The Process of Sugar Crystallization

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In the fallout from last week's Tribal Council, Ken guilts Bob into promising to give him the immunity necklace if he wins it . Bob goes on to win the reward challenge, beating Ken and Matty at an obstacle course/basketball shoot-out (the women couldn't even make one basket between them, so they never came close). The reward is a trip to a gorilla sanctuary, which is just awesome. Also, a shower, clean clothes, food, and an overnight stay. Bob gets to bring two people with him, and he picks Crystal and Ken in the hopes of getting into their alliance. He sends Susie to Exile, where she eats cantaloupe and is as much a part of the game as she's always been.

Back at camp, Matty tries to convince Sugar to ally with him against Crystal and Ken, but she's not having it -- until they return and pick fights with Matty. Then Sugar decides that they're mean bullies and she doesn't want them to win this game over nice guy Matty. Bob wins the immunity challenge, in which players are blindfolded and must negotiate an obstacle course. Crystal and Susie manage to leave the course entirely and get lost, which is hilarious. season I demand that all challenges involve blindfolds! Ken schemes to force Bob to keep his promise and give up the immunity necklace so that everyone can turn around and vote him out of the game, even though that already happened last season. He tries to accomplish this by whining a lot about how Bob made everyone hate him.

Meanwhile, Sugar takes matters into her own hands and tries to convince Bob, Matty, and Susie to vote Crystal out. She, of course, is safe, since this is the last Tribal Council she can play her idol, so she's wearing it around her neck and ready to do just that. At Tribal, Ken whines some more about how Bob promised him the necklace, and when the time comes to keep it or give it away, Bob keeps it, saying he doesn't think Ken is in danger of being voted out. That means Matty's going home … or is he? Because when it's time to play the not-so-hidden idol, Sugar shocks everyone by handing it to Matty. He plays it, and the votes against him do not count. Even if they did, in the end, he would have been fine. Ken and Crystal were the only ones who voted for him. Everyone else voted for Crystal, and the gold medal winner-turned-ultimate challenge loser goes out gracefully.

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The contestants return from camp. Looking tired and pissed, Matty says that he got three votes tonight, and he's pretty sure the third one was from Ken. The alliance (a.k.a. everyone but Bob) meets to discuss it, and Matty asks Ken why he voted for him. Ken doesn't deny it, and says he thought Corinne had the idol. Matty isn't buying it. Ken tells us that he voted for Matty to win jury votes when he gets to the Final Three. And since Corinne had nice things to say about Ken on her way out, that might have worked. Then Ken gets all annoying and smug and says that he's the mastermind out here and he's calling the shots now. Not with Matty, who refuses to believe his story about Corinne having the idol, even though it's actually true as far as Ken knows. Matty storms off. He tells us that he's onto Ken now. Sugar tells Ken not to worry -- "Matty is gone if Bob wins." She tells us that she likes Matty, but he's a physical threat and her alliance is with Ken and Crystal. Crystal points out that Matty wrote her name down once and she has yet to return the favor. She tells us that not writing his name down at Tribal Council when she had the chance is probably "the stupidest move that I've made in this game so far." Oh, I don't know about that. Wearing those ten pound shoes wasn't too bright, either.

The opening credits are back, complete with an unflattering shot of Corinne squatting and digging with her fake boobs a-jiggling.

Ken goes to Bob for some answers. He asks Bob if they lied to him. Bob says no. Ken asks why Corinne didn't play the idol, then. All Bob has to do is say that she thought they had the votes, so she didn't have to play it and decided to save it for later. But no. Instead, he sighs and admits that the idol was fake. Oh, Bob. Now Ken can get on his high horse and accuse Bob of lying to him and destroying his chances in the game. Bob is contrite, telling us that he feels "horrible" about putting Ken in such a bad position. What? Why? Ken put himself in a bad position by telling Crystal not to vote for Matty. Why is Bob's only strategy in this game to make convincing fake idols, only to feel so terrible about it afterwards that he loses any advantage they would have given him? "I risked everything to try to save you and Corinne, and this is what I get for being a nice guy?" Ken says, crossing his arms petulantly. Oh, please tell me Bob isn't falling for this. "If I win the immunity, I'll give it to you," he promises. MORON! Ken tells us that he was able to make Bob feel so sorry for him that he promised him immunity if he wins it. "This is such a huge power play," Ken says. Is it really? It seems more like taking advantage of a nice old guy's inability to make good decisions after a month without food. Bob tells us that he's planning on being a man of his word when it comes to the immunity necklace. Which is exactly what Ken expected, and why you shouldn't have made that promise in the first place.

