MrsGryn

Shannon, I'm glad you checked in. I was thinking about you in the nursing home the other day, so it is good to hear from you. On Friday, I took a long drive to be out of the house and see something different. Ended up at a very obscure historical marker way off the beaten path (had to go down a long dirt road then hike a quarter mile to get there). It was lovely to be outside, to not have anyone else around, but also sobering. Stopped at a grocery store on the way home. It was brisk business. They had people stationed outside wiping down the carts with cleaning solution before pushing the cart toward customer. The workers had gloves, I saw a couple of masks. There were exactly ZERO paper products and only a few cleaners, stuff like toilet gel, nothing else. However, I found hamburger which has been scarce, so I was happy. Weirdly, I could not find the spreadable butter (Land o' Lakes w/ Canola) that I like. Very little tub butter in fact. Got regular old sticks instead.

Ah. Well, hopefully you will remain symptom free for the two weeks. Keep us in the loop as to how it goes!

Was it your primary care that said you couldn't have a test? I would suggest you contact your county or state health department and tell them what you wrote here about being exposed, your symptoms and your underlying conditions.

Yeah me three. If it had been someone else there instead of Rob, I would guess Tyson might have found at least one more. Then he could have purchased some jelly to go with his peanut butter.

By the end of this episode, Magpie declared herself to be on #TEAMDOUCHE. I am on #TEAMANYONEBUTDOUCHE. This is now enmity is born. Who the douche in question is becomes apparently on this episode. We actually start off on Jurassic Island in nightvision as Parvati describes her ouster to the rest of her fellow exiles. She calls herself lame for being voted out before the merge, but in the middle of her story, guess who joins them? The Queen herself, Sandra. Parvati cannot help being a little bit pleased about Sandra’s ouster. At first we don’t see Boston Rob’s reaction to it, but as the Queen describes how her booting came about, Rob gives a sly little satisfied smile at how Sandra managed to outsmart herself by being strategic rather than her tried and true “anyone but me” strategy. She knows this is how she blew it, allowing the fact that she liked Denise to color her emotions and change up her game play. And as the exiled players sit around the Reem Daly Memorial Fire, they describe to her how life goes on the island, including Tyson mentioning climbing up the mountain every day to get a cupful of rice. Sandra immediately starts looking around for the exit sign and telling them in no uncertain terms she will not be starving for twenty three days, only to lose in the challenge to get back in the game. Everyone and their puppy knows there is no way Sandra is winning a challenge. Not a physical one, not a puzzle one, not a fire making challenge, nothing. She will never make it back into the game and as her last act ever for Survivor, at least until she takes over Jeff Probst’s job in an unforeseen coup, she lights her torch and marches out to the Reem Daly Memorial Surrender Monkey Flagpole and taps out. Here’s to you, Sandra Diaz-Twine. You have given me a lot of hours of entertainment over the years, you have always and ever been yourself, forthright and direct, tough, no-nonsense, and amusingly brusque. Others may try to take your place in the annals of Survivor legend, but they will ever fall short, and you will still be there on the sidelines to remind them they are pale imitations of the true Queen. Sele, post tribal council. Yul is discomfited by Wendell’s behavior before the vote, specifically his stated willingness to vote how Parvati wanted him to vote. Being an adult, being an upright, Dudley Do-Right kind of guy, Yul pulls him aside and talks about what happened during tribal. Wendell states that this is how he treats his friends in real life as well, he is very upfront and honest with them about how he feels and what he believes and apparently he gives no fucks how they feel about it. This becomes self-evident as the show goes on, but we will get there. In the meantime, Yul greets the sunrise with a lot of doubt now about Wendell’s commitment to the alliance, and his integrity within the game. How about if we see how Wendell treats women overall, especially one he has previously knocked boots with, shall we? At the fire the next morning, Michele and Wendell talk with Yul in the background overhearing the conversation. Michele expresses