Survivor Redemption: Heroes vs. Villains Double Elimination With James & Tyson Out

I turned on my TV to watch the DVRed LOST and saw Survivor was recording. Then I remembered basketball games on Thursday, put Survivor on Wednesday.

So, by the time I finished LOST, Survivor had finished recording.

Good, strange episode.

Much foreshadowing in the episode pointing to a comeuppance for either Boston Rob or Russell Hantz, with Rob a number of times bragging that Russell is playing in the Big Leagues now.

The challenge of this episode was different. A combo reward/immunity challenge with a twist. Both teams play for individual immunity. Then each team's winner plays a play-off, with that winner's team getting to eat hot dogs and drink coke while watching the losing team's Tribal Council.

First up, the Heroes. The skinny, small blonde, Candice wins on the Heroes' team. Boston Rob wins on the Villains' team. Oh oh, I thought, it's gonna be Russell who gets his comeuppance.

Back at Heroes' camp, Colby, who sucked at the challenge, told everyone he knew he was going, wished them all well, went to nap in the ocean. While the others debated whether it might be wiser to vote out the crippled James.

Meanwhile over at the Villains' camp, Boston Rob and Russell have an exchange, with Rob warning Russell if he has the Hidden Immunity Idol, he better use it. Russell took umbrage to Rob's cocky ways.

Rob thinks he has it all figured out, they'll flush out the idol and split their votes to guarantee a Parvati ouster.

The Villains are first up at Tribal Council. Time to vote. Jeff says if anyone has the Hidden Immunity Idol, now is the time to play it. Go to commercial. Back from commercial, Russell stands and walks to Jeff. Smug look on Boston Rob's face.

Russell says something like I'm not quite done yet, Jeff. Then goes and gives the Hidden Immunity Idol to Pavarti. Earlier Russell had tricked Tyson into switching his vote to Parvati.

The votes are read, 4 are for Pavarti, 2 for Russell with, I think, 3 for Tyson, sending Tyson home, to the stunned looks of those who thought they'd outsmarted Russell, with one of them saying something like, "What just happened?"

Then, in come the Heroes, the Villains get their hot dogs, with Rupert unable to focus on anything but the food. The Tribal Council proceeds while the Villains eat. This was about the most light-hearted Tribal Council I remember watching, with James providing most of the humor, particularly when describing how Colby was not the Colby of James' youth, back when Colby was Superman, now Colby is Superman with a girdle and no muscle. Colby objected, good-naturedly, pleading that he's really not that old.

At another point James pointed out Colby's failure in that day's challenge, where he was beaten by a cripple (meaning James) and a fat man (meaning Rupert). Much laughter among the Villains.

In the end, the tribe decided Colby was not too old and kept him, booting James, with the bum leg, who, on parting, told his former tribemates that he would be drunk in about 5 minutes.

Both Tyson Apostol and James took their bootings well, at least judging by their post-boot words to the camera, I mean, audience.