Reward challenge! It's an obstacle course over mud and nets. Contestants must race across, grab a ball, run back, and shoot the ball into a small basketball hoop. The first person to sink three balls wins the reward, which is a helicopter ride to Loango National Park to visit a gorilla sanctuary, which is the best prize ever. I would suffer for 33 days just for that. There's also food, clean clothes, a shower, and a night in a bed, which causes Sugar to gasp in anticipation. The winner also gets to send someone to Exile, not like that matters.

Okay, a lot of this challenge involves running. That means that finally we'll get to see Crystal in action! I haven't given up on her yet! Probst says go, and while Matty is in the lead, Crystal appears to be in second place. Or is that third? Yes, it is. She's being beaten in a foot race by Ken. Sigh. Matty's the first to get his first ball and head back, followed by Ken and Bob. Even SUSIE is able to get her ball before Crystal does. Soon, all the contestants are at their hoops and realizing that this is easier said than done. They're pretty far away from the hoops, which are much smaller than a regulation-size hoop. Matty gets his in first. Ken gets his second despite having terrible shooting form. I guess all those games of NBA Jam! really did come in handy. While the girls keep missing, Bob gets a basket. He passes Matty coming back on his way back out.

Ken and Bob return to the hoops. Just as Bob steps up to shoot, Matty gets his second ball in. Bob gets his ball in, too -- on his first shot. Hooray for physics! Meanwhile, the girls have yet to make one freaking basket. It's embarrassing. I mean, Crystal? Really? You're 6'3"! You must have played basketball before! Ken soon sinks another basket and heads back out.

Matty gets back with his third ball first. He shoots, but misses. And here come Ken and Bob! Bob almost gets it in with his first shot. Ken and Matty come close with their shots, but it's Bob who gets his third ball in first. He's thrilled, of course. Now he gets to see the gorillas and get street cred from his students for his mad B-ball skillz. Crystal laughs and tries to dunk her ball so she can get at least one in. She misses. SHE MISSES! CRYSTAL CAN'T EVEN DUNK A BASKETBALL! It's the greatest storyline of this season that an Olympic champion is one of the least athletic contestants this show has ever seen.

Probst calls Bob over and tells him that, of course, he gets to choose one person to accompany him on the reward. Everyone looks at Bob pleadingly. Except for Susie, who isn't sure what's going on. I've decided that Susie found some Gabonese weed back in episode 2 and has been smoking it ever since. This would account for her incredible mellowness and spaceyness and also why she was so good at starting that fire during that challenge she won. Bob can't resist Crystal's pouty face and chooses her, which was a surprise. I didn't think they had much of anything to talk about. She's thrilled, and lets out a hilariously girly "oh thank you!" as she prances over to give him a hug. Probst then lets Bob choose another person to come with them, and Bob picks Ken without hesitation. Bob tells us that his picks were strategic, so he can try to get into some kind of alliance with Crystal and Ken. "I am trying to play for all the marbles in the pot," he says. Well, it's about time. With that, Probst ask Bob who he wants to send to Exile. He picks Susie, who giggles and asks if there will be Funyuns there. Probst sends Sugar and Matty back to camp. On her way out, Sugar blows the three a kiss and graciously hopes they have a good time. Matty tells us he's hoping to spend his time with Sugar convincing her to ally with him and vote Ken and Crystal out.

And now it's time for Crystal, Ken, and Bob's African odyssey. Bob leans too far out of the helicopter. There's only, like, a tiny strap across the door him in there! The editors cut away to elephants so we can pretend that the contestants saw them below, and then there's a really unflattering and downright scary low angle shot of Bob's face.