how she believes the effect his actions and words will have on the others in the alliance, and she makes her point in a calm and non-accusatory way. Wendell immediately warps into a PAD: Passive Aggressive Dick, and expresses his thanks to her for “schooling” him on how he should speak at tribal council. Yul blanches at the way Wendell condescends to her, and I have a very hard time imagining Yul ever speaking to another person in such a way. It’s unnecessary and it is especially cruel as there is no need for Wendell to be that way with her, other than he can. It is a misuse of power. Yul talks with Michele later about the disrespectful way Wendell speaks to her, and how disappointed he is that Wendell is one way with him (respectful, adult) and another way with her (condescending, snide). They agree that Wendell is shady AF, and to my eyes he has zero respect for women in general. And what do we learn? That Michele tried to, as she put it, “repair some of the damage in our relationship” by giving him one of Parvati’s fire tokens. WHAT?? Those fire tokens were for you to use, not to try and get your ex-boyfriend to still like you. He is a user and a jerk and Parvati probably screamed at her TV when she saw that. I know I did, along with every sensible person watching this show. What a dumbass move. You give him valuable coin with nothing…NOTHING…in return. GAH! I’m done with Michele now. And by the end of the episode I’m doubly-done. The morning of Day 17 dawns over Jurassic Island, now minus one Queen. To recap in the recap, the Exiles are currently Natalie, Amber, Danni, Ethan, Rob, Parvati, Tyson. Because a big deal is made out of this later in the episode, it is notable that six out of the seven exiles are what is being referred to as “old school” Survivor players. I have been unclear about what the dividing line is between old school and new school and a quick Google search left me with more questions than when I started. So we are going with my personal definition which is, “Do I remember them winning?” If the answer is yes, then they are old school. Sorry, Sophie. Ethan is struggling with some depression issues and dark thoughts…well, as dark as Ethan gets. Parvati, though, talks him through it and includes insightful comments like “Fasting is really good for the body” (sure, just ask the Donner Party and a few Somalis circa 2011), and “Do you want to do some yoga?” Ethan says he will be okay, but I suspect he may not last too much longer and we will see another Reed Daly Memorial Surrender Flag hoisting before the season is over. Speaking of which, a box has been left for the exiles. In it are seven rolled up messages which say, “Scattered on top of the island are four fire tokens. Follow the trails to the natural ends, then the search begins. There is no limit as to how many fire tokens one player can find.” Boston Rob takes off, running up the hillside like a scampering rabbit. Tyson tells us that he saw Rob go, but figured that “as a portly chap” like Rob, Tyson would have no trouble passing him on the uphill part of the trail. He finds a fire token almost immediately and calls himself amazing. Oh, Tyson! He is one of those personalities that if you take him and what he says literally, you will find him insufferable and a lout. I just hear the self-deprecating laughter behind those statements. Try it my way, Tyson-haters. It is a lot more fun. Back to the fire token hunt. We know Tyson has one, because he shows everyone what it looks like. Everyone else is unable to find any tokens and once they all gather together again they all seem disappointed and sad. Natalie demands everyone “frisk” to prove they don’t have fire tokens and I wonder why you would ask that of Danni, because the girl is so slender she is barely there herself. There is a whole lot of fabric waving and pants dropping but no tokens other than Tyson’s are to be found. The consensus is that the other three were never going to be found. However….