't sure. He has the "swinging dick" theory, you'll recall. Todd says that if Courtney won't go along, they can just get rid of her. And now Denise interviews that it will be either Frosti or Courtney. So that's a switch. Todd goes to Courtney and tells her that James and Denise think she won't vote Frosti out. Courtney interviews that everyone knows he's her "munchkin," so they're worried that she won't vote him out. Todd uses the "competition for challenges" approach in trying to talk Courtney into voting against Frosti. She says that she's not sure what exactly she's going to do. Todd tells us that Courtney "could literally take a sharp turn right at any moment," by which he means, "could figuratively take a sharp turn right at any moment," and that he might have to vote her out. Of course...if she takes that sharp turn, it will be too late, no?
Tribal council. Jeff brings in the jury: Jaime and Jean-Robert, the latter looking just like he did when he left, only angrier. Jeff gets right down to business: "James, of all the people who would choose to eat rather than fighting for immunity, I have to say, you surprised me the most." You're really better off not exploring too much what it is that causes Jeff to feel this way about James. I haven't seen anything from this guy that indicates the heart of a warrior. I really haven't. You know who I remember being really surprised to see duck out of a challenge in favor of eating? Stephenie. And you know why? Because everything she had done up to that point screamed that for whatever was wrong with her, she prided herself on fighting absolutely as hard as she could at all times. Is there anything about James, other than his size, that has suggested he has that kind of personality? As Peih-Gee pointed out, he doesn't exactly represent the International Guild Of Trying Your Hardest when it comes to challenges. I have to question what makes Jeff so desperate to transform James -- who is basically a very big, very physically powerful guy who kind of tries as hard as he feels like and spends most of his time complaining -- into some sort of larger-than-life hero. It's very weird. I mean...he's just a guy. He's a big guy. And when he's really hungry, he's vulnerable to wanting to eat, just like everybody else. Why is it his problem to inspire Jeff goddamn Probst?
For his part, James just says that he was hungry. In my favorite moment, he says, "If I'd have [sic] competed, I'd have competed with my whole heart." In other words, there's no halfway: if he can't give his all, he believes in dropping out completely and having some fries. Jeff directs a similar question to Todd, who says that his inner "fat kid" just wanted to eat. I don't think that needs to be your inner fat kid -- just your inner kid who's starving. Asked why he chose to compete, Frosti basically says that you're always at risk, no matter how good you feel, so to him, that was the choice. "I want to know that I've done everything I can," he explains, and I think that's a big part of it, too. Going home when you didn't even try? That's got to hurt. Jeff asks Erik whether eating or not eating suggests something about how comfortable people are. Erik's response is pretty much a riff on "Duh." Jeff asks him what his position in the tribe is, and Erik's like, "Not that good, asshole," but he says it without the bad word.
Now, Jeff would like to discuss "relationships." Specifically, he'd like to know whether strategic "relationships" and actual "relationships" are coming into conflict with each other at all. He puts this question to Amanda. She, playing for jury votes, says that it's hard playing the game and having friends, because those things can lead you in different directions. Jeff now asks Denise whether, if you make a friend, you hope for some personal loyalty, and she says you'd hope so, while clearly knowing the answer is something like, "Hoping and expecting are two very different things, Jeffie." She says that you can't really fully trust anyone, because everyone is playing a game.
And then, the oddest thing happens. Jeff asks Frosti what he thinks it means that he's still there after being picked by Fei Long, "presumably to get rid of [him]." So let me get this straight: Jeff is now admitting that the obviously sensible strategy was to pick strong players from the "other" group and boot them out? What happened to the "Well, I never!" attitude he hurled at Peih-Gee and Jaime for it? Frosti says that he formed some relationships at Fei Long, and that's helped him stay in the game. He stresses that everyone knows it's a game, and that everyone understands. You can kind of imagine them all relaxing, like, "Hey, we're glad you feel that way. So anyway..."
Jeff asks Erik whether the game ever seems personal, and Erik says that he's "wanted to make friends, too," but that he's been concerned about trying to get in with particular people at the expense of others, so he's tried to be balanced and not take any big risks.
Now, it is voting time. Peih-Gee will not be handing immunity to anyone. Frosti votes for Erik: "One of us will be eating cheeseburgers before the other; neither of us deserved it," he says. Erik votes for Frosti: "It's you or me tonight, bro, nothing personal." More than this, we do not know. Amanda votes for someone she pronounces "an amazing person." BUT WHO?
Jeff brings back the votes and asks whether anyone would like to play an idol. No one would. First vote is Frosti, second vote is Erik. And then the rest of them are all for Frosti, so he's Toasti. He seems to sort of half-ass his farewell hug with Courtney, which: good for him. "Frosti, the tribe has spoken," Jeff says. "With cheeseburgers still on their breath!" Frosti says dramatically. Good kid, you can tell. Courtney tears up a little and blows him a kiss. Clearly, they were not in love, but I think they kept each other company, and he gave her a friend when she really didn't have one out there. Having one friend and zero friends are very, very different experiences.
When Frosti has gone, Jeff makes a surprising announcement: they aren't going directly back to camp. They have further business. Dun! I wonder if Jeff is going to beat James with a shoe just to see how resilient and awesome he is.
FYI, seen in the preview to week: Erik. Peih-Gee. James. Todd. Amanda. Somebody pale, who might be Courtney. Not seen: Denise.