They arrive at their hut, and there's a table loaded with food and drinks waiting for them. Oh, that's good -- from the way Probst described the reward, I was afraid they would go to the gorilla sanctuary before the food, so they wouldn't be able to appreciate it because they'd be thinking about their upcoming food and shower the entire time. Crystal describes the spread before them, and correctly identifies all the food items, unlike the people at the Kota picnic who didn't know what gherkins were, thus whipping Corinne up into a homicidal rage. Bob ridiculously thanks Crystal and Ken for joining him even though he's the one who picked them. They toast and drink this really cool cocktail that's three different colors. Ken's got some Farrah Fawcett-style wings going on in his hair, probably from the helicopter ride. Bob says he wishes they could have brought everyone along, because he still doesn't understand that this is a competition. Ken tells him not to feel bad, since if Matty won, he would have brought Susie and Sugar with him. Ken also says that if Matty doesn't win immunity tomorrow "that would be a good thing." Very subtle, Ken. Subtle like one of those giant sledgehammers in a game of Super Smash Brothers. Crystal says she hopes Matty loses, because if he isn't voted out , it will be one of them. Bob picks his teeth with a toothpick and looks like he'd rather discuss anything else. Doesn't he usually nap during strategy sessions? He asks if they can get Sugar "on board" with voting Matty out , then tells us that he's hoping Matty will go , and that he seems to have won Crystal and Ken's confidence, thanks to the integrity he has shown in the game thus far. Like when he made a fake idol and screwed Randy over. Or when he made a fake idol and almost screwed Ken and Crystal over. Hooray for honesty! Ken says that if Bob wins immunity , he'd be willing to "take a risk." By which he seems to mean that Bob doesn't have to give it to him at the tribal council, but is still on the hook to give it to him the time he wins it. Bob rolls his eyes and Ken laughs uneasily. Bob says it's up to Ken -- he was going to give him immunity as soon as he won it, but he can wait until Tribal Council to do it, depending on whether or not Ken thinks he'll need it. If Ken thinks Bob needs it more than him, he'll let Bob keep it. Uh ... yeah, right. The problem with people who have integrity and have lived for 57 years with it is that they fail to understand how others can lack it. Meanwhile, Crystal remains silent during all of this so as to rise above such foolishness.

With that, the three get their showers! Crystal, who is taller than the showerhead, is understandably thrilled, even though it looks like the shower stall is to a window anyone could watch her through. But fuck modesty when you haven't showered in over a month. The contestants get fresh clean robes to put on while presumably their game clothes are being washed, and they all look kind of silly and uncomfortable in them, probably because they aren't wearing anything underneath those robes. At least, that's what Bob's hospital gown walk suggests. Clean, fed, and robed, the three are approached by two men from the gorilla project. Africa's Eden is an orphanage for gorillas who were orphaned when their mothers were killed for their meat. I think it takes a certain kind of evil to kill gorillas, especially when they're holding their babies, which is why I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the gorilla population took a nosedive during the time Corinne was in Gabon.

And now, the gorillas! The three watch from an observation platform. The silverback gorilla steps out to check them out, and Bob is amazed by the size of him. He tells us that he felt a connection with the gorillas when they looked at him that "rocked [his] soul." Yes, exactly. Which is why I can't even begin to understand how people could kill them and eat them. I don't know how you could do anything but stare at them in awe. Not like we'll even get a chance to do that, because the segment is quickly over without even showing us adorable baby gorillas.

Instead, we check in on Susie. No fool, she picked Comfort and is enjoying cantaloupe while swinging in the hammock. This would not be comfort for me, as I am allergic to cantaloupe. It makes my mouth itch. I'd probably eat it anyway, though. But I wouldn't be comfortable! Susie says it's great to step out of the game and not think about anything for a while. Which is exactly what she does when she's in the game, so I don't see how this is different except that here there's a hammock and fruit. Susie says they'll have to change the name from Sugar Shack to Susie Shack. Very original, Susie.

Back at Nobag, Matty tries to convince Sugar to turn on Ken and Crystal. He says it's frustrating that they got to go on the reward, but Sugar's not biting. She says they got to go to the Gabon village and have a cultural experience and food there, so it's cool that Ken and Crystal are getting something like that, too. Yeah, except that Sugar and Matty had to share that experience with Corinne and Randy, which knocks the enjoyment factor down by 99%. Matty says he's been trying to get rid of Ken and Crystal for the entire game. That doesn't reflect well on you, Matty, since they're still there. Sugar doesn't seem to care. She just says that Matty better hope he wins immunity tomorrow, since he's the biggest threat. Uh, except for Bob. Somehow. Sugar tells us that she's glad she's not Matty, since he's to go if Bob wins immunity. She tells Matty that she's in an alliance with Ken and Crystal. He pouts and says "brilliant thinking" and calls them "the evil three." Actually, it is brilliant thinking, since Sugar wouldn't have a chance in the finals against Bob or Matty, so why would she want to keep them in the game? She says her loyalty is more with Ken than Crystal, but he could be lying to her. Matty says he's sure he is. Sugar tells us that it doesn't really matter if Ken is lying to her or not, because Matty is a stronger physical threat. Matty makes a total non-power play of saying that no one will vote for Sugar , since she has the idol and it's her last chance to play it. So she should give it to Matty, instead. Except that SHE DOESN'T WANT YOU IN THE GAME, MATTY! Moron! "Oh, Matty," Sugar sighs. "Screw that," Sugar tells us. She's using her idol to ensure that she's in the Final Five. Duh. Matty figures out that he's on his own now, and no one's going to try to save him. If he doesn't win the challenge, he's out. At least he acknowledges that he got himself in a bad position.