(insert dramatic music here)…Boston Rob, of course it is Boston Rob, has managed to find the other three tokens and hidden them in his jockstrap. We see film of him finding the tokens. He says with finding three out of four, if he were batting in the major league he would be batting .750 and I’m suddenly sad there is no opening day baseball today. Also the Houston Astros are cheaters and the Dodgers should retroactively be awarded the 2017 World Series trophy. Dakal beach. Tony runs like an idiot on the beach, much to the amusement of Jeremy, Kim, and New Queen Denise. Tony thinks Denise is a new target for his protection and he is highly focused on having a meat shield. He is so careless with his words, he even tells her that she is now in that role. Jeremy, though, feels Tony is still the biggest threat out there. Kim is concerned about having a plan moving forward when the inevitable merge comes, and she, Jeremy, and Denise commit to having a bond together once that happens. Yara beach. Turns out Adam is a whiny bitch. Oh, wait, we knew that already. He and Yosemite Ben have a little tiff because Ben keeps asking if Adam has the hidden immunity idol. I’m assuming Yosemite Ben is obsessing over this a bit because he has been unable to find the token. If only he looked in Sophie’s bag! Then he would find it! Meanwhile, Adam complains about the tone being used to interrogate him and Yosemite Ben immediately reframes his question/demand in a falsetto that would put Tiny Tim to blame. This whole segment is here to show us how Adam is acting like a teenager. He is mad that the rest of his tribe is only pretending to look for an idol to humor him when he is certain that either Sarah or Yosemite Ben has that idol. Just grow up, ya whiny brat. Immunity Challenge time! Probst is wearing a Behr Paint Rushing Stream shirt, for those keeping score at home. We are down to three teams of four, so no one has to utilize the Sandra Sit-out Memorial Bench. Probst also explains that two tribes will have immunity once again, leaving only one going to tribal council. The challenge is going to be a very physical one for the most part: a large VERY heavy shallow disc will have to be carried by all members to a water tower where they will have to fill the reservoir then carry the disc over some obstacles while spilling as little water as possible. Once they get the disc to the end of the course, they will pour the water in a bucket in an effort to drop a bag full of puzzle pieces, which will then be assembled on the disc. First two tribes to finish win immunity. Survivors ready? GO! There are two approaches: hare and turtle. While Sele and Dakal both hare the course, it is Yara being a turtle who manages to get their puzzle pieces first. They were slow and steady and barely lost any water. Sophie and Yosemite Ben begin work on the puzzle, followed by Dakal getting their pieces with Jeremy and Denise working on the puzzle. Sele is last and the second time watching this I noticed that Michele was carrying the puzzle bag but had momentarily gotten in the way of the guys moving the disc to the puzzle platform. Either Nick or Wendell can be heard saying, “Get out of the fucking way” though the last two words are not heard, we can only hear the beginning of it. Nothing passive about that, just an aggressive dick there. I went back a couple of times and I really am not certain which one said it, but I know for sure it was not Yul. Michelle and Wendell work on Yara’s puzzle, which….not Yul? Really? Or Nick? So Yara finishes first and has time for Yosemite Ben to stand at parade rest, watching the other two tribes like it is a tennis match. Sele is getting their puzzle done, but never, ever count out Denise on these things. She and Jeremy are in sync and as I stopped the playback for a minute to get some thoughts down, the screen is stopped on her, showing some amazing muscle definition. I think she might even put Jeremy to shame, girl is so fit! Wendell alerts Probst that they are almost done and Nick cautions him to concentrate on the puzzle. Wendell declares that he needed Jeff’s attention and yeah, dude. We can all see you need attention. And in one of my favorite moments of the season so far, Dakal finishes their puzzle a second before Sele does. Suck on that, Wendell. Post challenge on Sele beach. Yul is not happy that Wendell did focus completely on the challenge and feels that this momentary lapse could have been the difference between winning and losing the challenge, and he is not wrong. The long and short of it is between voting out Yul or Wendell. Nick seems to favor voting with Yul and booting Wendell, because it was his inattention on the puzzle that blew it for them, which is exactly what Yul just said. Wendell wants to vote out Yul and Michele just wants Wendell to put her digits back in his phone. Honestly, there were a number of cringe-tastic moments here. Wendell wants attention from Probst, but Michelle wants attention from Wendell. Unfortunately for us, as soon as Yul said Wendell was for sure going home, I knew it was going to be Yul. Michele says something to Yul about wanting her fire token back, so Yul tries to come up with some strategy to get them back. His plan is that