Episode Report Card Sara M: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Weak
By Sara M | Season 18 | Episode 14 | Aired on 05.17.2009
o him winning this game, and that's Taj.J.T. and Stephen walk up to Taj and agree that Erinn is going tonight. There's an awkward moment when Taj asks who they're voting for tonight, and they say it's not like it can be anyone else except Erinn ... unless Taj is thinking of voting for Stephen. Taj isn't paying attention and lets that thought hang in the air and Stephen gets all nervous. Taj says she was just making sure they weren't voting for her, so at least she's actually open to that possibility. J.T. interviews that they're telling Taj that Erinn is going home tonight, but that's not necessarily true.
The four arrive at Tribal Council, and here comes the jury! Douche has his stupid cane and gets a screaming eagle sound effect when he sits down. I can just see him at home thinking the editors think he's awesome and a hero for putting that in there. Ugh. J.T. looks at Douche and shakes his head with fake disappointment that Douche is on the jury and not still in the game. Stephen just looks guilty. Probst opens by saying that when the merge happened, there were six Tempura members and only three Jalapeños. Except that technically, there were four Jalapeños. Has anyone ever been as forgettable as poor injured Jim? Probst asks the Jalapeños how they managed to take Tempura down. Stephen says that they each chose a few members of Tempura to bond with and swore that they'd always stick together. Probst turns to Erinn and asks her how it feels to be the last Tempura standing. She says she's "pretty proud of [her]self" and this "speaks greatly of [her] self-pressaveement." I think she meant self-preservation. Possibly perseverance. She wound up with both and neither. Also, the jury isn't really enjoying this. "I definitely made decisions that kept me here, and that is amazing to me," Erinn pats herself on the back. She really was one of the few people who actually played this game, but she might not want to say that in front of all the people at whose expense she played it. Probst asks her if she scrambled back at camp following the challenge. Erinn says she learned from everyone else who went out before her that scrambling doesn't work. Probst asks if she's saying that she's going home tonight. Erinn says she won't be surprised if she leaves the game tonight.
Probst asks Taj if Erinn is a risk to take to the Final Three because she has almost her entire tribe on the jury. Taj says Tempura may well side with their tribemate against the Jalapeño Three "just to be vindictive," which ignores the fact that Erinn's tribe clearly hates her. Probst asks Stephen if voting Erinn out is the safest bet. Stephen says that could be true, but this is an individual game and he has to think about who he'll do best against in front of the jury. Probst asks if this means that Douche's "take the best to the end" game plan left when he did, which is annoying because that game plan never ever began in the first place, not even with Douche. His plan was basically to vote out whoever he thought was going against him, preferably a female. Stephen says he respects Douche's philosophy and wants to be at the end with the best, but he's formed bonds with everyone in the Final Four and hopes he won't have to make the decision to vote any one of them out. Probst reminds Stephen that he kind of has to do that tonight and asks Stephen why he's acting like this is his first day and he doesn't know how this game is played. Way to make Stephen look like an idiot in front of the jury, Probst. If only Stephen had big muscles, he'd be able to get away with anything and everything. Probst asks Stephen who he's voting for: Erinn or Taj? Stephen says his decision comes down to who will best assure him a place in the Final Two.
Probst finally talks to J.T., asking him if he trusts everyone left. J.T. says he trusts Stephen and Taj more than Erinn because he's been with them for a longer time and they've kept their promises to him. Probst asks Taj the same thing, and she answers the same way: she's been with J.T. and Stephen since the beginning and she's still here, so she has no reason not to trust them. Probst asks if she'd be surprised if she was voted out tonight, and Taj says she would. Why haven't she and Erinn tried to take Stephen out? Because they don't think they'd be able to convince J.T. and then there'd be a tie? So it would come down to a fire-starting competition between Stephen and whoever Stephen and J.T. voted for. I'd rather do that than just trust people, but I guess when you're already a millionaire like Taj, you can afford to be that blindly loyal. Probst turns back to Erinn and asks her if she'll be shocked not to be voted out. She says she'll be surprised, but not shocked. "Anything can happen," she says. It's time to vote!
Erinn votes for Taj. Taj votes for Erinn. Probst tallies the votes. First vote is for Taj. The jury looks anxious. I'm not sure who they're hoping will be voted out tonight. Erinn, probably. They hate her beyond reason. The next vote is for Erinn, who adjusts her glasses. And the third vote is for ... Tag? He's been flying under the radar in this game, that's for sure. So we've got a three-way tie. Whoever the last vote is for is out of the game. Personally, I hope it's Tag. But no ... it's Taj. She smiles, probably thinking of all the showers she's about to take. Damn. Debbie shakes her head over on the jury. Stephen and J.T. look sad, but not that sad. Erinn adjusts her glasses again. I'm totally rooting for her now. This game has been way too easy for J.T. and Stephen and I like my winners to have to struggle.
For Taj's final words, she says "I get so weak in the knees I can hardly speak. I lose all control and something takes over me. My love will be right here, have no fear. I'm so into you, I don't know what I'm going to do. Boy, you got me so confused." Yes, it's an SWV medley! I can't believe I lasted all season without quoting some SWV. Taj also says she hopes Erinn makes it to the end so she can vote for her over the guys who blindsided and betrayed her.
The Final Three return to camp. "Final Three fever!" Stephen says nonsensically. Erinn is pretty damn happy with herself. J.T. says that vote "was a tough one." He interviews the same, saying that he and Stephen figured it'd be easier to beat Erinn at the last challenge than Taj. Erinn says every tribal council since the merge has gone according to their plans, which makes me wonder how much of a part she had in that alliance. Too bad we spent all that time showing Douche being a douche instead of seeing more of Erinn's gameplay! Erinn says she thinks Taj knew she was going tonight and didn't seem upset when her name was read. It's dark, so Erinn can't really see how unhappy Stephen and J.T. are, but surely she can hear that they're not talking to her. J.T. sighs that payback for betraying his alliancemate is a bitch, since he's "already suffering the consequences 'cause Erinn is the most annoying person in the world and she will not shut up." Stephen interviews that making it to Final Three is bittersweet since they had to stab Taj in the back to get there and now they're stuck with Erinn, who is oblivious to J.T. and Stephen's "inner turmoil." Then don't vote Taj out, Stephen. I have no sympathy.
The next morning, J.T. walks away and leaves Erinn and Stephen to talk about how neither of them wants J.T. to win immunity because if he makes it to the Final Two, he'll win for sure. Erinn interviews that if she wins, she's taking Stephen to the end. Stephen says that if by some miracle J.T. gets out of the challenge first, he'll still fight to the end to win against Erinn. "I trust you but I trust me more," he titles. Erinn continues that she's sitting kind of pretty right now, since Stephen will take her to the end and J.T. would probably do the same. "It puts me in a good spot," she says. To win second place, yes. "We have to win," Stephen says; "I don't think either of us stand a chance against him in the finals." Stephen then interviews that he'd almost rather not win immunity today because he'd rather not have to choose between Erinn and J.T.
Erinn wanders away and J.T. tells Stephen that they're going to be eating breakfast tomorrow because there's no way Erinn can beat both of them and no way they won't take each other to the end. "You have my word and my life that I'll take you with me, man," J.T. says, which is easy for him to promise since he'll probably win no matter who he chooses. He asks Stephen to tell him the same, and Stephen does, not like that means anything. J.T. interviews that he's worried about the immunity challenge, since Erinn is sure to v