The morning, Bob, Crystal, and Ken arrive back at Nobag, still in their robes. Sugar sounds genuinely happy for them and wants to hear all about, and Ken is quick to show her his nice, clean shirt. Now she'll cuddle up to him for sure, just like she promised when he didn't win the bath in the auction! Unfortunately, Ken didn't put the shirt on, so Sugar just grabs it away from him. Matty says he's glad for Bob that he won, but still annoyed that he chose Crystal and Ken to go with him because he hates them.

Ken decides to confront Matty on his attitude, saying he can feel that Matty's mad at him. Very perceptive, Ken. Matty whines that Ken said they'd go to the end together. "There's no reason to be upset," Ken says assholishly. Matty says that seeing his name written down by someone he thought he could trust is a very good reason. Crystal suddenly explodes that her name's been written down eight times in this game so far, and one of those times was from Matty. She thinks Matty should be grateful to her for not writing his name down and voting him out when she had the chance, which is kind of a good point. Matty should thank her, or possibly Corinne for being so freaking hateful that they'd rather get rid of her than Matty the physical threat. Meanwhile, Sugar's lying down listening to the whole thing, wearing Ken's clean shirt. Ken is beyond a sucker to give it to her. Ken says his name has been written down seven times, so "think about that." Huh. I didn't realize people kept such close track of these things during the game. Although I guess they don't have much else to think about, so why not? Ken decides that he's the one who's mad now, because that what people do when they feel guilty. Except for Bob, who gives away cash and prizes. Ken tells us that he wrote Matty's name down for strategic reasons, and that's part of the game. But now Matty's acting super-paranoid for some strange reason.

Crystal tells us she wants to "throw the stink on Matty" in the hopes that everyone will smell it and write his name down. "Karma's a bitch in this game," she mutters as Matty walks off. Oh, dear, Crystal. Don't try to make any moves. It's just not a good idea. She pulls Matty aside and asks him why he bowed out of their Final Four alliance and teamed up with Susie. Matty says he likes Susie and spending time with her. That doesn't mean they're in an alliance or that he trusts her. Crystal tells him to look her in the eye and say he doesn't trust Susie. Matty does. "You're lying," Crystal says. While Sugar lies in the hut and massages her temples, Crystal tells Matty he's changed for the worst, and after all she and Ken have done for him, he tried to fuck them over somehow. Matty doesn't know what Crystal's mad at him for at this point. Sugar shakes her head and sighs. She tells us that she's just witnessed Ken and Crystal go off on Matty for no reason. She now thinks that Matty was telling her the truth: Crystal and Ken have been in this together since the beginning, and Ken pretends to be meek and powerless while lying through his teeth while Crystal is "just a big bully."

With that, she follows Matty out to the dock. She says that she already knew Crystal wasn't a good person, but now she's seeing that about Ken, too. "I believe you now!" she says tearfully. She must be upset with Ken, because she isn't wearing his shirt anymore. She's also crying, but that happens no matter what, so it doesn't mean much. "Why would they kick you when you're down?" Sugar says. Because Crystal thinks this is a strategy to make Matty look bad and Ken feels guilty and is trying to convince himself that he has a reason to vote Matty out. Duh. Matty makes his "poor me" face, and Sugar says that he isn't going. Suddenly, the music changes and Sugar's tears dry, if there ever were any to begin with. "Okay?" she says, looking totally in control. She says she'll talk to Bob, and Matty will talk to Susie. Now Matty wonders if Sugar is telling him the truth. He hopes so. He says it'll mean going to the finals against Bob and probably losing, but "good will prevail." Good is such a subjective term, especially on this show. Matty asks who they will take out , and Sugar immediately says Crystal.