telling Wendell he and Nick are voting out Michele, while in reality, they would vote out Wendell, with the idea being that Wendell would bequeath his fire tokens to Michelle. Yul also requests that he would like one of those fire tokens as “compensation” for having his name written down. Nick listens to this plan with a poker face, but he is not liking the, as he puts it, dark path Yul is headed down here. I think Yul’s mistake might have been bringing it up with Nick. He should have kept it strictly between himself and Michele. And even then, it is a crapshoot. There is no guarantee that Wendell would give his tokens to Michelle because you know perfectly well that Wendell will be a Bitter Betty at being voted out, something he has never experienced on Survivor. So far. Hey, I live in hope. Nick and Michele talk and they list the reasons for booting each of the other two, and agree that they will decide. Well, yeah. When the other two are gunning for each other then you two are the ones with the power. Nick asks Michele if she regrets dating Wendell and after some hemming and hawing, she says yes. Oh, honey. You are going to regret it even more when you see this show as it airs and Parvati texts you with WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?? over the fire token gift. Michele bemoans the years she spent thinking she didn’t deserve her win, which, yeah. Everyone was disappointed with your win and knows it was only due to the asshole jerk alpha males who were humiliated by a gay gardener with a thick accent and a big-brained nerd-girl. As Sele heads to tribal council, a song with actual words is played over them and I am having a really, really hard time getting ahold of songs with words in English on Survivor. This is very discomfiting. Make it stop. Tribal Council time. Probst is wearing a Behr Paint Aruba Blue shirt, for those keeping score at home, and I really want to paint my bathroom this color. The talk is the usual stuff about losing the challenge, then moves on to questions about pre-existing relationships. Yul diplomatically mentions that when you are on the beach for a short amount of time you have to spend a lot of that getting to know the other people, but if you already have that relationship, that work is already done and you don’t have to do the work. Michele acknowledges that she and Wendell do create a lot of tension, but that Wendell has made it very clear that he is there just for himself, which really isn’t so bad because other than Rob and Amber, they are all there just for themselves, but also that Wendell doesn’t care what happens to her in the future. While she is speaking, Wendell manages to smirk and smugly smile the entire time and otherwise ham it up. At a pause, he interrupts and says, “Let me correct you…” which Probst LOVES because it gives him an opportunity to pounce on Wendell’s language. Essentially Jeff is all, ooooooh he said he is going to correct you! How does that make you feel? At least Wendell is smart enough to know that was a stupid thing to say and changes it to, “Let me correct what I said or how you interpreted it.” Which is NOT ANY FUCKING BETTER, YOU BUFFOON! The thought of being quarantined with Wendell is right in line with my idea of hell, because that condescension in his words, his voice, his expressions, his mannerisms is all kinds of infuriating. I swear to heaven above I would vote for Reem Daly over this jackass. He says to Michele, “I care for you and your future.” No one believes this. GAH! Let’s just get to the vote. Probst goes to tally the votes. No idols were used and I don’t think anyone on this tribe actually has a hidden immunity idol, do they? Probst reads the votes and breaks my heart. Yul. Wendell. Yul Hyung. Yul. Sigh. Of course he takes it like the adult he is and wishes them luck. At the token boxes, he divides his two tokens between Sarah and Sophie. I wasn’t sure why that was until I checked my previous notes and saw that of the original Dakal tribe that Yul started on, Sophie and Sarah were on it and still in the game. Though that group also consists of Tony, Nick, and Kim. I kind of wish he had given both of them to Kim, just to see what she would do with them. I am, however, thankful Tony wasn’t even in the running. Did you figure out who #TEAMDOUCHE is about? Next week: Drop! Yo! Buffs (again). As the camera pans over the challenge course, I paused the video and counted: eight spots on an obstacle course. Looks like the first challenge for the exiles to get back in the game will be happening next week. Any bets on someone other than Boston Rob?