Immunity Challenge! Probst takes the immunity necklace back from Bob and places it on the ridiculous official immunity necklace holder. I've only just noticed that it even existed, but I don't know how I managed to miss it all those times. It's gigantic and has a skull on top! Probst explains the challenge: contestants must memorize a mask and run through an obstacle course to another blank mask, bringing three bags of puzzles pieces with them. They will then use the pieces to build the mask so it looks like the first one. Also, they will be blind-folded. Yikes. That sounds really hard.

There's a hilarious moment when the contestants, now blind-folded, step up to their masks and Sugar gets on the wrong side. She's totally going to lose this one. I doubt she'll even bother to try. Probst says go, and the contestants "memorize" their masks by feeling them. Bob carefully feels his mask up, but Sugar and Matty decide to grab a bag and go. The others soon follow. Matty leaves his bag and goes back for more, while Ken, Sugar, and Bob decide to put their pieces on the mask first. As for Crystal, she manages to bring her challenge suckitude to amazing new lows as she wanders off the course. Probst decides to play nice and lets her know that she is in the wrong lane and "completely off-track." If that had happened in the Olympics she never competed in, it would have been an automatic DQ. Crystal tries to get back in her lane, but goes in the wrong direction. She's never going to get back.

Susie makes it to her mask, while Crystal is still in the wrong lane. But at least, Probst points out, she's heading in the right direction. Probst is having the greatest time ever with her, as she lifts a giant leg up and over the course boundary and he yells that she's off the course again. She goes back, and he says she's back on. Why is he helping her? This would have been so much more fun if Crystal had wandered off and started trying to complete other people's masks or just left the course entirely. Meanwhile, Matty has all three bags at his mask and starts working on the mask. Crystal "miraculously," Probst points out, is nearly at her mask. And she makes it! Ken, on the other hand, hits his head on a pole.

Bob and Susie head back for their third and second bags. Bob finds his when he basically charges into his wood platform, head-first. Ouch. "There we are!" he says, sounding concussed. But at least he found it -- Susie has pulled a Crystal and wandered off the course. Okay, they should do every challenge blind-folded. This is hilarious. Bob makes it back to the blank mask with his last bag while Matty decides to go back to his mask and check it again. That could lose him the challenge. Bob thinks he's solved his puzzle, but Probst says no. Meanwhile, Ken has all three bags at his blank mask. And Crystal is still in it to lose it. As for Susie, I think she's in Kenya.

Ken thinks he's solved the puzzle, but Probst says no way. Seriously -- half the pieces are still to the mask. Ken heads back to the first mask. Matty and Bob are both working on their masks. Bob takes another guess -- and wins. Matty looks truly upset. They send the helicopter out to fetch Susie and Probst puts the necklace on Bob. Bob tells us that he's now won four challenges in a row at the ripe old age of fifty-seven. That is pretty damn impressive. Ken tells us he's waiting to see if Bob keeps his word and gives him the necklace tonight.

The contestants return to camp. Ken and Crystal immediately run to the woods to plot. Ken wants to take Bob out tonight instead of Matty if Bob gives him the necklace. Crystal goes along with it. Ken tells us that he never thought Bob would be such a Challenge Monster, and they should have gotten rid of him instead of Randy, but they just hated Randy so much. See, Randy? Being nice does pay off. Ken knows that none of them have a chance against Bob if he makes it to the Final Three, so he needs to go ASAP. Crystal tells us that she doesn't care who goes home tonight as long as it's not Crystal. Oh, there's a second person named Crystal playing this game? How cool of Crystal 1 to be watching out for Crystal 2 like that, then. What? She's referring herself in the third person again? Oh. Sara M doesn't get why people do that.

Ken tells Bob he's feeling scared tonight and wants the necklace. Ken tells us that things are lose-lose for Bob now. If he doesn't give Ken the necklace he promised, he'll "look bad." To who, exactly? The jury, the majority of whom will vote for Bob no matter what he does because they hate everyone else in this game so much? If Bob does give up the necklace, he'll look good but go home. I don't think anyone will think badly of Bob if he doesn't give that necklace up. Last season, Eric gave the necklace up and looked like a moron. You only look bad if you do something that stupid. Bob doesn't want to look stupid, right? Then again, there's an excellent chance that Bob has never seen an episode of this show. Ken tells Bob he's afraid of being blindsided tonight. Bob says that's impossible -- everyone wants to get rid of Matty. Bob is reluctant to commit to anything, but Ken pushes, saying he feels really nervous. Meanwhile, who's gabbing away in the background? And why are they talking strategy so close to someone else?

In the hut, someone else is chattering away outside (Ken and Bob, I think) while Crystal tells Sugar, Susie, and Matty about the vote for Bob tonight. Ken walks into the hut and announces that Bob told him he will only give the necklace away if everyone says they're voting for Ken tonight because he voted for Matty last time. Sugar isn't buying it. She says that she doesn't want to be in an alliance with the other four anymore -- she wants to be with "the good guys."

And so, she heads for Bob and says that she's done with her alliance with Crystal and Ken. And to prove it, she tells Bob that they're going to take him out tonight if he gives Ken the necklace, and points out that she couldn't have known that unless they told her so. "I think we need to take them out," she says, while hilariously sad epic movie soundtrack music plays. Bob asks how Susie feels about this. Sugar doesn't know but thinks she'll vote however Matty does. Sugar wants to take Crystal out. Bob tells us that while Sugar hasn't done anything to show him that he can't trust her, she hasn't done anything to show him that he can trust her, either. So he doesn't know who to believe. Sugar turns on the waterworks and cries about how she has a "big place" in her heart for Bob, and tells him to look out for himself. She says she won't vote for him tonight even though he's the biggest threat. "The good guys should win in the end," she says. And it seems to me like she actually means it.

Back at camp, Ken asks what they'll do if Bob doesn't give the necklace up. Matty yells that obviously, they'll vote him out instead. Sugar returns to camp looking triumphant. She says she thinks Bob will give the necklace up after all. She says she hates lying to Bob, but she knows it's a game, so she told him that she's voting for Ken tonight. "I think Matty has a chance," she says. Ken tells us that hopefully, Bob will give him the necklace. If not, Matty will get the boot. And Ken doesn't see any other way this will go because he can't imagine that Sugar would basically sabotage her own chances of winning a million dollars along with his and Crystal's.

Matty talks to Sugar. He's convinced that Bob will stick with Ken and Crystal no matter what Sugar tells him. "Let me do the thinking," Sugar mouths; "you, no." Good idea, Sugar. Also, hilarious. She tells Matty to vote for Crystal tonight.

I guess it's common knowledge now that Sugar has her idol, as she's wearing it around her neck and happy to have it. Tonight is the last night she can use it, so she will for sure. Wow, she had it all the way until the end. That's pretty freaking impressive. She was thinking of giving it to Matty, but doesn't want to open herself up to a blindside. As the contestants head out, she says that if Bob and Matty trust her, everything will work out fine.

Probst is looking especially somber tonight as the contestants arrive. And here comes the jury. Randy is sporting a new scary Travis Bickle mohawk. He's going to mow everyone down tonight, isn't he? It'll be the Tribal Council you'll never forget -- if you live to remember it! Probst starts things off by calling Bob out as a challenge monster. He asks Ken if he's worried that Bob will win his way into the Final Three. Ken diplomatically says that Bob is amazingly strong, smart, and agile for someone as old as he is. Since when did being fifty-seven mean you can't be smart? Probst asks Matty how it feels to watch Bob win challenge after challenge. I'm going go with "embarrassing." Matty says that if he has to get beaten by anyone, he's glad it's Bob. He'd rather Bob have the necklace than someone with "a little less caliber." Probst turns to Susie and asks her if it was hard to be out of the game and on Exile. She says it's hard to miss things, and she's still not certain what's going on. Cause she's high.

Probst asks Ken why he thinks Bob chose him to go on the reward. Ken admits to switching sides at the last Tribal because he believed Bob's idol lie. That made him a target, and Bob promised him the immunity necklace at the Tribal Council if he won it. That has nothing to do with the reward, but Ken wants the jury to know that Bob lied to him if he doesn't hand over the necklace. Like they'd care. Sugar knows that's what Ken's trying to do and rolls her eyes. Probst asks if that's true, and Bob admits that he said that, but since then they have "renegotiated things." He will give Ken the necklace if he thinks Ken is in danger of going home tonight, and he'll make that decision after all the talking is done. Ken says that he definitely feels like he's in danger -- he turned on his alliance, so now he's an "outcast." "Bob has the necklace and where am I?" he says, trying his best to look and sound pathetic.