Sad news (shared by goobie): Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz dies from coronavirus.

I can't imagine BB will be happening, at least not at its usual start date.There is a possibility of a fall show since it would be easier to get up and running and fill a lot of slots for shows that are behind on production. On the other hand, how many of us are going to want to relive being forced to life with people in a confined space for a long period of time? (as I listen to my husband mutter in the other room)

Love the honest self reflection there.

But it's worlds better than Discovery. We have enjoyed watching Picard, except the Patrick Stewart's acting has been incredibly stiff.

Malarkey was always very squirrelly, as I recall. He seems like he is a little hyperactive which is going to rub some people the wrong way. On the other hand, he has a boatload of restaurants so he must be doing something right.

Well, since we're stuck at home (a lot of us) with no particular place to go... New season of Top Chef. I have always liked this show because the contestants have actual skills, not just looking good in a bikini. So the new season has past contestants who were winning-adjacent or somehow perhaps were booted through no fault of their own. So the first episode has aired, and I'm pretty surprised to say I remembered most of them. Anyone else watching? Top Chef Season 17 contestants

Are you looking for a thermal read type of thermometer? Or the old fashioned mercury kind?

Every single player this season has won the game of Survivor by either outwitting, outplaying, or outlasting their competitors. Some managed to bull their way through the game, some were just more likable than the person or persons they were sitting next to at the final Tribal Council, and some earned it. I mean, seriously earned it. Denise was one of those players who had a bit of everything in her season. She went to every single tribal council in her season but managed to outlast her competitors and earn the votes for her million dollars. On tonight’s episode, she proved she has more BALLS! than Jeff Probst at an immunity challenge. Denise just moved way up on my scale of Survivor winners on this season. She gave a masterclass on how to commit regicide and now I’m totally onboard the Denise train. As the episode begins, Yara celebrates being free of Boston Rob’s glowering presence. I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around why everyone falls into a sheep-like pattern around Boston Rob but that could be because I suffer from Oppositional Defiance Disorder. Mostly it is Yosemite Ben who is thrilled beyond compare that his closest competitor has been sent off to Dinosaur Island. He felt Rob did not give him any respect, but dude, you should know by this stage in your life that respect is earned and you did very little to show Rob you deserved his respect. The girls, Sophie and Sarah, are just relaxed and cool, while Adam frets about what it means for him now that he is the low man on this totem pole. Fretting seems to be Adam’s default, which could be why he annoys the crap out of me. Speaking of Jurassic Island, we are spared the Ambuh-Rob reunion schmoopycakes and join them mid-morning. Tyson makes his way back from the Reem Daly Memorial Surrender Flag with a log emblazoned with a clue to the new challenge: there is something hidden under a rock but the dinosaurs have to be “in the right time and at the right place.” Everyone splits up to flip over the approximately, according to that well known mathematical scholar Boston Rob, 80 million rocks looking for whatever advantage is out there. Only Tyson figures out that the key part of the clue has to do with time and the only thing time related on their sad little island is the tide. He waits for it to be out and spots something tied to a piece of driftwood. After ditching Rob’s watchful eye by pretending to pee, which is a bold strategy, he finds it is an idol nullifier and he has to sell it to someone still in the game. He picks Parvati, who buys it with her fire token. So now Tyson has a fire token. Will he save it in order to gain an advantage in the comeback challenge? No, he buys a ginormous jar of peanut butter. If a jumbo roll of toilet paper had been thrown in, Tyson would have been ready for the Beer Virus Apocalypse we are all experiencing right now. He admits part of the reason he did it was because it was sneaky and hilarious, but also for the practical reasons of getting more energy and nutrition than his competitors. Tyson does stand a better chance of winning a competition to return to the game now, although I still think Beastmode Natalie is the front runner as of right now. Immunity Challenge time! Probst is wearing a Behr Paint Deep Breath shirt, for those keeping score at home. There is a ripple of shock running through the Dakal and Sele tribes as they see that Rob was voted out. I guess they were all waiting for their turn to be intimidated and hypnotized by him. Well, other than Sandra of course. When Probst goes to collect the two parts of C-3P0’s skull masquerading as the immunity idol. Wendell starts to toss Sele’s half to him and Probst is incredulous that Wendell would actually be so cavalier about such an important artifact. I can’t quite decide if Jeff was covering up irritation with Wendell or was just kidding around. I suspect the former. He puts the idol back together and informs the three tribes of some bad news: only one winner today. The two losing tribes will be both be going to Tribal Council and voting someone off. Luckily, there is also good news. Reward in the form of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sophie guessed what was there before Probst removed the cover, so