Probst drops this for now and asks Crystal why Bob chose her for the reward. Crystal says she hasn't been on a reward the entire game so far, so she's glad that Bob included her. Probst asks Matty if he thinks Bob's only motive to taking Crystal was to give her a cultural experience and had nothing to do with strategy. Matty says Bob knows that Crystal and Ken are a tight alliance and have been running this game. Ken disagrees, of course, reminding us that he used to be in a good position with his alliance of five and now he's in Deadly Danger of going home tonight. Meanwhile, Sugar keeps making disgusted faces and shaking her head. Probst goes back to Ken and Bob's stupid deal. He ask how important it is right now, and Ken says it's very important, since he's had a feeling all day today that they're going to try to blindside him out tonight. Probst asks Matty how he feels. Matty says he doesn't have the necklace, so he feels very vulnerable.

Probst changes the subject to the hidden idol. He reminds everyone that this is the last night they can play it, and everyone looks at Sugar's necklace. Probst acts like it could be another fake, but Sugar's pretty freaking confident that it's legit. Probst says it wouldn't be the first time someone played a fake idol. "I didn't make that one," Bob says. Cut to Randy shaking his head angrily. Way to rub it in to the jury, Bob.

So now it's time for the big question: will Bob keep the necklace or will he give it up? Bob says he told Ken he'd give it to him if he thought Ken was going home tonight. He starts to take the necklace off, and Ken smirks. But then ... Bob puts the necklace safely back on his neck, saying he doesn't think Ken is in any danger. Sugar looks very happy, as does everyone else on the jury. Well, except for Randy. With that, it's time to vote.

Crystal goes first. She votes for Matty, saying she's finally paying him back for writing her name down. Matty repeats what he said the last time he voted for Crystal, that he's been waiting to kick her out for a long time and he's glad it's finally here. Sugar votes for Crystal with the comment "dude, you don't know how to talk or deal with people. So, good luck with that jury over there" with accompanying hilarious "you're in for an awkward time" facial expression.

Probst tallies the votes and returns with the urn. He calls out for the hidden idol. Everyone looks at Sugar, who removes the necklace from around her neck and then ... HANDS IT TO MATTY! "Matty, take this cursed thing away," she says. And Corrinne, who hates Sugar, LOVES it. And will, no doubt, refuse to give Sugar any credit at all for that move. Crystal does not love it quite so much. Matty gives the idol to Probst. Probst says it's real, so all votes cast against Matty will not count. Wow. That was awesome. And since Crystal is dead in the water and thus, no longer in the game for me to love, I now must love Sugar, even though I have no idea what she's doing. She's totally running the game, but there's no way she can win! Either she just doesn't care about money, or she's figuring that there's no way she can win no matter who she goes up against in the Final Three and wants the people she thinks are most deserving to win. But that makes her completely unpredictable and dangerous, which she's been this whole game and no one ever realized it or tried to move against her.

First vote: Matty. Second vote: Matty. Third vote: Crystal. She nods and knows she's on her way out. Ken's just glad it isn't him. Fourth vote: Crystal. Fifth vote: Crystal. That's all it will take. Probst extinguishes her torch. She looks almost relieved to leave and blows her tribe kisses on her way out. She never won anything in this game, but she won a place in my heart. I'd give her a gold medal, but she's proven that they're pretty much useless.

Incidentally, Sugar was dead-on with her "good luck with that jury" comment, since if you watch the Loser's Lodge videos on CBS.com, you'll see that all four jury members gave Crystal the silent treatment when she arrived because Corinne and Marcus are bitter assholes, Charlie is a spineless twerp who went along with them so they wouldn't disown him as a friend, and Randy was actually the biggest person of all (which isn't saying much, but still) and talked to her to day.

You can read more from Sara Morrison at L.A.me, which she occasionally updates when she has something to complain about. Or you can email her at HYPERLINK "mailto:saramorrison@gmail.com"saramorrison@gmail.com.

See how this season all started.

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Original URL
http://www.brilliantbutcancelled.com:80/show/survivor/the-good-guys-should-win-in-th-1/
Captured
2018-06-27
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recap (100%)
Wayback Machine
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