either she was a bloodhound in another life or it was a lucky guess. The challenge itself is going to be another strength and skill combo: tribes will swim out to a boat and retrieve three big bags of rice which they will work together to maneuver through a small hole in a giant grid, then get the bags to shore, where they will use a knife to open each bag and find the BALL! inside each one. They will then take turns getting all three BALLS! through a table maze until all three are in their designated spots. First team to win gets immunity and sandwiches from the Fijian Safeway, the other two head to tribal council. And because Yara has only four members, one each from both Sele and Dakal will have to sit out. On Sele it is Michelle. You will never guess who sits out on the Sandra Diaz-Twine Memorial Sit Out Bench. Look you aren’t stupid. I am not even going to tell you it is Queen Sandra. Survivors ready? GO! The first part of the challenge is all over the place, with the tribe in the lead switching around depending on what leg they are on. Yara at first is good getting the bags to the gate because Yosemite Ben managed to carry two bag on his broad shoulders. Sele gets their bags through the gate first followed by Dakal, but then Dakal gets messed up when Kim and Denise struggle getting the heavy, soaked burlap up the beach. Sarah, meanwhile, carries a bag on her own for Yara. Girl has strength! Yul starts slicing open the first bag for Sele and he treats the knife like a scalpel. Meanwhile, Yosemite Ben starts stabbing his bag like he is Jason Voorhees confronted by a promiscuous teenager. I got a little worried that the medics might need to be called in due to a knife slip, but then if that happened we would have been treated to a tease of it all week. Meanwhile, Dakal can’t find their knife, thus they get to the table maze long after Sele and Yara are working the pulleys for the maze. Nick starts for Sele and gets the first ball, while Sophie works it for Yara. She gets their first ball in place. Wendell takes over for Nick and as he gets close he sasses Jeff to watch him get the BALL! in, however he drops the ball. Probst, still pissed about Wendell’s disrespect for the immunity idol, loves that Wendell failed. Kim is working on the maze for Dakal but there is no point in talking about them because they really suck at this challenge. Nick takes the maze back over for Sele and manages to get their second ball in, while Adam is able to breeze through the second ball for Yara. Sophie takes over again and coolly works the maze to land the third and final BALL! for Yara, saving them from tribal council. As Adam puts it, it is like winning two immunity challenges back to back since two people are leaving. But who will be getting exiled? Pre-tribal strategizing on Sele finds Parvati and Michelle on the outs, with it looking like Parvati being the one going home. She has the nullifier she bought from Tyson, but that won’t do any good without numbers on her side. Nick, for one, is bummed because he would still like to make nice with his high school crush. Parvati and Michelle discuss options, but they are pretty discouraged. Michelle seeks out her erstwhile booty call, Wendell, and talks about possibly voting for him for Parvati’s sake and getting her fire tokens but Wendell immediately shuts that down. He is very upset that Michelle would even dare to suggest writing his name down. Not just upset, outraged! All they would need is one more person to write his name down! OUTRAGEOUS! You know, I mostly liked Wendell in his season. He seemed chill and laidback, but, particularly on this episode, we are seeing a whole new side of him. He is arrogant, dismissive and kind of a jerk. I now realize that Wendell seemed so easy going because he had the larger than life personality of Dominick to hide behind on his winning season. Wendell is not getting a winning edit here. Michelle tells us the way Wendell is treating her out there is the same way he was while they were dating – or if we go with Wendell’s version, knocking boots – and she has no reason to align with him now. Later, he and Parvati have a conversation where he essentially asks her for her two fire tokens and he will vote for whomever she wants. She clarifies that the fire tokens will be given after the vote and he says no. And since Parvati is not an idiot, she does not trust him with that offer. Also because she is not an idiot, she take exactly what he said and goes to Nick and tosses Wendell completely under the bus, letting it be known that Wendell said he would vote how Parvati wanted for her fire tokens. It gives Nick some food for thought, trying to decide if he can actually trust his ally. Michelle reiterates to Nick that Wendell has disdain for anyone not named Wendell, and Nick does concede that point. There is a glimmer of hope for Parvati in the eyes of a vampire toothed public defender. Sele’s post challenge strategy time is spent with Jeremy and Denise trying to figure out how they can stay afloat. While the Dakal three of Nick, Yul, and Wendell seem pretty unbreakable, the former Dakal trio on the new Dakal tribe are fractured at best. Tony is, well, Tony. Kim seems like a deer caught in the headlights most of the time, and I am still not convinced that she and Danni aren’t the same person. Sandra is the Queen of Dissembling and you can never, ever trust what she says, no matter how trustworthy she seems to be. Tony’s paranoia gets the better of him and he reverts to his old ways of creating a spy bunker. This time is it located at water well and he crawls in to wait for people to wander by and spill their plans. The women oblige, but as usual, Sandra’s radar is up and she suspects something is off. She suggest to Denise and Kim that they talk somewhere else. Denise tries to figure out if she is on the block. She knows she has an immunity idol (and Jeremy has the safety advantage where he could just walk away from tribal), but she would prefer to hold on to that just in case. Sandra tells her the truth that they are solid with Tony because of the numbers advantage. Funny enough, Sandra remembers that Tony had his spy shack at the water well the last time. He crawls out of it and pretends he was freaking out elsewhere to Kim, who tells him to calm the Eff Down. Jeremy wanders up and reiterates that the big targets (Tony, Sandra, Jeremy) all need to stick together. Sandra agrees to their faces and then tells us she is not so sure that is the right move. She has lots of friends on the other side so if she can last to the merge, she can probably ride this to the end. So Queen Sandra makes a move. She asks Denise what would her two fire tokens be worth and Denise answers that immunity is the price. Sandra’s idol is good for only one more tribal council, so she makes a deal with Denise: two fire tokens for an idol, as long as Denise votes out one of the boys and does not touch her or Kim. Denise’s wheels are turning. She tells us what’s in this for Sandra is that she stays in the game and the Queen’s hands are clean. Pure Sandra. Denise makes a deal: one token now, one token after they get back to camp. Sandra agrees. Ooo, this is going to be fun! Tribal Council time. Probst is wearing a Behr Pain Fresh Artichoke shirt, for those keeping score at home. Sele is first. I can encapsulate this tribal council for you very easily. Wendell shows his ass. Not in the literal sense, because CBS can’t afford the pixilation these days. Probst asks Wendell what is the theme of this season and his response is friends on the outside, stab in the back, or front, or side, in the game itself. He is very directly saying that he is in this for himself and his allies better beware. Nick looks thoughtful. Parvati starts to tell Probst that she wants to play the game with people who will talk with her and strategize, not someone who will backstab, but of course because Wendell is who he is, he interrupts her to claim he hasn’t played that way, just putting it out there that he IS willing the play that way. I really wish Parvati had turned around and told him to shut up and let her finish what she was saying, because being interrupted is so condescending. But hey, mansplaining is here to stay, at least as long as Wendell is there. He ends up saying people should appreciate that someone is keeping it real out there. Parvati leads Wendell to admit that he was willing to vote the way she wanted for her fire tokens. It is eye-opening for Yul, who does not seem to have been aware of any of this. Nick has the last word here that someone is going to get backstabbed and screwed over as this is winners at war and that is how this season is playing out. And with that, it’s time to vote. Probst goes to tally the votes. Parvati. Wendell. Wendell. Parvati. Parvati. Her torch is snuffed and she wishes everyone good luck as she heads down the Reem Daly Memorial Path to Jurassic Island. But first, her THREE tokens are given to Michelle. And now it is time for Dakal’s tribal council. Probst did not change shirts, for those keeping score at home. He goes for the same question: what is the theme of this season? Kim says it’s about the threats versus the non-threats. Sandra is asked about that answer and she pops off with the people who are threats, or at least who she perceives as threats: Boston Rob, Tyson, Parvati, Tony, herself, Jeremy, Kim (that was just for show). She purposely points out the non-threats include Denise. Probst wants to know if that is a compliment. Denise says it could go either way and all the winners are threats for different reasons. I would like to enter Danni as Exhibit A in the not everyone is a threat argument. Denise says that tonight will hopefully solidify relationships going forward in the game, and she and Sandra nod at each other. With that, it’s time to vote. Probst goes to tally the votes. But first, does anyone have a hidden immunity idol they want to play? Why, yes, Jeff. Yes, someone does. Denise stands up and hands him the idol that Sandra sold to her for one fire token. Probst confirms it is a hidden immunity idol and says he will read the votes. Denise interrupts him AGAIN and brings her other idol up to him. She explains she would like to play that idol for Jeremy. I did wonder at that, but it is likely she was afraid of a doublecross by Sandra in order to get her tokens, so it is not necessarily a wasted idol. Finally, Probst gets to read the votes. Denise. Does not count. Denise. Does not count. Denise. Does not count. Denise. Does not count. Sandra. Sandra? SANDRA!!!! Tony stutters and sputters, “How is that possible, man?” He is so confused. Me? I am LOVING it. Sandra laughs about being taken out on Day 16 again. Her fire token is given to Yul. Look, Sandra is the Queen and I have enjoyed her play since Pearl Island when the tribes were bargaining for items in the marketplace and she told the vendors in Spanish to overcharge the other tribe, so for her to get taken out is sort of a bummer. However, this was an AWESOME move by Denise and moved her right up to threat level player top shelf. This is how legends are born. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.

Kind of what I was thinking: he has to have guessed the others have tokens from previous challenges and he knows his best chance of getting back in the game is through whatever challenge they throw at the exiles, so why not get some nutrition now to keep going?

Discuss your reasons in the comments.